Sloved the energy shortage problem

[Richard]

I'm reading this thread late and don't want to step into TOO many mudholes. (I try to keep tempermental things to myself, lest I offend anyone) /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif So I'll offer a kind thought on something you said.

You said:

...reduced emissions by over 400%.

Though I understand your point, this phrase ALWAYS makes me chuckle just a bit.

Think it through, is it possible for you to take a 400% REDUCTION in pay? nope, for that would mean you are PAYING to work!

You can't "reduce" by any amount MORE than 100% from your reference point.


/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
Again, not trying to "correct" or other, just highlighting what I perceive to be a common mistake.

Richard

 

[cowboydoc]

Richard,
That should have said 40%, sorry. I make alot of typos.

 

[WVBill]

Re: Solved the energy shortage problem

Bird:

Was that the "pay-it-yourself" price or the cut-rate insurance price? /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Actually my wife's surgeries were probably in that range too (she had them both done a year apart). The $8K was just for the hospital - her surgeon and all his charges were on top of that.

Did your surgery give you back a good percentage of your hands? I ask because even a year later my wife says she's only at 75 - 80%. Of course, we think she waited too long - she got to where she couldn't even pick up a can of beans at times before she had the surgery.

 

[Bird]

Re: Solved the energy shortage problem

WVBill, I guess the $19,000 plus was the "pay-it-yourself" price. There was some discount to the insurance company because the doctor was on their "preferred provider" list, then after a $300 deductible, my insurance paid 70%. I don't remember for sure, but I think that got the total cost to me and the insurance down to about $15,000.

I think the doctor who did the job is good. My mother had one hand done by a different doctor who botched the job, then this doctor re-did it and she's had no problems since. He had also done both my youngest daughter's hands. I know quite a few people who've had the surgery and I don't think anyone gets back 100%, but I'd say 80-90%, and stopped the pain. I let mine go as long as possible and after not even going to bed for 3 months (dozed off and on in a recliner because of the pain at night), and when I wasn't able to sqeeze a little caulking gun trigger with both hands together, I decided it was time for surgery. I had the right hand done on 8/10/97 and wanted the other one done as soon as the stitches were removed. This doctor wants to wait a minimum of 3 months after doing one hand before he does the other; preferably 6 months, and I wanted it done 10 days later, so we compromised a little and he did the left hand on 9/3/97.

Bird

 

[cowboydoc]

Re: Solved the energy shortage problem

Wingnut,
Nope no ruffled feathers. I certainly don't know what all the answers are, just my opinions which I'll admit may be right or wrong. I know there's no easy answers to any of this. I just see things a little differently is all and that's ok on both sides. That's what keeps us centered is to have an opposite side to a belief and then hopefully where you meet in the middle is some common ground on both sides. I appreciate your comments and the debate. As my grandpa always said there's your side, there's my side and then there's the truth which is somewhere in the middle. Well time to go home and see my little girls which really is what matters. Have a good night.

 

[RichZ]

Re: Solved the energy shortage problem

Richard, I'm going way off topic now, but carpal tunnel syndrome has weeded its way into this thread. I work for the New York State Dept of Health, and used to be involved in hospital inspections, and I was told by a physical therapist, that alot of carpal tunnel is actually caused by a vitamin B-6 deficiency, and that taking B-6, starting a 100 mg a day, and increasing up to 500 mg slowly until relief is felt may actually reverse it. My father was supposed to have surgery, I suggested this to him, and at 400 mg a day, the symptoms went away. Since you're the only honest md I know in this specialty, I was wondoring what your opinion was on this. Sure wish I lived near you. (Bad knee!)
Rich

 

[cowboydoc]

Re: Solved the energy shortage problem

Yes in some cases that can be true. Also alot of carpal tunnel is not carpal tunnel and is caused by an imbalance between the flexors and extensors. The body acts synergistically. Think of it as brakes and accelerators in a car. Most of what people that get carpal tunnel do involves using the flexors. Simply the flexors get tight and strong and the extensors get weak and stretched out. You have to strengthen the one and stretch the other. Combine this with some ultrasound, muscle work,nutrition, NSAID's and exercises and I cure alot of carpal tunnel without ever going to the knife. Unless it's really bad the tendon sheath is obliterated by repeated tendinitis and has reached Stage 6 then you can usually fix alot of them without surgery.

 

[Bird]

Re: Solved the energy shortage problem

Richard, I'm not sure I understand all that, but think I have the general idea. The doctor who did my carpal tunnel surgery sort of leaves it up the patient, but says he believes in surgery only as a last resort. I agreed, so we did try some other things first, but with no luck. The first time I ever even heard of carpal tunnel was in connection with the use of computer and typewriter keyboards, and in fact, my daughter's surgery was considered an "on the job" injury. However, the doctor also told me that some believe now that it may be hereditary, and I wouldn't argue with that since my mother, my daughter, and I have all had the surgery.

Bird

 

[cowboydoc]

Re: Solved the energy shortage problem

Yea Bird it can be hereditary in that the carpal tunnel itself is congenitally narrow. The condition itself isn't hereditary but the predisposing factors to carpal tunnel syndrome are. Just like we see alot of hereditary degenerative disc disease and stensois in the spine.

