Author: Matt Gilligan

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Americans Share the Most Absurd Medical Bill They Ever Received

Healthcare is on many people’s mind these days, and the 2020 election is full of ideas on how to take our broken system and hopefully improve it.

Senator Bernie Sanders is and has been passionate about the topic for much of his career, and is championing a controversial Medicare for All plan that would see the end of private insurance offerings for good.

Regardless of what you think about Medicare for All, I’m sure we can all agree that healthcare costs are too damn high, and something has to be done.

Recently on Twitter, he asked his followers to share the most absurd medical bill they ever got in the mail, and you guys.

They delivered.

 

20. Always decline the ambulance ride.

19. Nobody should be worrying about the bill.

18. Yeah, that’s not a choice.

17. This one might win for most ridiculous.

16. I’m not sure that’s really science.

15. Heartbreaking AND absurd.

14. A whole new level of insult to injury.

13. We need equal opportunity healing.

12. I’ll bring my own Band-Aid.

11. Only the rich get to live.

10. I mean what else can you do?

9. It would be funny if it wasn’t so infuriating.

8. Answer: hardly anyone.

7. That’s a pretty penny for stuff you could have gotten at Walgreens.

6. You need a surgeon for that?

5. That’s a pretty high price for wielding a pair of tweezers for under 5 minutes.

4. Kidney stones are the worst and if $16k would help, I would have paid it.

3. I think they’re billing the wrong person.

2. Everyone should have a problem with this.

1. What on earth does most of that even mean?

 

I’m not here to discuss politics, but I think we can all agree that most of these are pretty darn silly.

If you were running for president, how would you solve the problem of rising healthcare costs, access to care, care for veterans, and all the rest?

There’s no easy answer, of course, but give it a go!

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A Man Brought an ‘Emotional Support Clown’ to a Meeting Where He Knew He Was Gonna Get Fired

This might be the best story of 2019 so far.

The emotional support animal craze has officially gone from “weird” to “terrifying”.

A man in New Zealand brought a professional clown to a layoff meeting at work, claiming that it was his emotional support person.

Joshua Thompson worked at an advertising company in Auckland. He was recently called in for a serious meeting with his bosses. Sensing bad news, he opted to bring a clown to, uh, brighten up the event.

Employees in New Zealand are allowed by law to bring a support person to layoff meetings, but a clown is surely a first!

“I thought it’s best to bring in a professional and so I paid $200 and hired a clown,” Joshua told MediaWorks. “I mean I did get fired, but apart from that it was all smooth running.”

A while ago, I got a job. A short while later, I lost it. For anyone who hasn’t been fired, what happens is they…

Posted by Joshua Jack on Thursday, September 12, 2019

During the meeting, the clown blew up balloons and folded them into animals, including a unicorn and a poodle. He even mimed crying when Joshua got his paperwork.

“It was rather noisy him making balloon animals so we had to tell him to be quiet from time to time,” he said.

Joshua paid $200 for the clown, who is reportedly one of the best in the city. He says the presence of the clown didn’t jeopardize the meeting at all.

“They were getting a free service, they were also getting the entertainment from Joe the Clown,” he said.

The adman has spoken about what unfolded when he took a professional clown – as a support person – to his restructuring meeting. ?

Posted by nzherald.co.nz on Friday, September 13, 2019

Joshua has now gone viral for this cheeky move.

And in a classic maneuver, since losing his job, he’s obtained another job in advertising in Australia—possibly with the assistance of his new viral fame.

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Mark Hamill Granted a Teenage Boy His Dying Wish to Meet Luke Skywalker

This is a great story.

A teenage boy’s dying wish to meet Luke Skywalker came true, thanks to actor Mark Hamill.

Eight years ago, 17-year-old John Sikorra was terminally ill with Batten’s disease. A huge Star Wars fan, John desperately wanted to meet Luke Skywalker before he passed away. So his parents reached out to the only person they knew in the film industry for help, screenwriter Ed Solomon.

Ed shared the touching story of what happened next on Twitter.

Ed reached out to the agent of Mark Hamill, aka the real-life Luke Skywalker. Ed told the agent all about John’s dying wish.

“The agent begrudgingly said he’d call Mark, but also said not to get my hopes up. 90 seconds later I got a call from @HamillHimself, who immediately said yes and gave me his home address,” Ed wrote.

