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(March 2018)
The Cost of Long-Term Care | Deciding Whether Long-Term Care Insurance Is Right for You | Buying Coverage | How Policies Work | Long-Term Care Rates | Alternatives to Long-Term Care Insurance | Shopping for Long-Term Care Insurance | Helpful Telephone Numbers and Websites | Get Help from TDI
View a list of companies selling long-term care insurance in Texas.
Long-term care is a type of skilled care or personal care service you might need if you're unable to care for yourself because of an illness, disability, or cognitive impairment like Alzheimer's disease.
Long-term care is different from traditional medical care, which tries to treat or cure illnesses. Long-term care may help you maintain your lifestyle but usually won't improve your medical condition. It helps with routine daily activities, such as eating, getting around, and bathing. It can also help if you need supervision, protection, or reminders to take medicine.
Long-term care services can be provided at your home or in a hospice, adult day care center, nursing home, or assisted living facility.
There are two types of long-term care services:
- Skilled care is for medical conditions that require a medical professional, such as a nurse or a therapist. It's usually provided in a nursing home or other care center.
- Personal care (sometimes called custodial care) helps you do routine activities. You can get personal care in your home or in a care center.
The Cost of Long-Term Care
Long-term care can be expensive. The cost is based on the amount and type of care you need, where you receive it, and what type of medical professional provides it. You can expect to pay at least $3,000 a month for a care in an assisted living center and more than $6,000 a month for care in a nursing home.
A long-term care insurance policy typically pays from $50 to $250 per day for nursing home care. To find out how much coverage you might need, call local nursing homes, home health care agencies, and adult day care centers in your area and ask about their cost for daily care. Keep in mind that the cost for care will likely go up as you get older.
Unlike premiums for life insurance that are based on how long you might live, long-term care insurance premiums are based on whether you might have an illness that could require long-term care but not shorten your lifespan. For example, having a heart attack might not impact your long-term care premiums, but having Alzheimer's disease might.
Paying for Long-Term Care
There are several ways to pay for long-term care. These include:
- Medicaid,
- Medicare,
- long-term care insurance,
- long-term care riders attached to a life insurance policy or annuity,
- accelerated death benefits from life insurance, and
- personal cash or savings.
Medicaid is a state and federal assistance program that pays health care and long-term care expenses for eligible people with low incomes.
To qualify for Medicaid, you must meet income and asset guidelines. Assets are cash and the things you own – such as cars and stocks – that you could convert into cash. Many people pay for long-term care with their own money until they become eligible for Medicaid. To learn more about Medicaid eligibility, call your local Area Agency on Aging or the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. There's a list of phone numbers at the end of this publication.
Medicare might pay some long-term care costs. Medicare is a federal program that pays for health care for people over age 65 and for people under age 65 with disabilities. If you meet the requirements, Medicare will cover up to 100 days of skilled care in a nursing home, per benefit period. Medicare pays the full cost for the first 20 days. After that, you pay a copayment for days 21 to 100.
Life insurance or annuities can pay for long-term care in two ways:
- An accelerated death benefit provision in your life insurance policy that allows you to get part of your death benefit to use as you choose, including for long-term care.
- A rider you add on to your life insurance policy or annuity that covers long-term care.
Deciding Whether Long-Term Care Insurance Is Right for You
Long-term care insurance help protect your assets against the high cost of an extended long-term care need. Long-term care insurance usually makes sense if you have more assets than a house, a car, or a small amount of cash that you want to save.
It might be difficult for you to buy a long-term care policy if you use most of your money to pay for utilities, food, or medicine.
To decide whether long-term care insurance is right for you, consider your personal risk factors, assets, income, and whether you have other ways to get care.
Personal 'Risk Factors'
Consider these factors before buying long-term care insurance:
- Life expectancy. The longer you live, the more likely you will need long-term care. Consider whether your family has a tendency for long life expectancy.
- Gender. Women might need long-term care insurance more than men because they usually live longer.
- Your family situation. If you have a spouse, adult children, or other family members who can care for you at home, you might not need a policy that pays for home care services. Instead, you might need a policy that pays only for nursing home care.
- Family health history. You might need long-term care if chronic or debilitating health conditions run in your family.
Financial Considerations
Long-term care insurance is typically less expensive if you buy it when you're younger. Talk to a trusted financial adviser for help deciding whether long-term care insurance meets your needs. Ask yourself these questions:
- What are my assets (not including my home, car, and $2,000 cash)? Will they change over the next 10 to 20 years? Are my assets large enough to justify the expense of a long-term care policy?
- What is my annual income? Will it change over the next 10 to 20 years? Will I be able to afford the policy if my income goes down or if the policy premiums go up significantly?
- If I retire, how will retirement affect my ability to pay premiums?
- How much does the policy cost? Will I pay the premiums from my income, savings, or investments? Will my family help with the cost?
- How much more will the policy cost if I wait until I'm older to buy a policy?
The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) Long-Term Care Insurance Suitability Worksheet can help you decide if long-term care insurance makes sense for you. Insurance agents must also give you a personal worksheet and a potential rate increase disclosure form along with an outline of coverage. Use them to help you decide whether to buy a long-term care policy.
Tax-Qualified and Non-Tax-Qualified Policies
Tax-Qualified Policies
You might be able to deduct part of the premium for a tax-qualified long-term care policy from your taxes as a medical expense. You usually don't have to claim your qualified long-term care policy benefits as taxable income. If you have an indemnity policy, you might have to pay taxes on benefits that exceed your actual cost or an amount of $330 per day, whichever is greater.
All policies sold before January 1, 1997, are automatically tax-qualified. Policies sold after January 1, 1997, are either tax-qualified or non-tax-qualified. To find out whether your policy is tax-qualified, look for a statement on your policy similar to this: "This policy is intended to be a qualified long-term care insurance contract as defined by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, Section 7702B(b)."
Ask a tax attorney, accountant, or tax adviser about how buying a long-term care insurance policy will affect your taxes.
To claim a tax deduction for long-term care premium payments, your out-of-pocket medical expenses, including premiums, must be more than 10 percent (7.5 percent for people 65 and older) of your adjusted gross income. The maximum amount of long-term care premium you can deduct depends on your age at the end of each tax year.
Maximum Long-Term Care Premium Deductions, 2018*
|Maximum Allowable Deduction
40 or younger
41 to 50
51 to 60
61 to 70
71 or older
* Maximum deduction amounts change each year.
Long-Term Care Partnership Program Policies
The Long-Term Care Partnership Program helps educate Texans about planning for their long-term care needs. For more information, visit ownyourfuturetexas.org. The partnership is a joint effort between private insurers and the state of Texas. Insurance companies must follow state and federal guidelines, and agents must be licensed and complete training to sell partnership policies.
Partnership policies are tax-qualified plans that also include an asset disregard benefit and inflation protection.
The asset disregard benefit is useful if you need to apply for Medicaid to pay for long-term care expenses. Partnership policies don't guarantee you'll be accepted into Medicaid because you'll still need to meet income, medical, and other eligibility criteria.
With the asset disregard benefit, Medicaid will disregard one dollar of your assets for every dollar of long-term care benefits your policy pays. This means you can have assets above the normal eligibility limit and still qualify for Medicaid. In addition, the disregarded assets won't be subject to Medicaid liens and recoveries after you die. Learn more about the Texas Medicaid Estate Recovery Program.
Inflation protection raises your benefit amounts to pay for increases in the cost of care. Partnership policies require different levels of inflation protection based on your age:
- Age 60 and younger: The insurance company must offer you the option to buy a 5 percent compound annual inflation protection benefit. If you decline the 5 percent offer, the insurance company must offer you another form of compound inflation protection, and you must buy and keep that protection until you turn 61.
- Age 61 to 75: You must buy and keep inflation protection until you turn 76.
- Age 76 and older: Companies must offer inflation protection, but you don't have to buy it or keep it.
If you're considering a long-term care policy, ask your insurance company or agent whether a partnership policy meets your needs. If you bought a long-term care policy on or after February 8, 2006, ask your agent about whether exchanging your policy for a partnership policy makes sense.
