A casual stroll through a mental asylum shows that faith proves nothing.

Bored...

Sat, 26 Mar 2005 04:35:27 GMT

Well tonight I called Mr. Goodcents to try to talk to the manager about my application. The guy who answered told me the manager was busy and if I left a number he would give it to him and he'd call me back later that night. Well, he never called and they're already closed. Oh well, I honestly don't really care. I'll have to call back in a couple days but I'm not in a huge rush. If no place ever wants to hire me again for the rest of my life then fine. I watched Law & Order: TBJ tonight, it was awful...just awful, sickeningly awful. I feel like I'm going to puke just thinking of how bad it was.

I really need to go grocery shopping, there is absolutely no food here. I have a muffin and some pudding and other random snacks, but no actual food. Whenever I go to the grocery store I always end up getting pointless things that I can't eat for actual meals and then I end up ordering in. My favorite eyeshadow broke two days ago, Hard Candy Uzi ;; God, I am still pissed at myself. I'm a klutz and just dropped it and it cracked. It's still useable but it's just all broken into pieces and looks ugly. So to make up for it I ordered a few things from Urban Decay last night, although Uzi was sold out. I still want to work at Mac, but I have no car or way of transportation so it just wouldn't work out. I am pretty sure I'd get hired. I mean, this isn't Hollywood or anything where you have to have amazing make-up skills, this is land of the rednecks where no one knows anything about make-up.

I can't wait to go back to Florida. While there are a lot of economical and long-term reasons why it's good to go back there, I mainly just want to be near my mom and Andrea. And my mom's cat, Stella, I love that cat.

I'm tired, bored, I am going stir-crazy, I need to get out of this damn house. I think I have a fever.

;;

Thu, 24 Mar 2005 00:42:19 GMT

God, Livejournal is so boring...I'm an idiot and slept through my doctor's appointment yesterday, so no more vicodin for me for awhile ;; Just half a bottle left...

haha...

Thu, 17 Mar 2005 19:15:00 GMT

Okay...

http://www.picbasket.com/blogbabes/317.htm
http://www.blogaholic.info/newlife/

..

Tue, 08 Mar 2005 17:42:26 GMT

STOP ASKING ME HOW TO SPELL MY FUCKING LAST NAME

Hmm.

Tue, 01 Mar 2005 01:52:45 GMT

I have mono, no wonder I'm so tired...

Larry, Larry...

Sat, 26 Feb 2005 04:34:56 GMT

Old news, but still. What Larry Silverstein, owner of the World Trade Centers said about the collapse of the buildings in a PBS documentary:

"I remember getting a call from the, er, fire department commander, telling me that they were not sure they were gonna be able to contain the fire, and I said, 'We've had such terrible loss of life, maybe the smartest thing to do is pull it.'

Hmm..

Fri, 25 Feb 2005 03:23:28 GMT

You are not fucked up. Your life is not exceptionally worse than the average person. You're not special and do not deserve special attention because you get sad sometimes and your psychiatrist diagnosed you with depression. Depression isn't a disease. Everyone gets depressed, it's called being a human being. Do you ever feel lazy? Well maybe you are cursed with the couch-potato disease and need medicine because of it. Do you have any idea how much money corporations are making off of people's "depression"? There are other ways to improve your life than taking a fucking pill, which are usually barely more effective than placebos anyway.

No one is truly happy. Depression is not uncommon. Even if you have suffered a traumatic incident in your life (abusive family, rape, near-death experience) it still doesn't make you an exception. Things like that happen to a lot of people. I think there are some exceptions, but for the most part I think people just wallow in self-pity way more than they need to. For God's sake, there have been ex-POW's that have come back to find out that their wives divorced them and their kids taken from them, and they have been able to one day get back into the swing of things and lead a normal life and not wallow in self-pity and despair until the day they die. Stop spending all your time thinking, "God, I am so fucked up. People just don't understand." Stop wasting your life away by pretending to be this horribly fucked up person who will never recover when you're not.

Poll - please take

Sat, 19 Feb 2005 01:52:09 GMT

View Poll: About You

....

Wed, 16 Feb 2005 23:44:29 GMT

Strep throat, what's next? ~.~

Ah...

Fri, 11 Feb 2005 00:11:43 GMT

Eight fillings and a temporary crown today. Only two more fillings, a root canal, a crown, and wisdom teeth extraction to go. Ah, the joy of dentistry.

Best Movies of the 2000's

Fri, 28 Jan 2005 01:26:53 GMT

Here's a list of the top-rated movies from 2000-2005 (all with 90% approval from critics), I had no idea that there was so many good-looking movies to come out in the past five years. I've bolded the ones I've seen, although they are mostly just the mainstream ones. I'm going to try to see as many as these as possible over the next few months.

