by Anura Guruge

Those in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire will most likely recognize the name, Harrison Haas.

Harrison has been a prominent journalist in Central NH for many year. That is how I met Harrison, a delightful young man. He interviewed me when my ‘The Next Pope‘ book came out.

Harrison has just ventured out as freelance photographer. Check out his mesmerizing Web site:

Please click to visit Harrison's Web site

Thank you.

We went to Dynamic Ceramic in Gilford, at their new location, yesterday, October 10, 2011. As ever it was fun and to me a blast-from-the-past.

In the last 1990s I used to go there often with my then young son — who is now 19. He made at least a dozen pieces, some large and intricate like a working lighthouse. We still have most of the pieces. A ‘mom-and-pup’ Golden Retriever piece he made for me, given my known penchant for Goldens, still sits on my desk, underneath my main monitor (even as I write this post).

This time around I took my 11 year old and the 5 year old — yesterday being the 11 year old’s birthday. (Yes, she was 10 on 10-10-10 and made the local paper). I am glad I went. The owner, Cindi, is still the same and as helpful as ever. Yes, prices have gone up over the years. But, most likely we will start going back — but probably not as often as we did in the 90s.

Cheers,

We have been going to ‘The Fair,‘ without fail, rain or shine, for over a decade. It is a family tradition.

So on Saturday we set off, extra early, and got there by 8:30 am, the earliest, ever, for us. Though it was a glorious day, sunny and warm (with the forecast saying it would only get better), we thought it didn’t feel as crowded as we were used to. We just thought that it was because it was so early.

We, as ever, had a great time. It was fun. We left around 4 pm, and again commented that it didn’t feel as busy as we remembered from past years.

Today, in the local paper, the Laconia Daily Sun, we read that the attendance for Saturday and Sunday broke all records — all three days of this Columbus Weekend being just glorious. That is good. Just didn’t feel that busy to us — and we attributed that to the economy (with entrance for adults now at $10).

We also go the Highland Games without fail, even dodging hurricanes, and have done so since 1998. Which day we go depends on weather, other commitments etc. Of late, with a youngster in tow, we tend to avoid the Saturday because it gets too busy. This year we went on Sunday — again, the weather could not have been better. As with Sandwich we felt that the numbers were down, but, granted it was the Sunday and we don’t know what Saturday was like.

We also, for the last few years, go to see the Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey circus in Manchester annually — always going to the last show on Sunday so that we can stay behind and watch the elephants being walked to the train through the main streets. There were lost of empty seats — actually complete sections of the arena that were empty.

So just some reference on how the economy might be impacting local, much loved NH events.

Cheers.

I had a perfectly good, long-lasting battery on my Motorola Razr V3. But one day, while in Concord, NH, I noticed that I was ‘low.’ I happened to be driving past a mall with US Cellular and since I had been bombarded with promos for this battery swap I thought I will give it a try. They, as ever, were as nice as can be. Didn’t ask any questions. Just looked up my account. Took my phone away and came back and said here you have a replacement battery. It looked charged. Within 24 hours I realized that something was very wrong. This replacement battery wouldn’t hold a charge! I was lucky if I could get 4 hours STANDBY on a charge. In despair, I sent my wife to Tilton, NH, to see if my ‘friend’ who works for US Cellular was there and he could give me a battery comparable to what I had.

When she got to Tilton my friend wasn’t there. He has had some health issues. She was instead served by a female rep. I think I know who it is. Yes, I think I know her name. My wife, who very rarely has anything bad to say about people, said that this rep. was RUDE. Well, she put another battery in the phone. This was a couple of months ago. This battery does NOT hold a charge. My phone is continually turning itself off. I have it plugged in permanently. I don’t go out much. When I do, and I need a phone, I take my wife’s! It has got that bad.

What is galling is that I am supposed to be a ‘preferred’ customer, having been with them, uninterrupted for over 10 years.

Yes, my wife keeps on saying I should go and see my friend in Tilton and that he will get me a good battery — because he is a good guy, salt of the earth. I am sure he will. he has looked after me, well, for 7 or 8 years. But Tilton is 45 minutes away. Concord is 35 minutes away.

But, I don’t want to. I know the game they are playing and I will tango with them.

I just bought a new battery for $5.40 (inc. shipping) from eBay!

