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As state legislative sessions advance, lawmakers are debating whether to expand their Medicaid programs as provided by President Barack Obama's health care law. It could be one of the most important decisions this year. So far 17 states and the District of Columbia have signaled they will go ahead, while 11 states are refusing. The rest are weighing options.
Some questions and answers:
Q: What is Medicaid?
A: Medicaid is a safety-net program envisioned as a partnership between the federal government and the states to cover low-income people, from severely disabled patients to healthy children and some parents. Since the 1960s, it has grown to a $400 billion-plus program, covering nearly 60 million people in the United States, or about 1 in 5. Some 30 million Medicaid beneficiaries are children, but the program also pays nursing home bills for low-income seniors and disabled people. Medicaid rules and coverage policies are different in every state. Nationally, the federal government's share of the cost averages nearly 60 percent.
Q: How does Obama's Affordable Care Act change Medicaid?
A: The health care law opened the program up to low-income adults with no children at home. Before that, states wanting to serve this group had to pay for it with their own money, and few states could afford it. Starting Jan. 1, 2014, the new law expands Medicaid eligibility to people making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line, or about $15,400 for an individual. The Supreme Court gave states the right to refuse the Medicaid expansion without jeopardizing the rest of their program money. About half the people gaining coverage under the new law would so through Medicaid.
Q: What is the federal government offering my state?
A: Under the law, Washington will pay the full cost of the expansion the first three years, from 2014-2016. Thereafter, the federal share gradually phases down to 90 percent, still way more than the government pays for the rest of Medicaid. The nonpartisan Urban Institute estimates that $76 billion in state spending can trigger $952 billion in federal dollars over a decade.
Q: What are some arguments for the Medicaid expansion?
A: The program will provide coverage to millions of low-income people, most of whom are working and paying taxes that support other government health care programs, such as Medicare. Scholarly studies have shown that Medicaid coverage does improve access to medical care and people report they are in better health and not as worried about bills.
Hospitals, which by law must provide emergency care to the uninsured, will get an important new source of money to offset the cost of charity care. The financing will allow hospitals to add jobs, and will also have a positive economic impact on dozens of other businesses in local communities.
Low-income childless adults are the main beneficiaries of the expansion. A few states that cover them already will save money because the federal government will pick up costs those states have been bearing. Low-income parents not currently covered will also benefit.
Q: What are some of the arguments against the Medicaid expansion?
A: A federal government awash in debt can't be trusted to keep its promises. States that expand coverage will be hard pressed if Washington later tries to scale back its financial commitment. It won't be easy to simply pull the plug on the expansion because people will be depending on the coverage. States could get hit with a cost shift.
Washington passed up the opportunity to overhaul Medicaid's convoluted rules and give states more flexibility with the program. Medicaid is a major share of the budget in every state, forcing wrenching decisions between health care and other state priorities such as education and law enforcement. Even if states pay only a fraction of the cost, that is still real money.
Q: Any other concerns for states?
A: Yes.
It's estimated that even before Obama's health care law, millions of people were eligible for Medicaid but were not signed up.
With the new requirement in 2014 that virtually all Americans have health insurance, states fear these low-income people will come out of the woodwork and enroll to comply with the mandate.
The Urban Institute estimates 7 million will sign up, mainly children.
It will be an issue in every state, even the ones that reject Obama's Medicaid expansion.
The cost of covering what state officials are calling the "woodwork population" will be divided up under standard federal matching rates, not the more generous one provided in the health care law.
Q: How is this debate likely to shake out?
A: So far mainly Democratic-led states are signing up for the expansion. But some states with Republican governors have also accepted it, and others red states are actively considering it. All the states declining the option are led by Republicans.
If the past is any guide, some states will not sign up for the expansion by 2014. But over time, experts say it's likely that all states will accept it.


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Health Care Reform and Expansion of the RAC Program
By Andrew B. Wachler and Amy K. Fehn, Wachler & Associates, P.C., Royal Oak, MI
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) 1 calls for significant expansion of the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program by the end of 2010.
The RAC program, which is currently limited to review of Medicare Parts A and B claims, uses contractors who are paid on a contingency fee basis to identify Medicare overpayments and underpayments. 2 The program began as a demonstration program in 2005 and was expanded to a permanent program by Section 302 of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006. 3 The permanent program was "rolled out" over several years and, as of January 2010, is now active in all 50 states.
With the enactment of PPACA on March 23, 2010, CMS is now required to further expand the program to Medicare Advantage programs (Part C) and Medicare Prescription Drug programs (Part D), as well as the Medicaid program. 4
CMS is required to enter into contracts with RACs to review Parts C and D services no later than December 31, 2010. The RAC program for Parts C and D will be identical to that currently in effect for Parts A and B, except that PPACA sets forth "special rules" for Parts C and D. These "special rules" require the RACs to ensure that Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans under Parts C and D have effective anti-fraud plans in place. In addition, the RACs will be required to review Part D reinsurance payments to monitor whether costs exceed the "allowable reinsurance costs" as defined by the Social Security Act. Finally, the RACs will be required to review the legitimacy of estimates submitted by prescription drug plans with respect to the enrollment of "high cost beneficiaries" by comparing such estimates to the actual enrollment numbers.
With regard to the Medicaid program, PPACA requires CMS to coordinate the Medicaid expansion with the states. Each state will be required to contract with at least one RAC by December 31, 2010. As with the Medicare program, the Medicaid RACs will be responsible for identifying underpayments and overpayments for services payable under state programs, including waiver programs. Medicaid RACs will also be paid on a contingency fee basis and will be paid a set fee for the identification of underpayments. Each state will also be required to have "an adequate process" for entities to appeal adverse determinations made by the Medicaid RACs. While the states currently have Medicaid appeals processes in place, it is uncertain whether the current processes will be deemed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to be "adequate". In addition, PPACA also requires Medicaid RACs to coordinate with state and federal law enforcement, including the Department of Justice and the FBI. Additional clarifications with regard to the Medicaid expansion are expected, as PPACA also requires HHS to promulgate implementing regulations.
It is important to note that the Medicaid RAC program is in addition to and not in lieu of the Medicaid Integrity Program (MIP). 5 Although some comparisons have been drawn between Medicaid RACs and the MIP's Medicaid Integrity Contractors (MICs), there are several important distinctions. For example, the Medicaid RACs will contract with individual states, while the MICs contract directly with the federal government through HHS. In addition, the MICs are not paid on a contingency fee basis and, thus, do not have the same incentives to identify overpayments. While it is possible that these two programs may be merged in the future, they currently remain two distinct programs , likely increasing the potential of an audit for Medicaid providers . The MICs are expected to coordinate with RAC contractors to avoid overburdening providers with duplicate audits. However, the addition of another Medicaid fraud and abuse recovery program will likely increase a Medicaid provider's chances of being subjected to an audit.
The ABA Health eSource is distributed automatically to members of the ABA Health Law Section . Please feel free to forward it! Non-members may also sign up to receive the ABA Health eSource.

subset: commoncrawl


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This delicious ground meat is of superb quality and is perfect for burgers, meatloaf, chili, tacos, meatballs and more! Box contains five (5) 16oz. packs.
Flash frozen and shipped with 10 pounds of dry ice for safe delivery to your door; We guarantee it! Blackwing items ship separately from the rest of your order and cost $35 for expedited frozen handling. An incremental $10 will be added for each additional Blackwing item or collection you add to your cart after the first one.


