I work for a neurologist practice, and the amount I have to argue with insurance (and inevitably have to get the neurologist on the phone to directly request something for many) is insane. A good chunk of my job isn't providing care, but arguing with insurance that the care is necessary. These companies are actively delaying patient care, and try to blame the physician whenever possible.

Wildly infuriating, especially when the denials are worded along the lines of "we reviewed this, and don't consider it medically necessary". Motherfucker, a doctor said it was necessary and listed the clinical reasons why this test or procedure would be beneficial. Nothing has radicalized me for universal healthcare more than working in healthcare.

It's the use of "rigged" that throws me. I agree money in politics is bad, and adds improper influence and incentive into the whole thing. That is not the same context that we have widely seen "rigged" used in the last 8 years. The term brings to mind GOP lies about election integrity, and bogus claims of fraud.

If this was just someone I was talking to I would brush the statement off as bad word choice, and move on if there was nothing else. With it being a statement after an election loss from someone with political experience I struggle to let it slide. Word choice and presenting ideas/policy is a major part of the job she is running for, and I think such poor word choice in a statement she had every opportunity to proofread and consider is worthy of some criticism. Doesn't make her an election denier, or anything of the sort, but it does warrant a little slap on the wrist from the public.

Overall she's right, but there were many better ways to say it.

Come on, man, it's "water under the bridge". I want to contribute but it felt like we were drifting into malaphors there for a second, so I'm gonna play it by year and just see what comes next.

Yeah, I'm right there with you. He came up in a conversation over the holidays and I had to go through how in my opinion he had potential to be one of, if not the best, comic of his generation and he squandered it by needlessly punching down and taking oddly vindictive stances. Maybe this is always who he was, but I think the fame and frustration that came with how his career played out changed him.

I can't reconcile the Dave from old interviews and shows with this one, and it's kinda sad.

Walberg explicitly encouraged Uganda’s leaders to resist opposition to the law from the U.S.

Can US representative just blatantly undermine US foreign policy, or is this one of those things where it's wrong but won't be pursued in any official way?

Call it a dutch angle, and suddenly you're a cinematographer

I always just wrote this little tale off as "good at reading people", and honestly that's still my assumption. After reading Blindsight though, I think it's a good allegory for possible intelligence without consciousness. What if the horse just has the ability to perform those kind of calculations when incentivized, but has no concept of what it's actually doing beyond responding to stimulus.

Then again I knew a horse that would recreationally lick electric fences, so probably not that. Interesting thought though.

"four letter word" is an euphemism for implying something is profanity, akin to words like shit or fuck.

And example would be the fantastic CAKE song, Friend Is a Four Letter Word

I think it's just something people are sensitive about, and understandably so. Most obese people (by choice; i.e. self admittedly just have a bad diet and sedentary lifestyle) I know are never really offended by memes and consistently express a desire to do better. Fact is fixing the problem is genuinely difficult once you pass a certain point, as it requires a dramatic lifestyle change. Anyone who says that is easy is full of shit.

I avoid jokes like that mostly because it feels like punching down on people who are not happy with their health/weight and struggling to fix it. Especially when it's the typical low hanging fruit, it's just not fun when the joke makes me feel like kind of an ass.

Fuck you anti-cop assholes. Get robbed, get mugged, get in an accident, lose your kid, need some help, and see what song you're singing then.

I come from a cop family, and I hate this argument. Of course people are going to call the police when shit happens. That is literally the only option available to reasonable and lawful people. Doesn't mean police haven't actively damaged their reputation with decades of abuse and corruption, and force the decent cops out if they try and buck the trend.

Police in general have some major issues right now, and first among them is outright denial there are any issues at all. Just look at 2020 where the first protests were met with immediate escalation and violence (it was like day 1 we had videos of cops shoving elderly people to the ground. They cracked that one guy's head open). Tone-deaf and completely dismissive of concerns raised by their own communities. Nothing has improved since then, in fact the police seem to have deepened that ' us v. them' mentality.

I'm not saying I agree with banning armed police, but I can agree that this type of stuff is where we're headed with the route police and their most ardent supporters are taking. Policing took a bad turn back when cops starting calling non-police 'civilians', as if police were a military branch. "Community policing" is dead, and it's no surprise the reputation went with it.

It is a funny coincidence though.

Theres some truth to this, but a lot of people do use this as a shield against the general cultural acceptance that piracy is stealing or otherwise morally underhanded. I do it, but I don't have any illusion I'm one of the activists. I just get indignant and refuse to pay someone for content or entertainment who I think is damaging to the medium or predatory in general. I feel like if I really wanted to make a statement, I just wouldn't consume their work at all -- but life is short and I want to have my cake and eat it too.