Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Glory Glory Man United!!
Saw my mate the other day, he said to me he'd seen the White Pele, so I asked who he is, he goes by the name of Wayne Rooney, Wayne Rooney
He plays on the left, he plays on the righttttttttt, that boy Ronaldo makes England look shite
Paul Scholes
Crunching the Numbers
I recently started reading a book called "Super Crunchers" where the author suggests that pretty much everything can be predicted using numbers. This book would definitely put to sleep within 2 minutes people who do not like numbers, regression and Excel so I would not recommend it if you are not interested. Why am I mentioning it? Because I like numbers and equations and because I want to show you that either Hillary thinks that U.S population is stupid or she is:
Hillary proposed the gas-tax free holiday this summer in the U.S. What does this mean? It means that there will be no federal tax on gas from Memorial Day to Labor Day. What does it really mean? Follow me:
1. The average federal tax is 18.9 cents.
2. The gas-tax free holiday will reduce the price of gas by about 19 cents per gallon.
3. The average person fills up their gas once every 6 days. If we assume that the gas-tax free holiday will go for 180 days then the average person will fill up their gas about 30 times.
4. The average tank of the car of the average person holds about 10 gallons. Therefore during the gas-tax free holiday the average person will fill up his tank with about 300 gallons of gas (30 times 10)
5. This will save each person in the U.S about.....$57 (300 * 19 cents)
No, it is not over! There are more numbers:
1. There are about 250,000,000 cars in the U.S
2. The gas-tax free holiday will prevent the U.S government from collecting about $14 billion dollars in gas taxes.
And the worst of all, is that the $57 that the average person will save on gas money will be spent at one of the following places:
a. McDonalds
b. Wal-Mart
c. Target
d. Taco-Bell
e. KFC
f. Any other fast food that you can think of
Way to go Hillary, I hope you win the elections. Then maybe we can have a TV-free day, a radio-free day, a school-free day, health-free day. Yay!
Hillary proposed the gas-tax free holiday this summer in the U.S. What does this mean? It means that there will be no federal tax on gas from Memorial Day to Labor Day. What does it really mean? Follow me:
1. The average federal tax is 18.9 cents.
2. The gas-tax free holiday will reduce the price of gas by about 19 cents per gallon.
3. The average person fills up their gas once every 6 days. If we assume that the gas-tax free holiday will go for 180 days then the average person will fill up their gas about 30 times.
4. The average tank of the car of the average person holds about 10 gallons. Therefore during the gas-tax free holiday the average person will fill up his tank with about 300 gallons of gas (30 times 10)
5. This will save each person in the U.S about.....$57 (300 * 19 cents)
No, it is not over! There are more numbers:
1. There are about 250,000,000 cars in the U.S
2. The gas-tax free holiday will prevent the U.S government from collecting about $14 billion dollars in gas taxes.
And the worst of all, is that the $57 that the average person will save on gas money will be spent at one of the following places:
a. McDonalds
b. Wal-Mart
c. Target
d. Taco-Bell
e. KFC
f. Any other fast food that you can think of
Way to go Hillary, I hope you win the elections. Then maybe we can have a TV-free day, a radio-free day, a school-free day, health-free day. Yay!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
My life in the last few weeks, my health insurance provider and the Champions League
Hello again! Sorry for not writing for so long but other concerns have been dominating my life. The biggest one..how to put my socks without bending my back and/or bringing my leg up. The pain is unbearable but I finally found the solution. I just tell Molly to do it for me. Sometimes I wonder how can she stand me for so long but I know she loves me..and I love her too because she is a wonderful person!
Another big problem is sitting in a chair for 3 hours a day and paying attention to class. When you have a back problem, sitting in a chair is believe me very uncomfortable and very painful. The solution..Vicodin. Not the best solution for a class where you need to pay attention.
The biggest problem of all however is sneezing. I am glad that I have prevented myself from sneezing in the last three weeks because the pain is terrible. The solution..I just close with my fingers!
Let's move on to my health insurance provider. When I came to the U.S, the University pretty much sent me a bill of about $600 and told me this is your health insurance provider: AETNA. I did not ask for them, and I was given no choice. And here we come to my problem today. In order to fix my life (see above) I need to have a surgery. There is ONLY ONE neurosurgeon in Bloomington and guess what..he is not in the preferred network of AETNA. So I called them to ask them if they would cover the expenses of my surgery. Here is how it went:
I dial the number and I get this lovely insurance representative on the phone. I asked her how much they would cover and she told me that they will only cover 50% because the doctor is not in their preferred network. And here is when the argument starts:
Alkis: "But he is the only neurosurgeon in town..what do you expect me to do?"