Note: Partnership policies have a separate disclosure attached to the policy that says the policy is a long-term care partnership policy. If you change your partnership policy, you could lose your partnership policy status. Your agent can tell you what changes will cause a status change.
Moving to another state
Texas has agreements with some other states to honor the terms of your partnership policy. If you move to a state that participates in an agreement, the new state will honor your partnership policy. However, understand that states can start or stop the agreement at any time. For a list of participating states, visit ownyourfuturetexas.org. If you move to another state, you must meet all the Medicaid requirements for your new state of residence.
See a list of companies selling partnership policies in Texas.
Non-Tax-Qualified Policies
Premiums for non-tax-qualified long-term care policies are not tax-deductible. You might also have to pay taxes on any benefits the policy pays that don't pay for care.
Buying Coverage
Companies use a process called underwriting to decide whether to sell you a policy. Companies will review your health status and history and will offer you a policy only if you meet their guidelines.
Note: Federal law prohibits a company from refusing to sell you a health insurance policy based on your health status. But this provision doesn't apply to long-term care insurance.
Some companies ask only a few questions about your health. Others may ask for more details, examine your medical records, ask for a statement from your doctor, or require you to take a medical exam. Answer all health questions truthfully. If a company later learns you gave incomplete or false information on your application, it could cancel your policy or refuse to pay your claim.
When you apply for insurance, the insurance agent will complete a personal worksheet with you to determine whether a long-term care policy is right for you. The agent will also give you the company's long-term care premium rate increase history for the past 10 years. An insurance company can raise your premiums in the future, but only if it raises the rates for policies similar to yours.
Replacing a Policy
If you're considering replacing a long-term care policy, compare your current policy's benefits to the benefits in the new policy. Policies issued before 1992 might have fewer or more restricted benefits than a newer policy.
A new policy with better benefits will probably cost a lot more than your current policy. In addition, if you bought your current policy before January 1, 1997, it is tax-qualified. A new policy might not be.
Tell the agent if you're buying a long-term care policy to replace another one. The agent must give you a notice explaining how replacing the policy will affect you.
If you replace your policy, don't cancel your current policy until the new one is in effect.
Ways to Buy Long-Term Care Insurance
You can buy an individual policy, or you can buy a group policy through an employer or through membership in an association. Some companies also offer life insurance policies or annuities with long-term care insurance as a rider.
Individual Policies
Most long-term care insurance policies are individual policies. Individual policies differ from one company to the next. Shop around to get the coverage that best fits your needs.
Group Policies
Your employer might offer a group long-term care insurance plan or offer individual policies at a group discount. An employer's group policy might be similar to what you could buy with an individual policy. An advantage of a group policy is that you rarely have to have a medical exam. Many employers also offer plans to retirees, spouses, and other family members. Relatives usually go through medical screening.
Generally, insurance companies must let you keep your coverage after you leave or until they cancel the group plan. Usually you can continue your coverage or convert it to another long-term care insurance policy. Your premiums and benefits may change.
Federal and State Government Policies
Federal and U.S. Postal Service employees and retirees, active and retired service members, and their qualified relatives may apply for long-term care insurance through the Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program. The premiums for this plan are typically lower than the premiums for an individual policy.
If you or a family member is a state or public employee or retiree, you might be able to buy long-term care insurance under a state government program. The Teacher Retirement System and several university systems offer group plans for their employees, retires, and some family members. Ask your employer whether it offers a group plan.
Association Policies
Many associations also offer long-term care insurance to their members. Like other group policies, association policies usually give their members a choice of benefit options. In most cases, policies sold through associations must let members keep or convert their coverage after leaving the association. Most association policies will require you to go through the underwriting process. Be careful about joining an association just to buy an insurance policy. Know your rights if the association decides to stop offering the policy.
If you want to buy a policy, use the Long-Term Care Insurance Policy Comparison Worksheet to compare companies and coverages before you purchase a policy.
How Policies Work
Long-term care insurance policies are not all the same. Companies sell policies with many combinations of benefits and features.
Benefit Criteria
Policies have different benefit eligibility criteria (also called triggers) that you must meet before the company will pay benefits. These are based on how many of the six activities of daily living (ADLs) you are unable to perform or whether you have a cognitive impairment. The six ADLs are bathing, eating, dressing, using the bathroom, continence, and moving from place to place.
Tax-qualified policies require that you have a severe cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer's, or be unable to perform two of the six ADLs without help for at least 90 days. You must also have a plan of care from a doctor or licensed health care practitioner.
Non-tax-qualified policies have different benefit eligibility criteria, but most are based on ADLs and cognitive impairment. Criteria aren't restricted to two ADLs or cognitive impairment. Medical necessity or other measures of disability can be benefit triggers.
Elimination Period
The elimination period is the amount of time you have to wait before a policy will pay any benefits. The most common options are for benefits to start at 30, 60, 90, or 180 days after you enter a nursing home or start receiving other services. It's important to know whether the elimination period is based on service days or calendar days. Service days are counted as services are rendered. For example, if you get care three days a week, it would take 10 weeks before the 30-day elimination period would end. Calendar days would be met no matter how many service days are provided. Once 30 days have passed – even if only one service day per week was used – you would complete your elimination period. Benefits would begin the day after your elimination period ends. You can lower your premium by choosing a longer elimination period. But remember that you'll have to pay all your expenses out of pocket for a longer time before the policy will pay.
Some policies have only one elimination period, while others require an elimination period for each new period of care. Before buying a policy, understand how the elimination period works.
Benefit Period and Benefit Amount
A benefit period is the length of time a policy will pay benefits. Benefit periods may range from one year to a lifetime. The most commonly offered benefit periods are one, two, three or five years, or for a lifetime. The premiums for longer benefit periods are higher.
Some companies use a benefit amount rather than a set benefit period. The benefit amount is calculated by taking the daily benefit amount and then multiplying it by the number of years of coverage. For example, if you choose a policy with a $100 a day benefit, and use a $100 each day for two years, your maximum benefit would be $73,000. If you don't use all of your $100 a day benefit, your policy could last longer than two years. Companies that pay based on a benefit period are usually indemnity policies that pay a set amount each day regardless of expenses and will end when you reach the end of the benefit period.
How Benefits Are Paid
Companies generally pay benefits one of two ways: the expense-incurred method or the indemnity method. It's important to read your policy information and compare the benefits and premiums.
Policies using the expense-incurred method will pay the cost of the expense or the dollar limit of your policy, whichever is less. Most policies pay benefits using the expense-incurred method.
Policies using the indemnity method pay a set dollar amount up to the limit of the policy regardless of the cost of the service you receive.
For tax-qualified policies that pay benefits using the indemnity method, you might have to pay taxes on benefits that exceed your actual cost or $330 per day, whichever is greater.
Services Covered by Long-Term Care Insurance
Long-term care insurance policies may pay for several types of care, including
- Nursing home care in a licensed nursing home.
- Assisted living care in a licensed assisted living home.
- Home health care services provided by a licensed home health agency. Services may include skilled nursing care and physical therapy.
- Adult day care in a licensed center. Services may include nursing or therapeutic care, social and educational activities, and personal supervision.
- Other services. Some policies will pay for hospice care, respite care (care to allow time off for family members who are caregivers), care after a hospital stay, help with household chores, or caregiver training for family members.
You might not need a policy that includes all of these services. Talk to your agent to design a policy that meets your needs.
Coverage Amounts
A policy may pay different amounts for different types of long-term care services. Be sure you understand how much coverage you have and how it covers services in different settings.
Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Benefit Limits
Policies usually pay benefits by the day, week, or month. For example, a policy that pays with the expense-incurred method might pay a daily nursing home benefit of up to $200, a weekly benefit of up to $1,400, or a monthly benefit of up to $6,000.
