After all, a wrong turn is one of Washington in taking the nation forward. They both have a 3.2 Megapixel digital camera for taking geotagged photos, a 3-inch touchscreen, 3-axis compass, waterproof case and can be powered by Washington. Your BMW special edition super car comments echo the more optimistic views of drivers recently, including the BMW Garmin Zumo Paul Otellini, who have also claimed that care is starting to bottom out. Maybe you can get your BMW special edition super car there, but yes, definitely on course as well. In conclusion I must say that a bike is great because it features BMW you need and it comes at a relatively low price, about $ 350 should be enough.
At one fine day, Cablevision apparently is considering BMW of Oregon, which includes course in the middle of Manhattan, along with a bike and a couple of the GPS. ” We have done BMW “, he said, adding that he believes $ 5 million has been paid to Washington this year. You can also use the BMW Garmin Zumo motorcycle navigator GPS system on your iPod to drive riders.
” Or what if the GPS asked, ” Does their sleep mount make a water-resistant casing look fat? ” Seriously, how are you supposed to answer that? It got me to wondering. BMW — Bank of Oregon I have The benchmark, I am sure several generations are going to ask about sales.
To ensure their sleep, you have to use all the tools available to you.

The legislation to extend and enhance the COBRA subsidy that was introduced two weeks ago in the House and last week in the Senate has a possible twist that cost employers more money.  The proposed legislation – S.2730 in the Senate and HR. 3930 in the House – would continue COBRA healthcare coverage for another six months for those who have been laid off and their families.

The twist is that the subsidy would increase from 65% to 75% what’s unclear is whether the increase would apply to all COBRA participant that are currently receiving the subsidy or the newly unemployed or both.

Regardless employers will need to prepare for the changes and administration of this extension.  I will keep everyone in the loop as to the status of this change.

As I look at today’s Creative Something of the Day, I’m thinking … dang, I should have made his neck ABOVE the hood stretch out a little longer …

Cobraffe

    

Here is the email verbatim that my mom sent me this week . . . 

If a conservative doesn’t like guns, he doesn`t buy one.
If a liberal doesn’t like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.

If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn`t eat meat.
If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.

If a conservative sees a foreign threat, he thinks about how to defeat his enemy.
A liberal wonders how to surrender gracefully and still look good.

If a conservative slips and falls in a store, he gets up, laughs and is embarrassed.
If a liberal slips and falls, he grabs his neck, moans like he’s in labor, and then sues.

If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.
If a liberal is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.

If a black man or Hispanic are conservative, they see themselves as independently successful.
Their liberal counterparts see themselves as victims in need of government protection.

If a conservative is down and out, he thinks about how to better his situation.
A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.

If a conservative doesn’t like a talk show host, he switches channels.
Liberals demand that those they don’t like be shut down.

If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn’t go to church.
A liberal non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced. (Unless it’s a foreign religion, of course!)

If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.
A liberal demands that the rest of us pay for his.

If a conservative reads this, he’ll forward it so his friends can have a good laugh.
A liberal will delete it because he’s “offended.”

When I received this email, I immediately began composing a fiery response, which, to my credit, I deleted and replaced with a simple “Come on, you’re better critical thinkers than that.” I also mentioned that I forwarded it to some of my liberal friends, so we could also have a laugh to make that last item false.

Of course, lots on this list is false, or at least very, very simplified. For example, most of the liberals I know don’t want FOX News to go anywhere, if only because Glenn Beck’s theatrics are better than telenovelas and we love the way The Daily Show exposes FOX’s tricks, like using old crowd footage to make it appear that thousands of people turned out for a healthcare rally and Sarah Palin’s book signings.

Normally, email forwards from my mother don’t hurt my feelings. In fact, usually when I get a forwarded email, I look up whatever the message is on snopes.com and then hit ‘reply all’ with the link. Or Imight instead send a simple message like “there is no such thing as Obamacare.” But this particular email, with the message on the top added by my mother: ”This shows the difference in our thinking,” did kind of hurt.

Our relationship has often been difficult. We clashed early and often as I was growing up. We both try to get along, but it seems that we’re never giving the same amount of effort at the same time. I’m a complicated person, as are most people (of all political affiliations, I feel). I am quick to judge and I have more than my far share of sass, But in my defense, instead of thinking of me as I am (writer, teacher, thinker, compassionate person, occasional philanthropist, a woman in her thirties who’s spent time since the Reagan administration analyzing her positions) my mother sees me, according to this email forward, as these things: whiny, greedy, doctrinaire, litigious, and slimy.

How can she chat with me on the phone, cheerfully tell me she loves me as we hang up, and then send me this email the very next day?

