Your probably thinking to your self, is this post about the bus? Well........ It's not. It's about a documentary called The Waiting Room (Its for a class assignment so don't get used to movie reviews here)
The Waiting Room is set in the emergency room at Highland Hospital in Oakland,
California. The movie is mostly about the health care system in the United States and how it may be unfair to some people who are unemployed or people who don't have a large income.
The Movie itself I thought was okay. I thought it was a neat idea that there was no narrator leading you along in the movie, the characters themselves take you through. Because there is no narrator I found myself caring for some of the patients (Or characters, I'm going to be flip flopping these two terms so just know that) and also some of the nurses. But because there was no narrator I felt that the movie lacked a bit of structure. It seemed to me like it was just a bunch of different interesting scenes smashed together, there was no real flow to the movie.
The movie did get me thinking about health care here in Canada and how it compares to the United States. I pretty much grew up in the hospital. I've broken my collar bone over 10 times (I was thankful the time that it broke so bad that it became permanently broken) So I've seen my fair share of hospital waiting rooms. Looking back I don't remember ever waiting hours to see my doctor, but the patients in the movie seem to be waiting an extremely long time.
The other difference is that the fact that our Medicare is prepaid here in Canada. The Canadian governments website at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca says that Canadian Medicare is designed to ensure that all residents have reasonable access to
medically necessary hospital and physician services, on a prepaid basis. In The Waiting Room a lot of the scenes take place at the checkout desk, where these patients scramble to get as much money as they can to pay for there care. According to the U.S Medicaid web site (http://www.healthcare.gov) Medicaid coverage is designed to be affordable for everyone who is
eligible. Cost sharing for Medicaid varies by state but is extremely
limited for most participants. Even with the fact that it is designed to be affordable many of the patients did not have Medicaid.
When time came for patients to pay and they knew they couldn't, they would scramble and make up an excuse why they weren't going to be able to pay. The director made a deliberate decision to try and make you feel for these people. For me that tactic back fired, the more they blamed there problems on other people the less I cared for them. Don't get me wrong I feel bad that these people are in this situation, but lets be honest, your in this position because you put your self there.
All in all I think that this was a decent documentary. It really made you feel like a fly on the wall at a hospital in the states. But the way the movie flowed through me off and it just didn't keep my attention.
Thursday, 31 January 2013
Thursday, 24 January 2013
Taking out the trash
Usually people hate Mondays, but this semester Mondays are my favorite day. I start at 10am so I get to sleep in, and I end at 1pm so I get to go home early. This particular Monday I stayed a bit late so I could go to the school gym and work out.
With my muscles aching I slowly walked through the cold to my bus stop. I sat in the shelter to keep warm, it was only a coincidence that I had to sit beside a very pretty girl. My bus came a bit early, so I was disappointed that my conversation with the pretty girl was cut short (I'll be honest I forgot what her name was, but I'm sure we were soul mates.) I jumped on my bus and made my was to the back of the bus.
I found a nice seat in the corner of the bus, and I put my backpack on the empty seat beside me. I put my head phones on and started listening to my music. A few stops later a loud clinking sound cut through the sound of my music. I looked up to see a homeless man with at least 5 garbage bags push his way on the bus. I was surprised that the bus driver let him on but I guess he payed his fare. I saw him eye down the seat beside me and I started to worry. I moved my backpack onto my lap and prayed that this man wouldn't throw his bags on me. Sure enough he came and dropped his garbage bags right beside me and sat two seats away from me.
I couldn't help but examine the contents in his garbage bag. I noticed that it wasn't all cans in his bags, there was trash. He had everything from fast food bags too soup cans. I was curious too see where he was going. I'm usually the last one off the bus from the downtown crew because I have to ride all the way to south st.vital, so I figured I'd see where he got off.
As we passed my old high school I started thinking that he was going to ride further then me. At this point I really didn't care because the smell of trash started getting to me. I eventually got to my stop and the thrash man was still on the bus. I got off and thought to myself "Where the fuck was that guy going?"
With my muscles aching I slowly walked through the cold to my bus stop. I sat in the shelter to keep warm, it was only a coincidence that I had to sit beside a very pretty girl. My bus came a bit early, so I was disappointed that my conversation with the pretty girl was cut short (I'll be honest I forgot what her name was, but I'm sure we were soul mates.) I jumped on my bus and made my was to the back of the bus.
I found a nice seat in the corner of the bus, and I put my backpack on the empty seat beside me. I put my head phones on and started listening to my music. A few stops later a loud clinking sound cut through the sound of my music. I looked up to see a homeless man with at least 5 garbage bags push his way on the bus. I was surprised that the bus driver let him on but I guess he payed his fare. I saw him eye down the seat beside me and I started to worry. I moved my backpack onto my lap and prayed that this man wouldn't throw his bags on me. Sure enough he came and dropped his garbage bags right beside me and sat two seats away from me.
I couldn't help but examine the contents in his garbage bag. I noticed that it wasn't all cans in his bags, there was trash. He had everything from fast food bags too soup cans. I was curious too see where he was going. I'm usually the last one off the bus from the downtown crew because I have to ride all the way to south st.vital, so I figured I'd see where he got off.
As we passed my old high school I started thinking that he was going to ride further then me. At this point I really didn't care because the smell of trash started getting to me. I eventually got to my stop and the thrash man was still on the bus. I got off and thought to myself "Where the fuck was that guy going?"
Thursday, 17 January 2013
BBM Friend?
