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Monday Open Thread

A busy day. Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

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    One the "Good Wife, (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by lentinel on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 05:58:43 PM EST
    they certainly managed to stretch out the end of Will Gardner for another episode. They milked it every which way.

    He did get some screen time - Will did.

    Several cameos as an apparition, as a body laying there, on a voice mail that got replayed about four times..

    And just about nothing else happened.

    The only bright light was Kalinda.
    An original.

    I feel assaulted.

    I was no fan of those writers for knocking Will off the show in the manner they did - by knocking him off. It was so pedestrian.

    But this follow up show was absolutely mindbendingly atrocious.

    40+ minutes down the drain.

    These writers just seem to be flying along on their shoestrings - not having a clue - writing whatever comes to them in between their immersion in their comic books.

    If you don't like "The Good Wife," ... (none / 0) (#9)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 08:25:59 PM EST
    ... then why are you watching it? Or if you don't like the present plotline, then why don't you try blocking out a season-long storyline and writing twenty to twenty-five 40-min.-long scripts yourself, and submitting it to the producers for their consideration?

    Josh Charles, who played Will Gardner, let it be known to the producers in 2012 of his desire to leave "The Good Wife" at the conclusion of his contract, which was actually at the end of last season. Julianne Margulies, the show's star and executive producer, subsequently talked him into staying for an additional half a season to resolve the disposition of his character. And he'll further be directing a few upcoming episodes, even though Will is kaput. How differently would you have handled it otherwise?

    Screenwriting and storytelling is not as easy a task as you seem to impart here. Even critically acclaimed past shows such as "Breaking Bad," "Hill Street Blues," "All in the Family" and "I Love Lucy" all had their ups, downs and inconsistencies over the seasons.

    And now, I'm going to invoke a point of personal privilege. Speaking as someone who's presently awaiting the results from the lab in what looks to be another bout with melanoma (and this one may be very serious), one of these days I hope to read an honest-to-goodness comment from you which would actually be on a positive note, and a marked departure from all these posts in which you simply reiterate your personal disgust with much of life, from politics to sports to movies and television.

    Please re-read your own post here, and look at what stands out. You "feel assaulted" by a TV show's storyline, which you further characterize as "mindbendingly atrocious" and "40+ minutes down the drain," and you further assail that show's as "not having a clue" and "[immersed] in their comic books."

    Your negative frame of reference is almost stunningly relentless in its breadth and scope, and one could be excused for thinking that you're probably a very anxious and even unhappy person.

    I'd really like to believe that there's another, warmer and sunnier side of you that I'm simply not seeing here. I'd love to hear you talk about something which pleases you, or about someone who makes you smile and laugh. Even in these challenging times, there is still a lot of good out there in your community and in this country, not to mention in your own life. Seek out the positive and share it with others, not just the negative.

    For all its foibles, follies and messiness, life is nevertheless good, lentinel -- at the very least from my current standpoint, it sure as hell beats its alternative. Please learn to embrace it in a bear hug, and strive to be happy and smile.

    Me ke aloha pumehana.

    Parent

    Thinking positive thoughts for (5.00 / 6) (#11)
    by oculus on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 09:26:24 PM EST
    you.

    Parent
    Thank you. (5.00 / 1) (#86)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 02:55:05 PM EST
    I truly appreciate it.

    Parent
    First and foremost, I'm sorry to see that (5.00 / 3) (#15)
    by Anne on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 10:25:57 PM EST
    you're facing the possibility of a serious medical issue; I hope the news you get is not as dire as you fear, and that any necessary treatment will be manageable and your prognosis encouraging.

    It's tempting, when faced with such a life-altering crisis, to be angry that someone would waste energy and time railing about a TV show, but here are a couple things to consider: sometimes people project onto seemingly trivial things - TV, sports, movies - the weight of worries they'd rather not talk about; sometimes as long as people can vent about something, it takes the pressure off with respect to more serious matters.  We don't know what's going on in lentinel's life, so I don't know that we have the right to judge her comments through the lens of our own troubles.

    And then there's the possibility that the episode of The Good Wife being discussed really is the worst thing in lentinel's life right now - and I'm sure from your perspective, you'd give anything to be in her shoes.  But you know who opened that door?  Jeralyn, with her post expressing her own unhappiness with the show.  

    Will be thinking good thoughts for you, Donald; I hate that you're going through this, but I know you have it in you to fight the good fight and vanquish this with courage and focus, just as you have in the past.

    Parent

    Thank you, Anne. (none / 0) (#23)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 11:22:48 PM EST
    You're right. Reconsidering my own post, I was projecting my own problems on other people, and ended up taking it out on lentinel for what I saw as a trivial concern.

    The test came back positive this afternoon. Tomorrow we meet with my dermatologist and an oncologist to discuss various treatment options. The last time, it was six weeks straight of rather intense radiation therapy, four times a week, followed by a month off, then another six weeks of the same. This time, it will also involve some surgery, since it looks to have spread into some of the lymph nodes in my lower right neck, in the area of the clavicle.

    I do appreciate everyone's good thoughts and prayers, and honestly, you guys know even before my own mother. I'm pretty positive and upbeat as to my chances here, because as the doctor told me a little while ago, the cancer looks to be localized, and hasn't metastasized beyond the immediate neck region to have become life-threatening. So I'm not ready to kick off just yet, by any means.

    But it's still terribly disappointing nonetheless, because this is now my fourth bout with cancer since age 25, the first two being Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1987 and 1992. Honestly, my last go-round with melanoma back in 2007 sapped me of more strength and energy than I'd really like to admit, and I don't know how this next round will leave me.

    Anyway, I'll talk to you guys later. Take care.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Keep your positive thoughts, Donald (5.00 / 2) (#77)
    by Zorba on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 02:10:54 PM EST
    I send prayers, good wishes, and positive energy your way.

    Parent
    Muchos mahalos, Mme. Zorba. (none / 0) (#88)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 02:57:12 PM EST
    I'll carry them with me. I'll get through this. Always have in the past, and I don't doubt my capacity to do it again.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    I know you will (none / 0) (#94)
    by Zorba on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 03:20:42 PM EST
    Stay strong.  A lot of healing, at least this is what I believe, comes from your own positive outlook.
    Be well, my brother.

    Parent
    You're (none / 0) (#32)
    by lentinel on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 05:14:43 AM EST
    absolutely right about my post concerning the tv show.

    It is trivial.
    And my initial reply to your reply to me has some mean moments in  it - and I apologize for that.

    My intention is not to grumble about things when I write a criticism. It is more to compare my perception of reality with the perceptions of others here.

    I'll leave it at that for the moment - because I am thinking of you and sending you my best.

    Parent

    I appreciate your good thoughts, lentinel. (5.00 / 1) (#84)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 02:46:13 PM EST
    I know that you and I have had our differences, but I've never doubted that you are of good heart, a truly caring person with passionate beliefs for what you believe to be right. I think you're actually a very interesting person, and I'd just really like to see you share more of the positive and occasionally personal aspects of your life here at TL.

    There are times in my own life when I really have to turn off the inner raging warrior in me, ignore politics and the pressing / trending issues of the day, and focus for a while on those things that move me, bring me joy and make me laugh, be it family, history, sports and entertainment, or whatever oddity happens to pique my interest at a particular moment.

    I'm actually very curious and playful by nature, and I've tried to share some of that from time to time in these threads, just so that people can know and realize that I'm not simply some robotron policy wonk, self-absorbed intellectual or insensitive political operative, but an actual human being with diverse interests outside my professional realm, who strives to maintain a healthy balance in my life. I believe that we're sometimes so focused on engaging and defending the humanity of others, we'll occasionally neglect to show any of our own in the process.

    Well, we're off to The Queen's Medical Center, to see what's in store for me this time. This should be interesting, to say the least.

    Aloha. Take care.

    Parent

    I appreciate your review (none / 0) (#72)
    by KeysDan on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 01:51:37 PM EST
    of the "Good Wife,"---a show that I have never seen, but I am always up for learning about what is happening in television pop culture. For example, never watched "Girls," but work conversations spurred me on to give it a try, just to understand the language.  Not for me, but I now know the major characters, which is enough.  

     Guess all of television could be considered as trivia, but it is a big part of life for a big part of the population.  Appreciate, too, your sensitivity of response to Donald who has gone through a lot and, apparently, faces even more.  Thanks to you and good thoughts to Don.  

    Parent

    Thinking of you (none / 0) (#35)
    by jbindc on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 07:34:49 AM EST
    And sending lots of positive vibes your way from the east coast.

    Pomaika`i

    Parent

    Mahalo, jb. (none / 0) (#85)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 02:52:49 PM EST
    I hope that the morning (none / 0) (#67)
    by christinep on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 01:18:50 PM EST
    dawned beautifully for you today, Donald ... and I pray that, as the days turn into months turn into many years, the wonder of life will continue to engage you with the fullness that all its joys and challenges bring.  

    My mother-in-law, ever a sturdy & feisty New Englander, endured two rounds of melanoma, losing the lymph nodes in her right leg during one trying period, stage 3+.  That was 20 years or so ago.  She was fortunate to survive that test, experience all manner of good and bad times for years to come.  When she eventually had to go this month, it seemed to be on her terms to return North when she was long cancer-free and 93.

    Long life to you, my friend-on-the-blog, Donald.  From what I have read of your writings, you are a good fighter and as feisty--if not more so--than my mother-in-law even could have been all those years.  May you always have zest!

    Parent

    Thank you, christine. (5.00 / 1) (#92)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 03:07:27 PM EST
    I like to believe that I am indeed all the things you say I am. Now, I just have to project that energy inward.

    My business partner and her wife ordered me to channel my inner self-centered drag queen persona, whom they call Ms. Mimi Eimfurst. That made me laugh, which felt good, but they have a valid point. As my late boss in the legislature used to admonish me, graveyards are chock-full of people who once thought themselves to be indispensable to the cause. I now need to take care of me.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Wishing you all the best Donald (none / 0) (#131)
    by ruffian on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 11:09:42 PM EST
    I hope the treatments have progressed to be less taxing on you than last time.  Get better and come back and keep us in line around here. We need your spirit.

    Parent
    Keeping you in my (none / 0) (#144)
    by MO Blue on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 06:30:00 AM EST
    thoughts and prayers.

    Quite normal to be upset with the reoccurrence but I'm glad that you are maintaining a positive attitude. Half the battle IMO.

    Parent

    Sending positive thoughts your way (5.00 / 3) (#19)
    by Slado on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 11:00:16 PM EST
    The phrase I always lean on when I'm faced with my issues is

    "I'll be here tomorrow."

    When I was first diagnosed in '97 a friend of my Dad's who I'd known for years came to see me and revealed that he'd been a prisoner of war in Vietnam for 7 years.  As he told me his story he shared that every morning he would wake and say these simple words to himself.  Both to give himself strength and to remind himself to take it one day at a time.

