Healthcare Stuff

[DeadPoolX]

EDIT: Split from If there'd been another Conquest thread. - Tawmis

I don't play horror games (I just don't enjoy them), so I probably haven't seen that kind of thing. Of course, I've seen the occasional horror bits in RPGs and so on (e.g. the Brood Mother in "Dragon Age: Origins" and so on), but I'm sure horror games have much worse.

Wait... I say "horrors" and you immediately think, "he must be talking about horror games!"? Rath, do you always take everything so literally?

You do know that horrific content is in genres other than horror, right? It's the same with movies or even TV shows.

What kind of thing do you have in mind, DPX? Just wondering. I doubt any horror game would show any of the most gruesome executions (e.g. hanging, drawing and quartering, or the Blood Eagle) - not in detail, anyway).

You've never seen the fatalities in Mortal Kombat X or 11, have you?

Here are two NSFW videos of all fatalities in MKX and MK11.

I still remember the fuss that the press created about the infamous "Hot Coffee" mod. I can just imagine the fuss they'd make if a game would show medieval torture in detail.

You don't understand how North America views violence versus sex. While violence can be a concern, usually violence (and lots of it) is given a green light long before anything sexual is shown. So it's okay to see someone sliced in half, but two people having sex? Nope!

[Tawmis]

I still remember the fuss that the press created about the infamous "Hot Coffee" mod. I can just imagine the fuss they'd make if a game would show medieval torture in detail.

You don't understand how North America views violence versus sex. While violence can be a concern, usually violence (and lots of it) is given a green light long before anything sexual is shown. So it's okay to see someone sliced in half, but two people having sex? Nope!

Absolutely correct.

I remember when I was a teenager, visiting Spain; and there is a commercial where there's a girl on the beach, and she drops her towel, to chase after a guy who stole her drink or had a popsicle or something; and showed her topless.

My jaw hit the floor; because you'd never see anything like that in America.

But so many beaches in Spain, women being topless is common.

I loved going to Spain in my teenage years; for obvious reasons.

[DeadPoolX]

I still remember the fuss that the press created about the infamous "Hot Coffee" mod. I can just imagine the fuss they'd make if a game would show medieval torture in detail.

You don't understand how North America views violence versus sex. While violence can be a concern, usually violence (and lots of it) is given a green light long before anything sexual is shown. So it's okay to see someone sliced in half, but two people having sex? Nope!

Absolutely correct.

I remember when I was a teenager, visiting Spain; and there is a commercial where there's a girl on the beach, and she drops her towel, to chase after a guy who stole her drink or had a popsicle or something; and showed her topless.

My jaw hit the floor; because you'd never see anything like that in America.

But so many beaches in Spain, women being topless is common.

I loved going to Spain in my teenage years; for obvious reasons.

Except what I've been told (since I've never been to a nude beach) is that the individuals you want to see nude and the people who are nude are rarely the same people.

In North America, the idea tends to be that "nudity = sex." Overall, the British are like this too, although not quite to the same degree (likely due to being so close to continental Europe) that the US and Canada are about it.

Given that most countries that were once held by the UK in some form or another (which includes the US) tend to share this mindset, I'd be surprised if Australia wasn't similar in its issues surrounding nudity and sex.

[Rath Darkblade]

I don't play horror games (I just don't enjoy them), so I probably haven't seen that kind of thing. Of course, I've seen the occasional horror bits in RPGs and so on (e.g. the Brood Mother in "Dragon Age: Origins" and so on), but I'm sure horror games have much worse.

Wait... I say "horrors" and you immediately think, "he must be talking about horror games!"? Rath, do you always take everything so literally?

You do know that horrific content is in genres other than horror, right? It's the same with movies or even TV shows.

Oh, sure. (I did point out the Brood Mother above, right? The one in Dragon Age: Origins is grotesque, and the one in DA: Awakening is particularly so, but also crosses the line into horrific - i.e. just before you have to battle it).

You've never seen the fatalities in Mortal Kombat X or 11, have you?

Here are two NSFW videos of all fatalities in MKX and MK11.

