"Participating in the ritual known as årsgång, or 'year walk,', promised information about the future—if a walker followed the rules and reached the local church or graveyard." (Grokked from Ellen Kushner)
"As many CPAP users discover, the life-altering device comes with caveats: Health insurance companies are often tracking whether patients use them. If they aren't, the insurers might not cover the machines or the supplies that go with them. And, faced with the popularity of CPAPs — which can cost $400 to $800 — and their need for replacement filters, face masks and hoses, health insurers have deployed a host of tactics that can make the therapy more expensive or even price it out of reach… Patients have been required to rent CPAPs at rates that total much more than the retail price of the devices, or they've discovered that the supplies would be substantially cheaper if they didn't have insurance at all." That was certainly true in my case. While the machine I have isn't WiFi or Bluetooth compatible, every month I'd have to send off the data card if I wanted to keep covered. However I did convince the insurance company to buy the machine (after I "successfully" used it for 6 months). And yes, the "lease" would have paid for the machine by that time (although the insurance was paying the lease to a subcontractor, I started using a BiPAP about 8 years ago)). And I now buy my masks myself. For the one I like, it's cheaper, and I don't have to constantly send the data card in. Also, if you do have to use CPAP, and you can tolerate it, I highly recommend buying the machine and not using the insurance's supplier. There are plenty of places to purchase machines (including Amazon, although they often don't have the best price). It's a little more hassle that way, but you can save a lot of money. The one thing I haven't done is have a followup sleep study.
"The Intercept has published slides from Partnership for America’s Health Care Future -- a lobbying group representing the for-profit health-care sector -- detailing the organization's plan to kill Medicare for All." Their plan includes using several former Democratic officials who are now paid lobbyists and spokespeople for the health insurance industry. You know, for an idea that they say would create a terrible system, be horrible for patients, and cost way too much they seem awfully afraid of the prospect of that competition. (Grokked from Xeni Jardin)
"A milestone oil development project in Alaska's Arctic waters is having to extend its construction timeline to accommodate the warming climate. The recently approved Liberty Project — poised to become the first oil production facility in federal Arctic waters — has altered its plans due to the shrinking sea ice season… To get at the oil targeted by the Liberty Project, Texas-based oil company Hilcorp is planning to build a gravel island about five miles from shore… In order to build that island, Hilcorp needs to use what's called landfast sea ice, or ice that attaches to the coast each winter. Hilcorp would build an ice road on top of it, and transport the gravel in dump trucks." Um, I think I see karma warming up on the side-lines.
"But when farmers in Punjab set fire to leftover rice straw, smoke wafts across northern India – poisoning the air 200 miles away in Indian capital, New Delhi, and beyond. It's even visible in NASA photos taken from space. The Indian government estimates that more than 103 million acres of land in Punjab are under cultivation – about 83 percent of the total land area."
"President Donald Trump’s Thanksgiving video teleconference call with U.S. troops in which he gave himself credit for allowing them to win was 'somewhat insulting,' a retired lieutenant general said." It's sad that I give the president points for at least making a call. (Grokked from someone, sorry, lost the link)
"The Trump administration allowed troops to engage in some law enforcement activities and potentially to use deadly force, according to a report by Military Times on Wednesday… The order, which loosens the engagement restrictions on military personnel at the southwest border, was not signed by President Trump, but by White House chief of staff John Kelly." That should go over well. I can't wait to see the world's reaction as we shoot asylum seekers because they got a little rowdy at being forced to wait for hours in line only to be told to come back next week. Dear Congress, it's your goddamn job to roll this back. (Grokked from Jim Wright)
"President Donald Trump withdrew from a planned meeting with special counsel Robert Mueller’s team after his lawyers saw the list of questions the president would be asked, according to a new report released by The Associated Press." I can just imagine the conversation, "Oh shit, he's on to us." (Grokked from Kathryn Cramer)
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