What do you mean February is over already? We blinked and POOF it was gone. We braved frigid temps and — shudder — Valentine’s Day. Up next? We have “House of Cards” binge-watching sessions and (fingers crossed) warmer temperatures.
And on top of all that, we have this week’s funniest Someecards. Things are looking up!
The two hotly-anticipated dramas “Cucumber” and “Banana” are set to “sneak premiere” on Logo TV March 2 — and we’ve got an advance peek at the steamy opening sequence of the latter series.
Russell T. Davies, who created the original British version of “Queer as Folk,” is also behind both of the diverse new shows, which will feature plenty of steamy love scenes.
Here’s how the shows are billed:
The two interwoven drama series will explore 21st century gay life in all its powerful, witty, dark and uplifting guises through the lens of two disparate generations. The hour-long “Cucumber” will explore the lives and misadventures of Henry Best (Vincent Franklin) and his long-suffering boyfriend of nine years, Lance Sullivan (Cyril Nri).
The half-hour “Banana” will follow the individual lives of younger characters orbiting around Henry’s world, telling stories of modern love — the romantic, the obsessed, the hopeful, the lonely, the lost, and the lucky – in an urban Manchester, England setting.
“Cucumber” and “Banana” will return for their official season premieres on Logo TV April 13 at 10 p.m.
Our family Christmases can be a little unconventional — once we took our 2-year-old son to South Africa. Some of my friends gave me a hard time. They said I gave myself a safari holiday while my son was too young to protest instead of giving him a tree and a stocking.
For his third birthday, instead of a big birthday party, we took my son to Malaysia on a road trip. We split the weekend visiting a real life submarine outside Malacca and then at a theme park in Johor Bahru. He talked about it for weeks. (Despite my cynical misgivings, his favourite part was actually the sub, not the Thomas The Tank Engine-themed rides. And he barely remembers the low key bash we held for him at all.)
These trips were such a success that this has become our family tradition: to really go out of our way to plan family holidays that are interesting and unique. Despite what you might think, time has proven that my kids remember these times together in foreign environments far more than candy canes and opened presents.
Yes, my husband and I enjoyed sampling the wines of Stellanbosch and the amazing all-inclusive babysitting service while we were on safari. But more pleasurable (and surprising) was to see my son recognise so many animals and learn about different environments. Half a world away from home he saw and appreciated mountains for the first time. On our way to Malaysia he not only (again, to my surprise) sat uncomplainingly at the queue of cars at immigration, he began to understand the concept of “countries” at the border crossing.
When I first decided to start my family travel website suitcases&strollers it was mainly because I knew that there was an opportunity to address other like-minded parents who grew up with Lonely Planets, moved on to Luxe City Guides but then, somehow, found ourselves with young kids but without a guidebook. I wish there had been a trusted travel publication that could have told me whether it’s worth risking the malaria to see Victoria Falls with kids or if Johannesburg is really that dangerous for families.
In trying to pass on the information, stories and ideas I so sorely wanted myself, I have interviewed a single mother who is a permanent traveller and has taken her son to 12 countries. I talked to a family who backpacked with two kids under 6 for an entire year. I learnt about a brave boy with cerebral palsy who raised money for the poverty-stricken children of Cambodia.
It’s inspiring to think that you actually can take small kids to South America for a low cost. Or that while a cruise ship might be kitsch, but it might also be incredibly fun.
What parents should know about travel is that you don’t need to be conservative just because you have children. You don’t have to go to an aquarium to see fish; you can teach your kids to dive. Resorts don’t always have to be the answer; sometimes what might seem like a form of transport (such as a campervan or a sailing boat) might actually be a family holiday in itself.
If you expose your children to as much of the world as possible they will learn where they fit and how lucky they are. Just by spending time with you in a different country or even just environment, they can learn about history, cultures, languages, conservation and, yes, poverty in a way that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Not everyone has the opportunity or desire to quit their job, sell their house and take their children out of school for over a year and drive around Australia, like one of my interviewees. But you can raise a caring, generous and aware human beings by taking them to see animals in their natural habitats or just playing with the local kids outside the resort in a developing country. Even a seemingly unadventurous trip to another city can be a learning experience if you take the kids to museums and talk to them about how the buildings got there. Understanding where other people come from teaches us so much about our own selves and that’s a great gift indeed.
