CrimsonWeltall

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Oct 30, 2013 -> 06:15 PM) Anybody who is surprised that the high-deductible, low premium "catastrophic" plans were not going to be available in the future is a dummy. Right, now the "catastrophic" plans have high premiums too. f*** you, healthy young people.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Oct 14, 2013 -> 09:02 PM) I thought the same thing. Here's what I didn't understand about that whole scene -

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Oct 11, 2013 -> 12:08 AM) As terrible and dumb as this shutdown is, tomorrow is the first paycheck feral employees will be missing. We need to tame them before we pay them.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 7, 2013 -> 08:38 PM) Second...the U.S. has way too bloody much malpractice. The stats are hard to figure out but I'm convinced the best data says the U.S. does much worse on this front than most other countries. The large fraction of malpractice cases in the U.S. come from doctors who have problems more than once and are difficult to discipline thanks to protections associated with the AMA and the unwillingness of U.S. medical providers to institute reforms that significantly cut malpractice rates. I recently read about a surgeon in Texas who was basically killing and paralyzing numerous patients because he was so damn awful at surgery that he'd frequently cut things that weren't supposed to be cut. Doctors were constantly complaining about him. It took the Texas Medical Board years to stop this guy because they're such a weak agency. http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2013/09/...medical-boards/

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Oct 4, 2013 -> 04:49 PM) Link? I'm interested to see how many people die from not receiving medical care in this country. This study estimated it at 45,000/year. http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2009...ealth-coverage/

So BCBS of NC is the ONLY insurer participating in the health exchange here. So they can charge whatever they want. Looks like I'm stuck with the $90 => $306 hike unless I want to drop down to the Bronze, which is still $220. This sucks.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Oct 2, 2013 -> 05:47 PM) See, when Obama, and you, say 'pass a budget', what you really mean is pass MY budget so I get what I want. The house passed at least 3 CR's in the last day or two, all of which were just ignored out of hand by Harry Reid. Even in the reagan days with Tip O'Neil, they compromised sometimes. Tip was a two-faced liar like most politicians, but you still negotiated and gave up something to get something. What do the Dems want to give up to get? Nothing. The budgets the House is passing are jokes. They might as well put "Obama must step down and be replaced by Romney" in the bills. It's not compromise to expect the Democrats to dump their entire platform of the past few years including things that they managed to pass through Congress.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 2, 2013 -> 04:48 PM) There will be lots of examples in both directions, but... seriously, where is anyone getting individual insurance of any kind for $75 a month? I'm paying $90 for Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC individual insurance and I have a mid-level plan (Advantage B). If I went down to Advantage C, I bet I could hit $75/month.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 1, 2013 -> 09:37 PM) It's entirely true for me. And I really wish I could drop mine and get into a fully government-run plan. Not true for me, unfortunately. I have an individual plan with BCBS. My premium is going from $90/month to $306/month in January. I'm trying to look into the exchanges, but healthcare.gov is totally overloaded with traffic and non-operational.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Sep 27, 2013 -> 10:49 PM) Eh, I think you're being a bit extreme. 90-95% of the mysteries and weird crap that came up was eventually explained in some way. I'm not sure what you think was ultimately irrelevant. Some things were emphasized more than they probably should have been, but that was mainly early plot points that were introduced and they were mostly explained later on (Walt/Michael's importance, Witmore's involvement, etc.) Yes, some huge portions of the story - like the Dharma initiative, Richard, or Jacob - didn't really have a reason for existing in the grand scheme, but so what? They were just a part of the ongoing "present" of the story. Why did Jack grow a beard? Why was Charlie a drug addict? Why was that necessary? I NEED TO KNOW THE ANSWER! Yes, some of the explanations/storylines were pretty stupid (like the origin of the smoke monster coming from the inside of the island with a magical fountain....or the entire Jacob reveal/continued storyline). But I dunno, I watched a show about a polar bear on an island coming through a time traveling portal, i'm not really going to get upset about small plot points introduced in 160 episodes that don't make total sense or seem relevant in the long run. I enjoyed the ride while it lasted. The main mystery towards the beginning was the weird island full of hatches/bunkers with the Dharma Initiative, which you admitted had no point. The main mystery later in the series was Jacob/Smokey/Magic Fountain, which you admitted was stupid. So what important mysteries actually had GOOD payoffs?

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Sep 27, 2013 -> 07:46 PM) Pretty sure that's the point - they didn't need to explain why things were the way they were, it just is. Martin doesn't need to explain how/why dragons exist in the GoT universe, you just go with it. That's not the same at all. GOT is a fantasy world. Dragons were an established element of the universe - their presence was not mysterious. The origins of dragons was 0% of why people read the books or watched the show. Lost takes place in what is presented as the real world. The crazy things that happened were mysterious and this was the *primary hook* of the show. Viewers were waiting for interesting and well-written solutions to the mysteries and we got bupkis. QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Sep 27, 2013 -> 07:46 PM) I totally agree that a lot of the stuff they brought up didn't necessarily fit with the world they ended up creating by the end, but I think that's just the nature of creating a story and having the network suits tell you that you need to extend the story out so they can get more episodes. I think that's the nature of creating a story without bothering to care if you have an end-game or not.

QUOTE (bmags @ Sep 20, 2013 -> 09:30 PM) Just a little more info, Africa is a giant continent with many different countries, and a lot of those countries have been doing very well! http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-rel...l-wealth-wisely In fact, the US indifference to Africa has been a detriment as many euro and asian companies have taken advantage of their growing economies. They indeed have cars, and houses, and are real people! It's amazing! Mmmm, I just watched a documentary called "Zulu" that was made last year, so I'm pretty sure you're wrong.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Sep 20, 2013 -> 08:29 PM) I remember the day I got my car I was so goddamn happy I'd never have to suffer through it again. How do really come off the L with a positive experience? I was not a regular traveler, but I've been on the pink/red/blue about 50 times and never had an issue with cleanliness, timeliness, or bad passengers. A few trips on the red line returning from Sox games were overcrowded, but...duh. It still beat having to pay for parking at the Cell and deal with the traffic getting out of there.

QUOTE (Brian @ Sep 20, 2013 -> 03:03 AM) Who tipped over??? Marlon and Jordan. Fake drama

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Sep 19, 2013 -> 11:52 AM) If I were incompetent I'd be fired. Right, because incompetent workers in non-government jobs are UNHEARD OF

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Sep 18, 2013 -> 05:48 AM) Hmm. So what does Lasix do in those six hours to help horses ran faster? It doesn't help them run faster; it prevents them from bleeding in the lungs.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Sep 16, 2013 -> 08:51 PM) There is something to be said for being able to get superstar level players to be willing to work together for the benefit of the team. That's one Phil Jackson appears to be the legend at doing. Spoelstra's managed to pull that off somewhat, but it did take a while. He's done it with 3 guys who are close buddies that all decided to take paycuts and go to the same team to win titles. It's not like he's dealing with guys who hate each other and would fight over minutes/shots.

QUOTE (Jake @ Sep 16, 2013 -> 12:31 AM) I fear that my vision would continue to get worse. Not sure if that is legitimate concern or not. What's the point of correcting my vision from -4.0 to perfect in both eyes if I'll gradually just start working back up to -.50, -1.0, etc? You're not really recommended to get it unless your vision is currently stable (no prescription changes in a couple years). I had it done 7 years ago and I'm really happy with it. I don't even remember what life was like with glasses anymore.

QUOTE (Stan Bahnsen @ Sep 11, 2013 -> 09:00 PM) Agreed. I'll probably give it another chance. But, would rather save the time by gauging a consensus opinion here. The League can be really funny, but sometimes is so ridiculous that it runs past funny into annoying.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Sep 7, 2013 -> 05:43 PM) Anyone purchase Diablo 3 for console? I'm debating it solely on the fact that I spent countless hours playing Diablo 2 years ago I don't know what they've changed for console D3, but D3 on PC was the second biggest gaming disappointment of all time for me (Spore is first). The action is very good, but the story is horrendous, character building is boring, and the loot is awful.

QUOTE (GoodAsGould @ Aug 12, 2013 -> 09:55 PM) I find league of legends to be the better game. Worst gaming community ever

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jul 12, 2013 -> 07:15 PM) Geraldo Rivera: The hell? So they would have shot a teenager walking through the neighborhood BEFORE a fight occurred? That's reasonable

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Jul 12, 2013 -> 06:50 PM) You honestly don't see the exponential increase in the possibility of danger and generally horrible altercations when you start attacking people who are following you because you think they are crazy-ass crackers? There's no evidence outside of Zimmerman's word that Martin attacked him. iamshack's question was based on the facts, yours is based on speculation.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Jul 12, 2013 -> 06:16 PM) Look at a map of the neighborhood. the sidewalk was between the rows of houses, not bordering the street. That is why Zimmerman had to get out of his car. The only reason to be on that sidewalk is if your house is on that sidewalk. Being unrecognized, he is suspicious. The house Martin was walking to WAS on that sidewalk. Martin also walked on the sidewalks next to the street all the way up until that point (per Zimmerman, who was following him in his car).

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jul 11, 2013 -> 07:27 PM) I might have to pick up the latest bioshock. On sale for $30. It's up there with the original Bioshock. Excellent story, amazing world design, okay gameplay.