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Ever since The University of Texas-Pan American unveiled the ForceSpinning Technology™ developed by two of its faculty members last fall, news of this invention has spread all over the globe and garnered its creators awards.
The latest honor the University received came as a complete surprise to the inventors, Dr. Karen Lozano, endowed professor of mechanical engineering, and Dr. Kamal Sarkar, lecturer of mechanical engineering. ForceSpinning Technology™ was named one of eight Innovations That Could Change The Way You Manufacture by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers earlier this year. Lozano also gave a presentation on their work at the society's annual meeting in Nashville, Tenn. and accepted the award last month.
Lozano and Sarkar said they had no idea how their invention was nominated, especially since the University did not publicize it until after the society's deadline for the award. Lozano said she later heard from a representative of the society that a committee member had heard about their work and suggested it be included with the other innovations it honored.
"It was a real honor," Lozano said.
Lozano said preparing for the presentation was a good learning experience because it prompted her to further research nanofibers and the myriad uses for them. Nanofibers can be used in many ways, including wound care, textiles and water filtration.
"I started mentioning how important the nanotechonology field is and how the nanotechnology field has attracted many people and how important it is now to make it a reality because it has been hyped so much," she said. "People have all these expectations, but you don't see any practical applications yet -- except in the labs -- so people investing a lot of money start to worry and think, 'Is it worth it, should we be investing in something else?' We need to start the transfer from the labs to the industry, and that bridge is exactly what our ForceSpinning does."
ForceSpinning Technology™ enables the mass production of nanofibers -- fibers that are thinner than a human hair -- in an inexpensive way by using centrifugal force.
"In life everything goes back to the nano life," Sarkar said. "At the end of the day all we want to do is apply nanotechnology to real life."
But producing the fibers has been an expensive process, which has limited industries' abilities to use them.
"In my mind I wanted to bridge that gap," Lozano said.
Their invention also led to the creation of FibeRio Technology Corp., a company that will market and sell products developed from the technology Lozano and Sarkar invented. Since its formation last year, FibeRio has been receiving inquiries from potential customers and others interested in the technology, said Lozano, who serves as the company's chief technology officer.
The company also received a Silver Award at the World's Best Technology (WBT) Showcase for its ForceSpinning Technology™ earlier this year.
Both faculty members said they are surprised by how much attention their work has received and excited by how it will affect many people's lives.
"If I cannot make a difference in someone's life it doesn't interest me," Sarkar said.
For more information about FibeRio Technology Corp. and ForceSpinning Technology™, visit www.fiberiotech.com. To learn more about UTPA's undergraduate and graduate engineering programs, visit www.utpa.edu/cose.


text: HomeTabletAppleiPad miniSnugg iPad mini Leather Case Cover and Flip Stand in Electric Blue Snugg iPad mini Leather Case Cover and Flip Stand in Electric Blue 5 (6) prev next Roll over the image to zoom and enlarge $19.99 In stock and ready to dispatchOrder in the next for dispatch today. Change your selected model iPad 2 iPad 3 iPad 4 iPad mini iPad 1 iPad mini Retina iPad Air iPad Air 2 iPad mini 4 iPad pro iPad Pro 9 7 Which model do I have? Select from 14 different colors BlackIn StockBaby BlueIn StockElectric BlueIn StockCandy PinkIn StockOrangeIn StockRedOut Of StockWhiteIn StockDistressed BrownIn StockCamouflageIn StockDenimIn StockGreenIn StockPurpleIn StockHot PinkIn StockGreyIn Stock Orders shipped for free within the US Or buy through one of our official retail partners: Features Full Details Delivery & Returns Model Guide Features Product Features Lifetime Guaranteed Electric Blue PU Leather iPad mini case.Case cover folds into 2 viewing angles.Supportive handstrap and easy to hide stylus loop (stylus not included).Our promise of the perfect Snugg Fit. Tech Spec Height: 7.99 inches Width: 5.55 inches Depth: 0.7 inches Weight: 0.372 lb Materials Used PU leather exteriorNubuck Fibre InteriorVelcro Tab to secureCotton stitch finish Full Details We've created a PU leather case in Electric Blue, for people who like something more striking to cover their mini companion. It's got the perfect Snugg fit, we promise, and a Lifetime Guarantee that ensures you can purchase in confidence. Just register your case and you're covered for any unusual faults that are not general wear and tear. Created for maximum protection - the PU leather exterior is the perfect fit for the petite iPad mini, allowing for use of all the tablet's great features while it's protected in this impressive electric blue case. The electric blue nubuck interior creates a soft canvas against your precious tablet. All Snugg iPad mini cases come with an integrated hand strap, providing extra hold when using your iPad mini to read, check Facebook or iMessaging. Your tablet is made extra secure within the case by the resilient Velcro tab. This prevents unnecessary movement and so reduces internal scuffs and scratches. 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Our iPad mini Leather Case Cover and Flip Stand in Electric Blue is also available via Amazon.com MPN: B00A23FXYS EAN:5060248971291 Electric Blue Apple Delivery & Returns Delivery Options (to United States) Postal Delivery (5 Days) - FREE Courier Delivery (2 Days) - $4.00 Next Day (1 Days) - $10.00 United States Returns If you are not completely satisfied with our goods and services you have the right to return the item up to 28 days after receipt of your product and receive a full refund for the goods. If the goods have arrived to you in a damaged state or there was an error on our behalf please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com for your free returns label. However if you have simply changed your mind, postage will not be provided and you will need to return the goods to us in a good condition. Full details of how to return your item are on the reverse of the packing slip included with your order. If your order was placed before 22nd April 2013 than please contact email@example.com for further instructions. Model Guide iPad Size Guide Turn your iPad over. On the back, near the bottom, the Model Number will be printed in tiny letters. Reference the model numbers below to determine your iPad version: iPad 1: A1219 or A1337 iPad 2: A1395, A1396 or A1397 iPad 3: A1416, A1430 or A1403 iPad 4: A1458, A1459 or A1460 iPad Air: A1474 or A1475 iPad Air 2: A1566 (Wi-Fi) or A1567 iPad mini: A1432, A1454 or A1455 iPad mini with Retina: A1489 or A1490 iPad mini 3: A1599 or A1600 Customer Reviews 5Sherian19th March 2016 12:03:50We have 6 Ipads in the house with 5 of them in Snugg cases. The Snugg is the best case by far for the price. I can't review any case that was more costly than $25 but we have had good value for our money. 5Frank25th January 2016 19:01:39Perfect!!! 5pamela30th May 2015 15:05:22Very nice quality. Love the color. Super fast shipping. 5Laure7th January 2015 16:01:10Love this product. It is sturdy and functional. The colors are stunning. 5David30th December 2014 14:12:59Handsome and sturdy. Allows two "relaxed" easel positions in landscape orientation and one full-upright in portrait. 5Lila4th December 2014 13:12:05This cover is all that's promised, and more. I particularly love the stylus holder.. A very useful bonus! Available Offers For This Product Snugg 2 in 1 Black Stylus and Writing Pen $14.99 Total Price: $33.23 Save $1.75 Plus FREE Delivery Snugg iPad mini Car Headrest Mount Holder $24.99 Total Price: $42.73 Save $2.25 Plus FREE Delivery Snugg 15 Inch Messenger Bag in Black Leather $79.99 Total Price: $89.98 Save $10.00 Plus FREE Delivery Snugg iPhone 6 Flip Case in Electric Blue Leather $16.99 Total Price: $33.28 Save $3.70 Plus FREE Delivery Snugg iPhone 6 Plus Flip Case in Electric Blue Leather $19.99 Total Price: $35.98 Save $4.00 Plus FREE Delivery Customers Also Bought Snugg iPad mini Leather Case Cover and Flip Stand in Red $19.99 Snugg iPad mini Leather Case Cover and Flip Stand in Red $19.99 Snugg iPad mini Retina Leather Case Cover and Flip Stand in Green $19.99 Snugg iPad mini Leather Case Cover and Flip Stand in Baby Blue $19.99

subset: commoncrawl


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Good Wednesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
Philadelphia News, Weather and Sports from WTXF FOX 29
With its enrollment sliding, the Penn State/Dickinson law school has cut its in-state tuition, The Post-Gazette reports.
Gov. Tom Corbett's approval ratings have taken another hit in a new poll from Democrat-leaning Public Policy Polling.Two-thirds of respondents disapprove of the Republican governor, who trails his likely Democratic challengers by double-digits.
Meanwhile, a legal expert tells the Tribune-Review that Daryl Metcalfe's impeachment resolution probably isn't going to succeed. Also, tomorrow, the sun will rise in the east.
U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, R-15th, tells The Morning Call that Congress needs to compromise so it can function. In a related story, no one in the House Republican Conference is going to listen to Charlie Dent when he talks about compromise.
At least Gov. Corbett isn't going to be lonely. President Obama also takes a hit in that new PPP poll, PoliticsPA reports in an item with a lot of alliteration.
As it heads out the door for Thanksgiving, Keystone Politics muses on the Sandusky Effect.
Heavy Rotation.
As we head out the door for Thanksgiving, here's a holiday-themed tune to warm you down to the cockles of your cockles. It's Lily Allen covering Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know." This song has been precision-engineered to tug at your heart strings, so don't say we didn't warn you.
And now you're up to date. See you all back here in a day or so. Happy Thanksgiving, all.


