Ship of Fools

I don't know why I found this interesting, probably because I'm a history dork, but I've decided to share it with you all. Its the history of everyones favorite treat, the Twinkie!

The Twinkie made its debut in 1933 when a baker named James Dewar noticed that the machines to that made a strawberry shortcake treat sat unused when strawberries weren't in season. He decided that a new low cost treat was in order. The original Twinkies were filled with banana filling and came two in a pack costing just a nickel. They became instantly popular not only because they were inexpensive (remember, there was a depression going on) but because they were tasty.

Jump forward to WWII and rationing of just about everything. Hostess starts having a hard time getting their hands on bananas not only because of the rationing but because bananas just don't grow in the US and the shipping lanes aren't safe anymore. The decision is made to switch to a vanilla creme and due to the popularity they stuck with it even after the war ended.

In the 60's Twinkies got another surge in popularity because of the scare of nuclear attacks and became a staple in many home built fallout shelters. The claim was that Twinkies never go bad and therefore could be kept in the shelters for an indefinate amount of time.

On to modern times. Early this month Hostess decided to switch back to their original recipe of banana filling. It has not been stated if this is a limited time offering or not but I for one look forward to trying the new (old) flavor. So go out, buy a Twinkie, feel like a kid again. It's probably been too long since you've had one anyway.

Posted by Cris at 04:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While at work this weekend I was called to respond to a vehicle accident on the highway. The single occupent of the vehicle was intoxicated (judging by the alcohol smell on his breath) and had flipped his car several times landing upside down. He was not restrianed by a seat belt and being an older model car there was no air bags. Due to the extent of the patients injuries (which I'm not going to get into) it was determined that a helicopter was the most appropriate way to transport him. While my partner and I took care of this fellow, CHP searched for his identification. In the process of their search it was determined that this person was most likely an illegal immigrant. What that means in this particular instance is that this person has paid no taxes, and therefore is not on MediCal. The medical costs that he accrued during this incident will be his alone to pay, and if he decides not to pay them (which is overwhelmingly often the case) it will be up to us, the citizens, to pay the bill. Therefore, here is a breakdown of what you all may get to pay for.

Ambulance Cost (base rate + 1 mile) $1500
Helicopter Ride (base rate + 30 miles) $12000
ER Visit $14000
Hospital stay ($2332/day * 3.5 day average) $8162
Total Cost $35662

Now, this cost is based on average costs that I had to look up on the web, plus some rough numbers that I happen to know. The numbers seen may be a bit high, may be a bit low, and do no include any type of rehabilitation that this person may have to go through. So, just in case you didn't know this is the real cost of illegal immigration. Still think that illegal immigration is harmless and saves us money in the long run? If you do, let me know. I'll send you my portion of this bill.

Posted by Cris at 12:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)