Christie and I are spending the week in New York, and if first impressions are anything, we're in for a great week! Here's where we came out of the subway for the first time - right in the heart of Times Square!
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Monday, November 16, 2009
Random Airport Musings
A few thoughts from gate 25 of the Denver Airport.
Optimism is looking forward to a middle seat on a 4 hour flight.
No matter how stylish, I don't think I could ever where a bowtie.
Why do girls open their mouths when they apply mascara?
Men bathrooms - also a tornado shelter.
One word Bill Billichek: PUNT.
Sleeper movie selection (as in underrated, not zzz inducing): Julie and Julia. I originally never intended on watching a movie on a 6am flight but the first few minutes sucked me in. It deals with 3 very familiar themes: blogging, expat adventures in Europe, and of course, food. Rent it on your next blockbuster night.
And on a final note, I'm proud my sister Heather and her husband Chris are now a mac, and not a PC.
As you were, J.Twice
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Optimism is looking forward to a middle seat on a 4 hour flight.
No matter how stylish, I don't think I could ever where a bowtie.
Why do girls open their mouths when they apply mascara?
Men bathrooms - also a tornado shelter.
One word Bill Billichek: PUNT.
Sleeper movie selection (as in underrated, not zzz inducing): Julie and Julia. I originally never intended on watching a movie on a 6am flight but the first few minutes sucked me in. It deals with 3 very familiar themes: blogging, expat adventures in Europe, and of course, food. Rent it on your next blockbuster night.
And on a final note, I'm proud my sister Heather and her husband Chris are now a mac, and not a PC.
As you were, J.Twice
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Ventana Canyon
The 18th at Ventana... spectacular!
I was lucky to go to school in Arizona where there are some of the best golf courses in the planet. It was there that I met my good friend and roommate Brandon Smith, who now is the head pro at Ventana Canyon. Ventana is a semi-private course that is consistently ranked among the world's best. It has spectacular views and tough holes through the desert.
I was lucky enough to play the course yesterday with Dr. David Lapin, and stopped to shoot a few panoramic pictures with my iPhone. I got the look using an app called "Panoramatic" which costs a couple bucks but is TOTALLY worth it for running and gunning, as my friend Claudio Mangano would attest. You can also do 360 degree pictures using this app, but I didn't want to get slapped for slow play so hence no virtual views.
The Par 3 15th at Ventana. I dropped a nine-iron to about 15 feet.
If the view from the top looks familiar, it was the set of Kiana Tom's old workout show many years ago.
~ J. Twice
Junior Raiders strike gold
Swarco Raiders juniors are College Bowl VI Champions!Meanwhile, back in Austria...
The SWARCO Raiders youth program capped a successful season by capturing two championships and two runners-up trophies. Leading the way were the "Juniors," who brought home the College Bowl VI trophy (the highest level of Austrian youth football) with a convincing 35-3 victory over the Danube Dragons. This is the team that I was personally involved with during September, and it brings me nothing but pride at their accomplishments! In the fall I spent a lot of time with spielmacher (qb) Damaso Tarneller, and it was incredible to watch him grow throughout the season. In the final game he showed his maturity by throwing 4 TDs and taking home game MVP honors. GREAT JOB!!! The youngest players - the "Minis" were the other Tirolean champions, claiming a 22-6 victory over the Mini Vikings.
Here's the full story on the youth success from the SWARCO Raiders website:
Friday, November 6, 2009
Climbing Camelback
Echo Canyon Park marks the starting point of the Summit Trail up Camelback.
"So, who are you working for?" the man asked, noting my large camera, inquisitive attitude, and frequent stops. I quickly debated whether or not my own blog counted as work.
"No one really, just out for a hike," I replied, keeping things as vague as possible.
"That's good," he smiled, "Because this trail is the best in Arizona and it's already to busy. Don't want the word to get out more than it is!"