“He not only met with the boy, but spent hours answering question after question (sometimes the same ones repeatedly), AS ‘Luke.’”

Because of his state of mind, John’s short-term memory was faulty, and he couldn’t easily differentiate between “Hamill the person and Luke Skywalker the character.” But Mark was patient and kind with the young boy, according to John’s father Joe.

“It was one of those beautiful experiences,” Joe told The Hollywood Reporter. “It is very humbling, this disease. You have got to let go of your normal expectations for you and your kids and family. In the midst of struggle and tragedy, it was those points of connection that make you feel loved and less isolated. Mark was very kind, ‘No rush, my time is your time.’”

Photo Credit: Star Wars

John passed away at just 23 years old in 2015. Years later, this story is still making people tear up. Rest in peace, John! May the force be with you.

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This Year’s Annual Running of the Wieners Was a Huge Hit

I need to do this next year.

The Oktoberfest celebration in Cincinnati, Ohio – Oktoberfest Zinzinnati – is one of the biggest Oktoberfest celebrations outside of Germany. More than 500,000 people attend the three-day event, and around 100 of them bring their dachshunds along for the ride.

Every year, the “Running of the Wieners” kicks off the event – it’s 100 dachshunds dressed in hot dog costumes running to compete to see who’s the fastest wiener dog in the Midwest.

The dogs compete in 10 heats that all last 75 feet (or about 5 seconds) apiece. The winner of each heat advances to the final round and then runs in a final heat to determine the overall winner.

But let’s be honest – anyone who gets to see this in person is a winner.

This year Maple, a one-year-old dachshund with long hair took the crown.

Leo and Bucky placed second and third.

Maple’s owner told the local news that Maple is just one of 5 dachshunds in the family, and he learned to run fast by chasing the others around the yard.

If you head to Cincinnati next year to witness this amazing spectacle for yourself, you can also stick around and treat yourself to the World’s Largest Chicken Dance.

I honestly can’t think of a better place (outside Bavaria, of course) to spend your Oktoberfest days.

Can you?

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A Man Was Tested and Has the Oldest American DNA Ever Recorded

A lot of us who have sent in our DNA to be tested are expecting results that tell us where we came from before our ancestors immigrated to America – if our families have been here a very long time (since the “beginning”), then perhaps we’ve been on American soil for 7 or 8 generations.

My own family came here on the Mayflower, but, obviously, folks met us when we arrived.

When Montana native Darrell “Dusty” Crawford sent in his DNA at his late brother’s request, he was expecting to find Native American heritage. His family lived on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Heart Butte, and their oral traditions were that they came to North America during the Ice Age, perhaps over the Bering Land Bridge.

What the DNA company, CRI Genetics, found, though was something far, far more incredible.

The results, they said, were so unprecedented it was “like finding Bigfoot.”

Crawford’s line could be followed back 55 generations.

The company has never traced anyone’s DNA back that far, making his the oldest American DNA ever found.

The DNA also indicates that the Crawfords’ ancestors came from the Pacific, not over the land bridge, settling in South America before traveling north. Though it’s still just a theory, it is one that has some science behind it.

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Browning is built on a vast open prairie, backlit by the jagged skyline of the Rocky Mountain Range. Cattle, horses and dogs roam freely. Cheap, wind-worn houses are scattered along rolling hills, amidst tall grass and endless fields of wheat. The gas station north of town also serves as a convenience store, grocery, restaurant and gift shop—teeming with residents of the reservation and a few passers by. In this place the historical consequences of an institutionalized doctrine of manifest destiny are palpable—boundless westward expansion by white settlers and the subjugation of the American Indian having generational effects. Further into town I find the Sleeping Wolf Campground. I lay on the grass and am both cooled by the steady winds and warmed by the eternal sun. #sleepingwolfcampground #browning #blackfeetindianreservation #blackfeet #montana #rockymountains #horses #prairie #roam #ontheroam #manifestdestiny #westwardexpansion #subjugation #bicycletouring #sleepingwolf More at www.tecumsehclark.com

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There are four major Native American groups that populated North America, each of which trace back to a female ancestor – Ai, Ina, Chie, and Sachi. Crawford and his family hail from the Ina clan, or the mtDNA Haplogroup B2, and CRI genetics isn’t sure how that particular line migrated around the world.

