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Posted 14 April 2009 - 02:49 PM
Posted 14 April 2009 - 03:19 PM
Spring Over & 33's and you'll be rockin'
Posted 14 April 2009 - 04:56 PM
Posted 16 April 2009 - 06:47 PM
Is that Scout right hand drive? Looks like it in the top picture.
Posted 16 April 2009 - 07:51 PM
Posted 20 April 2009 - 08:19 PM
Posted 20 April 2009 - 10:35 PM
I got nobody to go with.
Posted 20 April 2009 - 10:38 PM
Posted 22 April 2009 - 06:43 PM
Scouts are sick! The senior master tech at my work, his nephew has a Scout Diesel, he wants to put a Cummins 4 cylinder in it. It has a naturally aspirated Chrysler Nissan diesel in it, but he's tired of it taking a long time to find or get parts for it, even though it runs fine for the most part.
Posted 06 May 2009 - 01:27 PM
Posted 07 May 2009 - 07:38 PM
Posted 08 May 2009 - 10:52 AM
Posted 09 May 2009 - 08:17 AM
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The easiest way to reduce the damage caused by an escaping pathogen is to release it into the wild now. That way if it escapes from the lab later no harm is done.
The scientists owe it to the people there to reduce the risk of an escaped pathogen by as much as they can. Once they do that, there really shouldn't be anything to complain about--it would just be pure, irrational fear from what I can see.
Arguably, siting the lab in the middle of a giant supply of natural hosts for the pathogens being studied is a massive failure of risk reduction, no matter how many sci-fi airlocks they pencil in...
Yes, if the security is perfect then there is no problem. In the same vein, putting it on an island near NY is completely safe as long as NY doesn't get hit by Tsunami or terrorist/millitary attacks. Yet they are speculating about placing it in the middle of the country precisely because you can't expect things to go alrgiht forever.
Part of the question then is, what is more likely? Disseases escaping containment procedures or a cataclysmic event devastating NY? Before 9/11 or Sandy (and I'd wager Sandy is the real kicker here) such pondering would seem the stuff of Science Fiction. But considering this AGW problem is here to stay, you can only expect worse storms to come in the future. Relocating the lab to the iddle of the country seems like a better idea right now.
My question here is, don't you guys have lots and lots of dessertic zones? Just put it there. Or is it packed already with too many secret millitary bases?
Disease escape is a far more likely failure mode than terrorist attack. Microbes have evolved over millions of years to be easy to spread.
In terms of terrorist attack, New York is on the eastern seaboard not far from Washington DC. A relatively close radius should contain: half of the US Navy's Atlantic fleet, huge amounts of coast guard assets, thousands of FBI agents, and a pretty massive city police presence. No where else in America is safer.
Sounds like somebody is forgetting 9/11.
To clarify - the safest place to be is somewhere that nobody gives a shit about. NY is an obvious terrorist target, and the fact that some people consider it the most secure place in the US would be enough reason to attack it. It might be conventionally safe, but right now perhaps someone is planning some method of attack that was so crazy that nobody else has even considered it, as happened with 9/11.
These are bio-hazard level 3 and level 4 labs. The same procedures that are used to study diseases like Smallpox and Ebola. Know where else in the US facilities like these exist? Boston, Richmond Virginia, San Antonio Texas, Atlanta Georgia, and Fort Detrick Maryland (less than 50 miles from Washington DC). So, investigating highly contagious, highly lethal diseases in major population centers is ok, but investigating animal diseases with the same precautions in cattle country isn't? This just screams N
If there's anything I learned from books, it's that all proper precautions can be defeated by a single person breaking a single rule and releasing Captain Tripps into the wild.
> Arguably, siting the lab in the middle of a giant supply of natural hosts for the pathogens being studied is a massive failure of risk reduction, no matter how many sci-fi airlocks they pencil in...
You know, except for the fact K-State runs a level 3 lab literally right next door to where they'd build this new level 4 lab. In addition Kansas is home to quite a few underground salt caverns that would mitigate the fear of tornadoes.
The scientists owe it to the people there to reduce the risk of an escaped pathogen by as much as they can. Once they do that, there really shouldn't be anything to complain about--it would just be pure, irrational fear from what I can see.
Arguably, siting the lab in the middle of a giant supply of natural hosts for the pathogens being studied is a massive failure of risk reduction, no matter how many sci-fi airlocks they pencil in...
What if terrorists bring erasers and pencil them out.
CDC in down town Atlanta.
Level 4 biohazard lab in the middle of 9-10million people.
Just sayin
The CDC has a Biohazard Level 4 lab in the middle of downtown Atlanta, one of the biggest sprawlingest metro cities in the country (ATL itself only has ~1mil people population...but the entire metro and all the people that work there comes to around 9m, and thus is why ATL traffic suck so damn bad; ATL is the biggest city without a real, modern, metro system, and it desperately needs one..so glad I moved..but im getting off topic). Point is: its scary as hell to have such a thing in the middle of so many pe
I'm sure that security is better where God and the County Sheriff are packing.
I'm sure that security is better where God and the County Sheriff are packing.
Even a rather large virus will spatter like an overripe melon if hit with a mere
THAT... sounds completely stupid. i'd want to put something like this somewhere it CAN'T do any harm if it gets out...
The arctic sounds nice.
I also kind of wonder what kind of nasty stuff got washed out of plum island in the hurricane. There's some fairly scary storys about that place. Oh sure most is prolly overblown bullcrap. But it only takes a little truth to kill a whole bunch of people...
Actually nothing, The place has survived much worse hurricanes (1978 and 1984) during my lifetime.
"Free the animals, man!"
"That's probably not a good idea given their condition."
"Screw you, OPPRESSOR!"
*frees diseased animals anyway*
Yes, that's the exact thing that happened in 28 Days Later. Yes, I can see that actually happening. All it takes is a bunch of ill-informed, militant,
that's what I was thinking as soon as I saw the title.
Yes, surely no one will ever become complacent after working there for a long time.
Many biological safety and containment protocols are regularly disregarded at least in part because scientists think that their own lower assessment of the risk is more accurate than the "bureaucrats" who designed the protocols. Dealing with the lab moron(s) in BSL-2 is a pain. Dealing with them in BSL-4 is potentially deadly.
Stupidity finds a way. That's why designs must be as foolproof as possible.
I've heard that one of the more difficult aspects of working in a level 4 lab is learning not to catch things that are falling, such as scalpels, and that when the scientists go home after work, they don't catch tableware and glasses and such, leading to much domestic strife.
(I don't know how true it is, but it seems to make sense.)
I heard the same from butchers and glassblowers.
blacksmiths too.
"28 Days Later"
Kids [wikipedia.org]... Always with the zombies
What I'm concerned about is a bunch of militant "animal rights" nitwits getting in and "liberating" diseased animals, causing all kinds of hell.
The University that I attended had a large agriculture department. They had a bunch of caged chickens. Healthy but caged. Activists freed them and the chickens soon started to die. Apparently living in cages with wire bottoms suspended a few feet off the ground did not prepare their immune systems for what waited on the ground below. They all got sick and most died.
I'm not worried about some virus spontaneously escaping into the wild. What I'm concerned about is a bunch of militant "animal rights" nitwits getting in and "liberating" diseased animals, causing all kinds of hell.
"Free the animals, man!"
Hell is a liberal animal.
I'm not worried about some virus spontaneously escaping into the wild.
You should be, it's happened before. The most likeliest explanation for lyme disease is accidental release from Plum Island, carried away on ticks by migrating deer.
And were these magical, space-time traveling deer, as well? Able to go back hundreds of years in time, and reappear on an island off the coast of Scotland [wikipedia.org]?
Perhaps the first detailed description of what is now known as Lyme disease appeared in the writings of Reverend Dr John Walker after a visit to the Island of Jura (Deer Island) off the west coast of Scotland in 1764. He gives a good description both of the symptoms of Lyme disease (with "exquisite pain [in] the interior parts of the limbs") and of the
I know people that work on plum island. They say that the place will be open till at least 2021. The decision to move it was purely political. At the time the local governments did not want a level 4 facility on the island, Once it was announced that the research would be moved to Kansas they recanted. There has also been much discussion about the wisdom of moving it to the middle of tornado alley and cattle country. Terrorism has had little effect on the decision, an island makes it very easy to control who comes and goes as compared to a facility reachable by foot. It would not surprise me to see them upgrade Plum island and cancel the project in Kansas, on the other hand it is up to the usual political backroom deals.
um tornado alley is easily prepared for. Just build the actual labs underground.
just like Umbrella and look how well that turned out.
Meanwhile, everyone's been ramming through a BSL-4 facility which will study live human diseases, right smack in the middle of Boston:
http://www.wbur.org/2012/04/19/biolab-research-approval [wbur.org]
They picked a poor minority neighborhood they and city officials could bully around, and despite public uproar, soon residents can look forward to being neighbors with Ebola.
Apparently BU just couldn't be bothered to build it, say, out somewhere in the suburbs where there'd be some isolation from the general populace. Let's put it right smack in the middle of a city with a big public transit system and an international airport, just so our researchers won't have to hop in a car for a drive. BRILLIANT.
Man, good thing the CDC doesn't have a BSL4 lab in Atlanta, where they're headquartered. Oh, wait.
There is no place more isolated than the arctic. We have had bases there in the past, one even had a sub reactor to power it. Considering the fact that the environment is very much not in tune with the needs of any escaped pathogens I would say that it is just about the best choice. It would be hard to access and harder to enter. Get down under the rock and you are safe and contained with no vectors of escape of the bugs. It is a far better choice than the bread basket of the USA and allot of the world.
I think it is a stupid idea to place this where there will be lots of damage when things get out. And they will get out. Just like it is impossible to have code with zero bugs, it is impossible there will be no mistakes.
Does anyone else remember this report about the air flow being redirected from inside the lab to the hallway outside where people don't wear protective gear? Bad Air Vents [preppercentral.com]
In February, air from inside a potentially contaminated lab briefly blew outward into a "clean" corridor where a group of visitors weren't wearing any protective gear which raised concern about exposure risks, according to e-mails reporting and discussing what happened. Research animals in the lab had not yet been infected at the time of the incident, the records say.
High Security Animal Disease Lab Faces Uncertain Future
Thanks to quantum mechanics, don't we all?
Loose bits sink chips.

subset: commoncrawl


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Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
From MeritBadgeDotOrg
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|Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award is the only distinguished service recognition that depends on one's association with Scouting as a youth. The recipient must have attained the Eagle Scout rank a minimum of 25 years before his nomination, and over those years he must have rendered outstanding service to others. Award recipients have included 38th President Gerald R. Ford; former astronaut Neil Armstrong; cartoonist Milton Caniff; late actor Ozzie Nelson; H. Ross Perot, founder of Electronic Data Systems and The Perot Group; United States Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld; retired General William C. Westmoreland; retired Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr.; Senator Richard G. Lugar; film director Steven Spielberg; former FBI Director William S. Sessions; former United States Representative J. J. Pickle; Donald F. Wright, senior vice president of the Times Mirror Co.; and former Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander.


