Saturday, January 27, 2007

A question from Hilary Clinton

Based on your own family's experience, what do you think we should do to improve health care in America?

Yahoo! Answers Staff note: Yahoo! Answers is a forum for people from all over the world to engage with one another and to find information on topics that interest them. This is not an endorsement. We are not siding with any candidate or party -- in general or for the 2008 US elections. We’re hopeful that people from all perspectives will realize the great insights that the Answers community can have, and will turn to us for future discussions.


Your Answer:
The problem with health care in America is that it has become nothing more than a consumer product. And the pharmaceutical companies now play the role of the tobacco industry. Every advertisement on television is either for a prescription that will do more harm than good or for insurance companies which are nothing more than the modern day corporate version of the mafia. Not only are we forced into paying for a service that we "may" need one day, if we choose not to pay we face criminal charges. When the day arrives and just as you're about to make a sigh of relief because finally you feel like you weren't just throwing away your money...suddenly they're treating you like a debt they don't want to pay off and unlike you they suffer no consequences should they decide not to service their customer. And while the medical insurance companies are a major contributing factor to our health care woes there are two issues I really want to address. Firstly, there isn't solely one problem that if rectified will make everything better but there is one major defect that if resolved properly I believe will have a great effect on both the American health care system and the American people.

My grandmother moved in with my family when her diabetes worsened and was no longer able to care for herself. With everyone in my family working we juggled the responsibility of getting her to her doctor appointments which we were plenty and often. Though she didn't qualify for medicare my mother was able to obtain an affordable health plan. And with the help of good physicians my parents were able to manager her diabetes. But with so many different prescriptions, for diabetes, blood pressure, arthritis, appetite stimulants and anti-depressants how could anyone stand a chance. Then came the dementia pills, the most expensive of all her medications and the one that wreaked the most havoc. My mother continually complained to her doctors about the ill effects from the pills but rather than take her off the prescription the "specialist" would just advise to cut her dosage in half even when my mother explained she was now only taking half of one pill.

What are our elderly citizens to do when they entrust their health concerns to doctors and "specialist" that work to fill sales quotas at the expense of the patient well being. What the pharmaceutical companies and their lobbyist fail to realize is that they are taking more than just money from these patients. And far worse than the "possible side-effects" of these "wonder drugs" is the toll it takes on the families who can do nothing more than endure the pain with their sick loved ones.

The other comment I'd like to make is regarding our society's overall dependency on drugs and I'm speaking of prescription and over the counter. Too often children are prescribed pills for behavioral problems instead of actually trying to figure out what the problem is. And of course the problems persists through out their life never to be resolved but only medicated. A tactic successfully used by tobacco companies.

What I am proposing in an effort to improve our health care qualms is less economic dependency on pharmaceutical companies. There needs to be stricter regulations on lobbyist and the pharmaceutical industry.

I am illiterate, i can't write a proper essay. How can i improve my writing skills?

I am illiterate, i never did all my homework in high school and now it's comming back to hunt me for the rest of my life on this Earth.

How can i write a good eassy? What can i do to help me? Would writing a essay every week help improve my writing skills? What techniques are able to improve that skill?

I've been reading more but that doesn't seem to help my writing skills, it did improve my reading skills, dramatically.

I am currently in a Community College at the moment just taking basic course, which makes me feel like a freaking loser.I need to improve on my concrete writing skills before i enroll in a college level English class and make a fool out of my self.


First of all don't feel stupid. The most important thing is that you are trying to educate yourself now and that you are seeking help. But you have to know that there is no easy way...remember you took the easy way out before and now its come back to haunt you.

You should practice writing every day. It would be helpful if you could find someone to help you. A good way to learn is to use what is called the imitation technique. By the way kudos on reading more that is the first step. Select some sentences from your readings and copy them from the book on to a piece of paper then try to imitate the structure of the sentence with your own words right under the sentence you copied from your book.

You are also best to pay attention and try to learn as much as you can in your class. If you are having difficulties following along with the class then you need to address your issue and speak to the teacher or seek out a some assistance, perhaps a fellow student. If you really can't find anyone, maybe you can find someone on line that you can send your writings to proofread and give you suggestions.

The most important thing for you to know is that it is perfectly ok to make mistakes. I've read plenty of published articles by "journalists", presumably college graduates, riddled with poor grammar, improper structure and just incredibly hard to follow. So, don't be so hard on yourself.

Source(s):

I'm merely a student too, but I'd be willing to help as much as I can, whenever I can. Email me directly if you like...somgrl8@sbcglobal.net

Friday, January 26, 2007

Like Mike, is Kobe just like Mike?

Is it true that kobe byrant is playing like Jordan?

Fans and sadly sports journalists constantly praise and condemn by comparison. Too often those comparisons are done improperly. Yes like Mike, Kobe is the shining pupil of the great Phil Jackson. And yes, now like Mike, Kobe is at the top of the infamous triangle offense. Other than perhaps their incredible desire to win and ability to make it happen, they are two different people, two different players, in two different teams, in two different times. Rather than award one by their own merit we dilute their accomplishments by needlessly paralleling any similarities to a glories of the past.

I'm not suggesting we completely separate the achievements of the past from the present. Instead I implore the fans of basketball's beloved past and NBA fans of the present to revel in the enigmatic presence of these two individuals and what may come in the future.

***And about Kobe wanting to change his number to 24 to be above Jordan...that's about as true as him doing it to show support for Jack Bauer. um...do a bit of research...that was his number when he was in high school.