    I modified it slightly since I wasn't in a POW camp to make sure I enjoyed every day that I got on this planet.  It's been 17 years and 5 relapses but I'm still here living each and every day.

    Hang in there and I hope you get good news.   If you don't just take it one at a time.

    Parent

    You take care of yourself, too. (none / 0) (#30)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 04:46:10 AM EST
    While I'm still trying to wrap my head around what I heard late this afternoon, I know this is very beatable and not the end of the world. Having been through this experience myself three times prior, one learns to really listen to one's own body and acknowledge -- and not ignore -- all the potential warning signs it offers. You don't try to rationalize away any noticeable changes, and you have them checked out immediately.

    That's what I did, so it looks like we did catch it early before it had a chance to really spread into more places than just a few lymph nodes. The first step now is to determine at exactly what stage I'm at, and then determine the proper course of treatment and be aggressive about it. (It apparently isn't at an advanced stage, so that's good.) Besides, there's too much I'd still like to do in this lifetime to even consider departing the scene just yet.

    Mahalo nui loa for the good thoughts. Aloha.

    Parent

    Donald. (none / 0) (#31)
    by lentinel on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 04:49:14 AM EST
    I regret that I was so busy replying to your criticism of my post that I neglected the much more important issue of your health concerns.

    I am sending you my best wishes and hopes for a total and swift recovery.

    Love,

    Lentinel

    Parent

    Good question. (5.00 / 1) (#29)
    by lentinel on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 04:43:04 AM EST
    If I don't like "The Good Wife", why watch it?

    I asked myself the same question.

    What I answer is that when the show focuses on what happens in the legal profession, the trials, the investigations by Kalinda (who I praised in my post - something you missed...), the ins and outs of politics - I like the show and find it interesting.

    When it delves into personal involvements, it becomes pedestrian.

    The entire program yesterday was rehashing the abrupt exit of Will.
    Over and over. Over and over. Over and over.

    So why didn't I turn it off?

    Because I hoped, even assumed, that the next scene would return to the business of the ins and outs of law and politics.

    Sometimes I think you have a mean streak.

    Criticizing a commercial - very commercial - broadcast doesn't mean I don't embrace life. I love life. I love music. I love my family. I like people here. I even like, sometimes, you.

    But you like to extrapolate a criticism of what our government is doing or not doing - at the peril of our wellbeing and sometimes our very lives - into a general cynicism about life and goodness and bear hugs and the rest.

    You adore getting on the horn about your contempt for pols like Christie or - what's his name --- Romney. Does that mean that you don't enjoy life? Or your oft mentioned bong?

    Live and let live.

    If you want to praise anyone - tell us how happy you are about something - do it.

    If you liked the episode I condemned - (as Jeralyn did with the former episode) - tell us exactly what about it you felt was so fking enthralling.

    But - Jeez - to paraphrase you: If you think my post criticizing that dreck is such a downer - why do you read it? I skip many or most of your obituaries. But I don't condemn you for posting the bloody things.

    Do your thing.
    Let me express myself.
    Don't read what I write.
    My nom de plume is lentinel.
    When you see it, skip on by.
    That way you can stay happy.

    Parent

    He Has A Point, Lentinel (none / 0) (#44)
    by squeaky on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 09:12:26 AM EST
    Your negative frame of reference is almost stunningly relentless in its breadth and scope, and one could be excused for thinking that you're probably a very anxious and even unhappy person.

    I'd really like to believe that there's another, warmer and sunnier side of you that I'm simply not seeing here. I'd love to hear you talk about something which pleases you, or about someone who makes you smile and laugh. Even in these challenging times, there is still a lot of good out there in your community and in this country, not to mention in your own life. Seek out the positive and share it with others, not just the negative.

    Nice to hear that there is love in your life.. going by your comments one would never know!

    Parent

    So tiresome. (5.00 / 6) (#50)
    by lentinel on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 10:43:16 AM EST
    If you want to praise anything or anybody - please do it.

    As I mentioned below - if I am writing on this site to criticize something or someone - it is for the purpose of comparing subjective reactions with others posting here.

    I notice, for example, that you reiterated a complaint about my complaints - but you have nothing to say about the content of my post - the dreadful episode of "The Good Wife".

    One other thing: you did notice my post about the film, "Anita".
    You replied with helpful and informative links for which I thanked you.

    I also expressed my gratitude to the people here who were so helpful to me in my recent culinary foray.

    I also praised the character of Kalinda in the post above.

    I have also written about people in the arts and politics that I admire - Malcolm X - Lennie Tristano - Charlie Parker - Wes Montgomery for example. Ben Franklin as well.

    Usually, these folks do not generate a response or any indication of interest - but that's OK. My point is not to indoctrinate or proselytize. Just to express an opinion.

    One last thing; If I write to condemn some of the policies, politics or actions of the current administration it is often based on what I have learned from reading Jeralyn's posts about the NSA  and other issues. My own experience also prompts me to express my thoughts on this marvelous open forum.

    I write these things that you and Donald think to be so negative because frankly, I find them frightening.

    The lack of response by the governments of the world to the crisis occasioned by global warming is an example. We, among other nations, are not even willing to help small countries or cities that will be impacted by storms, floods and the like due in large measure to our rampant fossil fuel emissions.

    This is something that is deeply troubling to me.

    But that does not mean that I need psychiatric counseling - or that I am not a basically happy person.

    But I am aware that we are living in very dangerous times.
    Since the coup d'état (imo) that brought Bush to power, my country has in many respects become unrecognizable.

    So I talk about it.

    If the subject interests you, read it.
    If not, ignore it.
    If you disagree with the content, state your contrary opinion.

    No problem.
    Happiness.

    Parent

    I, for one,... (5.00 / 9) (#53)
    by kdog on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 11:12:42 AM EST
    have always enjoyed and valued your comments lentinel.

    Why anybody would think they can sum up a commenters entire existence based on blog comments is beyond me...keep on keepin' on bro.

    Parent

    Thank you (5.00 / 1) (#65)
    by lentinel on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 12:59:03 PM EST
    very much kdog.

    I value and enjoy your comments as well.

    Thank you.

    Parent

    OK (none / 0) (#56)
    by squeaky on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 11:29:08 AM EST
    Just saying that Donald has a point. Glad to hear that what is deeply troubling to you is only a facet of your life.

    Focusing mainly on the evils that people do can be toxic. Good to hear that is not your main focus elsewhere, just your main focus here.

    Parent

    I had a white (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 07:30:05 PM EST
    Siberian husky named Ghost Before I ever saw a single episode of Game of Thrones

    That is true - I wondered why it seemed so (5.00 / 1) (#132)
    by ruffian on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 11:11:52 PM EST
    familiar on the show.

    Looking forward to Sunday.

    Parent

    I remember that now :) (none / 0) (#27)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 03:05:32 AM EST
    I have a white standard poodle named Ghost because of GOT.  He isn't much of a killer though, just a bloody terror right now.  He's still a baby.

    Parent
    White standard (none / 0) (#36)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 08:05:20 AM EST
    poodles seem to be getting a lot more popular these days. It seems I never saw them forever and in the last ten years have been seeing more of them.

    Parent
    He is very intelligent but he has (5.00 / 1) (#51)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 10:51:40 AM EST
    A lot of attitude too that gets him in trouble right now.  I had been watching and in contact with his breeder for a couple of years, he helped me find Delilah.

    A recent genetic study of the champion standard poodles did seem to show that the AKC ring championing and line breeding (inbreeding), were putting the standard poodle gene pool and the whole breed at risk for autoimmune diseases that appears could not be bred away from because they would be too genetically dominant.  This breeder has shown dogs, but his breeding program never involved line breeding.  He was one of the first breeders working to preserve the parti gene that the AKC champion breeders were trying so hard to cull.  He took well bred parti-colored puppies when the breeders allowed them to live at all.

    Both of Ghosts parents are parti-colored but he is not.  This same litter last year produced a gorgeous large white smart gentle puppy.  I asked the breeder if that puppy showed up again in this years repeat and he did.  He is a very kind intelligent dog along with confidence.  And his juvenile confidence gives him great ideas along with not so great ideas simultaneously.

    It is tiresome that breeders who have gorgeous whites hide from the masses how they keep those whites so beautiful, it is enzyme shampoo.  About $10 a bottle.  Ghost's eyes got weepy when he was teething, and I couldn't find out how those stains are so easily dealt with on a poodle board full of the knowledgable.  I did find some misinformation that some should be ashamed of.  Finally just called a breeder in my area and I was told that groomers and breeders deliberately avoid sharing the big secret that really shouldn't be of enzyme shampoo.  Kind of sad because staining is why many people steer away from white.

    Parent

    We got a rescue (none / 0) (#74)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 02:01:16 PM EST
    Bischon who is white but then maybe all Biscons are white? Not sure about that. Anyway she has the weepy eye thing going on. I asked the groomer about it because they always look bad and what she told me is that the people that show white dogs only let them drink distilled water because it does not stain when the eyes weep. My dog looks pretty white to me but then I'm not into doing shows so maybe she would look dirty to them. I never asked about how they keep them so white. I just assumed that it was that they were very particular about letting them outside or something.

    Parent
    Check out Angel Eyes (5.00 / 1) (#80)
    by nycstray on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 02:23:12 PM EST
    my mom uses it for her weepy eyed dog. I also see it recommended a lot in dog forums. I think my mom's vet is the one that told her about it.

    Parent
    I saw so many distilled water failures (5.00 / 1) (#103)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 05:22:24 PM EST
    On the boards, and some individuals posted about also attempting to change the dogs PH by adding apple cider vinegar, with also very mixed results.

    I put Ghost on Angel Eyes, it is a mild antibiotic, but when experiencing success in other ways took him off.

    When I started investigating all this, the red comes from yeast growth in the moist areas of the dog.  It is the same yeast that plagues women,  so that was a big clue for me on control, that and one breeder did post that a little monistat under the eye helped.

    In the non-shedding/hanging ear breeds with feathers, that yeast grows in the ears too.  Before investigating all this with Ghost, I was missing a clump of hair in Delilah's ears when I was grooming her and it had matted together and sadly felt like one of those skin lobes inside her ear.  Her ears were constantly itching though and when it got bad and I started to explore her ear with a small flashlight I discovered my grooming error.  That small hair matt was full of the red yeast too.

    As embarrassing as this might be for the dude Ghost, when I clean his ears and Delilah's once a month now it is followed with a dab of monistat worked into the inner skin.  And Ghost wore it under his eyes until the weeping slowed down, but I still didn't know how to get the staining out of the red that was already there, and Ghosts ear feathers were a little orangish in hue, that was the yeast too and the enzyme shampoo completely took out the stains.  Heat it gently in the microwave, test the temp to make sure it isn't too hot, and I apply it carefully under the eye with a Q tip.  Leave on for 5 mins and then I rinse with a washcloth repeatedly wetted and rinsed.

