What's That? Who Cares!

Really, Nothing Wrong With Our Health Insurance America!?

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 16:11:00 +0000

I have many friends, family and co workers who think there is nothing wrong with our medical system and insurance. Well I am going to tell you a true story and I want to hear what these people suggest!

Healthcare Background

I have had continuous insurance coverage since I was about 16 years old (never a days lapse). About 8 months ago a I had an issue where my back/shoulder hurt. The pain was so severe that I had to go to the ER on Thanksgiving morning. I went to the doctor and she prescribed some pain meds and such. Later she suggested physical therapy and an MRI. Well the insurance would not approve the MRI so I never could get an accurate diagnostic of what was wrong. But, after a few weeks, the physical therapy seems to have done it's job and I am fine again.

Current Healthcare Situation

I recently decided to start my own business (Sit Means Sit Austin dog training). So I changed over to my wife's insurance through her company. There was one last physical therapy session and I ended up having to pay that out of pocket because it was a preexisting condition (even though insurance coverage never lapsed).

A few months later my wife decided to join our personal business so we had to shop around for our own health insurance. We found a policy we could - barely- afford and completed the application. A couple days later we were approved but told there were riders on the policy that we could review when we got the packet. When we finally got the packet there were different riders in different places in the policy including:

They would not cover any work for a bunion I had a doctor look at years ago and have not gone to a doctor for since. Now if it gets worse and I need surgery I am expected to pay that fully out of pocket. Does this make sense? No, but okay fine, that is a particular diagnostic that is easy to see cause and effect on if I do get something done with it in the future.
They will not cover any neck or spinal related injury. Please note, it is not that they will not cover a re-occurrence of the previous problem - which would still be unacceptable - but they will cover nothing. If I fall down the stairs, get in a car accident, fall off a curb, anything! Not covered. How shitty is that? Fine, don't cover the bunion but do you seriously expect me to accept an insurance policy that will not cover something so incredibly important such as my spine?

Think abut this. We are in a "recovery" from a recession. People are always saying we can grow because Americans don't stand around; we start our own businesses; we grow them and hire people...But the entire system, not just healthcare" stacks the cards against the entrepreneur!

The Question

What are we supposed to do now? What kind of situation am I risking putting my wife in if I do hurt my back or neck? How is she supposed to pay for it? This is why the preexisting condition loophole needs closed. I am not some person who went without insurance until something happened to me. I have always had insurance!

Really, THINK about this!! Are you always going to keep working for a company that has a group policy? What if you are diagnosed with cancer and have to stop working and get insurance? Yes, you MIGHT be able to get insurance but they either won't cover the cancer or it will be very expensive and you likely won't be able to afford it!

Again, what do you suggest? What did I do wrong? Do I just fall through the system now? Come on people, help make me a believer in the current healthcare system.

Wind Energy Everywhere

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 09:28:00 +0000

Traveling through Spain it was great to see so many huge wind farms. I hear arguments all the time that the wind turbines are ugly. I thought maybe I would tire of them and maybe agree. However, after seeing complex after complex of wind turbines I still think the are beautiful! They are sleek, put of no pollution, show a lessening requirement on oil and coal, etc. I hope that the US is taking as active a roll in increasing the use of wind power. I did notice after being gone for 2 years that there are many more gas/electric hybrid cars on the road and that is very refreshing. We did not travel around the country enough to see any large wind farms. But the more they are used, the cheaper the technology. Maybe by the time we buy our next house we will be able to afford a personal wind turbine generator and solar power for assisting electricity and heating. Wouldn't that be cool!

Bunch of Punks!

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 09:20:00 +0000

I am disappointed in the youth and/or law enforcement of Europe. Okay, I have no idea what percent of the youth it is, so that is probably too broad of a statement. However, everywhere we go in Europe - yes I mean everywhere - there is graffiti. It may be an equal problem in the US but I haven't seen it. It is definitely not as bad in Asia. This is not often even "nice and artistic" graffiti, but crappy tagging. It makes everywhere you go feel less nice then it really is. Why is graffiti so prevalent? Is there nothing that can be done? Seems like stiffer penalties (e.g. jail time and/or major community service cleaning graffiti) would be a good start. Also, for the artistic kids, give them structured places to do graffiti and have it actually be art. Today we were passing a brand new convention center and two days ago some kids "tagged" it and last night some more kids shot paint guns all over the nice new marble sides. That is just punk ass stupid behavior. Are they that board, lacking that much creativity, having no parental guidance or control, what?

