Selamat datang

2009-11-19T20:43:00.000-08:00

As the United States congress is reaching decision time on Health Care legislation, many people are weighing the issue. Being less interested in the inner workings of the nation-state, i have not taken a huge interest in the issue. Yet I have been thinking about it from time to time, and I hesitantly admit that my viewpoint has been anything but static over the last few years. In a nutshell, I have shifted from the certainty that all Americans deserve health care coverage, to a much more, one might coin, conservative view, that health care should remain in almost it's entirety driven by the principles of free market enterprise, as long as that is the system in which America operates. I start off by exploring the relevance our health care system has to the question "what is a right?"

What is a right? Is there a right answer to such a question? I'll leave both answer up to you, and really, it's besides the point. Whats important is what rights are granted within a governing body to it's population. That leads me to the great question, should health care be a right? In a recent op in the wall street journal, John Mackey, the CEO and Founder of Whole Foods Market, pointed out "While all of us empathize with those who are sick, how can we say that all people have more of an intrinsic right to health care than they have to food or shelter?". One of the great benefits of a free market system is the allowance of individuals to prioritize their values in whichever way they choose. Why should health care be treated differently than any other value, like the food you buy, the shelter you live in, the car you drive etc..? You decided how important it is to you, and given your resources make a decision accordingly. Perhaps you will have to drive not as nice of a car, in favor of having your hip replaced. You might consider excersizing more as way of managing your diabetes. Decide to buy the whole grain pasta, even though it is twice the price, recognizing the known health benefits of complex carbohydrates. Or perhaps choosing to work for one employer over the other because they provide a more favorable health care benefits package for you and your family.

What about the rest of the world? My friend Samburaj and I , who lives in India, were discussing how the healthcare system works in India. One of the major components of India's own health care issues, is while there are a great wealth of Indian Doctors, many of them choose to work in economies were they receive significantly more compensation for their services. This is understandable, and free markets should allow one to work where he/she is best compensated for their efforts. Should we refuse Indian doctors from working in America, because they are needed to perform intrinsic human rights in the country they were raised and educated? The health care problem in India is rampant to say the least, I pulled a few facts from wikipedia:

42% of births are supervised by health officials
10% of the population has some form of health insurance
about 1 doctor for every 2000 people

So what do we do?

While preserving free market principles, there is certainly great benefit to having a healthy population. The government needs to regulate insurers in a way that guarantees any individual who is willing to pay, an affordable price for health insurance. Perhaps subsidies could help solve this problem. There is no reason why somebody who has the misfortune of being dealt a hand of bad health, should be refused health insurance at a fair price. I see this as no different than providing special education services to the mentally challenged or subsidizing those who employ them, or requiring an adequate number of handicap parking spaces exist in all parking lots, among many more possible examples of such compassion. Of course it will cost us some money and resources, but a great democracy should stand up for those who are misfortuned, and this is a great way to do so. For those who are unable to afford even the most basic health insurance, provide some level of subsidy so they can have basic coverage. Although the last point is a challenging one and will require at length debate and discussion.

To summarize the solution to solving the nations (and perhaps the planets health care challenge) is not to create some sort of nationalized health service that will essentially eliminate health care as we know it from our free market system. Besides the fact that there is no way to adequately provide the levels of coverage and quality service that most of us benefit from in this country, we would be dodging an opportunity to address the issue at its root. Lets improve health care in this country by making it an equal opportunity, well regulated business, just like anything else.

Whether or not you feel health care is a right, Health care is a value, and the health care system should operate on where its value stands in the minds of those it serves.

Just some food for thought :D

2009-07-07T12:58:00.001-07:00

I just finish watching the Michael Jackson memorial service. I was caught with unexpected emotion for a man that I only knew through the lens of a camera and the sounds that he produced. But I knew this was a moment that I could not miss, I needed have closure with a man who was an important part of my life. I thought the end of the show with a performance of we are the world and heal the world, which were to be part of the tour that was abruptly cancelled upon Jackson's death, summed up my feelings about Michael Jackson perfectly. He was dedicated to our Planet, and we should all take something from that.

2008-09-19T19:39:00.000-07:00

I need to talk about talkshoe!

Many of you are familiar with the skype, the now famous voip client. A few years back skype started an application called skypecasts. To summarize skypecasts it is basically allows multiple people (I believe up to 100) to have what is basically a conference call. There is a host, who is basically given the power to control mics, who usually conducts the conversation (but not always), and they can be spontaneously created, and can be on ANY given subject. They are then made available in a public directory. What a brilliant idea. I soon came to the conclusion that skypecasts were the best communication tool on the planet. The idea of people being able to join together and have a conversation from their computer was fantastic, the classic chatroom on steroids. There were a few problems with it and for months at a time it hardly worked, but nonetheless it was a remarkable system. Unfortunatly for whatever lame reason they could come up with, skypecasts shutdown on sep 1st, 2008. This had to have been one of the most depressing newsbreaks I had heard in months, if not years. Again the way I saw it the best communication tool on the planet being terminated. and then came talkshoe...

