Namita Bhasin

For several years now, I have been mulling over the idea of a tattoo. Actually, that’s not quite right. I have been planning to get one - definitely - but there’s just a slight problem. I don’t know what to get or where to put it.

I want it to be small and slightly inconspicuous. Something tasteful, somewhere decent where people (including myself) can see it, but not when I don’t wish it. Haven’t decided if I want color or not (I suppose that depends on what it is) but I’m leaning towards not.

I’m going to crowdsource this, because I want all the input I can get. I’m about to brand myself and I’d like some help deciding exactly what that brand is going to be. I don’t really have a me-symbol, or a favorite flower or Chinese character, nor am I particularly religious or desirous of anyone’s name on my person. This makes it a bit difficult to choose a design. I want my friends and family who know me to weigh in, and I want some strangers with a fresh perspective to say how they see me too. Some potential designs will be up soon, so check back in and tell me what you think

I know those of you who know me don’t/won’t take this seriously because I’ve never done anything particularly rebellious or crazy. The most drastic physical change I’ve ever made was cutting off 7-8 inches of my hair just before Thanksgiving this year, which most people didn’t even notice. I wonder if that week I went to the gym 3 times also counts… Anyway, this is going to happen because I’m on a time crunch now. I want to do this before I leave Berkeley in May.

There are a few reasons:

1. I want to get it in Berkeley, and it will be lame to come back for it after I leave. I didn’t spend 4 years here to go get a tattoo in *insert eye-roll here* Cupertino.
2. I want to do it while I’m in college. I never did any of the wild-crazy-fun-only-in-college stuff that everyone does. No drinking, no partying, no boys, no insane weekend adventures. This will be my last chance for something like that, and it will be the thing I remember at the end of college. I wouldn’t mind one small permanent reminder that I was a bit of a college kid, too.
3. I want to foray into the rest of life with myself ready to go - I’m going to fix my closet, my room, my body, my style, my thing. I’ve always felt scattered and constantly behind and I am going to take a few months after graduation to catch up with myself and figure out everything I’ve never had time to figure out before. Tattoo is one item on that very, very long list.
4. It’s been long enough! Of course I’ll do the whole 3-week-Sharpie test, but I’ve wanted a tattoo for long enough that it isn’t an impulsive decision. I’ve really thought about what it means to etch something onto my person forever and I’ve decided that I like the idea of actually doing it on my own terms, kind of like when I gave myself a middle name at the age of 6. I haven’t regretted that; isn’t this kind of the same thing? (My parents humored me and got it legally changed - I hope they’re as understanding with this!)

Anyway, yeah, I want a tattoo. Please argue with me, encourage me, tell me your experiences, suggest designs. I want to hear all of it!

The Senate rejected the auto bailout bill (which had no trouble getting through the House) tonight.

I think I would support an auto industry bailout. At least the version in my head.

Features of my fantasy plan:

- rigid environmental-impact goals (stuff about emissions, electric-not-hybrid engines)

- research, research, research: into alternative energy sources, better production methods, any form of evolution-prompting science (the US always benefits from scientific exploration!)

- educational provisions for workers to learn more skills, in order to spur innovation from those closest to the work as well as give them overall career security

- swift innovation goals: new features/capabilities/improvements at a rapid pace (of course this calls for  organizational changes that would allow it)

- limits on executive pay in the form of modest base salary + performance-based bonus

- revised procedures for negotiating with unions

- maybe other stuff. I forget for now

There are two reasons I’d support a bailout with those features.

1) 1 in 10 Americans works for the auto industry or something related to it, and our economy cannot handle that scale of unemployment. Disposable incomes and therefore consumption is contracted so much already and the federal government is already too far in the hole to pay out more unemployment/welfare.

2) Pouring money into the Big 3 has the potential to create huge long-term gains for the US. If the auto industry in this country evolves - and evolves quickly - we can once again be competitive on the global market (which I don’t believe we have been in many many years). Early establishment of comparative advantage in a newly developing field would create long-run economic growth. More money, more jobs, more prestige for our inflated egos.