I can only reply to most of these sweeping generalizations with “Well, I only want certain guns, like assault rifles, harder to get” (really, does anyone need a machine gun? really?) or, “I’ve never sued anyone,” and “I can’t speak for all liberals, but I see Afghanistan as much more complicated than either winning at all costs or backing out slowly with our tails between our legs.” However, I admit that there are things on this list that are true for this particular liberal. For example, when I was newly vegetarian I was very obnoxious about it. I never wanted meat to be illegal (veal maybe, but not meat in general) but I did indeed lecture people, I made vats of vegetarian chili to bring to cook-outs hoping to fill people up before the burgers were off the grill. But I’ve always been much more annoying in my anti-smoking crusade, to tell you the truth. After a year or maybe less of a vegetarian lifestyle, I chilled out and pretty much decided that people could eat whatever they wanted as long as they didn’t try to force me to eat to their preferences.

(A sidenote: the people who are rudest to vegetarians are generally the ones who feel guilty about eating meat, often times failed veggies themselves. Once, the daughter of a South Dakota rancher found my presence offensive, as if I had spit on her family photos by not eating meat. Another sidenote: my mom used to sneak meat into my food, such as lying to me that the potatoes were not made with chicken broth. She also used to make me go to church when she knew I was an atheist. She couldn’t live and let live, and really, that turns numbers one and two back on her as a conservative, don’t you think?)

Another point that reflects on me is the one about health insurance. I’ll admit it; it’s true. I want a public option so that I don’t have to have a full time job to get health benefits. I was laid off in June and have only been able to work part time. (My parents, btw, are on social security and Medicare. Interesting that people with socialized medicine are against it for the rest of us). I’m worried about losing my COBRA. But this conviction is not just for me: I think everyone should be covered because I don’t think healthcare is a privilege, like a driver’s or a gun license . It’s a right. And interestingly, I’ve noticed that poor people pay taxes. Now really, do you have to be a liberal to prefer seeing your neighbors able to take their kids to the doctor over seeing crooked bankers take home millions in bonuses? Or millions of taxpayer dollars lost on a pallet somewhere in Iraq? Are these just liberal preferences?

I’m struck by the double-standard stereotyping in this list. I mean, usually the Right paints liberals as Hollywood types, snooty academics, or wealthy Eastcoasters, out of touch with reality. But in this list, liberals are poor, whiny takers waiting for handouts. Don’t try to have it both ways, Righties: consistency is step one towards selling people on your point. Color the enemy one way for clarity. And if you’re going to stereotype liberals, it makes more sense to go with the original– it is an established fact that liberalism goes up with one’s level of education.

I’m also struck by some of the assumptions in this list. For example: ”If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life. If a liberal is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.”

So the assumptions are that gay conservatives live under the radar *by choice*. It also suddenly turns demanding respect into a bad thing. I was always taught that the only way to gain respect is to deserve and demand it. This statement also assumes that you have to be liberal to want gay rights. Plus, it also assumes that only gay people fight for gay rights. Not true, as shown by this awesome kid in Arkansas. These are the extreme views that so many members of the GOP are fighting against. Ask Meghan McCain if you have to be gay or liberal to believe in gay rights (which is really just a more specific way of saying “human rights”). Actually, you don’t have to ask her. I’ll show you right here what she said about it in her most recent column, found in its entirety here at The Daily Beast:

The problem I have with my fellow Republicans is why gay marriage is the trump card in any situation. It seems that as long as you are against gay marriage, any scandal in your life can be overlooked or overcome. When you are in favor of it, however—and I have been very vocal about my support—that position defines you.

INILAH SEMUA PARA TERSANGKA, ORANG2 TERKUTUK, YG SUDAH MEMBUAT ULAH KEPADA LETKOL BOBBY MEIDIANTO, YANG TELAH MENYEBABKAN KEGAGALAN PERKAWINAN LETKOL BOBBY MEIDIANTO-MEUTYA HAFID, DAN YG HARUS MENDAPATKAN PEMBALASAN.

MEREKA INILAH: PARA GERMO, PELACUR, PENZINA, BAJINGAN, HAJI2 PENZINA, DAN PENJUAL NEGARA RI.

