Unexpectedly, arrogantly, and bullishly Michelle Obama showed up at the Oscars and announced the best American Film Academy movie of 2012 (Argo).
The fact that the movie selection was political was one thing but to have the wife of the POTUS show up as if she had anything to do with the movie industry (or as if she were a movie celebrity) and announce it was insulting to the veiwers' intellect.
As soon as Michelle showed up on the screen I turned the TV off as I could not take even 1 second of the falseness and charade displayed by the Academy.
Shame on you, Michelle, and shame on the Academy for playing so blatantly open political games. Disgusting and lame and nothing more.
Michelle, go back to your White House vegetable garden and mind the tomatoes and onions, please.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Art and Process: Process Always Wins
Germans know how to follow processes. They have a plan, devise a strategy, and then they write precise instructions to be followed. They reward people, groups, companies, and governments that follow processes. They are great engineers and have precise expectations on how thing should work and be. The outcome is almost always as expected.
Germans are group driven.
French people are artists. They follow instincts and 'je ne sais quoi' to attain objectives. To achieve their objectives the French may need a process but the precise process can be/is optional. Instructions are for the 'weak'. This is why they have amazing gardens, architecture, and unparalleled food. They have spontaneity and a lot more serendipity.
French people are individual driven.
In the long term the Germans always win when compared to the French. Large economies value fungible and easily exchangeable goods/ideas compared to unique goods. Econ 101. Only auction houses like unique items.
Germans are group driven.
French people are artists. They follow instincts and 'je ne sais quoi' to attain objectives. To achieve their objectives the French may need a process but the precise process can be/is optional. Instructions are for the 'weak'. This is why they have amazing gardens, architecture, and unparalleled food. They have spontaneity and a lot more serendipity.
French people are individual driven.
In the long term the Germans always win when compared to the French. Large economies value fungible and easily exchangeable goods/ideas compared to unique goods. Econ 101. Only auction houses like unique items.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Medical Billing Is Dreadful
Today I was reading an article on Time magazine about the byzantine way the medical billing functions in the 'greatest' nation on the planet.
It is beyond belief we do not have a set of laws to address the fact that any American hospital can charge any amount for any procedure/materials/medication as they see fit, using an arcane instrument called 'hospital chargemaster'.
We do have a law that dictates how much the government pays for procedures under Medicare and I think that this provision should be made universal. No medical bill for any given procedure can be higher than a Medicare bill. The bill will not undermine the value of healthcare and will afford most people access to any medical procedure without the fear of bankruptcy.
Another legal change should be made to stipulate that no medical bill can result in bankruptcy and, furthermore, can affect the credit score. All medical related bills should not even be reported on individual credit scores.
A 3rd legal change should force hospitals to post prices for each procedure online and on clearly visible spots at their intake rooms. Prices listed on these documents can only be changed, at the very most, twice a year, and only after a review by a Federal agency.
The 3 legislative provisions highlighted above have the potential to fundamentally alter the face of healthcare billing abuses in America.
It is beyond belief we do not have a set of laws to address the fact that any American hospital can charge any amount for any procedure/materials/medication as they see fit, using an arcane instrument called 'hospital chargemaster'.
We do have a law that dictates how much the government pays for procedures under Medicare and I think that this provision should be made universal. No medical bill for any given procedure can be higher than a Medicare bill. The bill will not undermine the value of healthcare and will afford most people access to any medical procedure without the fear of bankruptcy.
Another legal change should be made to stipulate that no medical bill can result in bankruptcy and, furthermore, can affect the credit score. All medical related bills should not even be reported on individual credit scores.
A 3rd legal change should force hospitals to post prices for each procedure online and on clearly visible spots at their intake rooms. Prices listed on these documents can only be changed, at the very most, twice a year, and only after a review by a Federal agency.
The 3 legislative provisions highlighted above have the potential to fundamentally alter the face of healthcare billing abuses in America.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Juventus Beat Celtic 3-0 in Glasgow
On Feb 12 Juventus Torino beat Celtic FC with a categorical score of 3-0. This was the best tactical game I have seen this year.
Celtic FC attacked constantly and Juventus defended impeccably. All 3 goals Juventus scored came from counter-attacks and there was nothing Celtic could have done differently.
This is a game that needs to be taught in soccer academies as Juventus played a precise, perfectly timed game. Matri, Marchisio, and Vucinic scored without much fuss and with efficiency.
Awesome game! Molto grazie, La Vecchia Donna!
Celtic FC attacked constantly and Juventus defended impeccably. All 3 goals Juventus scored came from counter-attacks and there was nothing Celtic could have done differently.
This is a game that needs to be taught in soccer academies as Juventus played a precise, perfectly timed game. Matri, Marchisio, and Vucinic scored without much fuss and with efficiency.
Awesome game! Molto grazie, La Vecchia Donna!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Obama, Meat Cleavers, and Sequestration
Today Mr. Obama suggested that the budget sequestration due to take effect on Mar 1 was tantamount to using a meat cleaver to chop away expenditures. I imagine he would have liked to have access to a scalpel or perhaps a laser guided instrument to extract savings out of our $3,600 billion yearly expenditures.
Well, Mr. Obama, you yourself have signed the sequestration bill you are currently labeling as 'meat cleaver' into law (with your own fingers). You have no moral authority to demand that it be repealed when we have so many other laws and bills that demand the attention of our representatives.