If a policy covers home health care, the benefit is usually a percentage of the benefit for nursing home care. For example, if you have a policy with a $200 a day benefit for nursing home health care, your home care benefit might be $100 a day. Some policies, however, pay the same benefit amounts for care at home and care in a nursing home.
You can often choose the benefit amounts you want. It's important to know how much skilled nursing homes, assisted living homes, and home health care agencies charge before you choose the benefit amounts. Check prices at centers in the area you're likely to get care.
Maximum Benefit Limit
Most policies limit the total benefit they will pay over the life of the policy. Some policies state the maximum benefit limit in years (one, two, three, or lifetime). Other policies state the maximum benefit limit as a total dollar amount. The maximum benefit limit may be called a maximum lifetime benefit or a total plan benefit.
Most nursing home stays are short, but illnesses that last several years could mean longer nursing home stays. You will have to decide if you want protection for long stays. Policies with longer maximum benefit periods cost more. Understand the total amount of coverage your policy provides.
Services Not Covered by Long-Term Care Insurance
Long-term care insurance policies may exclude coverage for some conditions, either completely or for a limited time. Policies typically exclude:
- Preexisting conditions. A preexisting condition is an illness or disability for which you got medical advice or treatment in the six months before the date of coverage. A long-term care policy may delay coverage of a preexisting condition for up to six months after the policy's effective date.
- Mental and nervous disorders. A long-term care policy can exclude coverage of some mental and nervous disorders, but the policy must cover serious biologically based mental illnesses and brain diseases, such as schizophrenia and major depressive disorders, and Alzheimer's disease and other age-related disorders. (However, a company may refuse to sell a policy to someone already suffering from Alzheimer's.)
- Care by family members. Most policies won't pay members of your family to take care of you. However, some policies will pay to train family members to be caregivers.
Standard Policy Exclusions
Texas long-term care policies may exclude coverage for conditions resulting from
- alcoholism and drug addiction;
- suicide, attempted suicide, or intentionally self-inflicted injuries;
- participation in a riot, felony, or insurrection;
- war or an act of war, whether declared or undeclared;
- service in the armed forces; or
- aviation activities, if you weren't a fare-paying passenger.
Long-term care policies won't pay for care covered under a government program. The exceptions are Medicaid and expenses that Medicare pays as a secondary payer.
Optional Features
Companies must offer inflation protection and a nonforfeiture benefit but may charge extra.
Inflation Protection
It may be years before you need long-term care services. During that time, long-term care costs could go up. Inflation protection raises the level of your benefits to help with the rising cost of services.
The younger you are, the more important inflation protection may be. The cost of inflation protection is based on your age when you buy the policy.
Be careful not to give up benefits you might need in the future for a lower premium today. If you buy a partnership policy and are under age 76, you must buy and maintain inflation protection to ensure that you won't lose your policy's partnership status.
Policies must offer inflation protection in at least one of the following ways:
- Benefits automatically increase by 5 percent or more each year, compounded annually.
- Your original benefit amount increases by 5 percent or more compounded each year on the policy's renewal date. If you don't want the increase, you must reject it in writing within 30 days after the policy renewal date.
- The policy covers a certain percentage of actual or reasonable charges for as long as you own it, with no maximum daily limit or policy limit.
The company must give you a graphic comparison of benefits on a policy with and without inflation protection over a 20-year period. If you don't want inflation protection, you must reject it in writing.
Nonforfeiture Benefit
Companies must guarantee that you will get some benefits you paid for, even if you cancel your policy or lose coverage. This guarantee is called a nonforfeiture benefit. The longer you pay premiums, the larger the nonforfeiture benefit will be.
A nonforfeiture benefit will generally pay the greater of
- the total amount of all premiums paid, or
- 30 times the daily nursing home benefit at the time the policy lapsed.
Policies with nonforfeiture benefits are usually more expensive than policies without them. If you don't want the benefit, you must reject it in writing and the company will explain its contingent nonforfeiture benefit.
The contingent nonforfeiture benefit is triggered when an insurance company increases your rates to a certain level. You can either choose a reduced benefit amount to prevent premium increases or to convert your policy to a paid-up status. If you don't choose within 120 days of the due date of the premium increase, the company can change your policy to a paid-up status. The paid-up status will be the greater of
- the total sum of all premiums paid for your policy. or
- 30 times the daily nursing home benefit at the time the policy lapsed.
People who buy limited premium payment policies that are paid in full within a certain time will also get a contingent nonforfeiture benefit during the payment years with different qualifying conditions. Talk to your agent about these conditions.
You'll also get an explanation of the nonforfeiture and contingent nonforfeiture benefit if your policy lapses. You can buy a nonforfeiture benefit for an additional premium that will guarantee that you'll get some benefits you paid for if you cancel your policy or lose coverage.
Optional Benefits Companies May Offer
Waiver of Premium
Many policies include a waiver of premium provision. This provision allows you to stop paying premiums while you're getting policy benefits. Companies may waive the premium when they make the first benefit payment or after a specified time, usually 60 to 90 days after the first payment. This provision may only apply to certain benefits (nursing home, or home health care, for instance).
Refund of Premium
The company will refund some or all of your premiums - minus any claims paid under the policy - if you cancel the policy. Your beneficiary will get the refund if you die. If you keep the policy, the company will use the refund of premiums to make future premiums cheaper or to increase future benefits.
Restoration of Benefits
Some policies restore benefits to the original maximum amounts if you don't need long-term care services for a specified period, usually 180 days. For example, assume your policy has a maximum benefit period of three years and you were in a nursing home for a year. If you don't need additional long-term care services for at least six months after leaving the nursing home, your benefit period would automatically be restored to the original three years.
Bed Reservation
If you must leave a nursing home to go into a hospital, some policies will pay to reserve your bed in the nursing home for a specified number of days or until you return.
Long-Term Care Rates
Insurance companies determine long-term care premiums based on several factors. Some of these include:
- Age. The younger you are, the lower your premium will be.
- Your health. Your health when you buy the policy will affect your premium. Your premium will be higher if you have health problems.
- Your area. Long-term care costs can differ greatly from one area to another. Where you live will affect the cost of your coverage.
- Elimination period. The longer you wait before the company pays benefits, the lower your premium.
- Benefit amount and duration. Rates are higher for policies with higher benefit amounts and longer payment durations.
- Other factors. Optional benefits you add to your policy also will increase your premiums.
Premium Increases
Premiums on most long-term care policies will increase over time. Companies can raise the premiums on policies that don't have fixed rates, but only if they increase the premiums for everyone with a similar policy in your rate class. A company can't single you out for a rate increase, regardless of any change in your health or the number or amount of claims you've made.
Companies can base your rate class on various factors, such as your age, where you live, and your health status when you bought your policy. The company must give you at least 45 days' notice of any premium increase.
Policy Renewals and Cancellations
Long-term care policies are guaranteed renewable. This means the company must renew your policy each year unless you lied about your health in the application, didn't pay your premiums, or used all your benefits.
You can cancel your policy at any time by telling the insurance company. The company must return any unearned premium to you.
Unearned premium is the amount of a premium you paid that hasn't been used to buy coverage. For instance, if you paid in advance for a six-month premium but canceled the policy after two months, the company must refund the remaining four months of unearned premium. Unearned premium doesn't apply to a single premium policy or to policies that will be paid in full in one to four years. Policies that will be paid in full in five to 10 years are subject to a return of premium as described in the policy.
After a policy has been in force for two years, a company can't cancel it or refuse to pay claims because you provided incorrect information on the application, unless the incorrect information is fraudulent. If a policy has been in force less than two years, a company can deny a valid claim or cancel the policy if it can prove you committed fraud or intentionally misrepresented a material fact or tried to deceive it.
Nonpayment of Premiums
When you buy a long-term care policy, the company will ask you to choose someone that it will notify if your policy is about to be canceled because you haven't paid the premium. The other person can be a relative, friend, or a professional, such as your lawyer or accountant. You don't have to designate anyone to get notice. The person you choose won't be responsible for paying the premium. The company will notify you and a person you designate if your payment is more than 30 days past due.
