JOURNAL: ANECOTES: Intel-paid “vacation” to Phoenix I took around 1997

Heh — while cleaning up my “c:\pub” directory, my repository of personal stuff…. I stumbled upon a TXT file of an email I sent telling everyone about my Intel-sponsored trip to Phoenix that I had in 1997 for some job interviews. Too bad I didn’t get the job, but then again D.C. has been very flexible for me and our house is still worth 2.5X what we paid for it so it’s not a total loss here, only having to work 6 out of 10 yrs to survive comfortably. But I digress. I was quite poor as a student — though I had my parents to bail me out if there was a real emergency. It was funny how much I appreciated things like.. being able to reimburse paying for water. Anyway, the recount of my trip is past the jump…

 

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Read on for today’s interesting stories.

 

links for 2008-08-15

Nader Says Free the Dopers, Jail the Corporate Crooks. FIVE YEARS for North Dakota Man Who Bought $32 Worth of Salvia Divinorum.

 

JOURNAL: MEDICAL: Biopsy results: not cancer. Radicular cyst (again).

Well, it’s not cancer. It was simply a regrown radicular cyst, possibly thanks to the suckitude of my last oral surgeon, possibly thanks to the suckitude of the 3 root canals in those 2 teeth, or possibly due to none of the above and simple bad luck and/or genetics.

Doctor’s recommendation is for me to get the area cleaned out again, losing tooth #19 & #20, and paying $1150 out of pocket because Carolyn’s Aetna insurance only covers 50%. They told me there that most people’s Aetna covers 80%, so a special thanks to Carolyn’s employer for giving out shitty dental benefits. But then again, dental benefits are getting shittier and shittier by the year, with most companies scaling back maximum yearly payout from $1500 to $1250 in the last 10 years. My dentist was just commenting on how this has gone down, despite dental costs going up. People: Pay attention to your dental benefits when seeking employment. If a few people turn down employment based on inferior benefits, companies will be forced to negotiate better scams. It is unfortunate that our capitalist system will gradually move towards exploitation unless each individual is individually vigilant. This is one of the reasons why socialized health care can be much better for the average person.

So, it’s either $1150 out of pocket to go back in in an equally invasive procedure — or I can wait for when and if it grows back, and have an equally invasive surgery for a mere $135 out of pocket. So I am being encouraged to not deal with the problem, or pay over eight times as much.

[sarcasm on] Gee, our capitalist health care system is the best on the planet. It’s so good that the republicans have prevented us from running things like the rest of the civilized world does. It’s great that money encourages people to seek out less healthy solutions. [/sarcasm off]

It would be cheaper (in terms of total money spent; NOT for me) to fix it for good with the apoco ($1150), yet I am encouraged to keep coming back and pay for cheaper surgeries ($130), thus giving the insurance companies more profit by having more business. Keeping me sick for their profit; fining me 8X as much if I want to get better. Welcome to America. (How do I get out?)

 

LINKS: 45 days in jail for selling bacon-wrapped hotdogs, Jessica Rabbit as a real hot chick, hilarious stoner arrest, and other ridiculous stories

It’s a crazy day today! Check it out… The Jessica Rabbit picture is a realization of many childhood fantasies!

 

LINKS: Infocom, Blockbuster, water wars, fake shows, real drug addiction stats from the govt, UN pro-Islam censorship, what constitutes child porn?, Dollar Store tips

• WATER WARS: UN rejects access to water as basic human right — You have no right to live; you are a slave. “A hungry man is never free.” – Even truer for a thirsty man. They actually removed all references that recognized access to water as a human right from their resolution! Bottled water buyers have increased the potential profit so much that there are now likely corporate influences on global politics. The privatization of water has been one of the most important events to happen to us as a species in decades, is a much bigger deal than fighting over oil and energy, and is generally under-focused in the media. It’s only going to get worse. (tags: water rights UN)
• Read on for more stories.. Lots more today———>

 

LINKS: Federal marijuana decriminalization bill, Dubai bans Twitter, rape, RIAA, photographers’ rights, Darwin, wiretapping, and being firstborn sucks

WAR ON DRUGS: Federal marijuana decriminalization bill introduced — tell your congressman to support it here. Surveys tend to show that around half of Americans support decriminalization of marijuana. Since this is not a direct democracy, and you don’t get a vote, letting your congressman know what to do is the only way you will be represented. So speak up. Of course this wont make a real difference, as only 1% of marijuana arrests occur at the federal level. But federal penalties are draconian and extreme. (tags: marijuana Democrats BarneyFrank)

More stories past the jump —>