    The monistat worked into the inside ear once a month after cleaning really seems to place a control on the yeast growth on the whole face.

    Parent

    I think the groomer (none / 0) (#104)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 06:20:38 PM EST
    must use that enzyme shampoo because she is able to get all the red out but of course it comes right back after a few days of grooming. Can they get it in their mouth? I just pulled her up and was looking at her and noticed the the fur around her mouth has that same reddish tint.

    Parent
    Can you adjust the diet (none / 0) (#106)
    by nycstray on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 06:55:14 PM EST
    to combat the yeast issue? Dot had 'rusting' around her mouth and a bit by her eyes when she was on commercial food. Went away when we went to the raw diet.

    My mom only uses the AE now when her dog starts showing signs. She used it for an extended period of time and now it's every few months, I think she said.

    How old is Ghost? I didn't realize you added a new one :)

    Parent

    I don't know how diet (none / 0) (#112)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 08:36:43 PM EST
    Would affect the growth significantly.  I know for humans it was suggested and tried with very mixed results, and now your physician just prescribes you an oral anti fungal medication.

    I left Ghost with my vet when I went to NY and he refused to give him the Angel Eyes because it was antibiotic and he considered his teething and runny red eyes to just be a temp cosmetic problem. He spoiled Ghost so badly he was almost broken though, too few standard poodles here.

    Parent

    I could take you down the road ... (none / 0) (#137)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 12:11:47 AM EST
    ... to the house behind the old Dunham residence here in Kuliouou Valley, where baby Barack Obama was brought home from Kapiolani Hospital -- or was it Mombasa, Kenya? I'm so confused -- in Aug. 1961. The owner there has four big standard poodles, all of whom will rush the fence aggressively and act like they'd tear you limb from limb, given the opportunity.

    Parent
    Standards are smart dogs, (none / 0) (#186)
    by Zorba on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 12:45:41 PM EST
    And my Standards have always loved people, and also loved our cats (sometimes to our cats' great annoyance).
    But they can be very protective of their people and their peoples' property.
    They were probably just warning you and would not have torn you limb from limb.  Unless you were threatening their owner.
    ;-)

    Parent
    From what I've heard, standard poodles ... (none / 0) (#188)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 01:34:16 PM EST
    ... are among the best of watchdogs for the reason you cited. They're very territorial and very protective of their own pack, and as their owner, you are the alpha in their pack.

    Parent
    I always felt safe (none / 0) (#196)
    by Zorba on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 02:12:12 PM EST
    When we had a Standard.  Better than an alarm system, IMHO.
    We are now between Standards, having lost our last beloved dog awhile ago due to old age and heart problems.
    Time to look for another puppy.

    Parent
    Our puppy and our hearts (none / 0) (#197)
    by christinep on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 02:22:45 PM EST
    When we lost our 15 year old Eskie, Valery, over a year ago, I alternately felt heart-pulling anguish and loss of heart.  Smiling Valery is leaping through Heaven, I believe (even if there are no water-spray hoses to fly through.)

    Late last summer, another miniature American Eskimo plunged into our lives.  It has been a wonderful whirlwind and gamefest and sheer crazy mixed with sweet, sweet growing moments.  Celeste is rebuilding our hearts.

    Another puppy for you, you say? Great!

    Parent

    Yes, our pets (5.00 / 1) (#199)
    by Zorba on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 03:01:41 PM EST
    certainly do become a beloved part of our families.  
    We are between pets, having lost our last poodle and our last cat.  
    It's certainly easier to "potty-train" a cat, since they seem to take to a litter box instinctively.  Training a puppy is a bit more work.  I keep thinking that I'm too old to start over with another puppy, what with training them to "go" outside and obedience training (which I have taken all my dogs to).  But I miss having a dog.  And a cat.  Or two.   ;-)

    Parent
    In my experience (5.00 / 1) (#200)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 03:12:04 PM EST
    They are worth it.  You could try a rescue dog.  Often they are already housetrained

    Parent
    All my dogma are rescue dogs. (5.00 / 1) (#201)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 03:13:27 PM EST
    Wouldn't have it any other way

    Parent
    Walking Dead (5.00 / 1) (#12)
    by Slado on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 10:11:47 PM EST
    Awesome ending.

    This season like many started well then dragged a bit but the finale was great.

    I am a little skeptical about a whole camp of cannibals but I'm sure the writers will figure out a great way to get them out of this.  The comic handled the issue better with it just being a house full of evil flesh eaters but we'll see.

    Anyone else watching this show?   Good stuff.

    Fired up for Madmen.  The previews have been great.  A move to LA?

    I thought the finale (none / 0) (#13)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 10:20:11 PM EST
    Was good but I thought the season as a whole was a bit of a bore.  I have purposely not read the books because I have loved the series and I don't want to know what is happening but I for give you for the cannibals.  I suspected as much.  Hopefully next season will be better I was really tired of watching them wander around in the woods.  
    Nice to see Tasha Yar working (that's a Star Trek joke)

    I think the replacement series The Turn (the untold story of Americas first spy ring) looks promising.

    Parent

    Btw (none / 0) (#14)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 10:21:15 PM EST
    I didn't see Judith.  Did they eat the baby.   Don't tell me.

    Parent
    Wait (none / 0) (#16)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 10:27:45 PM EST
    Judith was wih carol and tyrese and they have not made it to terminus yet, right?

    I just watched it and it's still sinking in.

    Parent

    Good points (none / 0) (#20)
    by Slado on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 11:04:55 PM EST
    No info on the baby.  I assume they are still on their way.

    Maybe they're arrival becomes part of the escape?  Also we're is Beth and who took her?

    Don't sweat reading the comics.  The show is loosely based.  Major plot differences and outcomes for the characters.

    I had the same concerns but have really enjoyed them.  I don't even read comics but thought they were good.

    Parent

    I have them but I am forcing myself to not (none / 0) (#22)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 11:08:35 PM EST
    Look at them.

    The season did have some moments.  The bit with the two little girls was pretty brilliantly gut wrenching.  In fact that whole episode with Carol and Tyrese and truth and all was great.

    Parent

    Yes it was awesome (none / 0) (#41)
    by Slado on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 08:53:13 AM EST
    WD took it to another level with that episode and the neck biting episode with Rick.

    The Zombie world is not a place for nice guys.

    Parent

    And I was still holding out (none / 0) (#125)
    by MKS on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 09:53:58 PM EST
    hope the Terminus people would be okay....

    Parent
    Some how I just knew (none / 0) (#130)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 11:01:14 PM EST
    That considering the short supply of food what ever those slabs she was constantly flipping on that grill were it was not going to be anything good.

    Parent
    But the gang (none / 0) (#133)
    by MKS on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 11:13:13 PM EST
    is all back together in the train car--except for Judith and Tyreese and Carol.

    Parent
    Just watching DVRed (5.00 / 2) (#45)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 09:23:29 AM EST
    Antiques Roadshow on the stair master.  I love the show but it occurred to me that I would love to see a compilation show of the most worthless and ridiculous things they had ever been asked to appraise.

    Ever watch the British version? (5.00 / 1) (#70)
    by Anne on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 01:45:01 PM EST
    It cracks me up when the appraiser tells some proper British man or woman that their object is worth a small fortune, and the Brit responds, with jaws locked and nary even a hint of a smile,"oh, well, yes...how interesting, really quite splendid."

    One wonders what it would take to get them leaping out of the chair with glee.

    Parent

    I have. I DVR those too (none / 0) (#76)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 02:09:23 PM EST
    But for some reason I like the american ones more.  Perhaps it's the reactions that make the difference.  I love what people do when they find something they found on the side of the road is worth 10,000 bucks.  


    Parent
    Leroy Neiman crime scene (5.00 / 1) (#68)
    by Dadler on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 01:37:24 PM EST
    Watching Obama talk about the 7.1 mil (5.00 / 1) (#98)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 03:47:51 PM EST
    IMO based on my own experience if republicans think they are going to be able to run against this they may need a plan B.

    Time will tell.  And it may still work to some extent in nov.  But in 16 they will get slaughtered.

    Comments I saw today on the 7M (none / 0) (#110)
    by Mikado Cat on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 08:27:36 PM EST
    "The entire reason to try and get ObamaCare passed was supposedly to "insure the uninsured" and we were told there were 35 million uninsured in 2009.    Of the 7 million signups touted, 5 million are those who lost their coverage DUE TO ObamaCare creating policy cancellations and re-enrolled through ObamaCare.     Of the remaining 2 million enrollees they are also counting 1 million Medicaid signups.

    So this 2,700 page, $3 trillion healthcare monstrosity boondoggle has generated, at best, insurance for 1 million out of the original 35 million uninsured."

    Parent

    Funny thing about "comments" (none / 0) (#111)
    by Yman on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 08:34:04 PM EST
    People can write anything they want, regardless of accuracy.  What might be persuasive is an actual source for those numbers.

    Parent
    The cat misfires on nearly all comments (none / 0) (#117)
    by CoralGables on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 09:00:24 PM EST
    but this could be the cat's meow of crockfoolery.

    Parent
    Just look (none / 0) (#119)
    by Mikado Cat on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 09:00:37 PM EST
    outside the various ministry of propaganda sources and its easy to find. Rand Study

    Parent
    "Ministry of propoganda" - Heh (none / 0) (#122)
    by Yman on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 09:17:31 PM EST
    As opposed to comments from at the Conservative Treehouse.

    Heh.

    BTW - Your link goes to a British tabloid, citing an unpublished RAND Corp. study.  While it doesn't include the figures you claimed, it is a slight improvement from  CTH comments.

    Sadly ...

    Parent

    LA Times (none / 0) (#126)
    by Mikado Cat on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 10:09:11 PM EST
    Goes into more detail, but tons more spin.

    LA Times story.

    To get information out of it, ignore the spin and look at the various numbers.

    I'm still firmly in the camp of we won't know until a few more months when hard industry numbers start showing up.

    Parent

    That would be a reasonable camp ... (none / 0) (#143)
    by Yman on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 06:24:39 AM EST
    ... as opposed to the "citing comments from the CTH comments to come up with fake numbers" camp.

    BTW - I had already seen the LA Times article, and that "spin" otherwise known as "numbers conservatives don't like so you'll ignore" camp.

    Fewer than a million people who had health plans in 2013 are now uninsured because their plans were canceled for not meeting new standards set by the law, the Rand survey indicates.

    As opposed to the 5 million claimed by the comment section of the CTH.

    At least 4.5 million previously uninsured adults have signed up for state Medicaid programs, according to Rand's unpublished survey data, which were shared with The Times. That tracks with estimates from Avalere Health, a consulting firm that is closely following the law's implementation.