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It's really important to Nick and me that our kids are polite. That they say hello and goodbye, please and thank you and that they look people in the eye while doing it. This time of year, we also focus on having good manners when receiving gifts. We impressed upon our kids that no matter what they get, they should be excited and grateful and say thank you. Even if they already have the toy/book/ball. Last night we were opening presents with Nick's parents over Skype and we got to see our work in action. Alex got to a package of Ninjago-themed underwear and when he tore off the wrapping he said this (in a super-excited voice):
"Oh my gosh, I love Ninjago!!! And as a matter of fact, grandma, all of my underwear now are too small for me!!! And they all have skid marks!!!!"
I really wish I'd gotten it on video. We were dying. I wanted to post it on facebook last night with the header: a sign that perhaps we took the "be enthusiast about any Christmas gift you receive" lesson too far but it broke my "no posts about poop" rule. Fortunately I have no such rule on the blog. I'd also like to state for the record that this is just not true. At all. (Trust me, I checked.) Alex has clean underwear that fit him, though he can always use more (thanks, Debbie!). He was just trying to make his grandparents feel special about their gift. And he did. He's such a sweet, sweet boy and I've been really proud of him this holiday season (apart from a few silly outbursts at church). Last night I was lying with him in his bed (we had a touch of a nor'easter here and the wind was howling so he was freaked out that we were going to lose power and have trees fall on our house a la Sandy). I wrapped my arms around him and a minute later, out of nowhere, he sang, "Comfy, cozy are we…."
I hope you all had a great, comfy/cozy Christmas. Ours was really nice, though poor Nick got violently ill Christmas Eve night and completely missed every single part of Christmas day from church to opening Santa's gifts to the awesome dinner we ate at my parents' house. Good thing we have about eight more days of vacation to make it up with him. 'Tis the season to keep the party going!


text:
|Problem Summary
|What state changes can an agent make from the agent state dropdown menu?
|Error Message
|Invalid state change.
|Possible Cause
|Recommended Action
| All agents can change their states as follows:
The following supported states are changed as a result of call events. The agent does not control them or actively select them in the Desktop:
|Release 8.5(1)
|Associated CDETS #


text:
Automotive lampsGE has played a leading role in Automotive Lighting for many years.
GE Lighting has one of the widest selections of automotive lamps available.
The company is certified according to ISO/TS 16949, ISO 14000 series.
The reliability and quality of GE automotive lamps is ensured by
- computer-managed and controlled design process
- fully automated production lines
- a commitment to continuous improvement
- high level of quality assurance system
- E1 ECE homologation
- EOLV, ROHS compliance


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text:
Holiday Sales Sag Despite Blitz of Deals
Discounts, Earlier Opening Hours Fail to Pry More Dollars Out of Budget-Conscious Shoppers
Retail spending over Thanksgiving weekend dropped for the first time in at least seven years, the industry's main trade group said, as the blitz of deals and earlier opening hours apparently failed to pry more dollars out of the hands of budget-conscious shoppers.
Retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Macy's Inc. kicked off sales earlier on Thanksgiving Day, aggressively touted discounts all week and offered many of the same discounts online as in stores in an effort to keep ahead of rivals. But preliminary sales estimates...


text:
Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center is accepting applications for new volunteers.
Volunteers perform a number of vital functions, including escorting patients, running errands for departments throughout the medical center, and assisting patients who use Memorial's CARExpress transportation service.
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The Q&A: Jonathan Galassi
Why does art have to be mainstream to be significant?
There is a good chance that you have read something published by Jonathan Galassi. One of the wunderkinds of the New York editing and publishing world, at age 30 he was the head of Houghton Mifflin Company. He moved to Random House and then to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, where he is now president, and he was also the poetry editor of the Paris Review for a decade. Alongside nurturing contemporary poetry and new American writers, he is a poet himself and a translator of Eugenio Montale, a late Italian author.
How have publishing and editing changed over the last decade?
Publishing has changed a lot because of the ways books are delivered to the reader. Not so much with poetry so far, because e-books are not hospitable to poetry yet, though it will unquestionably happen. But I don't think the actual editing of books has changed much at all. I think that the continuity of what I do as an editor with what I did when I started out 40 years ago is very direct. The delivery system is changing and will continue to, but the actual interaction between publisher and author is exactly the same.
Does your own work as a poet and translator inform your work as an editor?
I love poetry; it's my primary literary interest, and I suppose the kind of reading you do when you are reading poems—close reading—can carry over into how you read other things. I guess I see it as all one thing: whether you're working with someone on his or her book, translating someone else, or trying to write yourself. For me, one thing flows into another. And I find translating very invigorating. It's fun to exercise your instrument that way.
You were taught by Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell. Did they inform your interest in poetry at all?
I had both of them as teachers at Harvard. Elizabeth Bishop in particular had a big impact on me personally as well as artistically. Her insistence on clarity is something I rate very highly.