Winding ties of life

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 09:18:00 +0000

I find it exciting how the more we travel the more ours and others experiences tie together. We were at the Guggenheim Museum in Spain and there was a gallery by Keifer Anslem that included the observatory "gadgets" Shelly and I saw in Jaipur India. I know, big deal, but it makes everything that much more interesting when you have also seen or experienced it and have the opportunity to see it through another eyes.

Ouch! Next time where socks!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Thu, 24 May 2007 21:41:00 +0000

I wanted to share some valuable insight for everyone - where socks when you hike. The first couple of hikes in Costa Rica were VERY wet and I don't have great wet hiking boots. I was tired of getting all my socks super wet, so I thought I would go without socks. As you can see from the picture, this was a very bad idea. These are not so much blisters but more like burns. We skipped the hike today ad hopefully I will be good to hike - with socks - tomorrow. Understandably Shelly has very little sympathy for me.

My Kind of Pharmacy

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 05:20:00 +0000

I just couldn't resist this. We were in LKF in Hong Kong the other night and there is a new pharmacy. For those of you that don't know, LKF is the "western" party district in Hong Kong. There are almost exclusively pubs and restaurants in multiple level buildings for about a square block area. So I guess if you are going to open a pharmacy in this area, you better have something to attract the customers (like beer, wine and cigarettes). Nothing like those to cure what's making you sick!

Inconvenient Truth is a Must See!

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 00:49:00 +0000

I admit, I was not a very big fan of Al Gore. I don't remember why. It could have been the media; could have been how he carried himself when running for president (or I perceived he carried himself); could have been preconceived bias; etc. Anyway, that view is beginning to change.

On a flight from Hong Kong to Japan today I watched his movie An Inconvenient Truth and I have to say I found it very well done, not all that political, and very eye opening. Before you make a decision about global warming you really must see this movie. I don't have kids, and it scared the hell out of me. If you have kids, and you are ignoring global warming, you really need to re-think things. I knew the climate is changing, and I have heard more and more and read more and more over the last couple years, but I think we are on a at a point of being able to make a change or not.

Please don't read this and think, "oh man, not Troy too. We all know global warming in a cycle with earth; there is plenty of time; what about other countries; there isn't anything I can do; etc." Do some research, see the movie, and you will understand this is a real big and immediate problem and there are things you can do to help.

Where did my wife go?

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 09:15:00 +0000

Hong Kong has really been a great experience for myself. Shelly (my wife) has also told me it has been a great experience for her. However, I was thinking about it today, and I am not sure she (the person I spend all my time with and is in my bed at night) is really my wife!

Now she looks like Shelly, sounds like Shelly, cooks like Shelly, but so much has changed. For example, when we moved here her idea of a exotic dinner was a new Mexican restaurant and she never would have tried other foods like Indian, Thai, Lebanese, Middle Eastern, etc - I know, I tried. She also never ate spicy food - even here Mexican food tended to be on the mild side. Also, She was not very outgoing to meet new people (just a little shy). Don't get me wrong, Shelly has always been fun and very outgoing with friends but she didn't try and meet new people. Additionally, she never traveled to much and didn't care much about (or wasn't exposed to) world news and almost never read the paper.

Now, the person living with me is not this way at all. For example, she eats all sorts of weird stuff. She loves dumplings and dim sum, street noodle restaurants, Indian food, and the list goes on. She also eats not only spicy food, but even peppers on her pizza! In fact, I usually am more sensitive to spice then she. Oh, and she makes a new friend it seems like every week while she is out leading hikes in Hong Kong, doing charity work at schools with dogs, etc. AND, she is probably more comfortable traveling to new exotic locations then I am. Finally, she really cares about international news and reads the paper every day (goes through withdrawals if she doesn't have it).

