February 19, 2011

"So you're really providing real doctor's notes for people that miss work?"

"I thought this was a little street theater..."



(That's the video I was promising to deliver, back in this post.)

P1060967

The tall sign says: "I'm a doctor. Need a note?"

222 comments:

1 – 200 of 222   Newer›   Newest»
Dan from Madison said...

If this is real, it is one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen.

Alex said...

How's that cruel neutrality workin' out for ya'? Sooner or later you have to choose!

MayBee said...

Those little notes each cost the taxpayer one- three days' wages.

I'm a Shaaaaark said...

"If I need another note on Tuesday, will you be here?" Wow.

rhhardin said...

It needs some white mice.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Arrogance, pedantry, and dogmatism; the occupational diseases of those who spend their lives directing the intellects of the young.

Henry S. Canby

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
rhhardin said...

I don't see why a note from a blogger wouldn't be good enough anyway.

Trooper York said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Notice the "cut-aways" in the sign post.

Designed to reduce blount force trauma;i.e. "break-aways", as you see in highway signs...

Rules...looking out for the well being of others-

Such conformists....

such good doctor--advocates.

galdosiana said...

Doesn't this qualify them to get their medical practice license revoked? This has to be against the hippocratic oath... (Turning it into quite a hypocritical oath...)

Trooper York said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Trooper York said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Can evil teabaggers get notes too? ..and juicy tax-payer funded pensions!? please!

If the teachers get a sick day pass, then they get paid. Isn't that clever?

Got dishonesty?

Unknown said...

Best Pro-Walker sign seen today: "NO SHOW DEMS: YOUR FIRED!"

Trust me, you teabaggers need all the education you can get.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Having become accustomed.. moral hazards become less than trivial.

Martin L. Shoemaker said...

How many buffer days are in the school calendar in Wisconsin? How many days can school be closed before the school year will have to be extended?

marklewin said...

Power and politics can have a detrimental influence on the practice of medicine in both liberal and conservative physicians.

Automatic_Wing said...

Do teachers have really have to produce a note from a doctor when they take a sick day?

Fen said...

Bob, why are you flirting with me?

And no, you can't suck my balls. Sicko.

Kevin said...

From the oath doctors took in the Soviet Union:

"To preserve and develop the noble traditions of Soviet medicine, to be guided in all my actions by the principles of Communist morality, and to always bear in mind the high calling of a Soviet physician and my responsibility to the people and to the Soviet state."

Remember that "Communist morality" takes precedence over the truth, comrades!

Martin L. Shoemaker said...

Apparently Bob is new around here and missed all the ungrammatical and historically ignorant signs carried by the teachers.

Bob, ya might want to try scrolling through the Professor's archives of the week before you decide that "you're so stupid" is a good argument. Wisconsin's educators appear not to be the best and brightest of the state.

Anonymous said...

Hope he at least handed out a few oxycontin prescriptions while he was at it. May as well be hanged for a horse as a mule.

Martin L. Shoemaker said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fen said...

Bob: Best Pro-Walker sign seen today-M

BTW, that should be "Best pro-Walker sign.."

Stones. Glass houses. Libtards.

Michael said...

These are doctors without balls safe and sound in revolutionary Madison. H
How funny

888 said...

Doctors notes for the children!

MnMark said...

If the teachers are going to play that way, and those doctors are going to play that way - circumventing the spirit of the law by taking advantage of their state-granted doctor's license to engage in what amounts to fraud (cheating the taxpayer of a day's salary for the teacher) then those doctors and those teachers should be investigated and fired and be at least reprimanded if not outright lose their licenses. They think that's pretty cute, I'm sure - but it IS dishonest and it IS fraudulent. The teachers want it both ways (like true liberals): they want all the goodies without paying the costs.

There should be a number of Tea Partiers there taking the names of those doctors, and of the teachers talking to them, and taking photos of them and making reports to the relevant state licensing agencies. If they're going to cheat and play dirty that way ("Alinsky rules", I guess) then we need to use every nook and cranny in the law to hold them accountable.

Fen said...

you can follow the perps back to their cars and snap a pic of their plates.

marklewin said...

I have a great doctor. He'll touch up the X-rays if I can't afford the illness!

Unknown said...

The moral vanity on display is completely disgusting. They shame every real patriot living or dead.

Completely disgusting.

Peano said...

Ann, do you feel any personal responsibility to report what you saw and recorded on video?

It's not Kitty Genovese, but the moral principle is the same -- is it not?

Unknown said...

One of them looks like he's channelling Alan Alda. Bet he thinks he's a New Age Hawkeye.

Which would explain why their little setup looks like an aid station.

Agree with Fen, Michael and PatCA, although doctors without brains also applies.

Steve M. Galbraith said...

Best Pro-Walker sign seen today: "NO SHOW DEMS: YOUR FIRED!"

I blame Wisconsin's teachers.

Yet another reason to cut their pay.

jfm said...

PETER PAN:
Listen to your teacher. Repeat after me:
I won't grow up,
(I won't grow up)
I don't want to go to school.
(I don't want to go to school)
Just to learn to be a parrot,
(Just to learn to be a parrot)
And recite a silly rule.
(And recite a silly rule)
If growing up means
It would be beneath my dignity to climb a tree,
I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up
Not me!
Not I,
Not me!
Not me!
I won't grow up,
(I won't grow up)

CharlesVegas said...

I'll answer her question for her: No, I don't think the doctors will be out there on Monday.

Anonymous said...

"I'm a cop. Are you licensed to practice in Wisconsin?"

KCFleming said...

It's quite simple to make a complaint to the WI Board of Medical Practice. You don't need to be a citizen of the state. If they get enough complaints, they will be obligated to investigate.

SteveR said...

How wimpy is a protester that needs a fake note from a doctor to game a system which is already heavily weighted in their favor.

To think many of these were a part of, or inspired by, the protests of the 60s, Vietnam/Civil Rights. Complete sell outs, probably sitting at home tonight with a nice expensive bottle of wine and some cheese from Whole Foods.

Fen said...

Instructions for Filing a Complaint



1) Print a copy of the Complaint Form and fill in the appropriate information.