Most of the time in life we take for granted that something vast and mysterious is playing out all around us. Some call it nature. For the great naturalist, John Muir, it was God. Whatever you call it, it is easy to see why we stand in awe of the natural world and its ability to give birth, to grow and to prosper everywhere.
On a small scale, we have the seed. The end of a plant’s reproductive cycle leads to the spreading of many seeds to the earth. On the ground they take root and with the help of the sun and the rain, they start to grow. Born with several attributes that ensure survival in the chosen environment, the plant thrives and provides just as much sustenance as it takes. Living in complete symbiosis within its biosphere.
My first time cycling on the STIHL Tour des Trees, a weeklong cycling event that raises money for the TREE Fund, a seed was planted in my mind and heart. Over the years, it has flourished. So it is with this motivation that I offer you five reasons to ride in this year’s STIHL Tour des Trees.
First, we have the seed. A small piece of matter that found its piece of earth to flourish. A seed carries everything it needs to start the growing process and it wants more than anything to burst into its plant form. But it can’t do it alone; it needs the help of nutrients from the soil, rays from the sun, water and air. I guarantee that if you join us on this year’s STIHL Tour des Trees a seed will be planted. One of camaraderie, one of everlasting memories and one that you will carry home to plant in your soil.
The second reason is nutrients. Just as the seed needs nutrients to grow, so too do we humans need nutrients to grow. On the STIHL Tour des Trees we are fed in many ways. Our stewardship raises hundreds of thousands of dollars for the TREE Fund, provides awareness on topics like urban forestry and tree research, and gives the illustrious Professor Pricklethorn a stage to share his passion for arboriculture with our youth. We are fed by the friendships we develop. We all look forward to seeing our friends on the Tour that we only see this time of year and cherish this week of riding with them. And after the end of a 100-mile day we are nourished by great food all around. You will not go hungry on the STIHL Tour des Trees. I will bet you gain weight! You’ve just burned 8,000 calories and you can’t stop eating!
The third and fourth reasons to ride in this year’s tour are obvious ones: the sun and sand of the beautiful Sunshine State. This year’s tour traverses some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and across our nation’s largest subtropical wilderness, the Everglades. I am looking forward to hopping alligators and riding as fast as I can while being chased by panthers! (OK maybe not, but I would love to see both.)
And lastly we have air. We all need to breathe. We all need to take time out of our hectic lives to just sit and enjoy the fruits of our hard work. And what better way that to sit on a moving seat for over 500 miles while immersed in nature and hanging out with some of the greatest people you will ever meet.
For me, on my first STIHL Tour des Trees in Oregon, a seed was planted and it has spread deep roots in my soul. I come back each year to get the nutrients I need to keep it growing.
If you love riding bikes, join us. If you love great, positive, can-do and prolific people, join us. If you like to spread the good word about the need for these efforts, join us. If you just want to take a week and breathe, join us. No matter the reason, I’m sure a seed will be planted and you will be given the nutrients, sun, water and air you need to grow.
The allegations building against Bill O’Reilly are apparently taking a harsh toll on his trustworthiness and favorability among Americans.
Only 35 percent of Americans still find the Fox News host trustworthy, while 21 percent find him “very untrustworthy” and 16 percent find him “somewhat untrustworthy,” according to a HuffPost/YouGov poll conducted this week.
Thirty-seven percent of participants now have an unfavorable view of the host.
The poll also revealed that half of Americans have now heard about the allegations against him.
O’Reilly has come under intense scrutiny in recent days after a report in Mother Jones revealed several inaccuracies in his war reporting experiences during the 1982 Falklands War. Since then, several other accusations have been made against the host, claiming that he embellished or lied while covering other wars and conflicts.
Prior to the controversy, O’Reilly had actually been named the most trustworthy news anchor on more than one occasion.