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Usually when a Super Bowl commercial is pulled from being aired it's because of racy or controversial content. This time, it's all about soda.
An ad from the company SodaStream which makes do-it-yourself carbonated beverage machines and associated products, was rejected by CBS because it took shots at stalwart Super Bowl advertisers Coke and Pepsi.
The ad shows two Pepsi and Coca-Cola deliverymen racing against each other with their hand trucks to deliver their product to the supermarket, when all of the sudden the bottles all explode. The reason? Someone used a SodaStream machine.
"With SodaStream, we could have saved 500 million bottles on Game Day alone," the ad states. "If you love the bubbles set them free."
SodaStream has already created a different ad that doesn't directly mock the two soda giants, and which CBS has given the go-ahead. The banned ad, however, which the company posted on YouTube, has become a viral hit. Already the video has garnered more than 2.2 million views according to the Motley Fool, suggesting that the most talked about Super Bowl ad this year might be the one you won't see during the game.
What do you think of the ad? Was CBS right to pull it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.


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Around the Region – January 20
Shepherd students to offer services
SHEPHERDSTOWN – Students from Shepherd University, in partnership with Promise Neighborhood, a United Way of the Eastern Panhandle initiative, are volunteering at The Boys and Girls Club in Martinsburg for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day service project Monday.
Volunteers will help club students create an indoor herb garden, make no-sew pillows for an infusion clinic and put together necessity kits filled with travel-sized toiletries for area homeless. The club will also host an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. for all members of the community.
Also, Shepherd students will help serve a free hot meal to the community at Immanuel's House in Martinsburg from 5 to 8 p.m.
Any student interested in volunteer work can contact the Office of Student Community Services at 304-876-5402.
Hagerstown police chief to be named
HAGERSTOWN, Md. – Officials of the city of Hagerstown have announced the appointment of Mark Holtzman as chief of police for the Hagerstown Police Department, which will be effective Tuesday. Captain Holtzman will take his oath of office during the mayor and council meeting at 7 p.m.
City offices to
be closed Monday
MARTINSBURG – Martinsburg's city offices are closed today for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Offices will reopen at 8 a.m. Tuesday for regular business.
Today's garbage pick up will be Tuesday and Tuesday's pick up will be Wednesday. Service will return to its normal schedule Thursday.
Recycling remains on schedule.
County offices closed for holiday
MARTINSBURG-Berkeley County offices will be closed Monday in observance of the Martin Luther King holiday. County offices will reopen at normal hours on Tuesday. Please contact the offices of the Berkeley County Council at 304-264-1923 for questions.


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The Burlington Hotel Lofts and 2033 Curtis Flats are income restricted and each building has different income caps.
The Burlington Hotel Lofts: One person moving into the property must make a gross annual income under $33,660. Two persons must make a combined gross annual income under $38,450 at the time you move in. Your income can increase after move-in.
The Curtis Flats: One person moving into the property must make a gross annual income under $28,050. Two persons must make a combined gross annual income under $32,050 at the time you move in. Your income can increase after move-in.
Please note that when applying for The Curtis Flats you CAN BE A FULL TIME STUDENT. If you are applying for The Burlington Hotel Lofts you general CAN NOT BE A Full time student unless you meet the following exceptions.
Remember, that if you were a full time student at any time during the calendar year (Jan 1 to Dec. 31st) for 4 months you would be considered a full time student.
Here are the exceptions for being a full time student.
If you have any questions about whether you qualify, please contact us before completing and submitting your application.
If you meet these requirements, please download, complete on the screen and print the application packet below. Please return all paperwork to our offices located at The Paris Hotel Lofts, 2197 Arapahoe Street (22nd & Arapahoe Street). Walk inside the courtyard. You'll see a restaurant "The Lobby". Walk toward the back of the courtyard to the door marked 2197. If no one is in the office, place the paperwork through the mail slot. You can mail the application to: R. Merrill, Inc., 2197 Arapahoe Street, Denver, Colorado 80205. Remember to include your $16 application fee.
If you have any questions regarding the completion of these applications please listen to the audio files above as they may help to clarify your issue. If you still have questions, please contact us through the contact page of this web site. Please note that Firefox has added it's own PDF viewer that makes these forms display incorrectly on some computers. If the form is not fillable online or if it is displaying strange characters, please try opening them in Internet Explorer or Google Chrome and they should work fine.
Listen for step by step audio instructions on how to complete the application packet.


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"Grease" star Jeff Conaway was taken off life support Thursday, two weeks after his ex-girlfriend found him unconscious in his home, E! News reports. His manager says Conaway, a longtime addict and a veteran of "Celebrity Rehab," overdosed from prescription pills, and Drew Pinksy, who treated the 60-year-old Conaway (on television, at least), says the actor also had pneumonia and sepsis, an often fatal blood infection. His family made the decision to stop life support after doctors told he would never recover.
Conaway, who enjoyed a long run as aspiring actor Bobby Wheeler on "Taxi," took a terrible spill last year, breaking his hip and his arm, fracturing his neck and suffering a brain hemorrhage. While on the mend, he told E! News that he really wanted to be drug-free: "I spent a good part of my life on substances, alcohol, pot, cocaine, and I've just had it. I don't want to live in a fantasy world ... I didn't come this far to give up. God didn't bring me this far to drop me."


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submitted by:
.htaccess: Disable PHP Magic Quotes
As you may know magic-quotes will be totally gone for PHP 6. If you haven't already started coding your PHP sites without magic quotes, now is the time to start. This snippet shows you how to disable magic quotes using .htaccess
code snippet:
# Turn off php magic quotes
php_flag magic_quotes_gpc off
Please note: you should really turn off magic quotes from php.ini, especially as some old scripts attempt to detect whether or not your magic quotes has been set. The .htaccess method is a decent good way to test and deploy your updated scripts, or do approach your upgrades on a directory by directory basis.


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Similar Jobs at TheLadders
Human Resource Manager (Organization Development & Training)
Portland, OR
Job Description:To support corporate strategic initiatives by providing internal Organization Development consulting services to executives and managers, diagnosing organizational effectiveness and implementing appropriate change. Directs the development and delivery of non-technical training programs for the business and manages succession and leadership development.
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DFT Communications has announced that David Bleck III, Laura Pfleuger and Melissa Mjoen have all been selected as this year's recipients of the Indepen-dent Telephone Pioneer Association's (ITPA) Scholarship Awards.
David Bleck is the son of David and Carol Bleck of Fredonia. He will be entering into his second year at Brockport State University studying Exercise Physiology and Athletic Training with a minor in Biology. After his undergraduate studies he plans to attend graduate school to obtain a Doctorate in Physical Therapy.
During his first year at Brockport, David was involved with the Leadership Development Program and was on the Dean's List.
Article Photos
Submitted photo
Pictured above are the 2012 winners of the ITPA Scholarship Awards along with their parents posing with Mark R. Maytum, President and COO of DFT Communications. Pictured from left to right are: Kurtz and Nina Mjoen, Laura Pfleuger, Ed Pfleuger, Melissa Mjoen, Mark Maytum, David Bleck and Dave Bleck.
A graduate of Fredonia High School, David was a three sport athlete participating in football, indoor track and golf all four years while also obtaining the Principal's Award with Distinction every semester.
Laura Pfleuger is the daughter of Ed and Kelly Pfleuger of Forestville. Laura will be attending Nazareth College as a Performing Vocal Major. While in high school, Laura was involved in National Honor Society, chorus, band, musicals, cheerleading and morning announcements. Laura has also been a member of the student council as well as a class officer. She has received several all-county honors and has participated in the Chautauqua Chamber Apprentice and Chautauqua Junior Idol programs. A gifted singer, Laura has performed at several local venues including Tri County Country Club, Buster Brown Bean Co. Cafe & Bistro and Kangaroo Cafe outside of school. She also performed once a month at Roswell Cancer Center during the last three years of high school as community service.
Melissa Mjoen, daughter of Kurtz and Nina Mjoen of Silver Creek, will be attending the University of Buffalo for Pharmacy. While in high school, Melissa was active in many organizations, serving as vice president of the National Honor Society, treasurer of the Key Club, treasurer of Earth Club and vice president of the Language Club.
Active in sports, she also played basketball and soccer. Melissa also participated in the 3-1-3 Program at SUNY Fredonia in her senior year.
Independent Telephone Pioneer Association awards seven scholarships to high school seniors and college students. Students must provide a copy of their high school or college transcripts and they are required to write a brief essay on how they will use their college experience and education to enrich their community, state or country and how they have done so already. Children of ITPA members can apply for the awards. This year's presentations were made at the Annual NYSTA Convention held in Cooperstown, New York in early June.
Congratulations to all of the recipients and their families.