Yes I have a blackberry, and yes I'm aware it sucks. I walk around all day watching people walk by happily talking to their friends while surfing the web on there fancy Iphones and androids. While I have to sit there with my phone in the air looking for service.
But the one thing that my blackberry has that your Iphone doesn't have, is an amazing thing called "Black Berry Messenger" or BBM. Its just like texting someone, but instead you can see if the other person has read your text. Basically it gives you the depressing option of knowing when someone is ignoring you. On Wednesday though I made a new friend that someone with an Iphone wouldn't have.
It seemed like any other ordinary ride home from school. I was siting in the back of the bus, watching people to find material for this blog. Nothing had happened that was very interesting this week so I was getting kind of desperate to find something. As I frantically looked around I noticed a young pregnant women who was staring at me. I tried to pretend that I didn't notice her staring at me.
As I continued to look around the bus my phone started vibrating. I pulled out my blackberry and answered a text. As I finished my text I looked up and saw the young girl looking at me. Her lips started moving, so I took my head phones out of my ears.
"I see you have a blackberry too! Do you like it?" she asked
"ummm ya I guess it's alright" I replied
What she did next definitely took me back a little. She pushed her phone at me and showed me her barcode. (For all of you who don't know, the barcode on a blackberry is something where another blackberry can scan the barcode and you instantly become BBM friends) I hesitated for a moment, what do I just ad a complete stranger on my phone. Then I thought to my self "how funny would this be to blog about" so I scanned her barcode. And that's the story how me and Melissa became BBM friends
But the one thing that my blackberry has that your Iphone doesn't have, is an amazing thing called "Black Berry Messenger" or BBM. Its just like texting someone, but instead you can see if the other person has read your text. Basically it gives you the depressing option of knowing when someone is ignoring you. On Wednesday though I made a new friend that someone with an Iphone wouldn't have.
It seemed like any other ordinary ride home from school. I was siting in the back of the bus, watching people to find material for this blog. Nothing had happened that was very interesting this week so I was getting kind of desperate to find something. As I frantically looked around I noticed a young pregnant women who was staring at me. I tried to pretend that I didn't notice her staring at me.
As I continued to look around the bus my phone started vibrating. I pulled out my blackberry and answered a text. As I finished my text I looked up and saw the young girl looking at me. Her lips started moving, so I took my head phones out of my ears.
"I see you have a blackberry too! Do you like it?" she asked
"ummm ya I guess it's alright" I replied
What she did next definitely took me back a little. She pushed her phone at me and showed me her barcode. (For all of you who don't know, the barcode on a blackberry is something where another blackberry can scan the barcode and you instantly become BBM friends) I hesitated for a moment, what do I just ad a complete stranger on my phone. Then I thought to my self "how funny would this be to blog about" so I scanned her barcode. And that's the story how me and Melissa became BBM friends
Thursday, 10 January 2013
Back to school
If you're sitting at home thinking to your self "Wow Daniel hasn't updated his blog in a really long time" well your right. I've been on winter vacation and it was wonderful. I took the bus a total of 0 times. But all good things come to an end eventually.
On Tuesday morning I rolled out of bed at 6:00am and started my day. At 6:45 I made the all to familiar walk from my house to the bus stop. Waiting at the bus stop is depressing enough as it is, but waiting there before dawn makes it especially depressing. I waited in the cold for five minutes until I saw the big glowing headlights of my bus turn the corner and head towards me. I made my way to the side of the curb and watched as my bus slowed down and came to a stop, 15 feet away from me. Snow filled the inside of my shoes as I high stepped my way through the snow bank towards the open doors of the bus. When I got to the bus I was greeted with a nice "Good morning" from the bus driver.
I flashed the driver my bus pass and made my way through the empty bus to the back. I sat down in the corner and took a deep breathe, ahhhh that old familiar stink of the bus was still there. I leaned my head against the cold window and tried to get a little shut eye, but at the next stop two ladies got on that felt like I needed to know what Sharon told their boss on Monday.
The bus got pretty crowded by the time we were in Osborne Village, so I gave my seat up to a young women who was bravely wearing 4 inch heels on the bus. Two stops later she got off, and of course by the time she squeezed pass me some one had already taken the seat. So I stood there for another 10 minutes until my stop came. I jumped off the bus, took a deep breathe of that cold Winnipeg air, and thought to my self "I'm back at school"
On Tuesday morning I rolled out of bed at 6:00am and started my day. At 6:45 I made the all to familiar walk from my house to the bus stop. Waiting at the bus stop is depressing enough as it is, but waiting there before dawn makes it especially depressing. I waited in the cold for five minutes until I saw the big glowing headlights of my bus turn the corner and head towards me. I made my way to the side of the curb and watched as my bus slowed down and came to a stop, 15 feet away from me. Snow filled the inside of my shoes as I high stepped my way through the snow bank towards the open doors of the bus. When I got to the bus I was greeted with a nice "Good morning" from the bus driver.
I flashed the driver my bus pass and made my way through the empty bus to the back. I sat down in the corner and took a deep breathe, ahhhh that old familiar stink of the bus was still there. I leaned my head against the cold window and tried to get a little shut eye, but at the next stop two ladies got on that felt like I needed to know what Sharon told their boss on Monday.
The bus got pretty crowded by the time we were in Osborne Village, so I gave my seat up to a young women who was bravely wearing 4 inch heels on the bus. Two stops later she got off, and of course by the time she squeezed pass me some one had already taken the seat. So I stood there for another 10 minutes until my stop came. I jumped off the bus, took a deep breathe of that cold Winnipeg air, and thought to my self "I'm back at school"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)