Post 299: More on Aetna and other unrelated stuff

Let's see, this is the 299th post in my blog so the next post will be a milestone of sorts. I will be sure and either commemorate it or perhaps entirely ignore it.


Aetna Sucks Worse Than A Two-Bit Whore

Today, I sent a formal complaint to the State of Florida department of insurance regulation about the crap Aetna has put me through. More importantly, I sent a copy of that complaint to Ronald A. Williams, Aetna's CEO. I doubt I'll get an answer, because as you've seen in my previous posts (especially this one) you have by now realized Aetna cares not one whit and not one iota about its clients and would prefer they all drop dead rather than actually try and help them -- think of all the money they'd save!

I realize some Aetna employees may be reading this, and I believe some of you may actually care about your clients, but I maintain that your company as a whole and your company's policies are grossly negligent towards the care and well-being of your patients. When you become so arrogant that you feel your policies are more important than those of a licensed medical practitioner, then there is something horribly wrong with your company. I deeply resent a computer and a clerk telling me they want to question my doctor over my prescription, and as much as I resent, I can assure you my doctor resents it more, because he told me so. You have forgotten that your patients are human beings, if you haven't forgotten then you just don't care. I'm not sure which is worse. Repulsively disgusting.


Product Recalls

In other news, there has been yet another product recall (today: mouthwash) which has been contaminated. In recent months there's been cat food, dog food, mouthwash, spinach, lettuce, peanut butter, and so forth. A slew of recalls in recent months. There are forces at work here, mostly the government letting companies get away with murder, perhaps? I almost am ready to agree with conspiracy theorists on this one and we all know how much I loathe conspiracy theory. But there's just too many in too short a time. And what's worse, if it's as easy as a farm worker crapping in a field to cause massive outbreak of e-coli, just think how easy it would be for a terrorist to drop something far, far, far worse into the food supply. Or, perhaps, it's best if you don't think about it -- especially if you have Aetna because you'll probably die.


My Photo & Home Movie Library

I've also decided to digitize my entire photo library. I should thank Rangeek for this because he and I were talking (ie: e-mail) and I thought it would be cool to see old photos but I bemoaned the lack of patience to do the job and thought it would be a good business idea. Of course, with Google, you can find anything. And, indeed a search found any number of companies that do this -- not all of them reputable.

I plan to have my entire photo collection (photos, negatives, slides, everything) put on CDs and my home movies including the infamous New Year's Eve parties put on DVD. I will make them available to my friends who attended. I will slowly post some of the photos to my Flikr page. This project will cost me at least a grand and take two months, but it's worth it. I have photos of some good memories that are irreplaceable (such as this one). And I'd like to have a set of CDs to put in a safe-deposit box somewhere after I make copies to share. I can also clean up some of the older, grimy photos with Photoshop. I plan to ship off three cases of material to the company within two weeks.

I have photos from my Boy Scout days, college days, childhood, and such. I have photos of relatives, pets, places, vacations. There's so much there. 90% of it is meaningless to anyone but me. But people are funny about photos. Survey after survey asks people what they would save first if their house would burn down (excluding people and pets) and the answer is overwhelmingly photos.

I may post some of the videos on a secure password protected web-page on my site one day for your download amusement. But it's really boring if you weren't there in many cases. Parties, trips to the zoo, a road trip. Then again there are some very interesting things on there that, perhaps, I may not want to share. I'll watch 'em first. But the video of Paul counting shoes on the bridge to Tomorrow land is pretty damned priceless. Maybe I'll charge him $50,000 not to post it. Of course on that same tape I'm terribly hung-over the next morning, so I won't win any prizes either. Heh. Seriously, once it's done (updates posted here) I will report what is and isn't available.

Gay Sex Causes Global Warming?

Of course not. However that's the title of this great article. Though amusing, it's also thought-provokingly profound. After all, you've got to love the truth in this comment: "The fact is that if climate change were caused by gay sex, or by the practice of eating kittens, millions of protesters would be massing in the streets."

