cheer

Daddy-Daughter Duo's Cheerleading Stunts Go Viral

By feeds.bet.com
Published On :: Sun, 3 May 2020 18:03:00 EDT



This 4-year-old girl seems fearless.


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2/23/14 - They all clapped and cheered

By www.tinyghosts.com
Published On :: Mon, 24 Feb 2014


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2014 is so horrible, nothing can cheer us up. Not even Simon Cowell with a bucket on his head | Charlie Brooker

By www.theguardian.com
Published On :: 2014-08-25T19:00:00Z

Russia v Ukraine, Isis, Boris Johnson, Cliff Richard and Ebola – there's not much to be cheerful about right now, though the ice bucket challenge is working overtime

Ah. Right. Looks like I picked a bad week to draw inspiration from current affairs for this knockabout comedy column. The news is rarely a warehouse of carefree chuckles but at the moment it's like an apocalyptic playlist on perpetual shuffle, with one harrowing crisis overlapping another. Palestine, Libya, Syria … it's all horrifying and upsetting. Not a single nice thing has happened all year, except the recent stealth launch of Cadbury's Wispa Biscuits, and even "stealth launch of Wispa Biscuits" sounds like a terrible euphemism for breaking wind.

The planet is currently playing host to countless alarming crises. There's the nail-biting tension of Russia v Ukraine, a depressing standoff overseen by facial-expression-avoider Vladimir Putin. I don't know if all the strings connecting Putin's face muscles to his brain were accidentally severed during a tragic smiling accident years ago, but I've seen brickwork convey more emotion.

Continue reading...


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Wicklow jockey Jackson cheered on to biggest career win

By www.rte.ie
Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 19:33:35 +0000

Irish jockey Shane Jackson achieved the biggest win of his eight-year Australian stint with victory in the Grand Annual Steeplechase at Warrnambool on Tuesday.


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Op-Ed: She was my cheerleader and my mentor. Then she was hospitalized with COVID-19

By www.latimes.com
Published On :: Fri, 24 Apr 2020 06:30:51 -0400

When I came home from college because of the coronavirus outbreak, my eighth-grade English teacher, my mentor, postponed a meeting with me. She had a fever and a cough.


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Dodgers fans cheer Mike Fiers, who blew the whistle on the Astros' sign stealing

By www.latimes.com
Published On :: Thu, 5 Mar 2020 19:45:22 -0500

Oakland A's pitcher Mike Fiers is a hero to some, but others believe he waited too long to go public with the Astros' sign-stealing scheme.


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These acts of kindness will cheer you up and cheer you on

By www.latimes.com
Published On :: Fri, 10 Apr 2020 11:10:26 -0400

We asked readers to share acts of kindness, large and small, that they've witnessed during this time of coronavirus. They are different, but all spring from selflessness and elicit gratitude.


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Firefighters open up their stations to spread Christmas cheer

By www.london-fire.gov.uk
Published On :: Fri, 13 Dec 2019 11:54:18 Z

Crews across London have been getting into the Christmas spirit by holding festive lunches and parties for elderly and vulnerable people who live nearby.


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At the Vanity Fair Oscar party, Jerry from 'Cheer' is cooler than Kim Kardashian West

By www.latimes.com
Published On :: Mon, 10 Feb 2020 14:33:11 -0500

Go behind the scenes of the Vanity Fair Oscar party, where Jerry Harris from "Cheer" was the big star and Julia Butters had eaten her turkey sandwich.


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Give us truth but let’s have good cheer too, says NICK FERRARI

By www.express.co.uk
Published On :: Sun, 03 May 2020 08:04:00 +0100



ON COUNTLESS occasions on this page I've argued forcefully for, and supported journalists in, pursuing the truth with a rigorous and forensic determination. That's what we're put on Earth to do: to sit at the back of the room staring quizzically and sometimes snorting derisively as those in power tell us the truth as they see fit to present it. Our role is straightforward: holding to account those in power, however uncomfortable or ugly the consequences might be.


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Man Posts Hilarious ‘Bad Dad Jokes’ Daily on Sign in Front Lawn To Spread Cheer to Neighbors

By www.westernjournal.com
Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 15:29:07 +0000

When jokes are so horrible, so obvious, so corny that they make your eyes roll, it’s a good chance that they’re what many call “dad jokes.” Bordering on lame, and all the more hilarious because of it, these jokes are so bad and yet fathers seem to get such joy from trotting out the perfect…

The post Man Posts Hilarious ‘Bad Dad Jokes’ Daily on Sign in Front Lawn To Spread Cheer to Neighbors appeared first on The Western Journal.


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Texas Cheerleaders Take Religious Message Battle to State Supreme Court

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

A group of Texas high school cheerleaders filed a petition with the state Supreme Court over an ongoing dispute about the display of banners with religious messages at high school football games.


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U.S. Supreme Court Takes Up Case Over Cheerleader-Uniform Design

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: Fri, 06 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

The battle stems from Varsity Brands' efforts to gain copyright protection for the design of stripes, chevrons, zigzags, and color blocks that are on its uniforms.