2) If your complaint involves a health care profession, you may also print out the Consent For Release of Information Form and fill in the appropriate information. Completion of this form is voluntary.

3) Mail completed document(s) to:

State of Wisconsin
Department of Regulation and Licensing
Division of Enforcement
PO Box 8935
Madison, WI 53708-8935

http://drl.wi.gov/category.asp?linkcatid=16&linkid=16&locid=0

Jason said...

Wow. Just wow.

Take a step back and think, folks. These people are teaching your children.

Pathetic excuse for human beings. No other way to put it.

The Musket said...

fraud? conspiracy to commit fraud? conspiracy to commit theft?

Can someone up there take more pictures and then use them to prosecute these people? What horrible examples they are setting for their students and patients and what horrible examples of American character they are showing the world.

Rob said...

It is no wonder that folks are so cynical. Really, these doctors should lose their licenses. How can anyone trust them?

Werehawk said...

Talk about utterly messed up ethics and priorities. I wouldn't be able to trust an MD who does what these are doing.

Alex said...

Any other prominent Wisconsin bloggers? Obviously Althouse is the crème de la crème.

Alex said...

When we're done union-bustin' in Wisconsin, Ohio and Minnesota, it'll be time to get a repeal of the Wagner Act.

The Drill SGT said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fen said...

"If you have any questions about this form or the procedure that will take place, please contact the department staff at
(608) 266-7482."

The Drill SGT said...

May the doc in the picture get sued for malpractice some time. Some opposing lawyer can use his video tape demonstrating that he failed to conduct any screening before committing fraud against the State :)

The Drill SGT said...

And how is this different than a Doc particpating in an insurance scam?

or dealing drug prescriptions?

same crime, just a matter of degrees, right?

sane_voter said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
sane_voter said...

The lady at the end of the video asking about getting a fraudulent doctor's note said her name was Susan Kanowski (sp?) and she said she worked for Oshkosh . . . (the rest was unintelligible). It would be nice to get her ass fired for that, or at least widely known as an unscrupulous person.

Anonymous said...

Somehow, right and wrong is AWOL in Wisconsin.

Somewhere, one looks to the Tea Party Movement to restore honor to society.

One needs to look inside themselves-

Individualism vs. Collectivism.

Choices.....consequences.

AST said...

Don't you have a medical board? This joker ought to lose his license.

Lincolntf said...

I guess it's too late now, but some intrepid Althouser should've posed as a Teacher, used a fake name and gotten a note. Make a heck of a memento.

Christy said...

Would it be possible to request, with some authority, the doctor's notes provided? Sort them by doctor and send copies to their malpractice carriers?

Kirby Olson said...

Should he lose his licence? He's obviously willing to use his licence to spread lies, but is there a law that covers this?

marklewin said...

Instructions for Filing a Complaint

1) Print a copy of the Complaint Form and fill in the appropriate information....

Let's hope there is enough money in the state budget to investigate and prosecute those dag nabbit charlatan's!

Lincolntf said...

Heh-heh. Just turned to Fox and one of their producers got a "sick note" from one of the Doctors. Fraud, pure and simple.

Unknown said...

Ann, The last time I saw that many docs dressed in those doc smocks was when Obama trudged out a group to tout the "health" bill. Any wagers on what organization bussed in these docs? Thanks,
Matt

Methadras said...

Leftards disgust me. They are nothing but filth and scum with their tactics

Unknown said...

The Drill SGT said...

And how is this different than a Doc particpating in an insurance scam?

or dealing drug prescriptions?

same crime, just a matter of degrees, right?


Precisely, and I'd be willing to bet some of them went back home to do just that.

eric said...

what video camera do you use?

Ryan E. said...

I believe this is the MD in the video
http://www.fammed.wisc.edu/directory/9133
and I believe this is his email
patrick.mckenna@fammed.wisc.edu

His coat appeared to read Patrick McKenna, the picture of the MD on the page appears to be the same person in the video. Enjoy

Fen said...

An insty reader thinks he's identified this perp:

"I did a little searching and it looks like the doc she interviewed is a third-year resident in Family Medicine at the Univ of Wisconsin. His name is Patrick McKenna MD."

bio with ID and photo at:

http://www.fammed.wisc.edu/directory/9133

Fen said...

Ryan is quicker on the draw...

oh well. someone toss me a raise dead plese.

MaggotAtBroad&Wall said...

If he's willing to defraud the government by providing a fake excuse for someone he hasn't treated, I wonder how much he's defrauding Medicare, Medicaid, and the private insurance providers who pay him?

This guy really needs to be investigated.

MisterBuddwing said...

An insty reader thinks he's identified this perp:

Hope you've got the right doctor. (Can anybody say, "slander suit"?)

WV: relybamy

David said...

I assume he can't promise to be there Monday because he's got a job and can't afford to miss work.

Lincolntf said...

You can even be Facebook friends with the charlatan. Gotta love the Internet.

http://www.facebook.com/search.php?q=parick+mckenna+wisconsin&init=quick&tas=0.03950868236311378#!/pamckenna

I'm Full of Soup said...

Libruls have a blindspot. When it suits them, libruls don't see the difference between right vs. wrong. They have turned into the hated organization man who they once despised 30 -40 years ago. But now libruls are the ones making the calls in our schools, universities, courts, legislatures and in our healthcare system.

Jason said...

After watching this, do you really need to know any other reason why the health care system in this country is so full of waste and fraud? And costs so much?

And by the way...these people are supposedly superior to Walker intellectually because they have college degrees.

cbinflux said...

Teachers have stolen every poster board, magic marker, yardstick, etc. from every school in Wisconsin. Call in the National Guard.

cbinflux said...

Isn't that Patrick McKenna, DO of Verona, WI? Walker should ask the Wisconsin Medical Board...

SteveR said...

Patrick McKenna He also enjoys gardening, cooking, baking, and sewing, and he has strong interests in politics, rural policy, sustainability, and creative writing.

Without commenting on anything else, "sustainability" identifies him as an idiot, smart in many traditional ways of measuring intelligence, but a dead give away of a believer in fairytales that cost the average taxpayer money they shouldn't have to pay.
.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Damn the guy is a career college student. BA, MBA, MFA, MD and he sews!

Ryan E. said...

