Octopus Overlords

Well...this is a bad look for various police agencies in California.

https://twitter.com/Sweetemmilyn/status ... 1144270849

malchior wrote: Mon Jul 10, 2023 6:50 am Well...this is a bad look for various police agencies in California.

https://twitter.com/Sweetemmilyn/status ... 1144270849

Someone should point out to "Melanie" that if Trump really wanted to reduce crime, he'd simply stop committing so much crime.

Okay. Anyone else see that one cop force a tiny small package into trumps palm while he shook hands, and then Trump immediately pockets the little item?

A little past halfway through. Bald cop with black shades.

Yeah, the Asian(?) cop starts at the back of the group, moves up to take a selfie with Trump, apparently forces Trump to shake hands with him, then pats Trump's palm, then Trump slips his hand into his pocket. Then the cop moves back behind the group and exits stage right.

The other thing I noticed was that when they formed up to take the group photo, they put some of the shortest cops in the middle, to make Trump look taller I guess.

Max Peck wrote: Mon Jul 10, 2023 8:53 am Yeah, the Asian(?) cop starts at the back of the group, moves up to take a selfie with Trump, apparently forces Trump to shake hands with him, then pats Trump's palm, then Trump slips his hand into his pocket. Then the cop moves back behind the group and exits stage right.

Honestly, what could that possibly be?! Something Trump didn’t even want to look at before putting in his pocket. Something small and flat and quickly vanished.
Wtf

The least nefarious thing that comes to mind is that it could be a challenge coin. Do cops do challenge coins? But it could be just about anything from a note to a dime bag to a usb stick.

Yeah, it's almost certainly a challenge coin. Trump had a rack of them in the oval office, so he's used to getting them. It's just an LAPD memento.

The fact that he doesn't even glance at it makes it look a little sus, but that's as likely to be due to his complete disinterest in any of those people, and that guy in particular -- he didn't even want to shake his hand -- as anything else.

Yeah, it was in the strange presentation (no presentation at all, just pressing it into Trump's palm) - and then in Trump's quick pocketing of the item without looking at it, at all - that totally looked sus to me as well.

But alas, I'm sure it was a challenge coin... not some wonderful cocaine/LAPD conspiracy. But, man... would the other side love to have Biden caught on tape doing something like this with someone...

Rep Jackson from NC-14 does a bunch of these "Here's what I saw" videos on Twitter. I'm fully aware they're slanted, but I really like the way he boils down hugely complex issues and processes into some bite sized chunks.

https://twitter.com/JeffJacksonNC/statu ... 2833349633

He’s also quite popular with my millennial co-workers apparently.

The esteemed halls of Congress.

I’m betting there’s video and photos of her with the personal trainer she cheated on her husband with. They should show up in everyone’s chair at the next gathering.

Same folks that are losing their minds over drag queens reading books to kids are showing literal pornography as part of testimony against...the son of the President. Got it.

Forgive my naivete, but is there any real reason that Congress should give a damn? Beyond political BS claims that it makes Biden a threat to national security right before an election, that is.

Next week: Biden's cousin's ex-wife's roommate smoked crack once in 1997. Committee appointments on Tuesday!

Blackhawk wrote: Wed Jul 19, 2023 8:46 pm Forgive my naivete, but is there any real reason that Congress should give a damn? Beyond political BS claims that it makes Biden a threat to national security right before an election, that is.

Next week: Biden's cousin's ex-wife's roommate smoked crack once in 1997. Committee appointments on Tuesday!

The GOP is using Hunter Biden's embarrassments to suggest that the Bidens (meaning Hunter and Joe and presumably the granddaughters) are an international crime family who have accepted millions from China in order to make America communist.

Yeah, it's really just that.

It’s also about embarrassing and harassing opponents of MAGA. If they’ll relentlessly and crassly pursue your family, why run put yourself through that? Just surrender, and maybe the evil people won’t eat your face.

I say we nuke DC from orbit. Its the only way to be sure.