 

[jdkid]

Hi ya cowboydoc
just from what i have heard exxon has not payed the billions they are only paying the intrest on it as told to me by a guy who works for mobil .he had just be learing the in's and out's of fuel spills now the big groups here are schooling up the drivers etc etc so if anything happens the big fish can say "we showed him and HE stuffed up take it out of his hide not our profits"once more the little guy get's the kick in the @$$
catch ya
JD Kid

 

[GrantMO]

Re: Solved the energy shortage problem

Wingnut,

You say we are spoiled in the U.S. because our gas prices are so low compared to Europe and most other places. Do you know why Europeans and others pay so much per gallon or liter? Is it tax, cost of getting the oil, refining, transportation or something else? I've heard that gas is about a quarter a gallon in Iraq so the average Iraqi driver must be one of the most spoiled persons on the planet. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[cowboydoc]

Re: Solved the energy shortage problem

Grant,
You're absolutey right. Most other countries pay much less than we do for the cost of the fuel. The exorbitant prices are the high taxes placed on the fuel.

 

[Wingnut]

Re: Solved the energy shortage problem

Grant,
It just so happens that I was over there last fall when all the truckers strikes were in motion ... and based on the video and print media ... it was split pretty evenly between the "cost" of gas and the taxes. People usually don't cry too much about the taxes since all the roads are paved and there seem to be more paved roads in Holland than in Canada ... as well as bicycle (and tractor) paths on both sides of each road.
They don't seem to scream too much either about corporate profits ... mainly because corporate taxes are also very high.
I don't really think (and this is just my logic and moth) that transportation plays a whole lot of havoc with the end price ... since transportation at the global and local level always involves hugh amounts being moved ... and that brings economies of scale into play.
I'm not criticising the US for bitching about costs, by the way ... just pointing out that Europe has had it worse for a far longer time.
And they're lucky ... they get to drive far better vehicles than we do .... (and far weirder, too ... if you've never seen a picture of a SMART). Everything I've rented in the past 5 years (with one exception) was a turbo diesel ... good fuel economy, wonder performance, and lower price.
Seen any turbo diesel cars over here??

too bad that common sense ain't

 

[Wingnut]

Re: Solved the energy shortage problem

Hey ... I thionk I solved the energy crisis ... and I'll be quite willing to just donayte my royalties to charity.
Everey morniung before work, I spend about 45 minutes at the health centre before trotting upstairs to stare at the monitor for 10 hours .... and on Friday it suddenly occurred to me (I was on the rowing machine at the time) that a great many of the "beautiful people" in Kalifornia spend time in the gym everyday just like me.
If we attached dynamos to all those machines and hooked themn up to the power grids ... well, we could probably bankcrupt Royal Dutch Shell ... or maybe Exxon ....
whadya think?

too bad that common sense ain't

 

[ddl]

Re: Solved the energy shortage problem

Wingnut

It sounds great for the west coast people who are short of energy, or are they short on sopmething else? I bet if you did this they would claim the sweat from peple using these machines would harm the enviroment. I am sure there are moles with noses that would be chased away, hey maybe we can solve that problem also.

Dan l

 

[looch]

Re: Solved the energy shortage problem

Anyone ever hear of the "cat/buttered toast array"?

Since toast, if it is dropped, will invariably land buttered side down and cats always land on their feet, a new form of energy is just waiting to be harnessed. Simply strap a piece of toast, buttered side up to the back of a cat. Next, drop the cat from about 4 feet up. The array will stop about 1 foot from the ground and begin to rotate. Voila.

Just trying to lighten things up a bit. Here in Quebec I'm currently paying 80 cents a litre at the pumps for gas (80 cents CDN = 52 cents US and a litre is about a quarter gallon, so about 2.00 US a gallon). On the other hand, hydro-electric power is quite abundant.

 

[skent]

There are a lot of folks who can't understand how we came to have an oil shortage here in the USA. Well, there's a very simple answer. Nobody bothered to check the oil. We just didn't know we were getting low.
The reason for this is purely geographical. All the oil is in Alaska, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Wyoming, etc. All the dipsticks are in Washington, DC.


Steve

 

[GlueGuy]

Re: Solved the energy shortage problem

DDL,

Looks like the energy mess will be cleaned up with alternative approaches. First, CA energy users have managed to "cut" usage by about 11% compared to last year. That looks like it is enough to avert disaster. On top of that, they have figured that if they lower the voltage delivered to users from 120 volts to about 116 volts, that it reduces power consumption by another couple of percent.

That, combined with an additional 5,000 (roughly another 10% of peak usage) megawatts coming online in the next several weeks, and I think we may get through this thing.

I still think we will go through with the solar setup. It may not be this summer, but we will do it pretty soon. I'd like to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

The GlueGuy

 

[Harv]

Re: Solved the energy shortage problem

<font color=blue>I'd like to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.</font color=blue>

That is such a great straightline, GlueGuy, that I'm going to let it pass. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

I know we've cut our own electrical consumption by nearly 30%, and most of the people I know around here have done nearly as well or better. I guess the commercial users, as a whole, haven't cut back as much, but altogether we're getting it done.

You are wise to move forward with the solar project, no matter when you are actually able to do it. What one man does may not seem like much, but I believe this is how trends begin. Keep us posted on your progress.