    As opposed to the comment section of CTH, which attributes only 1 million to additional Medicaid enrollees, despite the fact that the Medicaid expansion was part of the ACA.

    Parent

    CTH is a little nuts (none / 0) (#202)
    by Mikado Cat on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 03:18:30 PM EST
    but they very often dig up bits others don't that prove to be correct. I try not to let political bias blind me to information, so I read Mother Jones and CTH among others.

    Its a given that partisan sources are lying and/or distorting the information, but that is no reason to totally ignore what Obama and his press minions say or what CTH says.

    Parent

    These numbers are not correct (none / 0) (#116)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 08:58:00 PM EST
    But I am watching Game of Thrones and don't have time to argue about it.

    Parent
    Not worth taking the time (5.00 / 1) (#124)
    by CoralGables on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 09:24:28 PM EST
    He quotes the former editor of the Daily Caller about a hush hush secret study. The problem is his hush hush secret study is written up in the LA Times and has the total of newly insured by signups through the marketplace, medicaid, and children under 26 at closer to 11 million.

    The cat continues his quest at the dumbing down of TL.

    Parent

    Shucks (none / 0) (#127)
    by Mikado Cat on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 10:10:08 PM EST
    We both know that isn't possible, no place to go but up.

    Parent
    No place to go but up (5.00 / 1) (#128)
    by CoralGables on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 10:25:41 PM EST
    For you yes but I don't expect it.

    Parent
    I would be interested in who told you (none / 0) (#129)
    by MO Blue on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 10:29:50 PM EST
    That 35 million people were uninsured in 2009 because I know it wasn't Obama or his administration.

    You really need to find a better source for your information. 35million is a totally inaccurate number..

    Parent

    Glen Beck sued ... (5.00 / 1) (#105)
    by Yman on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 06:32:40 PM EST
    ... for defamation and slander by Abdulrahman Alharbi, a 20-year-old exchange student who Beck publicly accused of being the "money man" who funded the Boston Marathon bombings.

    Hope he needs a tractor trailer to haul away the award ...

    To add my TV gripe... (5.00 / 1) (#135)
    by ruffian on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 11:20:50 PM EST
    I am not a violent person, but on Justified, if someone does not take out Darrell Crow Jr soon, I may have to crawl into the TV and do it myself.

    What a complete villain with no redeeming qualities. I guess it is good to have one of those again, instead of the anti-heroes.

    The train has left the station (5.00 / 1) (#148)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 08:48:59 AM EST
    The Train Did Not Wreck

    The news that the insurance exchanges in Obamacare have exceeded their original enrollment projections -- the projections made before the bungled website rollout cost two months' of sign-up time and created a branding catastrophe for the entire program -- is sending reverberations of shock through Washington. One immediate conclusion is that the Republican war to strangle Obamacare in the crib has come to pieces. The plan assumed, correctly, that the new law would be most vulnerable in its nascent stage. Republicans hoped that a combination of legislative attacks, on-the-ground activism, and coordinated messaging could deprive the new insurance exchanges of the customers they needed to form a critical mass, either as a political constituency or as an actuarially stable mix of customers. They failed.
    Obamacare's non-trainwreck also reveals something broader and deeper about American politics. The Obamacare wars pit two opposing camps who not only have different ideas about the role of government, but different kinds of ideas about the role of government.

    The asymmetry has also colored our understanding of issues like Obamacare. I like analogies, so let me try a different one. Suppose a new barbecue restaurant opens up in town. Is it any good? On the one hand, you have traditional food critics. Imagine that you also have an equal-size group of meat-is-murder activists evaluating it. And whether or not you share their views on the ethics of meat, which you're entitled to do, it stands apart from the question of whether people who do eat meat will like it. The traditional food critics may or may not like the place. They will tell you if the chicken is too dry. If the owner bungles the paperwork and can't serve any food on opening night, they will probably be caustic. On the other hand, they'll also tell you if it's good.
    The meat-is-murder activists, on the other hand, will predictably rip it to shreds. And, since the potential customer base for the restaurant does not include committed vegetarians, they will emphasize other reasons to shun the new animal death factory. The food is awful and overpriced. If the opening is delayed, maybe it will never open at all! Oh, it's open now? The owner is probably cooking the books!

    But at its root the idea of Obamacare's collapse was tinged heavily all along with right-wing wish fulfillment. It's not the case that the flaws were all imagined, and some aspects of the law will struggle badly. But the basic enterprise is workable. I used to go on Twitter and ask conservatives to lay out what the criteria for Obamacare working as intended would look like. I never got a satisfactory response. You don't take your barbecue reviews from people who think meat is murder.

    "what the criteria (none / 0) (#149)
    by jbindc on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 09:32:38 AM EST
    for Obamacare working as intended"

    Here's how you'll be able to tell - how many people, who were previously uninsured, are now covered by insurance (i.e., they are paying for it) and can get access to the care they need.

    That's it.

    Parent

    No, that is not all of it (5.00 / 1) (#176)
    by ruffian on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 11:45:39 AM EST
    There is also pre-existing condition coverage and other rules put into place before the enrollments started. They count as success of the program as a whole.  

    Parent
    Pre-existing coverage (none / 0) (#185)
    by jbindc on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 12:26:03 PM EST
    was good.  Many people of both parties wanted that. (But of course, people with pre-existing conditions are still paying more for their plans, or the insurance companies are refusing to pay for the drugs necessary to manage those pre-existing conditions, making it very expensive).

    I guess you could say the tax on tanning establishments was good too.

    Parent

    I didn't realize, jbindc (none / 0) (#190)
    by christinep on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 01:44:14 PM EST
    that "many people of both parties" wanted to preclude the former practice of disallowing or not insuring the many individuals that came to be identified as having pre-existing conditions.  Actually, I cannot recall any Repub legislation being introduced to that effect either before or after the ACA passage.  At this point, there also seems to be some confusion as to whether the Repub "new" approach is still "repeal," or whether that has now been replaced with "replace?"  (Even more curious to find out-- but, would not hold my breath--just what any Repub "replace" provisions would look like?)

    As for costs:  Yes, we need to lower costs on all insurance.  The ACA is a good start ... particularly for the many who could not afford insurance before the subsidy benefits, etc. of the ACA.  With the expected growing pool and with the rebate provisions occasioned by mandatory minimum insurance premium $$$ going directly to medical, I would expect such downward cost trajectory.  

    Parent

    Don't forget affordable! (1.00 / 1) (#151)
    by kdog on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 09:42:32 AM EST
    That's the key, affordability...we wouldn't have needed any health care reform at all if insurance and care were affordable.  We always had plenty of providers and plenty of insurance companies...the problem was/is working & middle class people couldn't/can't afford any of it.

    Parent
    Not sure if I know what you are talking about (none / 0) (#152)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 09:55:46 AM EST
    Or if you do but you should probably check out this summary of how the subsidies work.

    Around here almost everyone is eligible for subsidies.  Including families with two incomes.   Those working people are finding it very affordable.

    Parent

    I'm aware... (none / 0) (#153)
    by kdog on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 10:06:13 AM EST
    I looked into the subsidies. I was contemplating cancelling my employer-based insurance (on the condition of getting a fat raise), and hitting up the exchange.  I'm not quite broked*ck enough for a subsidy.

    Also to be considered is all the people facing rate increases as insurance companies pass on their new ACA mandated costs...cuz ya know the CEO's and shareholders ain't taking any less of the pie.

    I've been down on the ACA and skeptical of the approach and the affordability aspect, but I certainly want it to work...we shall see what people are paying and what they're getting for their money when all the dust settles.

     

    Parent

    Lucky you on your income (5.00 / 1) (#155)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 10:17:37 AM EST
    80% of premiums are mandTed by law to go for health care and more than a billion has already been refunded to policy holders because of that part of the law.

    To tell you the truth I'm tied of listening to people who make a good check whine about health care being made affordable for people who don't.  

    Parent

    Not really... (none / 0) (#159)
    by kdog on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 10:31:44 AM EST
    Can't complain but I'd hardly call 55 grand a year a lot in NY...basically check to check, foregoing most material possessions and luxuries to stay in reefer, concerts, and vacations.

    Our joke of a poverty levels, and associated subsidy levels, need to be risen to correspond with the reality of the cost of living regionally.

    80% for care is good, 90% would be better considering the law delivers all those subsidies for insurance company coffers and mandated customers.

    Parent

    What is your budget for your sacrament? (5.00 / 1) (#170)
    by oculus on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 11:09:17 AM EST
    That would be a gardening budget (none / 0) (#171)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 11:16:24 AM EST
    One of the benefits of (none / 0) (#173)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 11:18:31 AM EST
    The rural

    Parent
    I allocate myself... (none / 0) (#175)
    by kdog on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 11:43:05 AM EST
    a quarter oz. a week on a normal week, more on a good week when extra cash is at hand, just an 1/8th on a bad week...none and grubbing of friends on a really bad week.  It's the highest priority of non-essential budget items along with tobacco.

    Current rate for a 1/4 is 80 bucks, down from a high of 120 just a couple years ago.  Thank you Colorado!

    It's an expensive hobby, but it keeps me content, and outta the doctor's office and the psychiatrist's office;)

    Parent

    Wow. That's an opera ticket/ week, (none / 0) (#191)
    by oculus on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 01:50:11 PM EST
    although not a prime seat.

    Parent
    I don't need to tell you... (5.00 / 1) (#192)
    by kdog on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 01:51:35 PM EST
    about expensive hobbies;)

    Parent
    It's a funny thing (none / 0) (#161)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 10:37:51 AM EST
    When I made 2000 a week I lived paycheck to paycheck .  Now I get about that a month and my lifestyle is virtually unchanged.  Perhaps cheaper vodka and cheaper olive oil.


    Parent
    Sh*t... (none / 0) (#166)
    by kdog on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 10:50:42 AM EST
    2 grand a week and I'd have a QP in the house at all times;)

    Like I said, can't complain but one of those luxuries I sacrificed is having kids...I really don't know how my colleagues at my pay grade with kids afford to do anything other than work, eat, and sleep.

    Parent

    Yeah well (none / 0) (#169)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 11:06:58 AM EST
    It sure made living on 700 bucks a month an adventure.

    Parent
    You may be in luck (none / 0) (#156)
    by jbindc on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 10:21:26 AM EST
    New York's insurance market has been a mess since the 90's due to things like laws that required pure community ratings and guaranteed issues in their insurance market (which almost completely destroyed it because it meant that insurers had to sell a person a policy at the same price as they'd sell one to anyone else, without a mandate), and which left only the very sick and wealthy in the market. This led to extremely high rates for everyone else because healthy low and middle class people were not in the pools.  So, New York is one place where Obamcare is working, because it has lowered the rates tremendously by forcing more healthy people into the pools. (Which is why data from New York residents talking about their much lowered rates must be completely discounted - because this isn't the case in the rest of the country).

