Why should I care if the Presidents Affordable Care Act gets repealed? What’s in it for me?
Are you a Senior?
Obamacare will close the famed Medicare prescription drug "doughnut hole," which forces some seniors to pay thousands of dollars for prescription medications out of pocket.
Have you ever been sick? What about your kid?
Under Obamacare people can no longer be denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions. What's considered a pre-existing condition? Everything from high blood pressure to asthma to cancer or heart disease. If the law is overturned, up to 129 million people would be at risk of being denied insurance due to pre-existing conditions.
Do you get a mammogram, or a flu shot?
If Obamacare is repealed, one of the first things to go is coverage for preventive care. Preventive services include mammograms, cancer screenings, blood pressure tests, flu shots and bone density tests for osteoporosis. These services can prevent sickness, and also catch it early -- making treatment easier and less invasive.
Do you have a kid under the age of 26? Are you under 26?
Before the affordable care act, young people could be kicked off their parents’ insurance when they turn 18 or graduate from college. I’m sure its not shocking news that many recent college graduates do not have jobs that offer health care coverage. Now, your kids can stay on your insurance until they are 26.
So, do you care now?
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Savannah, the good ,the bad...
Back from 3 nights in Savannah. Great weather, lots of fun. Thoughts...
First of all Savannah is a funny mix of very old and very new. Loved the silver haired gent we spotted the first day wearing loafers,navy blazer, stripped tie, a bowler hat and plaid shorts. But Savannah is also home to SCAD, the Savannah college of Arts & Design, a very respected art school which floods Savannah with 1000s of college age aspiring artists in ripped jeans and t shirts, piercings and purple hair. Throw in a few hundred girls scouts from all over the county in town for the 100th anniversary of the girl scouts and you have quite a street scene.
We spent our days in the old; mostly touring homes built in the 1700s, walking the cobblestone streets and dodging the horse and buggies. We spent our nights in the new. The Savannah Stopover, a 4 day music festival made up of 70 bands on their way to South by SouthWest was in its second year and we got to enjoy some great music. One night we saw 3 terrific bands playing in an outdoor courtyard under a star filled sky and a full moon. Amazing.
My biggest complaint? Savannah seems determined to hide its most interesting history. Its not just the way the house tour guides refer to the War between the States or insist on calling the slaves 'enslaved servants'. It took forever to find the Civil Rights Museum which despite being one of the highlights of the trip was not to be found on any tourist map, not mentioned by the multiple on off sightseeing trolly companies, and even the tourist bureau didn't have a brochure or any information besides, 'its a few blocks down that way'. Turns out Savannah's civil rights history is fascinating and the museum while small was terrific. They were very happy to see us!
The other highlight was equally difficult to visit. The First African Baptist church, built and run by slaves in the 1700s, was part of the Underground Railroad and is still an active church today. It was beautiful and the young man who took us around was terrific.
All in all a good trip, even for a Yankee.
First of all Savannah is a funny mix of very old and very new. Loved the silver haired gent we spotted the first day wearing loafers,navy blazer, stripped tie, a bowler hat and plaid shorts. But Savannah is also home to SCAD, the Savannah college of Arts & Design, a very respected art school which floods Savannah with 1000s of college age aspiring artists in ripped jeans and t shirts, piercings and purple hair. Throw in a few hundred girls scouts from all over the county in town for the 100th anniversary of the girl scouts and you have quite a street scene.
We spent our days in the old; mostly touring homes built in the 1700s, walking the cobblestone streets and dodging the horse and buggies. We spent our nights in the new. The Savannah Stopover, a 4 day music festival made up of 70 bands on their way to South by SouthWest was in its second year and we got to enjoy some great music. One night we saw 3 terrific bands playing in an outdoor courtyard under a star filled sky and a full moon. Amazing.
My biggest complaint? Savannah seems determined to hide its most interesting history. Its not just the way the house tour guides refer to the War between the States or insist on calling the slaves 'enslaved servants'. It took forever to find the Civil Rights Museum which despite being one of the highlights of the trip was not to be found on any tourist map, not mentioned by the multiple on off sightseeing trolly companies, and even the tourist bureau didn't have a brochure or any information besides, 'its a few blocks down that way'. Turns out Savannah's civil rights history is fascinating and the museum while small was terrific. They were very happy to see us!
The other highlight was equally difficult to visit. The First African Baptist church, built and run by slaves in the 1700s, was part of the Underground Railroad and is still an active church today. It was beautiful and the young man who took us around was terrific.
All in all a good trip, even for a Yankee.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Politics: Cool stuff I learned today.
