Anyone know what kind of health insurance Hobby Lobby offered before the ACA?

My guess is that they didn't offer any, or else it was such a lousy policy none of the store clerks bought it. (Of course, I'm also guessing that the execs had a great plan!)

My discussions about Hobby Lobby on various web sites is already having an effect -

I'm getting pop-up ads for Hobby Lobby.

"Should Saying Someone Is 'Off The Reservation' Be Off-Limits?

"Off the reservation is a common phrase, which many people use without considering the context of its original meaning. Namely, that Native American peoples were restricted to reservations created by the U.S. government, and their freedom was severely limited by the terms of the treaties they were often forced to sign."

http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2014/06/29/326690947/should-saying-someone-is-off-the-reservation-be-off-limits

Apologies if someone already posted this.

I think this is another case of a commonly used phrase that has meanings most people are unaware of and/or never consider.

Lest anyone think this is a case of too much political correctness, consider the meaning of "paddy wagon".

If Hobby Lobby is a church,

why is it closed on Sunday mornings?

Why the Ebola outbreak in Africa should concern us all:

In the past, it was possible to swoop down and end Ebola outbreaks by breaking the chain of infection. Since the disease apparently spreads only with intimate contact with bodily fluids, this involved isolating anyone who was exposed and taking special precautions to protect anyone in contact with patients. Each time the virus has jumped species, it has been stamped out among humans.

This time around, families have concealed illness among their loved ones in order to nurse the sick and properly bury the dead. People have been exposed to the virus and then traveled to their home in another location. This means that more and more people across scattered locations are becoming infected.

Viruses mutate. Ebola now kills most of its victims. However, the more humans it infects, the higher the possibility that a mutant version that doesn't kill quickly and/or spreads more easily appears. The form of the virus that does the best job of spreading among humans is the one that will survive and dominate. The more people with Ebola today, the higher the risk that this will happen.

Measles is a disease that jumped species; the original virus causes rinderpest in cattle and other even-toed ungulates. There is concern that small pox began as a pox disease in another species before it jumped to humans, and that that mutation could reoccur. Ebola could add itself to the list at any time.

The KFC hoax - is it getting attention because it distracts from the pit bulls

who bit the girl?

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/16/us/kfc-dog-mauling/

I'm sure there are many sweet, gentle pit bulls out there. But there is no way in the world that I am willing to walk into a rescue shelter and take one home. Apparently, many people agree with me because over half the dogs at local shelters are pit bulls.

Please don't tell me that a given dog is really a terrier or American bulldog or boxer or whatever. People can pick out the dogs descended from those bred to fight regardless of what they are called. (Odd isn't it, whenever one attacks, it's not really a pit bull!)

FWIW, I will never adopt a cocker spaniel, either, They were over bred back in the 50's and still have a reputation for suddenly biting people for no apparent reason. I would think very carefully before adopting an Irish setter; most of the ones I've seen are too high strung for my family. A greyhound retired from racing? I live on a busy road and would be afraid the dog would get out, run and be hit by a car. A border collie? It wouldn't be fair to the dog - I don't have the time to keep one busy. It's time to face facts and realize that while all humans are the same despite superficial differences in skin and hair, but that different breeds of dogs are different breeds precisely because of different characteristics in looks and behavior!

Mineral water - I've been on a business trip to Germany and have gotten

hooked on mineral water - either "still" or "with gas". I drink more of it than I ever did of tap water and enjoy the calorie free flavor that is not going to rot or etch my teeth. (I love water with lemon, but am afraid of what the acid might do to my teeth.)

So, any suggestions for flavoring tap water?

What I learned on E-Bay:

1. Many of the items treasured by my mother and aunts (Waterford, Belleek) are available for a fraction of what they cost when I was a child.

2. Many of these items are still in the original box, "brand-new - never used".

3. The time to enjoy your treasured item is now - use it or someone else will after you're dead.

Who are the Americans in the Green Zone? Why are they there?

Who do they work for? How many are there?

Silent thread for Eric Cantor's primary loss: