I've written about the consolidation of local health care organizations over the past months.  In preparing for a talk I delivered to an insurance agent's organization last month, I dug a little deeper to see what the trends seemed to be for the future.

There are some very interesting things happening to and with health care delivery and these things are, in part, already on or affecting the local scene.

Retail Medicine...

Several major corporations have experimented with and made commitments to what I'll call 'retail medicine'.  Major drug store chains have had walk-in clinics in their stores, and have gotten so serious about it that they've actually purchased the companies that were supplying the services.  One of those is Walgreen's and we see the result in Germantown.  Our local Walgreen store is 1 of 13 in Wisconsin with in-store clinics and that number is expected to be as high as 19 by the end of 2008.

Wal-Mart is doing similar development across the country along with the CVS drug store chain and several others.  These models all tend to rely upon the Nurse Practitioner and work to establish referral relationships to local physicians for the more serious conditions encountered.  Costs, according to the Take Care Health Systems (Walgreen) website range from $59 to $74 per visit with additional fees charged for vaccinations (seasonal flu shot priced at $24.99).

Physician Shortages... 

There are serious shortages of physicians in America and that is, in part, prompting the 'retail medicine' movement discussed above.  Massachusetts learned this the hard way when it passed laws that required virtually all citizens to have health insurance.  There were simply too few primary care doctors available in the state to handle the new demand that had been created.  The physicians who are moving through the education system today are too often choosing specialties that pay more and that have better schedules so they can also spend time with their families and pay off their loans more quickly.

These shortages are prompting our medical colleges to step up the effort to cause more graduating physicians to opt for primary care service but this will take time and there will need to be some economic push to make it happen.  This is spawning the following effort.

Nurse Doctors...

Minnesota has graduated at least one class of Nurse Doctors who are entering practice across that state.  This is a doctorate level program that claims to produce practitioners that "can do almost everything" a primary care physician can do except for some surgical procedures.  This program is being expanded to be able to graduate more Nurse Doctors every year as the program ramps up.

As we can all understand, the physicians' organizations are not at all happy about this movement.

Dentist Shortages...

The average age of dentists in many states, Wisconsin included, is increasing at an alarming pace and we are beginning to see a shortage of dentists.  Minnesota again seems to have taken a lead position with legislation that was being considered which would permit Dental Hygienists to both drill and extract teeth in addition to their normal responsibilities.

As you would also expect in this situation, this is meeting strong resistance from the organizations representing dentists, but the simple fact that this found its way to the floor of the Minnesota legislature is significant.  Minnesota has been more prone to experimentation in the general area of health care (health maintenance organizations took off very rapidly in this state in the early-1970s), so these trends aren't all that surprising in our neighbor state.

Summary...

Our health care world is changing very rapidly.  If we were to become a Rip Van Winkle and sleep for even just ten years, we'd likely encounter a strange new health care world when we awoke.

Who can say what is good or not good in these regards.  Time will tell which, if any, of these initiatives we will have accepted and which we will have discarded as bad ideas whose time hadn't yet arrived.  Some way needs be found that will permit us to control costs.  If we rely upon government to do that, I'm afraid that the consequences will be heavy-handed control and rationing of services...and I cannot find it within myself to think that is an improvement.

Unless you've been on a deserted island, I imagine you know that Tim Russert died a few days ago.

I didn't watch his 'Meet The Press' show often, but when I did I was always impressed with how well he did interviewing a wide mix of guests.  The discussions about him, following the news that he had died, seemed to center on the words in the lead-in to this Blog.

He was so good at what he did because he was normal and fair and always well-prepared.  These thoughts were repeated regularly during the past week.  They speak volumes about this man who was born and raised in Buffalo, NY; whose dad was a garbage collector; and, who had a strong faith.  He kept his personal politics in check because he knew it was important that he present an impartial image.  Those who talked about being on his show mentioned that he was something of an 'equal opportunity' inquisitioner.  He was tough on everybody without regard to their politics.

It struck me that the very words being used to describe his uniqueness were also telling in that they were the antithesis of the usual fare we're fed by the 'talking heads'.  Tim Russert stood out amongst his peers because he was normal and fair and well-prepared.  And the words being used were being used by those very same 'talking heads'.  They were not, of course, aware that they were casting stones at themselves at the very same time they were lauding their former counter-part.

I suspect that we can all learn from the likes of a Tim Russert.  I know I can.  He loved his family.  He never forgot his roots.  He never forgot his faith.  He was always prepared when he went to work.  He gave every day his very best.  He remembered his friends and apparently had no enemies, certainly in his mind anyway.  He told people he loved them.  He was himself, not someone he thought he was supposed to be in order to fit into the world that he'd become part of after leaving his roots in Buffalo.

I hope I can remember Tim Russert for a good long time to come.  I probably will somewhat regularly as I see the antithesis on my television screen.

I have seen this 'mission statement' advertised in the form of a plaque for a long time.  I always seem to get a laugh from it, and thought it only right that I share this with you.

Please feel free to provide your recommendations as to what organization might be able to adopt this generic version:

                    MISSION STATEMENT

          We, the willing, led by the unknowing

          Are doing the impossible for the ungrateful.

               We have done so much for so long

                             With so little,

                       We are now qualified

                  To do anything with nothing

Nicole Sell...

What a miracle this 16 year old's recovery from a gunshot wound to the head is to behold.  It is nothing short of an act of God that she continues to live with us in this place.

I hope the sheriff's department will be relentless in its efforts to locate the person or persons responsible for this near-tragedy.  Someone knows something, as is almost always the case.  That someone needs to step forward and enable the authorities to close the file on this case.

Kenneth Rogers...

The new superintendent of Germantown Schools will take his new position on July 1st.  Now the superintendent of the Eleva-Strum Schools, he'll be moving to our community soon.  Welcome Mr. Superintendent.

I hope you will be able to work closely with the elected school board members while you breathe new ideas and approaches into our district.

Allan Kehl...

Another politician gets caught with his hand out, and has entered guilty pleas to federal charges that he took $15,000 from Dennis Troha of Kenosha.  Worse yet is the fact that Kehl is the former Kenosha County Sheriff.  He maintains, of course, that this money didn't influence his thoughts about the gaming casino Troha was trying to get established.  Sure Allan, we believe you...sure we do.

Newsweek...

We can all relax now that Newsweek has declared the debate on global warming to be over.  Here I was thinking that an honest, earnest debate had yet to begin on the subject, but I must've been wrong.

Certainly this liberal bastion of a magazine couldn't have misinterpreted all the evidence.  Oh, that's right...we really don't have any hard evidence yet do we?

Charles Krauthammer has a great column in the Journal Sentinel this morning if you're interested.

Moms are very special people.  I speak from the authoritative positions of a son and of a father and grandfather, and of a husband.  I think often of my mother.  I remember her caring for me and about me.  She was not a perfect person, and I 'm sure she didn't know all the things about parenting that moms do today, but she was my mother and she always will occupy that place in my world.

I saw my wife raise our children.  She was always there for them.  I can't lay claim to the same thing.  I wore a military uniform and I worked to support a family.  Those things meant that I wasn't always there for my children...but I knew that my wife, their mother, was and that was my way of justifying my not being around as much as I would've liked or as much as my wife would've liked.

She worked hard too but somehow always found the time to be a mom.  That is, I believe, a big part of what makes a mom so special.  She was the person who made sacrifices for her children when their father was not so inclined or felt he was unable to do so.  Her children knew that even if dad wasn't home, they could rely on their mother to be there.

My generation had more 'stay at home' moms than the generation of today does.  In fact, moms who worked outside the home, except for farm moms, were the minority in my generation.  That has been turned upside down since and the reverse is certainly true today.  Both mom and dad need to work today to support their families.  Day care centers were unheard of in my generation, but are the norm today.  There are more step-moms today then ever before, as well.  While they do not have the very same maternal bond, they too share the mom and child bonds that develop from everyday life, from the trials and tribulations, from all the smiles and hugs and kisses.

Will the children of today feel a difference?  I hope not and I don't think so.  Kids of today already have formed that bond between themselves and mom.  In some instances, they were deprived of mom's time and attention...and even in those cases, I think there is a connection that will continue throughout their lives.