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Politics Watch: Cheers Minister, here’s to not panicking

By www.heraldscotland.com
Published On :: Sun, 15 Mar 2020 13:50:00 +0000

A SUNDAY shift on The Herald’s Politics Watch tends to begin the same way, with an early trip to buy the papers. Usually it is just myself, a couple of other larks, and the woman who keeps an eye on the self-checkout area. All quiet on the supermarket front.


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Bond market cheers RBI’s Open Market Operations announcement

By www.financialexpress.com
Published On :: 2020-04-24T00:50:00+05:30

RBI notified that it will buy long-dated bonds maturing in 2026, 2028, 2029 and 2030 while it will sell short-dated securities maturing between June 2020 and April 2021. Both the purchase and sale will be worth Rs 10,000 crore each.


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Spreading the cheer with tasty Bastard Baker treats

By www.nation.co.ke
Published On :: 2020-05-09T10:20:53Z

Madame Connoissuese engages her family sweet tooth and is more than happy with the results.


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Andrew Scheer's party and the ugliest amendment ever moved

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 22:30:18 +0000

Politics in Canada

With their mere presence flickering in the face of Liberal ubiquity, Andrew Scheer's Conservatives have decided to go (in the Canadian way) not-quite-full Trump.

So we got their amendment to the Liberal student aid package, a followup to the wage and CERB packages, which Justin Trudeau shamefully accepted. The result is that students, who've already lived through the 2008 recession and now COVID-19, will have to grovel by showing they're earnestly looking for jobs before receiving the benefit, something not applied to others, so far.

They're expected to track job notifications from the federal Job Bank that, I'm told, can flood your inbox with non-stop "opportunities" often in the "food" sector, like Alberta’s Cargill meat processing plant. It's had more COVID-infected workers than any workplace in North America.

Worse than the inconvenience is the implicit humiliation. (A sense of dignity is invaluable for surviving stuff like recessions, wars or plagues.) Scheer says the plan "tranquilizes" students against work and they need "incentivizing." But this is a cohort who often work excessively as they study full time, to pay extortionary tuition fees while also engaging in climate and social justice campaigns.

Many have self-isolated, not because they fear the virus -- they'd likely be fine -- but, as one said, "because I don't want to give it to some homeless guy as I pass." They don't need civics lessons from Scheer.

In fact, Scheer could use some incentivizing -- he's pretty tranquil. He became an MP at 25, got the cushy perks of House Speaker for nine years and has never known another career. He let the party subsidize his kids' private school costs. Maybe he should start checking job notices.

Yet the Liberals bought his amendment, which he'll use as a lever for shifting the same imputations onto the unemployed, gig workers etc. It's a way to turn the discussion from surviving COVID-19 to preventing lazy, greedy types like students or the unemployed, from ripping off worthy Tory voters and donors.

Why did Liberals agree? Maybe to show they can be tough too, not just "caring." They're far easier on employers, who don't even have to top up the 75 per cent wage subsidies they're getting from the feds, though they're gently "encouraged" to.

Or maybe it's a sign of that Liberal virus, Paul Martinism, i.e., letting the toffs at finance take over the show, giving them a chance to put in play their dusty undergrad Economics notes on "moral hazard." It means -- oh, look it up yourself. But roughly: giving greedy, lazy people an excuse to keep being that way.

This is how Conservatives hope to rebuild their right-wing base. It probably won't work. Why? It's an imported U.S. right-wing tactic: you turn one desperate group, like former manufacturing workers, against another even more desperate, like inner city minorities. You stoke their fear that the underclasses will rip them off in order to get, say, public health care. They'd rather die themselves than be conned into paying out for their "inferiors."

But we already have medicare and nobody feels diminished. Plus we lack the unique depth of U.S. racist hysterias along with their imperial delusions.

It's a reversion to type by right-wing conservatives who now are the party. They got caught up by the pandemic, especially their reliable provincial premiers, who seemed to turn into crazy leftist spenders. For years they promised to unleash the private sector, as if it had been a whipped cur since Reagan/Thatcher, then they wind up unleashing the public sector. They're trying to get their mojo back.

It's hard to believe even Scheer believes this rubbish: in the midst of a raging lethal virus, we should worry about youth getting away with not working. He mouthes it because he thinks it's a way to return to power.

Digression: speaking of Tory premiers, I've become fond of Doug Ford and his clichés. "I'm laser focused … I'm on this like a dog on a bone …" Even he seems aware of it but can't stop. Asked about his health, he said, "I'm healthy as," then paused aware of what was coming but couldn't think of an alternative. "A horse," he surrendered. It's quite lovable, I'm afraid.

Rick Salutin writes about current affairs and politics. This column was first published in the Toronto Star.

