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Idina Menzel, My Latest Find February 24, 2008

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Wicked is a musical based on Gregory Maguire’s novel by the same name. The lead actress, Idina Menzel, plays the part of Elphaba, a green-skinned witch in the land of Oz.

If you want a sampling of the best track of the musical, I’d recommend these three:
1.) Popular
2.) Defying Gravity
3.) I’m Not That Girl.

The songs are full of witty lyrics and catchy tunes from Stephen Schwartz (composer and lyricist).

You’ll hear Kristin Chenowith (who plays Glinda, the blond-haired popular witch) yodel the song Popular in her high-pitched chipmunk voice. You’ll die laughing at these lines too:
“I’ll show you how to fix your hair, what shoes to wear…”

“Don’t be offended by my frank analysis, think of it as personality dialysis…”

“Pink goes good with green…”
I think the best song in the soundtrack is “Defying Gravity.” Idina sings this song at the moment when she is lifted up onstage to escape the angry mob who were after her blood. All eyes on her and all heads turn up to follow her as she slowly levitates, sheets of black robes flowing around her… it was a jaw-dropping spectacle.

I end this blog with two stanzas of a song that Idina Menzel wrote herself. “I Stand,” a song of affirmation she sang in Wake Up with Whoopi while sitting on a stool, with no shoes on, and one leg tucked under the other.
I stand for the power to change

I live for the perfect day

I love till it hurts like crazy

I hope for a hero to save me

I stand for the strange and lonely

I believe there is a better place

I don’t know if the sky is heaven

But I pray anyway.

NIU Shooting vs VT Massacre February 14, 2008

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NIU Shooting
Where: De Kalb Campus, Northern Illinois University
When: Feb 14, 2008
3:15 pm
Start of shooting: Science class (geology), during a lecture at Cole Hall
Modus Operandi Came from emergency exit; shooting toward middle of lecture hall, then fired at the professor
Choice of weapon: To be determined
Casualties 16 wounded; 5 killed plus gunman committed suicide
Gunman identity:  Stephen Kazmierczak  (tall, skinny, white male, wearing black T-shirt)
What happened to gunman? Committed suicide
Reason for shooting:  unknown, but gunman was an “outstanding” graduate student with no history of trouble;  signs of erratic behavior in the last two weeks
Campus action NIU website reported possible gunman on campus
Issues To be determined
Effect on society: To be determined

VT Massacre
Where: Virginia Tech campus, Blacksburg, Virginia
(2 locations: West Ambler Johnston Hall and Norris Hall)
When: April 16, 2007
7:15 a.m.
Start of shooting: West Ambler Johnston Hall
Modus Operandi 2 separate attacks 2 hours apart
Choice of weapon: .22-caliber Walther P22 semi-automatic handgun and a 9 mm semi-automatic Glock 19 handgun
Casualties Many wounded, 32 killed (5 faculty members and 27 students)
Gunman identity Seung-Hui Cho
What happened to gunman? Dead (suicide)
Reason for shooting: Severe anxiety disorder, declared mentally ill by Virginia special justice,
Campus action informed students via e-mail at 9:26 a.m., more than two hours after the first shooting
Issues V Tech criticized for failing to take action that might have reduced number of casualties; lax gun laws; gaps in mental health care
Effect on society Passage of first major federal gun control measure

Bad Bitches at the 2008 Grammys February 12, 2008

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Two great performers, singing Tina Turner’s classic hit – Proud Mary. Tina Turner, the Queen of Rock and Roll. And beside her, Beyonce Knowles. Two women showing the world how strong the female spirit can be.

The legendary Tina Turner has rarely performed since 2000, but it took a momentous occasion, such as the 50th Anniversary of the Grammy Awards to bring her out of the closet and back onstage, to sing a duet with her fan-turned-superstar, Beyonce Knowles. Many people feel that Beyonce was outclassed by the 68-year old Mother of Soul (even if her skirt is shorter). The vocal strength and the stage presence of Tina, like wine, just gets better and better through the years.  But outclassed or not, to be able to perform with a legend you look up to as a child, is a dream come true.

Beyonce was given the difficult task of introducing Tina Turner onstage. And she came up with this:

Sarah Vaughan, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Kahn.
Historical women who have performed on this very stage.
When I was a little girl I dreamed on being on this stage.
But I knew I needed all the right elements:
Like the beat of Donna Summer
The Spirit of Mahalia Jackson
The jazz of Ella or Nancy
Bam! Gimme some!
Boy, I try to catch myself
But I’m out of control
Your sexiness is so appealing
I can’t let it go
Lena Horne. Anita Baker. Diana Ross.
Glady’s, Janet and the beautiful melodies of Whitney.
The legacy they have bestowed are simply irreplaceable (to the left, to the left)
But there is one legend who has the essence of all of these things
The glamour, the soul, the passion, the strength, the talent.
Ladies and Gentlemen, stand on your feet and give it up for the queen!
(Tina Turner enters…)

(I had to do some research to get all the names right, but all of them are African American singers who made it big in the record industry.)

