Media spin

So the following article is a perfect example of the rampant epidemic of negative spin in our media today. But who could have foreseen the ripple effect of closing a large inner-city medical center and not reallocating it’s plentiful resources to the rest of the system?

The author of the article makes it surprisingly easy to agree with suggestive wording that the facility in question is not providing adequate medical care to the patients it sees, subtly accusing it’s practitioners of wrongdoing. However, read between the lines and the article states all the facts necessary to make an absolutely contrary conclusion. That conclusion is the remainder of the County medical system is simply weighed down by a combination of patients searching for services no longer available to them from the closed MLK hospital and the lack of resources for the operating facilities to accommodate that additional load. Those resources would provide more available personnel to triage and treat the mass exodus of patients from the newly under served areas. The problem is not lapse in staff provided care, but a resource issue.

How, then, does the problem get corrected? Well, it looks like a citation such as this will get the ball rolling for funding to remedy the shortcomings, so it’s a good thing. Hopefully. Unless someone wants to see the ripples from dropping in a small boulder.

» From the LA Times: (click link or more for article)

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Pat W. Johnston

Director of Consumer Services

For some reason, this guy/girl (can’t tell from the name), keeps sending me mail encouraging me to open up a new line of credit with Capital One. Not only does this piss me off, it is an absolute waste of paper. With the advent of email where the only waste is the energy required to drive the electrons toward Gmail’s excellent spam filters, there is no excuse for such negligent waste upon futile experiments like sending me offers. Not only is it completely irresponsible, it is a covert attack on my financial identity! I have to take great care to be sure I tear/shred each one just in case a different breed of freak tries to open up a line of credit for me. It’s insane. Then, I look at the rubbish container beside our group of mailboxes overflowing with junk ads located disgusted to realize there are three more such things scattered about the complex. When the wind blows, some of the squandered tree products end up on the ground only to get caught in the storm drain already clogged with yesterday’s edition of dead trees.

I’m beginning to think that in the age of email, the only reason the US Postal Service allows for this and isn’t charging a dollar per ounce is the vicious cycle evidenced by the “Presorted Standard U.S Postage Paid” printed within the little square on the corner of all my trash (if someone already thought of this first, I apologize). I don’t think the mailman would appreciate it either if I started putting Yuki’s poo in my box. :rant:

Absurdity

» A very expensive pants suit

I wish I could do the same thing to all the people who have caused me such mental anguish over the past month during our search for a place to live. I’m so steamed. :rant:

Arg.

Suckiness

Just wanted to let everyone know that writing a personal statement sucks. Unless you love talking about how great you are and how this one bird that pooped on your car got you thinking about what it meant to be alive and led to a trip to Africa to help millions of sick and dying people live to suffer some more only to realize that you were perhaps just dreaming the whole time but then you decide that you just really want to be a normal, happy individual and not let things like doo doo or personal statements turn a good day into a bad one, your day will surely end in discontent. :wallbash:

Weather update

So I was thinking, maybe the last couple winters were a little colder than normal. Maybe the averages were inaccurate. Maybe the weather archives were wrong. Maybe I’m stupid.

Well, the warmth of 60 deg days are over now.

Imminence

Last year, I skated into cross traffic on ice. Not crystal meth or wheels lined with diamonds though, which some might consider unfortunate. But fortunately, for me, there was a break in the line of oncoming cars. In addition, during a couple left turns I would end up in the right lane aiming for the left. Quite scary.

So, this is what Brown left for me today:

Two sets of Dunlop WinterSport M3s mounted on black painted steel wheels. Hubcaps are in the boxes. Hopefully, they’ll handle any storm thrown at ’em because it’s supposed to start getting pretty cold pretty fast.

Obviously, an SUV would make me impervious to the inclement weather, right? I would be able to speed past all the sorry cars struggling to go even 5 or 10 mph. Nothing would be able to stop me!! :jittery: However, one thing that’s sorta amusing is that many of the accidents I see or cars in ditches are SUVs. They go fast, but they can’t turn or stop.

Help me pick a vanity plate

The nice lady took a pair of scissors and cut my identity into pieces. :sob: This is what I discovered today:

Had I been involved in a collision in the past 24 months here in the great lakes state of Michigan, AAA of Southern California would not have covered any claims. Being a “no fault” state, I didn’t want to get shafted.

Esurance was pretty cheap, but it seems like they take your money and run. But not before they raise your rates a few times.

Allstate, AAA of MI, and Statefarm were all so expensive. I really wanted to switch to Statefarm since they took pretty good care of me after I got hit a while back. Plus the agent here was really nice and helpful.

I ended up settling with Costco’s AMEX insurance. Of course, they are changing their name to become a separate entity from AMEX. Yay. Total savings were: $2400 over the next 2 years for both of us. But not before taking it in the butt.

I had to get a new MI license. Easy enough, took about 20 min. The nice lady handed me a piece of my old CA license stapled to a temporary paper license. Those fuckers. I should have given them my old expired one if I knew they would do that. I was like, “Why are you cutting up my license?” I really asked her as she did it. :rant:

The next blow came as the insurance company needs me to kindly register my car in MI. So there goes my cherished CA plates.

I want this plate now:

Here are some others I’m considering.
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Thndrstrms

Here Jason.

NEWS FLASH

Canada takes over Michigan.
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