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On March 23, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law. It's aimed at making health insurance more affordable and reducing the overall costs of health care.
Some parts of the law have already gone into effect: Insurers can't impose lifetime dollar limits on essential benefits, like hospital stays; children can stay on their parents' plan until they're 26; children with pre-existing conditions can't be denied coverage; and all new insurance plans must cover preventive care and medical screenings.
On Jan. 1, 2014, the heart of the law is scheduled to be up and running, as well: State exchanges are being established where people who don't get health insurance through their workplace will be able to shop for a plan. Sign-ups will begin Oct. 1. These plans must meet certain standards of quality and must be explained clearly with no fine print. And federal subsidies will be available for those who qualify for financial help.
Even as that date approaches, critics of the health care law are trying to halt the changes. Just last week, when the Obama administration announced it would delay for a year the requirement that employers with 50 or more full-time workers offer health insurance, critics said the move showed the law is fundamentally flawed, and its implementation a mess.
Will the exchanges be up and running in every state? Will insurance be affordable for everyone? Will this radical restructuring of the business of insurance actually work? Wendell Potter, a senior analyst at the Center for Public Integrity, thinks there will be glitches, but he sees that the Affordable Care Act is moving ahead.
He believes that getting more people insured will lower costs in the end. "People who don't have insurance, they still get sick, and they get injured," he tells Fresh Air's Dave Davies, "and most of them, when they do, go to the emergency room. Hospitals can't often collect money from those folks because they often don't have the money to pay for it. They can't turn them away; it's called 'uncompensated care,' but that's a misnomer. Somebody has to pay for that care, and that somebody is you and me if we have private coverage."
Potter worked inside the insurance industry for 20 years, most recently as head of communications for Cigna. He left that job and now advocates for ways the industry can reform.
Interview Highlights
On how competition will help affordable care
"We're seeing that the competition is working in keeping the rates low, and in some cases insurers that were offering policies, or saying they were going to charge more than their competitors, have come back and said, 'After we saw the competitor's rates, we're going to resubmit.' "
On how the terms of policies will change with the Affordable Care Act
"In today's world there's no standard definition of things like 'co-insurance' or 'co-payments.' People don't know, necessarily, what a lot of the terms are, but they'll have to be spelled out by any health plan that is offering coverage through the exchange. We'll be able to compare one plan with another, and information will have to be presented in a standardized format, not unlike the food labels and nutrition labels on food that we buy in the grocery store. In fact, that was kind of a model that Congress looked at. ... And something that will be going away will be the fine print. And that's where a lot of the most important information has been hidden. ... [I]nsurance companies will no longer be able to hide the most important elements of what is covered and what's not. It will have to be stated very explicitly and in language that people can understand."
On "junk" health insurance plans
"There are junk plans that are out there today, and some of the biggest insurance companies sell them, and they're very profitable for insurance companies. And a lot of people don't know they're in junk plans until they get sick or injured. And they find out at a time when it's really — quite frankly — too late, that they're not adequately covered. And some [plans] have lifetime or annual caps on how much the insurance companies will pay. And, increasingly, plans have very high deductibles. Insurance companies in these cases don't pay anything for coverage until you've paid quite a bit of money out of your own pocket. That's not a big deal for people who are quite wealthy or healthy or don't really need insurance, but for the rest of us — for folks who get sick occasionally, or get very sick, or injured, or who are not as young and healthy as we once were — these plans are not necessarily the best things since sliced bread."
This is FRESH AIR. I'm Dave Davies, in for Terry Gross, who's off this week. When the Obama administration announced last week it would delay implementation of the Affordable Care Act's requirement that employers with more than 50 fulltime workers offer health insurance, critics were ready to pounce. At a House committee hearing yesterday, Republican members said the move shows the law is fundamentally flawed and its implementation a mess.
Supporters argue there are always glitches in implementing complex legislation, and that the law's central reforms will be effective. While there will be more debate and no doubt confusion about the Affordable Care Act, many of its key provisions are just months away from taking effect. Penalties for certain people who go without insurance will be in place next year, and the online health insurance marketplaces called exchanges will be offering policies this fall.
But resistance from many state governments to parts of the act have complicated things, and will likely leave many uninsured Americans facing difficult challenges. To help us sort out what's coming, we turn to Wendell Potter. He spent years as a public relations executive for health insurance firms, but left and eventually wrote a book critical of the industry called "Deadly Spin." He's now a senior analyst at the Center for Public Integrity and a contributor to the Huffington Post.
Wendell Potter, welcome to FRESH AIR.
WENDELL POTTER: Thank you, Dave.
DAVIES: Before we talk about the Affordable Care Act, let's hear just a little of your story. I mean, you were, for many, many years, a public relations executive in the health insurance industry. Why did you leave?
POTTER: I was an insurance industry executive for about 20 years, and I was a journalist in my first career. I was a newspaper reporter. And I grew up in the Southern Appalachian area in eastern Tennessee. And in 2007, I went back home just to visit my folks and read in a newspaper about something called a health care expedition that was being held not far from where I grew up.
And I went there out of curiosity. The paper said that people were expected to drive from as far away as Ohio and South Carolina to come to get care that was being provided free by doctors and nurses and dentists who were volunteering to do this over three days.
I went there, borrowed my dad's car, and when I got there, I saw something I just would not have expected, never would have expected to have seen in the United States. It was such a jolt to me that I, that day, decided I had to do something else for a living. I saw people who were lined up for hours, in lines that just stretched out of view. And it was raining. They were soaking wet.
And I noticed that the lines led to barns and animal stalls. And it occurred to me that I was one of the lucky ones. I could have grown up, and probably did grow up with some of those people. I could have been one of them if I hadn't had some lucky breaks along the way.
And I realized, too, that what I was doing for a living was, in some way, perpetuating the status quo, which was not working for those folks. And I made a commitment that day. It was an epiphany. I made a commitment that I would pretty soon figure out some way else to earn a living and, if I could, help to advocate for reform.
DAVIES: These were folks waiting in line to see a physician or medical care?
POTTER: They were. They were all there to get care, because they couldn't afford to get it otherwise. Most of these people, almost all of them, were uninsured. These were not the poorest Americans. They were not on Medicaid. They were what a lot of people call the working poor. They had jobs, for the most part, but many of them were uninsured, because their employers didn't offer coverage.
Others had lost their jobs, and in this country, most all of us are a layoff away from being uninsured, as well as unemployed. So they were there waiting to get care that they, you know, they couldn't afford to get otherwise.
DAVIES: You'd spent all those years in the health insurance industry. Were you really surprised that there were needy people out there that were uninsured?
POTTER: I shouldn't have been surprised. But what happens when you are an executive at an insurance company? And it's certainly not necessarily unique to the insurance industry. Any senior executive, you live in a different neighborhood. You associate with different people. You don't necessarily come into contact, in your day-to-day life, with people who are needy. So out of sight, out of mind.
And they had been out of sight and out of mind for me, and that ended it for me when I went to that health care expedition. I was not able, from that point on, for them to be out of my mind. They were always on my mind after that, and that was why I ultimately decided to leave my job.
I had begun to become disillusioned with my job. I realized that what I was doing, often, was, in many cases, the exact opposite of what I was doing as a newspaper reporter: trying to present information in as unbiased way as possible, to not selectively disclose information to mislead. But I was often doing that in my job, and that was a crisis of conscience, as well.
When that dawned on me that I was doing that, I couldn't not change. I needed to do something differently. I think I might not have done that had I not been a journalist, and I might not have done it had I not just happened upon that health care expedition.
DAVIES: Let's talk about the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare. Even the president embraces the term. What are some deadlines that are coming? What are we going to see this fall?
POTTER: It's a very important period of time. On October the 1st, we'll be seeing the so-called exchanges up and running. This is a very important provision of the Affordable Care Act. Every state and the District of Columbia will have to have an online marketplace up and running on October the 1st, and they will.
Some states will be operating the exchanges themselves. Others will be doing it in partnership with the federal government. Others are just saying to the feds, you do it. But regardless of that arrangement - whichever arrangement it is - all the states and the District of Columbia will have a place where people can finally go to get coverage and be able to compare one health plan with another, will be able to get information in plain language that enables them to figure out what it is they're actually buying, to get some idea of how much they'll have to spend out of pocket if they choose one plan versus another.
I know from what I've done for a living that insurance companies profited a great deal from consumers being uninformed and not being able to get the information that they really need or understanding the information they're given when they buy health care coverage. So this is a very, very important first step.
DAVIES: All right, so on October 1st, these online marketplaces called exchanges are supposed to go live. But these are for folks who don't have insurance and want to purchase an individual policy, I guess. When is the requirement that everyone get insurance or pay a penalty, when does that take effect?
POTTER: That takes effect on January the 1st. And, in fact, the policies that people can start enrolling in on October the 1st - the very first day that the exchanges are going to be live - those policies they sign up for will be effective on January the 1st. And that is the day that the individual, the so-called individual mandate also goes into effect. Most Americans will be required to get coverage.
You know, most of us do have coverage. Most of us get coverage through the workplace. So most Americans won't be affected by this change. But like I said, we're almost all a layoff away from being uninsured. So whenever we need to buy coverage on our own, this will be the place to go. And it is called the individual market. It's not for people who work for large employers, but it is for people who are not able to get coverage through their workplace, or they work for small companies that don't offer coverage right now.