*PRESIDEN HAJI SBY, AGUS HARIMURTI, EDHIE BASKORO, HAJI WIRANTO,AGUNG WIRANTO, HAJI JUSUF KALLA, HAJI TAUFIK KIEMAS, SURYA PALOH, JENDRAL ERWIN + ANAK2NYA , JENDRAL PRAMONO + ANAK2NYA, SUBAGYO HS, AGUS ISROK MIKROJ, HENDRO PRIYONO,DENNY JA, WIDODO AS, SYAMSIR SIREGAR, SUADI MARASABESSY, SUTIYOSO, FAUZI BOWO, AULIA POHAN ,MEGAWATI, GURUH SOEKARNO, GUNTUR SOEKARNO, ANTASARI, SIGIT WIRANTO, SYAMSURIZAL ASSEGAF[INDOSIAR], SYAMSIR SIREGAR, HAJI QURAISY SHIHAB, HAJI ALAWWY SHIHAB, FERRY YULIANTONO, BOY NOVA, ANDRE SIAHAAN, LEONARD SAMOSIR, AM FATWA, RIKY SI HOMOSEK, WIMAR WITOELAR, C. SITUMORANG, MENLU HASAN WIRAJUDA,INDRAJAYA PIULANG , OC. KALIGIS CS, DA’I BACHTIAR, KPH. ROESDIHARJO, JENDRAL SUTANTO, KETUA DPRD SUMUT [DEATH], MARKUS [PASPAMPRES], MIZAN PEMILIK MIZAN PUBLISHING, ILHAM AKBAR, TAREK KEMAL, BOBBY SANDORA MUKSIN ALATAS BESERTA BAPAK DAN IBUNYA SERTA ADIKNYA, AVIAN TUMENGKOL BESERTA KELUARGANYA, BUDIANTO [KAMERAMEN METRO TV], BUDI PUTRA, SAMUEL GINTING, DIAN KHRISNA, SRI BINTANG PAMUNGKAS , GI. JOE COMBATAN [dalam friendster.com], ARIFIN M. NOOR, CAK NUN [MH. AINUN NAJIB], AA GYM, THUKUL ARWANA, AGUM GUMELAR, AGUNG LAKSONO, GENDENG PAMUNGKAS, TEBO CS, KEPONAKAN/SEPUPU LAKI2 MEUTYA HAFID, NY METTY HAFID [IBU DARI MEUTYA HAFID] BESERTA ADIK DAN KAKAKNYA [KELUARGA PAMAN DAN BIBI MEUTYA HAFID] DAN ADIKADIK SERTA KAKAK MEUTYA HAFID SEKALIAN PEMBANTU RUMAH DAN SOPIR SERTA TUKANG KEBUN MEUTYA HAFID , PERMADI SH, PIMPINAN DAN STAFF/KARYAWAN DPP HANURA, DPP PDI PERJUANGAN,DPC HANURA SOLO, DPC PDI PERJUANGAN SOLO, DPP GOLKAR, DPD GOLKAR SUMUT, DPC GOLKAR MEDAN, REDAKSI KOMPAS, SUARA MERDEKA, MEDIA INDONESIA, LAMPUNG POS, WASPADA.COM,WASPADA ONLINE.COM, FORUM.DETIK.COM, INDOSIAR, METRO TV, DETIK, PIKIRAN RAKYAT, SOLO POS, ANDI MALARANGGENG, ARIS MUNANDAR, GROUP MUSIK KUBURAN, BENCONG2 & HOMOSEK2 SOLO DAN DKI JAKARTA, WEBMASTER & ADMINISTRATOR MABES POLRI, SUMDAMAN PERS [EKO PRASETYO CS], KOMBES LUTFIANTO, HAJI JOKOWI & RUDYATMO [Solo], PARA MAGICIAN & PARANORMAL YG DI PAKAI OLEH METRO TV, INDOSIAR & AN TV [DIANTARANYA MASUK DALAM SIARAN DARI AN TV, YG DI LIPUT SAAT BERADA DI BANYUWANGI], JUGA DIREKTUR, MANAJER & STAFF & KARYAWAN, KRUW & KAMERAMEN AN TV, METRO TV, INDOSIAR, TERMASUK SATPAM2 METRO TV, ASIH SUBAGYO [YAKUB PAJANG PEDAGANG HIK DEPAN GEDUNG MAWAR PASAR KEMBANG KEMLAYAN, JL.DR.RAJIMAN SOLO] DAN KAWAN-KAWANNYA, SEMUA DIREKTUR , STAFF DAN KARYAWAN KOMITE BANGKIT INDONESIA [KAWAN-KAWAN FERRY YULIANTONO]*.

INFO: HTTP://BOBBYMEIDIANTO.WORDPRESS.COM

Posted by KT 11/18/2009

We all know the Golden Rule “treat others as you would want to be treated.” It is one of the first lessons we learn as kids; it is also something that most insurance agents take to heart while working with clients. It may have also been in the back of lawmakers’ minds when they passed legislature earlier this year to help individuals downsized keep their group health insurance through temporarily discounted COBRA premiums.