In a 2011 poll conducted by Boston’s Suffolk University, results showed that Americans who were most likely to vote in the 2012 presidential election said O’Reilly was the most trustworthy name in news. Of the 1,070 Americans polled, 28 percent (No. 1) said that Fox News was the network they trusted most.
In 2008, a Zogby poll by the Independent Film Channel found Fox News to be the most trusted network among its participants and named O’Reilly the second most-trusted news personality.
Other surveys have placed O’Reilly further down the ranks.
A bit of a silver lining for the host: the majority of Americans surveyed do not think O’Reilly should have to resign for his actions, but rather, that he should issue a public apology and explanation on his show. Twenty-one percent say that he should resign, and 10 percent say that he shouldn’t do anything at all.
And while only 35 percent find him trustworthy, that’s still 1 percent more than Brian Williams, the NBC “Nightly News” host who has been suspended following allegations that he too embellished several facts in his reporting, specifically his Iraq war reporting. A HuffPost/YouGov poll conducted at the time of the suspension found that only 34 percent of Americans still viewed Williams as trustworthy, with his net favorability at -5 percent.
The HuffPost/YouGov poll consisted of 1,000 completed interviews conducted Feb. 25-26 among U.S. adults using a sample selected from YouGov’s opt-in online panel to match the demographics and other characteristics of the adult U.S. population.
The Huffington Post has teamed up with YouGov to conduct daily opinion polls. You can learn more about this project and take part in YouGov’s nationally representative opinion polling. Data from all HuffPost/YouGov polls can be found here. More details on the poll’s methodology are available here.
Most surveys report a margin of error that represents some, but not all, potential survey errors. YouGov’s reports include a model-based margin of error, which rests on a specific set of statistical assumptions about the selected sample, rather than the standard methodology for random probability sampling. If these assumptions are wrong, the model-based margin of error may also be inaccurate. Click here for a more detailed explanation of the model-based margin of error.
Now that Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act or ACA) is just turning five years since its enactment in 2010, it is time to assess its progress and shortfalls. This is the first of three posts that will deal with its experience toward its major goals — expanding access to care, cutting costs and making care more affordable, and improving the quality of care. A fourth post will follow that deals with the takeaway lessons from this five-year experience.
The initial goal of the ACA was to extend health insurance to 32 million more people by 2019, about one-half of that number through expansion of Medicaid. Online insurance exchanges were to be set up by states or the federal government to allow people to comparison shop for new coverage. Most uninsured with incomes above 138 percent of federal poverty level (FPL) would be required to purchase insurance or face penalties. In order to help them to afford new coverage, those with incomes between 138 and 400 percent of the FPL ($32,913 to $95,400 for a family of four) would receive federal subsidies. New requirements were to be established for insurers, including prohibiting them from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions, requiring them to cover 10 categories of defined benefits, requiring them to cover at least 60 percent of health care costs (actuarial value of the bronze plan, leaving patients responsible for the remaining 40 percent of costs), requiring insurers to accept every individual and employer that applies for coverage and others.
Now, five years after the ACA’s enactment, these are some of its major accomplishments so far:
Although these sign-ups reflect significant progress, the ACA will fall far short of its goals, as shown by these examples:
Based on the above, together with trends going forward, it is clear that the ACA has failed to remedy the nation’s access to care problem. In the next post, we will see how well it is doing in containing costs and making health care more affordable.
Visit John at: www.copernicus-healthcare.org and www.johngeymanmd.org
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References:
1. Collins, SR, Rasmussen, PW, Doty, MM. Gaining ground: Americans’ health insurance coverage and access to care after the Affordable Care Act’s first open enrollment. The Commonwealth Fund, July 10, 2014.
2. Pear, R. Obama cites health plan tally of 11.4 million. New York Times, February 17, 2015.
3. Alonzo-Zaldivar, R. As sign-up deadline nears, a new risk for Obama health law. Associated Press, February 13, 2015.
4. Rau, J. Some seeking insurance told they didn’t qualify, others balked at cost, poll finds. Kaiser Health News, January 29, 2015.
5. Glied, S, Ma, S. How states stand to gain or lose by opting in or out of the Medicaid expansion. The Commonwealth Fund, December 2013.
