pbmaltzman

Hi, Michael: Thank you for your kind words and good wishes! I will keep you all updated on what happens. Years ago I had some non-medical word processing clients of my own. Perhaps it is time to do that again. I have one friend who is an insurance adjuster, and and he wants me to transcribe a witness statement. I guess for me the take-away from this is that I should have done more homework and investigated further what the actual job situation was in this town to which we moved. I had assumed I'd have that one medical transcription job forever--well, nothing is secure anymore. I was charmed by the relatively low rental prices I saw touted in Craigslist ads---which are true enough; however, the other part of the equation is a very, very difficult job market here. Several people here have told me that even though they've been here their whole lives, it still took them 6 months to a year to find a job... very different from my big-city job-hunting experience. Okay I did take a couple of quizzes (punctuation and grammar/word usage) for a general transcription company. I should get the results early this coming week.

Ii am going to go ahead and apologize for asking for help. This is embarrassing for me, actually kind of shameful. As I think I've already posted, we moved from the high desert of Lancaster, California to the high desert of Kingman, Arizona back at the end of May 2013. We brought our medical transcription jobs with us. I had been working for the same Armenian boss for over 16-1/2 years, and currently have over 20 years of eperience in this field. Sam has about a third of my experience in terms of number of years, but has developed into a very good MT after having taken an online course. Well, long story short... I got abruptly terminated back in October. I had assumed that as long as I did my job well, I'd keep having a job to do; apparently the boss had other ideas. I actually have REALLY good skills and I still type fast (up to 156 words per minute on regular text). And I'm literate (won spelling bees as a kid)! I have reference books, and am not too proud to use them. I have been looking for jobs ever since then, applying for other transcription jobs online as well as local jobs. Nothing has turned up yet. I have decided to apply for unemployment compensation here (probably tomorrow), even though I am not 100% sure that I am eligible for it. I am also going to get whatever free food is available (as from food banks and other organizations, even the Salvation Army if available). I may even apply for the dreaded food stamps. BTW, I'm not looking to eat steak and lobster here; but at least some eggs, chicken, and tuna fish. I have been to the One-Stop Career Center locally (part of the so-called Department of Economic Security). The bureaucrats there were actually kind of nice. Yes, I know that in a better world this would not be necessary or desirable, and I completely agree. I was lucky enough to be given some donations and small loans a couple of months ago by several friends. I am asking for help here as well. If you want to make me a small loan, I request that I be given a year's time to pay it back, perhaps in dribs and drabs. I will keep track of how much I owe versus my repayments; but I promise I WILL pay you back, starting when I find a job again. If you would prefer to make a gift instead of a loan, well, bless you and thank you! I want to keep eating regularly, and so do Sam and the cats. i have found that Tractor Supply Company has a house brand of cat food (both canned and dry; they even have grain-free dry food). The cats like it okay, and it is somewhat less expensive than the stuff carried by PetSmart. I also have some 2013 quarterly tax payments which I hope to make before April 15. I will also need to renew car insurance soon, and to make payments on a new pair of Silhouette titanium frames for my computer glasses (broke and could not be repaired, must be replaced). If you wish to help me, there are a couple of ways: 1. I have a PayPal account, accessed by my e-mail address of pbmaltzman@yahoo.com. This is linked to my checking account. 2. You can send it to me at either my mailing address or my home address: Mailing address: Pamela Maltzman, 1308 Stockton Hill Road, Suite A-179, Kingman, AZ 86401 Home address: Pamela Maltzman, 2013 Davis Avenue, Kingman, AZ 86401 I am really embarrassed to be asking for help like this. I hope to be employed again real soon. I will update you all on my progress. And I thank you all, in advance, from the bottom of my heart. I hope that once I am back on my feet I will be able to pay forward and help other people as needed. Pam Maltzman (928) 718-0918 (Mountain Time Zone)

Hi, Michael: Thank you for your good wishes and kind words. I have gone to some of those websites and applied. I hope I find something soon. My skills are still pretty good, even after more than 20 years of doing this kind of work. Peter, thank you also for your reply!

