The Girl on the Train (2016)

IMDB

The Girl on the Train (2016): Psychological mystery borrows heavily from Rear Window and Gaslight. Well-crafted if maybe too predictable. B-

Repeat Tweets: Watch the Uninsured Rate Drop

Repeat tweets from July, 2017:

• Jul 4 2017: RT @sparksjls: "Watch the uninsured rate drop across the country as the ACA went into effect." @sparksjls
Watch Texas stand out as a laggard in this animation.
• Jul 6 2017: RT @bonojl: "Poll: Most voters blame state for school money woes." mystatesman.com
I'll believe it when I see it at the polls in 2018.
• Jul 6 2017: RT @EricCeleste: "Well, now. This is super interesting." @EricCeleste
Good for DMN. Better late than never. A win for Jim Schutze.
• Jul 6 2017: RT @BraddJaffy: "In a span of 13 minutes, on foreign soil, Trump trashed the American free press, the U.S. intel community, and Obama."
  Trump's own apology tour??? But who is he apologizing to? Russia?
• Jul 6 2017: RT @GregAbbott_TX: "Join me in a statewide call to stand with law enforcement on July 7. Let's band together to #BackTheBlue."
  You didn't stand with Texas police chiefs who opposed SB4.

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

POTD: How Can Something So Sweet...

From 2016 12 15 Louisiana

How can something so sweet come from some place so gritty? Today's photo-of-the-day is from Domino Sugar's Chalmette Refinery on the Mississippi River below New Orleans.

The Chalmette refinery typically produces about 2 billion pounds annually, or about 7 million a day. That generally accounts for about 19 percent of the country's cane sugar.

Source: The Times-Picayune.

Bonus photo after the jump.

Chasing Coral (2017)

IMDB

Chasing Coral (2017): Documentary of massive die-off of coral worldwide due to global warming. Not 2100. Today. When will world wake up? A-

A Conversation About Health Care

In response to the GOP effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), I was sucked into a Facebook conversation (I know, I know better). Spoiler alert: I was against repeal. For the possible amusement of my future self, I reproduce the conversation here (well at least my part, which is only slightly edited). The "points" in favor of repeal are greatly condensed (hey, it's my blog; if you want your say, that's what the comments are for). The "counterpoints" are my own wordy answers. The whole thing was kicked off by a third person's comment that taking health insurance away from millions of people is not the Christian thing to do.

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Point: As a method to "help" people, Obamacare further entrenches health care within the swamp that is "political ideology."

Counterpoint: As a method to "help" people, I propose making health care affordable and accessible to all, whether that involves charity (which is individuals acting for the good of others) or government (which is us, acting collectively for the general good). In contrast, supporting removing health care from millions is elevating political ideology above the teachings of Jesus.