Zarathud wrote: Wed Jul 19, 2023 10:03 pm It’s also about embarrassing and harassing opponents of MAGA. If they’ll relentlessly and crassly pursue your family, why run put yourself through that? Just surrender, and maybe the evil people won’t eat your face.

This. But then democrats do it as well. They just don't it as graphic Congressional presentations that I'm aware of. For them it's just a tactic, not their bread and circus... um butter. Bread and butter... They often do it as an expression of hypocrisy. See attacks on Magic the Gathering's infidelity and Lorena Bobbit's becoming a grandmother at 36, with the mother of her grandchild being ??? younger than her 17 year older father son. Geatz and DeSantis and underage girls (or boys?) Because importance of the family unit, not allowing sex (or any really non christian federalist) education for children, the sanctity of marriage, and not grooming minors for adult sexualization is so important to them. I mean it's Hunter and a prostitute.

The nice thing is that Hunter obviously doesn't give a fuck. Its all already out there. He's unblackmailable, so long as there's nothing directly implicating Joe.

Hunter is a scumbag, to be honest. But being a scumbag isn't a crime. Otherwise the entire Trump klan would be in prison.

As for Magic the Gathering, she's part of the white trash politicians that arose once Trump proved people are stupid enough to vote for anyone. She's too stupid to actually be where she's at, but thanks to representational government she's been able to ride the wave of white trash populism to where she is now. I doubt many of her associates like her in the GOP and would be extremely happy were she to just disappear.

Hunter is a mess, clearly. But what doesn't get enough attention is that President Joe always says that he loves his messed-up son and that he supports him through his recovery and associated processes.

It would be very interesting to learn which members of Congress have children or spouses who've found a place (voluntarily or otherwise) in Alcoholics Anonymous or other recovery programs.

Holman wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 9:06 pm Hunter is a mess, clearly. But what doesn't get enough attention is that President Joe always says that he loves his messed-up son and that he supports him through his recovery and associated processes.

It would be very interesting to learn which members of Congress have children or spouses who've found a place (voluntarily or otherwise) in Alcoholics Anonymous or other recovery programs.

We already know more than a few of them are guilt of adultery.

They probably only committed some light marital treason.

Beau with breakdown of the Dark Brandon ad.

Jaymann wrote: Sat Jul 22, 2023 11:21 am Beau with breakdown of the Dark Brandon ad.

did this video really need to be explained?

The algorithm demands content.

naednek wrote: Sat Jul 22, 2023 1:57 pm

Jaymann wrote: Sat Jul 22, 2023 11:21 am Beau with breakdown of the Dark Brandon ad.

did this video really need to be explained?

Well there may be some who have not seen it.

This is a fairly esoteric topic, but I know there is at least one person here aside from me that will get it:

Hah. I haven't been paying that close attention to the move (except noting that it is a huge cluster mess, although I attributed that to the volume more than incompetence. I could easily be wrong).

I'm also not in PSAC, although whatever PSAC is going through, my union is likely going to mirror.

Care to explain in more detail? I did a quick google but nothing specific came up in the first few links.

Yes, I'm not paying as much attention as I should.

Technically, that should probably be Treasury Board instead of PSHCP, but that would get in the way of the joke portion of the meme. Similarly, PSAC is just standing in for all the workers and retirees covered by PSHCP.

There are basically two things happening simultaneously. First and most obviously, PSHCP just switched from Sun Life to Canada Life, because going with the lowest bid always makes things better. Secondly, there are a bunch of policy changes for coverage that apparently kicked in at the same time, but which aren't directly related to the change in providers. Some stuff was improved, like adding coverage for gender affirming care, but a lot of stuff was downgraded.

I haven't been paying terribly close attention to the changes myself, aside from doing the positive enrolment with Canada Life, but I read this article this morning, which spells out how some of the changes are impacting people:

New health plan for federal workers has some members feeling like they 'fell through the cracks'

In Fairhead's case, coverage for his physiotherapy used to be practically unlimited.

