BY HARRY RING
Life's contradictions - "Despite the prosperous [?]
economy, the proportion of Americans without health insurance
climbed to 16.1 percent last year, with Latinos having the
highest uninsured rates,..." - Los Angeles Times.
In-depth reporting - That Times report added, perspicaciously, "The major obstacle to the purchase of health insurance is cost."
Crime overhead rising? - To duck criminal charges, Nationwide Credit Inc., a "bust-your-kneecaps" collection agency, will pay a $1 million civil penalty.
The outfit made threatening phone calls falsely implying people would be jailed. They illegally sought information from employers, neighbors and children. In 1992 the company paid $100,000 to bury similar charges.
Fashioning a high society? - In Altai, an impoverished district of Siberia, 8,000 of Russia's teachers, who haven't been paid since February, reportedly agreed to accept 15 bottles of vodka a month which they can barter or sell. Or, of course, use it as an antidote to their own pain.
A wonderful deal lost - Previous to accepting the vodka offer, the unpaid Russian teachers rejected a government offer of funeral supplies and toilet paper.
The insecure society - We recently reported earlier that speculator Warren Buffet was the richest man in the world, according to Forbes magazine. But in the past three months he dropped $10 billion in the market and is now down to his last $28 billion, apparently leaving Bill Gates the top money dog.
Temps can participate? - Microsoft is conducting its annual employee charity auction, Top item on the block is a guided tour of Bill Gates' $53 million pad. So far the bidding is at the $25,000 mark. The estate manager will be the tour guide. But for the finale, Gates "will personally guide you through his favorite rooms."
Yet folks beef about the service - U.S. Customs agents have been assigned to two of the smaller Los Angeles area airports to speed through passengers arriving on corporate jets. An initiator of the project explains: "These guys pay a lot of taxes ..... They employ a lot of people...the Customs service is just another nicety, another treat that feels good."
Can you believe it? - Recorded crimes by English cops jumped 23 percent last year. The Times of London said these included "two London officers who supplied Ecstasy tablets to a ... sergeant who indecently assaulted a woman; a Nottingham officer who stole from a corpse; a London officer who black mailed prostitutes...Another 165 were convicted of traffic offenses last year, and many for drink-driving while off duty."