Health Care Part II

As the debate on health care reform rages on in Washington DC, most folks are finding themselves leaning toward one of two schools of thought: 1. The US Health Care system is a mess and feel that "some" form of government intervention needs to happen. 2. The US Health Care system is a mess, but feel government intervention would make it worse.

Believe me, I really do understand both sides of this complicated debate. I've read volumes of material (both pro and con) and enough statistics good, bad, and in-between to make one's head spin. I don't pretend to have all the answers, nor am I delusional enough to believe I'm smart enough to come up with them. However, after slogging through more of this material last night, I stumbled upon a really interesting news special that was produced last year while George W. Bush was still in office. It's a long, thorough, and thought provoking report on the interworkings of the health care systems in various countries. It has a straight forward premise in that it simply wishes to learn how these systems work, who they work for, what doesn't work, and what they cost to each country - all in an effort to help gather ideas for what might work for the United States. The host of this program appears to make every effort to remain fair and look at all sides of the equation. He asks tough questions of doctors, patients, hospital administration, insurance companies, etc. This report is not a one-sided affair like the Michael Moore documentary, "Sicko" was.

I know that many of you have already made up your mind (or at least know which side of the fence you're leaning at this time). However, in the hope of at least learning a bit more on this extremely important subject, please watch this program. Here is a link to it. Once on the page, go near the top and click "Watch Online" to view the whole program on your computer.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/etc/notebook.html

"B" Movies Part III

Whenever I need to get my mind off of life's woes, I always seem to slink back over to the trusty TV and soak up some more B movie nostalgia. Watching a good classic sci-fi to me is like nourishment being poured directly into the "fun" section of my brain. It doesn't matter that the "science" is bad or outdated, the acting is wooden or corny, or the special effects no longer seem special. Going back to these films gives me a feeling not unlike the feeling many people get when watching good reruns of "The Andy Griffith Show" or "The Dick Van Dyke Show". Sure they're over 40 years old, mostly black and white, and contain trends and ideas long outdated. They also happen to be well written while making wonderful use of some outstanding actors. Some of the episodes just glow with warm fuzzies - The same "warm fuzzies" I feel when revisiting my old movie collection.