Sound & Fury
Yi Yi
The City of No Limits
You Can Count on Me
One Day in September
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Traffic
High Fidelity
The Big Animal
Kirikou and the Sorceress
Best in Show
The Filth and the Fury
Chicken Run
Blood Simple: Director's Cut
New Waterford Girl
The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack
Dark Days
Paragraph 175
Solas
Human Resources
Children Underground
Djomeh
The Human Body
Startup.com
Together
Apocalypse Now Redux
Monsters, Inc.
Things Behind the Sun
The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition
In the Bedroom
Jung (War) in the Land of the Mujaheddin
Asoka
Lantana
Werckmeister Harmonies
My Voyage to Italy
No Man's Land
The Devil's Backbone
I Remember Me
Sobibor, October 14, 1943, 4 p.m.
Yana's Friends
Fighter
Cure
Spy Kids
The Circle
The Legend of Rita
Memento
Last Resort
The Taste of Others
With a Friend Like Harry
Panic
The Widow of St. Pierre
The Dish
Amores Perros
Dinner Rush
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Ghost World
Life and Debt
Down from the Mountain
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Eureka
Under the Sand
Bowling for Columbine
How to Draw A Bunny
Far From Heaven
How I Killed My Father
Bloody Sunday
The Pinochet Case
Spirited Away
The Pianist
Mostly Martha
Talk to Her
Catch Me If You Can
Adaptation
Standing in the Shadows of Motown
The Cockettes
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
I'm Going Home
The Kid Stays in the Picture
Read My Lips
Promises
The Komediant
Baran
Monsoon Wedding
Lagaan
Metropolis
Scratch
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Alias Betty
The Trials of Henry Kissinger
Hell House
Home Movie
Insomnia
About a Boy
A Grin Without A Cat
Time Out
Minority Report
American Experience - Daughter from Danang
Nine Queens
Murderous Maids
Secret Lives: Hidden Children and Their Rescuers During WWII
Ripley's Game
Power Trip
Raising Victor Vargas
The Navigators
Open Hearts
Lost in La Mancha
Chaos
City of God
Andy Goldsworthy - Rivers and Tides: Working With Time
Stevie
The Man Without a Past
Angels in America
Rana's Wedding
American Splendor
In This World
The Magdalene Sisters
The Fog of War
Shattered Glass
Millennium Actress
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Balseros
My Architect: A Son's Journey
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Melvin Goes to Dinner
Manito
Girlhood
My Flesh and Blood
Autumn Spring
Suddenly
Lost in Translation
Yossi & Jagger
To Be and To Have
School of Rock
Bus 174
The Station Agent
The Triplets of Belleville
Capturing the Friedmans
The Weather Underground
Man on the Train
Marooned in Iraq
Winged Migration
Love and Diane
Whale Rider
Dirty Pretty Things
Finding Nemo
Sweet Sixteen
Spellbound
Vera Drake
After the Life
Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme
Million Dollar Baby
The Aviator
Fear and Trembling
The Incredibles
People Say I'm Crazy
Home of the Brave
Mayor of the Sunset Strip
Guerrilla: The Taking Of Patty Hearst
Deserted Station
Vodka Lemon
A Silent Love
Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin
Superstar in a Housedress
Moolaade
Postmen in the Mountains
S21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine
Tarnation
Infernal Affairs
I'm Not Scared
Hero
Since Otar Left
Super Size Me
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring
Son Frere
Control Room
Shrek 2
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Divan
Broken Wings
Osama
Kitchen Stories
Distant
Tom Dowd and the Language of Music
Touching the Void
Blind Shaft
Hiding and Seeking
The Return
Lost Boys of Sudan
The Agronomist
The Story of the Weeping Camel
Deadline
Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train
End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones
Shaun of the Dead
Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry
DIG!
Festival Express
Last Life in the Universe
Twilight Samurai
Baadasssss!
Shaolin Soccer
Spider-Man 2
Before Sunset
Imelda
Maria Full of Grace
The Corporation
Riding Giants
Sideways
Comme une Image
Hitler's Hit Parade
Travellers & Magicians

As far as my condition, the severe pain of my abscess is gone, but I am still completely exhausted from it and my face is still swollen, my right eye being kind of black. I went to the dentist today and he was going to take out my stitches (where I got the thirty plus shots of novocaine) but my mouth was just too swollen, so I'm waiting a week. We'll also see what we're going to do with my other bad tooth.

A little more of an update

Wed, 26 Jan 2005 17:08:02 GMT

I look like I was beaten with a stick. I woke up today to see that my whole right side of my face is completely swollen and I can barely see out of my eye. The doctor said that is normal for a case as bad as mine, and to put ice on it and take ibuprofen along with my vicodin. He said that I'll probably have to get that other root canal tomorrow as well. I look like a monster. I also just realized that I stitches all on my lip and gums from all the shots, and they hurt like hell.

