 forth.
All of these represent immunomenes which may be deployed to bully "deviant" members of society, and they work because they resonate with the other members of society, including the victim. So immunomemes are ultimately conservative in nature, i.e., they keep the society, the meme system (or "memeplex") stable and unchanging, or at least changing only slowly.
In a future installment I want to discuss the difference between immunomemetic bullying and being ignored and how the former is actually inclusive while the latter is exclusive. I also want to cover how things like race and sex and "memetically sticky" and so memes are attached to them which are effectively being broadcast all the time which can invite the deployment of sexist and racist immunomemes without the victim actually doing anything, and how this is also actually an inclusive phenomenon (although nonetheless oppressive). In other words, oppression can (and perhaps always does -- this requires further theoretical development) actually include a group in the larger society, albeit in a victim role, as opposed to alienating them completely, which could lead to things like genocide (more theory needed here, and even still this might be an inclusive phonemenon).
On Wednesday morning, two key House committees started formally drafting an Affordable Care Act repeal. The majority of the nation’s doctor groups and hospitals have spoken out against such legislation. President Donald Trump has said that he is “agnostic” about the bill and stated that it could suffer some alterations.
Mick Mulvaney, the White House budget director, informed on Tuesday that Trump is willing to revise the draft that the House of Ways & Means and the House of Energy & Commerce are preparing. The President sent out a tweet on Monday, after the plan was revealed, saying that the bill was “wonderful,” but changed his opinion after many groups raised their concern regarding the project.
Trump also stated that he’s willing to visit lawmaker’s districts around the country and hold meetings with them to gain support for the bill, as several Republican groups have too expressed their desire to change the bill.
Leaders of the House of Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce talked about the draft law on their opening statements in Congress. They said that the legislation would rescue Americans from health coverage that had grown far too expensive and limited.
The Democrats quickly took the stand with their remarks about the future legislation, stating that the bill will favor certain individuals only, as one of the points on the agenda is to eliminate taxes on business.
Health and medical advocacy groups have come out publicly against the bill since the plan was released on Monday. They point out that the only people supporting the bill are those who will benefit from it, such as groups linked to industries and individuals whose taxes would be reduced, like the United States Chamber of Commerce and Americans for Tax Reform, a conservative organization.
Democrats spoke out against the bill and tried to shed light on its true nature, which for them is a scheme to benefit the rich and harm low-income families across the U.S.
The Democrats called Republicans irresponsible for moving ahead with consideration of the legislation before receiving estimates on how much it would cost and without knowing the collateral damage it could cause, such as people losing their health coverage.
Republicans took the stand to defend the bill and claimed that the plan was desperately needed to solve a government-run system that is collapsing.
“A failed political and social experiment that ignored the will of people across the country” were the words that Michael Burgess, a Republican representative from Texas, used to describe the Affordable Care Act.
The bill would also discontinue some tax increases stipulated in the Affordable Care Act, including a surtax on investment gains, a tax on medical devices and a tax on tanning salons.
Democrats pointed out that the bill would also provide a tax break for health insurance companies, allowing them to take tax deductions for executive compensation exceeding $500,000 a year. This is a point that the Democrats have heavily criticized, ever since the Affordable Care Act was being written in 2009.
Insurance executives at health insurance companies have earned high salaries for years, and the new bill would allow them to pay no taxes on these high wages and bonuses.
The Democrats took into consideration people’s demands for the repealing bill. Most Americans are worried about the repercussions of repealing the Affordable Care Act, as many of them rely on the act for their health care needs, and most aren’t able to pay health coverage without it. But the Republican agenda stays strong, and many representatives have run to support Donald Trump’s policies.
“The country had their say. I’m glad there’s a mandate” said Republican Representative Steve Scalise during the Energy and Commerce meeting. “The American people spoke. We’re not going to deny them this opportunity to repeal this law”.
Another concern for Republicans regards the bill’s continuation of the expansion of Medicaid. This topic resonates amongst some conservatives that approve the fund cuts that the White House administration wants to impose on organizations such as Planned Parenthood, which receives over $500 millions in federal funds from Medicaid.
Most Republicans are for the fund cuts because they’re against abortion procedures, although Planned Parenthood has repeatedly stated that the money used to perform abortions has never come from federal funds.
Speaker Paul Ryan has set March 22 as the date for the House passage of the Affordable Care Act repeal, and the Republican members are working closely with President Trump and the White House Administration to get it done by that date.
Fat guy swag on a hundred trillion. I had to double check the source to make sure he wasn’t the King of Saudi Arabia. He’s not — he’s just a fat dude who can’t get out of bed. But he’s got his shades on, people fanning air for him, others holding umbrellas for him. His pyjamas are probably made of the finest material money can buy too.
So what’s the deal? Khalid Mohsen Shaeri weighs 1,345lbs and could in fact be the heaviest person in the world (he’s heavier than the current Guiness world record holder). The benevolent King of Saudi Arabia ordered that he be extracted from his Jazan home and airlifted to hospital in the city of Riyadh. They had to destroy part of his building to airlift him out of his second-floor flat using a forklift, while he chilled in bed and acted like he was doing everyone a favour by letting them carry him.
Shaeri is 20-years-old and should probably start giving a fuck before it’s too late. Props where they’re due though — swagging hard for an 1,345lbs man who can’t move:
â˜› Next: Mexico Surpasses USA As Fattest Nation On Earth
Oh nothing much, just our new Sputnik! Ahh!
My mom emailed me a couple of weeks ago with a link to a chandelier from France & Son, and asked me what I thought. It was lovely, really beautiful—20 arms, just over 2 feet wide, gleaming, and solid-looking. My only qualm was that it was advertised as “rose gold,” which I took to mean sort of pink. Mom then said that if I liked it, she would get it for me for an early Christmas present. As is my usual M.O., I overthought it to death, looking at the mockups I’d made with a brass version and wondering whether the rose gold would look as good. After several days of mulling it over, I wrote her back thanking her for the sweet offer, but saying I had my heart set on the brass and would rather wait for that.
Five minutes later, I completely second-guessed myself and wrote her back again, telling her I’d changed my mind. My dear mother reassured me about their return window and said she’d get it ordered. A few days later, it showed up on my doorstep, and as soon as I opened the box I fell in love.
It turns out “rose gold” is France & Son-speak for “shiny copper.” It was a beautiful, warm color, and as soon as I held it up in the room I knew it was better than the brass ever would have been. As usual, my mom picks things out that I wouldn’t have picked myself, but that turn out to be exactly what I wanted. The lady knows me. Thanks, Mom!
At any rate, we eventually got it on the ceiling, and minus a small problem with one of the sockets (which I’m hoping France & Son will fix for me—I’ll update you either way), it’s perfect. I can’t believe how much fancier the room looks. We added a ceiling medallion while we were at it, figuring some part of the room should look its age, and I’m really glad we did—it anchors the chandelier in the space, and the combination of 20 bulbs + medallion molding makes for some lovely shadows at night. It took me until the weekend to shoot photos, because I needed it to be light out (and I’m always at work during the daylight hours nowadays—thanks, winter!). If you try to photograph this thing at night at full power, it looks like you’re making a J.J. Abrams film in our dining room.
…and this is what it looks like now.
So much better, right? I think the scale of this chandelier is much better, and believe it or not, the shiny copper actually warms up the light in the room even when it’s not turned on. Everything looks so much more fun and interesting in there without