DAVIES: California's fairly far down the road towards setting up its exchanges. What can we learn about their experience, from their experience?
POTTER: Right. California was probably the first state that started to work on it. It - almost as soon as the health care reform law was enacted, then-Governor Schwarzenegger set things in motion to get ready for the exchange in, obviously, the biggest state in the country.
And they've made a lot of progress. They're doing things a bit differently in California. The exchange board out there, Covered California, will actually be doing quite a bit of screening to make sure that the insurance companies that want to participate are offering quality coverage.
So they will be making some decisions and excluding some insurers or health plans that don't meet certain criteria. And we've seen already that the concept seems to be working. In California and Oregon and Washington, some of the other states that have indicated what the rates are likely to be because insurance companies are beginning to submit what they plan to charge, we're seeing that the competition is working in keeping the rates low.
And in some cases, insurers that were offering policies or saying that they were going to charge higher, more than their competitors, have come back and said after we've seen the competitors' rates, we're going to resubmit.
DAVIES: Now, anyone who's gone out to try and look for an individual policy under the current system, you can find it pretty confusing. I mean, there's - it's hard just to compare the terms, and you're not quite sure how comprehensive the policy that you're getting may be. How will that process, under the Affordable Care Act, be different?
POTTER: It'll be different in very significant ways. In today's world, there is no standard definition of things like co-insurance or copayments. People don't know, necessarily, a lot of what the terms are. But they'll have to be spelled out by any health plan that is offering coverage through the exchange. And we'll be able to compare one plan with another, and information will have to be presented in a standardized format, not unlike the food labels, the nutritional labels on food that we buy in a grocery store.
In fact, that was sort of a model that Congress looked at, and most consumers take it for granted. And something that will be going away will be the fine print, and that's where a lot of the most important information has been hidden. But insurance companies will no longer be able to hide the most important elements of what is covered and what's not in fine print.
It'll have to be stated very explicitly and again in language that people can understand.
DAVIES: What's an example of things that appear in fine print now that won't be there?
POTTER: Like things that might not be covered under certain circumstances. Some health plans, the so-called limited benefit plans, often don't even cover hospitalization. But a lot of people buy these plans without realizing just how skimpy the benefits are. Those plans, by the way, won't even be legal after the first of next year. The Affordable Care Act does require that we get some value for what we're paying for, which is another big change, as well, too.
DAVIES: I wanted to focus on that because some people have used the term junk plans. There are plans out there now, which someone can buy and think hey, I'm getting at least catastrophic coverage, and sometimes they're not. That will be different now?
POTTER: It will be very different, and there absolutely are junk plans that are out there today. And some of the biggest insurance companies sell them, and they're very profitable for insurance companies, and a lot of people don't know they're in junk plans until they get sick or injured, and then they find out at a time when it's really quite frankly too late that they're not adequately covered.
And some of them have lifetime or annual caps on how much the insurance companies will pay. And increasingly health insurance plans have very high deductibles. Insurance companies in these cases don't pay anything for coverage until you've paid quite a bit of money out of your own pocket. That's not a bad deal for people who are quite wealthy and people who are healthy and don't really need insurance, but for the rest of us, for folks who get sick occasionally or who get very sick or injured or who are not as young as healthy as we once were, these plans are not necessarily the best things since sliced bread.
So there will be many consumer protections in the law that go into effect on January 1st.
DAVIES: Can those still be offered through employer-based plans?
POTTER: No they cannot be offered through the employer-based plans, either. The Affordable Care Act does require that employers also offer what's called a package of essential benefits, and that's as it should be because even a lot of employers today recruit people with the promise of having or offering health coverage, but often it's not very good health coverage at all.
So going forward, after January 1st, not only will people be assured that they're getting some value for what they're paying if they buy it on their own, but also their employers will have to offer decent coverage, as well.
DAVIES: All right, so there'll be some uniform standards that you have to offer a real insurance plan.
POTTER: That's right.
DAVIES: And it will have to be displayed in such a way that so you can make relatively easy comparisons from plan to plan.
POTTER: Right.
DAVIES: Now, I read last week that a bunch of large insurers have announced they're not going to be offering individual policies on the exchanges. I think you might have written about this.
POTTER: I have.
DAVIES: So if some big insurers aren't going to be offering plans on these online marketplaces, these exchanges, who's going to do it? Are there going to be people there that - are there going to be firms that are going to meet our needs and compete for our business?
POTTER: You know, I think it will vary from state to state. Some states already have many insurance companies that are competing and will, and the exchanges will have many different options, many options that are available on October 1st. Some states not so much because insurers in the past have not really spent, you know, devoted a lot of attention to some states.
But I think most states will have some meaningful choice. Some states, like Vermont in particular, have limited choice. Vermont is moving toward a single-payer plan. So they were not looking to have a lot of plans participating in the exchange. California will have many. Other states will have many. So it will vary from place to place.
But we shouldn't worry that AETNA and CIGNA and United are not going to be in every exchange because they don't have a presence, nor do they have a lot of the expertise, to offer policies in those states in the individual market.
DAVIES: So are you going to see new firms popping up? I've heard of the term co-ops.
POTTER: You're going to see a lot of co-ops. In fact, 23 co-ops have received loans from the federal government to be able to start offering policies beginning January 1. Twenty of those already have been licensed by the individual states. So in those states, and I think probably between now and October 1st, we'll see the other three that will also be licensed.
That will be a brand new choice. Co-ops are going to be locally owned. People who are going to be on the board are people who are from the communities. They will not have the high overhead that the big, national insurance companies have. And those are some of the reasons I think that we'll see that they will offer some of the most affordable choices.
They don't have - they will not have to spend a lot of money rewarding shareholders or paying CEOs exorbitant salaries.
DAVIES: Now, how can a consumer be sure that the co-op will have the resources it needs to pay claims?
POTTER: Well, first of all they have to be licensed by the state Department of Insurance. And one of the things that the Department of Insurance will look at is the ability of the - of any insurance company that wants to do business in the state, that they have the financial wherewithal to be able to do that, and they have enough money in reserves to be able to pay claims.
So solvency is a very important thing that insurance departments look at, and if they think that a co-op is not positioned to be solvent, then they won't be approved. But like I said, at least 20 already have been licensed to be approved and to operate in those states.
DAVIES: We're speaking with Wendell Potter. He spent years as a public relations executive in the insurance industry. He's now a senior analyst at the Center for Public Integrity. You can also read his blog at wendellpotter.com. We'll talk more after a short break. This is FRESH AIR.
DAVIES: This is FRESH AIR, and if you're just joining us, our guest is Wendell Potter. He's a former public relations executive in the insurance industry. He's now a senior analyst at the Center for Public Integrity and a columnist for Huffington Post. He also has his own blog at wendellpotter.com.
And we're talking about the impending requirements of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, what it's going to mean for consumers and for health insurance in the United States.
There's a lot of uneasiness about the Affordable Care Act, and there are a lot of people who never liked it and are going to do, you know, do what they can to stoke that. But there are also issues that come up. People are talking about rising insurance premiums. I mean, I work for a mid-sized employer, and our Blue Cross rates went up 20 percent this year. To what extent are we seeing this, and to what extent can it be reasonably attributed to Obamacare?
POTTER: Very little of the increases that we've seen so far can be attributed to Obamacare. What people often don't know and that the critics of the law would like for us to forget is that between 2000 and 2010, private insurance premiums increased 131 percent. And this is in the employer market. That's significant.
That means that in almost every year, there was double-digit increases in premiums. And that is because insurance companies have shown that they're just simply not able to keep a lid on health care costs. So what they have been doing is just making sure that they have a certain profit that's built in over and above what they expect to pay in medical claims.
So it's been going up for a long, long time, and in fact just a couple of years ago, the insurance commissioner in Colorado did an analysis of the rate increases in Colorado to determine how much, if any, was attributable to Obamacare, and it was about two percent. So two percent of the increase at that time was attributable to some of the elements of Obamacare.
But keep in mind once again that the Affordable Care Act does not largely affect employment-based insurance except for those small companies, small to mid-sized companies that are offering inadequate coverage that will not meet the essential benefits requirement.
DAVIES: Now there was, I believe, a Congressional Budget Office report that estimated that by 2022, which I guess is, what, nine year from now, about seven million people would lose or drop employer-based coverage. Is this a concern?
POTTER: I don't think it's a concern because we've been seeing that happen over the past several years. I've been watching this for many years and watched it while I was in the insurance industry. We've seen a steady decline in the number of companies that are offering coverage.
And a lot of that decline has been in the small to mid-sized marketplace. And one of the reasons for this is because of the practices of the insurance companies. There's a practice in the insurance industry known as purging, and this affects small employers in particular, almost exclusively.
And the way it works is when an employee or a dependent gets sick or injured, and there are high medical bills, the insurance company will then take another look at whether they're charging enough. And based on that maybe experience of one person, when the policy comes up for renewal, they'll jack the rates up really high, often so high...
DAVIES: That's the rates for everybody in that employer group, that company.
POTTER: Exactly.
