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Plans to 'tax the rich' hold risks and rewards for California
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Fueled by a backlash against the wealthy, California Gov. Jerry Brown and left-leaning groups want voters to tax the rich next November.
Californians have shown strong support for the idea in polls so far, despite the fact that they haven't passed a statewide tax hike since 2004. Brown said this month "the only tax that's overwhelmingly popular is the tax on wealthier people."
Partisans have feuded for years at the federal level over tax rates for the rich. Republicans argue that tax cuts spur investment and economic growth. Democrats say such "supply-side" theories are unfounded and that lower rates are merely a giveaway to the wealthy.
As a state, California has particular considerations.
Chief among them are a fear that taxpayers will flee for lower-cost states, a widening gap between rich and poor, and a volatile income tax stream.
Critics say high-income earners and business owners will leave California for states with no income taxes, such as Nevada or Texas.
"There's nothing more portable than a millionaire and his money," said state Sen. Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar, the ranking Republican on the Senate budget committee.
The concern is not limited to Republicans. In July, Democratic state Treasurer Bill Lockyer told the Sacramento Press Club he thought California was near its reasonable limit for taxing the rich. California voters in 2004 opted to tax millionaires to pay for mental health programs. In 2006, they rejected a tax hike on the top 1 percent of earners to pay for public preschool.
A 2004 "millionaire's tax" in New Jersey had little effect on migration, according to a study by Stanford University sociologist Cristobal Young and Princeton University sociologist Charles Varner published this year in the National Tax Journal. Moving from California to escape taxes is even more difficult.
"Many people in New Jersey could move 30 or 40 miles and find themselves in lower-tax Connecticut or Pennsylvania," Young said in an email. "If you are in the Bay Area, it is a 500- to 700-mile move to competing urban areas such as Las Vegas or Phoenix. That is a tough move - you will be starting a new life."
The New Jersey Department of the Treasury issued its own research in October that countered the Young-Varner study. The department is led by an appointee of Republican Gov. Chris Christie, a vocal opponent of a new "millionaire's tax."
In a state with 8.7 million residents, the department said that all tax increases - not just those on the wealthy - resulted in 20,000 fewer taxpayers.
For California business owners, such a change would be one more factor among many to consider when thinking about location. Businesses consider weather, transportation, regulations, market size and labor costs, among other factors, said Brad Williams, former chief economist for the Legislative Analyst's Office.
"Businesses will need to think about what they're getting for those taxes," Williams said. "Do businesses think they're getting something in return?"
Proponents of taxing the rich call it a matter of fairness. They point out that the rich got richer over the past three decades while the poor lost ground, resulting in a widening inequality gap.
In the midst of the technology boom in 2000, the top 1 percent of California households had 27.5 percent of the state's income. That was more money than the bottom 60 percent of the state's tax filers combined, according to the Franchise Tax Board.
The income gap shrank during the Great Recession as investments plummeted, but state Department of Finance officials believe it is again widening as the economy recovers.
Meanwhile, the Occupy movement and frustration over joblessness have fueled the tax drive.
"It's better to ask those who can afford it to pay a little bit more so that we can fund education, higher education and public safety," said Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento. "I think people intuitively get that. And it's been exacerbated by what's gone on in the country over the last couple years with the whole Wall Street scandal."
Federal income tax rates on the rich have fallen since the mid-20th Century. During World War II, the highest rate was 94 percent, and it was 50 percent as recently as 1986. The highest rate currently is 35 percent after reductions signed by President George W. Bush and later extended. Tax rates on capital gains also fell under Bush.
Wealthy earners "are the ones whose incomes have grown substantially in recent decades, and they have benefited disproportionately from the federal tax cuts," said Jean Ross, executive director at the California Budget Project, which advocates for low- and middle-income residents. "We ought to use state law to even that out somewhat."
Notions of fairness differ. Scott Drenkard, an analyst with the right-leaning Washington, D.C.-based Tax Foundation, argues that it is less fair to impose higher tax rates on the wealthy than flat rates that capture a more proportionate share of income.
"A lot of people try to push these things under the auspices of fairness," Drenkard said, "and you rarely get a definition of fairness from them."
Higher taxes on the wealthy would provide more money to spend on programs, but it could make state revenues more unpredictable.
California's tax system relies on upper-income earners to pay the bulk of state income taxes. In 2007, the top 1 percent of earners - households and individuals making at least $494,826 that year - paid 48.1 percent of income taxes.
Unlike middle- and lower-class workers who rely mostly on wages, the wealthy depend more on investments and stock options, which can swing wildly from year to year.
During the dot-com boom, the state added funding for schools, health care and transportation and cut taxes on vehicles and income in 2000.
When markets crashed and a recession set in, then-Gov. Gray Davis faced a deficit he estimated at $34.6 billion in 2003. A similar cycle occurred under then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger during and after the housing bubble.
"We have a much more volatile revenue structure that contributes more in good times and results in much deeper cuts in bad times," Williams said.
One way to address the problem is to rely less on income taxes. But doing so, as a proposal by the Think Long Committee for California does, would shift more of the tax burden to low- and middle-class taxpayers. That would be unpopular, and many would consider it unfair.
Another way is to control spending in good years and push money toward a "rainy-day fund." California has soft measures in place that require such savings.
But the state has a hard time stashing money away because advocates and voters would rather use extra money on public services, especially after a period of deep cuts. Or they may want tax rebates.
Brown's proposal relies on a half-cent sales tax hike in addition to taxing the rich, so volatility may be less of an issue. A bigger problem is that his plan expires after 2016, at which point programs may continue to demand spending at a higher level without the money to pay for it.


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Kenneth T. MacLeish – Making War at Fort Hood: Life and Uncertainty in a Military Community
Third Prize in the Victor Turner Prize in Ethnographic Writing, Society for Humanistic Anthropology and American Anthropological Association
The late Victor Turner devoted his career to seeking a language that would reopen anthropology to the human subject, and the prize will be given in recognition of an innovative book that furthers this project. Eligible genres include ethnographic monographs, narratives, historical accounts, biographies, memoirs, dramas, or single-authored collections of essays, short stories or poems.
Prizes will be awarded at the AAA November annual meeting. To learn more about this award, click here.
Making War at Fort Hood offers an illuminating look at war through the daily lives of the people whose job it is to produce it. Kenneth MacLeish conducted a year of intensive fieldwork among soldiers and their families at and around the US Army's Fort Hood in central Texas. He shows how war's reach extends far beyond the battlefield into military communities where violence is as routine, boring, and normal as it is shocking and traumatic.
Fort Hood is one of the largest military installations in the world, and many of the 55,000 personnel based there have served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. MacLeish provides intimate portraits of Fort Hood's soldiers and those closest to them, drawing on numerous in-depth interviews and diverse ethnographic material. He explores the exceptional position that soldiers occupy in relation to violence–not only trained to fight and kill, but placed deliberately in harm's way and offered up to die. The death and destruction of war happen to soldiers on purpose. MacLeish interweaves gripping narrative with critical theory and anthropological analysis to vividly describe this unique condition of vulnerability. Along the way, he sheds new light on the dynamics of military family life, stereotypes of veterans, what it means for civilians to say "thank you" to soldiers, and other questions about the sometimes ordinary, sometimes agonizing labor of making war.
Making War at Fort Hood is the first ethnography to examine the everyday lives of the soldiers, families, and communities who personally bear the burden of America's most recent wars.
Kenneth T. MacLeish is assistant professor of medicine, health, and society at Vanderbilt University.

subset: commoncrawl


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Rate increases for U.S. commercial property/casualty liability insurance should continue throughout this year, but at a slower rate than in 2013, according to an analysis released Friday by Moody's Investors Service Inc.
In "US P&C Insurance Survey: Slowing Commercial Rate Increases as Insurers Shift Toward Growth," Moody's said the insurers it rates are expecting rate increases of about 6% for liability insurance policies written this year, down from 7.5% from last year.
"However, the rate increases are still large enough to continue to expand underwriting margins given that rate increases remain above loss ratio trends," said Moody's in the report.
The liability lines covered include workers compensation, commercial general liability, professional liability, commercial auto liability and commercial multiple peril.
Commercial property rate increases are also expected to drop, to 3% this year from 4.5% last year. Moody's added that given falling reinsurance prices, "we believe that pricing increases could fall even further over the course of 2014 and even decline later in the year if there are no major catastrophes."
The rate increases for commercial liability lines would mark the fourth straight full year of rising rates, Moody's said. Rates began to rise in late 2010 and 2011 in response to low investment returns and rising accident year combined ratios, which hit a high of about 110% in 2010 and 2011 but have declined steadily since then.
"We expect commercial casualty insurers' combined ratios to decline to about 99% for accident year 2014 and 96.5% for accident year 2015 compared to 103% for accident year 2013."
Moody's noted that insurers also indicated an increased willingness to write new business for workers comp and commercial general liability.
"As insurers look to retain existing profitable business and shift toward growth for casualty lines, rate increases could slow further as the year progresses, although we don't expect rate declines in 2014," said Moody's. "Companies' risk appetite for professional liability and commercial auto liability continues to moderate."


