Well, thanks to the TSA I made it safely to Miami and I have come to a critical realization. My epiphany is that vacation is so much better than working. I don't mean a little bit, but immeasurably so. As the years have transpired my need and desire for more vacation time has increased. At first I took a couple of vacations a year for several days each. Now I need to have a vacation planned every 3 months and not just for a few days but it seems to have stretched into 7-10 days per vacation. I used to feel guilty when I took time off but now I have the need to have planned or to be planning at least two vacations into the future.
The paradox is that I suspect I enjoy vacation so much only because of how difficult and stressful work is. I think one's enjoyment of vacation is directly proportionate to the difficulty, the work hours and the stress of one's occupation. It seems that I cannot tire of vacation time but I suspect if I take too much vacation at some point I will not enjoy it as much as it will become routine. I am still trying to find the right balance but for sure I am still vacation deficient and overworked.
At one extreme all work and no vacation leads to burn out on the job and ultimately poor job performance. The opposite case of all vacation and no work is termed retirement. I see many retired people in the office and I really don't think they can appreciate retirement. The reason is that they lack a balance between work time and leisure time. I do not have scientific data to support this observation but my anecdotal opinion is that older people that continue to work are healthier overall than their nonworking counterparts. So not only does work enable one to appreciate leisure time but it also leads to a healthier longer life (my opinion).
One of the best pieces of advise I have received and I try to pass along to my children is to work hard and play hard. It is about striking the right balance between work and play but additionally to put maximal effort into both. Leisure time is not just the absence of work but requires effort to achieve its potential. Playing hard enables one to be more refreshed and productive at work while working hard enables one to afford and appreciate his/her leisure time. This week I will try to play hard as I board a cruise later on today. As soon as I return though, I will be on my computer planning my spring and summer vacations.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
New Jersey to Miami via Ben Gurion
At the end of this week I am heading to Miami with my family and I was thinking about the safety issues regarding the flight. It is clear that the security that is in place to give us the impression that we are safe is completely ineffective and purely theatrical. The TSA officers are busy worrying about a little old lady with an oversized tube of toothpaste rather than a single guy named Ahmed traveling alone with his prayer rug. The only effective security deserving of the word is El Al’s.
At first I thought the only secure way to get to Miami from New Jersey by air is to fly from New York to Miami with a stopover in Tel Aviv. This way I could get El Al security for my trip to Miami. El Al does fly roundtrip from Miami to Israel and although this is the safest itinerary I would spend my entire vacation in the air. Obviously, I would also have to fly back from Miami to Israel then to New Jersey. It would also be a rather expensive nonvacation for me and my family. I figure at least 20k just for the flights as opposed to about 2k if I fly directly. There must be a better way.
On a more serious note, I started asking some people if they would pay an extra fee if everyone on their flight was subjected to real El Al security. Everyone I spoke to was willing to pay some sum of money from 20 to 100 dollars for the added benefit. Perhaps there should be certain flights which include this heightened level of security for all the passengers. It would clearly cost more per ticket but I think there is a market for such a designated flight. A person can choose to pay extra or he could choose to go on a flight with standard TSA security. It would be interesting to see whether there is a market for such a product.
So at the end of this week I am placing my security in the hands of the TSA as I travel direct from New Jersey to Miami. I figure the odds are pretty good that nobody will opt to blow themselves up and I don’t want to spend the extra time and money stopping over in Ben Gurion (although I could go for decent shwarma). But given the option of added El Al security on my direct flight, I would certainly pay an additional fee for the piece of mind, knowing I am flying under the protection of Israeli security.
At first I thought the only secure way to get to Miami from New Jersey by air is to fly from New York to Miami with a stopover in Tel Aviv. This way I could get El Al security for my trip to Miami. El Al does fly roundtrip from Miami to Israel and although this is the safest itinerary I would spend my entire vacation in the air. Obviously, I would also have to fly back from Miami to Israel then to New Jersey. It would also be a rather expensive nonvacation for me and my family. I figure at least 20k just for the flights as opposed to about 2k if I fly directly. There must be a better way.
On a more serious note, I started asking some people if they would pay an extra fee if everyone on their flight was subjected to real El Al security. Everyone I spoke to was willing to pay some sum of money from 20 to 100 dollars for the added benefit. Perhaps there should be certain flights which include this heightened level of security for all the passengers. It would clearly cost more per ticket but I think there is a market for such a designated flight. A person can choose to pay extra or he could choose to go on a flight with standard TSA security. It would be interesting to see whether there is a market for such a product.