DAVIES: That company finds that the next year, suddenly their rates are higher because their employees needed some care.
POTTER: That's right, and it could have been just one employee. In many cases, the employer has - or the small business owner has said I can't afford this anymore. We've been seeing that happen for many, many years. It has been a steady decline. Fewer people get coverage through their workplace now, on a percentage basis, than 10 or 15 years ago.
So that would be a continuation of a trend. And I do think that as the exchanges become more viable, as people know more about them and see that there are plans of value and that they can get coverage at a discounted rate, that we will see more and more people signing up for coverage in the exchanges.
But on the other hand, the Affordable Care Act does provide tax credits to small employers to offer coverage. So we're seeing a lot of small employers offering coverage now for the first time. I've met a lot of small business owners who have said they just simply couldn't do it in the past, but that one provision of the law has been very helpful to them.
There are a lot of small businesses that are offering coverage now because of these tax advantages that are available to them than has ever been the case in the past. In fact, small businesses have been at a distinct disadvantage to large employers. So this kind of levels the playing field.
DAVIES: Wendell Potter is a senior analyst at the Center for Public Integrity and a contributor to the Huffington Post. He'll be back in the second half of the show. I'm Dave Davies, and this is FRESH AIR.
DAVIES: This is FRESH AIR I'm Dave Davies in for Terry Gross who is off this week. We're looking at what to expect from implementation of the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare. Online insurance marketplaces, called exchanges, will be offering policies on October 1st with tax credits available for those who meet income guidelines. And penalties for certain people who decline coverage will be in effect next year.
We're speaking with Wendell Potter, a former health insurance industry spokesmen who left and wrote a book critical of the industry. He's now a senior analyst for the Center for Public Integrity and a contributor to the Huffington Post.
You know, it was recently announced that the administration would delay the requirement that employers of what, up to 50 people either offer insurance or pay a penalty. And folks looked at this and said ah ha, even they realized that this is a Rube Goldberg contraption; it's dysfunctional, it's unworkable.
POTTER: Well, first of all, it is a complicated law. We have probably the most complicated health care system on the planet. And there were a lot of problems that needed to be addressed and the Affordable Care Act tries to address as many as possible. And there will be some unintended consequences, and as we are seeing, some delay in the implementation of some of the provisions of act, such as the one you mentioned, of postponing for one year the requirement that certain large - midsize - and large businesses have to offer coverage. But keep in mind also, that the vast majority of them already offer coverage. It really wasn't going to apply or affect many employers at all. Employers, 50 employers are less, are exempted from that requirement. And 94 percent of employers with between 51 and 199 employees also already offer coverage. And I think 98 percent of larger employers offer coverage. So it was not going to apply to many people to start with or many companies to start with. And it's not an indication that it's unworkable, it's just an acknowledgment that a lot has to be done between now and January the 1st. this is one thing that can be postponed for year because it doesn't affect a lot of companies or individuals.
DAVIES: We've been talking about these online exchanges, which are supposed to go live October 1st, which offer policies. The main way the Affordable Care Act, as I understand it, was to expand insurance to those previously uninsured was through a dramatic expansion in Medicaid - the government-sponsored program for poor folks. And, of course, the Supreme Court in its ruling, which upheld the act in the main, found that the federal government could not require the states to accept this expansion, which was largely funded by federal funds, I believe, for the first several years. So a lot of states are declining to expand Medicaid. Where does that leave poor folks in those states?
POTTER: Well, first of all, about 24 states have indicated that they're going to be expanding coverage - and that includes some of the bigger states, New York and California and Illinois are among them. But some of the largest have also said that they are not planning to expand at least in 2014 - Texas and Florida among those states. There's some that still haven't decided. And people who are poor in those states; they're going to have to wait, unfortunately, because of political decisions that are being made. I think we will see though, that by 2015 - and maybe even in 2014 - some of these states will change their minds.
These are political decisions. There are a lot of members of state legislatures and governors who are just not willing to approve anything that is a part of Obamacare. It's become a very ideological issue in the states, as well as in Congress. But I think already, we're seeing that some of the states led by Republicans are understanding that this makes sense. Arizona and New Jersey are both states that have Republican governors, and in Arizona, it's pretty much a red state. But it will be expanding the Medicaid program because it's not just the right thing to do, but it makes economic sense. And here's why. When you have more people covered you're doing something about the cost shift that increases the cost of coverage for people who have private insurance.
People who don't have insurance, they still get sick and they still get injured, and most of them when they do, go to the emergency room. Hospitals can't often collect money from those folks because they don't have the money to pay for it. They can't turn them away. It's called uncompensated care, but that's a misnomer. Somebody has to pay for that care, and that somebody is you and me if we have private coverage. We're paying more for private coverage because of the so called uncompensated care. So it just makes sense to give more people coverage so that they're getting care in the most appropriate setting, not in the emergency rooms.
The other thing is that hospitals in those states will not be getting the same amount of money they have in the past. There's something called disproportionate share - money that comes from the federal government - to that helps a lot of hospitals stay open. Those hospitals have a disproportionate number of poor people or are in rural areas, that money is going to go away because of the intended expansion of Medicaid.
DAVIES: That's going to be away for everybody, you're saying.
POTTER: That's right.
DAVIES: For all of those hospitals.
POTTER: All of those hospitals.
DAVIES: So if you don't participate in expanded Medicaid then you will be left holding the bill.
POTTER: Exactly. And those hospitals in those states are going to be really suffering. And I think that you've seen a lot of hospitals already in those states trying to explain this to lawmakers. And I think when you start seeing some of these hospitals closing, shutting down, people losing their jobs as well as health care options going away, that the states will begin to reconsider.
DAVIES: You and I are having this conversation in the state of Pennsylvania, where Governor Tom Corbett has so far not accepted Medicaid expansion. And what he says is it looks like a great deal in the first couple of years, but the federal government has a history of unfunded mandates, of breaking promises, and his fear is that in a few years Pennsylvania taxpayers will be on the stick for a huge bill.
POTTER: Well, that's his point of view and every governor has a point of view. But in the Affordable Care Act, the federal government for the first few years will be paying 100 percent of the expansion of the Medicaid program, and never less than 90 percent. It will reduce overtime to 90 percent but it will not drop down below that. And you've seen the existing programs meet a great need for a lot of Americans. The Medicare program and the existing Medicaid program meets a great need. And in the existing Medicaid program, the federal government still pays a significant percentage of the coverage for poor individuals in a given state.
DAVIES: So let's talk about what happens if you're poor and you're in a state that has not accepted Medicaid expansion, your option then is to - after October 1st - go to one of these online marketplaces...
POTTER: Right.
DAVIES: ...the individual exchanges, and shop for insurance, right?
POTTER: That's correct.
DAVIES: And under what circumstances do you get help in the government and in what way?
POTTER: Well, unfortunately, for people in the states where the states will not be expanding the Medicaid program, they will be facing a dilemma. They will be able to buy coverage on the exchanges but the way the law is structured, it was the assumption that every state would expand. So the subsidies are available for those who are making incomes between 133 and 138 percent of the federal poverty level and 400 percent. So people who would otherwise be eligible for Medicaid are not, as the law is currently written, they won't be eligible for the subsidies. That is something that Congress and the states really need to focus on.
DAVIES: It was expected that the poor would have Medicaid...
POTTER: Right.
DAVIES: ...and those slightly better off still struggling with me subsidies. So the poor are really left out the pot.
POTTER: They really are. And that's another thing that's so dismaying about the states that are saying they're going to take a pass on expanding the Medicaid program, because the most vulnerable in those states are the ones that are going to be suffering the worst.
DAVIES: Now the logical thing to do would be for Congress to say wait a minute, we should offer at least the same subsidy for the poorest as those who are slightly better off.
POTTER: Right.
DAVIES: But this Congress - given the polarization and the partisan divide - not likely to do that.
POTTER: It's not likely to do that. I don't think that we're going to see much of anything out of Congress pertaining to health care reform in the foreseeable future. I think we got all that we could get in 2010, when the Affordable Care Act was passed. And the Republicans have, you know, what they have tried to do, in the House anyway, is to repeal the legislation. Democrats have been resisting that, for obvious reasons. Neither - the Democrats don't necessarily want to open up the act because of concerns that it could be weakened in other ways. So it's a dilemma. I don't know if the administration can do something without congressional action, or if the states can do something without the federal government, but it is something that is going to be a real gap and I think is another reason why the states ultimately will come around to expanding the Medicaid programs.
DAVIES: Our guest is Wendell Potter. He is a senior analyst at the Center for Public Integrity. He also writes a column for the Huffington Post and has a blog you can email@example.com.
We'll talk more after a break. This is FRESH AIR.
DAVIES: This is FRESH AIR. And if you're just joining us, our guest is Wendell Potter. He spent many years as a public relations executive in the health insurance industry. He's now a senior analyst at the Center for Public Integrity. He also writes a blog @WendellPotter.com.
