Whatda Ya Know?

What do you know about dark matter and anti-matter, global warming, Mormons, collies, raising teenagers, fixing plumbing, skin cancer and knee replacements? Where’s the best place to buy a used car, the best way to cook squirrel?  Should marijuana be legalized, or why bother?  Where was Barack Obama born?  I mean really, where was he born?  Is your computer giving you trouble?  Cell phone gets no signal?  How do you get rid of voles and moles?

A few years ago about a half-dozen of the more intelligent and good-looking citizens of Hampshire County formed a very informal discussion group which met from time to time late afternoons at the library.  We sat around the conference table for about an hour or so and talked about, argued and debated, topics of interest. Some of us, if we were so inclined, would then adjourn to Mario’s to replenish our depleted brains with spaghetti and-a meat-a-balls-a.

Here’s the way it worked.  A moderator was chosen for the session. On a slip of paper, each participant would put down a subject, a thought, a theory, a problem or idea that they would like to discuss. Anything goes. The slips were then drawn from a hat, the topic written thereupon read aloud by the moderator, and anyone who had anything to say on the matter got to say it.  The moderator kept peace.  When no one had anything more to say, the next slip of paper was drawn and more discussion followed.  It was a lot of fun and often informative.  Blond jokes were occasionally permitted.

If some of you from my vast, blog-reading audience would be interested in starting up a new group, e-mail me at ginbob2@frontiernet.net.

As a possibility for one of the first discussion topics, Steven Brill’ article in Time magazine about ridiculous hospital costs, and the subject of my blog of March 13,  has now gotten the attention of the Secretary of Health and Human Services who has authorized the release of information which shows what the hospitals are actually paying for those goods and services for which you are being billed such an outrageous amount. The American Hospital Association lobby is not happy.