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Sunday, March 28, 2021

The Covid Stimulus Bill: What You Need to Know

 


The Covid Stimulus Bill: What You Need to Know
What’s in Washington’s newly passed stimulus bill, how it affects you, and what the pundits are saying about it.
Pocket Collections
Alex Dalenberg

President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan into law on March 11, a sprawling stimulus package intended to address the economic damage of the coronavirus pandemic. There’s a lot to unpack. The bill, which is more than twice the size of the 2009 stimulus package, is one of the most ambitious expansions of the U.S. social safety net in decades. The American Rescue Plan includes direct checks for most Americans, expanded unemployment and healthcare benefits, and aid for state and local governments.

So far, the bill enjoys overwhelming bipartisan support among the public—with 70 percent overall approval among Americans, including 41 percent of Republican voters. Nevertheless, the American Rescue Plan passed along party-lines, with no Republicans in Congress voting for it. Republicans have criticized the bill as expensive and wasteful, arguing that many of its provisions are too poorly targeted. Many progressives were disappointed the final bill did not include a $15 minimum wage hike.

Here’s what you need to know about what’s in the American Rescue Plan, how it will affect you, and what it means for Washington during the Biden presidency.
What’s in the Bill?



President Joe Biden’s COVID Stimulus Bill Explained in 6 ChartsLedyard King and Javier ZarracinaUSA Today

Biden’s COVID-19 bill is more than just $1,400 stimulus checks. It also includes an expansion of Obamacare and billions to distribute the vaccine.Save


What’s in Congress’s $1.9 Trillion Covid Bill: Checks, Unemployment Insurance and More
Rachel SiegelThe Washington Post

A rundown on child tax credits, aid to local governments, school support, housing assistance and more.Save
How Will it Affect Me?


How Much Will Your Stimulus Check Be?
Katie Lobosco and Sean O'KeyCNN

Roughly 90 percent of American households are eligible for aid. Use this calculator to see what you can expect to get.Save


How You Can Benefit from the Stimulus Bill, From Checks to Healthcare to Tax Credits and MoreNick VadalaPhiladelphia Inquirer

Congress has passed the long-awaited $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package known as the American Rescue Plan Act. But what benefits are you eligible for? We broke it down.Save


F.A.Q. on Stimulus, Unemployment and Tax RebatesRon Lieber and Tara Siegel BernardThe New York Times

Personal finance reporters answer your questions.Save
What’s the Debate?


Biden’s COVID-Relief Bill Is a Big F**king DealEric LevitzNew York

The law could plausibly mark a leftward realignment in American policymaking, at least if Biden & Co. continue to govern in its spirit.Save


How to Waste More Than a Trillion DollarsRobert P. O’QuinnNational Review


Never has such a massive policy as the president’s ‘stimulus’ package come at a time that is more inconsistent with economic reason.Save


The Stimulus Is Only the StartAdam DavidsonThe New Yorker

When Joe Biden signed the COVID stimulus bill into law, he insured a better year ahead. But it will not dramatically ease inequality.Save


Stimulus Spending Might Do Nothing But Add More DebtRamesh PonnuruBloomberg

Stop obsessing about inflation and consider a more likely scenario.Save


Five Things The COVID-19 Bill Revealed About How Washington Will Work In The Biden Era
Perry Bacon Jr.FiveThirtyEight


It’s only the second bill Biden has signed into law and likely to be one of the most significant. So let’s look at what we learned from the process of enacting this legislation.Save
More Pocket Collections



What are SPACs?: 5 Articles That Explain Wall Street’s Latest Obsession


The wild world of “special purpose acquisition companies.”Save





How was it? Save stories you love and never lose them.

This post originally appeared on Pocket Collections and was published March 12, 2021. This article is republished here with permission.

This Osprey Land Rover Conversion Brings Retro Ruggedness to Overlanding

 You can never go wrong with a classic, they say. Osprey Custom Cars knows this only too well, as it should: it’s a shop that specializes in Land Rover restorations.

This Osprey Land Rover Conversion Brings Retro Ruggedness to Overlanding

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We’re now in the second year of restrictions of all kinds, due to the ongoing health crisis. The year 2020 brought with it a lot of unexpected changes, from the way we socialize and work, to the way we eat and travel, and how we define personal hygiene. It’s been tough (and it will probably continue to be so for another while), but many of us have found escapism in the great outdoors and local tourism.