So at the end of this week I am placing my security in the hands of the TSA as I travel direct from New Jersey to Miami. I figure the odds are pretty good that nobody will opt to blow themselves up and I don’t want to spend the extra time and money stopping over in Ben Gurion (although I could go for decent shwarma). But given the option of added El Al security on my direct flight, I would certainly pay an additional fee for the piece of mind, knowing I am flying under the protection of Israeli security.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Terrorism Risk Assessment Profile (TRAP)
A suggestion to identify who is likely to be a terrorists and more importantly who is unlikely. Terrorism Risk Assessment Profile (TRAP). Similar to a credit score a person would have a TRAP score based on multiple criteria.
Country of Origin/ Home address
Middle East Country +20, Europe +10, USA +0
Religion
Christian/Jewish +0, Other +40
Name
Middle Eastern +25, non-Middle Eastern +0
Age
Less than 13 -20, 14-35 +30, greater than 36 +0
Travel Companions
For each child travelling with you -10, travelling alone +25
Method of Payment for Flight
Cash +40, Credit Card -10
Type of Ticket
One way +40, Roundtrip +0
Luggage
None +20
Marrital Status
Single +20, Married (Crapshoot. May make one more or less apt to blow up oneself)
Education Level
High school or less +20, College or greater -20
Criminal History
Yes +30, No +0
Travel History
Previous travel to Middle East +50, No travel to Middle East +0
Credit Score
Greater than 600 -20, Less than 600 +10
Net Worth
Less than 50K +10, Greater than 250K -30
Occupation/employment
Unemployed +20, Employed (depends on occupation ?postal worker)
House of Worship
Synagogue, Church, etc.
Psychiatric history/meds
Yes +40, No -10
Other/tips
Father calls CIA that you are radicalized- Don't bother
The best thing about this system is that it is completely voluntary. If you voluntarily participate and your TRAP score is less than 100 you can show up at the airport two hours in advance and go through routine identification and screening.If your TRAP score is greater than 100, or you do not volunteer to participate you must show up at the airport 6 hours early and be subjected to an interview, and a full body search at your expense. Lets inconvenience the potential terrorist NOT the general public. Seems harsh? Too bad.
Lets face it. There is no way we can have an Israeli type security system. We are not good at identifying a terrorist amongst thousands of travellers by interviewing them and noticing nuances in their behavior. However, we are good at collecting data on people and we should use this to PROFILE. We can use this objective data to determine a TRAP score and then finding a terrorist amongst a smaller number becomes a lot more realistic.
The travelling public should demand that profiling should start immediately as we know this is our only chance at identifying a potential terrorist. Until this is implemented we should boycott any nonessential air travel. Our most powerful weapon is the use of our dollars.
Country of Origin/ Home address
Middle East Country +20, Europe +10, USA +0
Religion
Christian/Jewish +0, Other +40
Name
Middle Eastern +25, non-Middle Eastern +0
Age
Less than 13 -20, 14-35 +30, greater than 36 +0
Travel Companions
For each child travelling with you -10, travelling alone +25
Method of Payment for Flight
Cash +40, Credit Card -10
Type of Ticket
One way +40, Roundtrip +0
Luggage
None +20
Marrital Status
Single +20, Married (Crapshoot. May make one more or less apt to blow up oneself)
Education Level
High school or less +20, College or greater -20
Criminal History
Yes +30, No +0
Travel History
Previous travel to Middle East +50, No travel to Middle East +0
Credit Score
Greater than 600 -20, Less than 600 +10
Net Worth
Less than 50K +10, Greater than 250K -30
Occupation/employment
Unemployed +20, Employed (depends on occupation ?postal worker)
House of Worship
Synagogue, Church, etc.
Psychiatric history/meds
Yes +40, No -10
Other/tips
Father calls CIA that you are radicalized- Don't bother
The best thing about this system is that it is completely voluntary. If you voluntarily participate and your TRAP score is less than 100 you can show up at the airport two hours in advance and go through routine identification and screening.If your TRAP score is greater than 100, or you do not volunteer to participate you must show up at the airport 6 hours early and be subjected to an interview, and a full body search at your expense. Lets inconvenience the potential terrorist NOT the general public. Seems harsh? Too bad.