Image: Andrew Scheer/Facebook

Andrew Scheer
COVID-19
Doug Ford
CA
Rick Salutin
May 8, 2020
After the COVID-19 pandemic, older generations should reflect on the need for climate action
As younger people make sacrifices during the pandemic to protect vulnerable populations, will the older generation now make sacrifices to reduce carbon emissions and help secure a future for youth?
Donald Trump can't mask his message to Indian country: 'Live and let die'
"The federal government announced that they intend to release a portion of funds ... to tribes to help fight COVID-19, but I'll believe it when I see it," said Navajo President Jonathan Nez.
Jason Kenney is Canada's least popular premier -- some caveats may apply
Kenney has an approval rating of 44 per cent, and a disapproval rating of 48 per cent, the only premier in a recent poll with a higher disapproval rating than approval rating.


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Prince Andrew looks relaxed and cheerful for first time in months as he packs cupcakes with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson

By www.standard.co.uk
Published On :: 2020-04-10T16:04:00Z

Read our live coronavirus updates HERE Coronavirus: The symptoms


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Incredible moment mother cheered after 30 days in ICU fighting coronavirus

By www.standard.co.uk
Published On :: 2020-04-14T14:36:00Z

A hospital among the worst-hit in the country by coronavirus has celebrated the discharge of its first survivor from intensive care.


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Girl, eight, bakes hundreds of scones to cheer up vulnerable neighbours during Covid-19 lockdown

By www.standard.co.uk
Published On :: 2020-04-19T17:03:00Z

A primary school girl, who discovered a passion for baking during the coronavirus lockdown, has made hundreds of scones to cheer up the elderly and vulnerable.


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Cheers, NHS! New London beers honour medics on coronavirus frontline

By www.standard.co.uk
Published On :: 2020-04-22T10:52:29Z

A London brewery is donating the income from two new beers brewed in honour of frontline healthcare workers to NHS charities.


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Come on, you can do it: Rugby stars cheer pupils at London school during coronavirus lockdown

By www.standard.co.uk
Published On :: 2020-04-22T11:41:30Z

Rugby stars have recorded inspirational messages for boys at a London school to help motivate them through the coronavirus lockdown.


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'Caring' nurse and 'cheerful' healthcare worker become latest NHS staff to die with Covid-19

By www.standard.co.uk
Published On :: 2020-05-02T18:40:00Z

A nurse and a domestic services assistant have become the latest healthcare workers to die after contracting coronavirus.


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Coronavirus: NHS doctor returning to help during pandemic cheers up colleagues by singing opera

By www.independent.co.uk
Published On :: 2020-04-14T10:31:00Z

Dr Alex Aldren has returned to the NHS after leaving to become an opera singer


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Judith Lucy vs Men: cheer yourself with a short fix of standup – video

By www.theguardian.com
Published On :: 2020-04-29T02:02:24Z

With comedy festivals cancelled around the world, Amazon Prime is releasing 10 original Australian standup specials to tide you over. Filmed at Melbourne's Malthouse theatre during the Before Times, the biweekly series has featured names like Celia Pacquola, Zoë Coombs Marr and Dilruk Jayasinha – with Tom Gleeson, Anne Edmonds and Tom Walker coming up soon. A few minutes of each is being published exclusively on Guardian Australia, and this week we have Judith Lucy, from her 2019 tour Judith Lucy vs Men

• Two Amazon Original standup specials will be released each week from 10 April. Amazon Prime is offering a 30-day free trial here

Continue reading...


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Tom Walker's Very Very – cheer yourself with a short fix of standup – video

By www.theguardian.com
Published On :: 2020-05-01T03:23:59Z

With comedy festivals cancelled around the world, Amazon Prime is releasing 10 original Australian standup specials to tide you over. Filmed at Melbourne's Malthouse theatre during the Before Times, the biweekly series has featured names like Celia Pacquola, Zoë Coombs Marr and Dilruk Jayasinha – with Tom Gleeson and Anne Edmonds  coming up soon. A few minutes of each is being published exclusively on Guardian Australia, and this week we have the exceptionally odd new show from Tom Walker, which was directed by Zoë Coombs Marr.

• The full version of Tom Walker's Very Very is released today. Amazon Prime is offering a 30-day free trial here

Continue reading...


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cheer

Tom Gleeson's Joy – cheer yourself with a short fix of standup

By www.theguardian.com
Published On :: 2020-05-08T03:41:32Z

With comedy festivals cancelled around the world due to the coronavirus crisis, Amazon Prime is releasing 10 original Australian standup specials to tide you over. The biweekly series was filmed at Melbourne's Malthouse Theatre and has featured Celia Pacquola, Zoë Coombs Marr and Dilruk Jayasinha. A few minutes of each is being published exclusively by Guardian Australia and this week we have eventual Gold Logie winner Tom Gleeson's show Joy. Come to hear about the disgusting wonders of parenting; stay for the killer punchline 

• The full version of Tom Gleeson's Joy is out now. Amazon Prime is offering a 30-day free trial here


Continue reading...


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cheer

Daddy-Daughter Duo's Cheerleading Stunts Go Viral

By feeds.bet.com
Published On :: Sun, 3 May 2020 18:03:00 EDT



This 4-year-old girl seems fearless.


