Greg Mitchell's Blog, page 126
February 25, 2014
'Total' Classic
You may have heard that President Obama hailed fellow Chicagoan Harold Ramis on his passing today, even quoting "Total consciousness." Here's the scene from Caddyshack.
Gorgeous George
For George Harrison's birthday: Before he became an ace songwriter he got to sing lead on a few very early Beatles covers, and here's a great live version of "Roll Over, Beethoven." Below that perhaps his greatest song, "Beware of Darkness," in studio and live--and go here for rarely-heard earlier version with a lovelier mix.
Gunner
Knicks' troubled point guard Raymond Felton arrested a few hours ago on felony gun charges on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. A woman turned him in. And to think: Felton never known for his shooting. At least, unlike Plaxico Burress, he did not shoot himself in the leg. Felton has had awful season, as have the Knicks, and they lost again last night.
The Moo Pornographers
UPDATE One of the men, Reid Fontaine, had been employed as a IT specialist at a local school system since September. He has now resigned.
Earlier: Amazing story of the day, if you've missed, two youngish men in upstate New York busted for...cow porn. Yes, they snuck out in the night to a local farmer's barn and one of them filmed the other doing you know what. The farmer caught them on surveillance camera and tipped of the cops. "They were busted...when the farmer started to wonder why his animals weren't producing as much milk as usual."
Earlier: Amazing story of the day, if you've missed, two youngish men in upstate New York busted for...cow porn. Yes, they snuck out in the night to a local farmer's barn and one of them filmed the other doing you know what. The farmer caught them on surveillance camera and tipped of the cops. "They were busted...when the farmer started to wonder why his animals weren't producing as much milk as usual."
February 24, 2014
Beethoven A Punk Rocker?
Should they have named the NYC club CBLvB? Fun piece her at The Atlantic marks 200th anniversary today (which even I missed) of Beethoven's most overlooked, but still swell, symphony, number eight. I've proposed plenty of other moments of Ludwig "inventing" rock 'n roll, from the final movement of his Symphony No. 7 to the "boogie-woogie" section of his piano sonata no. 32. But this Atlantic writer finds the eighth symphony an "occasion when Beethoven, in the midst of a personal—and odd—life crisis, opted to create a work to please madcaps, jesters, and wiseasses alike." Enjoy:
Headline of the Day
From the Detroit Free Press:
Oakland County man accidentally kills himself demonstrating gun safety
Genius was 36. Three kids were in the house at the time. The usual quote: "Drinking was a factor."
Oakland County man accidentally kills himself demonstrating gun safety
Genius was 36. Three kids were in the house at the time. The usual quote: "Drinking was a factor."
White Man's Burdon
Yes, Springsteen abroad did Eric Burdon's goofy classic "Spill the Wine" last night. Party Animal.
Harold Ramis, R.I.P.
The director of comedy classic Groundhog Day, Analyze This and co-star of the first Ghostbusters and more has died at age 69. Also, of course, an actor and comedy trouper. Here's a Groundhog Day collection of Ned "the Head" Ryerson clips...
When Clay Beat Liston...and Became Ali
Tomorrow marks one of the most momentous night's in 1960s history. No, not a Beatles performance on Ed Sullivan but young Cassius Clay (already one of my boyhood heroes) beating Sonny Liston to take the heavyweight crown in a huge upset--paving the way for his decades at the forefront of American sports and culture and politics.
Yes, the Beatles visited him in his training camp in Miami Beach for a much-publicized photo op. But the most amazing meeting was this coming together, in a modest hotel in a black neighborhood in Miami after the fight--starring (get ready) Clay...Malcolm X...Jim Brown...and Sam Cooke. And a certain undercover FBI agent. Ali was about to announce his membership in the "black Muslims" and get a name change. Malcolm was about to get kicked out of that faith and travel to Mecca. Brown was getting more and more outspoken on race. And Sam Cooke was about to write "A Change Gonna Come."
That's all for now--I'll be writing a longer piece for The Nation tomorrow. But here's a clip from the opening of the Hollywood film Ali, with Will Smith and a Sam Cooke character singing in a Miami nightclub that week--which happened and was immortalized on one of the great live albums ever, Live at the Harlem Club.
Yes, the Beatles visited him in his training camp in Miami Beach for a much-publicized photo op. But the most amazing meeting was this coming together, in a modest hotel in a black neighborhood in Miami after the fight--starring (get ready) Clay...Malcolm X...Jim Brown...and Sam Cooke. And a certain undercover FBI agent. Ali was about to announce his membership in the "black Muslims" and get a name change. Malcolm was about to get kicked out of that faith and travel to Mecca. Brown was getting more and more outspoken on race. And Sam Cooke was about to write "A Change Gonna Come."
That's all for now--I'll be writing a longer piece for The Nation tomorrow. But here's a clip from the opening of the Hollywood film Ali, with Will Smith and a Sam Cooke character singing in a Miami nightclub that week--which happened and was immortalized on one of the great live albums ever, Live at the Harlem Club.
Catching a Code at the Doctor's Office
If you've noticed a tad more tension in the air than usual at your doctor's office, one contributing factor just might be the impending implementation of something called "ICD-10," short for International Classification of Diseases, version 10. Or, for long-suffering patients of every stripe, the cluster of diagnostic codes that reflect what you're being treated for--and how your doctor is reimbursed.
My sister, a clinical nurse specialist in Columbus, OH, has already taken three online courses in the new version. Docs have not been exactly eager to implement it, because they're not going to get any direct benefit--it's the health insurers and statisticians who will supposedly learn more about the procedures being ordered for patients. How much more? Diagnostic codes have mushroomed from 18,000 to a whopping 140,000. As that essential blogger you should be following, the Skeptical Scalpel noted when the codes first appeared (doc offices have until October this year to implement): the codes' specificity is mind-boggling.
His winner for most head-scratching: Code V9027XA, the code for "drowning and submersion due to falling or jumping from burning water-skis, initial encounter." The good surgeon pondered: "How does one have subsequent visits after drowning? Once one drowns, he is dead."
MedPage Today is running a series it calls "ICD-10 Follies," spotlighting various codes it deems may be "a bit too granular." Among the highlights is Code W61.92, "struck by birds," which gets its own youtube re-enactment here (or see below).
In case you were wondering, there are also separate billing codes for being struck by parrots, macaws, psittacines, chickens, geese, and ducks. Hence, W61.92 is for all other types of birds. You're welcome. --Barbara Bedway
My sister, a clinical nurse specialist in Columbus, OH, has already taken three online courses in the new version. Docs have not been exactly eager to implement it, because they're not going to get any direct benefit--it's the health insurers and statisticians who will supposedly learn more about the procedures being ordered for patients. How much more? Diagnostic codes have mushroomed from 18,000 to a whopping 140,000. As that essential blogger you should be following, the Skeptical Scalpel noted when the codes first appeared (doc offices have until October this year to implement): the codes' specificity is mind-boggling.
His winner for most head-scratching: Code V9027XA, the code for "drowning and submersion due to falling or jumping from burning water-skis, initial encounter." The good surgeon pondered: "How does one have subsequent visits after drowning? Once one drowns, he is dead."
MedPage Today is running a series it calls "ICD-10 Follies," spotlighting various codes it deems may be "a bit too granular." Among the highlights is Code W61.92, "struck by birds," which gets its own youtube re-enactment here (or see below).
In case you were wondering, there are also separate billing codes for being struck by parrots, macaws, psittacines, chickens, geese, and ducks. Hence, W61.92 is for all other types of birds. You're welcome. --Barbara Bedway