Under the previous terms, the couple was covered at 80 per cent for claims up to $500 and claims over $1,000.

Now, it's capped at $1,500 annually.

The cost for his physiotherapy last year was more than $14,000, according to Sullivan.

Along with coverage limits, the new plan dictates people must choose generic drugs.

Beverley Cormier, 59, recently switched to a new medication to help with flare-ups for her rheumatoid arthritis. Under her husband's plan, the first month was covered at 80 per cent by Sun Life, but when the next 30 days were set to go through, she learned from the drug's maker, Pfizer, that it had been declined by Canada Life.

"It's really hard how you can explain to people how one day you feel really good and then the next day you can hardly move and this medication was making such a big difference in such a short amount of time," she said, her voice cracking.

That medication comes with a $1,700 a month price tag.

Cormier had only been on the medication for a month before the terms of the plan changed.

Her husband, Norm Cormier — a veteran who worked for the military for 27 years — contemplated coming out of retirement to find another job.

Not being able to get through to an agent at Canada Life after being denied twice for the medication compounded the frustration.

Canada Life has since covered the drug after CBC asked Treasury Board President Mona Fortier's office about it. The TBS told CBC the medication requires prior approval.

The generic drug thing might impact me. My doctor has me on a brand-name statin with a no-substitution prescription (neither of us trust generics to produce reliable results), so I don't know if they'll cover it or not. Even before this change the previous provider pushed hard to have prescriptions changed to generic drugs, so I'd guess they're getting more draconian about it now. In theory, the full price of a 90-day refill is about $160, but I'm getting a discount of about half that through Innovicares, so if PSHCP declines to cover it, my out-of-pocket expense will jump from about $3 to $80 or so.

I honestly didn't realize that Canada can also be pretty fucked up in terms of prescription drug coverage, insurance or no insurance.

Would it have been funnier with Snidely Whiplash?

Max Peck wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 12:47 pm Technically, that should probably be Treasury Board instead of PSHCP, but that would get in the way of the joke portion of the meme. Similarly, PSAC is just standing in for all the workers and retirees covered by PSHCP.

Oh, I thought perhaps PSAC specifically was having issues, although in retrospect, since we all have the same health insurance, that doesn't make sense.

I am not opposed to generics for a couple of prescriptions, but there is one I'm not sure about. I guess I'll find out.

GreenGoo wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 3:17 pm I am not opposed to generics for a couple of prescriptions, but there is one I'm not sure about. I guess I'll find out.

The problem I have with generics is that I have first hand experience with how some of them just don't work. I've had 2 BP prescriptions that were filled with Shopper's in-house generic (Sanis). Neither of them actually helped control my BP, although one of them did produce all the side effects you could expect, in spades. And of course, since they capture all the money when they fill a prescription with their own generic brand, good luck getting anything else unless you have a prescription from your doctor that specifies what brand to use and explicitly states that there should be no substitution.

The BP medication that I'm currently using (Sandoz Valsartan/HCT) is extremely effective, to the extent that a half dose of the lowest potency version keeps my BP at about 110/70. A couple of years ago Shopper's switched me to Sanis Valsartan/HCT and within a day and a half my BP shot over 140/90. Even increasing the dosage didn't get my BP back down to the previous normal, although after I talked them into issuing a replacement refill with Sandoz I was back to normal at the previous dosage in less than a week.

The likely problem with Sanis is that they don't seem to actually manufacture any of their drugs. It appears that they simply buy the cheapest generic biosimilar drugs they can source, then sell them to Shopper's, who charge exactly the same amount (to the penny) as they charge for a "real" generic, and pocket the extra profit. Who could foresee that there might be quality issues with drugs that are literally the cheapest thing available at any given time?

Sandoz, on the other hand, is the generic label for Novartis, and Valsartan is the generic name for Novartis's Diovan. Their version of Valsartan/HCT is essentially Diovan/HCT without the fancy bubble card packaging, and it works exactly like the original patent version of the drug, probably because it literally is the same drug.

tl;dr: Not all generics are created equal.