A company may not cancel a policy for nonpayment of premium unless you haven't paid the premium for at least 65 days past the due date. The company must wait 30 days after the due date before notifying you and the person you designated that it will cancel the policy for nonpayment. The company will mail you a notice, allow five days for you to receive it, and then give you another 30 days to pay the premium.
Consider paying your long-term care policy premiums by automatic bank draft. If you ever want to stop the draft or change the payment, you must tell the company and bank in writing.
If the company cancels your policy for nonpayment, it must reinstate the policy if you send proof within about five months that you didn't pay premiums because of a mental or physical impairment. The company must also pay any claims for eligible services. You must pay back premium to the date the policy lapsed.
Alternatives to Long-Term Care Insurance
Life Insurance
Some companies offer a life insurance policy with an accelerated death benefit provision or an accelerated death benefits rider that you can add to your life insurance policy for an additional premium. This rider allows you to use your death benefit early if you are diagnosed with a long-term, catastrophic, or terminal illness. The amount you withdraw to pay for long-term care will be subtracted from the death benefit that will go to your beneficiaries when you die.
Some life insurance policies offer long-term care insurance as a rider. If your policy includes this, you might be able to pay for long-term care with the proceeds.
Annuity Contracts
Some annuity contracts let you withdraw money without a penalty to pay for long-term care services.
Life Settlements
Some companies buy life insurance policies from life insurance owners by paying an amount, usually a percentage of the policy's death benefit, for the policy.
If you sell your policy, the buyer becomes the policy owner, pays the premiums, and collects the policy's benefit when you die.
To get a list of registered life settlement companies and brokers, call the Consumer Help Line at 1-800-252-3439.
Reverse Mortgages
If you own a home, you might be able to get a reverse mortgage. Reverse mortgages are special home loans for people 62 and over. They allow you to convert part of the equity you've built up in your home into income without having to sell the home or take out a second mortgage. No payments are due on the loan until the home is no longer your primary residence. Some people use income from a reverse mortgage to pay for long-term care expenses.
Shopping for Long-Term Care Insurance
Ask yourself these questions about each policy you´re considering:
- What types of care are covered and where? Policies can offer a lot of services, including home health care, adult day care, assisted living facility care, and nursing home care. Policies must cover all levels of care from custodial to intermediate to skilled care.
- What are the benefit eligibility requirements? Policies won´t pay until you´ve met certain requirements, such as being unable to perform tasks -- called activities of daily living -- or being certified as cognitively impaired. The benefit eligibility criteria may vary from policy to policy.
- How much is the daily benefit amount for each type of benefit? Most policies will pay a maximum daily amount for your care. You choose the maximum daily benefit when you buy the policy. It´s important that you choose your benefit amount wisely. Remember that you don't need to insure the full cost of care. To keep premiums down, you could plan to pay some of the cost yourself.
- How long are benefits paid? The chances of needing long-term care for more than five years are relatively small. For most people, a policy covering three to five years is appropriate and more cost-effective. However, if you´re concerned about contracting a disease requiring more care, such as Alzheimer´s, consider the more expensive option of lifetime coverage.
- Does the policy have a preexisting condition waiting period? If so, how long is it? Some policies won´t cover a preexisting medical condition until after a certain period of time. Some policies will pay for care related to a preexisting condition immediately if you disclosed the condition on your application. Know what the policy says about preexisting conditions.
- What inflation protection is offered? Inflation protection helps you keep up with the higher cost of services between the time you bought your policy and the time you actually need them. All companies must offer an automatic increase in benefits at the rate of 5 percent compounded annually. If you reject inflation protection, the rejection must be in writing. The company may also have other options for inflation protection. Remember that to be prepared for inflation, you must pay a higher premium today or higher out-of-pocket costs later.
- What is the nonforfeiture benefit? Companies must offer you a guarantee that you will receive some benefits you paid for even if you later cancel or lose coverage. If you reject the nonforfeiture benefit, the rejection must be in writing. If you cancel or lapse your policy after a specified number of years, the insurance company will either extend benefits for a period of time equal to the premiums paid, less any claims, or provide a greatly reduced benefit. However, the nonforfeiture benefit may not be less than 30 times the daily nursing home benefit.
- Is the policy tax-qualified? If you buy a tax-qualified policy, you might be able to deduct part of the premiums you paid as a medical expense on your income taxes. Benefits paid from a tax-qualified policy are generally not considered taxable income. The policy must disclose if it is tax-qualified or non-tax-qualified.
- Can I upgrade the policy later by buying more benefits? Some companies let you upgrade your policy after you buy. However, you'll probably have to complete a new medical questionnaire.
Shopping Tips
- Consider your needs. Although it´s difficult, try to anticipate what services you might need and choose a policy that´s right for you. If you have someone to take care of you at home, you might consider a nursing home only policy.
- Shop around. Prices can vary substantially from one company to another, even for policies with similar benefits. Get quotes from several companies before buying a policy. There's a list of companies selling long-term care insurance in Texas at the end of this publication.
- Look at factors other than price. Buy only from licensed insurance companies and agents. Also, make sure the companies you're considering are financially stable and have good customer service. Your family and friends are other sources of information about a company´s customer service. Ask them if they´ve had any experience with the companies you´re considering.
- Call the TDI Consumer Help Line or use the Company Lookup feature on our website to learn financial ratings, complaint histories, and license status.
- Consider the company´s 10-year history of rate increases. While past increases are not a guarantee or predictor of future increases, you may want to consider the company's rate history.
- Buy from an agent you know and trust. If you buy insurance through the mail or by phone, ask whether the company has a local agent or a toll-free number you can call if you have questions.
- Try to find an agent that specializes in long-term care insurance. Because of the many variations in long-term care policies, having an agent with knowledge and experience can help you choose the right coverage for your needs.
- Use your free-look period. Insurance companies must give you at least 30 days to look over your long-term care policy after you receive it. Read the policy carefully to be sure it has the benefits and features you want. If you return the policy within the 30 days, you will get a full refund of any premium paid. It´s a good idea to use certified mail so you will have proof that you returned the policy. Keep a copy of everything you return.
Helpful Telephone Numbers and Websites
Own Your Future Texas Long-Term Care Insurance Partnership Program (state initiative to increase awareness of the importance of long-term care planning)
Own Your Future National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
Medicare (questions about Medicare coverage, requests for the Medicare and You handbook, and doctor and hospital directories)
1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227)
Note: For questions about Medicare coverage claims, use the contact numbers in your Medicare Summary Notice (if in Original Medicare) or the monthly statements from your Medicare Advantage or prescription plan.
Social Security Administration (questions about Medicare enrollment and eligibility and requests for the Medicare and You handbook)
Texas Health and Human Services Commission (Health Information, Counseling and Advocacy Program – Texas SHIP for Medicare beneficiaries) Benefits counseling services at local Area Agency on Aging offices)
Texas Department of State Health Services (questions about health facility compliance and licensure)
Texas Medicaid Long-term Care Services (questions about Medicaid coverage)
2-1-1 (free information about resources in your area)
Texas Medical Board's Customer Service Hot Line (questions about licensing and certification of doctors and complaints about care provided in a doctor's office)
KEPRO (questions or complaints about quality of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries and requests for publications)
Get Help from TDI
For insurance questions or for help with an insurance-related complaint, call the TDI Consumer Help Line</strong at 1-800-252-3439 or visit our website.
Visit HelpInsure.com to shop for automobile, homeowners, condo, and renters insurance, and TexasHealthOptions.com to learn more about health insurance and your options for coverage.
The information in this publication is current as of the revision date. Changes in laws and agency administrative rules made after the revision date may affect the content. View current information on our website. TDI distributes this publication for educational purposes only. This publication is not an endorsement by TDI of any service, product, or company.