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SendGrid Powers Email on FeedHenry's Enterprise-Grade mBaaS PlatformSendGrid Team
We are excited to announce a partnership with FeedHenry, a leading enterprise-grade mobile-backend-as-a-service (mBaaS) platform. Based in Dublin, Ireland, FeedHenry's cloud-based Mobile Application Development Platform includes key features for developers and enterprises to develop, integrate, deploy and manage mobile applications.
FeedHenry helps enterprises create mobile apps that receive and send data to multiple enterprise backend systems, enabling the enterprise to offer secure mobile data access for their customers, partners and employees. Developers can securely connect to multiple backend systems and deploy server-side code to private, public or hybrid cloud environments.
From the FeedHenry platform, developers and enterprises can now easily install and integrate email into their mobile applications with SendGrid's simple API interface. With their open architecture based on Node.js and a variety of APIs, FeedHenry makes it possible to have rapid integration, secure connections and management of the apps and endpoints.
Our partnership with FeedHenry is the latest step in integrating with leading mBaaS platforms. FeedHenry's mobile developers and enterprises will now easily be able to build email delivery and alerts into their applications without having to worry about delivery rates, spam folders, ISP blacklists or scaling to meet high user volume, freeing them to build great applications.
This partnership aligns with our strategy to make SendGrid email broadly available to developers and enterprises, easy to access and simple to deploy, regardless of what cloud services development teams are building with. FeedHenry builds upon this strategy by making mobile development easy for developers and enterprises alike by extending the core functionality of their platform with leading, trusted third party web services like SendGrid.
"The partnership with SendGrid offers enterprises and developers access to powerful email functionality for their mobile apps," states Cathal McGloin, CEO, FeedHenry. "Our cloud Mobile Application Platform supports rapid and secure integration with essential third party cloud services such as SendGrid. As organizations launch increasing numbers of mobile apps, the ability to tailor their email programs to meet the needs of their customers and employees is hugely valuable."
By helping developers and enterprises get to market faster with fewer development resources, the FeedHenry enterprise-grade mBaaS platform offers an invaluable resource. We are excited to join FeedHenry in making the mobile development process more efficient and successful for both developers and enterprises.


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USDA expands storage loan program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has expanded the Farm Storage and Facility Loan program.
The expansion includes 22 new categories of eligible equipment for fruit and vegetable producers, and makes the process easier for farmers and ranchers to receive low-interest financing.
Security requirements for loans between $50,000 and $100,000 have been eased and no longer require a promissory note or liens.
For more information visit http://www.fsa.usda.gov or contact the FSA county office at (620) 382-3737.


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DJ Khaled (Feat. Akon, Rick Ross, Plies, Lil Boosie, Trick Daddy) - Out Here Grindin [Khaled Approved Version]
Out Here Grindin official video. Shout out to Chris and Jordan Tower Films
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i think any half decent batsman would prefer to open the batting in ODI cricket than have to bat at 7 or 8.
Tendulkar = the most overated player EVER!!
Beckham = the most overated footballer EVER!!
Vassell = the biggest disgrace since rikki clarke!!
Not a bad idea if you ask me, that way he has a chance to get himself set and won't feel the need to go after the bowling too much if Gilchrist is his opening partner. He definately needs to be batting in the top 4, it really depends on whether the selectors prefer Katich or Martyn.
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Anyone's gotta be better than Katich
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"This tournament is a joke. Grass is for cows, I'm never coming back." - Marat Safin
I think he can do a good job opening, especially considering he'll have Gilly partnering him. That should sufficiently reduce the pressure to score faster than a run a ball, and he can push the strike around at around 80 per 100 balls.
He's also a very technically correct batsmen, and is much more comfortable against pace bowling than against spin, especially at the start of his innings. So should he spend sufficient time out there to see a spinner, he should already have his eye in to cope much better than if he was coming in against them at #7 with 10 or 15 overs to go.
... .... .- -.- . / - .... . / -.. . .- - .... / ..-. .-. --- -- / -.-- --- ..- .-. / -... --- -. . ...
The other advantage is that Australia can have an extra bowling option, which IMO they have struggled with since Lehmann went out of the team. Could also see this as an option to get Brad Hogg more game time, as they still play 4 seamers with Hogg in the team.
The man, the mountain, the Mathews. The greatest all rounder since Keith Miller. (Y)
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Ideally Watson will become the #3 for Australia in both forms once Ponting retires. If you bat at 3 for Tasmania you are practically opening anyway so he should be fine
The problem comes in if the selectors still see him as an all rounder and we rely upon him to still be able to bowl the full quota of 10. Big ask to bat first at Adelaide in 35 degree heat and then after a long innings back it up with the ball later on in the evening.
Last edited by Great Birtannia; 13-10-2006 at 07:47 PM.
I think that's where Tharmi's point comes into play. As it allows the Aussie's to play another bowler, so if he does make a big one in the heat he can bowl minimal overs and there's still Clarke and Symonds to cover his overs.Originally Posted by Great Birtannia
The problem arises though if Australia bats 2nd... if he's bowled 10 overs his batting is definetly going to suffer. IMO he's best suited at 4, this way he can still effectively juggle batting & bowling without 1 having to much of an impact on the other.
Opening may work when batting 1st, for the reason the DCYE pointed out above, but i see it being a dilema when we bat second.
He'll be able to handle both roles while he's young. And I think the bigger issue will be bowling and fielding in the first innings then having to open. If they bat first, he'd be more rested in the second innings if he opens rather than coming in down the order and having to run hard.
You could possibly have him open if they bat first, then play it by ear if they bat second.
I don't think this will be a long term option, its just a way to get him into the side so he can continue to develop. It also allows Australia to solve a problem they have at the top of order, Katich.
His a very good batsmen, but his not really suited to opening the batting in International Cricket, he does a brilliant job in domestic cricket and is doing ok ATM in ODIs. But will ok be good enough to win Australia, the World Cup, probably not.
As other have said long term Watson will be batting at 3 or 4, but now his only position can be either Opening, 7 or 8 or not in the side. This is the best option for Australia and him for the time being.
for now he should open, get Katich out of there, but by the time the world cup comes around i'd like to see at 4 with either Jaques or Hayden opening with Gilly.
I think he should be able to manage his workload sufficiently enough, especially with Clarke and Symonds both there to roll their arms over. It probably won't be very often he has to bowl a whole ten overs unless he is bowling really well and Ponting wants to keep him on.
With Gilchrist and Watson opening, you'll have a setup similar to the Lankan team of the late 90's, with two pinch-hitters at the top, both being non-specialists. It will be most effective if both of them go for the bowlign and attempt the big ones, but Hayden shoudln't be out of the plans. He's still the best opener they've got. As for Jacques, we haven't seen much of him yet, though many say age is on his side, but achievement is on Hayden's.
"Talent is nothing without opportunity"
"You're not remembered for aiming at the target, but hitting it"
Twenty20 used to be boring.
Dont think Watsons directives will be to pinch hit. His a naturally aggressive player but his a bit better than a fly by night pinch hitter (same goes for Gilchrist).Originally Posted by Arjun
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GAZA CITY, Gaza, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Israel suspended negotiations and renewed airstrikes in Gaza overnight Tuesday and into Wednesday, responding to a burst of Hamas rocket fire that broke nearly six days of calm.
"Israeli cities are under rocket attack," the Israeli military spokesman's department said in a tweet. "Millions of Israelis are running to bomb shelters. Hamas made its decision. Now we will make ours."
Israel said it had counted more than 100 rockets by noon Wednesday, intercepting six with the Iron Dome air defense system and allowing the rest to fall into open land. Hamas took credit for targeting Ben Gurion Airport, and several exploded near Tel Aviv, setting off air raid sirens.
In response to the collapse of the cease-fire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pulled negotiators out of Cairo, where talks to negotiate a lasting peace agreement had stalled.
"The talks are based on a premise that there is a cease-fire,'' said Mark Regev, a spokesman for the prime minister. "If there is no cease-fire, there is no foundation to the discussions.
Among Israel's targets was Mohammed Deif, considered to be the leader of Hamas' armed wing, Qassam, and the designer of its signature Qassam rockets.
The Palestinian health ministry said Deif's wife, Wedad Deif, 28, and their 7-month-old son Ali, were killed in an airstrike at their Dalo home Tuesday night, while Deif's whereabouts remain unclear. A post from ministry spokesman Ashram al-Qedra on his Facebook page originally said three people had been killed, but the post has since been removed and al-Qedra said only only the wife and child were dead.
Palestinian news reports said several bodies were removed from the rubble.
Deif, who is believed to be about 50, has been Israel's top target since 1996. The Israeli military has made assassination attempts since he took over as head of Qassam in 2002, and in a 2003 strike left him severely handicapped. Renewed efforts to hunt him came after Deif claimed in a recorded message last month that Hamas was "winning the war."
"For years, Mohammed Deif has been hiding in the tunnels underneath Gaza, and that is where he will remain because he's a dead man," Yair Lapid, Israel's finance minister said on July 30. Later, Mr. Lapid declared, "To Deif and his gang, I want to say clearly: Just as the United States did not rest until it found Bin Laden and eliminated him, we will find you and bring you to justice."
Qassam confirmed the deaths of Wedad and Ali Deif, but would not say whether Deif himself was alive or dead.
Health officials in Gaza said the death toll rose to 2,028 since the outbreak of fighting six weeks ago, and 64 Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed.


