Entitlement, Plagairism, and Selling My Kids' Toys in Day by Day
- July 11, 2017, 3 p.m.
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- Public
The “mark” on my leg seems to be healing. It looked odd, but now it is just a tiny scab with no discoloration. I intend to keep an eye on it until completely healed, but for now, I think I can wait until I’m on Medicare (in October!) before asking for a dermatology exam.
Signing up for Medicare was easy. As soon as they send my card, I can purchase the gap insurance. I’ll be happy to switch. Because we are self-employed, I have NEVER paid less than $1000 a month for coverage, so after 40+ years, I am THRILLED to pay only $100 a month (plus whatever gap will be…probably around $200). A yearly savings of $10K is substantial.
I used to get so irritated when Republicans would call those who want universal insurance “entitled babies”. THEY had group insurance rates, something self-employed and those with pre-existing conditions were denied, so I THINK we can ALL see just WHERE the “entitlements” go, right?
Hypocrisy disgusts me.
Here’s another. There is a diarist here who writes on the travels she/he partakes. I really enjoyed reading them until I decided to read more on an area they visited. So I googled the place and lo and behold! THEY COPIED IT OFF THE INTERNET AND PASSED IT OFF AS THEIR OWN WRITING!
Folks, as a writer, I find copying and pasting and not giving the person who actually WROTE the piece the proper credit as hypocritical as it comes. As a professional writer, I find it offensive. I want to call the person out and expose him/her for the fraudulent trick, but know it will only cause drama, so here’s my suggestion. The next time someone writes of their travels, highlight a paragraph or two and paste it into a Google search. See what you come up with and know the truth.
Maybe you’re thinking “so what” if someone pretends they wrote something they didn’t. Writers make their living off their ideas put to words. Would you think it was okay to walk into an art gallery, copy a picture, and display it to the world as your own? It’s a theft in my book. All the person had to do was credit the website and I would have had no problem.
Rant over.
Well, I’m either a crummy ebay seller or people are not as into lego blocks as I was told. I listed about 25 lots of legos and sold ONE lot. I’m going to try again this Sunday, only change it up a little. I thought I’d try the baseball/football trading cards next. Even if I sell them for $1 each, I should make money, since I have hundreds. Now that I’m selling all this stuff, I just want it GONE.
In other not-terribly-fascinating news, I am gearing up for Thursday’s Board meeting. The weather in Florida is stinking hot, but the tropics are fairly quiet, so I spend more time indoors than out these days, allowing me plenty of time to prepare the agenda and hand-outs.
The hot weather has made the pineapples happy and I’ve been harvesting one after another. There is SUCH a big difference between the store-bought pineapples and the pineapples allowed to ripen naturally in the garden. One was so sweet, it tasted like candy! We also have a couple of watermelon growing, which mystifies since we did not plant watermelon seeds! I think they were random seeds included in another package, my husband thinks they might have been in the compost he spread in the garden. The last mystery melon wasn’t that great AND it was full of seeds, so I’m not too excited. LOL!
Well, I guess I’ve procrastinated enough. I should go do something productive rather than sitting here kvetching. There are pictures to scan, things to cook, a book to write, magazine articles to finish, business paperwork, and at least a dozen other half-finished projects waiting for my attention. Instead, I come online, slacker that I am. Don’t tell on me!
Last updated July 11, 2017
WildflowerHeart ⋅ July 11, 2017
I think stealing someone else's work is shitty. Especially writing, because that is part of someone else's soul to some level. I know most of mine is word vomit, but it's still mine. I'd be extremely upset if someone tried to pass it off as their own.
Love fresh pineapple.
ConnieK WildflowerHeart ⋅ July 11, 2017
I don't think the person's intent was to "steal", but yes, it is a theft.
WildflowerHeart ConnieK ⋅ July 11, 2017
I'm glad I don't write for a living. I think it wouldn't be the same. I rarely share mine. Sometimes it's just too personal.
ConnieK WildflowerHeart ⋅ July 11, 2017
hiya! Phone issues a thing of the past, I hope! Good to see you. :)
ConnieK WildflowerHeart ⋅ July 11, 2017
Sorry, that note was meant to go elsewhere. :)
Chic Chat ⋅ July 11, 2017
Why wouldn't you want to write your OWN experiences about your travel, it seems odd to steal someone else's words about a place you've been, unless, dare I say, they didn't go. Hmph.
I wish my son was a tad bit older and I would gladly purchase some legos from you. He is only 15 months, and everything goes in his mouth, so maybe not a great idea. But legos cost a fortune and if he stays true to the word boy, I know they'll be in my near future.
I'm jealous. Pineapple is my favorite. They seem few and far between at the stores here, as you could probably imagine since they aren't local.
ConnieK Chic Chat ⋅ July 11, 2017
My legos are too small for your son, but when he gets older, check out ebay. Prices are all over the place. The produce stores stock pineapple here but they charge $3 for each and that's more than cheap old me will pay. LOL!
Eriu ⋅ July 11, 2017
I don't like someone taking credit for my work or ideas, except in the cases where I wrote for someone else, as a speechwriter does. As much as one may love writing it's still a lot of work.
