amarante

I am wondering whether Jackie actually drinks a lot of alcohol. I don't drink much at all and it is partially because I don't want to use the calories on alcohol. But no one really knows this because I can walk around with a glass of something like club soda with a twist or even nurse a glass of white wine. I do understand obsessive food disorders as I have one. I was explaining to my cousin once who had no food issues but a cigarette habit that if there were a pack of cigarettes on the table and a package of cookies that we would both be obsessing about them even if we didn't indulge - I would be thinking about the cookies and she would be thinking about the cigarettes.

I realize that teachers are fired in places for conduct - hell there are places that ban innocuous books. But Los Angeles isn't Podunk Texas and so the level of her conduct would probably not result in her being fired - it simply didn't rise to the level of offending normative community standards. This is essentially a soap opera and various unrealistic plot devices are used in order to get characters involved in certain situations even if the plot has no basis in reality or the people are acting in a way that makes absolutely no sense - as is the current Mariana idiocy of her "infiltrating" a software company in order to prove that they somehow stole IP when the IP isn't particularly unique nor is the App particularly unique or doing anything that others in the beauty business aren't already doing. Not to mention that she is effectively setting herself up for being unhireable based on real charges of corporate espionage.

It is not to provide a bathroom for patrons of a food truck. No one thinks that the numerous patrons of a food truck are going to need a bathroom and they don’t have access. It is to level the playing field between food trucks that are essentially restaurants because they park in one spot all day and compete with restaurants in the immediate vicinity. That is why the bathroom requirement is only applicable if the truck remains in one place for more than an hour. If it moves around it is generally catering (no pun intended) to a different type of patrons than a truck which parks where it is stationary for a long time. The food trucks thst move around provide food for workers who wouldn’t be going to a restaurant such as construction workers. They would generally have to bring food if there were no trucks available on site.

It is unlikely that a teacher would be fired in Los Angeles for the social media. There wasn't anything sexually provocative like having genital pictures etc or having bigoted posts or memes etc.

In Los Angeles, if your food truck is in one spot for more than an hour it must be within 200 feet of a public bathroom or a bathroom that allows your patrons to use it. The rationale is that food trucks which don’t move around are competing with restaurants and should be forced to comply with the same standards. If you have the kind of food truck where you move around then you don’t need the bathroom. There are classic food trucks that will cover established routes and just stay for a bit. Typically they show up at construction sites.

I think the issue of fake it until you make it is that it works when one is releasing software with bugs because in general they don't have life or death implications. However Theranos was essentially a medical device company and not a software company and so there are approvals needed before devices and drugs are released for general use and real ethical considerations. The book goes into a lot of detail in terms of how Theranos skirted the approval issues by having the lab in California certified through some loophole. One of the reasons that she swung into the Walgreen/Safeway consumer sector was because she had tried peddling it to pharmaceutical companies as a way for them to test the efficacy of their drugs. But they didn't receive results that were acceptable to companies that actually knew what they were doing. ETA - I have been watching bits and pieces of Wecrash and. the same Emperor's New Clothes was evident in that since there was nothing remotely high tech about the company - it was just a real estate company with all of the issues facing those who manage commercial real estate. Just like Theranos was essentially just a medical device company which didn't even live up to the promise of being more effective than Seimans old technology. Plus it wasn't really an issue that was extremely important anyway - getting blood tests the old fashioned way is not big deal for the most party. They are cheap - at least in terms of how much insurance or Medicare reimburses for a test and they are very accurate. No one would actually want a home device to check their blood - most people don't have home devices for blood pressure or even a pulse oximetry device which is recommended because oxygen levels can be deceptively low if you have COVID. The Wecrash guy essentially got away with all of his fraud - he even leased back real estate to the company for artificially high prices.

Also he was just another POC coming to a clinic. I live in Los Angeles and almost never recognize "famous" people when I am shopping or eating at a restaurant.