Post Script:

  • Did Beyonce get a nose job? Her nose looks straighter…
  • I think Beyonce stepped on Tina Turner’s feet at one point… I can’t confirm it though, coz I can’t tell if Tina Turner was grimacing in pain, or if it was her natural facial expression at that time.
  • Did you know that Tina Turner was born “Anna Mae Bullock?” And didn’t a certain Bullock portray a drag queen singing Tina’s hit song “Proud Mary” in Miss Congeniality 2?

Pommel Cushions February 11, 2008

Posted by cutlaborcost in physical therapy.
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What is a pommel?

A pommel refers to an object resembling a ball, or the protuberant part of a saddlebow.

What is a pommel cushion? 

A pommel cushion is a cushion with an upward-projecting protuberance at its front part.  This modification prevents a wheelchair-borne patient from slipping down on the seat.

When are pommel cushions indicated?

Two main indications of pommel cushions are posture support, and hip positioning.

Pommel cushions are mainly indicated for patients who have weak trunk muscles or weak muscles of the lower extremities, and tend to slide down in their wheelchairs.   Pommel cushions help prevent forward sliding and decreases the risk of falls from the wheelchair.  Pommel cushions may also be used for patients with spasticity of the lower extremities to maintain both hips in the abducted position when seated on the wheelchair.

Patients with altered mental status can often benefit from adaptive devices that aid wheelchair positioning and decrease risk of falls from a wheelchair.  A logical progression of wheelchair safety devices to prevent falls would be:

  1. provide wheelchair cushion to all patients
  2. add a personal wheelchair alarm to patients who have poor balance and increased fall risk or patients with prior history of falls
  3. change standard cushion to pommel cushion to patients who have weak trunk or lower extremity musculature
  4. add a lap buddy or change wheelchair alarm to seatbelt alarm for confused patients with poor balance who tend to stand up without supervision
  5. change lap buddy to lap tray for confused patients who cannot be restricted by a wheelchair
  6. remove all devices and provide a merry walker

When all devices fail to restrict patient movement, and patient is still at high risk for falls, the possibility of a chemical restraint should be discussed with the attending physician.

A picture of a pommel cushion can be found here:  http://www.sammonspreston.com/images/products/6760L.JPG

Sources:

Sammons Preston Professional Rehab Catalog 2007, pp. 982-984

Online Medical Dictionary (2008).  Accessed at http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/cgi-bin/omd?pommel

CPT Codes February 9, 2008

Posted by cutlaborcost in physical therapy.
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What are CPT Codes?

CPT stands for “current procedural terminology.”  CPT codes are a set of codes developed several medical organizations in the United states for the purpose of helping the U.S. federal government to administer the health insurance program Medicare.

CPT codes are numeric, and code for medical, surgical, and diagnostic services.  The codes and descriptions are copyright 2007 by the American Medical Association. 

Who developed the CPT Codes? 

The CPT codes were first developed by the American Medical Association (AMA), and published in 1966.  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) eventually adopted CPT as part of their coding system. 

Are CPT codes the only codes used in Medicare?

The set of CPT codes is only a subset of a larger group of codes.  The coding system actually includes two levels of codes:

  1. Level I Codes – CPT codes
  2. Level II Codes – HCPCS or national codes

Why was the coding system created?

The coding system provides a common billing language for health care providers and payers.  The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 standardized all health care claim formats by naming the CPT and HCPCS codes as the procedure code set for physician services, PT and OT services, clinical lab tests and other medical services.  This occurred on August 17, 2000.

What is the HCPCS? 

HCPCS stands for Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System.  HCPCS is commonly pronounced as “hick-picks.”  These codes supplement the CPT coding system, and describes some supplies, orthotics and prosthetics, and durable medical equipment.  These codes are used primarily for Medicare and Medicaid billing.  The code consist of one alphabetical character (A through V), followed by four numbers.

Examples of common HCPCS codes used in physical therapy include: 

  • Walker, E0130

  • Wheelchair, E0950

  • Ankle-foot orthosis, L1900

  • Quad cane, E0105

  • Cane, E0100

  • Crutches, E0110

  • Forearm crutches, E0111

  • TENS, A4595

  • Knee orthosis, E1810

 A list of HCPCS alphanumeric codes can be found here:  http://www.cms.hhs.gov/HCPCSReleaseCodeSets/downloads/INDEX2008.pdf

 Source: 

E.R. Strunk, “Code Creation,” Advance for Physical Therapists and PT Assistants .  18,6 (2007), pp. 48-49, 62.

Wikipedia website.  (2008).  Accessed at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HCPCS.

N ational Government Services website.  (2008).  Accessed at http://www.empiremedicare.com/trainb/lmpbback.htm