So you tell me, can it be my same wife Shelly that has just grown and learned so much, or have aliens replaced her? Sometimes I have to wonder who was more impacted by this experience.

I Really Have Left the Nest

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 05:56:00 +0000

This is definitely a "Who Cares!" blog...I am in New Delhi India tonight and just got back from dinner. Until the last few months, I almost always - but not always - travel with at least one person (or meet someone in the city I am traveling to). However, this time I arrived a day early because of flight issues. When I do travel alone, except for meetings, I pretty much lock myself in my room and work and order room service. After a long day of work today, I decided I wanted out of the hotel, so I asked the hotel where to go to dinner and away I went. Now, if you haven't been to India, this will seem like no big deal, however, if you have, and you grew up in the Wester US and didn't travel much growing up, you might understand. Anyway, the dinner was in a little shopping district (outdoor mall and stalls) and was very traditional Indian. In fact, so few tourists go here that nobody even asked me for money or tried to sell me something. After wandering around, finding the restaurant I left, wandered around some more, found a motorized tuk-tuk, and got a ride back to the hotel. I know, what a stupid thing to write about, but I was thinking as I was riding back on the tuk-tuk, that I NEVER would have imagined three years ago I would be wandering around India by myself and not at all stressed about it. What amazing turns life takes if you just let it!

Hong Kong Man Sues McDonald's for Hair

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 05:40:00 +0000

I know I have really neglected this site - no excuse, just busy - but I came across this article the other day and had to post something about it. First, because it is so ridiculous. Second, because it shows that the US is not the only country with frivolous lawsuits. In the South China Morning Post, Bobbie Chou Si-li complained about a hair in his hot cakes – not a short and curly but a 16cm black hair (he said 3 hairs, but “the lab only found one”. Okay, gross, but it gets better. "Securities trader Bobbie Chou Si-li is a long-term and frequent patron of McDonald's but he told a court yesterday he would never again eat the fast-food chain's hot cakes after finding a hair in one of them." Wait, theirs even more...he is suing McDonald's for "selling food no of the substance demanded by the purchaser." Mind you, he didn't go back to McDonald's to get a refund but rather complained an hour later then submitted 2 digital photos a month later. He also says it is impossible the hair could have gotten in the Hot Cakes during transit from the McDonald's to his office. Why do courts waste their time with these things?!

Hard Rock Chinese Grandma?

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 06:39:00 +0000

I have been busy and unable to post for awhile, but when I saw this article in the South China Morning Post I just couldn't resist. At first I thought it might be interesting, and who knows, she might be good. One of my favorite lines from the article, "The jury is still deliberating on whether Wing is a birdbrain or comic genius". Heck, you have to give her credit as she got a half page color article in the paper. That will have to drive up even her sales.

You can go to Wing's website and, if you register, download samples via the "listen" link. Note that I think you need to register to get one free sample (listen) download. I highly recommend listening to one of the AC/DC songs. In fact, maybe this direct link to it will work for you. It might just be the best - funniest - think you have heard all year. For those of you that don't know, here is a link to the original AC/DC Back in Black song.I just think I might buy one of her CD's - she has eleven of them. It would have to be a great conversation starter - or stopper - at a party. Wouldn't it?...

For those about to rock, Wing salutes you

DONALD ASPREY
Meet Wing, a middle-aged former nurse from Queen Mary Hospital who is taking the world by storm with her musical renditions of rock 'n' roll classics from the The Beatles, Elvis Presley and hard rock icons AC/DC.

And she is interested in returning to Hong Kong to perform in front of her home crowd at the Rockit festival this winter.

Tsang Wing-han, or simply Wing, who emigrated to New Zealand before the handover, has captivated the imagination of her adopted home since she began crooning melodies to cheer up residents in elderly homes across Auckland.

"I didn't really like nursing," Wing said. "But I love to sing. Singing helps you express feelings and overcome your emotions when you are feeling down."

The jury is still deliberating on whether Wing is a birdbrain or comic genius. But beneath that self-parodying exterior lurks a shrewd business mind that identified her special niche market years before William Hung set foot on the stage of American Idol.