I said, "I believe" and "it appears." I didn't say "no doubt in my mind, 110% sure Patrick McKenna that I linked to is defrauding the public and the government, should be reported and lose his medical license or face other punitive actions." You read that into it Mister Buddwing. Just to clarify the guy I linked to seems to be in the same guy. Simliar look, same name, same specialty as what is printed on his jacket, nothing more. Everybody can use their own judgement.

Lincolntf said...

"He also enjoys...creative writing."

That he does.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Someone should estimate how much the taxpayers have spent to subsidize the cost of his four degrees.

Tom said...

Well, it won't matter much which "Patrick McKenna" is speaking in Anne's video.

His activism will do wonders for his medical practice; After this weekend, anyone googling the term "Dr Patrick McKenna" is going to see that the term will be associated with fraud.

damikesc said...

How in the heck are their licenses not being revokes right about now?

I'm Full of Soup said...

Good point but I suspect most public health majors end up pushing papers, drawing up nonsensical, impractical policies and bloviating the rest of the workday deep inside our govt bureaucracy. He didn't go into medicine to treat patients IMHO.

Anonymous said...

The left is actually accusing this of being all a "Koch-Breitbart" hoax.

Apparently Ann according to them you are in on it too.

I don't know how much longer the MSM will be able to cover for them.

Quaestor said...

Fen wrote regarding Bob's (attempted) snark: BTW, that should be "Best pro-Walker sign.."

Stones. Glass houses. Libtards.


Bob was apparently obliged to slink back under his moss-covered rock after his shellacking by our friendly neighborhood Fen.

MisterBuddwing said...

I said, "I believe" and "it appears." I didn't say "no doubt in my mind, 110% sure Patrick McKenna that I linked to is defrauding the public and the government, should be reported and lose his medical license or face other punitive actions." You read that into it Mister Buddwing.

Unfortunately, not everyone is as precise as you are, and publicly pointing to an individual and saying, "I think this is the guy" can potentially lead to some pretty awful consequences.

Say it's you. Somebody finds your name and picture and Facebook page and says, "I think this is the guy," and you're suddenly inundated with all kinds of hateful tweets and e-mails - but you're innocent. Then you track down the person who started it all, and all he can say is, "I never said I was 100% certain this was the guy, I only said I thought he might be the guy." Feel better?

WV: rentskin.

Peano said...

Well, isn't this special! One of Our Professor's medical colleagues at Wisconsin appears to be committing fraud.

What will Her Nibs do? Rat him out? Or escape in a cloud of legal mumbo-jumbo?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Lincolntf said...

Mister, just look at the sites/pages. It's either the same Patrick McKenna or it's his long-lost twin brother who miraculously ended up working at the same place doing the same job.

Peano said...

Althouse vs. fraudulent physicians. Legal ethics vs. medical ethics. I'm betting they cancel each other out -- and I'm covering all bets.

KCFleming said...

What won't these people lie about?

It's these little transgressions that corrupt. Little lies, here and there.

And then, little lies beget bigger ones, and soon enough you're on a death panel, offing some old lady or another. Whatever.

Anne M Ford said...

Here is a copy of the email I sent to Dr. Mckenna,

"So you are seeing patients right down on the square, That is so cool. Those teachers are so misunderstood. And you are after all not committing fraud, and fraud is not a crime that will cost you your license. I applaud your effort to help out our starving teachers, and other union employees to steal from the taxpayers. It is not sufficient that they already get better health benefits than anyone else, but now you are going out of your way to generously provide them with care outside a clinic environment, where they do not have to provide proof of insurance or be held to any privacy restrictions. And how horrible is it to have to provide a clean or secure environment for their health exams. It is wonderful that their health records do not need to reflect their visit with you today, and that you are willing to give healthcare advise without knowing your patients history. You are a paragon of decency, and should be applauded for your efforts.
Good luck in the future."

Do you think he will appear again on Monday?

Anonymous said...

Getting a good laugh reading a Dave Zweifel article in the Cap Times which laments the cruel and dumb union tactics of Gov Walker....

The teachers will have to contribute "-- about 5.8 percent of their paycheck -- and double their 6 percent share of health insurance premiums to 12 percent, also from their paychecks."

Yes, Dave, that's how it works in the real world. Contributions come from paychecks, not magic pixie dust. I know, it's shocking.

garage mahal said...

The only lies the right cares about are lies that don't benefit them.

Michael K said...

I teach medical students and the old concept of doctors being conservative is out of date. Most of these students and residents expect to work for a clinic or group on salary. They are concerned with pay, vacation and benefits. An older doctor looking for a young associate quickly learns that they are not interested in the entrepreneurial style of practice. They are, especially the "family practice" field, swinging very left politically. I was asked to be the faculty advisor for a group advocating single payer, not because I agree but because I am interested in the history of medicine and gave them a talk about medical economics.

The Obamacare legislation is also rapidly changing medicine right now as hospitals are buying medical groups to prepare to be vertical integrated health plans. The older generation, like me, are retiring. The family practice folks are leading the leftward swing. One of our junior faculty had large ear rings with pierced ears. The ear rings looked like something you would see in African tribes, although he is white.

I am not surprised to see these people. I doubt you would see a surgeon there as they are still interested in medical practice and not politics.

Beldar said...

Izzat a piece of tan packing tape on the doc's breast above his embroidered name? Would it be covering up his employer's name? One wonders if he is himself a public employee who's taking a "sick day" by handing out prescriptions off-premises and "undercover"?

Physicians have certain duties that run to the public, not just to their patients. (As if any of these passers-by could actually be called this doctor's "patient" -- hah!) Some of those duties are moral and ethical, but some of them are legal. Facilitating widespread fraud isn't consistent with any of those duties.

Beldar said...

Perhaps this is just the successor to "Doctors Without Borders" -- "Doctors Without Ethics."

Wince said...

"I'm not a doctor. But I play one on TV."

MadisonMan said...

"NO SHOW DEMS: YOUR FIRED!"

My daughter took a picture of that sign. It bugged the bejeezus out of her, that your/you're thing is a pet peeve of hers.

Trooper, I wasn't on the Square today, had a little volunteering to do elsewhere.