I was lucky enough to hear David Simas, who is responsible for "polling and messaging research” for the Obama national campaign. I’m sure he has a better title than that but more importantly he was smart, personable, and able to talk without ever consulting a note, boring his audience or seeming to tire out despite what I’m sure is a grueling schedule. Did I mention he was cute? Kind of the grown up version of the boy you dated in high school because he looked like Jackson Browne or, depending on your age, Jordan Catalano.
Here’s some highlights:
My two fav lines:
“Don’t compare me to the Almighty, compare me to the Alternative. (Biden)
“Romney reminds me of a guy who was born on 3rd base and thinks he hit a triple.” (focus group participant)
What I learned about Negative Ads: What is one of the results of negative ads? They suppress voter turnout because they increase cynicism about the process. This is especially good for Republican candidates as nationally Republicans win by subtraction while Democrats are helped by increased voter turnout.
Great Obama story: Obama was told that based on polling every segment of the American public was against him bailing out the American car companies. There seemed to be no political upside to doing it. His response? “The politics will take care of itself, this is the right thing to do”.
As a result-GM and Chrysler have turned a profit and thousands and thousands of jobs; auto workers, parts makers, distributors, dealerships, and the stores and restaurants that rely on them, have been saved.
Imagine. A politician who put doing the right thing over doing the politically expedient.
Side Note: How you can reduce the amount of political garbage ads on TV &Radio .
TV and radio stations are required to air political ads by candidates for federal offices even if their content is blatantly deceptive. Not so the messages of outside groups. Instead, broadcasters have the right to bar so called “third party” ads or insist on the accuracy of those they decide to air.
FlackCheck.org, the sister-site of the award-winning FactCheck.org, is asking stations to insist on the accuracy of ads by super PACs, the political parties and all of the other outside groups that arrive at their doorsteps with cash in hand.
To make it easier for viewers the FlackCheck.org “Stand By Your Ad” initiative provides the names of station managers, the e-mail addresses of stations and a sample letter that can be amended and sent directly from the viewer’s account.
“To locate the FlackCheck.org “Stand By Your Ad” page, click http://www.flackcheck.org/stand-by-your-ad/ and then click on “Stations.”
Here’s some highlights:
My two fav lines:
“Don’t compare me to the Almighty, compare me to the Alternative. (Biden)
“Romney reminds me of a guy who was born on 3rd base and thinks he hit a triple.” (focus group participant)
What I learned about Negative Ads: What is one of the results of negative ads? They suppress voter turnout because they increase cynicism about the process. This is especially good for Republican candidates as nationally Republicans win by subtraction while Democrats are helped by increased voter turnout.
Great Obama story: Obama was told that based on polling every segment of the American public was against him bailing out the American car companies. There seemed to be no political upside to doing it. His response? “The politics will take care of itself, this is the right thing to do”.
As a result-GM and Chrysler have turned a profit and thousands and thousands of jobs; auto workers, parts makers, distributors, dealerships, and the stores and restaurants that rely on them, have been saved.
Imagine. A politician who put doing the right thing over doing the politically expedient.
Side Note: How you can reduce the amount of political garbage ads on TV &Radio .
TV and radio stations are required to air political ads by candidates for federal offices even if their content is blatantly deceptive. Not so the messages of outside groups. Instead, broadcasters have the right to bar so called “third party” ads or insist on the accuracy of those they decide to air.
FlackCheck.org, the sister-site of the award-winning FactCheck.org, is asking stations to insist on the accuracy of ads by super PACs, the political parties and all of the other outside groups that arrive at their doorsteps with cash in hand.
To make it easier for viewers the FlackCheck.org “Stand By Your Ad” initiative provides the names of station managers, the e-mail addresses of stations and a sample letter that can be amended and sent directly from the viewer’s account.
“To locate the FlackCheck.org “Stand By Your Ad” page, click http://www.flackcheck.org/stand-by-your-ad/ and then click on “Stations.”
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Say yes to the dress!
If you watch this show keep reading. If not feel free to just skip this post!
So as any watcher of the show knows it can quickly become a highly addictive habit. Before you know it your DVR is filled with episodes and your Netflix chain has bumped out all this good movies you meant to watch in place of 19 episodes of season 2. But if you're really bad you find yourself aimlessly wandering through Chelsea drifting closer and closer to that magical block.