Cartoon Protests, or Energizer Bunny

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 06:39:00 +0000

Are they really protesters, or are they the Energize Bunny reincarnated? This thing just keeps dragging on and on and on and on....

70,000 gather for violent Pakistan cartoons protest

By Times Online and agencies

Two people, including an eight-year-old boy, have died during a second day of violent protests across Pakistan over depictions of the Prophet Muhammad in European newspapers.

Dozens of demonstrators were injured in clashes with police in Peshawar, the restive capital of North West Frontier Province near the border with Afghanistan, when a crowd of 70,000 marauded through the streets, burning three cinemas, scores of cars and a KFC outlet.

Further protests also took place in Lahore, where 1,500 students staged an unannounced rally outside Punjab University...

Cartoons to go w/ Yesterday's Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 06:38:00 +0000

I found a couple cartoons that I think go well with yesterday's blog...This first one especially. The second one I just think is prudent with what is happening with Iran, the holocaust and the nuclear crisis.

Protesters Torch Danish Mission in Beirut

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 06:37:00 +0000

This is really beginning to annoy me. I am stunned at how stupid - yes stupid - the Islamic community are behaving. I understand to some degree why they are upset. I also think that free press allows the Danish paper to print what they want - but they could have used better judgment.

I keep hearing how peaceful Islam is supposed to be; and how violence is strictly forbidden; how they are being stereotyped because of the violent extremists; etc. This would have been a great chance for the leaders of Islam to scream out to their followers to protest peacefully. However, taking over buildings by armed men, burning down the Mission, violent protests, etc does nothing to support the Islam claim of peace.

I believe that Islam is a peaceful religion, but once again the leaders of the faith failed. The first time is by not being much more vocal and active and constant in renouncing terrorism. This time by not screaming out against the behavior of these - probably few in the scheme of things - followers.

Protesters Torch Danish Mission in Beirut Over Caricatures of Muhammad; One Reportedly Killed

By JOSEPH PANOSSIAN

BEIRUT, Lebanon Feb 6, 2006 (AP)Ã— Muslim rage over caricatures of the prophet Muhammad grew increasingly violent Sunday as thousands of rampaging protesters undaunted by tear gas and water cannons torched the Danish mission and ransacked a Christian neighborhood. At least one person reportedly died and about 200 were detained, officials said.

Muslim clerics denounced the violence, with some wading into the mobs trying to stop them. Copenhagen ordered Danes to leave the country or stay indoors in the second day of attacks on its diplomatic outposts in the Middle East.

In Beirut, a day after violent protests in neighboring Syria, the crowd broke through a cordon of troops and police that had encircled the embassy. Security forces fired tear gas and loosed their weapons into the air to stop the onslaught.

The protesters, armed with stones and sticks, damaged police and fire vehicles and threw stones at a Maronite Catholic church in the wealthy Ashrafieh area a Christian neighborhood where the Danish Embassy is located.

Flames and smoke billowed from the 10-story building, which also houses the Austrian Embassy and the residence of Slovakia's consul. Protesters waved green and black Islamic flags from broken windows and tossed papers and filing cabinets outside.

Witnesses said one protester, apparently overcome by smoke, jumped from a window and was rushed to the hospital. Security officials said he died.

Thirty people were injured, half of them members of the security forces, officials said, making it the most violent in a string of demonstrations across the Muslim world. All the injuries were from beatings and stones.

Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said before meeting with top Islamic leaders that about 200 people were detained, and police said they included 76 Syrians, 35 Palestinians and 38 Lebanese.

The first apparent victim of the political fallout from the violence was Interior Minister Hassan Sabei, who submitted his resignation. It was not immediately clear if the resignation was accepted...

Read more at: abcnews.go.com/Internat...

America = Sue, sue, sue, sue...

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 06:37:00 +0000

It never ceases to amaze me the things that Americans will sue - and win - over. There was the now famous McDonald's coffee lawsuit and many others. Now it appears there is the "I played my iPod too loud and now I have hearing loss" lawsuit. Come on! If your clumsy and spill coffee in your lap, or are too stupid and listen to your music too loud, that is your problem. I have traveled all over the world, and American is by far the worst when it comes to personal accountability. Are there too many rich people floating around so the middle class or poor feel they have a right to sue and get some of the goods? Whatever it is, it needs to stop and Americans need to take responsibility for their own action - McDonald's didn't make you fat, you super-sizing every meal did - sue yourself! Why is insurance so high, because we sue for everything.