Update

Tue, 25 Jan 2005 21:22:53 GMT

Well, I could barely sleep at all last night. I would sleep for about fifteen minutes at a time and then wake up for another fifteen minutes. I was yelling and moaning in pain all night. I almost overdosed on ibuprofen, I took about 2000 mg in 12 hours, along with a little too much Tylenol and Aleve. After about 1000 mg of the Ibuprofen it stopped working, so I just had immense pain in my mouth with extreme nausea on top of it. I got the doctor's appointment moved from 12 to 10; I called and asked if they had any cancellations and luckily they did. I got there and the pain was just getting worse and worse, and it seemed to take forever get into the fucking office. Everyone who got there after me was called before me. Anyways, as soon as I get in the office I'm crying hysterically like a moron. The dental assistant, who was very nice, did an x-ray on me and I had to bite down really hard with my infected tooth, which felt great of course. The doctor comes in and tells me that I have an extremely nasty abscess in my tooth. Big surprise. This was also the same tooth that I already had a root canal done on. So he decided to go in and operate on my tooth and try to save it instead of extracting it. He put anesthetics in my mouth right away and it absolutely did nothing. The pain actually felt worse with the more he put in. Eventually it got semi-numb, but it was so badly infected that I could still feel most of the operation. He gave me about thirty shots of the novocaine, at least. It was so awful. I was bleeding everywhere, the dentist's gloves were completely covered in blood. I was do dizzy and sick that everything is just so vague. It started to feel slightly better when they yanked out all the tissue and drained all the pus, then it hurt again when they put in the stitches. I looked like total hell. While walking to the bathroom I was stumbling while there was blood spewing out of my mouth, and I look in the mirror and there is blood all over my face. I literally looked (and felt) like I was dead.

Also, one of my bottom teeth was hurting very badly during the operation. The dentist at first thought that it was just pain from my upper tooth spreading around, but it turns out that I most likely have an abscess in that tooth as well. Isn't that lovely? It looks like that tooth got the abscess because it somehow got chipped (which I didn't even notice until looking, it's toward the back), so bacteria creeped its way in. Anyways, I was still in a ton of pain afterwards until I took my vicodin. Wow, it makes you feel like you're in heaven. It's so much better than any amount of ibuprofen. Hopefully it won't start to lose its effect after taking it a few times though, I do not want that pain too come back. I may have to get another root canal on Thursday, I'm so excited. My mouth is all nasty looking now. It looks like there's a huge incision on my gums, from all the shots. My gums are completely crusted with blood. I'm just glad I feel better at this moment, I thought I was about to kill myself last night, literally.

I am....

Mon, 24 Jan 2005 23:10:01 GMT

Going to die. I don't know if any of you are familiar with pain resulting from a tooth abscess, but let me assure you that it is some of the worst fucking pain in the world. I am going to safely assume that childbirth feels a heck of a lot better than this. I had an abscess about a year ago and got antiobiotics, but opted not to get the root canal at the time. Now it's back since I didn't do anything about it, worse than ever. My whole right mouth is swollen, the tooth and surrounding teeth have a constant extreme throbbing pain. My nose and jaw are even hurting, and I have a fever. Right now I am completely drugged up on pain medications. I have an emergency appointment at the dentist tomorrow, which isn't soon enough.

La. Court OKs Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment

Wed, 19 Jan 2005 19:02:43 GMT

NEW ORLEANS - The Louisiana Supreme Court on Wednesday unanimously reinstated the anti-gay marriage amendment to the state constitution that was overwhelmingly approved by voters in September.

The high court reversed a state district judge's ruling in October striking down the amendment on the grounds that it violated a provision of the state constitution requiring that an amendment cover only one subject.

"Each provision of the amendment is germane to the single object of defense of marriage and constitutes an element of the plan advanced to achieve this object," the high court said.

The court's ruling puts the amendment in the constitution.

"We're obviously delighted," said attorney Michael Johnson (news - web sites), who represented the Alliance Defense Fund, which argued for the amendment's legality before the Supreme Court.

The Louisiana Gay and Lesbian Political Action Coalition said a statement would be released shortly.

The amendment was sent to the ballot by the Legislature and approved by 78 percent of the voters on Sept. 18.

Legislative backers said that although gay marriages are banned by state law, the amendment was needed to ensure that courts would not authorize the marriages, as had happened in Massachusetts.

In striking down the "defense of marriage" amendment, Judge William Morvant of Baton Rouge had ruled that the amendment also prevented the state from recognizing any legal status for common-law relationships, domestic partnerships and civil unions between both gay and heterosexual couples.