Let’s see what happens with this. I’m pretty sure some kind of aid will be delivered; the bankruptcy option isn’t really an option because the US doesn’t often let shit of that magnitude hit the fan. I don’t think this situation is quite entirely different from anything we’ve seen before… but of course we’ll see.

I recently found this article on Twitter, which I use to narrow down my daily reading. I forget who tweeted it, but thank you VERY much for bringing it to my attention.

Healthcare is an issue I feel incredibly strongly about. My own family has been ridiculously burdened with insurance battles my whole life and now, as I begin to seek employment, my single largest concern is finding adequate coverage. Prescriptions and co-pays and specialized treatment and equipment are so expensive, and that isn’t even the end of it. Monthly premiums (whether paid by employers or not) are a huge and constant expenditure. It would be a horrible feeling to have to choose between buying medication and funding your retirement, or buying your groceries.

I knew the numbers (I forget them now, but you can find some here): Americans spend far more on healthcare as a portion of GDP than any other nation and that amount is rising. This is economically inefficient - those dollars could be going elsewhere, investing in expanding our economy, increasing trade with other nations, saving the world - but instead we are spending them on something that a lot of other modern nations have already taken care of. I won’t pretend to know a lot about the English economy, but my guess is it’s handling the cost of universal healthcare without taking too much of a hit or pissing off too many people. Please do tell me if I’m wrong.

I have never understood why employers are the conduit of healthcare in our society. It makes very little sense, as far as I can see. It discourages entrepreneurship and other independent pursuits, which I have always assumed to be a positive thing for American culture and economy. It is incredibly restricting and incredibly unfair to those whose jobs provide only the crappiest of coverage. Why should they be entitled to fewer benefits than others? Since when did wealth or things similar to wealth determine a person’s right to be healthy?

I believe health is an inalienable right. I do not think any external entity deserves to control it in any way. Only he can choose to take away his own health (and if he does, he is a damned idiot, but we won’t go into that today). Therefore, a person’s status - whether that be his social standing, income, his job, or his very state of employment - does not sensibly have any links to that person’s right to have the best treatment possible. Especially given this economic climate, it is unfair to further disadvantage those who have already lost their jobs. They should not have to worry about losing their healthcare too.

I have run out of steam for tonight, but I think I said most of what I wanted to say. I sincerely hope the incoming administration will act on this vital issue. They are in a position to do so, what with the major overhaul of so many other economic policies, and this one would cost so much less than the others. History has proven that running a deficit - even an inconceivably huge one - is the right thing to do when the nation is suffering, because those expenditures can have lasting positive effects on the lifestyles and mindsets of the American people. After all, how can you even consider worrying about anything else if you can’t be sure of your own health first?

So, I finally created my own PayPal account. I know, I know. Sorry. It’s embarrassing how long I waited. For the longest time, I was able to get away with using Akshay’s account.

No more!

I was prompted to do so because I was doing Christmas shopping on eBay, and one of the retailers I was purchasing from accepted nothing else. I would have bought my goods elsewhere, but the price was too good. The goods better be, too…

See, I rarely buy anything online. It’s true! As comfortable as I am with the intarwebs and asserting myself all over it (them? no), our interactions are purely intangible. I transmit and receive incredible amounts of information, but not much in the way of clothing and electronics and whatnot. I prefer to do my shopping in person because nothing ever has the expected number of USB ports, or it’s definitely not the color I ordered, or it NEVER fits. That’s a different story. Let’s not get into it.

I’m glad I have an account now - I no longer have to transact with most people in cash, which is always preferable because I can know where money is going. I dislike cash because every time I break a 20 it vanishes within a few days and I’m often hard-pressed to figure out where. Complicating my online life is going to simplify my finances! How exciting.