“Its path from the Americas is somewhat of a mystery as there are no frequencies of the haplogroup in either Alaska or Canada. Today this Native American line is found only in the Americas, with a strong frequency on the eastern coast of North America.”

Other experts, like professor Shelley Eli, dismisses the idea that this or any other Native American line migrated to the Americas from elsewhere at all, since their oral histories and indigenous histories cite nothing of the sort.

“There’s no oral stories that say we crossed a bridge or anything else. We’ve always been here, since time immemorial.”

She gets her information from 2017 research that dated human activity in North America back more than 100,000 years.

The truth isn’t likely to be uncovered any time soon, but Crawford’s results remain an important moment for the scientific community. Before his tests came back, the oldest American DNA was 17,000 years younger than Crawford’s, and with new information comes the opportunity for better understanding.

As for Crawford himself, it’s a personal validation that what his family has always believed is true.

He does wish, though, that he and his brother could have marveled in that reality together.

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Scientists Believe Drinking IPAs Could Negatively Impact Male Virility

Guys, listen up.

If you prefer more hops in your beer and you’re a dude, well…there may be some side effects that go along with enjoying your favorite brew.

And no, it’s not just the extra calories.

India Pale Ales have a signature, bitter flavor that comes from hops, and hops contain a plant-based form of estrogen called phytoestrogen.

And scientists believe that phytoestrogen could cause men to develop man boobs and also (oops) erectile dysfunction.

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Review 1992 – Even More Cowbell – Lervig / Amundsen – India Pale Ale – ABV 7.5% – Can from Systembolaget – "The most hops per litre ever used in Scandinavia. 50 gr/litre". This first statement could very much be true, I have no idea, but the main question is if it's even good with that crazy amount of hops? I may be a bit colored in my review, but I am a sucker for hops, it's as simple as that. Aroma is pretty light and malty despite the hops used here. Also citrus, grapefruits and pineapple spring to mind. I feared a massive hop burn in the taste, but that isn't the case. It does carry a light, hars note and a touch of salmiac, but it's still fruity and tropical sweet. Quite "milky" and murky in the taste, but fruity and tasty overall. There is a slight harsher sting in the end, but I think it doesn't go overboard. Interesting but maybe not worth the money in that sense? 50 gr per litre also mean the same amount in price increase. 4.0/5.0 #lervig #amundsen #evenmorecowbell #indiapaleale #hopexplosion #norwegiancraftbeer #craftcans #casksweden #thebeernation #hopmaestro #drinkitlikeyoumeanit

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They’re calling it “Brewer’s Droop,” which…I’m not sure that’s going to stick.

A team of researchers from Columbia and Spain wrote about the condition in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

“It does not seem to be just a temporary problem, because erectile ability was still affected after a year and, according to the results, did not seem likely to improve just with alcohol abstinence.”

Stephen Herrod Buhner, herbalist and author, warned in Vice that too much phytoestrogen in men can cause hormonal imbalances that could cause a condition called gynecomastia (enlarged breasts).

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Jaipur IPA от @thornbridge – пиво, обросшее признанием и наградами. По культовости сравнимо, пожалуй, с Punk IPA. Кстати, впервые оно было сварено в 2005 году сооснователем Brewdog Мартином Дики, который в то время работал на пивоварне Thornbridge. На тапке ни одного чекина от френдов и общая оценка 3,66. Тот случай, когда на невысокий рейтинг не обращаешь внимания, хочется же прикоснуться к истории:) . Это пиво из прошлого, каноничный американский IPA. Сейчас оно удивляет разве что очень светлым соломенным цветом. Хороший хмелевой букет из старых-добрых Chinook, Centennial, Ahtanum, Simcoe, Columbus и Cascade, достойная для 5,9% плотность, уверенная горечь, цитрусы, сосна, мед, пряности. Сбалансированное, легко пьющееся пиво, являющее собой лайт-версию современных мощных, ярких ипашек. 14 лет назад на заре крафтовой революции в Великобритании оно, вероятно, было откровением. Сейчас же какая-нибудь условная Прачка рвет его в клочья. Баночка подуставшая, майская. Ценник 170 р. в Пив&Ко на Вайнера. #thornbridge #jaipur #ipa #jaipuripa #indiapaleale #ипа #americanipa

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“From long-term exposure to the estrogenic properties of hops, they eventually have difficulty sustaining an erection.”

On the upside, hops also contain a substance called xanthohumol, which some believe has antiviral, anti-clotting, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor properties (according to Dr. Andrew Weil). Hops have been used since ancient times to promote sleep, too, and if you’re a woman (especially over a certain age), a little extra estrogen could be just what the doctor ordered.

There are pros and cons when it comes to most things in life, and I mean, man boobs never hurt anyone.

What I’m saying is that if you love hops, well, enjoy your beer.

You like what you like, right?

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15 Celebrities Who Got Insulted on ‘Between Two Ferns’

I love this guy…

Between Two Ferns: The Movie starring Zach Galifianakis is now on Netflix, and by all accounts it’s pretty hilarious.

If you’ve ever seen the Between Two Ferns show on Funny or Die, you probably already know what you’re in for: hilarious, uncomfortable interviews with big Hollywood stars.

I love it!

Here are 15 times celebrities got burned on the show.

1. Brad Pitt

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

2. Michael Cera

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

3. Benedict Cumberbatch

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

4. Justin Bieber

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

5. Bruce Willis

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

6. Jerry Seinfeld

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

7. Hailee Steinfeld

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

8. Conan O’Brien

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

9. Jon Hamm

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

10. Chance the Rapper

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

11. Steve Carell

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

12. James Franco

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

13. Matthew McConaughey

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

14. Keanu Reeves

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

15. Lastly, don’t mess with Obama.

Photo Credit: Funny or Die

Genius! Now go watch Between Two Ferns: The Movie and report back with your review!

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People Share the Things That Make Them Get Furious with Other People

I try to be positive and be kind to everyone, but man, sometimes people really get on my nerves and I can’t help but get incredibly annoyed at them.

Hey, I’m working on it, okay?

Hopefully, these AskReddit users, are as well, because they are pretty fired up about people right now.

1. Turn on your signal!

“When people slow down as soon as they cut in front onto your lane on the highway. Worst is when they do it with no blinkers.”

2. Before you accuse me…

“When people twist the truth and accuse you of things you didn’t do and people side with them.”

3. I said ‘no’!

“People who can’t take “no” for an answer and will push you to agree/accept what they say.

People who can’t accept criticism when they fuck up and affect other people’s lives.

People who can’t have a discussion where they are being told a fact and they disprove it because “back in the day…” or authority arguments should always win.

It teaches you some hardcore patience when you have to deal with people like these on the daily.”

4. I would be LIVID.

“My dog ran away 5 days ago and I’ve been posting on every website trying to find him. Someone posted him as FOUND yesterday and SOMEONE ELSE CLAIMED HIM. Had to contact the police to help me finally get him back after 5 hours of headache because the person that found him blocked me and they were only trying to cooperate after the Facebook group that originally thought he was returned to his rightful owner put them on blast for stealing my dog. People fucking suck man.”

5. Just admit it.

“When they did something obviously wrong and still openly denies it.”

6. There’s a lot of this going around.

“People who abuse their power and get away with it scot free.”

7. Clean up after yourself.

“People who say “Oh it’s their job to clean up after me” or “I’m making sure that they’re still employed” as an excuse for not cleaning up after themselves in public.

Like NO.

You don’t leave a soda spilled everywhere and then not even attempt to clean it up.

You don’t leave rolls and rolls of toilet paper all over the floor in the bathroom.

You don’t leave bags of popcorn and drinks and popcorn all over a theater floor and seats.

Take responsibility.

Clean. Up. Your. Mess.”

8. Sketchy folks everywhere.

“People that find the utmost joy in saying nasty shit behind others back.

Either that or people that plot on other peoples demise, you know like sit there and watch them make a mistake only to use it against them for their own personal gain when they could have just helped them in the first place.”

9. One of my biggest pet peeves.

“People who litter. Especially when there is a bin literally a metre away.”

10. That was supposed to be private.

“When a coworker decides to “correct” me by sending a passive aggressive email and copying the boss and the whole group instead of just saying something to me privately and in person.”

11. A huge red flag.

“People being assholes to servers/hosts at a restaurant.”

12. Put it back where it belongs.

“People who don’t return their grocery cart. Like, who do you think you are?”

13. Amen to this one.

“People who mistreat animals. I just can’t fathom the mindset that enables someone to hurt truly innocent creatures.”

