This morning, The Big Boss (TBB) and I had a conversation about firing someone who works for us on contract. Ever since the guy came on board, he’d seen a mean streak in his work that he just didn’t like and we’ve heard from others who don’t like it either. The guy has his fans but it was clear things weren’t going to work out. TBB told me about a particularly nasty e-mail from the guy that he wasn’t going to answer but decided to just go ahead and fire him, because it was better than stewing about it over the weekend.  Read more 

Health care’s new math

When does 20% of $753.95 equal $641.60? When $753.95 equals $2,808.

Health systems have contracts with insurers about what the insurer will pay for a given procedure. While the specifics are confidential, Cigna’s contract with Sentara allowed for a “case rate” to be applied. In Dockter’s case, that meant the epidural injection she received was part of a group of outpatient surgeries that were all covered at the case rate of $2,808.

Just one of many examples of the sleazy behavior of our health neglect system. I am trying to document as many as I can.

Via Crooks and Liars comes this YouTube of Reverend Michael Pfleger giving a FAWKS interviewer a brief tutorial on what is what and why what is what is what it is.

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Coal Boss: If You Take Photos, ’You’re Liable to Get Shot’

“If you’re going to start taking pictures of me, you’re liable to get shot,” the chairman of one of the country’s biggest coal mining companies, Don Blankenship of Massey Energy, told an ABC News reporter before grabbing the reporter’s camera.

The incident this week, in the parking lot of a Massey Energy office in Belfry, Ky., is just the latest chapter in the saga of Blankenship’s controversial relationship with the West Virginia Supreme Court, which is hearing appeals that could cost his company hundreds of millions of dollars.  Read more 

Torture Architect John Yoo Hypocritically Blasts Democratic Party For Violating Constitution’s Intent

Via the indispensable Avedon Carol.

This bit of white entitlement has been widely cited as evidence of the horrible opportunism of the Obama campaign, but actually it shows something rather sad about some of the opposition to Obama.

First, let’s note that the publisher of the Wilentz piece is notorious for its use as a “liberal” place to attack the left left and here for its hyping of Bush’s war and so on.  Read more 

On the Chanting Obama Protesters…

It looks as though at a recent campaign event for Senator Clinton some Obama supporters were chanting “Hillary go home” or some such.

First off, let me say that the Obama supporters were completely within their Constitutional rights as the right to express one’s ideas publicly (especially one’s political ideas) is one of the founding pillars of this democracy. I realize that each side wants to make sure the best candidate wins the nomination (and of course each side thinks that its candidate is the best candidate) and is fighting to make sure that happens.  Read more 

The punchline, poop-eater? Scrap the Yap, Meowz r Now! (full text here for no subscription)

The best theory we can come up with is that … cat ownership leads to reduced stress levels which, in turn, lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease” he suggested.
…
The study also produced another surprising and perplexing result: Dog owners did not have the same level of protection against heart disease as their cat-owning counterparts.

Brrrring it on, testes-felchers. I guess slobbering and knee-humping isn’t as theraputic as it’s cracked up to be. swish, swish.

Your turn, Fido.

This is such a good piece I’m going to reprint the whole thing, and then go think about a proper response. Good on S’ville for giving this author a voice, and for starting a much-needed discussion. Bisexuals have it worse than mulatto Deep Space Nine fans; only trannies and Native American boxers can really understand the Pain.

by Sarah in Chicago

Hi, I’m Sarah and I’m biphobic.

I say such not to be proud of it, but rather to own up to it. We all have our own prejudices, so having or not having a prejudice is not what I am too concerned about here, but rather, if we are working to get rid of those we have, and particularly, how we do so.

I’m biphobic because I’ve been a part of lesbian communities for a long time, since I started to come out in my freshman year of university. Biphobia, as any bisexual woman will tell you (and any honest lesbian), is pretty endemic to the community, not inherent in it, mind you, but certainly endemic.

To a certain extent you can understand where it comes from. Being a sociologist I know that smaller communities tend to be more policing of the boundaries of a collective sense of identity, and the performances thereof. Further, oppressed minorities tend to be defensive of anything perceived as ’other’ inside their group as someone that could be working to undermine efforts, that doesn’t really share the same oppressions.

And a lot of lesbians take this position. They argue that if bisexuals want to be part of the lesbian community, they need to take the community as lesbian, and that a woman that loves men or a man needs to deal with such. They argue that there is privilege in being partnered in a heterosexual relationship, however, queer the woman therein may be, and that such privilege is antithetical to the community.  Read more 

That title is probably too clever by half, and I’m sure LB will yell at me for it, but he’s busy elsewhere today so don’t tell him, k? I submit this in full for those who’ve been too busy bashing Dems to notice the Republican frontrunner exploding in the room. It’s been suggested to me that McCain running out of matching funds money practically guarantees Mittster as Veep, I’m not sure if I’m convinced but we’ll see. Meanwhile, does the above play into the McCain/Iseman fun and games? Gotta love the Brit snark, “another pencil-thin blonde.” Heh. Anyway, pass this one on to your Republican friends bitching about the “lying, librul JooYork Times.” This is what blogs do best, and GOS is still a nice place to go for that. Remember, it’s “what he did for her afterwards, not what he did to/under/with her in their as-yet undefined private time before.”  Read more 

Via the Society of American Mosaic Artists, where you can view plenty more that are cool/suck/confusing/incredible.

Busy day today, but I wanted to confess to you all my new obsession. I won’t be able to garden for long months yet, and the need to do something with my hands (get your mind out of the gutter) has driven me to explore a new craft/art form. Also, poverty. If you like to craft but can’t afford all those expensive supplies, you can do some amazing things with some cement, paint, and broken shards of glass, clay or pebbles.

Recycling has to become a Way of Life for us. We have to learn to live the truth that everything we throw away has an “energy cost” as well as a landfill cost.  Read more 

Bush actually said this in his State of the Union address:

We will insure that decisions about your medical care are made in the privacy of your doctor’s office, not in the halls of Congress.

I’ll respond with four words: Terri Schiavo, Jane Roe.

For all I know, RJ Eskow is a super guy and a great thinker. But for the second time, I run across his byline at HuffPo, and he’s screwed the pooch again.

Last time, he was singing from the “Atheist Is Always Wrong” hymnal.

And this time, he’s giving us a bad case of W.O.R.M.s.  Read more 

This just in from the Department of “They Got Mirrors Where You’re From?”

A new Barack Obama radio ad:

“Hillary Clinton. She’ll say anything, and change nothing. It’s time to turn the page. Paid for by Obama for America.”

I think someone just went all “Equus” on my Unity Pony.