It wasn't our fault. The day started with high cultural aims. We subway-ed up to the Museum of Design to see the Venice glass exhibit. Despite the website insisting it was open on presidents day it was not. So we were spending the day wandering around, looking in stores and eating great pizza when we magically found ourselves out side of Kleinfelds. After looking in the windows for a few minutes we decide to try the doors. We both expected to run right into a desk/doorman/receptionist and be stopped there. What we didn't expect was to step immediately into a real life episode of Say Yes. There we are in the lobby the midst of chatting families and bored looking grooms to be on their cell phones. Manager Joan walks right by us! Across the way I spot the dark haired one with the lip liner! Then I see Dianne just a few feet away; shes the one with the straight blond hair,and I guess my face gave us away. She came right up to me and said, "you watch the show, right?". Totally star struck I blurt out, yes and you're one of my favorites. Now I'm sure its a mixture of weird and annoying to suddenly be 'famous' for doing the job you've probably been doing for years. But she couldn't have been nice. She gave me a huge hug and asked if Melissa was a bride. Not for a long time we assured her and she told us to be sure and come back to see her when we were ready.
We then lived out our fav show moments. We gawked at the Pnina Tornais. You know the ones with the see through corsets and lots of bling. They are even larger and more ostentatious in person! You can see right into the main room and we watched a perfectly choreographed and yet utterly real moment when the bride nodded yes, the sales women all started clapping and the bride burst into tears. It was awesome.
Finally after 20 minutes Melissa mentioned that we had probably stalked them enough and we should be on our way. We also agreed that when her boyfriend asked us at dinner what we did that day we would definitely leave it out!
So as any watcher of the show knows it can quickly become a highly addictive habit. Before you know it your DVR is filled with episodes and your Netflix chain has bumped out all this good movies you meant to watch in place of 19 episodes of season 2. But if you're really bad you find yourself aimlessly wandering through Chelsea drifting closer and closer to that magical block.
It wasn't our fault. The day started with high cultural aims. We subway-ed up to the Museum of Design to see the Venice glass exhibit. Despite the website insisting it was open on presidents day it was not. So we were spending the day wandering around, looking in stores and eating great pizza when we magically found ourselves out side of Kleinfelds. After looking in the windows for a few minutes we decide to try the doors. We both expected to run right into a desk/doorman/receptionist and be stopped there. What we didn't expect was to step immediately into a real life episode of Say Yes. There we are in the lobby the midst of chatting families and bored looking grooms to be on their cell phones. Manager Joan walks right by us! Across the way I spot the dark haired one with the lip liner! Then I see Dianne just a few feet away; shes the one with the straight blond hair,and I guess my face gave us away. She came right up to me and said, "you watch the show, right?". Totally star struck I blurt out, yes and you're one of my favorites. Now I'm sure its a mixture of weird and annoying to suddenly be 'famous' for doing the job you've probably been doing for years. But she couldn't have been nice. She gave me a huge hug and asked if Melissa was a bride. Not for a long time we assured her and she told us to be sure and come back to see her when we were ready.
We then lived out our fav show moments. We gawked at the Pnina Tornais. You know the ones with the see through corsets and lots of bling. They are even larger and more ostentatious in person! You can see right into the main room and we watched a perfectly choreographed and yet utterly real moment when the bride nodded yes, the sales women all started clapping and the bride burst into tears. It was awesome.
Finally after 20 minutes Melissa mentioned that we had probably stalked them enough and we should be on our way. We also agreed that when her boyfriend asked us at dinner what we did that day we would definitely leave it out!
Friday, February 17, 2012
Go Zelda! What a way to live (and die)
I just copied and pasted this article right from Time ( on line). Its so good it didn't need anything added.
Beloved Socialite Zelda Kaplan Dies in Front Row at Fashion Week
New York lost one of its truest originals on Wednesday, when 95-year-old socialite Zelda Kaplan died, collapsing in the front row of a runway show during Fashion Week.
Kaplan appeared to faint and slumped in the lap of Ruth Finley, publisher of the Fashion Calendar, just as the show was starting, the Associated Press reports. Security carried her out of the tent, and she was given CPR by paramedics on the scene before being rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Just minutes before her collapse, the arts-scene icon was posing for photographers at the Joanna Mastroianni fashion show at Lincoln Center, showing off her vibrant, red African print ensemble. Kaplan was known not only for being an inspiration in the fashion scene, but also for being a “club kid” at heart, often partying into the morning hours at some of New York’s most exclusive nightlife haunts.
Designer Richie Rich told the New York Post, “Passing away in the front row was how it was meant to be. Zelda loves fashion so she died for fashion. She would have wanted to go out in style. Zelda always said, “live, live, live and have fun’…I hope the angels are holding her right now.”