Apple Hit With iPod Hearing Loss Lawsuit

The suit asks for unspecified damages, and demands that Apple Computer update the iPod software so its portable music players can't blast tunes at more than 100 decibels.

By Gregg Keizer
TechWeb News

Feb 2, 2006 12:05 PM

A Louisiana man filed a lawsuit this week claiming that Apple's iPod can cause hearing loss.

The suit, submitted to a San Jose, Calif. federal court on behalf of John Kiel Patterson of Louisiana, seeks class-action status, asks for unspecified damages, and demands that Apple Computer update the iPod software so the portable music players can't blast tunes at more than 100 decibels.

Hard on the heels of experts saying that the use of earbud-style headphone like those bundled with iPods can lead to hearing loss, Patterson's suit charges Apple with not advising users of a safe listening volume, nor including a meter on the devices to monitor decibel levels.

"The ear buds are small and are placed in the listener's ear canal, close to the cochlea,'' the lawsuit read. "The close proximity to the ear canal directly impacts the amount of hearing loss caused by the MPs [music players], simply because there is less chance of dilution of the sound.''

Apple's practice is to not comment on pending legal action, but it has made some adjustments to iPod volume in the past. In 2002, for instance, it had to restrict the devices' output to 100 decibels to sell them in France.

The last time Apple was hit with a class action was in October 2005, when disgruntled buyers of the iPod nano complained that the gizmo's screen scratched too easily.

The company's iPod line has a stranglehold on the portable digital player market, and holds an estimated 70 percent of the business globally. In January, Apple said that it sold 14 million iPods in the last three months of 2005.

Oh the cover-ups continue

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 06:36:00 +0000

Sometimes I am stunned at how progressive China is begging to become - other times I am stunned at how completely barbaric they still are. Living in China is very interesting. You get to see an economy steaming ahead, more freedoms, Internet use and growth, etc. However, living in Hong Kong, you also get to hear about the economy leaving behind so many in rural China, land being taken away, major Internet censorship, etc.

Yesterday I read an article in the South China Morning Post that was very disturbing. Coming from a country with free press it is always disquieting to hear about the government blatantly covering up issues – yes, it happens everywhere but not like this. Is China really becoming more progressive, or is only Shanghai and Hong Kong? I guess time will tell - but actions like this are not encouraging...

The family of a 15-year-old Zhongshan schoolgirl beaten to death on Saturday during a clash over land disputes is believed to have received 130,000 yuan to say their daughter died after a heart attack, villagers said yesterday.

An aunt of second-year middle school student Feng Meiying said the girl's body was cremated yesterday, but declined to say if she had been killed by police.

"My niece did not come to the highway [demonstration scene] on Saturday night because it is far from our home. She died of heart trouble," the aunt said.

Meiying's father hung up the phone when the South China Morning Post asked whether his daughter was beaten to death.

Residents of Sinfeng village, Sanjiao township, where the Feng family lives, said the family had received 130,000 yuan from the local government. "I believe they are lying," a villager said.

Another villager said Meiying was seen throwing rocks at police during the protest. One resident said he saw Meiying beaten unconscious after being dragged from underneath a police car.

"More than 200 pairs of eyes witnessed the girl being beaten," he said, adding that police attacked everyone they came across.

Officials from various levels of the Zhongshan government contacted yesterday denied Meiying died during the clash.

A Zhongshan municipal propaganda department spokesman said the girl's death was a rumour. "I hope you will not be misled by it," he said. Another spokesman for the Sanjiao township government said police never used force to disperse villagers.

A township government official confirmed Meiying's death, but said it was not related to the clash as the girl died on Friday, a day before Saturday's clashes.

An employee of the Hong Kong textile company which bought the land from the township government said it had no knowledge of the land dispute.

