6 ms·

Definitely be interesting, but I think many of the figures would remain the same. The lack of state provided health care exists whether you look at the US or on

by axod 16y ago

Definitely be interesting, but I think many of the figures would remain the same. The lack of state provided health care exists whether you look at the US or only NY. It'd be nice to get some user contributed/voted on facts as well on the website... for example (some of my own): US: You can't buy good cheese or chocolate GB: You can't buy good milkshakes or burgers

geedee77 16y ago
You've obviously never tried Gourmet Burger Kitchen in the UK!
- axod 16y ago
  Don't think I have. I'll check it out next time I'm in cambridge or bluewater (My closest it looks like). Thanks for the recommendation
  - apl 16y ago
    Cambridge has one on Regent Street. Good burger; you won't find a decent milkshake, though.
    - buro9 16y ago
      Bob Bob Ricard are somewhat OTT, but still their milkshakes are divine and rival what you can find in NYC: http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=5205391226741305498 http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=5205391226741305498 Shame you have to go to a high class restaurant/cocktail bar for it though.
- ottbot 16y ago
  I'm an American in the UK, I'm not a fan of GBK. I much prefer Byron (small London chain), which I would consider a good burger by any standards.
  - pierrefar 16y ago
    I find GBK's menu very... "creative". I always go for the basic plain burger which is frankly great for meat purists like me :)
meterplech 16y ago
True about NY, but not about Massachusetts actually. If you go to page 3 of (1), you see that people under 300% of poverty level are provided care through "Commonwealth Care." This actually adds to my point, because of the US's federal system, different states, regions, and cities have not only different demographics, but different laws as well. I like the idea of adding the "what is good where" point as well. For example, they don't discuss things like access to beach, or frequency of bone chilling blizzards. (1): Somewhat large PDF... https://www.mahealthconnector.org/portal/binary/com.epicentric.contentmanagement.servlet.ContentDeliveryServlet/About%2520Us/CommonwealthCare/Commonwealth%2520Care%2520Program%2520Guide.pdf https://www.mahealthconnector.org/portal/binary/com.epicentr...
arethuza 16y ago
The taste of American chocolate has always puzzled me - apparently it is down to butyric acid: http://www.rps.psu.edu/0009/chocolate.html http://www.rps.psu.edu/0009/chocolate.html
- axod 16y ago
  It tastes like they completely forgot to add sugar or milk. It's like eating raw cocoa, or cheap hot chocolate powder.
  - refresheduk 16y ago
    totally true!
  - sp332 16y ago
    Freshness counts for a lot. I've seen that happen with chocolate that has melted and then re-solidified in the package. It's kind of powdery and dry, and it doesn't taste right. Visiting the amusement park & chocolate factory in Hershey, PA is probably the only time I was impressed by Hershey's chocolate. Some of it was still warm :-)
- pbhjpbhj 16y ago
  I went to a lecture by a chemist working in chocolate production (this was about 14 years ago though) - they said that Hershey taste and hence the American chocolate taste was down to off milk. When chocolate factories were set up the milk couldn't be kept cool in transport and so went off before it could be used in the chocolate. They remedied this when the process had been improved but people wanted the traditional flavour and so they went back to off-milk flavoured chocolate. It was a great lecture they handed out pouches with about 14 different samples including chocolate at different stages of production and, the quite frankly disgusting, original style of Hershey chocolate.
anamax 16y ago
> The lack of state provided health care There is no "lack of state provided health care" in the US. Walk into a hospital - they're obligated to treat you. If you're poor, you can ignore the bills. (Or you can go to a public hospital and they likely won't bother if you fill out some forms first.) Of course, better treatment costs money, but that's true everywhere.
- argv_empty 16y ago
  If it were that simple, we wouldn't have people going bankrupt from paying their medical bills.
  - yummyfajitas 16y ago
    people going bankrupt from paying their medical bills Do you have evidence that this occurs to any significant degree? [citation needed]
    - cpeterso 16y ago
      "Study Links Medical Costs and Personal Bankruptcy: Harvard researchers say 62% of all personal bankruptcies in the U.S. in 2007 were caused by health problems -- and 78% of those filers had medical insurance." http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2009/db2009064_666715.htm http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2009/...
      - yummyfajitas 16y ago
        I figured you would cite Warren. The media bought her "study" hook line and sinker, and there isn't much else to support this claim. (Seriously, if you don't believe me, try to find any replication of it.) Her study is deeply flawed. The biggest problem is that it doesn't address causality or even correlation - for all we know, 62% of statistically similar people who did not go bankrupt also had a "major medical cause" of their non-bankruptcy. She doesn't address this at all. Here is the study: http://www.scribd.com/doc/16155232/Bankruptcy-2009 http://www.scribd.com/doc/16155232/Bankruptcy-2009 Here is a more detailed critique of it: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2009/06/elizabeth-warren-and-the-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-utterly-misleading-bankruptcy-study/18826/ http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2009/06/elizabet... Here is Megan McArdle's followup, based on a prediction she made (she was correct): http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/12/will-health-care-reform-reduce-medical-bankruptcies/68304/ http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/12/will-hea... Seriously, try again. I still have yet to see any source making this claim besides Warren.