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EDITOR'S NOTE: Each week MassLive will list the top 10 candidates for the Western Mass. Player of Year Award, MassLive's top football individual honor. The list is compiled by MassLive's high school sports staff and is based on statistics provided by coaches.
1. Mike Maggipinto, East Longmeadow, RB: The junior ran for over 2,000 yards and scored 30 touchdowns in 2013. He averaged 9.1 yards per carry and 183.8 yards per game, Maggipinto leads the No. 3 Spartans against No. 19 South Hadley in Friday's opener. Maggipinto scored three touchdowns and accumulated 95 total yards, including a 64-yard touchdown run, against the Tigers in last year's opener.
2. Tyler Mach, Hoosac Valley, RB: One of the biggest reasons the No. 8 Hurricanes won the Western Mass. Division V championship last year, Mach ran for 141 yards and a touchdown in the title game. Mach, a senior, scored 21 touchdowns and accumulated over 1,800 yards (over 1,000 rushing) in 2013. He leads the Hurricanes against Athol in Saturday's 1 p.m. opener.
3. Andrew Peltier, Holyoke, QB: The top quarterback to make our list, Peltier, a junior, dominated in his first year at the helm of No. 10 Holyoke's offense, passing for 2,283 passing yards (the most in WMass) and 10 touchdowns. Peltier and the Purple Knights are off this week, opening their season next Friday against No. 9 Agawam.
4. Jared Costa, West Springfield, WR: The senior made a name for himself last year, grabbing 671 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. With another year of chemistry added, Costa and his quarterback brother Anthony are expected to be one of the most lethal combinations in the region this season. Costa and the No. 7 Terriers are off this week, opening their season next Friday against No. 12 Chicopee.
5. Taj-Amir Torres, Amherst, WR: The senior Boston College commit was effective all over the field last year. Torres led the No. 16 Hurricanes with 404 receiving yards and five touchdowns, while also rushing for 171 yards and collecting 83 passing yards. The speedster has been clocked with a 4.38 in the 40. Torres leads Amherst against No. 2 Westfield in Saturday's opener.
6. Cody Neidig, Westfield, RB: Neidig is now the No. 2 Bombers' go-to back, following the graduation of Ben Geschwind and Rashaun Rivers. Neidig collected 732 yards (650 rushing) and nine touchdowns (eight rushing) on Bill Moore's final Westfield team. What does new coach Rocco Fernandez and the read option have in store for him this season?
7. Lou Burrell, Easthampton, RB: Burrell reached the 1,000-yard rushing plateau for the second time in his career in 2013, adding more than 400 to his sophomore total. He ran for 1,478 yards and 20 touchdowns, leading No. 11 Easthampton to the Western Mass. Division V finals. Burrell averaged 184.8 yards per game in 2013. Burrell leads the Eagles against Taconic in Saturday's opener.
8. Tony Slaughter, Chicopee, QB: A jack-of-all-trades for the No. 12 Pacers in 2013, Slaughter moves to quarterback this season. He shined most brightly in the backfield, rushing for 605 yards and six touchdowns. Also grabbed 155 receiving yards (two touchdowns) and 96 passing yards (one touchdown).
9. Tyreque Estrada-Crapps, Central, RB: The junior running back is one of many Golden Eagles players who will take on a bigger role in the offense after the loss of a huge senior class in 2013. In limited time last season, Estrada-Crapps ran for 142 yards on 28 carries. Someone will emerge as a star for a Central team that should contend even with a lot of new faces, and Estrada-Crapps is a leading candidate.
10. Josh Henry, Minnechaug, WR: The 6'3", 221-pound senior collected 632 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 36 catches for the No. 6 Falcons in 2013. Henry leads Minnechaug against No. 19 South Hadley – a team he grabbed game-highs of 53 yards, and a touchdown on six receptions against a year ago – next Friday.
Honorable Mention
- Gio Russo, Agawam
- Brandon Rivera, Amherst
- Jake Bradway, Belchertown
- Anthony Costa, West Springfield
- Cam Kagan, Chicopee Comp
- Mike Whitsett, Chicopee Comp
- Jalen Sanders, Turners Falls
- Alec Perrone, Easthampton
- Kyle Trombley, Minnechaug
- Keegan Barry, Longmeadow
- Trent Bourbeau, Turners Falls
- Devon Tucker, Pittsfield
- Brodie Altiere, Mount Greylock
- Nasir Thomas, Commerce


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Hello, I recently fixed an older laptop of mine. Exited to get it running again, the HDD died. ( It has been in a box for like 2 years) So I'm looking for a used one. I can buy new online, but thats between $40-$70 + shipping. That price is not worth it to me, because I'm always on my desktop and I would only use the laptop for trips or when I'm laying in bed or on my throne =)
Let me know what you got, I'm looking to pay around 30 bucks or so for a old HDD.
Copyright 2016 © Godem Online Inc. | Web and server solutions by NewTech Solutions.


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An aggressive approach to controlling more than 50 avalanche tracks along a 10-mile segment of Idaho 21 is designed to reduce the number of winter highway closures and limit the length of required closures.
The transportation department recently experimented with two methods of bringing threatening snow accumulations off the steep mountainsides before they cascade down on their own. One method involved dropping small explosive charges from a helicopter; the other process launched explosive charges from a truck-mounted cannon, called an Avilauncher.
Nearly 80 percent of the avalanches that occur on the highway come from three tracks between mileposts 96 and 100, said Bob Frisbie. The transportation senior has worked the Canyon Creek area of Idaho 21 the past 16 years. During normal winters, the stretch of highway may close up to a dozen times, with some closures lasting more than a week.
Frisbie said a proactive approach to managing the avalanches could narrow the closures by more than 50 percent and reduce the length of closures from weeks to a couple of days.
Neither of the trial methods produced the dramatic results ITD crews had anticipated. Nature beat them to the job.
Approximately four-feet of snow moved down the tracks naturally a few days before the scheduled demonstration, Frisbie said.
Still, the Avilauncher proved accurate in delivering two-pound percussion charges to their destination about 1,000 meters away. The equipment is capable of sending the charges a distance of 2,500 meters with less accuracy, Frisbie explained. There was little doubt the equipment could be instrumental in making effective preemptive strikes against threatening snow chutes.
Charges dropped from helicopters also are effective, but probably would be more costly in the long run; they also are limited by weather conditions.
In contrast, the Avilauncher can be moved among permanent bases along the highway with little set-up time. Explosive charges are propelled by compressed gas, and because they are not armed until after they are airborne, the process is relatively safe for ITD crews to administer.
The explosive charges carry enough power to dislodge snow from the steep slopes but do not damage the ground beneath the snow, Frisbie explained. They are "environment-friendly."
About 15 people, including two U.S. Forest Service personnel, helicopter crews, Avilauncher representatives and ITD employees, were on hand for the Jan. 21 trial run.
Based on what they saw, ITD maintenance crews recommend purchase of the $15,000 tool.


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A recent study discovered 70 percent of homeowners are planning a remodeling or renovation project and expect to spend upwards of $3,500 to finish the job. Chances are that a large chunk of money is set aside for flooring. No matter what flooring you want, the cost of replacement it can be staggering. If your budget is tight, but you don't want to skimp on style or quality, there are many clever and unexpected ways to save on several flooring varieties.
Image via: Two Column Marketing
Be Realistic
You may dream of installing travertine, marble or an exotic hardwood throughout your home. Unfortunately, your budget is only enough for laminate and linoleum. When it comes to installing flooring, it's important to create a budget and stick with it. Also, keep in mind the specific room and its function. For instance, you probably want to keep carpeting in your bedroom.
Surf the Internet
You've wandered the aisles of every flooring provider in your area but cannot find what you're looking for, or more importantly, an amazing deal. The Internet might not seem like the obvious choice when it comes to flooring, but there are many amazing deals there. Purchasing flooring direct from the manufacturer is another option. In many instances, you can save 50, 60 or 70 percent because you've cut out the middle man.
Look for Discounts and Remnants
If you're covering a small area, inquire about any laminate, hardwood or carpeting remnants at your local home improvement store or floor covering dealer. Remnants are the leftover chunks of flooring, such as the end of a carpet or linoleum roll. In many cases, the seller is so motivated to make room for new inventory that he just might discount the remnant as much as 80 percent. However, don't expect to recarpet your entire home on remnants. Most of the time, the pieces are large enough to cover a small bedroom, foyer or bathroom.
Image via: Teres 58 Domus
Skip Professional Installation
Many flooring retailers offer free installation if you purchase a set amount of product. However, in most instances, you'll be expected to pay out of pocket to have it installed. There is another cost-saving installation option: perform the work yourself. If you don't have the basic tools or expertise to perform the job, ask someone like a friend or family member for help. Laminate and hardwood aren't difficult to install and require only basic tools. All you need for carpeting is a knife and a knee kicker, which can be rented from many hardware stores. However, if you're installing expensive, natural flooring, it's best to leave this delicate procedure to the professionals.
It Never Hurts to Ask
Your locally owned carpet or flooring showroom might not offer the best prices in town. However, aside from service, these institutions can offer you something the big-box retailers never can: a chance to negotiate the price. Once you locate the ideal flooring choice, don't be afraid to ask if it is the best price. Even if the seller refuses to discount the sticker price, you can still offer to pay cash for a two- to three-percent discount. This will often cover the potential fees charged to the seller by his merchant service for using your credit card.
You might get discouraged by the search for inexpensive and quality flooring, but don't give up until you find the ideal product for your home and lifestyle. If you continue to struggle, remember to ask for a discount, look for remnants and hit the clearance aisles to find an amazing deal.
Rose Jefferies is a guest blogger and contractor who recommends COIT to her clients. Whenever Rose is ready to spruce up her home's appearance, she also looks to COIT Carpet Cleaning.
For more flooring options on Stagetecture, click here.
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FREE - Daily emails with recipes, home decor, D.I.Y, and lifestyle tips! : ) Who doesn't need help?


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Lindsay Lohan spent precisely 84 minutes in custody Thursday for her drunk driving convictions. That's about two minutes longer than Nicole Richie served for her own DUI conviction, so, um, mazel tov!
Lohan was supposed to spend a day in Los Angeles County jail, but she was released early because of prison overcrowding, as happened for Richie, and, to be fair, dozens of non-celebrity convicts every day.
Lohan, who pleaded no contest in August to two DUIs, was photographed, fingerprinted and placed in a holding cell by herself, according to the Los Angeles Times.