Nearly 1,000 villagers staged a sit-in outside government offices and blocked traffic on Saturday near the provincial expressway connecting Guangdong with Beijing. It was the latest chapter in a 12-year battle to obtain reasonable compensation for land taken by local governments for industrial development.

No villagers were at the scene of the demonstration last night, with the area under tight surveillance as police cars patrolled from one village to another.

The Zhongshan Daily yesterday reported more than 300 armed police had been sent to the scene to disperse thousands of protesters and onlookers on the highway. It said no one died in the incident, but two police officers were injured when the villagers threw firecrackers.

A woman from Heping village said they blocked the highway to attract media attention because there were seven villages involved in the land disputes.

"We are fighting for later generations because the township government sold our land to a Hong Kong-owned textile factory for 50 years," she said.

The resident said about 12 hectares in her village had been requisitioned by the government. Officials promised to pay them 180,000 yuan for one hectare three years ago.

"They paid us 600 to 700 yuan a year in rent three years ago, but not a cent after that," she said, adding that officials even refused to let them see the land contracts with the Hong Kong company.

She said villagers suspected public funds had been embezzled by the township government. "We have to fight for justice at any cost."

Why didn't I think of that?

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Sat, 31 Dec 2005 06:35:00 +0000

It has been awhile since I have blogged (crazy time of year), but I couldn't pass this one up. I am always trying to think of some way I can do something really cheap, legal, and simple to earn a bunch of money on the net. This guy has to have figured out the best thing yet. Holy cow, he "earned" $1 MILLION by simply creating a website and selling advertising on it. Obviously he must have had some sort of a plan to get hits (called free media attention), but how simple can you get?!

A view of Alex Tew's page, www.milliondollarhomepage.com. Tew, a 21-year-old student from a small town in England, earned a million dollars in four months on the Internet by selling pixels as advertising space on his home page for $100 for each 10 pixel by 10 pixel square. REUTERS/Handout

One-child Policy Alive and Strong

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Sun, 04 Dec 2005 06:35:00 +0000

I think that many people do not understand that the Chinese one-child policy is still in place. In fact, I recently read a financial article where it stated "for years China had a one child policy..." This same article went on to discuss how bad this policy is going to be for China in the coming years. According to Nicholas Eberstadt, writing in The Wall Street Journal, over the next 20 years about two-thirds of China’s total population growth will occur in those 65 and older. That age segment will comprise over 200 million people. By 2025, China’s median age is likely to be higher than the U.S.’s. This is going to make it very difficult for China to remain at high levels of output in manufacturing and the low wage younger population is going to be burdened with having to support their parents because of the poor retirement funds - even more difficult when most families only have one child.

Nevertheless, China still keeps the policy going. Today in the South China Morning Post there was a half page story about a family that decided to have a son even though they already had a 1 1/2 year old daughter. To summarize, the father had a decent job but:

He was fired and fined 45,000 yuan

His 300 colleagues each lost their 1,000 yuan bonuses

His boss no longer qualifies to run for vice-mayor

His wife almost lost her life while on the run from forced abortion - for the last five months of her pregnancy

She was caught at 8 months, brought to the hospital, and escaped from the operating table where they were preparing to do a forced abortion

His wife gave birth one month early by Cesarean section in a clinic because no hospitals would have her

Another woman was caught at 8 months and forced to abort. Interestingly, since their first child was a girl, both couples could have a second baby, but not until the first child was over 4 (the first child of the woman who had to have the abortion was 3 when she became pregnant)

Tests to reveal the gender of a baby are banned on the mainland (but still done in secret)

They both lost their communist party memberships

I have to wonder if anything will happen to them since they spoke to the paper about it?!

According to the United Nations, Chinas population would be 100 million greater with out the one-child policy. Not to mention the fact they would have a much more accommodating male to female ratio.

This seems like a very antiquated rule and symbolizes another example of the clash between modernism and historical behavior. China is going to continue to be a very interesting country to watch over the coming years while these and many other issues work themselves out as the population becomes more educated and information becomes more readily available.

HELP, I can't breath!

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 06:34:00 +0000

I don’t expect Hong Kong to have really clean air. They are too close to mainland China and the factories, and there are just too many people for such a lofty expectation. However, I would like to see Kowloon from my Hong Kong flat!