One of the few upsides to this terrible, collective experience has been that we’ve been forced to rediscover the joys of nature, of traveling on land by car, camper, RV, bikes, and everything else in between. Sales of these vehicles have consequently boomed, but that doesn’t mean that you have to go for the newest and shiniest thing in order to get your money’s worth.

You could always go for a classic.

As noted above, Osprey specializes in Land Rover restorations and, for their latest project, they chose a 1990 Defender 130, a camper. It is now being listed for sale on eBay for a hair under $100,000, which is less than other Osprey conversions but more than other entries on the market sold as new.

But for this kind of money, you get a reliable, sturdy vehicle that offers the most basic amenities with a very healthy side serving of retro ruggedness.

For some, it might just be the hottest selling point.

This Osprey Land Rover conversion has already traveled to four continents and, according to the listing, it is now ready for the next chapter. Osprey made sure that it is: it includes everything you need for camping, from a bed to sleep in, a place to store and cook your food, and plenty of storage. It doesn’t allow for glamping (the glamorous version of camping), but then again, you’re driving a Defender. You’re probably not the kind who glamps either way.

“The size of the truck makes it great for getting out in the woods, but still small enough to park it in a grocery store parking lot,” the listing notes. It also allows to pack everything you need in, and still leave some room for wiggling around. You get a queen-size bed in the pop-up, well ventilated side tent, which converts into a dining area when you’re not catching Zs. There’s a slide-out kitchen in the back, with an oven, a sink and a refrigerator. You have a water heater and extra storage for a large propane tank to use it, along with storage for two more diesel fuel tanks.

Osprey’s custom work on it includes converting it from right-hand drive to left-hand drive, replacing the tenting materials, restoring the original camper shell, and just as importantly, dropping in a new 300Tdi 2.5-liter four-cylinder diesel engine paired to a late-model R380 5 speed manual transmission. A new transfer case, drive shafts, radiator, shocks and springs, and chunky BFG all-terrain tires are also on the list of upgrades mentioned in the listing, as are a front winch bumper, brushguard and a new winch with synthetic rope line.

While onboard amenities are basic, this retro camper comes with new air-conditioning and a stereo. Up top, you get extra storage room for stuff like bikes or surfboards.

The Land Rover camper is listed as $99,950 or best offer, and is offered with a full history of servicing. If you know yourself in the market for a camper to help you get away from it all, you still have 19 days to ponder this option.

Survive the End of Times in Luxury With This Apocalypse Hellfire 6x6

 

Survive the End of Times in Luxury With This Apocalypse Hellfire 6x6

Let’s talk about the end of the world, hypothetical as it might be. A Florida company has built the perfect vehicle that could help you survive that.
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Jeep Gladiator-based Apocalypse Hellfire 6x6 is asking $199,990Jeep Gladiator-based Apocalypse Hellfire 6x6 is asking $199,990Jeep Gladiator-based Apocalypse Hellfire 6x6 is asking $199,990Jeep Gladiator-based Apocalypse Hellfire 6x6 is asking $199,990Jeep Gladiator-based Apocalypse Hellfire 6x6 is asking $199,990Jeep Gladiator-based Apocalypse Hellfire 6x6 is asking $199,990Jeep Gladiator-based Apocalypse Hellfire 6x6 is asking $199,990Jeep Gladiator-based Apocalypse Hellfire 6x6 is asking $199,990Jeep Gladiator-based Apocalypse Hellfire 6x6 is asking $199,990Jeep Gladiator-based Apocalypse Hellfire 6x6 is asking $199,990Jeep Gladiator-based Apocalypse Hellfire 6x6 is asking $199,990Jeep Gladiator-based Apocalypse Hellfire 6x6 is asking $199,990Jeep Gladiator-based Apocalypse Hellfire 6x6 is asking $199,990
Should the end of the world come about, you’d want a vehicle that’s tough (to withstand zombie attacks or whatever other pest befalls us) but not rough (for you). You’d want something that is burly, aggressive and reliable, but soft and plush and luxurious on the inside, so it won’t feel like the end of days when you’re sat inside. That’s pretty much the reasoning behind the Apocalypse Hellfire.

