A Take on Health Care Reform

I'm sure pretty much everyone has heard the news by now that congress passed the new healthcare  reform bill here in the United States. I'm not really sure how I feel about it yet since I don't know all the details, but I am interested to see what happens. I know there are a lot of varying opinions, and that many of them are uninformed ones.

Capital Building, Madison, Wisconsin 2010

First of all lets get this straight, it is not "FREE" health care like the systems set up in other countries where everyone is taxed a fair amount and everyone is entitled to receive the same quality of health care. It is still going to be private insurance, it's just that government is trying to take more control over it. From what I understand it will be beneficial to many, and in basic theory it sounds like a mostly good idea, but I still think there are going to be people that will lose out, especially after going over some of the details that have been released.

Sunblock or not?

Reader request: The harms of sunblock

2010 Eastern Wisconsin

My first thought was as with most issues, to weigh the facts and take the lesser of two evils. It's common knowledge the negative effects of sun exposure can cause painful burns, premature aging and even worse, cancer. It's hard to measure at what level is safe exposure. Some people can overdo it and never have a negative effect, while others can spend fifteen minutes outside and be sent running for some aloe relief or to the doctor getting a strange spot removed and biopsied. We know we do need some sun exposure to soak up that wonderful vitamin D, that helps with essential body functions, regulate our mood, and so on, and that only supplementing isn't always as effective at it. However it is believed you can still get your vitamin D with sunblock on. Unless you can avoid ever leaving the house during daylight hours, avoiding sun exposure completely is impossible, and why would you want to either.

5 Internet Pet Peeves

I see it time and time again, and even though I shouldn't let these silly little things bug me, sometimes they get under my skin a little. It gets even sadder if you call them on it they argue about it just furthering the  illiteracy and ignorance. While the internet has become a valuable source for some things such as having all that information available to you at your fingertips, and keeping in touch with those you wouldn't be able to other wise, it has also become a breading ground for stupidity. On many things for me I think it boils down to I'm a huge fan of truth, and sometimes I can get carried away when something other than truth is being spread.

Leopard Gecko Care

A little about the Leopard Gecko
Scientific Name: Eublepharis macularius
-They can live up to 20+ years, so they are a long term investment
-They grow 6-10 inches in length
-They have little to no odor
-They are nocturnal which means they mostly awake at night and sleep during the day
-They learn to accept handling and recognize their owners
-They have gentile/docile dispositions, and almost never bite
-They occasionally shed their skin and eat it, this is normal, don’t be alarmed
-They are generally quiet, but can make small chirping like noises, hissing, clicking, and little squeals