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Yahoo Sports is apologizing for a site outage that left thousands of fantasy football players complaining of last-minute lineup problems and possible lost money on an NFL Sunday.
Ken Fuchs, head of entertainment, sports and games at Yahoo Inc., emailed players early Monday to apologize for problems with the site and its mobile apps.
"I'm disappointed that we failed all of our fans today," Fuchs wrote in the email. "Our first priority is having the best experience for our users, and today we fell short."
Fuchs said the outage started about one hour before the first games kicked off, which he called "awful timing."
Yahoo, along with sites run by ESPN and CBS Sports, is one of the biggest players in the $800 million-per-year fantasy sports industry, hosting leagues where users pick a team of real-life players and compete based on their individual statistics. A study last year found that 32 million people in the United States and Canada were playing fantasy sports, according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. Football is by far the most popular fantasy sport.
Many players play casual leagues just for fun, but others gamble money – sometimes big money.
Yahoo said Monday afternoon on its fantasy football Twitter account that the website was back up, but users were unable to make lineup changes on mobile apps.
Bills RB Jackson out: At Orchard Park, N.Y., Bills running back Fred Jackson is out with a concussion, and there's at least one teammate who's unhappy with how Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes celebrated after delivering the blow.
"Yeah, he'll get his," backup running back Tashard Choice said Monday. "I don't like to see nobody get hurt, and then on top of that [Spikes] making fun of him while he's on the ground."
Choice was referring to how Spikes flexed his arm and then mouthed off at Jackson and several Bills players while the running back was down late in the fourth quarter of a 37-31 loss at New England.
"You know it's cool to make a big hit," Choice said. "But it's not cool when somebody's down like that."
Coach Chan Gailey announced Jackson was diagnosed with a concussion and will not play Thursday, when the Bills (3-6) host AFC East rival Miami (4-5).


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Carla Gigliotti doesn't call it garden 'work'
PUNXSUTAWNEY — Caring for four small children and managing a home on a daily basis does not let Carla Gigliotti of Punxsutawney turn away from her English-inspired flower garden, nor neglect the fact she's the recipient of the Punxsutawney Garden Club's "Garden of the Month" award for July.
"I did not feel worthy of the award because it's not done yet," she said. "I have a picture in my mind of what it is supposed to look like. There's so much more that needs to be done with it."
Moving from South Africa at the age of 16, Gigliotti always had a background in gardening. She figures some of her green thumb must come from her mother — and recipient of the June's Garden of the Month title — Julie Branken, owner of the Plantation Bed & Breakfast.
"I don't know if it's genetics," Gigliotti said. "The climate is just so different over there. I would watch my grandmother and mother garden almost year around."
Gigliotti describes how gardening is a pleasure when it comes to maintaining it. She has more than 10 different plants in her garden and plans to expand in the future.
"The nice thing about gardening is it's not a chore," she said. "Last night, I was out on the patio grilling, and I noticed a weed, so I just picked it out."
Gardening can also be a nice project with a spouse, Gigliotti said.
"We do big projects together," she said about working with her husband, Dave. "We don't really butt heads. We just kind of trust each other; landscaping is so forgiving."
One of their newest projects is decorating old farm windows for placement within the framing of the patio to give a unique and different touch to a original porch.
These windows are made using calking, shattered glass and marbles to create different art designs. These are just some of the things unique to the Gigliotti's garden.
Making a beautiful landscaped garden does take time and money, Gigliotti said, and with prices for almost everything on the rise, she has this problem under control.
She said she hardly any money to create her English-inspired garden, thanks to a certain location down the road.
"I go there and buy their hanging baskets and put them in my planters for instant flowers and color," she said. "I try to have continuous color from spring, summer and fall."
She also uses produce in the gardens, which offers many options on where to put everything.
Gigliotti said the thing about gardening is you can place flowers and other plants and move them if you don't like them there as they grow.
"Gardening is really a learn-as-you-go thing," she said. "I just keep chunking pieces off of different plants and moving them through out my garden. It gives it a full effect."
Some of the flowers and other plants that are located in her garden are lilies, double bloom impatiens, ferns for shade; and mums, cherry blossom trees and gladiolas from a friend in Long Island, to name a few.
Swapping flowers from friends is another way Gigliotti keeps her garden at a low cost.
"I go to my friends' houses, and if I notice a little blossom on their flowers, I ask if I can have it and dig it up to be put into my garden," she said.
Gigliotti said doing little by little with the garden makes it easy to maintain and enjoy the outdoors. She said she never thinks her garden will be done, because she's always planning new designs around her home for new plant life.
"It is like interior design, only with gardening," said Gigliotti. "I always have a picture in my head where I want to put new things. I just love gardening and plan to keep adding on year after year."
Gigliotti plans to add a rose garden in the near future with a decorative fence.
She also plans to add different trees, flowers and other plants around the house for years to come.


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Three special forces troops, Kalashnikov rifles draped across their chests, stood guard outside the courtroom. Inside, an equally ominous pitbull kept watch from in front of the judge's desk as journalists piled into a shabby wooden room inside Moscow's notorious Khamovnichesky court.
There were no murderers inside, no terrorists, not even someone accused of grand-scale theft. Instead, the courtroom's glass cage, where defendants are required to sit out their trial, held three young women — the jailed members of feminist punk band Pussy Riot, who have thrust Russian President Vladimir Putin's crackdown on dissent into the spotlight like never before.
Nearly five months after they were detained for performing an anti-Putin "punk prayer" inside Moscow's main cathedral, Maria Alekhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich went on trial on Monday.
They could be jailed for up to seven years if found guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred. They deny the charge.
The glass cage holding Pussy Riot — dubbed "the aquarium," was chained shut, three sets of black handcuffs hanging linked from the lock. Alekhina, 24, Tolokonnikova, 22, and Samutsevich, 29, sat calmly, with their arms crossed as the trial got under way, 50 minutes late because of the crush of journalists outside.
Across from the cage, sat seven men and two women — the nine people who were inside Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, mainly working as guards, when Pussy Riot stormed the altar in late February, clad in their trademark bright clothes and balaclavas, and began screaming the words: "Virgin Mary, throw Putin out!"
They have been mortally insulted, the prosecutor said. And they "fear for their health and safety," which is why, he argued, the court's rare decision to livestream the proceedings on its Web site should be shut down. Judge Marina Syrova agreed.
Violetta Volkova, defending the three women, read out handwritten statements, explicit condemnations of Putin that large numbers of Muscovites have only recently expressed openly as their protest movement took hold after he announced he was returning to the presidency. They have never been said in a court of law before — at least not one being so closely watched in Russia and abroad.
"Our criminal case is political censorship from the side of the authorities, the start of a campaign of authoritarian, repressive measures aimed at lowering the level of political activism and provoking a feeling of fear among citizens who hold opposition views," Samutsevich's letter said.
All three women insisted they had no intention of insulting Russian Orthodoxy, the country's main religion, represented by a church and a leader, Patriarch Kirill, with close ties to the state.
"Our goal was to bring attention to Father Kirill's public statements that the Orthodox must vote for Putin," Alekhina's letter read. "I'm Orthodox, but hold different political views and my question is: How am I to be?"
"I thought the church loved its children. It turns out the church only loves those children who believe in Putin," it read.
Alekhina countered the prosecutors' argument that Pussy Riot's clothes had been bought specially to insult those inside the church.
"We are just reacting to what's happening in our country, and use punk performances to express the opinion and mood of a rather large amount of people," Tolokonnikova's letter read, denouncing Putin's "authoritarian and anti-feminist course."
They apologized if anyone was insulted. The hearing continues.