At this I chuckled, introducing myself to a man who called himself "Claud the Water Guy." A shade over 60 but fit as any park ranger, he makes the 1.2 mile journey up Phoenix's Camelback mountain "every other day of the year." I decided on the spot that you don't meet characters like this everyday, so I joined him on my ascent up Phoenix's most popular peak.
Claud the Water Guy, shown as how I would shoot him in a fashion magazine.
Camelback mountain and its distinctive hump sits just west of downtown Phoenix and over the top of Scottsdale. It's convenient location makes it instantly accessible for Phoenicians, attracting over 300,000 visitors annually. Most, if not all, have probably met friendly Claud, who makes it a point to carry extra water and offer it generously to everyone he meets. "It's a dangerous hill," he reasons, "These city-slickers city-slickers> forget how hot it is. People die here... in the summer it will get to one-sixteen and they don't even bring water!"
Lucky for us, the temperate on this day was in the low 70s, making the ascent a comfortable and utterly enjoyable experience. There were a few steep parts that required using cables, but overall I didn't feel the need to bust out my iPhone and google, "death on Camelback." Claud did fill me in on other local legends and gave me a five minute lesson on proper foot placement. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I had just hiked 750km across Spain, but it was fun nonetheless. "Well," Claud ended fatherly, "You're gonna need this technique if you ever go for the record time up the mountain - 15 minutes and 36 seconds! Don't forget the 36, that's important!"
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Tie-die and a little time for reflection
The path winds around large boulders and tall cacti.
My time was a little slower; I reached the summit in one-hour. The views were spectacular to the north overlooking Paradise Valley, and I could almost make out Picacho Peak in the distance. There were a number of dogs on the trail, both large and small, along with hikers of all shapes & sizes. I even ran into an old college friend of mine - baseball player Shelley Duncan who is a member of the New York Yankees organization (currently in AAA.)
I bid farewell to Claud and headed down the "Cholla Trail" to the north that comes out next to the Phoenician resort. Although I promised him I wouldn't do it, I must HIGHLY RECOMMEND this hike to anyone in the Phoenix area, whether a visitor or a long-time resident!
Chelsea, back on top of the world!
~ J. Twice
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Weighing in on Health Care
Health Care - at the forefront of American issues
HEALTH CARE. It seems that everything in American political news recently has been about President Obama's (Controversial) Health Care Bill. And before you roll your eyes and say, "Can't you just give me some really cool fisheye picture or a witty comment on some culinary anecdote?" I have a quick thought on the issue... because I'm now a "blogger" and that's what I'm supposed to do. (This isn't solely because my wife comes from Canada!)
WHAT IS THE BIG FUSS ABOUT?
The big debate, for anyone reading this in Europe, is over the role that the American government should play in the modern health care system. This is actually a conversation which might seem silly to explain to people from other nations where the government has always been involved in health care and citizens rarely give it a second thought. However, there are some admitted flaws in the system at this point - such as the role of private insurance companies and its spiraling costs:
FACT: More money per person is spent on health care in the United States than in any other nation in the world, and a greater percentage of total income in the nation is spent on health care in the U.S. than in any United Nations member state except East Timor. In fact, Medical Debt is the principal cause of personal bankruptcy in the United States. Even so, at least 15% of the population (including me and my wife) are completely uninsured.
My personal commentary on this: Can you even imagine someone in Canada going BANKRUPT because they got sick? That is completely ludicrous for any of our Northern, Tim Horton's drinking neighbors. But it seems that in America we have a habit of thinking that our way is the best - in Government (Democracy), in Business (Capitalism), and in Rights (Freedom), and we as Americans are willing to take that risk to have our choice of which doctor or what treatment we want. But when everyone isn't taken care of, bad things can happen. More facts:
According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the United States is the "only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not ensure that all citizens have coverage" (i.e. some kind of insurance). The same Institute of Medicine report notes that "Lack of health insurance causes roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year in the United States." while a 2009 Harvard study published in the American Journal of Public Health found a much higher figure of more than 44,800 excess deaths annually in the United States due to Americans lacking health insurance.