Hello folks... this is Pam Maltzman; haven't been here in a while. In the last week, I got an e-mail from the Estate of Barbara Branden, notifying me of a memorial for her to be held soon. The event is free except that they are asking for a donation of $15, and there will be refreshments. I believe it is being held at the Wilshire Ebell Theater. This should be an interesting, major social event, in addition to being a way to pay respects to Barbara Branden. If you wish me to forward a copy of this e-mail, please e-mail me at pbmaltzman@yahoo.com. Or let me know how I can post it here. We are now located in Kingman, Arizona and won't be able to attend this event, although I'd like to under other circumstances. I was lucky enough to meet Barbara socially several times, and liked her personally as well as admired her writing. I'm currently job hunting. I brought my medical transcription job with me here in May but have since been terminated. This afternoon I'm also going to register with a local temporary agency for work. Pam Maltzman pbmaltzman@yahoo.com

After seeing your story, I'm beginning to think that posting anything personal on any website on the Internet at any time is, unfortunately, an invitation to certain loonies to abuse you. Certainly, it seems at times as if anything you say can be misunderstood (intentionally or not) and later be used against you. I endured some abuse in childhood as well... stuff which definitely went beyond "correction" all the way to sheer meanness, and I too get upset when people abuse their kids in public... but on the other hand, I've also seen people who do nothing to correct their offspring's obnoxious behavior in public (screaming just for the hell of it, for example). Have also been on forums where there are people who take advantage of the Internet's relative anonymity to flame anyone at any time. Don't know what the answer is. Much of the time I feel that the Internet is just one more opportunity for people to treat each other like crap.

I believe I read that they've done an autopsy, but I can't remember what the results were. However, you can probably find it on either Yahoo, Drudge, or a number of other news websites. Or just Google her name.

I occasionally read the NoodleFood blog... someone named "Wanda" was brave enough to ask when Diana Hsieh was going to apologize publicly for her treatment of Chris Sciabarra... Diana answered "When hell freezes over." She also apparently thinks Chris actually deserved what she did to him. Wow. Un-f******g-believable. Just damn.

Judith, I'm with you on Florida. I lived there for almost 10 years as a kid, and still have relatives back there. However, the last time I visited in the summer, although my uncle's house and car have air conditioning, I never felt like I got completely dry until I was half-way back to California on the plane.

There also could be a couple of things you could do to chelate out at least some of the mercury in your tissues. I have read that eating the herb cilantro can help with this. At some point you also might consider either IV or oral EDTA chelation therapy. I haven't been to a dentist in many years, but eventually I want my mercury fillings taken out too. I've just got a lot of other bills which have to be taken care of first.

I'm in Lancaster, California, about an hour's drive north of Los Angeles, up in the high desert. It's been snowing here too. Several inches are on the ground. The outside temperature was about 33 degrees Fahrenheit this afternoon.

I don't have any good advice, but I would like to offer my condolences. I'm sorry that your husband couldn't have found enough reasons to live.

Well, a celebration is in order! Happy Birthday to you, Kat!

Have you ever heard him sing "I Believe I'm Gonna Love You"? It's not one of his better-known songs... I think it was written by some obscure songwriter housewife in Texas (?). Anyway, I first heard it on a Long Beach, CA radio station that played love songs (before it went Hispanic!), and I tracked it down. I still have a recording on cassette tape. It would be a good song for a wedding. A lot of folks criticize Sinatra because he was often not musically correct (out of tune!), but I like some of his work.

I met Vince Miller a few times over the last 10+ years. For some reason, he always liked me and always gave me a hug whenever we met. My favorite anecdote about him, however, is this: A few years ago, I made the last installment payment on and took possession of my weapon at a local pawn shop which then had a gun department (new and used). I had proudly bought myself a hammerless .38 special revolver by Taurus. I took it with me that evening to the Karl Hess Club, one of the few remaining libertarian supper clubs in the Los Angeles area. Vince Miller was there that night. I took out my new weapon (unloaded) and showed it around. The crowd, as usual, was mostly male. I got congratulated on my new possession. Vince grinned at me and proceeded to show me his... a rather large revolver. A few other men were carrying that night and also "showed me theirs." ;) A happy occasion indeed.