Lovely lady: "What is your zip code sir"
Alkis: "47401"
Lovely lady: "OK, hold on sir"
I wait for about 1 minute when she comes back to the phone.
Lovely lady: "Sir, there is a neurosurgeon in Columbus Indiana"
Alkis: "This is 40 miles away from here"
Lovely lady: "33.6 miles"
Alkis: "Yes, thank you very much. I am an international student at the school and I have no car to get to Columbus"
Lovely Lady: "The policy says that if there is a doctor within a 50 mile radius we cannot fully cover the expenses"
Alkis: "Again, do you realize that I did not choose this insurance company, I have no way to get to Columbus and I cannot sit in a car for more than 5 minutes. I have a ruptured disc"
Lovely lady: "I am sorry sir, there is nothing I can do"
Alkis: "Ok, I appreciate your help. Bye"
I did not leave it there however. I went to the University's Human Resources Department where I got to talk to a representative. Either the slowest person on earth, or she didn't give a shit about the situation or she was concerned about her lunch break. I explained to her the situation, and for the next ten minutes she was trying to get to a computer and show me the insurance brochure which I have already read and knew better than her. I explained to her again and she kept telling me other things. At about the 4th or 5th time, realizing that I would not leave from her office (and she would probably miss her lunch break) she told me that she would go talk to her director. She came back after 3-4 minutes and she told me that the director of the insurance company would be in town that night and she would talk to him and see if they can fully cover me. She promised to call me back today. It is 9.30pm now and if you have heard from her, so did I. And I know that when I call tomorrow to talk to her she would be in a "meeting" or she would not be available and she would call me later. I know the drill.
I already sent a complaint letter to the Office of International Students, to the Director of Graduate Services at Kelley Business School, I will send one to the Dean of the Students and I will file a complaint with the insurance company.
As far as the Champions League is concerned I hope that the UEFA makes a new rule that will not allow Chelsea and Liverpool to play against each other again. Those games have to be the most boring ever. They should be highly recommended to people with insomnia. The only reason I stayed awake today (and we are talking for 3pm) is the coffee that I was drinking. I counted 2 goal chances for Liverpool in the whole game and 1 for Chelsea. Final result 1-1.
That is it for today. I hope that the next time I write in this blog, my nerve will not be hitting my disc causing my leg to hurt like crazy. Until then Ciao.
And so that we don't forget..Glory glory Man United
Another big problem is sitting in a chair for 3 hours a day and paying attention to class. When you have a back problem, sitting in a chair is believe me very uncomfortable and very painful. The solution..Vicodin. Not the best solution for a class where you need to pay attention.
The biggest problem of all however is sneezing. I am glad that I have prevented myself from sneezing in the last three weeks because the pain is terrible. The solution..I just close with my fingers!
Let's move on to my health insurance provider. When I came to the U.S, the University pretty much sent me a bill of about $600 and told me this is your health insurance provider: AETNA. I did not ask for them, and I was given no choice. And here we come to my problem today. In order to fix my life (see above) I need to have a surgery. There is ONLY ONE neurosurgeon in Bloomington and guess what..he is not in the preferred network of AETNA. So I called them to ask them if they would cover the expenses of my surgery. Here is how it went:
I dial the number and I get this lovely insurance representative on the phone. I asked her how much they would cover and she told me that they will only cover 50% because the doctor is not in their preferred network. And here is when the argument starts:
Alkis: "But he is the only neurosurgeon in town..what do you expect me to do?"
Lovely lady: "What is your zip code sir"
Alkis: "47401"
Lovely lady: "OK, hold on sir"
I wait for about 1 minute when she comes back to the phone.
Lovely lady: "Sir, there is a neurosurgeon in Columbus Indiana"
Alkis: "This is 40 miles away from here"
Lovely lady: "33.6 miles"
Alkis: "Yes, thank you very much. I am an international student at the school and I have no car to get to Columbus"
Lovely Lady: "The policy says that if there is a doctor within a 50 mile radius we cannot fully cover the expenses"
Alkis: "Again, do you realize that I did not choose this insurance company, I have no way to get to Columbus and I cannot sit in a car for more than 5 minutes. I have a ruptured disc"
Lovely lady: "I am sorry sir, there is nothing I can do"
Alkis: "Ok, I appreciate your help. Bye"
I did not leave it there however. I went to the University's Human Resources Department where I got to talk to a representative. Either the slowest person on earth, or she didn't give a shit about the situation or she was concerned about her lunch break. I explained to her the situation, and for the next ten minutes she was trying to get to a computer and show me the insurance brochure which I have already read and knew better than her. I explained to her again and she kept telling me other things. At about the 4th or 5th time, realizing that I would not leave from her office (and she would probably miss her lunch break) she told me that she would go talk to her director. She came back after 3-4 minutes and she told me that the director of the insurance company would be in town that night and she would talk to him and see if they can fully cover me. She promised to call me back today. It is 9.30pm now and if you have heard from her, so did I. And I know that when I call tomorrow to talk to her she would be in a "meeting" or she would not be available and she would call me later. I know the drill.