Kaplan has said many things about having fun and making the most of life (see below), and was revered for her young spirit. In addition to being a nightlife and fashion fixture, the twice-divorced Kaplan was known for her philanthropy, spending much of her 60s and 70s in Africa, championing women’s rights with local tribal government leaders. She was also a ballroom dancer and instructor, as well as a women’s golf pro in Miami in her twenties.
Some words of wisdom on life and aging young, from “New York’s oldest and most beloved night owl”:
“I think one of the things that keeps me healthy is that I’m not introspective at all. The secret is being interested in things outside of oneself.”—New York, 2003
“I’m a curious person […] I want to keep learning until it’s over. And when it’s over, it’s over.”—New York Times, 2003
“I wish more people would have [clothes] made for them. But so many Americans want to look like everybody else [...] I hate to wear what everybody else is wearing [...] I don’t think people should be happy to be a clone.” –New York Post, 2010
“Many people turn a certain age and “check out,” but that is not me. In my 90s, I am not able to travel as much, so I must read everything I can at home to remain aware of global change, which provides me great knowledge to empower people through daily conversations, and through my charitable efforts.”—New York, 2010
“I want to be an example for young people so they aren’t afraid of growing old and a lesson to old people that you can be productive. You don’t have to sit around and wait for death.”—New York Times, 2003
- Cindy
Beloved Socialite Zelda Kaplan Dies in Front Row at Fashion Week
New York lost one of its truest originals on Wednesday, when 95-year-old socialite Zelda Kaplan died, collapsing in the front row of a runway show during Fashion Week.
Kaplan appeared to faint and slumped in the lap of Ruth Finley, publisher of the Fashion Calendar, just as the show was starting, the Associated Press reports. Security carried her out of the tent, and she was given CPR by paramedics on the scene before being rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Just minutes before her collapse, the arts-scene icon was posing for photographers at the Joanna Mastroianni fashion show at Lincoln Center, showing off her vibrant, red African print ensemble. Kaplan was known not only for being an inspiration in the fashion scene, but also for being a “club kid” at heart, often partying into the morning hours at some of New York’s most exclusive nightlife haunts.
Designer Richie Rich told the New York Post, “Passing away in the front row was how it was meant to be. Zelda loves fashion so she died for fashion. She would have wanted to go out in style. Zelda always said, “live, live, live and have fun’…I hope the angels are holding her right now.”
Kaplan has said many things about having fun and making the most of life (see below), and was revered for her young spirit. In addition to being a nightlife and fashion fixture, the twice-divorced Kaplan was known for her philanthropy, spending much of her 60s and 70s in Africa, championing women’s rights with local tribal government leaders. She was also a ballroom dancer and instructor, as well as a women’s golf pro in Miami in her twenties.
Some words of wisdom on life and aging young, from “New York’s oldest and most beloved night owl”:
“I think one of the things that keeps me healthy is that I’m not introspective at all. The secret is being interested in things outside of oneself.”—New York, 2003
“I’m a curious person […] I want to keep learning until it’s over. And when it’s over, it’s over.”—New York Times, 2003
“I wish more people would have [clothes] made for them. But so many Americans want to look like everybody else [...] I hate to wear what everybody else is wearing [...] I don’t think people should be happy to be a clone.” –New York Post, 2010
“Many people turn a certain age and “check out,” but that is not me. In my 90s, I am not able to travel as much, so I must read everything I can at home to remain aware of global change, which provides me great knowledge to empower people through daily conversations, and through my charitable efforts.”—New York, 2010
“I want to be an example for young people so they aren’t afraid of growing old and a lesson to old people that you can be productive. You don’t have to sit around and wait for death.”—New York Times, 2003
- Cindy
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Fashion Police & the State of the Union
Wouldn’t it be fun if after the State of the Union Joan Rivers did one of those nasty fashion critique shows? I know I would love to hear her comments on those strange color suits the women seem to wear. What’s up with the hot pink and acid green? Of course an important segment would focus on Michelle’s outfit. While I normally love everything she wears I’m not sure electric blue satin worked for this event.
Joan should use a split screen to compare today’s long hair and headband wearing Hillary with the first time we saw her rocking that look. Was it 1992? I though she looked great. Exhausted but great.
Best new look? Nancy Pelosi. Love that chic new hair cut and color.
Worst new look? John Kerry. Was he in a fight? Bruised from a recent eye lift?
Worst dressed? Supreme court. Sorry but baggy black robes just don't flatter anyone.
Best dressed? 100% the Chief of Staff. Sorry but you cannot top a guy in uniform.
I recently learned that Isabelle and Ferdinand created the Spanish Inquisition as a way to unify a county that didn’t have a common language, ethnicity or religion. Like many rulers they knew that nothing unites a people faster than having a common enemy.Since this is America we won’t be burning anyone at the stake but burning their fashion sense…hey I’m just putting country first!