Six of the justices joined in the majority opinion authored by Justice Jeanette Theriot Knoll. The seventh, Chief Justice Pascal Calogero, wrote a concurring opinion.

At issue was a provision of the amendment that stated: "A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be recognized."

Opponents had warned that the amendment went far beyond banning gay marriage and would deny contractual rights to all unmarried couples — whether gay or heterosexual — in such areas as owning property, willing it to heirs, and taking legal care of an incapacitated partner. As a result, they contended, the amendment had more than one object, and therefore could not become part of the constitution.

But the Supreme Court said the each part of the amendment is "germane to the object of `defense of marriage.'"

Eleven other states adopted similar amendments in the fall elections. President George Bush (news - web sites) also has proposed a federal anti-gay marriage amendment.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050119/ap_on_re_us/louisiana_gay_marriage

A fun poll for you

Fri, 14 Jan 2005 20:41:30 GMT

View Poll: Religion

2004 Election Results?

Wed, 12 Jan 2005 00:32:58 GMT

Kind of late, but I found this interesting, assuming these exit polls are accurate in even the slightest bit.

Vote by Income

Under $15,000 (8%) - Bush: 36% Kerry: 63% Nader: 0%

$15-30,000 (15%) - Bush: 42% Kerry: 57% Nader: 0%

$30-50,000 (22%) - Bush: 49% Kerry: 50% Nader: 0%

$50-75,000 (23%) - Bush: 56% Kerry: 43% Nader: 0%

$75-100,000 (14%) - Bush: 55% Kerry: 45% Nader: 0%

$100-150,000 (11%) - Bush: 57% Kerry: 42% Nader: 1%

$150-200,000 (4%) - Bush: 58% Kerry: 42% Nader: * (* means so insignificant they don't even get a 0%)

$200,000 or More (3%) - Bush: 63% Kerry: 35% Nader: 1%

The higher your salary is, the more likely you would vote for Bush. By income the people who voted for Nader the most made between $100-150,000 a year and $200,000+ a year. Strange.

Vote by Race and Gender

White Men (36%) - Bush: 62% Kerry: 37% Nader: 0%

White Women (41%) - Bush: 55% Kerry: 44% Nader: 0%

Non-White Men (10%) - Bush: 30% Kerry: 67% Nader: 1%

Non-White Women (12%) - Bush: 24% Kerry: 75% Nader: 1%

White men seemed to of overwhemingly liked Bush, white women slightly more liked Kerry, and the non-whites of both genders, Kerry. Nader was more popular with non-white men and non-white women.

Vote by Race

White (77%) - Bush: 58% Kerry: 41% Nader: 0%

African-American (11%) - Bush: 11% Kerry: 88% Nader: 0%

Latino (8%) - Bush: 44% Kerry: 53% Nader: 2%

Asian (2%) - Bush: 44% Kerry: 56% Nader: *

Other (2%) - Bush: 40% Kerry: 54% Nader: 2%

White people voted for Bush more by 13%, African-Americans voted overwhemingly Democrat, Latino's were more down the middle, slightly Democrat, Asians down the middle, Democrat again, and others, Democrat. Nader seems to be much more popular with Latinos and the "Other" category more than any other race, and seems to have a virtually non-existant voter base with Asians.

Vote by Age

18-29 (17%) - Bush: 45% Kerry: 54% Nader: 0%

30-44 (29%) - Bush: 53% Kerry: 46% Nader: 1%

45-59 (30%) - Bush: 51% Kerry: 48% Nader: 0%

60 and Older (24%) - Bush: 54% Kerry: 46% Nader: 0%

Bush won narrowly with all ages except for the 18-29 age group. By age most of Nader supports were in the 30-44 age range. Surprise, surprise, you probably thought it was younger.

Are You a Working Woman?

Yes (29%) - Bush: 48% Kerry: 51% Nader: 0%

No (71%) - Bush: 53% Kerry: 46% Nader: 0%

Although close, more working women voted for Kerry. I wonder why?

Vote by Education

No High School (4%) - Bush: 49% Kerry: 50% Nader: 0%

H.S. Graduate (22%) - Bush: 52% Kerry: 47% Nader: 0%

Some College (32%) - Bush: 54% Kerry: 46% Nader: 0%

College Graduate (26%) - Bush: 52% Kerry: 46% Nader: 1%

Postgrad Study (16%) - Bush: 44% Kerry: 55% Nader: 1%

I found this one interesting. No high school education it's about 50/50, and then it seems the more education you get the more likely you are to vote for Bush (5%-9%), but as soon as you're in postgrade study it dramatically switched, with Kerry getting 11% more votes for that group. Nader voters appear to typically have a higher education.