Oh, those! Ugh. Yes, I've seen those, but I've never played Mortal Kombat beyond the first one. (Just didn't find it interesting; the first one is simply a generic "so-and-so" vs. "so-and-so" for mastery of the universe, mwa-ha-ha, etc.)

Later ones apparently have some kind of story, I guess? I wonder how many people who play MK are interested in the story, and how many are simply interested in the gore.

I still remember the fuss that the press created about the infamous "Hot Coffee" mod. I can just imagine the fuss they'd make if a game would show medieval torture in detail.

You don't understand how North America views violence versus sex. While violence can be a concern, usually violence (and lots of it) is given a green light long before anything sexual is shown. So it's okay to see someone sliced in half, but two people having sex? Nope!

Heh. Puritanism in North America has a long history; it goes almost back to America's foundation. (I recently read a book called "Puritans at Play: Leisure and Recreation in Colonial New England", which is quite an eye-opener - it covers the period from the first colonies to the Revolution. It turns out that the Puritans were nowhere near as joyless or dour as they're usually portrayed. Many of them were more liberal than some modern Americans.

And yes, I know I'm using weasel words like "many" and "some"; I simply don't wish to generalise).

Except what I've been told (since I've never been to a nude beach) is that the individuals you want to see nude and the people who are nude are rarely the same people.

In North America, the idea tends to be that "nudity = sex." Overall, the British are like this too, although not quite to the same degree (likely due to being so close to continental Europe) that the US and Canada are about it.

Given that most countries that were once held by the UK in some form or another (which includes the US) tend to share this mindset, I'd be surprised if Australia wasn't similar in its issues surrounding nudity and sex.

It's ... complicated. Obviously you won't see people walking around in the buff (not normally), but it depends where you go and when. Up north (e.g. in Queensland), the weather is much warmer and more humid in summer than down south (e.g. Victoria, where I live); they're closer to the equator, and we're closer to the Antarctic Circle. So it wouldn't surprise me if, in summer, people were walking around with not too much on.

Having said that, people down south do weird stuff too. In Tasmania (our southernmost state), there is an annual festival called Dark Mofo, which is always held in the depths of winter. Part of it is an annual nude swim on the morning of the winter solstice, the shortest (and coldest) day of the year. It's even made the news. All right, so they get a towel afterwards, but still ... BRR.

(And before anyone points this out, I mean a towel *each*. Sheesh. Pedantry)

[Tawmis]

I still remember the fuss that the press created about the infamous "Hot Coffee" mod. I can just imagine the fuss they'd make if a game would show medieval torture in detail.

You don't understand how North America views violence versus sex. While violence can be a concern, usually violence (and lots of it) is given a green light long before anything sexual is shown. So it's okay to see someone sliced in half, but two people having sex? Nope!

Absolutely correct.
I remember when I was a teenager, visiting Spain; and there is a commercial where there's a girl on the beach, and she drops her towel, to chase after a guy who stole her drink or had a popsicle or something; and showed her topless.
My jaw hit the floor; because you'd never see anything like that in America.
But so many beaches in Spain, women being topless is common.
I loved going to Spain in my teenage years; for obvious reasons.

Except what I've been told (since I've never been to a nude beach) is that the individuals you want to see nude and the people who are nude are rarely the same people.
In North America, the idea tends to be that "nudity = sex." Overall, the British are like this too, although not quite to the same degree (likely due to being so close to continental Europe) that the US and Canada are about it.
Given that most countries that were once held by the UK in some form or another (which includes the US) tend to share this mindset, I'd be surprised if Australia wasn't similar in its issues surrounding nudity and sex.

This is true (not wanting to see) in America. Only ever been to one nude beach, here.
But in Spain, it was such a common thing, that you had people of all body types doing it; people who were teenagers (like myself) back then. So it is more common to see all body types in Spain, because it was no big deal.
US however, because most of us don't eat well (and I definitely include myself in that) - we're all overweight, and a train wreck.
But that said, I salute (and not in a dirty way!) anyone who still does a nude beach and rocks it, despite their body size, because they have the confidence and comfortability of what their body looks like.
I am not that person. I don't even like taking my shirt off at the pool or beach, because I hate my body (but don't really change too much of my eating/exercising habits to do anything about it).