These last couple of weeks have been even worse the normal. I use to think it was fog, but it is the haze of pollution – I get that now. Two recent events brought this home.

First, I recently went to Guangdong and saw what really bad pollution is. Most buildings have a black smoke emitting from them and I literally could not breathe – my nose was plugged – and you could almost feel the particulates in the air. On the train, when I looked out the window at the banana trees the leaves were literally gray. Not because they were dead, but because they were covered with pollution (this makes me wonder about the safety of eating vegetables from China now too – but that is a different topic).

The second event was from a hike last weekend. It was not only because I could not see the peak next to us, but because that night and the following few days I had a cough and my lungs felt congested and my nose was stuffed. I go out to get exercise, and actually probably damaged my lungs. In fact, I have heard stories of people who train outdoors in Hong Kong getting lung infections and pneumonia because of the pollution.

There seems to be lots of talk from the Chinese government about working on the problem, and I hope that something is done soon and we will start seeing some of the fruits of the stricter regulations. I guess it is probably similar to Los Angeles and other US cities in the 70s and 80s so I don’t want to be too critical. Hopefully they can learn from the mistakes and changes in the US and have a quick impact.

For more information, you can check out Clean The Air -- Hong Kong.

eHugs, Yea right!

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 06:34:00 +0000

A friend sent this to me and I just had to post it. I like her comment, "Um hugs? When you think of what this will REALLY be used for (I mean its for use over the Internet), you really must wonder "why chickens?"

Think about it, pornography has been a staple of the Internet since its inception. According to TopTenREVIEWS, Internet porn generates $2.5 billion a year! So, what do you really think will be the first industry to make "good" use of a vibrating hug jacket? Of course, this is being developed in Singapore - "where Barney will go to retire" - so they have to make it have family appeal. And, yea, what's with the chickens? Why not start with cats, small dogs, normal household pets that you might actually hug.

Reuters: SINGAPORE
Singapore scientists looking for ways to transmit the sense of touch over the Internet have devised a vibration jacket for chickens and are thinking about electronic children's pajamas for cyberspace hugs.

A wireless jacket for chickens or other pets can be controlled with a computer and gives the animal the feeling of being touched by its owner, researchers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) told The Straits Times.

The next step would be to use the same concept to transmit hugs over the Internet, it said.

"These days, parents go on a lot of business trips, but with children, hugging and touching are very important," the paper quoted NTU Associate Professor Adrian David Cheok as saying.

NTU is thinking of a pajama suit for children, which would use the Internet to adjust changes in pressure and temperature to simulate the feeling of being hugged. Parents wearing a similar suit could be "hugged" back by their children, the paper said.

Teen dumby has sex with dummy.

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 06:33:00 +0000

It has been a log time since I was a teenager, but I don't remember my hormones running this ramped! At least have the decency to take the mannequin back to your room (hopefully after dinner and drinks ;-). Fortunately (or frighteningly) it doesn’t sound like this was their first “date”.

Teen charged with having sex with dummy

SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Nov. 21 (UPI) -- A South Dakota teenager has been charged with indecent exposure for allegedly having sex with a mannequin.

A security guard found Michael James Plentyhorse, 18, sans pants on the floor in the Washington High School Alumni Room in Sioux Falls, S.D., with a half-naked female mannequin, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported.

"There was inappropriate activity between him and the mannequin," a police spokesman told the newspaper. "That's the only way I know how to put it."

The spokesman said security staff had reported the same mannequin found undressed on several occasions.

© Copyright 2005 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Maybe more then head needs hit by train!

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 06:33:00 +0000

This is ridiculous! This guy gets his head hit by a train twice! His head? Yes, his head! Now, most people dont need to be told once not to stick their head out into the tube looking for the train. This guy sticks his head out, gets it hit by the train and then does it again three years later. Okay, someone just push him in next time - I am afraid he might decide to breed!