Vote by Religion

Protestant (54%) - Bush: 59% Kerry: 40% Nader: 0%

Catholic (27%) - Bush: 52% Kerry: 47% Nader: 0%

Jewish (3%) - Bush: 25% Kerry: 74% Nader: *

Other (7%) - Bush: 23% Kerry: 74% Nader: 1%

None (10%) - Bush: 31% Kerry: 67% Nader: 1%

Bush obviously won over the Christians, Jews, Atheists, and people of "Other" religion overwhemingly voted for Kerry. It's sad to think that 31% of atheists voted Bush. Nader supports tend to be of "other" religion or be atheists.

Have You Ever Served in the Military?

Yes (18%) - Bush: 57% Kerry: 41% Nader: 0%

No (82%) - Bush: 49% Kerry: 50% Nader: 0%

People who once served in the military are quite a bit more likely to vote for Bush. Interesting.

Are You Married?

Yes (63%) - Bush: 57% Kerry: 42% Nader: 0%

No (37%) - Bush: 40% Kerry: 58% Nader: 0%

Are you gay, lesbian, or bi-sexual?

Yes (4%) - Bush: 23% Kerry: 77% Nader: 0%

No (96%)- Bush: 53% Kerry: 46% Nader: 0%

You know something's wrong when you have that many gays voting for Bush.

Gun Owner in the Household?

Yes (41%) - Bush: 63% Kerry: 36% Nader: 1%

No (59%) - Bush: 43% Kerry: 57% Nader: 0%

You gotta love 'em gun-toting Christum folks.

Most Important Issue

Taxes - (5%) Bush: 57% Kerry: 43% Nader: 0%

Education (4%) - Bush: 26% Kerry: 73% Nader: *

Iraq (15%) - Bush: 26% Kerry: 73% Nader: 0%

Terrorism (19%) - Bush: 86% Kerry: 14% Nader: 0%

Economy/Jobs (20%) - Bush: 18% Kerry: 80% Nader: 0%

Moral Values (22%) - Bush: 80% Kerry: 18% Nader: 1%

Health Care (8%) - Bush: 23% Kerry: 77% Nader: *

I find that one amusing.

Bush Pays More Attention To...

Ordinary Americans (41%) - Bush: 94% Kerry: 6% Nader: 0%

Large Corporations (54%) - Bush: 16% Kerry: 82% Nader: 1%

So even quite a few of Bush voters know where his interests lie.

Policy Toward Same-Sex Couples

Legally Marry (25%) - Bush: 22% Kerry: 77% Nader: 1%

Civil Unions (35%) - Bush: 52% Kerry: 47% Nader: 0%

No Legal Recognition (37%) - Bush: 70% Kerry: 29% Nader: 0%

Not all Democrats are pro-equal rights.

Most Important Quality

Cares About People (9%) - Bush: 24% Kerry: 75% Nader: 1%

Religious Faith (8%) - Bush: 91% Kerry: 8% Nader: *

Honest/Trustworthy (11%) - Bush: 70% Kerry: 29% Nader: 1%

Strong Leader (17%) - Bush: 87% Kerry: 12% Nader: 0%

Intelligent (7%) - Bush: 9% Kerry: 91% Nader: 0%

Will Bring Change (24%) - Bush: 5% Kerry: 95% Nader: 0%

Clear Stand on Issue (17%) - Bush: 79% Kerry: 20% Nader: 0%

Vote By Region

Northeast (22%) - Bush: 43% Kerry: 56% Nader: 1%

Midwest (26%) - Bush: 51% Kerry: 48% Nader: 0%

South (32%) - Bush: 58% Kerry: 42% Nader: 0%

West (20%) - Bush: 49% Nader: 50% Nader: 1%

Pretty much down the line except the south, big surprise.

Vote By Size of Community

Big Cities (13%) - Bush: 39% Kerry: 60% Nader: *

Smaller Cities (19%) - Bush: 49% Kerry: 49% Nader: 0%

Suburbs (45%) - Bush: 52% Kerry: 47% Nader: 0%

Small Towns (8%) - Bush: 50% Kerry: 48% Nader: 1%

Rural (16%) - Bush: 59% Kerry: 40% Nader: 1%

Pretty much down the line, except for quite a bit more Bush supports in rural communities, and a lot more Kerry supporters in big cities.

X-P

Sun, 09 Jan 2005 23:09:34 GMT

"In the Bullshit Department, a businessman can't hold a candle to a clergyman. 'Cause I gotta tell you the truth, folks. When it comes to bullshit, big-time, major league bullshit, you have to stand in awe of the all-time champion of false promises and exaggerated claims, religion. No contest. No contest. Religion. Religion easily has the greatest bullshit story ever told. Think about it. Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!