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"Tomorrow I'll be gone. In no time at all, I'll be gone."
That statement, which the unnamed Dutch librarian makes to the audience assembled for her lecture in Glen Berger's 2001 solo play "Underneath the Lintel," has a double meaning. On the one hand, it reveals the lecture will be a one-time only event, thanks to what the librarian describes as the venue's exorbitant rental fees. On the other, her statement poignantly expresses the essence of Berger's writerly, scholarly meditation on identity, existence and our desire to leave something of ourselves behind after we've gone.
"Underneath the Lintel"★ ★ ★ ½
Location: Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st St., Oak Brook, (630) 986-8067, firstfolio.org
Showtimes: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday through April 28, also 3:30 p.m. April 18 and April 25
Running time: About 80 minutes, no intermission
Tickets: $26-$37
Parking: Free lot adjacent to the estate
Rating: For most audiences, one curse word
Multi-hyphenate Kristine Thatcher -- actress, director and award-winning playwright -- returns to First Folio Theatre after an 11-year absence to star in artistic director Alison C. Vesely's subtle, very satisfying revival of "Underneath the Lintel," ideally staged in the former chapel at the Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook.
The engaging Thatcher plays the tweedy, highly efficient and somewhat prickly librarian (a role Berger originally wrote for a man), who discovers a travel guide -- 113 years overdue -- in the overnight return bin.
Uncovering the identity of the borrower turns into an obsession for the librarian. And the quest for answers sends this middle-aged woman, who had scarcely traveled beyond the borders of her small town in the Netherlands, on a globe-spanning trek to China, Central America, Easter Island and New York City.
The librarian tracks the borrower through a series of (somewhat dubious) clues. There is the receipt from a London laundry used as a bookmark, a tram ticket recovered from a tattered pair of pants, copies of official records. a barely audible recording. Carefully preserved and labeled, the items are evidence to support her findings, which she delivers during an 80-minute lecture, presented with the aid of a blackboard and accompanied by a slideshow.
Turns out her search for the mystery man stretches back to biblical times, where it concludes with the mythical Wandering Jew who, according to legend, stood beneath the lintel of his shop and refused to let Jesus rest there as the procession made its way to Calvary for the Crucifixion. For that, the legend holds, the shopkeeper was condemned to forever wander the earth in anonymity. In fact, that's something he shares with the librarian herself, a point Berger makes explicit in a drama that borders on pedantic.
Thatcher's superb, self-aware performance suggests the librarian recognizes the similarities, although the penance she performs stems from an entirely different kind of offense. She brings grace, warmth and considerable humor to the role of a woman whose quest leads to a better understanding of herself, of the choices she has made and of the imprint she will leave -- if any.


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June 15, 2003
Members of the Board of Scientific Reviewers of the American Journal of Veterinary Research play a vital role in the peer review of manuscripts submitted for publication and in assisting the editors in maintaining the high standards of the journal.
During its September 2003 meeting, the AVMA Council on Research's Committee on the AJVR will make appointments to the AJVR Board of Scientific Reviewers. Every year, the committee selects 20 to 25 individuals representing a variety of subject areas to serve on the board.
Readers who wish to be considered for appointment to the AJVR Board of Scientific Reviewers should contact Dr. Kurt Matushek at the AVMA office for an application form. Completed application forms must be returned by Aug. 15, 2003. Appointments are for a three-year term; new appointments will become effective Jan. 1, 2004. Individuals appointed to the board will use the AVMA's new online system for manuscript peer review.
Copyright ©
2018 American Veterinary Medical Association


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Livestock drug ractopamine is prohibited by the E.U., China, and hundreds of other countries, and yet is widely used in the U.S. to increase lean meat and boost profits for meat producers. It is also sickening animals at an alarming rate. Which makes you wonder: What is the drug doing to people who consume trace amounts of it every day?
Ractopamine hydrochloride. Heard of it? Not many outside of livestock production have, either. The drug, made by Eli Lilly under the brand names Paylean or Optaflexx, is the cause of ongoing trade disputes between the U.S. and China, Taiwan, and the European Union. On a Google search, it appears that it has made modest appearances in health articles over the last several years, but it has remained largely outside of mainstream media.
Food politics reporter Helena Bottemiller dug into recent developments and published this excellent article about ractopamine use and trade disputes last week. Widely used in U.S. livestock production, particularly in pigs and cattle, ractopamine causes animals to bulk up with lean meat, increasing profits for meat producers. Profit isn't everything it increases: A large rise in sick, "downer" animals has been tied to the drug.
Which makes you wonder: If it's making pigs sick, what is it doing to the people who consume trace amounts of ractopamine every day? The drug mimics stress hormones, and the only human study was conducted by the drug manufacturer and involved just six healthy adult males. What's more, reports Bottemiller, there's no knowing just how much of the drug is being passed to humans through the food supply: The USDA's testing for ractopamine residues in meats is extremely limited (last year not one test was conducted on the 22 billion pounds of pork produced).
In fact, 150 countries have prohibited the use of the drug as a leanness-enhancing agent. Imports of ractopamine-laced meat have been rejected by China and the E.U., and Whole Foods Markets, Chipotle, and Niman Ranch also reportedly avoid meat produced with the drug, according to Bottemiller.
Is it any wonder why the vegan diet is gaining popularity? This only adds conviction to my meat-free lifestyle, but for those who enjoy their spare ribs or follow a paleo diet? Opt to eat only organically raised animals. Better yet, reduce meat consumption altogether and go for organic eggs, a more sustainable choice of high-quality protein.
What are your thoughts on this clandestine (at least to mainstram media) livestock drug? Share in the comments.