You've never seen the fatalities in Mortal Kombat X or 11, have you?
Here are two NSFW videos of all fatalities in MKX and MK11.

Oh, those! Ugh. Yes, I've seen those, but I've never played Mortal Kombat beyond the first one. (Just didn't find it interesting; the first one is simply a generic "so-and-so" vs. "so-and-so" for mastery of the universe, mwa-ha-ha, etc.)
Later ones apparently have some kind of story, I guess? I wonder how many people who play MK are interested in the story, and how many are simply interested in the gore.

Yes, they started doing a story really with the third one... second one kind of touches on it, but third one starts a story... and then later ones even later, really did a good job (for fighting games) for developing stories.
Similar to Street Fighter and all the other fighting games; when it became more than Kano vs Lui Kang or whoever, and people wanted more.
They're not great, because each game has to take an aspect of it to make the story (so if you beat the game with Kano, but the next game says Liu Kang won the ultimate tournament, for example) it wouldn't follow the ending. But that said, each character eventually got unique endings, so each character had a story of their own.
(sighs at "mastery of the universe"... wrong franchise)

[Rath Darkblade]

I still remember the fuss that the press created about the infamous "Hot Coffee" mod. I can just imagine the fuss they'd make if a game would show medieval torture in detail.

You don't understand how North America views violence versus sex. While violence can be a concern, usually violence (and lots of it) is given a green light long before anything sexual is shown. So it's okay to see someone sliced in half, but two people having sex? Nope!

Absolutely correct.
I remember when I was a teenager, visiting Spain; and there is a commercial where there's a girl on the beach, and she drops her towel, to chase after a guy who stole her drink or had a popsicle or something; and showed her topless.
My jaw hit the floor; because you'd never see anything like that in America.
But so many beaches in Spain, women being topless is common.
I loved going to Spain in my teenage years; for obvious reasons.

Except what I've been told (since I've never been to a nude beach) is that the individuals you want to see nude and the people who are nude are rarely the same people.
In North America, the idea tends to be that "nudity = sex." Overall, the British are like this too, although not quite to the same degree (likely due to being so close to continental Europe) that the US and Canada are about it.
Given that most countries that were once held by the UK in some form or another (which includes the US) tend to share this mindset, I'd be surprised if Australia wasn't similar in its issues surrounding nudity and sex.

This is true (not wanting to see) in America. Only ever been to one nude beach, here.
But in Spain, it was such a common thing, that you had people of all body types doing it; people who were teenagers (like myself) back then. So it is more common to see all body types in Spain, because it was no big deal.
US however, because most of us don't eat well (and I definitely include myself in that) - we're all overweight, and a train wreck.
But that said, I salute (and not in a dirty way!) anyone who still does a nude beach and rocks it, despite their body size, because they have the confidence and comfortability of what their body looks like.
I am not that person. I don't even like taking my shirt off at the pool or beach, because I hate my body (but don't really change too much of my eating/exercising habits to do anything about it).

I've been (slightly, i.e. a couple of kilos) overweight. It wasn't fun, and it caused pain and other problems.

I saw my GP, who recommended a dietitian. (It was all covered by our Medicare system). The dietitian recommended a change of diet, plus some light exercise - a 30-minute walk in the park every day, nothing strenuous.

I followed this for nearly a year, and lost 9 kilos. I just eat much less cheese, biscuits, and processed meats, and more vegetables, soups, grains and nuts, and dairy (milk/yoghurt). Fast food is still OK, but I don't eat it more than once in 3/4 weeks. I just make food at home, which is healthier and tastier.

Medicare rocks. I don't understand why some Americans are so against it (e.g. "socialised healthcare" and so on). It's a basic health insurance scheme. All it means - here in Australia, anyway - that everyone pays a small tax every year, and in exchange, you can see your GP whenever you're sick. If your GP thinks you need a specialist, he/she can give you a referral. Easy!

