Surgeons are worse than editors when it comes to bedside manners. How treating knee injuries and arthritis is a matter of the consultant’s opinion.
Category Archives: Passport
Words and Images in Transit
As the World Turns around my Narcissistic Mother
Coming soon…
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Naz and me
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Been a while….
PARIS, France—Unfamiliar with Paris Nord railway station I approached a group of men for directions. Gauging from their clothing the men didn’t look either like passengers or police, but they did look like authorities of some kind, who’d likely know where to direct me. One man, a hulking brute, stepped forward to reply: Do I look like I speak English? I said I have no idea but you’re speaking English now. Are you an American? Yes, why? This is France. We speak French here. Is it necessary to politicize this, I said. I just need directions. Please. “Alors…” He ordered me to follow him to the security area. For what? For speaking rudely to me. I was worried, since the other three guys were nodding in agreement. I asked them to identify themselves. They said they were customs agents. Oh, shit, I will definitely miss my train and worse; they’ll spend hours going through my suitcase and I’ll spend hours in a police station.
I thought of the British kid in Kenya, who police arrested for drug possession. Police allegedly beat him to death after he mouthed off a little too much. Deal with customs man as you would when face to face with a silverback gorilla. Don’t look him in the eye. Look down. Don’t talk back. Be the coquette. I told Mr customs man that he was absolutely right; I was a rude American and I was very sorry. I smiled, his eyes softened, and he let me go.
I was furious that this guy abused me by abusing his power. I was depressed that I allowed him to bully me into submission. But I caught my train. Viva la France
#abuseofpower #trainstations #paris #customs #parisnord #stpancras #trains
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Images 2017
View To Grenfell Tower, West London [VIDEO]
LONDON, England – On June 14th a 24-story public housing apartment building caught fire killing at least 80. A faulty freezer-fridge in an apartment sparked the blaze, but police say flammable insulation and exposed gas pipes along the building’s only staircase fueled it. The death toll is expected to rise, so it’s no wonder police say they are considering filing manslaughter charges against one or several dozens of companies, firms and council officials involved in a 2014 renovation in which design trumped safety. The 70s built tower dominates a neighborhood that’s since gentrified.#grenfelltower #london #westlondon #portobello #gentrification #uk #kensington
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Adventures in Eldercare
I spent the last several weeks in Tucson helping my mother transition to “independent living” after she’d suffered a mild heart attack and stroke.
The first takeway – in Tucson (and probably in most retirement communities) elder care is not a service, it’s an industry.
Before her discharge from the hospital a case manager told me my mother needed after care. Without hesitation she recommended a company. Let’s call it Total Geriatric Solutions. (Looking back I realize the case worker didn’t offer me a choice). I’d viewed Total Geriatric Solutions (TGS) as a temporary solution until I found a more professional one. These caregivers spent most of the time at my mother’s playing with their smart phones. As time went on one in particular began triangulating my mother and me. When I announced we’d found another company, she said,” You ain’t gotta speak to your daughter. You’re not incapacitated, and you have your rights.” The owners threatened to sue. As to my role as Power of Attorney they said they’d first need to scrutinize the “verbiage” of the legal document before deciding.
I looked up the owners of TGS on LinkedIn — they appeared all of 30 years-old. Their last jobs were listed as store managers of Best Buy and T-Mobile. They were strictly business. #moms #eldercare #tucson #arizona
Photo: with my step-brother, mother, and sales lady at the senior living community