We need tax reform and true healthcare reform and we need a stronger Union as we have gaps in education across our country. A kid in DC gets a better education than a kid in Mississippi. Why should that be? We also have gaps in geographical well being and access to public services and you are mandated to help all of us become a stronger nation, and not to forever fix laws that were not meant to take a hold of our political life to begin with.
Get to do some real work, Mr. President. What are you waiting for?
Well, Mr. Obama, you yourself have signed the sequestration bill you are currently labeling as 'meat cleaver' into law (with your own fingers). You have no moral authority to demand that it be repealed when we have so many other laws and bills that demand the attention of our representatives.
We need tax reform and true healthcare reform and we need a stronger Union as we have gaps in education across our country. A kid in DC gets a better education than a kid in Mississippi. Why should that be? We also have gaps in geographical well being and access to public services and you are mandated to help all of us become a stronger nation, and not to forever fix laws that were not meant to take a hold of our political life to begin with.
Get to do some real work, Mr. President. What are you waiting for?
Monday, February 18, 2013
Sequester Cuts and the Federal Budget
The US government spends about $3,600 billion a year. The sequester, which is supposed to start on Mar 1, is supposed to cut $85 billion out of that amount. So, it is less than 2.4% of the total outlays. This means that 97.6% of the expenditures can be done as planned.
What is the big deal about the sequester given its marginal impact?
It is mystifying to see that the law that instated the sequester (i.e. it was passed by the Congress and signed by the president) gets to be revised so fast when there are so many other laws that are more deserving of the legislature's attention.
'Surviving from fake crisis to fake crisis', this seems to be the governance motto of this political age.
What is the big deal about the sequester given its marginal impact?
It is mystifying to see that the law that instated the sequester (i.e. it was passed by the Congress and signed by the president) gets to be revised so fast when there are so many other laws that are more deserving of the legislature's attention.
'Surviving from fake crisis to fake crisis', this seems to be the governance motto of this political age.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Horse Meat in Europe 'Scandal' (British Media is Rubbish)
Last week, yet another scandal emerged in England around mislabeled 'lasagne'. (BTW, who, on this planet calls lasagna 'lasagne' but ignorant Brits?)
Apparently the bolognese sauce was supposed to be all beef when in reality was either all horse meat or, at most, partially beef.
Most -if not all- British papers quickly -and stupidly- pointed their fingers at Romania via a media bullying campaign. After all, it is much easier to bully the new kid on the block than do some real journalism and get to the bottom of the problem.
As it turned out, a French firm and some intermediaries from Cyprus and the Netherlands (as well as British firms) were the real culprit for the selling of horse meat as beef and the British immediately changed their tune.
Romania was not to blame anymore as this was an 'European' problem. As if Romania were not a part of Europe. The real problem is not that people have been eating 'lasagne' with horse meat for who knows how long but that they did not know about it. Really? Is that a problem that warrants such a big over-reaction? Nobody got sick or died after eating horse meat and instead of having a debate about perhaps eating horse meat on an open fashion we are having a scandal about whether food labels are accurate.
In my opinion this affair was labeled a 'scandal' only because the meat originated in Eastern Europe (and perhaps Ireland).
Food mislabeling is not that uncommon as it was portrayed (see this or this for blatant examples of fish mislabeling) and the fact that the British media can be allowed to be so openly and aggressively anti Romania is tantamount to mass hysteria at best and ignorance at worst.
Food labels have been inaccurate and uninformative for a very long time.The British media thought that they had found a bloody gem of a problem to attribute to Eastern Europe (mainly Romania) to satiate their appetite for barbaric ideological practices.
British media has proven yet again to be junk media that plays inhumanely dirty games against transiently weak members of the European Union. Shame on you, Britain!
Apparently the bolognese sauce was supposed to be all beef when in reality was either all horse meat or, at most, partially beef.
Most -if not all- British papers quickly -and stupidly- pointed their fingers at Romania via a media bullying campaign. After all, it is much easier to bully the new kid on the block than do some real journalism and get to the bottom of the problem.
As it turned out, a French firm and some intermediaries from Cyprus and the Netherlands (as well as British firms) were the real culprit for the selling of horse meat as beef and the British immediately changed their tune.
Romania was not to blame anymore as this was an 'European' problem. As if Romania were not a part of Europe. The real problem is not that people have been eating 'lasagne' with horse meat for who knows how long but that they did not know about it. Really? Is that a problem that warrants such a big over-reaction? Nobody got sick or died after eating horse meat and instead of having a debate about perhaps eating horse meat on an open fashion we are having a scandal about whether food labels are accurate.
In my opinion this affair was labeled a 'scandal' only because the meat originated in Eastern Europe (and perhaps Ireland).
Food mislabeling is not that uncommon as it was portrayed (see this or this for blatant examples of fish mislabeling) and the fact that the British media can be allowed to be so openly and aggressively anti Romania is tantamount to mass hysteria at best and ignorance at worst.
Food labels have been inaccurate and uninformative for a very long time.The British media thought that they had found a bloody gem of a problem to attribute to Eastern Europe (mainly Romania) to satiate their appetite for barbaric ideological practices.
British media has proven yet again to be junk media that plays inhumanely dirty games against transiently weak members of the European Union. Shame on you, Britain!
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