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Michigan company says $1.4M wind energy project in Ann Arbor will be in good hands
Lake Effect Energy Corp. of Harbor Springs, Mich., says it's planning to partner with New York-based Wind Products Inc. on a $1.4 million wind energy project in Ann Arbor.
The New York company was mentioned by Ann Arbor officials earlier this month at a City Council meeting where the project was discussed, but the Michigan company's name never came up.
Brian Steglitz, a senior utilities engineer for the city, said that's only because Lake Effect Energy is a proposed subcontractor, and since the city doesn't yet have a contract with Wind Products Inc., it didn't seem appropriate to identify its proposed subcontractors.
Courtesy of Lake Effect Energy Corp.
Stahl said that's how much his company, which goes by LEEC, believes in the project.
"People need to know there's a Michigan company involved with this thing," Stahl told AnnArbor.com in a recent interview.
The idea is to install two turbines as wind energy demonstrations on property owned by Ann Arbor Public Schools somewhere in the city. The exact location hasn't been determined yet.
Stahl considers it a prime opportunity for the distributed wind energy industry in Michigan to show the public that wind energy is real and works, and he wants Ann Arborites to rest assured they're in good hands with experienced contractors lined up on the project.
California-based Talco Electronics is the distribution partner, according to Stahl, who said LEEC gets a lot of its turbines supplied through Talco.
Stahl said the companies are familiar with one another from being at wind energy conferences together. He described the wind energy industry as a small community in which "pretty much everybody knows everybody" because there's a relatively small number of companies doing projects.
According to LEEC, the plan is to put up two turbines: one Endurance 50-kW turbine on a 120-foot monopole, and one Gaia 11-kW turbine also on a 120-foot monopole.
Stahl said the Endurance turbine will be shipped in from British Columbia and the Gaia turbine will come all the way from Scotland.
"We're going to be providing the construction services and partial engineering," he said. "We're probably going to be doing some of the foundation engineering. And I think we're going to be going to all the initial meetings on public hearings and permitting, being we're the closest ones to the site."
The City Council voted 10-0 this month to accept and appropriate up to $951,500 in federal grant money from the U.S. Department of Energy for the project. Wind Products Inc., based in Brooklyn, NY., is expected to provide the local match for the project.
Steglitz said Wind Products Inc. is interested in making money out of the deal, so the turbines will have to deliver real results, which could translate into reduced-cost energy for AAPS.
The City Council is expected to be asked at a future meeting to approve agreements with AAPS and Wind Products Inc. to move the project forward.
Courtesy of Lake Effect Energy Corp.
"Unfortunately, our state — we're like five years behind the curve compared to everybody else as far as wind goes," Stahl said. "We just don't have a lot of systems up here in the state yet to see they really work.
"That's really the big question we run into all the time: Do they actually work? Well, some of them do and some of them don't, but you have to know what systems you're looking at."
Stahl said it's been his observation that when government money becomes available, "a lot of garbage" gets rushed to the market that shouldn't be out there.
But he said the two turbines his company plans to help bring to Ann Arbor are solid pieces of equipment with proven track records. He noted his company recently finished commissioning a Gaia turbine, just like the one being considered here in Ann Arbor, in Cross Village.
"The Gaia is a very reliable piece of equipment," he said. "It's very quiet. It's a two-bladed machine. It is a smaller generator."
The maker of the Gaia 11-kW boasts that tests conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy showed the turbine outperformed its nearest competitor by a factor of more than 2 to 1, and it generates enough clean energy to erase the carbon footprint of the average four-person household.
The maker of the Endurance 50-kW says its turbine is ideal for larger farms, schools, hospitals and commercial/industrial sites, and will produce 100,000-250,000 kWh per year in appropriate winds.
Some have expressed concerns Ann Arbor isn't a good location for wind energy generation. The city's staff responded to those concerns at the Jan. 7 council meeting, saying the purpose of the project is not to construct a wind farm, but to demonstrate the viability of wind technology and use it as an educational tool for the community, including giving local students some hands-on experience.
Watch a video from LEEC of the Gaia 11-kW turbine in action:
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at firstname.lastname@example.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.
Wed, Jan 30, 2013 : 2:47 p.m.
Rejoice Ann Arbor, we are lucking that this is going in a poor wind area like ours. See below for what recently happened to one of these in high winds in the UK. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/windpower/9837026/Wind-turbine-collapses-in-high-wind.html
Roger Kuhlman
Fri, Jan 25, 2013 : 9:55 p.m.
The city of Ann Arbor again wastes a lot of money on an alternative energy project. Why does the political Left that controls this town always engage in environmental fantasy. Strip away the huge federal grants and other direct subsidies and the wind power generation project is a costly loser of money. Maybe left-wing activists like such projects because they put forth the appearance that they are doing something about our nation's severe energy and environmental problems. Whether that appearance is totally false does not matter to them in the least. I think politcally-opprotunistic leftists also like these projects because they can reward their crony capitalist friends in alternative energy businesses with funding.
Arno B
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 8:25 p.m.
Of course the project "Will be in good hands". That's what they are paid to say. "We expect to make money on it". Of course they will if they get the 2.5 cent per Kw recently rushed through. No one has mentioned this tax credit in the article nor who will get it. It was renewed for 2013 with other subsidies (such as a few million for the NASCAR organization) in the income tax on the rich passed by the recent (New Years Eve) pullback from the "Fiscal Cliff". What's new?
Great Lakes Lady
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 3:25 p.m.
Health concerns due to high decibal levels: A friend of mine from the thumb area states that many of the farmers who have placed wind turbines on their properties have experienced increased health issues....possibly due to the constant low-level whirring noises. I haven't delved into any studies.
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 2:41 p.m.
As of 2004 California had over 13000 windmills about 3 times the size of this miniature, guess what my electricity bill in California has gone up more than double. Not only are they an eyesore but they have destroyed many beautiful and pristine areas around that state. Funny how the EPA will completely ignore their own restrictions and mandates when it comes to protecting the enviroment to promote their self serving cause?
Ivor Ivorsen
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 5:14 p.m.
"...but they have destroyed many beautiful and pristine areas around that state." Can you please substantiate this claim?
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 2:04 p.m.
On a dollars per per watt basis, this is by far and away the most expensive device of which I have ever heard (and I work in this field). Typical costs for power generating equipment run between $2-$5 per watt, with some renewables being slightly more costly. It is generally accepted that the cost has to be less than $5 per watt for the system to be economically viable. At this cost, it is simply not possible for the device to produce enough electricity to cover costs. If public funds are used, the city should be sued for wasting money.
Kai Petainen
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 1:36 p.m.
"his company plans to do about $253,000 worth of work on the project, which includes more than $94,000 worth of donated services" i'm skeptical... this sounds less like a 'donation'... and it sounds like you are being overpaid... and the company realizes it. so lets take some over the overpayment, donate it... and it will help us with taxes.
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 1:04 p.m.
Where is the wind in Ann Arbor, except coming from the companies that manufacture the wind turbines and install them? Any wind map of Michigan shows the wind is along Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and Lake Huron. What king of energy boondoggle is this? Wasting tax-payer money!
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 12:57 p.m.
Anyone who is taking advantage of donated funds and government grants to create something that is clearly NO USE but to put money in their own pockets is a bad guy. What these guys are doing.....is just as bad, if not worse, than corn ethanol farmers... Know what makes them absolute bad guys too? They KNOW what they're doing...they can't even claim ignorance...they KNOW they make huge big bucks because it's coming from tax coffers. You know his little wind company has a little over 10 employees in it......wrap your head around the profits they must be making...
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 5:10 a.m.
solar is the way to go in ann arbor. This is way to political already, just ask dte
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 3:53 a.m.
Seems to me there is plenty of wind in Ann Arbor to support this project, and that doesn't include all the hot air evidenced here!
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 11:40 a.m.
Great opportunity to make sarcastic comment about quality of education at a certain university given the wind maps provided in earlier comments... :)
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 3:30 a.m.