There is a critique of the logic of the Affordable Care Act, which predicts what some people call a death spiral for the insurance company. The logic is this: that for individual people who don't have policies, they'll look at their options and those say well, I can go to these exchanges, these marketplaces, and buy insurance, but it's kind of expensive. It's more expensive than me paying the penalty for not buying it, and now the insurance companies have to take me even if I'm sick. So I'll just decline coverage. I'll get insurance when I get sick, which means that the insurance companies won't have the benefit of the bigger risk pool of healthy people. They'll be treating a lot more sick people. That will be hard on them. It will drive up their cost. That will drive up premiums, which will make the healthy individuals even more unlikely to get insurance, and that the insurance companies enter into a death spiral. What about this?
POTTER: Well, that's the theory and I don't think it's one that will hold up. And here's why: most of the people that I have talked with who are uninsured don't want to be uninsured. They realize they're taking a big risk. And in most cases they are very frustrated that they can't buy coverage at any price because they've been turned down by insurance companies, and once you've been turned down by one, chances are you going to be turned down by everyone else that you apply to. So that's the thing I think will work against that theory. People want to get coverage and if they can see that they can get coverage, and if they are low to moderate income get a discount on that coverage, then I think that they will sign up.
There will be a significant marketing and educational effort - if you will - to explain to people what their options are and what their responsibilities are under this act. Sure, they're going to be some people who want to shirk their individual responsibility, just as there are some people who don't want to buy auto insurance. But most people, I think, will want to get insured. And I think that you'll see that both young people and older folks will want to get coverage, and that this death spiral that is speculated to happen really will not.
DAVIES: The Affordable Care Act had some provisions which were designed to reduce health care costs. Are they working?
POTTER: They are working, and I think that we will see that they will continue to work. One is the expansion of the Medicaid program in the states that are expanding it. One is to bring more people into coverage through the exchanges. The more people you get covered, the better able you are to remove cost from the system, because people who don't have coverage go to the emergency room, they get care in typically, the most expensive and least appropriate setting. When people have coverage, when they are in a plan, they will be able to go to a physician or to a hospital that is covered in their network or under their plan and not resort to having to wait until they are very, very sick to get coverage in the emergency room. So that is one way.
The other thing - among the other things that it is doing - it is getting hospitals and doctors and health care payers - that meaning employers and insurance companies - to work more collaboratively through accountable care organizations - as they are called - in the act, which is unique because we seem that competition really has not worked well. The so-called free market system hasn't worked at all as in health care as it has in other sectors of the economy. This provides some structure for there to be both competition and collaboration that will serve to bring costs down by making sure that care is focused on individual patients, and that those that are participating in the affordable care - excuse me in the accountable care organizations - are doing what they do best.
A hospital, for example, or a physician can have - and does have - better success trying to get a patient to adhere to a diet or to do something differently to modify their behaviors than an insurance company can, so why would an insurance company want to continue to do something that can be better done by a physician or hospital?
DAVIES: We're speaking in the summer of 2013. In October, we're going to have these online marketplaces, the exchanges to up online, and then January 1st, the individual mandate, those requirements will be in effect. What are you expecting to see over the next year? Your best guess.
POTTER: Over the next year, I think you will see that, first of all, not everybody is going to sign up for coverage on October the 1st, just like when we are signing up for open enrollment at a workplace, many of us will wait until closer to the end of that open enrollment period to sign up. But we'll see that people, over the course of time between October the 1st and January the 1st, people will become more and more familiar with it. They'll be signing up for it.
And I think that, well, on January the 1st, there will be plenty of people who will not have signed up. Some will find out that they have to pay a penalty. It's not going to be an onerous penalty. But I think you will see that most people who not insured will get insurance because they want to be insured.
The people I saw at that fairground in Wise County, Virginia, they were not there by choice. They would much prefer going to a doctor. They didn't like getting care in a barn or animal stall, and for obvious reasons. And I think that you will see that people will understand this makes sense. And if the benefits can be explained to them as benefits - what's in it for them - then we'll see the Affordable Care Act will work as intended.
And I think you'll see, over time, more and more people signing up for coverage in the years to come. I think you'll see the states that are not going to be expanding their Medicaid programs in 2014, they will in 2015 or down the road. I think it's going to work.
DAVIES: You said when you were an executive, you were in a different neighborhood, and you just didn't see the people out there struggling and in need. Now that you've been out of it a while, do you ever wonder that maybe you've been out of the industry, and you're not seeing their struggles, their challenges clearly? That there might be parts of their experience that you're not giving due credit to?
POTTER: Well, I do know that even though I haven't been there now for about five years, that they are having to adjust to a different world. There are new regulations they have to abide by. There are consumer protections that are going to be going into effect. So they're having to spend quite a bit of time and resources to get ready for some of these very important consumer protections. So their world is changing.
One thing that isn't changing for the big for-profits is pressure from Wall Street. One of my responsibilities was handling financial communications to the media. So I had to know how these companies made money. And I had to know what their obligations were to shareholders and to Wall Street financial analysts. That has not gone away. These companies operate quarter to quarter.
They have to demonstrate every three months that they're meeting shareholders' expectations or their stock is going to take a hit. So a lot hasn't changed in that regard, but they're also going to be having to abide by some new long overdue consumer protections.
DAVIES: Wendell Potter, thanks so much for speaking with us.
POTTER: Thank you, Dave.
DAVIES: Wendell Potter is a former health insurance public relations executive. He's now a senior analyst for the Center for Public Integrity and a contributor to the Huffington Post. His book about insurance industry communication strategies is called "Deadly Spin." Coming up, Ken Tucker reviews Jay-Z's new album "Magna Carta Holy Grail." This is FRESH AIR. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Artist Statement
Fascinated by its volcanoes and geysers, I've wanted to go to Iceland since I was a child. I was inspired by Simon Roberts' book Motherland and the film N_i alb_n_i, especially by the country's colors and atmosphere during the winter time. The idea was to travel alone around Iceland by car during the coldest, gloomiest time, when the sun is up for less than five and a half hours during the day. I guess I was the only "tourist" in the country at that time. I wanted to document how the people cope with their everyday lives in these conditions. Instead, I was struck by the beautiful, bleak, raw and simple landscapes that perfectly described my feelings.
Tom Kondrat | See All Editions
'I was born in Warsaw, Poland. When I was a child, my parents worked as freelance photographers in their spare time. I traveled with them every weekend, observing how they photograph local tourist attractions for travel and promotional magazines. At that time I found it very boring. Then one day my father gave me one of his cameras - Praktica B200. He quickly showed me how to focus and told me not to go below 1/60s for shutter speed. I remember we were photographing swamps at the national park that day. I took a picture of a birch almost falling into the water with a beautifully reflected light from the sun. I got that photograph published in a tourism magazine and even got paid for it. I was 12 at that time.
More than 10 years later I picked up photography again, out of boredom. I was studying financial computing in London but instead of attending the lectures and getting ready for the exams, I explored the area on my bicycle with a compact camera in my pocket. I soon developed an unreasonable passion for photography, I spent all my savings for professional equipment, dropped out of uni and started my first photography course.'
Tom Kondrat has a rich wide approach to static shots that speaks in volumes. Unlike the photos which play the supporting role to their subjects, Tom's works reveal a kind of temperature and delicacy which is seen only in classical paintings. Photographing for Tom is a meditation. Traveling around the world to take pictures is a spiritual journey for him - a trip inside to find the borders of his own fears and limits.
Tom's work has been published internationally and shown in galleries of London, Beijing and Taipei. He currently lives and works in Taiwan. For his latest body of work, Tom is working with a Swiss woodworking master to build one of the largest camera of its kind. He is using it together with 19th century photography processes to create one of a kind, huge negatives of the Taiwanese landscape to channel the aesthetics of traditional Chinese ink painting. He also works on three other projects about typhoons, death and environmental issues.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Name: Alvaro
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Location: Mexico
Hi, I'm concerned because I never shoot when I cum. I dribble. I don't like the way I cum, can you advice me how to cum shooting?? Is there anything I can do? Is it my fault or I was born with a less powered gun than others?? Sorry to bother. And thx for your help.
The problem you describe is a common one. And the solution is relatively simple. It lies in, of all things, muscle mechanics. An ejaculation is primarily a muscle contraction — built up energy being released — thus the spurt. No spurt, or a dribble most likely indicates poor muscle tone. But there's an easy and fun solution, or more properly an exercise. Kegel exercises to be precise.
Let's start at the beginning, which is always a good place to begin, don't 'cha know. Your prostate is the source of your ejaculate. You have a handle on that concept, right? Good! Now picture a turkey baster. Imagine your prostate as the bulb on the one end and your dick as stalk with a hole in it at the other end. Picture the baster pointed upward, like your cock with an erection. Imagine the bulb is full of fluid and you need to get that fluid out the bulb, up the stalk and out the hole…just like your spooge when you cum. How ya gonna do that? A firm grasp on the bulb and a hefty squeeze, that's how!
So Alvaro, if you're dribblin' instead of shootin', your muscles need to be strengthened and toned. And like I said, I have just the right exercises for you.
Anyone who is paying the least bit of attention to the ranting and raving of Dr Dick will immediately be familiar with Kegel exercises. I talk about them a lot. And those who haven't been paying attention — listen up, you monkeys! Kegel exercises serve to tone and strengthen the pubococcygeus muscle or as we in the know like to call it, the "PC" muscle, which is part of the muscle group at the floor of the pelvis. The health of this muscle group plays a vital role in getting you up and getting you off, as well as in other aspects of healthy genital functioning.
