Nothing all that interesting here.

Sicko

Michael Moore is a genius. Don't get me wrong, he is a partisan hack with his own agenda to push, but he has managed to do something the gay rights community, planned parent hood and black people have all been attempting to do for a century now: get rich by pissing of conservatives. I can't imagine a more satisfying job in the world:

Step 1: Write, direct and produce inflammatory movie containing “communist” left wing agenda.
Step 2: Watch as your political opponents drag your name through the mud and attempt to “debunk” your movie, all the while piquing public interest.
Step 3: Profit.

It is brilliant, and I wish I had thought of it.

Anyway, I went to see Sicko this weekend at the Charles. I personally loved the movie, I wanted to get out of my seat and cheer and whistle when the credits rolled around. It was fabulous, it was scathing, it was a no-holds-barred condemnation of the way for-profit enterprise has hijacked the health care industry and I left feeling relieved, as if I had just finished attending a giant liberal orgy. That said, one has to take any Moore documentary for what it really is: a very one-sided presentation of a large issue. Sure, it was great for me, being one who supports a government run health care for all system, but for anyone undecided on the issue, it would probably feel preachy, arrogant and sadly, irrelevant. Moore takes a “the grass is greener in everywhere but America” approach to the movie. He begins with about half a dozen horror stories of people who HAD insurance, but were denied coverage for various (asinine) reasons, such as unreported yeast infections. He then moves on to illustrate how these problems do not exist in the civilized countries of France, Canada, and the UK, where everyone not only gets free medicine and treatment, but also a handjob with every visit to the hospital. He attempts to tear down the criticisms of these countries' systems by interviewing doctors, people in waiting rooms, and even a man who had half his hand cut off and re attached in a British hospital (contrasting a story of a man in the US who suffered a similar affliction). None of the scenes felt contrived, but any intelligent person could piece together a dozen or so sound bites that fit their own agenda after interviewing enough people. So while everyone seemed fine and dandy, the anecdotes just didn't have the force of fact that Moore hopes the viewers will accept. The movie ends with Moore pulling off a stunt for the record books. He takes three 9/11 rescue workers who were denied any form of medical care here in the United States to Cuba, where they are promptly seen by doctors in Havana. While there, the cuban doctors perform tests, interview patients and determine that the US health care system had misdiagnosed almost all of them. They offer different prognoses and send the Americans packing with months of cheap medicine purchased for only a few cents per prescription.

While almost all of the movie is based on anecdotes, fallacies and clever political rhetoric the movie does strike home on a certain logical level. The United States' health care system is broken. As one interviewee so eloquently put it “people aren't falling through cracks, they are being swept towards them.” Fairness aside, the very fact that an insurance company profits more by denying coverage, or by limiting access to care should raise all sorts of red flags in any sane persons head. Unfortunately this is the American way, as Ayn Rand would say: protect the pockets of a few influential individuals, screw the rest of you.

I give Sicko 4 partisan starts out of 5.


Now onto something else:

XS

XS is an interesting little place, about three blocks south of the Charles on N. Charles st in Baltimore. It an sushi/bar/club/breakfast/coffee shop all rolled into one four story row house thing. When you first walk in it looks like any other coffee shop/deli. There are things written in chalk on a giant colorful chalkboard, and large glass display cases with tons of tasty looking pastries and fruit tarts. There is no seating on the first floor, so anyone looking to eat in is directed up stairs. As Kristen and I ascended a deep techno beat could be heard from about halfway up the first set of stairs, the beat grew louder and the lights dimmer as we climbed higher, until we reached the third floor, where the music was nearly as loud as any club, and the light came mainly from candles and windows. The walls were preserved in their original brick layout, plastered with local artwork of various genres. There was a bar in the corner and about 15 tables total (there were more upstairs, but we never went up there). A DJ “spun” music on a little island detached from the top floor. The entire experience was a lot to take in, and i will admit I was mildly confused by the atmosphere at first, but grew to enjoy it after about 5 minutes. The menu was mainly sushi and other Asian style cuisine, though they do advertise that they serve breakfast all day. Luckily, sushi is exactly what Kristen and I were in the mood for, so it worked out perfectly. The selection was very good, with probably 50 different types of maki to choose from. We ordered an eel roll, a Philadelphia roll (salmon cream cheese and cucumber, one of my favorites) and a Godzilla roll (spicy tuna and avacado spicy sauce, eel sauce covered in fried scallions and tobiko), I ordered a Japanese beer, called Sapporo. The Sushi was very good. The fish was very fresh, and the textures and flavors flowed together very nicely without being too salty or overpowering. Out of the three rolls we got, the Godzilla roll was by far the best... and by that I mean it was amazing. The eel sauce and spicy sauce provided an excellent sweet and spicy contrast, and went very well with the tuna and avocado. The entire thing was fried and in a sweet crust that tasted almost like a dumpling. I highly recommend spending the extra 4 or 5 dollars for one of these if you ever go here.

For dessert we got a “chocolate lasagna,” which, as the name suggests, is about 4 or 5 different layers of chocolate piled on top of each other. It was very good.

If you are looking for a nice traditional sushi house, XS is not for you. If you are looking for someplace where you can take a party to enjoy some great sushi, have a few drinks, and even get your groove on, then look no farther than XS on N. Charles street.

I give XS 5 delicious stars out of 5.

Finally, I continued by bicycle escapades by riding 45 miles to New Freedom PA and back. I actually ate in a restaurant in New Freedom, but it was nothing special and I don't remember what it was called. Since it is late and I am tired you don't get a review. Riding that far on packed dirt and gravel (NCR trail) kind of sucked, as the vibrations eventually made my ass and hands numb, and probably threw my front wheel slightly out of true. They really need to pave that thing. Needless to say I was pretty exhausted after all that, but I think I could do 60 miles or more on flat paved road in a day, probably 40 or less if there are hills like we have in Jacksonville involved. I don't know how often you guys stop while touring, but I find that stopping every 5 miles or so to stretch and drink for about 5 minutes makes my rides more enjoyable.

Thats all for now. Later.