I already sent a complaint letter to the Office of International Students, to the Director of Graduate Services at Kelley Business School, I will send one to the Dean of the Students and I will file a complaint with the insurance company.
As far as the Champions League is concerned I hope that the UEFA makes a new rule that will not allow Chelsea and Liverpool to play against each other again. Those games have to be the most boring ever. They should be highly recommended to people with insomnia. The only reason I stayed awake today (and we are talking for 3pm) is the coffee that I was drinking. I counted 2 goal chances for Liverpool in the whole game and 1 for Chelsea. Final result 1-1.
That is it for today. I hope that the next time I write in this blog, my nerve will not be hitting my disc causing my leg to hurt like crazy. Until then Ciao.
And so that we don't forget..Glory glory Man United
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Simple Math
Most of you who will read the next paragraph will not understand anything but I want to express how it feels to be a fan of a small team..
What if:
Salamina (as small team) reaches the semi-finals of the Cyprus final in the expense of Omonia:
- Less money for the TV station that will broadcast the game because of less demand, therefore lower revenue from commercials.
- Less money for the Cyprus Football Association because the Salamina stadium can only hold about 4500 spectators. Therefore the maximum money from tickets is about 76,500 Euros from which about 22,500 goes to the CFA.
- Probability of a not very interesting semi-final because of the low strength of Salamina
What if:
Omonia (as big team) reaches the semi-finals of the Cyprus final in the expense of Salamina:
- More money for the TV station that will broadcast the game because of higher demand, therefore higher revenue from commercials.
- More money for the CFA because Omonia stadium can hold about 25000 spectators. Therefore the maximum money from tickets is about 425,000 Euros. Considering that the stadium that Omonia uses belongs to the CFA, about 275,000 goes to CFA. 10 TIMES MORE THAN IF SALAMINA MADE IT THROUGH!
- Higher probability of a more interesting final because of Omonia's strengh.
- The revenues quoted above for the CFA could be doubled in the very decent possibility that Omonia makes the final instead of Salamina making it.
Let's see what happened at the games:
- Omonia equalized Ethnikos in the 5th of the 4 extra minutes added (you do the math here) with a penalty that was given against Ethnikos who unfairly played with a player less for about 40 minutes.
- Salamina was denied a penalty kick which was very similar to the one given to Omonia. People who did not watch the game have not heard or read anything about it.
- Apollonas and Salamina must be the most stupid teams in the league. While knowing that Omonia was down they could have arranged for Salamina to equalize and throw Omonia out of the cup. A win-win situation. Apollonas has one less strong team to face in the semi-final, Salamina goes through. AND YET THEY DIDN'T DO IT!
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is the sadness of following Cyprus soccer.
What if:
Salamina (as small team) reaches the semi-finals of the Cyprus final in the expense of Omonia:
- Less money for the TV station that will broadcast the game because of less demand, therefore lower revenue from commercials.
- Less money for the Cyprus Football Association because the Salamina stadium can only hold about 4500 spectators. Therefore the maximum money from tickets is about 76,500 Euros from which about 22,500 goes to the CFA.
- Probability of a not very interesting semi-final because of the low strength of Salamina
What if:
Omonia (as big team) reaches the semi-finals of the Cyprus final in the expense of Salamina:
- More money for the TV station that will broadcast the game because of higher demand, therefore higher revenue from commercials.
- More money for the CFA because Omonia stadium can hold about 25000 spectators. Therefore the maximum money from tickets is about 425,000 Euros. Considering that the stadium that Omonia uses belongs to the CFA, about 275,000 goes to CFA. 10 TIMES MORE THAN IF SALAMINA MADE IT THROUGH!
- Higher probability of a more interesting final because of Omonia's strengh.
- The revenues quoted above for the CFA could be doubled in the very decent possibility that Omonia makes the final instead of Salamina making it.
Let's see what happened at the games:
- Omonia equalized Ethnikos in the 5th of the 4 extra minutes added (you do the math here) with a penalty that was given against Ethnikos who unfairly played with a player less for about 40 minutes.
- Salamina was denied a penalty kick which was very similar to the one given to Omonia. People who did not watch the game have not heard or read anything about it.
- Apollonas and Salamina must be the most stupid teams in the league. While knowing that Omonia was down they could have arranged for Salamina to equalize and throw Omonia out of the cup. A win-win situation. Apollonas has one less strong team to face in the semi-final, Salamina goes through. AND YET THEY DIDN'T DO IT!
