2009-07-03

Palin quits

Sarah Palin is resigning as governor. The thought is that she's planning to run for president in 2012. I can't think of any easier way of assuring an Obama landslide.

2009-07-01

Healthcare details get better

This just in. A new plan being floated in congress significantly reduces the cost of universal coverage, by providing a public plan and penalizing employers who do not offer their employees insurance.

Both of these provisions are very good.

First, a public plan is needed to assist those who work but are not insured and ineligible for medicaid. Republicans absolutely hate this idea, but have never come up with a better plan. They say that this creates bureaucracy, but that is not true. HMOs are just as bureaucratic, this just reduces the cost by eliminating the overhead (read: profit taking) that comes from the insurers, which does add significant costs.

Second, employers who have more than 25 people working for them will have to pay $750 a year for full time and $375 for part time workers who are not offered health insurance. This will provide billions in funding to the plan.

Smart GPS is coming, in some cases it is already here

Starting in the late 90's people started having access to navigation systems in their vehicles, which allowed them to plot out a route and ditch the map for good. The problem with these early systems is that they relied on fixed data, generally DVD's. The DVD's are now gone in favor of hard drives that can be updated, but most of the information still lags reality.

Smart GPS is now here. The easiest way to get it for most is to just use your cell phone, provided that your carrier offers GPS. For example, my carrier Sprint offers free GPS to anyone on an unlimited data plan. Smart GPS tells you when the HOV lane is open or closed, and whether there's a traffic jam up ahead. It automatically reroutes you if there is construction, and knows about new roads as soon as they are built.

2009-06-30

FDA Warns on Acetaminophen

The FDA is moving to ban vicodin and percocet, drugs that mix narcotics with acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol which is the active ingredient in Tylenol. While one of the most commonly used over the counter medicines in the United States. it is also one of the most deadly.
I do not have any Tylenol (or generic equivalents) in my house for good reason: it is very easy to accidentally overdose on it. Even taking the recommended dosage can lead someone to have liver problems, especially if mixed with even a drop of alcohol, even if the alcohol was consumed a day before. Aspirin and Ibuprofen are safer in regards to the liver.

2009-06-29

Madoff gets 150 years

Bernie Madoff has been sentenced to 150 years in prison. I am a bit shocked by this sentence, and am probably in the minority in stating that I think it is much too harsh.

Madoff is in his 70s. A sentence of 20 years would basically amount to a death sentence, so why lay on the time? Likely to send a message, but I think when you sentence anyone this old to prison for more than a handful of years, the system is doing just that.

However, we need to take this into context. He did not kill anyone, he merely scammed people out of around $15B. Horrible? Yes, but not as bad as taking a life, and murders routinely get 20 years or less in prison.

So why would a sentence of 20 years be better? He would not be in a medium-maximum security but a low-minimum security if his sentence was less. That reduces the chances of him being assaulted in jail, which is virtually assured in a medium-maximum security facility. I'm not saying this guy deserves to be on a country club, but certainly don't want to see a 70 year old man suffer.

2009-06-28

Billy Mays Dead at 50

"Hi. Billy Mays here..." will not be heard on any new commercials. Billy Mays died this morning. I thought that his commercials were always fun to watch, and he also had a show on Discovery called Pitchmen, which was pretty decent.

"Gayby Boom"

Interesting article over at CNN of the children raised by gay parents. Interestingly enough, one of them has become a hardcore conservative, albeit one that completely supports gay marriage.

This is just more evidence against those who argue that gay men and women should not be able to adopt or raise children.