NOW, I DON'T WANT TO TAKE SIDES ON THIS ISSUE - BECAUSE HEY, I'M A MIDDLE CHILD AND THAT'S NOT MY ROLE. HOWEVER, I DO WANT TO SHARE A COUPLE EXPERIENCES AND VIEWPOINTS FROM ABROAD THAT ARE WORTH THINKING ABOUT:
Italy: Gus wasn't the luckiest guy when he broke his leg...
Living in Italy, things don't always go as planned, and the health care system isn't immune to that. (no pun intended) When Gustavo, one of the Catania Elephants linebackers, tore his ACL in a road game, he wasn't given immediate attention at the hospital and flew back home with a cardboard cast on his leg! It took a few days to actually see a doctor, then a few more to get x-rays, and finally a couple more weeks to have surgery. Maybe not the best system...
Austria: Matt was a happy camper with his leg! (Milka not included)
During the EuroBowl, star receiver Matt Epperson broke his leg and suffered a severely dislocated ankle during the first quarter. Austria has a split system - both public and private - and due to the nature of his injury and the Raider's insurance, he was rushed to the private hospital and given IMMEDIATE surgery. By the time the game ended we could visit him, and everything turned out ok - including a MILKA Chocolate! So this obviously works, even though the basic person can get treated as well if he got hurt.
My whole point is that there may be a better way out there... some sort of FUSION, and instead of arguing that "our position" is best, I just want Americans - ESPECIALLY THE ONES WHO HAVE NEVER LEFT OUR COUNTRY - to consider some other viewpoints.
In keeping with this, travel guru Rick Steves published the following reports from Scandinavians regarding their health care systems, which to me don't sound that bad:
Europeans Share Their Health Care Experience, Part 1: Scandinavia
To bring some diverse experience into the discussion on health care reform here in the USA, I've asked my friends in Europe to share how health care works in their lives. In this four-part series, we'll start with the most highly taxed and socialistic part of Europe: Scandinavia.
From Hakan in Sweden:
In Sweden, we have free choice in health care. It means that patients can choose a hospital anywhere in the country.
In 2005, the cost of the health and medical care sector amounted to 8.4 percent of GDP (in the US, it was over 15 percent). This amount includes the cost of pharmaceutical products, dental care, eyeglasses, and patient fees paid by households.
We employ a “high-cost protection scheme” that means that no patient ever needs to pay more than a total of 900 SEK (about $125) over a 12-month period. For pharmaceutical costs, no patient has to pay more than SEK 1,800 (about $250) over a 12-month period for prescription drugs. This way, no citizen will be put into poverty because of health problems.
The fee for visiting a doctor or hospital varies from 100-300 SEK (about $14-32), but once you have paid 900 SEK in a 12-month period, the rest of the care is totally free — no matter what kind of treatment you need. Private-care providers are also “clients” of the government. A patient can choose a private doctor or hospital, pay the small fee, and the government pays the difference.
The health and medical services have an obligation to strengthen the situation of the patient, for example, by providing individually tailored information, freedom to choose between treatment options, and the right to a second opinion in cases of life-threatening or other particularly serious diseases or injuries.
Having lived here all my life and raised my family here in Stockholm, I honestly do not see anything bad with our health care system.
From Richard in Demark:
I have lived and worked in Denmark for 24 years and have had numerous encounters with the health care system. In all cases I was satisfied or impressed with the quality of service and the low cost (apart from the tax system — more about that later).
The health care system in Denmark is free to all who live here. Even visiting tourists will be treated free of charge in case of an emergency. A non-Danish friend of mine who sprained her ankle during a recent visit was X-rayed, bandaged, treated by a doctor, and even given a pair of crutches to use — and was not charged anything. She was only asked to return the crutches when she left Denmark.
The quality of Danish health care — which is not run on a profit motive — is very good, though there is a waiting time for some non-life-threatening operations like a hip replacement. But everyone will eventually get the operation they need. Hospitals are free, doctor visits are free, and medicine is highly subsidized so that those who need a lot of medicine get it at a greatly reduced charge. Dentistry is subsidized.