Joan should use a split screen to compare today’s long hair and headband wearing Hillary with the first time we saw her rocking that look. Was it 1992? I though she looked great. Exhausted but great.
Best new look? Nancy Pelosi. Love that chic new hair cut and color.
Worst new look? John Kerry. Was he in a fight? Bruised from a recent eye lift?
Worst dressed? Supreme court. Sorry but baggy black robes just don't flatter anyone.
Best dressed? 100% the Chief of Staff. Sorry but you cannot top a guy in uniform.
I recently learned that Isabelle and Ferdinand created the Spanish Inquisition as a way to unify a county that didn’t have a common language, ethnicity or religion. Like many rulers they knew that nothing unites a people faster than having a common enemy.Since this is America we won’t be burning anyone at the stake but burning their fashion sense…hey I’m just putting country first!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Frienemies & why do I care about the Rapture
Frenemies; Defined by Wikipedia as a enemy disguised as a friend.
It never ceases to amaze me when Jews support Republican candidates because they believe their party is ‘Israel friendly’ without understanding the reasons behind that support. Of course, some of the support, like that of the Democratic Party’s, is based on the fact that Jews vote, often as a bloc and are concentrated in states with large electoral numbers. Hello, Florida. I don’t have a problem with that. That’s politics and as a numerical minority in this county it works for us.
However, in recent years the Republican Party has become increasingly dependent on and controlled by the evangelical movement due to the fact that they campaign, vote, and donate in huge numbers. Their support of Israel has nothing to do with their ‘love of Jews’ or a belief in the importance of Israel as a friend of the United States. Evangelicals support Israel because they believe the State of Israel is essential for the return of Jesus. At the time of the Second Coming, these Christians believe, Jesus will descend from heaven, subdue all of Israel's enemies and take believers to heaven in what is known as the Rapture--literally, they will ascend to the clouds to be in heaven. If you’re Jewish and reading this, guess what, you’re not invited.
But wait, there’s more. After the Rapture, God will execute judgments against unbelievers, during a period called the Tribulation. At the end of the Tribulation all nations will attack Israel, and Jesus Christ will physically return, leading the armies of heaven. At the Battle of Armageddon they will destroy everyone who is not a believer. Jesus will set up the Millennial Kingdom, headquartered in Jerusalem, and rule over Earth for a thousand years. At the end of the thousand-year period, the non-believers who were "destroyed" will be cast into the Lake of Fire,i.e., Hell.
And all this cannot happen unless Israel exists in the Holy Land. This isn’t a fringe group belief but is shared by most major evangelical leaders. It is also the basis of the Left Behind series which includes 16 best selling novels, 2 movies and 3 PC games.
With friends like this, who needs enemies?
It never ceases to amaze me when Jews support Republican candidates because they believe their party is ‘Israel friendly’ without understanding the reasons behind that support. Of course, some of the support, like that of the Democratic Party’s, is based on the fact that Jews vote, often as a bloc and are concentrated in states with large electoral numbers. Hello, Florida. I don’t have a problem with that. That’s politics and as a numerical minority in this county it works for us.
However, in recent years the Republican Party has become increasingly dependent on and controlled by the evangelical movement due to the fact that they campaign, vote, and donate in huge numbers. Their support of Israel has nothing to do with their ‘love of Jews’ or a belief in the importance of Israel as a friend of the United States. Evangelicals support Israel because they believe the State of Israel is essential for the return of Jesus. At the time of the Second Coming, these Christians believe, Jesus will descend from heaven, subdue all of Israel's enemies and take believers to heaven in what is known as the Rapture--literally, they will ascend to the clouds to be in heaven. If you’re Jewish and reading this, guess what, you’re not invited.
But wait, there’s more. After the Rapture, God will execute judgments against unbelievers, during a period called the Tribulation. At the end of the Tribulation all nations will attack Israel, and Jesus Christ will physically return, leading the armies of heaven. At the Battle of Armageddon they will destroy everyone who is not a believer. Jesus will set up the Millennial Kingdom, headquartered in Jerusalem, and rule over Earth for a thousand years. At the end of the thousand-year period, the non-believers who were "destroyed" will be cast into the Lake of Fire,i.e., Hell.
And all this cannot happen unless Israel exists in the Holy Land. This isn’t a fringe group belief but is shared by most major evangelical leaders. It is also the basis of the Left Behind series which includes 16 best selling novels, 2 movies and 3 PC games.
With friends like this, who needs enemies?
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