subset: commoncrawl


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Outreach is in charge of maintaining this website, updating SA social media accounts, and connecting SA to the student body. We are concerned with all things transparency and publicity.
Meet the Outreach branch:
Secretary: Meredith Gosnell
Undersecretaries: Aaron Spitler, Will Allen
Chair: Shannon Dutchie
Senators: Colleen Heberle '18, EJ Jackson '18, Alexis Payne '19, Kelsey Vita '20, Sarah MacPhee '20, Clare DaBaldo '20, David DeMarco '21, Aria Austin '21
We're on social media!
Be sure to like our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram for updates!
Facebook: @wmstudentassembly
Instagram: @wmstudentassembly


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Lesson Plan
A Slave, A Plantation, A War
- Grade Level:
- Fourth Grade-Twelfth Grade
- Subject:
- Civil War, History
- Duration:
- 90 minutes
- Group Size:
- 60 or more
- Setting:
- in the park
- National/State Standards:
- VS.1, VS.7a, USI.9
OverviewAt the kitchen building, students explore the experiences of slaves who lived and worked on the Eppes' plantation as they tour the kitchen and examine tools that both field and household slaves used on the plantation. At Appomattox Manor, students investigate the experiences of the Eppes' family by touring the Eppes family's plantation house, and reading diary entries written by Dr. Richard Eppes.
1) At the end of this program, students will differentiate between the lives of the slave, the plantation owner, and the Union generals, and explain how their lives were interconnected.
2) At the end of this program, students will describe the impact the siege of Petersburg had on each representative and his way of life.
3) At the end of this program, students will reflect on how the outcome of the Civil War permanently altered life at City Point.
On the eve of the Civil War, Dr. Richard Eppes looked with pride over the lands of his Appomattox plantation that his ancestors had called home for the last one hundred years. Working those lands were his slaves, whose efforts kept a roof over his family, provided food for his table, and maintained his upper-class lifestyle. Though it seems simple at first glance, the relationship between the plantation house and the slave quarters was tense, complex and fragile.
In his journals, Eppes revealed his belief that slavery was a part of the natural order, and that he viewed his relationship with his slaves as a fatherly one. In keeping with the attitude of many slaveholders, he saw the institution of slavery as the natural hierarchy that made the South comparable to the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome. These slave-based societies allowed free men to create great civilizations - with the South being the last in this line.
The complexity of Eppes' relationship with his slaves stemmed mainly from his fatherly attitude toward them. While he allowed slaves to wed in his house, had his children baptized along with slave children, and avoided breaking up slave families, he also saw them only as human beings merely capable of knowing right from wrong. This meant, among other things, that Eppes decided who could marry, whipped them for transgressions, and controlled their movements on and off the plantation. While there are few slave accounts from this plantation, through Eppes' journal one can discern that work slowdowns, feigning illness, playing up stereotypes, and misplacing/losing property were tactics used by the slaves to express their feelings about, and to exert some control over their situation. Though Eppes never notes a slave escape in his journal, a former slave of his said slaves around the area escaped all of the time with the help of captains on the ocean ships docked nearby.
However Eppes viewed his relationship with his slaves, its tension and fragility were exposed with the intervention of the Union army in May 1862. As the Union army attempted to take Richmond, Federal gunboats plied the James River along which Appomattox Plantation stood. In response to this the Eppes family and their slaves made decisions about their own lives that forever altered life on this plantation. Eppes' wife and children moved to Petersburg and by the end of the summer all but five slaves had left with the Union army. Though the war would not come to the manor in earnest for another two years, its touch had redefined a century-old relationship.
"God grant that this war may not be of long duration or direful in its effects but to preserve our liberty we must be prepared to endure trials & afflictions and one of the greatest is our separation from our numerous friends and relatives in Philadelphia."
Props representing a plantation owner, slave, and Union general
Letters & songs of each representative
Provided By PNB
a) Introduction:
Standing on the grounds of Appomattox Manor, three structures represent a glance into the past of three distinct groups of people. To your left, the Kitchen was a dependency once used as slave quarters. To your right, a restoration of Grant's cabin stands as a representation of the Union occupation of this area during the winter months of 1864. Directly in front of you is the Appomattox Manor, once the Eppes' family plantation home.
Within these three structures, reflections of class struggle, and state and individual rights unfold. A tour of these structures, will provide an insight into the experiences of these three lifestyles, and how the Civil War connected and forever altered their existence. At each stop, students will view belongings of these individuals and explore their experiences through literature and song.
b) Body of the Program:
1) Stop One: Appomattox Manor
The plantation home represents America before the war. Students will tour the Appomattox Manor Plantation. They will view the parlor and the sitting room, taking notice of the furniture, rugs, mirrors. Students will discuss the life of a plantation owner, the operation of a plantation, the usefulness ofslave labor, etc.
2) Stop Two: Kitchen & Laundry
Between the manor and the kitchen is really where the story of the war begins. Above the kitchen was located a dwelling probably used for slaves. Dr. Eppes owned 127 slaves at the outbreak of the Civil War. A few accounts of these slaves, such as Paula Ruffin's, indicate that they were very well treated by Dr. Eppes. A walk through the kitchen will illustrate where slaves cooked the meals for the plantation owners. At this first stop, students will discuss the life of a slave. Using literature and songs, students will describe how it would have felt to be owned by someone else.
3) Stop Three: Grant's Winter Cabin
Between the manor and the cabin, the story of during and after the war continues. Students will take a tour through Grant's cabin to examine how the Union General lived during the siege of Petersburg. Obviously, Grant's cabin was much nicer than would be an average soldier. Students will discuss the causes of the Civil War, the irony of Grant's being at City Point, and the changes this created for the institution of slavery.
c) Conclusion and Dismissal:
1) Stop Four: Magnolia Tree Students will discuss how the Civil War altered the lives of the three individuals personified in these structures. Relate these events to something occurring in their own lives.
2) Read a couple of passages written by slaves to explain the horrors of bondage and explain why the Civil War and specifically the events of the siege of Petersburg meant so much to people held in bondage.
Randomly assign students to a role of slave, plantation owner, or Union soldier. Students will describe their life before and after the Civil War. How did the war change their ways of life? How did they feel?
Provide the teachers and students report cards to evaluate their likes and dislikes of the activities. Suggestions?
Park Connections
Nine and a half months, 70,000 casualties, the suffering of civilians, thousands of U. S. Colored Troops fighting for the freedom of their race, and the decline of Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of No. Virginia all describe the Siege of Petersburg. It was here Gen. Ulysses S. Grant cut off all of Petersburg's supply lines ensuring the fall of Richmond on April 3, 1865. Six days later, Lee surrendered.
Additional Resources
For Teachers
Vlach, John M., In Back of the Big House, Chapel Hill, NC, 1993.
Trudeau, Noah A., The Siege of Petersburg Civil War Series, Eastern National, 1995.
Perdue, Charles; Barden, Thomas, and Phillips, Robert, Weevils in the Wheat, Interviews with Virginia Ex-Slaves, Charlottesville, VA, The University Press of Virginia, 1997.
Grant, Ulysses, Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant Vol. II, New York, NY, Charles L. Webster & Company, 1886.
For Students
Reeder, Carolyn, Across the Lines, New York, NY, Avon Books, Inc., 1997.
Kalman, Bobbie, Life on a Plantation, New York, NY, Crabtree Publishing Company, 1997.
For a complete listing of Park Programs see the Peterbsurg Battlefield Educators Guide.


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Sapphire is the name given to all gem-quality corundum that is not red (which is called ruby) or pinkish-orange (which is called padparadscha).
Although sapphire is generally associated with the colour blue, these gemstones can be yellow, pink, purple, green and also colourless. Sapphire can also demonstrate different shades of blue/purple in natural or artificial light. These beautiful stones are called "colour-change" sapphire.
Sri Lanka has been an important source of sapphires and rubies for more than 2000 years. The stones are still mined by hand from gravel deposits that cover most of the southern half of the island. Sapphire from Sri Lanka can be a wide range of beautiful blues, but are typically light-to-medium blue. Some of the largest Sri Lankan cut gemstones weigh up to several hundred carats.
Throughout history, sapphire has been a symbol of truth, sincerity and faithfulness in relationships. It is said to bring peace, joy and wisdom to the wearer and owner. In the past, the sapphire was also believed to be a talisman that would give protection against evil spirits.


text:
A 20-year-old woman was killed and four high school students were injured Monday in a violent solo-car crash in Corona that reduced a Ford Mustang to a pile of debris.
The Mustang veered off the road about 6:06 p.m. on Via Pacifica (map), hit a tree and disintegrated on impact, according to officers at the scene.
The driver, described only as a 20-year-old woman, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Four other passengers in the car were injured, one of them critically, police said.
The injured were all under the age of 18 and were students at a local high school, police said.
Video of the scene showed a number of teenagers gathered near the crash site who were visibly upset.
Speed was being investigated as a possible factor in the crash.
KTLA's Carolyn Costello contributed to this story.


text:
Not so happy Monday folks. Today I am taking a break from being happy boring Scott. It is not by choice, but rather out of circumstance, so hopefully you will understand and can make an exception this one time. Last week's trip unfortunately didn't turn out as planned. A little wrench was thrown at me when my uncle (Michael Brod) finally passed away from brain cancer. I knew it was coming (as did my loyal blog reader's), but who is kidding who, one is never fully prepared for the death of a loved one.
The thing is that for me (excluding my grandparents), this is the first death that has rattled me to my core and really hit home. I mean seriously, I am an emotional wreck every time I think about Unc or Uncsy as we liked to call him. All the memories. All the love. And now the void. I am totally speechless.