Kegel exercises help increase blood flow to the genital area (getting you up). And Kegel exercises strengthen and tone the muscles that are involved in ejaculation (getting you off). If you exercise this muscle regularly, you'll gain greater control over the timing and strength of your ejaculations. Kegel exercises can also prevent incontinence and other problems associated with aging, but we'll save that for another time.
So you're probably saying to yourself, "sure, Dr Dick, I'd like to strengthen my PC muscle, but I never even heard of that muscle, let along know where to fine it."
Alrighty then, Alvaro, here's what ya do. Work up a full bladder, the more full your bladder the better. Go to the john and sit on the toilet. (Yeah, just like a girl!) Now let the pee flow. As you're doin' that, I want you to interrupt the stream of piss several times before you empty your bladder. The muscle you are using to do this is your PC muscle. Look to distinguish between your PC muscles and your anal sphincter muscles. With a little practice you'll become adept at separating out these two muscle groups. Actually strengthening all your pelvic muscles is a swell idea, especially for power bottoms, but again we'll save that topic for another time too.
Now that you have located your PC muscle, you can exercise it at will, even when your bladder is completely empty. First, try squeezing your PC muscles as hard as you can for a count of three seconds. Then relax. Repeat this till you feel the muscles tiring. How fun is this?
I want you to work for both muscle strength and tone. For example, start with five strong prolonged squeezes (5 seconds apiece). Relax. Then do a series of 10 rapid contractions in a row. Doing three sets of each twice a day for a week is your goal. When you are ready to proceed try increasing this to three sets of eight to ten prolonged squeezes and 20 rapid contractions in a set. The advanced Kegeler will be able to vary the type and timing of his PC squeezing; slow clenches to quick flutters.
If you keep this up, you'll be shootin' jizz across the room in no time. And the beauty part of Kegel exercises is you can do them whenever and wherever you like. You can be sitting in a meeting with your boss and be doing your Kegel exercises. You can argue with your boyfriend/girlfriend and be doing your Kegel exercises. You can be watching reruns of Leave It To Beaver with your maiden aunt and be doing your Kegel exercises. Who would have guessed improving your sexual health would be such a pleasure?
If you're serious about all of this, I have else to share with you. This is The Private Gym. It's the first interactive, follow-along exercise program that helps men strengthen the muscles that support and control our cock. As men approach age 30, the muscles that support erectile function begin to weaken. By age 40, more than 50% of men experience some form of erectile dysfunction and this number increases to more then 66% as men approach 60 years of age. And for all you bottoms out there, you know how important it is to keep anal muscles in tip-top, pardon the pun, shape. And, just in case you didn't know, The Private Gym won the coveted Best Health Related Product or Toy of 2014 as compiled by the Dr Dick Review Crew. So how about them apples?
Good luck


text:
NRO's Phi Beta Cons brings us Senator Cornyn's letter to DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff:
Dear Secretary Chertoff:
I write to you regarding Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi, the former Taliban spokesman currently attending Yale University on a student visa.
In 2005, Congress passed the REAL ID Act and expanded the terror-related grounds of inadmissibility. Under current law, an alien is inadmissible or removable on terror-related grounds if he is a representative of any designated or nondesignated terrorist organization. Further, an alien is inadmissible or removable if the alien endorses or espouses terrorist activity or persuades others to endorse or espouse terrorist activity or support a terrorist organization. The REAL ID is clear that the grounds of inadmissibility and removal apply regardless of when the conduct in question occurred.
Mr. Hashemi was an official spokesman for the Taliban, which gave safe haven and other material support to Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, and continued to do so even after the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Yet the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) admitted him into the United States on an F-1 student visa. I would like to know what steps the Department of Homeland Security is taking to determine whether Mr. Hashemi was properly admitted and whether the Department of Homeland Security will seek to deport Mr. Hashemi under one of the terror-related grounds of removal.
I am also concerned about the Department of Homeland Security


text:
- Fighting to Put Students First
- Narrated by: Shannon McManus
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 05-02-13
- Language: English
- Publisher: HarperAudio
- Whispersync for Voice-ready
Regular price: £27.69
For the past 18 years, Michelle Rhee has dedicated herself to providing children with the skills and knowledge they need to compete in a changing world. As a teacher in inner-city Baltimore, chancellor of the Washington, DC, schools, and founder of the advocacy organization Students First, she has been guided by one principle: to prioritize the interests of children. Through her own failures and successes in the classroom, she gained a tremendous respect for the hard work that teachers do. She also learned the lesson that would drive her: Teachers are the most powerful influence on student achievement in our schools. But our educational system is broken. American children are being eclipsed by their peers in other countries like Finland, South Korea, and Singapore, and their rank will continue to plummet unless the problem is addressed immediately.
Part memoir, part manifesto, Radical is this fearless advocate's incisive, intensely personal call-to-arms. Rhee combines the story of her own extraordinary experience with dozens of compelling examples from schools she's worked in and studied-from students from unspeakable home lives who have thrived in the classroom to teachers whose radical methods have produced unprecedented leaps in achievement.
Radical chronicles Rhee's awakening to the potential of every child, her rage at the special interests blocking badly-needed change, and her recognition that it will take a grassroots movement to create outstanding public schools. As she outlines concrete steps that will put us on a dramatically different course, she offers inspiration and a sense of possibility for a brighter future for our children.
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- Marie
- 10-04-13
Good read after seeing Waiting for Superman
If you have seen the documentary Waiting for Superman and liked it, this is a great followup, featuring one of the people from the movie, Michelle Rhee, who was in charge of the DC Public School system.
The book is a bit more of a biography as her life relates to public education. There is the life of her Korean parents, her upbringing, her college years, working in the Baltimore schools, and then the meat of the book, her role as Chancellor of DCPS. What you get is her point of view, and not an attempt at an unbiased/biased analysis of education reform. You get her views and impression of then Mayor Adrian Fenty and union head Randi Weingarten. You also get her passion for wanting better for inner city kids. The passion and desire come through clearly with the narration.
I am a resident of DC and have lived in the District since the Mayor Williams years. I was very aware of the many challenges Rhee faced. Parts about the sheer amount of waste she found made me very angry, because I know there are parts of DC government that are still that way. I am also very aware that this is just her point of view and she leaves out voices that are not hers, which is understandable. She tries to be inclusive, like with an example of why people wanted to keep a school open for reasons that had more to do with community spirit and nothing to do with education.
I finished the book feeling a sense of gratitude to Mayor Fenty and the changes that he made. I also left with a feeling that too many inner city and poor kids are getting screwed for no good reason and it is up to parents and regular citizens to change things.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
- Nupezb
- 22-02-13
Made sense to me…
If you could sum up Radical in three words, what would they be?
After watching Michelle Rhee from the side lines, I thought I would read her book to gain more insight into her thought process and tenure as Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools. I must say, I thought she was spot on in her assessments of putting Students First. My wife and I are in the process of looking where to send our child for Kindergarten. Our criteria were pretty simple we were looking at the quality of the teachers, teacher to student ratio, curriculum, differentiated services, and school facilities (classroom quality etc). We looked at the local public school and a few private schools. Although our local public school did offer some services we were still concerned about their differentiated lesson plans. I believe most parents are concerned about the quality of their children education and if it's subpar what actions do they have to improve it. If you live in a low income/poor community, your options are probably very limited. This book basically states this should not be the case.
Michelle Rhee is absolutely correct when she says that we have to be an advocate for ensuring we have great teachers, access to great schools, and effective use of public dollars when educating our kids regardless of community. Ensuring that we hold ineffective educators accountable and not just move them to another school seems very rational to me. Educating our children is a bipartisan issue and holding our politicians accountable to ensure every community has access to our standing schools and educators should be the standard not the exception.
Several people will be turned off from this book because Michelle Rhee is on the cover, to me that would be a tragedy. After reading this book I went to her website and registered.
What about Shannon McManus's performance did you like?
She was great.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
- Andy
- 10-02-13
breakthroughs to leverage in the years ahead
Fast moving recap of Michelle Rhee's rapid ascent, progress and exit from the Washington D.C. school system. The story underscores the need for leadership and support from your boss, as well as the power of numbers (voters, that is) that the unions have. Great narration too.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
- Niall
- 13-02-13
Not much new here
What would have made Radical better?
I would have preferred if she shared her views on what would make schools better or worse. For the most part the criticism for schools is that they are "bad" and should be "good". That the levels of proficiency in math and science are "low" and they should be "high" and the best solution is the get "better" teachers. I wanted her to say what kinds of traits and behaviors make a better teacher or what makes a better atmosphere for learning. She did share her views on the voucher system (she is for it in cases that it allows kids to get better education results) and for strong teacher evaluation including kids ranking the teachers. However, more of this book is on her personal story of growing up, getting jobs, rubbing shoulders with important people and occasionally complaining about the teachers union. for Michelle Rhee's views on the teachers unions watch the big documentaries on education reform today such as The Cartel and Waiting for Superman (starring Michelle Rhee) also on the topic of education reform I recommend The War on Kids
Any additional comments?