Put one of these bad boys up http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enercon_E-126 Only 9 times the cost, but 680 times more power that could handle 25% of the cities households.
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 3:30 a.m.
And a nice 650ft wind turbine on the horizon
Dog Guy
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 2:59 a.m.
Once in a while that big Whirlydoole will spin and light up its LED's and oooh we will all feel good oooh.
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 1:35 a.m.
Stahl considers it a prime opportunity for the distributed wind energy industry in Michigan to show the public that wind energy is real and works, and he wants Ann Arborites to rest assured they're in good hands with experienced contractors lined up on the project. This will only be true if we get a full accounting. The $94,000 of "donated" work will not show up in total costs. Other incidentals will get bearied to make the project look better. We all know if this was not a gov grant this project would never have been commissioned. We are $16.6 Trillion in debt, we need to stop spending on projects just because they are political popular.
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 1:37 a.m.
sorry, buried
Unusual Suspect
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 12:59 a.m.
Shouldn't wind-powered generators be built where there's wind, not just where some city council wants to play "I'm greener than you?"
Kai Petainen
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 12:53 a.m.
cross village turbine had issues with neighbors concerned of the decibel levels. documentation here: http://tinyurl.com/bkyxqgy ryan... I agree... an article with regards to... 'is there enough wind?' is a good topic indeed.
Tue, Jan 22, 2013 : 11:46 p.m.
Has anyone else noticed in articles like this all the special purpose employees working for the city? It would seem that the city has a "senior utilities engineer". This implies that there are even more people involved in "utilities engineering" for the city. What do they do? Why don't we simply utilize the services of DTE or an occasional consultant instead of multiple full time employees? If the city were serious about cost controls they would know the answers to these type of questions. Want to bet on what type of "political speak" answer we'll get?
Tue, Jan 22, 2013 : 11:24 p.m.
CORRECTION: Cross Village is on the EAST coast of Lake Michigan and close to Mackinac Bridge (Gads!)
Ryan J. Stanton
Tue, Jan 22, 2013 : 11:17 p.m.
Stahl tells me everything within LEEC's construction scope of work is organized and the company is ready to break ground this spring, though they're still waiting for contracts and schedules. He said the project team (city of Ann Arbor, CDM engineering, Wind Products Inc. and Lake Effect Energy Corp.) will need to expedite wind resource site reviews, and pre-construction activities can take several months. Some of the steps still to come: A public involvement process, preparation of preliminary and final soil erosion, sedimentation control and geotechnical investigation, development of an outreach program, local, state and national regulatory review, and a design survey of base engineering plans, structural design and environmental.
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 3:01 p.m.
Ryan, I reviewed DonBee's numbers and based on $0.16 per KW-H he is correct. I figure it would take 16.36 years of 24 hour per day wind just to break even, and that ignores both wind resources and maintenance cost! Totally unrealistic expenditure, even more unrealistic payback, and with non-US sourced parts it contributes the wrong way to our foreign trade imbalance. But boy will it be educational. It may delay local support for sustainable wind energy a decade or two! (Don't even ask how many AAPS students will be enthused to see a 50KW cycloconverter in operation, or will be allowed to climb to the generator nacelle.)
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 2:42 a.m.
Thank you, Ryan. The amount of wind available at the two sites and how much electricity the wind will cause to be produced by the type of turbines installed seems key to deciding if they will be worthwhile to build. After all, the city must invest $18,500 in personnel hours according to details in your earlier article. And I am sure that other financial contributions will be required of the city that may not be evident now.
Ryan J. Stanton
Tue, Jan 22, 2013 : 11:33 p.m.
I'm planning to delve a little deeper into the issue of whether there's sufficient wind in a future story. It's definitely worth discussing.
Ryan J. Stanton
Tue, Jan 22, 2013 : 11:31 p.m.
No, I personally wouldn't do those things.
Tue, Jan 22, 2013 : 11:28 p.m.
What about the issue of insufficient wind, Ryan? Would you build a hydroelectric plant where there is no water current? Or how about erecting solar panels inside a barn?
Tue, Jan 22, 2013 : 11:11 p.m.
Solar cells make a lot more sense, as demonstrated by the Univ Mich recent installation on the south side of the intersection of Plymouth and Nixon Roads. But, No, the City Council has to trump the university by bringing Don Quixote devices to town. Of course, they will say, "It's not our money, it's Federal grant money." Guess what? It Is Our Money!!! Put windmills where the wind blows which is not in Ann Arbor (except at sessions of the City Council, if yins git my drift . . . ).
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 2:37 a.m.
$18,500 would be contributed by Ann Arbor taxpayers for this project. Of course, other unexpected expenses will likely appear for which the city will have to pay if only by default. Once these wind turbines are installed they must be maintained. If Lake Effect Energy Corp. of Harbor Springs, Mich. and it's planning to partner with New York-based Wind Products Inc. can not make money from the wind turbine then I doubt that they will wish to maintain the useless towers. The city will not wish them to deteriorate to the point of being an eye-sore or risk ground contamination so will support a maintenance effort.
Tue, Jan 22, 2013 : 11:08 p.m.
ADDENDUM: Cross Village, where LEEC installed a Gaia 11-kW similar to that proposed for Ann Arbor, is located on the west coast of Lake Michigan near the Machinac Bridge. From the video, the wind appears stronger there than here.
Tue, Jan 22, 2013 : 10:48 p.m.
WIND TURBINES WILL NOT WORK IN ANN ARBOR BUT WILL WASTE MONEY City Council woman Sabre Briere state the obvious at a previous City Council meeting reported by Ryan Stanton (http://www.annarbor.com/news/ann-arbors-wind-turbine-project-aims-to-educate-community-about-renewable-energy/): "We don't have the steady 13- or 14-mph winds that you really need in order to make this work. Our average wind is under 10 mph," she said, going on to ask: "Why are we doing this here?" To further this point, Kai Petainen posted the following comment to the Ryan Stanton article: "According to wind maps, Ann Arbor wind is about 5.5 to 6.0 m/s, BUT... that's on a windmill that is at 80m or 262 feet. The windmills in question for Ann Arbor would be at 100 to 140 feet. A map at 80m http://tinyurl.com/9w6zk4s To be more realistic, at the 30 meter mark or 98 feet Ann Arbor gets wind at 4.0 m/s or less. A map at 30m http://tinyurl.com/a755zqc And if we go back to that wind turbine that I had as an example, then it would produce less than 59,100 kWh. And it would produce practically nothing back to the electric grid." Why waste any Ann Arbor taxpayer money on demonstration wind turbines that will not operate? Students can learn from written materials and view functioning wind turbines in real time by webcams at the following websites: http://www.acua.com/acua/content.aspx?id=492&ekmensel=c580fa7b_20_88_btnlink http://www.webcamvue.com/default.asp?webcam=l9BbnPr99Kj2&c=undefined
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 2:30 a.m.
Ross- Excellent question for which a study should have provided an answer before committing to the project! However, short of a specific answer, if the average wind speed is insufficient to rotate the turbines which generate electricity then little electrical production can be expected. I believe that such a point was being made by Councilwoman Briere and by Kai Petainen in several of her erudite and referenced comments in Stanton's previous article as well as in this one.
Tue, Jan 22, 2013 : 11:06 p.m.
Answer a question for me. If location "A" was deemed good for wind power production, what % of that wind power availability would you deem the cut-off point for what is viable or not?
Tue, Jan 22, 2013 : 10:28 p.m.
61 KW for 1.4 million dollars? LOL That is right around $22 a watt. Given that DTE sells 1000 hours of a watt for about $0.16 (16 cents) to residential customers, the pay back period on these turbines will be 17 years if and only if they make power 24/7/36 and require zero maintenance. Given that the wind blows enough to make energy in Ann Arbor less than 20 percent of the time the payback is almost 100 years. Great investment!
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 1:30 p.m.
It's '0.16/W/hr' , did you do you calculations properly ?
Tue, Jan 22, 2013 : 11:53 p.m.
you forgot to add in the cost of the power plant into the cost DTE charges, granted it is spread over a number of years but your math is not quite correct.
Kai Petainen
Tue, Jan 22, 2013 : 10:26 p.m.
"He noted his company recently finished commissioning a Gaia turbine, just like the one being considered here in Ann Arbor, in Cross Village." Exactly. Cross Village. By Lake Michigan. Where there is wind! Look at the map. Find Cross Village. See, it's near wind. Here's a map. http://tinyurl.com/allf4x4 Plus, I was looking up the cost of these windmills online -- I have no idea how they would cost $1.4 million.
Top Cat
Tue, Jan 22, 2013 : 9:54 p.m.
And be thankful coal and gas are being burned somewhere right now to keep us all warm. Pin wheels are endearing but hardly economical or effective.
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 2:25 a.m.
Ivor the thing is you need 100% backup for times when the wind isn't blowing. If you had storage facilities like the pumping station in Ludington it would work.
Ivor Ivorsen
Wed, Jan 23, 2013 : 1:27 a.m.
Really? The state of Iowa currently produces about 20% of its electricity from wind turbines. I highly recommend a trip on i-80 west of Des Moines.


