Read an interesting study that shows most Americans don’t want to pay for other people to have healthcare, but they are willing to pay extra to help people out who have chronic conditions. So basically we are willing to help people out who are in trouble, but for the rest of us, GET A JOB! I think that’s what the American public is saying.
This guy was a political advisor to Bill Clinton. Some things he says I agree should happen, some things I think shouldn’t happen. In any case the political system he outlines is what a lot of people think the government should do with healthcare.
Here is a quote:
“THE fundamental reasons why the electric car has not attained the popularity it deserves are (1) The failure of the manufacturers to properly educate the general public regarding the wonderful utility of the electric; (2) The failure of [power companies] to make it easy to own and operate the electric by an adequate distribution of charging and boosting stations. The early electrics of limited speed, range and utility produced popular impressions which still exist.”
Guess when that quote was made? Originally in 1916. Here is the link. I guess some things change, and some things don’t.
Thoughts on Iran.
I guess from the US perspective there are basically four important
points with the Iranian situation:
1) It would probably be kind of bad for the US if Iran got nuclear
weapons, and really bad for the middle east, including Iran. At very
least, if they continue to attempt the acquisition, Israel is likely
to initiate military action.
2) It would clearly be in the best interest of Iran, (and Russia and
China and Israel and anyone else remotely involved), if Iran instead
of building weapons worked on integrating themselves into the global
economy/community. Fighting is detrimental to a country’s well-being.
It is in the best interest of the US to help them do so, although Iran
might not see it this way.
3) Therefore all diplomacy should be aimed at helping Iran realize
that they can integrate themselves into the world community, that it
is in their best interest to do so, and we should help them do so, as
much as we can.
I really think if we had employed a similar strategy with Iraq, we
wouldn’t have needed to invade, and Iraq could have been well on their
way to democracy even with Saddam still in power. Too bad we didn’t
try.
The leader of Lybia spoke in the United Nations general assembly today. It made me laugh. The time limit for all speakers was 15 minutes, but he went on for 90. Among other things,
* he was introduced as the King of Kings of Africa
* suggested that swine flu was created in a laboratory as a weapon
* defended the right of the Taliban to exist
* demanded a thorough investigation of the deaths of JFK and Martin Luther King
* tore up the United Nations charter, and said he did not respect it
* suggested that Obama stay president for a loooong time. No reason to leave office
* suggested that Israel and Palestine be combined into a single country called Isratine
Guess it is good we have a forum for people to discuss this sort of thing.
Also, after Obama spoke, so many other world leaders lined up to shake his hand, that it took twenty minutes for the session to calm down so the next speaker could speak. Not sure how he can use that, but that is some power he has.
There was always something I didn’t like about Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” song, but I couldn’t figure out why. It has nice music, she has a nice voice, and the story is fun and easy to follow. After a while I just gave up. Why was it?
After Kanye went insane, it reminded me to think about it again, showing that good things sometimes come from bad.
I think the problem is it’s written from the point of view of a girl, the entire thing. For an example, when Romeo proposes, he explains why by saying, “Marry me Juliet, I don’t want to be alone.”
I don’t think there are many guys who actually feel this way. A girl might, but a normal guy would say, “Marry me, You make me feel better than I possibly could have imagined” or “Marry me, you would be the perfect partner in my life” or even on occasion, “Marry me, you cook the best food ever!” or “Marry me, you are beautiful.” The illustrious Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice married Elizabeth because she inspired him to be a better person.
In fact, when I hear the guy saying, “I don’t want to be alone” it makes me feel like he is kind of wimpy. Do real men feel lonely sometimes? Sure, but he sees it as a temporary problem. He will be more likely to choose a wife based on how she fits into his life, who she is and who she wants to be, rather than whether she can make him not feel lonely. A dog or a bird can make you feel not lonely. And are excellent listeners.
That is why I don’t like the song. It makes me, as a man, feel like a wimp.
I’ve posted this video here before, but it is important, so I will post it again.
World peace is happening. Even though the United States always manages to get in a fight somewhere, the number of wars in the world is less than the number of wars 25 years ago. And the number of wars 25 years ago is less than the number of wars 40 years ago. It is happening, but just by being aware of it, we can help move it along. Share, if you can!
Some scientists in the Netherlands have done a study that shows that men score worse on brain function tests after talking to a beautiful woman. In fact, the more attractive the woman is to him, the worse he will do.
The researchers attribute it to evolution or cognitive theory or something, but I know when I’ve felt this way, the emotion is so strong, that it clouds your mind. Maybe I am even shaking, I feel so nervous. Actually I don’t think I feel this way anymore, but I have before.
Here is the strange part: women in the study did not have the same problem when talking to handsome men. They were just as smart when they took a test after talking to a handsome guy. What is the deal with that? Are women impervious to the attractive influence of handsome men, or maybe those women weren’t attracted to those guys, even though they were handsome? Maybe they had some kind of handsomeness vaccine or something? Are women naturally superior to men in this category? That can’t be right!
There are 46 million uninsured people in America. Sounds bad, doesn’t it? So today I went and tried to figure out who those people are:
17.6 million of those have incomes of more than $50,000 a year (they might not want insurance because they can pay with cash)
14 million already qualify for medicaid, they just need to apply.
9.7 million aren’t US citizens
Of course, some of those people may need help too, and some of the others have trouble because of pre-existing conditions, but it’s important to see the true problem you are facing if you want to solve it.
Punching someone is a lot harder than it seems. A few weeks ago, I was with my sister and some of her friends. Somehow we got on the topic of slapping guys, and my sister’s friend was talking about potentially slapping a guy.
Me: What about punching. If I asked you to punch me in the face, would you do it?
Friend (confidently): Of course.
Me (looking her in the eyes): Do it.
Friend (takes two steps back, eyes look down at the ground. Can’t do it)
Sister (excited): Can I do it??
Me: Sure.
I see a fist coming at my face very quickly, then right at the last moment, I close my eyes. In my mind I was dreading the next month, healing from a black eye. But her fist stopped before hitting my face.
Sister: You didn’t try to stop it! You would have let me hit you!
Me: Yeah
Sister (Punches me in the arm).
I’m not sure what I learned from this. It is not the kind of conversation I have every day. Punching someone is just as hard as getting punched, I guess?
Recent Comments