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CoderDojo Dublin @ The Warehouse #50
This is our 50th session as CoderDojo Dublin @ The Warehouse. We are being hosted by Zalando in their new Dublin offices at 3 Grand Canal Quay, Dublin 2.
- 13:00-13:15: Registration and set-up
- 13:15-14:20: Workshops and tutorials
- 14:20-14:40: Break
- 14:40-15:45: Workshops and tutorials
- 15:45-16:00: Presentations and closing
Important Ticket Information
- Kids: Please put your name as the attendee on the tickets not your parent's. Otherwise, they'll have to learn code and you'll have to mind them!
- Kids: Only book a Scratch OR HTML/CSS OR Java OR Projects/Python ticket NOT a combination.
- Parents: Put your name on the ticket as the buyer.
- Parents: We appreciate being told if you book and won't be coming so we can hand the tickets on to someone else.
What to bring?
- A laptop (we have some spare laptops - contact email@example.com)
- A keyboard and mouse for Raspberry Pi
- A parent if you are under 12
- A drink and snack


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Renew is a System Preference Pane that refreshes your desktop picture with high quality images from a variety of categories. Never again will you need to spend hours searching the Web for high quality desktop images. Renew accesses our database of thousands of publicly available desktop images from dozens of host all over the world. Each image is downloaded as needed and set to your desktop picture automatically.
What's New in Renew
Initial release
Requirements for RenewMac OS X 10.4 or later, Internet connection
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When I was a police officer in Baltimore, one sergeant would sometimes motivate his troops in the middle of a shift change by joyfully shouting, "All right, you maggots! Let's lock people up! They don't pay you to stand around. I want production! I want lockups!" He said this while standing in front of a small sign he most likely authored: "Unlike the citizens of the Eastern District, you are required to work for your government check."
In the police world, there are good arrests and better arrests, but there is no such thing as a bad arrest. In recent years, measures of "productivity" have achieved an almost totemic significance. And because they are so easy to count, arrests have come to outweigh more important but harder-to-quantify variables such as crimes prevented, fights mitigated, or public fears assuaged.
There's an argument that putting pressure on rank-and-file officers to make lots of arrests is a good thing. After all, we pay police to arrest criminals. But there's a difference between quantity and quality. Quantity is easy to influence, and the rank and file can easily increase their output of discretionary arrests for minor offenses like loitering, disorderly conduct, and possession of marijuana. They are also influenced by what is known in New York as "collars for dollars": Arrest numbers are influenced by the incentive of overtime pay for finishing up paperwork and appearing in court.
Police would love to arrest only "real" criminals, but that isn't easy. It's difficult to find a good criminal. There's never a felon around when you need one. Fishing for low-level drug arrests is a far easier way to generate overtime.
When I worked in Baltimore, officers would pull up on a drug corner and stop the slowest addict walking away. While conducting a perfectly legal "Terry Frisk"—a cursory search nominally conducted for officer safety—cops would feel some drugs in a pocket. That easy arrest and lockup likely meant two hours of overtime pay.
In some cities, like New York, it's trickier. Overtime for court testimony is harder to get, and the state's highest court has ruled—precisely to prevent the Baltimore-style approach—that feeling drugs during a Terry Frisk does not allow an officer to search that pocket and remove those drugs. The court reasoned that the drugs are not a threat to the officer's safety, and safety is the only justification for these sorts of frisks.
In New York state, small-scale possession of marijuana is virtually decriminalized. It's not even an arrestable offense. But police in need of overtime are nothing if not wily. So a group of officers might approach a man in a high-crime neighborhood and, in no uncertain terms, "ask" him to empty his pockets. Fearful, resigned, or simply taking the path of least resistance, the suspect might do so, and in the process he might reveal a small "dime bag" of weed. While possessing that amount of marijuana is not an arrestable offense, it becomes one as soon as the drug is placed in "public view."
Supporters sometimes say these small-scale drug arrests are part of a "broken windows" approach to preventing crime. This tactic comes from an influential 1982 Atlantic magazine article by George Kelling and James Q. Wilson that combined the 19th century police theories of Robert Peel with the 20th century urban philosophy of Jane Jacobs. The idea is that if you take care of the little things—disorder, quality-of-life issues, and public fear—then the big things like robbery and murder will take care of themselves.
Since Police Commissioner William Bratton implemented a broken windows policing strategy in the early 1990s, homicides in New York dropped more than 80 percent. But the crime didn't drop because police were cracking down on drug users; overall, illegal drug use is as high as ever. When the murder rate was falling fastest in the 1990s, police never arrested more than a few thousand people per year for public-view marijuana. Only after the crime drop slowed did police turn to small-scale drug arrests to meet their "productivity goals." It's as if real criminals became too difficult to find, and the addiction to overtime pay remained strong as ever.
Last year in New York City, 50,300 people—mostly young black and Hispanic men—were arrested solely for misdemeanor "public-view" possession of marijuana. It's true that some may have been up to no good. And some might have been walking down the street proudly smoking a spliff in front of the police. But nobody really believes this accounts for most of those 50,300 lockups. Many were people just going about their business, intending to smoke later, in private, in the very manner the law was intended to decriminalize.
"What is it with the drugs?" a man once asked me while I was policing a 7-11 for coffee, "When there's shootin' or fightin', you don't seem to care! But when there's drugs, you come right away." It's a fair question to ask. Why do we do it? What do we gain? Especially when we know drug arrests are expensive and turn a lot of otherwise law-abiding citizens into cop-hating criminals?
The drug war, because it can't be won, encourages outward signs of police effectiveness at the expense of good old-fashioned policing. Hard-working cops, especially those who ask for little more than a middle-class income in return for the dangerous work they do, turn to drug arrests to make ends meet. The Baltimore sergeant was right: Police officers do need to work for their government check. It's a shame "collars for dollars" has become the easiest way to do it.
Peter Moskos (firstname.lastname@example.com), a former Baltimore police officer, is an assistant professor of law and political science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York's Doctoral Program in Sociology, and LaGuardia Community College's Department of Social Science. He is the author of In Defense of Flogging (2011) and Cop in the Hood: My Year Policing Baltimore's Eastern District (2008). This column first appeared at Reason.com.


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Jan 04, 2005 | 432 Pages
Mar 24, 2020 | 512 Pages
Mar 24, 2020 | 900 Minutes
"In this gem of a book, Dr. Sally Shaywitz uses her voice, her images, her brain–and yes, her heart–to shine a piercing and clarifying light on what we so inadequately call 'dyslexia.' What is more, she shows how almost everyone can overcome it." —Daniel D. Federman, M.D.,
"Fascinating. . . . Shaywitz has illuminated the inner workings of dyslexic minds." —Time
"An important book…. For the first time, scientists are understanding how the brain works…in the act of reading. Front and center now is Sally Shaywitz." –The Baltimore Sun