I still hope that Rhee works to make schools better, the reforms she suggests are too simple to fill a book but are difficult to fill a life's work. she is indeed a hero- When she has something more to say- I hope to listen
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
- Alan
- 06-12-17
Great source
I like that she can back up what she says with results. Unlike the leaders in the current system, she has proof that her ideas work. If we want to know how to reform education, Michelle Rhee is a great place to start.
- sibigi lipford-transou
- 14-04-15
Michelle Rhee
Everything I know about Michelle Rhee, I learned through the media in the Washington, DC media. After the book Radical, I have a new respect for Michelle Rhee and her passion to improve public education.
- Gary
- 15-03-13
Excellent Review of the Issues in US Education
Would you consider the audio edition of Radical to be better than the print version?
I excellent review of the current state of education in the USA by someone who was on the front lines. Rhee clearly lays out the issues and offers common sense solutions to the problems. A must read for every parent, grandparent, tax payer, and anyone who is interested in the survival of the USA.
- Marvin
- 04-03-13
Very Good Read
What made the experience of listening to Radical the most enjoyable?
Ms. Rhee has told an excellent story and has given us all something to seriously think about in education reform.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Book made me very sad for all of the missed opportunities for our educational system. The author has exposed a lot of very one-sided arguments and people not focusing on the students and student achievement.
Any additional comments?
Should be mandatory reading for every tax payer in the country!


text:
Top al Qaeda terrorist Abu Laith al-Libi was killed Monday night or early Tuesday in a missile strike by a Predator drone that demolished a "safe house" in North Waziristan, Pakistan. A number of other terrorists were also killed in the attack.
al-Libi may have ranked as high as third in the al Qaeda hierarchy, behind bin Laden and Zawahiri. A top operations chief, he planned the bombing at the U.S. base at Bagram in Afghanistan during a visit by Cheney in February 2007. Eric Rosenbach, executive director of the Center for International Affairs at Harvard's Kennedy School, makes this interesting observation:
Rosenbach said militants who rise to No. 3 al-Qaida positions, like al-Libi, are often in charge of planning operations, exposing them to capture or death. Others he named included Mohammed Atef, who was killed, and Abu Faraj al-Libbi, who was captured.
"It has to be one of the most dangerous jobs on earth. They generally don't last longer than a year–mostly because the al-Qaida chief of operations has a large 'signature' resulting from planning operations," he said. "Our intelligence has done an excellent job in tracking them down."
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text: L.S., My name is Jan Marten de Jong. I'm a student of the university of Twente (The Netherlands) and I'm studying applied communications. This trimester I have to make an essay for Philosophy. I'd like to do it about bio-technology. More specificly, about identification (DNA fingerprinting for crime, insurance issues, screening of large populations, etc.) Now I wondered if maybe somebody has written about this subject. Maybe there is some information on the net about it, or someone has got an article about it. If you have something for me you can mail me (j.m.dejong at student.utwente.nl) or you can post it in this newsgroup. Thanks already! Jan Marten de Jong Enschede, The Netherlands


text:
Apples are finally in season and there are many varieties of apples to choose from. No matter what variety you choose, you can always feel great about eating apples. They are naturally free of fat, cholesterol, and sodium, low in calories, and a good source of dietary fiber. Apples are also a great baking fruit.
This month, Covenant Care facilities will be cooking up a variety of recipes using apples, as well as creating displays to educate our staff, residents and families. The kitchen will incorporate apples in some creative ways, from pastries, muffins, crisps, to salads, pork loin, bacon apple cheese burgers, or chicken apple wraps. This is all part of the Enhanced Dining services which includes the "Dietitians Healthy Pick of the Month".
A couple fun facts:
A survey by the American Pie Council and Crisco found that apple pie is the favorite flavor among one out of four Americans, followed by pumpkin pie, chocolate pie, lemon meringue, and cherry.
The term "as American as apple pie" traces back to 14th century England. The Pilgrims brought their pie-making skills, along with the apple seeds to America. As the popularity of apple pie spread throughout the nation, the phrase grew to symbolize American prosperity.
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Sheriff in US defiant over appointment of monitor
PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona sheriff's office found to have racially profiled Latinos is opposing the appointment of an independent monitor to help remedy the issue.
The move disclosed in a court filing Friday could result in a judge ordering the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department to comply with constitutional requirements.
In May, U.S. District Judge Murray Snow found that Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office singled out Latinos, and that deputies unreasonably prolonged detentions, marking the first finding by a court that the agency engages in racial profiling.
Arpaio's office is appealing.
Snow delayed issuing orders in the case in June after both parties indicated they wanted time to work toward an agreement.
The joint filing on Friday indicated the judge would have to provide more guidance during an Aug. 30 status conference given the lack of agreement on a proposed consent decree.


text:
to commemorate the passage of timeWednesday, January 10, 2007
As I have mentioned in my previous posts, I am traveling to Colorado to help a dear friend celebrate her big "4-0".
Along with the Camellia, I thought I would make her a korknisse. After drinking her celebratory bottle (o.k., bottles) of wine I will pop one of the corks into the sweater and hat so that she can remember her special day. I originally saw these on Elliphantom when Elli made several for Christmas gifts. I added a little star with a "40", and hope this little guy sits on a shelf and collects 60 years of dust!
They were so fun to make, I decided to make 3 little guys to symbolize my 3 little guys. (2 guys and a gal) :) Sitting at my kitchen window, they really do make me smile. The pattern can be found here.
Libby and I charted out her flowers for her messenger bag, and this is what will be knit on on the plane. Can you imagine an airplane ride without the kiddos? Sounds like quality knitting time to me!
I finished the Slouchy Cardigan, Love it, and will post pictures when I return.
7 comments
I have never understood felting or the desire to make your own handbag, until I saw that messenger bag with the flower!! How cute!!!ReplyDelete
And if you are in Denver and want a little out of town yarn/crafting fun - try the Lambe Shoppe - wonderful fun shop with good help (and Coppelia's - she is a little crazy but the yarn is amazing) and fancy tiger for the most interesting crafting supplies, books and local stuff.
Have a great trip!


text:
Fugitive of the Week found in Central Street basement
April 01. 2014 8:27AM
MANCHESTER — Manchester Police K-9 Link tracked down a "Fugitive of the Week" hiding in the basement of a Central Street apartment house late Monday afternoon.
Antonio Jose Clough, 30, also known as Antonio Touch, was wanted for federal violations of supervised release on an underlying conviction from 2010 for selling cocaine.
Based on several tips and information developed by the New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force, investigators learned Clough was living in an apartment in the 400 block of Central Street.
Late Monday afternoon, several members of the U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force, including the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Manchester police and deputy U.S. Marshals went to the apartment building. K-9 Link was brought to the scene and the police dog quickly found Clough hiding in the basement. He was arrested without incident.
Clough is being detained in Merrimack County jail, pending a court appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Concord.
He was featured as a "Fugitive of the Week" on Jan. 30, which resulted in tips being phoned in to law enforcement.


text:
Kingston Natural Foods Market and Buying Club in Ulster County
Kingston Natural Foods Market — and its homegrown buying club in Kingston, Ulster County — offer healthy, organic foods at affordable rates
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In 2007, Jennifer McKinley, a certified holistic nutrition counselor, organized a buying club for friends and clients who wanted healthy foods at low prices. Through the club, Kingston Natural Foods, members purchased organic products in bulk from United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI), and picked up their goodies in Jennifer's driveway on delivery day. Before long, the original group of about 15 households had grown to 250 members, making Kingston Natural Foods the second-largest club nationwide dealing with UNFI — and earning members even more mouthwatering discounts.
Last spring, McKinley opened Kingston Natural Foods Market in a long, skinny storefront in the Rondout district, offering organic groceries to the public, and also allowing club members the convenience of picking up their orders from the store on Thursday, Friday or Saturday, instead of having to convene at a prearranged time.
Those who join the buying club find that UNFI offers a staggering selection of foods, including staples like rices, nuts, seeds, beans, oats, flours — "just on and on," McKinley says. "The bigger the bag, the better the price." And if you don't want an enormous bag of whatever, you can split items when you order online. "Walnuts are pretty expensive, and I wouldn't want to buy a 25-pound bag by myself," explains McKinley. "So I'd put that I wanted two pounds of a 25-pound bag, and other people looking to split things can see my invitation." McKinley keeps an eye on what members want to split and buys small, still-unsold portions of a bulk item to close the deal. "That's another luxury of this buying club that you don't have elsewhere," she notes. That surplus pound or two that she buys winds up in the shop for walk-in customers.
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» Visit Kingston Natural Foods Market in Kingston, NY
» Visit other Hudson Valley CSAs and buying groups
» Read more from The Accidental Foodie blog
» Visit our Hudson Valley Food & Drink Guide
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By Ben Hayward | Spanish Football Writer
This was a time for heroes. Two sloppy goals conceded against France and Finland had suddenly left Spain staring at second spot in Group I and the possibility of a playoff to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil next year. A champions' performance was required - and it duly arrived.
Pressed back early on by a fired-up France side in Paris, Spain soon found their way as Xabi Alonso pinged passes in and around the locals' area and one such move started from deep saw Andres Iniesta find the advancing Nacho Monreal, whose cutback for Xavi should have been buried by the Barcelona midfielder.
