Being Unhealthy Could Cost You...Money.

For employees at Clarian Health, feeling the burn of trying to lose weight will take on new meaning. In late June, the Indianapolis-based hospital system announced that starting in 2009, it will fine employees $10 per paycheck if their body mass index [BMI, a ratio of height to weight that measures body fat] is over 30. If their cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose levels are too high, they'll be charged $5 for each standard they don't meet. Ditto if they smoke: Starting next year, they'll be charged another $5 in each check.

Clarian has been making headlines for its aggressive and unusual approach to covering escalating health-care costs. Rather than taking the more common step of giving employees incentives for merely participating in its wellness programs, such as joining a smoking cessation group or using a health coach, Clarian is actually measuring outcomes. And unlike most employers, it is penalizing workers for poor health instead of rewarding them for taking healthy steps.

Full article here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20090986/

I mean, really? I'm all about people being healthy and shit, but that's a little ridiculous. Just a little. I'm sure by July 1 of next year, folks will be getting surcharged for being gay and not believing in God. Hey, it's America - it could happen. Damn, I'll be broke.

Recycling in Virginia

This is some 1984 shit. Seriously.

So I woke up this morning and loaded my car full of cans and bottles to make my way to our local recycling center. And by local, I mean like 45 minutes away. But whatever. Anyway, Virginia is a commonwealth, so it sucks - but the shit that I just when through has only confirmed the small idea in my head that I need to fucking move. Like yesterday.

When I took my bags up to the front, I was asked to show my driver's license. Not only did they need to see it, but they scanned it as well. Oh no, it gets better. They continued to ask a series of questions, including where I live and my weight. My weight? What the freaking frack does that have to do with recycling cans and bottles? Well, I totally lied to them about that anyway.

They told me that it was a new DMV law and they apologized and said they had to, blah blah blah. My mother and I have been recycling at this place since I was like 16 and we have never had to do this before. So I looked up this new 'law' that supposedly requires recycling centers to ask donors to disclose their weight and hand over their license for scanning. Could not find a thing. If someone out there has some better luck finding that, please please send it my way. I'm dying to know. /sarcasm.

The irony of it all, is that you don't have to do any of that when buying a gun here. Fucking. ridiculous.