Martin L. Shoemaker said...

What the fuck, Peano?

Professor Althouse took the videos. She did the interviews. She got the incriminating evidence. She put it up on her blog for all to see. She knows she gets pretty good traffic on an average day; and she knows she's being watched by Instapundit and Fox News and the New York Times. Heck, the new crop of liberal trolls around here is all the evidence I need that traffic is way up. She put the videos out there with pretty certain knowledge that crowdsourcing would identify the alleged perpetrators and their place of employment before the day was out. Professor Althouse has done all that anybody could ask to make life pretty miserable for the alleged perpetrators.

If she wanted to hide this incident and protect her "colleagues" at the school, this would be about the dumbest way imaginable to do so. A smarter way might be, oh, say... not publishing the fucking videos!

But somehow you're convinced this is all part of her devious plan to protect them.

What the fuck does she have to do? Haul out a shotgun and make a citizen's arrest?

Unknown said...

I wonder what Anne and Meade think about this Weekly Standard piece.

Hyperbole, possibility...?

http://www.620wtmj.com/shows/charliesykes/116529988.html?blog=y

chickelit said...

garage mahal said...
The only lies the right cares about are lies that don't benefit them.

Is that supposed to be pithy or something?

Aren't you sickened and depressed by your own bilking ilk?

garage mahal said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
John henry said...

The Medical Examining Board falls under the Wisconsin State Department of Regulation and licensing.

You can get the info to file a complaint online here, though it has to be printed out and mailed.

http://drl.wi.gov/category.asp?linkcatid=16&linkid=16&locid=0


So far, I have identified Dr Shropsire whose webpage and info is here:

http://findadoctor.uwhealth.org/findadoctor/Provider.action?_sourcePage=%2Fresults.jsp&id=7500

His MD License number is 33770-20


And the Hawkeye looking fella seems to be named Patrick McKenna who practices family medicine as a "graduate trainee 3"

He seems to have an interesting background:

Patrick McKenna grew up in the northern Wisconsin town of Antigo. After earning his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from UW-Madison, he took an untraditional path to medicine by first pursuing an MBA in Chicago and a Masters in Fine Arts at the University of Alaska. Ultimately, though, his Wisconsin roots lured him back to The Dairy State to attend medical school at the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health.


A/K/A professional student, probably at taxpayer expense. Certainly not his own, I'll wager.

His info can be found here:

http://www.fammed.wisc.edu/directory/9133

MD License# 53640-20

Looking at the records in credential lookup both McKenna and Shropshire seem to be sons (Brothers? Nephews?) of doctors. NTTATWWT

My complaints, inquiring about potential fraud, will be in the mail on Tuesday.

It may not do any good but according to the DRL page if a complaint is submitted, it "must" be investigated. So this will cost the MDs some time and annoyance in dealing with it and will leave some traces in their state file. These might even turn up when one does a search for disciplinary actions at the DRL site in the future.

Alinsky rules!

I'm Full of Soup said...

My nephew wants to be a doctor. I will make a point to show him this example of what not to do when he gets his M.D. I think he already knows this would be wrong but I want to remind him by showing Dr. Mckenna [if that is his name] & the others.

I'm Full of Soup said...

It actually will be funny when some teachers hand in doctor's notes signed by McKenna / Shropshire if the school district has been warned to lookout for these doc's names.

But I bet the teacher's union is in the process of warning [via Facebook] their union members.

Toad Trend said...

@Anne

Loved that letter.

Would have loved to hear someone ask one of these doctors if lawlessness violates the Hippocratic oath they supposedly adhere to.

wv - volishn

He left of his own volishn

garage mahal said...

Aren't you sickened and depressed by your own bilking ilk?

Like I said, you don't care about lies, or bilking, certainly not any political lies. So if you don't care, why the fuck should I?

KCFleming said...

Yes, garage, because what this whole sordid mess screams is that the right is full of liars.

Jason said...

"Like I said, you don't care about lies, or bilking, certainly not any political lies. So if you don't care, why the fuck should I?"

--------------------------

There is a difference between politicians bending the truth for political gain and out-and-out fraud by people who are paid by the taxpayer.

chickelit said...

So if you don't care, why the fuck should I?

Oh but I do care garage. These are not my dad's and uncles's Wisconsin union people nor my teacher's growing up either. These are unreasonable people uniquely unaware of their time and place. Of course they can't expect ever increasing bennies. They hoped for no increases-status quo? Now they are going ballistic over actual cuts in benefits. Like my mother said, Walker's option was to begin layoffs.

Perhaps we can't expect people to do this of their own volition. That doesn't given them nor their Dem. reps. the right to block it.

BTW, did you know that State-employed CA nurses took a 10% pay cut last year? Pass that one onto your sister.

rcocean said...

Althouse could start a 2nd career as a TV News reporter.

I believe CBS has an opening.

chickelit said...

P.S. Garage. I've been reading up on the Wagner Act and so far I'm not seeing and violations. If there are, I'm sure Walker will be challenged.

rcocean said...

BTW, could someone explain how taking a day off as "sick" costs the taxpayers a dime?

KCFleming said...

"BTW, could someone explain how taking a day off as "sick" costs the taxpayers a dime?"

That's hilarious.

Jason said...

"BTW, could someone explain how taking a day off as "sick" costs the taxpayers a dime?"

------------------

Because teachers and state employees are granted a number of paid sick days per year. They just need to show a doctor's excuse to get paid. Hence, the fake sick notes. Without them, the employees would have to take an unpaid day off.

Fen said...

"Aren't you sickened and depressed by your own bilking ilk?"

Garage: Like I said, you don't care about lies, or bilking, certainly not any political lies. So if you don't care, why the fuck should I?

Classic Libtardism. When confronted with something that should cause him shame, the subject justifies his deriliction by *pretending* the other side does it too, therefore he is excused.

This means he is capable of any action he *believes* the other side does.

SteveR said...

Facebook page for McKenna

http://www.facebook.com/pamckenna

M.Z. said...

If I'm not mistaken, teachers don't have any sick days. They also have to pay for their substitute teacher. I think costs the teachers $250 for a sick day, not that facts are going to get in the way on this thread.

Automatic_Wing said...