6. Dispatches. The Progressive Populist, February 15, 2015, p. 22.
7. Janofsky, A. Small businesses spurn health exchanges. Wall Street Journal, January 8, 2015: B4.
8. Decker, SL. Two-thirds of primary care physicians accepted new Medicaid patients in 2011-12: A baseline to measure future acceptance rates. Health Affairs 32 (7): 1183-1187, 2013.
9. Pear, R. Half of doctors listed as serving Medicaid patients are unavailable, investigation finds. New York Times, December 8, 2014.
10. Rosenthal, E. Insured, but not covered, New York Times, February 7, 2015.
11. Grace, AM, Noonan, KG, Cheng, TL et al. The ACA’s pediatric essential health benefit has resulted in a state-by-state patchwork of coverage with exclusions. Health Affairs 33 (12): 2136-2143, December 2014.
Adapted in part from my new book, Geyman, JP. How Obamacare Is Unsustainable: Why We Need a Single Payer Solution for All Americans. Friday Harbor, WA. Copernicus Healthcare, 2015.
There’s a lot to be said for focusing on your strengths. After all, those things you do well set you apart and help you stand out in a competitive environment. But, the idea that you should “play to your strengths and ignore your weaknesses” can be the biggest obstacle to reaching your greatest potential.
While ignoring your bad habits may help you feel good initially, that avoidance will eventually catch up to you. When you don’t address the unproductive and unhealthy things you’re doing alongside your good habits, you’ll stagnate. Despite your best efforts and hard work, those few little bad habits will hold you back in a big way.
Bad habits aren’t just about smoking or late night cookie binges. Bad habits can include a variety of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral pitfalls. While some people avoid change and struggle with self-pity, others resent other people’s success and don’t learn from their mistakes. We’re all prone to pitfalls that can hold us back unless we’re open to acknowledging and changing our habits.
Avoid Inadvertent Self-Sabotage
Engaging in good habits 90 percent of the time, while indulging in bad habits 10 percent of time, places you at risk of being like a hamster running in a wheel. Despite all the energy you’re exerting, you won’t move forward. You’ll never be able to outrun your bad habits. Instead, you’ll simply exhaust yourself and begin to question yourself when you aren’t growing and reaching new heights of success.
Imagine a person who goes to the gym every day and works out for two hours. He prides himself on the fact that he sticks to his schedule, even on the days when he doesn’t feel like exercising. He works hard, and feels pleased that for the first time in his life, he’s finally committed to getting healthy.
But, after a few months, he’s not seeing the results he’d hoped for. He begins to wonder if there’s something wrong with his metabolism and at times, he assumes his body just wasn’t meant to change. After all, he’s putting in a lot of work to get in shape.
Despite his hard work, however, he doesn’t change his eating habits. In fact, he rewards himself for working out by stopping at the drive-thru on his way home from the gym. He figures he deserves a treat and he enjoys a burger, fries, and a shake as a late night snack. He’s so focused on what he’s doing well — going to the gym — that he overlooks the fact that his eating habits are completely undermining his efforts.
Although that example seems somewhat ridiculous, that’s exactly what many of us do in our everyday lives. We focus so much on all the things we’re doing right, that we overlook all the ways in which we inadvertently sabotage our best efforts.
Until you acknowledge what you’re doing to hold yourself back from becoming your best, following advice like, “focus on your strengths” and “look at the positive,” won’t take you to the next level. Becoming better requires you to address your counterproductive bad habits.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
Time and energy are finite. You only have so many hours in a day and so many days of your life. The solution to using your time wisely isn’t about exerting more energy — eventually you’ll run out of steam. The key to reaching your greatest potential is about working smarter, not harder.
Working smarter, however, requires you to address those bad habits that are holding you back. Acknowledging the unproductive thoughts and ineffective behavior that you’ve tried to ignore can be uncomfortable. But, stepping out of your comfort zone and choosing to proactively address bad habits will skyrocket your ability to create long-lasting change.