Xavi had not been fully fit in this game but, like Alonso, he had wanted to play. The Catalan was unable to exert the imperious influence we have come to expect, but his mere presence proved important on a night of such significance. Win in Paris and Spain were back in control of their own destiny.
All around Xavi there were heroes in red. Sergio Busquets won the ball back tirelessly; Alvaro Arbeloa marked Franck Ribery with distinction despite recent criticism; Iniesta was immense as usual on his 80th cap; Alonso controlled the game from deep; Pedro's intelligent running and determination eventually clinched a famous victory.
Total shots
On target
Yellow cards
Red cards
Yet the two peerless performances on the night came from unexpected sources - Victor Valdes and Nacho Monreal. Two men only in the team due to important absences - the Barcelona goalkeeper standing in for the injured Iker Casillas and the Arsenal left-back deputising for Jordi Alba.Prior to the match, the two positions had caused concern to Spain supporters. Both Group I goals conceded had originated from mistakes in the right-back role (one from Juanfran in the 1-1 draw with France in October; the other an Arbeloa error in Friday's Finland tie). And now Vicente del Bosque had been forced to make a change on the other side of his defence - as well as fielding a goalkeeper who, although among the best in the world, was playing his first competitive Spain game away from home.
Fans need not have worried. Doubts were dispelled. Valdes and Monreal emerged as giants in this era-defining equipo. And without them, victory on Tuesday would have been impossible.
Casillas, who had travelled to be with the team on their night of need at the behest of Xavi and the rest of his team-mates, watched on nervously from the stands as Valdes pulled off two world-class stops. The Catalan denied Ribery in a one-on-one which had seen him looking very much second favourite in the first half, before later producing a remarkable reflex save to repel Patrice Evra's 86th-minute header. He also dealt well with France's aerial bombardment and produced a prodigious performance which sits aptly alongside his 2006 Champions League final heroics at the same stadium, when he frustrated another famous Frenchman, Arsenal's Thierry Henry. The two then became team-mates at Barca and the striker told the keeper that, without his interventions that day in May, it would have been Arsenal and not the Catalan club lifting the coveted crown.
And it was a modern-day Gunner who starred alongside Valdes on Tuesday. Monreal defended with discipline, stayed strong in the tackle and was always available to attack down his side of the pitch, just like the absent Alba. The former Osasuna and Malaga man should have had an assist after squaring for Xavi early on, but did get one later as he combined with Pedro for the all-important goal with a surge into the area and cross for the Barca forward to net from close range, and produced a vital blocked tackle late in the game as Raphael Varane looked certain to score from a rebound.
When Spain begin the defence of the World Cup crown next year in Brazil, Valdes and Monreal are unlikely to be in the starting side. The two played a pivotal part on Tuesday, though, as la Roja returned to their brilliant best. The winning margin could have been greater in the end as Xavi and Iniesta missed good chances and Pedro was denied a possible penalty, but the result was the right one and Spain showed they are still the team to beat in world football as new heroes emerged to make them even stronger than before.
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Boston – The Patrick Administration announced today that communities in the South Coast area can apply for technical assistance grants for projects that support the goals of the South Coast Rail Economic Development and Land Use Corridor Plan (Corridor Plan).
In previous years, communities have used the grants to implement the smart growth principles of the Corridor Plan through projects that include transit oriented development bylaws, riverwalk planning, mixed-use bylaws in town centers, and bicycle and pedestrian connectivity studies. The deadline to submit applications is June 30, 2014.
"This is the seventh year that MassDOT has made technical assistance funding available to the communities in the South Coast Rail corridor," said Richard Davey, Secretary and CEO of MassDOT. "South Coast cities and towns are positioning themselves to welcome economic development that aligns with their goals, preserves natural resources, and ensures sustainability."
The technical assistance grants are part of a broader strategy to target state investments in the region to advance the housing, economic development and preservation goals outlined in the Corridor Plan. According to a report prepared by the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, $939 million in public investments was targeted to South Coast cities and towns for fiscal years 2009, 2010 and 2011.
"By making smart, targeted investments in the South Coast region, we have been able to maximize the impact of our support of economic development projects in the region," said Greg Bialecki, the Secretary of Housing and Economic Development. "The technical assistance grants are an important part of our overall strategy of helping communities plan ahead for growth in the region and creating economic opportunity for everyone."
Technical assistance grants have been provided to communities in the region over the last six years, totaling more than $1.3 million. Applicants for the Fiscal Year 2015 awards are encouraged to focus on proposals for projects that support opportunities in Priority Development and Priority Preservation areas and advance the smart growth goals of the Corridor Plan. In particular, communities are encouraged to submit applications that will advance zoning or permitting in support of mixed-use development in the region, furthering Governor Patrick's housing production goal of 10,000 new housing units per year.
For more on the plan, and to see priority areas for each community, visit www.southcoastrail.com.
In 2009, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) was created to unify the state's various transportation agencies. MassDOT now includes the Highway Division, the MBTA and Rail Transit Division, the Aeronautics Division, and the Registry of Motor Vehicles. MassDOT is committed to providing a safe and reliable transportation system to all those who travel in the Commonwealth and works to deliver excellent customer service. MassDOT has been nationally recognized for its innovative approach to transportation, including the Accelerated Bridge Program, the "Where's My Bus and Train?" apps and "Fast 14" work. For more information, visit MassDOT at our website: www.mass.gov/massdot blog: http://blog.mass.gov/transportation/ , or follow MassDOT on twitter at https://twitter.com/MassDOT and Facebook at www.facebook.com/massdotinfo .


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DESIGNMD -01 is clean and modern responsive Drupal 7 theme. With a responsive design it is easily usable with any device, without removing any content! Can be used by photographers, portfolio, companies, private blogs and more.
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The Phillies sent catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud to the Toronto Blue Jays as part of the package that netted Roy Halladay. Now, the Phillies reportedly have interest in getting him back.
The Phillies have discussed "possible ways on how to re-acquire catcher Travis D'Araund from the Jays," according to a report in the Toronto Sun.
The odds on that happening are not very likely. Wrote Bob Elliott, "Good luck."
d'Arnaud had a tremendous season at Double A New Hampshire, hitting .311 with 21 home runs and 78 RBI in 114 games. He was ranked as the fourth-best prospect in the Blue Jays organization by Baseball America before the 2011 season.
The Blue Jays acquired d'Arnaud, former first-round pick Kyle Drabek and Michael Taylor, whom they sent to Oakland, for Halladay before the 2009 season.
Carlos Ruiz can be a free agent after the 2012 season (the Phillies hold a club option for 2013) and the Phillies' catcher of the future is Sebastian Valle, who likely will play at Double A Reading this season.
Valle had .284 with five homers and 40 RBI in 91 games for Clearwater last season.


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Although OTA are still going on: and Training camp is still two months away: a loud me to save the Steelers the time and energy and going through a training camp and risking injury to form their roster.
Despite Ben Roethlisberger off the field problems, he is still the best QB on this team: and a focused and hopefully changed Ben will benefit the Steelers, this year and next.
Byron Leftwich: even though he took all of the 1st string reps in OTA without Ben, Im not ready to anoint him the starter yet. Although for the short term, may give the Steelers the best chance to win. If the Steelers can start 3-1 or better, with Ben only having to sit out four games, Leftwich was worth the investment.
Dennis Dixon: I liked what I saw in the Baltimore game last year, but it was ONLY one game. Scott Mitchell, Derek Anderson, Johnson (played for the Bills) just to mention an few, have played well for a short time, but could not keep it going.
Charlie Batch: I think his calling is in coaching QBs (ie. Big Ben) Dont be surprised a week before camp ends, Batch come up with some injury that places him on IR. Until Ben comes back El will be the 3rd QB.
Hine Ward: is reliable and unquestionable the leader of the group.
Mike Wallace: From all I hear, he is the star of the OTA, but with the production he had last year, and more opportunity this year, Wallace will become the leader of this group once Hines calls it a career.
Antwaan Randle El: the perfect slot receiver, smart, and more shifty the fast and can find the hold in zone coverage.
Arnaz Battle, Emmanuel Sanders, Stefan Logan, Antonio Brown, Tyler Grisham are battling for 2 possibly 3 spots: Battle, Sanders, and Logan have special team flexibility and only Battle have real game WR experience. For the sake of this exercise Im going to say the Steelers keep 5 receivers, and Battle, Sanders are my choices. Brown and Grisham are practice squad guys and Logan is cut.
Rashard Mendenhall: a 3 down back with speed, power, can catch the ball and pick up the blitz, what more do you need.
Mewelde Moore: A good back to have on the team to give Mendenhall a break. He showed two years ago, if something were to happen to the starter, you can still be productive in the running game.
Jonathan Dwyer: This guy had a 2nd-3rd round grade when the draft processed started. His biggest adjustment will be blitz pick-up and catching the ball. His biggest treat will come from last year goal line star (pre-season)
Isaac Redman: despite last year fan-fare, the only way he makes this year squad is if the Steelers carry five backs or someone get hurt in preseason. I guess if he become a special team demon, that would provide another opportunity to Redman.
