The Massage Pundit

A couple of years ago, there was a document, A Call to Action, that was widely circulated in the massage community; it was addressed to the American Massage Therapy Association, asking the AMTA Board to intervene in the affairs of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork, as if they had any right to do so. Fully aware that no such right existed, the AMTA declined to get involved.

A Call to Action was written by AMTA members, some of whom were former volunteers and staff members at the NCBTMB. The concerns included numerous alleged violations of the bylaws and unethical behavior by the then-seated Board members, some of whom are now gone, and some who have gone on to bigger and better positions within the organization.

I would like to issue another Call to Action. I urge school owners, program directors, Approved Providers and other educators, and all certificants, to contact the leaders of the National Certification Board. Write a letter, send an e-mail, make a phone call or send a fax. Urge the directors of the NCB to move gracefully into the future, and to let go of the past. Express your distress at the strong-arm tactics, and huge amount of money, that they have used in their efforts to thwart the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards. Urge them to embrace the formation of the Federation, and the existence of the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Exam, as a natural course of events that is serving the advancement of our profession. The 30 state boards who have joined the Federation wish they would.

Let us follow the example of our professional organizations. Both AMTA and ABMP have shown support for the Federation and the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Exam, while at the same time stressing their acknowledgment that National Certification is a cornerstone of the profession. Both AMTA and ABMP, and the Federation, support the NCBTMB moving forward with offering advanced certifications, an opportunity that they have recently acknowledged the intent to pursue.

Although the AMTA and ABMP operate on different business models, there is a mutual respect displayed by the leaders of these organizations. They both want the same thing: to represent the interests of, and offer resources to, those in the massage therapy profession. They don’t go around trying to discredit each other; neither has some whacky belief that they are somehow entitled to be the only game in town, and each, in its own way, is working for the common good of their stakeholders and the massage therapy profession as a whole. These organizations have publications that technically could be viewed as competitors, but each frequently quotes the other’s, and they know how to genuinely play nice.

Contact the NCBTMB and let the leadership know that moving forward with offering advanced certifications is the right thing to do, and let them know that spending the stakeholders’ money trying to bankrupt the Federation, going around to member states and trying to block them from accepting the MBLEx, conducting negative smear campaigns, and having their Board meetings in Honolulu, is the wrong thing to do.

Stand up and be counted! Urge the National Certification Board to get back on track. Remember, any organization is only as good as its leaders. When the leaders of a national organization are going the wrong way, it is up to the membership to step up and call them on it. No need to send nasty letters; just be honest and clear in expressing your hope for them to drop this campaign and move forward. Don’t be afraid to speak out. You cannot lose your certification for expressing your opinion. If everyone remains silent, we can’t sit and wonder what happened while the leaders remain on their present path to the destruction of our valued organization. You can send an e-mail to Neal Delaporta at info@ncbtmb.org

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

I was thrilled to hear from my accountant yesterday that I have paid enough estimated tax and don’t owe any additional money.  That wasn’t the case last year, when I had a big shock about the amount I owed.

I have independent contractors working in my clinic, self-employed folks, and I do try to reinforce the message that the money they make isn’t all theirs to keep.  Each quarter I print out a statement for them showing how much they’ve made so far, so they can keep on top of the amount of tax they need to be paying.  I’m sad to say that many of them ignore that until April 15 is looming, at which time panic usually sets in.

I am meticulous about keeping good records.  That’s due to a hard lesson I learned at the tender age of 19 when I opened my first restaurant, and got myself into trouble with the tax people.  Contrary to popular belief, the IRS will actually bend over backwards to work with you.  The state revenue folks here in North Carolina, on the other hand, will chase you to the grave if you owe them any money. The agent who dealt (severely) with me all those years ago had such an attitude, you’d have thought I owed it to him personally.  He went out of his way to make my life a living hell for several years until I had the debt paid off.  A few years ago, this same man came to me for a massage.  He had no memory of me whatsoever, no idea who I was, and the whole time I was massaging him, I was thinking of how rude and mean he had been to me all those years ago and fighting off the urge to just choke him on the table!

If you haven’t done your taxes yet, you can apply for an extension.  However, a lot of people are confused about that, too.  An extension doesn’t mean you get extra time to pay.  It just means you have extra time to file the return.  If you owe money, you are supposed to send that in when you request the extension.  Failure to do so can result in a whole lot of interest and penalties.