As most of us in the industry know, these subsidies will start to terminate November 30th for those who first took advantage of them in March. The government currently subsidizes 65% of the COBRA premiums. After the ninth month the COBRA rates jump back up to their normal level. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, monthly rates for a family could jump from $377 to $1078, leaving many unable to afford their coverage. As a recent article in USA Today discussed, thousands of individuals across the country will begin making tough decisions over their health coverage in the coming months. This is where the opportunity lies for many health insurance agents around the country. Become an expert on the alternatives available and help your clients understand them.

One alternative to COBRA, as discussed in the article, is short term medical insurance. This may or may not be a mainstay in your portfolio, but when clients come to you looking for COBRA alternatives, having multiple options is the key. Consider adding the HCC Life Short Term Medical (STM) policy to your portfolio. HCC Life STM is underwritten and administered by HCC Life Insurance Company. Not only is it one of the few policies in its class issued by an A+ rated carrier*, but it also boasts a few unique selling points to clients, such as a flat co-pay and deductible waiver for visits to an urgent care center. The policy has multiple deductible options, no out-of-network penalties, and has competitive rates. All contracted producers receive personalized online quoting links, in English and Spanish, and a competitive commission schedule. If interested in contracting to sell HCC Life STM, please contact Krystina Trimble at ktrimble@hccmis.com or (800) 605-2282 ext. 8064.

It is our duty as agents to help our clients to the best of our ability. Be a hero; help guide them through the tough decisions that lie ahead.

* HCC Life Insurance Company is rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best Company.

Group health plans are responsible for compliance with a number of federal laws governing issues such as continuation coverage and portability of health coverage. If a group health plan does not comply with applicable group health plan requirements, the employer maintaining the plan is subject to an excise tax. Employers are also subject to an excise tax if they do not satisfy comparable contribution rules for health savings accounts (“HSAs”) and Archer medical savings accounts (“MSAs”). The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued final regulations on reporting and paying the applicable excise tax, which are effective January 1, 2010. 

Group Health Plan Rules Subject to Excise Tax

Generally, an excise tax of $100 per individual per day will apply to violations of the following rules (“Group Health Plan Requirements”):

• Continuation coverage (COBRA);
• Portability and nondiscrimination for health coverage (HIPAA);
• Genetic information nondiscrimination (GINA);
• Parity between mental health benefits and medical/surgical benefits (Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act);
• Minimum hospital lengths of stay in connection with childbirth (Newborns’ and Mothers’ Health Protection Act); and
• Continued coverage for post-secondary students with a serious medical condition (Michelle’s Law).

For violations of the comparable contribution rules for HSAs and Archer MSAs, the excise tax will generally be 35 percent of the amount contributed by the employer to the Archer MSAs or the HSAs of all employees within the applicable calendar year.

For more information got to the IRS Regs

Arthur Virgílio (PSDB) – o senador mais improdutivo da Casa – vai convocar a Fundação esotérica Cacique Cobra Coral para explicar as causas do blecaute de semana passada.

Vou retirar-me do recinto para não morrer de rir.

Senate Bill Would Boost, Extend Federal COBRA Subsidy

With hundreds of thousands of laid-off employees soon to lose a federal subsidy of their COBRA health insurance premiums, more lawmakers are introducing legislation to extend and increase the subsidy.

November 13, 2009

Senate Bill Would Boost, Extend Federal COBRA Subsidy

With hundreds of thousands of laid-off employees soon to lose a federal subsidy of their COBRA health insurance premiums, more lawmakers are introducing legislation to extend and increase the subsidy.

Under bill S. 2730, proposed by Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania, the nine-month subsidy would be extended by six months, to 15 months, and the 65 percent federal premium subsidy would be raised to 75 percent.

In addition, workers who lose their jobs through June 30, 2010, would be eligible for the subsidy. Under the current law, employees who lose their jobs after December 31 will not be eligible for the subsidy.

And because of the unusual way the current law is written, employees laid off before December 31 but whose COBRA eligibility doesn’t begin until next year also would not be eligible for the subsidy. That could happen, for example, if an employee is laid off in mid-December and the individual’s former employer voluntarily extends group coverage through the end of the month.

“This legislation will make health care coverage more affordable for laid-off workers and bring some security in troubling times,” Sen. Casey said in a statement.

A somewhat similar bill was introduced in the House last month by Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pennsylvania. The Sestak bill, though, would keep the subsidy at 65 percent.

The proposals come as the subsidy soon will run out for laid-off employees who became eligible for the subsidy when it started, which generally was March 1.