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Reykjavik Internet Marketing conference is just around the corner with speakers from Ericsson, Bing/Microsoft, Anomaly, CCP games and Icelandair to mention few. In its 6th year the conference is going to be bigger than ever, attracting a wider audience on an international basis. The conference is accompanied by an Expo that lasts all weekend, Netið 2010 (roughly translates Internet 2010). Some 40 – 50 companies are expected to show their Internet related products and services.
You can get more information about RIMC 2010 at www.rimc.is


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Department of Labor
Employment Standards Administration Wage and Hour Division Washington, D.C. 20210
August 26, 2005
Dear Name*, This is in response to your request for an opinion on the application of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to court reporters and court coordinators of Name* County. You describe the court reporter as not subject to the civil service laws of the state and as appointed by, directly supervised by, and serving at the pleasure of the elected judge. The court reporters' responsibilities include taking the transcript of the court's proceedings. The court coordinators are similarly selected by the elected judge and serves at the judge's pleasure. A position description you provided shows that the coordinators report directly to the judge, meeting with him or her regularly. The coordinators' responsibilities include managing the office and budget, organizing the court calendars and dockets, monitoring court files, supervising others in the office, and interacting with the general public, attorneys and litigants. We conclude that the court reporter position is not exempt under the personal staff exemption, but that the coordinator position is exempt. Generally, the FLSA, covers an employee of a covered enterprise such as a state or local government. However, FLSA § 3(e)(2)(C)(i)(II), copy enclosed, excludes from coverage any individual employed by a State, political subdivision of a State, or an interstate governmental agency who is not subject to the agency's civil service laws and who is selected by a public elective office holder of such an office to be a member of his or her personal staff. The legislative history of the personal staff exception in Title VII (which Congress expressly referenced in creating the FLSA exception) suggests that Congress intended to limit the exception to employees with an intimate relationship to elected officeholders. See 118 Cong. Rec. 4492-93 (1972). The regulations implementing the personal staff exception of the FLSA identify some relevant considerations in applying the exception: The statutory term "member of personal staff" generally includes only persons who are under the direct supervision of the selecting elected official and have regular contact with such official. The term typically does not include individuals who are directly supervised by someone other than the elected official even though they may have been selected by the official. For example, the term might include the elected official's personal secretary, but would not include the secretary to an assistant. 29 C.F.R. § 553.11(b). The Wage and Hour Division's Field Operations Handbook (FOH) similarly explains that: The "personal staff" does not include individuals who are directly supervised by someone other than the elected official even though they may be selected by and serve at the pleasure of such official. Generally personal staff includes only persons who are under the direct supervision of the elected official and who have almost daily contact with him or her... It would typically not include all members of an operational unit, since all the members could not have a personal working relationship with the elected official. FOH, ¶ 10d04. To determine whether an employee falls under the personal staff exception, courts in Title III cases generally use the six factor test set out in Teneyuca v. Bexar County, 767 F.2d 148 (5th Cir. 1985). The factors are summarized below: 1. whether the elected official has the power to hire or fire 2. whether the employee is personally accountable to only the elected official
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U.S. Department of Labor
Employment Standards Administration Wage and Hour Division Washington, D.C. 20210
3. 4. 5. 6.
whether is employee represents the elected official in the eyes of the public whether the elected official has a considerable amount of control over the employee the location of the employee's position in the chain of command the closeness or intimacy of the work between the elected official and the employee.
The Fourth Circuit in Brewster v. Barnes, 788 F.2d 985 (4th Cir. 1986), found it important that the position was not a high level position that did not require the rendering of advice in policy decisions. However, recently the Fifth Circuit in Taplin v. Johnson, 90 Fed.Appx. 736 (5th Cir. 2004), found that an office administrator who did not render advice on policy was a member of the personal staff of an elected sheriff for purposes of the statute. This court used the above six factor test, noting that the "exception should be 'narrowly construed' so as to only apply to an elected official's 'first line advisors'." Id. at 739. With regard to court reporters, we have previously concluded that they do not fall within the exemption. See Opinion Letter dated November 27, 1998 (copy enclosed). As in your letter, the November 27th letter states that the court reporters at issue are appointed to their positions by a judge, are directly supervised by the judge, serve at his or her pleasure, and are not subject to the civil service laws of Name* . However, regardless of these factors, the November 27th letter explains that court reporters do not fall under the personal staff exemption because they do not have the highly intimate and sensitive position of responsibility necessary to qualify for this exemption. They do not render advice or counsel to the judges or have any intimate or sensitive status vis a vis the judges. We also do not believe they represent the judges in the eyes of the public or are first line advisors. Thus, because court reporters do not have responsibilities of this nature, the personal staff exemption does not apply. The position of court coordinator has not been addressed in any previous opinion letters. However, in an opinion letter dated September 12, 1997, we concluded that the personal staff exception applied to a judge's administrative assistant who had similar levels of responsibility and interaction with the judge as the court coordinator here. We similarly conclude, in light of the factors discussed above, that the court coordinator falls within the exemption. With respect to the court coordinator, the first factor in the six factor test is met because you indicated that court coordinators are chosen by the elected judge, report directly to him or her and serve at his or her pleasure. Second, in the job description that you submitted to the Wage and Hour Division, you indicated that the court coordinator's only supervisor is the elected judge. Therefore, the coordinator is accountable to the official only. The third factor is also met because the job description indicated that the coordinator had daily communications with the general public, attorneys, law enforcement personnel, and others, both in phone and in person, on behalf of the judge. Fourth, the job description also noted that in making the most important decisions of the position, the sole standard used to help make or approve the decisions was the elected official. This illustrates the fourth factor, that the official has a considerable amount of control over the employee. In looking at the fifth factor, it is important to consider whether the coordinator is a "first line advisor." Taplin, 90 Fed. Appx. at 740. The nature of the position was described as that of a supervisor over other members of the office. Further, because the coordinator is accountable to the judge only, in carrying out the responsibilities for scheduling all matters before the court, monitoring all court files throughout the progress of each case, and serving as the office manager/budget manager in running the office, the coordinator is a first line advisor. The sixth factor is the most difficult to resolve. In determining the closeness and intimacy of the working relationship, it is helpful to consider the Bland case. In Bland v. New York, 263 F. Supp.2d 526, 540 (E.D.N.Y. 2003), the employee was a personal secretary who was hired by the judge, reported directly to him, and whose position and responsibilities were directly controlled by him. The judge also directly supervised her and she answered his phone, thereby representing him in the eyes of the public. Therefore, the court found that she "possessed an intimate and sensitive working relationship" with the judge. Id.
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U.S. Department of Labor
Employment Standards Administration Wage and Hour Division Washington, D.C. 20210
Similarly, the court coordinator described in your letter is hired/fired by the judge, reports directly to him/her, meets with the public on a daily basis, is supervised solely by the judge, is a supervisor of others in the office, and has full control over the schedule of the docket which is reviewed only by the judge. Therefore, like the judge's administrative assistant in the September 12, 1997 letter, we find that the court coordinator fits under the personal staff exception laid out in Section 3(e)(2)(C)(i)(II) of the FLSA and thus is exempt under the statute. Although you did not specifically inquire about the applicability of the overtime provisions to court reporters, it may be helpful to refer to Section 7(o)(6) of the FLSA (copy enclosed): The hours an employee of a public agency performs court reporting transcript preparation duties shall not be considered as hours worked for the purposes of subsection (a) if— (A) such employee is paid at a per-page rate which is not less than— (i) the maximum rate established by State law or local ordinance for the jurisdiction of such public agency, (ii) the maximum rate otherwise established by a judicial or administrative officer and in effect on July 1, 1995, or (iii) the rate freely negotiated between the employee and the party requesting the transcript, other than the judge who presided over the proceedings being transcribed, and (B) the hours spent performing such duties are outside of the hours such employee performs other work (including hours for which the agency requires the employee's attendance) pursuant to the employment relationship with such public agency. In a fax received by the Department of Labor on November 12, 2004, you stated that the District Judges decided as a group that the per page rate that court reporters can charge the county is $3.50 per page; and they charge outside attorneys more and that rate is sometimes negotiable. Thus, if this rate (or a lower maximum rate) was in effect on July 1, 1995 or an outside party freely negotiated this rate with the reporter, then the first part of the statute is met. However, with regard to FLSA § 7(o)(6)(B), you stated that if a transcript is needed for the Court of Appeals, then the Judge is required to give the court reporter time off to prepare the record, and he or she is paid for that time as if he/she was sitting in the courtroom. In the enclosed Committee Report that accompanied the Court Reporter Fair Labor Amendments of 1995 (which added § 7(o)(6)(B) to the FLSA), the Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities explained, "If the work is being performed while the official court reporter's attendance at the courthouse or some other location is required as part of the employment relationship, the time spent preparing the transcript in that location will continue to be considered 'hours worked' for purposes of the FLSA." Therefore, when the court reporter is required to take time off from his/her usual workday to prepare a transcript and is paid as if he/she was sitting in the courtroom, then those hours spent preparing the transcript must be considered for overtime purposes. H. Rep. 104-219, p.5. This opinion is based exclusively on the facts and circumstances described in your request and is given on the basis of your representation, express or implied, that you have provided a full and fair description of all the facts and circumstances that would be pertinent to our consideration of the question presented. Existence of any other factual or historical background not contained in your request might require a different conclusion than the one expressed herein. You have represented that this opinion is not sought by a party to a pending private litigation concerning the issue addressed herein. You have also represented that this opinion is not sought in connection with an investigation or litigation between a client or firm and the Wage and Hour Division or the Department of Labor. This opinion letter is issued as an official ruling of the Wage and Hour Division for purposes of the Portal-to Portal Act, 29 U.S.C. 259. See
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U.S. Department of Labor
Employment Standards Administration Wage and Hour Division Washington, D.C. 20210
29 C.F.R. 790.17(d), 790.19; Hultgren v. County of Lancaster, Nebraska, 913 F.2d 498, 507 (8th Cir. 1990). We trust that the above discussion is responsive to your inquiry. Sincerely,
Alfred B. Robinson, Jr. Deputy Administrator Enclosures: FLSA § 3(e); November 27, 1998 opinion letter; FLSA § 7(o)(6)
*Note: The actual name(s) was removed to preserve privacy in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552 (b)(7).
Page 4 of 4


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Darrell Hammond, Anna Chlumsky, et al. Set for HAMLET Benefit Reading, 2/21
Frog and Peach Theatre Co., Inc. will present an all-star benefit reading of "Hamlet" on February 21 at The Player's Club with a cast including Darrell Hammond (Saturday Night Live) as Guildenstern, Austin Pendleton ("My Cousin Vinnie") as Claudius and the Ghost, Shirley Knight ("Our Idiot Brother," "Sweet Bird of Youth") as Gertrude, David Margulies ("Ghostbusters," "Sopranos") as Polonius and Gravedigger, Fred Willard ("Anchorman," "Waiting for Guffman") as Horatio, Anna Chlumsky ("In the Loop") as Ophelia, Ted Zurkowski ("Boys on the Side," co-founder of Frog and Peach Theatre Co.) as Hamlet and Ryan Tramont ("The Hurt Locker") as Laertes. Music is by Ian McDonald (King Crimson, Foreigner) and performed live by Mr. McDonald.
The cast also includes Lenny Ciotti (Osric), Erick Gonzalez (Fortinbras), Ross Beshear (Rosencrantz), and Alan Altschuler (The Player). The reading is directed by Lynnea Benson, Artistic Director of Frog and Peach Theatre Co., Inc.
The Gala will benefit Frog and Peach Theatre Company's upcoming production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," to be presented April 26 to May 20, 2012 at The West End Theatre, 263 W 86th Street.
Frog & Peach Theatre Company (http://www.frogandpeachtheatre.org), founded in 1996 by members of the Actors Studio, brings modern audiences all the excitement and intrigue of Shakespeare's plays in an accessible, entertaining way. Benefit proceeds support free and discounted tickets to Frog & Peach Main Stage productions for under-served public school students in Upper Manhattan & the Bronx.
The Players Club at 16 Gramercy Park South (East 20th Street between Third Avenue and Park Avenue South and is a New York Landmark renowned for its beauty, luxurious decor, and rich theatrical history.
The gala is Tuesday, February 21 at 7:30 PM. The Players Club is located at 16 Gramercy Park South. Doors open at 6:45 PM. Tickets are $99 in advance and $149 at the door. To order, visit www.smarttix.com or call (212) 868-4444 .