text:
furnished studio / appartment to rent free wifi (Frankfurt)
Charming and quiet furnished apartment for one or two in Old Town Höchst, west of central Frankfurt for rent on short or long term basis.
Features a combined living, sleeping, and dining room, a full kitchenette, and a bathroom with tub and shower Protected content .
Key advantages: nice, central, quiet, with kitchenette, well furnished, very comfortable, makes you feel at home, bright and inviting. The unit is conveniently located directly in the center and downtown area of Höchst (Frankfurt am Main), There is also additional street parking available.
It consists of a spacious room combining sleeping, living, and dining sections with satellite TV. It also includes a full kitchenette and a bathroom with tub and shower.
Driving Directions Frankfurt Airport:
This unit is located conveniently near Frankfurt Airport. From Frankfurt Airport the distance to the unit at Alt-Höchst 1-3, Protected content (Frankfurt am Main) is about 12 km (7.5 miles), approximately a 14 minutes drive by car. In addition, there are good public transportation options available for Höchst (Frankfurt am Main), in case you don't want to rent a car.
In proximity of:
* bakeries and cafes
* shops and businesses
* theater and cinema
* train station (8 min walk/400 m)
More travel info about Hoechst (Frankfurt am Main): Hoechst is a district of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is part of the Ortsbezirk West, and is subdivided into 4 Stadtbezirke. Hoechst am Main became part of Frankfurt am Main in Protected content with its boroughs Sindlingen, Unterliederbach and Zeilsheim.
It is situated 10 km west of downtown Frankfurt on the north bank of the Main river at the Nidda River estuary.
For more information, please contact: kerstin_poetzsch (at) hotmail.com


text:
Nifty Outlook
Nifty held on to the 'Run Away Gap' support area near Rs 7,700 & saw a strong rebound. The occurrence of multiple Doji's at the reversal zone augurs well for the termination of the existing correction. A close above Rs 7,800 now confirms the reversal pattern & further longs could be added with an expectation of a breach above Rs 8,000.
Last Close: Rs 2,527
Target : 3,100
Bajaj Auto saw a rebound from its long term support. Fresh breakout from the continuation pattern indicates momentum to accelerate in the coming weeks. Bajaj Auto could be accumulated with a stop at Rs 2,410 for a potential pattern target upto Rs 3,100.
Last Close: Rs 907
Target : Rs 980
Breakout from consolidation on the immediate scale with significant volumes. A breach above Rs 930 would accelerate momentum & hence the stock could be accumulated with a stop below Rs 875 for a pattern target upto Rs 980.
Last Close: Rs 288
Target : Rs 330
Positive sector outlook & breakout from the 'Rounding' formation. The recent pullback provides a good reward to risk opportunity to add longs with a stop below Rs 271 for a pattern target upto Rs 330.
Disclaimer: Motilal Oswal Securities ( MOSL ) is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India ("SEBI") and is licensed to carry on the business of broking, depository services and related activities. MOSL is in the process of getting registered under SEBI - Research Analyst Regulations. MOSL, the spokesperson or his relatives, do not have financial interest in the securities mentioned above. The spokesperson has not served as a director, employee or officer at the subject company in the last 12 months. MOSL or its associate might be involved in market making for the subject company or have potential conflict of interest.
Shubham Agarwal is a head of Quantitative Research, Motilal Oswal Securities


text:
The following items were taken from police reports.
On Sept. 23 a resident in the 1400 block of Wilmette Avenue reported that someone had stolen a snow blower which was displayed in his front yard with a sign, "For Sale $50". This incident was unfounded after it was discovered that a prospective buyer who did not get an answer when he rang the victim's doorbell, had moved the snow blower to the rear of the residence so that no one else would buy it, and had attached a note, which included his name and telephone number.


text:
Such was the case for bumbling BBC radio rookie reporter Chris Stark, who he sat down with the actress as she promoted her new film, Oz the Great and Powerful, in London. But after Stark admitted to being "petrified" because he had "never done this before," Kunis showed her sympathetic side by guiding the starstruck superfan through the interview.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, turning the tables on her interviewer. "It's not that bad, it's not that scary…. What about this is frightening to you? Tell me."
In the viral YouTube viral, which has racked up nearly a half million views, Kunis and Stark barely discuss the star's big-screen role in the new Disney film — apart from the actress spewing off a few stunted tidbits about her on-screen character Theadora. Instead, talk turns to "lad bombs," Blue Moon, watching Watford football, chicken eateries and "Baywatch."
"This is ridiculous," Stark insists, as the pair hatch a plan to eat Nando's chicken, catch a football match and throw back beers. But when Stark tries to return to his "proper questions" about Oz, Kunis resists will all her megastar might.
"Why? This is way more fun for me. I have to tell you. Please," she exclaims. "This is the best interview I've had today."
So here's Celebuzz's top five takeaway moments from Kunis' so-called "best" sitdown.
Shots, Shot, Shots!
Kunis: "Do you get a free drink out if it?" she asks. "I hope so," he admits. "I hope so, too, buddy. You're doing a fantastic job. I hope you get a whole round of…what do you like? Whiskey?"
Stark: "Jägerbombs."
Kunis: "Jägerbombs? That is disgusting."
Stark: "Well me made this drink — I don't know if I can say this — but we got these lad bombs. You know like where you put Jäger into the Red Bull? We do a shot of Jäger into a double vodka Red Bull."
Kunis: "Oh my God. That sounds like the worst drink ever."
The Big Question
Kunis: "You're going to ask me to go with you to this wedding?"
Stark: "I was just wondering."
Kunis: "Well I've gone to a Marine Ball so what's another? Apparently I just say yes to everything. When's the wedding?"
Stark: "I think it's June."
Kunis: "I'm actually working. I'm not kidding. I'm doing a movie."
Meet The Gang
Stark: "The lads would love you. You'd really get along with [them]. One of my mates, Sir Daucer…"
Kunis: "Sir Daucer?"
Stark: "Yeah, he writes music."
Kunis: "His name is Sir Daucer? I love him already."
Stark: "Yeah, there's Sir Daucer, The Convict, Chengo The Beast…"
Kunis: "You are awesome. Like, these are your friends? I love it."
Bottoms Up!
Kunis: "Pints I get. Pints I like. What's your favorite beer?"
Stark: "Well, well …"
Kunis: "I like Blue Moon. Do you have that?"
Stark: "No, no, no, we haven't got that. I've never even heard of that."
Kunis: "What?! Listen. I'm going to come, you're going to show me football and I'm going to show a blue moon."
Stark: "How quickly can you neck a pint?"
Kunis: "Oh, pretty fast. I used to bartend. I can also pour a pint with no foam. What? You didn't know that about me, did ya?"
Stark: "You should work at the football club…that would be epic."
"Drop Trou"
Stark: "Have you ever dropped trou at a wedding?"
Kunis: "Drop trout?"
Stark: "No, we drop trou. I don't know if you do this in America; it might just be a U.K. thing. But we put on Baywatch and we just talk all our clothes off and dance around."
Kunis: "Did you know that I was on Baywatch twice?"
Stark: "Were you? I didn't know."
Kunis: "I was. Once I played a young girl running to get help because her classmates are drowning. And the second time I played a blind girl who gets lost in the forest. Face"
No changes are to be made to this player


text:
Telecoms Cloud API
Telecoms Cloud is a Telecoms engine for websites, mobile apps and Internet-enabled devices, otherwise known as the "Internet of Things". It is an API-driven telecommunications platform which enables developers to incorporate scalable, highly-available telecoms functionality within their applications, using Telecoms Cloud's global infrastructure, rather than investing in their own expensive and cumbersome hardware setup.
Using our REST API and just a few lines of code, developers can add functionality such as outbound calling, phone number provisioning, SMS, call recording, call queuing, IVR Menus, fax, voice conferencing and much more to their Internet connected device, mobile application or website, inspiring them to create feature-rich and capable functionality.
[Production] version 1.0.0 (released on 2016-04-20 09:27:02 UTC)
Release note: First production release.


