The very many questions-not-worth-their-own-thread question thread XXXI

[Hygro]

I don't keep track. However, most of the time I don't drink anything other than water. (You should know that I live in a desert.)

Try drinking a glass+ more a day of whatever is normal and see if it doesn't clear.

 

[Farm Boy]

If the water doesn't do it, what chapstick are you using? I usually don't think it does much at all until you get up to Carmex or Lip Medex.

 

[Mouthwash]

No idea. Haven't used it in a year at least.

I will try Hygro's idea of drinking extra water.

 

[Samson]

How do I stop my lips peeling? Chapstick and vaseline don't work at all and leave my lips sticky for hours.

One thought, judging by your other threads, is are you getting enough vitamin C? Poor condition of your lips is likely to be the first indication of low level scurvy.

 

[Mouthwash]

I'm doing low-carb paleo right now. Going full carnivore is nearly impossible to do cold turkey. Anyway, I've had peeling lips for a long time.

 

[Lohrenswald]

so like I know what universal healthcare is I'm pretty sure, but what do y'all americans mean by "single-payer" healthcare?

 

[shadowplay]

It means health care providers can only legally bill one source (in Canada, where I live, which has single payer, it's the provincial health insurance plan) and not the patient directly, or any kind of privately purchased insurance.

 

[Synobun]

Shadowplay's answer is good but the "any kind of privately purchased insurance" is wrong. We do have private insurance in Canada either bought personally or through an employer. This doesn't functionally change the process of receiving healthcare; if you are a new patient and you're unable to provide consent for record transfer or to confirm the insurance details, you'll be covered by the provincial plan until you can remedy that.

A single-payer healthcare system guarantees a minimal level of care for every individual within your borders, aka universal healthcare. Knowing America, though, they'd probably find a way to make it optional or a cash cow because they aren't willing to set regulation and conditions on a federal healthcare system. In Canada we have federal mandates but provinces are left largely alone when it comes to having the system come to fruition. Ontario, for example, funds and controls its healthcare system through taxes. Here in BC you pay a monthly/yearly fee. The end result is the same but the route can be different.

 

[shadowplay]

The private insurance only applies to things that aren't covered by the public system, such as prescriptions. If you have the public system and private system paying for the same services, by definition that is not "Single payer."

 

[civvver]

in the US when people say single payer they mean medicare for everyone, no private insurance.

 

[Synobun]

The private insurance only applies to things that aren't covered by the public system, such as prescriptions. If you have the public system and private system paying for the same services, by definition that is not "Single payer."

Eh. I guess if you want to look at it that way? Here in BC private insurance still covers what the public system covers (since it all uses public resources anyways) but you're right in that they do cover what the public system does not. I haven't done much personal research into it but off the top of my head Blue Cross (a private health insurance provider here) has your standard "not going bankrupt for daring to step inside an ER" coverage but also dental, therapy, and drug coverage.

This is mostly a failure of the public health system, I think. Most medication is only covered if you're on welfare/disability, dental is only if you're on disability, and therapy is private all the way through unless provided through a medical program. These are all things I'd like to see integrated into the public health system and if some day they are, I imagine the existence of private insurance here in Canada will be barely noticeable or otherwise recommended outside of the workplace.

 

[Cutlass]

in the US when people say single payer they mean medicare for everyone, no private insurance.

No. There's always an opt out for those who want to provide their own. But there's no opt out for those who would go without.

 

[Mouthwash]

Why are flowers considered romantic gifts? I mean, they've pretty, but what would a woman actually do with them? Is it just a holdover from when women were expected to be homemakers?

 

[Synobun]

Why are flowers considered romantic gifts? I mean, they've pretty, but what would a woman actually do with them? Is it just a holdover from when women were expected to be homemakers?

Why, they'd use it for scrapbooking, of course!

(They would put them in a vase like a normal human being.)

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Why are flowers considered romantic gifts? I mean, they've pretty, but what would a woman actually do with them? Is it just a holdover from when women were expected to be homemakers?

I love receiving flowers. I'm a dude. They are pretty and smell nice. One of the best parts of my campus were all of the anti-terror barriers that were filled with tulips.

 

[Mouthwash]

(They would put them in a vase like a normal human being.)

Why would women care about flowers in vases?

 

[Synobun]

Why would women care about flowers in vases?

See @hobbsyoyo's answer. Flowers are awesome. Caring about awesome things is awesome.

 

[Mouthwash]

But why is it specifically something to give women as a romantic gesture?

 

[Synobun]

But why is it specifically something to give women as a romantic gesture?

Cultural. Flowers have been a staple for romance since at least the days of feudalism. They're easily accessible, most can agree that they're pretty (and pretty used to be fairly specific to femininity), and it is an easy cultural way to bolster an intended bond between two people.

That being said, giving flowers doesn't need to be romantic. There's more nuance now in how we interact. There are many people who have flowers in their home every week, and getting them flowers can be a nice gesture that saves them time or can be a shared activity instead of being something explicitly romantic.

Depending on the woman there may be alternatives to what they consider a romantic gesture. Chocolates, for some, can be romantic. A gift, for others, can be romantic. Then you head into unusual territory where for some people a romantic gesture is doing a difficult chore, helping them out with a problem, or gifting them something eccentric that appeals specifically to their interests.

In societies where conduct is very specific, flowers being the norm is easy. Even peasants can pick flowers. It removes nuance and complexity where possible, something important in a society where a romantic affair is less individualistic.

 

[Broken_Erika]

Plus they make the room look and smell nicer, for about a week or so. After that they get all brown and withered and it's just not the same.