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Gang land | page 1, 2
"Decisions, decisions" by Edward Ericson Jr. It's a vision to make one shudder with fear: a massive database containing the complete medical records of every insured American, accessible to doctors, insurers, employers and patients with the click of a mouse. This is the goal of the Medical Records Institute and the Computer-based Patient Record Institute (CPRI), according to reporter Edward Ericson Jr. The idea is to improve the portability of medical coverage from one insurer to another, as well as to prevent, say, a doctor prescribing a medication that conflicts with one her patient is already taking. Ericson imagines such information being put to more nefarious purposes: cost-cutting at HMOs, corporate layoffs targeted at medical risks. Considering what crimes against humanity HMOs, car companies and other corporations have already committed in the name of cost-cutting and "calculated risk," these are reasonable speculations. - - - - - - - - - - - - Boston Phoenix, Nov. 4-11 "The skeleton crew" by Alicia Potter In time for the release of Denzel Washington's new thriller, "The Bone Collector," Alicia Potter talks to real-life bone gatherers who resent the macabre characterization of their hobby. But how else are you going to describe someone who proudly displays a vast array of penis bones? "Found in many mammals that require extra rigidity during copulation, the bones are, like penises themselves, a study in diversity: the mottled, 22-inch, thick-as-a-carrot walrus dong; the 4-inch, wishbone-delicate raccoon wiener; the 1-inch, tapered beaver stub." Yummy. (Yes, there are photos.) While the boner collectors (sorry, couldn't resist!) insist their hobby is no more strange than gathering up Beanie Babies, stamps or coins -- despite numerous restrictive laws -- we know better. This hobby is sick, wrong and makes for fascinating reading. In answer to the question no doubt in many readers' minds: Bone-trading is not allowed on eBay. - - - - - - - - - - - - Weekly Planet (Tampa Bay, Fla.), Nov. 4-10 "Capital Offense" by John F. Sugg On Oct. 26, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to consider whether Florida's electric chair (affectionately referred to as "Old Sparky") violated the Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The decision elicited an outcry from state politicians, who seem to feel death by lethal injection isn't punishment enough. Just what would make these politicians happy? asks John F. Sugg, who then proceeds to cheerfully list and describe all the various ways societies throughout history have disposed of people "deemed unworthy of living." This gruesome list culminates in the following statement: "If Jesus had arrived on Earth just a split second later by God’s galactic clock, we’d all be wearing little gold replicas of 'Old Sparky' around our necks, rather than stylized knock-offs of the old rugged cross." What follows are Sugg's less sensational, though no less compelling, arguments against the death penalty. - - - - - - - - - - - - New York Observer, Week of Nov. 15 "Dot.Comedy of Errors" by Gabriel Snyder In a well-written, well-reported article that is sure to please many, Gabriel Snyder explains that the dot-coms are getting fleeced by Madison Avenue. New York's finest advertising agencies and brand consultants are creating indecipherable ads and charging above-market prices for desperate, risk-taking Internet companies. "The dot-coms are the new suckers, pouring dumb money into the coffers of their putative rivals in the old media -- radio, print, television, outdoor. They don’t have marketing strategy; they have cash. The agencies and the media outlets are happy to oblige them."
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