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16 Fox News Hosts And Analysts Declare Health Care Reform Unconstitutional
Bill O'Reilly (Host): "I'm Going To Go On Record As Saying Now This Is Unconstitutional. The Federal Government Cannot Force You To Do Or Buy Anything." [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 8/25/09]
Mike Huckabee (Host): Government Is "Forcing People Into An Unconstitutional System ... It's The Equivalent Of A Poll Tax."
HUCKABEE: That's what's going on in the health care world, where we're trying to make sure that we've redistributed health care, taking it from people who have it, taking from them, giving it to people who may not even desire to have it, and forcing people into an unconstitutional system where they're going to have to virtually pay into a private marketplace in order to get full rights of citizenship. It's the equivalent of a poll tax. [Fox News, On The Record with Greta Van Susteren, 11/16/09]
Glenn Beck (Then-Host): "Nowhere In The Constitution Can You Find Any Of This." [Fox News,Glenn Beck, 11/19/09]
Andrew Napolitano (Fox News Senior Judicial Analyst): "The Government Has No Legitimate Authority Under The Constitution Or Under The Natural Law To Force Us To Purchase Health Insurance Or To Punish Us When We Don't." [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 12/18/09, via Nexis]
Gregg Jarrett (Anchor): "I Happen To Agree" That Health Care Bill Is Unconstitutional. During a January 2010 broadcast of America's Newsroom -- one of Fox's purported "news" hours -- substitute anchor Gregg Jarrett agreed with former Republican official Ken Blackwell's criticism that the health care bill is unconstitutional. Jarrett began the segment by stating that Blackwell is laying out the case that "Congress doesn't have the constitutional power" to require people to buy health insurance. After questioning Blackwell, Jarrett concluded the segment by telling Blackwell that his arguments are "great arguments, and I happen to agree with them. I just couldn't resist challenging you on them." [Fox News,America's Newsroom, 1/4/10]
Peter Johnson Jr. (Fox News Legal Analyst): "It Is Unconstitutional."
JOHNSON JR.: We're talking about redistributed change. We're talking about redistributing wealth. We're talking about higher premiums, based on a Price Waterhouse Coopers study. We're talking about higher taxes: higher excise taxes, higher Medicare taxes, taxes on Medicare and investment, excise taxes, taxes on medical advice -- devices, taxes on people making $200,000 a year. You're fined if you don't buy it. This is the first time we're going to order Americans to buy a product.HANNITY: That's unconstitutional.JOHNSON JR.: It is unconstitutional. [Fox News, Hannity, 3/11/10, via Nexis]
Sarah Palin (Fox News Contributor): "This Is Unconstitutional."
PALIN: Well, everybody who opposes "Obama care," that takeover of one sixth of our economy, needs to say kudos to these AGs who want to sue and have good standing, too, as they say. No, this is unconstitutional. Not only was a lot of the process crooked to get people to vote for "Obama care" in Congress, but these mandates that I believe are unconstitutional on our state -- forcing constituents in each state to purchase something from the private sector? This is against the commerce clause. It's against so much of what has built this country into the greatness that it is. I'm thankful for these attorney generals, and I would hope that more attorneys general would participate in this. [Fox News, On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, 3/26/10, via Nexis]
Sean Hannity (Host): "States Are Uniting Against The Unconstitutional Overhaul."
HANNITY: Now from coast-to-coast, states are uniting against the unconstitutional overhaul that was rammed through Congress by the Democrats. And it just so happens that tonight we are in a state where the attorney general is, well, contemplating filing an additional suit over the law. And here to tell us all about it is the man himself, Utah attorney general, Mark Shurtleff. [Fox News, Hannity, 3/31/10, via Nexis]
Angela McGlowan (Fox News Contributor): "Obamacare Is Unconstitutional." McGlowan stated: "The bottom line is this, even when I was running for Congress Obamacare is unconstitutional. We need to start over again and roll it back because it is costing more money, and we don't have that money to spend." [Fox Business, America's Nightly Scoreboard, 9/8/10, via Nexis]
Marc Siegel (Fox News Medical Contributor): "It's Unconstitutional."
SIEGEL: Of course, we should not be forced to buy a product or be penalized. It's unconstitutional. But here is another angle. It is not public health. When did insurance become public health? If the government wants to decide everybody needs to be vaccinated against an emerging disease, you could make an argument for that. [Fox Business,America's Nightly Scoreboard, 11/3/10, via Nexis]
Steve Doocy (Host): "We've Argued On This Program" That The Individual Mandate Is "Against The Law." [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 2/1/11]
David Asman (Host): "Obamacare Is Unconstitutional."
ASMAN: All right, well, it is this rejection of unlimited federal powers that is at the core of Judge Vinson's rejection of Obamacare and the tough no-nonsense punch of his decision all, but guarantees that the Supreme Court will decide whether Obamacare is unconstitutional or not.We believe Obamacare is unconstitutional. We also believe that the early effects of Obamacare show exactly why it is an affront to the founding principles of the constitution. That folks in government would always be tempted to grab more power they already have.And the more powers the government takes, the less democratic we all become. Already Obamacare is proving this to be so. Just look at the huge number of Obamacare exemptions, over 700 at last count, a bunch of well- connected unions and businesses received special exemptions from Obamacare that the rest of us don't have.In this kind of arbitrary, unequal application of justice based on favoritism that was reviled by our founders and is now reviled by our electorate. You can't have a government picking winners or losers. This is exactly what repulse all of us about the bailouts where the well- connected are favored over everybody else.This is what happens when you stray too far from the constitution. The more you try to impose the will of the government over the free will of the individual, the further you stray from freedom and from the tenants of the constitution. [Fox Business, America's Nightly Scoreboard, 2/1/11, via Nexis]
Kimberly Guilfoyle (Fox News Legal Analyst): "This Is Something That Is Unconstitutional."
LAURA INGRAHAM (GUEST HOST): Kimberly, look, this was a Friday night drop. A couple of big court cases that came out Friday. Late Friday night this thing broke. And this is going to the court. This is going to be considered by the court undoubtedly in the upcoming Supreme Court term. What does this mean? Does this mean election issue? Obama is going to have to get back in the talking about health care? Which I think frankly is not where he wants to be.GUILFOYLE: No, it's not his strong suit and is he going to be compelled to talk about health care just like he is trying to compel millions of Americans to buy an expensive product from the minute they are born to the day they die.This is something that is unconstitutional, I believe. It will go to the Supreme Court. It should be expedited. There should be a strong argument to do so. Because how can you have this conflict between the different states? How can companies and businesses prepare their budget if they don't know what their expenses are going to be? [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 8/16/11, via Nexis]
Eric Bolling (Host): "If You Are A Regular Fiver, You Know How I Feel About President Obama's Socialist Agenda. He Shredded The Constitution With Obamacare." [Fox News, The Five, 2/10/12, via Nexis]
Michelle Malkin (Fox News Contributor): Health Care Reform Is A "Wholly Unconstitutional Mother Of All Unconstitutional Mandates." [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 3/22/12]
Monica Crowley (Fox News Contributor): "This Was Not About Health Care. This Was About Government Seizing More Liberties From You."
CROWLEY: Yes, I do -- I do believe that they're going to strike it down. Look, it all gets to the basic essence of what Obama care really is. And this is why they are in this constitutional box right now. Obama care was never about health care. It was always about government power and control and that's why you now have these constitutional issues.O'REILLY: I don't believe that I don't believe that for a second. I believe that Barack Obama and the liberal left the Democratic Party's liberal left wants the government to basically give people free health care. That is the essence of the nanny state.CROWLEY: But -- but that gets to the essence of the bigger point that I just made to you, Bill. This was not about health care. This was about government seizing more liberties from you. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 3/27/12, via Nexis]
Fox Promoted Protests Against "Unconstitutional" Health Care Reform
Bachmann's Protest Of "Unconstitutional" Bill Begins On Hannity. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) appeared on Hannity in October 2009 and said: "This is unconstitutional, this bill, because you cannot force Americans to purchase a product or service against their will." Bachmann then promoted her protest, stating: "You can go to MicheleBachmann.com for more information and we can walk together through Cannon, Longworth, Rayburn, walk through the capital, sit in the gallery." Hannity replied: "Maybe I'll have to show up and observe this so our cameras can see democracy in action." Bachmann later said the protests "began" on "Hannity's show." [Fox News, Hannity, 10/30/09, via Media Mattersand Nexis; Media Matters, 11/5/09]
Hannity Was Later Caught Misleadingly Switching Video Of Rally. As highlighted by Jon Stewart, Hannity misleadingly aired video from the 9-12 March on Washington while discussing Bachmann's much smaller November 5 anti-health care reform rally to claim that "twenty-thousand plus" people showed up to Bachmann's protest. [Media Matters, 11/11/09]
Napolitano: Bachmann Is Fighting "The Constitutionality" Of Health Care Reform And "Wants Your Help." Guest hosting for Glenn Beck on November 4, 2009, Andrew Napolitano stated that Bachmann is "fighting Democrats on the constitutionality of a national takeover of health care, and she wants your help in the fight." Napolitano hosted Bachmann to promote the protest and said, "Tell us what's going on outside the Capitol building tomorrow to try and bring some sense to these big government types that want to regulate health care from Washington, DC." [Fox News, Glenn Beck,11/4/09]
Beck Endorsed Rep. King's Call To Rally Against Bill. During the March 18, 2010, edition of his Fox News show, Beck hosted Rep. Steve King (R-IA), who said: "We need tens of thousands of Americans to come here to defend our liberty and say to the people that are walking in and out of the Capitol, 'Vote NO on the bill, don't steal my liberty, let me manage my own health care. You have no constitutional right to do this.'" Beck endorsed King's call at the conclusion of the interview: "I have to tell ya, I hope people show up on Saturday at noon there at the Capitol and uh, and plan on just staying there. I mean, ya know, camp out if you have to." [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 3/18/10]
To see more of Fox's efforts to "kill the bill," click here.
Napolitano: Bachmann Is Fighting "The Constitutionality" Of Health Care Reform And "Wants Your Help." Guest hosting for Glenn Beck on November 4, 2009, Andrew Napolitano stated that Bachmann is "fighting Democrats on the constitutionality of a national takeover of health care, and she wants your help in the fight." Napolitano hosted Bachmann to promote the protest and said, "Tell us what's going on outside the Capitol building tomorrow to try and bring some sense to these big government types that want to regulate health care from Washington, DC." [Fox News, Glenn Beck,11/4/09]
Beck Endorsed Rep. King's Call To Rally Against Bill. During the March 18, 2010, edition of his Fox News show, Beck hosted Rep. Steve King (R-IA), who said: "We need tens of thousands of Americans to come here to defend our liberty and say to the people that are walking in and out of the Capitol, 'Vote NO on the bill, don't steal my liberty, let me manage my own health care. You have no constitutional right to do this.'" Beck endorsed King's call at the conclusion of the interview: "I have to tell ya, I hope people show up on Saturday at noon there at the Capitol and uh, and plan on just staying there. I mean, ya know, camp out if you have to." [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 3/18/10]
To see more of Fox's efforts to "kill the bill," click here.
Fox Featured Imbalanced Coverage Of State Attorneys General Claiming Law Is Unconstitutional
Van Susteren Gave Imbalanced Treatment Of Health Care Reform Constitutionality. Between March 21 and April 6, 2010, Fox News' On the Record with Greta Van Susteren hosted 15 guests who claimed the bill is "unconstitutional," including many attorneys general who were planning to sue over the bill, compared to only one guest who argued the bill is "constitutional"; Van Susteren also hosted one attorney general who is involved with the legal challenges, but said only that the legislation was "unprecedented" without taking a position on its constitutionality. [Media Matters, 4/7/10]
"Great Debate"? Fox & Friends Hosted Trio Of Republican AGs To Bash Health Care Bill. In August 2010, Fox & Friends hosted three Republican attorneys general who were filing lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the health care reform law. At the end of the segment, in which all three attorneys general agreed on the constitutionality of health care reform, co-host Steve Doocy ended the segment by calling the discussion a "great debate." [Media Matters, 8/3/10]
"Great Debate"? Fox & Friends Hosted Trio Of Republican AGs To Bash Health Care Bill. In August 2010, Fox & Friends hosted three Republican attorneys general who were filing lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the health care reform law. At the end of the segment, in which all three attorneys general agreed on the constitutionality of health care reform, co-host Steve Doocy ended the segment by calling the discussion a "great debate." [Media Matters, 8/3/10]
Fox Repeatedly Celebrated Lower Court Rulings Against Reform Law
Judge Hudson Ruling. In December 2010, Virginia federal district court Judge Henry Hudson struck down the individual mandate portion of the Affordable Care Act. [CNN.com, 12/13/10]
- O'Reilly: "Judge Hudson Agrees With Me" That The Individual Mandate "Is Unconstitutional." [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 12/13/10, accessed via Nexis]
- Hannity: Judge's Findings "Phenomenal," "An Exciting Victory For All Opponents Of Health Care With Potential Far-Reaching Impact On Its Future Implementation." [Fox News,Hannity, 12/13/10, accessed via Nexis]
- Johnson Jr.: "People Have To Read This [Opinion]. It's The Dream Of The Tea Party" And "Americans Who Say 'The Constitution Means Something.'" [Fox News, Fox & Friends,12/14/10]
Judge Vinson Ruling. In January 2011, Florida federal district court Judge Roger Vinson struck down the individual mandate portion of the Affordable Care Act. [Reuters, 1/31/11]
- Fox Hosts A Bevy Of Health Care Reform Opponents To Celebrate. Following federal Judge Roger Vinson's ruling that the individual mandate makes health care reform unconstitutional, Fox & Friends hosted an unbroken string of health care opponents to cheer the ruling and attack the overall health care reform bill. [Media Matters, 2/1/11]
- O'Reilly Agrees With Ruling. From The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: If the feds can force you to insure your health, they can also extend that mandate and compel other purchases in pursuit of social justice. That's what this is all about, and the Constitution limits the government from interfering with individual decision-making. It will be fascinating to see how the left, which worships at the altar of government-run health care, reacts to Judge Vinson's ruling. I predict it will not be pretty. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 1/31/11]
- Asman Praises Decision. During his Fox Business program, Asman stated: "Judge Vinson's decision got to the heart not only of ObamaCare, but to the reason why so many of us in this nation are worried about the fact we are in danger of being kicked off our foundations." [Fox Business,America's Nightly Scoreboard, 2/1/11, via Nexis]
- Napolitano: Vinson "Upheld The Constitution." From Fox Business' Freedom Watch:
NAPOLITANO: Two federal judges, one in Virginia and one in Florida, have invalidated the individual mandate aspect of Obamacare. Florida's judge, Roger Vinson, throughout the entire law ruling that since the government acknowledges that the individual mandate, the obligation to buy health insurance or be fined by the feds for not doing so is the backbone of this law.
Without its backbone, he ruled, the entire statute is invalid. Some have called this judicial activism, but they're wrong. These judges simply have upheld the constitution because it doesn't authorize Congress to force Americans to buy health insurance or any other product, for that matter. [Fox Business, Freedom Watch, 2/4/11, via Nexis]
- Dr. Manny Alvarez, Senior Managing Editor For Health News, Praises Vinson Ruling.Alvarez wrote on FoxNews.com: "I hope that Judge Vinson's ruling will awaken the dialogue for better alternatives to ObamaCare, so that we can finally have a health care bill crafted with liberty and justice for all." [FoxNews.com, 2/1/11]
Fox And Other Major News Outlets Overwhelmingly Focused On Rulings Against HCR Constitutionality
Special Report Overwhelmingly Focused On Rulings Against Constitutionality. A majority of federal rulings on the substance of President Obama's health care reform law have found it to be constitutional, including the law's mandate that individuals purchase health insurance. But a Media Matters review of the five largest newspapers and the flagship CNN, Fox News, ABC, CBS, and NBC evening news programs finds that the media overwhelmingly focused on rulings that struck down the law in whole or in part -- 84 percent of segments on the broadcast and cable programs reviewed and 59 percent of newspaper articles that reported on such rulings -- while largely ignoring rulings that found it constitutional or dismissed the case. Fox News' Special Report aired 10 segments about court rulings where the law was ruled unconstitutional; one where it was upheld; and one where it was dismissed. [Media Matters, 6/22/12]
Objections To Individual Mandate Went From The Fringes To Mainstream
Ezra Klein: Legal Argument Against Mandate Went From Fringe To Mainstream. In a New Yorkerarticle, Ezra Klein quoted law professor Orin Kerr -- who clerked for Justice Anthony Kennedy -- and Yale law professor Jack Balkin noting that the conservative media helped Republicans make the case against the mandate:
Orin Kerr says that, in the two years since he gave the individual mandate only a one-per-cent chance of being overturned, three key things have happened. First, congressional Republicans made the argument against the mandate a Republican position. Then it became a standard conservative-media position. "That legitimized the argument in a way we haven't really seen before," Kerr said. "We haven't seen the media pick up a legal argument and make the argument mainstream by virtue of media coverage." Finally, he says, "there were two conservative district judges who agreed with the argument, largely echoing the Republican position and the media coverage. And, once you had all that, it really became a ballgame."Jack Balkin, a Yale law professor, agrees. "Once Republican politicians say this is unconstitutional, it gets repeated endlessly in the partisan media that's friendly to the Republican Party" -- Fox News, conservative talk radio, and the like -- "and, because this is now the Republican Party's position, the mainstream media needs to repeatedly explain the claims to their readers. That further moves the arguments from off the wall to on the wall, because, if you're reading articles in the Times describing the case against the mandate, you assume this is a live controversy." Of course, Balkin says, "if the courts didn't buy this, it wouldn't get anywhere."[...]What is notable about the conservative response to the individual mandate is not only the speed with which a legal argument that was considered fringe in 2010 had become mainstream by 2012; it's the implication that the Republicans spent two decades pushing legislation that was in clear violation of the nation's founding document. Political parties do go through occasional, painful cleansings, in which they emerge with different leaders who hold different positions. This was true of Democrats in the nineteen-nineties, when Bill Clinton passed free trade, deficit reduction, and welfare reform, despite the furious objections of liberals. But in this case the mandate's supporters simply became its opponents. [New Yorker, 6/25/12]