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5 Ways To Make Mother’s Day Special And Cheer Up Your Mom Even During Lockdown

By www.mensxp.com
Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 13:10:49 +0530


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Two cheers for the recent budget deal

By webfeeds.brookings.edu
Published On :: Tue, 10 Nov 2015 09:00:00 -0500


A fair assessment of the budget deal signed by President Obama last week would allow for only at most two cheers. Its biggest achievement is raising the debt limit by enough to last until 2017, thereby at least temporarily eliminating the threat to the nation's credit worthiness. The deal also provides funding levels above the Spartan caps established by the 2011 Budget Control Act so that both domestic discretionary spending and military spending can avoid reductions against a baseline that was already low by historical standards. In addition, the deal avoids a cut in benefits in the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program that was about to have its trust account run dry, as well as a big increase in payments by a significant minority of Medicare beneficiaries.

That's a lot of good policy, achieved despite the partisanship that has been so characteristic of budget negotiations in recent years. So what's not to like? Two shortcomings of the deal are especially notable. The first is that the solution to the pending SSDI shortfall is disappointing. It would be hard to support the imposition of reduced benefits on recipients of a government insurance program for the disabled, but Congress has known for some years that SSDI was running out of money. Congress should have been working on solutions that involved less spending or more revenue, or perhaps both. Instead, the reforms that Congress passed provided a very minor adjustment in the way both initial and continuing eligibility are determined and ignored more basic reforms. A non-partisan group assembled by former House members Jim McCrery and Earl Pomeroy under the auspices of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) produced a host of proposals that would address the underlying problems of the SSDI program such as how to emphasize work to control the rising caseload, but they were virtually ignored. Taking the easy way out, Congress transferred nearly $120 billion in funds from the Social Security Trust Fund into the SSDI Trust Fund. Unfortunately, this action will preserve the SSDI Trust Fund only until 2021 or 2022, at which time it will likely be back in the perilous situation it was in until this temporary fix was put in place.

The second problem is that the lubricant Congress used to enact the deal was money it doesn't have. Thus, according to CRFB, all the spending in the deal cost $154 billion but the offsets in the bill amounted to only $78 billion. Thus, the true net cost of the bill, excluding budget gimmicks, was $76 billion. As always, the money will be obtained by additional borrowing, thereby increasing the nation's debt.

Increasing the nation's debt is the most important shortcoming of the bill. Due to improvements in the economy coupled with spending cuts and revenue increases achieved by previous budget deals reached since publication of the Simpson-Bowles Commission report in 2010, the fiscal outlook for the nation has improved. But the long-term debt problem has not been solved. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, based on figures from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), projects that the ratio of the national debt to GDP will fall slightly from its current 74 percent to 73 percent by 2017. However, the ratio will then rise to 92 percent by 2040. This projection contrasts with the Center's 2010 projection in which the debt-to-GDP ratio increased by more than 200 percent.

Granted, this is good news. But not so fast. The assumptions built into the projections are likely to be too optimistic. The CRFB projects that under a more reasonable set of assumptions, the debt will rise to over 150 percent of GDP by 2040. As CRFB argues, the debt path under these more reasonable assumptions is, though improved, nonetheless "unsustainable."

Equally important, the big picture on the nation's budget shows that future spending increases in Social Security, Medicare and other health programs, and net interest will eat up all future increases in revenue. CBO projects that compared to average spending in these three budget categories between 1965 and 2014, spending as a percentage of GDP by 2040 on Social Security will increase by 55 percent, on federal health programs by 220 percent, and on interest on the debt by well over 100 percent. As a result, spending on everything else will decline by around 40 percent. No wonder a recent report from the Urban Institute shows that the share of federal spending on children has already begun to decline and will fall by nearly 30 percent between 2010 and 2024.

Despite the modest achievements of the latest budget deal, long-term budget prospects continue to look bleak and present spending priorities still emphasize programs for the elderly and interest on the debt while squeezing other programs, including those for children. Perhaps two cheers for the deal is one too many.

Editor's Note: this post first appeared in Real Clear Markets.

Authors

Publication: Real Clear Markets
     
 
 


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Two Cheers for Our Peculiar Politics: America’s Political Process and the Economic Crisis

By webfeeds.brookings.edu
Published On :: Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Pietro Nivola offers two cheers, instead of three, for the American political system in light of the latest global economic concerns. He argues that since 2008, the federal government has not committed many basic economic blunders, but fiscal policy could improve on the state and local levels.

      
 
 


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Three cheers for logrolling: The demise of the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR)

By webfeeds.brookings.edu
Published On :: Wed, 22 Apr 2015 17:00:00 -0400


Editor's note: This post originally appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine's Perspective online series on April 22, 2015.

Congress has finally euthanized the sustainable growth rate formula (SGR). Enacted in 1997 and intended to hold down growth of Medicare spending on physician services, the formula initially worked more or less as intended. Then it began to call for progressively larger and more unrealistic fee cuts — nearly 30% in some years, 21% in 2015. Aware that such cuts would be devastating, Congress repeatedly postponed them, and most observers understood that such cuts would never be implemented. Still, many physicians fretted that the unthinkable might happen.

