kamui

Everthing went downhill in the USA since you left...

In Germany, some docs, like dentists, are extremely well paid, country doctors aren't doing that well. We don't have medical school, medicine is taught at all major universities. You need an extremely good college degree for to study medicine, since there are far more students than university places... Actually, we have two-tier system: self-employed and high earners are mostly privately insured. They get a better service (like single rooms in hospitals, much shorter waiting times at doctors, e.g.), but if they get older they have to pay very high premiums. All others are covered by health care providers whose prices and services are mostly fixed. Those providers cover all basic needs, including chronic illnesses, cancer ops, dentist, eg.. Only elaborate dentist work or similar stuff has to be paid separately. Only around 200.000 people (among 100 million) are uninsured. Unemployed or poor retired people are covered by the state and receive the same health care as others. And we don't have higher premiums for pre-existing conditions... Bankruptcies because of exploding health care payments don't exist in Germany. But of course not everything is fine. The health care industry is extremely powerful. Prices are going up, while service are going down. The health care industry prefers completely privately insured people, because they can ask for up to three time higher prices for standard services.

I just read the original story "Savages" by Don Winslow. IMHO it is by far not his best book.

Strange, in Europe health care is comparably cheap, because all people are insured. This should be possible in the USA as well if millions more would join health care.

I guess the NAACP audience especially didn't like that Romny used the GOP speech of "Obamacare". They might have seen it as a double attack...

I guess everybody knows that the US health care system is completely fucked up. You pay more than any European citizen while in Texas alone around 25% are uninsured. I have read that 1/3 of the bankruptcies in middle class families are caused by exploding health care costs. I guess you have the health care system you deserve, because of your "each on his own policy" and because you let the health care industry let run the show. This policy doesn't work in health care. I's like being forced to pay for your own policemen or firefighter for your house...

This is for ChocSteve. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtJF3veLzko

Yep, it's base on the french comic. First watch part one, if I remember right, it's close the original plot(s). http://goo.gl/0k6nD

Last week I watched "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDY89LYxK0w Wonderful (mostly) comedy. The creme of the Brit actors over 60. Good dialogues, well shot. Of course completely unrealistic, but I guess I would love to retire like this.

Just watched "Largo Winch 2 - The Burma Conspiracy" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46yynePgFVI French Production, with international actors like Sharon Stone (she is looking aged). Around 1/3 was filmed in Thailand. I guess it never made it to large screen, but it's ok watch it at home. PS: I seems that they used the a similar (the same?) film sets like the last Rambo movie. A Burmese military camp, which the main actor destroys and than he flees by boat and arrives at Thai luxury resort (without any border crossing/patrols of course). And I think the Karen spoke Thai as well.

The US Railroad Systems in in 1890!

Let us welcome the USA to the 21st Century. Finally the USA introduces a technology, developed since the 1960s, which is standard in Mid-Western Europe and is a backbone of transportation in the leading Asian countries (China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea...) California gives OK to high-speed rail By: Burgess Everett July 6, 2012 07:27 PM EDT The California state Senate passed a budget measure Friday afternoon that sealed the deal: High-speed rail is coming to the Golden State. The bill passed with only Democratic support in the upper chamber, 21-16, and authorizes the state to provide $2.7 billion in funds that the Department of Transportation will match with $3.3 billion, a total of $6 billion that will go to funding the initial, 130-mile high-speed segment in the Central Valley region. The federal money was contingent on the state’s go-ahead; now there is enough money for contracts to go out and ground to be broken. Some of that money came from states like Wisconsin and Florida, whose Republican governors rejected the federal fast train money. The project, decades in the making, could begin construction as soon as this winter. The legislation also contains nearly $2 billion for local projects in the state’s heavily populated Bay Area and Southern California. The General Assembly passed the measure Thursday, 51-27, but the Senate showdown was always the main event. In the days preceding the vote, Capitol Hill Democrats — reportedly including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) — aided state supporters in shoring up the necessary 21 votes for the bill, which was the subject of intense media speculation all week as leaders delayed the vote until moments before a month-long recess began. Before the vote, state Senate President Darrell Steinberg (D) took to the floor to offer a last request for support. “How many chances to do we have to inject a colossal stimulus into today’s economy?†Steinberg said, imploring his colleagues to vote yes. “This project has now transformed from high-speed rail only to an $8 billion infrastructure infusion.†And Republicans, who all opposed the measure, tried to use procedural votes and tactics to scrap the vote. Then they criticized the state for deficit spending during difficult financial times. “I think this is a colossal fiscal train wreck for California,†said Sen. Tony Strickland. “This was sold to the people of California at a very low cost compared to where it is today.†..... Politico PS: just imagine how the USA would look like today, if they would have used the money wasted in two wars for infrastructure projects and education... PS: In Europe traveling to major cities in a 500 km range is very pleasant nowadays due to the ever developing high speed rail network. Trips which would take 5-6 hours by car can be done within 3 1/2 hours by train now. PS: I would love to take the new train high speed train recently introduced in Italy. It has been dubbed the "Ferrari of the Railyard"

