Health care and that scary socialism

bradhicks has a review of Moore's newest movie Sicko that leads into a very post on health care in the US. And this is something that I'm definately into...

Back in '05 when I had to have emergancy surgery, the only reason the costs of it didn't drive me bankrupt was because, at the time, I was working few enough hours that I fell beneath the poverty line. Which meant I got State provided health care for poor people. And by that I mean REALLY poor people. I was almost above the cap, making UNDER 12K a year. And then for the next 6 months or so I had AHCSS, until my hours increased. Moving me from REALLY poor to JUST poor. So I signed up for my job's health plan. Which isn't very good. The coverage is fairly low, they only "discount" meds and it seems likely that they're won't cover anything related to my diabetes. (Which I was diagnosed with while in the hospital after that surgery). The only reason I'm able to deal with the costs of doctor visits and lab fees is because my family keeps helping me financially. Something I'm not exactly thrilled about, both from a self-sufficiency and respect point and because I don't like worrying that I'm placing extra financial hardship on them...

So, while I don't like Moore or his movies much (we're pretty similar politically, but I just want to punch him in the face) I hope this one creates a real dialogue. Does SOMETHING to get this country moving away from the clusterfuck of medicine as a business. Because I don't actually WANT to move to Canada and I don't think they'd take me anyways...

Sunday Trade: Poison Elves v. 6

Poison Elves volume 6: Guild War

All by Drew Hayes

Poison Elves by the late, great Drew Hayes was the story of the amoral, near sociopath Elf Lusipher. Luse was always the bad-ass's bad-ass. After wandering for a bit, getting in "adventures" and acquiring several wishes, Luse has ended up in the Thieves/Assassins' Guild of Sanctuary. And there met and fallen in love with fellow killer Elf Cassandra. This volume starts with Luse captured by the rival Eye of Lins Guild and being tortured. Which leads to one of the many fun metaphysical discussions between Luse and Partinichian the Imp who lives in his head. And then Luse breaking loose and killing a whole mess of stupid motherfuckers. And it just goes on from there, with obsessed cops, a nigh totally unkillable dimension hopping assassin called an E'jja (with a grudge against Lusipher), old friends, psychological mind fuckery, sorceress ex-wives and even a weird ass trial...

Guild War was a major turning point of the series. It finished up many of the previous plot lines and then used them to set up the ones for the next volumes. Poison Elves for fans of sarcasm and hard-core violence. And weird Imps in jester's motley who look kind of like undead Elves...

Still missing you Drew...

June Book List

As always only books, no comics, mags or game books...

June 2nd: Robin Hobb - Forest Mage: Hobb's books are all somewhat similar in how they work. Especially the middle book in a trilogy. Things go bad. You get some hope that things have stablized. NOPE! EVERYTHING GOES UTTERLY FUCKED! Then it all plateaus and you think NOW things will improve. FOOLED AGAIN! HORRIBLE SHIT AGAIN! End book...

June 5th: Robert Parker - Widow's Walk: Spenser is hired to attempt and clear a fairly dumb trophy wife of her husband's murder...

June 6th: Parker - Melancholy Baby: Female P.I. Sunny Randall signs up with a therapist to deal with her family issues while being hired by a college student to find her birth parents...

Robert Adams - Shardik: Vaguely fantasy setting, with a lowly hunter whose faith in the cave bear avatar of his god turns into an empire building religious crusade...

June 13th: Roger Zelazny/Jane Lindskold - Donnerjack: A posthumous collaboration between Zelazny and Lindskold. The "gods" of the virtual world (who may in fact BE mythical deities) are looking to cross over more fully into the real world...

Terry Pratchett - The Truth: Discworld book about the start of newspaper reporting. Probably in my top 10 for the series...

June 18th: John Shirley - Constantine: Hellblazer: Warlord: The first comics adaptation by Shirley of Constantine. I mentioned this for the 2nd book, but I would totally buy a Shirley written Hellblazer comic. Say a mini-series set during John's punk rocker days?

June 19th: Parker - Cold Service: Some Russian gangsters shoot Hawk. And then after he recovers, he and Spenser lay some wrath...

Neil Gaiman - Neverwhere: Yes its a Gaiman book where a normal person wanders into a magical otherworld. Yes, hes done that concept a lot. But since he always manages to bring something new to it, who cares?

June 20th: A. Lee Martinez - A Nameless Witch: A fantasy story about curses, paladins and the nature of reality. Plus it has a duck familiar who rips bandits into bloody pieces...

Nick Mamatas - Under My Roof: Nick aka nihilistic_kid is someone who I've been meaning to check out for awhile. This slim book is, as far as I'm aware, more light hearted than his normal horror books. Under the all-seeing and ever-present eye of his secret telepath son, one fed up man builds a nuke and then declares his home a free and independant nation state...

Huh, Nick doesn't have a Fantastic Fiction entry. I wonder why...

June 23rd: Martinez - In the Company of Ogres: Never-dead Ned gets placed in charge of the Legion's worst group, Ogre Company. A position where the last dozen officers have died under mysterious "accidents". Which sets up a chain of events where he learns WHY he's cursed to never remain dead, starts a war with a demon horde and then risks destroying the universe...

June 24th: Timothy Zahn - Vision of the Future: Why oh why couldn't we have gotten movie versions of the 5 Zahn books rather than the stupid fucking prequels? I mean come on! Tell me you wouldn't mark out to see this guy or this dude tinted blue and playing Thrawn?

June 26th: Sam Chupp - Sins of the Father: I still own three World of Darkness tie-in books. The M:tA anthology, a M:tA book and this Wraith: the Oblivion one. Heavy handed like most WoD stuff, but it actually makes me interested in PLAYING Wraith. Which I think is the point for these tie-in books...

June 27th: R.A. Salvatore - Homeland: The early life and origins of the all to often cloned Drizz't, dark elf Emo King. I must confess I still enjoy the first two trilogies of Drizz't books. Even if two-sword wielding, misunderstand, heroic drow are now so damn overused they give me an eye-twitch...

June 30th: Douglas Coupland - Microserfs: The first Coupland book I read. A group of Microsoft techs move down to Silicon Valley to start a computer game company in the early 90s. Its also written as journal entries for the lead character. A regular journal, as this is pre-blog. Though it reads a lot like a top end blog...

Total books: 16

Oh man, thats just cold

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

Payback Straight Up: the Director's Cut

Well, first off they cut the opening sequence with the doctor patching up Porter. And the bum he rips off isn't a guy faking being blind, its just some nasty looking homeless guy. And then after a bit I realize that the entire voice over narration is gone. Which totally changes the tone of the movie...

And then right about the 2nd Chinese mobster attack I realize that the scene where Lex Luthor Sr tries to blow him up is gone. Which means the entire ending is different. And yep, Porter doesn't get dragged off to be tortured after finishing off the Chinese guys. Plus Bronson is just a female voice over the phone. No Kristofferson or his kid...

So the style has moved much more to being a noir style movie. Even more cynical and bleak. And its still good. But its not as fun as the original cut. I'm not sure which I prefer. This cut is probably better from a technical sense. But I doubt I'd watch it as often as the original cut...