Now Congress has scrapped the SGR, replacing it with still-embryonic but promising incentives that could catalyze increased efficiency and greater cost control than the old, flawed formula could ever really have done, in a law that includes many other important provisions. How did such a radical change occur?  And why now?

The “how” was logrolling — the trading of votes by legislators in order to pass legislation of interest to each of them. Logrolling has become a dirty word, a much-reviled political practice. But the Medicare Access and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) Reauthorization Act (MACRA), negotiated by House leaders John Boehner (R-OH) and Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and their staffs, is a reminder that old-time political horse trading has much to be said for it.

The answer to “why now?” can be found in the technicalities of budget scoring. Under the SGR, Medicare’s physician fees were tied through a complex formula to a target based on caseloads, practice costs, and the gross domestic product. When current spending on physician services exceeded the targets, the formula called for fee cuts to be applied prospectively. Fee cuts that were not implemented were carried forward and added to any future cuts the formula might generate. Because Congress repeatedly deferred cuts, a backlog developed. By 2012, this backlog combined with assumed rapid future growth in Medicare spending caused the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to estimate the 10-year cost of repealing the SGR at a stunning $316 billion.

For many years, Congress looked the costs of repealing the SGR squarely in the eye — and blinked. The cost of a 1-year delay, as estimated by the CBO, was a tiny fraction of the cost of repeal. So Congress delayed — which is hardly surprising.

But then, something genuinely surprising did happen. The growth of overall health care spending slowed, causing the CBO to slash its estimates of the long-term cost of repealing the SGR. By 2015, the 10-year price of repeal had fallen to $136 billion. Even this number was a figment of budget accounting, since the chance that the fee cuts would ever have been imposed was minuscule. But the smaller number made possible the all-too-rare bipartisan collaboration that produced the legislation that President Barack Obama has just signed.

The core of the law is repeal of the SGR and abandonment of the 21% cut in Medicare physician fees it called for this year. In its place is a new method of paying physicians under Medicare. Some elements are specified in law; some are to be introduced later. The hard-wired elements include annual physician fee updates of 0.5% per year through 2019 and 0% from 2020 through 2025, along with a “merit-based incentive payment system” (MIPS) that will replace current incentive programs that terminate in 2018. The new program will assess performance in four categories: quality of care, resource use, meaningful use of electronic health records, and clinical practice improvement activities. Bonuses and penalties, ranging from +12% to –4% in 2020, and increasing to +27% to –9% for 2022 and later, will be triggered by performance scores in these four areas. The exact content of the MIPS will be specified in rules that the secretary of health and human services is to develop after consultation with physicians and other health care providers.

Higher fees will be available to professionals who work in “alternative payment organizations” that typically will move away from fee-for-service payment, cover multiple services, show that they can limit the growth of spending, and use performance-based methods of compensation. These and other provisions will ramp up pressure on physicians and other providers to move from traditional individual or small-group fee-for-service practices into risk-based multi-specialty settings that are subject to management and oversight more intense than that to which most practitioners are yet accustomed.

Both parties wanted to bury the SGR. But MACRA contains other provisions, unrelated to the SGR, that appeal to discrete segments of each party. Democrats had been seeking a 4-year extension of CHIP, which serves 8 million children and pregnant women. They were running into stiff head winds from conservatives who wanted to scale back the program. MACRA extends CHIP with no cuts but does so for only 2 years.  It also includes a number of other provisions sought by Democrats: a 2-year extension of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program, plus permanent extensions of the Qualified Individual program, which pays Part B Medicare premiums for people with incomes just over the federal poverty thresholds, and transitional medical assistance, which preserves Medicaid eligibility for up to 1 year after a beneficiary gets a job.

The law also facilitates access to health benefits. MACRA extends for two years states’ authority to enroll applicants for health benefits on the basis of data on income, household size, and other factors gathered when people enroll in other programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the National School Lunch Program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (“welfare”), or Head Start. It also provides $7.2 billion over the next two years to support community health centers, extending funding established in the Affordable Care Act.

Elements of each party, concerned about budget deficits, wanted provisions to pay for the increased spending. They got some of what they wanted, but not enough to prevent some conservative Republicans in both the Senate and the House from opposing final passage. Many conservatives have long sought to increase the proportion of Medicare Part B costs that are covered by premiums. Most Medicare beneficiaries pay Part B premiums covering 25% of the program’s actuarial value. Relatively high-income beneficiaries pay premiums that cover 35, 50, 65, or 80% of that value, depending on their income. Starting in 2018, MACRA will raise the 50% and 65% premiums to 65% and 80%, respectively, affecting about 2% of Medicare beneficiaries. No single person with an income (in 2015 dollars) below $133,501 or couple with income below $267,001 would be affected initially. MACRA freezes these thresholds through 2019, after which they are indexed for inflation. Under previous law, the thresholds were to have been greatly increased in 2019, reducing the number of high-income Medicare beneficiaries to whom these higher premiums would have applied. (For reference, half of all Medicare beneficiaries currently have incomes below $26,000 a year.)