The book also explains that Murdoch's $100 million investment was really chump change in comparison with his net worth. By the time he had written it off on taxes it would be a piffle. And putting aside his *politics*, the WSJ is a jewel in his media crown and so it would lose any kind of credibility if he were to kill editorial coverage of finance and business to protect his own investments - has to be a complete division between "church and state". I doubt Bezos interfere with the Washington Post - any story that tangentially touches on him or his businesses carries a disclaimer. The Los Angeles Times was also bought relatively recently by a very rich guy. At this time - the newspapers are the trophies for the ultra ultra rich - it's like the Church supporting great art back in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Obviously this is a soap opera set in a hospital so normal medical practices fly by the wayside - except it is a bit infuriating when they theoretically take what are important medical issues like the shortage of medical personnel and then use the platform to spread such misinformation when they could with a bit of tweaking use actual critical issues. The idea that residents *must* watch a unique surgery live in a gallery which holds a limited number of people is ludicrous as well. People can *learn* from watching tapes of procedures and that would be what would occur in most situations since the operation would be taped and theoretically disseminated worldwide as a teaching instrument for all doctors - not just a few surgical residents in Seattle.

I understand that a specific home isn’t available but sometimes I think that I just would have waited because the one chosen was so terrible. In this episode there was nothing particularly unique about the condo not chosen so I have to assume that there would have been better choices available. Sometimes there are very specific location criteria in terms of not wanting kids to change schools but this episode would seem to have a wider pool. can they spare us from the insult to our intelligence - when has there ever been a house that is in the middle of construction that isn’t the choice. No one abandons a home leaving counters undone and a shower almost finished. Especially when it is be remodeled for an elderly person who needs a walk-in shower. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

My family was given a dog by a woman who lived in a Manhattan high rise because she realized her life style didn't really work with a dog. I lived with my parents in a two family house on the second floor and the dog had never encountered stairs so the first few days he had to learn but he became quite nimble. Same would be true of wood floors as dogs learn how to get traction on smooth surfaces as they aren't *morons*. When I moved into a Manhattan high rise and would sit the dog when my parents went away, he had to readjust to the sensation of being in a elevator - he would kind of brace his feet when it went down but after a few times on the elevator he became reacclimated to the sensation.

I am enjoying this so much. I knew about Julia Child of course but not all of the personal back story beyond knowing she was married to a career diplomat. It is such a relief because I had been watching Wecrash, The Drop Out, Inventing Anna and Super Pumped which was essentially horrible people doing well. Except for Anna Delvey they all have wound up extremely rich and I doubt Elizabeth Holmes will wind up doing significant jail time. So this is a talented person who made good - not to mention how great it is that a middle aged woman pre The Feminist Revolution could achieve greatness and iconic stature.

Well not to belabor but patients don't go to hospitals for surgery without having selected a surgeon prior to the surgery unless it is an emergency. Surgeons in general are not employees of a hospital - they have privileges at a hospital. There might be difficulty locating a specialized surgeon in an emergency situation but the current story line has random patients being assigned arbitrarily to surgeons for what are elective non-emergency procedures. In general people research surgeons and then meet with the surgeon at his private office who then schedules surgery at the hospital where they have privileges. There are also a number of tests that are done prior to having elective surgery done which might include a stress test for an older patient but always include a physical. Patients don't show up at the hospital the day of surgery and just take any random surgeon who has free time. The storyline doesn't make sense because it is not how most surgeons get patients. They get patients who are referred to them by doctors because the patients need surgery.

There is no shortage of surgeons at world class medical facilities. Surgeons don’t work for hospitals for the most part anyway. The issue for hospitals is if their operating rooms aren’t utilized to their fullest capacity because surgeons are choosing to operate at other hospitals There is a shortage of medical personnel but it is nursing staff and support staff which are in short supply. Even the best hospitals now have increased patient loads per nurse. There is a shortage of primary care doctors which is growing and a huge issue of adequate basic medical care in rural areas. Some people live an hour or more away from even a mediocre hospital. But as a story line p, a shortage of surgeons at a world class facility in a city like Seattle which is attractive to professionals of all kinds is ludicrous.