I stumbled upon talkshoe the day before skypecasts ended, desperatly trying to provide one of my favorite skypecast host another home for his agenda. Talkshoe, the way I see it, has turned out to be better than skypecasts in so many ways. As a matter of fact, I am thrilled that skypecasts shutdown, as now I have talkshoe. Talkshoe has a bit of a learning curve, but is for the most part fantastic and I am in love with it. It seems to be run by a great group of people who want to make it work. If suggest taking a look at talkshoe, having a browse around, seeing how you like it, if you have technical difficulties, which you may have email me (jaschalip@yahoo.com), and I'll try to guide you in the right direction. And for those who are interested I have my own "talkcast" I host once in a while, i'd say atleast once a weak here is the url

http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=25151&cmd=tc

and a talkcast that a regularly attend, a great example of just cool talkshoe is (this is the host that I was refering to earlier)

http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=25018&cmd=tc

2008-08-01T11:48:00.001-07:00

I got a little bugged this morning about something and realized it would make a good blog post. Lets almost call it a mythbuster. There is all this fuss about gas prices being so high blah blah blah, and relatively they are, fine. But here's what I don't get, people are lined up at Costco, literally like a 7 car line per pump to get gas for 4.36, when the shell station around the corner that has no line is selling the same gas (and yes it is the same) for 4.44. So apparently people are wait 15+ minutes for an savings of 8 cents a gallon. Well lets do the math!

Lets assume we have a hummer H3 (23 gallon tank), most of the cars I saw had a smaller tank but to be safe lets take this route. And, lets assume, although this is very unlikely and unsafe you roll into the station on your very last fume. 23*8 cents = 1.84. So with a Hummer H3 on an empty tank going to Costco, which must be the cheapest station in the are, you have saved 1.84. Obviously most people save a lot less having smaller cars and not arriving on their last fume, but seriously is that savings really significant?? Especially when people pay 2 dollars for a bottle of water at the company cafeteria??

Don't be fooled :)

2008-05-07T00:31:00.000-07:00

I've "discovered" a few musical artists, and I'm so happy about them that I felt it would be good to mention it in my blog. These artists have been around for awhile, and it took me this long to discover them. Anyways if you like good music check them out.

I found Dar Williams through last Fm, being the most similar artists to Indigo Girls (Last.fm is great, check it out if you haven't yet). Her vocals are off the charts and her melodys and composition make me melt. I am particularly charged by the album Beauty of the Rain. Check Dar out.

This may seem silly but I've gotten hooked to Jimmy Eat World. I know they've been around for awhile, but I just never bothered to check them out. The only song I heard before, of course, was the middle, which I feel does not typify most of their other music. They are definitely not a one hit wonder. I got hooked in by checking out their most recent album "Chase This Light". It's a great album from start to finish.

That's basically it. Stay tuned, I'd like to mention more artists I discover here and there.

2008-02-17T10:36:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year again.

The one time in our year, where a selection of american institutions and individuals recognize the struggles of African Americans. I am sometimes all too bothered that Black History month becomes some sort of way of recognizing a struggle that is over, that to quote a line "we (have) overcome". Do not be fooled though, Black History month should be seen as quite the opposite, a small portion of the year where we recognizes the struggles of the past, present, and future, of raising equality and justice in America and around the world, not just for African Americans, but for all people of Africana descent and furthermore all those who face similar struggle. I recommend spending some time perhaps just a few minutes, listening to some of the voices of this struggle as a small token of recognizing this special month. Here is a short clip of the late great Malcom X describing the importance of nationalism I found on youtube, a good starting point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO6Co8v2XjY

2008-01-08T01:14:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to write about this since it happened a month ago. On December 7th, 2007 I celebrated my ten year anniversary of being a yahoo member. here's the proof. I did a little research on wikipedia and found that yahoo mail had only becoming readily available and public only a few months before I joined. It's amazing to think about how much the internet has changed since then. At that time the internet was a primarily text based exchange of information. And while alot of people were using the internet, there was much less dependency on the internet. Now, very few people in the Western World can go about their day to day routine without using the internet in some way, particularly people of my generation. Doing the math I was twelve years old when I signed up for my Yahoo Mail account. I was perhaps the very first Micro generation of twelve year olds that had an email address.

I actually would try to sum up the ways in which the world changed in regards to the internet over the last 10 years. I would say the best way to put it is the freedom of information. When you want to know something, all you have to do is go onto the internet. Whether it be a list of all the Jane Doe's in Montana, or a picture of Kevin Spacey when he was twenty years old, or a recipe on how to make southern fried chicken, it's all there. And no matter what it is, fi you're halfway decent at sniffing around it's generally available within seconds, and in more than one variety, and at no cost but the time it takes to find it. Bottom Line is that information that was once locked up, and kept readily available only to specificities, is now available to anyone who has access to an internet connection.