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Posts Tagged 'Lynne Tillman'
Finding the Question That Hasn't Been Asked: An Interview with Lynne Tillman
September 11, 2014 | by Sharon Mesmer
Writing a short introduction about Lynne Tillman isn't easy; her singular and visionary writing covers a great deal of territory. The author of twelve books, she is adept at fiction, short and long essays, cultural critique, and interviews. A sampling of just three of her books conveys the scope of her work: her novel American Genius: A Comedy follows the obsessive inner monologue of a single character for almost three hundred pages; This Is Not It is a compendium of twenty years of witty and risky novellas and short stories, some as short as a paragraph; and Bookstore: The Life and Times of Jeannette Watson and Books & Co. weaves together the voices of Susan Sontag, Fran Lebowitz, Paul Auster, Calvin Trillin, and many others to tell not just the story of the rise and fall of the iconic, well-loved Books & Co. but that of the changing landscape of publishing.
Her new book, What Would Lynne Tillman Do?, is a collection of recent essays—on Andy Warhol's a: A Novel, on the lives and work of Paul and Jane Bowles, and on Edith Wharton and architecture, to name just a few—and interviews with Harry Mathews, Paula Fox, Lebanese-American writer and visual artist Etel Adnan, and German painter Peter Dreher. Each piece, whether essay or interview, is illuminated by Tillman's wit, intellect, and curiosity. When the book was released earlier this year, Jason Diamond of Flavorwire declared 2014 to be "the year of Lynne Tillman."
I spoke with Lynne Tillman at the New School, as part of the university's Summer Writers Colony. Fiction and nonfiction students had spent three days reading What Would Lynne Tillman Do? and the questions I posed reflected their curiosity, as well as my own, regarding the processes and practices that allow her to transition easily between genres. Tillman was eager to answer, and the qualities that characterize her writing shone through in her answers.
In your 2009 essay, "Doing Laps Without a Pool," you write, "I don't want to take a position. Not taking a position is a position that acknowledges the inability to know with absolute surety, that says: Writing is like life, there are many ways of doing it, survival depends on flexibility. Anything can be on the page. What isn't there now?" All those interesting negatives—"not taking a position," "the inability to know," "what isn't there now"—reminded me of Keats's famous letter in which he used the term negative capability. When you begin to build an essay, do you feel as if you're exploring what you don't know, precisely because you don't know? Or do you begin with a firm idea or a mystery that you want to explore more deeply?
I begin nonfiction essays in a similar way to fiction. I have some questions in my mind, things that I'm interested in writing about, and in fiction I find a voice through which to do that. On the other hand, in an essay, I assay some of what I think I know, and then, as I go along, I realize that I don't know what I thought I knew. Read More »
January 9, 2013 | by Lynne Tillman
To celebrate the sixty-fifth anniversary of Raymond Queneau's Exercises in Style, New Directions is relaunching this classic text as an expanded edition. In addition to exercises by Queneau making their English-language debut, this edition also includes new exercises penned by contemporary authors. The following, in the spirit of Queneau, is by Lynne Tillman.
At dinner with so-called intelligent people, during our discussion of the Marquis de Sade, I recognized a common lunacy: the fairy tale of absolute and complete freedom. People don't know what to do with the freedom they have, I announced, and trounced off, as if insulted. Today, I took a bus, a random bus, no particular number, a white and blue bus, or pale green. No matter, it was a bus, and I took it. First I stood in line, with everyone else, a citizen of a city standing peacefully, waiting for public transport, a condition of urban life. I heard two men, no particular men, or maybe very particular men, but not to me. I took the bus, anyway. The men were discussing their office, where they seemed mad about a woman, and I listened because I could. They described her in broad terms: "She's got big tits…. OMG, that ass. Shit!" I entered the bus, paid my fare, the driver said nothing, and unencumbered, except by my hopes and dreams and desires, I walked to the back of the bus, my eyes roving, checking for free seats, and there were good reasons why I kept moving, and took the seat I chose, but these are insignificant reasons except to me. I found a seat all to myself, sat down, exhaling freely, and happily, because I celebrate public buses, especially when I have my own seat next to a window, but then the two men, still exclaiming about the woman's ass and tits, took the seats behind me. Now I felt hindered also by their bulk and hulk, as well as their boisterous voices, bellows about asses and tits, and if I hadn't known myself as myself, if I didn't understand the invisible boundaries in which I existed, with my freedom, I would have assaulted the men. I was bigger than both, and freer, and a black belt in karate. Before I had the chance to pummel one or both, because I was at liberty to do what I wanted, even if it meant imprisonment for a day or two, the two men stopped their bellows, and instead turned to watch two other male passengers nearly come to blows, one jostling the other for a seat. Now the three of us, the tits and ass men and myself, alarmed by this altercation, became a community of sorts. Suddenly I heard a rip, certainly a rent of some kind, which made a decided sound in the air. The man, who had jostled the first for a seat, now watched by the newly formed society of the three of us, took that prized seat. Oh, I thought, oh, and wondered what my two companions thought. It was a strange day, and one has such strange freedoms; for I could have ridden that bus the entire day—until it ended its journeys, or until the bus driver informed me that I had to get off. Any number of possibilities presented themselves to me, I could even have fought him to remain! But thinking it over, I watched all the people I had known, in a sense, on the bus, as they removed themselves from it. I was alone again with my thoughts, not bothered by anything, and, when the bus stopped near a park, one I had never visited, I leaped off violently. Again, the driver said nothing, but now I took his silence to mean assent and even understanding, and walked toward the park and into it through its wide gates, and sat down, this time at a café, where I discovered that the man who had been jostled on the bus, earlier in the day, was being advised by another to patch his overcoat, a dark brown parka, the same one he had worn on the bus. A piece of fabric hung on its hem. It may have come down during the altercation. Now I thought, he's having an alteration, and wondered if this linguistic association occurred to him as well. Here we are, I remember thinking, in a great chain of being, and he could think whatever he wanted. I pretended not to notice him, naturally.
© 2013 by New Directions.
Lynne Tillman is the author of several novels and short story collections, most recently Someday This Will Be Funny.
An Event in the Stairwell
May 2, 2012 | by Clancy Martin
The Milan Review—or, to give it its proper title, The Milan Review of the Universe—is an egregiously handsome literary magazine published in English, in Milan, under the editorship of the improbably named Tim Small. The second issue includes work by some of our own favorites, among them Amie Barrodale, Chiara Barzini, Francesco Pacifico, Lynne Tillman, and, not least, Clancy Martin, whose story the Milanese have kindly let us reprint below, in a spirit of international fraternità, and in light of the patchy trans-Atlantic distribution that our two journals have in common. Auguri! —Lorin Stein
Randy knocked on my door and when I opened it I expected he would attack me with the tennis racket in his hand. I had only bought pot from him before. He had no reason to hate me. But in his mind I am a rich white person.
"Emily's not home," I said. Emily is my girlfriend and I suspect, though do not know, that she has had sex with Randy at least once, or perhaps lots of times. He is younger and lither than I am. Probably better hung.
"She's not home?"
"Right." I kept my eyes on the racket. Also on his eyes, because you can anticipate a blow that way. Everyone narrows his eyes and looks where he's going to hit you before he strikes. This is the first lesson of boxing.
"She promised she'd buy this racket from me. I got this racket special. From my daughter."
Randy, Emily had told me, had a high school–age daughter who was expected by many people to be the next Serena Williams. She lived with her mother in the Bronx and was sponsored by Puma. I noticed the tennis racket had a broken string. Emily was hiding in the bedroom all this time and had instructed me to tell Randy that she was out. I could not decide whether that was reassuring or suspicious.
Emily had had her infidelities.
"How much does she owe you for the racket?"
I took the racket from his hand which he gave me without hesitation, although he looked down and away from me when he said, "Thirty dollars," which meant he was lying. Probably he had told her he would give her the racket for free. But who knew what more tangible price she had promised to pay. Perhaps eagerly.
I briefly considered beating Randy on the face, head and shoulders with the very light and surely durable racket. We have tile in our stairwell and blood would mop up easily without staining. Randy was not the type to come back with a gun. That would be the last we'd ever see of him. I should have done it. Read More »


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Prior to entering private practice, Brook Hart was the Chief Public Defender for the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii from 1970 to 1972. In 1971, he was honored to receive the Reginald Heber Smith Award as the "Outstanding Public Defender in the Nation." Before his service as Chief Public Defender for Hawaii, in 1966-1967 he served as law clerk to the Honorable Martin Pence, then the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii.
Mr. Hart's professional memberships include the Hawaii State Bar Association; the American Board of Criminal Lawyers; the American College of Trial Lawyers; the National and Hawaii Associations of Criminal Defense Lawyers; and the American Inns of Court IV, Hawaii.
Mr. Hart has been listed in the reference book "The Best Lawyers in America" every year since 1983, and he has also been listed in every issue of Honolulu Magazine's "Hawaii's A+ Attorneys" from 1993 to 2009. Additionally, Mr. Hart is listed in the "Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers" and "Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory." He holds the best available Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating -- AV -- which signifies "that a lawyer has reached the height of professional excellence" and "is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity."
Since 2005, Mr. Hart has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Hawaii School of Law, where he co-teaches the Hawaii Innocence Project seminar.


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The 38-year-old employee called police around 3 a.m. stating two men entered the store wearing all black, according to a police report.
Approximately $1,235 in cash was taken from the cash register, and the men also took the woman's black and gold purse containing identification cards and $650 in cash.
The suspects were gone upon arrival. No further description of the suspects was available. The case remains under investigation.