A second provision bars Medigap plans from covering the Part B deductible, which is now $147. By exposing more people to deductibles, this provision will cause some reduction in Part B spending. Everyone who buys such plans will see reduced premiums; some will face increased out-of-pocket costs. The financial effects either way will be small.

Inflexible adherence to principle contributes to the political gridlock that has plunged rates of public approval of Congress to subfreezing lows. MACRA is a reminder of the virtues of compromise and quiet negotiation. A small group of congressional leaders and their staffs crafted a law that gives something to most members of both parties. Today’s appalling norm of poisonously polarized politics make this instance of political horse trading seem nothing short of miraculous.

Authors

Publication: NEJM
     
 
 


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General Mills now makes GMO-free Cheerios

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Fri, 03 Jan 2014 11:03:06 -0500

An anti-GMO campaign declares victory.


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Cheers! Solar farm cider powers up

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Tue, 23 Oct 2018 08:17:21 -0400

Buying products from solar farms is just one more way to support clean energy.


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Cheap and cheerful rooftop garden appears

By www.treehugger.com
Published On :: Mon, 23 Jun 2014 05:00:00 -0400

It's a bright and sunny solution to an abandoned rooftop: a garden.


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Somebody Built The Cutest "Cheers" Bar For A Squirrel

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 06:00:00 PDT

When @JoshuaPotash shared this cute video on twitter, people couldn't handle the thought of a cute little squirrel going to a place where everybody knows its name.


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Concert to cheer up children undergoing chemotherapy at Parel hospital

By www.mid-day.com
Published On :: 26 Feb 2019 02:54:46 GMT

So many of us have lost someone we know to cancer. So when 15-year-old Devika Madgavkar, who was volunteering at the Tata Memorial Centre and working with kids with cancer, asked Alfred D'Souza, the director of her choir Stop-Gaps Junior Choral Ensemble, if they could do something to cheer up the children undergoing chemotherapy, he thought, "why not?"

And Carnival in Song was born. "Madgavakar wanted to do something for the kids, who she observed were quite self-conscious and distant after they lost their hair. Also, many of them hail from a low social economic background. The event is just before Lent, which begins on March 6, and as it's the season of hope, we wanted to brighten up their li­ves. I prepared two choirs and reached out to others, who agreed immediately," says D'Souza.


The Salvation Singers

The audience will get to hear ha­ppy numbers, and renditions of peppy tracks with a samba or calypso beat, akin to what you hear at a carnival, shares D'Souza, adding that while the Stop-Gaps Choral Ensemble will be performing Brazil and Senorita, The Salvation Singers will offer a medley of Hindi songs, and Siddharth Meghani will perform some Elvis Presley tracks. The line-up will also include The Victory Chorus Line, and soloists such as Ella Atai, Kim Cardoz, Mehmood Curmally and Darren Das, accompanied by Mimosa Almeida Pinto (piano) and Ishan Jadwani (drums), besides dancers on stage.

"We've been planning this since October. We have a lot of kids aged between five and 15 years, who have their term exams at the moment, but yet th­ey have been practising," adds D'Souza. All proceeds from the evening will be given to the centre's Runners of Hope Initiative.

ON March 1, 7.45 pm onwards
AT St Andrew's Auditorium, St Andrew's College, St Dominic Road, Bandra West 
LOG ON TO bookmyshow.com
CALL 26410926
COST Rs 300 onwards

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Aamir Khan suits up to cheer for niece Zayn Marie's debut in Mrs Serial Killer

By www.mid-day.com
Published On :: 2 May 2020 08:12:30 GMT

Aamir Khan has been spending time with his family during the lockdown. Recently, he took part in a virtual red carpet for niece Zayn Marie Khan's debut movie, Mrs Serial Killer. Giving him company was his wife Kiran Rao and theatre director daughter Ira. The Laal Singh Chaddha actor looked dapper in a suit, while Ira had on a yellow sari. 

Sharing the pictures on her Instagram, Ira wrote, "And it begins! @zaynmarie I love you to bits and I'm so proud of you and happy for you. Quarantine or not, WW3 or not, bad week or great year, we'll always be there to go through it with you. Through the great and the terrible! Fan girlling you at the poster and embarrassing on the red carpet. I'm sorry we weren't physically with you. But I'm sure you could hear the hooting and cheering in Panchgani! Congratulations on the beginning of your career in the film industry."

Take a look at Aamir and Ira's photos below:

 
 
 
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ira Khan (@khan.ira) onMay 1, 2020 at 5:01am PDT

Ira is quite active on social media and often keeps sharing pictures from her daily life. A few days ago, Ira had dipped into her family album and fished out a throwback picture from her childhood. In the picture, a cute little Ira can be seen all perplexed trying to figure out a dress. Sharing the picture, she wrote, "This is still how I look at complicated dresses. #fashiondiaster #thenandnow #whydoyouhavetogoandmakethingssocomplicated (sic)".

