Twitter Updates for 2009-08-31

• Saw the movie District9. A creative, provoking, satire on humanity in the universe. #
• The Saint Louis Cardinals are playing like the style of our weather – cool and collected in October. #
• RT @KOMUnews: RT @komuMegan: Over the wknd, a Fulton woman, 69, shot at a plane attempting to land @ Fulton airport… #
• How the fed stimulus plan attempts to alter lobbying activity disclosure. http://bit.ly/YXgYf #
• Kansas City Chiefs: the latest on QB Matt Cassel. http://bit.ly/FaH7B 4 days away from the Governor's cup lineup vs. RAMS. #
• Howard Kurtz gathers up the tough liberal talk in Washington about BHO http://bit.ly/hHba6 #
• More Boston news from the Brady Bunch. http://bit.ly/3g79La #
• An issue going south by southwest. http://bit.ly/2hBxV #
• Scottrade Center brings them back soon! RT @St_Louis_Blues: Read about the players' summer fitness commitment: http://bit.ly/f0u5l #
• @CoMoSports. Congrats on getting your site up. #Mizzou should be a fun season. #
• RT @ChadLivengood: Now on my blog: Sen. Claire McCaskill: Public option must not become 'public mandate' http://linkbee.com/CWF5V #SGF #
• @jrosenbaum Favre may have a broken rib. http://bit.ly/17SJe5 #

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Thomas Edison’s lasting legacy in film and innovation

With the pace of new technology, it’s a challenge to simply keep up with the next advancement, application or platform. Facebook has acquired 250 million users worldwide in five short years, with social networking competitor Twitter generating 3 million messages a day. Youtube is only 4 years old, but already boasts 290 million visits per day, and hulu.com, an online broadcast of television and movies, climbs the ranks with 29 million daily page views . From a technological and cultural perspective, these trends offer business, social and political imperatives and insights. But to look at this virulent paradigm shift historically shows the raw influence of American ingenuity.

112 years ago, on August 31st, 1897, Thomas Edison patented the kinetoscope: a peephole motion picture viewer. The kinetograph was the accompanying machine that would capture the first motion-pictures. A strip of 18mm film ran between two spools while a rapid shutter speed exposed the film at a constant rate. Holes punched on the side of the film allowed it to be drawn under a lens in the kinetoscope continuously, while intermittent flashes of light beneath the film obscured the change between images, giving the illusion of motion [1].

Of the kinetoscope, Edison said, “I am experimenting upon an instrument which does for the eye what the phonograph does for the ear, which is the recording and reproduction of things in motion ….” From this inspiration the came the first publicly consumed motion pictures. In a decade motion pictures transformed from novelty to industry.

In some sense the movies produced by Edison are more like the user-generated, real-life documentation of Youtube than like the feature-length film industry it initially begot. Called “Actualities”, the first films were short non-fiction news, locations and novelties. Now, video is indigenous in young generations as a form of communication: a video can challenge us, it can change our minds or explain a complex issue memorably. The marriage of video and Internet spreads cultures and ideas globally with the click of a button.

Advances in technology and skill have put cameras in the hands of millions, all but replaced film with digital images, and created tools to edit, digitally enhance and even digitally create worlds. This century of innovation and adaptation was kick-started by Edison’s ability to see beyond the tools of the time and to systematically invent the light bulb (his most famous invention), a sprocket chain drive that could would pull film or tape and insert them into the invention of the kinetoscope and kinetograph. His legacy is seen not just in the advancement of motion pictures, but also in the limitless imagination that the leaders of today, like Intel, Apple and General Electric, have adopted as their brand and foundation.

Twitter Updates for 2009-08-29

• 17-7 Patriots. Good work so far @laurencemaroney! #
• This explains what's wrong with the pro healthcare ad campaigns. Just opened a AARP membership letter for me. Are you kidding? #
• http://twitpic.com/fows5 – Fresh as a Missouri morning… #

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Twitter Updates for 2009-08-28