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Dr. Stephen C. Yang is a professor of surgery and medical oncology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and The Johns Hopkins Hospital. In October 2008 he was named the first recipient of The Arthur B. and Patricia B. Modell Professor in Thoracic Surgery.
Dr. Yang is an extreme supporter of medical students, being the only surgeon (amongst 20 chosen from the School of Medicine) for the medical student advisory Colleges system, and is the faculty sponsor for the Surgery Interest Group and the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association.
Dr. Yang graduated from Duke University with a B.A. in Chemistry and received his M.D. degree from the Medical College of Virginia. He completed his general surgery residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and finished his cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at the Medical College of Virginia. He also completed a 3 year thoracic surgical oncology research fellowship at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
He currently serves on the Postgraduate Affairs, Medical School Admissions, Educational Policy, and Curriculum Reform Committees in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He served on numerous national and international committees for these organizations, and is the Taskforce Chair on the Looking to the Future Residency Scholarships for the Society of Thoracic Surgeons He is Editor of Practical Reviews in Chest Medicine and guest editor/ reviewer for numerous peer review journals. He is co-editor of the book Current Therapy in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, edited the esophageal surgical section in the 2nd edition of Atlas of Gastrointestinal Surgery with John Cameron, M.D., and series editor-in-chief of The Early Diagnosis of Cancer also editing the book volume of The Early Diagnosis of Lung Cancer. In 2001, he and his lung transplant team were featured in the ABC series 24/7 and is currently also being followed in the sequel to that series focusing in on resident and medical student teaching. This series as well as other experiences are still shown on the Discovery Channel. The extensive work in preparing an esophageal cancer patient for surgery on the BBC and the Discovery Channel.
Dr. Yang's laboratory research interests include using molecular techniques for lung cancer screening and for molecular staging of micrometastasis to predict recurrence following surgical resection. His clinical practice and research covers the breath of general thoracic surgery in pulmonary and esophageal surgery, video-assisted and robotics thoracic surgery, mediastinal and pleural work, lung volume reduction surgery for emphysema, and work in geriatric thoracic surgery.
- Associate Vice Chair for Faculty Development
- The Arthur B. and Patricia B. Modell Professor in Thoracic Surgery
- Professor of Surgery
- Professor of Oncology
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- MD; Medicine, Medical College of Virginia School of Medicine (1984)
- University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston / General Surgery (1987)
- University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston / General Surgery (1992)
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (1990)
- Medical College of Virginia School of Medicine / Cardiothoracic Surgery (1994)
Board Certifications
- American Board of Thoracic Surgery / Thoracic Surgery (1996)
Research & Publications
Selected PublicationsView all on Pubmed
Brock, M.V.; Hooker, C.M.; Engels, E.A.; Moore, R.D.; Gillison, M.L.; Alberg, A.J.; Keruly, J.C.; Yang, S.C.; Heitmiller, R.F.; Baylin, S.B.; Herman, J.G.; Brahmer, J.R. Delayed diagnosis and elevated mortality in an urban population with HIV and lung cancer: implications for patient care. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2006 Sep;43(1):47-55.
Gott, V.L.; Patel, N.D.; Yang, S.C.; Baumgartner, W.A. Attracting outstanding students (premedical and medical) to a career in cardiothoracic surgery. Ann Thorac Surg. 2006 Jul;82(1):1-3.
Heath, E.I.; Burtness, B.A.; Kleinberg, L.; Salem, R.R.; Yang, S.C.; Heitmiller, R.F.; Canto, M.I.; Knisely, J.P.; Topazian, M.; Montgomery, E.; Tsottles, N.; Pithavala, Y.; Rohmiller, B.; Collier, M.; Forastiere, A.A. Phase II, parallel-design study of preoperative combined modality therapy and the matrix metalloprotease (mmp) inhibitor prinomastat in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma. Invest New Drugs. 2006 Mar;24(2):135-140.
Kleinberg, L.; Gibson, M.; Yang, S.; Forastiere, A.A.; Putnam, J.B. Primary Combined Modality Therapy for Esophageal Cancer. Oncology. 2006;20(5):505-511.
Montgomery, E.; Mamelak, A.J.; Gibson, M.; Maitra, A.; Sheikh, S.; Amr, S.S.; Yang, S.; Brock, M.; Forastiere, A.; Zhang, S.; Murphy, K.M.; Berg, K.D. Overexpression of claudin proteins in esophageal adenocarcinoma and its precursor lesions. Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol. 2006 Mar;14(1):24-30.
Schachna, L.; Medsger, T.A., Jr.; Dauber, J.H.; Wigley, F.M.; Braunstein, N.A.; White, B.; Steen, V.D.; Conte, J.V.; Yang, S.C.; McCurry, K.R.; Borja, M.C.; Plaskon, D.E.; Orens, J.B.; Gelber, A.C. Lung transplantation in scleroderma compared with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. Arthritis Rheum. 2006 Dec;54(12):3954-3961.
Weiss, E.S.; Doty, J.; Brock, M.V.; Halvorson, L.; Yang, S.C. A case of ectopic parathyroid hormone production by a pulmonary neoplasm. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2006 Apr;131(4):923-924.
Madar, I.; Bencherif, B.; Lever, J.; Heitmiller, R.F.; Yang, S.C.; Brock, M.; Brahmer, J.; Ravert, H.; Dannals, R.; Frost, J.J. Imaging delta- and mu-opioid receptors by PET in lung carcinoma patients. J Nucl Med. 2007 Feb;48(2):207-213.
Brock, M.V.; Hooker, C.M.; Ota-Machida, E.; Han, Y.; Guo, M.; Ames, S.; Glockner, S.; Piantadosi, S.; Gabrielson, E.; Pridham, G.; Pelosky, K.; Belinsky, S.A.; Yang, S.C.; Baylin, S.B.; Herman, J.G. DNA methylation markers and early recurrence in stage I lung cancer. N Engl J Med. 2008 Mar 13;358(11):1118-1128.
Carpenter, A.J.; Yang, S.C.; Uhlig, P.N.; Colson, Y.L. Envisioning simulation in the future of thoracic surgical education. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2008 Mar;135(3):477-484.
Durr, M.L.; Yang, S.C. Traumatic right paraesophageal hernia after Belsey Mark IV fundoplication. Ann Thorac Surg. 2008 Jan;85(1):321-322
Meguid, R.A.; Brooke, B.S.; Chang, D.C.; Sherwood, J.T.; Brock, M.V.; Yang, S.C. Are surgical outcomes for lung cancer resections improved at teaching hospitals? Ann Thorac Surg. 2008 Mar;85(3):1015-1024; discussion 1024-1015.
Meguid, R.A.; Hooker, C.M.; Taylor, J.T.; Kleinberg, L.R.; Cattaneo, S.M., 2nd; Sussman, M.S.; Yang, S.C.; Heitmiller, R.F.; Forastiere, A.A.; Brock, M.V. Recurrence after neoadjuvant chemoradiation and surgery for esophageal cancer: does the pattern of recurrence differ for patients with complete response and those with partial or no response? J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2009 Dec;138(6):1309-1317.
Meguid, R.A.; Weiss, E.S.; Chang, D.C.; Brock, M.V.; Yang, S.C. The effect of volume on esophageal cancer resections: what constitutes acceptable resection volumes for centers of excellence? J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2009 Jan;137(1):23-29.
Cerchietti, L.C.; Hatzi, K.; Caldas-Lopes, E.; Yang, S.N.; Figueroa, M.E.; Morin, R.D.; Hirst, M.; Mendez, L.; Shaknovich, R.; Cole, P.A.; Bhalla, K.; Gascoyne, R.D.; Marra, M.; Chiosis, G.; Melnick, A. BCL6 repression of EP300 in human diffuse large B cell lymphoma cells provides a basis for rational combinatorial therapy. J Clin Invest. 2010 Nov 1.
Ettinger, D.S.; Akerley, W.; Bepler, G.; Blum, M.G.; Chang, A.; Cheney, R.T.; Chirieac, L.R.; D''Amico, T.A.; Demmy, T.L.; Ganti, A.K.; Govindan, R.; Grannis, F.W., Jr.; Jahan, T.; Jahanzeb, M.; Johnson, D.H.; Kessinger, A.; Komaki, R.; Kong, F.M.; Kris, M.G.; Krug, L.M.; Le, Q.T.; Lennes, I.T.; Martins, R.; O''Malley, J.; Osarogiagbon, R.U.; Otterson, G.A.; Patel, J.D.; Pisters, K.M.; Reckamp, K.; Riely, G.J.; Rohren, E.; Simon, G.R.; Swanson, S.J.; Wood, D.E.; Yang, S.C. Non-small cell lung cancer. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2010 Jul;8(7):740-801.
Ettinger, D.S.; Akerley, W.; Bepler, G.; Blum, M.G.; Chang, A.; Cheney, R.T.; Chirieac, L.R.; D''Amico, T.A.; Demmy, T.L.; Govindan, R.; Grannis, F.W., Jr.; Jahan, T.; Johnson, D.H.; Kessinger, A.; Komaki, R.; Kong, F.M.; Kris, M.G.; Krug, L.M.; Le, Q.T.; Lennes, I.T.; Martins, R.; O''Malley, J.; Osarogiagbon, R.U.; Otterson, G.A.; Patel, J.D.; Pisters, K.M.; Reckamp, K.; Riely, G.J.; Rohren, E.; Swanson, S.J.; Wood, D.E.; Yang, S.C. Thymic malignancies. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2010 Nov;8(11):1302-1315.
Meguid, R.A.; Hooker, C.M.; Harris, J.; Xu, L.; Westra, W.H.; Sherwood, J.T.; Sussman, M.; Cattaneo, S.M., 2nd; Shin, J.; Cox, S.; Christensen, J.; Prints, Y.; Yuan, N.; Zhang, J.; Yang, S.C.; Brock, M.V. Long-term survival outcomes by smoking status in surgical and nonsurgical patients with non-small cell lung cancer: comparing never smokers and current smokers. Chest. 2010 Sep;138(3):500-509.
Activities & Honors
- Research Scholar, American Association of Thoracic Surgery, 1997
- William F. Rienhoff award for teaching and research, Johns Hopkins, 1996
- Outstanding Alumnus, Medical College of Virginia, 2004
- Program Director research award, Thoracic Surgery Directors Association, 2007
- American Association of Thoracic Surgeons
- American College of Chest Physicians
- American College of Surgeons
- American College of Surgeons
- American College of Surgeons Oncology Group
- Association for Academic Surgeons
- Association for Surgical Education
- International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation
- Society of Thoracic Surgeons
- Society of University Surgeons
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text:
Ryder Cup towels for on or off the course
I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure I won't be playing in the Ryder Cup next week or anytime soon. But we can have a little bit of the Ryder Cup with us out on the course (or hanging up in our offices) with either of a couple of sporty Ryder Cup-themed towels from Devant.
The Official 2012 Commemorative Artwork towel showcases the Medinah clubhouse in a brilliantly colored image created by famed sports artist LeRoy Nieman that is also featured on posters, prints and other products. The graphics are applied with Devant's patented Hi-Def digital technology, which allows Devant to reproduce the detailed artwork while keeping the towel soft and ready to use. Made from a cotton-polyester blend, it measures 16-by-24 inches and retails for $24.95.
If you'd rather have a towel with the Ryder Cup logo, there is one that features the logo with "Medinah 2012" in the background. Like the clubhouse towel, this one measures 16-by-24 inches, is made of cotton-polyester blend and features graphics applied in such a way as to make the image especially sharp while keeping the towel soft and functional. This one retails for $19.95.


text:
RALEIGH, N.C. - A court-martial for a U.S. Army general facing sexual assault charges has been postponed for a third time.
The trial for Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair had been scheduled to begin at Fort Bragg, N.C., on Jan. 7. In a news release Thursday, the Army said military Judge Col. James Pohl has rescheduled the court martial to begin March 3 so prosecutors and defense lawyers can complete further pre-trial discovery.
Sinclair, 51, is believed to be the highest-ranking officer to face a sexual assault charge in the Army's 238-year history. It's also rare for a general to face court-martial over any type of criminal charge. There have been only two cases in recent years.
A decorated 27-year Army veteran, Sinclair has pleaded not guilty to eight criminal counts, including forcible sodomy, indecent acts, violating orders and conduct unbecoming an officer.
Most of the charges stem from a three-year affair with a female captain who says the married father of two twice forced her to perform oral sex while she served under his command in Iraq and Afghanistan. The woman testified at the evidentiary hearing last year that she repeatedly tried to break off the affair with Sinclair. She says he threatened to kill her and her family if she told anyone about their frequent sexual liaisons in hotels, headquarters and war zones.
The Associated Press does not identify victims of alleged sexual assaults.
Two other female officers who served with Sinclair also have testified that they gave the general nude photos at his request.
Sinclair's defense attorneys portray his primary accuser as a scorned lover seeking revenge and have questioned in court whether the general can receive a fair trial under the military justice system. He faces a potential maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of the most serious charges.
The case against Sinclair comes as the Pentagon grapples with a string of revelations involving sexual misconduct within the ranks.
Prosecutions over such charges are on the rise even as the military's own data suggests only about one in eight sexual assaults are reported or prosecuted. Influential members of Congress are now pushing to remove decisions about the prosecution of sex crimes from the military chain of command.