I love the US news-/blogsphere. Creativity and invention rates much higher than boring research and validating sources (this is soo 20th century journalism). Just look at this quote how they came across the number fo 16.500 IRS workers: CNN saids that Bachmann had it from a GOP committee which had from a "preliminary estimate" from the Budget Office. CNN didn't check the facts and the original source and neither of course did Bachman nor did it Infowars. So we only have the word of mouth from Bachmann who is known to get the facts completely wrong or just making them up. PS: I just looked up the guy behind infowars.com at Wikipedia. He is a rightwing conservative who loves conspiracy theories and who even built a memorial for the psycho sect members who got killed in Wako. He is an advocate of the New World Order conspiracy theory. I guess he watched too many James Bond movies in his youth.

It took me a long time to understand the difference between European and US elections. In Europe people _mainly_ vote with their standard of living in mind. The party which promises the most stable living condtions (job, health care, education, e.g.), or even better, increasing living conditions, gets the majority of the votes. Of course ideology, religion, nationalism play a factor as well, but in a smaller part. In the USA it seems that elections are mostly decided by ideological and religious interests. It seems to be clear that on long term the majority of the US citizens are doing better under a democrat government, nevertheless they frequently vote for the party which promises to cut their standard of living (health care, local and national infrastructure, education, while spending a major part on military and wars). The reason is that the ideology/religion behind the destruction of the individual standard of living has a much stronger pull than the reality of their living condition... And of course, there are is major ideological difference in how Europeans and the US Americans are seing the role of their government. In Europe in most countries the government is partly responsible for the weak (unemployed, ill, old) and all people are paying for it via taxes. While the USA seems to have a more Darwinist approach and for many the government seems to be the enemy of the people... PS: Every European government which supported GWB's wars went down. Surprisingly, the two ongoing wars don't seem to play any role in the current public debate in the USA.

Americans are moving to Canada because of the Health Care ruling. People Who Say They're Moving To Canada Because Of ObamaCare Canada has European style health care system, covering all citizens.

I guess you got it completely wrong. The appointment of supreme court judges can have a lasting effect on the country for decades. Therefore usually presidents chose judges most close to their political interests. Just have a look at judge Scalia. He is a real right wing judge, who could be called an "activist judge" (a term invented by right wingers actually). He was appointed by Reagan. Here most recent comment on Saclia: Justice Scalia must resign It seems everything in the USA becomes more and more politicized and radicalized.

It will definitely heaten up the election campaigns. It's a hard hit for the GOP, but gives them a lot of talking points...

Buy the pirated DVD in BKK... Watching it on large movie screen is a waste of time and money.

I guess he is only permitted to watch Thai movies.

Yep, I faked may age here on the board.

This has nothing to do with climate change of course, neither do the upcoming water wars in the south of the USA...

Yep, a movie for 14 year old boys in puberty.

Before jumping to conclusion, you might read the original article here: http://www.nytimes.c...amas-roots.html