 
 
 
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ira Khan (@khan.ira) onApr 3, 2020 at 1:42am PDT

A few days ago, she shared some 'bored' selfies on her Instagram account. Ira has been spending her time at home due to the lockdown imposed to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

For the unversed, Ira has made her directorial debut with a theatre production titled Euripides' Medea. The play is an adaptation of Euripides' Greek tragedy Medea and stars Aamir's son Junaid Khan and actress Hazel Keech among others.

On the professional front, her dad, Aamir Khan will be seen opposite Kareena Kapoor Khan in Laal Singh Chaddha, which is an official adaptation of the Hollywood film, Forrest Gump. The film is written by Atul Kulkarni, helmed by Secret Superstar director Advait Chandan and co-produced in association with Viacom 18 Motion Pictures.

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Missing your friends? Here are five shows that will cheer you up during lockdown

By www.mid-day.com
Published On :: 4 May 2020 07:15:00 GMT

As the lockdown is extended, our patience is reaching a point where staying at home is getting a bit difficult. Today, we bring you a list of shows that will remind you of all the fun moments that you shared with your friends before the world turned upside down. Though many of your friends are away and/or stuck somewhere, let's take a look at the shows that will make you walk down memory lane.

FRIENDS:

 
 
 
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A post shared by Friends (@friends) onFeb 21, 2020 at 2:02pm PST

This one always tops the list! Aren't all the characters in this iconic show so relatable? Currently streaming on Netflix, FRIENDS will surely bring a smile to your face, and make you think about all the great moments shared with your people. It is an American sitcom television series, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons.

Good old days!

How I Met Your Mother:

Currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, How I Met Your Mother is a cute love story of a guy, who is in search of the perfect girl, and will make you laugh out loud on the floor. The circumstances that make him fall for this woman seems too good to be true! Though serendipity is the main hero, what comes in between is worth binge-watching. Created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS, How I Met Your Mother ran from 2005 to 2014, which follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his group of friends in Manhattan.

New Girl:

 
 
 
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The gang's last day on set. ðŸÂÂ’—#BehindTheScenes #NewGirl

A post shared by New Girl (@officialnewgirl) onMay 25, 2018 at 10:46am PDT

This one too is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. New Girl shares the story of a woman who ends up living with three guys in Los Angeles. The series revolves around a kooky teacher, Jess (Zooey Deschanel), after she moves into a Los Angeles loft with three men, Nick (Jake Johnson), Schmidt (Max Greenfield), and Winston (Lamorne Morris). Jess' Indian best friend Cece (Hannah Simone) too plays a pivotal role in New Girl. It's funny, it's emotional, and it shows how friends can be embarrassing in certain situations.

Two and a Half Men:

The title track, Men-Men, is nothing but just a gist about the entire show. The show is streaming on Netflix and shares the story of hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper, his uptight brother, Alan, and Alan's troublesome son, Jake, who lives with his dad after the divorce. Their beach house in Malibu will make you hit the sea right away! Who hates a good view with a comfortable chair on the porch? The only thing missing is pina colada!

That '70s Show:

 
 
 
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costume goals #that70sshow #that70sshow____ #that70sshowcaptions

A post shared by That '70s Show ☮ (@that70sshow____) onNov 1, 2017 at 1:46pm PDT

Also available on Netflix, starring Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, That '70s Show is a period sitcom, which shares the story of six teenage friends. This one highlights the world of fashion and trends of our parents as teens. This will surely make you time travel to the world of American teenagers in the '70s.

So, which one's your favourite?

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Mahabharat: The iconic 'Cheer Haran' scene leaves netizens in awe!

By www.mid-day.com
Published On :: 21 Apr 2020 05:34:03 GMT

In the recent episode of Mahabharat, which is clearly enjoying a fantastic or should we say a historic re-run on television, the viewers got to witness what became the reason for the Mahabharat- The Cheer Haran of Draupadi! For all those who saw this iconic moment on television or rather experienced and felt it, the memories can never get wiped out, and for those who witnessed it for the first time, were left in awe and had goosebumps!

Taking to their Twitter accounts, the netizens couldn't stop hailing the way the scene was staged, the actors performed, and the manner in which the entire drama unfolded. A user wrote about Roopa Ganguly, who played Draupadi, that nobody can become a better Draupadi than her.

Have a look right here:

Another user wrote- "GOOSEBUMPS while watching Shri Krishna protecting Draupadi during Cheer Harana. My blood boiled to see how everyone stood mute & did nothing to protect her dignity." (sic):

Someone else stated- "Nitish Krishna was just 23 years old when he casted to play Krishna's role in this epic seriel. just like Ramayana this show had aleo broken many recored and people used to leave all important work to watch this. wonderfully played role by him big salute." (sic):

It was time for another appreciation tweet, a user wrote- "Shree Krishna was the only man who saved Draupadi Chirharan. Vidur and vikran(young brother of Duryodhan) was the other two men who tried to stop Chirharan. Also, Rupali nailed it. No one can play the role of Draupadi better than her." (sic):

We are slowly gearing towards the episodes that will give us an insight into how the entire battle of the Mahabharat unfolded and the sheer audacity and scale that the makers managed to bring on the screen back when there was barely any technology and visual effects at their disposal. Some more goose-flesh moments await the viewers!