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LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Instead of eating turkey or watching football, some folks across the Bluegrass spent this Thanksgiving waiting in line.
They've gathered outside many stores in Lexington, waiting for those Black Friday sales to begin. Some stores will be opening early Thursday night. Some opened Thursday afternoon. For those folks finding deals early, forget fighting the crowds on Friday.
"Not that many people. A few people just coming out to get some of the sales," explained shopper John Benedict, "I think most people just want to spend time with their family. If we didn't have a baby on the way and need to get something for the baby, that's where we would be."
Stores like Walmart, Big Lots, and Old Navy opened on Thanksgiving Day, pushing Black Friday deals closer to sacred Thanksgiving meals.
"We go have dinner together, and then the guys all stay home, do whatever, and we come out and shop together," said shopper Melissa Conley.
"They still have good deals on Thanksgiving Day that most people don't know about, so it's nice," explained Conley's sister Rhonda Barnhart.
Black Friday sales do start early. Walmart, Sears, and Toys-R-Us all kick off sales at 8 p.m. Thursday. Target will open at 9 p.m. Best Buy, Macy's, Kohl's and Fayette Mall will all begin Black Friday sales at midnight. JCPenney opens at 6 a.m. and Dillard's will open at 8 a.m.


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A New Aquaintance
My first attempt at Fan Fiction and fiction writing in general. This was my entry for the Spetember Back-to-School challenge on Twilight Novel Novice. The story centers on Bella and the Cullens first day back at school after Breaking Dawn. Told from Bellas POV, the family is attending college at Dartmouth and face the challenges you would expect, and one you may not have. This story earned third place in the contest!
1. Dartmouth
Rating 4.5/5 Word Count 1084 Review this Chapter
It truly was the most boring time of day.
After the initial thrill of going to college, adjusting to the longer lectures and somewhat greater freedom of movement, it was, as Edward had warned me, really quite dull.
Sighing on a breath I didn't need, and remembering to squirm in my seat like my fellow students, though I was perfectly comfortable sitting still, I let my thoughts roam. I didn't need to pay attention, having finished the course work for this lecture class, English 101, the first week of school. Not requiring sleep could really put you ahead in your studies.
I wondered what Renesmee was doing at home. It wasn't only my first few days at school; it was Renesmee's as well. We had decided against putting her in public school. Due to her rapid aging, she now resembled a child of about six, but that same rapid aging would make her appear much too large for her class by the end of the year. If Edward and I wanted to stay at Dartmouth long enough to get bachelors degrees, my first, his somewhere in the double-digits, it would be necessary to keep Renesmee out of the public eye as much as possible.
Instead, she was being home-schooled at our house in Hanover, where we had relocated to that summer. We had moved into the beautiful colonial-style home near the edge of town the week before school started.
Carlisle, with his 200-year head start on learning over the others, was Renesmee's main tutor, but everyone pitched in on their favorite subjects. From Edward, she learned about music. Emmett was a gym teacher of sorts, always ready for a hike or a race, some of which he even pretended to lose. Rosalie worked with languages; they were currently perfecting Renesmee's Spanish. Jasper taught strategic planning and warfare. Alice and Esme both worked with math, as their chosen fields, fashion and architecture, both required very precise measurements. If you wanted a dress that didn't hang crooked or a building that wouldn't fall down around your ears, anyway. Carlisle probably could have handled everything fine, but the others enjoyed the chance to spend time with Renesmee one-on-one.
She was an eager student, devouring books and information with a veracity that would have stunned any mortal teacher. Her favorite subject, however, wasn't one anyone in her family could help her with.
Renesmee loved to cook. Several times a week, she and Jacob could be found in the kitchen, surrounded by a royal mess of pots and pans, mixing bowls and spatulas, usually arguing over some ingredient or another. Entirely weaned from the human blood she drank as a baby, Renesmee found the taste of animal blood somewhat unsatisfying and was working on expanding her palate of acceptable human foods. As the only other member of our "family" who would eat human food, Jacob was the logical choice as companion in these culinary explorations. I figured Jacob just liked to be in the vicinity of so much food; as a werewolf, his appetite was somewhat large. He'd eat almost anything though, even the experiments that didn't end well. I smiled, thinking of the scene I'd come home to the day before.
Jacob and Nessie (yes, the name was a battle I knew I was losing) had been in at the large center island in the kitchen. The room had been entirely remodeled by Esme to include industrial-grade appliances set in a brick-façade along one wall and a flat-screen television mounted high on another. All the walls were painted a cheery light yellow, and the stainless steel of the pot-and-pans hanging from the ceiling rack gleamed in the light from the floor-to-ceiling windows opposite the doorway. After all, no one who couldn't be exposed to the rare sunny days here really had any reason to be in the kitchen anyway. Even so, all of the windows in this house were outfitted with the same steel shutters as the house in Forks.
This day, Martha Stewart blared on the screen while the two "chefs" - one in a too-small apron and the other on a footstool in order to see over the counter, were having an argument.
"It's too much! You'll ruin it," Nessie flared.
"Oh settle down. A little extra spice will just liven it up a little bit," Jacob countered, his hand holding a small bottle containing a red powder over the electric mixer bowl.
"It's a cake! It's supposed to be sweet, not spicy, stupid!" she screeched back, jumping for the red bottle in his hand and almost toppling the stool over. Jacob deftly caught her before she could fall and noticed me standing in the doorway.
"Oh, hey Bella, how was class?" he said.
"Not nearly as interesting as what seems to be going on here. Who told you to put cayenne pepper in chocolate cake? Not that I'd eat it now anyway, but I don't think I would have eaten it as a human either," I joked as I set my book bag down on a chair.
"Well, who said you had good taste in desserts then either? Besides, after that shrimp and sauerkraut combo she foisted off on me last week, I think I deserve a little say in tonight's menu," Jacob said, still holding the shaker out of Nessie's reach.
"Mom, tell him to stop wrecking my food!" Nessie said, climbing back up on her perch.
"Yeah, Mom. What are you gonna do about it?" Jacob grinned at me.
"Ugh. You know I hate it when you call me that, Jacob. Why don't you just make two cakes? Split the batter and put half in one pan and half in another. Then you can add however much pepper you want to your cake," I said. Then, looking around at the flour-dusted surfaces and the batter dripping from the edges of the counter and from several measuring cups and spatulas, I added, "What I want to know is who's going to clean up this mess? If you leave it for Esme again, I'm going to spank you both."
"Ooohhh, I'm scared," Jacob said, feigning a look of mock-horror, and flinging a spoonful of chocolate goo in my direction, which I quickly ducked.
"We'll clean it up Mom. I promise," Renesmee sighed.
"Goody-goody," Jacob muttered as I turned to leave.
"I heard that," I said as I walked back down the hall toward the staircase. Heading up to the spacious room I shared with Edward on the second floor, I thought back on that first day of class - now that had been anything but dull.
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Looking at one or two Instagram photos of food could make your stomach grumble. But looking at too many can actually decrease your appetite.
Really. According to a study at Brigham Young University of 232 people, food was less enjoyable after the participants were subjected to several photos of that kind of food. The researchers say it's because of sensory boredom, and while it could be good news for your diet, it's not necessarily good news for your overall social media strategy. And that's especially true if you tend to post a lot of food.
So now what? Don't worry. Here are five tips to make your Instagram feed more palatable to everyone.
Before you post, look at your feed. No one likes seeing the same thing over and over. That goes for any social media platform. So if your last 10 photos are buildings or clouds, mix it up a little. Here's a great way to do that: Create your own personal photo challenge. Make a pact with yourself to take a photo of a different subject each day for a week. If you search online for "online photo challenges," you'll see that the hard work is already done. Create a calendar or document where you can set a reminder. Your photos will be more interesting and your followers will be more interested.
Enough with the filters. Instagram has a lot of them, but there's a common misconception that every Instagram photo requires one. I think it's the opposite; you should only use a filter if the photo absolutely needs it. And whatever you do, don't apply the same filter more than once and don't combine filters. When you see a halo around the person in the center of your frame, you've gone too far.
Hip to be square. Watch the shape of your subject. Remember that Instagram photos are square. Some programs call this a 1:1 ratio. Whatever you call it, know that a vertical masterpiece is not going to look good on Instagram. So when you're out shooting, think about how it's going to look after the crop. Alternatively, some photo programs let you shoot photos that have already been constrained to the correct size.
Holy hashtags! They're overused everywhere, but they're completely abused on Instagram. It's not uncommon to see a very short description followed by 20 or more hashtags. Instagram actually limits you to 30. People do this because they think it increases the chances their photo will be found more quickly. Maybe, but my general practice is to avoid interacting with any photo with more than two hashtags. The best practice for social media in general is to limit a post to one or two hashtags at the most. There's no better time than the present to start practicing.
Step away from the food. The good news is your photos are unlikely to have the same effect as in the research. It would take looking at a lot of photos of food for a long time to achieve similar results. But that doesn't mean you can't get into the habit now of not taking a close-up of your flourless chocolate cake. And this tip also applies to me because I'm guilty of posting a lot of food photos. And now I really want flourless chocolate cake. Apparently this column won't decrease your appetite.
Those are just my five top photo tips. I didn't even get into video. Feel free to send me your Instagram tips. I would love to share them.
What questions do you have about social media? Tweet them to @scottkleinberg. He might select yours for use in a future column.