But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can't handle money! Religion takes in billions of dollars, they pay no taxes, and they always need a little more. Now, you talk about a good bullshit story. Holy Shit!"

-George Carlin

True or false?

Thu, 06 Jan 2005 05:09:27 GMT

In several thousand years people will believe Christianity the way people believe in Greek Gods now.

.......

Mon, 03 Jan 2005 21:38:36 GMT

Pictures

Thu, 23 Dec 2004 00:51:53 GMT

I don't like pictures.

Study: Christmas deadliest day for Americans

Tue, 14 Dec 2004 05:25:22 GMT

WASHinTON (Reuters) -- Christmas is da deadliest day hof da year fer USAiiiiins wif 12.4 percent more deaths than normal, researchers said on Monday.

More USAiiiiins die from heart attacks and otha natural causes on Christmas, da day afta and on New Year's Day than on any otha days hof da year, da researchers reported.

It is probably 'coz people is feeling too busy or too festive to go to da hospital ova da winta holiday season, da researchers wrote in Monday's issue hof da journal Circulation.

da researchers, sociologist David Phillips hof da University hof California San Diego and colleagues there and at Tufts University in Boston, found a 4.65 percent increase in heart deaths and just shy hof a 5 percent increase in non-heart deaths ova da 14 days spanning da Decemba holidays.

They did not count deaths from suicide, murda or accidents and took into account da perilous effects hof a cold snap on health.

"We found dat there is a general tendency fer cardiac and noncardiac deaths to peak during da winter, but above and beyond dis seasonal increase, there is additional increases in heart attack and otha deaths around Christmas and New Year's," Phillips said in a statement.

In all, Phillips and colleagues counted more than 42,000 "extra" deaths during da holidays ova a 26-year period. Only two years did not see dis phenomenon -- 1973, whun oil prices peaked and people tended not to travel, and 1981, whun a severe recession also kept USAiiiiins at Staines.

"hof all da thins we considered dat might impact da increase in holiday deaths from natural causes, only two were consistent wif our data," Phillips said.

"One possibility is dat people tend to delay seeking care fer symptoms. Anotha is dat there is oftun changes in medical staff during da holidays and, consequently, da quality hof medical care might be compromised."

da report fits in wif a study published in March dat found heart attack patients sent to hospitals during da winta holidays is more likely to die than those admitted during da rest hof da year,

Clinics, emergency rooms and otha healf facilities do not operate at top efficiency ova da holiday period, said Dr. Trip Meine, a cardiologist at Duke University in Norf Carolina, who led da study released at an USAiiiiin college hof Cardiology meeting.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/12/13/health.holidays.reut/index.html

Health Care - United States vs. Canada

Wed, 01 Dec 2004 23:50:42 GMT

Government Involvement
The two neighbours are a dramatic contrast. Canada has the world's most fully socialized health care system while the United States is the only OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) country not to have some form of guaranteed health insurance.

The governments of both nations are closely involved in the delivery of health care. The central structural difference between the two is in health insurance. In Canada all citizens are guaranteed access to health care by the Canada Health Act, which explicitly prohibits billing end users for procedures that are covered by Medicare. In the United States health insurance must be paid for privately if one is not disabled or over 65, in most cases by a person’s employer. However, there are about forty million Americans who do not have health insurance.

Canada's health plan only covers certain areas. Dental care is not covered, and optometry is only covered in some provinces. Also, some procedures are only covered under certain circumstances. For example, circumcision is not covered, and a fee is usually charged when a parent requests the procedure; however, if an infection or medical necessity arises, the procedure would be covered. When compared, the privately managed sectors of the health system have similar rates of participation and treatment in both countries.

Cost of Health Care
Health care is of the most expensive items of both nations’ budgets. In 2001, in Canada, about 16.2% of government money was spent on health care, while in the United States this number was 17.6%. When exchange rates are included it can be seen that government in the United States spends more per capita on health care than it does in Canada. In 2001, the government of Canada spent $1533 (in US dollars) per person on health care, while in the United States it gave $2168.

Despite the American government paying more per capita, private sources also pay far more for health care in the United States. In Canada an average of $630 dollars is spent annually by individuals or private insurance companies for health care, including dental, eye care, and drugs. In the United States this number is $2719.

In 2001 the United States spent in total 13.6% of its annual GDP on health care. In Canada only 9.5% of the GDP was spent on health care.

Drugs
Another much higher cost in the United States is that of prescription drugs and medicines. Canada has laws that impose less rigorously medical patents. Generic drugs are thus allowed on Canadian shelves sooner. The Canadian system also takes advantage of centralized buying by the provincial governments that have more market heft and buy in bulk, lowering prices. This typically delays the introduction of new medications into the Canadian market. However, despite this Canada continues to be a world leader in the research and development of pharmaceuticals.