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is the sadness of following Cyprus soccer.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
How things work..
It's been a really bad week for me. But there are always lessons to be learned. 1) There are people who love and care about you, 2) Doctors primary concern in the U.S is if you have health insurance and if you can pay them, 3) When you are in pain, think that someone else, somewhere else had more pain than you and survived through it.
Today I went to the Kroger pharmacy to fill my prescriptions for new medication. We were the only ones at the pharmacy, I gave the prescription and the lovely lady told me that we had to wait for 30 minutes because they are running a little behind. I was wondering how can a pharmacy with three pharmacists and not many potential customers run behind, especially when I was watching them and didn't seem to me that they were trying too hard.
It took me a while...and then it struck me !!!! THEY WANT YOU TO STAY IN KROGER FOR 30 MINUTES SO YOU CAN SHOP AND SPEND MONEY. That is exactly right. I was in terrible pain, I could barely walk but they had me wander around in their supermarket so that I can shop more. And of course when I went back after 15 minutes my medication was ready and waiting. You know why? Because it only takes 5 MINUTES TO FILL A PRESCRIPTION!
To a totally different subject now..I am totally convinced that Molly has magical powers. I am 100% sure. It all makes sense to me now! There are 4 instances I can prove that. Here we go:
1) 4 years ago we were in Las Vegas and I was making some money on the blackjack table when Molly turned to me and she said "You are doing well huh..". That was it. I did not make any money on blackjack for the next three days. I even think I broke the record of fastest losing money on a blackjack table.
2) About 2 weeks ago, we woke up and there was sun outside. And for all you who live in the great state of Indiana you know why that is worth mentioning. Molly's first words were "It is a beautiful day today". It turned out to be the most rainy, yucky, very cold day.
3) I was watching the NCAA basketball final last night between Kansas (blue shirts) and Memphis (white shirts). Memphis was up by 9 points 2 minutes before the end of the game. So I asked Molly who does she want to win. Here is our conversation:
Alkis: "Which team do you want to win?"
Molly: "What are their colors?"
Alkis: "Blue and White"
Molly: "Blue"
GUESS WHAT! KANSAS makes an astonishing comeback and wins the game!!!
4) I was watching the Arsenal(white shirts)-Liverpool(red shirts)l game today when Arsenal was up by 0-1 and they were playing much better than Liverpool. So I asked Molly again..which team does she want to win. She answered "Red". And guess what. In the next minute, Liverpool scores and takes over the game and wins!
WOW. I am impressed.
Today I went to the Kroger pharmacy to fill my prescriptions for new medication. We were the only ones at the pharmacy, I gave the prescription and the lovely lady told me that we had to wait for 30 minutes because they are running a little behind. I was wondering how can a pharmacy with three pharmacists and not many potential customers run behind, especially when I was watching them and didn't seem to me that they were trying too hard.
It took me a while...and then it struck me !!!! THEY WANT YOU TO STAY IN KROGER FOR 30 MINUTES SO YOU CAN SHOP AND SPEND MONEY. That is exactly right. I was in terrible pain, I could barely walk but they had me wander around in their supermarket so that I can shop more. And of course when I went back after 15 minutes my medication was ready and waiting. You know why? Because it only takes 5 MINUTES TO FILL A PRESCRIPTION!
To a totally different subject now..I am totally convinced that Molly has magical powers. I am 100% sure. It all makes sense to me now! There are 4 instances I can prove that. Here we go:
1) 4 years ago we were in Las Vegas and I was making some money on the blackjack table when Molly turned to me and she said "You are doing well huh..". That was it. I did not make any money on blackjack for the next three days. I even think I broke the record of fastest losing money on a blackjack table.
2) About 2 weeks ago, we woke up and there was sun outside. And for all you who live in the great state of Indiana you know why that is worth mentioning. Molly's first words were "It is a beautiful day today". It turned out to be the most rainy, yucky, very cold day.
3) I was watching the NCAA basketball final last night between Kansas (blue shirts) and Memphis (white shirts). Memphis was up by 9 points 2 minutes before the end of the game. So I asked Molly who does she want to win. Here is our conversation:
Alkis: "Which team do you want to win?"
Molly: "What are their colors?"
Alkis: "Blue and White"
Molly: "Blue"
GUESS WHAT! KANSAS makes an astonishing comeback and wins the game!!!
4) I was watching the Arsenal(white shirts)-Liverpool(red shirts)l game today when Arsenal was up by 0-1 and they were playing much better than Liverpool. So I asked Molly again..which team does she want to win. She answered "Red". And guess what. In the next minute, Liverpool scores and takes over the game and wins!
WOW. I am impressed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)