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June 9th, 2012
Pitching updates: Fister could start Wednesday
The pitching news coming out of Saturday's win was a little bit surprising. Manager Jim Leyland decided to go ahead and move Justin Verlander up to start Thursday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on his standard four days' rest, despite 127 pitches over six innings against the Reds this afternoon. The extra rest for Verlander before this start was a big factor.
When asked if that means Rick Porcello will have his start moved up to Wednesday, however, Leyland said he wants to wait and see on Doug Fister, who had an encouraging session here. Fister is eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday, so he could start the middle game of the series at Wrigley.
Fister is dealing with a left side strain coming out of his Memorial Day start at Fenway Park. He has been throwing off of flat ground, but throwing hard. If he feels good in a mound session, that could be the trigger that gets on out on the mound again as soon as possible.
No word on how far Porcello would be pushed back if Fister's ready, or if Casey Crosby would move to the bullpen.
UPDATE: Sunday's Tigers notes list Porcello as the scheduled start for Wednesday. Will check during pregame interviews later today to see if that's now a lock.
On the bullpen front, Octavio Dotel said he's feeling better, but still not ready to go. He's hoping that if he feels good throwing on Sunday, he can be available in the bullpen Tuesday in Chicago.
Saturday: Tigers at Reds
Austin Jackson returns to the starting lineup. Quintin Berry does not move to the corners. Instead, he'll be available off the bench. Unless something changes, that seems to be Berry's role for the rest of this trip.
"It is what it is. He's an extra player on the bench," Jim Leyland said in his pregame remarks. "I'm not going to take Boesch out. Hopefully we've got him going. I'm not going to take Delmon out."
- Austin Jackson, cf
- Brennan Boesch, rf
- Miguel Cabrera, 3b
- Prince Fielder, 1b
- Delmon Young, dh
- Ramon Santiago, ss
- Gerald Laird, c
- Danny Worth, 2b
- Justin Verlander, p
- Zack Cozart, ss
- Chris Heisey, cf
- Joey Votto, 1b
- Brandon Phillips, 2b
- Jay Bruce, rf
- Ryan Ludwick, lf
- Todd Frazier, 3B
- Ryan Hanigan, c
- Bronson Arroyo, p
Jackson activated from DL, plus other moves
Austin Jackson's on his way to Cincinnati after two rehab games up the road for Triple-A Toledo. The Tigers, as expected, activated their center fielder from the 15-day disabled list Saturday morning. But they had more moves in store.
All-Star shortstop Jhonny Peralta, whose wife has been expecting with their first child, has been placed on paternity leave so that he can join her at their home in Cleveland. With just two infielders on the 40-man roster who aren't with the big club already — and just-demoted and currently injured Ryan Raburn being the other one — the Tigers recalled second-base prospect Hernan Perez from Class A Lakeland.
The 20-year-old Perez is batting .252 (53-for-210) with two home runs, 53 RBIs and 11 stolen bases for the Flying Tigers. One would expect that he'll be on the bench in an as-needed role while Ramon Santiago and Danny Worth handle the middle infield spots.
That said, if Perez does get into a game, he'll become the 40th person to play for the Tigers this season.
UPDATE: To make room for Jackson, the Tigers have optioned Jose Ortega back to Toledo. That seems to be more of a statement about getting by with Justin Verlander on the mound Saturday than it is about Octavio Dotel being ready to return. The available relievers for sure are Valverde, Benoit, Below, Marte and Villarreal.
Dotel day-to-day with elbow inflammation
Tigers manager Jim Leyland said going into Friday's series opener against the Reds that he was not going to use Joaquin Benoit under any circumstances Friday night. He was throwing in the bullpen as the Reds were putting together their game-winning rally, but he was apparently doing that on his own.
By comparison, Leyland said nothing about Octavio Dotel. But as Friday's game went on, including Jose Ortega's Major League debut with the tying run on base in the eighth inning, it became evident that Dotel wasn't available. He never threw so much as a warmup pitch.
Dotel was dealing with inflammation in his right elbow. It came up during his last outing last Saturday against the Yankees at Comerica Park, and it lingered into the week, to the point that doctors checked out his elbow Thursday to make sure there wasn't any structural damage.
No damage, but still no pitching yet.
"It's a little bit better," Dotel said after Friday's loss. "How much, I really can't tell. Hopefully tomorrow it's more."
Leyland isn't one to use injuries as an excuse, but he also didn't talk about this one until it was plainly obvious. The fact that the Tigers didn't have much of any leads to protect until Thursday kind of helped the Tigers along in those efforts.


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South Kitsap residents can dump their old eyesores during Furniture Amnesty Day.
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FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter) -- No doubt you've seen police officers driving down the street, typing on their in-car computer. But in Fort Wayne, that's about to change.
While it hasn't happened here, there have been horrific crashes across the country involving officers who've been distracted while driving.
So Police Chief Rusty York is leading the charge to be the first department in the country to use technology developed here in Fort Wayne to keep everyone a bit safer on the roads.
"I've always said we kind of set up our officers because we have so much techonology, especially in Fort Wayne, Indiana, crammed into these squad cars that are mobile offices," York says.
York saw a need to eliminate driver distraction among his officers... specifically, those computers in their squad cars.
"We wanted to develop a system that wouldn't inhibit officers from utilizing their equipment any more than possible. But just like we tell everybody, you shouldn't text and drive. There's a reason for that. And this is a way that we can better protect our officers," York says.
So a Fort Wayne company designed a system that uses the diagnostic port in the squad car to recognize when it goes over 15 miles per hour.
That's when the system kicks in and kills the keyboard and touch screen for the computer, so officers can't enter data while they're moving.
"It does allow the screen to be refreshed, so they can glance and see the information that's updated, or they can see their route on our GPS on their computer. But they just won't be able to enter data such as warrant checks, registration checks. If they're following a car that they might suspect could be involved in something, their first, what they want to do probably is enter that data in, but it's just not worth the risk," York says.
And just in case someone tries to beat the system, if an officer unplugs it, the computer shuts down and only reboots once it's plugged back in.
York thinks this safety equipment could be the first of its kind in the country... and...
"We hope that other police departments take advantage of this technology because it's created right here in Fort Wayne," he says.
The research and development was done here, and the units will be manufactured in Kokomo. They will cost just under $100,000 and are supposed to be delivered to the Fort Wayne Police Department by the end of September.
What are your thoughts CLICK HERE to leave us a "QUESTION OF THE DAY" comment.
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What is on offer: Gauthier Soho is the place to go if you are yearning for truffle bonanza! The cooking is highly accomplished and the service very good. We're not sure why they've lost their Michelin star (based on our visit, they'll regain it soon), but it does mean that for the time being you can have a Michelin dining experience for a very good price.
Tip 1: If you want to have an intimate romantic dinner for two, ask to be seated in the secluded wine cellar.
Tip 2: The 5 course lunch tasting menu for £40 pp is one of the best value for money fine dining deals to be had in London.
Total bill: £130 (including service charge and drinks)
The food rating: 9/10
The service rating: 9/10
The overall rating: 9/10
(The overall rating is based on personal taste, opinion of the ambiance and price)


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This Group is for all types of artistic design and expression. If you can't find it here- please feel free to add it!
By adding specific discussions members are able to more directly communicate with each other as the comments are threaded.
The comments in the main room should be for general and generic purposes only.
Location: ZombieFans.com
Members: 34
Latest Activity: Nov 9, 2013
Started by Joy Killar. Last reply by Yolkum Aug 23, 2013. 1 Reply 1 Like
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Anyone here use CS6 AE? Doing some post-op and self taught thus far and have a question
Thanks Daniel! I'm sure I'll find a use for it. The covers for Bowie Ibarra & Zombology II are great stuff!!
Shawn, I really dig that ad. shame it wasn't used!
Random zombie artwork. Zombology 2 from Library of the Living Dead press. Got to be the model as well as the artist. Still one of my favorite works.
The Zombie Wilson Diaries by Timothy Long
More stuff can be found here: http://dreamneonblack.deviantart.com/gallery/


text: Hey everyone, I plan on adding a 3rd handgun to my current arsenal and really want it to be a subcompact; I plan on using it as my CCW when my permits comes in the mail. I am really considering a Springfield XD SC 3" but I'm torn between the calibers since my P99 QA is a 9mm and my Glock 23 is a .40 cal. Anyone with experience have opinions on which is easier to shoot/handle for not only a subcompact pistol, but for ccw as well? I have seen aftermarket companies selling .357sig conversion barrels for the .40 cal, and have considered that as well but am concerned with the recoil and muzzle flip of a .357 round in such a small pistol. I would def go with the .357 conversion if it was the most practical of the three options. Anyone with experience or general opinions feel free to help me out. Any advice/suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!