Just like a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, we’re only as good as our worst habits. Strengthening our weakest areas is the most powerful way to begin reaching our greatest potential. Letting go of the things that hold you back will propel you forward.
Amy Morin is an internationally recognized expert on mental strength and the author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do.
They’re so famous that no last name is required. This group of Grammy-winning hitmakers has changed what we listen to, what we wear, and yes, how we name our children. The biggest names in music have inspired some of the fastest-rising baby names in recent years, from the now well-established Aaliyah to the astonishing debut of Jayceon. Which celebrity names will leap from the Billboard Hot 100 to the baby name popularity charts next?
Aaliyah Haughton was just 12 years old when she signed her first recording contract, and only 22 when she died in a plane crash. In the decade between, the Princess of R&B’s given name became a sensation. Aaliyah’s debut album, “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number,” was released in May 1994. That same year, over 1,400 girls were named Aaliyah — up from just 22 the year before. The baby name Aaliyah has been in the US Top 100 every year since the singer’s tragic death, and has inspired countless respellings and variations, from Alia to Kaliyah.
Adelyn, Adeline, Adelina, and Adelaide are all racing up the popularity charts in the US. Spare, simple Adele is one of six Adel- names currently in the US Top 1000. With Grammy-winning songstress Adele — born Adele Laurie Blue Adkins — in the spotlight, this name feels very on trend.
Beckett is big, and Jack is back, so how about Beck? Musician Beck — born Bek Campbell — has topped the charts since the 1990s, and recently won Album of the Year at the 57th Grammy Awards. Well over one thousand boys have been named Beck in the last decade — and Beckett is racing up the US popularity charts, currently at Number 279 and rising.
There’s only one Beyoncé — except that the Destiny’s Child alum has inspired almost 2,000 parents over the past fifteen years to give her unusual name to their daughters, too. Beyoncé’s name is a spin on her mother’s maiden name, Beyincé. Apparently the family was once concerned that their rare surname was in danger of extinction. Problem solved!
Ciara is a traditional Irish saint’s name. Spelled Kira, it’s Russian, and spelled Keira, it’s Knightley — as in the actress. But Ciara is also the given name of Ciara Princess Harris, the Grammy-nominated singer-actress who uses just her first name. As a girl’s name in the US, Ciara had been fading until Miss Harris came along. Over 2,000 girls were given the name in 2005, the year Ciara’s “Goodies” went triple platinum. She also put a different pronunciation on the table, because the singer pronounces Ciara like Sierra.
Aubrey Drake Graham started out as a teenage actor in his native Canada, but is better known as a Grammy-award winning rapper and singer. Drake also brings to mind singer-songwriter Nick Drake. There’s something fierce about this name — Drake is another word for dragon. Drake was already on the rise when the rapper came along, but his multiple Grammy nominations have pushed his name into the US Top 300.
Jay Z
He’s widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time, plus he’s a successful entrepreneur, husband to Beyoncé, and dad to Blue Ivy. We haven’t named our sons Jay in his honor — that name is stuck in style limbo. But Jay-Z imitator names proliferate, with sound-alikes Jace and Jase now among the Top 100 baby names, Jayce getting close, and Jayse newly arrived in the Top 1000.
Speaking of Jay-names, Jayceon debuted at Number 206 in 2013. Jayceon Taylor is better known as The Game, a rapper and star of VH-1 reality series “Marrying the Game,” documenting his on-again, off-again relationship with fiancée Tiffney. There’s a second singer known as just Jayceon. Both men pronounce it with three syllables: jay SEE on. The more conventional Jason — as in the Argonaut — is still in the US Top 100, but falling. Jayceon might be the name of the future.
Mexican singer and actress Litzy has pushed her unusual given name into the US Top 1000 baby names a handful of times since her career took off at the beginning of the 2000s. A Spanish nickname for Elizabeth, Litzy feels like an independent name. Spelling variations abound — think Litcy and Litzi. Litzy left the US Top 1000 in 2013, but with the singer-actress back on another Telemundo telenovela in 2014, don’t count this name out.