I have been blessed in my memories of my mother, my childrens' mother and in being able to watch our kids and grandkids grow up and in knowing how they feel about mom.  

This is a special thank you to all the moms and Gammas and Nanas.  Where would we dads and kids and grandkids be without you?  In the case of mom, we wouldn't be at all...and I hope we don't permit 'science' to intrude on this blessed relationship that is God's gift.

You may have heard or read of the Carnegie Mellon University Professor Randy Pausch and his 'last lecture'.  He is a 47 year-old man who has pancreatic cancer and is dying.  His family consists of his wife and three children ages 6, 3 and 1.

His last lecture was delivered in September of last year and has been viewed by millions on the Internet.  This was his approach to saying goodbye.

The Weekend Wall Street Journal for today carried an article written by Jeffrey Zaslow that was very well done, and the actual lecture is available for viewing at thelastlecture.com if you're interested.

It is expected that Corsair Capital, a New York based private equity group will sign a deal with National City today that will affect Germantown.  You've guessed by now, if you're a regular reader, that the effect is to keep our newest bank name, National City Bank, in Germantown, at least for the foreseeable future.  Corsair and some other individual investors will put around $6 billion into National City at a share price of some $5.00.

We earlier traced the evolution from St. Francis Bank to Mid America Bank to National City Bank in the first Blog that discussed the plight of National City.  It's shares closed at $8.33 on Friday and that marked a 52 week decline in value of 78%.

So, it appears that my friendly, efficient bankers in Germantown will continue to be there when I need them.  I'm happy for them and for me and the rest of their customers.  Changing banks is a nuisance.  If there are direct deposits, those must be changed.  If there are automatic withdrawls, those must be changed.  New checks and bank cards must be obtained, and decisions as to which of the numerous accounts offered is the right account need to be made.  If Internet banking is involved, there is another level of change, and if telephone banking is involved, yet another level.

We sometimes are oblivious to the things that happen on Wall Street and the world but many of those distant happenings directly involve us in one or another ways.  This whole subject has been one that most of us has not followed...and yet it has an impact on our nice little village.  Our economy has truly become a global economy whether for the better or not.  IBM sold its laptop computer business to a company in China.  The Jaguar and Range Rover nameplates are now owned by a company in India.  GM is building a new engine plant in Brazil.  Medical x-rays are read off shore.  When the Far East markets hiccup, Wall Street flinches.  The demand for gasoline and diesel fuel in India and China have thrown our prices into a seemingly unending upward spiral.

Perhaps more important, these changes have occurred in a relatively short span of time..in decades rather than centuries.

The HBO network has retained the services of Bill Maher for some time now.  I don't watch HBO only because it isn't part of my DirectTV package.  I likely will not watch HBO in the future, but for another reason.

Mr. Maher has chosen the time of the visit of this Pope to our country to launch into a vitriolic attack on Catholics and the Catholic church.  I am not Catholic, but I do consider myself to be a Christian.  I am not favorably disposed toward pedophilia nor toward members of the priesthood who have engaged in and/or tacitly condoned that despicable conduct.  I do know that pedophilia amongst clergy has not been limited to the Catholic church.

Mr. Maher has chosen this subject as his tool to castigate the Pope and the Catholic church during this visit to the U.S.  Among his comments, supposedly the comments from one of those who poses as a member of the literati in America, are the reference to the man who is now the Pope having been conscripted into the German military during the period of the rise of the Nazi movement in Germany.  The man who is now Pope was reportedly twelve years of age when this occurred.  Maher calls the Pope a Nazi but I've so far seen no evidence that this man who is now Pope ever was a member of the Nazi movement.

Mr. Maher has called the Catholic church a cult that supports pedophilia.  Mr. Maher has referred to the Catholic church as the 'Bear Stearns' of organized pedophilia in the world.

These comments are likely within Maher's rights as a citizen of our great country.  HBO has so far remained silent thus giving Maher its blessing to proceed unchecked.

This is an example of just how repugnant free speech can be.  This is an example of just how permissive some of our news and entertainment organizations seem to be.  That so few of the literati have had anything to say about this is telling indeed.