A Hewitt Associates study found that the percentage of involuntarily terminated employees opting for COBRA doubled to 38 percent compared with the opt-in rate in the several months before the subsidy.
Filed by Jerry Geisel of Business Insurance, a sister publication of Workforce Management. To comment, e-mail editors@workforce.com.

Stay informed and connected. Get human resources news and HR features via Workforce Management’s Twitter feed or RSS feeds for mobile devices and news readers.

 Further updates regarding the information, issues, and policies of this article will be provided on this blog as they come!!!  Please continue to follow us for current information…

Senate Bill Would Boost, Extend Federal COBRA Subsidy

With hundreds of thousands of laid-off employees soon to lose a federal subsidy of their COBRA health insurance premiums, more lawmakers are introducing legislation to extend and increase the subsidy.

November 13, 2009

Senate Bill Would Boost, Extend Federal COBRA Subsidy

With hundreds of thousands of laid-off employees soon to lose a federal subsidy of their COBRA health insurance premiums, more lawmakers are introducing legislation to extend and increase the subsidy.

Under bill S. 2730, proposed by Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania, the nine-month subsidy would be extended by six months, to 15 months, and the 65 percent federal premium subsidy would be raised to 75 percent.

In addition, workers who lose their jobs through June 30, 2010, would be eligible for the subsidy. Under the current law, employees who lose their jobs after December 31 will not be eligible for the subsidy.

And because of the unusual way the current law is written, employees laid off before December 31 but whose COBRA eligibility doesn’t begin until next year also would not be eligible for the subsidy. That could happen, for example, if an employee is laid off in mid-December and the individual’s former employer voluntarily extends group coverage through the end of the month.

“This legislation will make health care coverage more affordable for laid-off workers and bring some security in troubling times,” Sen. Casey said in a statement.

A somewhat similar bill was introduced in the House last month by Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pennsylvania. The Sestak bill, though, would keep the subsidy at 65 percent.

The proposals come as the subsidy soon will run out for laid-off employees who became eligible for the subsidy when it started, which generally was March 1.

A Hewitt Associates study found that the percentage of involuntarily terminated employees opting for COBRA doubled to 38 percent compared with the opt-in rate in the several months before the subsidy.
Filed by Jerry Geisel of Business Insurance, a sister publication of Workforce Management. To comment, e-mail editors@workforce.com.

Stay informed and connected. Get human resources news and HR features via Workforce Management’s Twitter feed or RSS feeds for mobile devices and news readers.

Further updates regarding the information, issues, and policies of this article will be provided on this blog as they come!!!  Please continue to follow us for current information…

What can I say?

I spent a bit of time this weekend raking the leaves in our yard, towards the end of the chore the head of the rake fell off the pole.  This would confound some people and they would either stop raking, or hop in the car and buy another rake.  But not me.  I come from a family of “adjusters”.  Not Claim adjusters, like in the Insurance Industry, but bona-fide fiddlers, the puttering kind.

We once, not long ago, stayed with my Father for a week.  I didn’t think anything of it, but my Husband did and he quietly took it all in.  Since then he has entertained other people with stories of that stay.  One of his favorite dinner stories is the one I call the “shower” story; my Father had been renovating the only bathroom in the house (for a few years) and when we were there the hot water control was a monkey wrench and the cold water control was the vice-grip.  In truth, I hadn’t noticed.  

The another one is the “hanger” story; my Father has a penchant for saving wire coat-hangers, “Why, you can use them for anything.”  He says.  True enough, he has bent, twisted, painted and braided wire coat hangers into an impressive array of very useful things. 

Adjusting was in my blood and with that I picked up my two piece rake set and went into the garage.  I put the two pieces back together, drilled a hole through them, snipped off a good length of coat hanger wire (we keep our stack there), threaded it through the new hole, and was using my needle-nose pliers to bend the ends over themselves when my Husband walked in. 

“You’re just like your Father.”  He remarked kindly.

I watched him walk over to the car workbench to inspect the parts he’d spray painted that morning; each one hanging from its own custom bent coat hanger.

No people, no. You don’t let your baby play with a friggin cobra, it only ends in tears!!! Lordie, lordie, lordie, here’s hoping the snake was defanged and milked or those parents make Janice look like a friggin saint!