• CFtweet: $7,000 from CITIZENS FOR RIDDLE to HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE INC on 08/27/2009 #
• CFtweet: $10,000 from Ferrellgas to MO REPUBLICAN PARTY on 08/26/2009 #
• CFtweet: $5,000 from Empire District Electric Co. to MO REPUBLICAN PARTY on 08/26/2009 #
• CFtweet: $5,000 from LEGGETT & PLATT, INC. to MO REPUBLICAN PARTY on 08/26/2009 #
• CFtweet: $5,000 from Lockton Companies to MO REPUBLICAN PARTY on 08/26/2009 #
• RT @lancearmstrong: Dedicate your signature on the World Cancer Declaration to the memory of Senator Kennedy http://bit.ly/1yCs44 #
• @comonews Good Boone County report, and great idea – GIS maps that connect to public safety incidents. http://bit.ly/uEyL3 #
• If can happen to Ben's wife"s purse, it can happen to you. http://bit.ly/Nc4CE The hunt against "BIG HEAD" #
• Oh, Danny-boy. http://bit.ly/17wrHO #
• "The Bush era is over. The environmental cop is back on the beat." #CleanAirWatch http://bit.ly/ecF8C Illinois vs. Midwest Generation #
• In the land of Lake Como, Italy, #GeorgeClooney lends his hand to…. http://bit.ly/19C1Ib #
• #ff @philanthropy @RodneyRHubbard @Missourinet @Senator32 @RasmussenPoll @brownfield @ChadLivengood @TheEconomist @CEAMOfficial @stlbeacon #
• St. Louis politicos, promoters, & gossipers : Jerry Berger is back, with Bergersbeat, on Facebook. http://bit.ly/3ix5VQ #

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Twitter Updates for 2009-08-27

• ouch….RT @RasmussenPoll: Nationally, Pelosi's unfavorable ratings up to 64%… video… http://tinyurl.com/RR0528 #
• @jrosenbaum Those healthcare town halls seem to get bigger every week. in reply to jrosenbaum #
• RT @RiverfrontTimes: Bad News Teens: New State Law Prohibits Minors From Texting and Driving http://bit.ly/snuAt #
• High School Test: If you got a scholarship for your 1st yr of college, by graduating in 3 yrs, would you do it? http://bit.ly/1f8jRA #
• 24%. The # of Americans who believe the stimulus is working. http://ow.ly/15MFNv #
• John Stossel tries to find out what healthcare costs… http://bit.ly/TI1lr #20/20 #
• N'Orleans: 4 years from this week. Still haunted by waters. My take from my visit there. http://bit.ly/d4RTN #
• Cool kid from Clermont, FL: High schooler gets helicopter ride to 1st day of school. http://bit.ly/11UP5L #
• IL HB7: Campaign contribution limits vetoed by Governor Quinn. http://bit.ly/TN2Z6 Back to drawing board. #
• "Patience and diligence, like faith, remove mountains." — William Penn, 1693 #
• Never expected to see fmr Gov Bob Holden inviting Catherine Hanaway 2 speak 4 a PIzza & Politics party, but today it happened on my FB. #
• @CEAMOfficial Sounds like @ArneDuncan was clear for reforms in St. Louis today #

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Twitter Updates for 2009-08-26

• National NEA: "The current system is failing many students." http://bit.ly/1jMq1D But, they discount #teachforamerica's effect. #
• $1.4M American Airlines Q2 Lobbying. http://bit.ly/25SXc How Air Transport Ass'n may want you to starve on tarmac. #
• My road sign just passed says I'm only five miles from Dixie. Missouri that is. #

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Twitter Updates for 2009-08-25

• Anesthesiologists: more propofol in MJ than any doctor would ever want to admit? http://bit.ly/lsyyS #
• Off Track: At 86 Americans per square mile, should we invest in high rail at $50M/mile? http://bit.ly/A2ZGp #
• Sedalia, MO: Getting Hooked on Science (& Pepsi, Menthos) to break world records http://bit.ly/EkOtT #
• Some might say thank you @Obama. You've made it the "Summer of the Lobbyist." http://bit.ly/44LUp #Podesta #
• Good stuff @chrisbrogan. How trust agents become one of us. http://bit.ly/3dXra2 #FastCompany #
• @lancearmstrong Why race in Dublin when the Missouri weather is so fabulous. #
• Just what society doesn't need. A better way to make meth. http://bit.ly/HFkPI #MOHighwayPatrol #
• @DonCalloway I think that I know your constituent, and he's way above your chess pay grade. in reply to DonCalloway #
• RT @CoryBooker: We always have a choice: we can accept conditions as they are or take responsibility for changing them. #
• The return of Rudy to a state "out of control?" http://bit.ly/pC41c #
• NFL, NCAA, et al: 1, Delaware sports bettors: 0. http://bit.ly/1213LR #
• The USA Today Board of Coaches (D1-A) Top 25 Preseason Poll: http://bit.ly/6HmlF #
• RT @RodneyRHubbard: Traveling to Mo. State Capitol to attend Sen. Hearing on Education Citizenary 2020 Its About All Kids!! #
• The 12 days of Rhode Island State Summer Xmas, off work, off pay. http://bit.ly/Yr3Pm <CTL><ALT><DEL> #
• RT @Philanthropy: Prospecting: Giving by the Wealthy Drops Sharply in 2009 http://bit.ly/3Nd6i9 #
• RT @tonymess: On Political Fix: Even in Eagle Scout awards, Kinder and Nixon compete http://bit.ly/19Qyhy #
• Rolled out the seer sucker suit again today, before the fall season retires it. #
• It's good to see both political parties remaining civil about federal charges surrounding @SenJeffSmith and Brown's resignation. #
• @ArneDuncan Does this mean that we don't get merit pay b/c of tough health reform slugging? http://bit.ly/9tbqP #
• @jcbhiggins Good luck down south. #
• NFL's Maroney on a Mission. http://bit.ly/ePa4P Belichick: "I think he's ready to go." #