Our neighbors to the south have just scored a significant new deal that will see a 110 room Radisson Hotel rise up like a Phoenix where the old, run-down motel stands today at the intersection of Main Street and Hwys. 41-45 in the Falls.  The eyesore will begin to be redone quickly according to reports and will include a 'name' restaurant when completed.

The development group doing the Radisson will also construct a total of 82 condominium units across the street from the hotel site apparently in three increments.

Maybe this will be the stimulus necessary to see the closed store fronts reopened, and to see the empty lots populated by farm market wagons in the Summer and Fall put to a more valuable use for the citizens of the Falls. 

And, it can't help but rub off a bit on us Germantown folks.  We'll have ready access to a new hotel for guests, a new restaurant that might be a nice destination and simply the general aura of success that comes from area re-development.

Tax incremental financing is great when used wisely, and the Falls seems to have come alive recently in that regard.  This is the second major deal to be announced in weeks.

From whom do you get your advice on home decorating?  Where the pillows should be placed?  How to arrange the furniture?  What colors to paint your room?  Are they properly licensed?

No...this is not an April Fools joke.  Licensing of interior designers would be the law if the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) had its way in the various state legislatures.  Today's Wall Street Journal carries a Op Ed piece written by Clark Neily, an attorney at the Institute for Justice, that discusses this attempt.

He tells us that the ASID has been waging this battle for some thirty years.  The driving force behind this effort is that ASID would gain many new members while driving the competition out of the business.  ASID's requirements would be a four-year degree from an accredited interior design college, a two-year apprenticeship and a two-day licensing examination costing $1,000.  He further pointed out that this examination is so irrelevant to the actual practice of interior design that many of the current ASID membership has not taken the exam but instead have received a waiver from ASID.

Many of us know that person who has a 'special knack' for decorating.  Would he or she then be part of the lawless band of unlicensed decorators?  Would your sister no longer be able to advise that the pillow might look better if it were on the chair instead of the sofa?  Would it be illegal for one's best friend to suggest his or her advice even if not being compensated?

Three states have succumbed and license interior decorators.  Indiana's legislature passed the law but its governor wisely vetoed the legislation; this occurred last year.

Isn't the folly that passes for law-making something to behold when such laws are proposed, much less passed?

This isn't an April Fools joke...but it ought to be.

Easter seems very early this year from a 'calendar' perspective, and apparently it is.  One look out the window would certainly suggest that it is quite early...or that Winter is quite extended...or both.

The last time Easter came this early on our calendars was in 1913.  Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox according to the lunar calendar which is used by the Hebrews to identify the Passover.  That explains why Easter moves around on our calendar, the Roman calendar.

The next time it will be this early will be in 2228. 

And, as if that isn't far enough into the future for you, the next time Easter will be earlier than this will be on March 22nd in the year 2285.

I hope for you a happy and blessed Easter, no matter how early or late it might seem.

The New England Journal of Medicine, yesterday, published results of a study on prostate cancer and the various treatment regimens employed.  I selected this as today's topic since I'm a man, I've had friends who've died from the disease, I have friends who now have the disease, I'm in the target age group and fully one in six males will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men and the number two killer second only to lung cancer according to the American Cancer Society.  It is predicted that there will be some 186,000 diagnoses this year and some 28,700 deaths are expected from the disease.

The New England Journal of Medicine reported on the study of a group of 1,201 men and their partners after three kinds of treatment had been administered.  Those were: removal of the prostate; implantation of radioactive 'seeds'; and, radiation therapy.  Of the group who had received either radioactive 'seeds' or radiation therapy, one-third also took hormones.  The Journal was careful to note that the patients and doctors had made decisions independent of this study so the conclusions drawn were said to be suggestive rather than conclusive.

The conclusion drawn by the urologist who led this study, Dr. Martin Sanda of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, was this (as he was quoted saying): "Doctors or their patients should think twice if they're considering hormone therapy.  Most of the cancers treated nowadays are not really that aggressive."

The good news is that more than 99% of patients survive at least five years.  Thirty years ago, only about two-thirds survived that long.

This study showed that too much treatment can make a patient needlessly miserable. Complaints with hormone therapy centered on lack of sexual drive, problems with urination and bowel problems.

