43 quintillion combinations

I have finally mastered it! It takes me less than one minute to complete. What I am referring to is the infamous Rubik’s Cube. The Rubik’s was invented by Erno Rubik and launched in 1980. The Rubik’s cube, which cost approximately $10 dollars, is considered the fastest selling puzzle with over 250 million cubes sold. At first, I thought I would never be able to do it. However, it was easier than I thought. The Rubik’s cube is basically a big math problem. There are 43 quintillion combinations and can only be solved by using specific algorithms or like I like to call it, specific math solutions. An algorithm, for those who don’t know, is “A step-by-step problem-solving procedure, especially an established, recursive computational procedure for solving a problem in a finite number of steps,” according to dictionary.com

So how exactly do you solve it? Well, there are seven steps you have to engage in and eight algorithms in order to put the same colors together. Most people try to solve the cube and in reality have no progress what so ever simply because the steps and algorithms are unknown. A basic concept of how the cube functions is very important in order to understand the algorithms. Unfortunately, I will not be able to describe how the cube works, but will briefly describe the seven steps involved. The good thing is, once you purchase the original Rubik’s cube it comes with a specific analogy of how the cube and algorithm functions.

The first step is to get the green cross. The second step is to solve the green corners. The third step is to solve the middle layers. The fourth step is to solve the blue cross. The fifth step is to solve the top edges. The sixth step is to place all blue corner pieces in the right place and the seventh step is to solve the upper blue corners.

Many people ask me; don’t you get tired of solving it constantly considering it’s the same steps over and over again? I usually respond, not really, every singe solve is different and the more I complete it the faster and more accurate I get. Practice makes permanent!

Healthcare for all?

The United States of America is the only wealthy developed nation that does not have a universal healthcare system available to its citizens. The result, “factoring in costs borne by government, the private sector, and individuals, the U.S. spends over 1.9 trillion dollars annually on healthcare expenses,” (Lee) which far exceeds the health expenses of any other developed industrialized nation. Ironically, the percentage of the uninsured is extremely high and medical expenses are very overbearing for those who do not have medical insurance offered by their employer or can’t afford medical insurance on their own.
According to the OnlineNewsHour, “nearly one in five Americans under the age of 65 was without health insurance in 2005, a number that has continued to grow for the past decade.”

Most shocking, however, are small business owners who are trying to stay afloat by competing with Multinational Corporations. Multinational Corporations cut cost by taking advantage of offshore outsourcing, while the small business owners has yet another cost they have to deal with in order to retain their employees: the cost of healthcare premiums, which is rising much faster than the general inflation rate or employee wages. “Health insurance premiums have increased rapidly over the recent past, growing 78% between 2001 and 2007 and far outpacing cumulative wage growth of 19% over the same period,” (Employer Health) according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, an independent benevolent organization dedicated to healthcare issues.

The issue of healthcare is one of the main concerns addressed in the political campaigns. It is going to be very interesting to find out what nee solution is going to be implemented in order to reduce healthcare premiums or offer healthcare to all citizens.