Some GPs are reimbursed by Medicare completely, and some only partially (so you might have to pay $30-40 or so). But you'd never have to pay hundreds - not unless you have to see a specialist who isn't on Medicare.

I've heard that the American insurance companies are against Medicare. Why? It makes no sense. Here in Australia, yes - you do need health insurance - but I only need it for dental care, glasses, and hospital visits. (Yes, health insurance covers many more things than that, but I don't need things like obstetrics, paediatrics and so on. Obviously).

(sighs at "mastery of the universe"... wrong franchise)

Er, sorry? All right, I haven't played Mortal Kombat since the first one. IIRC, back then, the objective was "mastery of the universe".

[DeadPoolX]

Rath, as someone who's experienced both the US and Canadian healthcare systems, I can that both privatized and socialized healthcare suck because both are completely mismanaged.

In Canada's case (or rather, BC because that's province I live in), there's a huge doctor shortage. Most people here don't have a GP because there are very few of them and those that exist refuse to take new patients. Tons of clinics have shut down as well, so those few clinics that exist have lines out the door as soon they open and you have to wait all day to hopefully see someone, but you may not because the clinic might close before they get to you (and because clinics are first come, first serve, you might have to repeat this process for days or weeks).

If you don't have a GP or can't get seen at a clinic, you can't get prescriptions or tests or procedures done, so you end up paying high taxes for no healthcare whatsoever.

Maia and I got really, really lucky and we managed to find a GP taking new patients 10 years ago. My sister-in-law and her family, however, weren't so lucky and they haven't had a family doctor in years.

That said... even if you have a GP, the province is completely backlogged on surgeries and procedures, to the point where people who've needed live-saving cancer treatments were delayed and have become terminal or died already. The wait times for tests (like MRIs) will take months or even years to get to, by which time whatever the problem is might've gone from treatable to permanent or terminal. In some smaller towns, emergency rooms have limited hours or close entirely overnight and the weekend. Think about that for a second: the ER closing. That means if there's a emergency, you're SOL.

Part of the problem is that BC pays physicians lower than most other provinces despite having MUCH higher housing costs (the latter of which has negatively affected everyone here — who isn't super wealthy — to the point where owning your own house is laughable unless you win the lottery).

So a lot of doctors run to Alberta (the province next door that has lower housing costs and better pay) or down to the US, where in both cases they can make a lot more money with far fewer hassles.

You can probably see why I'm not all too impressed by socialized healthcare. I'm not saying how the US does it is great, but healthcare in BC is inaccessible to so many people here it might as well not even exist.

[Rath Darkblade]

Mortal Kombat wasn't about master of the universe; it was about heroes saving the Earth realm from being "enveloped" I guess you could say by the Outworld.

Now, I will say that the first MK story is this - and it's odd that Goro was undefeated for 500 years in a row, and one more time would allow Shao Kahn to take over Earth Realm.

I am guessing that those 500 years were spent fighting other realms, and the next one was going to be Earth for victory 501, had Goro won.

OK. (You can see how long it's been since I've played the first MK). What's even odder about Goro in the first MK is that he's so easy to defeat. Just play Sub-Zero, stay away from the bugger, and freeze him every chance you get. Then kick his butt. Sub-Zero's fatality is tricky: forward, down, forward and high punch.

Even easier with Raiden. Just get him to do the flying-push attack (back, back, forward), then leap out range. Then flying-push again until Goro goes down. Easy.

Rath, as someone who's experienced both the US and Canadian healthcare systems, I can that both privatized and socialized healthcare suck because both are completely mismanaged.

In Canada's case (or rather, BC because that's province I live in), there's a huge doctor shortage. Most people here don't have a GP because there are very few of them and those that exist refuse to take new patients. Tons of clinics have shut down as well, so those few clinics that exist have lines out the door as soon they open and you have to wait all day to hopefully see someone, but you may not because the clinic might close before they get to you (and because clinics are first come, first serve, you might have to repeat this process for days or weeks).

If you don't have a GP or can't get seen at a clinic, you can't get prescriptions or tests or procedures done, so you end up paying high taxes for no healthcare whatsoever.