    But in the end, the good news for you is that rates have dropped in your neck of the woods.

    Parent

    You can't just say (5.00 / 1) (#181)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 12:06:44 PM EST
    NY. Here in GA people are able to get insurance cheaper than they previously were able to DEPENDING on what part of GA they live in. Metro Atlanta has made out like a bandit with almost every insurance company on the exchanges. There are 39 plans for my one county alone to choose from. Comparing the exact same plan I had on the individual market five years ago with the cost today, the plan is $300 less. So you can't just say NY. It's not even just states. It's areas in some states. You could point only to SW GA saying that Obamacare is a failure or only point to Atlanta and say it's a success. The truth is it works in some places and not in others. The biggest problem here in GA is that so many people would qualify for the Medicaid expansion which is not being offered.

    Parent
    Right, but (none / 0) (#184)
    by jbindc on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 12:18:49 PM EST
    NY -  as a whole state - had a unique system in place where they allowed everyone in the pools but did not have a mandate, so of course their rates are going down now that healthy people are joining the pools.

    For an accurate picture, you cannot compare what is happening in NY with the rest of the country because no one else had same the insurance market structure in place.

    And your scenario is closer to what's happening in the rest of the country - if you read my links you would see that. Some places in a state it's cheaper and in some places it's more expensive, mostly depending on the population and how many insurance companies decided to cover there.  

    Parent

    And I'm wondering how (none / 0) (#189)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 01:40:37 PM EST
    much the refusal to take the Medicaid expansion is playing into this? Because in places like SW Georgia where there are so few insured, the insurers who do go there are going to cost shift much more than they do in other areas where a larger percentage is insured.

    Parent
    The saddest part (none / 0) (#193)
    by christinep on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 01:55:03 PM EST
    of the Repub gambit in many states where that party holds the governor's office is the effect on those people of lesser economic means in such states.  Bluntly, the governors who refused the Medicaid expansion program (and all the $$$ and economic support that accompanies it) are
    scr*#!ng their own people.  It is nothing short of cruel.  Strangely, tho, these same governors may have forgotten that word gets around these days via all sorts of communication devices ... so, e.g., expect that residents of Tennessee might realize that their neighboring Kentucky has it a lot better because the governor brought in expanded Medicaid.

    Parent
    And here's some good info (none / 0) (#158)
    by jbindc on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 10:28:58 AM EST
    We shall see... (none / 0) (#160)
    by kdog on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 10:33:51 AM EST
    when my employer has to re-up July 1 where our rates go, and where the plan goes.  I'd love to be pleasantly surprised.

    Parent
    What people should know about getting (none / 0) (#174)
    by MO Blue on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 11:36:18 AM EST
    insurance on the exchange if their employer offers them insurance.

    If my employer offers me insurance, can I shop on the exchange to get a better deal?

    Even if your employer offers coverage, you can opt to buy a plan on the exchange. However, you may not be eligible for a subsidy unless you make less than 400 percent of the federal poverty level and your employer's plan covered less than 60 percent of allowed medical expenses or cost more than 9.5 percent of your household income.



    Parent
    But maybe we should define (none / 0) (#154)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 10:11:59 AM EST
    "Working people"

    I think I have said before that nearly everyone around here makes at or near the federal minimum wage.   For context that is 1160 bucks a month before taxes which is below the official poverty level.  I get 500more than that just from social security.  

    The travesty that someone working full time in this country should live in poverty is another discussion but the fact is "working people" are being helped by this law.  Lots of them.

    Parent

    Wouldn't those people (none / 0) (#157)
    by jbindc on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 10:26:08 AM EST
    have qualified for Medicaid even before Obamacare? $1160 / month is $13,920 per year, so isn't that below the threshhold of where you live anyway?

    Parent
    No, a thousand times no. (5.00 / 1) (#177)
    by MO Blue on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 11:49:33 AM EST
    Many individual states (particularly Red states) required obscenely low income levels to qualify for Medicaid and almost all required that you had children. For instance, a homeless man living in abject poverty would not be eligible for Medicaid in many states.

    Here is a good article with state maps.

    Many poor adults remain ineligible for coverage in the 25 states not expanding Medicaid at this time. As of January 2014, eligibility levels for parents are below poverty in 21 of these states and below half of poverty in 14 states (Figure 3, Table 3), and childless adults generally remain ineligible for Medicaid at any income level (Figure 4, Table 3). Overall, among the 25 states not moving forward with the Medicaid expansion at this time, the median eligibility level for parents is just 47% FPL, with only four (4) states (AK, ME, TN, and WI) covering parents with incomes at or above poverty. Only Wisconsin is providing full Medicaid coverage to adults without dependent children.



    Parent
    They would not (none / 0) (#162)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 10:40:34 AM EST
    I know that for a fact because for almost a year that was my salary and I did not qualify for Medicaid.  I tried.

    Parent
    Families with children are somewhat (none / 0) (#163)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 10:42:19 AM EST
    Different but I think it's still only the children who are covered

    Parent
    What is the cut off? (none / 0) (#164)
    by jbindc on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 10:46:16 AM EST
    Do you know?

    Parent
    I'm not sure (none / 0) (#165)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 10:49:45 AM EST
    It's probably state by state.  But for several months of that my income was substantially less because I was working part tome.  It is virtually impossible here for a single person under 65 to get Medicaid.   That's what they told me in the Medicaid office. Only the disabled.

    Parent
    I believe you (none / 0) (#167)
    by jbindc on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 10:53:22 AM EST
    And that's a travesty, but I'm glad you were able to get something to tide you over until you can get on Medicare.

    Parent
    From what my siblings tell me (none / 0) (#168)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 11:05:57 AM EST
    About Medicare I will pay more that twice as much for less coverage.  I wouldn't call that " tiding me over"

    Parent
    And (none / 0) (#172)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 11:17:41 AM EST
    That is of course no longer true thanks to the Medicaid expansion of Obamacare

    Parent
    If it is (none / 0) (#183)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 12:09:53 PM EST
    like here in GA, yes, only the children are covered.

    Parent
    Medicaid (none / 0) (#182)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 12:08:59 PM EST
    at least here in GA requires no assets and is pretty much only available to children. The parents almost never qualify because the asset limit is something like 2K. So if you live in any kind of shack or have any kind of car, you have too many assets to qualify. It doesn't just go by income.

    Parent
    Hash and Re-hash. (5.00 / 5) (#203)
    by KeysDan on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 04:59:49 PM EST
    Paul Ryan, House Budget charlatan has released his annual "path to prosperity" that sets forth, once again, the Republican path to prosperity for the needy rich.  In addition to the familiar misrepresentation of Social Security, his budget hits the poor, of course, but also, the middle class:  Cuts to Pell grants, safety net, tax increases and non defense spending including medical research and public works.

     Medicare is tagged for "reform" with his re-cycled coupon program by 2024 for those now 55 and younger--but there is a choice, the coupon to buy private insurance or traditional Medicare, although the new tradition for the Medicare is likely to be as a refuge for the sickest population turned down by private insureres with resulting increases in premiums and cuts in benefits.  

    Of course, ACA is to be repealed with no replacement,  although not that $700 billion that Republicans have chided Democrats for being used for ACA.  Those $billions are captured in the Ryan budget for other purposes.   No Medicaid expansion for those states that did so expand it; indeed, Medicaid and food stamps are to be "block grants" for state flexibility, which should work out well.

    But, there is still a lot of spending going on, in case you were wondering.  The tax rate for the top bracket is to be 22 percent, from the present 39.6 percent, and military expenses are substantially increased. Despite all those cuts, the deficit will still skyrocket, but this is to be overcome with a mixture of growth, sawdust and air.  

    Who remembers Cal Jam 2? (none / 0) (#3)
    by Dadler on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 07:38:59 PM EST
    Ooh! Ooh! I do! I do! (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 08:45:11 PM EST
    I was at Cal Jam 2! I had just turned 17 at the time, and my cousin and I attended with our then-respective significant others, and we smoked lots of herb that day. And when I told my girlfriend in an off-hand manner that I was totally in love with Nancy Wilson of Heart, that little mind-phuquing control freak wouldn't speak to me for the rest of the day, which to be perfectly honest was A-OK by me, because hey, there was Heart and Santana and Aerosmith and Foreigner and Bob Welch and Stevie Nicks -- and did I mention that there was lots and lots of herb?

    But more importantly, who still remembers Frank Merino and Mahogany Rush, who were among the extravaganza's headliners? And for that matter, who remembers the Ontario Motor Speedway, which is now the site of the 10,000-seat Citizens Bank Arena?

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Mahogany Rush (none / 0) (#48)
    by Dadler on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 10:15:29 AM EST
    My mom listened to them. She was only 19 when she had me, so we almost share the same musical tastes. I remember a few times, knocking on her door to ask her something, only to find her laying in bed listening to something like Led Zep's "Misty Mountain Hop."

    Parent
    And you actually went! (none / 0) (#49)
    by Dadler on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 10:17:03 AM EST
    Good tales.

    Parent
    Mahogany Rush! Ha! Have not heard that (none / 0) (#134)
    by ruffian on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 11:16:08 PM EST
    name for 40 years. But they sure played every big speedway festival show ever. I did not go to CalJam, but I do remember the ads for it on the radio. I do remember the Ontario Motor Speedway, driving past it anyway. And the radio ads.

    My pre-car-tape-player life is basically a memory of radio ads.

    Parent

    Mahogany Rush also used to be a staple ... (none / 0) (#136)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 12:00:13 AM EST
    ... on FM radio back in the '70s -- you know, when we used to be able to hear the full version of awesome rock songs with minimal commercial interruption, like the 17 min. "Ina Godda Da Vida" by Iron Butterfly and Elton John's 11 min.-long "Funeral for a Friend / Loves Lies Bleeding."

    Today's FM radio is nothing more than the AM radio we all fled in horror 35 years ago, with its Top 40 formats, babbling DJs, mindless self-promos, beaucoup commercials, etc. -- except in stereo.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Oh yes. I'm not sure anything the kids have (none / 0) (#141)
    by ruffian on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 05:57:46 AM EST
    now can replicate the thrill of that early FM radio. My trips to the grocery store for my mom in her car with the brand new fm stereo radio took a lot longer as I drove around the block listening to long forms of Yes songs, or even the uncut "Lyin' Eyes". How else do you explain the allure of "Frampton Comes Alive"?  

    Haven't willingly listened to music on the radio for years. If I want mindless babble I watch Sunday morning news shows.

    Parent

    I hear ya. (none / 0) (#187)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 01:20:57 PM EST
    I'm lucky to live on the eastern side of Oahu, because we can easily pick up KAOI-FM from Maui, which is a throwback to the FM radio days of yore. When I first moved to Hawaii, I lived on Maui and listened to it constantly.