Quality of Care
While Canada’s health system is cheaper, it compares well with the American one statistically. Life expectancy in 2002 was about two and a half years lower in the United States than Canada. With Canadians living to an average of 79.8 years and Americans 77.3. Infant and child mortality rates are also markedly higher in the United States.

When comparisons of public satisfaction are made between the two nations' health care systems, the numbers for Canadians and insured Americans are almost identical. This holds true in average annual doctor's visits. While a good number of Canadians complained that they were unable to receive treatment due to long wait lists, overall Canadians had no greater number of people unable to receive treatment than insured Americans.

A much greater difference was seen, however, between uninsured Americans and Canadians. Overall the uninsured group was much less satisfied, less likely to have seen a doctor, and more likely to have been unable to receive desired care than both Canadians and insured Americans. This leads to numbers somewhat lower for Americans.

Effect of Poverty
If the poorest twenty percent of Americans were excluded from health statistics, Canadian and American life expectancy and infant mortality rates would be almost identical.

There is some disagreement as to whether the poor are less healthy merely because they have reduced access to medical treatment in the United States. The fact that the poor are also generally poorer in the United States is believed by many to contribute greatly to reduced health. If this is the case, then not only adopting Canada's health care system but other social welfare programs may also be necessary to bring American health levels up to Canadian ones.

However, the wealthy are more likely to be more healthy in the United States than Canada. The better health of this smaller group cannot statistically offset the poorer health at the much larger bottom levels of the socio-economic system.

Economic Effects
Conversely, the problem could be not poverty hurting health, but poor health causing poverty. Over a quarter of the American poor report chronic health difficulties, a level much higher than in Canada. This can make it far harder to find and hold a job and improve one's financial well being. Better overall health of the poor encourages social mobility and may play a role in it recently being easier to climb the social ladder in Canada than in the United States.

The economic effects of the differences in the two health system are hard to judge. Canada's higher taxes to pay for health care certainly have some negative impact on its economy. There are some benefits as well, however. Major corporations often find it cheaper to pay those taxes rather than having to provide expensive employee health plans as in the United States. This is especially true of the auto industry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_and_American_health_care_systems_compared

Bible Critique Part 1

Tue, 16 Nov 2004 22:43:34 GMT

This is my first analysis and critique of the Bible. If you have anything to add feel free to post it. My main sources of information were Wikipedia and The Steps to Recovery of Bible Abuse website.

I Timothy 1:9-10
Law is not made for a righteous person but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and fornicators and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound (healthy) teaching.

It's interesting, because the "homosexual" is a modern word that people started using about a hundred years ago. It's a composite word made from a Greek term (homo, "the same") and a Latin term (sexualis, "sex"). There is no word that comes close to "homosexual" in the bible before the 1946 Revised Standard Version was released. What is used to say before being revised, was this:

Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers. For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

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Leviticus 18:22
Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.

Leviticus 20:13
If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

These two verses have been used more than any other Bible texts to condemn gay and lesbian people.

Leviticus: 12:1-8
The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Say to the Israelites: 'A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her monthly period. On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised. Then the woman must wait thirty-three days to be purified from her bleeding. She must not touch anything sacred or go to the sanctuary until the days of her purification are over. If she gives birth to a daughter, for two weeks the woman will be unclean, as during her period. Then she must wait sixty-six days to be purified from her bleeding. " 'When the days of her purification for a son or daughter are over, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering. He shall offer them before the LORD to make atonement for her, and then she will be ceremonially clean from her flow of blood. " 'These are the regulations for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. If she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.' "
translation: A woman is unclean during her monthly period and cannot go to church or touch anything sacred. If she give births to a boy she is unclean for thirty-three days after he's born, and if she gives birth to a girl she is unclean for sixty-six days. After she's clean again she's to bring the priest an animal sacrifice.

Leviticus 18:19
Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period.

Leviticus 15:19
Anything she lies on during her period will be unclean, and anything she sits on will be unclean. 21 Whoever touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. Whoever touches anything she sits on must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. Whether it is the bed or anything she was sitting on, when anyone touches it, he will be unclean till evening.
translation: You cannot have sex with a woman when she's on her period. The first above is grouped in with other verses that are condemning "sexually indecent acts," such as having sex with your sister, brother, father's wife, etc. So be wary if you've ever had sex when you were on your period or had sex with someone who was on their period, you may just go down in the fiery pits of hell. The second verse is saying that touching a woman or touching anything she's touched while on her period is unclean.