Maia and I got really, really lucky and we managed to find a GP taking new patients 10 years ago. My sister-in-law and her family, however, weren't so lucky and they haven't had a family doctor in years.

That said... even if you have a GP, the province is completely backlogged on surgeries and procedures, to the point where people who've needed live-saving cancer treatments were delayed and have become terminal or died already. The wait times for tests (like MRIs) will take months or even years to get to, by which time whatever the problem is might've gone from treatable to permanent or terminal. In some smaller towns, emergency rooms have limited hours or close entirely overnight and the weekend. Think about that for a second: the ER closing. That means if there's an emergency, you're SOL.

Part of the problem is that BC pays physicians lower than most other provinces despite having MUCH higher housing costs (the latter of which has negatively affected everyone here — who isn't super wealthy — to the point where owning your own house is laughable unless you win the lottery).

So a lot of doctors run to Alberta (the province next door that has lower housing costs and better pay) or down to the US, where in both cases they can make a lot more money with far fewer hassles.

You can probably see why I'm not all too impressed by socialized healthcare. I'm not saying how the US does it is great, but healthcare in BC is inaccessible to so many people here it might as well not even exist.

I'm sorry healthcare sucks so much in BC, DPX. Maybe I lucked out? Victoria (here in Australia) seems to be good for GPs, although in recent years, there seems to be shortages of both doctors and nurses, both in clinics and in hospitals. (It coincided with the COVID crisis - what a surprise).

Were things any easier in BC before the COVID crisis? And why are housing costs so high, and why are doctors underpaid? I always thought doctors were well-paid - it's one of the highest-paid professions there is, isn't there? (It is according to this article from the CBC.)

The only people paid better are lawyers and politicians. What a surprise.

[DeadPoolX]

Were things any easier in BC before the COVID crisis?

Somewhat, but the problem we're currently experiencing was already underway.

And why are housing costs so high, and why are doctors underpaid? I always thought doctors were well-paid - it's one of the highest-paid professions there is, isn't there? (It is according to this article from the CBC.

Housing costs are insanely high because everything is stupidly expensive in BC (there's an old joke that says BC stands for "Bring Cash") because the weather is generally milder (we get relatively little snow and don't have six months of winter like the rest of Canada), and because of foreign buyers (there are now rules put in place to deal with this, but it's too late to make much of a difference), people from other provinces buying places and keeping them empty which leads to a lack of inventory, and big real estate businesses grabbing properties up to further increase scarcity and then sell them or rent that at inflated costs.

AirBnB has also hurt the rental market because owners find it more profitable to have lots of short-term occupants versus fewer long-term because landlords are limited in how much they can increase rent while the same renter is there (which has also led to so-called "renovictions").

Some people have also claimed there's organized crime involved in the housing crisis here, and that looks like there might be some truth to that. The real estate market is a major money-maker for Canada, which unfortunately hurts many Canadians while benefiting a relative few.

There's also the issue of a lack of room to expand in certain cities, like Victoria (where Maia and I am) and far too many people, coupled with wages that are generally lower than other provinces. The same job with similar experience and qualifications will generally earn you about $20,000 less in BC than it would in Alberta, despite housing costing a lot more in Victoria than Edmonton.

As for doctors... the article you're looking at is talking about new payment plans being put into place to deal with this problem (it's only taken them YEARS to notice!), and there's a big earnings difference between doctors in private practice and those who're hospitalists. The latter earn a lot more because they have no overhead, but people still need doctors in clinics and private practice to get checkups and prescriptions. Also, doctors in BC still earn less (we'll see how it works out after the new payment plan is put into effect) than they do in other provinces, which is why GPs are leaving BC and heading to Alberta or Ontario, or sometimes the US.

It's a real mess, and since Maia and I don't have $1.5 million for a small 40 year-old house that needs a complete gutjob or can afford to pay $2300 per month for a small condo without any amenities, we might find ourselves moving to Edmonton in the near future. We'd prefer to avoid the winters there (it can sometimes get down to -40) but it might be the only option.

