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Tis The Season :

  • – All done with holidays for 2014; as long as you don’t count New Year’s Eve, which is today.
  • – with Christmas over, it’s time to access the bills that were racked up; I tried to be better this year, but it seemed every time I turned around, another gift was needed for some one.
  • News – Story 1: Elton John “officially” marries partner David Furnish
  • – the wedding took place on Dec 21st; Elton and David were civil partners since 2005 as the UK hadn’t made marriage equality completely legal until recently; they wanted to waste no time getting married; it was a smaller ceremony with some selected guests attending like David and Victoria Beckham, Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley; photos were posted on Instagram to share with the world; the couple have been together since 1993 and Elton has been vocal for years about wanting to marry David; congrats are in order.
    – Link to article: Elton John And David Furnish Marry In England

  • News – Story 2: Michigan capital sees “Snaketivity” display, along side Nativity scene
  • – in an effort to give equal time to other displays during the holiday season, the Satanic Temple put up a display with a snake and the phrase “The Greatest Gift is Knowledge” and placed it on the same patch of ground as a nativity scene; the displays were allowed to be up for the day, then removed at night, most likely to prevent vandalism; The Satanic Temple claims to not worship Satan; State Senator Rick Jones says he’s “not afraid of the snake people”; so far locals are ok with both displays, at least in that they are not trying to remove it or take it down or damage either one; wish more towns and states would allow other displays, religious or otherwise; perhaps our divide as a people would be less.
    – Link to article: Satanic Temple puts up display at Michigan Capitol
    tesla roadster

  • News – Story 3: Tesla gives Roadster owners a range boost, upgrade
  • – Elon Musk, the company founder and owner, announced this on Christmas Day; details include replacing the battery packs to give the 2600 owners of the car a range of 400 miles; that’s going from Los Angeles to San Francisco on a single charge; this is a great thing for existing owners, who will get the upgrade in 2015; how much is the upgrade? there were no details on the cost; how about owners of the Model S? there’s no details on that, either, but I would imagine that a similar upgrade will happen in the coming years; this is something that car manufacturers need to embrace; it’s the customer driving your car that sells other cars and modern technology is front and center for a car like the Roadster; if the car wasn’t so expensive, I would love to have one; cost is going down and with electric vehicles making small and prominent gains in ownership, it’s a matter a few years before we see a giant boost.
    – Link to article: Tesla Roadster gets a range increase to a truly crazy 400 miles maximum
    airlines suffer

  • RANT: Airlines charging a fee for pretty much anything
  • – JetBlue, one of the last airlines to offer things like wifi and expanded leg room changed course; seems Wall Street shamed them into thinking “customer-focused” was a bad thing; now they are just like their larger competitors like Delta and United; new management saw dollar signs; sad to see this; years ago, airlines were great and offered included services; now pretty much anything but soda and water are available for a credit card swipe; the lure to pay a fee for what the airline offered years ago is troubling; almost as if they want you to be uncomfortable and then offer a perk that makes things better; airlines make more money from fees than they do from overall ticket sales; I miss flying from the pre-9/11 days.
    – Link to article: Why Airlines Want to Make You Suffer

  • SHAMELESS PLUG: Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, my daughter has healthcare coverage
  • – and by affordable, it’s under $35 a month; she qualified for a tax credit that subsidizes $136 a month; combined, this is still cheaper than what comes out of my paycheck each month for similar coverage; she worked full time until recently; even when she worked full time, her job didn’t provide coverage that was anywhere close to affordable; lots of conservatives label those with ACA care as deadbeats or living off the system; come again?; stop that stupid mindset and thought process; also, stop trying to kill Obamacare; it provides coverage to good working people that can’t afford regular coverage otherwise.

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