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Yucky Boy Fitness, a fitness program that promotes flexible dieting and encourages reaching a fitness level beyond conventional attractiveness.
He's ripped to the point girls don't even think it's sexy anymore. He must be on that YBF program.
by The Yucky One March 06, 2013
Y.B.F. -- "Yellow Beaver Fever" is the condition of Western men who are compelled to chase any girl who is Asian. More commonly referred to as Asian Fever and an asian fetish.
Rob Pongi has such a bad case of Y.B.F. he has trouble keeping his trousers zipped up whenever he leaves his apartment and goes into the seriously babe-infested Tokyo environment.
by Taro 3Yen.com November 08, 2007
You'll be fine
by amo15252 May 08, 2011


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I am not sure if this is a form of a browser hijacking or not but I have tried googling this and cant find a solution..
What happens is whenever I try to type a webpage name in my address bar without the www. or the .com and I hit enter this is what happens
address bar: google
I get http:///?%20google
before it would do a search and go to the default or best answer. now I get that http:///?%20 crap and then I get an error 404 page not found.. Has anyone ran into this before and what do you recommend to fix it


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5:06am. That is the time Kelly and Leah Jimmerson welcomed their first child, Kennedi Reese, into the world, and also the time Rush Foundation Hospital welcomed the first baby born in Meridian in 2013. The Jimmersons live in Stonewall, and the proud new dad works for the Enterprise School District. They were the first ones into the Rush Family Birth Center as the ball dropped.
"Let's get everything and get going as fast as you can. You drop everything. Don't know if half the stuff at the house is cut off or not, we just took off," says new dad Kelly Jimmerson.
New mom Leah Jimmerson explains, "I didn't think it was labor whenever it started, so I sat at home for four hours, which I should have come up here, but it was miserable there for a while but it was all worth it."
The Jimmersons are big Alabama fans, and with the projected due date of January 12, dad was especially fearful Kennedi would arrive during the game. Now, though, there is a new fan to cheer on the Tide.
"We got some Alabama clothes we can dress her up in, support Alabama. I was worried about that, how he would react if I went into labor during an Alabama ballgame," says Leah.
Both parents didn't really process they had the first baby of 2013 until well after the delivery. They were instead focused on their new baby girl.
"It feels great!" Leah exclaims. "I'm glad she's here. I'm glad that she's healthy. God couldn't have blessed us with a better baby. We're overjoyed."
"It's special," says Kelly. "You get to hold something you created, and it's a special feeling."
For baby number two, the Jimmersons hope to have a summer baby and avoid football and deer hunting seasons altogether.


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Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Time of Poss.
GREENSBORO, N.C.- It wasn't pretty, but it was a win. The Christopher Newport football squad is now 5-0 atop the USA South Athletic Conference following a 27-22 road win at Greensboro College Saturday. The hard-fought win at Jamieson Stadium improves CNU's overall record to 6-2.
"I could tell early we just weren't sharp," Head Coach Matt Kelchner said after the win. "Our focus just wasn't there. We were able to go on the road and get a win, but I certainly didn't like the overall play of our team."
CNU turned the ball over three times on fumbles. The Captains were still able to build a 27-10 lead with 5:56 left in the fourth quarter, only to give up 12 late points to the Pride for the 27-22 final verdict.
The victory was the 10th straight conference win for the Captains dating back to last season.
Sophomore running back Markeese Stovall (Richmond, Va.) scored all three CNU touchdowns on runs of 1, 2, and 5 yards. Stovall carried the ball 24 times for 70 yards. He is now 85 yards shy of 1,000 yards for the season, and has now scored 11 touchdowns this year in eight games.
Sophomore kicker Stephen Denuel (Moseley, Va.) kicked field goals of 32 and 45 yards, and is now 14 of 16 for the season.
The Captains lost their starting quarterback, sophomore Lyndon Garner (Tappahannock, Va.), to a leg injury in the third quarter. Garner, who replaced junior Christian Woelfel-Monsivais (Fredericksburg, Va.) earlier this season due to injury, did not return. Garner was 5 for 10 passing for 79 yards.
Junior Aaron Edwards (Yorktown, Va.) stepped in at quarterback and completed 6 of 7 passes for 39 yards.
Freshman Marcus Morrast (Stafford, Va.) carried the ball 12 times for 88 yards and also returned two kicks for 65 yards and two punts for 35 yards.
On defense, sophomore cornerback Derek Britt (Glen Allen, Va.) led the Captains with 9 tackles.
Greensboro senior linebacker Allen Stallings set a new school record with 26 tackles in the game. The Pride falls to 0-8 overall and 0-5 in conference games.
The Captains, now 6-2 overall and 5-0 in the USA South, head to Ferrum next Saturday for a first-place showdown with the Panthers. Game time is set for 1 p.m.


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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco Bay area commuters should prepare for a third day of transit disruptions as labor discussions with rail workers have not yet yielded an agreement, transit officials said late Tuesday.
With talks going on throughout evening, the Bay Area Rapid Transit agency said there was no indication striking workers would return Wednesday.
Talks continued late into the evening with no sign of stopping, BART spokesman Rick Rice said.
Negotiations resumed as political pressure mounted for a settlement. In a letter, the state controller, lieutenant governor and insurance commissioner urged both sides to return to the bargaining table.
Evan Westrup, a spokesman for Gov. Jerry Brown, said the state was sending two of its top mediators — the chair of the Public Employment Relations Board and the chief of the State Mediation and Conciliation Service — to facilitate further talks.
Negotiations were scheduled to start at 6 p.m. between the Bay Area Rapid Transit agency and the two largest unions representing train workers. Calls seeking comment from the agency and unions were not immediately returned.
The letter from the Democratic state officials said the strike has caused "widespread personal hardship and severe economic disruption," and it noted they were disappointed "about the lack of productive proposals and counterproposals in the days leading up to the strike."
The Bay Area Council, a business-sponsored public policy advocacy organization, estimated the strike was costing the region $73 million a day in diminished productivity by workers delayed in traffic or forced into longer commutes using other forms of transit.
The figure was based on state and regional data, anecdotal evidence of commute times, and assumptions about how many people telecommute, said Rufus Jeffris, a spokesman for the group.
Stephen Levy, director of the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy in Palo Alto, countered that the disruption might be annoying but the impact is minimal on the $600 billion a year regional economy.
"There are no permanent losses," he said. "People work from home, people work harder later the next day or make it up later. The money not being spent in San Francisco remains in the pockets of people who can spend it at home."
Commutes in the region were thrown into chaos when the strike began early Monday after talks with management broke down.
BART is the nation's fifth-largest rail system and carries passengers from the furthest reaches of San Francisco's densely populated eastern suburbs to San Francisco International Airport across the bay.
Freeways have choked to a standstill. Lines for ferry service tripled, and boats were crammed to standing-room only.
Buses were stuffed with riders who felt fortunate to be on board as many commuters were literally left in the dust when buses zoomed by without as much as a honk or an explanation.
About a hundred people waited single-file at the downtown Berkeley bus station. Some had watched multiple full buses cruise by for hours.
"It's already starting to wear on people," said Hilary Hartman, who arrived at San Francisco's Transbay Terminal at 6:45 a.m. Her boss sent her home to work an hour later when she was unable to get on a bus.
"You see the buses trickling in from the East Bay, and it's standing-room only, and people's faces are not super happy when they're getting off," Hartman said.
BART, with 44 stations in four counties and 104 miles of lines, handles more than 40 percent of commuters coming from the East Bay to San Francisco, said John Goodwin, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
Transit authorities have made accommodations to help during the strike, including longer carpool lane hours and additional ferries and buses. BART doubled the number of buses serving West Oakland to 36 on Tuesday.
The striking unions and management reported being far apart on key issues including salary, pensions, health care and safety.
The unions, which represent nearly 2,400 train operators, station agents, mechanics, maintenance workers and professional staff, want a 5 percent raise each year over the next three years.
BART said union train operators and station agents average about $71,000 in base salary and $11,000 in overtime annually. The workers also pay a flat $92 monthly fee for health insurance.
Associated Press writers Lisa Leff and Martha Mendoza contributed to this report.


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Burlington, NJ Rental Homes and Apartments for Rent
Search rentals in Burlington, NJ. At RentalGuide.net, we have comprehensive rental listings to help you find Burlington apartments for rent. You can also find rental houses and condos. Click on a listing to view details, or refine your search for Burlington apartments to search by price, beds and other criteria.


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A few months back in the middle of a blizzard, our friend and 3/50 Project founder Cinda Baxter sent us a wonderful new client, Stacey Motley of The Paper Café in Raleigh, North Carolina. Stacey had a project she needed to be designed and printed on the fly for Duke University's basketball team.
Stacey chose to die cut the invitation in the shape of a basketball. The piece was letterpress printed on double thick Crane Lettra. We did a blind hit of a the basketball texture into the background of the card which gave it added dimension.
Today we send our congratulations out to the Blue Devils on their 2010 NCAA win and also to the Butler Bulldogs for an amazing game last night!


text: Many of the same substances that trigger allergies can also trigger asthma. Common allergens include pollen, dust mites, mold, and pet dander. Other asthma triggers include infections and irritants like smoke, pollution, fumes, cleaning chemicals, and sprays. Avoiding exposure to known allergens and respiratory irritants can substantially prevent or reduce asthma symptoms.


