[guest post by Dana]

Comedienne Joan Rivers passed away today at 81 years old. It seemed people either loved or hated her. They either split a gut from laughing so hard at her acid-tongued delivery or were offended by her brand of frequent rude-and-lewd humor.

A few years ago, I watched an excellent documentary, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. It was a fascinating peek into her life, from family to comedy to her personal tragedies, as well as an unvarnished look at a unique woman who endured. But what I am reminded of in her passing, was her staunch unwavering work ethic. She was a self-made woman who persevered – no matter the hurdles, no matter the odds, no matter the sorrows. In the documentary, viewers see the relentlessness with which she worked, even in her advanced years. And she reveals that her one big fear was that her calendar would have a day with absolutely nothing scheduled – no photo shoot, no guest appearance, no stand-up tour, nothing to do. She could hardly bear that. As a solid work ethic seems on its way to becoming a lost art form in our modern culture, Rivers exemplified it.

Here is a brief bit from an interview she did with HuffPo:

AP: Is there a secret to success?

Rivers: It’s having an idea that you totally believe in and then working at it. Not one person that we interviewed did not have a great work ethic. These people don’t say, “Boohoo, poor me, it’s a recession and I can’t do it.” Absolutely not.

–Dana

[guest post by Dana]

Today a D.C. Circuit Court granted a review of Halbig v. Burwell . Patterico has posted extensively on this and discussed the likelihood of this ruling as well.

The White House reacts:

“The full D.C. Circuit will hear Halbig, an important and welcome next step in the process of the Halbig case,” a senior Obama administration official told Business Insider.

“The 2-1 decision of the panel was wrong, and we are confident that the full court will recognize that the text of the statute, the clear intent of Congress, and common sense all demonstrate that premium tax credits are available to Americans in every state – as a unanimous panel of the Fourth Circuit has already concluded.”

Hopefully, as time permits, Patterico will stop by and add commentary. In the meantime, see the excellent Halbig In A Nutshell for a refresher.

–Dana