Because teachers and state employees are granted a number of paid sick days per year. They just need to show a doctor's excuse to get paid.

Really, they make state employees show a note from a doctor to take a sick day? I find that a little odd, considering that they're supposed to be grownups.

rcocean said...

"Because teachers and state employees are granted a number of paid sick days per year. They just need to show a doctor's excuse to get paid. Hence, the fake sick notes. Without them, the employees would have to take an unpaid day off."

Sorry, for being so dense. Don't state employees get vacation days? And why doesn't the state just do what my company does, give people PTO days. No "vacation" days no "sick days". No doctors notes. Everyone treated like an adult. Geez, its like the state employees were Jnr High kids that needed a note from Mom.

William said...

I have no great insight into what the optimum pay and benefits should be for Wisconsin civil servants. My bias is that it should be lower and not higher, but I claim no expertise in the matter. But certain things are patently wrong. Students should not be demonstrating at the behest of their teachers and on behalf of benefits for their teachers. Doctors should not be writing fradulent notes. This is just wrong, and what is even worse is that the teachers and doctors cannot even see how wrong it looks.....The high moral ground is where the battle will be won. The teachers and their allies are swamp sucking and engaging in gorilla warfare. (That's a clever play on words and not a mistake.)

MadisonMan said...

I've never had to show a doctor's note for a sick day. (I'm a state employee, but not a teacher)

I think if you're sick-daying it for more than a week they ask for one, but demand it. Not sure -- I"ve not been sick that long.

Where's the trash analysis for this protest day?

Anonymous said...

Anybody get the good doctors' names?

MadisonMan said...

rcocean, we do get sick days -- I get 1 per month -- and vacation days.

22 days vacation from the git go, and it never changes.

I don't remember if it's always 1 sickday per month, or if you start at a slower rate.

Jason said...

"Sorry, for being so dense. Don't state employees get vacation days? And why doesn't the state just do what my company does, give people PTO days. No "vacation" days no "sick days". No doctors notes. Everyone treated like an adult. Geez, its like the state employees were Jnr High kids that needed a note from Mom"
------------------

Its mainly for teachers in the Madison School District, who have been off since Wednesday. District policy mandates a doctor's excuse to claim a sick day. Other districts do the same.

The Drill SGT said...

M.Z. said...
If I'm not mistaken, teachers don't have any sick days.


They also, by law can't strike. So an organized sick-out is in fact illegal and could cost the union. so sick notes defend against that cost.

As for costs? Somebody may be able to clarfy. If 40% of the teachers call in sick and the District cancels classes, you really thibnk all the teachers and staff go without pay these last couple of days? Or perhaps, the folks continue to suck at the public teat without any work getting done. and when it comes time to make up the day of instruction, think the staff do that one as a freebee? There are real costs involved, hundredss of thousands if not millions in salaries here...

Not to mention all the taxpayers who had to stay home or arrange for emergency child care. lots of money and impact on the state economy. Oh never mind, those are just those pesky businesses and taxpayers...

KCFleming said...

In the Soviet Union, doctors agreed to lie and put people away for life in the gulags, often on 'psychiatric' grounds, and even to kill them.

It's your core principles that must first be corrupted to permit this to happen. The Madison doctors are being well trained for their future work.

Known Unknown said...

Rampant fraud.

The Drill SGT said...

MadisonMan said...
rcocean, we do get sick days -- I get 1 per month -- and vacation days.


No $hit?

your sick days amunt 5% of the work year? I thought you WI folks were healthier than that. I bet you state employees get to accumulate them and sell them back when you retire to pad your pensions?

seriously MM, I think our firm gives us 3 days a year, and you cant cant accumulate beyond a fairly small number... But then we're a business, not a charity or a governmnent resort

between sick and vacation days, you get 34 days off a year? plus another set of holidays and prefessional days, etc?
]
I bet you get what amounts to 3 months a year off :)

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

The tall sign says: "I'm a doctor. Need a note?"

You mean to tell me that sign was not concocted by our resident photoshop luminari/extraordinaire Chip Ahoy?

The Twilight Zone approaches, ladies and gentleman..

wv: sadsp = some sort of crack bait.

Fen said...

I think if you're sick-daying it for more than a week they ask for one, but demand it

A week? In the private sector, its 3 days. Or be fired.

vnjagvet said...

If the teachers weren't claiming sick days why did they call the job action a "sickout"? Why are they seeking a MD certificate?

garage mahal said...

chickelit
You're uniquely unaware why these people are out protesting in the first place. It's not about wages.

Meade said...

"Where's the trash analysis for this protest day?"

When I returned this evening around 7 pm, there were a few thousand anti-Walker protesters and zero Tea Party protesters. The sidewalks and grounds all around the Capitol were spotless.

@PatCa, yes, I would say that article is hyperbole and not helpful, in my opinion.

chickelit said...

It's not about wages.

I gather it's about future clout because sure isn't about the right to collectively bargain like they've been saying.

garage mahal said...

Yep, you don't get it.

Anonymous said...

Fen said,

"Classic Libtardism. When confronted with something that should cause him shame, the subject justifies his deriliction by *pretending* the other side does it too, therefore he is excused.

This means he is capable of any action he *believes* the other side does."

This is just so and well done.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

In the Soviet Union, doctors agreed to lie and put people away for life in the gulags, often on 'psychiatric' grounds, and even to kill them.

I put the hippocratic oath up against just about anything there is out there claiming to have the best interest for man kind.. (Saint Francis Prayer is not too bad)

How does "First do no harm" square with becoming an accessory to a hoax that at the very least means a disruption of a calling no lower than the angels.

I'm 46 years old and I remember all my good teachers.. I remember the really bad ones too.. my point is I remember them.

There must be a reason why I remember them.

Automatic_Wing said...

Whenever someone says it's not about the money, you know it's about the money.

Not that I blame them for wanting to keep what they've got, but the state is broke and unionized labor is expensive. Something's got to give.

Meade said...

I think we all know that it really is, and should be, about the statutory right to collectively bargain - an authority the State of Wisconsin should never have granted public employees in the first place because, just as FDR predicted, it has turned into a gigantic racket. The correction is long past due.

Irene said...