With statements like "NO ONE seems to care about the upcoming attack on the World Trade Center site. Why? Because it won't involve villains with box cutters. Instead, it will involve melting ice sheets that swell the oceans and turn that particular block of lower Manhattan into an aquarium. The odds of this happening in the next few decades are better than the odds that a disgruntled Saudi will sneak onto an airplane and detonate a shoe bomb. And yet our government will spend billions of dollars this year to prevent global terrorism and … well, essentially nothing to prevent global warming. "

Only the very naive are still arguing that the citizens of this planet are busy destroying it. We don't have another home -- we're destroying the place we all have to live. Our current administration has done everything in its power to prevent any change in course, even going so far as to reverse previous administrations efforts to alleviate the current situation.

Pilot and Travelers Subdue Hijacker

Now, here's a great way to handle hijackers. The pilot here is to be commended. Read the original article.

Basically, it went like this: A fast-thinking pilot with his passengers in cahoots fooled a hijacker by braking hard upon landing, then accelerating to knock the man down. When he fell, flight attendants threw boiling water in his face, and about 10 people pounced on him, Spanish officials said Friday. Air Mauritania identified the heroic pilot as Ahmedou Mohamed Lemine, a 20-year-veteran of the company.

I think that's fantastic. Every single time people stop sitting on their lazy collective asses and fight back, it makes it just a little harder for the terrorist. Put a little terror in their lives. What a great story. I am pleased.

FIGHT BACK!

Screw The Terrorists: Kill 'em all and let God sort it out

Another bad day -- at least it was for normal people everywhere. It's stories like this that make you think genocide isn't the worst idea ever. How on earth can someone think blowing ten airplanes full of innocent people out of the sky is a smashing-good idea? What is the mind-set for that? How can anyone think that's going to bring people around to their cause?

I've always realized it's been a small group of nut-case Islamic extremist fundamentalists that have the mind-set that killing to make a point is a good idea. However, it seems more and more that the non-extremist Muslim community is not willing to speak out. That's guilt by association. Although I don't think genocide is a good idea and is morally reprehensible, if an act like today's attempted terror attack had succeeded, a lot more people would start thinking along the lines of the old cliché: "Kill them all and let God sort it out."

I don't understand the logic and I fully fault the mostly peaceful members of the Muslim community for not turning in their extremist members. The madness must stop or at some point the world will rise up in an effort to exterminate them. They may outnumber us, but we can lay them flat quickly if we don't have to worry about civilians. My guess is most of the Muslim world could be wiped off the map in 48 hours using some well placed nuclear weapons. I want to reiterate that nuclear holocaust is a bad idea, but if you don't think Bush or some other nation will consider it at some point, you're sadly mistaken. The English, Americans, and Russians have all had their fill of barbaric acts. The Spanish and French are getting weary too, but I'm not quite sure they're crazy enough to act.

(I'm waiting for the Muslims to do something to China. China won't hesitate to do retaliate brutally and everyone knows it. That's why China is safe because China just doesn't care what anyone else has to say about their actions.)

Oh, and a clever joke from F.H. just to help everyone laugh or be pissed off:
Recently I received a warning about the use of this politically incorrect term, so please note:

We all need to be more sensitive in our choice words. I have been informed that the Islamic terrorists who hate our guts and want to kill us do not like to be called "Towel Heads" since the item they wear on their heads is not actually a towel, but in fact, a small folded sheet.

Therefore, from this point forward, please refer to them as "Little Sheet Heads."

Thank you for your support and compliance on this delicate matter.

London Rocked

I had a great time in London. I rode the tube and I survived. I was a little nervous the first time. I was a certainly a bit apprehensive on the Piccadilly line the first day it was open, especially as I exited at Russell Square. However all-in-all, it was a great trip. Just so you know. I faced my fears and so should you.

Piss on terrorists.

Screw The Terrorists Redux

Oh boy, here we go again*. I am getting tired of exploding trains.

Another series of bombs went off in London this morning. This time there were no fatalities and only one injury, not apparently serious. One was a 'bomb and run' where the bomber tossed a rucksack inside a tube train as the doors closed and then took off running. Passersby tried to grab him but he escaped. Subsequently, two arrests have been made.