None of us like to hand over that tax money, but it’s one of those facts of life we just have to deal with.  Born free and taxed to death, as the saying goes.  If you’re not good at keeping records, ask someone who is to help you get organized.  It’s worth paying an accountant to set up your bookkeeping system and to keep you on task with paying your estimated taxes.  It can save you a lot of headaches and heartaches when the tax man cometh.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

We are in a time of massive financial upheaval, generated by the failure of those who are in key decision making positions to act in the best interests of their constituents. While most of the attention has been focused on Wall Street and the for-profit sector, we have our own nasty situation going on in the massage therapy profession.

The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCB) is a tax-exempt non-profit organization; as such, its annual IRS returns are public record. I recently obtained NCB’s most recent Form 990, the official IRS statement that is filed by non-profits, and it is truly shocking.

The 2008 form has not yet been filed, and it has been NCB’s practice over the past several years to delay filing until the last legal date. These figures are from 2007, and to put them in perspective, I’ll compare it to previous years.

From 2005 to 2006, NCB ran a surplus of $1.4 million. However, from 2006 to 2007, the organization ran a deficit of $93,000. That’s a shift of $1.5 Million! Is business down? Heck, no. In fact, last year when my approved provider certificate was late in arriving, and I called the NCB to check on it, I was told that the organization had received four times as many provider applications as usual and that staff was overwhelmed. In 2006, NCB administered more than 22,500 exams, and that number increased to more than 24,500 in 2008. Since business wasn’t suffering, it must be that expenses are up, and how.

Here are some of the significant changes that occurred between 2006 and 2007 that caused this deficit:

• Legal fees increased by 331%. Hardly surprising, since the NCB has hired lawyers and lobbyists all over the country to interfere with the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards and the states that have adopted, or are considering adopting the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Exam.
• Conference and meeting expenses increased by 273%. Gee whiz, apparently it costs more money to hold a Board meeting when you fly everyone to Honolulu or camp out in ritzy destination resorts with hotel rooms costing hundreds of dollars per night.
• Promotions, marketing, and exhibit booth expenses increased by a whopping 1363%! That’s called damage control, in my opinion. NCB has really pumped up its marketing efforts since the Federation introduced the MBLEx. The problem is that the campaign has been mostly negative, specifically aimed at undermining the Federation, as well as spreading false information about the MBLEx and the state boards that have chosen to use that new exam. The problem is, no amount of spin can overcome a fundamentally flawed position.
• Total compensation to the Board of Directors and key personnel increased by 80%, and CEO compensation increased by 72%. While that may seem like a big jump, it’s nothing compared to the whopping 260% increase that went to Board Chair Donna Feeley. A mere two years earlier, the Chair was given just $21,075 in compensation. How in the world could NCB Board of Directors justify paying Ms. Feeley $103,800/year plus more than $4,500 in expenses for a volunteer position that is officially listed on Form 990 as 10 hours per week? What is wrong with this picture? And let’s not forget that this is the same group of Directors that voted to DOUBLE their length of time in office.

Here’s the bottom line: NCB’s leadership is spending unsustainable amounts of money in a futile attempt to keep fighting a losing battle. As I mentioned previously, our two largest membership associations have spoken clearly, and have issued a ringing endorsement of the MBLEx as the single solution for our profession’s entry-level licensure exam.

The money that NCB is rapidly burning through is not their own, it belongs to you and me… the certificants. Outrage is an appropriate emotion when this kind of behavior is happening in plain view. Don’t be shy when expressing your feelings to NCB on this important subject.

I am betting my money that NCB’s 2008 financial picture is going to look even worse than what has been described here. I’ll be reporting on that as soon as I have the information. In the meantime, I’ll be waiting to hear if NCB is lining up behind the banks and the automakers to ask the Obama Administration for a bailout.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

The sordid story of the National Certification Board vs. the Rest of the Profession grinds painfully on. I am both amazed and distressed at the public relations claptrap the NCBTMB is continuing to manufacture, and distressed that the leadership of this organization is apparently unable to stop fighting what is most certainly a losing battle. NCB continues to base its campaign on distortions, innuendo, and wildly stated accusations directed at our two most respected professional organizations and the state massage regulatory boards that are members of FSMTB.

It took them long enough, but the powers that be at the NCB have finally responded to AMTA’s decision to endorse the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx) as the best choice for the path to licensure and portability. The problem is that NCB has come forth with the ridiculous statements that AMTA’s decision was based on “passion rather than reason”, and that the MBLEx is a “threat to the viability of certification and the profession at large.”