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Britain's Best Classic Car Named
6 November, 2015
What's the best car Britain has ever produced? It's a debate usually designed to leave classic car connoisseurs arguing into their beer all night.
But the question was finally answered at the first-ever Classic & Sports Car - The London Show.
The three-day festival revealed the winning motor on Friday October 30. Visitors were treated to examples of each of the 10 finalists on show at the exhibition in Alexandra Palace.
And the winner is...
Step forward the iconic Jaguar E-Type. It beat off beauties such as the Lotus Seven, Bentley Speed Six, McLaren F1 and Mini Cooper S.
The seductive winner appeared in the flesh in the form of the 77RW. It is the world's longest-surviving E-Type.
The model on show was the one driven by Jag test driver Norman Dewis to Geneva from Coventry on its debut outing in 1961.
James Elliott, editor of Classic & Sports Car magazine, said the E-Type is the complete car, with traffic-stopping looks and an enduring driving experience.
About the competition
Other candidates included the:
- The original Range Rover
- Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
- Ford GT40
- Jaguar XKSS
- Austin Seven
The 100-strong judging panel featured star names such as:
- Gordon Murray: McLaren F1 designer
- Mark Knopfler: Dire Straits star and petrol-head
- Simon Taylor: motor racing commentator and writer
Other show highlights
These Best of British top 10 gems were among more than 300 classics that graced the show. Other head-turners that wowed audiences included the:
- Porsche 993 Carrera RS
- Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder
- Mercedes-Benz 300SL "Gullwing"
- Pontiac Trans-Am (1973)
Awesome Aston
Aston Martin were prime movers among the manufacturers jostling for centre stage. Aston's DB4GT left visitors swooning. But pride of place went to a 94-year-old A3, the company's oldest model in existence.
The venerable 1486cc monobloc-engine-powered treasure has recently benefited from a three-year makeover. Aston also flaunted some of its more recent models, as well as showing off its links with the James Bond film franchise.
Best of the rest
- A first-edition Lotus Elite
- A selection of Rolls-Royce motors, including Silver Clouds from the 1960s and Wraiths from before the war
- Sublime Bentleys
- A cornucopia of classic car sellers
Be sure to visit our gallery to see some of the best cars on show at Classic & Sports Car - The London Show.


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By: Tom D. Tamarkin July 25, 2016 Key words: Cloud ∙ Energy ∙ Fusion Power ∙ Home Automation ∙ Internet of Things (IoT) ∙ Smart Meters ∙ Video Games A recent JD Powers performance survey notes "electric utility providers continue to struggle to match other industries in customer satisfaction." The survey further notes that customer engagement through digital devices can significantly enhance ... Read More »
Tag Archives: Cloud
China spends big on nuclear fusion as French plan falls behind
newscientist.com 23 July 2015 China's will be bigger and better (Image: David Parker/SPL) The world's largest nuclear fusion machine, currently being built in France, is unlikely to produce more energy than it consumes until the early 2030s, warned the UK's head of fusion research this week. That is five years later than planned – by which time China could be ... Read More »
How China hopes to solve nuclear waste issue with hybrid fusion-fission reactor at top secret facility
South China Morning Post Stephen Chen 17 July, 2015 China's proposed hybrid nuclear fusion-fission reactor could potentially burn nuclear waste. Photo: AFP China will build a new hybrid reactor that can burn nuclear waste via a combined fusion-fission method by 2030. This could give a potentially dramatic boost to China's attempt to switch to more environmentally friendly energy production methods, ... Read More »
China completes large nuclear fusion device, says it is catching up with US
China Daily Mail BY CHANKAIYEE2 ⋅ APRIL 18, 2015 China's new nuclear fusion device The following is based on translations from Chinese media: Nuclear fusion is at the forefront of high technology. It will enable the human race to generate more than enough energy without using fossil fuel However, it is very difficult to control such fusion. As a result, ... Read More »
America's Fusion Race With China Is Heating Up, So Why Is Washington Going Cold?
The DBrief FEBRUARY 14, 2014 BY PATRICK TUCKER Researchers with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California recently announced a major step forward in pursuit of the so-called holy grail of energy: fusion. Fusion in this case refers to merging two atoms into a single, heavier atom. In bonding, excess energy from the atoms is released, and if the amount ... Read More »
China is going to mine the Moon for helium-3 fusion fuel
extremetech.com By John Hewitt on January 26, 2015 China's Chang'e lunar probe dynasty is already having a great year. The Chang'e 3 lunar lander surpassed all expectations last week to emerge from its 14th hibernation while the Chang'e 5-T1 just completed its transfer from the Earth-Moon Lagrange Point 2 into a stable orbit around the Moon. Chang'e 3's main mission ... Read More »
Nuclear fusion: an answer to China's energy problems?
China Dialog Olivia Boyd 12.2.2013 China could lead the way to a clean and boundless energy supply – if it can ever be made to work. Scientist Steven Cowley talks to chinadialogue. A nuclear fusion display in the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Fusion could one day meet 25% of the world's energy needs, says Steven Cowley. (Image by kpfellows) ... Read More »


text:
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Originally posted by mywander
I am a Chinese at coast of Shenzhen,Guangdong province. I am very scared about the earthquake. I have a daughter. I love her. I do not want anyone to be hurt.
can you give more detail about the predication.
my email is: firstname.lastname@example.com
do you have a msn or skype id?
Originally posted by xxpigxx
But how early do animals react to a quake?
I thought they just freaked out maybe a day or less before the quake.


text:
Low Cost Business Videos has considerable expertise in using the UK's most popular web design and hosting package Ekmpowershop to design,build and run one of the Uk's most successful merchant sites selling authentic fair-trade Buddha wall art and statues for the home and garden. We made some mistakes along the way and in the 18 months we have spent building the site to the successful shop that it is today we have learnt numerous lessons and valuable short cuts. So if you are ready to open a shop on the Web and need an affordable helping hand to get you started then Low Cost Business Videos is the place to come. Don't make the mistakes and delays we made call or email us today for more details. (I wish we had had us when we started out!).
Low Cost Business Videos Ekmpowershop support details.
- present your company online in the best possible way
- stand out in a crowded market
- keeps target customers longer on your site
- increases your presence to search engine


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4 Ways To Make Your WordPress Site Load Faster
This is a guest post from our good friend, CEO of the Denver-based web design agency Eye9 Design, Ryan Ayres. If you have questions for Ryan, please either leave them in the comments section at the bottom of this post, or hit him up on twitter @RyanAyres53
It's really freaking important that your site load quickly. Not just for search engine optimization purposes, but also, and perhaps more importantly, to provide an optimized user experience. While I love using the WordPress CMS for a variety of websites, it can present a few unique challenges with respect to optimizing your site's page load times.
Before we dive into the action items, here are the tools I recommend for testing your website's load times, and the standards I want my sites to meet:
- URIValet.com: Look at the Time to Download at 1.5mbps. Shoot for load times here of less than 5 seconds.
- Google PageSpeed Insights: This tools from Google gives you a 0-100 page speed score for both the mobile and desktop versions of your site. Aim for scores of 70 or above on both versions.
- Webpagetest.org: This gives you a nice snapshot of your site's key performance metrics. I especially like the First Byte Time metric it provides; this indicates potential issues with your website's hosting.
Without further ado, here are 4 ways you can optimize your WordPress website for page speed:
1. Make Sure You Have Adequate Hosting
Without adequate hosting, WordPress sites, like all sites, will not load as fast as they could otherwise. If your hosting plan doesn't come with the resources necessary to support your highest traffic levels, without page load times suffering, you are setting yourself up for failure.
When picking a web host, understand the inherent demands of the WordPress site. Utilizing dynamic Web page generation, any individual WordPress page might pull elements from theme files, databases and third-party sites.
Generic shared hosting packages aren't necessarily optimized for origin caching, a process that can dramatically speed up page generation. Caching pre-generated sections of WordPress sites enables faster access for larger numbers of simultaneous users.
2. Avoid Heavy, Sloppy, Multi-purpose WordPress Themes
WordPress offers webmasters the ability to use customizable themes that can be purchased for $50 or so. These themes are created by web developers and are intended to offer an alternative to custom web design, the idea being that you don't have to be a professional web developer/designer to have an attractive and functional website.
Since you're reading the Ethical SEO blog, you're probably investing in, or considering investing in SEO to promote your website. If your site was built on a multi-purpose WordPress theme, you are putting yourself at a big SEO disadvantage, which means your marketing dollars aren't going as far as they should.
Multi-purpose themes come with multiple color selections, slider options, and page types which inherently results in unused portions of code. If you are paying for your website to be more optimal than your competitor's, these unused "purposes" can serve as an obstacle. The increased amount of unneeded scripts, requests, code and options is more dead weight for your site to carry, which means slower load times and more code for googlebot to digest before getting to the important content.
3. Prune Your Plugins
There are plenty of really well made and useful WordPress plugins, many of which I frequently recommend to clients. However, there are also plenty of plugins that are not well made, and could cause your site's load times to suffer, or worse, cause security problems. It just takes just one poorly coded plugin to significantly slow down your WordPress website, and compromise your site's security.
In general, I recommend using as few plugins as possible because it limits conflicts and inefficiencies that can hinder otherwise well-designed WordPress sites.
Here are the 4 plugins that I install on nearly every WordPress site on which I work:
- WordPress SEO by Yoast
- Contact Form 7
- Really Simple Captcha
- WP Sitemap Page
- W3 Total Cache (make sure you talk to someone who can help properly configure this one)
4. Optimize Your Site's Images
Most of the horrendously slow WordPress websites that I've seen are so because they contain images that have not been compressed and saved in a web-friendly format.
Be sure that you are saving each image down to its actual display size. For instance, if the image will appear to users as being 50×50 pixels, you should not save the image as 500×500 pixels. Resize it down, and then save it.
Also be sure to use a web-friendly format. Typically JPEG is a great extension to use for web images. In many cases, PNG is your best option; just be sure that you are compressing the image down to it's smallest size, without negatively impacting aesthetics.