    In fact, because of east Oahu's vertical mountainous terrain, the FM reception we get from Maui is actually better than that from the rest of the island -- which is great for me, because the FM stations broadcasting out of Honolulu are notoriously mind-numbing in their banality.

    And thanks to the internet, I can also stream another great station, KFOG-FM out of San Francisco, so I don't even have to deal with local radio. Even KFOG's morning chatterboxes are more restrained and convivial than what you hear in other locales, because their patter is more sophisticated and best of all, they will frequently host musical artists in their studios to talk about their work and play live acoustic sets.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Whatever became of Doug? (none / 0) (#6)
    by oculus on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 07:55:12 PM EST
    Lord only knows (none / 0) (#46)
    by Dadler on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 10:13:35 AM EST
    Or, quite possibly, he doesn't.

    Parent
    D, by the time of (none / 0) (#8)
    by Zorba on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 08:18:07 PM EST
    Cal Jam 2, I was married and had a one-year-old daughter.
    I was more Woodstock 1969.   ;-)

    Parent
    You had it way better (5.00 / 1) (#47)
    by Dadler on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 10:14:22 AM EST
    Cal Jam was pretty damn caucasian, too. But it was the source of all sorts of crazy tales for years among my friends.

    Parent
    Me (none / 0) (#24)
    by Mikado Cat on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 11:56:32 PM EST
    Too, went in during the middle of the night, found a spot in the dark as up front as we could, woke up to chaos and the longest line for a toilet I've ever been in.

    Not a lot of detail stuck in my head, except Ted Nugent approving of the smell.

    Parent

    Somehow, that manages to ... (5.00 / 1) (#26)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 02:44:39 AM EST
    Mikado: "Not a lot of detail stuck in my head, except Ted Nugent approving of the smell."

    ... actually clarify the rationale for the guy's current behavior.

    Parent

    AN AXE LENGTH AWAY, vol. 318 (none / 0) (#4)
    by Dadler on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 07:40:23 PM EST
    I read (none / 0) (#5)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 07:50:15 PM EST
    an interesting article the other day about the Hobby Lobby case. If Hobby Lobby wins while it would make crazy right wing stuff like people forcing their personal religious beliefs on their employees, it would also make incorporation for proctection of personal assets pretty much a moot point. You would be able to sure the stockholders personally for any behavior the corporation might have. And there are reasons why apparently nobody filed amicus briefs in this case. Since I'm not a lawyer and certainly nowhere near a legal scholar I found this very interesting.

    The rationale for incorporating is to (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by oculus on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 07:57:54 PM EST
    shield the people forming the corp. from liability. Attempts to impose such liability fall under the phrase "piercing the corporate veil."

    Parent
    An aside on the ACA (none / 0) (#17)
    by CoralGables on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 10:49:52 PM EST
    Looks like they'll brush up against the 7 milliom mark tonight.

    Expect that to keep increasing over the next week as anyone that has called today but couldn't get through will get added in after the last minute rush without any penalty. They took phone numbers and will finish the enrollment process over the next week.

    As expected, there was a huge crush of signups over the last four days.

    My daughter's getting ready to tear out (5.00 / 2) (#33)
    by Anne on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 06:38:02 AM EST
    her hair right about now...

    To catch you up, she had her own insurance through MD's high-risk pool - MHIP; her husband and baby were insured by CareFirst on a separate plan.  With the ACA, and the ending of MHIP, and her husband's plan only getting another year before it would be phased out, she and her husband decided it would make sense for all of them to be on one plan.

    Because MD has its own exchange, she couldn't go out on the federal one to check out plans - so she made some attempts to check out the MD exchange plans and was so frustrated with it that she decided to check out a new private plan through CareFirst.

    She found a plan that would allow them all to be insured for a little less than what they had been paying, combined, before.  She filled out all the forms and sent in the first month's premium with the payment voucher.  MHIP had been canceled and her husband's plan was supposed to be canceled now, as well.

    And then...nothing.  No insurance cards.  No "welcome to your new plan" confirmation.  And so began the odyssey of phone calls and interminable waits on hold.  Yesterday, she spend 2 hours trying to make some progress.

    She finally was able to get someone to tell her that the initial premium she sent in got applied to the plan with her husband and baby on it - the one that was supposed to be canceled.  Now, they're telling her they're going to cancel the new plan for lack of payment.  Someone at CareFirst is supposed to try to get them to transfer the payment from the plan they applied it to, to the new plan, and un-cancel the cancellation of the new plan, and change the effective date of the coverage from January 1 to April 1, since, well, it doesn't make sense for her to pay now for coverage she couldn't use.

    But someone higher up at CareFirst has to approve that, and she's pretty sure that's not gonna happen, and she's going to end up starting all over again.

    But now, see, she has a three-month gap in her own coverage, so she's worried about a penalty.

    This is not an unusual occurrence.  Whether it's the result of overwhelming internet and telephone traffic, or representatives not having time to sort out the canceled policies from the newly-acquired and computer records not being updated fast enough, my daughter went from having coverage to thinking she had coverage to finding out she isn't covered and wondering what happens if something happens to her before this gets sorted out.  Do you think anyone at CareFirst is going to undo the disaster that could ensue?

    I don't know how many more people this kind of thing is happening to, but when it's happening to you, it isn't much consolation that "most" experiences are positive ones.

    Parent

    There is no penalty if coverage starts by May 1 (5.00 / 1) (#43)
    by CoralGables on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 09:06:57 AM EST
    Position on ACA? (3.00 / 2) (#42)
    by squeaky on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 08:58:45 AM EST
    What did your daughter and her family think about ACA apart from the typical MD frustrations? Are they Republican?

    Because if she has the same position as you have regarding ACA, she has joined you a poster child for the GOP agenda to cheer Obamacare's demise.

    Oh, wait, she did not go for Obamacare but went to the private sector....  

    Oh, right, Obama f'ed up the private sector and now it too is broken.

    Big schadenfreude for you no doubt.

    Parent

    Why on earth would I take any (5.00 / 5) (#52)
    by Anne on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 10:55:15 AM EST
    satisfaction AT ALL from my daughter being hung out to dry with no insurance?  Why would I be at all happy that for the last three months, she and her family have incurred medical expenses that the insurance company says were not covered, even though they probably were, but they can't make up their minds which policies are active and which are not?

    Why would it please me that my daughter and her husband have paid hard-earned money the insurance company can't decide how to credit to the point where she's getting a cancellation notice for the new family policy?

    Do you really hate me that much?  Do you really suppose I am the kind of vile person who would take pleasure in my family - or anyone - encountering what could be a significant problem with their insurance?  

    Have you not read the numerous comments I've made in which I have stated in no uncertain terms that I am cheering/rooting for the ACA to succeed because it means that more people will be able to sleep at night knowing they aren't hanging by their fingernails over a financial and medical abyss?

    What's wrong with you?

    Don't answer that.  We can play the same game you're playing with lentinel and reach our own conclusions.


    Parent

    If your family is interested in resolution (5.00 / 1) (#55)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 11:19:37 AM EST
    This might be where you can start

    http://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/

    Granted, at this point they seem to be steering toward regulating the exchange policies and insurers but perhaps they can steer you toward a way to deal with insurance purchased outside the exchanges discrepancies.

    Parent

    Obama Fail (none / 0) (#54)
    by squeaky on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 11:18:23 AM EST
    Why on earth would I take any satisfaction AT ALL from my daughter being hung out to dry with no insurance?

    Because it offers further proof that Obama Failed. Which seems to be your favorite subject and main theme at TL.

    I am certain that you take no pleasure in you or your daughter's misfortunes, but it does seem that you are posting these facts as personal proof that Obama has failed you and your family. And as you say your very bad experience with Obama's presidency is not unusual.

    Do you really hate me that much?

    Hate you? I do not even know you. I am responding to your comments here and nothing else.

    Parent

    Still waiting for you to (5.00 / 1) (#57)
    by dk on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 11:59:07 AM EST
    elaborate on the problems and failures of the ACA (you were so sweeping about it, after all...which of course is straight out of the Republican playbook).

    Parent
    Still Waiting (none / 0) (#58)
    by squeaky on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 12:05:36 PM EST
    For a link or quote..  As I have said you appear to be fabricating comments I made and to be grinding an axe for reasons that are not clear to me.

    Are trying to prove your point that Anne and I share the same views?

    Parent

    Squeaky, completely off the current topic, but (none / 0) (#78)
    by Zorba on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 02:21:59 PM EST
    I bought some asparagus on sale today.  It looks good, is nice and crisp, and we love asparagus.   But I need some new ideas for its preparation, if you have some.
    I do the roasted, steamed, sautéed, stir-fried stuff. (Also cream of asparagus soup, but this is for a side dish.)  But I could use some recommendations for either other preparation methods, or some different herbs and spices and other add-ins.
    And also a call-out to other cooks, as well.  Nycstray, etc.
    Suggestions!  I need some new suggestions.

    Parent
    I love (none / 0) (#79)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 02:23:11 PM EST
    Stemed with poppy seeds

    Parent
    I do have poppy seeds. (none / 0) (#89)
    by Zorba on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 02:59:18 PM EST
    May try this.

    Parent
    Just don't pee in any cups...n/t;) (5.00 / 2) (#99)
    by kdog on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 03:53:25 PM EST
    When you've eaten asparagus, you (5.00 / 1) (#100)
    by Anne on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 03:55:17 PM EST
    don't want to be any closer to your pee than you have to be.

    [Did I just say that out loud?}

    Parent

    Was waiting (none / 0) (#101)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 04:00:21 PM EST
    For someone to go there

    Parent
    Now why didn't I think of that... (none / 0) (#147)
    by kdog on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 08:04:23 AM EST
    when I've been asked to degrade myself and take a piss test, I could have tortured the bastards with an asparagus bushel!

    I guess I had more pressing concerns, like cleansing and masking;)

    Parent

    That's (none / 0) (#82)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 02:25:47 PM EST
    EVO and poppy seeds

    Parent
    Broiled in marinara sauce (none / 0) (#83)
    by nycstray on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 02:28:36 PM EST
    with parm cheese served up over fresh pasta. :)

    Parent
    This is a great idea (none / 0) (#90)
    by Zorba on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 03:05:13 PM EST
    for another night.  But I also bought some really nice boneless rib steaks on sale, which I am going to grill outside, and the pasta would not really go with the steaks, and the potatoes (onion and garlic home fries, with the last of our root-cellared potatoes that are still good, and need to be eaten soon).
    Definitely will try this soon, though.

    Parent
    It's actually really good with (none / 0) (#93)
    by nycstray on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 03:13:30 PM EST
    grilled steak, chicken, or seafood :) It's one of my fast dinners, so I add a meat protein.