On the first claim, it took AMTA a couple of years to finally get around to making this endorsement. Anyone who is familiar with that particular Board of Directors knows they are not prone to making impulsive or passion-based decisions. And NCB’s ongoing assertions that certification is superior to licensure is pure fiction. Each of these credentials have their place in a well-structured profession, and no one organization gets to have all the marbles.

In a separate email sent to certificants, NCB also makes accusations that the MBLEx is “easier” than their certification exams, a claim that is totally without merit. Along with that, NCB is making the bizarre suggestion that state massage therapy boards somehow stand to profit financially from accepting the MBLEx –– another statement that has no basis whatsoever in reality.

By the way, we’re seeing exactly what happens when a professional certification agency hires a “spin doctor” as its CEO: you get “all spin, all the time.”

When leaders sling this kind of mud, it’s called dirty politics. Now that our national election is over and the new president installed, it’s just the kind of thing we’re all sick of hearing. There’s an interesting aspect about this particular fight, however, and that is that the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards isn’t participating in it. They stand quietly by and attend to the business of administering exams like they were created to do, instead of responding by slinging more mud.

The press release sent out by the Federation in response to AMTA’s endorsement states, “Like AMTA, the Federation continues to see voluntary certification as a cornerstone of the profession,” and goes on to express hope that the NCB will realize that the profession has evolved, that their true mission rests in certification, and that they will support the Federation.

As a NCB certificant, it saddens me to see this organization resort to the same kind of strategy of truth-butchering and spreading of baseless claims that is typically practiced by mudslinging politicians.

The campaign is over, our two largest professional membership associations have spoken, and they support the Federation and its licensing exam. NCB should stand down and face the reality that the massage therapy landscape has fundamentally changed. This new era requires an atmosphere of communication and the spirit of collaboration to move our profession forward. Do NCB’s leaders really think the hostility they are cranking out is endearing them to the thirty state boards that have now joined the Federation? That’s thirty agencies that see the value of working together for the advancement of our profession, and for improving portability of licensure. If anyone can make an honest case for that being a bad thing, please post it here.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

The National Certification Board has sent out the call for volunteers in a number of states, most recently in New Hampshire. Volunteering in any capacity to advance the profession is a noble thing to aspire to, but be sure you know what you are volunteering for. In the case of their recent appeal to NH certificants, they are looking for therapists to keep spreading the distortions they are putting out about the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards and the MBLEx. This is the message they would like for you to spread, taken from the e-mail blast sent in NH:

Distortion #1:
Certification is a more rigorous standard than licensure.

Actually, the standard of entry-level certification offered by NCB is lower than the requirements set forth for state licensure in a number of areas: a) NCB now accepts up to 300 hours of distance education toward meeting its 500-hour Eligibility Requirement to site for the National Certification Exam — despite the fact that online learning is an educational method that is unproven in our field and that is not accepted by any regulated state; b) NCB stills allows candidates who have not completed a 500-hour training program to qualify for certification via the Portfolio Review process; and c) NCB’s minimum education requirement is 500 hours, vs. more hours required in certain states.

At least they’ve stopped touting NCCA Accreditation as an absolute requirement in statutes. They perpetuated that for many months, but had to take a different tack once it was publicly revealed that only one of their four exam products was part of an NCCA-accredited certification program. That’s a good example of a ruse getting shot down by the truth.

Distortion #2:
Eliminating certification requirements in state massage licensing laws will diminish the stature of massage therapists in the eyes of the general public, health care insurers, workers compensation bureaus and hospices.

Actually, the establishment of the FSMTB and having a dedicated licensure examination for our field is improving the stature of the massage therapy profession. The highly inconsistent manner in which massage therapy has been regulated has been one of the major factors impairing its growth and recognition by other stakeholders on the health care landscape. Moving towards a unified set of standards for state licensure of massage therapy — which includes the use of a single licensure examination for the field — improves our stature. Certification has a natural place in specialty and post-graduate credentialing, but it is not intended to function as the gateway for entry into the field. That is the job of state regulatory agencies.

Distortion #3:
Join our effort, and you can have a leadership role in the profession.

NCB is looking for “foot soldiers” to help them in their misguided efforts. The leaders of this organization are not interested in new ideas or more participants in decision making at the top level. Power is concentrated in the hands of a very few people, who have shown no inclination to change this structure. One of the reasons they are in such dire need of volunteers is the recent defections of some of their most tireless and dedicated workers, who have resigned rather than agree to contribute to this campaign of distortion.