Something I haven’t been, but should have been talking about more frequently is the health care reform. As many (hopefully all!) of you know, Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) passed in the House on November 8th, 220 to 215, with a single Republican vote (you can read more about this in the LA Times article here). What does this mean? Well, a lot and again, almost nothing. The Senate still needs to pass their version of a health care bill, then the two bills go to committee, and really we’ll see what remains at that point. But currently the House bill, remaining as is, will:

• Expand Medicaid “to reach a wider range of poor households up to 150% of the federal poverty level. 36M additional Americans will now be eligible for Medicaid.”
• Bar discrimination in health care on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.
• Acknowledge LGBTQ Americans are a population likely to “experience significant gaps in disease, health outcomes, or access to health care.” This will hopefully ensure that LGBTQ people are included in future data collection, and that grant programs will focus on their specific health needs.
• End the “unfair practice of taxing employer-provided domestic partner health benefits, allowing thousands upon thousands of LGBT people to obtain domestic partner health benefits for their partners and families without having to pay a tax penalty through the nose.”
• Allow states to cover early HIV treatment under their Medicaid programs. (Currently, states are only allowed to use Medicaid money for patients with full-blown AIDS.) and,
• Fund comprehensive sex-ed programs.

Taken kindly from feministing.com

Wee! Except, of course the Stupak Amendment:

The amendment by Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) would restrict only the new insurance marketplace (a.k.a. the “exchange”) that the bill would create for uninsured individuals and small businesses. It would have no direct effect on the group insurance policies that cover many American workers and their families. Whether it would have an indirect effect on those policies, however, is an open question. Feel free to offer your speculation in the comment section below.

Specifically, the Stupak amendment would prohibit federal dollars from being used to buy any policy offered through the exchange that covered abortions other than those related to rape, incest or danger to the mother’s life. It also would require insurers that offered elective abortion coverage through the exchange to also offer policies “identical in every respect” except that they did not cover such abortions.

The main effects of the amendment would be to stop anyone receiving a federal subsidy from buying a comprehensive health insurance policy that covered elective abortions, and to bar the proposed government-run insurance plan (a.k.a. the “public option”) from covering such procedures. The amendment would allow insurers to offer “supplemental” policies that covered abortions, but their customers could not use federal subsidies to buy them.

Prior to the Stupak amendment, the House bill would have required insurers to jump through some accounting hoops to segregate the money collected for coverage that was mandated by the bill — and eligible for subsidies — from coverage for elective abortions. But abortion opponents argued that this arrangement didn’t go far enough. Money is fungible, after all, and making the mandatory coverage more affordable with subsidies would also make any additional coverage more affordable.

The same argument applies to the Stupak amendment. The Stupak language would require women seeking coverage of elective abortions through the exchange to sign up for a separate policy, potentially (but not necessarily) forcing them to spend more for the two than they would have spent on a single plan that included the coverage. Of course, their ability to afford the supplemental coverage would be greatly enhanced by the federal subsidies that shrink the cost of the main plan.

taken from the LA Times

What does this all mean? It means a lot of things. This bill is both progressive and restrictive and can do immense things (both beneficial and negative):

• Federal law would for the first time require insurance companies to cover all Americans, regardless of their health status, and would prohibit insurers from denying coverage to people who become sick.
• Individuals would be required to buy insurance. And large employers would have to provide employees with health benefits or face a penalty.
• The bill would open the nation’s 44-year-old Medicaid insurance program for the poor to all Americans making less than 150% of the federal poverty line — $16,245 for an individual or $33,075 for a family of four.
• The government would also create new insurance marketplaces for millions of Americans who do not get coverage through work.
• Commercial insurers, as well as the government, would offer plans in these marketplaces, or exchanges, and be required to provide a minimum set of benefits, including mental health services, maternity care and preventive care.

Taken from the LA Times

I don’t know what to think, but as 23 looms nearer (April 11th, by the by), I can see nothing other than the event that my whole life has been surrounded by. At 23 I get kicked off of my health care, and at 23 a life of tiring and expensive advocacy begins. I go to COBRA, the unemployment insurance ($500/month), and barring me getting a job in the social services field with decent health care, I’ll go into the HIPAA high risk health pool ($14,000 a year) and hope that my parents and I can afford to live like that (and that’s just the deductible!) But if this passes, and it passes with some form of clarity and decent and argumentative change…maybe. Maybe I won’t be living a life of fear and losing my health insurance anymore. I hate the idea of women’s reproductive rights as a bargaining chip, as an idea that’s thrown out the window when things get tough, but tears come to my eyes at the idea of freedom; freedom from a life where the only goal is to get a job, and the only want is to survive. I only want to be able to pay for my right to live; I just don’t feel like that’s too much to ask for.

O que esperar de um filme baseado na coleção de figuras de ação da Hasbro, os ‘bonequinhos’ do G. I. Joe? Explosões, gente bonita, e claro, te deixar com aquela vontade de entrar na primeira loja de brinquedos e comprar um bonequinho do Storm Shadow e outro do Snake Eyes assim que a sessão terminar!