ConnieK Eriu ⋅ July 11, 2017
When I was writing blogs for lawyers, it sort of irked me that they got the credit, but at least I was reimbursed for my effort. When someone takes your intellectual property and doesn't credit, I feel robbed.
GypsyWynd ⋅ July 11, 2017
I absolutely dread what's going to happen to my health insurance next year. I don't know if I'll even have health insurance next year. It's why I'm having cataract surgery now, even if I have to pay for most of it.
ConnieK GypsyWynd ⋅ July 11, 2017
FLBlue is raking it in. With the way coverage, procedures, and meds are rising, I think it's wise to get stuff done asap before it goes up AGAIN.
Ferret Mom ⋅ July 11, 2017
I enjoy reading diary entries about traveling. I have never encountered (or it never occurred to me) that some people would just be copying other people's travelogues and passing them off as their own.
ConnieK Ferret Mom ⋅ July 11, 2017
Hiya! Phone issues a thing of the past, I hope! Good to see you. :)
Ferret Mom ConnieK ⋅ July 11, 2017
Phone turned out to just be a 24 hour problem due to a network error. Didn't need a new phone (although I want a new one eventually.) I got behind on bookmarks and trying to get caught up. I haven't forgotten about you or anyone else.
Ferret Mom ConnieK ⋅ July 14, 2017
I forgot that I had already read this, so this entry answers my question I just asked you about if the scab thingie cleared up.
ConnieK Ferret Mom ⋅ July 14, 2017
Yes. There is a tiny scaly patch but that seems to be on its way out, too.
a mote, floating ⋅ July 11, 2017
So glad your leg is healing! Whew!
The word "entitlement" is such a cynical misnomer. We invest in this country: its citizens, its natural resources, science, education, culture, health, environment; otherwise we have no country. We the People ARE whom the government should answer to. We are not serfs (at least, we shouldn't be); we employ our public servants. They answer to us. I just made my 17th almost-daily call to Rubio today on health care alone. (I've reached a live person on all but 3 of those calls.) I call on other issues as well, but I've been focusing especially on health care these days. That also includes letters to the editor of my local paper.
I found this site for reporting plagiarism:
http://www.plagiarismchecker.com/report-cheater.php
I saw one of my favorite book passages basically plagiarized and had the opportunity to report it to the original author in pre-Internet (or very early Internet) days. When I was a teenager in the 70s I read Delaney's Dhalgren and was blown away by this passage:
"Tak's boot heels tattoo the way. I can envision a dotted line left after him. And someone might pick the night up by its edge, tear it along the perforations, crumple it, and toss it away."
-- Samuel R. Delaney, Dhalgren, Bantam Books, 1975
So I was shocked and then outraged when I read this passage in Bell's novel published 11 years later:
"On Bedford Avenue, a pathway of blue hyphens had been painted down the street, as guidance to whom or what Larkin didn't know, and wouldn't cross his borders to find out. From his rooftop the blue dashes seemed a perforation, as if the whole botched neighborhood was prepared to be torn off and discarded by some almighty hand, a power discontent with its imperfection."
--Madison Smartt Bell, Waiting for the End of the World, Penguin, 1986
One could argue it was homage, but it still bothered the heck out of me. I was at a convention in the 90s and knew Delaney would be there. I copied both passages onto a sheet of paper, found him, and handed the paper to him. He appreciated it.
Good luck with the Legos and the cards. Maybe do a search on clubs for both and see if you can post there. I like one of these days' bricklink idea.
ConnieK a mote, floating ⋅ July 11, 2017
At least in the case of Bell and Delaney, the words were not verbatim, and of course, there really is nothing new under the sun, but cut and paste deserves a credit where due.
Marco. I always lose it when contacting his office. I see him as a betrayal to his own heritage. He played on his mother's humble beginnings to get elected and now turns his back on the working class. That said, right now he's playing it safe, but I don't trust him.
QueenSuzu ⋅ July 11, 2017
I was wondering how your leg was doing, glad to hear it is going away but do keep an eye on it. Last year on Barbuda, we had watermelons growing in our yard. The prior year, a previous tenant had some watermelon and threw the rind in the yard, lo and behold, the following year, there was a nice crop. Sadly, no watermelons this year.
ConnieK QueenSuzu ⋅ July 11, 2017
The wonderful thing about the tropics is that fruits and vegetables flourish. Yes, I'll keep a close eye on it. I'd just like to get to Medicare before going through the whole routine...no co-pay. :)
Marg ⋅ July 12, 2017
I can't believe people actually DO that without saying so! Is Medicare a sort of overall health insurance coverage everyone gets once they reach a certain age?
ConnieK Marg ⋅ July 12, 2017
Yes, Medicare is healthcare for anyone 65 and older. It covers quite a bit but not all, which is why gap insurance is necessary.
Shattered ⋅ July 12, 2017
Hey, everyone needs a break now and then! Who cares if its first thing in the day? ;)
ConnieK Shattered ⋅ July 12, 2017
That's the best kind of break! :)