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Journal of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering
versión On-line ISSN 2309-8775
versión impresa ISSN 1021-2019
J. S. Afr. Inst. Civ. Eng. vol.54 no.2 Midrand ene. 2012
The discontinuity required at an air valve or vent for effective pipeline de-aeration
S J van Vuuren; M van Dijk
The location and sizing of air valves to ensure effective de-aeration of pipelines and to provide vacuum break capability was researched. Based on these findings, software was developed to evaluate gravity and pumping systems.
A sound understanding of the factors affecting the hydraulic transportation of air in a pipeline is paramount for locating air valves. When air is hydraulically transported to the position of release from the pipeline, it is necessary that the free air should be intercepted by a discontinuity and expelled via an air valve or vent arrangement.
Research information on the layout and dimensioning of the discontinuity to ensure the interception of air in pipelines is lacking. This paper discusses experimental and numerical model assessments undertaken to compile provisional guidelines for determining the dimensions of the required discontinuity.
Keywords: de-aeration of pipelines, required size of the discontinuity to capture free-moving air, air accumulator
Engineering skill and knowledge of physical laws are required for the design of cost-effective de-aeration facilities for water conveyance systems. Misconceptions regarding the operation of air valves and their positioning have led to ineffective de-aeration of water pipeline systems. An important aspect of air valve installation that has been largely neglected is the dimensioning of the discontinuities in the pipe at which free air is intercepted, conveyed to the air valve and released under operating conditions. The inability of discontinuities to intercept air can result in situations where free air remains trapped in the pipeline and reduces the hydraulic capacity to far less than the design capacity. Another possible consequence of the inability to intercept free air is the uncontrolled release of the air that could lead to high dynamic pressures.
There are basically two types of air release valves, the so-called large- and small-orifice air valves. The differences between the two types are the operating conditions and manner in which they function. Large-orifice valves release and admit air during the charging and draining of water mains respectively, while small-orifice air valves mainly release air under operating conditions. Air valve manufacturers produce a range of pressure classes, functional layouts and sizes.
Effective de-aeration of a pipeline requires that:
■ Free air is transported hydraulically in the pipeline to a position where it can be released.
■ A discontinuity in the crown of the pipeline allows the free air to enter into a holding space (an accumulator) below the air valve; the water in the accumulator needs to be displaced by the air entering it.
■ An accumulator provides temporary storage of the intercepted air.
■ A correctly sized and located air valve or vent releases the air to the atmosphere.
The size of the discontinuity for effective interception of the air has a cost implication and hence has to be sized optimally. Since there is no deterministic relationship and no literature available to define the required sizing of the discontinuity, this aspect was researched experimentally.
The purpose of the experimental investigation was to determine a relationship between the operational parameters of the pipeline and the size of the discontinuity required to intercept free air that is hydraulically transported. Tests were conducted to optimise the following parameters that influence the efficiency of air interception:
■ Mean velocities of the fluid and air bubbles
■ Relative air bubble sizes
■ Pipe slope
■ Size of the discontinuity (off-take) that leads to the air valve.
The experimental setups consisted of pipelines that were supplied with water from a constant head tank with the flow rate regulated by a gate valve. Two transparent pipes of different diameters were tested: Test 1 comprised a 110 mm nominal diameter (ND) PVC pipe and Test 2 a 160 mm ND PVC pipe. Figure 1 shows a schematic layout of the experimental setups and highlights some differences between the setups for Test 1 and Test 2.
Test 1 experimental setup (110 mm ND pipe)
The 110 mm pipeline supplying water to the experimental setup was fitted with an ultrasonic flow meter. The 110 mm diameter transparent PVC pipe made it possible to track the movement of the air bubbles from the point of injection to the discontinuity where a Perspex air valve was placed on a stub, as indicated in Figure 2. Tests were conducted with various discontinuity (orifice) sizes drilled into the pipe to intercept the air.
A defined quantity of air was introduced into the system through the custom-built "Air Induction Box" (AIB) shown in Figure 3. The AIB had the facility to set the bubble size (BUB), based on a specific pressure difference, by setting the opening time of a solenoid valve in milliseconds. The time delay between consecutive air bubbles could also be altered (GAP), as well as the number of air bubbles injected (QTY) for a specific test. Figures 4a to 4c give a quantitative indication of the various air bubble sizes that were used in the Test 1 setup (defined as small, medium and large measured in normal millilitres).
As indicated in Figure 1, a collector box was placed at the end of the pipeline to capture the air that bypassed the discontinuity. The volume of air intercepted by the discontinuity was calculated as the mass balance difference between the volume introduced and the volume captured by the interceptor box.
In the Test 1 setup, the pipe gradient was varied between 0° (horizontal) and 15° (downwards in the direction of flow) in steps of 2.5°. For each of the gradients, the size of the discontinuity was varied between 10% and 35% of the 110 mm pipeline's diameter in steps of 5%. The flow velocities investigated for each of the setups were 0.5 m/s, 1.0 m/s and 1.5 m/s.
Test 2 experimental setup (160 mm ND pipe)
The layout of Test 2 was similar to that of Test 1, except that a 160 mm diameter transparent PVC pipe was used. A similar series of tests was conducted for various discontinuity diameters, pipe slopes, air bubble sizes and flow velocities to determine the effectiveness of interception of the air for a range of operating conditions.
For Test 2 the capturing device shown in Figure 5 replaced the air valve of the Test 1 experimental setup. This comprised a 20 cm long equal Tee closed by the discontinuity. Discontinuity sizes of 20 mm and 67.8 mm were tested. This change in the layout of the discontinuity made the Test 2 layout more representative of the layout of normal air valve installations.
After each test the captured air was released in a controlled manner into a measuring container in which the (normal) volume of air could be determined.
The main differences between the Test 1 and Test 2 experimental setups were:
■ The pipeline diameter was increased from 110 mm for Test 1 to 160 mm for Test 2.
■ The discontinuity for Test 1 functioned as an orifice and was changed to a Tee off-take in the experimental layout of Test 2. This change represents the typical layout of an air valve installation.
■ For the Test 1 experimental setup the air that passed the discontinuity was captured and the portion of the induced air that was intercepted was calculated. For the Test 2 experimental setup, the volume of air that was intercepted was captured and measured directly.
Three different bubble sizes were evaluated with the Test 2 experimental setup. The AIB was programmed to induce a certain size bubble by setting the differential pressure and the time that the solenoid valve remained open to allow a certain volume of air into the system. Tables 1 and 2 contain details of the AIB settings for the different air bubble sizes that were tested in the Test 1 and Test 2 experimental setups.
The variables that were considered in the experimental setups were the air bubble size, the water flow velocity, the pipe gradient and the size of the discontinuity.
The pipe gradients of the pipe in the tests conducted for the Test 2 experimental setup varied from 0° to 15° in steps of 2.5°. The flow velocities investigated were 0.5 m/s, 1.0 m/s and 1.5 m/s. The sizes of the discontinuity that were evaluated were 20 mm and 67.8 mm, i.e. 13% and 44% of the internal diameter of the 160 mm pipeline.
Since no literature could be sourced that defines the required size of discontinuity to intercept transported air, the Test 2 experimental setup was also modelled with a numerical Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model. The results of the tests on the two experimental setups and of the numerical modelling are compared in this paper.
The objective of the numerical modelling was to determine the volume of air intercepted at a discontinuity for comparison with the results obtained from the experimental physical modelling. The commercial software package, FLUENT, which is widely used for incompressible and compressible, laminar and turbulent fluid flow problems, was used.
The modelling of multi-phase flow (air and water) was simulated by incorporation of the Volume of Fluids Model (VOF), which assumes that the different fluids (or phases) are not interpenetrating. The fields for all variables and properties are shared by the phases and represent volume-averaged values. Thus the variables and properties in any given cell are either purely representative of one of the phases, or representative of a mixture of the phases, depending upon the volume fractions.
The geometry of a section of the experimental setup was generated in FLUENT's GAMBIT pre-processor, as shown in Figure 6 (Gambit 2001). It was assumed that the model is symmetrical along a vertical plane in the direction of flow, and that the swirl effects are negligible. The geometry shown in Figure 6 represents a pipeline length of 1 000 mm, a pipeline diameter of 110 mm and a discontinuity diameter equal to 35% of the pipeline diameter.
The effectiveness of the numerical simulation is largely influenced by the selected structure of the finite element grid. The grid was divided into quadrilateral and tetrahedral type cells. Cell density in the region of the discontinuity was higher to accommodate the expected high velocity gradients in the flow field. This boundary layer grid structure contributed to an accurate solution of the flow profile near the wall, where a zero velocity or no-slip condition exists at this boundary.
The boundaries used in this model consisted of the symmetrical vertical boundary plane which cuts the pipe in two halves, and the inlet- and outlet-boundaries. The fluid properties for the air and water phases are reflected in Table 3.
Since an unsteady multi-phase solution was desired, the following steps were taken to track the boundary between the two phases:
■ A steady state solution in the pipeline was initialised prior to the introduction of any air pockets.
■ Thereafter, an air pocket was introduced into the flow field. This represented the unsteady flow condition and was solved over defined time steps, which were in the order of 0.0005 seconds for the small bubbles and in the order of 0.076 seconds for larger bubbles.
■ The unsteady flow computation continued with similar time steps, until such time as the air pocket reached the discontinuity/outlet. During this time, the bubble would assume an equilibrium state, influenced by the mean flow velocity and buoyancy forces, introduced on account of the inclination of the gravity vector.
■ Finally, during the period when the air pocket would start to rise into the pipe connected to the discontinuity, smaller time step sizes were implemented. These smaller time step sizes ensured that the solution at each time step size converged correctly in accordance with certain criteria. Computation was slower in this step, due to two major factors, namely the use of tetrahedral grid cells, and an increase in the number of free surfaces due to turbulence and air bubble break-up into smaller bubbles in the region of the discontinuity. Time step sizes for this step in the simulation ranged between a high of 0.0002 seconds and a low of 0.00005 seconds.
Air intercepted at the discontinuity would continue to move up the "riser" pipe into the small box, while un-intercepted air pockets would continue past the discontinuity and would be released via the outlet boundary.
After the initial CFD modelling had been completed, further analyses were conducted in which the geometry and the grid generation were altered. In these evaluations, which are referred to as Phase 2, the length of the pipe was increased from 1 000 mm to 1 500 mm to improve the formation of the flow patterns before reaching the discontinuity. A further geometrical alteration was made for a single case to model the Test 1 experimental setup where the discontinuity was an orifice.
For Phase 2, hexagonal grid cells were generated with the objective of improving the accuracy and reducing the solution time. An effort was also made to ensure cell volume uniformity, as this is considered important when performing free surface simulations. The cell count for the simulations ranged from 350 to 400 thousand grid cells for the entire volume of the pipe modelled.
Table 4 shows the details of the different analyses undertaken as part of the Phase 2 numerical modelling.
Firstly, the experimental results for Test 1 (110 mm pipe) and Test 2 (160 mm pipe) are reviewed below, and thereafter the numerical modelling results are discussed.
Results of Test 1 setup for 110 mm ND pipeline
The experimental Test 1 results indicated that the effectiveness of a specific discontinuity is inversely proportional to the slope and the flow velocity. The results suggested that a discontinuity opening (d) of at least 35% of the pipe diameter (D) is required to provide an air removal efficiency of more than 95% for negative slopes up to 15° and a maximum flow velocity of 1.5 m/s.
Table 5 illustrates the efficiencies of air removal for a discontinuity opening (d) equal to 35% of the pipe diameter (D), a flow velocity of 1.0 m/s and a medium air bubble (75 nml).
The results of the Test 1 experimental setup for velocities of 1.0 and 1.5 m/s are presented graphically in Figure 7, which clearly indicates that for a constant velocity the efficiency of air removal decreases as the pipeline gradient is increased. It was also established that the efficiency reduces for larger air bubbles on account of higher turbulence at the nose of the bubble, which creates smaller bubbles that are torn from the larger air bubbles. The small bubbles are seldom transported at the crown of the pipeline and hence reduce the efficiency of interception of these small air bubbles.
It was visually observed that smaller bubbles enter the discontinuity (orifice) more easily than the larger bubbles, due to the tendency of larger bubbles to block the discontinuity, making it impossible for the liquid to be displaced by the smaller air bubbles.
Results of Test 2 experimental setup (160 mm ND pipeline)
In the Test 2 experimental setup the discontinuity was modelled as a "standpipe or riser pipe" which closely resembles the normal installation of air valves.
The results for a discontinuity of 67.8 mm (44% of the pipe diameter) and a small air bubble (25 nml) for velocities of 1.0 and 1.5 m/s are graphically illustrated in Figure 8.
Numerical modelling results
Table 6 provides the results of the numerical modelling of unsteady flow in a 110 mm diameter pipe with a large air bubble (240 nml), a flow velocity of 1.2 m/s and various slopes. The table shows the air capture efficiency.
Table 7 shows the numerical modelling results for various off-take ratios (d/D) and slopes where the discontinuity was modelled as an orifice similar to that of the experimental layout of Test 1. Comparing the results for the off-take ratio of 0.35 it is evident that the discontinuity, which was modelled as a stub pipe (Table 6), would intercept air bubbles more effectively than the layout modelled as an orifice (Table 7).
The presence of air in a pipe results in the unsteady flow of air and water in the pipe flow, which was simulated with the numerical model FLUENT. Figure 9 indicates the variations in time of the proportions of water and air when small and large air bubbles are transported past a particular cross-section of the pipe. The results in Figure 9 are shown for three slopes and for an average water flow velocity of 1.2 m/s. The speed at which large and small air pockets pass a particular cross-section can also be inferred from Figure 9. Figure 9 indicates the decrease in the velocity of air pocket movement down the pipe with increasing pipeline slope. The volume-fraction-time relationship represents the changing shape of the bubbles due to the increasing effects of buoyancy and pipeline slope. The increase in small air pocket breakaway from the fronts of the large air pockets with increasing slope is also reflected in Figure 9.
Comparison of results of the numerical and experimental modelling
Figure 10 shows a comparison of the experimental and the numerical modelling results. The air bubble sizes are indicated in Figure 10 by the (circle) sizes.
It seems that the efficiencies of air removal determined by the numerical modelling (CFD) are lower than the efficiencies measured in the experimental modelling. This difference can perhaps be attributed to the different sizes of the air bubbles which were used for this comparison.
The experimental work indicated that air bubbles do not always travel at the top of the pipe, and that a disturbance can create turbulence which breaks up the air pockets and mixes the air throughout the entire cross-section. This reduces the efficiency of interception of air by the discontinuity, since fewer of the air bubbles have the opportunity to enter the discontinuity.
Tests conducted on the 160 mm pipe (Test 2) indicated that a discontinuity of more than 44% of the pipe diameter was required to intercept the hydraulically transported large air bubble (490 nml) in the pipeline for a slope of less than 15° and an average flow velocity of 1.5 m/s.
The experimental results also indicated that the following aspects should be considered when a de-aeration system is designed:
■ Firstly, the size of the discontinuity should be sufficient to intercept the air bubbles, and
■ Secondly, the air which is intercepted at a discontinuity should be collected in an "accumulator" from where it is released via an air valve.
All tests on discontinuities were undertaken with negative pipe slopes. In the case of positive slopes the bubble velocity would be much greater and hence for a specific discontinuity a smaller portion of the air would be captured. Therefore a larger size discontinuity would be required for positive pipe slopes.
The complex nature of air movement in pipelines and of the factors influencing efficient air removal suggest that a conservative approach should be used when dimensioning a discontinuity to effectively intercept air bubbles in a pipeline.
Based on the understanding of the complexities associated with two-phase water and air flow, it is recommended that the experimental results are conservatively applied within the practical and financial constraints of water pipeline design. Accordingly the following recommendations are made for sizing a discontinuity for effective de-aeration during pipeline operation:
■ The minimum discontinuity required for small pipes diameters (D < 300 mm) should be set equal to the diameter of the pipe. An equal T-piece is a standard pipe fitting for these diameters.
■ For diameters between 300 mm and 1 500 mm the discontinuity should be equal to 60% of the pipe diameter, but always greater than 300 mm.
■ For pipes with diameters in excess of 1 500 mm the discontinuity should be at least 35% of the pipe diameter, with a minimum of 900 mm. It should be noted that a discontinuity to intercept air bubbles should not be sited downstream from a discontinuity in a pipeline where a disturbance could create high turbulence that would break up the air bubble and mix it into the fluid.
In this paper no reference was made to the required storage facility (accumulator) underneath the air valve where the air volume, intercepted by the discontinuity, should be temporarily stored for release through the small orifice (bleed) of the air valve. With regard to the required storage volume of the accumulator underneath the air valve, it is recommended that the minimum dimensions of the accumulator (standpipe) to create the storage volume should be in accordance with the details reflected in Figures 11 and 12.
For most installations with a pipeline diameter of less than 1.5 m, sufficient vertical height will be available to install an accumulator to capture the intercepted air. For large diameter pipelines it is suggested that the accumulator should be modified to also serve as an access point to the pipe.
An aspect regarding the air valve installation which was not included in this paper, but which remains an integral part of effective de-aeration, is the requirement for the controlled release of air when a pipeline is charged. Figure 13 indicates how air valves could be arranged to ensure sequential closing, to trap some air in the riser pipe so as to reduce dynamic pressure fluctuations, and to provide a cushion of air in the pipeline. Such an air cushion would reduce flow velocity differences that might arise upstream and downstream of an air valve and could cause high waterhammer (dynamic) pressures to occur when all air is suddenly discharged through the air valve.
The authors wish to thank the Water Research Commission for funding the research project, as well as the two students who contributed to the study (Miss A Kotze and Miss M du Toit).
Input from personnel at the CFDlab, University of Pretoria, who assisted with the CFD modelling (Dr D de Kock and Mr T Kingsley) is appreciated. The authors also wish to thank Dr Mike Shand, who provided valuable contributions to improve this paper.
Fluent Inc 2001. Gambit, Version 1.3. Lebanon, New Hampshire, US. [Online] http://www.fluent.com. [ Links ]
Val-Matic 1993. Air in pipelines - Sources, system impact and removal. Elmhurst, Illinois, US: Valmatic Valve and Manufacturing Corporation. [ Links ]
Van Vuuren, S J 1995. Air in pipeline design. Part 2. Asbestos cement pipes brochure. Asbestos Cement Underground, 9. [ Links ]
Van Vuuren, S J, Van Dijk, M & Steenkamp J N 2004a. Quantifying the influence of air on the capacity of large-diameter water pipelines and developing provisional guidelines for effective de-aeration. WRC Report No 1177/1/04, Vol 1, Pretoria: Water Research Commission. [ Links ]
Van Vuuren, S J, Van Dijk, M & Steenkamp J N 2004b. Quantifying the influence of air on the capacity of large-diameter water pipelines and developing provisional guidelines for effective de-aeration: Provisional guidelines for the effective de-aeration of large-diameter water pipelines. WRC Report No 1177/2/04, Vol 2, Pretoria: Water Research Commission. [ Links ]
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University of Pretoria
South Africa
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PROF FANIE VAN VUUREN obtained MBA anc PhD Engineering degrees from the University of Pretoria. He has 36 years of professiona experience and has served as a director of consulting engineering firms. Besides lecturing locally and abroad, developing air valve sizing and location software for prominent manufacturers, and publishing a number of papers, he has also contributed to various pipeline projects and has presented numerous courses on pipeline engineering. He currently heads the Water Section of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Pretoria.
MARCO VAN DIJK obtalnecl his BEng (Civil) degree n 1996 from the University of Pretoria. In 1998, whilst working for Ninham Shand Consulting Engineers, he completed his BEng (Hons) in Water Resources Engineering. In 2000 he joined the academic environment of the University of Pretoria as a lecturer, and in 2004 completed his MEng. He Is currently enrolled fora PhDdegree.