This is paid for through our tax system, which — at 52 percent — is perhaps the highest in the world. None of the 10 political parties in Denmark has ever wanted to change that, because they know that they would not get any votes. The vast majority of Danes are agreeable to pay these high taxes; they know that they get about 50 percent of the money back each year in a vast array of benefits. Seven out of 10 Danes are willing to pay even more taxes, if necessary, to maintain the health care system we expect.
Danes have the mature and realistic understanding that you cannot give everyone a quality health care system, good schools, and the elements that help to make for a good quality of life, without paying for it. Freedom does not mean not paying taxes. For us, freedom is paying taxes. By taking care of each other, and the weaker elements in our society, we all have a better quality of life with very low crime rates, few prisons, and a sense of security that it is not “me against the world.” That is part of what it means to be Danish.
From Hanne and Trond in Norway:
In Norway, everyone has, in principle, equal rights to health care. Norwegian hospitals are “free” for patients (being financed with taxes) and everyone is entitled to treatment, irrespective of income and insurance. However, many things are not always working well here.
When hospitalized, no one asks for insurance coverage. You can stay for as long as it takes without having to worry about costs. At the hospital, every part of the treatment is free, indefinitely. At home, people with chronic illnesses get medicine and necessary medical equipment almost for free, save for a limited, annual base payment.
But some parts of the system don't function well. Depending on the illness, you could wait a long time for necessary hospital treatment (typically non-emergency surgery). For instance, you have to go through your family doctor in order to be referred to a specialist. When the family doctors have way too many patients and limited opening hours (and limited telephone hours!), this is often an obstacle. Of course, any emergency treatment is exempt from “queuing.”
As for the cost, the hospitals operate with a combined budget of approximately NOK 75 billion ($13 billion). Our health care is not free — we pay for it in our taxes: Our corporations pay a flat tax rate of 28 percent on their profits. Wage income is taxed under a progressive structure, from almost zero (very low, part-time wages) to a maximum marginal tax rate of 54 percent. The average “industrial worker” has a tax rate of 30 to 35 percent.
Posted by Rick Steves on November 04, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Sprinkles: Supercupcakes?
There's a seen in PULP FICTION where John Travolta's character comes across the infamous five dollar milkshake. The scene goes something like this:
Buddy Holly: How do you want that shake - Martin and Lewis or Amos and Andy?
Mrs. Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman): Martin and Lewis.
Vincent Vega (Travolta): Did you just order a five dollar shake? That's a shake . . . that's milk and ice cream.
Mrs. Mia Wallace: Last I heard.
Vincent Vega: That's five dollars? You don't put bourbon in it or nothin'? (No) Just checking.
-----
Vincent Vega (after drinking the shake): Goddamn, this is a pretty fu**ing good milkshake.
Mrs. Mia Wallace: Told ya.
Vincent Vega: I don't know if it's worth five dollars, but it's pretty fu**ing good.
And so we come to SPRINKLES BEVERLY HILLS, a store that sells cupcakes in the same manner as Travolta's shake. Having spent the last two years in Europe, I was unaware of this latest entry in the "use cool marketing and design to overcharge for a basic item" contest. Yet Christie and I could not ignore the lines everyday in front of this Scottsdale boutique, so we wandered in to see what the fuss was about.
There were a dozen or so varieties, mostly a mix of chocolate and vanilla. I'm no Sherlock Holmes, but these super cupcakes seemed to bear a striking resemblence to (gasp) regular cupcakes. $7.02 later we had purchased two cupcakes - red velvet for the lady and chocolate marshmellow for myself. I was eager to see if this was as good as Vincent's, but unfortunately I must report that it tasted exactly like a... Normal Cupcake.
Alas, I had not discovered the Krispy Kreme of kupkakes... But at least I can finally say I shopped at the same place as Paris Hilton.
Sweet dreams, JTwice
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