October 16, 2015

Interesting things to say when there is a bicycle under your car

"I didn't see you."

October 16, 2015

Why is Rand Paul polling so low among the R's?

Given the heretofore indefatigable enthusiasm of the Paulbots, I find it hard to believe that they have simply gone with Trump or Carson.

What happened to the army of dedicated Randroids?

Have they gone the way of the buffalo?

Did they all succumb to some illness that is preventable by a vaccine that most normal people get?

October 14, 2015

Aunt who sued her 12-year-old nephew says insurance rules forced her hand

One thing I would suggest, whenever you see news of "that outrageous frivolous lawsuit" that some awful person filed somewhere, is to step back and to think about what else might be lurking outside of the picture that has been framed for you by the media.

Even if you have health insurance, if you suffer an injury and there is the potential that the injury occurred under circumstances where another insurer should cover the injury, you will find yourself trapped between forces beyond your control.

You might have the best health insurance in the world but if, say, you are injured in a car accident, then it's up to the auto insurance of the responsible company to deal with claims arising from your injuries. If the health insurer says the auto insurer should pay, and the auto insurer says your injuries were not caused by the accident, then the only thing that is going to resolve which insurance company ends up paying the bill, is a lawsuit which either does, or does not, assign responsibility for your injury to the auto insurance policyholder.

In this iteration of the trope, a lot of people wanted to know "why didn't she sue the insurance company" or "why didn't she sue the homeowner". The answer, quite simply, is that the named defendant has to be the covered person who caused the injury, in this instance the nephew in question.

And, as Paul Harvey used to say, the rest of the story:


http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/10/14/aunt-who-sued-12-year-old-says-insurance-claim-rules-forced-her-hand/?tid=pm_national_pop_b

Jennifer Connell, 54, said that she was forced to sue her nephew, who was 8 when the accident occurred, because it was the only way to get her homeowners insurance policy to pay for the cost of her care.

“This was meant to be a simple homeowners insurance case,” Connell told CNN. “Connecticut law is such that I was advised by counsel that this is the way a suit is meant to be worded.”

According to Connecticut law, the insurance company couldn’t be named in the lawsuit, so 12-year-old Sean Tarala was named as the defendant.

...

Connell’s insurance company offered her $1, her lawyers said. “She suffered a horrific injury,” they added. “She had two surgeries and is potentially facing a third.”

October 14, 2015

Best pic from the debate

People in respective camps here at DU need to get over themselves.

October 14, 2015

The Danes are Great!

But is there something rotten in Denmark?

October 9, 2015

Attention Fumesucker, your ship has come in....

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2015/oct/07/avoiding-pollution-on-bike-we-test-cycling-anti-pollution-masks-respro-totobobo-biologic

Anti-pollution cycling masks tested



Henry Cole, founder of anti-pollution mask company Respro, argues that masks make sense: “The average bike commuter is breathing huge quantities of air per year. The danger comes from the cumulative effect of all these particles and over-exposure to these particles can lead to respiratory problems.”

October 8, 2015

How obvious can something be? re: McCarthy dropping out

As of yesterday, there was little question that McCarthy would get it.

Then, this happened:

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/256202-gop-lawmaker-warns-leadership-candidates-of-skeletons-in-their


In a letter to House GOP Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Jones asked that Republicans discuss urging candidates for leadership to drop out if they might one day embarrass the party because of past indiscretions.

Today McCarthy dropped out for no apparent reason.

Seems pretty simple.

October 7, 2015

I ate two Burger King black Whoppers yesterday, ask me anything

And in answer to your first question - Yes it is.

October 2, 2015

MLK’s Niece Speaks to Jamaican Anti-Gay Rally

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/28/mlk-s-niece-speaks-to-jamaican-anti-gay-rally.html

By videotape, MLK’s niece, Dr. Alveda King, reminded the thousands who showed up that King was for the family and lived for “God’s truth.” “Do not fall for the anti-procreation agenda” coming from America, she implored the crowds.

Speaker after speaker intoned that homosexuality is unnatural, that sex and marriage is about procreation, and on that basis, same-sex marriage should be opposed. Same-sex marriage would destroy the family and destroy the Christian nation that is Jamaica, they said.