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Experts: Electrical failure, not pipe, caused sinking
An acoustics expert and a naval analyst say they've solved the mystery of why the USS Thresher sank 50 years ago.
They say it was not a broken pipe that triggered the chain of events ultimately leading to the sub's destruction, as the Navy contends. Rather, they believe, it was an electrical failure.
Bruce Rule and Norman Polmar recently studied data collected from the Navy's sea floor Sound Surveillance System on the Thresher's final moments.
In 1963, that system was highly classified. It was only briefly discussed at the court of inquiry the Navy convened to look into the circumstances surrounding the loss, and was not mentioned at all during the congressional hearings that followed, said Polmar, an analyst and author of several books on submarines.
That data, as well as underwater radio messages transmitted by the Thresher - declassified over the past two decades - and other evidence, prove that an electrical "bus," similar to a junction box, malfunctioned, Polmar said. It was connected to the reactor's main coolant pumps, and when the pumps stopped, the reactor shut down, he said.
The Navy has said a silver-brazed joint in a seawater pipe in the engine room on the Thresher (SSN 593) failed on April 10, 1963, during deep-diving tests east of Cape Cod, and seawater shorted out an electric panel, triggering the reactor shutdown.
Both sides agree the submarine couldn't get to the surface because of a design flaw in the system that blows water out of the ballast tanks to lighten the ship. The reactor couldn't be restarted quickly enough. With no propulsion, and with the added weight of the water, the ship sank below crush depth and imploded, killing all 129 men on board instantly.
The Navy said in a statement that while the exact reason, or reasons, for the Thresher's loss might never be known, the Navy still believes the joint failed.
Rule analyzed acoustic events related to the loss of the Thresher in 1963 and testified at the court of inquiry. He served as the lead acoustic analyst in the Office of Naval Intelligence for 42 years. He and Polmar describe their research into the Thresher's sinking in a Navy Times article to be published Monday.
"Most people believed the Navy's story of a piping failure, which reflected poorly on the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, where the Thresher was built," Polmar said.
Polmar said it's important to correct the historical record, but their account probably will not result in any changes to the Navy's approach to keeping submarines safe, given the amount of time that has passed and the fact that submarine designs have changed greatly.


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Guitar/Bass USB Audio Interface Cable
The StealthPlug CS "Custom Shop" is perhaps the most affordable way to get started making guitar music on your computer. It features the StealthPlug 1/4" to USB cable interface, and the new AmpliTube Custom Shop software plus 50 gear credits to use in the Custom Shop. Here's what it is and what you do with it…
Get Connected with StealthPlug
First, we answer the question "how do I get my guitar sound into my computer?" Our Answer: The StealthPlug.
The StealthPlug is an affordable high quality low noise "Analog to Digital" converter cable that takes the output of your guitar and converts it into something the computer can read. This is done in an "all in one" 9ft guitar cable that has a 1/4" guitar jack on one end and an USB jack on the other, and an inline set of high speed "a/d" and "d/a" converters. You computer will then send the output from your AmpliTube software (that's included) back through the USB port and the StealthPlug converts it back into an analog signal (that's the "d/a" part) that old-fashioned gear like amps, powered speakers, headphones and stereos can understand so they can do their duty and stimulate your eardrum pleasure centers.
The Nuts and Volts – 9 Feet of "cablecular bliss"
With the StealthPlug, you get 9 full feet of room to stretch out, stand up, jump jive and wail. Simply plug the 1/4" end into your instrument and the USB end into your computer. (It doesn't work the other way… we tried.) There's a 1/8" mini-plug jack for your headphones (neighbor-friendly) or powered speakers (non-neighbor friendly) so you can hear what you're doing. There's a dual-button volume control in case the police show, and a couple of pretty colored lights you can use to land small aircraft.
Then…within seconds, be prepared to enter a world of pure tonal hysteria and mayhem featuring the included new AmpliTube Custom Shop.
Meet your new Tone Shaper
StealthPlug CS comes with AmpliTube Custom Shop, the leading amp and software modeling package with 24 pieces of gear including: a digital chromatic tuner, 9 stomps, 4 amps, 5 cabs, 3 mics, and 2 rack effects. Basically it's your entire guitar or bass signal chain, but in convenient compact "computer" form you can use in your studio or on stage.
Show me the money gear…
Plus you'll also get 50 AmpliTube Custom Shop Gear Credits that allow you to expand and customize your virtual rig one piece at a time. The Custom Shop has over 230 pieces of individual gear, including exclusive official models from legendary brands like Fender®, Ampeg®, Orange®, Soldano®, T-Rex®, Seymour Duncan®, Groove Tubes® and many more.
Once you've dialed in your tone, lay down your ideas with the built-in 4-track recorder. You can layer your ideas with its non-destructive recording feature and "re-amp" your sound to get everything exactly perfectly perfect.
AmpliTube Custom Shop also works as a plug-in for the most popular DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) sequencers such as GarageBand, Pro Tools, Cubase, Sonar, Logic, Live, Reaper, FruityLoops, etc. with the exact same functionality, (except you don't get the handy recorder when you're already using it in a recorder… duh.)
So, in summary:
Guitar —> StealthPlug —> Sonic Couriers —> Sonic Particle Accelerator —> AmpliTube Custom Shop —> Fame and Fortune (talent not included). It's never been easier.
How it works
"The only way it could only be easier if we came to your house and did it for you…"
Getting started with StealthPlug CS is easy as 1-2-3.
- Install the included software following the instructions (this will install both AmpliTube Custom Shop and drivers if needed) or download AmpliTube for iPad.
- Plug the StealthPlug 1/4" jack into your guitar or bass output, plug the USB connector into your computer (or into your iPad using Apple® Camera Connection Kit), plug your headphones or powered speaker to the 1/8".
- Launch AmpliTube Custom Shop (or AmpliTube for iPad), open settings and select StealthPlug as the audio interface and voila', you are ready to rock!
You'll immediately be in a VERY familiar place
The AmpliTube interface looks and acts like a hardware rig, only better. You can choose all kinds of configurations for your rig; use multiple instances of the same effect with different settings, different amp heads with non-matching cabinets, custom configure microphone placement on the speaker and in the recording space, and polish with spectacular rack effects. You now have at your disposal some of the coolest gear on the planet. Careful — this stuff is highly addictive.
For more information about how AmpliTube works check here.
More, please
After the 1.73 minutes it will take you to become comfortable with all of the features and operation, you're ready to add more gear. Click the "Custom Shop" Button in the upper right corner of AmpliTube and you'll be transported to the coolest boutique guitar gear store on the planet – always open, and our gear is always in stock. Gear starts at only 3 credits, so 50 credits can go a long way... Go ahead, shop till you bop!
For more information about Custom Shop check here.


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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Republican Liz Cheney, the eldest daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, ended her U.S. Senate bid in Wyoming on Monday, citing serious family health issues.
Cheney, a lawyer who worked in the U.S. State Department during the administration of President George W. Bush, was seeking to unseat incumbent Republican Senator Mike Enzi in a primary election in August.
"Serious health issues have recently arisen in our family, and under the circumstances, I have decided to discontinue my campaign," Cheney said on Monday morning in a statement on her Facebook page. "My children and their futures were the motivation for our campaign, and their health and well-being will always be my overriding priority."
She did not elaborate on the health problems. Cheney and her husband, Philip Perry, have five children.
CNN reported the decision on Sunday night, citing unidentified sources, while Politico obtained her statement early Monday.
Enzi said he respected Cheney's decision to put her family first.
"We have tremendous respect for Liz's decision," he said in a statement. "She and her entire family are in our thoughts and prayers."
Cheney's entry onto the political stage in the conservative state has been bumpy. Cheney, 47, who spent much of her youth and adult life in Virginia, had her Wyoming credentials challenged in spite of her family's deep roots in the state.
Last summer, she committed a political gaffe in a state where hunting and fishing are taken seriously when she mistakenly bought the wrong fishing license after living in Wyoming for just a few months.
State law requires a year of residency before applying for such a license, which is less expensive than licenses for visitors or newcomers.
Her candidacy was further complicated by a family spat after she asserted her opposition to same-sex marriage. Her younger sister, Mary Cheney, a lesbian who last year married longtime partner Heather Poe, publicly chastised her for taking a stance that is "dead wrong."
Last November, the former vice president entered the fray, saying in a joint statement with his wife, Lynne, that Liz Cheney "has always believed in the traditional definition of marriage" and has also "always treated her sister and her sister's family with love and respect."
Cheney has long said he supports extending marriage rights to same-sex couples.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Edith Honan; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and James Dalgleish)