Frank Summers: The Steelers are bent on making him an FB, but last year I did not see it. I also didnt see it on special teams from Summers. I love the name (Frank the Tank) but he need to improve greatly before I see him making this team again.
Demetrius Taylor: former DL listed at 60 273 lbs, The one thing I remember from last year was how the Steelers short yardage game looked when Doug Legurshy was in the game. (GOOD)
Heath Miller: an Pro-Bowler enough said.
Matt Spaeth: is the best passing option if something were to happen to Miller, nothing ever happen to Miller. He is the worst blocker for all the TE on the roster.
Sean McHugh: is spot will depend on what happen at the FB position. If FS or DT are legit FB then McHugh valve drops. If not he has little valve.
David Johnson: The best blocking TE not name Miller on the Steelers roster, but catching the ball is not his strength
Max Starks: He had a few poor moments last year, but he also had more good moments. All-Pro: not yet, but he isnt going anywhere.
Chris Kemoeatu: before he got hurt last year, there was talk of him making the Pro-Bowl. Is he going to make everyone forget AF; NO, but he has gotten better each of the past two years.
Justin Hartwig: The word that best describe Hartwig is serviceable. The standard has been high for the Steelers, Webster, Dawson, and even Hartlings and Hartwig isnt in that class, but he isnt bad either. But this will be his last year as a starter with the Steelers, with the drafting of Pouncey, Chris Scott, (2010) and Kraig Urbik and Roman Foster from the 2009 draft class, the Steelers OL is in the process of being reshaped.
Trai Essex: I didnt think he did a bad job last year, but with Pouncey, Foster, and Urbik pushing for playing time, Essex valve become his flexible to play all the positions on the line except center. This will be a camp battle worth watching. He will make the team, but as what Im not shore.
Willie Colon: I think he is one of the most underrated Steelers on the roster. Yes he get an off sides or hold penalties from time to time, but he is one of the most consist OL the Steelers have. Everyone says, he is better suited for guard, but he isnt a bad tackle.
Ramon Foster: He could push for starter time this year at right guard. Pouncey is the popular choice because he is the new toy, but dont count out Foster
Maurkice Pouncey: if he starts he will follow the same path as Webster, Dawson and Hartlings, but if he is as advertised he should push Hartwig for playing time this year. Besides with Essex, Foster, Urbik in front of him, betting out Hartwig be an easier task.
Kraig Urbik: I dont know what happen with him last year, but he was a road grader in college, and if the Steelers desire to return to an dominate running game, he could be valuable. But this year could determine if he going to be a career backup of someone that push for playing time.
Jonathan Scott: Can play both tackle stops, come on the cheap and new OL coach request that he be signed. If some beat out Essex, Jonathan and Essex will battle it out to see who will be the 1st tackle of the bench.
Chris Scott: Foster lobbied for the Steelers to draft him, but unless he is another Foster, he will be practice squad player this year.
Doug Legursky: Loved him as a blocking back last year, but his future with this team will depend on the development of Pouncey and were he plays. If the Steelers desire is to place Pouncey at guard and KEEP him there, then Legursky can be the backup center. If Pouncey beat out Hartwig for the starting job, Hartwig or Legursky can be the backup
Dorian Brooks and Bradley Vierling look like camp bodies to me this year.
Casey Hampton: Since the Steelers just signed him to a three year deal, I think its safe to say he will make the team; besides, he one of the best NT in the game.
Chris Hoke: provide an great insurance if anything happen to Hampton, but consider his age, the Steelers need to develop an younger replacement for Hampton. But the question is do the Steelers have that person on their roster at this time.
Scott Paxson: this is the year he makes this team or time he moves on to another. Paxson is not eligible for the PS any longer.
Aaron Smith: When healthy is the best 3-4 end in the game, the issue is health. Two of the last three years Smith did not finish the season.
Ziggy Hood: went though the normal growing pains from college DT to pro 3-4 end. But Ziggy should be the 1st end of the bench this year. This will prolong AS time with the team if Ziggy can take some of the snap.
Brent Keisel: isnt flashy but what 3-4 end is: He is nothing if not solid. His length and understanding of our defense is key to the Steelers be one of the top rated D the past four seasons.
Nick Eason: Good backup, sometimes starter if needed. I would personally have Ziggy flip flop between both end positions when one of the starter need a blow, but Eason held his own when he played. Was glad to see the Steelers resign him.
RaShon Harris: the Steelers tried to cut and resign him last year, but N.C. signed him and when they cut him the Steelers resigned him quickly. They see something in him that they like. Could play DE or NT
Doug Worthington: He is a practice squad player this year UNLESS he can beat out Nick Eason or/and Chris Hoke gets cut injured. Harris could move to NT which would open a spot for Worthington. He will have to excel in special teams to get a hat this year.
Cordarrow Thompson: camp body
James Harrison: didnt have as many splash plays as 2008, but I will take him any day.
LaMarr Woodley: The next great Steelers LB, provided they sign him to a long term deal.
Jason Worilds: all I hear is he is another Woodley in the making, that look good for the Steelers future, but I dont see him being a every down player UNTIL two or three years down the line.
Thaddeus Gibson: I hope he can provide more depth than Frazier or Bailey and play special teams. Good luck trying to break into the starting lineup with the Steelers at OLBs
Andre Frazier: The Steelers thought so high of him that they drafted 2 OLB with Two Pro-Bowler in front of him. Enjoy those two Super Bowl rings.
Derrick Doggett: Special team player if he make the team.
Lindsey Williams: training camp body
James Farrior: for the 1st time since he has been here, I saw some slippage in his game (speed). IF this continues Farrior will be phase out of the starting lineup this year.
Lawrence Timmons: I think he could a Pro-Bowl at outside LB, but with Harrison and Woodley, it good that he can play the inside. Considering his game is speed and explosion, that high ankle sprain hampered his game last year.
Kayaron Fox: While Timmons was out last year, played well: will fight Foote for the 1st ILB off the bench.
Larry Foote: Glad he is back in the fold, should take over for Farrior if he has lost a step
Stevenson Sylvester: Practice squad player this year.
Ike Taylor: If he had hands, he would be a Pro-Bowler
Bryant McFadden: Glad he is back in the fold also: An upgrade over Williams Gay.
William Gay: had a opportunity to be a starter and pissed it away last year. With Townsend gone, he may play the nickel back but he will receive stiff completion from the three DB the Steelers have drafted the last two years.
Keenan Lewis: all reports are that he was injured last season, so we never got a chance to see what he can do. But the Steelers coaches were very high on him at one point, and all reports are they say he playing faster in the OTA and is healthy again.
Joe Burnett: Was drafted to be a special team player and saw playing time last season, and everyone remember the drop INT against Oakland last year. To be honest I dont know what to make of him.
Anthony Madison: If all he does is play a special team, thats good enough for me.
Crezdon Bulter: The defense coaching staff made a point of mention how well he has done in the OTAs. If he can carry that into training camp, maybe can fine time in nickel of dime this season.
Troy Polamalu: WHEN healthy, the best SS in the game; but two of the last four years, he hasnt been healthy.
Ryan Clark: I for one am glad the Steelers resign him, he is that hard hitting safety that control the middle of the field. TP and RC is one of the best safety tandem in the NFL.
Will Allen: will be an upgrade over Tyrone Carter and a replacement if something happen to TP
Tuff Harris: unless someone get hurt in training camp, I cannot see him making the 53 man roster.
Ryan Mundy: I was disappointed in his play last year. After TC flamed out he had an opportunity to stake him claim and failed.
I know there is other that are on the roster right now, but most of the other have very little chance to make this team. Some could surprise, but it could be just that a surprise. If you have any through or disagree with view point let you voice be heard.


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27 July 2011
Owner: Max Dooly
Location: Myrtle Beach, SC
Vehicle: 2006 Scion xB
Car Club Affiliation: Severed Ties
What Events have you competed in?
Pick one; I've probably been to it!
What will be your next performance modification/upgrade?
"All Show', "All Go" or Both, Why?
Both - cause you gotta look good when you leave em' sitting
Any Shout Outs?
Mostly my wife and son, Everyone at ZERO PSI (www.zeropsiair.com), Ronnie @ The Butcher Shop, Jeremy Hart, Ian Cain, Boogie @ Modified Minds Car Audio, Jamie @ TRD Sparks, The crew @ Gauge, Reitzel Racing, Crackie and all my boys and girls at Elite Ink, Steve @ Scion Pro, Grizz Archer, Freelaaaance, Herb, Caleb, Boxzilla, the UC Crew, and especially all my Severed Ties Fam.


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A lackluster offensive display against the Jacksonville Jaguars Monday night notwithstanding, John Harbaugh and the Ravens have been sharp when it comes to overturning plays this season.
Harbaugh improved to 5-of-6 in challenging officials' rulings. He won two against the Jaguars.
On first down-and-goal from the Ravens' 3-yard line in the first quarter, Harbaugh successfully challenged an initial ruling that Maurice Jones-Drew was down by contact at the 1 prior to the Jaguars running back getting stripped by free safety Ed Reed.
After review, the Ravens were awarded the ball at the 1. Inside linebacker Jameel McClain recovered the...