14. I totally don’t understand this phenomenon.

“Youtube/Instagram/social media “influencers” who make a living off being an obnoxious piece of shit, with thousands/millions of mindless drones rooting them on, buying their merch, giving them advertising power, and imitating them.

And to clarify, I’m not talking about all “influencers”, I’m specifically talking about ones who harass, annoy, and distress people (usually completely random bystanders), cause drama, and have a mindless legion of followers who support it all the way.”

15. A sad sight, indeed.

“Graffiti on historical monuments/buildings.”

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15 Powerful Portraits of Ellis Island Immigrants

Ellis Island was the point of entry for millions of immigrants arriving in the United States between 1892 and 1954. Opening day on January 1, 1892, saw the entry of 17-year-old Annie Moore from Cork, Ireland. She was the first of 700 people that day who would step off ships, pass through the checkpoints on the island and start their new lives in America.

Wealthy passengers in first and second class were examined onboard their ships before getting sent on their way. Poor passengers were considered more likely to become a burden on the state. They had to undergo medical and legal examinations on the island for hours before their release. Those that were detained had to wait for money or for someone to come and collect them. One of the factors that allowed immigrants to stay was if they had some money on them and a place to stay.

Immigrants from certain countries were considered more desirable. People from Northern and Western Europe, for example, had fewer problem with entry. Then, in the 1920s, there was a limit placed on the number of Southern and Eastern Europeans allowed entry.

Amateur photographer Augustus Sherman worked as the Chief Registry Clerk on Ellis Island from 1892 until 1925. During his tenure, he took amazing photos of detainees in their traditional clothes as they were waiting for final clearances.

Many were turned away.

1. Hungarian Gypsies, all of whom were deported.

Photo Credit: Flickr

2. Group photograph of newly-arrived immigrants in native costumes, some with turbans, some with fezzes.

Photo Credit: Flickr

3. Scottish boys

Photo Credit: Flickr

4. Dutch woman.

Photo Credit: Flickr

5. Alsace-Lorraine girl.

Photo Credit: Flickr

6. Bavarian man.

Photo Credit: Flickr

7. Guadeloupean woman.

Photo Credit: Flickr

8. Danish man.

Photo Credit: Flickr

9. Bavarian man.

Photo Credit: Flickr

10. German stowaway.

Photo Credit: Flickr

11. Girl from Rattvik, province of Dalarna, Sweden.

Photo Credit: Flickr

12. Norwegian woman.

Photo Credit: Flickr

13. Lapland children, possibly from Sweden.

Photo Credit: Flickr

14. Laplander.

Photo Credit: Flickr

15. Russian Cossacks.

Photo Credit: Flickr

There exists approximately 97 portraits of people from around the world proudly wearing traditional clothing and sitting for their portrait as they waited to become residents of the United States. For more of these beautiful images, see Flickr Creative Commons. All images are housed by the New York Public Library.

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People Seem to Agree on One Thing: No One Wants a Remake of ‘The Princess Bride’

America is united! About this at least…

Cary Elwes, who played Wesley in the iconic movie The Princess Bride, had a response to the idea of its remake. “There’s a shortage of perfect movies in this world. It would be a pity to damage this one.”

Photo Credit: Buttercup Films

Sony Pictures CEO, Tony Vinciquerra, had casually mentioned the idea to Variety for a Norman Lear profile piece. Lear was the executive producer of the famed movie that starred Elwes, along with Robin Wright who starred as Princess Buttercup.

Vinciquerra told Variety, “We have so many people coming to us saying, ‘We want to remake this show or that show.’ Very famous people whose names I won’t use, but they want to redo ‘The Princess Bride.’”

The off-hand comment created a commotion on Twitter. Made in 1987, The Princess Bride began trending as the social network users expressed their dismay. Elwes altered one of his famous lines and tweeted his thoughts that it was already the “perfect movie.”

Actor Jamie Lee Curtis, now married to another of the film’s stars, Christopher Guest, tweeted her indignation.

But the best tweets came from fans and celebrities who used lines from the movie to show their outrage. Clearly, they are prepared to defend The Princess Bride to the death.

People tweeted movie memes.

Simply put, the very idea of The Princess Bride remake is…

Any movie that can make both women and men cry at the end needs to remain untouched. Drop it, Sony Films. In the words of the Ancient Booer, “Boo, boo, boo.”

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