A USA Blog

… and land of the searched.

We went to visit New York City a few weeks ago and took the ferry from Liberty State Park in New Jersey out to Ellis Island and Liberty Island. The last time I went to NYC was in December 2000 and then Chris and I took the ferry from Manhattan. We didn’t go up the statue as the line was huge. I mildly regret that now as it seems since 2001, *no-one* can go up the statue - only to the plinth.

I’m sorry, but given all the talk about the statue standing for the freedom that americans enjoy, preventing them from going up it seems rather ridiculous. In fact, you have to get tickets to even go up on the plinth and they run out early in the day.

Furthermore, we were subjected to airport style screening to get on the ferry - though bottled liquids did seem to be allowed - which was quite a hassle. Additionally there was a US Coastguard patrol boat stationed off Liberty Island itself.

Is that really a good use of government employee time and resources? What is it really achieving other than keeping people constantly aware of the “threat” of terrorist action.

I’ll admit that I don’t know if that is usual or if it was just because it was September 9th, but still I think Ben Franklin had a point.

Everyone knows that healthcare in the US is broken - it is shaping up to be a major theme of the 2008 Presidential race - but I hadn’t realised how broken until I read an article in the most recent Consumer Reports magazine.

It is almost an article of faith that there is waste in the US health “system” - by most accounts 30% to 50% of the 2 trillion dollars spent annually is wasted on unnecessary procedures, tests and bad admin. I rather thought I knew what to expect from an article about unnecessary treatment. I was wrong.

Apparently, in 2003 it was discovered that a hospital in California owned by Tenet Healthcare had been giving un-necessary heart bypass surgery. I’ll say that again. Heart bypass surgery. That isn’t even remotely in the same league as gratuitous MRI or extra blood tests. They had cracked open people’s chests and monkeyed around with their hearts when there was *nothing* wrong with them. They settled a suit filed by 345 complainants for $442 million.

I’m sorry, but what the hell happened to the Hippocratic oath? When people discuss the perverse financial incentives inherent in the US medical system I really never thought it would extend to serious, invasive, surgery.

Argh!

L and I found ourselves launching into singing the Star Spangled Banner to H today. Whilst we didn’t know all the words, the day will come.

I am afraid. Very afraid.

Well, that should have got your attention. It certainly got mine when L came rushing back into the house, having only left seconds before, yelling something about a snake.

Sure enough, I went outside to find a black snake climbing the tree outside our house - it was crossing the path to our door when L went out.

I consulted our neighbours who seemed to think it was certainly a harmless black rat snake. A quick photo and the power of the internet and it seems our visiting friend is indeed a specimen of Elaphe oboleta or Black rat snake.

It then proceeded to cause some ruckus in the tree as it (presumably) began devouring some small birds.