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Twitter Updates for 2009-08-24

• "He did what he's been doing for 22 years." Albert Pujols, on Smoltz. http://bit.ly/9PzOP #
• 43%. Number of Obama apptmts confirmed to date. http://bit.ly/OURUX #
• 53F this morning. Heaven. #
• Missouri state legislators made the Plastics & Rubber Weekly News. http://bit.ly/QbvaT #Tupperware #
• P&G cashes out ($3.1B) from drug pharma business, to Warner Chilcott. http://bit.ly/2ceknh #
• A boy with autism. A few lawyers. An IEP conflict at school, and his dog. http://ow.ly/15McVL #
• Who would pay $300-500 for a genetically-modified rat? http://bit.ly/1f7y9 Sigma in #STL has the answers. #
• CFtweet: $5,000 from Sam Scism Motors, Inc. to CITIZENS TO ELECT MIKE KEHOE on 08/24/2009 #
• @Brian_L_Baker Good to have you back in tweetland. in reply to Brian_L_Baker #

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Lobbying for Life Flights: Access to Care by Air

by Travis H. Brown, Contract Lobbyist

This week, a Washington Post article about the risks that air medical emergency response teams face reminded me how often state & federal healthcare lobbyists forget the vital role that pilots with paramedics play.  The focus of that story had to do with the family lives lost to tragedy and inclement weather in duty – something that all private pilots know deserves more attention for the work that they do.

Maybe it’s just my love for general aviation that captures me to the beat of their rotors.   Maybe it’s my decade of experience lobbying for healthcare matters.  Every time that I see a BJC helicopter coming in or leaving out from Barnes-Jewish Hospital, I think about the times that I have known someone on that flight, or someone who needs it the most at that very moment.  Recently, it was my father-in-law being air-lifted to University Hospital, when an extensive crew did everything that they could to ease his pain.  Decades ago, I recall being near a fatal car accident in Perry County when it only took 15 minutes for an air evac ambulance to arrive from St. Louis, MO.  Even in rural mid-Missouri near Jefferson City or Columbia, I often see life flights to transport vital organs, blood supplies, and unique services across our river’s edge throughout the night.

I strongly recommend every child having a chance to see a helicopter team like this in a non-urgent situation.  In 1999, in Springfield, MO, I toured a hospital during the State Chamber of Commerce Leadership Missouri grassroots issue tours around each region.  Sometimes, healthcare facilities offer open houses where such tours are offered on site.  In order to understand how and why costs can be so high, it takes some first-hand knowledge of what this kind of operation crew requires to function.

As a border to many states, Missouri’s export of healthcare services is often extended by air in this fashion.  Many citizens may not take time to realize that access to care from top notch physicians – including anesthesiologists, cardiac surgeons, neuro surgeons, and trauma physicians – depends upon air lifts to urban core areas.

So, as we reconsider how our state laws, regulations, and practices related to adverse events might be improved in the next year’s legislative session, we should remind each other of the techniques like this that make our access to care uniquely-possible between our urgent care, surgery centers, & major hospital networks.  When we limit our reimbursements for how doctors can see patients, someone on the other end of that 911 call may not get the urgent help that they deserve.

Twitter Updates for 2009-08-23

• A perfect day to fly. #
• http://twitpic.com/f0m4e – A Beautiful Day for Flight Training across Missouri #
• First we rebooted our US Postal Service with competition. http://bit.ly/1NbwOO Now, we outsource #NASA. Must be something to it. #
• It's like Netflix for Washington DC Lobbyists. http://bit.ly/d85vC Contract line-standing for hearings. #
• What 83 years, Pastors for Peace, & fine cigars have in common. http://bit.ly/NPuay #
• A little known US Senate procedure: reconciliation. http://bit.ly/3xVvaA A big impact to health reform by the majority. #
• To retirees, finding less (social security) is not more. http://bit.ly/19adK8 To taxpayers, more is more (of your taxes). #
• @Brian_L_Baker I have to love any pastor that says "life rocks" in the Show ME state… #
• Whoever says Kansas City, MO residents aren't generous never met Jo Ann Walz. http://bit.ly/50i0T Humanity at its best. #

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