South Of Someplace

Friday, March 31, 2017

A More Exciting Partner

Brad left Jen for a more exciting woman. How did that work out?

Don't be like Brad.

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Be Adventurous and Try New Things

Be adventurous! Try new things! That's always been my motto.

Today, I tried gluten-free pizza. I may be less adventurous going forward. ;-)

Conflict of interest is status quo for this new administration. Today, Speaker Paul Ryan said that he didn't see any reason why Rep. Devin Nunes should recuse himself from the Russia investigation (an investigation that Nunes has done everything in his power to derail). The Republican Senate blocked President Obama from appointing a Supreme Court Justice. Now they want to ram through confirmation of their own guy.

Is there no accountability in politics anymore?

Friday, March 24, 2017

Why Won't We Try A Single-Payer Healthcare System?

According to an article published by Bloomberg on 28 September 2016, the US healthcare system ranks fiftieth out of fifty-five countries for efficiency and effectiveness. That's dismal performance for any country, but when you consider that we have the world largest economy, it seems even more pathetic.

The article is linked here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-29/u-s-health-care-system-ranks-as-one-of-the-least-efficient

Canada ranks 16th. It's not a perfect system, but it's a lot better than our mess.

Australia ranks tenth. Japan is fourth. And in first place, Hong Kong.

All of those countries have single-payer healthcare systems. Here's the big question: Why wouldn't we want to try to emulate their success?

I am quite confident that insurance companies in Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, and Canada make plenty of money. I'm sure that investors and investment firms in those countries make good returns. A single-payer system is not going to destroy capitalism.

If you want to succeed, model someone who's already accomplished the goal that you're trying to achieve. At the very least, we could give it a try for some period. If after five years we don't like it, we can return to the failed system that we have today.

At candidate Trump once asked: "What have you got to lose?"

Gluten-Free Lifestyle

You see a slice of bread or a roll or a pizza crust. I see a powerful narcotic that's going to put me into a coma for the next twenty-four hours.

Such is the gluten-free lifestyle. :-(

Anti-Diversion Therapy

How can I help someone today? What can I accomplish? What projects can I attempt? What good things can I make happen?

What positive, productive activity can I do in lieu of wasting time on pointless or self-destructive diversions?

Let me ponder these questions for a bit. I would like this to be a day to remember.

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

In Solidarity With London

Sending heartfelt sympathies to the people of London, one of the world's greatest cities and a place where I have experienced much joy.

Warm and Pleasant Times

The springtime sun shines brightly

But a chilling north wind blows

When warm and pleasant times will come

Only heaven knows

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

New York Minute 54 - Graffiti Assassin

While waiting for the subway last evening, I noticed a woman using a marker on one of the advertising posters hanging on the side the platform. She was small, no more than five feet tall, wearing a coat with the hood pulled up. She waited for the train to approach, left her mark on the poster, and then walked quickly to the far end of the platform.

As the train approached, I walked over to see what she had written. The six-foot-wide poster was an advertisement for a movie or a television series, one that I hadn't heard of previously. In the bottom center of the poster are the male and female leads. I don't remember the man's name, but the woman is a well-known actor named Amanda Peet.

The woman with the marker didn't write anything legible, not did she attempt to draw some sort of image or design. All she did was to scribble black ink over the face of the female actor. The left the man's face untouched.

The vandal deliberately targeted the face of the woman in the advertisement. Why is anyone's guess, but I have to admit that it unnerved me. This was a hateful act, and whether it was directed toward a specific woman or at the female image in general, it reveals serious emotional issues in the mind and heart of the perpetrator. Let's just be thankful that this cowardly criminal's weapon of choice - for the moment at least - is nothing more damaging than a magic marker.

Monday, March 20, 2017

Spring Has Sprung!

Spring has sprung! The bright half of the year has begun. May all of your prospects be sunny!