For the fun of it I decided to query my examples. It turns out there is no Jane Doe in Montana, but there is a John Doe in Eureka, Montana link

I'm not sure if this is Kevin Spacey at 20 exactly but close to it based on the fact that according to wikipedia he was at the Julliard school when he was 20 and this is him at the Julliard School link

As for the Chicken recipe, I got more than I bargained for, a step-by-step video! link

It will be amazing to see how much has changed come my 20th anniversary, and 30th and so on. Every 10 years in this century is bound to bring about radical change. It will just be exciting to see exactly what that change turns out to be.

2008-01-06T22:59:00.000-08:00

I just finished watching the entire ABC/Facebook Presidential primary debate in New Hampshire, both the Republican and Democratic portions. I hadn't watched any of the debates up to this point, except for bits and clips, and I just felt I wanted to see all of the candidates in action before the voting takes place.

I was actually surprised at how entertaining the republicans were. The non-chalant sarcasm from Fred Thompson was wonderful. Guliani was desparetly trying to come up with some sort of substance to save any last chance he has at the nomination but came up dry. Ron Paul seemed to do the most intelligent debating, although he also was rather substanceless. Bottom line is that none of them looked they were ready to be president, however the dry humour, and desperation for substance, was entertaining enough for me.

The Democrats were far less entertaining. Hillary pointed it out herself, saying that while the republicans sit and argue about nothing, the democrats are pushing their agenda's of change. Oboma, as the headlines are telling, is making himself look really good, and according to ladbrokes betting firm, has a small lead over Hillary in the nomination. Even though Hillary did get awkwardly aggressive at points of the debate, I did feel like she shined the most, and again proved she is the best suited candidate for the job. I just hope that primary voters across the country agree with me.

2007-12-15T22:00:00.000-08:00

Last night I watched Michael Moore's latest documentary, Sicko. As much as I have always enjoyed and praised his films, I was expecting this film to be a little more dry than usual. After all it was on a narrow, and depressing topic, health care. After watching the film I read on wikipedia that the film received a standing ovation after being shown at the Cannes Film Festival. I must agree with those people, this actually had to be the best movie, documentary or not, I had seen in awhile. It was so well put together that I watched the credits.

Moreover than Sicko being an awesome film, the message Moore delivers is something even more intriguing. I don't want to spoil the film for anyone who hasn't seen it, but to some it up, the film makes you very emotional about the topic at hand and therefore, I feel actually has the ability to be a catalyst towards change. In any case, throw out whatever reservations, political sentiments, expectations you may have and watch Sicko, it's a must watch for anyone, and especially Americans.

2006-08-04T12:27:00.000-07:00

its long overdue since i've posted anything up here but something really awesome happened last sunday and I felt the need to write about it. Corey Pavin won on the pgatour. It took over 10 years for Corey to pull it together but he finally did. I always felt there was a few more wins in him, and he has finally started to show it. I wish Corey the best of luck in the future. I hope I will get a few chances to watch him play in the coming years before he graduates to the senior tour.

2005-12-11T19:48:00.000-08:00

The Greatest (in my opinion)

Greatest Song EVER: Natalie Merchant - Wonder
Greatest Song Made Before I Was Born: Suite Judy Blue Eyes -CSNY
Greatest Album EVER: Yourself or Someone Like You - Matchbox 20
Greatest Album Made Before I Was Born: Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles
Greatest Movie EVER: Forrest Gump
Greatest Relaxer: Sitting on Bench in a Park
Greatest City: New York
Greatest Game: Tetris
Greatest Period In U.S Histroy: When William Clinton Was President
Greatest Sport: Golf
Greatest Entree: Chicken Parmigiana
Greatest Soup: French Onion (Especially When My Aunt Makes It)
Greatest Snack: Samosa
Greatest Temperature: 73 F
Greatest Drink: Fruit Punch
Greatest Desert: Bizarre Forms Of Cheescake
Greatest Thing I don't Have: Sony Mdr-v6 Headphones
Greatest Thing I Was Unaware of The First 20 Years of My Life: B&W Speakers

So Here's What It Boils Down to : I Wish I could Eat Samosa's and listen to "Wonder" with V6's on a bench in Central Park with when the weather is 73 Degrees during the Clinton era. Then life would be damn good.

2005-11-07T09:38:00.000-08:00

Nothing much is going on these days so i'd thought I would entertain the Jason's blog junkies with another one of my classic photos.

Doesn't this picture make you want to be there?

2005-09-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

Please read this...and send to as many people as you know :(

Katrina

2005-09-04T20:53:00.000-07:00

My swing is now online, constructive criticism welcome.
btw 6 iron

swing

2005-08-29T23:09:00.000-07:00

The first thing i remember was the big snowy hill at the park. There was crisp winter air combined with the persperating sap of evergreens. The bottom of the hill had a weapon against my back saying, "come to me, ha, ha, ha". I went, the snow tasted great.

2005-08-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

The Counting Crows. If you listen to them, keep listening. If you don't, then you need to! Purposeful lyrics and flush sounds make them a fav.

2005-08-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

Went to Republic Of Korea in October of 'o4. I was impressed with the amount of globilization...is that a good thing? I also enjoyed the yummy alcohol "Soju".
Picture by JL