    As soon as I get off my duff, I'm going to make an Italian root veggie soup to go with our rain an t-storms :)

    Parent

    I need to use my potatoes, however (none / 0) (#95)
    by Zorba on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 03:24:09 PM EST
    and pasta would be too many carbs tonight.  But will definitely do this later.
    And it is quite sunny today here, 60 degrees.  Unlike Sunday.  
    We deserve the break.   ;-)

    Parent
    Do you have any dried tomatoes? (none / 0) (#96)
    by nycstray on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 03:35:52 PM EST
    Or some frozen cherry sized ones? I do a roasted/broiled tomato, potato, shallot, garlic, basil dish that would be really good with asparagus in it also.  I may have to do that tonight! :)

    Parent
    Hmmmmm (5.00 / 1) (#97)
    by Zorba on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 03:46:38 PM EST
    I do have shallots, garlic (of course- Greeks cannot exist without garlic), frozen cherry tomatoes, and frozen cubes of basil (in olive oil) from my garden.
    Okay, bingo!  Got the recipe to use tonight!  Thanks!
    Got to start cooking now.   ;-)

    Parent
    Update, nycstray: (5.00 / 1) (#107)
    by Zorba on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 07:44:38 PM EST
    Your recipe, with the addition of the asparagus, turned out great!  Thanks!
    And the steaks were great, too.  First outdoor grilled steaks of the season.

    Parent
    I think my favorite way to eat asparagus (none / 0) (#87)
    by Anne on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 02:56:14 PM EST
    is drizzled with olive oil that's been infused with a little grated garlic, then tossed and sprinkled with sea salt and grilled until there's a little char, and spears are bendy, not mushy, and still bright green.

    I like to taste the asparagus - not bury it in too much other stuff.

    Now I want some.

    Parent

    Yes, I do this a lot (none / 0) (#91)
    by Zorba on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 03:07:09 PM EST
    Tastes great.  A squeeze of fresh lemon juice is also good with this.
    And I agree- no overcooked asparagus, let the taste shine through!

    Parent
    Do you see Obama's name (5.00 / 1) (#59)
    by Anne on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 12:32:59 PM EST
    ANYWHERE in my comment about my daughter's situation?  

    Do you see me using her situation as a launching pad to declare the whole ACA a failure?  

    why, no...no you don't.  Because it's not there.

    Said it before and will say it again: we have the system we have and we need to make it work for as many people as possible.  That's what's important.  Pinning people down as to credit or blame is a waste of time and helps no one who's having a problem and does nothing to enhance the positive experience others are having.

    It's time you stopped trying so hard to put people in whatever box you need them to be in so you can slap them around.

    You really should stick to posting about art and food, because on this subject, you are the one who's failing.

     

    Parent

    What is Your Point? (2.00 / 1) (#139)
    by squeaky on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 12:52:41 AM EST
    Because MD has its own exchange, she couldn't go out on the federal one to check out plans - so she made some attempts to check out the MD exchange plans and was so frustrated with it that she decided to check out a new private plan through CareFirst.

    FAIL

    But now, see, she has a three-month gap in her own coverage, so she's worried about a penalty

    VICTIMIZED by ObamaCare

    This is not an unusual occurrence.

    Oh, you are probably right. A usual occurrence for Republicans, et al. who loath Obama and his ObamaCare, and who could afford to get their own private insurance and could not be bothered to deal with the prolly Socialist ACA, got f'ed by insurance companies.

    Now they have proof that ACA f'ed up their lives and they are now pulling their hair out.

    Do you see Obama's name ANYWHERE in my comment about my daughter's situation?  

    Let's see, going by your many comments about ObamaCare, you expect anyone to believe that this current disaster has nothing to do with Obama?

    Your daughter pulling her hair out screaming about.....?????

    what a load of demagoguery you put out, and your ridiculous claim that your story about your daughter has nothing to do with ACA or Obama is hilarious.

    Parent

    ugh (none / 0) (#180)
    by sj on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 12:03:55 PM EST
    What a load of cr@p, squeaky. Not everything that happens in our lives is a manifesto.

    Parent
    Don't waste your breath, sj...this is not (5.00 / 1) (#194)
    by Anne on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 02:02:31 PM EST
    someone who would even notice that, for example, I don't even refer to the new law as "Obamacare," but as "the ACA."  You know who does?  Republicans - they're the ones looking to tie the law to Obama and praying for it to fail so it will take him and the rest of the Democrats down with it.

    I, on the other hand, have repeatedly stated that this law needs to work, and that should be the focus - making it work for as many people as possible.  But, golly - I was highly critical of the plan as it was being put together, critical of all the back-room wheeling/dealing, the influence of the insurance industry, the refusal to even allow single-payer advocates a seat at the table - so forevermore, I will be branded as someone who "wants the law to fail."

    At this stage, the only reasonable response to Mr. Pip is: "Bite me."  

    Parent

    The nigtmare (none / 0) (#37)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 08:09:43 AM EST
    of dealing with an insurance company. A friend of mine had this same problem with BCBS here in GA years ago. She had to fight with them and call the insurance commissioner to finally get it settled.

    Parent
    Maryland and Oregon (none / 0) (#140)
    by MKS on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 04:11:46 AM EST
    both of which decided to set up their own exchanges have been terrible....

    Other states have been much better.

    Parent

    Wouldn't be surprised if they pass it a bit (none / 0) (#18)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 10:59:05 PM EST
    In spite of the fact that the site went down again apparently having nothing to do with traffic.

    Parent
    I couldn't get the app through online (none / 0) (#21)
    by CoralGables on Mon Mar 31, 2014 at 11:08:02 PM EST
    It gave me a number to call. Quick automated response asking for my number and they'd finish the app on the phone within 5 to 7 days.

    Parent
    Kelly Rindfleisch (none / 0) (#25)
    by Mikado Cat on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 12:20:45 AM EST
    Main story at WSJ

    WI has something called a "John Doe" investigation where prosecutors look at a number of people and try to make something stick. Kelly Rindfleisch went into the grinder apparently for not going outside the government building she worked in to send some emails and return calls on her own phone.

    I don't suggest I've seen balanced coverage, but I have looked at some alternate sources. Seems like wild over charging, and no money for a good defense.

    It was an auspicious debut today ... (none / 0) (#28)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 04:11:38 AM EST
    ... for the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, as hitting coach Don Baylor broke his right femur today while catching the ceremonial first pitch from  Vladimir Guerrero, who's retiring this season. The Angels went on to get dumped by the Seattle Mariners, 10-3.

    I must admit that this all does sound somewhat superficially amusing in a black comedy-sort of way, and indeed, some talking heads on ESPN were actually cracking wise about it initially, before the full extent of his injury was fully known and reported. Unfortunately, it turns out that this was indeed a potentially very serious injury for the 64-year-old Baylor, and in that regard, a little background is needed here. (I feel somewhat awkward, given my own news today, but here goes.)

    Don Baylor was first diagnosed back in 2003 with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood's plasma cells that most often strikes people over age 50. One of the disease's side effects can be an overall weakening of one's bone structure and immune system.

    Given that the median survival span for those afflicted is generally only three to fours years from date of first diagnosis, and perhaps five to seven years with aggressive treatment, that the man is even on the field and still coaching is in and of itself rather miraculous.

    Coach Baylor was bent down on his left knee to take Guerrero's throw, which went wide right and caused him to lunge for the ball, whereupon he twisted his right ankle and knee in a very awkward position. He had trouble arising, and when Angels trainers attempted to help him up, his right leg suddenly buckled and his femur apparently fractured at that moment.

    He's presently at UC-Irvine Medical Center, where he'll undergo surgery tomorrow to place pins in his thigh, and it is expected that he'll probably miss the rest of the season because the recovery time for otherwise healthy people is projected for four to six months following surgery. With someone with his disease, who knows how long his recovery will take.

    Angels players, coaches, staff and fans are understandably distraught tonight over what happened to their beloved hitting coach, whose personal connection to the franchise dates back to his playing days in the late 1970s. Signed by the team as a free agent in 1977, Baylor is one of only two Angels players to ever win the American League's Most Valuable Player award (1979), when he led the team to its first AL West Division title. (The other MVP was Vladimir Guerrero in 2004.) Given the serious health challenges he's faced, Don Baylor is a true profile in courage.

    Best wishes to Coach Baylor from this Dodger fan for a speedy and full recovery, and I hope that he'll soon be back doing what he very much loves to do.

    Aloha.

    Horrible.. a great player back in the day. (none / 0) (#118)
    by desertswine on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 09:00:25 PM EST
    Rand Paul, Michelle Bachman (none / 0) (#34)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 07:32:12 AM EST
     Louie Gomert, Steve King, Mike Lee and Ted Cruz will hold a joint news conference this afternoon to acknowledge the success of the ACA enrollment process and commit themselves to cooperation in ongoing implementation

    Thanks, Capt. (none / 0) (#61)
    by christinep on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 12:47:00 PM EST
    April 1st is such a very special day ... for me, there is always a special laugh knowing that I was supposed to be born on the 1st of April; and, nature (in its own joking way) kept my mother waiting some days longer.  A Good Day to you!

    Parent
    My (5.00 / 1) (#66)
    by lentinel on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 01:02:46 PM EST
    mother was born on April 1.

    Happy birthday Mom.

    Parent

    Best April fool joke (none / 0) (#102)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 05:12:43 PM EST
    American Eagle Outfitters did a gag to benefit shelters about a new clothing line for dogs called American Beagle.

    There was such an overwhelming response they are now bringing it out for Christmas

    Parent

    AN AXE LENGTH AWAY, vol. 319 (none / 0) (#38)
    by Dadler on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 08:13:09 AM EST
    Cannibalism, oligarch style. His favorite meal is people pot pie. (link)

    v. 318

    Tuesdays give me the blahs way more than Mondays. Don't know why. Peace out.

    Is it me (none / 0) (#39)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 08:49:04 AM EST
    Or does that look like Sheldon Adelson with his eating glasses on?

    Parent
    What are "eating" glasses? (5.00 / 1) (#63)
    by oculus on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 12:54:55 PM EST
    (You get to write the punch line!)

    Parent
    They are (none / 0) (#75)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 02:06:31 PM EST
    What I have to wear to know what I am eating.

    Parent
    Indeed it does (none / 0) (#40)
    by Dadler on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 08:52:51 AM EST
    Good catch.

    Parent
    I have (none / 0) (#109)
    by Mikado Cat on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 08:22:12 PM EST
    Driving glasses, computer glasses, and see food glasses.

    Parent
    Kirk Cameron deconstructed hilariously (none / 0) (#60)
    by Dadler on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 12:39:37 PM EST
    A better explanation... (none / 0) (#62)
    by kdog on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 12:47:09 PM EST
    of the scam that is NCAA Football & Men's Basketball than I could ever give is up on Grantland today.  Check it out.

