http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/universe-explained-exurb1a_us_574af748e4b03ede44151243

Thanks to the generosity of SoapBox, I was able to put some signs in my windows, and now I have a sign next to the sidewalk!

See?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/saltwater-brewery-edible-six-pack-rings-beer-plastic-marine-life_us_573b796ce4b0ef86171c5fe4?

There is also a video that shows how it works, embedded in the story.

An excerpt:

A craft beer company has brewed up a brilliant idea.

Saltwater Brewery in Delray Beach, Florida, has created edible six-pack rings that feed, rather than kill, marine life if the rings end up in the ocean and an animal happens to eat it. The rings are created from beer by-products during the brewing process such as barley and wheat and are completely safe for humans and fish to eat.

The rings are also 100 percent biodegradable and compostable, which just ups the product’s sustainability game.

The brand says that the innovative design is as resistant and efficient as plastic packaging. The only drawback is that edible six-pack rings are more expensive to produce. But the company hopes that customers will be willing to pay a little more in order to help the environment and animal life.

“It’s a big investment for a small brewery created by fisherman, surfers and people that love the sea,” Peter Agardy, head of brand at Saltwater Brewery, said in the below video.

The brand also believes that if more breweries hop on this bandwagon, prices may go down. If more companies invested in the technology, production cost would go down and edible rings would become competitive with plastic ones, saving marine lives ­— which is desperately needed.

A well-written look at today's health care mess:

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-jones-healthcare-buyer-beware-20160508-story.html



A good friend of mine recently found herself between jobs, with a gap in her health insurance and a recurrence of her kidney stones. What she needed were fluids and pain relief, fast. I'm a gastroenterologist, and hoping to minimize the financial impact, I went with her to our local ER and had a conversation with the attending physician. Maybe we could pass on the CT scan and extraneous lab work?

The attending was in her room for less than two minutes and never examined her. But the CT scan and blood work were ordered. My friend received intravenous fluids (about $1 worth), pain meds (about $5 worth of dilaudid), and a $10,000 bill from the hospital. To add insult to injury, the bill from the ER attending was for service at the highest billable level.

My friend had the good sense and gumption to call the ER group's practice manager to point out that billing at that level was fraudulent. The ER group had the good sense to reduce the bill by half.

Here it is: ♥



How to make it? First hold down the ALT key, and then hold down the 3 on your number pad. When you let go, the heart will appear!

Someone on another website showed me.

♥

And it also works in the thread title!