Lets face it. There is no way we can have an Israeli type security system. We are not good at identifying a terrorist amongst thousands of travellers by interviewing them and noticing nuances in their behavior. However, we are good at collecting data on people and we should use this to PROFILE. We can use this objective data to determine a TRAP score and then finding a terrorist amongst a smaller number becomes a lot more realistic.
The travelling public should demand that profiling should start immediately as we know this is our only chance at identifying a potential terrorist. Until this is implemented we should boycott any nonessential air travel. Our most powerful weapon is the use of our dollars.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Enough With the Twinkies
This past week I saw a patient weighing 700 pounds who needed his tracheostomy tube changed. It got me thinking about how much is being spent on this person’s care who has a chronic disease that is mostly or predominantly self-inflicted. The real change that is required in today’s health system is to affect people’s health and lifestyle choices and incentivize people to live a healthy existence. A significant portion of health care dollars are spent on people with largely preventable chronic disease. By changing people’s behavior to live a healthier lifestyle we will be a more productive society, spend much less on health care, and empower the individual to control his own health status.
Where in this bill is the incentive to get people to get off their couches and go for a walk? Where is the incentive to stop eating twinkies and devil dogs and instead get a fruit or some nuts? Where is it in this bill that encourages people to stop lighting up those tobacco cancer sticks? Where is the incentive to empower the individual to take control of his/her decisions to pursue a healthy lifestyle? The answer is it is not there because the designers of the bill do not want to put any responsibility on the individual. They do not care to empower the individual, only to create more reliance on government.
The true method to control run-away health care costs is to create a system where good health is paramount and incentivized. This will lead to a dramatic decrease in the use of services. Continuous cutting of payments to providers is not productive. It leads to rationing, poor quality health care, and eventually a lower quality of providers. Remember, you get what you pay for. If you pay providers less you will get less, guaranteed.
The question remains how one creates incentives that will coerce the individual to put down the twinkie or get off the couch and go for a walk. One would think that just the fact that a healthier life leads to a longer and more enjoyable life would be incentive enough. For some this is the case but obviously not for many. Financial incentives would probably be an incentive for some and should be used. Encouragement by a role model such as a parent or doctor or athletic star may work. This is where I think BO could have a dramatic and long lasting impact.
BO should explain to his constituents that they should not rely on government but they need to assume personal responsibility to make the right health choices. He should actively encourage all people to throw down the yodels, turn off the TV and go for a walk with their child, spouse or parent. He has a powerful ability to influence the lifestyle of many people, especially young people, and should focus on empowering people to live healthier lifestyles. This is the most important step he can take as president to improve the lives of people and will also lead to a dramatic decrease in health care spending.
Where in this bill is the incentive to get people to get off their couches and go for a walk? Where is the incentive to stop eating twinkies and devil dogs and instead get a fruit or some nuts? Where is it in this bill that encourages people to stop lighting up those tobacco cancer sticks? Where is the incentive to empower the individual to take control of his/her decisions to pursue a healthy lifestyle? The answer is it is not there because the designers of the bill do not want to put any responsibility on the individual. They do not care to empower the individual, only to create more reliance on government.
The true method to control run-away health care costs is to create a system where good health is paramount and incentivized. This will lead to a dramatic decrease in the use of services. Continuous cutting of payments to providers is not productive. It leads to rationing, poor quality health care, and eventually a lower quality of providers. Remember, you get what you pay for. If you pay providers less you will get less, guaranteed.
The question remains how one creates incentives that will coerce the individual to put down the twinkie or get off the couch and go for a walk. One would think that just the fact that a healthier life leads to a longer and more enjoyable life would be incentive enough. For some this is the case but obviously not for many. Financial incentives would probably be an incentive for some and should be used. Encouragement by a role model such as a parent or doctor or athletic star may work. This is where I think BO could have a dramatic and long lasting impact.
BO should explain to his constituents that they should not rely on government but they need to assume personal responsibility to make the right health choices. He should actively encourage all people to throw down the yodels, turn off the TV and go for a walk with their child, spouse or parent. He has a powerful ability to influence the lifestyle of many people, especially young people, and should focus on empowering people to live healthier lifestyles. This is the most important step he can take as president to improve the lives of people and will also lead to a dramatic decrease in health care spending.
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