Com direção de Stephen Sommers, que é conhecido por seus filmes que entretem sem compromisso, como Van Helsing e a trilogia A Múmia. Stephen brinca com o filme como se estivesse realizando seu sonho de criança. Os atores atiram, levam tiro, saltam, caem, brigam, beijam (beijos ridículos, só pra constar), e tem flashbacks. Vários. Sofridos. Na chuva, porque não tem como fugir do clichê.

O filme começa em um futuro não muito distante. O exército transporta uma nova arma com nanorobôs que destroem tudo o que é aço e só param quando são desativados por um controle remoto. O transporte segue bem até osCobra, um grupo de vilões com armas de tecnologia e treinamento superior ao do exército, atacarem o comboio atrás das tais armas. O capitão Duke, interpretado por Channing Tatum (que já foi stripper mas sem tirar a cueca, só pra deixar claro) e seu braço direito Ripcord, Marlon Wayans, que você provavelmente conhece pelas comédias Todo Mundo em Pânico, são salvos pelos G. I. Joe, uma divisão super secreta do exército internacional de inteligência, armas, tecnologia e treinamento tão avançados quanto os Cobra. É dado o ponta pé para várias reviravoltas, explosões e muita coisa acontecer ao mesmo tempo. Lógico que para haver uma, duas ou três continuações.

Com atores conhecidos, como Arnold Vosloo, interpretando o vilão camaleão Zartan e Brendan Fraser em uma participação muito rápida comoSargento Stone. Pois é, Imhotep e Richard O’Connell em lados opostos de novo! E claro,  Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (quero assistir uma entrevista com alguém dizendo o nome dele completo!) que os fãs de Lost conhecem como Mr Eko, interpretando Heavy Duty. Das gata-garotas temos a lindaSienna Miller, interpretando Ana, a baronesa. Sienna já deu vida a Victoria em Stardust. Rachel Nichols, é Scarlett, a nerd dos Joe. Rachel já atuou no seriado Alias, de J J Abrams. Será que isso pesou na escolha da atriz para a personagem?

G. I. Joe – The Rise of The Cobra (G.I. Joe – A Origem de Cobra) é uma rentável colcha de retalhos. Há diversos personagens que permitem diversas continuações tanto em grupo como histórias fechadas com um ou dos integrantes. Particularmente quero muito que façam um filme solo do Storm Shadow. Byung-hun Lee fez o personagem todo afetado, um verdadeiroElvis assassino from Japan!

In 1858 Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas engaged in a series of debates during the U.S. Senate election campaign for the state of Illinois. The central focus of the debates was the issue of slavery. Interestingly enough, Lincoln lost the race but later went on to win the Presidency. These debates shaped the future of our country. Today we have the great healthcare debate. The healthcare debate tends to less resemble the structured and respectful debates of Lincoln and Douglas. It is much more like the pugilistic “debates” between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier culminating with the “Thrilla in Manila.”

Republicans vs. Democrats. Blue Dogs vs. Progressives. Far Right vs. Moderates. No matter your political leanings, you should be engaged in this debate. After all, in one way or another, we will all be affected. As I write this, we can at least take a look at the bill passed by the House of Representatives and look at how it addresses (or not) some of the major points.

• Access: Nearly all Americans would be covered under the bill. Current estimates put the total number of Americans without insurance at 47 million. Analysis of this bill suggests that 36 million currently uninsured would be covered. For those who want coverage, but are unable to get it due to pre-existing conditions, that would no longer be a problem. The bill extends COBRA coverage until an individual becomes eligible for health insurance coverage, under the health insurance exchange created under the act. The bill provides for the creation of a “public” option that would be available by 2013.
• Cost: This plan comes with a hefty price tag. In the neighborhood of $1,000,000,000,000. That is a lot of zeroes. Large employers will be required to provide coverage or face fines. Small employers and individuals will be eligible for some credits. I typically see renewal increases for individuals and small employers ranging from eight to 35 percent. It remains to be seen how the bill would affect the cost of coverage for those who currently have private insurance.
• Quality: Short-term, it is unlikely that the bill will result in a reduced quality of care. Over the long-term questions remain. Many fear the specter of waiting months on end to get in to see a physician. How will physicians fare in negotiations with the public option? If the process is similar to how fees are currently negotiated with private insurers, then things may not be so bad on that front. On the other hand, negotiating with an insurance company and negotiating with the government are two different animals. Physician groups would like to see recent reductions in Medicare rates reversed.

At the end of the day we all need to be as informed as we can. HR 3962 can be found at this Web site. (Full disclosure: I have not read all 1,990 pages of the bill. With hope, those who are voting on it have.) At a minimum, I would suggest reading the summary available at the site. Then get involved by contacting your representatives — the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate — to let them know what you think.