MadisonMan said, "I've never had to show a doctor's note for a sick day. (I'm a state employee, but not a teacher)."

A newish UW-Madison rule requires an employee to furnish a note from a physician if the employee misses more than five consecutive days of work. Scroll down to Medical Certification Form to find the "Doctor's Note" form.

The form expressly prohibits the medical provider from addressing "any medical facts regarding the health condition that impede the employee’s ability to work."

The Vegas Art Guy said...

If the contacts are similar to the ones here in Nevada then sick days are paid days off, so yes it is costing the citizens of Wisconsin a pretty penny for this. At least here in NV we're salaried employees.

jr565 said...

This is about as legitimate as doctors giving you a prescription for medical marijuana if you come to their "office" and say you have glaucoma.And you'll see busloads of college kids all going to the doctor to get their prescripition for their medicine.
So, I'm not in the least bit surprised that doctors would circumnavigate the law when it suits them. I would like to know though who is outraged by this but who has no problem with doctors giving people fake prescriptions for marijuana.

The Drill SGT said...

garage mahal said...
This stupid doctor excuse charade has Andrew Breitbart's dirty dick beater handprints all over it.


Garage, Let me understand...

Are saying that he was cunning enough to hire actors to impersonate half of the UW Med School Familiy Medicine Department? Using real Doctors Names and forging medical documents?

That the entire doctors note thing is a Breitbart photo journalism scam?

jr565 said...

Garage Mahal wrote:
This stupid doctor excuse charade has Andrew Breitbart's dirty dick beater handprints all over it. You knew he wouldn't come to town and not pull some sort bullshit masquerade stunt. I guessing this is it.


Or, more likely... this is simply the union realizing that they might get in trouble if people take sick days and then go protesting, so hire doctors so that they can get by the rule. You don't need Breitbart on the scene for the libs to hang themselves.

Sofa King said...

I doubt the sick days actually cost the state anything, because they get paid for unused sick days anyone. Yet another perk almost nobody in the private sector has, another reason they want collective bargaining so badly.

The real issue is their ability to blow off work for totally inexcusable reasons whenever they feel like with absolutely no consequences.

Shy Wolf said...

Is there some way we can get the names of these hypocrite doctors and post them?
Shy III

The Drill SGT said...

Sofa King said...
I doubt the sick days actually cost the state anything,


what about the 60% of the teachers that didnt call in sick, then the district canceled school...

which do you think has happened:

1. they were forced to take sick days also?
2. they get no pay?
3. they are sitting in empty classrooms preparing lesson plans?
4. They are home getting paid?

I bet it's #4. and of course there are the hundreds of thousands of parent's losing pay and hours taking care of kids out of school.

this isnt a no cost exercise.

Rob said...

I can't believe this discussion about whether or not sick days "cost" anything. Gosh, basic economics, kids- the costs may be hidden, but they are surely there.

Fen said...

Libtard: This stupid doctor excuse charade has Andrew Breitbart's dirty dick beater handprints all over it.

Uhm.. there are multiple vids all over the net of several doctors doing this. And Breitbart was not involved in any of those.

Your head's not going to explode again, is it?

AST said...

Fire them all. This is fraud.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

..it has turned into a gigantic racket.

its more than that..

Yo Vengo a Ofrecer Mi Corazon - Mercedes Sosa

The libs have heart (corazon) what does Walker have? .. you see?

This is how they have co-opted the medicine doctors.

I'm a Shaaaaark said...

"It wasn't our fault - Breitbart made us do it!" - Wisconsin Doctors

Jason said...

There is actually a video of Breitbart getting a fake sick excuse from one of the doctors. And they name names of ALL THE DOCTORS involved.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQRcNBWTOr8&feature=player_embedded

Get ready for this thing to explode.

autothreads said...

Really, they make state employees show a note from a doctor to take a sick day? I find that a little odd, considering that they're supposed to be grownups.

Have you ever had a real job? When I worked at DuPont, we had unlimited sick leave but if you called in sick more than four incidences (not days) in a 12 month period, you'd get put on the the first day off have to see a doctor list.

They also paid attention to employees who managed to get sick just before or after paid holidays.

Getting a doctor's note is rather common in the private sector.

The extent to which public employees and their supporters are divorced from the real world is almost humorous.

In interactions with public employees, over the past few years it's been common for them to react negatively to members of the public saying "I'm your boss". They indignantly say, no, I work for such and such agency, or I work for the chief of police.

From the deliberately unplowed streets of New York to the attempts of anti-democratic mob rule in Wisconsin, public employees are demonstrating a tone deafness and hubris that will surely lead them to finally realize that if they are public employees, then the public can indeed fire them.

Milwaukee said...

One thing is simple: there are a finite number of school districts, and a finite number of teachers. Have the school districts collect, and report to the Superintendent of Schools for Wisconsin, and the Attorney General, the names of the teachers claiming to be sick, and the names of the doctors. Start investigating. People who commit fraud in one place, commit fraud in other places. Start investigating. Child abusers and other criminals think they are above the law, that the law doesn't apply to them. Subpoena their computers, and see what sorts of porn they are looking at. Take away their medical licenses and teaching certificates. Why are people of such shady character writing prescriptions and teaching children?

Jason said...

"The extent to which public employees and their supporters are divorced from the real world is almost humorous."

----------------------------

In talking with a municipal worker about the budget at the local tavern the other day, when I asked him what he think the state should do about the budget, this was his reponse:

"They should just tax the oil companies more."

And that's no shit.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Core 'ngrato - José Carreras

Catarì, Catarì, why do you tell me
only words of bitterness,
why only things that torment me
Catarì?
Don't forget that once I gave you my heart,
Catarì, don't forget!
Catarì, Catarì, why do you say
these things that make me suffer?
You never think of my pain,
you never think if it, you don't care.
Ungrateful heart,
you wrenched my life from me
and now it's all over,
you no longer think of me!


We are, by all measures in dire straits.. we need to do this, we need to sacrifice. its not a joke.

garage mahal said...

It seems a little wishful thinking on your part Garage.

Breitbart employs criminals. that;s all you really need to know. Or you should start there at least.

Ryan E. said...

