And Now For Something Completely Different

This is the sort of stuff I look forward to reading about on the internet.

Sicko

This is a little write-up I had to for my "Healthcare Delivery Systems" class. I didn't take much time on it, so don't expect it to be too eloquent. Also, I highly recommend that you see the movie "Sicko," it's a Michael Moore film, so you have to take it with a grain of salt. It does, however, do a good job at illustrating the disparity of healthcare in the US compared to other countries. One more thing: I definitely did not address all of the factors associated with the healthcare dilemma, but there are a few important points in there.

In the film, Michael Moore elucidated many shortcomings within our present healthcare delivery system. There is definitely a method to the way Moore presents the material, a predictable formula of heart-wrenching stories, shortcomings of the US government, a comparison to other industrialized nations, and finally a return the feasibility of instituting changes within the system for the benefit of the masses.
The stories Moore found to portray the awful state of conditions in the US were terrible, despicable consequences of a capitalist society without checks on quality. One example I remembered from the film was when Cigna Healthcare approved a 9-month-old child going deaf for a hearing aid in one ear, but not the other ear. Understandably, this angered the father so much that when he became aware that Moore was collecting stories for his film, the father submitted a letter to Cigna management detailing this, and within a few days, miraculously, the child was approved for a hearing aid in both ears. There is no question this absolutely deplorable, and illustrates exactly the point Moore was attempting to shape by producing the film: that our current system of for-profit healthcare is a fundamentally inept program, because the incentive for healthcare organizations is to provide care, but also concurrently minimize costs to maximize profits. Therefore, it is impossible for a healthcare organization to try to convey a message of caring and extending care to as many people as possible, because by doing so, they lose a substantial amount of money.
Another innerving point the movie made was the footage of Nixon in the White House, discussing healthcare. The decision to use the Kaiser Permanente model for healthcare was the origin of a system structured to meet the needs of masses while remaining for-profit. Given the fact that England developed their national health service following World War II, it’s amazing that US would not have followed suit and developed a similar program. The only rationale that could be provided is that the current system really benefits the upper class and government. And then, when Hilary Clinton really spearheaded the campaign to institute a national health care system, she was amazingly close, if it weren’t for the system’s overwhelming complexity and intense opposition that did a very effective job of convincing the general public that would inevitably lead to a socialist society where the people had no say in the government. This idea is strongly refuted in the depictions of England, France, and Canada, because while all three of these countries have accommodated universal healthcare, they are still are very much a free society.
In summary, healthcare in the US is the best in the world, for those who can afford it. However, due to the increasing cost of healthcare, more and more people are unable to afford it. By moving to a national system, additional taxes would be taken out of individual’s earnings, but at the same time, those individuals would be paying less in premiums. Its time that the our society stopped focusing on an each individual for themselves mentality, because doing slows contributes to a less and less healthy society, which undoubtedly holds considerations for economic implications in the future.

Chris Pronger Suspension

Compare these two hits:

I can't believe Pronger is being suspended for this hit. It might have deserved a minor penalty, but the punishment of an entire game suspension is not equal to the act. It has to be mostly because of Pronger's previous cheap shots that the league is punishing him that much more seriously.

Chronic Tacos

Last Tuesday I had to go to Target to pick up some crap. On my way out, I noticed that the "Chronic Tacos" location they were building had been finished and they were now doing the grand opening. Before they had finished, I vowed to myself that was the lamest thing ever and I wouldn't go there to buy tacos. As I was passing by, my innate curiosity got the best of me and I was drawn inside like the millennium falcon into the death star. Similar to my curiosity regarding the "Pepsi Summer Mix," I had to see just how far these people went into an ambiguous Mexican food for-white-people-that-smoke weed or know-someone-who-does motif. Again, I was not left disappointed with my findings. Trucker hats, nautical stars, that logo with the two naked girls sitting down and facing each other, and Cadillac emblems abounded in all their glory, and that was just on the drink cups. It was also funny to me all the equipment they were using, presses to warm the tortillas, a specified quesidilla press, and the taco-making assembly-line concept that was obviously "borrowed" from chipotle.

Actually though, for white person tacos, they were actually really good. Oh yeah, and on Taco Tuesdays, they have "fatty" tacos.

Pickled Eggs

I made a batch of pickled eggs and they turned out much better than I anticipated. There are only twenty left so you'd better hurry up and get 'em.

The Office

Anybody who already watches The Office knows how good it is. But I just have to say, after the season finale tonight, damn, to me, that show is amazing at how much it gets you to care about what happens to the characters. For that reason, it's probably the only reason why its the only show I watch. I know there are tons of people that love and watch other shows, like Lost, 24, Pokemon, and Grey's Anatomy, but to me, those shows all take themselves much too seriously and the over-dramatization of it all is what sets me back.

Anyways, I cannot wait to find out out things pan out in the next season. This last season had like 23 episodes in it, and I have to admit, it really became a part of my regular regimen. Only what, 5 more months til it starts up again?

I found this blog that corresponds to the level of my introspection and enthusiasm for discussing all the nuances of the show.

Que Sera

Ok, I have no idea what "que sera" means in spanish, so when i looked it up on google translate, it came back "that sera."

anyways, theres this like dance place/bar a few blocks from my house that i had heard about from my friends annie and tristan. the name of it is que sera, and apparantly, they play funk and r+b music every second friday of the month or something. i was skeptical, at first, and missed the first few opportunities due to school and such. tonight was the first night i was able to go, and it was pretty sweet. highly recommended. its a totally cool atmosphere and it doesn't matter if you suck at dancing. all the people there seemed relatively down to earth, and it wasn't all loud with hoochies and playas everywhere. also, as the night progressed, i slowly but surely worked my way over to the apple of my eye for the night. i found out her name was amber, and she was a large black girl. some of you in the audience may know about my particular propensity for overweight people in general, and when they also possess minority status, that really lights the fire in my oven. i was sooo dissapointed that her name was amber though, i really, really wanted it to be imani or kiki. regardless, this place is highly recommended and we gotta go next time.