Apocalypse Hellfire is the latest creation from Apocalypse Manufacturing, and one of them is being offered by sister company South Florida Jeeps on James Edition. If the name rings a bell, it’s because the Hellfire has been in the news before – and very recently, too: MLB outfitter Yadier Alvarez got himself one right from the display.

This is a brand new example, a Jeep Gladiator conversion that’s more powerful than the one Alvarez got, but similar in specs. It comes with Kevlar coating and windshield protection, complete removable doors and roof, massive tires, and custom leather interior. It’s powered by a 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat V8 delivering 750 hp, while Alvarez got the variant with the 500-hp 6.2-liter V8 LS3 Corvette engine. This is a 6x6, but power goes to all six wheels or just four, depending on drive mode.

This is a “vehicle that could survive the end of times,” according to the listing. “A truck where looks and function dance with the devil in the pale moon light,” one of the limited run of 40 examples already roaming the world.

Offered with just 6 miles (10 km) on the odometer, this Hellfire comes with front and rear winch, a generous truck bed (8 inches / 203 mm), door activated power running boards, and active suspension. The interior is brown, hand-stitched leather from floor to roof, with Bluetooth, premium audio, navigation, and Apple CarPlay, and all the trappings of a modern luxury car.

The Hellfire is asking $199,990. Surviving the apocalypse in this thing is not for the budget-restricted.

Lucasfilm and Kross Studio Unleash Ten $150K Collectable Death Star Tourbillons

 Everyone seems to love a good watch, chronograph, and tourbillon. Some folks, on the other hand, would do anything for a collector's item. This next one is dedicated to all the Star Wars fans with millions in their pockets.

Lucasfilm and Kross Studio Unleash Ten $150K Collectable Death Star Tourbillons

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What you see in the images is nothing but a newly announced result of a collaborative project between Lucasfilm and Swiss-based Kross Studio. As you may have guessed, it’s a timepiece, but to call this collector’s item just a timepiece isn’t doing it any justice.

Before you understand what it is you’re looking at, it helps to have a look at the teams responsible for such a work. About Lucasfilm, what is there to say. Responsible for an entire subculture since before I was born, we can skip the intro regarding this team.

Kross Studio, on the other hand, is a lesser-known Swiss design group that likes to work exclusively through collaborations that result in products of the highest luxury and design standards. The only other collaboration they display on their site is of a 1989 Batmobile piece. Keep your eyes open for that one soon.

As for the Death Star Ultimate Collector Set, this is the sort of item that is only for the true die-hard fans. No, I really mean it. With a price of $150,000 for this set, the buyer will be telling the world they are a true Star Wars fan. Oh, and a quick side note, only ten numbered pieces are available. Better take out those lifesavings.

When you pay for this piece, the first thing your eyes witness is a Galactic Empire Kyber crystal crate. The crate is a half-scale model of the ones used in the Rogue One movie. Each is composed of 700 parts, hand assembled, and even hand painted. It’s not just a tourbillon case, it’s a work of art. In true Rogue One spirit, this crate features nine storage units. Six capsules are destined for free storage, one for straps, one for the Death Star Tourbilon, and one final capsule for an official screen-used Kyber crystal.

As for the tourbillon, wow! Just imagine for a moment that you had one of these puppies strapped to your wrist the next time you attend a Star Wars convention. The first thing you’ll notice is the Death Star tourbillon cage standing out in the middle against matte black components. An hour and minute hand jut out from the center of the piece and seem to resemble Imperial Star Destroyers.

The movement is comprised of 203 components and uses an MKS7000 caliber. 27 jewels make sure that parts move with as little friction as possible while running under 3 Hz or 21,600 b.p.h. Overall, the power reserve will last you up to five days and is to be charged using a D-ring crown built into the case back. This case back is composed of titanium and includes four anti-reflective sapphire crystals to offer a clear view of the components.

The rest of the case is built from the same titanium, but this time includes DLC coating to make it seem as if the Death Star is just floating in the darkness of space. Over the top, a 45-mm (1.77-in) dome-shaped sapphire crystal not only allows the tourbillon to stick out of the center but puts it in clear sight of anyone looking at your wrist. Three interchangeable straps are also offered. One black and one gray, each with an imprint showcasing the surface of the Death Star, and one final Imperial Red strap with no imprint.

Two things must happen for you to own this watch. You need to be a true fan on the Star Wars universe, and of course, have the cash. I wonder if George Lucas got one of these.