I still don’t understand how there can be a shortage of surgeons specific to a hospital. In ,y experience unless you are admitted on an emergency basis, you make an appointment with a surgeon who has privileges at a hospital and you book an appointment for the actual surgery. You don’t go to the hospital and have some random surgeon perform the operation who happens to be available. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ Pompeo has been only interested in collecting a pay check for several years and so long as the ratings are okay they will continue to do whatever is necessary to keep her around. I think she even has Executive Producer credit on Station 19 which is just a way of paying her additional money without upsetting the compensation scales that may be in place for other cast members.

I am probably a voice in the wilderness but I find Mariana's theft of IP to be objectionable and I hope she suffers severely for it. Aside from the reality that buying beauty items through the internet is not earth shattering and there are numerous places that have subscriptions for grooming aids. It is not even a big deal to have internet connected stuff which provides data regarding need for refills. I have an ink subscription with HP and they automatically send me a refill when my ink supply is low. I also have Aera diffusers which are controlled by my iPhone and the alert me to the level of fragrance. I am sure that they could be modified slightly in order to communicate with Aera since the fragrance capsules have bar codes and so the diffusers know what scent is in a diffuser and how much is left.

Don't major cities like Seattle have seniority systems for their firefighters and police? You can't just randomly fire people and senior people would have the ability to have preference in their choice of placement - assuming there were open positions at various locations. I can't imagine a city as progressive as Seattle doesn't have that kind of protection for its workers. I wouldn't be surprised if the rapist died unless this was a completely false ending. You can kill someone by a punch in the throat - or at least I have seen a few true crime shows where that was the cause of death. There has to be more to the storyline since otherwise it is a bit random - she wasn't raped so no *solemn* collection of evidence at the hospital and while any assault is traumatic, this wouldn't seem to rise to the level of being worth several weeks of manufactured angst.🤷🏼‍♀️

As I recall they actually knew each other when they were very small.

Wow - Jackie's eating disorder was far worse than I thought. I live in Los Angeles and so I know lots of women who eat in a very restricted manner and maintain their slim physiques through diligence. It is pretty standard to order salad without the dressing or fish grilled plain and steamed vegetables. Most of the restaurants have those kinds of options available on the menu and you don't have to *check* to see whether they can do it. But I don't know anyone who is unable to take a vacation for longer than four days because they will lose control of their food or who hasn't eaten the smallest amount of ice cream or other junk food for 20 years. That kind of disorder really messes with the dynamics of your relationship with significant others (spouse) and children - especially female children. I mean someone like Melissa probably is extremely careful with what she eats in terms of overall calories but probably is just careful and not disordered as Jackie is. Jackie talked about her body being in physical pain and I wonder whether that is because of over exercising. She seems to not be bulimic and at least her very restricted diet seems to consist of food that is theoretically nutritious.

Shannon looks like a completely different person - not older but unrecognizable. Please don't tell me that Noella is going to *milk* a funeral for the father that she hasn't seen in years and had minimal contact with prior to his death. I guess Emily couldn't figure out a way to monetize a vow renewal because otherwise I am sure we would have been subjected to it. Most of the women only *host* parties if they are shilling something and so it is a business write off or the company is paying for it OR they can manage to profit from it by getting everything comped. Bravo pays for all of the travel but not the parties that are hosted by the housewives. Wine and skin care products - why do housewives think that there are enough fools that are easily parted from their money and will buy their crap. Gina's stuff isn't cheap and why would anyone purchase it rather than a well reviewed up scale brand of which there are numerous. What kind of credibility does she have in the skin care market aside from having skin? However loathsome the Dubrows are, he is actually a doctor and there are many high end plastic surgeons and plastic surgeons who sell their own line of skin care products. Not that I am buying from the Dubrows either there is some correlation between his expertise and what he is selling.