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Set in New Orleans at the beginning of the 20th century, The Princess and the Frog concerns a poor African-American girl named Tiana who has a knack for cooking, and dreams of opening her own restaurant. Her best friend since childhood is a privileged white girl whose wealthy father employs Tiana's mother as a dressmaker. When the friend's family hosts a party for Prince Naveen of Maldonia, Dr. Facilier, an expert in black magic, turns the visiting royal into a frog. The now amphibious Naveen convinces Tiana that a kiss will reverse the spell, and if she obliges him he'll provide the money she needs to open her dream eatery. However, their smooch not only fails to turn him back into a human, but transforms Tiana into a frog as well. The duo then sets out to find a voodoo priestess who can set everything right. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
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The Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002, referred to in text, is title V of Pub. L. 107–347, Dec. 17, 2002, 116 Stat. 2962, which enacted this section, amended section 176a of Title 15, Commerce and Trade, and enacted provisions set out as a note under section 3501 of Title 44, Public Printing and Documents. Provisions defining "Designated Statistical Agency" are contained in section 522 of the Act, which is set out in a note under section 3501 of Title 44.
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Thunder 15:00 Raiders RL
Doncaster 15:00 Town
Cougars 15:00 Crusaders
Knights 15:00 Whitehaven
Bulls 15:00 Stags
Halifax 15:00 Rhinos
Eagles 15:00 Raiders
Lions 15:00 Rovers
Centurions 15:00 Bulldogs
Hornets 15:00 Rams
12th September 2017, 21:08 | Warrington
The 32-year-old Fiji international becomes the second recruit for the Canadian club, who have clinched promotion to the Kingstone Press Championship at the first attempt, following the capture of Widnes Vikings centre Tom Armstrong.
Sims has made 85 Betfred Super League appearances since joining the Wolves from North Queensland Cowboys ahead of the 2015 season and played in both the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup final and Betfred Super League Grand Final in 2016.
"I am so honoured to have represented not only this club, but the people of Warrington and hope they know that I put every ounce of energy into this jersey doing the sport I love," Sims said.
CHAMPIONS— League 1 (@League1RL) September 9, 2017
Toronto Wolfpack are promoted to the Championship pic.twitter.com/KgP98Cp4KR
"I wish I could have stayed on longer but it wasn't to be. As my youngest daughter Kaya was born here, I'll always have ties to this great town.
"I'm genuinely really looking forward to this journey with the Toronto Wolfpack but before that I really want to finish off these last two games the right way after a rough season."
Warrington are currently looking for a new coach following the decision, announced at the weekend, to part company with Tony Smith and will have a new-look squad in 2018.
The club have already announced the departure of Kurt Gidley, Brad Dwyer, Andre Savelio, Rhys Evans, Sam Wilde and Peta Hiku.


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By Harro Ten Wolde
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German chipmaker Infineon brightened its gloomy outlook for this year, citing orders from carmakers hoping sales of higher-spec models in China will offset flagging demand in Europe.
The company, whose chips activate airbags, enable cruise control and cut emissions among other functions, said it expected 2013 revenue to drop by five percent on last year instead of up to 9 percent.
Infineon said it expected its 2013 revenue to come in at the high end of its previous target range of 3.56-3.71 billion euros. Analysts polled by Reuters expected Infineon to reach 2013 sales of 3.7 billion euros.
The company also said its 2013 core operating profit margin would reach the upper end of its 5-9 percent range.
"The trough is behind us," Chief Executive Reinhard Ploss said in a statement. "Our order books are filling up, albeit still with a relatively high proportion of short term business."
The upbeat tone of the company chimes with peers in a sector that has suffered from a post-financial crisis as demand collapsed from industry and cars to consumer electronics.
Earlier Texas Instruments forecast growth for the current quarter on improving demand for its chips.
Although the global automotive industry is still battling a slump in sales, especially in Europe, Infineon said revenue levels had recovered at its automotive unit, which accounts for about half of its revenue.
The Neubiberg, southern German-based company said its automotive business was benefiting from global trends to make cars safer, cleaner and more energy efficient. Such technology is often implemented first in premium cars.
"The number of chips used in these premium cars is 3-4 times higher than in mid-size and small cars," said Arunjai Mittal, member of Infineon's management board.
"We expect this premium segment to continue to grow this year, so we should continue to benefit from that trend," he said, adding demand from China was offsetting weakness in Europe.
Infineon declined to give more details of its orders but said the book-to-bill ratio at all its units was above 1, which means more orders were received than filled, indicating strong demand.
A Credit Suisse survey last month showed sales by Chinese luxury car dealerships increased 17-22 percent during the first quarter and the analysts said they expected luxury brands in China to maintain strong sales in 2013.
Infineon also said it expects revenue for the current fiscal third quarter to be around 1 billion euros, with an operating margin of around 10 percent.
Infineon shares jumped 9 percent in by 6:30 a.m. ET at the top of a 0.1 percent weaker European technology index.
The company's adjusted operating profit in the three months to March fell 53 percent to 68 million euros, beating the most optimistic estimate in a Reuters poll with an average expectation of 51.3 million euros.
(Reporting by Harro ten Wolde; editing by Christoph Steitz and Philippa Fletcher)


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One of my travelling highlights has been eating in a local restaurant in Bulgaria with my ski group; it was one of those never-to-forget moments. It was such a great night, with local food, local drink and great entertainment. The main highlight was to have such a fantastic night getting to know new friends - people I had only just met.
A safari in Botswana is next on my list. From looking at all the amazing images of Africa, I just can't wait to see it for real. I've heard so many amazing reviews from people who have travelled on safari, they have said it is the most memorable experience they have had; getting up close to lions, elephants and other big game – it's a trip I'd love to experience for myself. Another dream come true for me would be to take a helicopter ride over Victoria Falls
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Upcoming Events:
Greenwhich House AIDS Mental Health Project
Presents "LIFE"
A Celebratory Exhibit & Sale Of Fine Art, Photography And Ceramics
April 22nd & 23rd
Exhibit Hours: Noon - 6
Opening Reception Friday Night: 6-8
Jane Hartsook Gallery
@ Greenwhich House Pottery
16 Jones Street NYC
212-242-4140 EXT 231 www.greenwhichhousepottery.org
Alegrias en la nacional, 239 W. 14th St., 2nd fl., 917-667-2695: Mar. 11-12, 18-19 & 25-26-Las Flamencas, performance troupe Flamenco Latino with special guests and musicians in this extra-special flamenco event, 8:30 & 11 p.m., reservations recommended.
Collective unconscious, 279 Church St., 212-254-5277: Mar. 4-Tesla Mania, a tribute to the famed inventor and his works, including bolts of electricity shooting from the largest Tesla Coil in Manhattan, 10 p.m., call for more details.
Pm lounge, 50 Gansevoort Street at Greenwich, 212-255-6676: Feb. 24-ARIAs a Toast to Art, Awareness of Raoe and Incest through Art, presents this benefit event featuring an open bar, silent auction and other activities, 7-11 p.m., $35-$40 per person, call or go to ariany.org for more information on the event or the groups cause.
Ramakrishnananda center, 96 Ave. B., 646-436-7010: Sat.-Festival of the Holy Names, live meditative music and chanting as an expression of spiritual devotion, 4 p.m., call ahead.
Realbirth, 54 W. 22nd St.: Feb. 27-Friends of the Birth Center present the 1st annual clothing echange where women can bring their used maternity, baby and childrens clothing up to 5 years, and swap with other mothers, $5 donation per person entry fee, $5 donation per item taken, all amounts are suggested, 2-5 p.m.
Tribeca cinemas, 54 Varick St. at Canal: Feb. 24-Q & A session with the director of a film about Madame Tizo, a 100 year old Haitian Midwife/Leaf Doctor, who is the subject of the film, 7 p.m., $15.
Neighborhood Hot Spots & Organizations:
Collective unconscious, 279 Church St., 212-254-5277.
The kitchen, 512 W. 19th St., 212-255-5793.
Lower manhattan cultural council, 120 Broadway, 212-219-9401.
Salmagundi club, 47 Fifth Ave., 212-255-7740.
Watson adventures, various locations, 212-726-1529: Scavenger hunts around the city.
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