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Have you ever considered the nematode? I appreciate the beneficial insects that help keep the garden in balance, but there are good things at work that go unseen.
I recently released who knows how many in and around my vegetable garden in hopes that they will finally take care of my most annoying vegetable pest: the flea beetle.
I do not use chemical pesticides in my vegetable garden, so these beneficial nematodes are my last hope; and once the colony is established, they should stick around and grow in population to do more good as the season progresses (and in years to come).
Blair Leano-Helvey of Entomology Solutions (www.bugsbehavingbadly.com) explained that I must first be patient. The present generation of flea beetles will not be controlled.
Rather, the generations pupating in the soil will be lunch for the nematodes. This is where the microscopic soil-dweller parasitizes the larvae of the pest – the flea beetle, flea larvae, Japanese beetle larvae, etc.
Leano-Helvey also sent me home with some wasp cocoons that parasitize flies to release around the barn and in the sheep pastures. Having fewer flies is really appealing to me.
Many beneficials we can see, and some we love, and some we view as threats. Before you squish or spray, consider the next generation of beneficial insects that you may be eliminating from your garden.
For instance:
One of the challenges we face when it comes to beneficial insects is that we have a hard time distinguishing between the good guys and the true pests. I recommend adding a book or pamphlet to your garden library that illustrates the insects that we do want out in the garden.
Beneficial insects are considered such because they prey on garden pests at some stage of their lives. Insects look different at the different stages of development.
Larva, nymphs and adults do different things to subsist and may look dramatically different then the insects we recognize. Learn to identify them in all stages of development.
The quintessential example is the braconid wasp. You may be surprised to find that various species of braconid wasps are some of our garden's best friends.
The tobacco hornworm is recognized by many gardeners, especially those who love to grow tomatoes. This hornworm is a large green caterpillar with chevron marks of white and black along its back. It can defoliate a tomato plant overnight.
Often we see the hornworm covered in small oval-shaped white cocoons. These are baby wasp cocoons that are feeding on the caterpillar as they develop. Not much remains of the caterpillar once the cocoons have done their thing.
The bottom line is this: Save those tobacco hornworms covered in cocoons so that you have another generation of beneficial braconid wasps in your garden.
These wasps lay their eggs on a number of other pests, as well, including the larvae of other caterpillars, beetles, aphids and flies.
Assassin bugs come in various colors, including red, black, green and brown. Their bodies are flat, thin and angular, and they prove to be voracious eaters of both the adult and larval stage of aphids, beetles, caterpillars, flies and leafhoppers.
The scarab-like ground beetle appears black and slightly iridescent and prefers to lunch on cutworms, fly eggs, maggots, slugs, snails and other soil-dwelling pests, such as cabbage root maggots and Colorado potato beetle larvae.
Lacewings and lady beetles love aphids, thrips, mites and scales, among other soft-bodied pests. And the insidious flower bug, also known as the minute pirate bug, uses its long snout to snag the nymphs of leafhoppers, mites and other small insects.
Reduce the use of pesticides, and you increase the population of beneficials. You can attract beneficials by planting certain herbs, flowers and vegetables.
Plants that produce generous amounts of nectar and pollen typically attract the good guys. Cilantro, dill and fennel pull in a great many beneficials. So do mint, borage, lavender, bee balm, Queen Ann's lace, amaranth, yarrow, nigella and many others.
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We are an international contemporary Asian art curatorial company representing some of the hottest up and coming talent worldwide. At Hzone we believe there are no boundaries when it comes to creativity. Our global reach spans across four continents and engages countless local artists in the Hzone Dialogue.


