yeasayer - ONE
the xx - you got the love
cover of florence + the machine's cover
17 December 2009
new york times layoffs
for thomas wilhelm.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A billboard at a New Zealand church depicting a downcast Joseph lying beside Mary in bed and the heading "God is a hard act to follow" provoked more than the intended reconsideration of the meaning of Christmas.The sign was defaced by a paint-wielding vandal just hours after it was erected Thursday outside the St. Matthew-in-the-City Anglican church in Auckland, and triggered passionate and sometimes angry debate on talk radio and the Internet.
Church vicar Archdeacon Glynn Cardy said the billboard was intended to challenge stereotypes about the way Jesus was conceived and get people talking about the Christmas story. (via)
oyr.
UUUGGGGGHHHH!!!!!
mtv has decided NOT to air schnickas gettin' punched in the face tonight.
What happened to "Snooki" was a crime and obviously extremely disturbing. After hearing from our viewers, further consulting with experts on the issue of violence, and seeing how the video footage has been taken out of context to not show the severity of this act or the resulting consequences, MTV has decided not to air Snooki being physically punched in next week's episode. The show will still make it clear what events transpired, including the full aftermath. (via)
way to ruin a perfectly good thursday, mtv. enjoy this clip of the jersey shore kids playing jaywalking.
christmas music time!!
this is my favorite christmas song, as performed in my favorite christmas movie, elf! made even more appropriate by the fact that it is 29 feels like 16 in NYC today.
and i have been unable to avoid ctm-ing every time i've heard this song, since carly pointed out that it's basically about date rape.
doomsday, again.
well, yesterday was another MTA doomsday, and they voted on some really great stuff. for examps...
- do you like the W and Z subway lines? well, don't. because they're over, ok?
- and the G and M lines are getting shorter. fingers crossed, long island city!!
- used to be, kids got free metrocards to go to school. let's hope they get to keep them. david paterson promised.
- 700 workers will be unemployed now. don't worry though, they'll still have COBRA.
- 10% paycut for those state-run-service-management fat cats (aka MTA administration)
Elected officials and outraged straphangers lambasted the MTA for choosing that combinatiom of cuts, and asked transit officials to find the cost savings elsewhere.
"You respond to people's needs slower than the C train and G train on the weekends," said Councilman Charles Barron. (via)
zzzzzzzzzZZZING! but as nymag says, it could be worse. they could've raised fares!!!
side note: i had the pleasure of riding on a new future-bus the other day. it was like a robot took me home.
ykwgmg : healthcare stuff
remember when the stimulus bill was passed back in march? it was full of lots of helpful solutions intended to assist the growing number of unemployed. included in the bill was a healthcare subsidy, in which the government covered roughly 65% of monthly COBRA costs. unfortunately, as many are finding out the hard way, the subsidy was only scheduled to last for 9 months, ending in a couple of weeks.
From March through November, the federal government picked up 65 percent of the cost. But the subsidy lasts for only nine months and will not be available to people who lose their jobs after Dec. 31, unless Congress extends it. On Wednesday, the House approved a six-month extension, and the bill now goes to the Senate.
The end of the subsidy can be particularly hard on families that are covered by a single health-insurance policy. Families USA, a nonprofit organization that lobbies for affordable health care, said the average monthly premium for a family covered by Cobra was $1,111, meaning that the subsidy was saving the typical family more than $700 a month.
In some states, the average unemployment benefit is smaller than the average cost of Cobra benefits, said Ron Pollack, the executive director of Families USA.
“This makes it clear that the people subsisting on unemployment benefits are very unlikely to be able to afford their Cobra premium,” Mr. Pollack said. (via)
i'll tell you what, that really gobbles my goop. COBRA is a failing system as it is. it's defined as 'continued coverage', making individuals eligible for the 'discounted group rate' that employers recieve. when i was unemployed, i couldn't afford it, even after the subsidy went into effect. i was uninsured for a year, and most of my unemployed friends are in the same position. and now, millions of americans who are taking advantage of the subsidy are about to have their monthly payments tripled. so, fingers crossed for that 6-month subsidy extension.
and while i'm at it...
speaking of failing systems, the increasingly disappointing healthcare bill getting pushed through congress is looking more and more like governement-subsidized-COBRA-for-all than medicare-for-all. in an interesting new development, howard dean and many other democratic leaders are calling for the abandonment of the current senate healthcare bill altogether, saying it does not represent real reform. i pretty much agree.
so those are some of my opinionz. you're welcome! ;(
From March through November, the federal government picked up 65 percent of the cost. But the subsidy lasts for only nine months and will not be available to people who lose their jobs after Dec. 31, unless Congress extends it. On Wednesday, the House approved a six-month extension, and the bill now goes to the Senate.
The end of the subsidy can be particularly hard on families that are covered by a single health-insurance policy. Families USA, a nonprofit organization that lobbies for affordable health care, said the average monthly premium for a family covered by Cobra was $1,111, meaning that the subsidy was saving the typical family more than $700 a month.
In some states, the average unemployment benefit is smaller than the average cost of Cobra benefits, said Ron Pollack, the executive director of Families USA.
“This makes it clear that the people subsisting on unemployment benefits are very unlikely to be able to afford their Cobra premium,” Mr. Pollack said. (via)
i'll tell you what, that really gobbles my goop. COBRA is a failing system as it is. it's defined as 'continued coverage', making individuals eligible for the 'discounted group rate' that employers recieve. when i was unemployed, i couldn't afford it, even after the subsidy went into effect. i was uninsured for a year, and most of my unemployed friends are in the same position. and now, millions of americans who are taking advantage of the subsidy are about to have their monthly payments tripled. so, fingers crossed for that 6-month subsidy extension.
and while i'm at it...
speaking of failing systems, the increasingly disappointing healthcare bill getting pushed through congress is looking more and more like governement-subsidized-COBRA-for-all than medicare-for-all. in an interesting new development, howard dean and many other democratic leaders are calling for the abandonment of the current senate healthcare bill altogether, saying it does not represent real reform. i pretty much agree.
so those are some of my opinionz. you're welcome! ;(
zomg! an extra twilight movie!
According to a report in Variety, the "Breaking Dawn" gig is Weitz's if he wants it, though no official offer has been made. What's more, it might actually turn out to be two gigs. As has long been rumored, sources told Variety that Summit plans to split the final book into two separate movies, to be shot back to back. (via)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)