I especially loved his routine about "Stuff."

Barring a court challenge, and even if incandescents aren't gonna be banned until 2014, some varieties of incandescent bulbs are already getting harder to find. I was just in Wal-Mart tonight, and narrow-based, 25-watt, flame-shaped specialty bulbs (for a few lamps around here) were out of stock, and I was told they weren't planning to stock them anymore. Same for light bulbs for appliances (refrigerators). So... I'm going to start stocking up as I find the bulbs I need and have the extra money. I hope there is a court challenge to this stupid ban. Not to mention that a lot of us are either sensitive to, or just don't particularly like, the quality of light which the compact fluorescent bulbs put out. Some years ago, the last time I worked in my boss's office, between the fluorescent lights overhead and the bright-blue screen which was part of the software package we then used, I was going nuts... I had frequent headaches and my eyes hurt all the time. My optometrist at the time showed me his lighting scheme, which was to alternate regular fluorescent tubes with full-spectrum fluorescent tubes (very expensive, is my understanding), and it was much better. Now that I have worked at home for a long time, I arrange things for my own comfort. I have some compact fluorescent bulbs around here. I was eager to try them because allegedly they last longer than incandescent bulbs. But if I use them in the downstairs laundry room/half bath, I have a harder time seeing the dirt on clothes when I go to put on stain remover before laundering them. Colors look different. If anyone hears about a court challenge to these damned compact fluorescent bulbs, please post it here so that I can contribute a few dollars to the cause... and thanks in advance.

Don't forget that Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski has also treated brain tumors, albeit not with surgery or radiation, but with antineoplastons. That would be another reason to cross the border.

I'll keep folks posted here on the progress. A list of the books available should be available by the middle of May. If anyone is interested, the list can probably be e-mailed to you. Thanks again for your good wishes and your suggestions.

Things are coming together. I'm in awe of networking. I e-mailed all my libertarian contacts, and also posted here and on the Yahoo Left Libertarian 2 list. Friends of Ken's are going to catalogue the collection. Some other friends are going to help Debbie sell the books for a good price. It's as if people are coming together to help with the library as a sort of final tribute to Ken. I'm glad I could play a small part in helping to get this done. Once the cataloguing is done, things should move fairly quickly in terms of selling the books.

Chris, thanks for your suggestions. I will pass them along to Debbie next time I e-mail her. Pam

Debbie Gregg, Ken's widow, wishes to sell his library. Right now I am waiting for permission to publish more, but if anyone is interested, e-mail me and I will put you in contact with Debbie Gregg. Way back when, Ken had an impressive library of books regarding the history of the idea of freedom, among other things. He also had a fair collection of SF. I can only imagine how gargantuan the collection must have gotten in the years between my association with him and his untimely passing. The problem is, the collection is not catalogued, and Debbie is not in a position to catalogue it. I think that I posted contact info. for Debbie Gregg in the other thread about Ken Gregg R.I.P., but for now e-mail me and I will pass on the info. to Debbie. BTW, Ken had made his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, and that is where the library is still located. Also, if anyone has any ideas for selling off this library, feel free to voice them. I am planning to e-mail all the libertarian contacts I have. If anyone here has other contacts for networking who might like to learn of the sale of this library, also feel free to contact me. I'm trying to assist Debbie in finding a buyer. pbmaltzman@yahoo.com

Sorry to nitpick, but I believe the boy's name is Elian Gonzalez.

Oh, no. I knew he had been battling prostate cancer for some time. This sounds like a second primary cancer. I remember that some of Marshall's friends had tried to encourage him, when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, to try some alternative medicine, but he declined. I haven't seen Marshall for a long time, but when I had run into him in the past, we always exchanged a bear hug. I'm a big woman and he's a big man, so it was a nice change from the usual. Well, I hope he beats the odds, but pancreatic cancer is especially nasty. Pam

Barbara, thanks for posting Dirge Without Music. I've always rather liked it too. Pam Maltzman

I just received an e-mail from Debbie Gregg today, informing me that Ken passed away in his sleep early this morning. R.I.P. Kenneth Roger Gregg. Pam Maltzman