Pharrell
It might seem crazy what I’m about to say. With the oversized hats and the infectious anthem, singer Pharrell has become a household name. Born Pharrell Williams, his name is both a spin on Irish surname Farrell — which means courageous — as well as his father’s name, Pharaoh. 13 boys were named Pharrell in 2013, and around 300 since the musician-producer-fashion designer launched his career in the early 2000s. It wouldn’t be a surprise to hear more of this creative, “Happy” name.
Rihanna is an alternate spelling of an Arabic name, one of the wives of Muhammad. It’s originally the middle name of Barbados-born singer Robyn Rihanna Fenty. As a girl’s name in the US, Rihanna was almost unknown until the singer’s 2005 debut. Her first major hit was 2007’s “Umbrella.” In 2008, over 1,000 newborn girls were given the name Rihanna. No question, the singer has put her name on the list of possibilities for a daughter.
Mia, Leah, Gia, and now Sia! The Australian singer scored a major hit with “Chandelier” in 2014. In Old Norse, Sia means “victory.” It could also be short for names like Sophia, Sienna, and Cecilia, or even a creative spin on Mia and company. It’s too soon to say if the Grammy-nominated singer’s name will also prove a sensation, but we’ll probably meet at least a few little Sias in the coming years.
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The University of Oregon dropped a countersuit Thursday against a student who had reported being gang-raped by three of the school’s basketball players and who subsequently sued UO for the way it handled her case.
UO sparked outrage among students and faculty this month when it filed a counterclaim against a lawsuit from a current student known only as Jane Doe, demanding that she or her attorneys pay for the university’s legal fees and any other damages the court is willing to issue. Last month, Doe filed a lawsuit against the university and against men’s basketball coach Dana Altman, alleging that they’d recruited a student athlete despite knowing about his previous sexual assault allegation, and that they’d later created special arrangements for the accused assailants based on their athlete status.
In its updated response to Doe’s suit, the school maintains that it did not know about the athlete’s previous sexual assault case during recruitment, and says it did not violate any laws in how it responded to Doe’s sexual assault report. However, UO retracted the line that her “claims are frivolous, unreasonable, and without foundation,” and is no longer suing Doe.
“Today I decided that it is in the best interest of the university community to file an amended answer to the lawsuit that withdraws the counterclaims,” Scott Coltrane, UO’s interim president, said in a statement Thursday. “The university never intended to seek costs, fees, or damages against our student. With this action, we make that clear.”
More than 2,100 people had signed a petition asking the university to drop the suit against Doe.
Thursday’s filing from the university keeps the language that “plaintiff’s counsel’s false allegations threaten to harm not only Oregon and Altman, but all sexual assault survivors in Oregon’s campus community.” In an email to the UO administration, three faculty members — law professor John Bonine, media studies professor Carol Stabile and psychology professor Jennifer Freyd — expressed disappointment that the school kept some of the “most victim-blaming language.”
“Someone has confused a legal filing with a press release,” the professors wrote to the administration Thursday night, according to a copy of the email shared with The Huffington Post. “A response to the court is no place for public relations talk about the University’s supposed devotion to women and Title IX. It is a place to admit or deny factual allegations.”
UO is also claiming that while it did access Doe’s therapy records in the weeks prior to her suit against the school, it did not violate any laws in doing so.
Last week, 12 faculty members, including five law professors, sent a letter to the UO administration objecting to the university’s having accessed Doe’s therapy records, which it did in December 2014. The school has insisted it acted legally in handling her records, but the professors said even if that was true, “that would not make this action right,” according to a copy of the letter obtained by HuffPost.
The university said that after the 12 faculty members sent their letter, school officials met with them to discuss their concerns. It also said that it only collected Doe’s records and has not viewed them. UO is also planning a campus event Monday to discuss sexual violence.
Doe says the three athletes sexually assaulted her in March 2014. In June, all three athletes were found responsible for sexual misconduct and were suspended from campus for a minimum of four years.
A close friend of mine returned home from vacation to discover his house sitter — his brother-in-law — had downed an entire bottle Pappy Van Winkle 20 year bourbon. A tragedy, really. However, if an alcohol tech duo in Europe has its way, keeping t…
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