Shortcut info for healthcare and thensome

I have been linked to two good sites that have the healthcare reform broken down into easy to understand terms. Many sites aren't easy to grasp, and are STILL skewed away from certain facts that have already been clarified. So I'll share these two:

Reuters offers info in a year by year breakdown so that it is easy to see what changes will come and when.

PoliticFact Top 10 things you should know about these changes.

Also, for those that still like to use words like "socialist" and "unconstitutional", I'd like to provide THIS.

Keeping with my previous hippie post, I also wanted to include the video for The Story of STUFF. It is 20 minutes long but goes much more in dept than the others and is really important for consumers to understand just how they have been puppetted in the last sixty years. So the next time my friends come over and make fun of my tube TV or old laptops, printers and stuff, they'll shut the hell up because they will now know why I haven't fallen for the banana in the tailpipe with being a greedy consumer.

A few things to know about bottled water

This is a very well done video that warns people of becoming obsessed with the bottled water movement. I hate the bottled water movement, and have been drinking tap water all of my life (save occasions where I need water and a fountain is not available and buying a bottle is about my only option). There are a lot of other things that could be included in the video but then it would be a two-hour long Michael Moore movie.

http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/

Give it a quick look, and maybe take a second to consider what you might able to do differently.

My birthday and things I love

So today is my birthday and one of my gifts to myself has been to chronicle one of my favorite things: The Todd's high fives from "Scrubs". There are eight seasons (I do not count this new season of "Scrubs: Med School" as anything other than garbage) and a lot of quotes. At some other time when I'm bored and I still don't have cable I may do a collection of all the girl's names that Dr. Cox calls JD. But for now, I will share this that I have collected.

Season 1

No real "High fives"

Season 2

Ep 21: “My Drama Queen”- “Air Five”

Ep 22: “My Dream Job”- “Self Five”

Season 3

Ep 2 : “My Journey”- “Mental Five”

Ep 4: “My Lucky Night”- “Sterile high five”

Season 4

Ep 11: “My Best Moment”- “Miracle Five”

Ep 12 : “My Ocardial Infarction”- “Face Five”

Ep 21 : “My Lips Are Sealed” –“Fist Five”

Ep 24: “My Drive By” –“Assisted Five”

Ep 25: “My Changing Ways”- “Make it Stop Five”

Season 5

Ep 1: “My First Day”-“Euphemism Five”

Ep 2: “My Rite of Passage” –“Betrayal Five”

Ep 16: “My Bright Idea” -“Breast stroke five”

Season 6

Ep 9 : “My Perspective” - “Cyber Five” / “Duct Tape Five”

Ep 10: “My Therapeutic Month” - “Weenie Roast Five”

Ep 13: “My Scrubs” – “Somethin’ Might Be Wrong Five”

Ep 14: “My No Good Reason” – “Skeptical Air Five”

Ep 17: “Their Story” -“Unfair Five” / “Internal ‘uh oh’ Five”

Ep 19: “My Cold Shower” – “It is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all Five”

Season 7

Ep 8: “My Manhood”- “Entire Coffeebucks Five”

Ep 10: “My Waste of Time” – “Ice Fishing Five”

Ep 11: “My Princess”- “Fairy Five” / “Still Can High Five? Five”

Season 8

Ep 4: “My Happy Place”- “I can feel little JD five”

Ep 5 : “My ABC’s”- “Grover Five” / "I just pulled down your pants Five"

Ep 7: “My New Role” -“Disrespecting Nurses Five”

Ep 12: “Their Story II” - “Welcome to the Team Five” / “Quiet Down Five”

Ep 13: “My Full Moon” - “Are We Clear Five” / “I’m sorry Five” (Turk)

Ep 14: “My Soul on Fire Pt 1” – “Cardboard Five”

Ep 15: “My Soul on Fire Pt 2” – “High Tide Five”

Ep 19: “My Finale Pt 2” – “Goodbye Five”

I advise everyone to get to know and love Scrubs. Everything that you ever need to know about life is on this show.

