healthcare system in rwanda

i wonder what my friend m.s. thinks about this:

real information

i've been frustrated in following the '08 presidential campaign news because of the overall lack of information offered up by each candidate and the non-issues on which the media seems to focus.
this website is a really good tool for matching you up to the candidate who agrees with you the most on the issues you care about.
first, you give weight to different issues to designate which ones you care about, and to what extent. then, you are given positions on each issue to which you mark how much you agree or disagree.
the output is a % ranking of how much each candidate represents your positions. the ranking is based on those candidates' voting records and positions they have publicly taken on each issue.

enjoy!

And you know what else?

Sorry for the spasm of posts, but this form is the new bullshitting, right?
What do you think about the money fable about the Mexican fisherman? It bothers me. On the other hand, there's a more realistic depiction of Benny the Boatman, and it doesn't sound that cool.
Which one is the sucker? How does one achieve non-suckerdom?

good live music

So first, I think we can all agree that nothing beats great live music. Based on that, I highly recommend seeing Mirah. (sample) P & I went to see her last night, and it was the best show I've been to since Simon & Garfunkel reunited (Major Life Milestone, that concert was).

I guess I don't mean to build her up too much because unmet expectations can ruin an otherwise enjoyable time (Clinic!), but even P was a fanatic by the end.

I'll come right out and say: She was playing with a band that consisted of a mandolin, accordion, and cello, and her songs were some sort of concept piece on different insects. Oh, and she's an indie lesbian folk singer. And she has almost no charisma on stage. And despite all of this, she is still somehow not to be missed.

Umm, bad idea...

I guess what I'm trying to say is: please don't vote for this man.

new things

with the new year, so many things are new for me:

• new school
• new job (technically, i'll be doing the same job, just being paid by someone else. and by someone else, i mean you. )
• new phone, which is like The Most Fun New Toy i've had since barbie had relevance. i am aware that it's no iPhone, but it's so light years ahead of what i had that it makes me swoon.

ok, so i guess that's only three things. i also want a new bike, or really any bike. so maybe my list will grow.

i endured much stress and angst since september '04 to get to these new things-- not the phone, but the school & work-- and am so relieved to finally have conquered the prereqs for my good life. i know, it's not that simple, but still: ahhhhh....

There is hope for the youth of today!

I love it!

reminds me of my favorite poem by Shell Silverstein (when I was 8...I remember it as being much better)

SICK
"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteeen chicken pox
And there's one more—that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut, my eyes are blue—
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke—
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb,
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is—what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is...Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!"

ask your doctor if kickbacks are right for you

"...[P]harmaceutical companies spend almost twice as much on promotion as they do on R&D."

According to this new study, drug companies spend (per year):

$31.5 billion on research

$57.5 billion on marketing

(in addition to consumer ads, that's an average of $61,000 per physician on marketing).

If reading studies is not your thing, consumerist.com gives a good digest here.