izard

This Sunday we've been to Shen Yun dancing performance.
80% of it was amazing, with a small exception of a farting joke (was it added to appeal to US audience or it was a part of original medieval Chinese performance?)

Other 20% was a political presentation of Falun Gong sect, in form of dances and songs:

Shen Yun: CCP is bad!
Portland audience: Yay!
Shen Yun: Those of you who are atheists and/or believe in evolution theory are bad!
Portland audience: OK...
Shen Yun: Covid 19 lockdowns are evil!
Portland audience: OK........
Shen Yun: Showing evil CCP doctors forcefully injecting something into a young dissident woman.
Portland audience: ?

Germany, Munich: doctor writes a prescription, you go to any pharmacy you like (if you see a big line in one, you can just get to another one around the corner, maybe 2 minutes walking distance away). You pay a very small amount (~10-20 euros for 90% of common prescription medicine, sometimes 0), and you get a factory packed medicine that includes factory printed instructions. You unpack it and you are sure that you are the first human being touching it, it was all packed by a robot on a factory.

US, Portland: doctor writes a prescription and sends it to pharmacy of your choice. You can't (or it is difficult) to change your mind about pharmacy choice later. In the pharmacy, you pay slightly more than in Germany, but you get a receipt saying that the rest (few hundreds of dollars) was paid by your insurance. You also get a vial with medicines, hand-picked by pharmacist, along with instructions printed on the spot.

I understand that in US pharmacists never make errors, but in Germany there is simply no room for an error at the pharmacist level. Another difference is that in Germany pharmacist will consult you and suggest what can you buy from non-prescription medicines selection for your condition, and I think it is impossible in US.

What should I think if I received the following quote from a contractor?
$8000 - digging a hole in a front-yard and filling it back with ground.
$1500 - renting equipment to dig a hole in a ground
$300 - paperwork with a city to dig a hole in a ground
$150 - work replacing a part of a pipe in a hole
$50 - pipe and fittings cost
Total - $10000, landscaping is not included.

It is not a joke, the wording in a quote is slightly more complicated, and the numbers are not 100% match with above, but 98% !!!111