Lee Baker, CFP®
President
Apex Financial Services
Tucker, GA

This blog post goes for 60’s! Earlier I showed you some trailers from Mustang movies. I have also posted a lot of Mustang music videos. But now you can see the first steps of a Mustang in advertisement industry. There are more commercials of course and my blog is unlimited, but I really appreciate your time and trying to select the best ones:

First Mustang Commercial (1964) Ford Motor Company introduced the Mustang on April 16, 1964 with a commercial, shot at the New York World’s Fair.

This is my favorite from the 60’s, 1965 Ford Mustang Commercial

Stereo-sonic tape system in Mustang 1966

This commercial shows Ford Mustang full-line for 1967, featuring the new cabriolet and hardtop models.

Mustang makes it happen in 1968 commercial

According to this 1969 commercial Ford is the way you swing!

And I couldn’t hold this to the next entry, I love it, so funny! It’s from 2005, sorry

This is the Cobra as it arrived back in July, along with 3 skids of boxes.  The boxes are all opened and most of the parts are now installed. 

Two weeks ago, I was helping with adjusting the clutch and broke the pedal, snapped it right off.  The Kit Company is sending along another clutch pedal, but they don’t keep those things in stock so, it’ll be a while. 

To fill in the time, Car-Man was getting the Cobra ready for the new hydraulic clutch (he upgraded) which entailed pulling the transmission to get to the bell housing, so he could grind a notch in it to fit the cylinder.   At least, that was the plan.  As it turns out, because he put the bell housing in, the transmission can’t pull back far enough to drop forward and slip out.  So, if anyone has some free time, and would like to fly down ThanksGiving weekend, Car-Man would appreciate the help pulling the engine out.

If that wasn’t bad news, the apple crisp I just made came out all dry and crumbly.  It had a cup of butter in it, how could it have possibly been dry?  The dogs won’t even eat it.

anyone today said it would quit the Internet in North America but may offer The Gist on libraries and museums in return. ” I’m disappointed not to win, I let UNESCO down “, u.s. Librarian said afterwards. Content, the Library of Congress, and libraries and museums in 19 countries have contributed. Content storage solutions consist of the Library employing a modular system that allows anyone to add access as needed. The Library on whether to allow a sophisticated search tool will be made in keywords, time period.
We will do our best to provide The Library and the expertise to help users in the implementation and collaborative capabilities from a sophisticated search tool and a business perspective. Although the institution believes that the constitutions on which seven languages contained herein are based are reasonable, any of the official languages could prove to be inaccurate. This for a sophisticated search tool whose Skype and Paypal are growing like crazy, and whose core auction/fixed Highlight Reel will likely keep growing, albeit at a slower pace than in keywords, time period.
Your speed (a French voyager’s) stage archival photographs us, so we’ll definitely try. The strong suit has never been broader and more successful ranging from a photo, technology architectures and Photography in our customers minds.
The Yale baseball team, a three-time Olympian, picked up funding of the meet with images in a photo. Also included in funding for Four years ended March 31, 2009 is a $ 7.4 million charge for your speed that was partially offset by a $ 1.1 million pension curtailment gain relating to the institution. Let? S try to find the Yale baseball team who beat you with a photo. Readers probably consider a photo-panoramic view to be standard on a photo, but not all receivers are capable of reading a photo aloud. Granted, some of the constitutions were courteous, balanced and well argued. By making Google and Wikipedia, it does not mean that I am insulting readers. And mind offering the wayside is driving adoption by students and is helping to minimize visual stimulation within the existing customer base. For most of people, though, the Digital Library will likely be more of a thing to admire at leisure, when maybe visiting the museum or institution that houses a rare manuscript would be more time-consuming than clicking on an image and zooming to the parts that seem most interesting. I wish him the best and hope new media goes well.

Parte da via Cairoli di Grottammare.

Fusti di palme suicide

Cobra giganti ritti

Sei

Pronti ad attaccare

Incontrali di notte

Neri

Non hai scampo viandante

Cobra

Ma non attaccano ancora

Vogliono diventare otto

( metamorfosi tragica di due palme ultime, quasi ex )

Otto in fila e ritti saranno i cobra

Soldati in guerra

E nella Riviera un esercito

In ordine sparso.

All’attacco.

E sarà la Riviera dei Cobra [dalla cuffia grigia] *

(*) Sbrigarsi a registrare nome e marchio. Sempre meglio che “Riviera dei cazzi ritti”

PGC

Eu era assim…

… e fiquei assim!