[Rath Darkblade]

*looks up climate of Edmonton* ... yeesh. Down to 13 F (-10 C) in January, and up to 63 F (17 C) in July, on average. (Only average; the record low was a bone-chilling -55.5 at some point. Wow). No wonder people prefer BC weather... and no wonder doctors get paid more to move to Edmonton. As of 2017, there were nearly a million people living there; by comparison, Victoria (BC) had 92,000 people. *shrug* (I'm just going by google's numbers; I'm sure things have changed since then).

As for the housing market ... wow. Is Vancouver any easier? When I think of BC, I often think of Vancouver rather than Victoria. (Probably because it's so much bigger).

I guess I'm lucky; here in Melbourne (Victoria), I put down a deposit on my flat back in 2006, before the housing market here skyrocketed (for about 15 years) and then dipped (for a year or two) and then skyrocketed again. With any luck, I should own my own place within a couple of years. *crosses fingers, toes, and everything else*

[DeadPoolX]

As for the housing market ... wow. Is Vancouver any easier? When I think of BC, I often think of Vancouver rather than Victoria. (Probably because it's so much bigger).

Vancouver is much, much worse. It's the most expensive housing market in the entire country.

When it comes to major cities in Canada, the three cities people usually think of are Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, so it's not surprising you don't think of Victoria (although Victoria is the provincial capital, much to Vancouver's annoyance).

The funny thing is that people outside of Canada get confused when it comes to Victoria because it's located on Vancouver Island, and Vancouver (the city) isn't on the island, it's on the mainland. To add even more fun to this mess, there's a Vancouver in Washington State that was the original Vancouver owned by the British, but left that one when the borders were finalized to create the Canadian Vancouver in BC.

[DeadPoolX]

Ah, geez. Well, er ... is Kelowna any better, perhaps? I realise I'm grasping at straws; you're the expert. I only thought of Kelowna because a Canadian pen-pal of mine is from there.

Oddly enough, Kelowna is very expensive as well. That's weird because it's in the interior of BC and pretty much in the middle of nowhere (no offense intended to anyone who's from there or is thinking of moving there). I have a feeling people started moving there because it was initially less expensive and inventory couldn't keep up, thereby driving housing prices up.

I've also learned that from time to time, Quebec (at least the northern part thereof) threatens to secede. They're not serious, I presume? Or just a stunt to get Ottawa to grant them political concessions?

It's a very vocal minority of Quebecois who honestly desire secession, just like it's a vocal minority of Albertans and Texans who threaten the very same thing. In all cases, the majority of people in Quebec, Alberta, and Texas have no interest in separating from their respective countries (not that I believe Canada or the US would ever truly allow it).

In other words... it's just loudmouths screaming nonsense while everyone else rolls their eyes at them and sighs.

And having said that, perhaps Tawmis or Collector should move these posts about Canada (including the topics of housing and physicians) to an entirely new thread since none of this has anything to do with the creation of a new Conquests game.

[Tawmis]

And having said that, perhaps Tawmis or Collector should move these posts about Canada (including the topics of housing and physicians) to an entirely new thread since none of this has anything to do with the creation of a new Conquests game.

Done and noted in the first post in this thread.

[Rath Darkblade]

I think we can call this "The Canada Thread (aka Why Rath Always Takes Things So Literally)". @ self

I've also learned that from time to time, Quebec (at least the northern part thereof) threatens to secede. They're not serious, I presume? Or just a stunt to get Ottawa to grant them political concessions?

It's a very vocal minority of Quebecois who honestly desire secession, just like it's a vocal minority of Albertans and Texans who threaten the very same thing. In all cases, the majority of people in Quebec, Alberta, and Texas have no interest in separating from their respective countries (not that I believe Canada or the US would ever truly allow it).

In other words... it's just loudmouths screaming nonsense while everyone else rolls their eyes at them and sighs.

Quite. Even if Texas voted to secede, it's not legally allowed, right? I'd have thought that whole issue was resolved by the Civil War. Let's not have that again, please.

I just looked up secessionist movements of Canada, and found that one neighbourhood in Toronto seceded from Canada ... for about a day. But no-one was hurt, and it was obviously a joke. Nice way to send them all up.