Again, it could have been much, much worse but in this case, no real harm done other than total chaos in terms of local transportation.

I have a trip scheduled for me and a few friends next week and I'm still going. I will admit that I am now a bit apprehensive, but if fear gets the better of you, then the bastards have won and I cannot and will not accept that under any condition.

"I absolutely am going on this trip. I will not let some terrorist hiding under the cover of darkness change my mind. I will not cow to the will of some scum-sucking, bottom-dwelling sack of shit. They will not win and I will not let them win. I will ride the tube and the bus. I will be cautious, but I will not be afraid. It's very impressive blowing up a bunch of innocent people to try and prove a point. It only makes civilised people not have any sympathy for your cause." (Quote from previous "Screw The Terrorists" post)

-- Eric

* Apologies to Ronald Regan

Screw the terrorists....

First, and foremost, my thoughts are with those in London who are reeling from the terrorist attack today 7-7. It is truly a tragedy and I'm sorry any human being has to go through that sort of ordeal. The only solace is that it could have been much, much worse. Those that have perpetrated this heinous crime are not humans and do not deserve to live. Show no more mercy to them than you would a cockroach. They are barbarians, the lot.

I have a trip scheduled for me and some friends for my 40th birthday party later this month and I'm still going. I ain't scared of some cowardly sack of shit that thinks this is going to beat anyone into submission, especially not me. If your fear gets the better of you, then the bastards have won.

I absolutely am going on this trip. I will not let some terrorist hiding under the cover of darkness change my mind. I will not cow to the will of some scum-sucking, bottom-dwelling sack of shit. They will not win and I will not let them win. I will ride the tube and the bus. I will be cautious, but I will not be afraid.

I feel London will be safe now. The terrorists' plan so far seems to be to hit a major city, wait a year, and then find a new city to lay waste to: New York, Madrid, and now London: in other words, keep everyone unbalanced and in fear. It's very impressive blowing up a bunch of innocent people to try and prove a point*. It only makes civilised people not have any sympathy for your cause.

-- Eric

* sarcasm, duh.

A sad day for America....

Ugh. Well Shrub won. It proves you can never underestimate the stupidity of Americans as a group. Or, as my history teacher Ronald Nieves used to say, "The Masses Are Asses" -- and how right he was.

For the people who voted for four more years of insanity, I hope they remember that as their sons and daughters are needless killed in a pointless war over Iraq. I hope they remember that as the economy slips into the tanks again. I hope they remember that as their job is shipped overseas. I hope they remember that as their personal freedoms are slowly stripped away in the guise of "homeland security"

President Bush will continue his policies that make America and Americans targets wherever in the world we go. If you think it's not true, put a shirt on it with a picture of Bush and walk through the streets of almost any European capital. See how well loved you are. Less than six months ago MacLean's magazine polled Canadians -- even they don't have a favourable opinion of us. Lovely.

The world is not a safer place today. Osama BinFuckWit -- the guy who really caused this state of affairs -- is still at large. Saddam, though certainly a scumbag, is in jail -- but at what cost? America has no right to be in Iraq nor does it have the right to be the self-appointed Police State of the world.

America is going to become a very conservative State. Individual rights are going to be crushed and come under the provenance of the far right religious fringe. If you're gay, Muslim, or in any other minority, you better hide. This administration doesn't like you and doesn't believe all men are created equal. Wait until there Supreme Court is padded with more conservatives and the balance shifts. Goodbye Roe v Wade (remember Bush's comments in the debates if you think this isn't out the door).

As George Orwell said in Animal Farm, "Some men are created more equal than others" and that's who is in charge of this formerly fine country for four more years. We are supposed to elect a president who will do the best job for the entire country, and not a president who will do the best job for some of the country and sadly small-minded people did just that.

You, dear reader, are entering a very dark chapter of American history and even world history. If you didn't vote for Bush at least you can be proud of that. If you aren't an American, please don't judge all of us harshly: we're not all self-centered idiots who have no clue that these is a whole entire world out there.

May God Have Mercy On Our Soul <-- I bet Shrub would like this closing line

-- E