I remember very well my conversations with my friend John, of whom I've written before.  He was adamant that the quality of his life was more the issue than the length of his life.  He was encouraged to take hormone therapy and refused to do so after reading of the possible side effects.  He knew that was the right decision for him and maintained his quality of life until very near the end.

What lesson can we all draw from this?  I think the most important lesson is this:  Men should not avoid being examined for prostate enlargement and PSA counts for fear of what might be detected.  That is a very, very small price to pay for the peace of mind that flows for most of us as the result.  And, early detection is by far and away better for the patient because treatment can be begun before the cancer has grown too large to control.

The rule of thumb that I've always heard was that we men should begin to be examined for prostate issues at age 50.  My  feeling is that even earlier would be better.  My friend was diagnosed at about his age fifty and the cancer had already gotten a good start by that time.

There was, I thought, supposed to have been the 14th Annual Easter Egg Hunt yesterday at Firemen's Park in Germantown unless precluded by 'inclement weather'.  I don't think that hunt happened and I know the weather was beautiful...well at least not inclement...and I didn't see any announcement nor were there, I'm told, any cancellation signs posted, people there to explain, etc.

There may have been a very good reason for the non-hunt, but we've heard nothing about it.  How many youngsters were there and disappointed?  Whose responsibility was this?  The  Rec Department head?  Someone designated to be the project leader?  The Village Board member that chairs the appropriate committee?  Who?

Just as there has been no cancellation notice that I've seen or heard about, there has been no indication that it will be re-scheduled to the 'inclement weather day', March 22nd. 

What's goin' on G'town? 

It was the St. Francis Bank when I moved my account there, and that lasted a few years.  It then became the MidAmerica Bank, following a purchase, and remained that for some three years as I recall.  It is now the National City Bank, after one of the smoothest transitions of a business takeover that I've ever seen or experienced.  Those folks know how to do a bank take-over!

Now, a few weeks after National City Bank became visible in the Milwaukee area, banking in general has hit a wall.  A major investment bank, Bear Stearns, was 'saved' yesterday and will be bought (bailed out) by another or several others at dirt cheap prices in the very near future.  The stock market reacted.  Amidst all this turmoil is the fact that National City Bank is for sale.  Its stock has dropped 20% of its value since January 1st.  It has fallen in value by more than 60% in the past year.  The credit crunch has taken its toll.  It lost some $333 Million in the fourth quarter of 2007 and is expected to report additional losses when it posts its first quarter 2008 results next month.

National City Bank is not alone, and it is not going to fail, but it is a visible reminder locally that these things can and do happen.  And just when I thought that I had finally found nirvana in a bank.  The local employees have spent nearly the past year training to become National City Bank, learning the new systems and procedures and being taught about the new product array of National City Bank.  As stated earlier, I have been impressed with this organization and its products.

I can only hope that whomever ends up owning this bank will be sufficiently wise as to recognize what is working and not be too hasty in changing that for sake of change.  That happened, frankly, when MidAmerica took over St. Francis and it amounted to a net loss for the customer.  Unfortunately, it is not often that the buyer thinks it bought something better than what it has built for itself.

A short week ago I wrote about Eliot Spitzer and the havoc that he had wrought as the Attorney General of the State of New York.  I referred to the 'trail of carnage' that he had left behind in his quest for higher office.

Yesterday the press reported about his apparent involvement in a prostitution ring, and we witnessed his non-apology apology delivered in front of his weary and saddened wife.  Eliot Spitzer appears to have been caught up in his own 'trail of carnage' as has his wife and their three daughters.  He will likely be forced from office in disgrace; he could be indicted on federal charges since the prostitute traveled across state lines to meet him in his Washington, D.C. hotel room where he registered in the name of one of his friends.

His political enemies, and there are legions of those, are after his head, politically speaking.  Politics in New York is indeed blood sport.  The story will unfold over the coming days and weeks and months.

But all this notwithstanding, there still are those who were hurt by this megalomaniac (my diagnosis) during his meteoric ride.  And there are those who have been hurt badly by this latest revelation.

Yet, as much as I dislike the actions of this man, I feel saddened, particularly for his family.  It may be that his past has caught up with him; I don't know.  But I still think of those who lost companies and positions and reputations by his doing.  Forgiveness is difficult but certainly a worthy goal, especially it seems for an Eliot Spitzer.