But that is why I questioned the practicality of having a high tech mobile surgical van that needed to be staffed by very talented surgeons and personnel and which actually is only useful for very specific emergencies. Odds of those happening on a frequent basis where the surgical van is located during hours when it is staffed is minimal. Funding for city run walk in clinics dispersed around the city is a practical idea which can be rolled out. It is widely acknowledged that there are issues in terms of providing medical care on a walk in basis and so you could set them up in fire stations relatively easily. I am not sure why the program needs to be fire station specific except for being a story line since you can easily do it 24/7 as an small urgent care center. There are already models for this kind of health care delivery in pharmacies, grocery stores, Walmart and even just "urgent care" centers.

What I meant in terms of "retirement" is that firefighting is pretty physically taxing and so one of the "perks" of being a fire fighter is the ability to retire after 20 years - generally with half salary and except in the world of television most firefighters (and police) are glad to accept their pensions. Many of them are able to still work at a good job as a new career. I only brought it up because realistically if he is pushing 50 he isn't going necessarily going to be able to physically have the adrenaline rush of fire fighting. Money for the Baileys is really not an issue as Miranda would be very well paid based on her position and Ben would be able to make an income as a doctor that would put him in the upper class professional level if he left fire fighting. So I don't think Ben needs to stay around for a full pension in order to not be living out of a shopping cart 😂 Of course all of this is an artificial world in which it was set up as a plot device in order to get the cross over from Gray's Anatomy so I don't expect it to actually reflect choices made by people who are doctors or fire fighters 🤷🏼‍♀️

As posted below the show is on a quick schedule so they wouldn't be shooting in a decoy home for very long. The actual home would take longer since they also have the final scenes and production has to go back after the move-in or whatever. I worked in tv/film production and crews are incredibly careful in terms of not damaging locations they rent and use. There is also good insurance which covers any potential damage. For this kind of production there is very minimal crew needed so not very much "traipsing" I don't know what they pay but many people are enthralled with television and so would do it just to hang around and watch production for a few hours. I suspect that many of the decoys are not just random homes but are somehow linked to the HH or the agents in some way which might explain why some of the decoys are so obviously not suitable. And - especially for some of the more modest decoys - even a relatively small payment of $500 or so would be appreciated and useful.

Hopefully I won't be pilloried by being ageist but Miranda must be close to 50 since the show has been on for 18 years approximately - assuming we exist in the normal universe and not Shonda time. They dealt with the pandemic in essentially real time and the series carries the disclaimer that they are dealing with a world in which the pandemic has ended but it hasn't in real life so presumably we are supposed to be thinking it is now 2022. I don't recall Ben being portrayed as being significantly younger than Miranda so he would be pushing 50 or so at this point. At which point realistically many firefighters might be retiring from extremely active duty. I don't know but except in television world most policemen and firemen I know find that being able to retire with a significant pension after 20 years of service is one of the great benefits of the job. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Isn't working at the hospital with frequent shootings, stabbings, stalkers, human traffickers adrenaline enough to satisfy a middle aged doctor? I would think trauma surgeon at a busy urban ER would feed that rush - but what do I know. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Also do female firefighters generally have the physiques of wraithlike actresses. I realize looks are deceiving and that there are extremely strong women who aren't huge but it seems odd that al of the female firefighters are relatively small.

I don’t understand why the portable surgical center even makes sense. Unless you are sending it to an event where you expect some kind of mass disaster how is sending a surgical truck more efficient than getting to the hospital as quickly as possible. Cities are large so you would have to have them stationed in lots of places with skilled surgeons ready to go. They only seem to make a difference in those limited instances where someone is impaled and so removing them from the thing impaling them or crushing them will cause them to bleed out immediately. So for those specific occurrences you would need a truck located close enough to get there with skilled personnel. I am nit familiar with specific Seattle locations but most cities are large enough so that ambulances are scattered to be able to respond quickly. Hell in Los Angeles the traffic conditions are sometimes so bad that they are considered to be a factor in terms of emergency services being able to respond in a timely manner. It comes up when housing density is being considered which would increase density and no way to mitigate increased traffic from the development.