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Hundreds of spans are weakened, although officials downplay the chances of a collapse
Sunday, February 3, 2002
By Les Zaitz and James Long
The Oregonian
1st of 3 parts
Hundreds of Oregon highway bridges have potentially dangerous cracks because the state not only failed to inspect them adequately, but it also made it easy for oversized trucks to damage the structures with heavy loads.
Some of the bridges' concrete support beams, state inspections now show, have broken completely through and are being held together mostly by the inch-thick steel reinforcing rods that run through the concrete.
Although the Oregon Department of Transportation downplays the risk that a bridge might actually collapse, the cracks are taking a toll in other ways.
Many of 487 weakened spans the state inspectors found are on interstate highways and other major routes vital to the Northwest economy, causing expensive detours. And the cost of repairs -- an estimated $615 million to fix just the 309 bridges with the worst cracks -- is cash Oregon doesn't have as state budget writers grapple with an $830 million revenue shortfall.
The crisis came as a surprise. Built mostly during the state's ambitious highway expansion of the 1950s and 60s, the bridges were supposed to last 75 to 90 years, state engineers were still reporting just two years ago.
But a four-month investigation by The Oregonian shows the bridges' lives have been cut short by an antiquated bridge design, increasingly overweight trucks -- only 15 states allow exemptions for heavier trucks than Oregon -- and an inspection routine that provided little opportunity to foresee the growing problem.
Overall, about one-third of the state's 2,649 bridges need more than $2.8 billion worth of work. State officials can't estimate the repair tab for an additional 2,334 county and city bridges. But it's the nearly 500 bridges on primary state and federal routes that constitute the immediate worry.
One way or another, Oregonians will pay, either through higher road-use taxes or increased consumer prices caused by bridge restrictions that drive up freight costs. Trucks transport 72 percent of Oregon's goods and are crucial to rural parts of the state. Already, 77 state bridges, and 284 local bridges, have weight restrictions.
Consider just a few detours:
* Heavyweight trucks heading to Portland on Interstate 84 have to loop south around Mount Hood on Oregon 35 and U.S. 26 because of two badly flexing bridges at Hood River and Troutdale.
* A similar detour, of 126 miles, has forced trucks off I-84 near La Grande because of cracked beams in a bridge over the Grande Ronde River.
* South of Roseburg, the heaviest trucks are routed around a weakened Interstate 5 bridge spanning the South Umpqua River.
* And in Eagle Point in Southern Oregon, schoolchildren have to get off their buses and walk across a footbridge to school because the highway span is no longer safe for trucks and buses to drive on.
The problem didn't occur overnight, but rather over a span of more than 20 years. During that time, constant pressure from the trucking industry has led the Transportation Department and state legislators to make it easier for trucks to legally exceed the federal weight limit of 80,000 pounds -- Oregon allows up to 105,500 pounds.
The investigation found that:
* Ever larger and more numerous trucks are giving the state's bridges a pounding that some were not designed to take. Most of the cracked bridges were built when vehicle weight was limited to about 74,000 pounds. Now, trucks routinely operate in Oregon at weights up to 105,500 pounds -- a load that cuts into safety margins allowed by designers.
* State enforcement of truck weight laws has dwindled. In 2001, state authorities issued 17,272 citations to trucks for running overloaded -- nearly 10,000 fewer citations than in 1990, when far fewer trucks were on the road.
* Unlike most states, Oregon relied heavily on bridges of the reinforced concrete deck girder design -- a type that engineers say is fine for 70,000- and 80,000-pound loads but isn't up to today's 100,000-plus loads. While Oregon built 558 bridges of this style, California has just two, Idaho four and Washington 36.
* State bridge inspectors missed the problem with cracked bridges in part because they weren't carefully monitoring or measuring the cracks as they grew. The agency also is woefully short of some equipment, such as the cranes inspectors need to lower themselves for a thorough examination.
* Oregon lawmakers and regulators have encouraged an upward creep in truck weight by providing a limitless supply of $8 permits that legalize trucks exceeding the federal 80,000-pound limit.
To make it easier and faster for operators to obtain permits allowing overweight loads, the 1995 Legislature ordered the Department of Transportation to have them issued by contractors. The agency designated four, including the Oregon Trucking Associations, which gave out 43 percent of the 35,106 overweight permits issued in 2001.
Most highway experts nationwide agree that a single 80,000-pound truck can cause road wear equal to 10,000 automobiles, which is why states tax truckers for highway use. In Oregon, operators primarily pay a weight-mile tax that's based on how heavy the load is and how far they travel.
Oregon allows some of the heaviest trucks, far heavier than most states. California limits trucks to the 80,000-pound federal rule, but many other Western states -- including Washington and Idaho --have limits similar to Oregon.
Although structural experts largely blame trucks for the bridge cracks, the trucking industry blames the bridges.
"The bridges are simply worn out and have lasted about as long as expected," Bob Russell, president of the Oregon Trucking Associations, recently told the interim House Transportation Committee.
"Some have found it convenient to blame this problem on the trucking industry," Russell says. "That is simply not true.
"The volume of truck traffic and the weights at which we operate are no greater than in most Western states," he says. "We also pay our fair share for the cost of construction and repair of the bridges through Oregon's highway-cost allocation system.
"It is simply not realistic," Russell adds, "to restrict truck weights and think we have the problem solved."
The beginning of limits
Federal truck size and weight limits were born in 1956 when the Eisenhower administration began building the interstate highway system.
The original limit was 73,820 pounds, but the trucking industry lobbied until Congress boosted it to 80,000 pounds in 1975. The industry argued that the extra weight would cut operator expense and make trucks more productive.
The industry also succeeded in inserting a states-rights clause that allows jurisdictions such as Oregon to override the federal maximum.
Although 28 states, including California, stuck with the 80,000 pounds allowed by federal law, Oregon issued permits for the regular operation of trucks up to 105,500 pounds. It also became one of the first of 16 states to legalize triple-trailers -- so-called highway trains as long as a Boeing 737.
But weight is just one ingredient in the bridge crisis.
Running counter to national trends, Oregon's highway builders chose the reinforced concrete deck girder, or RCDG, design for hundreds of bridges built to link the growing interstate system and other important highways. RCDG bridges were easy to build and were relatively inexpensive, although most states had abandoned the design in favor of newer, stronger -- but costlier -- pre-stressed concrete structures.
RCDG bridges use ordinary poured concrete to make enormous T-shaped girders that are placed on piers to hold up the roadbed. Oregon highway authorities judged the bridges to be good enough, as indeed they were in the 1950s and 60s, when trucks were lighter and fewer.
Problems only showed up as Oregon heavy-truck traffic grew almost 17-fold from the mid-1960s to the present. The heaviest of the heavy trucks -- those weighing from 78,000 to 105,500 pounds -- became dominant.
Transportation department figures show 85 percent of the nearly 300,000 trucks registered in the state were operating at those bridge-punishing weights in 2000. At the same time, highway use by the heaviest trucks leapt from less than 100,000 combined miles in 1965 to more than 1.5 million miles in Oregon in 2000.
Although the Oregon Trucking Associations' Russell insists that the state's reinforced concrete bridges are cracking because they're getting old, experts such as Myint Lwin, a Federal Highway Administration senior bridge engineer in San Francisco, offer an opposing view.
"It's the truck loadings," says Lwin, who heads two national bridge-code committees. "No doubt about that."
Last year, the state issued 4,002 citations to truckers violating bridge restrictions.
State transportation officials told trucking representatives the same thing last spring when, according to meeting minutes, engineers outlined the bridge situation and explained that "Damage is caused by repeated heavy loads crossing a bridge over time."
Trucks also got the blame in an agency analysis that concluded that Oregon's oldest bridges were wearing out because of "the daily pounding with loads that exceed their designed capacity."
Heavy truck permits grow
Oregon has issued a steadily increasing number of permits for trucks exceeding the federal weight limit.
Last year, the state issued 75,179 permits for the regular operation of trucks with loads from 80,000 to 105,500 pounds.
Other states handle permits differently. Nineteen states, including California, have adopted the view that once a load reaches a certain weight, it needs to be divided into two loads so the weight is diffused and roads don't suffer as much damage.
A Federal Highway Administration report for 2000 shows that Oregon issued more overload permits for loads that could be divided than all but two states -- New York and Idaho. How Oregon really ranks is unclear, however, because permit procedures vary from state to state. Texas, for instance, may issue one permit to cover numerous trucks owned by a single company.
At the same time, permits for massive indivisible loads, such as bulldozers and electrical transformers, also have grown sharply. The transportation department issued 23,813 in 1991 and 42,713 last year.
Weights of more than a million pounds have been transported over Oregon highways. The biggest permit last year was for a half-million-pound electrical transformer, but such loads require special routes carefully determined by state engineers.
Bridge life span and speed
Although million-pound loads seem dramatic, the life spans of bridges are measured largely in terms of everyday traffic -- how often and how much the spans flex under the vehicles crossing them.
The transportation agency's "Bridge Needs and Value Analysis" in June 1999 reported that concrete bridges should last 75 to 90 years, and that such bridges "are currently just past the middle of their expected life span."
Just two years later, as the cracking became apparent, transportation officials told legislators such bridges would now last no more than 50 years from the time of construction.
"Heavy loads on old bridges are causing them to deteriorate at a rate faster than anticipated," the agency reported in a legislative budget presentation. The agency said truck traffic on the bridges has "greatly exceeded design expectations."
Shear cracks, the type affecting the RCDG bridges, are caused by excessive loads flexing the bridges and not by normal wear, engineers say.
Trucks are the main cause, according to Mark Hirota, the state's chief bridge engineer, who says increasing speed, and not just weight, is a factor.
Studies show that trucks traveling on Oregon freeways typically move at speeds closer to the automobile limit of 65 mph than the 55 mph allowed for trucks. In 2000, the Oregon State Police issued 7,647 speeding tickets to truckers.
Speed increases bridge loadings because all vehicles bounce as they move. The faster they move, the higher they bounce. The higher they bounce, the harder they come down.
Even at 55 mph, bridge designers say, a 105,500 pound truck can come down with a temporary load of 137,000 pounds --hammering a span with 30 percent more than the truck's stationary weight.
Enforcement seen as uneven
Oregon's historically light penalties for weight violations as well as variations in enforcement may also have contributed to the bridge deterioration.
The Federal Highway Administration, responsible for overseeing state truck-weight enforcement, complained in 1991 that Oregon's $2 base-fine for the first 1,000 pounds of overweight was "far too low to act as a deterrent," and said trucking companies likely regarded it as "more of an inexpensive overweight permit."
The state declined to increase the penalty. Steve Johnston, Oregon's retired enforcement chief, says his staff later cut back on the cheap citations at the request of local judges who complained the $2 bail didn't cover court costs.
The demise of the $2 tickets may help explain an overall drop in weight-enforcement citations through the 1990s. Warnings, which don't carry a fine, increased during that period. In 1998 -- the first year the figures were broken out in agency reports -- 24,894 warnings were issued for weight violations. The count climbed to 29,694 last year. Meanwhile, citations carrying the possibility of a fine declined from more than 27,000 in 1990 to 17,272.
Likewise, the average bail for an overweight citation dropped from $223 in 1996 to $179 in 2000. Trucks cited typically were more than 1 ton overweight.
Records also show that weight-enforcement rules have sometimes been unevenly applied.
Until 1999, for example, weigh-station workers regularly allowed trucks exceeding their overweight permits to continue after only a minimal load reduction.
A truck with a permit to operate at 105,500 pounds but tipping the scale at 110,000 pounds, for instance, could be waved down the road if it doffed enough cargo to get down to 107,499 pounds.
Gregg Dal Ponte, who oversees weight enforcement as deputy director of the Oregon Department of Transportation, says he stopped this apparently long-standing practice soon after he heard about it. At the same time, the attorney general's office advised the agency that it had no authority to override state truck-weight laws and that trucks must unload to legal weight.
Meanwhile, the transportation agency's enforcement budget dropped from $7.2 million to $6.6 million from 1996 to 2001. Dal Ponte's staff shrank from 142 officers in 1990 to 96 this year, largely because of budget cuts.
To cope, the Legislature in 1999 directed the agency to put more teeth in the size-and-weight laws by hitting repeat violators with additional civil penalties.
But if the lawmakers expected deterrence, they had to be disappointed. In 1999, the first year the program was in effect, the agency levied a grand total of $7,200 in fines against 11 companies that had committed multiple violations. Last year, the total was $8,300.
Dal Ponte says citations remain the primary enforcement tool because taking truckers to civil court is "just too laborious."
Hit on trucking hurts economy
Oregon's "economic viability is partially at risk" because of the bridge crisis, state engineer Ray Mabey says.
The Transportation Department estimates that in 1999, 760,000 tons worth $486 million moved across Oregon's highways and bridges. Food and wood products were the biggest categories.
From a trucking industry standpoint, the main worry about cracked bridges is not the possibility of a tractor-trailer rig falling through one, but the certainty that detours increase the cost of deliveries.
Virtually everything in the U.S. economy moves by truck. If weight postings on bridges on important highways force trucking companies to use longer delivery routes, the companies incur higher operating costs. The ripple effect could make consumer goods more expensive and discourage businesses that rely on overweight deliveries. It also could make trucking less competitive with other forms of transportation.
Bob Wilhelm Jr., president of Wilhelm Trucking Co., says a posted bridge on I-84 forced his company to hire pilot cars and send trucks on a time-consuming 128-mile detour on secondary roads to deliver 26 truckloads of steel girders from Tigard to a construction site in Boise. The detour, he says, added more than $50,000 to the job.
Russell, the Oregon Trucking Associations lobbyist, told the House transportation committee that the problem of cracked bridges has also caused a European company to reconsider whether to build a $110 million plant in the state that would turn out a product whose exceptional weight might be a problem.
While everyone agrees the RCDG bridges need fixing or replacement, it isn't clear where the money will come from.
Transportation officials expected steady spending during the next 20 years would keep open the bridges needed to move freight. But with engineers warning that the state had fallen behind in repairing and replacing bridges, the agency got the Legislature to boost spending from $45 million a year in 1999 to $60 million in 2000.
It wasn't enough.
In 2001, bridge engineers warned legislators that without additional spending, "The overall condition of the state's bridges will continue to decline." Legislators responded by raising car and truck fees to give the Transportation Department another $88 million to slow the decline.
But later in 2001, bridge engineers were surprised by the new problem -- nearly 500 freeway and state highway bridges were cracking apart.
Transportation Department officials say that besides repairing the cracked bridges, the agency needs $1.4 billion to repair other bridges and $994 million to make bridges earthquake-resistant.
The estimated price tag to bring Oregon's state bridges into good condition: $2.8 billion.
Hirota calculates that if the Transportation Department spends all its bridge money for the next 20 years in an effort to catch up, the state would still be short by half. He estimates his agency needs an additional $62 million a year for 20 years.
Hirota outlined all this to a House interim committee in November, but he didn't propose a solution because the Transportation Department didn't have one.
Meanwhile, Deputy Director Tom Lulay has been relieved of many agency duties to find a solution to the crisis.