Mister Buddwing, I am not a lawyer, but I don't see how saying I think a person in a video is in anyway against the law. I did not state he was committing a crime or in fact doing anything.

The Drill SGT said...

garage mahal said...
Breitbart employs criminals. that;s all you really need to know.


After seeing the video, it's obvious WI does as well :)

Sofa King said...

Breitbart employs criminals. that;s all you really need to know. Or you should start there at least.

Teachers unions represent child rapists. That's all you really need to know. Or you should start there at least.

Right?

MisterBuddwing said...

Mister Buddwing, I am not a lawyer, but I don't see how saying I think a person in a video is in anyway against the law. I did not state he was committing a crime or in fact doing anything.

Well, I'm no lawyer either. I just don't think it's a good idea to try to positively identify people in videos like that, especially when you're not 100% sure it's the right person, and when there's the possibility, however unlikely, that the wrong person will end up being targeted by people who are less reasonable than you are.

WV: scali.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

The Wisconsin Governor and Hitler.

A Little Respect"

I try to discover
A little something to make me sweeter
Oh baby refrain from breaking my heart
I'm so in love with you
I'll be forever blue
That you give me no reason
Why you're making me work so hard

That you give me no
That you give me no
That you give me no
That you give me no

Soul, I hear you calling
Oh baby please give a little respect to me

And if I should falter
Would you open your arms out to me
We can make love not war
And live at peace in our hearts
I'm so in love with you
I'll be forever blue
What religion or reason
Could drive a man to forsake his lover

Don't you tell me no
Don't you tell me no
Don't you tell me no
Don't you tell me no

Soul, I hear you calling
Oh baby please give a little respect to me

I'm so in love with you
I'll be forever blue
That you give me no reason
You know you're making me work so hard

That you give me no
That you give me no
That you give me no
That you give me no

Soul, I hear you calling
Oh baby please give a little respect to me

Soul, I hear you calling
Oh baby please give a little respect to me


Are we capable of giving what we ask for?

garage mahal said...

Teachers unions represent child rapists. That's all you really need to know. Or you should start there at least.

I'll take that as an acknowledgment that Breibart employs criminals. James O'Keefe meets the definition of a criminal. He plead guilty.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Breitbart employs criminals. that;s all you really need to know. Or you should start there at least.

You mean to tell me that you don't want excons (presumably people who have paid their debt to society) to find a job?

I thought you were a caring liberal garage.. what's happening to you?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

"So you're really providing real doctor's notes for people that miss work?"

Easy - Emiliana Torrini

It's not an accident
You mean to touch me
And that's exactly why I'm here
A trick of confidence
Twenty years inside
You're exactly what I need

But I bide
Don't have time to play
So put your toys away

Don't take it easy
Why should we take easy yeah
Should we take it easy

I break into the park
With the insects
Stricking up the costume ball
The light is lovely here
In the neon glow
I could never want for more

But I bide
Don't have time to play
So put your toys away

Don't take it easy
Why should we take easy yeah
Should we take it easy
Why should we take easy yeah
Should we take it easy
Why should we take easy yeah
Easy yeah


We live so well.. we cannot help but take it easy.. we are even told that if we don't take it easy we will have problems.

I submit that taking it easy leads to what we face in Wisconsin.. and by news accounts all across the country.

chickelit said...

I'll take that as an acknowledgment that Breibart employs criminals. James O'Keefe meets the definition of a criminal. He plead guilty.

I will take that as an admission that Breitbart was effective in helping shut down that racist organization known as ACORN.

Mary said...

@ The Drill SGT:

1. they were forced to take sick days also?
2. they get no pay?
3. they are sitting in empty classrooms preparing lesson plans?
4. They are home getting paid?


I live near Madison and, according to all the posted notices I've seen, schools were closed, but teachers were required to come in.

Mary said...

@Milwaukee:

I haven't seen or heard any evidence or suggestion that they are writing prescriptions.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

"So you're really providing real doctor's notes for people that miss work?"
somebody mentioned the supposed beloved children left alone..

wahtever.

How - The Cranberries

Look, you're standing alone (Standing alone.)

How ever I should have known, (I should have known.)
Never before, never again,
You will ignore, I will pretend.
Never before, never again,
You will ignore, I will pretend.

In your world, you're alone in your face.
You're alone in your world, you're alone in your face.
How you said you never would leave me alone, oh.
How you said you never would leave me alone.

Now you're just walking away (Walking away),
When you said you always would stay (Always would stay.)
Never before, never again,
You will ignore, I will pretend.
Never before, never again,
You will ignore, I will pretend.

In your world, you're alone in your face.
You're alone in your world, you're alone in your face.
How you said you never would leave me alone, oh.
How you said you never would leave me alone.

Never before, never again,
You will ignore, I will pretend.

In your world, you're alone in your face.
You're alone in your world, you're alone in your face.

How you said you never would leave me alone, oh.
How you said you never would leave me alone


The teachers are teaching their students that so called greedy corporations are good.. The teachers behavior should/would speak for itself.

Placeholder said...

It's yet one more wingnut stunt, faithfully passed along by Fox and the wingnutosphere. But take heart! Ann Althouse is taking a $10,000 pay cut! There is some justice! Ha ha!

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

"So you're really providing real doctor's notes for people that miss work?"

The Name of the Game - Bryan Ferry

Out of control
And as far I can see
No religion can save me now
Through I´m
trying to believe
How could I know
Her madness´d cling
From the time of her first caress
To the final fling
When you know the name of the game
You can never play enough
Every drop of blood is the same
You can never shed enough
Out in the cold
In the wilderness again
[ Find more Lyrics on http://mp3lyrics.org/yQK ]
Where I fight for my soul
I can see no end
When you know the name of the game
You never play enough
In the name of heaven you pray
You can never pray enough

akw said...

Some of the doctors are Anne Eglash, Hannah Keevil, James Shropshire, Patrick McKenna and Lou Sanner.

These are all doctors who work for the state university, meaning taxpayers are paying their salaries. They are public employees who are conspiring and colluding with other public employees to defraud the taxpayers of Wisconsin. Sounds like firing offenses to me!

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Not to get in the way of this perfectly nice witch-hunt that public employee Althouse has fomented, but it sounds like an awful lot of people here are attempting to practice medicine without a license.