This is admittedly not very 'curmudgeonly', but it hit my e-mail in-box and seemed something to share...since I know a person who does something very similar with his wife.

'It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb.  He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00AM.  I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would be able to see him.  I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

On exam, it was well healed so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.  While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning as he was in such a hurry.  The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.

I inquired as to her health.  He told me that she had been there for awhile and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease.  As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he were a bit late.  He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised and asked him, "And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?"

He smiled as he patted my hand and said, "She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is."

I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, "That is the kind of love I want in my life."

True love is neither physical nor romantic.  True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.'

The e-mail went on with this:

'Oh, by the way, peace is seeing a sunset and knowing who to thank.

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.'

Eliot Spitzer was the New York State Attorney General before he became Governor of that state.  Spitzer has the well-deserved reputation as a 'pit bull'.  The Wall Street Journal editors brought up his trail of carnage (my term) today discussing what he did to major organizations in America with his 'pit bull' style of threatening companies with enough damage to cause them to 'voluntarily' do as he directed they do. He made himself the investigator, the accuser, the judge and the jury.

The two companies mentioned this morning are AIG, the world's largest insurance organization, at least at that time, and Marsh & McLennan, a leading U.S. insurance brokerage organization.  Spitzer's threats caused both companies to fire their Chairmen.  Both companies have been on a downhill slide ever since costing shareholders huge sums of money in retirement funds, stock portfolios and so forth.  Many of these investors are you and me, whether or not we know it.

Those were companies caught up in Mr. Spitzer's web in New York City.  There was another that is much nearer and dearer to many in the Milwaukee area.  Strong Funds, and the related companies in Dick Strong's business holdings at the time, found themselves caught up in the Spitzer meat grinder.  The charges were of a questionable nature but that didn't stop the meat grinder that was Eliot Spitzer.  The Strong organization's good name was soon damaged beyond repair.

In the end, Dick Strong was forced to sell his companies at essentially 'fire sale' prices.  He paid significant fines for the trading activities in which he supposedly engaged.  The remains are now operated as part of the Wells Fargo organization.  The hundreds and hundreds of Strong employees who lost their jobs have, I hope, found their way into other organizations and may have forgotten much of the anguish they were personally subjected to by the Spitzer meat grinder.

Dick Strong, who was, and is, one of the finest men our community could hope to have in it, has survived.  Certainly his personal wealth probably has diminished somewhat although he is not in danger of losing a home or having nothing to eat.  There are some who will look at his situation and feel good because one of the 'haves' got what he deserved.  Those people are sadly misinformed and will simply have to live with their misshapen ideas.

The real loss has been for our community.  The companies Dick ran were major contributors to the community.  Those companies are gone and I doubt that Wells Fargo has taken over the philanthropy that was once the domain of the Strong group of companies.  Few buyers would have done so.  I am sure that Dick is still doing good works because that is who he is.

All this because a man named Eliot Spitzer managed to bull his way through the office of Attorney General of New York state in his quest for the Governor's chair and maybe even a run for President at some point in his political career.  I'll remember to my last day, and I'll remain saddened over what this man brought upon us...in the name of justice.

Banks have been located in grocery stores for the past couple of decades.  Grocery stores love it because they get more money from the space that might otherwise not be filled with merchandise.  Banks love it because people are found in grocery stores and people use banks.  And, a lot of people love it for the convenience; bank and shop with one stop.

Makes sense doesn't it?

It seems to make sense except when we hear about a 'bank robbery' involving one of those grocery store branches.  The grocery store branch bank cannot be as secure and protected as the bank in a dedicated building.  There are nearly always more innocent bystanders near the scene in an 'in store' robbery.  People who rob banks are simply not dependable people; we do not know how far they are willing to go to obtain money; we do not know if they might be armed.  They are, it seems to me, obviously a bit over the edge or they wouldn't be robbing a bank. 