Exodus 35:1-2
Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and said to them, "These are the things the LORD has commanded you to do: For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the LORD . Whoever does any work on it must be put to death.
translation: If you've ever worked on a Sunday you will be put to death.

Exodus 21:7-11
If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as menservants do. If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her.If he selects her for his son, he must grant her the rights of a daughter. If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights. If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money.
translation: The rules and regulations for selling your daugher as a slave.

Leviticus 11:10-12
Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams, you may eat any that have fins and scales. But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales-whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water-you are to detest. And since you are to detest them, you must not eat their meat and you must detest their carcasses. Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be detestable to you.
translation: Eating anything from the waters that doesn't have fins and scales, such as shellfish, is a sin.

Leviticus 19:27-28
Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard. "'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.
translation: The first verse states that as a man you may not get your hair trimmed or your beard. The second verse states that tattoo's are forbidden.

Leviticus 19:19
Keep my decrees.
" 'Do not mate different kinds of animals.
" 'Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.
" 'Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.
translation: You cannot mix breeds in cattle, you cannot have any more than one crop in one field, and cannot wear clothing that has more than two kinds of material. The pants I'm wearing are 70% polyester, 25% rayon, 4% spandex, and 1% metallic. Will I be put to death for this?

Leviticus 24:10-16
Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse; so they brought him to Moses. (His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.) They put him in custody until the will of the LORD should be made clear to them. Then the LORD said to Moses: "Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. Say to the Israelites: 'If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; 16 anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.
translation: If you've ever said God's name in vein you shall be put to death. I said "Oh my God," a few minutes ago, am I going to die?

Q: But obviously eating shellfish isn't as bad as being a homosexual!! If eating shellfish was so bad my priest would talk about it! Fundamentalists would be protesting at seafood restaurants and at stores that sell clothes with mixed materials!!!

Well, the warning is quite clear in Leviticus 26:14-18

'But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and drain away your life. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you. " 'If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of the land yield their fruit.

So if you wish not to be put to death for your sins, I strongly suggest buying new types of clothes, not going to church or touching people while you're on your period, not getting your hair and beard trimmed, and of course, don't ever work on Sunday.

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Romans 1:26-27
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

Paul's text have been used to punish every minority you can think of: Jews, women, children, slaves, lesbians, mentally ill, the divorced, etc. And in the above verse, Paul is not talking about homosexuality for all people for all time, he's talking about "God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves" - one town, one instance, one particular punishment of God that they turned "vile".

II Peter 3:16-18
Paul wrote things hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable distort, as they do the rest of scripture, to their own destruction! You, therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled people, you fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom is the glory, both now and to the day of eternity Amen.

Paul also specifically states that what he says is his own opinion, not the Lord's.

1 Corinthians 7:12
Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord.

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Final verses

James 2:10
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

Matthew 7:1-5 (said by Jesus Christ)
Do not judge lest you be judged yourselves... Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ...You hypocrite!"

Romans 2:1
Therefore you are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment, for in that you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.

Fallujah

Mon, 15 Nov 2004 04:34:32 GMT

"....In the hours and days that followed, heavy bombing raids and thunderous artillery shelling turned Hussein's northern Jolan neighborhood into a zone of rubble and death. The walls of his house were pockmarked by coalition fire.
       ''Destruction was everywhere. I saw people lying dead in the streets, wounded were bleeding and there was no one to come and help them. Even the civilians who stayed in Fallujah were too afraid to go out,'' he said.
       ''There was no medicine, water, no electricity nor food for days.''
       By Tuesday afternoon, as U.S. forces and Iraqi rebels engaged in fierce clashes in the heart of his neighborhood, Hussein snapped.
       ''U.S. soldiers began to open fire on the houses, so I decided that it was very dangerous to stay in my house,'' he said.
       Hussein said he panicked, seizing on a plan to escape across the Euphrates River, which flows on the western side of the city
       ''I wasn't really thinking,'' he said. ''Suddenly, I just had to get out. I didn't think there was any other choice.''
       In the rush, Hussein left behind his camera lens and a satellite telephone for transmitting his images. His lens, marked with the distinctive AP logo, was discovered two days later by U.S. Marines next to a dead man's body in a house in Jolan.
       AP colleagues in the Baghdad bureau, who by then had not heard from Hussein in 48 hours, became even more worried.
       Hussein moved from house to house — dodging gunfire — and reached the river.
       ''I decided to swim ... but I changed my mind after seeing U.S. helicopters firing on and killing people who tried to cross the river.''
       He watched horrified as a family of five was shot dead as they tried to cross. Then, he ''helped bury a man by the river bank, with my own hands.'' ...

Rest at http://famulus.msnbc.com/famulusintl/ap11-14-100721.asp?reg=mideast&vts=111420041156