Man Hit in Head by Train for Second Time

Nov 21, 11:22 PM (ET) POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (AP) - A man who was struck in the head by a train this weekend was also hit in the head by a New York City subway car three years ago, officials said Monday. Parker T. Hall Houghtaling, of Stanfordville, 23, was hit in the head Nov. 18 by a Metro-North train as it pulled into the Poughkeepsie station. He was listed in stable condition Monday. In 2002, Houghtaling was waiting at a subway station in Manhattan when he stuck his head out and was hit by a subway car. He was hospitalized with a shoulder injury, nose fractures and bruises, according to the Metropolitan Transit Authority. It was unclear Monday what led to either incident. MTA police are continuing an investigation, Metro-North spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said.

Step out for a cig...at 30,000 feet?!

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 06:32:00 +0000

A friend of mine sent this to me and I had to post it. This is one desperate smoker! So, in brief, a French woman allegedly takes some sleeping pills, drinks some booze and then decides to step outside for a cig. Oops, she is at 30,000 feet on a Cathay Pacific flight to Australia (can you say watch that first step). The good news is that she was caught by a flight attendant and led back to her seat - not that the door would have opened anyway. The bad news is, she was only fined AUS$1000 and was not put in stupid school...

Woman wanted outdoor cigarette mid-flight

BRISBANE, Australia, Nov. 21 (UPI)-- An Australian court has chastised a French woman for trying to open an aircraft door mid-flight so she could step out for a cigarette.

Sadrine Sellies, 34, was placed on a good behavior bond Monday after pleading guilty in the Brisbane Magistrates Court to endangering the safety of an aircraft.

Her defense lawyer told the court Sellies was terrified of flying, had taken sleeping tablets and had consumed a lot of alcohol before takeoff. She had no memory of what happened on the flight and also had a history of sleepwalking, her lawyer said.

Sellies and her husband were en route to Australia on Saturday on a Cathay Pacific flight for a 3-week vacation, the Melbourne Herald-Sun reported.

She was placed on a one-year $1,000 good behavior bond, warned by the judge to behave while flying and then released.

© Copyright 2005 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved

I found while researching the article above another recent interesting story...at least this airline was serious about doing something. Cathay should take notes as I would estimate that about 50% of the their flights I take someone attempts to smoke...

Man Gets 15 Months for Smoking on Plane

Nov 17, 5:41 PM (ET)

ATHENS, Greece (AP) - A Greek court sentenced a man to 15 months in prison for smoking on a plane, and then hitting a male flight attendant who told him to put his cigarette out, court officials said Thursday.

The 50-year-old Greek resident of New York was also convicted of endangering the aircraft. He was traveling on Olympic Airlines Flight No. 412 from New York to Athens last week.

Flight attendants said the defendant had been smoking in the main passenger area of the plane and in the toilet.

The man, who remains free pending appeal, said a 45-minute delay in takeoff from New York had made him nervous.

Every time I sit on the couch I get kinda itchy!

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 06:31:00 +0000

This is another one of those "just wrong" postings. I mean come on, did they guys not think they would get caught. And to subjugate your customers to something as gross and dangerous as this...

Yesterdays South China Morning Post reported,
Contaminated medical gauze used for stuffing sofas
SHANXI - Police confiscated 130 tons of fabric stuffing made from contaminated medical gauze, and other used and dirty materials over the weekend. Shanxi Daily reports the dirty stuffing was intended for quilts, sofas and other products being manufactured in Datong.

Dual Meaning URL's

noreply@blogger.com (Troy & Shelly) — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 05:31:00 +0000

I couldn't resist...the following posting was made in a news group (GeoExpat.com) and it is just too funny. Look closely at the URL and how it could be construed...
People should make time to think of suitable and appropriate domain names for their business. The following domains are real (and work safe - click on them and find out!)...

Firstly there is Who Represents a database for agencies to the rich and famous:
http://www.whorepresents.com

Second is the Experts Exchange, a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views (this has now been changed with a hyphen, but the address still works):
http://www.expertsexchange.com

Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island:
http://www.penisland.net

Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder:
http://www.therapistfinder.com

And last but not least, we have the Mole Station Native Nursery, based in New South Wales :
http://www.molestationnursery.com

Let these be a lesson to us all!!
If you don't get it, look again!