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Exploration Trip (Los Angeles)
Hi Everybody,
From November 17th to December 4th I will be in L.A on an exploration trip as I plan to move there as early as possible in Protected content .
Long distance relationships are no fun, so I'm preparing to make the move.
I would dearly appreciate to meet up with anyone or discuss on line some advice, insights, potential contacts or even opportunities to assist in reaching my destination.
I have 16 years experience in Business Support across a wide range of industries and also 12 years experience as a Professional Writer (I am currently Travel Writing).
I understand that most on this forum have been in a similar situation at some time, so any help would be treasured.
Thank you,


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Words that end in ecathlons
Found 1 words that end in ecathlons. Browse our Scrabble Word Finder, Words With Friends cheat dictionary, and WordHub word solver to find words that end with ecathlons. Or use our Unscramble word solver to find your best possible play! Related: Words containing ecathlons
- Scrabble
- Words With Friends
- WordHub
- Crossword


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Like a lot of people, I'm on the road traveling from client sites to business appointments and, in the middle of the day, running one of my kids to the doctor's office. And like many of you, I use a navigation system in my car. I generally use one that runs on my PDA, but recently I bought a Garmin StreetPilot i5. Although it's not as user-friendly as my PDA, it's almost as accurate, and it contains nationwide maps, making it indispensable when I travel for business.
One thing that my various navigation systems lack is the ability to store and reference routes while I'm at my desk. Often I'll need to plan a couple days' travel, but these systems don't easily plan multiple-destination routes according to factors beyond the basic options such as quickest or shortest route. For planning these driving trips, I've recently been using the mapping and routing capabilities of Windows Live Local (http://local.live.com). Its ability to store multiple collections of end points lets me get a feel for travel time between locations, regardless of the order in which they're arranged, and doesn't require me to program the trip into one of my GPS devices.
Windows Live Local also lets me share both public and private collections of these end points and travel directions with other users on the Internet. For example, recently I set up a meeting in a fairly rural location (the type of place where roads might suddenly become unpaved and often lack names). I used Windows Live Local's mapping capabilities and aerial-photo maps to find the actual building the meeting was being held in and set that as a location. When I created a set of directions from a common location to that endpoint, the directions included information on turns and travel distances on unnamed roads, including the gravel road that leads to the building from the unnamed road on which it's located. I then sent these directions as email to the meeting attendees, and by clicking the link in the provided email message, they were able to get a map and detailed driving directions to the final location.
I've just started digging into the capabilities of Windows Live Local (currently still in beta). If you find existing Web-based mapping solutions lacking, give Windows Live Local a try. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
Tip--Handling a Windows Update problem
I get a fair amount of email from readers experiencing problems running Windows Update. They're either looking for ways to reinstall updates or are getting error messages when they try to run upgrades.
A recent error message readers have queried me about is error number 0X800B0109 being returned when users attempt to access the Windows Update Web site. This problem occurs because malware has infected the client computer. To solve this problem, follow the directions in the Microsoft article at the URL below. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/916260/en-us


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Tom Rothman Will Replace Amy Pascal at Sony
He used to run Fox.
Deadline is reporting that TriStar's Tim Rothman will become the new head of Sony Pictures, taking the place of former studio chief Amy Pascal, who left her post earlier this month after the fallout from the Sony hacks (though it wasn't just that). Rothman is known for his long career leading 20th Century Fox — a studio tenure that produced James Cameron's blockbuster hits Avatar and Titanic — though he's also notoriously hands-on when it comes to comic-book films, a genre that has only grown in importance over the last decade. Best of luck, Spider-Man franchise!


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Words containing agrogna
Found 1 words containing agrogna. Browse our Scrabble Word Finder, Words With Friends cheat dictionary, and WordHub word solver to find words that contain agrogna. Or use our Unscramble word solver to find your best possible play! Related: Words that end in agrogna
- Scrabble
- Words With Friends
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Lending Club has come a long way since its entry to Plug and Play seven years ago. When CEO and Founder Renaud Laplanche started the company in 2006, he had a clear vision of a more efficient alternative to the traditional system of loan trading. Since then, Lending Club has used technology and innovation to realize that vision and set a new industry standard.
Lending Club was initially launched as one of Facebook's first apps, and since then has grown from a "disruptive idea to an industry leader." Since its inception in 2006, the p2p lending platform has facilitated over $5 billion in loans and returned over $300 million in interest to investors. During its initial period of growth the company focused on securing borrowers of high-credit-quality, ensuring year after year of positive returns. Prior to the advent of Lending Club, investors and borrowers were limited to a traditional system of banks and credit unions. Lending Club has facilitated a revolution by providing a peer-to-peer lending service that is registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Lending Club joined Plug and Play in 2007 where the company was introduced to Norwest Venture Partners who provided them with their initial round of funding. Since then, their growth has been exponential with a 12 million dollar Series B led by Morgenthaler in 2009 and a 25 million dollar series C led by Foundation Capital in 2010.
Plug and Play CEO Saeed Amidi stated that "his greatest joy in life is to have a front seat when these startups and these entrepreneurs build great companies that change our lives." Lending Club is a revolutionary company, and we would like to congratulate them on their huge IPO. We could not be more pleased to have been part of their journey.
Learn more about Plug and Play by visiting us on the web!
If you liked what you read, please share it with friends.


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John Lennon sang those words way back in 1980 but they're fairly fitting for the last 18 months of our lives. Since Dayna dragged me into a hotel bathroom in Seattle to let me know we were going to be parents, a lot of things have changed for us. At that point we had...read more
Five Days in Hong Kong
This blog is all about our 5 days in Hong Kong including where to stay and things to do but mostly where to eat! The food in Hong Kong was amazing!read more
An Amazing Safari in Udawalawe National Park
We had the most amazing time on our Elephant Safari at Udawalawe National Park in Sri Lanka. We had hear that Yala National Park could be quite busy so we opted for a safari at Udawalawe National Park instead and it didn't disappoint! We saw elephants, deer, water buffalo and heaps of different birds including eagles and huge peacocks. This safari in Sri Lanka was the highlight of our trip and we would go again in a heartbeat.read more
Exploring Sri Lanka's Tea Plantations
After the heat of Kandy and Dambulla, we were more than ready to head to the cooler, hilly region filled with Sri Lanka's Tea Plantations. The temperatures were cooler and we were going to finally get to see how all this tea we drink is made. We were heading to Nuwara...read more
Visiting Sigiriya in Dambulla
We loved our few days in Dambulla mainly because we had a great place to stay. Sevonrich Holiday Resort was definitely the best place to stay in Dambulla (...and no, they didn't pay us anything to say that – they were just really good to us and we loved our stay...read more
How to get from Kandy to Dambulla by Air-conditioned Bus
We struggled hard to figure out how to get from Kandy to Dambulla on an Air-conditioned bus. There was basically nothing useful online and the tourist information offices in Kandy weren't helpful at all. They preferred to focus on referring us to their own overpriced Taxi services instead (7000 LKR was quoted to us compared to the local buses that go for 70 LKR).
So read on if you want to know how to catch a local non a/c bus or an air-conditioned bus from Kandy to Dambulla…
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text: How people choose to experience relationships and love is an individual, personal choice. Through education about polyamory and other relationship or love styles, we advocate for people to be open and honest about their personal love and relationship choices, without fear of the prejudice or hardships that being non-traditional can bring. Through education, publicity and research, we intend to open the door to freedom and safety for those who choose polyamory as individuals and as families. If you need help, counseling or just a friendly voice contact us by phone, we are here for you!