The NCB refuses to acknowledge that the formation of the Federation, and the development of the MBLEx, is actually great progress for our profession, and leaves the door wide open for the NCB to now move towards offering specialty and advanced certifications. They should be using this to their benefit instead of wasting their efforts and money trying to fight it. In spite of the fact the AMTA has now come out in favor of the MBLEx as the path to licensure, and the ABMP, the largest organization of therapists on the planet, supports the Federation and the MBLEx, the NCB refuses to roll with the tide. I just wonder how long it’s going to take them to drown in their sorrows.

I am always in support of volunteerism in order to give back to the profession. Be sure, when you answer the call to volunteer, that you are not volunteering to help spread misrepresentations of the facts. The Federation is also in need of volunteers, as is AMTA and ABMP. I urge you to direct your willingness to serve to an effort that is grounded in the advancement of our profession, and not the misguided efforts to hold us back.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

I had another blog all ready to go on this subject, and after a couple of my mentors disagreed with me about it, I decided I’d just throw it out there to the people who count: YOU.

This weekend I had dinner with a therapist friend who works in a spa, and she was distressed about the high-pressure selling she’s expected to do.  The spa management had gone so far as to have “prescription cards” printed up, and I mean that literally; they actually had an “Rx” printed on them.  The management wants therapists to hand those to every client they see, filled out with the recommendations of the products that the client “needs” to purchase.

I’d like to know how you feel about that.  I feel that there’s a power differential at work here, and that a client may buy something just because she perceives the therapist to be an expert, and is probably unaware that the therapist may just be trying to meet her daily sales quota.

Lest I sound too huffy about it, yes, I do retail in my office.  I sell ice packs, BioFreeze, and essential oils.  The therapists in my office are strictly prohibited from trying to sell a client anything unless the client asks.  ONLY when a client asks, “Do you have that oil you used on me for sale?” is a therapist allowed to sell.  If the client doesn’t ask, they’re not going to hear about it.  Our products are on display in the lobby in plain sight, and I feel that’s enough. Yes, I do realize how much money I’m losing by not requiring my therapists to sell X number of products a day, and I honestly don’t care. I’m not rich, and probably won’t be, if that’s the way I have to get it.  I hired my staff members because of their ability to do bodywork, not because I was looking for a salesperson.

When I interviewed therapists for my article on working on cruise ships that appeared in the print version of this magazine in August 2008, many of those who commented were also distressed by being expected to sell, sell, sell, and berated by management if they didn’t.  Those who didn’t meet or come close to meeting sales quotas weren’t invited back for another cruise.

I’d love to hear what the people in the trenches think about this.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

Yesterday it was announced that the American Massage Therapy Association has endorsed the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx), the exam owned by the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards, as the best choice for a single licensing exam to advance the portability of practice across state lines.

That was followed by an announcement today from Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals, applauding AMTA for making this decision. “We applaud the decision of the AMTA Board of Directors,” said ABMP President Les Sweeney, “This is an important step forward for the profession.”

The parallels in this development cannot be ignored. In the early 1990’s, AMTA provided leadership and financial support to get the National Certification Board up and running—the same thing that the ABMP did for the Federation just three short years ago. 

AMTA and ABMP have had a healthy competition going on for more than 20 years.  The press release issued today by ABMP states, “For the good of the profession, it is important that the two organizations can complement that competition by working in agreement on important issues like the entry-level exam choice matter at hand.”  That’s called playing nice, people. Now if we could just get NCBTMB to do the same thing, instead of wasting certificants’ money on lawsuits intended to bankrupt the Federation. I think this turn of events makes it pretty darn plain that the Federation, and the MBLEx, is here to stay.

AMTA, ABMP and the FSMTB are to be commended for their collaborative sportsmanship, and it’s high time for the NCB to start exhibiting that quality as well. It’s a new day and a new playing field, and if the NCB wants to stay in the game, they’ll have to stop acting like a bully. Bullies usually wind up getting thrown out of the game altogether, and nobody wants to play with them. 

The key phrase in all of this is “for the good of the profession.”  I hope NCB Chair Neil Delaporta and the rest of  the NCB leadership GETS IT.  It’s time to drop the lawsuits and the threats, fire the lobbyists and expensive lawyers that they’ve hired to interfere in state board matters, and get on with the business of offering specialized and advanced credentialing to those who want to seek it.