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We are here to offer guidance and advice, please contact us with any of your enquiries.
Lee Gillon & Ian Curry
Tel: 0191 487 8988
or email us at
When it comes for training for working at height, it doesn't get much better than IPAF.
So if you're looking for a gold-standard IPAF training provider, and based near Newcastle Upon Tyne, look no further; book onto a training course with the expert team from Facelift's Newcastle Upon Tyne site today.
Delivering the IPAF training course either at our depot Facelift Newcastle or your own site, our specialist, fully accredited IPAF training experts will ensure your employees have the training they need to be able to operate to IPAF standards with confidence.
The IPAF PAL card is awarded on successful completion of the training course delivered by the expert training team from our Newcastle Upon Tyne depot. This card confirms the identity of the card-holder and clearly states which categories of MEWPs (Mobile elevating work platforms) can be operated now that the card-holder has undergone the rigorous IPAF training.
Whatever your IPAF training need, our team at Facelift Newcastle Upon Tyne will be able to help!Contact us about training
We are here to offer guidance and advice, please contact us with any of your enquiries.
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Dried Fruits
Mangosteen is known in Thailand as the "Queen of Fruits" due to its delicious sweet white fruit, but it is the bitter tasting reddish-purple rind that the greatest value abides. There is probably a no more well-rounded or overall beneficial herbal dietary supplement than mangosteen rind.
Mangosteen rind has been used for centuries throughout Asia for anti-inflammatory qualities and treatment of skin conditions. Mangosteen rind was dried and ground to be used against internal and external infections. Poultices were used to treat skin conditions and the powder was ingested to help reduce fever. It has also been used traditionally as a tonic to relived fatigue and provide energy. Mangosteen has only recently been introduced to the rest of the world and is being enthusiastically received.
Scientific studies support many of the traditional uses of mangosteen rind. Its antimicrobial actions inhibit the progression of acne. It is an antibacterial agent effective against drug resistant strains of staphylococcus responsible for staph infections. Anti-inflammatory properties are comparable in strength to potent anti-inflammatory drugs with a long list of possible adverse side effects.
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.


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Report: Jessica Simpson Wants To Get Paid For Her Baby News!
Jessica is pregnant, according to a new report, but she wants $500,000 to announce the news!
The obvious baby bump on Jessica Simpson has pregnancy rumors buzzing, but sources say her father Joe Simpson wants a big magazine deal before the family confirms the news, according to Page Six! Can you believe it?
Sources said the father and daughter were asking for up to $500,000 for the news and eventual baby photos!
OK! has a cover story with Jessica that reads, "Yes, I"m Having A Baby!" In the article, a friend of Jessica told the magazine that she and her fiance Eric Johnson have been telling friends that they're expecting.
The friend told the magazine that even though the pregnancy came as a surprise, Jessica's excited: "She joked, 'Well, now I can eat anything I want and no one will care! It's just sort of a rule with pregnant women.'"
It's not unusual! Other celebs have gotten big money for their baby photos in the past! Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie reportedly got a cool $14 million from People for their pics of Vivienne and Knox, and Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony reportedly sold received $6 million for pictures of twins Emme and Max!
What do YOU think, HollyMoms? Is $500,000 a fair price for the news of her pregnancy? Do you think this is cool?
-Anna Moeslein
More Jessica Simpson stories!