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...looks like he's about ready to kick some ass in that photo. Sounds like he and Carvin are great finds!
(Waves hand at LSU... this is not the safety you're looking for...)
All updates can be seen on the 2010 Michigan Recruiting board.
For a defensive back commit, most Michigan fans weren't too excited about it (ironic, since many were complaining about the mental deficiencies of Michigan's DBs this year), but OH S Ray Vinopal has pledged his word to become a Michigan Wolverine. The 1st-Team All-Ohio selection and State Champion doesn't worry about the haters, though, as he told mgoblog's Tom Van Haaren:
Ray Vinopal - "I read what people say about me, I'm going to work my a** off to prove everyone of them wrong. I'm not scared."
Ray Vinopal - "I've been an all state sprinter in Ohio, so I'm not slow. I know what I can do, and we're going to turn it around."
Vinopal has combine-reported 5-10 height and 4.56 speed, for those who were questioning the accuracy of those numbers. He also comes from a traditionally-power football program that pumps out a number of D-1 prospects every year. Hopefully, Ray has success at Michigan, and helps open a pipeline into Cardinal Mooney.
MD LB/S Josh Furman still plans to announce his final college decision at the Maryland Crab Bowl on December 19th. He has narrowed his choices down to Michigan and Virginia Tech, and has already informed both schoolswhat his final decision will be. The recent rumblings from all parties say that Michigan is the likely choice. If Michigan is the choice, the fact that he nearly threw out his Michigan offer without even opening the envelope will be quite ironic indeed:
After his junior season, Maryland and West Virginia had extended scholarship offers. Then, last February, Dunlap was leafing through a pile of recruiting mail for Furman and tossed aside several form letters from schools that are typically sent to jog a recruit's attention. One of them was from Michigan, but Dunlap had a second thought and picked it out of the garbage.
"Then I read it," Dunlap said, "and when I got to the part where it said, 'full athletic scholarship,' I ran down the hall to tell him about it."
Furman's first major offer from a school outside of the region set off a frenzy.
Furman has been a highly-productive running back this year, though he left the State Championship game (which his team ultimately won) with a knee injury early in the contest. Video of that game can be seen here. As far as the injury goes, "smileyworm" on Scout is Furman's coach and he reports that there's nothing to worry about:
He is 100% ok. Heard something pop during a run and it felt funny afterwards. Was held out as a precaution. The knee didn't even swell. Will still play in the crab bowl on the 19th.
I brought this up in yesterday's Friday Night Lights post, but it's worth examining in depth: LA S commit Carvin Johnson may be starting to pick up from interest from the hometown LSU Tigers.
Former Tennessee running backs coach Frank Wilson was offered a position on the LSU coaching staff last week, which he accepted yesterday, since just about every Tennessee assistant except Monte Kiffin is looking to get the hell out of Knoxville. The interesting part comes from the first article, however:
Having seen Wilson Thursday, he played coy and smiled. When I asked him about LSU and suggested the possible move to LSU to him, he simply said, "you think?" and "we'll see." Wilson was wearing a Tennessee pullover. Frank was in town at Archbishop Rummel High School, taking a hard look at Carvin Johnson, who has verbally committed to Michigan. He likes the 6'1, 190 pound senior safety and may recruit him wherever he coaches next year.
One thing Wilson did comment on was the fact that there are so many good players in Louisiana and that's why he, Tennessee, Alabama, Ole Miss and other SEC powers spend so much time in the state. He also opined that while LSU has gotten most of those outstanding home-grown players, they have either missed on or not recruited others, including the likes of Rummel's Johnson.
No. We found him first. You didn't want him. OURS OURS OURS.
LSU's recruitment of Johnson means two main things:
1) Michigan found a sleeper before any other big schools got on him, and now other teams see what the Wolverines unearthed first. LSU doesn't exactly suffer from a lack of DB talent, so if they want him, you know this kid's a player. There are seemingly two factions warring it out in the Michigan interwebs, one of which says to trust Rodriguez's recruiting strategy. and the other of which says "omg that guy wasn't even rated." Score one for group the former.
2) The Wolverines might just have a battle on their hands to keep Carvin Johnson in the class. It's always hard to turn down the hometown team. When said hometown team is 3 years removed from a national title, and Michigan is struggling through a rebuilding process, that's just all the more incentive to reconsider (except that Michigan can offer mountains of playing time).
Keep an eye on this situation, and hopefully the coaches will be able to keep Carvin blue.
PA CB commit Cullen Christian was added to the Army All-American Bowl roster last week, bringing the total number of Michigan commits to... 2. Christian joins WI P commit Will Hagerup on the East roster.
"I'm going to represent Michigan down there just like I'm going to represent Penn Hills," he said. "I'm going to go all out and try to make my team look good."
OH S Latwan Anderson and PA DT Sharrif Floyd are longshots for Michigan on the East roster.
CA S Tony Jefferson, MI CB Dior Mathis, and CA S Sean Parker are longshots for Michigan on the West roster.
In the other big All-Star contest, MI QB commit Devin Gardner is the only Wolverine selected to the ESPNU Under Armour game. No other prospects selected to that game are strongly considering Michigan at this time.
OH OL Christian Pace will enroll early, as will OH WR Jerald Robinson and MI RB Austin White (all links $, info in header). MI WR Jeremy Jackson is participating in the Hawaii-Mainland All-Star game, then enrolling early at Michigan.
CA S Sean Parker enjoyed his Michigan visit, and CA RB Lucky Radley may be considering the Wolverines. Happy trails, CA S Dietrich Riley. FL OL Torrian Wilson may be back on the table for Michigan ($, info in header). CA S Tony Jefferson and CA WR Kenny Stills will both announce on December 18. Neither is expected to pick Michigan. Latwan Anderson might be considering Michigan again.
...looks like he's about ready to kick some ass in that photo. Sounds like he and Carvin are great finds!
(Waves hand at LSU... this is not the safety you're looking for...)
Vinopal glare looks like he just ate my future childrens' faces.
I hate losing recruits, and like you said, we found him first.
If he defects to LSU I may need to be talked down off a ledge.
We need a restraining order put on Jai Eugene! STAT!
If Vinopal is as tough and hard-working as he sounds, then I am very glad to have him. Hope to see good things from him.
And Carvin, please stick with us. D:
needs a "hostess."
Well, that brightened my day. But, I am calling BS. From the background, this pic was obviously taken at the plaze at Mich Stadium, but I think that we all know that there are no girls this hot in AA, so you must have photoshopped it.
Can we at least get him one that doesn't have a war going on between her canines and incisors?
That's the basketball cheerleader that was on camera all of last year during B10 Network games. I swear during one game she got more time than Manny.
i ran into her at a bar down here. sweet... just really nice girl and dating a football player.
I think that RR is doing a good job of filling specific areas of need in this class, and I certainly don't think that the star system is everything, but am I the only one who is a bit disappointed that we only have 3 players in the 2 All-Star games (and one of them is a punter). Again, not criticizing our recruiting (as I recognize how hard it is to recruit when you are in the midst of a massive rebuilding process, have 3-9 and 5-7 seasons and are the target of media johad), but it is just somewhat disappointing.
being the target of a media johad.
Good catch.
Zoltan was a punter. Zoltan played in the Army All American Bowl. That worked out okay, considering he is also the emperor of space.
runs electronically timed 4.41.
Furman also run electronically timed 4.36.
Both times are legit as it come.
Scout article unless you subscribe to it, you can't see it but it did say that he runs 4.36 electronic time
said in an interview with Sam Webb that is 4.56 time was from his freshman year and that his current time is an electronic 4.41.
I am skeptical myself as those times are quite fast but Vinopal seems to be very smart so I doubt he is misinformed and I am not about to call him a liar.
As that picture indicates...I would not call him a liar either as he would "call you over" and perform the CLOTHESLINE FROM HELL on you.
Tim - I hate to nit-pick when you present us with so much awesome recruiting information, but whenever I go to the 2010 recruiting board after you tell me its been updated I feel like it still has a ton of out-dated information. This week for example Vinopal isn't even on the committed list. And some of the inconsistencies in how even the committed or likely recruits are handled seems like it still hasn't been fully cleaned up.
Then again, when your team isn't in a bowl and is in the middle of an uncomfortable rebuilding process these types of recruiting summaries are what we are forced to obsess over. Ugh..... Thanks for the update!
I usually update the recruiting board the day after the update is published.
Carvin is the guy I am most excited about in the recruiting class. Every single time we've gotten a new snippet on him it has strengthened my belief that he is going to be a fantastic player. I really hope he still comes here as I look forward to cheering him on for many Saturdays.
This post just made me feel better about both diamond-in-the-rough safety commits. Tim, thanks for the soul-soothing.
I want guys who will come in here and work hard on the field and in the classroom. It seems like more recruits these days automatically think they are entitled to playing time and a free ride.
to Marcus "You don't want to go to a college where they ain't pretty" Lattimore—that'll cinch the deal for us. As an added benefit, the cost of sales will be quite low—RR won't have to go visit him or spend any time on UM's academic opportunities.
Having attended UM and now spending some time tutoring at the University of Arizona, I'm sad to say that if coeds are the recruit's main interest, unless the recruit likes studious Koreans, we're behind the 8-ball indeed.
I hate to agree with you, and my wife is a UM graduate and all, but I doubt any Big 10 school will ever be able to rely on its, um, coed "talent" to sway a recruit.
?? Maybe it's just me and my old-fashioned ways, but I think it's kind of hard to look ass-kickin' when you're holding hands with a bunch of guys.
a very intense game of red rover.
Anything to report on Hankins?
Add Marvin Robinson to your list of All Americans:
...CA S Sean Parker are longshots for Michigan...
He does have an Oregon visit (and USC, but a poster claimed he wants out of CA) upcoming which is a little scary...but "longshot"? Didn't he say we were his best visit so far?
We're "longshots" for Sharrif Floyd still? Why on earth are you teasing me like this? Is there really any indication he's still considering Michigan?
"So you're telling me there's a chance..."
How is Joe Boisture an Army-All American? He didn't have good stats, a good season, or a good showing at the elite 11 yet he is in the Army game over Gardner? Strange...
Boisture isn't exactly in the Army game "over" Gardner. Gardner accepted his invite to the Under Armour game a while back.
I agree - the multitude of all-star games makes it difficult to really distinguish between kids. I will say that Boisture is one of the weirder stories this year - he was consistently knocked by people who saw him play, yet he was still touted as some elite prospect. It will be interesting to see how he does in East Lansing in a couple of years.
Since Ray is reading these boards, I just want to remind him that I am the guy that posed the comparison with Wisconsin's super-frosh Chris Borland, another Ohio 2-star per Scout, much like Ray.
So, there's no need for Ray to run me down within 4.41 seconds and crush my head.
Is it 'vin-OH-pull'?
Or 'VIN-o-pal'?
I have to admit when Ray and Carvin first committed I was skeptical. The last couple posts though have really been encouraging though and I think they will be good.
There are seemingly two factions warring it out in the Michigan interwebs, one of which says to trust Rodriguez's recruiting strategy. and the other of which says "omg that guy wasn't even rated." Score one for group the former.
"Trust the coaches" isn't an evaluative strategy, in fact, ignoring independent evaluations like recruiting rankings and offer lists in favor of this slogan is fundamentally anti-evaluative. To then say that interest from an independent program confirms this mantra is mindbogglingly convoluted.
I get your point. I took Tim's comment as more of an "I told you so" deal rather than confirmation of an "evaluative strategy." As in this fictional conversation between the two factions:
Carvin Johnson Commits
Trust the Coaches: Woo hoo!
OMG 2 star: OMG! 2 star! No offer list!
TtC: Trust the coaches.
OMG2S: WTF! Why is RR filling up this class with 2-stars instead of waiting to see how the 4-stars shake out?!
TtC: If they thought they could, they would (HT: Chitown). Trust the coaches.
LSU Offers Carvin Johnson
TtC: See? Trust the coaches. I told you so.
Don't people only say "I told you so" when they've been vindicated?
For TtC to reject the relevant heuristics when they don't say what they want and then embrace them when they do requires TtC to hold two contradictory beliefs at the same time.
It wouldn't be contradictory if the TtC faction isn't considering those data in their initial reactions. The added star or offer or whatever could just be gravy, as in, "not only was I stoked when Johnson (or whoever) committed, I'm extra stoked now that school X also wants him! BOOM, external confirmation of something I was already sure of!"
Maybe that's the sentiment I was shooting for more than "I told you so."
But believe me, I understand your point. I'm not sure it's any great revelation that people on the internets can hold two contradictory beliefs at the same time, but I get your point.
That is a sweet hooded sweatshirt that Vinopal is wearing. Anybody know where I can get one of those?
I want him on the line of scrimmage. Don't care about his size. I just want him to stare everyone down.
I kind of want to have a group of defensive players that are all total badasses, so that I can give them a nickname from Adventures in Babysitting.