By now you probably know that the bank branch inside the Germantown Pick 'n Save store was robbed yesterday at shortly after 11:00AM.  The layout of this store and the bank branch is such that there is very little room separating the bank from the grocery store aisle that passes in front of the check-out lanes.  It is located very close to the center entrance, has one enclosed office and an open teller counter area.  It is not uncommon to see customers queued up at free-standing tables in front of the teller counter waiting their turn.  Grocery customers are often standing in line or checking out or bagging their groceries.  Others are often at the Customer Service counter.  There is no real physical separation involved and that could lead to innocent people finding themselves involved in a bank hold-up.  Additionally, the grocery check-outs are loaded with money, too.  What's to stop the robber from making a few withdrawls there while he or she is at it?  That is not good.

It seems that, if a bank branch is to be permitted to occupy space in some other venue such as a grocery store or a Wal-Mart super store (which also has such a bank), the bank should be separated physically from the other open areas of the host store.  There should be walls, whether solid or glass, separating the two business activities.  That makes sense as much from a simple 'privacy' perspective as it does from the 'safety' perspective.

There are quite a number of bank robberies every year in Wisconsin.  We seldom hear much since the bank executives and the police agencies don't want to make a lot of 'to do' over these events.  This certainly is not the first such occurrence in a grocery store setting.

Is it a good idea to have bank customers and grocery customers intermingled as they are in the Pick 'n Save?  I don't think so.  Should there be physical separation?  I think that is a good idea.  How could that be accommodated in the Pick 'n Save?  There could be a new bank entrance constructed in the outer hallway with walls separating the bank from the inner grocery store area.  It would still permit one stop shopping and banking, but it would keep the two separate and, I believe, offer more privacy and more protection.

Am I just an Old Curmudgeon, or is there something to this with which you agree?

I had the opportunity to visit the Milwaukee Public Museum and the Body Worlds exhibition that is now being featured.  I had seen the publicity information so I felt that I had an idea of what to expect.

My expectations were significantly shattered by the reality of the exhibition.  It is simply AWESOME!

The various displays are done in what I would call good taste.  I left the Museum feeling as though I now knew more about self than I had ever known before.  At the same time, I didn't feel that my religious beliefs had been assailed or assaulted.

There is a separate exhibition showing embryonic development, and showing an adult woman at a late stage of pregnancy.  You may view that if you desire.  If you wish not to see this section, it is effectively kept from the publics' accidental viewing.

This was a moving experience for me.  I marveled at the complexity of the human body.  I now have a much better understanding of my own body and what I do or don't do to it and for it with various actions I might take.

There were student groups accompanied by parent escorts and teachers.  I would suspect the students were twelve or thirteen years of age.  It was obvious that this was a real learning experience for the kids, and it seemed to be a valuable teaching venue for the teachers.

There was a very young girl (three year or four years old) accompanying her parents, and she seemed oblivious to what surrounded her.  There was no indication of horror or fear of the sights she was seeing.  I obviously have no idea if she slept well that evening. 

If you're at all interested, you can access the Milwaukee Public Museum site for more information.

I was struck by this news item from yesterday.  I vividly recall one day when my Dad brought home one of the very first Polaroid 'Instant' cameras.  It was a relatively large folding camera where the lens appeared as the unit unfolded.  It must have weighed almost two pounds.  That had to be in the early to mid-1950s.

The film came in a box and I recall that you got eight pictures per box at a cost approaching about $4.00 per box.  That was a high price in the mid-50s.

The camera took only black and white pictures.  You had to grasp the film tab after snapping the shutter, and pull it evenly through a set of rollers thus squeezing the 'developer' solution over the exposed film.

The packet was self-contained when it emerged and had to rest outside the camera for a minute or two to permit the developing process to be completed.  You then peeled the film packet apart and the picture emerged.  The picture then had to be coated with something in a tube that smelled like paint thinner.  This applied a coat of a plastic-like substance that sealed the picture and permitted it to be mounted in an album or frame.

So, in the span of less than six decades, a new discovery has appeared and disappeared.  At its peak, Polaroid employed 15,000 people.  It quit producing new cameras a few years ago. 

The pace of mankind's knowledge expansion is almost frightening.  I've read in several journals that man's knowledge doubles every five or six years.  I am particularly troubled by that since mine is not keeping up, or at least I don't think it is keeping up.  This points up the fact that we can never quit learning.  This also helps me better understand why my grandkids are so much smarter than me :>)