I have been ‘off-contract’ for 10 months. That kills US Cellular. They are hoping that they can force me to buy a fancy new phone and then get me to lock into a 2 year contract by saying I can have it for free.

I am NOT a big phone user. E-mail is my preferred mode of communication given that I am, in the end, a writer. So I do not need a fancy phone or lot of minutes. I have never TEXTED and have had texting disabled on my phones from day one. The only people that sent me text messages was US Cellular telling me that I should activate my texting feature!

Earlier this year we got a Magic Jack. Magic Jack works. It is a marvel. I love Magic Jack. Don’t believe any of the FUD you hear about Magic Jack — like it doesn’t support 911. It does. Yes, we in NH do not get a 603 number. That is annoying. But, I kind of like my 207 number since people now think I am calling from Maine.

So bottom line, DO NOT succumb to the US Cellular Battery Swap. It is a scam. It would be CHEAPER in the long run to buy a car charger. Trust me. I have no reason to give you bad information.

All the best.

P.S. Magic Jack Rocks.

Anura
www.guruge.com

by Anura Guruge

The two Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinic (DHMC) doctors that perform colonoscopys at the ‘Concord Endoscopy Center’ charge $1,600 MORE for that procedure than the non-DHMC doctors performing that same procedure — at the same facility.

You read that right. The two DHMC doctors bill $1,600 MORE to perform the SAME PROCEDURE, at the same facility, as a non-DHMC doctor. The two DHMC doctors BILL $2,957 for a colonoscopy/esophagus procedure.

The Endoscopy center told me last Friday that IF I had had those same procedures done by one of THEIR doctors it would have cost me ~$1,300. The ‘Center’ charges $2,695.44 (non-discounted to the insurance company) independent of whether the procedure was done by a DHMC or non-DHMC doctor.

This is wrong. This is crazy. This is duplicity. This is border line criminal. This has to stop.

As a consultant I fully appreciate differential, what I call ‘Robin Hood,’ pricing. If I had this done at DHMC in Lebanon, with a roomful of students watching, I would not complain. I am paying for a different class of service. Yes, my youngest was delivered at DHMC, in May 2006, by C-section. I was there. There were 13 people in the operating room (and that it was 13 didn’t bother me). A few of the nurses sat on the floor, against the wall, because they didn’t have anything to do. They were just there, in case they were needed. For that, I would pay more.

But, in this case it was NOT a DHMC facility. There were no students participating. There were no DHMC nurses. Whether it was done by a DHMC or non-DHMC doctor, the rest of the staff, equipment and facilities, would have been the same. DHMC is not justified in charging me $1,600 more.

Given the procedure involved, this but a $1,600 pain in the derrière (if you would please excuse my French).

I truly feel that DHMC has mugged me.

To me, this is no different to if the doctor had put a scalpel to my neck, prior to the procedure, and said: “Give us $1,600 more or I will cut you badly.” They duped me. They abused me. They are treating me like a chump.

This is THE PROBLEM with Health Care.

I gather that IF I had called up the ‘Center’ directly, they would have assigned me to the next available doctor — non-DHMC or DHMC. If I had got a non-DHMC doctor, I would have been billed $1,600 less. So now this is like the NH Lottery for colonoscopy in Concord. Get a non-DHMC doctor and save $1,600.

But, I trusted DHMC. So much so that I had already requested paperwork so that they could have my cadaver (per my family tradition that we give way our bodies). Well, screw DHMC. You can’t have my body. You have already STOLEN an arm and a leg. [I will write another post as to why I hadn't returned the paperwork.]

Till last Friday, it would have been difficult to find anybody who was more of a fan of DHMC that me. And even now I have to say that I have nothing but the utmost respect for nearly all DHMC staff — including the one that performed my colonoscopy. [That he was named after a pope, had nothing to do with it.]

This is wrong. This has to stop. Yes, I am contacting anybody and everybody that I can. I want to see Health Care reform BECAUSE of stuff like this. So please help me by spreading the word. Thank you.

P.S. The Billing folks at the ‘Concord Endoscopy Center’ are beyond exceptional. They, on their own volition have gone the extra mile (maybe a few more) to help me. I thank them. That ‘Center’ on the whole is great too. I also lucked out that they don’t want to see me for another 10 years. Maybe we will have decent Health Care reform by then.