Check the calendar

Twitter's Stone says no ads in 2009 | Technology | Reuters

Twitter has no plans to put advertisements on the popular microblogging site this year, co-founder Biz Stone said on Tuesday, amid a growing push for the 2-year-old Internet sensation to begin making money.

We are roughly 3/4 of the way through 2009. Colour me unsurprised that Biz Stone (please tell me that isn't his real name) can assure us that there are no plans to do it this year. I think that we can now pretty much count on a Q1 2010 launch of twitter-ads though.

On Cris Collinsworth

My impression of Cris Collinsworth describing Napoleon's military career.

"Except for the Battle of Waterloo and the retreat from Moscow this would have been a much different game"

Please NBC find someone else to do Sunday Night Football.

More on Recission

In a previous post I discussed a slimy practice called recission that health protection rackets insurance companies use to avoid paying claims due to BS existing conditions.

I neglected to give a link to the scummy company that did it in this caseAmerican Community Mutual Insurance Company. If anyone felt the urge to let them know, politely of course (not like me) what scumbags poor corporate citizens they are, here is their "contact us" page.

Sunday Night Football

I have to mention that Faith Hill does not look half bad in a minidress and thigh high boots.

I also have to mention that it was nice to see Jordin Sparks simply sing the national anthem rather than the usual "make it my own" BS.

I also have to mention that with 100,000 fans in the stadium I am REALLY hoping that the Giants humiliate the Cowboys. Even though I am thinking it is unlikely.

On Recission

Daily Kos: A Walking Pre-Existing Condition

The irony of diagnosed celiac disease as a pre-existing condition is that once you know you have it, it is such a cheap condition to treat. You stop eating gluten -- which is to say, you stop eating wheat, barley, and rye. That's it. Just...stop. If you have good health care, you see a nutritionist a few times to learn the diet.

So when Brianna Rice's insurance company (in case you missed the name, it was the rat-bastards at American Community Mutual Insurance, which the state of Illinois has apparently investigated 12 times since 2007 for rescission) canceled her coverage, it was basically about the $20,000 in expenses leading to her diagnosis. They weren't even trying to get out of something like $5,000 per month for the foreseeable future to get her through chemotherapy. Not that that would be any more acceptable, but that's how short-sighted the profit motive is with these companies, and is allowed to be under our system. They dumped someone whose problems should be over as far as the insurance company is concerned. And in doing so, they basically declared open season on anyone with this autoimmune condition affecting nearly 1% of the population -- and growing. We didn't need another sign of how broken the system is, but we've got it.

Celiac disease is NOT uncommon and is VERY easily treated with nearly no medical intervention required post-diagnosis if you follow proper diet. A great excuse to cut someone off from insurance though.

Health insurance companies are scum.