Recipe for Italian Pepper Biscuits

Pepper biscuits

1 ½ t yeast

237 grams warm water

580 grams flour

1 t salt/about 7 grams

3 t coarsely ground black peppercorns (I use a mortar and pestle)

1 t crushed red pepper

1 t Fennel seed

200 grams olive oil

Dissolve yeast in water. 

Add flour, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, fennel seed onto a mixer. Mix for about a minute and stop. This is because dough should not be completely uniform so that the final product will have varying texture.

Add the oil and mix until everything is incorporated but the dough should not be uniform. 

Remove from the mixer and knead for a few minutes.

Place in oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in bulk.

Preheat the oven to 400º. 

Split the dough into 32 pieces and roll into ropes about 6 inches long. 

Place on a baking sheet and let rise for 20 minutes.

Brush with oil, sprinkle with coarsely ground salt and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Designing Better Health Insurance

I've been thinking of taking a shot at designing a health insurance plan closer to ideal. 

So far:

These are without regard to whether it is provided by Government or through an insurance company or some other organization.

It should be lifetime.

It should probably cover prenatal care and trauma care as preventive care.

If it were non-Government issued insurance this brings up the issue of when to sign up for it. Mothers would have to select into a plan at first sign of pregnancy or Government could subsidize those born with an expensive lifetime condition or who contract one before adulthood.

It should include a death benefit, disability insurance and cover long term care. The death benefit should decrease with age.

It should not pay for small things like MD appointments but should pay for and or require preventive care that has solid evidence of net reduction of disease.

The contract should start at conception or rather when the mother becomes aware that she is pregnant.

For a person/family with median age lifetime income and median lifetime healthcare it should pay for nothing until they get over median lifetime expenditures exceed median lifetime expenditure. Some subsidy of low earners might be needed.

It should do something along the lines of price negotiation for emergency care on behalf of the customer.

If a person goes outside the US for care they should get some of the savings.

If a patient forgoes some care, say at the end of life they should be rewarded like in Singapore.

I will add to this post as I think of more issues.

A Political Science Mystery

It seems to me that the populations of Vermont and North Dakota are very similar. Both are rural states with significant farm sectors. I'd guess that that the voters in those states prefer similar policy, so I am mystified that Vermont voted 64.4% for Harris and very similar North Dakota voted 67.5% for Trump.

What's up with that?