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The NYU Development Research Institute presents a book launch: The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality
Featuring author Angus Deaton:
- Dwight D. Eisenhower Professor of International Affairs and Professor of Economics and International Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School and the Economics Department at Princeton
With an introduction from William Easterly
- Professor of Economics at New York University and Co-director of the NYU Development Research Institute
Thursday, October 24, 2013
REGISTER HERE for free!
5pm-6pm: Wine and cheese reception at 44 Washington Mews
6pm-7pm: Talk and Q&A with Angus Deaton across the street at 14A Washington Mews
7pm-7:30pm: Book Signing at 14A Washington Mews
The world is a better place than it used to be. People are wealthier and healthier, and live longer lives. Yet the escapes from destitution by so many have left gaping inequalities between people and between nations. In The Great Escape, Angus Deaton–one of the foremost experts on economic development and on poverty–tells the remarkable story of how, starting 250 years ago, some parts of the world began to experience sustained progress, opening up gaps and setting the stage for today's hugely unequal world.
"This is a must-read for anybody interested in the wealth and health of nations."–Daron Acemoglu, coauthor of Why Nations Fail
Deaton describes vast innovations and wrenching setbacks: the successes of antibiotics, pest control, vaccinations, and clean water on the one hand, and disastrous famines and the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the other. He also considers how economic growth in India and China has improved the lives of more than a billion people. Deaton argues that international aid has been ineffective and even harmful. He suggests alternative efforts–including reforming incentives to drug companies and lifting trade restrictions–that will allow the developing world to bring about its own Great Escape.
To go to the event page, click here.


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Firemen Never Fiddle
By Stanley Gerstin
Our modern fire-fighter is a young husky about whose exploits under fire little has been written. This story tells how he is trained; what he does.
IN 1871 a cow kicked over a lamp and started a fire that reduced Chicago to ashes, and a bucket of water started a fire that leveled Seattle 18 years later. The water was thrown over burning glue causing it to spread, and Seattle, like San Francisco a few years later, burnt to the ground. There have been other great fires throughout the history of the world but in all the records of fires little is ever written of the heroes who fought them. I am thinking of the fire-fighters whose exploits under fire rival those of the famous G-Men of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. These are heroes of the flames, smoke-eaters all, fire-fighters who know how to hem in a big city fire; they can stalk fugitive fires in walls and between floors —track them down with hose and axe and when they meet the fire demon, blast it with water. These are the 20th century minute-men of America; they are off with the crack of the gong hell-bent for the nearest fire hydrant. They are heroes of a thousand-and-one-nights, protectors of peoples and property from the ravishes of the flames.
These modern fire-fighters believe literally that where there is smoke there is fire. They battle thousands of fires yearly, large and small—waging war against hundreds of millions of dollars worth of conflagration which claims 10,000 lives annually. Figuratively speaking, they watch this money go up in smoke. But to watch it is no Roman holiday for our fire-fighters. To combat it they must learn to climb like monkeys, tie knots like sailors, jump into life nets (like the man on the flying trapeze) with the greatest of ease. They must be life-savers and man-handlers, building inspectors and first-aid men. They learn to penetrate smoke-filled rooms wearing gas masks, operate smoke ejectors and cutting tools, pulmotor and in-halator, provide artificial respiration and even operate refrigerating systems.
In New York, Detroit and Chicago; Atlanta, Omaha and San Francisco, they are trained for their role of fire-fighting. One of the best examples of the schools that teach them their tricks is the New York training college—largest in the country. More than 1,000 men a year are trained here as firefighters for New York city and men from all over the world, to the tune of 50 to 60 a year, come to learn how it is done and then return to their homes to establish training schools modeled after the one in New York.
Those who train here are typical of fire-fighters all over the country. They are usually men like Henry Miller, a mechanic, 26 years of age, a husky fellow who took the fireman's exam because it offered him a secure future. Like Henry, the rookies who enter the school are between 21 and 29 years of age and include engineers lawyers, mechanics, button-hole makers and metal workers, toy makers and bridge workers. Many of the men are college graduates. Average age of the rookie is 24-1/2. A class of rookies at the New York school averages about 250 men appointed for a probationary training period of 90 days. Before entering the school the rookie is subjected to a rigid physical examination (his second) which must include blood tests. If he makes the grade, salary begins immediately at $2,000 a year and all the benefits of medical care, sick leave, insurance and pension become effective.
The rookie supplies his own training uniform at a cost of $11; spends about $125 for a fireman's outfit about once every four years.
The rookie fireman goes to school 5 days a week, 8 hours daily and leads a busy life from the day he enters. He spends 24 hours on Saturday assigned alternately to the hook and ladder station, pumping station, rescue station and fireboat Key to the training routine is to crowd in as much outdoor activity as possible. The beginner receives a liberal education in the use of tools and equipment. He learns to handle the small 1-1/2 inch hose for small fires, the larger 2-1/2 inch hose for general fires and the deluge hose (3 inches) for special fires. He learns to scale ladders from 10 to 85 feet in length.
Like a real scholar, the rookie learns about ladder construction (to give him confidence in what he hangs on to 85 feet in the air). All portable ladders are made by the department's own carpenters so that there is no question of quality and workmanship. Average life of a ladder is 3 to 4 years but under extremely hard usage, ladders have been discarded after 6 hours. In one week of training the average rookie does more calisthenics than in all the previous years of his life. Fireman Henry Miller, for instance, after a weeks training has worked up a perpetual sweat and melted away any excessive fat he may have had. He has limbered up his muscles in leaping and climbing. He must swing himself across a 40-foot ladder 50 feet in the air and walk across one at the same height, and if he thinks he has done his part for his country, wait until he is required to leap into a life net from the third or fourth story window! Not only has he become an expert trapeze-man but he can now handle a fire hose under pressure so that the back pressure won't throw the nozzle and brain him. Normal fire hose pressure is 35 pounds, enough for 3-story work. Pumping trucks can raise enough pressure to shoot a stream of water over a 15-story building.
But by this time fireman Henry's headaches have only just begun. Battalion Chief David J. Oliver, in charge of the training school, decides to introduce the rookie to the scaling ladder and does it very mildly by requiring him to climb a 12-foot ladder to the first-story window. These scaling ladders vary from 12 to 18 feet in length and are made from second growth hickory. Each of its rungs will sustain a weight of 600 pounds and the ladder will safely sustain the combined weights of a man on each rung. They are made by the fire department carpenters and weigh 1-1/2 pounds per foot. They are re-enforced with wrought iron and an iron hook at the top serves to grab a window-sill so that a man may safely climb to any height with one ladder simply by passing it up from floor to floor. Rookies learn to climb a story a day until they reach a height of 90 to 100 feet from which they are required to dangle by their safety belts with arms outstretched —and if you think that's nothing, just try it. This little feat is accomplished in 2-1/2 to 3 minutes climbing time after a rookie is sufficiently toughened to it. To make the trick harder, Chief Oliver requires each man to carry a 140-pound dummy down a scaling ladder and so efficient are the men becoming that those in the service are increasing scaling ladder rescues yearly. Firemen now average one to two rescues a week.
Compared to a scaling ladder, an 85-foot aerial ladder looks easy until a rookie must do the trick with a heavy fire hose and hold it in position under pressure. Either he holds it or gets thrown for a power dive into kingdom come.
A fireman is a son of the sea when it comes to making pretzels with a rope. The rookie must learn to splice ropes, make special knots and bows designed for rescue work so that victims may be trussed up and lowered without slipping from the rope or suffer broken ribs.
Life with a life net is not an easy one for the aspiring fireman. The net jumper's problem is to gauge his distance and land correctly because if he misses or lands badly, he may never live to tell his children about it. Leaps are usually made from 35 to 40 feet, but graduate firemen must be qualified to jump from 50-foot heights. Highest jump on record was made a few years ago by an unsung hero who catapulted from a 10th-story window—and lived. However, six-story jumps have frequently been made.
The rookie fireman does not lead a strictly outdoor life. There are classroom periods when he is expected to use less brawn and more brain, when lectures are the order of the day. Classroom work consists of lectures on safety and discipline, fire rules and regulations, duties of building inspectors, how to track down fires, etc. By the time a rookie completes his 90-day probationary training, he is qualified to "general" a fire from the first spark to the last wisp of smoke. Men who fail to make the grade are given additional training; are never dropped. Those who can't make the grade usually see the handwriting on the wall and drop out of their own volition.
Men who are assigned to fire boats are usually seamen with exceptionally fine records in the merchant marine and navy. After being trained at the regular training college they receive an additional period of training at the marine school.
Assignments to fire houses are on the basis of 8 men to a shift, three shifts to a fire house and their responsibilities include checking property and fire boxes, checking businesses using combustibles, checking water mains and stand-pipes. Men chosen as inspectors are first grade firemen who receive an additional 6 weeks training.
On an average, the New York smoke-eater answers 39,000 alarms yearly of which 28,000 are fires and the remainder false alarms or unnecessary. He combats $7,700,000 worth of fires at a per capita cost of $1.05 (1936 estimates). He squirts 50,000,000 gallons of water through all kinds of hoses. He guards 674,000 buildings spread over an area of 315 square miles. By 1939 New York will have 11,300 men assigned to 369 fire houses which garage about 800 pieces of fire-fighting equipment. And the city spends over $22,000,000 annually to keep this force in trim.
To live this life, a New York fireman receives $2,000 the first year, $2,500 the second year and $3,000 the third year after which he is rated a first grade fireman. Thereafter increases depend on promotions. He is eligible to take the lieutenant's exam, after receiving his first grade rating, at a salary of $3,900. Captains receive $4,500; battalion chiefs get $5,300 and deputy chiefs, $6,300. Commissioner is tops—and there is only one of those. He is John J. McElligott. He came up from the ranks and in any batch of rookies, there may be a potential commissioner—future headman of the smoke-eaters.
There is no telling what fires these men may have to battle from year to year throughout the country. In 1879 the country suffered $77,000,000 worth of fire losses. Worst year was 1926 when fire losses totalled $562,000,000. In recent years losses have been well below $300,000,000.
Firemen Never Fiddle – Mechanix Illustrated, Sep. 1938


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