The sexiest musicians I've ever seen

I was driving home tonight and a particular song made me think of the first time I saw that band, and just how exciting the show was. I thought I'd write about the sexiest artists, local/unsigned and national/famous,that I've ever seen live.




Aaron Marsh of Copeland: He first made me sweat when I saw him at The Parish last year. The band had been bestowed upon me by Jeffery because my snobbery prevented me from listening to them when I first caught wind of the name years ago. Aaron's voice may not be for some, but I like it, and seeing him, doubly hot on stage in a green sweater, made the back of my knees sweat. He's a very passionate musician and lyricist and I can't dare scoff at that.






Thom Yorke of Radiohead: There are a million things to say about the miniature, lazy-eyed lover boy, but one thing many people might not say is that he is sexy. I had the pleasure of seeing Radiohead at the UNO Lakefront Arena in October 2003. I wouldn't say that prior to this show I would have described Thom Yorke as sexy, but as another passionate musician and one who glides across the stage, he just did it for me. "Hail to the Theif" then had a whole new meaning.



Me'shell Ndegeocello: I had a hard time even picking a picture of her, as she is just beautiful while standing still. But this tiny bass playing dynamo already had my heart in 1993 with "If that's your boyfriend", but it wasn't until I saw her at HOB in December 2001 that I fell in love all over again. She doesn't play bass for most songs when she's touring, but the woman exudes soul, passion and sensuality with every breath. Even when she was being vulgar (noting that she is bisexual and sometimes just needs some dick), she was just hot. It's a shame that I cried when I met her after the show.






Travis Shuler of The Public: One of my favorite local bands, I've been captivated by The Public for more years than I can recount. Dear Travis stands out in a crowded room full of hipsters with his black suits and piercing blue eyes. Yet, he is a tremendously nice guy. His brooding lyrics fit the front man persona just so, and I am not embarrassed to say that watching him on stage makes me go all little girl wobbly.





















Mark Mullins of Bonerama: New Orleans is well known for its Brass bands, but my all time favorite is Bonerama. They aren't just a classic Brass band, but take trombones, a guitar and a drumset and rock you with funk, jazz, soul and sex. Mark is the lead trombonist, singer and writer, and he gyrates on stage in a way that a man with a trombone just shouldn't.
















Honorable mention goes to Brandon Boyd of Incubus, whom I first saw at State Palace in 2001. That one's obvious.

Least sexy goes to Scott Weiland, post drug addiction. I saw STP at State Palace in 2000 or 2001, when he was fresh out of rehab. The rehab diet isn't sexy on anyone, I think.

I must note that somehow, most of these people are short. I guess they just look larger than life on a stage.

Silly links and pet peeves

What's my pet peeve? It isn't so much a grammar lesson as it is a common sense lesson. Or two.
First, using the word "literally" correctly. We know what it means, right? The Merriam Webster definition of 'literal': adhering to fact or to the ordinary construction or primary meaning of a term or expression/ ACTUAL/ free from exaggeration or embellishment (though the definition of "literally" states that the misuse I'm going address is a form of hyperbole-yet the misuers are not aware of this supposed meaning)
Yet, despite this, the definition is lost when people use such phrases as "After the workout with Bob, where he literally killed me, I realize that I can do every single thing that I didn't think I can...". So, is the author writing from the dead? No, of course not. It peeves my pet to hear people say and write such things. They don't realize that they're doing it, either.
It is possible to exaggerate without misusing such a word. Can we start doing this, please?

My second pet peeve is incorrectly saying "I could care less". In a short explanation, this is wrong because the speaker implies that they must care a little, because there is less caring that they could do. The correct phrase would be "I couldn't care less" because if you truly do not care at all, there is no less caring you could do.

And then there were links:

Passive aggressive kids notes of the day. Ah, from the minds of youth.

Things everyone should know about the female orgasm. This is a great addendum to the video presentation in my last links post.

Let's walk the cat. As funny as this is, I'm glad my cat actually walks on a harness.

Ice T WIN. Thanks, Failblog.

How to travel for less. This isn't necessarily how I like to travel, but it might be suitable for some.

