March 22, 2010 Political Slant
Well, it’s done. Health care reform passed the House. I’m not surprised, but I remain wary. The “reconciliation” process still has to be fought out in the Senate, and that could go less than smoothly. While some people will see immediate change, it will likely be years before the far-reaching effects that this particular change in law will have on our lives manifests. I am glad for those people who need health care and could not previously afford it, but I am wary of what the future may bring.
All the same, there is one undeniably positive thing to come out of all this. The United States may soon be short one loud-mouthed bigot. Rush Limbaugh has vowed to emigrate to Costa Rica if Health Care passes Congress. Ironically enough, Costa Rica is famous for it’s socialized medicine. I’d buy his tickets myself if I there was a chance that his hateful words would cease to pollute the American radio waves, but I fear that my hopes are too optimistic. As if he would keep his word, no matter how much good it would do his beloved country.
March 21, 2010 Political Slant
I know I talk a lot about Ron Paul, but I can’t help it when the man makes so much sense. Like in this video clip from CNN (via Below the Beltway). On the day that Health Care is meant to be reformed for our nation, if you are as yet undecided, perhaps you should consider his point of view:
“I don’t think the government is very good at delivering anything, the mail or any services. I don’t think they’re good at fighting wars, I don’t think they’re good at delivering welfare, and … I don’t agree with the system at all. And I basically don’t believe there’s a proper understanding of what rights are.”
For the sake of clarification, I’m not implying that the people don’t deserve an affordable health care system. I think we do. But the government, as Ron Paul says, is not “very good at delivering anything,” and if you don’t trust them with your mail, how can you possibly trust them with your health?
March 19, 2010 Excerpt
The Awl interviews Paul Ford, former editor of Harper’s. I can see where he’s coming from. I live for a good puzzle,
“[Paul:] I could have been a respected editor instead of a huge nerd. But all the editing in the world can’t compare to building little websites and mangling text and writing things and messing around in spreadsheets and figuring out what’s wrong with comments. I wake up thinking about how all the pieces fit together and I want to do more of it and with lots of people. I plan to be scared and exhausted most of the time. So far that’s working.”
Now, I haven’t got a clue what Alex Chilton or the Butthole Surfers has to do with Paul Ford resigning from Harper’s (typical Awl: off-topic yet entertaining), but don’t forget to read about the Butthole Surfers misbehaving in The Netherlands. If the Dutch can deal with alcohol-induced madness of that caliber — and ask for more — it proves beyond reasonable doubt that their culture is, in fact, more tolerant than most. That probably doesn’t come as a surprise to most of you, but it’s worth mentioning.
03/18
Hyperlocal Journalism ventures in the Czech Republic — looks like I’ll be taking a drive to check this out
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March 14, 2010 Political Slant
I’ve read a lot of articles on health care reform, but this one from a couple weeks ago by Paul Krugman really hits a nerve. I’ve been trying not to take a sides publicly in this debate. Politics is messy and this is a heavyweight fight — but I can’t keep quiet any longer. I don’t claim to have any magical solutions, just a few questions and, as always, a healthy dose of skepticism.
The heart of the debate is a seemingly unproveable difference in opinion on macroeconomic theory. In Paul Krugman’s corner, the free market can’t cure the health care industry:
“Consumer choice is nonsense when it comes to health care. And you can’t just trust insurance companies either — they’re not in business for their health, or yours.”
An argument like that is hard to refute. After all, there is the greed principle and all those businessmen in their fancy suits. Read on »
March 5, 2010 Photo
I’ve been meaning to share this since I saw it about a week ago. I didn’t watch much of the Olympics this year because we don’t have cable TV in the house, but what little I did see I watched at the gym while on the treadmill or elliptical machine. Those personal TV’s are a handy motivation if the Olympic Games or a violent UFC fight is on. People would be fitter if the televisions only played inspiring sports. You can tell when you walk into the exercise room which people are watching Soap Opera’s while they slowly glide to no progress at all.
Of the Olympic moments I saw this year, the above photo of Andreas Wank after he landed his final team ski jump was my favorite. It’s a winner’s pose to inspire us all. I really felt the burn that day. I found energy reserves I didn’t know existed. Thanks Andreas. (photo via Zimbio)
03/3
Stone Age Writing: “Similar symbols found across the globe raise questions about how writing originated.”
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March 3, 2010 Music, Technology, The Internet
Restricting embedded videos is a bad idea. It doesn’t benefit the business, the artists, or the consumers. In a succinct response to the restrictions record companies like EMI have placed on embedded YouTube videos, Damian Kulash, from OK Go, writes:
“[EMI] needs to recognize the basic mechanics of the Internet. Curbing the viral spread of videos isn’t benefiting the company’s bottom line, or the music it’s there to support.”
So why do large companies keep trying to work against the system? Sharing is what makes the Internet go round — one of the “basic mechanics” — but some companies missed that memo. The figures in Kulash’s article leave no room for suggestion: by restricting video sharing, companies are burning their profit, damning their artist’s popularity, and throwing away the best advertising tool on the market. Would they be happy to watch the smoke rise if they knew what started the fire? Read on »