Granted, Sicko isn't the most balanced view of the state of healthcare in our nation, but the film did deliver a very solid point- why is health insurance run by private mostly for-profit companies? If you stop and think for a moment- the goal of a for-profit corporation is to make as much money as possible, therefore, it's really not in their best interest to minimize payouts, however they possibly can...

That said, why are we one of the only countries with such a system?  Apparently, the notion of a "socialized" medical system is somehow un-American.  Guiliani certainly believes so- and has rolled out a healthcare plan to give tax credits for people to pay for private insurance.  Now if you have never gone through the process of applying for personal health insurance, try it sometime.  Not only is it a tedious ordeal, the list of reasons for rejection range from known medical conditions to typos!

Therefore- only healthy people with no pre-existing conditions (known or otherwise) need apply.  Healthy people, don't really get sick, thus reducing the chances of insurance companies having to pay out.  More profit gained.  As Guiliani states ''We've got to solve our health care problem with American principles, not the principles of socialism,."  Last time I checked, many of the industrial nations support socialized medicine (see wikipedia) and don't appear the worse off for it.  They recognize the need for a common safety net for *all* individuals.  Who is Guiliani supporting?  Certainly not you or me.

I almost always chai latte's when visiting Starbucks but will definitely order the "short" cappuccino next time I'm there.  For those unfamiliar with the "short" size or why it would result in a better cappuccino, check out this Slate article- "Starbucks Economics".  Since this is the third time I've come across this article, thought I would go ahead and post it.

A brief summary- for a given line of products in the retail industry, the rental space, labor wages, and service time, costs are roughly the same.  It's in the best interest of the store to upsell products with the highest markups- in this case a larger size cappuccino with the same number of espresso shots.  Apparently, there's a volume threshold at which the foam is no longer, "foamy."  This is one reason that most cappuccino drinks top out at 5 or 6 oz.

A global concert about global warming that in one estimate will have musicians travelling over 220,000 miles to perform is rather ironic.  Then again, if it encourages people to think more critically about the way we live, it might not be so bad.  Either way, I don't really have an opinion other than it's pretty amazing to see that many bands all performing on one day. 

Anyway, I thought this quote about the Live Earth concert was pretty amusing:

Bob Geldof, who organized the Live Aid and Live 8 antipoverty concerts, thought Mr. Gore's energies were misplaced. "I hope they're a success," Mr. Geldof said. "But why is he (Gore) actually organizing them? To make us aware of the greenhouse effect? Everybody's known about that problem for years. We are all .. conscious of global warming."

If you substitute greenhouse/global warming with poverty, one could same the same thing about Bob:

"But why is he (Geldof) actually organizing them? To make us aware of poverty? Everybody's known about that problem for years. We are all .. conscious of poor people."

One of the most respected newspapers is now tentatively in the hands of Rupert Murdoch.  So long Wall Street Journal, it was nice reading you these past few years.  May you enjoy swapping stories with your new "fair and balanced" cousins like the New York Post and this.

A couple of fun blog entries regarding our creep Veep:

"Top Democrat announces... Defund the Vice President"
Talks about Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel's novel approach to shutting down the Cheney apparatus.  In short, Dick claims the office of the VP does not fall under the Executive Branch and therefore is not accountable to the oversights and information mechanisms in place.  The Congressman's response is- if the office of the VP is not under the Executive Branch- then that office should no longer receive funding- roughly $4.5 million for the fiscal year 2008.

IMPEACH CHENEY IF YOU WANT
This was just an interesting side not that our laws do not specifically state who would preside over the impeachment of a VP.  Technically, since the Senate presides over impeachment proceedings, the head of the Senate (the VP) would preside over his own impeachment!

And speaking of impeachment- the Democrats are making a good decision to not force this issue.  There is a year and a half left in Bush/Cheney's term; going through impeachment hearings will take away from what little time the Democrats have to make positive changes before the 2008 elections; there are actually more important issues to resolve (immigration, Iraq, etc...); and most importantly, the lack of concrete evidence to truly pin on the administration.  Short of notarized confessions, there just hasn't been anything in the news that really implicates either men of anything more than being incredibly adept at manipulating and perverting Constitutional laws. 

The big gap between postings roughly corresponds with my first year into the USF MBA program.  The upside is that it's been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life, but the downside is it cost an arm and a leg.  Aside from the schoolwork, I got involved in a number of activities, most notably- running for student government, starting up a new club, volunteering at a Clinton Foundation fundraiser (and getting to take a photo with the Man himself), and in general getting involved in school affairs that probably shouldn't have concerned me =p

This summer, I have a more "relaxed" schedule of interning fulltime at a local IT consulting firm, and taking a summer class.  In between, I'm hoping to catch up with people that I haven't spent time with due to my hectic school schedule (ncluding the wife).

For an absolutely amazing Bday BBQ.  I know I'm not the easiest person to live with, and for that I love you even more.

I was initially worried that going back to school would mean a lot of free time- boy was I wrong... 

Although the homework or reading haven't started to pile up, club activities and socializing have already taken up what little free time I have.  To make matters worse, I have research hours required for my fellowship *and* an internship that combined take up another 20+ hours of my week.  The good news is I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Grad school is a very different experience than undergrad because of two reasons- 1) I'm older and arguably more mature and 2) I made the choice to attend.  While I have less of an idea of what I want to do when I graduate (VC industry is looking less and less attractive), I at least know that I'll be making the most of my two years here.

For the last few years, the Bush administration has been pounding the public with the mantra "Stay the Course".  Which hasn't been working so well in Iraq.  So now the GOP has a new mantra "Adapt-to-Win".  But today, Bush is still saying "Stay the Course".  I'm really confused =/ 

Maybe the Daily Show can shed some light on the situation.

I've just finished day 3 of school, though it feels much longer between tying up loose ends at my previous job and securing my internship and research fellowship.  I've heard an MBA is largely about networking, but I've been surprised so far by the amount and caliber of homework due.  I already have papers due and research to do on top of the various reading assignments.  Oh and of course there's the socializing (bar hopping) that needs to be done.

What may be the biggest change from my undergraduate days is how everyone not only shows up early but is also more engaged in classroom discussions.  I guess when you're paying for your own education, suddenly it's much more imporant to get the most out of it ;-)