Ravings of...

May 29

What song did your parents introduce you to?

nprmusic:

Today on All Things Considered, Broadway star Audra McDonald begins a new series: Mom and Dad’s Record Collection. She shares the story of how a music box’s “Edelweiss” melody became her first audition with her dad at the piano.

We want your stories, too. What song did your parents introduce you to? What’s the memory attached to it?

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly and Country Roads by John Denver.

Not sure how that happened.

May 27

Many hospitals, doctors offer cash discount for medical bills -

latimes:

There’s a good conversation happening in this thread. Just wanted to note that the hospitals and procedures mentioned in this story are local to Southern California.
— S.

latimes:

The lowest price is usually available only if patients don’t use their health insurance. In one case, blood tests that cost an insured patient $415 would have been $95 in cash.

Transparency, damn it!

May 15

planetmoney: Of each dollar the federal government spends, how much goes to defense? How much goes to Social Security? How much goes to interest on the debt? And how has this sort of thing changed over time? This graphic answers these questions. It shows the major components of federal spending 50 years ago, 25 years ago, and last year.  Read more here.

planetmoney:

Of each dollar the federal government spends, how much goes to defense? How much goes to Social Security? How much goes to interest on the debt? And how has this sort of thing changed over time?

This graphic answers these questions. It shows the major components of federal spending 50 years ago, 25 years ago, and last year. 

Read more here.

(via publicradiointernational)

May 14

usagov: Image description: May is National Bike Month. Bike to Work Week starts today, and Bike to Work day is this Friday. Find events near you and get involved. Image from the League of American Bicyclists

usagov:

Image description: May is National Bike Month. Bike to Work Week starts today, and Bike to Work day is this Friday.

Find events near you and get involved.

Image from the League of American Bicyclists

May 12

[video]

May 11

ragbag: holiday’s i was writing my moms a mother’s day card (using a cæesar cipher and invisible ink) when i got to wondering how mother’s day is supposed to be punctuated. is it: mother’s day (singular possessive)—a day that belongs to each mother mothers’ day (plural possessive)—a day that belongs to all mothers mothers day (plural attributive)—a day for all of us to honour mothers it turns out that anna jarvis, the populariser of mother’s day was pretty specific with her apostrophe intentions, she stated: it was to be a singular possessive, for each family to honour their mother, not a plural possessive commemorating all mothers in the world  so that settles that. but what about other u.s. holidays—do they all get the same treatment? it turns out that they don’t and like other aspects of government, the spelling of holidays is fraught with inconsistency. therefore i made us this handy crib sheet so we won’t embarrass ourselves when writing future columbus day and st. patrick’s day cards. note: unbeknownst to me, presidents day is not the actual name of the holiday—it’s washington’s birthday. since presidents day is not official, there’s no official way to spell it and we are left to the mercy of car dealerships and furniture store circulars. also inconsistent: is how it’s st. patrick’s day but columbus day.  then: there’s the odd case of veterans day. finally: i would like to note that hallowe’en is a perfectly acceptable varient of halloween and therefore it is the only holiday that uses an apostrophe for purposes of contraction.  __ is it lame or cool to note that this chart is set in itc barcelona? donald says lame but donald wears black socks at the gym.

ragbag:

holiday’s

i was writing my moms a mother’s day card (using a cæesar cipher and invisible ink) when i got to wondering how mother’s day is supposed to be punctuated. is it:

it turns out that anna jarvis, the populariser of mother’s day was pretty specific with her apostrophe intentions, she stated:

it was to be a singular possessive, for each family to honour their mother, not a plural possessive commemorating all mothers in the world 

so that settles that. but what about other u.s. holidays—do they all get the same treatment? it turns out that they don’t and like other aspects of government, the spelling of holidays is fraught with inconsistency. therefore i made us this handy crib sheet so we won’t embarrass ourselves when writing future columbus day and st. patrick’s day cards.

note: unbeknownst to me, presidents day is not the actual name of the holiday—it’s washington’s birthday. since presidents day is not official, there’s no official way to spell it and we are left to the mercy of car dealerships and furniture store circulars.

also inconsistent: is how it’s st. patrick’s day but columbus day. 

then: there’s the odd case of veterans day.

finally: i would like to note that hallowe’en is a perfectly acceptable varient of halloween and therefore it is the only holiday that uses an apostrophe for purposes of contraction. 

__

is it lame or cool to note that this chart is set in itc barcelona? donald says lame but donald wears black socks at the gym.

(via ilovecharts)

May 10

There’s also this: Makes me think we have one of two problems: either the corporate tax rate is too low, or corporations aren’t paying enough in taxes as a result of tax credits, loopholes and other tax expenditures.   I’d be fine w/ lowering the statutory rate and getting rid of all of the loopholes if that meant that our collected corporate taxes as a share of GDP falls more into line with the OECD average.   I’m not nearly enough of an economist to figure out what kind of dent we could put in the deficit (or programs we could maintain) by taking our collected corporate taxes to the OECD average. 

There’s also this:

Makes me think we have one of two problems: either the corporate tax rate is too low, or corporations aren’t paying enough in taxes as a result of tax credits, loopholes and other tax expenditures.  

I’d be fine w/ lowering the statutory rate and getting rid of all of the loopholes if that meant that our collected corporate taxes as a share of GDP falls more into line with the OECD average.  

I’m not nearly enough of an economist to figure out what kind of dent we could put in the deficit (or programs we could maintain) by taking our collected corporate taxes to the OECD average. 

(Source: theheritagefoundation)

May 09

“I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.” —

Barack Obama in an interview with ABC News (via nprfreshair)

Now doesn’t it feel better to get that off your chest?

(via nprfreshair)

“The president of the United States: now in the 21st century.” — Fox News’ Shepard Smith, just a few minutes ago. (via newsweek)

God bless Shep Smith.

theatlantic: Americans Trust Local Government More Than Washington With partisan gridlock and congressional dysfunction, Americans may have lost faith in their federal government, but an overwhelming majority view state and local government favorably. More than 6 in 10 Americans hold favorable views of state and local government, while just 33 percent view the federal government favorably – down from 64 percent a decade ago. Read more at The Atlantic Cities. [Image: Pew Research Center] Just wait a couple of years until the average American realizes what the new wave of Tea Party and Randian ideologues recently elected to state and local governments are out to accomplish. Polarization of state and local government is coming.Mourdock’s version of bipartisanship proves its already in some state governments.

theatlantic:

Americans Trust Local Government More Than Washington

With partisan gridlock and congressional dysfunction, Americans may have lost faith in their federal government, but an overwhelming majority view state and local government favorably. More than 6 in 10 Americans hold favorable views of state and local government, while just 33 percent view the federal government favorably – down from 64 percent a decade ago.

Read more at The Atlantic Cities. [Image: Pew Research Center]

Just wait a couple of years until the average American realizes what the new wave of Tea Party and Randian ideologues recently elected to state and local governments are out to accomplish.

Polarization of state and local government is coming.

Mourdock’s version of bipartisanship proves its already in some state governments.