If NCB continues to fight the inevitable changes that are occurring in our profession, they will end up as CHUMPS. However, if they can see the light over the horizon, and use their resources to develop the next level of programs that will actually advance our profession, they could be heralded as CHAMPS when all is said and done. What a choice they have to make!

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

I’m beginning to regret that I am not serving on the National Certification Board. Instead of griping about them, I could be enjoying luxury trips to some of the finest places in the US. Their Board of Directors and top staff met in Hawaii just a few months ago, followed up by the 4^thquarter meeting at a nice downtown hotel in historic Charleston, SC. Now Mr. Delaporta intends to start his term as Chair with a festive junket for Board members to Walt Disney World’s Swan and Dolphin Resort later this week. This time, they’re giving us a little “taste” of the fun, with a special meet-and-greet reception for the first 80 people who RSVP. With the economy the way it is, I bet a lot of certificants would be happy if they could afford a weekend getaway at Motel 6, but hey, they don’t have a meeting room.  They will leave the light on for you, though.

The bottom line here is that it is patently offensive for NCBTMB to continue to hold these meetings in high-dollar exotic locations. They should restrict themselves to getting together in one of many business-friendly hotels near Chicago’s O’Hare Airport… just down the road from NCB Headquarters. They’d save a boatload of certificants’ money, and might actually get some more work done.

In a few other tidbits, the two empty Board of Directors seats have been claimed by former Board member Sue Toscano, who served as Chair 2000-2001, and newcomer Christy Schumacher, who has an impressive record of community service.  Maybe Schumacher’s humanitarian ways will be a good influence. 

NCB is certainly in need of good influence, what with all the long-standing volunteers defecting. The latest casualty is Mark Dixon, who has selflessly served the organization in numerous capacities since 1991, most recently as a member of the Nominations Task Force. Dixon’s letter of resignation stated that he believed the recent nomination and election process was handled in a corrupt manner, tainted by the personal politics of Board members. To maintain his integrity, he chose to resign his volunteer service, and terminate his certification of 16 years.  Karen Stork, the NCB Treasurer and Executive Committee member has resigned as well; no word on why that happened. It’s hardly surprising that NCB puts a gag order on everyone who leaves by making them sign a non-disclosure agreement. Now there’s some transparency for you. 

NCB is calling for volunteers in a number of areas. Check it out on their website at www.ncbtmb.org. And don’t forget to send me a postcard from Hawaii, or wherever they hold their next Board meeting.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

I’ve been waiting with bated breath for the announcement from the NCBTMB about who won the two seats in the long-delayed board election, but that information hasn’t materialized yet.  I keep checking the “press release” section of their website to no avail.  The last post was the response to the passage of the new massage practice act in Pennsylvania, another diatribe about the NCB sticking its nose in where it doesn’t belong. 

            While I was perusing the old press releases a few weeks ago on their website, I couldn’t help but notice how many important events seemed to be missing, so I sent an email to NCB to ask about the omissions I noted, but I have not had the courtesy of a reply.

            I wondered if there was a press release concerning the firing of CEO Christopher Laxton and Director of Education Mark Lausch…no such luck. I didn’t see anything about the fact that the NCB certification exams are being phased out in North Carolina.  Nor was there anything about the NCB Board voting to give their outgoing Chair Donna Feeley $20,000 to pay for her medical care, since her “volunteer” stipend of around $100,000 didn’t cover the cost of health insurance.

            That brings to mind another issue—the finances of the NCB.  I’m beginning to be concerned about the amount of money going out versus the amount of money coming in.  Between all the Board and committee members flying around the country and their other efforts to step up PR, the hiring of expensive lobbyists and lawyers and filing lawsuits in an effort to stop the FSMTB and the MBLEx from encroaching on “their” territory, the Board meetings held in luxury hotels from coast to coast, and the number of states defecting to the MBLEx, they’ve got to be feeling the pinch. I guess that’s why they just raised the fees for approved providers.

            NCB has also taken on the appearance of a revolving door, personnel-wise.  Counting the new CEO who is about to be named, NCB will have had six chief execs in last five years. This does not contribute to the operation of a stable organization.  There is never any information forthcoming from NCB about the good people who have resigned in frustration or those who have been given the boot. Since we only hear about the replacements, one has to wonder what the problem has been with these people, all of whom have come to the NCB from other high-paying and high-powered positions and were seemingly competent and qualified .

