Linkee-poo girds up to go kill ants

Jennifer Crusie with a list of writing self-help books. Let's see, I've got that one, and that one, and that one…

How our perceived limitations can block us from writing what we want to/like to. Or, the terrible, self-imposed shackles of "Write what you know." (Grokked from Eric)

"Glenn Melnick, who teaches hospital finance at USC, told me it's as crazy as if he asked to buy the TV in my living room, and I gave him a price of $1 million to start the conversation… This is the kind of insanity that exists when medicine and medical insurance are about private profit rather than public health… when Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements don't always cover true costs and when polarized politics prevent the kind of reasonable discussions that could lead to solutions." This really isn't news to anybody who reads their health insurance statements. Or for that matter, used their prescription coverage. In the past two years, I have opted not to use my insurance on some prescriptions and that has saved me loads – for those who have access to a Giant Eagle or Wal-Mart, you know you can get prescriptions for common medicines for very cheap (for instance, my metformin is free at Giant Eagle). That's because these companies view some of these drugs as loss leaders and a combination of reimbursement programs. Part of my Pharm Tech course covers the heinous fuckery insurance companies do to cover prescriptions (not to mention the insane markups on drugs the pharmacies tack on). Understand that to get those discounts, those sellers do not charge your insurance. If they did, you would have to pay your full copay (in a lot of circumstances, your copay is more than the drug costs). Sure, this industry doesn't need a complete reform (of which the ACA doesn't even come close to the shadow of doing). The problem with paying cash, however, is even if it cost you much less than your insurance negotiated rates, it often doesn't count toward your deductible. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

"(T)he (welfare) system sees these means of assistance as undeserved, and either refuses to provide them or makes access to them overly burdensome." Chalk up another death to the best healthcare and incarceration system in the world. (Grokked from the Slacktivist)

Ever wonder why evolution is so important to biology? Because without the research being done on evolutionary processes, finding new ways of tricking the body's immune system into killing off cancers cells wouldn't be possible. That's why. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

One of the many reasons I don't do much on "social media", or at least the "extend your experience" types of things, is this, Girls Around Me. While I don't fear I'm going to be targeted by anybody, I just don't like what these companies are doing with all the data they're collecting. Because it could be used for exactly the reasons specified in the article. (Grokked from Absolute Write)

Why liberals need conservatives and vice versa. About a book that posits "The trouble is that liberals… base their morality almost exclusively on three "flavours" – care for others, liberty from oppression, and fairness… conservatives use those three plus another three: loyalty to one's group, sanctity and sacredness, and respect for authority. So conservatives can understand the morality of liberals, but much of conservative morality is alien to their opponents." Not that I completely agree, but the argument is made in the way of "liberals" and "conservatives." And if anything my political discussions have shown me, there's a lot a variance between how one categorizes those terms. (Grokked from Jay Lake)