Health insurance mafia looking to expand...

After reading an article entitled "U.S. health insurance mandate gains support" I sat open jawed in front of my laptop for several minutes thinking how this corporate segment could be so bold.

The article talks about [supposed] growing support for insurance industry demands that all Americans be forced to obtain health coverage. Yes, insurance companies want to push legislation that enhances their profits and further enslaves the American public. What else is new?

Of course, they present themselves as being concerned for the well being of Americans by implying that a mandate would mean everyone would have health care and blah blah blah. The truth of the matter is that Americans don't have health insurance because they can't afford it so making it a requirement like car insurance, would put those people who already can't afford the wildly outrageous health insurance premiums further into a hole. With such a system, not only would the uninsured not be covered, they would probably be fined or punished in some way for going against the coverage requirement.

If health insurance companies were really trying to be helpful, they would drastically reduce their rates, they would cover anyone and everyone regardless of pre-existing conditions or circumstances, and they would return a portion of the unused payments to the insured every month. How awful it is to pay thousands upon thousands of dollars every year without receiving any kind of credit or refund when most of the time the health services are used only a handful of times. But making the changes I mentioned above would bring the health insurance mafia to a screeching halt and they would never let that happen; after all, entire careers have been created around the health insurance industry and that would be the main justification for not implementing changes that benefit all Americans.

Fairness and humanity often take a back seat to money and power and this is very apparent in the health insurance system of the United States. This is why it pisses me off BIG TIME.

My homespun Aeroponic Garden...

About 2 weeks ago, I stumbled upon the subject of "hydroponics," or growing plants in water instead of soil, and it really tickled my brain. So looking around online (on mostly weed growing sites), I found out as much as I could about setting up a hydroponic system. Then, I discovered aeroponics and decided this was the system for me. The basic concept behind aeroponics is that plants are grown in air instead of water and are gently misted every so often with nutrient rich water. Aeroponic sysytems sell for hundreds and thousands of dollars and the most common one is the tabletop AeroGarden which has gained popularity in recent years.

There are many resources online that show you how to set up a DIY aeroponic system. One good site is this blog. where an aeroponics enthusiast created her own DIY system for about $100. I read up on the subject and finally ordered my stuff and set it all up today. I'm hoping it works because all of my previous (traditional) gardening attempts have been unsuccessful. I've planted 5 different vegetables and 1 herb and the total cost of this system has been about $125 so far.

What I like about aeroponics is that a) you can grow vegetables all year round; b) it's fairly easy to maintain; c) it's small enough to fit comfortably in my kitchen which is good since I don't have a backyard; and d) it works for almost everyone. Best of all, it's a different way of gardening and anyone who knows me knows I'm always drawn to different ways of doing things :).

To learn more about aeroponic gardening, click here

My next project will probably be constructing a DIY solar panel to power this system. I found a good resource here.

Me...

I'm an unknown and unappreciated artist from Queens, NY currently living in the strange mountains of Pennsylvania. I'm married and I have 3 cats that I've progressively inherited over the course of 5 years.

I dabble in a little bit of everything; I paint when I'm able to and I watch many informational videos online. I also routinely participate in the development of my father's inventions and I am extremely interested in any kind of home spun technology such as DIY aeroponic gardens and DIY solar panels that can help me become a little more self sufficient. I love oldies music and classic flicks; I absolutely adore Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Elvis Presley, and the many other legends of the past; I'm a vegetarian for ethical reasons; I thoroughly enjoy TV Court shows and British TV; I'm easily addicted to sites like Facebook, Ebay and Fora.tv; and I'm on a never-ending mission to get organized.

So that's me.