AV's recent inpatient surgery experience - she had a cervical dystectomy (relatively common neck surgery) - reminded of how fundamentally flawed our US healthcare system is. Almost every industry/market that's "efficient" functions on some basic common principles/dynamics: Customers make purchasing decisions based on cost, quality and service and producers/companies compete on the basis of these 3 core product/service "differentiation" dimensions.

Let's take the retail industry as an example. Walmart is all about being low cost and has build a business model that continuously wrings cost out of the entire supply chain for the goods they sell. A store like Nordstrom on the other hand tries to be more upscale, so it competes on service and to a lesser extent quality (by carrying brands perceived to be higher quality). And Louis Vitton, Tiffany, and other luxury brands compete largely on quality only (with quality being defined as a combination of style/perception, brand value, material, cut, etc.).

The key to the above tradeoffs occuring, of course, is information (transparency) about the 3 differentiating dimensions, particularly quality and cost....to enable consumers to evaluate different companies and make their decision based on what matters most to them. But none of this is possible in healthcare - an industry that is almost a fifth of US GDP!

In healthcare, you make a decision with no idea of what it will cost you and really no way/system of getting such a cost estimate without significant effort. And quality is an entirely different matter. Where cost is difficult but not impossible to assess, quality is. There is absolutely no data available to consumers to help them understand the experience level and output/performance (aka "outcomes" in healthcare) of the doctor they choose to go with. And did I mention there's no systematic way of finding a doctor that meets your needs? The whole system of finding a doctor is primitive - you ask around to see if anyone you know (including other doctors one might know) have a recommendation (which is again, largely based on perception/reputation and not facts).

I am definitely a believer that government led investment in infrastucture is a key tool to help get the US out of the current economic crisis (while making sensible investments which will pay off and are required for our long term health). I would love to see the Obama administration address some of the issues above to help get the US healthcare industry more nimble, competitive and no doubt efficient.

A few days before November 4th, the evangelical/right wing proponents of Proposition 8 (the anti-gay marriage ballot initiative) widely broadcast President Elect Obama's words on the issue of gay marriage to Californian's. Although Obama was against Proposition 8 and supports civil unions for same sex couples, he does not support gay marriage  and has said on many occasions that he believes marriage is appropriate only between a man and a woman.

So the liberal and generally LBGT supportive Obama's words were used against the gay community....and likely led to the victory of Proposition 8....a major step back for equal rights.

I am extremely dissapointed by the message President Elect Obama sent to gay American's this week by picking Rick Warren for the invocation at the Presidential inaugration in January. While I totally understand and agree with listening to all sides of a debate....and speaking politely to those who disagree with you, the Rick Warren selection shows the gay community that their families don't matter right now.

Rick Warren compares gay marriage to pedophilia, marriage between siblings and polygamy....

I'm dissapointed in President Elect Obama.....and won't be tuning into the invocation or the inaugration. I'd rather just sit and meditate by myself.

There is widespread agreement among key national political, economic and housing stakeholders (the government and regulators, consumers and Banks among others) on the need to help prevent foreclosures, keep as many people as possible in their homes, and "clear the housing market" of troubled assets quickly and fairly. This would help the housing market find a bottom more quickly - which housing market bottom will mark a turning point in our nations' economic recovery.

In the spirit of Barney Frank's statement "Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom", I have put together this foreclosure prevention vision (including feedback and insight from Ron Garber, CEO of Short Sale Plan and Eric Friedman, SVP of Loss MItigation at Indymac Bank).

The housing market and economy are facing problems larger than any individual or organization....and it is in this spirit that I am publicly sharing this vision. I would welcome feedback from anyone who has experience in foreclosure prevention and any of the related strategies/areas.

I will be pursuing some or all of these strategies for Los Angeles and perhaps nationally in my capacity as CEO of HausAngeles, and in partnership with Ron Garber, who has spent the last 2 years developing and refining systematic short sales knowledge, education/training, processes/documentation and infrastructure....believing that they are the preferred alternative to foreclosures for all parties involved.

I consider myself spiritual but not very religious and don't have much patience for the bureaucracy of most religions including my own. I just don't see the need to have middlemen translate the teachings of my religion to me; my grandfather did a fine job of this during the times we spent together on vacation in Punjab, India while he was alive.

He taught me that our religion was about substance not form, that what matters is how you act in real life not whether you visit the Gurudwara (temple) everyday, and that the basic tenets of life and religion are simple. What’s difficult is actually living them fully and consistently.

My family are Sikhs, followers of a religion that I consider more a spiritual philosophy than a religion, and which originated about 500 years ago largely due to the friction between Islam and Hinduism in Northern India when the Mughals (who were Muslim) ruled over the largely Hindu populace.

I love and live by the version of Sikhism my grandfather taught me. It was mostly shared via a bunch of stories about the 10 Guru's who created and propagated the religion. Tales of their courage, honesty and philanthropy; how they stood up for what's right even in the face of death…again and again.

He told me that being a good Sikh was simple. All you had to do was live by 6 simple words: “Kirat Karo, Naam Japo, Vand Chako” (Kirat Karo: earn your livelihood by the sweat of your labor; Naam Japo: meditate on the name of God; and Vand Chako: share your earnings with others).

And he told me about “Chardi Kala” (which literally means “Rising Spirits”), the undying spirit of the Sikhs and a mindset and way of being I find myself returning to regularly even today. Here’s what www.answers.com had to say about Chardi Kala: “Chardi Kala indicates the elation or high spirits of Sikhism. Chardi Kala, meaning ‘the positive attitude’ is an equivalence of a mind that never despairs, never admits defeat and refuses to be crushed by adversities.”

I was reminded of my grandfather today, when my uncle Bob sent me a link to an online photo gallery on Sikhs by a photographer who visited India. Many of these images were familiar and comfortable for me: you can check them out at http://www.charlesmeacham.com (under Galleries; Being Sikh).

I liked Mr. Meacham’s description of Sikhs on his website. Here’s what he says:

“For over 500 years the teachings of the 10 enlightened Guru’s have influenced the believer’s of Sikhism to follow the doctrines of honesty, universal equality, fidelity, and meditation on God and his message. Their daily prayers urge peace and wellbeing for all mankind and their religion commands willingness to die in the protection of those who are poor and weak, no matter race or creed. Often described as Warrior Saints Sikhs have more than once taken to the sword in defending their homeland of Punjab and India”.