Proof that The Learning Channel isn't teaching anyone anything anymore. Thanks, Cracked.

The Color of Love

On 2/17/10, I read and responded to an article on The Relationship Journal because I think people really should address this because it is a real issue in dating in America.

Mikko,
Hey, I'm a long time reader and have kept up with a lot of the helpful articles that you have written. I'd like to ad my opinion of the topic of interracial/intercultural dating. I think that race should be removed from the equation; here's why: race does not at all determine what kind of relationship you will have with a person. Aside from stereotypes, there is no need to believe it. Now, if a man has a preference for blondes, does that mean that all blondes will be self centered in relationships? No. Nor does it mean that any individual of a race or culture will act stereotypically. We should ALWAYS be understanding and respectful of other's cultures, regardless of dating. In this, we should only ever consider race.
There is rarely a focus on meeting the right type of person; people just aren't asking themselves and being true to what they want in a relationship. Do they want someone who will be a responsible mother or father? Do they want someone is financially responsible? Someone who is laid back, free spirited, Type A...these are all types of things that affect how a relationship works, and all people, regardless of race, carry these characteristics. When you remove race and culture from the equation, you add thousands more eligible singles to your dating pool.
We are individuals, and I personally want to be addressed as one, and would not want any potential mate to decide the fate of our future based on a physical characteristic or cultural differences. Should a guy from Michigan who's never eaten grits not date a girl from Georgia because she has? That's about how silly it all sounds to me.

Mikko had a great reply (which you can read at the link above), but I wanted to further inquire about people's perspectives on interracial dating and also to further clarify what my point is.

Well, what is my point?
I don't like the idea that we have to be OVER sensitive to other races and cultures; that actually leads to opposite stereotyping and misconceptions. But general race issues aren't what I'm addressing. I am addressing how we view other people from other races as different, when we really are the same. Our cultures may lead to subtle differences to large ones (say, if a white man marries and traditional Hindi woman), yet those aren't where issues actually come from. The idea that we simple CAN'T date other races because they are too different is the problem.
We aren't all that different. There are white people, black, asian and hispanic people that can all find similar interests and personality types. And THAT'S what we're supposed to be looking for in a relationship, right? So why is it so impossible to expand those options to include other races if they are still sharing interest and have compatible personality types? That is where the emphasis should be in all relationships anyway.
It really won't matter if your black girlfriend doesn't want to go into the pool if she is a caring and supporting partner. See what I mean?
Opening up your options by expanding your social circle can make a big difference. I should know.

Getting down to business with some links.

I hoard links and save them for later. I don't have a ton, but I need to unload these from my browser before it crashes.

The coolest presentation you'll ever see: 10 things you didn't know about orgasm. The presenter is just as entertaining as the slideshow.

20 funniest figure skating faces. Of course, in honor of the Olympics.Number 2 just does it to me.

Take this test!Commonly misused words. There is an answer key here with some great explanations, too.

the best diet information you'll ever read with a side order of Six of your favorite things that will make you fat It's amazing how many people know so little about...everything.
Like this:
New ways to make people lamer, dumber, and more lame. Some butt-wipe of a pediatrician wants to make HOT DOGS LESS DANGEROUS. FOR CHILDREN. See, adults and children alike are at risk of involuntary suicide because of their high levels of stupidity. The article explains that only 17% of choking incidents are even caused by hot dogs...so WHY should we change a delicious and awesomely phallic food for 17% of people? My favorite quote from the article is this: "No parents can watch all of their kids 100% of the time," Smith says. "The best way to protect kids is to design these risks out of existence.". That's right, dumb the world down its lowest common denominator. Rather than, you know, be a responsible parent. Or halfway intelligent human being.
In honor of this, my friend also linked to Stupid Warning Labels and other idiotic warnings.
I'm a cynic, I'm a realist, and I don't think ANYTHING should come with a warning. You should be tough and figure it out yourself and if you die, then hello natural selection.

But I do like this video and song which may have been ripped off by this other band I kinda like. Very different types of music, similar video. I think I like them both.