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During the evening the Arc also honored one of its workers, Paul Huang, with the Halo Award for outstanding job performance; founding board members Leo and Anne Zuckerman with the Lifetime Achievement Award; and high school students Christa Joy Ciotta and Donna Scarola with the Angels Among Us Awards for their volunteerism.
The Emcee, Somerset County Freeholder Jack M. Ciattarelli, presented the Arc of Somerset County with a citation for exemplary service in the disability community. Musical savant, Brittany Maier, dazzled the audience with a vast repertoire of popular tunes.
More than 100 guests turned out to celebrate the Arc's accomplishments, and support its mission and programs. The event included a silent auction, and the Exceptions band provided music for dancing.
Proceeds from the annual gala represent 70 percent of funds raised, which will support vital programs and services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Somerset County.
The Arc of Somerset County serves more than 1,000 individuals and their families.


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Nexus Energy Center
Rating: 5 stars 1 1 review 340
6767 Old Madison Pike Bldg 7 Huntsville AL 35806 USA
Promoting eneregy efficiency
Nexus energy center has been administering the wise program using grant funds from the doe better buildings program and the state energy program through adeca. Using the grant funds, we have been providing rebates to homeowners for eneregy efficiency measures installed as well as providing marketing and educational services to the community.
nexus manages a revolving loan program for energy improvements through adeca using state energy program funds
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Nexus Energy Center is the lead non-profit in the State of Alabama and beyond in the following areas:
1. Establishing and implementing an Energy Efficiency model that is successful in achieving over 800 audit in home through their Worthwhile Investment Saves Energy (WISE) program.
2. Implementing a COMFORT Project program to assist the many low-income communities to implement best practices into energy efficiency and save money on their utility bills.
3. Educate and provide outreach to non-profits, businesses and residents on how to become energy efficient.
4. Advance the economic development in Alabama through their job creation with contractors in energy efficiency.
5. Develop a culture of awareness on where our $$$$ go and how to save more money on becoming a community that cares.
6. Develop a sustainability plan for their programs and services to continue and succeed.
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PACC update: 'Patron room' could raise cost of project
The most expensive project in city history, if it's built, could add about $500,000 to the total price tag.
The Federal Way City Council held a special meeting on Sept. 5 to discuss the proposed Performing Arts and Conference Center (PACC) envisioned for the city's downtown core.
Lead member of Lorax Partners on the project, P.J. Santos, was on hand to give an update to the council. Santos shared an interesting addition to the PACC: a "patron room" that he had hinted at in a presentation to the council in February.
As envisioned now, the patron room would be situated on the upper floor of the PACC, and would be like a "members only" room, where those wishing to go inside would pay a small fee, likely through donations.
"That patron room cost…was $500,000 for our project," he said. "This was not in our original program. A key piece here is about the operations of the future facility. It's not just affording (the construction) of the building and then letting it go, it's having (the PACC) be built and become its own self-performing piece so it can handle all its costs and revenues itself."
Santos had some eight-year averages for the potential benefits of the patron room. His projections showed that it could generate $18,000 a year in average patron rental, and that its estimated average patron donor revenue would be approximately $46,000. This would, under his projections, work out to an average return on investment of 12.5 percent per year, and the room itself could pay itself off within eight years.
"When you come into our facility, you're going to see that room, and you're going to want to come in. So there's an element that helps us in terms of cash flow for this project," he added.
Santos noted that cost projections for the project had lowered since the last presentation, from $31,750,000 to $31,350,000. If the patron room is included in the project, that total price tag would be approximately $31,850,000.
"This was driven with great rigor to make sure that we're building the appropriate facility for the project," Santos said. "We're not trying to gold-plate it, but also (want to) make it a special place."
There is no timeline for building the PACC, which is slated for the abandoned Toys R' Us site on 20th Avenue South. The city has promised to build the project without debt.
With the addition of the patron room bumping up the total price to $31.85 million, the city would still need to make up a difference of approximately $12.9 million, according to figures provided by Patrick Doherty, community and economic development director.
Doherty said that as it stands, the city envisions it could make that difference up with the Federal Way Coalition for the Performing Arts' (FWCPA) capital campaign effort, and through the federal government's New Markets Tax Credit Program. The city is hoping FWCPA can raise approximately $5.75 million, while the New Markets program could cover $7.2 million. There's hope that the New Markets program will be an effective source of money for the project, Doherty said.
"Community Development Entities…are the ones who are the brokers for the New Market Tax Program. There are two other CDE's in the region, in addition to the National Development Council…The two others are the King County Housing Authority and the Kitsap Housing Authority," Doherty said.
Doherty said that these CDE's make their money by being the brokers for the New Markets program, which is why Kitsap is expressing interest in the project.
"We were in contact with all three, and all three included our project in their pipeline of upcoming projects," Doherty said, referencing the fact that the CDE's application period was completed last month.
"Next year, in the first part of the year, (is when the CDE's learn) how many if any, and to what extent those credits will be extended to those CDE's. And then we would go back and talk turkey with each of them about bringing their tax credits to the project," Doherty said. "In fact, it's a large enough project that no single CDE is likely to broker the tax credits, it would be a combination, and that is, in fact, why we went to three."
Doherty and Santos both touched on what the next steps for the project would be, with both saying that would likely be a land use permit. Doherty noted the cost of that phase would be approximately $65,000, while Santos gave three different timelines on moving forward, with all being predicated on the initiation of a permitting process.
Doherty also noted a condensed version of the Sept. 5 presentation would take place at the Sept. 17 city council meeting, and that he also would be making a presentation specifically to Federal Way's business community on Sept. 19.
FWCPA's Joann Piquette was also on hand to present to the council on the group's fundraising efforts. She said the group has gotten pledges worth approximately $477,500 and has been working on grants that could potentially total out to $1.5 million or so. FWCPA is also planning on a concert/fundraising drive soon, she added.
"The coalition is in the final stages of planning the Nov. 23 combination concert/fundraising rally. We will have six performing groups, including at least one representative of the high school music programs," she said.
The concert/fundraising rally will begin at 2 p.m. at Saghalie Middle School on November 23, she added.
For those interested in more information about the PACC, visit www.federalwaypacc.org.
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David Tyree's last catch as a Giant – or, for that matter, ever – was the greatest catch in Super Bowl history and possibly the greatest catch in NFL history.
Tyree's "Helmet Catch'' saved the Giants and set up the winning touchdown in the team's win over New England in Super Bowl XLII.
He spent the 2008 season on injured reserve, was released in 2009, signed with Baltimore, but never played again.
Mario Mannigham, whose "Sideline Catch'' set up the winning touchdown in Sunday's Super Bowl XLVI win for the Giants over the Patriots, will likely play again. It's just not certain it will be with the Giants.
Manningham is one of 10 soon-to-be unrestricted free agents on the Giants' roster and the one who may gain the most attention after his spectacular last-drive catch when the free-agent market opens the middle of next month.
While the veteran wide receiver has stated publicly he wants to stay in New York, how much the Giants are willing to pay for a No. 3 wide receiver vs. what other teams who may give Manningham a chance to start remain to be seen.
The Giants have Hakeem Nicks under contract for two more years after giving him a $6.5 million signing bonus and a $12.5 million deal in 2009 and get him for a bargain rate of $750,000 next season.
Victor Cruz will be in the final year of his contract at a below-bargain rate of $450,000, but you know the Giants and his agents are already working on a new long-term deal for the Salsa dancer from Paterson.
So what happens to Manningham?
Pencil in Washington, Minnesota, St. Louis and Seattle at the very least to show some interest in him.
• Speaking of Cruz, it was good to see he's keeping his head in the right place and turned down a chance to be on Dancing with the Stars.
However, he did hire a new marketing firm, so look for him to be doing some commercials in the near future.
• Running back Ricky Williams and quarterback Donovan McNabb will forever be linked, at least in Eagles fans' minds, thanks to a group called The Dirty 30 and the former mayor of Philadelphia, Ed Rendell.
So now that Williams has decided to retire after spending last season as a productive backup in Baltimore, maybe McNabb should follow him.
ESPN has a chair with McNabb's name on the back waiting for him.
• On the subject of retirements, Brett Favre said this week that he is happy with his decision to spend more time on his farm than on the sidelines.
