https://twitter.com/TheObamaDiary/status/394513095357243392
https://twitter.com/NerdyWonka/status/394522905477799936
https://twitter.com/NerdyWonka/status/394522167389351936
https://twitter.com/TheObamaDiary/status/394549723706580992
https://twitter.com/teenagesleuth/status/394474240956575744
https://twitter.com/pourmecoffee/status/394522263757660161
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I’ve spoken about my musical upbringing before, to explain why I’ve posted everything from the hardcore techno rap of Afrika Bambaataa to the mellow rock of America to thorny modern classical music. Growing up in Washington Heights in Manhattan in the 1970s and 1980s exposed you to all sorts of music. I had influences from friends and family and my own curiosity.
One of the first albums I bought when I started buying albums (back when they were still vinyl) was Lou Reed’s “Berlin”. I bring this up because MTV’s Palladia concert channel just rebroadcast a performance Reed gave in Brooklyn a couple of years ago in which he turned “Berlin” into a conceptual performance. Watching the music meld with the images crafted for the show called to mind yet again what a true maverick Mr. Reed was. The pop music of the past 40 years would have been very different without his influence and that of the Velvet Underground.
As a writer, I’m a firm believer that a death isn’t to be mourned, but a life is to be celebrated. So join me in celebrating the life of Lewis Allan Reed, as he plays his great gig in the sky.
Sweet Jane
Dirty Boulevard
Isbah’s story
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Jill’s story
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Malik’s story
Continue reading ‘ObamaCare Stories: How The ACA Affects You’
President Barack Obama cheering Chelsea to victory and yes, Chelsea won the cup.
Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom, President Barack Obama, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, and others watch the overtime shootout of the Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich Champions League final, in the Laurel Cabin conference room during the G8 Summit at Camp David, Md., May 19, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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The First Family walk from the White House to St. John’s Church for Sunday services in Washington, October 27
More a bit later – chat awaaaaaaaaay.
On This Day: New Hampshire, October 27, 2012 (Photo by Scout Tufankjian)
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The Week Ahead:
Today: The President has no public events scheduled
Monday: The President will attend the installation of FBI Director James Comey at FBI Headquarters in Washington
Tuesday: Attends a memorial service for former Speaker Tom Foley at the Capitol
Wednesday: Travels to Boston where he will speak on the importance of quality health insurance. The President will also attend a fundraiser for the DCCC
Thursday: Hosts and delivers remarks at the SelectUSA Investment Summit. In the evening, the President and the First Lady will welcome local children and children of military families to trick-or-treat at the South Portico of the White House
Friday: The President will host Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at the White House
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NYT: Insurers’ Stocks, Unhurt By The Dawn Of The Health Care Law
From the financial perspective of the health care industry, Obamacare, as the law is often known, doesn’t seem much of a hindrance. In fact, it may even turn out to be positive. Consider the situation of health insurance providers. Because they face new regulations intended to broaden coverage and limit profit-taking, some analysts have been concerned that profits will suffer. But in the run-up to the Affordable Care Act, stock market prices have told a different story.
Over the last 12 months, shares of the top five publicly traded health insurance companies — Aetna, WellPoint, UnitedHealth Group, Humana and Cigna — have increased by an average of 32 percent, while the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index has risen by just 24 percent. Strong profits in the current year, as growth slowed in overall health care costs, is one probable explanation for the outperformance by the group.
More here
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HHS.Gov: What’s Working In The Marketplace: The Data Services Hub
To give Americans a better way to shop for health coverage, the federal government and states recently launched Health Insurance Marketplaces. Yesterday, we announced a clear path forward so that by the end of November, HealthCare.gov will work smoothly for the vast majority of consumers. But you probably haven’t heard about the Data Services Hub which serves as a critical resource for the Marketplaces, both state and federal.
The Hub is a tool to help you and your family get affordable, quality health care. As of yesterday, nearly 700,000 Americans had completed an application through the Marketplaces – more than half of them through the federal Marketplace. This does not count applications directly to Medicaid and CHIP agencies that also can use the Hub.
More here
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Drama! The United States tracked Merkel’s phone since 2002: report http://t.co/HtOIa2UCQe
— Donna Brazile (@donnabrazile) October 27, 2013
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@cspanwj Boooo!! Another Obama success story!! Syria meets crucial deadline for chemical weapons plan http://t.co/36RvE1skNu @msnbc #uppers
— kiki (@kwright39) October 27, 2013
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You know what would be really useful? A #StopWatchingUs rally against racial profiling in the US. That would be awesome.
— allanbrauer (@allanbrauer) October 26, 2013
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Think Progress: ObamaCare Got Some Promising News From The Medical Community Today
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) announced that a record number of students applied to American medical schools in 2013 and that a record number of first-year students has enrolled in medical schools this year. Experts say that’s an encouraging sign in the face of a primary care doctor shortage that will likely be exacerbated by an influx of newly insured Americans seeking medical treatment as the Affordable Care Act goes into effect.
“At a time when the nation faces a shortage of more than 90,000 doctors by the end of the decade and millions are gaining access to health insurance, we are very glad that more students than ever want to become physicians,” said AAMC president Dr. Darrell G. Kirch in a press release. A total of 48,014 students applied to medical schools in 2013, surpassing the previous record that was set in 1996. The number of students enrolled as first-year students also rose above 20,000 for the first time ever.
More here
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Morgan Whitaker: Michelle Obama Shows She’s Still Got Her Husband’s Back
First lady Michelle Obama hit the fundraising circuit Friday to help give her husband the Democrat-controlled Congress that could help him further his agenda, and didn’t shy away from blasting her husband’s opponents for shutting down the government in an ultimately fruitless attempt to stall or stop the Affordable Care Act Friday.
“So when a small group of folks in Congress shuts down our government to try to shut down Obamacare, and we watch as our president stands strong, that’s not just some political fight in Washington,” she said at the Women’s Leadership Forum Conference in DC. “It is a battle about our most fundamental values and aspirations.”
More here
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On This Day:
President Obama chats with Personal Aide Reggie Love, Senior Advisor David Axelrod and Press Secretary Robert Gibbs outside the Oval Office after taping an interview for the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Oct. 27, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)
Eva Longoria visits an OFA office in West Palm Beach, Florida, Oct 27, 2012
President Obama at a campaign rally at Elm Street Middle School in Nashua, NH, October 27, 2012
New Hampshire, October 27, 2012 (Photos by Scout Tufankjian)
President Obama laughs with Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Nancy-Ann DeParle and Traveling Aide Bobby Schmuck prior to an event at the Elm Street Middle School in Nashua, N.H., Oct. 27, 2012 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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On This Day: New Hampshire, October 27, 2012 (Photo by Scout Tufankjian)
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MoooOOOooorning Early Birds!
Obama White House.gov WH Tumblr The People’s View Smartypants Steve Benen
The Obama Diary 
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