Taking Concerns Seriously

So my Metrocard just stopped working. There was still $2.00+ on the card. CARD DAMAGED SEE AGENT came the flashing light on the turnstyle. The agent, of course, was as helpful as a water fountain in a flood. She did give me an official reporting form which I was supposed to send to the MTA. The form asks for, among other things, the number of the machine where the card was bought, the amount left on the card, the credit card used to charge the card, and a ton of other information no one is going to know a week after buying a card.

I filled out as much as I could and mailed the thing in. A month later comes this form letter:

Along with a brand new Metrocard worth a brand new 25¢. Now that's what I call service! 

Now, Travel the US and be watch MORE closely

I guess it's the same system Australia uses. You're "automatic visa" isn't anymore. You have to complete an online e-visa in order to visit the U.S. That means filling out an on-line form (in English, I bet) and being registered before you get to the U.S. Of course, that means it's more difficult for poorer, more rural people to visit. And also those who don't speak English... but I feel a lot safer, don't you?

How many countries are ahead of us?

This is from the AARP newspaper of October 2008. They do quickly skip by the fact that the U.S. ranks 42 in longevity. Some places it's gone down! And they blame it on smoking!! Huh? The smoking rate has DECREASE in the U.S. over the past 10 years. Why don't you blame it on the drug and insurance companies? Maybe because the drug and insurance companies ADVERTISE in the magazine. Tobacco companies don't.