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Voters in Alabama will do more Tuesday than elect a president and several state officials, they will vote on 11 proposed constitutional amendments.
Arguably the most debated amendment is No. 4. It's the second time lawmakers have attempted to remove racist language from the 1901 Constitution that allowed separate schools and poll taxes.
But black legislators have opposed the measure saying it leaves an amendment that says Alabama children have no right to an education.
Other amendments include a measure to continue the Forever Wild land conservation program for 20 years and another pushed by Gov. Robert Bentley would allow Alabama to issues millions more in bonds to offer incentives for industrial development.
Another measure could cut the pay of most legislators.
Another amendment challenges the federal Affordable Care Act.
Voters will also be deciding races in six of seven congressional districts. All six incumbents had major funding advantages over their opponents.
Without sizable campaign accounts, challengers had the tough path of relying on free social media and one-on-one campaigning to build support against better-known officeholders.
Some members of the state's congressional delegation spent part of the election season outside Alabama campaigning for their party's presidential candidate.
Republican representatives up for re-election include Martha Roby of Montgomery; Mike Rogers of Saks; Robert Aderholt of Haleyville; Mo Brooks of Huntsville and Spencer Bachus of Vestavia Hills. Alabama's lone Democratic member of Congress, Rep. Terri Sewell of Birmingham, also has opposition.
Republican Rep. Jo Bonner of Mobile is unopposed for reelection.
There are some local contested races on the ballot.
In Choctaw County:
County Commission - District 1
Tony L. Cherry - D
Paul D. Glosson - Ind.
Choctaw County Circuit Clerk
Donna Lucas Murphy - D
Dwight McBride - Ind.
Choctaw County Probate Judge
Michael Armistead - D
Betty S. Jowers - Ind.
A write-in campaign has also been waged by Independent C. D. Ruffin.
Alabama's chief election official, Secretary of State Beth Chapman, is forecasting voter turnout will be 72 to 74 percent. That would be about the same as the heavy turnout four years ago. The polls close at 7 p.m. Tuesday.