Which of course is punishable by law.

Fen said...

Heh. Now you've devolved into making no sense at all. Unhinged.

Goodnite Ritmo. Take two aspirin and call your shrink in the AM.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

"So you're really providing real doctor's notes for people that miss work?"

Try Again - Aaliyah

But then if you don't listen to the adults you crash..

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

but it sounds like an awful lot of people here are attempting to practice medicine without a license.

Shout - Tears for Fears

Shout, shout, let it all out, these are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on
Shout, shout, let it all out, these are the things I can do without

In violent times, you shouldn't have to sell your soul
In black and white, they really really ought to know
Those one track minds that took you for a working boy
Kiss them goodbye, you shouldn't have to jump for joy
You shouldn't have to
Shout, shout, let it all out, these are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on

They gave you life, and in return you gave them hell
As cold as ice, I hope we live to tell the tale
I hope we live to tell the tale

let it all out, these are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on
Shout, shout, let it all out, these are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on

Shout, shout, let it all out
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on

And when you've taken down your guard
If I could change your mind, I'd really love to break your heart
I'd really love to break your heart

Shout, shout, let it all out
(Break your heart) these are the things I can do without
(I'd really love to break your heart) come on
I'm talking to you, come on
Shout, shout, let it all out, these are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you so come on


Please call the authorities!!!!

Anonymous said...

Hey! I got a prescription from one of those guys...

Then I went down to the Walgreen's drugstore to get my prescription filled.

I was standing in line with Mr. Ritmo. And, man, did he look pretty ill.

We decided that we would share a reefer. I got dazey in the head.

I sung my song to Mr. Ritmo. Yeah, and he said one word to me and that was "dead".

So I said to him that if Althouse pulls out that catchy tune allusion again tomorrow, I'm gonna flip out and blow a 50-amp fuse. Sing it to me now...

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Nice Mr Julius ;)

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Nice that you bring up the reefer you take (I assume by prescription) and that your idiotic right-wingers here and elsewhere would like to see you jailed for, Julius.

Keep defending them and their ignorance though. And the practice of medicine by blog-mob. That will surely advance the field.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Shout that we could do w/o unions..

I'm talking to you!!!

We can do w/o unions..

I'm talking to you!!!

i know it might be hard to imagine.. or you may say I'm a dreamer but I dont think I'm the only one..

On and on, On and on..

Revenant said...

This guy doesn't seem too bright. He's going to end up stripped of his medical license for fraudulent practice of medicine.

The AMA is pretty liberal, but they have little tolerance for doctors who abuse their authority this way.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

The AMA is not a regulatory agency, Brainiac.

It's a professional/lobbying organization, one with ethical issues of its own (strange endorsements of non-medical consumer products come to mind), and less than 50% active physician membership and sinking.

Do you guys just like saying shit to remind yourself that your minds still, on some rudimentary level, function?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Ritmo.. Trooper is on to you.. you can drop the Buckley pretence..

You cannot be more liberal than 180 deg from the Buckley conservatives I know and love..

The reason why you cannot be more liberal is because a fraud is neither.. A fraud is just that.. a fraud.

I have respect for liberals.. and I do not have any respect for you.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Ritmo.. the Buckley avatar pretender.. is a fake phony fraud.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Ritmo.. the above Buckley avatar pretender.. is a fake phony fraud.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Ritmo.. the above Buckley avatar pretender.. is a fake phony fraud.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Ritmo.. the above Buckley avatar pretender.. is a fake phony fraud.

Internet frauds usually dont leave you alone..

But I will pretend that he has.. for the sake of my own sanity.

shiloh said...

C4, Lem is totally obsessed/infatuated w/you ...

Congrats!

btw, every liberal should have a teabagger groupie at Althouse.

Just sayin'

Revenant said...

It's a professional/lobbying organization

My point is that they aren't going to go to bat for these guys, not that the AMA has the power to mess with their licenses.

The *state* has the power to do that -- and, absent lobbyist opposition, they probably will.

MadisonMan said...

I bet you state employees get to accumulate them and sell them back when you retire to pad your pensions?

No, but you convert them into months of health care. I think a week of sicktime -- 5 months accumulation -- converts to a week of health care, but I'm not sure, since I'm nowhere near retiring and this isn't something I need to know.

I'll be curious to see how the protests evolve today -- it's starting to get icy out.

AllenS said...

This is a very good example why you should always get a second opinion. How would you feel if you found a lump on your throat, went to the doctor, and one of these clowns was there? I do not want doctors like this practicing.

Unknown said...

There is an image of a note bouncing around the internet somewhere. The dates written on the note are from "2/19/2011" to "2/19/2011" which happens to be a Saturday. If that's all they're doing and they're not back on Tuesday giving out notes for a weekday then I think there's a good chance this is just street theater.

Bluegrass Pundit said...

Thanks for posting that! What ever happened to medical ethics? If you like funny videos, check out this funny conservative videos site.

The Crack Emcee said...

garage mahal,

if you don't care, why the fuck should I?

To all the regulars: How many times have I said this is how it works? And why should anyone care about this fraud when we allow "psychics" to work every street corner? Or homeopathic "medicines" to be sold in Whole Foods? Oprah to peddle quackery on TV?

Garage is full of shit, but he's got everyone by the ethical short hairs there.

Put up or shut up.

rosebud said...

If these docs are claiming to have performed a medical exam/investigation on an open street corner, then aren't they in violation of HIPPA regs? It's the physicians' responsibility to make sure that the patient is aware of his HIPPA rights, and to provide privacy during the exam/investigation, unless the medical care/treatment is of such urgency that to do so is impractical.

rosebud said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Almost Ali said...

Sometimes I wonder why real people even bother to have children anymore, knowing the children will have to attend a unionized school. And get their brains beat out by commie freaks and Marxist fools.

Almost Ali said...

And BTW, this doctor stuff is a red herring, a note in a teapot, and spits in the Madison wind. Because the powers-that-be will do diddly-squat - because the entire system is corrupt from end to end.

Sharc 65 said...

Anne Eglash MD
Hannah M Keevil MD
Lou Sanner MD, MSPH
James H Shropshire MD

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