    The NCAA is a wart on the ass of sports (none / 0) (#69)
    by Dadler on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 01:39:37 PM EST
    A private corporation allowed to control, de facto, all of college sports on the major level. You want private, fine, then let them govern PRIVATE schools. That any public schools need to kow-tow to the NCAA please, one public school leader of substance will end that sh*t toot sweet. If. If, if, if...

    Parent
    Very interesting... (none / 0) (#71)
    by kdog on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 01:48:16 PM EST
    to learn the scam is as old as 19th Century England and the "amateur" football clubs.

    Loved the hypothetical comparisons with the engineering and english scholarship students too...can really drive the point home for those too blind to see that sports ain't special.  Labor is labor, a job is a job, moneymakers are moneymakers.  Pay the young men already.

    Parent

    Yep to the nth degree (none / 0) (#73)
    by Dadler on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 02:00:07 PM EST
    Yep upon yep upon yep...

    Phuck the NCAA. Literally, figuratively, metaphorically, every way you can.

    Parent

    Spite is good. New pysch study. (none / 0) (#64)
    by oculus on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 12:56:04 PM EST
    NYT

    Moving (none / 0) (#81)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 02:24:02 PM EST
    The inside plants outside.  They were begging.

    San Francisco Symphony trades trumpeter (none / 0) (#108)
    by oculus on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 07:55:09 PM EST
    to SF Giants for a player to be named later:

    SAN FRANCISCO, APRIL 1 - From the concert stage to the ball park, San Francisco Symphony Principal Trumpet Mark Inouye (pictured above left with his agent) has announced that he'll be trading his tuxedo for the black and orange to pursue his longtime dream of playing professional baseball with the two-time World Series champion San Francisco Giants.

    Inouye, who has long demonstrated his on-field skills on the SF Symphony's world champion intra-orchestra softball team, the Symphomaniacs, is a lifelong Giants fan. He came to the attention of Giants' scouts at a November 2013 Symphomaniacs softball game against the Mets of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Inouye was voted game MVP, hitting two home runs, including one inside the park, and batting .336/.408/.549 for the tour.

    Faced with uncertainty at some key positions to start the season with nagging injuries to second baseman Marco Scutaro and center fielder Angel Pagan, Giants General Manager Brian Sabean decided to look to some non-traditional places for extra depth. After the Orchestra finished its recent tour in Europe, Inouye reported to AT&T Park where the team was wrapping up its exhibition season, and worked out for the coaching staff. After hitting an opposite-field ball into McCovey Cove and nearly reaching the Coke bottle in right center field in batting practice, Inouye and his agent met with Sabean, and a deal was made. The terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed, but it's said to be a one-year deal slightly above the Major League minimum. Inouye will join the team today for the second game of the team's four-game opening series against the Diamondbacks.

    Giants Manager Bruce Bochy refused to speculate about whether Inouye would earn a spot in the starting lineup. "He's just a great team player with really great fundamentals, especially breath control. He's out there working hard every day, and he's shown that in the orchestra, too," said Bochy. Teammate Buster Posey said "I played the trumpet for a week in junior high and was no good. This guy (Inouye) can hit home runs and some pretty amazing high notes, too. He's really multi-talented. We're all glad he's here, and I'm just glad he's not a catcher."

    Symphony fans can still root, root, root for the principal trumpeter in special return appearances as soloist with the SFS in Shostakovich's First Piano Concerto, April 24-26 and an all-Bach family concert May 1-4.

    As part of the deal, the Giants have agreed to provide the Symphony a brass player to be named later.

    Hobby Lobby (none / 0) (#113)
    by ZtoA on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 08:50:26 PM EST
    Hobby Lobby Invests In IUD and Abortion Pill Manufacturers. It's not that hard to ask the investment manager to not invest in things one objects to. link

    And the refrigerator is broken (none / 0) (#114)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 08:54:15 PM EST
    It was the one thing we didn't replace when we remodeled the kitchen last year.  Now it all will match.  Must make it through the night though with a cooler.  In a newly remodeled kitchen it's kind of like shabby chic camping.

    Where is the damn (5.00 / 1) (#115)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 08:57:05 PM EST
    Polar vortex when you need it

    Parent
    So true (none / 0) (#120)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 09:02:15 PM EST
    Two weeks ago I could have put it out on the porch, even the squirrels were still sleeping at night then.  Today during a walk though my husband accidentally stepped in snake, it was deceased, newly run over, but it was a copperhead and stuff is awake at night now.

    The azaleas are in full bloom, something that usually happens a month earlier than this.

    Parent

    The coyotes must be (5.00 / 1) (#123)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 09:21:21 PM EST
    Very happy that it is suddenly warm.   They didn't shut up all night last night and tonight they have started again.
    It was 76 here today.
    Actually I love hearing them.

    Parent
    Oh, so sorry, Tracy! (5.00 / 1) (#121)
    by Zorba on Tue Apr 01, 2014 at 09:12:57 PM EST
    What a pain!
    About 5 years ago, my refrigerator and my stove died at the same time.
    Well, at least they both match now, what can I say?

    Parent
    Thanks Zorba (none / 0) (#138)
    by Militarytracy on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 12:29:00 AM EST
    And my husband is home for R&R.  I appreciate how the FSM arranged this for me.  It wouldn't be impossible if he weren't home, just more of a pain.

    He has been looking at refrigerators in Korea, they use 220 though.  They have some cool refrigerators he says, and he could probably ship one home on return but it wouldn't be designed for our power grid.  He says their televisions beat the heck out of ours too.  Very expensive, but we don't lead the world in owning the best televisions.  He says we are very far from it now.

    Ruffian noticed the same thing on a visit to Japan.

    Parent

    I was remembering my experience as I read (none / 0) (#142)
    by ruffian on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 06:05:03 AM EST
    So true - they have cool electronics of all kind years before we see them. My co-workers and I wandered the huge store in Hiroshima in awe - can't remember the name of the big Japanese electronics store chain- the store was about 6 stories high, packed with goodies.

    Too bad hubby didn't know he should be refrigerator shopping while he was over there!

    I have friends here that did do a lot of looking recently and bought a Samsung with a cool freezer drawer...cant recall at the moment what was so cool about it...but I take their word for it!

    Good luck with the hunt!

    Parent

    I think I am getting that refrigerator :) (none / 0) (#145)
    by Militarytracy on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 07:54:21 AM EST
    Sounds like the one we are looking at.  And now the whole kitchen will be Samsung, and that wasn't the goal at all.  We simply bought the appliance that got the best reviews and ratings and was the best value for the dollar, all Samsung.

    Parent
    Opps, turns out they got the LG LFX31925ST (none / 0) (#179)
    by ruffian on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 11:52:16 AM EST
    I would have to tour those stores with you (none / 0) (#146)
    by Militarytracy on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 07:58:49 AM EST
    And your co-workers too.  I have to have consumer reports analysis anymore on all the electronics.  The new tech has overgrown my basic understanding capabilities.

    Parent
    McCutcheon vs FEC (none / 0) (#150)
    by jbindc on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 09:38:10 AM EST
    Reversed and remanded today at the Supreme Court. (opinion here), Alito writing.

    For the past 40 years, our campaign finance jurisprudence has focused on the need to preserve authority for the Government to combat corruption, without at thesame time compromising the political responsiveness atthe heart of the democratic process, or allowing the Government to favor some participants in that process overothers. As Edmund Burke explained in his famous speechto the electors of Bristol, a representative owes constituents the exercise of his "mature judgment," but judgment informed by "the strictest union, the closest correspondence, and the most unreserved communication with his constituents." The Speeches of the Right Hon. EdmundBurke 129-130 (J. Burke ed. 1867). Constituents have the right to support candidates who share their views and concerns. Representatives are not to follow constituent orders, but can be expected to be cognizant of and responsive to those concerns. Such responsiveness is key to thevery concept of self-governance through elected officials.

    The Government has a strong interest, no less critical toour democratic system, in combatting corruption and its appearance. We have, however, held that this interest must be limited to a specific kind of corruption--quid pro quo corruption--in order to ensure that the Government's efforts do not have the effect of restricting the FirstAmendment right of citizens to choose who shall governthem. For the reasons set forth, we conclude that the aggregate limits on contributions do not further the only governmental interest this Court accepted as legitimate in Buckley. They instead intrude without justification on a citizen's ability to exercise "the most fundamental First Amendment activities." Buckley, 424 U. S., at 14.

    The judgment of the District Court is reversed, and the case is remanded for further proceedings.

    Here's what it's all about.

    When he appeared before the Senate ... (5.00 / 1) (#195)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 02:02:53 PM EST
    ... during his confirmation hearings, John Roberts repeatedly stated his respect for legal precedent.

    And once again, to the detriment of his country's own citizenry, Chief Justice Roberts has now proved himself a liar and a fraud, given his obvious and steadfast determination to sweep aside over a century's worth of campaign finance reform law for no legitimate legal rationale other than his own personal desires as chief justice to do so. Thus, he's cleared the way for his billionaire friends to swamp the political field of play with their money.

    McCutcheon is a horrible ruling, ranking right up there with Citizens United. The contemptible Roberts and his corruptible right-wing cronies on the high court really need to be impeached and removed from office. Unfortunately, the torrent of money they've now unleashed upon our political system will probably prove a firewall to the undertaking of any such effort in Congress.

    If money is now truly equated with free speech, then personally, I'd like to go to Iraq, find all those missing palettes of billions of dollars in cash, bring them back here and then drop them directly on top of the Chief Justice himself from a hovering helicopter, while loudly asserting my First Amendment rights to do so under Citizens United and McCutcheon.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    A quote from the not-too-recent past (1989): (5.00 / 1) (#198)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 02:23:03 PM EST
    "One question, among many raised in recent weeks, had to do with whether my financial support in any way influenced several political figures to take up my cause. I want to say in the most forceful way I can: I certainly hope so."
    - Charles Keating (1924-2014), Chairman of Lincoln Savings & Loan, which was seized by federal regulators and at the time, constituted the biggest bank failure in U.S. history.

    Charles Keating bought the influence of five U.S. senators, who attempted to run interference for him with federal banking regulators as Lincoln S&L came under investigation and public scrutiny.

    By a rather macabre coincidence, Keating died yesterday in Phoenix, AZ at the ripe old age of 90, still completely oblivious and impervious to the pain and suffering his corrupt activities inflicted upon thousands of Lincoln S&L investors, many of whom were elderly.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    AN AXE LENGTH AWAY, vol. 320 (none / 0) (#178)
    by Dadler on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 11:51:53 AM EST
    kdog: please don't consume any mj cookies (none / 0) (#204)
    by oculus on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 05:11:21 PM EST
    purchased at an mj  shop in Denver:

    USA Today

    Fort Hood on lockdown. Shooting (none / 0) (#205)
    by caseyOR on Wed Apr 02, 2014 at 05:37:52 PM EST
    at the fort. Officials are reporting multiple injuries.