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Corona Warriors: Doctor treating COVID-19 patient returns home to thunderous applause and cheer

By www.mid-day.com
Published On :: 4 May 2020 06:00:34 GMT

At a time when the country is reeling under the Lockdown 3.0 phase, a viral video of a doctor returning home after treating COVID-19 patients is winning hearts for all the right reasons. The video, which has gone viral now was shared by BJP Karnataka's official Twitter handle with their 3 lakh 50 thousand followers.

In the 39-seconds video clip, a woman doctor identified as Vijayashree can be seen given a standing ovation and welcomed home by her neighbours amid thunderous applause and cheers as she returns after her COVID-19 duty. While sharing the video, BJP Karnataka wrote, "This is how the residents of an Apartment in Namma Bengaluru honoured Dr Vijayashree who returned home after treating #COVID patients. Let us respect and appreciate the great services rendered by Our Doctors."

The viral video shows Dr. Viajyshree entering her society after a long time as she was equipped with COVID-19 duty and treating coronavirus patients at the hsopital. In the video, Dr. Vijayshree can be seen entering her residential apartment as her neighbours and society members throng to their balconies to welcome her amid thunderous appaluse and cheer.

M Goutham Kumar, Mayor of Bengaluru also shared the video and informed that Dr. Vijayshree is treating COVID-19 patients at MS Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, situated in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Since being shared online, the video has garnered over 15,000 views with hundreds of netizens lauding the doctor for her selfless commitment towards the country amid the COVID-19 crisis.

One user wrote, "May be this is the awesome moment of her life. Great work," while another user commented, "Dr. Vijayashree is the real hero for the front line of COVID-19," A third user said, "They are the real warriors...BIG SALUTE...!" While thanking the Dr. Vijayshree, a fourth user stated, "What a feeling...Goosebumps! Really awesome!"

Here's how netizens reacted to the video:

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Twitterati share their cooking fails to cheer nine-year-old girl up after she messed up her dish

By www.mid-day.com
Published On :: 25 Apr 2020 11:00:37 GMT

If you love to cook or bake, you put your heart and soul into the dish, with a hope that it will turn out to be delicious. But if it does not turn out as expected you would feel disheartened. The young girl went through the same, who tried a hand at baking and messed up the dish. Her mother turned to Twitter and asked users to share their cooking fails that helped her to cheer up.

When author and mother of four Shannon Hale tweeted, “My 9yo is in tears because she tried to bake something new and messed up. She thinks this means she can’t be a baker now”, and asked people to share their cooking experiences that flopped, the twitterati was quick to respond and make the girl feel better.

Hale’s tweet has garnered more than 11,000 likes and was retweeted 667 times. Many users commenting on the posts shared their epic cooking fails alongwith the pictures of their messed-up dishes to cheer the girl up.

What do you think about the post?

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Trump cheers as anti-lockdown protests spread

By www.ft.com
Published On :: Mon, 20 Apr 2020 02:44:59 GMT

Conservative activists vow to step up street demonstrations against business closings


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Review: Apple’s cheap and cheerful iPhone SE

By feedproxy.google.com
Published On :: Wed, 22 Apr 2020 13:01:21 +0000

It’s admittedly difficult to have a comparative conversation about the iPhone SE. This device isn’t really in the same neighborhood as the iPhone 11, even though it’s furnished with the same plush carpeting and fluffy armchairs. The iPhone SE is a value offering. Even though I will use comparatives throughout this piece to help put […]


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Joanne Froggatt looks cheery as she promotes series two of Liar alongside Katherine Kelly

By www.dailymail.co.uk
Published On :: Fri, 28 Feb 2020 00:47:38 GMT

Joanne Froggatt promoted series two of Liar alongside co-star Katherine Kelly in London on Thursday, in her first public appearance since announcing her split from husband James Cannon.


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Eugenie Bouchard sparks rumours she's dating Nick Kyrgios after cheering him on at Wimbledon

By www.dailymail.co.uk
Published On :: Fri, 05 Jul 2019 07:34:43 GMT

Keen observers noticed Bouchard - who was eliminated in the first round of the ladies singles - chose to side with Kyrgios during his second round grudge match against Rafael Nadal.


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Pitch Perfect co-stars Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow cheer on Serena Williams at US Open

By www.dailymail.co.uk
Published On :: Mon, 02 Sep 2019 07:20:02 GMT

Kendrick and Snow starred together in the 2012 film Pitch Perfect, which followed a disgraced all-women's collegiate a cappella group as they fought to win nationals and fix their reputations.


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