by axod 16y ago

geedee77 16y ago

You've obviously never tried Gourmet Burger Kitchen in the UK!

axod 16y ago
Don't think I have. I'll check it out next time I'm in cambridge or bluewater (My closest it looks like). Thanks for the recommendation
- apl 16y ago
  Cambridge has one on Regent Street. Good burger; you won't find a decent milkshake, though.
  - buro9 16y ago
    Bob Bob Ricard are somewhat OTT, but still their milkshakes are divine and rival what you can find in NYC: http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=5205391226741305498 http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=5205391226741305498 Shame you have to go to a high class restaurant/cocktail bar for it though.
ottbot 16y ago
I'm an American in the UK, I'm not a fan of GBK. I much prefer Byron (small London chain), which I would consider a good burger by any standards.
- pierrefar 16y ago
  I find GBK's menu very... "creative". I always go for the basic plain burger which is frankly great for meat purists like me :)

meterplech 16y ago

True about NY, but not about Massachusetts actually. If you go to page 3 of (1), you see that people under 300% of poverty level are provided care through "Commonwealth Care." This actually adds to my point, because of the US's federal system, different states, regions, and cities have not only different demographics, but different laws as well. I like the idea of adding the "what is good where" point as well. For example, they don't discuss things like access to beach, or frequency of bone chilling blizzards. (1): Somewhat large PDF... https://www.mahealthconnector.org/portal/binary/com.epicentric.contentmanagement.servlet.ContentDeliveryServlet/About%2520Us/CommonwealthCare/Commonwealth%2520Care%2520Program%2520Guide.pdf https://www.mahealthconnector.org/portal/binary/com.epicentr...

arethuza 16y ago

The taste of American chocolate has always puzzled me - apparently it is down to butyric acid: http://www.rps.psu.edu/0009/chocolate.html http://www.rps.psu.edu/0009/chocolate.html

axod 16y ago
It tastes like they completely forgot to add sugar or milk. It's like eating raw cocoa, or cheap hot chocolate powder.
- refresheduk 16y ago
  totally true!
- sp332 16y ago
  Freshness counts for a lot. I've seen that happen with chocolate that has melted and then re-solidified in the package. It's kind of powdery and dry, and it doesn't taste right. Visiting the amusement park & chocolate factory in Hershey, PA is probably the only time I was impressed by Hershey's chocolate. Some of it was still warm :-)
pbhjpbhj 16y ago
I went to a lecture by a chemist working in chocolate production (this was about 14 years ago though) - they said that Hershey taste and hence the American chocolate taste was down to off milk. When chocolate factories were set up the milk couldn't be kept cool in transport and so went off before it could be used in the chocolate. They remedied this when the process had been improved but people wanted the traditional flavour and so they went back to off-milk flavoured chocolate. It was a great lecture they handed out pouches with about 14 different samples including chocolate at different stages of production and, the quite frankly disgusting, original style of Hershey chocolate.

anamax 16y ago

> The lack of state provided health care There is no "lack of state provided health care" in the US. Walk into a hospital - they're obligated to treat you. If you're poor, you can ignore the bills. (Or you can go to a public hospital and they likely won't bother if you fill out some forms first.) Of course, better treatment costs money, but that's true everywhere.

argv_empty 16y ago
If it were that simple, we wouldn't have people going bankrupt from paying their medical bills.
- yummyfajitas 16y ago
  people going bankrupt from paying their medical bills Do you have evidence that this occurs to any significant degree? [citation needed]
  - cpeterso 16y ago
    "Study Links Medical Costs and Personal Bankruptcy: Harvard researchers say 62% of all personal bankruptcies in the U.S. in 2007 were caused by health problems -- and 78% of those filers had medical insurance." http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2009/db2009064_666715.htm http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2009/...
    - yummyfajitas 16y ago
      I figured you would cite Warren. The media bought her "study" hook line and sinker, and there isn't much else to support this claim. (Seriously, if you don't believe me, try to find any replication of it.) Her study is deeply flawed. The biggest problem is that it doesn't address causality or even correlation - for all we know, 62% of statistically similar people who did not go bankrupt also had a "major medical cause" of their non-bankruptcy. She doesn't address this at all. Here is the study: http://www.scribd.com/doc/16155232/Bankruptcy-2009 http://www.scribd.com/doc/16155232/Bankruptcy-2009 Here is a more detailed critique of it: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2009/06/elizabeth-warren-and-the-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-utterly-misleading-bankruptcy-study/18826/ http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2009/06/elizabet... Here is Megan McArdle's followup, based on a prediction she made (she was correct): http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/12/will-health-care-reform-reduce-medical-bankruptcies/68304/ http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/12/will-hea... Seriously, try again. I still have yet to see any source making this claim besides Warren.