"It went a lot smoother than the previous three or four years,'' Favre told The Fan in Lubbock, Texas. "At the end of last season, I'd said in years past that I knew. I really knew this time. I got beat up a little physically.
"In my situation, unlike some players who retire because they have no choice – either teams don't want them or injuries have caused them to retire and they just can't do it – for me, I really never thought I would give out mentally. But I think that was the case.
Mentally, I was just burned out. This season, being removed and having a bird's-eye view but not being involved was eye-opening because I didn't miss it a bit.''
• Back in 1991, Harry Gamble was president of the Eagles when it came time to pick a new head coach, either Jeff Fisher or Rich Kotite.
You know how that turned out.
Now, 21 years later, Fisher is the new boss in St. Louis, and the Rams are looking for a general manager. One of the top candidates is Tom Gamble, the 49ers' director of personnel, and Harry's son.
Hopefully, Fisher doesn't hold a grudge.
• QUOTE OF THE SUPER BOWL: "I respect Tom Brady and New England. He does a great job with the guys he has. But if that were Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers on the other side with their big-play outfits, 57 seconds would have been plenty of time.'' – Giants running back Brandon Jacobs
Contact Mark Eckel at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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A Louisiana House committee killed a bill Monday (April 28) that would give lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people protection from housing discrimination.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Pat Smith, D-Baton Rouge, said after the hearing though disappointed, she wasn't surprised. "(The Legislature) is just not willing right now to move anything (LGBT-related) forward, and that's unfortunate."
The Civil Law and Procedure committee voted 12-3 to shelve the bill. "Thank you members," she said following the vote to involuntarily shelve her bill. "I'll be back next year."
House Bill 871 would have also outlawed against discrimination against people criminal records, veterans, victims of domestic abuse and for reasons based on a person's job, or "lawful income." Smith said after the meeting her bill protected a variety of groups of people, but lawmakers and debates tend to hinge on gay rights issues.
Kathleen Benfield of the Louisiana Family Forum, speaking against the bill, said allowing discrimination against people for their sexual orientation is "rational" because some people have "closely held religious" reasons to judge whether or not they want LGBT people to rent their private property.
Rep. Herbert Dixon, D-Alexandria, said he's old enough to remember when religious justification was used to discriminate against African Americans. "I've been in an era where folks used the Bible to discriminate against people that look like me to use an apartment," he said.
Benfield countered, saying the situations differ because there was nothing "good or bad" about race, and racial discrimination was "totally irrational."
She said the bill asks lawmakers to treat LGBT people, as a group, "as morally neutral and morally good by asking you to elevate those to a protected class."
Benfield said people make judgments every day resulting in discrimination of people for "thousands of reasons," and a person should be allowed to made decisions, regarding their own private property, based on any reasons other than those, like race, that show "historic evidence of discrimination."
Tammy Esponge from the Apartment Association of Louisiana opposed the bill because the bill seeks to remove criminal records as a factor for housing consideration, and the checks exists to protect other residents. But she also mentioned the association had no problem with the LGBT part of the bill. "We don't care how you go through life, that's your business," she said. She said she was willing to work with Smith in the future on a compromise regarding the background checks, perhaps by limiting the checks to offenses committed in the last decade, for example.
Dylan Waguespack, who testified in favor of the bill on behalf of Louisiana Progress Action, said affordable and safe housing is a human right. "Not having access to that can be a huge barrier to maintaining employment and things a family needs to survive."
In her final pitch, Smith shared her personal religious beliefs. "I'm Catholic. I've been Catholic all my life." She recalled the evolution of what Catholics used to be banned from doing, like stepping foot in the church of another denomination, and how the church has altered position on issues over time. "I love my pope today," she said. "(Pope Francis I) says if somebody is gay and searches for the Lord and has good will, who is he to judge," Smith said.
She told lawmakers she wasn't asking them to "endorse anything," but asked them to see gay people, like God does, with love. She also made the plea that those with convictions more than 10 years old should be able to get housing to, as Rep. Kenny Cox, D-Natchitoches said earlier, "get their feet back on the ground."
Here is the breakdown of the committee vote to advance the bill:
Erich Ponti (R-Baton Rouge): NO
Stuart Bishop (R-Lafayette): NO
Thomas Carmody (R-Shreveport): NO
Kenny Cox (D-Natchitoches): YES
Dixon (D-Alexandria): YES
Lance Harris (R-Alexandria): NO
Joe Harrison (R-Houma): NO
Kenny Havard (R-Jackson): NO
Paul Hollis (R-Covington): NO
Katrina Jackson (D-Shreveport): NO
John C. Morris (R-Monroe): NO
Stephen Ortego (D-Carencro): NO
Vincent Pierre (D-Lafayette): YES
Steve Pugh (R-Ponchatoula): NO
Gene Reynolds (D-Minden): NO
A similar bill addressing housing discrimination for LGBT people, sponsored by Jared Brossett, D-New Orleans, died in committee earlier this session.


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Front-page endorsements certainly are not an everyday thing in our newspapers.
But that is what MLive Media Group delivered through its newspapers last week to hundreds of thousands of households across the state. Actually, we "teased" on Page A1 to the endorsements, which appeared in full on Page A3.
The endorsements, focused on the six statewide ballot proposals facing voters on Tuesday, were the first ever by the editorial board of the digital-first parent company of this newspaper.
The statewide editorial board included representatives from each of our local editorial boards and, after thorough discussion, it reached unanimous opinions on each of the six proposals.
What was not unanimous was reader reaction, with the Page A1 placement — and even stating our collective opinion at all — drawing pointed criticism from some readers.
From a west-side-of-the-state reader: "I was appalled when I opened my Sunday paper to have 'Vote No on 2' be the first thing I laid my eyes on. I realize the paper has the right to express its opinion on political issues, but I think it is irresponsible to place it on the front page above the fold to serve as a political advertisement. Editorial opinions belong in the editorial section, not the front page. Many people will not read the accompanying article, but will have the headline stuck in their memory. ... Shame on you for publishing such a blatant attempt at influencing voters."
And from an east-side reader: "In today's edition, your paper took a stand on Proposal 2. You are urging citizens to vote 'No' on the proposal. I feel that your job is to 'report the news' in an 'unbiased' form. You evidently have chosen to use your influence to support political issues instead of stating the facts. This town exists because of the unions and many of your patrons are union members, including myself."
So, why did MLive Media Group endorse in a statewide manner, rather than through its local editorial boards? And why did we feel it necessary to play the endorsements so prominently?
First, our newspapers have offered editorial opinions for more than a hundred years and believe doing so can help a community — and state — solve its most pressing problems by focusing on solutions.
We enjoy unparalleled access to the candidates, campaign finance reports, etc., and are in a good position to ask tough questions and fact-check the answers we receive.
The average reader rarely gets that access, and it's harder for them to get a fully formed opinion. Our endorsements are a benefit of that access, and similarly benefit readers.
In making ballot proposal endorsements from a statewide perspective, MLive Media Group emphasized one of its strengths: It is looking out for all state residents and reviewed the ballot proposals with an eye toward what is best for Michigan as a whole rather than narrow interest groups.
Second, the decision to place the "tease" to the endorsement editorials on Page A1 in the Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday papers was prompted by our desire to make clear to our readers how important we think these issues are and what great impact they could have on our state.
We have reserved this dramatic approach for when it really matters. We believe readers will note that and give us a hearing when we explain how we believe the state can be made better and what could cause it irreparable harm.
Third, our endorsements were preceded by six weeks of fair and thorough exploration of each of the six ballot proposals on the front page and the Perspective page.
When it was time to endorse, we clearly marked this content as opinion. Our editorials made their points passionately, but readers will make up their own minds.
Fourth, the news reporters who covered the six ballot proposals were not part of the local or statewide editorial boards. Their job was to report on the proposals in an unbiased way and they did. We separate our opinion decision-making from our news decision-making.
Looking at the breadth and depth of our news coverage of the ballot proposals and now throwing in our endorsement editorials, our readers are the most informed in the state.
MLive's Statewide endorsements and positions:
• MLive Media Group: Yes on Proposal 1
• MLive Media Group: No on Proposal 2
• MLive Media Group: No on Proposal 3
• MLive Media Group: No on Proposal 4
• MLive Media Group: No on Proposal 5
• MLive Media Group: No on Proposal 6
Email Paul M. Keep, executive editor of print for MLive Media Group, at firstname.lastname@example.com. He oversees the production of the group's eight newspapers in Michigan.