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A seminar on the abuse and treatment of illegal and prescription drugs will be held at Westside Church of Christ — 816 S.W. 5th St., Chiefland — at 5 p.m., March 29.
The event is open to the community and will feature speakers Ray Tremblay, of the Chiefland Police Department, Levy County Sheriff Bobby McCallum, Pastor Joseph Wilcox and Biblical counselor Icer Roberts.
The organizers of the seminar hope it will help bring about positive changes in the community. The seminar will be followed by refreshments and prizes.
For more information, call Icer Roberts at 352-283-2677 or email at email@example.com.
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Taking as their theme, "Celebrating Our Veterans' Services," two Lower Valley high school students have written award winning speeches, earning recognition from SunnyView VFW Post #3482.
Sunnyside High School student Andrea Phillips and Grandview High School student Ashley Lara tied for first place honors in the 2004 VFW Voice of Democracy speech writing contest, hosted locally by SunnyView Post #3482.
This past Friday night, Lara and Phillips were each given an opportunity to read their five-minute speeches to those attending an awards ceremony held in their honor.
Phillips suggested most people view holidays such as Veteran's Day as merely a day off from work. "They don't have a true understanding of the meaning of (the veteran's) sacrifices," Phillips said.
"...they can not feel the soldier's pain when no recognition is offered to him on this sacred holiday," she added.
Lara drew upon personal experiences to demonstrate her understanding of the veterans' service to freedom. "My parents began to teach me that the freedom I enjoy today came at a very high price," she said.
"At an early age, they taught me that because of our nation's veterans, all Americans experience and enjoy the freedom I enjoy today."
Phillips and Lara each received a check for $125, as well as a certificate from the veterans and a small gift from the VFW Ladies Auxiliary.
In addition to the speech writers, also honored were participants in the Auxiliary's Patriot's Pen essay contest. Collecting first place honors was Katie Herndon of Sunnyside with second place honors going to Phillip Hiemstra of Zillah. Jennifer Crane of Sunnyside was named as third place award winner in the patriotic writing contest.
The Patriot's Pen winners received checks of $75, $50 and $25, respectively.
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Analysis: Keystone facing barrel of trouble as America frets over climate change
WASHINGTON – Amid the throngs who rallied here last weekend to protest the Keystone XL pipeline were Antonette Clarke, 71, and her biologist husband, John, 75.
The Maryland couple struggled against a brisk subzero wind to hold up a sign saying, "Put scientists not lawyers on the Hill."
Every month the National Climate Data Center publishes a report sent to Capitol Hill and the White House summarizing the previous month's average temperatures in the U.S. and around the world. The news is never good: the rise is steady. Records are equalled or broken. And politicians are taking note. It appears the scientists have indeed arrived.
Senators are busy preparing climate change bills. When discussing the issue, U.S. President Barack Obama never fails to mention the rising temperatures, the intense storms, drought, sea level rise, floods and wild fires. It brings the message home more graphically than talk of emission reductions. Almost everyone agrees the climate is changing.
Which makes it just about the worst time to want to build an oil pipeline that will bring Canadian "tar sands" oil – as some opponents here call it – down through the heartland of America.
Make no mistake. Keystone XL is under fire. Obama is trying to find a middle ground and that likely means parking Keystone somewhere in the distant future and revisiting it later when there's more information.
"If he doesn't, he's going to open up a huge credibility gap between what he said in the inaugural and state of the union addresses and what he did when he was first given a chance to do a real deal in this area," Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said in an interview.
In Washington, controversial decisions usually mean minimizing and working towards the middle. There is no middle here. You approve it or you don't – or you just park it, which amounts the same thing.
"The right thing to do is to simply make the strong decision, be controversial if you need to be and show the kind of leadership that brings people around to your decision rather than going half way to theirs," Whitehouse said.
Six years ago Canada's Conservative government hitched its wagon to the American climate change policy, whose business-as-usual tenant jibed with the oilsands industry's long term plans to triple production to four million barrels a day. Now the winds are changing: The U.S. appears to be turning away from the old economy, leaving Canada abandoned and its bet on heavy oil lost.
The effects of a dead Keystone could be significant in the long term, Michal Moore, an energy economist at the University of Calgary, said in an interview.
"It will slow that (expansion) down, significantly cutting it in half," he said.
Attacks on Keystone are also coming from the Senate where Democrats Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Barbara Boxer of California are sponsoring a bill that will impose a carbon "fee" of $20 on every ton of fossil fuel produced in or imported into the United States.
Unless an importing country, such as Canada, adapts similar measures to tax carbon, their manufacturers will also have to pay the U.S. carbon fee. Imports will be taxed according to the quantity of GHG emissions produced in the process of manufacturing the oil or gas. This would hit oilsands companies particularly hard because their processes produce higher emissions than conventional oil and gas.
"The president can and must use his authority to cut down on power plant pollution, and reject the dangerous Keystone XL project," Sanders said when he announced the bill.
Another problem for Keystone also looms. It comes in the form of billions of barrels of shale oil that lie just below the surface in Montana and North Dakota – and elsewhere in the U.S. The Keystone would help bring that oil to market. But the inevitable increase in the production of shale oil, which is cleaner than oil sand bitumen, could reduce the demand for Canadian imports, particularly as America attempts to reduce overall oil consumption.
"It (shale oil) is a very competitive force out there and it certainly has changed the dynamics a lot," Moore said.
Fifty-three mainly Republican senators called last week for the quick approval of Keystone. The state department has the file and the new Secretary of State, John Kerry, has said he will give the issue his personal attention. Kerry has been a strong advocate for action on climate change. Obama supports him, at least in his rhetoric. But the final decision is Obama's. By law he has to make it on the basis of one question: Is an oil pipeline crossing a U.S. border in the national interest of the United States of America?
When you consider climate change, the promise of an oil glut in the near future, and Obama's braying electoral base, Keystone doesn't look so good.
Keystone owner TransCanada, however, hopes its central argument – that friendly Canada is a safer energy security bet than the Middle East – will trump all other concerns.


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He gave a capsule history of the organization.
Seventy-seven years ago, in the middle of the Great Depression, a small group of men in Gilmer decided they wanted electricity.
"They knew if they could get electricity to their rural homes and farms, they lives and the quality of life for themselves and their families would change forever," he said. "Their city cousins had electricity, but the investor-owned utilities would not extend their lines into the countryside because there was no profit for doing so."
King said that the $5 membership fee required to join the co-op would buy enough kerosene for a year or feed a family for a couple of months.
"The idea was absurd with times so hard, jobs so scarce, and money so tight," he said."But they really wanted this."
On Oct. 25, 1937, Upshur Rural was born when the State of Texas issued a charter.
A total of 139 had signed up, "and some probably took a whipping from their wives for doing so," King said.
"And once they got it, saw what a difference it made in the quality of their lives and saw the pleasures and conveniences electricity afforded, they wanted to preserve it and they wanted their co-op to be passed down to their children and grandchildren," he said.
"And so it has been. From 139 members, we have grown to over 44,000 and from 28 miles of line to over 6,500 miles of line."
They started in a small room in the basement of the courthouse, and now have the fine large headquarters on Hwy. 154 W. in Gilmer.
"Past success is not a ticket to future success, and that is the thought that stays on the minds of the management and on the minds of the board of directors," King said.
He referenced a book on management, How the Mighty Fall.
"Am I saying Upshur is a 'mighty co-op?" he asked. "If you measure an entity by size, financial strength, competitive rates and service, and the return of capital credits, I would say we are."
He said the book relates the five steps companies go through on their way to bankruptcy.
"The first step is when the management begins to think they had the right to exist," he said. "Sure, Upshur provides a product and service that would be difficult to live without in these modern times, but simply because our mission is noble and adds to the quality of our members' lives does not guarantee our success in the future."
He said an ice storm in February had over 20,000 members without power at one point.
"Fortunately, the cooperative spirit kicked in and several of our sister co-ops sent crews to assist us, and we were able to restore power to most members within 48 hours, but some were out of service for four days," King related.
He said that they are often asked why they don't just hire more crews.
"The simple answer is because of the effect it would have on your rates," he answered. "Can we afford or would the membership be willing to pay the increase in rates for additional crews that are needed only once or twice a year?"
He said that we had gone through one of the coldest winters on record.
"Our office received hundreds of phone calls wanting to know if we had gone up on our rates. We have not. Our rates are the cost of the electricity we purchase to resell to our members, plus our operating costs, made up of salaries, trucks, equipment, maintenance of facilities, and interest on our debt," he explained.
"This amounts to about 4 1/2 percent more than what we pay for the power, and that percentage has remained constant for several years, which means we are holding costs in line," King said.
"This year we had 50 percent more heating days than last year, which means your central heat was working overtime to heat your home. Even if you lowered your thermostat a few degrees, with the outside temperatures remaining in the 30s for several days, your units were coming on more often this year than last year.
"The higher electric bills were due to increased electric use."
He told the audience of about 300 that last November, Upshur Rural converted to a new information and accounting system, having outgrown its older system. During that conversion, they learned that their telephone system would also have to be upgraded.
"These two conversions coinsided with the higher electric bills our members were receiving, and the number of members calling the co-op increased dramatically, up to 1,000 calls a day," King said.
He said the customer-care representatives had to learn a new process and with 20 percent of them home with the flu, "some technical problems will always arise, and the huge number of calls, a perfect storm was created, and a lot of the members calling in were having a hard time reaching someone to speak to."
Some calls were dropped and some were placed on hold for long periods of time.
He said general manager Rob Walker reorganized the call center and is adding additional staff. Over 90 percent of the calls are being handled and the hold time is decreasing. He said the system would still be overloaded when 10,000 members lose power or call in at the same time.
"But if you call our automated outage system number during a major event, your outage will be logged and recorded without speaking to anyone by simply entering your phone number," King said.
King also said that the cost of generating electricity has increased over the past few years.
"For several years, coal provided 60 percent of our power, gas 30 percent, and 10 percent came from our hydro resources."
He said that the co-op is investing in several new projects, including the Turk plant which runs on coal; Harrison County, which runs on natural gas, a hydro plant on Lake Livingston, and a biomass plant in southeast Texas.
He also said they are looking into wind power to add to the fuel-supply portfolio.
King said they are diversifying because with the Environmental Protection Agency's restrictions on coal plants, in the future it will be impossible to get a new coal plant built, and the cost of retrofitting older coal plants will be very expensive.
He said they are within two years of having two coal plants paid off, and were looking forward to this lowering costs significantly, "but thanks to the EPA's ruling that carbon dioxide is a hazardous chemical, our power supplier has to spend millions to retrofit these plants."
Because of this, most new plants are turning to natural gas.
He said while gas supplies are abundant, as demand increases, the price could increase.
"By its nature, biomass is expensive, and although hydropower is a cheap source of power, it is wholly dependent on rainfall. Prices have increased for everything over the years, and unfortunately, electricity is no exception."
He said they think rates will stabilize now for the next few years.
"Our investment in new plants is behind us, and hopefully the cost of retrofitting will be offset by some of our older plants being fully depreciated, and although we are still behind on the average of what we receive in hydropower, our allocation last year was more than the previous year," King said.
"With costs stabilizing, there is still one huge unknown," he said. "If the EPA's new rules on existing coal plants, due out shortly, require these plants to capture all the CO2, existing coal plants will most likely be closed. With coal being the least expensive fuel, the EPA, with the stroke of a pen, could add $30 a month to your monthly bill. I guess this is the government's way of making solar and wind generation competitive with fossil fuels."
He also said that, while December and January bills were high, Upshur Rural rates are 17 percent below the national average, and among the lowest in the state.
"In closing, our co-op has its challenges, but we are financially strong and our power supply is secure well into the next decade."
The 2013 annual report, given out at the meeting, shows that 13 percent of the co-op's expenses are controllable. Seven percent goes to depreciation, and 2 percent to interest. Cost of power is 78 percent.