            Feeley’s self-extended term as Board Chair of ends on New Year’s Eve.. I’m looking forward to watching Chair-Elect Neal Delaporta as he assumes the position and and will report on his leadership in this column.  I’m hopeful that there will be fewer shenanigans and more positive changes under his watch, but only time will tell.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

I’ve received a lot of e-mails and a few phone calls since my previous post about the NCBTMB elections, about the fact that I supported Pua Gillespie for one of the open seats.  I am ashamed to say that I must now eat crow on that decision, and I feel compelled to give some background.

When I received my ballot from the NCBTMB, I made it my business to contact the candidates and ask them their position on the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards. Nathan Nordstrom, whom I also supported, politely responded to me that he was prohibited from “campaigning” in any way other than his candidate statement, according to NCBTMB rules, and he’s actually right on that.  However, Nathan’s candidate statement impressed me enough with his references to the fractures and dissent on the board that I figured he was the right man for the job.  

I also heard from the other candidates, who apparently weren’t worried about the rule Nathan quoted, or, didn’t feel that answering a simple question was a violation of it (I didn’t think it was).  In any case, they all sounded like political double-speak to me, totally evasive about the question…everyone of them came across as sounding like a politician on the stump trying to appease everyone by saying something vague instead of offering a definite opinion, with the exception of Pua Gillespie.  I received a very nice e-mail from her.  She assured me that she had established a good relationship with the Federation board members, and intended to work harmoniously with the FSMTB’s new chair, Kevin Snedden.  Pua also went on to tell me about following the path of ”Aloha,”, the Hawaiian spiritual tradition of not being in judgment and not saying anything bad about anyone. I believed, as she totally meant for me to, that she intends to work with the Federation and not against it.

Then the calls and e-mails started coming in, along with copies of the documents about the Federation that Gillespie has personally handed out at state board meetings.  It’s a piece of propaganda from the NCBTMB, and to make a long story short, the ending statement summarizes their (and apparently Gillespie’s, since she was handing it out and her business card was stapled to the paper) attitude about the FSMTB and the MBLEx.  In short, it says that the MBLEx has created public confusion and distrust, and threatens to set the profession back 16 years (the amount of time the NCBTMB has been in existence).  It also includes a number of other distortions. Aloha, indeed.

I’ll just address a couple of these.  One comparison states that the NCBTMB’s job task analyses have included state board members, educators, subject matter experts, etc., and points out that the last job task analysis was contributed to by over 4,000 people.  The comparison states that the FSMTB’s website lists “40 individuals” as contributors to the test development process.  Funny, but it doesn’t say a word about the fact that the Federation’s job task analysis was from over 7,500 practitioners.  And, that the 40 individuals who are in fact listed include state board members, educators, subject matter experts, etc. 

It also goes on to imply that due to the fact that the Federation received money from ABMP that the ABMP owns the Federation in some way.  That would be like saying that because the NCBTMB gave $50,000 to the Massage Therapy Foundation this year, they now own the Foundation.  There is no truth in it whatsoever.  There’s not one word there that sounds like the spirit of Aloha to me; the entire paper is a slam against the Federation and the MBLEx. 

I am ashamed that I was fooled in this manner.  I’ve already cast my vote, and I can’t take it back.  I apologize profusely to the people who voted on my recommendation.  I will not recommend anyone else in place of Gillespie, because I could be fooled again.

On another note, the NCBTMB has lost yet another dedicated volunteer this week in the person of Elaine Calenda, who has tirelessly served that organization for 14 years, most recently as the chair of the School Outreach Advisory Panel.  Her letter of resignation expressed her distress at past and recent turns of events at the NCBTMB, and that she felt she could no longer defend their actions.  It is very sad that someone who has worked so hard for so long is reduced to resigning, rather than to keep serving an administration that has become an embarassment to her. 

While I’m having my dinner of boiled crow, I will be watching with interest to see the outcome of the election.  Whomever gets voted in, I’m watching you.  I’ll be watching Mr. Delaporta when he takes over, and I’ll be keeping up with, and reporting on, the actions of the NCBTMB in relation to interference in state governance, the exorbitant waste of the stakeholder’s money in holding staff meetings in Hawaii, the exorbitant “stipend” of the chair, the lawsuits and the sniping between board members, the departure of valued volunteers, and the service to stakeholders.  Incidentally, I heard through the grapevine that the new CEO is going to be one of the spin-doctors from the PR firm the NCBTMB hired to spruce up their image.  I’ll be watching him, too.  It’s going to take more than PR window-dressing to satisfy me that this organization is back on the right track. 

I do not want the NCBTMB to dry up and blow away.  I want them to do the job they are supposed to do. 

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen