text:
At a giant Best Buy repair shop in Brooks, Ky., Geek Squad technicians work on computers owned by people across the country, delving into them to retrieve lost data. Over several years, a handful of those workers have notified the FBI when they see signs of child pornography, earning payments from the agency.
The existence of the small cadre of informants within one of the country's most popular computer repair services was revealed in the case of a California doctor who is facing federal charges after his hard drive was flagged by a technician. The doctor's lawyers found that the FBI had cultivated eight "confidential human sources" in the Geek Squad over a four-year period, according to a judge's order in the case, with all of them receiving some payment.
The case raises issues about privacy and the government use of informants. If a customer turns over their computer for repair, do they forfeit their expectation of privacy, and their Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable searches? And if an informant is paid, does it compromise their credibility or effectively convert them into an agent of the government?
Best Buy searching a computer is legal — the customer authorized it, and the law does not prohibit private searches. But if Best Buy serves as an arm of the government, then a warrant or specific consent is needed. And a federal judge in the child pornography case against Mark Rettenmaier is going to allow defense attorneys to probe the relationship between Best Buy and the FBI at a hearing in Los Angeles starting Wednesday.
"Their relationship is so cozy," said defense attorney James D. Riddet, "and so extensive that it turns searches by Best Buy into government searches. If they're going to set up that network between Best Buy supervisors and FBI agents, you run the risk that Best Buy is a branch of the FBI."
The FBI and Justice Department declined to comment. Federal prosecutors argued in California that when a technician doing repairs "stumbles across images of child pornography" and the government wasn't aware of the search, "the technician is clearly not performing the search with the intent of assisting law enforcement efforts."
Best Buy spokesman Jeff Shelman said in a statement Monday that "Best Buy and Geek Squad have no relationship with the FBI. From time to time, our repair agents discover material that may be child pornography and we have a legal and moral obligation to turn that material over to law enforcement. We are proud of our policy and share it with our customers before we begin any repair."
Shelman added, "Any circumstances in which an employee received payment from the FBI is the result of extremely poor individual judgment, is not something we tolerate and is certainly not a part of our normal business behavior." Court records did not detail how often or how much the technicians were paid, other than one $500 payment to one supervisor.
But emails between Geek Squad technicians and FBI agents in the Louisville field office indicate a long-running relationship. In revealing those publicly in a Dec. 19 order, U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney required technicians and agents to take the witness stand this week. The ruling was first reported by Orange County Weekly.
Many of the documents establishing the ties between the FBI and the technicians are sealed, but Carney discussed some in his order. He noted that the FBI acknowledged it considered technician supervisor Justin Meade a confidential human source for all but a few months between October 2008 and November 2012.
Different agents handled the Geek Squad technicians, Carney wrote. In October 2009, Agent Jennifer Cardwell emailed Meade to express interest in meeting "to discuss some other ideas for collaboration," Carney disclosed.
In an internal FBI communication in July 2010, Agent Tracey L. Riley told her supervisor that "Source reported all has been quiet for about the last 5-6 months, however source agreed that once school started again, they may see an influx of CP [child pornography]." Meade was later identified as the "source." Other internal communications show the "source" referring possible cases to Riley from computers sent to the Geek Squad from across the country.
"This two-way thoroughfare of information," Riddet, the defense attorney. argued in his motion to suppress the evidence, "suggests that the FBI considers [Meade] . . . to be a partner in the ongoing effort of law enforcement to detect and prosecute child pornography violators. . . . Here it is very clear that Best Buy, and specifically the supervisor who reports its technician's discovery of 'inappropriate' content on customers' computers, are not only working together, but actually planning to conduct more such searches in the future."
The case started in November 2011, when Rettenmaier, a gynecological oncologist in Orange County, Calif., took his HP Pavilion desktop to the Best Buy in Mission Viejo, Calif., because it wouldn't boot up. The technicians at the store told him he had a faulty hard drive. If he wanted to retain information from the hard drive, he would need the Geek Squad's data recovery services in Kentucky.
Rettenmaier signed a service order that prosecutors argue "waived any right to raise a Fourth Amendment claim" because it contained the admonition: "I am on notice that any product containing child pornography will be turned over to the authorities."
Rettenmaier's hard drive was shipped to Geek Squad City in Brooks, Ky., a suburb of Louisville. In December 2011, one of Meade's technicians located a photo that Riddet described as a nude prepubescent girl on a bed. In January 2012, court records show Meade emailed Agent Riley in Louisville and said, "We have another one out of California we want you to take a look at, when can you swing by?"
Meade did not respond to phone and email messages. Prosecutors acknowledged that the FBI paid him $500 in October 2011, two months before his co-worker discovered the photo. Meade filed a sworn declaration last year that "I do not remember ever being paid by the FBI."
The search of Rettenmaier's hard drive has a further wrinkle. The image was located on "unallocated space," which is where deleted items reside on a computer until they are overwritten when the space is needed. Unallocated space is not easily accessed — it requires special forensic software.
Prosecutors said that the Geek Squad technician who searched the unallocated space was merely trying to recover all the data Rettenmaier had asked to be restored. Riddet argued that the technician was going beyond the regular search to deleted material to find evidence the FBI might want.
In addition, a federal appeals court has ruled that pornography found on unallocated space is insufficient to prove that the user possessed it, since information about when it was accessed, altered or deleted is no longer available. "There was no evidence of how the contraband got onto Dr. Rettenmaier's hard drive," Riddet wrote, "and it could have gotten there before he possessed the computer or against his will."
An internal FBI email indicated that agents knew charges were unlikely based on an image in unallocated space. But prosecutors did authorize a search warrant for Rettenmaier's computer and home, which was executed in February 2012. It is unclear why Rettenmaier was not indicted until almost three years later, in November 2014.
Judge Carney will allow Rettenmaier's lawyer to question not only the Best Buy technicians and FBI agents involved in the case, but also the federal prosecutor who authorized the searches at the upcoming hearing. "The relationship between the FBI and Best Buy [informants] prior to Rettenmaier's hard drive's repair," Carney wrote, "is relevant to how Meade understood his role as an informant and the possibility of an agency relationship between those who specified [the technician's] procedures and the government."
Best Buy's Shelman said, "To be clear, our agents unintentionally find child pornography as they try to make the repairs the customer is paying for. They are not looking for it." He said store policy bars agents from doing "anything other than what is necessary to solve the customer's problem."
Stan Goldman, a law professor at Loyola Law School, likened Best Buy's search to the "plain view" doctrine for police: If officers can see something in plain view, they have reason to search or seize it. "Whatever they see while searching within the scope of what they were asked to do would be admissible, in my view," Goldman said. "If they start searching on their own, they've gone beyond what is 'plain view.' " He said what a customer consents to when ordering the work is crucial. "Have people actually understood that they've agreed to have their entire computer searched? I don't think so, but you can't be 100 percent certain."
Read more:
Are the police tracking you? Push to restrict license plate readers heads to Va. Supreme Court
Joe Davidson: Want to make a million? Become a DEA informant.
30 months of wiretaps, hundreds of recordings underpin Md. bribery charges, prosecutors say


text:
Twitter Mailbag: On Geno, Manti Te'o And the Honey Badger
A day late on the Twitter Mailbag this week. A little busy yesterday. But that turned out to be a good thing because there is a ton of intrigue and several big names tied to rounds two and three. Much to chomp on, so let's get to it.
From @TomWelke: Will Geno not coming back to the green room cause mental makeup questions and cause him to drop more?
I would hope that the Eagles — or any team in the NFL — would rely on the information they have been gathering over time, and wouldn't be swayed by something like that. If that moves you off your position, then you didn't have much conviction regarding Geno Smith to begin with.
If I am honest, some of what I have seen/read in the run-up to the draft has given me pause when it comes to Smith. I know Philadelphia, I know the scrutiny that the quarterback position receives, and I know that Nolan Nawrocki's evaluation will seem like a four-star review compared to what Smith is going to hear in this town (or elsewhere) after a couple down Sundays.
Just want to thank all those so called "experts" who say I can't be an NFL QB. Thursday will be a special day but the work has only begun
— Eugene Geno Smith (@GenoSmith_12) April 23, 2013
"Hate is so familiar to me I'm slowly embracing it, doesn't come natural bear with me it could take a bit".
— Eugene Geno Smith (@GenoSmith_12) April 2, 2013
They hated Jesus baby we won't break
— Eugene Geno Smith (@GenoSmith_12) April 2, 2013
We take those 140 character bites, or watch his body language through the television, and draw sweeping conclusions. But the truth is, it is unfair to judge a man's character based off such limited evidence. He could very well have an iron will, and may turn a few moments of adversity into years of fuel to the benefit of the franchise that drafts him.
The Eagles have met with him, analyzed his game, talked to people around him. They should have a sound understanding by now of who Geno Smith is, and likely don't care whether or not he shows up to Radio City Music Hall tonight.
[The latest report suggests he will be in attendance.]
From @penseur76: Will the Eagles select Jonathan Cyprien? Geno Smith? "Tank" Carradine? or surprise pick with Te'o? in 2nd.
I would imagine Smith is in play assuming he's still on the board at 35. They made an organizational decision to pass on him at 4 and probably thought he would land elsewhere. But at this point, it might just be considered a good value pick. Would you doubt that the Eagles have a first-round grade on him? And how many other of the remaining players could you say that about?
I'm not ruling Manti Te'o out, either. This guy was recently regarded as one of the top players in the country. Then came the championship game and the stories about his personal life, and that stock plunged big time. Two questions: Is he a fit for Chip Kelly's defensive scheme, and does he have thick enough skin to endure all the attention/ribbing he'll receive in a major market? If the answer is yes on both fronts, then you might be getting a steal.
Outside of those two marquee names, I could see the Eagles going with Stanford tight end Zach Ertz, Florida International safety Jonathan Cyprien, Florida State DL/OLB Tank Carradine, Texas A&M DE/OLB Damontre Moore, or Mississippi State corner Johnthan Banks.
From @Jfr1978Josh: Any chance we select the Honey Badger?
The Eagles believe Tyrann Mathieu is a draftable player, but you really have to do your homework on this guy and figure out where you would be willing to pull the trigger. This is a first-round talent with red flags coming out of his pockets. Is he on the straight and narrow? If so, what are the chances he stays there? Big questions that I am sure every team has looked into. The answers mean everything when it comes to this prospect.
There is a point where he probably becomes too enticing to pass up. But I'm not sure that point comes on Day 2.
Become a fan of Birds 24/7 on Facebook.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Jon Stewart Slams Florida's Stand Your Ground Law
[There was a video here]
The Daily Show returned from a week off just in time to weigh in on the latest developments in the Trayvon Martin case and the latest ways that the cable news networks are handling the situation. Turns out they've been listening to racist snippets of George Zimmerman's 911 call and wearing solidarity hoodies. But still, none of it is as shocking to Stewart as the fact that Zimmerman is yet to be charged with anything.


text:
|Slony-I 2.0.8 Documentation
|Fast Backward
|Chapter 6. Schema schemadoc
|Fast Forward
6.26. cleanupevent(interval, boolean)
Function Properties
Language: PLPGSQL
Return Type: integercleaning old data out of sl_confirm, sl_event. Removes all but the last sl_confirm row per (origin,receiver), and then removes all events that are confirmed by all nodes in the whole cluster up to the last SYNC. Deletes now-orphaned entries from sl_log_* if delete_logs parameter is set
declare p_interval alias for $1; p_deletelogs alias for $2; v_max_row record; v_min_row record; v_max_sync int8; v_origin int8; v_seqno int8; v_xmin bigint; v_rc int8; begin -- ---- -- First remove all confirmations where origin/receiver no longer exist -- ---- delete from sl_confirm where con_origin not in (select no_id from sl_node); delete from sl_confirm where con_received not in (select no_id from sl_node); -- ---- -- Next remove all but the oldest confirm row per origin,receiver pair. -- Ignore confirmations that are younger than 10 minutes. We currently -- have an not confirmed suspicion that a possibly lost transaction due -- to a server crash might have been visible to another session, and -- that this led to log data that is needed again got removed. -- ---- for v_max_row in select con_origin, con_received, max(con_seqno) as con_seqno from sl_confirm where con_timestamp < (CURRENT_TIMESTAMP - p_interval) group by con_origin, con_received loop delete from sl_confirm where con_origin = v_max_row.con_origin and con_received = v_max_row.con_received and con_seqno < v_max_row.con_seqno; end loop; -- ---- -- Then remove all events that are confirmed by all nodes in the -- whole cluster up to the last SYNC -- ---- for v_min_row in select con_origin, min(con_seqno) as con_seqno from sl_confirm group by con_origin loop select coalesce(max(ev_seqno), 0) into v_max_sync from sl_event where ev_origin = v_min_row.con_origin and ev_seqno <= v_min_row.con_seqno and ev_type = 'SYNC'; if v_max_sync > 0 then delete from sl_event where ev_origin = v_min_row.con_origin and ev_seqno < v_max_sync; end if; end loop; -- ---- -- If cluster has only one node, then remove all events up to -- the last SYNC - Bug #1538 -- http://gborg.postgresql.org/project/slony1/bugs/bugupdate.php?1538 -- ---- select * into v_min_row from sl_node where no_id <> getLocalNodeId('_schemadoc') limit 1; if not found then select ev_origin, ev_seqno into v_min_row from sl_event where ev_origin = getLocalNodeId('_schemadoc') order by ev_origin desc, ev_seqno desc limit 1; raise notice 'Slony-I: cleanupEvent(): Single node - deleting events < %', v_min_row.ev_seqno; delete from sl_event where ev_origin = v_min_row.ev_origin and ev_seqno < v_min_row.ev_seqno; end if; if exists (select * from "pg_catalog".pg_class c, "pg_catalog".pg_namespace n, "pg_catalog".pg_attribute a where c.relname = 'sl_seqlog' and n.oid = c.relnamespace and a.attrelid = c.oid and a.attname = 'oid') then execute 'alter table sl_seqlog set without oids;'; end if; -- ---- -- Also remove stale entries from the nodelock table. -- ---- perform cleanupNodelock(); -- ---- -- Find the eldest event left, for each origin -- ---- for v_origin, v_seqno, v_xmin in select ev_origin, ev_seqno, "pg_catalog".txid_snapshot_xmin(ev_snapshot) from sl_event where (ev_origin, ev_seqno) in (select ev_origin, min(ev_seqno) from sl_event where ev_type = 'SYNC' group by ev_origin) loop if p_deletelogs then delete from sl_log_1 where log_origin = v_origin and log_txid < v_xmin; delete from sl_log_2 where log_origin = v_origin and log_txid < v_xmin; end if; delete from sl_seqlog where seql_origin = v_origin and seql_ev_seqno < v_seqno; end loop; v_rc := logswitch_finish(); if v_rc = 0 then -- no switch in progress perform logswitch_start(); end if; return 0; end;


text:
Norwegian University of Life Sciences Department for Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science
Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Department for Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science
Universitetstunet 3
1432 Ås
Scientific Lead
Prof. Thore Egeland
Phone: +47 (0) 6496 6391
Project Staff
Dr. Guro Dørum
Institute Presentation
The Biostatistics group has its major research activities in the scientific borderland between bioinformatics and applied statistics. The scientific staff consists of 6 permanent positions in bioinformatics and statistics and several post-docs and PhDs. Egeland heads this group. He transferred January 2010 from the Institute of legal medicine, University of Oslo, with which he cooperates closely.
Prof. Egeland will continue research on statistical methods in forensic genetics in his new environment in close contact with NIPH. The output of this work is both methods and software. In 1995 the development of the freeware program Familias [1] started. This freeware program is designed to handle complicated cases of identification based on DNA evidence and is the most commonly used program worldwide for the types of applications it addresses. The development of Familias has continued and extensions are currently being implemented. Software has also been developed in other areas. For instance, FEST [2] is a freeware package for simulation and likelihood calculations involving distant family relationships using as many as 500 000 SNPs.
There are several examples of cooperation with the Institute of Legal Medicine in Santiago de Compostela. For instance, statistical methods were developed to infer the most likely geographical origin of mtDNA sequence profiles. More recently, statistical methods for quantitative mtDNA were published. Softwware was developed for the mentioned projects and will be extended and made available to the community as a part of the EUROFORGEN project. We have also published on issues related to DNA databases.. For instance, we have developed methods aiming to bridge the gap between different approaches to interpreting DNA evidence following a hit in a database.
Dr. Dørum defended her PhD in applied statistics the fall of 2011. She is familiar with bioinformatics and statistics applied to genetics.


text:
Publix earnings hit $400 million in second quarter
The Ledger
LAKELAND -- Publix Super Markets Inc. saw earnings and sales rise in the second quarter.
The chain earned $400.9 million during the quarter, up 5 percent from the year before, while sales grew 3.8 percent to $7 billion.
Publix said sales were negatively impacted by about 1.3 percent because of the Easter holiday, which occurred in the first quarter of 2013, but in the second quarter of 2012. Same-store sales were up 2.1 percent.
"It sounds like they had another good quarter. They're executing very well," said Jon Springer, an associate editor with the trade publication Supermarket News. "People are expecting everything from their stores these days, because there are so many places to shop ... (Publix) has great service, they have good locations, they have a great reputation, and their prices and sale prices are good enough to keep people coming back."
Earnings per share for the second quarter increased to 51 cents, versus 49 cents last year.
Publix stock also improved to $27.55 per share.
The new price is up 65 cents, or 2.4 percent, since the last valuation in May.
The price of Publix stock is determined by the company's board of directors, using an independent appraisal. Shares are not publicly traded, and are sold only to employees and board members.
Publix is busy establishing its new division in Charlotte, N.C., as the company is scheduled to open its first store in North Carolina in early 2014.
Three stores have been announced for the Charlotte area so far.
The grocer also is rolling out an online ordering system for deli items that is expected to be available at all locations by September 2014.
Meanwhile, Walmart has been targeting Publix and other chains in price comparison ads, and Publix started fighting back in March with a campaign of its own, declaring, "Walmart doesn't always have the lowest price."
Forbes discussed that topic last month, in a story dubbing Publix "The Wal-Mart Slayer."
In a rare interview, Publix President Todd Jones told Forbes, "We believe that there are three ways to differentiate: service, quality and price. You've got to be good at two of them, and the best at one. We make service our number one, then quality and then price."
The article also said Publix "has effectively developed a hammerlock in the lucrative Florida market, where its 755 stores (out of 1,073 total) more than double any rival's."
Still, Walmart remains a formidable competitor in Florida and a Walmart spokesman told Forbes that the ads targeting Publix have led to a combined 1 percent bump in sales and foot traffic. Outside Florida, Publix faces stiff competition from Kroger, though Forbes said Publix, "as best we can tell," is the most profitable grocer in the nation based on net margins.


text:
Cincinnati Big Boy Chair
Regular price$64.99
Shipping calculated at checkout.
- In Stock
- Inventory on the way
The Big Boy Chair is our roomiest chair, with a 24.5" x 24.5" seating area and 18" high back. It's made of a sturdy, powder-coated, steel frame and double layered polyester, safely holding up to 350 pounds. The Big Boy Chair features adjustable armrests and two oversized cup holders accommodating a 34 ounce water bottle. Your favorite team's logo is screen printed on the front and back of the headrest as well as on the matching drawstring carrying bag with shoulder strap. Flat, wide-based feet provide better stability, and a mesh pocket on the back conveniently holds small essentials like sunscreen. Count on the Big Boy Chair for tailgating, backyard barbecues, camping and other fun outdoor activities.
- Safely holds up to 350 pounds
- Powder-coated, steel frame and double layered polyester
- Two oversized cup holders
- Matching drawstring carrying bag with shoulder strap
- Measures 24.5" x 24.5" seating area; 18" high back
- Lifetime guarantee


text:
In this post I'd like to demonstrate another way Power Query can solve simple data extraction problems without much time or effort. If you're still learning the basics of Power Query please refer back to an earlier post here.
This demonstration will show you how to use Power Query to scan a file folder to search for a set of files to load. Then load the contents of multiple files all at once and use transformations to format the data appropriately..
Step by Step
- Launch Excel 2010 or higher.
- Select the Power Query tab.
- Select From File under the Get External Data section of the tab.
- Choose the option From Folder, which allows you to load more than one file at once.
- Browse to a folder, which has the files you desire to load then click OK. These files should all be formatted similarly to each other. Having the same data types and column names.
- This opens the Query Editor, which lists all the files that are available in the folder you selected in the previous step. The initial view show metadata about the files like the file name, extension, relevant dates and the folder path. If there were other files in this folder that should not be loaded you could filter them out at this point. The other interesting columns are Content and Attributes. The Attributes column has additional metadata that can be queried and the Content column stores the actual data of each file. Click the down arrows next to the column header for Content.
- The data from all four files in now combined together into a single query, but there is still transformations in the data that must be completed. Start by right-clicking on Column1 header and select Split Column > By Delimiter.
- Click OK to accept the defaults of configuration, which will split each column by a comma.
- Next, right-click on either column header and select Use First Row As Headers to give the query appropriate column names.
- You will notice the previous step only gave us column headers from the first file. If you look in the results you will find the column headers listed for the other files too. To remove these extra column header rows select the down arrow next to the Name column and uncheck the Name value then click OK.
- You have now successfully combined 3 files using Power Query. Click Done to bring this data into Excel. Once in Excel this can easily be added to tools like Power Pivot for additional analysis.
Hope this helps!


text:
Design submitted by Andrew from the UK.
Andrew says: Morpheus is a design concept for a smart wrist watch that connects with you smart cell / mobile phone or MP 3 Player. Furthermore this concept is inspired by the science fiction film The Matrix. Available three materials: Black IP , White Acetate or Stainless Steel.
The six digit display is created from lines of scrolling / raining Binary Lines of Code: 0's or 1's. A series of Cursors Squares: Horizontal / Vertical form the required square digits. The Central line/s of scrolling text / numbers in between these digit columns display Selected Function & data stream.
For anyone who is a Fans of The Matrix Films. The wristwatch concept reflect that many people have busy lives online & are always need to keep an eye on their social Live / dates.


text:
BJC HealthCare is one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States, and is focused on delivering services to residents primarily in the greater St. Louis, southern Illinois and mid-Missouri regions. BJC HealthCare has ranked as one of the top workplaces among large employers in the seventh annual St. Louis Post-Dispatch Top Workplaces for 2018 program. BJC is one of 150 Greater St. Louis employers to receive the award and the only health care system to make the list.
BJC serves the health care needs of urban, suburban and rural communities and includes 15 hospitals and multiple community health locations. Services include inpatient and outpatient care, primary care, community health and wellness, workplace health, home health, community mental health, rehabilitation, long-term care and hospice.
To Apply: https://www.jobg8.com/Traffic.aspx?AKhuWvBUnsHHJ6Rna%2fmaEQp


text:
Obama in 2004: Military Strike Preferable to a Nuclear-Armed Iran
Buzzfeed's Andrew Kaczynski has unearthed a fascinating interview with then-Senate candidate Barack Obama about the threat posed by a nuclear Iran. The interview proves, if nothing else, that Obama has been thinking critically about this question for a very long time, and that his thinking has been fairly consistent. Here is some of what Obama told The Chicago Tribune editorial board:
"The big question is going to be, if Iran is resistant to these pressures, including economic sanctions, which I hope will be imposed if they do not cooperate, at what point are we going to, if any, are we going to take military action?" Obama asked.
Given the continuing war in Iraq, the United States is not in a position to invade Iran, but missile strikes might be a viable option, he said. Obama conceded that such strikes might further strain relations between the U.S. and the Arab world.
"In light of the fact that we're now in Iraq, with all the problems in terms of perceptions about America that have been created, us launching some missile strikes into Iran is not the optimal position for us to be in," he said.
"On the other hand, having a radical Muslim theocracy in possession of nuclear weapons is worse. So I guess my instinct would be to err on not having those weapons in the possession of the ruling clerics of Iran. ... And I hope it doesn't get to that point. But realistically, as I watch how this thing has evolved, I'd be surprised if Iran blinked at this point."


text:
NRA board member Sandy Froman, who opposes universal background checks, debates Dan Gross from the Brady campaign during the AC360 town hall on gun violence.
Post by: Anderson Cooper
Filed under: Guns • Town Hall: Guns Under Fire
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°


text:
Expert's Rating
- Great entry-level price for budding professionals
- Excellent, crisp HD display
- Wacom's patented pressure-sensitive technology
- Same great HUD as the Intuos5
- Only Cintiq model that doesn't offer a Multi-Touch version
- Some Mac users will need an HDMI -> Thunderbolt adapter
Our Verdict
At $999, the Cintiq 13HD is a wonderful small-screen tablet display and an easy purchase. It's held back only by its lack of Multi-Touch.
As an on-again, off-again graphic designer and doodler, I've long lusted after Wacom's Cintiq line. My very first Wacom product, an Intuos, sparked my dreams: How amazing would it be if I could not only draw with pressure sensitivity, but see my digital canvas as I sketched? But Cintiqs in the early 2000s were far too pricy for a day-dreaming high schooler, and I had to make do with my (still perfectly useful) Intuos.
Had the Cintiq 13HD been around when I was learning to do digital inks, however, I would have blown my savings in an instant. Not only is the pressure-sensitive tablet display compact enough that it doesn't require getting another desk on which to use it, but it's incredibly inexpensive for a Cintiq—just $999. I realized that at first glance, $1 less than a thousand doesn't seem particularly price-conscious—until you consider the $2499 and $3699 price tags on the 13HD's bigger siblings.
It has many of the same features, benefits, and build quality as those more-expensive tablet displays, including a 178-degree viewing angle, 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity, and a 1080p HD screen, but in a smaller package—the screen size is 13.3 inches diagonally compared with the 22HD's 21.5 inches. Measure it up against another recent Wacom product, the Intuos5, and you'll find it has almost the same footprint as the medium version of the company's drawing tablet. Add that to the 13HD's weight—just 2.65 pounds—and the display is practically portable.
I say practically because the Cintiq still has one major limitation—unlike Wacom's display-less tablets, it needs a power outlet to function. The cord that connects the 13HD to both power outlet and computer looks much like Apple's 30-pin dock connector: It snaps into the Cintiq on one side, with multiple cables trailing from that—one to connect the display via HDMI, one for USB, and one that leads to the (fairly small) power brick. (Gone is the 12WX's breakout box, thank goodness—these new cords are much sleeker.) Given that no Mac currently offers an HDMI port, you'll also need an HDMI-to-Thunderbolt cable if you want to hook up the 13HD to your iMac or a non-Retina portable Mac.
I had hoped that despite this excess cordage the 13HD would still be relatively moveable, but beyond its viewing stand, that doesn't seem to be the case. When I moved the Wacom from its stand to my lap, the slight jostling of the cable made my iMac lose the 13HD's connection; the only cure was fully unplugging and replugging in the dock connector to the Cintiq. Granted, Wacom's Cintiq line isn't really designed to be constantly moved, but the small form factor makes me want to turn and twist it like I might a sketchbook or an iPad.
If you don't plan to move the 13HD during drawing beyond its stand, however, it should serve you very well. I had only an instance or two of the stand slipping away from the tablet, and that was mostly due to improper seating—in order to properly seat the 13HD in the stand, you need to line up the stand with a small slot in the tablet's back. And it's an excellent tablet for traveling artists—just so long as your actual art allows you to be stationary with your tablet. I like the 13HD much better than the previous small-screen Cintiq, the 12WX.
The actual drawing process is as lovely as I always imagined it would be on a Cintiq. It has the same comfortable stylus as the Intuos line, and there really is no substitute to being able to draw directly on your surface (even if that surface is digital). I did have to break a few habits I picked up from drawing on the iPad: namely, the weird "don't let your palm touch the screen" claw formation I would contort my drawing hand into, but also any stray Multi-Touch gestures.
In fact, the lack of touch-sensitivity is the one major disappointment I have with this entry from Wacom. Almost every tablet in the Wacom line now has Multi-Touch support, but the 13HD was introduced as a screen only. While this was perhaps to keep its price at that magic $999 number, I think it hurts the device overall: We've gotten so trained at this point to interact with our screens that to limit it to just stylus and button input makes the 13HD seem crippled in a way. I can't tell you how many times I tried to pinch-to-zoom my canvas or tap on a window before I realized, sadly, that it just wouldn't work.
The 13HD's button and HUD interface certainly isn't bad; it has all the same bells and whistles as Wacom's other tablets, allowing you to map buttons to your liking through a System Preferences widget. The display toggle HUD is also nice, offering a slew of additional user-configurable options. But these features together can't quite replace the pleasure of a touch interface.
Bottom line
At $999, the Cintiq 13HD is a wonderful small-screen tablet display and an easy purchase. It has the same great display and excellent pressure-sensitivity controls as its larger siblings at a fraction of the price, while maintaining solid build quality. If you want something a little more portable and need Multi-Touch support, however, it may not be the tool for you.
Updated at 11:55 a.m. ET to add that some Macs have HDMI ports.


text:
In the corner of my mum's property, hidden behind the bracken, there's a tiny pet cemetery from the 1930s. It only has two headstones, commemorating some dogs whose owners are by now in the ground as well. Patti and I discovered it soon after Mum moved into her house in the forest that surrounds it. We though it was the coolest thing ever.
We always romanticized death and its trappings; our morbid fascinations drew us together from the day we met. We delighted in the fact that Patti's dad had driven a hearse and regularly played cards with morticians. We had Day of the Dead parties with a coffin full of corn chips our house decorated with Mexican papier mache skeletons.
We would pull the car over at any graveyard we passed, then study the graves for funny names or tombstones carved with portraits of the deceased or symbols of their hobbies — guitars or classic cars. We loved Philadelphia's Mutter Museum for its ghoulish exhibits and Pere LaChaise cemetery in Paris where we paid our lack of respect to Oscar Wilde and Edith Piaf.
Patti gave me a lovely watercolor of a cemetery to hang in my office. We collected books of death photos, horrendous images of bloated corpses in kitchen chairs and skeletal remains in the bathtub.
When Patti was a few months pregnant, we stumbled on a section of a graveyard in upstate New York fdedicated to still borns and infant deaths. She insisted on having her picture taken with wee Jack yet in utyero,
Disturbing, right? It all seems like foreshadowing, which of course it was. We always knew we'd die, but somehow micking and delighting in death seemd like a harmless prank. The closer one gets to death and contemplates one's mortality, the Buddhists say, the less one will fear it.
It didn't really work, at least not for me. I was always fairly anxious about my own death, even more so about Patti's. When we had to put our dog Frank to sleep, we were both hit hard; we couldn't even bring ourselves to claim his body, despite years of joking that when he'd die, we'd add him to our taxidermy collection.
When Ninny, my mother's mother died, I took it okay initially; she'd left us long before in haze of Alzheimer's. But I was one of her pall bearers, carrying her shrouded body on a stretcher to a hole in Jerusalem's Mount of Olives, her bony foot thumping against my hand with each step. We slid her into the hole, in what I thought would be a gesture akin to planting one of her beloved rose bushes, but it was hollow and scary and reeked of eternal void.
When my sister lost her husband, after just a year of marriage, I tried to be the strong one. We sat with Brian's body face down on the couch for much of the day, then through yet another Irish wake, then an unrecognizable funeral. It was unimaginable that he was gone, but my sister somehow persevered, and even blossomed in the years that followed.
When my beloved mother-in-law, Phyllis, died in her living room after an endless death match with lung cancer, Patti was in attendance, holding her hand through the last agonizing days. That memory scarred her, Death shoving its loathsome face in hers, and steeling her somehow for the inevitable. Patti knew she would die one day and never wanted to go through such hell, she told me, but now she wasn't scared of anything. Anything.
We stopped mocking Death as we grew older. It was no longer a country on the other side of the world but slowly crept over the horizon. We could see it now, the new home of twenty or more of the people who'd attended our wedding, some old, some gay, some just unlucky. It was getting familiar, inevitable, and much less of a joke.
Today, at least, I don't fear it, not nearly as I did just a season ago. I have less to lose here in the land of the living. I still love life, don't get me wrong, but for today, it has less to offer.


text:
The fixedtoolbar plugin has the following methods:
show show the toolbar
Note:Prior to version 1.1, the following syntax was used to show the toolbars, but it is no longer supported:
hide hide the toolbar (if it's not a fullscreen toolbar, it'll toggle back to static positioning, which may or may not be hidden from view depending on scroll)
toggle calls either the show or the hide method, depending on whether the toolbar is visible.
updatePagePadding update the padding (either top or bottom, depending on if the toolbar is a header or a footer) of the page element parent of the toolbar to match the height of the toolbar.
There is also an
updatelayout event that can be used to trigger the toolbars to re-position. Developers who are building dynamic applications that inject content into the current page can also manually trigger this
updatelayout event to ensure components on the page update in response to the new content that was just added. This event is used internally in the collapsible and listview filter plugins and is powerful because it's not toolbar-specific -- any widget can be built to listen for the
updatelayout event to update the widget in response.
destroy destroy at fixedtoolbar (restore the element to its initial state)


text:
Movie review: Disney's live-action remake of 'Beauty and the Beast' is an all-round winner
It's not very often that you're going to get a critic who is not a fan of film musicals to say something nice about a film musical, or at least about traditional film musicals. Due to that jolting convention of actors launching into song, seemingly in the middle of spoken dialogue, I've never made it all the way through "My Fair Lady" or "South Pacific" or, to make a tad more current, "Chicago." If the movies are offbeat, they've got a chance with me. "La La Land" was innovative enough to win me over, but there are only a few others — "One from the Heart," "Phantom of the Paradise," "Cry-Baby," and "Pennies from Heaven" come to mind — that I've not only seen to the end, but also watched again.
But, here it comes: The live-action Disney version of "Beauty and the Beast," based on the 1991 Disney animated film is, despite a couple songs too many, a swirling, dazzling, absolutely wonderful piece of entertainment. It's an ideal film for all ages, features terrific performances from both on-screen and voice actors, is directed with imagination and energy by Bill Condon ("Dreamgirls"), and is most likely already being jotted down in Oscar voters' notebooks for nominations in next year's production design, costume design, and cinematography categories.
Though Disney, as Disney often does, took many liberties with the original 1740 fairy tale by Madame Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, such as cleaning up the really nasty parts for the 1991 animated musical, this one, despite changing a few story details and adding a couple of (unnecessary) songs, pays a great deal of homage to that first film. And though, in the past, animation has always been able to go to places that live action films couldn't, today's technology — and the artists using it — allow this film to open up to incredible new levels of sophisticated and believable visuals.
But the story of the selfish, unkind prince who has a curse put on him by an enchantress — he's turned into a beast and his servants are turned into household items — that will only be lifted when he learns how to give and receive love, is really brought to life and made appealing and captivating by the cast.
There are some great dramatic turns from Kevin Kline as the father of Belle (yes, that's French for Beauty) and from Dan Stevens (Matthew on "Downton Abbey" and currently David on "Legion") as the Beast. There's some rich overacting from Luke Evans as the initially vain, then caddish, then overtly evil Captain Gaston. And we get plenty of comic relief from Josh Gad as Gaston's pal LeFou, and from all of the enchanted former servants-turned-items and appliances (Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Ian McKellen, and Emma Thompson — in fine singing voice — are standouts). The most screen time, of course, goes to Emma Watson as Belle. She, too, displays some nice vocalizing, but her main strength is how well she pulls off being fragile, feisty and fearless, sometimes all at once.
The script provides small bits of background on both Belle and the Beast, explaining how some sadness had been part of their younger lives, and there's just enough terror — in this case a couple of attacks by packs of hungry wolves — to make this a bona fide Disney venture. The film is never far from being wondrous to look at, whether it's due to the dizzying antics of the "servants" jumping and dancing around in the musical centerpiece "Be Our Guest" or from the inventive use of 3D when showing the scale — especially the lofty heights — of the Beast's castle.
Everything leads up to an exciting and near-traumatic confrontation, and a journey right to the edge of extreme sadness. But, again, this is Disney. No one is going to leave the cinema upset. Everyone will go home feeling a sense of magic.
— Ed Symkus writes about movies for More Content Now.
"Beauty and the Beast"
Written by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos; directed by Bill Condon
With Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad (and lots of voices)
Rated PG


text:
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (MarketWatch) — The stock market slide in recent days, after the S&P 500's 30%-plus surge last year, doesn't represent the bursting of a bubble.
That's crucial to consider, given the comparisons made by some pundits between the current market and that of March 2000, when tech stocks started evaporating.
Whatever else you might say about today's stock market, it is nowhere near as overheated as it was 14 years ago. And that's not a subjective view. My conclusion is derived from a data-driven focus on objective measures that were identified by the leading academic study of investor sentiment. That study, by Jeffrey Wurgler and Malcolm Baker, who are finance professors at New York University and Harvard Business School, respectively, was titled "Investor Sentiment in the Stock Market."
The professors identified five indicators of investor sentiment that, over the past half century, were highly correlated with investors' mood swings between the extremes of pessimism and exuberance.
Not surprisingly, the indicators showed a record level of investor optimism in March 2000. The picture they're painting today is far different.
1. Volume of IPOs. There were 123 new issues in the first three months of 2000, according to University of Florida finance professor Jay Ritter. There were 58 in the same period this year, according to Ritter.
2. IPO returns. In 2000's first quarter, the first-day return of the average initial public offering was an incredible 96%. During the first three months of 2014, it was 22%.
3. Dividend premium. The professors, in a study, focused on the relative valuations of two groups of stocks: those of established, dividend-paying companies versus those of more speculative firms. They theorized that, as exuberance reaches extreme levels, investors become bored by established, dividend-paying companies. In March 2000, speculative companies on average had a 43% higher valuation than the dividend-paying stocks. The comparable premium today for stocks in the S&P 1500 index is 26%, according to data from FactSet.
4. Share turnover. Over the first three months of 2000, NYSE-listed stocks' turnover rate was an annualized 89%. For the first quarter of this year, it was 58%.
5. Share of corporate cash derived from equity issuance. Corporations increasingly turn to the equity markets to raise money during periods of speculative excess. The equity share stood at 20% for the first three months of 2000. The most recent data from Wurgler, covering three months in late 2013, showed the equity share was 11%.
The bottom line? None of the five sentiment indicators shows the market today to be as overheated as it was in March 2000.
To be sure, equities may be overvalued. And, in any case, the market is more than overdue for a 10% correction. But the bears go too far when they try to advance their argument by claiming that we're in a bubble that is analogous to the one that occurred in March 2000.


text:
Ortelius was demonstrated at the AAG conference in Las Vegas in mid March and looks promising. It's billed as an affordable middle-way between Adobe Illustrator + MaPublisher and ArcGIS and it works on Macs, which ArcGIS does not. It's a graphics design package that can import shapefiles and purports knowing object topology. It also has an integrated database so you can view and edit map object attributes. Map projections are supported and the package comes with pre-loaded map files to get you started.
Ortelius is currently under development and version 1.0 will be available in the first quarter of 2009. The intention is to release standard and "pro†versions with a starting price of $79. Thanks to Martin for this tip.


text:
Lehman, Herbert Henry
Lehman, Herbert Henry lē´mən [key], 1878–1963, American political leader, b. New York City. At first an executive of a textile firm, he became (1908) a partner in the family banking house of Lehman Brothers. In World War I he was assistant director of purchase, storage, and traffic of the U.S. army. He was finance chairman of the Democratic National Committee in 1928, the year he was elected lieutenant governor of New York state. After serving another term as lieutenant governor, Lehman was elected (1932) governor of the state, succeeding Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He was reelected twice for two-year terms and in 1938 for a four-year term. In the course of Lehman's gubernatorial administrations, state income taxes were cut, a huge budgetary surplus was accumulated, and much liberal legislation was enacted. He refused to run again in 1942 and was appointed (1943) director of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. He resigned (1946) because of ill health. In a special senatorial election in 1949, he defeated John Foster Dulles to fill the unexpired term of Robert F. Wagner, Sr. Reelected in 1950, he was a leading liberal and an opponent of Senator Joseph R. McCarthy. Retiring from the Senate in 1956, he continued to be a leader of the reform faction in the New York Democratic party.
See biographies by A. Nevins (1963) and D. Tananbaum (2016).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: Biographies


text:
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Kenya's president said he would not let the conflict in neighbouring South Sudan descend into genocide, though he stopped short of spelling out any action to end the increasingly ethnic slaughter.
Four months of fighting between government and rebels in the world's newest nation has raised fears of a wider conflict that could further destabilise a fragile region and send hundreds of thousands more refugees over borders.
Uganda, another neighbour of oil-producing South Sudan, has already sent in troops to back the government. Regional bloc IGAD, which is brokering troubled peace talks, has said it will hold a meeting in coming days to "consider options".
"We refuse to be witnesses to such atrocities and to remain helpless and hopeless in their wake," Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said in a statement late on Friday.
"We especially reject the possibility that we are creeping into genocide again in our region. We shall not stand by and allow it to happen."
Fighting began in December between troops loyal to South Sudan President Salva Kiir and his sacked deputy, Riek Machar. Clashes spread quickly beyond the capital, often pitting Kiir's Dinka people against Machar's Nuer.
The United Nations said rebels slaughtered hundreds of civilians when they seized the South Sudan oil hub of Bentiu earlier this month, hunting down men, women and children who had sought refuge in a hospital, a mosque and a Catholic church. The rebels dismissed the accusations. [ID:nL2N0ND0MP]
Days later, Dinka residents of Bor town in Jonglei state attacked a U.N. base where about 5,000 people, mostly Nuer, were sheltering, the United Nations said.
Kenyatta's use of the word "genocide" has resonance in a region that has vowed never to see a repeat of the ethnic slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Rwandans twenty years ago.
The stalled talks are due to resume in Ethiopia on Monday to try and thrash out a deal on political reform after a long power struggle between Kiir and Machar triggered the unrest.
South Sudan's government, under growing pressure from regional and Western powers to end the conflict, on Friday released four senior political figures it had accused of helping start the violence in a bid to seize power.
Machar's negotiation team on Saturday welcomed the release of the four detainees – a former top ruling party official, national security minister, deputy finance minister and ambassador to Washington – after treason charges were dropped.
But rebel spokesman Hussein Mar Nyot said another of their key demands – the exit of Ugandan troops and other militia supporting the government – had not been met.
"If these forces from outside are withdrawn, this will give a very strong ground for peace to come," Nyot told Reuters.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel next week to Ethiopia, another South Sudanese neighbour which is leading the mediation, to discuss peace efforts in the region.[ID:nL2N0NI00N]
South Sudan declared independence from Sudan in 2011 under the terms of a peace deal that ended decades of civil war fuelled by ethnicity, religion, ideology and oil rights.


text:
Auckland, NZ
A compact house designed for a beautiful but small and near-impossible site! Five well established pohutukawa inhabit the site, with intertwined limbs spread across the seaward half of the available building zone. A tight access lane drops from Minnehaha Ave at a very steep 1:3 slope. Much of the site is solid volcanic rock.
The desire not to damage the trees or their extensive root systems, combined with the steep slope and limited turning circle for cars, the rock outcrops, and the restrictive planning controls resulted in an innovative building which and is squeezed under, around and between the limbs of the trees, and still manages to take full advantage of the site, the sun and the views.
The character of the house changes as it rises from the ground towards the sky. The ground floor level comprises orthogonal spaces, which follow the slope in a series of steps down towards the sea, providing sea views from each level. Upstairs, the rooms become more angular and free flowing, to reflect the contortions of the pohutukawa limbs.
The upper level rooms open onto an extensive rooftop terrace which weaves between the tree branches. The Library is projected out towards the sea like a tree house amongst the pohutukawas, propped on asymmetrical steel columns whose bases are carefully located to avoid tree roots. Much of the ground floor slab is suspended on a limited number of foundations also located to avoid tree roots. An irrigation system under the slab provides the equivalent water to the roots as if the house had not been built.
The cladding is a carefully detailed system, with an outer rainscreen of open-jointed 130 x 20mm cedar boards. These provide the visual cladding, protect the weatherskin, and offer a ventilated cavity which reduces the solar gain into the building through the walls.
Registered Master Builders Auckland Region Gold Medal 2009
NZ Wood Timber Design Awards Residential Architectural Excellence – Highly Commended 2009
NZIA Auckland Residential Architecture Award 2011
Status: Built
Location: Takapuna, NZ
Firm Role: Architectural design and construction observation


text:
Cheating - The Insulation Industry's Dirty Secret
Major problems exist with the way some attic insulations are manufactured, labeled, and installed. An experienced insulation contractor, diagnostic technician, and building science educator sizes up the ongoing problem of cheating and offers specific recommendations to prevent it.
In many parts of the country, cheating with blown attic insulation is rampant. I have blown insulation into hundreds of attics and inspected thousands more attics where insulation has been blown, and I rarely have found attics with blown insulation that deliver the specified R-value-- often the attics are missing 20%-50% of the insulation. That's how I came to appreciate the complexity of the insulation industry's gigantic quality control problem.
The blame for this missing insulation can readily be spread among manufacturers, insulation contractors, builders, installers, utility companies, and consumers. This brings up the question, Why can't the building industry get something as simple and basic as attic insulation done correctly? The Insulation Contractors Association of America (ICAA) recognizes this problem. ICAA's Plan to Stop Fluffing and Cheating of Loose- Fill Insulation in Attics, which was published in 1996, succinctly states that, cheating of blown insulation in attics is prevalent throughout the United States. The ICAA readily acknowledges that cheating is still prevalent.
Cheating Defined
Cheating involves the shorting of blown cellulose, fiberglass, or rock wool insulation and overblowing or fluffing of blown fiberglass. Shorting simply means that all of the material needed to achieve a given R-value is not installed. For instance, if the average settled depth of cellulose is 5 1/2 inches for an R-30 attic when in reality it should be 8 inches, then the attic has been shorted 31% and has an R-value of 19. Here in the Southwest where I work, it is very common to find 30% of the blown cellulose missing in an attic. I'm only surprised these days when I find an attic in which the work was done correctly.
Fluffing of fiberglass insulation results from a contractor increasing the air on the blowing machine. The contractor blows in the fiberglass insulation to the depth stated on the bag label--for example, 13 inches to achieve R-30--but ends up covering perhaps 70 ft2 instead of the 50 ft2 it is supposed to cover because the fiberglass is fluffed. In other words, the depth of the loose fill insulation would suggest that it's providing the desired Rvalue, but the density isn't there to actually deliver it. To verify the density, a core sample or cookie-cutter test must be conducted. This test involves going up into an attic and taking at least three samples and weighing them. If we do a core sample on blown fiberglass and measure .40 lb/ft2 instead of 0.50 for an R-30, then 20% of the material is missing, with a corresponding 20% drop in R-value.
Fraud Everywhere
The problem is not indigenous to the Southwest, nor is it limited to one type of insulation material. According to the ICAA's plan, All over the U.S.--Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and elsewhere-- investigators have discovered patterns of fraud. This pattern of fraud has persisted since day one. Fraudulent work puts pressure on honest contractors, especially the ones that are not established, to either justify or lower their prices.
In severe climates, fraudulent insulation installations are more readily apparent than they are in more moderate climates. In extremely cold climates, high utility bills, moisture problems, ice damming, comfort problems, and mold can result from a mediocre insulation job. Poor quality work in extreme cooling climates, such as Phoenix and Las Vegas, lead to extreme air conditioning expenses, but I've still seen plenty of inadequate installations in these areas.
No blown insulation material is impervious to the potential of fraudulent use. If the installing insulation company does not place a value on quality work and there are no inspections, cheating can occur with cellulose, fiberglass, or rock wool. Your typical construction superintendent probably does not know how many inches of material are required to deliver an R-38 with blown cellulose, rock wool, or fiberglass.
Why Cheating Occurs
There are two reasons that cheating is so endemic to the insulation industry. The first reason is obvious: No one is inspecting our work. There is little or no accountability. Why do the job right if the client and the building contractor don't hold the insulation contractor accountable? Blowing insulation correctly into attics is hard work, and inspecting them is almost as difficult. Most utility companies, energy offices, city inspections, and energy programs do not perform thorough attic insulation inspections, which are imperative for keeping the industry honest.
The building industry doesn't inspect any more thoroughly. Most builders see the specified R-value for attic insulation on a set of prints and assume that it is delivered. Builders make the mistake of believing attic cards and depth rulers in attic insulation are reliable indicators of a quality job.
Other trades are held more accountable by codes and by more obvious performance issues. Plumbers are held accountable by pressure tests, water leaks, and building inspections; roofers by inspections and leaks during rainstorms. When other subcontractors work fails or doesn't look right, usually there are recognizable consequences, including customer complaints.
The second major reason that insulation lends itself so readily to cheating is pricing--actually a whole gamut of pricing issues. During many of the transactions involved in installing insulation, the price per ft2 is more important than the delivered R-value or quality work. Missing cellulose or fluffed fiberglass equates to either a low bid price or more profit for the installation contractor. My company insulated an attic in late May for $700. Our bid had almost $350 in material costs and our customer told us that several of our competitors bid the job close to half our price. Based on our experience in the field, we know that this customer was not going to get the R-30 from one of the other bidders.
In addition to the right amount of material, it takes time to blow an attic thoroughly, and time slows down production. Installers are rarely rewarded for quality work; instead they are typically paid for the amount of bags they blow. With this type of fee structure, why should an installer take the time to blow insulation around duct work on scissor truss ceilings?
Some manufacturers compound the installation problems by creating coverage charts that don't work and by manufacturing products that can be fluffed. These fraudulent coverage charts misrepresent the coverage of a product, which means the product appears more cost competitive when compared to other types of insulation material. If product X calls for 45 bags of material for a 2,000 ft2 attic, and product Y for 62 bags, and both bags cost the same, product X will appear to be more cost-effective--in spite of the fact that product X may not provide the necessary amount of material to deliver a specified R-value. These types of labeling practices have to change.
The Consequences of Cheating
Most builders don't realize that Federal Trade Commission Law 460, Labeling and Advertising of Home Insulation, holds builders--not the insulation contractor-- responsible for missing insulation. Builders are liable for $10,000 per home for missing insulation in attics. The law is quite clear regarding fraudulent insulation practices. In the first section of the law, 460.1, the penalty is stated clearly:
This regulation deals with home insulation labels, fact sheets, ads, and other promotional materials in or affecting commerce, as commerce is defined in the Federal Trade Commission Act. If you are covered by this regulation, breaking any of its rules is an unfair and deceptive act or practice or unfair method of competition under section 5 of this Act. You can be fined heavily (up to $10,000) each time you break a rule.
The Federal Trade commission understands the extent of the problem. ICAA members have gone to the FTC on several occasions to discuss cheating in attics. According to Larry Heliminiak, former president of ICAA, We went to the FTC because we want to get the skeleton out of the closet, but we're still facing an extreme uphill battle. This is a battle that is presently being lost in the field, partly because of a failure to enforce the law on the part of the FTC and state Attorneys General.
The Home Insulation Rule 460 is a good law, and my experience has been that no one either knows about it or takes it seriously. Enforcement of this law would galvanize the attention of the building community. The message would be that the proper amount of insulation in attics does matter. (To find a complete copy of the law go to www.ftc.gov/bcp/rulemaking/ rvalue/16cfr460.htm.)
Insulation Materials
I believe cellulose, fiberglass, and rock wool are good insulation materials, when labeled and installed correctly. However, all three of these types of attic insulation have common problems associated with their use and installation.
I'll never forget the day when I discovered that the cellulose problems I had been seeing in attics for years were not just the result of errors by the installation contractors, but that the manufacturers were contributing to the problems. I was blowing an R-38 in a straightforward attic with a flat ceiling. I had estimated that I would need 101 bags of stabilized cellulose. I determined the number of bags by taking the square footage of the house and dividing it by the manufacturer's coverage for a 30 lb bag of material, which is found on every bag of material. I had excellent lighting. I wore a headlamp and carried a fluorescent light on a power chord. I took dozens of depth measurements with a tape measure that was tied to my belt loop. Although the coverage charts specified the need for 101 bags, I had to blow the 127 bags I had on the truck and was still short. I was astounded. The stabilized cellulose coverage chart I was using was not accurate.
What I later learned was that even stabilized cellulose settles in attics (see Table 1). In theory, if you mist the cellulose insulation with water as the material leaves the hopper, an adhesive bond is created that is supposed to prevent settling. This is why it is referred to as stabilized cellulose. After returning to past jobs in which we marked the truss framing members with spray paint, we learned that the supposedly stabilized cellulose does settle.
I've spoken with trustworthy owners of insulation companies who still believe the coverage charts are accurate, and they genuinely think the product doesn't settle. They are faithfully following the manufacturers coverage charts, and subsequently have many attics out there that do not achieve the specified R-values.
It is easy to tell if the cellulose has been shorted in an attic once you determine the specified attic R-value. Simply stick a tape in the cellulose after it has been installed, and measure it. My company calls eight inches an R-30 attic, and ten inches an R-38. We blow 9 inches to get 8 inches settled, and 12 inches to get 10 inches settled. Most of the settling will occur in the first couple of months, but the cellulose will continue to settle for up to two years. My company follows very few manufacturer's coverage charts, and we assume that cellulose will settle as much as 20%.
One of the main reasons the coverage charts are inaccurate is that cellulose can't be blown at the low densities that the manufacturers state on their coverage charts. Minutes from the May 1997 ICAA technical committee meeting state, An investigation by the ICAA Cellulose Task Force has found that coverage charts for stabilized cellulose products have a major flaw. The density of blown cellulose increases with higher R-values and thickness. A recent survey of coverage charts produced by manufacturers of stabilized products reveals settled densities that range from 1.3 to 1.7 lb/ft2. Products using the lowest possible settled densities (generally less than 1.5 lb/ft2) will require as much as 15% more material, at higher R-values, than is shown on coverage charts. The reason for this difference is that the first four inches of cellulose are compressed by the next four to six inches, which increase the density while at the same time reducing coverage. This has been referred to as progressive density.
At my company, Advanced Insulation, we know that a 30-lb bag of cellulose that is supposed to cover 27 ft2 to achieve an R-38 instead covers from 19-21 ft2. Consequently, we have created our own charts that guarantee that our customers get what they paid for. We have a $200 guarantee on every attic that we will install the proper amount of material to achieve the specified R-value.
Blowing traditional cellulose dry (in which no moisture is added) at depths that won't account for settling is also problematic. It is very important to make the distinction between initially installed thickness in inches and minimum settled thickness in inches. For example, on one manufacturer's coverage chart, to achieve an R-38, the initially installed thickness would be 11.3 inches in depth, which will in turn settle to 10.1 inches. Both measurements can be found on a coverage chart. During inspections, I have observed that the installers often initially blow 10 inches, which does not account for settling. If the 10 inches settles 20%, which is not unusual, then the customer ends up with 8 inches or an R-30. The customer paid for an R-38 and got an R- 30. This is fraud.
Blown Fiberglass
Overblowing or fluffing can be a significant problem with blown fiberglass. To verify that a specified R-value has been delivered, a contractor or inspector not only must measure the amount of product in inches, but also must take a core sample to verify density. In an interview, former ICAA president Larry Helminiak said that overblows of 25% are common in the industry, with some reaching 50%. Independent research performed by McGrann & Associates for ICAA indicate the problem is not as bad as Helminiak suggests; however, I've also heard enough anecdotal evidence to suggest that the fluffing of blown fiberglass insulation is common. I've had fiberglass manufacturers representatives openly admit to this problem in classes I've taught on attic insulation and cheating.
To verify the proper R-value has been reached with blown fiberglass, a core sample must be taken to determine density. Core sampling is time-consuming, and in the process of taking the samples a large amount of blown fiberglass is compressed, compromising the R-value of the insulation. However, an insulation quality control program that does not include core sampling of blown fiberglass in attics is not addressing one of the most fundamental issues with blown fiberglass in attics.
Why are fiberglass manufacturers producing a product that can be tampered with? In my opinion what fiberglass manufacturers have done is shift the responsibility from themselves to the installing contractor. This is why ICAA has demanded that manufacturers produce a product in which inches of insulation equal R-value. To the best of my knowledge, no such fiberglass product is being sold today.
One manufacturer who tried to comply with the inches equals R-value rule learned an unfortunate lesson. In the mid-1990s, Johns Manville designed and produced a blown fiberglass for which the company guaranteed that the inches would equal a specified R-value. They did this by increasing the minimum thickness, so that virtually all blowing machines would deliver at least the correct R-value at the minimum thickness. The company found that very few insulation contractors or builders saw much value in this guaranteed R-value. In the competitive construction market, maximum coverage, not R-value, was in demand.
In the end, Johns Manville couldn't justify the higher product cost; after about three years, they gave up and changed back to a more standard product design without the guarantee. The marketplace did not value the leader who was trying to do the right thing.
It is also my understanding that some manufacturers of blown fiberglass insulation for walls require core samples. If they require core samples on walls, then they can require it in attics. As an inspector, I much prefer an insulation product whose R-value can be verified with a measuring tape. For this reason, I support ICAA's demand for products in which inches equal R-value.
Blown Rock Wool
One of the most distinguishing factors of rock wool is that it cannot be fluffed, yet it can be shorted. In a recent infrared scan of a newly built manufactured home with a Ratheyon Palm IR Infrared camera, I observed areas where the rock wool tapered down to an inch or two, and other areas that had only bare sheetrock. A poor installation job and a lack of quality control can lead to shorting of any insulation product.
While I see the fact that blown rock wool cannot be fluffed as a virtue, in a marketplace that refused to purchase Johns Manville's fiberglass in which inches equaled R-value, this quality may also be a liability. Several rock wool manufacturing companies are trying to turn the product characteristic into a marketing strength. The Rock Wool Manufacturing Company in Leeds, Alabama is trying to use the inches equals R-value concept in marketing with their Delta Blowing Wool. Their guarantee reads as follows:
If Delta Blowing Wool is blown to its guaranteed thickness, and it is determined, by an industry accepted method, not to weigh the minimum weight per ft2 for the corresponding R-value shown on the Delta Fact Sheet, Rock Wool Manufacturing Company will arrange to have insulation added to exceed the minimum weight per ft2 up to one-third at no added cost.
Marketing material for Sloss Blowing Wool goes after blown fiberglass. When you invest in Sloss Blowing Wool, you'll receive exactly what you pay for. Unlike other insulation, Sloss Blowing Wool cannot be fluffed or overblown. This kind of commitment to product integrity is unusual in the insulation industry. Why don't all manufacturers of insulation follow this lead?
Batts to the Rescue?
Don't jump to the conclusion that batts are the solution to loose fill insulation problems. We often see batts installed in such a fashion that they can't possibly achieve half their rated Rvalue. The batts are not in contact with the sheet rock. They rest on top of 2x4 truss ties, electrical wires, plumbing vents, sprinklers systems, vacuum systems, and stereo and alarm wires. Missed kneewalls and misaligned pressure envelopes and thermal envelopes are very common problems found in attics. The best place for batts in an attic, if the design and climate permits, is wired up against the underside of the roof sheathing in a cathedralized approach. This way the batts are not competing against all of the wires, pipes, and framing that compromise their installation.
Another major shortcoming with batts is the way the installers are typically paid to install them--by piecework. A quality insulation company should not pay piecework wages. Piecework places all of the emphasis on quantity and not on quality. Taking the time to do an excellent installation job penalizes the installer who is rewarded for quantity.
Pseudo Quality Control
To date, neither attic cards, nor attic depth rulers, nor utility program guarantees, nor inspections by building inspectors have consistently and accurately verified that specified R-values have been achieved. I've been in several Good Cents homes that had R-38 specified where the low spots measured only three inches. A building official in Surprise, Arizona--a municipality with an insulation inspection program--says his inspectors can't climb around in attics due to liability concerns. The building official said inspectors weren't permitted to actually inspect the attic insulation, because of the risk of damaging the insulation during the inspection or of someone getting hurt by falling through a ceiling. At Advanced Insulation, we know that nothing takes the place of someone climbing and crawling into the far reaches of the attic to verify that the specified R-value has been achieved.
Some professionals in the building industry advocate that the bag count method is the best way to verify that the proper amount of insulation has been installed. The bag count method of estimating and installing loose fill insulation is a flawed system for several reasons. In attics with vaulted ceilings, sky light wells, duct work, and other hard-to-reach places, the bag count method is an inaccurate way of achieving the specified Rvalue. An installer in a hot, tight attic, which will most likely never be inspected, does not want to be stopping and climbing back to the attic access to find out how many bags have been blown. Often the installer is directed by an estimator or supervisor to blow 50 bags in an attic, and that is what the installer does--regardless of the fact that 50 bags is not enough. An installer in an attic should install by inches and not by bag count.
Another fact that makes the bag count method flawed is that estimators are often inaccurate in their take-offs. In one manufacturer- conducted tests of insulation contractor blueprint take-off reliability, manufacturers were surprised and embarrassed to find differences of as much as 100% among take-offs for a simple house, according to the ICCA Plan. The bag count method is predicated on a quality take-off. If the take-off underestimates the amount of material, the bid will be lower-- and the low bid usually gets the job.
On our jobs, the percentage of batts versus blown can vary considerably from the original estimate. If our fiberglass installation crew determines that a particular wing of the house can be blown instead of using batts, then they simply leave it for our blow crew. The company saves money if we can blow an attic, because blown insulation is less expensive than batts on a per square foot basis. Our attic blow crews know what the bag count is based on our coverage numbers, but they are instructed to bring extra material to the job and are instructed to blow sufficient depth in inches to deliver the specified R-value.
Substantive Quality Control
I know from first hand experience that even the best companies have quality control issues. Quality control takes time, and quality and time are at odds with production. At Advanced Insulation, we have established quality control procedures to help us maintain very high standards of workmanship. Every time we stop to inspect one of our attics, which we do, we are not out making a sale. We accept this cost, because it is necessary to assure ourselves that we are delivering what we contracted for and stated in our guarantee. This quality control measure insures that the builder, and consequently the homeowner, get what they paid for.
Each installer's work is randomly inspected to verify and maintain quality. We randomly inspect one in four attics. The installer does not know which attic will be inspected. This policy and the feedback we give the installers lets our attic crews know that their work counts. The guarantee is as much for our installer, as it is for our customer, because it lets the installer know that their work matters to the company. At my company installers will never be paid piecework rates for insulating attics. Instead, we pay them based on an hourly rate. How can I realistically expect a worker to go the extra yard to blow behind a flex duct in a scissor truss configuration, if he is getting paid on a per bag basis.
At Advanced Insulation we have established practical procedures to ensure that we deliver quality work. Our installers in attics have high quality Petzl headlamps, measuring tapes, and a fluorescent light. The installers have my permission to use as much material as it takes to get the job done right. If the job calls for 100 bags and they blow 120 we simply record it on the daily attic work summary. The installers also bring fiberglass batts with them to catch any missed kneewalls, or to re-install the batts the sheet rockers pushed down.
Most contractors perform better when they know their work is going to be inspected. While recently testing an air distribution system prior to the installation of the sheet rock, a HVAC contractor stated to me and the builder, There are three types of air distributions systems: standard, sealed, and sealed and tested. By far and away the best is sealed and tested. He also implied that when he knew that his work was going to be tested, he always did a better job. Insulation contractors are no different. Although every attic does not have to be inspected, inspections of attic insulation work should be a requirement. Repeated offenders should be required to make necessary repairs and pay a fine.
The Manufacturers
Ironically, manufacturers would sell more material if all coverage charts worked so that the customers always got what they paid for. This would also hold true if inches would equal R-value for blown fiberglass. An attic with 25% to 45% of the insulation material missing is a lost opportunity. Unfortunately, the competition between various types of insulation material is so great that manufacturing products that provide proper coverage or can't be fluffed and labeling them correctly doesn't seem to be in the best interest of any product manufacturer.
In regard to blown fiberglass it would be a lot easier to require that fiberglass carry the inches equal R-value guarantee than to start requiring core sampling as part of the inspection process. According to Helminiak, there are approximately 5,000 insulation contractor locations in the country, but only five main manufacturers of fiberglass. Realistically, if you can make changes at the level of manufacturer, that is where the biggest impact will be. The change won't come until the process for engineering and labeling products for all types of materials are overhauled.
Manufacturers of fiberglass and cellulose should be forced to guarantee their products and coverage charts. A couple of large manufacturers of fiberglass and cellulose insulation already guarantee heating and cooling bills in their utility bill guarantee programs, so it shouldn't be a stretch to guarantee their coverage charts for specified R-values and their products against fluffing.
Leveling the Playing Field
There are great manufacturers and insulation companies working in North America. There are also manufacturers and installation companies who know they have problems and would like to change--but they won't, because they know that to lead in the insulation industry means being punished in the marketplace. The intent of this article was not to tarnish the companies doing good work, but to level the playing field, so that all manufacturers and contractors can sell on the strength of their product or coverage chart and not on its weakness.
The insulation industry is badly in need of more oversight. What the industry has proven from failed attempts to police itself is that effective and substantive change will not come from within the insulation industry.
Presently the federal government, state energy offices, utilities, and municipal building officials have not shown the will or tenacity to prevent cheating in attics. In fact, very few of these organizations seem to understand the magnitude of the product. The ICAA plan, although admirable, has not prevented cheating in the insulation industry.
Until insulation contractors and builders realize the consequence of cheating, these problems will persist. Litigation will probably have a more profound effect than any program I know of, including attic inspections. When facing the threat of a $10,000 fine per home with missing insulation in the attic, the cost of a quality attic insulation job is a pittance.
As an owner of a small insulation company, who would rather go out of business before I deliver the kind of work I routinely see out in the field, it is in my best interest to see that this story is told. With the exception of construction defect attorneys, almost every player involved in residential insulation, including the consumer and the environment, benefits from quality attic insulation work.
- 1
Enter your comments in the box below:
(Please note that all comments are subject to review prior to posting.)
While we will do our best to monitor all comments and blog posts for accuracy and relevancy, Home Energy is not responsible for content posted by our readers or third parties. Home Energy reserves the right to edit or remove comments or blog posts that do not meet our community guidelines.


text:
alphadogg writes "San Jose is casting a vote of confidence in municipal Wi-Fi from the heart of Silicon Valley, planning a new, free network just a few years after such networks were declared all but dead. The California city of about 1 million intends to offer high-speed Wi-Fi throughout its downtown, covering an area of 1.5 square miles in the middle of this year. But unlike earlier municipal Wi-Fi initiatives, such as a Google-sponsored network that would have covered San Francisco, the San Jose system will be able to pay for itself entirely by helping the government do its job. In the middle of the past decade, ambitious projects in several cities, including parts of San Jose, promised to blanket outdoor areas with Wi-Fi and provide built-in sources of revenue. Home broadband subscriptions, browser-based advertising or small-business use would help to pay for equipment and operations. But those complicated business models depended on assumptions that often proved unfounded."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
View post:
San Jose Plan Reintroduces Large-Scale Municipal Wi-Fi Coverage


text:
Why Brisbane
About Us
Doing business in Brisbane
Industry Sectors
News and Insights
Contact Us
Brisbane's status as Australia's dynamic new world city was further bolstered by its hosting of the 2014 G20 World Leaders Summit. With the world's eyes on Brisbane, there is no better time to consider investment in new hotels.
Brisbane's tourism industry contributes more than $3.3 billion to the city's gross regional product. Tourism employs 21,100 people in Brisbane, with 45 per cent, or 9400 people, employed in the hotel sector (Source: ABS, 2013).
Brisbane's visitor economy is growing strongly, particularly in key segments like leisure and events travel, and Asian tourism. The strength of Brisbane's visitor economy is evident in the $6.1 billion spent by visitors to Brisbane in 2013 across 4.3 million visitor nights. Chinese visitor numbers have been growing at 21.8 per cent per annum since 2008 and Brisbane experienced a 10 per cent increase in leisure travellers staying in hotels in 2013 (Source: Tourism Research Australia, 2013).
Growth in hotel capacity is required to enable the market to grow demand and attract new visitors to the city. Brisbane's hotel market has not kept pace – creating opportunities for investors, developers, and operators to plant a flag here.
New branded hotel supply in Brisbane is crucial to satisfy growth markets being driven by business and events, leisure visitors, and developing markets like China. These growth markets are seeking full service and internationally branded hotels. As a result, the Brisbane hotel market is rich with opportunity.
Access your copy of the "A Guide to Hotel Investment in Brisbane, Australia" publication here.
Access your copy of the "A Guide to Hotel Investment in Brisbane, Australia - Chinese" publication here.
With more than 45 per cent of Queensland's population and an economy valued at $135 billion, Brisbane – Australia's new world city – is an economic powerhouse and the tourism and business hub of Queensland. Brisbane's economy is forecast to grow by more than 60 per cent to $217 billion by 2031 (Source: Brisbane City Council, Economic Development Plan 2012-2031).
Recognised as one of Australia's major business and commercial hubs, corporate companies have been attracted to Brisbane's consistently strong economic performance, highly skilled and creative workforce, and some of the world's most advanced infrastructure.
Despite weaker trading conditions experienced in 2013, Brisbane continues to be the fourth-best performing market in Australia, with healthy trading forecast in 2014 and beyond. Key indicators include: a 77 per cent average occupancy rate in 2013; 1.97 million room nights sold in 2013, representing an increase of 1.9 per cent since 2009; average daily rate increase of 8.1 per cent from 2009 to 2013 (or average annual growth of 2 per cent) to $183; and a revenue per available room increase of 10.3 per cent from 2009 to 2013 (or average annual growth of 2.5 per cent) to $142 (Source: Deloitte Access Economics, 2013).
With a strong vision for the future, the Brisbane City Council and Queensland Government's long-term commitment to invest in critical infrastructure continues to transform the city's landscape, with the ongoing delivery of new road, tunnel and rail links. Queensland's average infrastructure spend from 2000 to 2010 was 75% higher than the average of other states and territories combined at $1021 per capita (Source: Queensland Infrastructure Plan, 2011).
Brisbane Airport, situated 12km from the CBD, is fast becoming a premier aviation hub in the Asia Pacific region. Brisbane Airport operates curfew-free and offers around-the-clock capacity. In 2013, Brisbane Airport Corporation began construction of a new parallel runway as part of a $1.3 billion infrastructure investment. The addition of the new runway will see Brisbane Airport operate on the same level of capacity as airports in Singapore and Hong Kong, and upon completion in 2020 it will become the most efficient runway system in Australia.
Brisbane is home to a number of established and emerging retail, entertainment, and dining precincts, with the Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council working to unlock land for private development including: development and release of a new city centre master plan which provides a clear vision for future investment and development; home to leading dining, entertainment, and retail precincts such as South Bank and Queen Street Mall; and strong commitment from government to develop new world-class precincts such as Queen's Wharf, Howard Smith Wharves and Kurilpa Riverfront.
Private sector investment is strongly supported by state and local governments, with active support and facilitation for new investors, including: dedicated case managers for investors, developers, and operators looking for hotel opportunities in Brisbane; streamlined approvals by both levels of government for hotel projects; strong funding commitment in destination marketing to build demand from leisure and international visitors; funding secured to attract greater aviation capacity and new routes into Brisbane; and the lowest payroll taxes in Australia.
Brisbane has a track record of hosting large international conferences and has a strong calendar of future events. Brisbane is home to Australia's most-awarded convention venue, the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. In 2013, Brisbane welcomed two world-class convention venues – the Royal International Convention Centre at the Brisbane Showgrounds, and the refurbished Brisbane City Hall. Through Brisbane Economic Development Agency's Convention Bureau, there is a city-wide focus on growing the business events sector further. In November 2014, the city hosted the G20 Leaders Summit bringing 4000 delegates and 3000 domestic and international media to the city.
Brisbane attracts a range of world-class major events that drive leisure tourism to the city. Brisbane boasts the Galley of Modern Art, Australia's largest gallery of modern and contemporary art, and the Queensland Art Gallery. Other major venues that host large local and international events include the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Queensland Museum, State Library of Queensland, the Brisbane Powerhouse, and the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. The city has a range of stadiums that attract sporting fans from across the globe.
Brisbane's strong trading conditions provide an ideal opportunity for hotel operators to strengthen their existing global operating portfolio or continue their brand expansion into a key Australasian gateway city. As Brisbane looks to address and diversify the city's hotel product offering, existing and new development opportunities become available to operators with midscale, upscale, and luxury full-service brands. Existing operators trading in the Brisbane market include Accor (Sofitel, Pullman, Mercure, Ibis, Hotel Formula1), Hilton, Marriott, Shangri-La (Traders), Stamford and Toga Far East (Adina, Rendezvous, Travelodge).
Brisbane City Council, the largest local government in Australia, has demonstrated its commitment to addressing the existing undersupply of hotels in Brisbane, continuing to support developers through a pro-development, pro-business environment.
On the back of a buoyant resources sector and strong and stable economy, investor sentiment towards Brisbane remains strong. Opportunity exists for investors to acquire a new trading hotel on a turn-key basis, or enter into a joint venture with a developer.
Existing investors who own strategic hotel assets in the Brisbane market include Ascendas Hospitality Trust, CDL Hospitality REIT, ISPT, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Stamford, Starhill REIT and Thakral.
Ph: +61 (0)7 3006 6266


text:
JP Norden, marathon bombing victim who lost leg in blast, released from hospital
"I see it as a new life" says Norden
Surrounded by family, including a brother who also lost a leg in the Boston marathon bombing, JP Norden, 33, was released from Spaulding Hospital Friday.
"I'm doing awesome. I don't know if I'll need more surgeries but I feel great," said Norden.
His brother Paul Norden, 31, was released from Spaulding recently. He declined to make any comment, saying it was his brother's big day.
Both brothers lost their right legs below the knee. They were dressed in shorts which revealed shrapnel wounds.
Both brothers also suffered hearing loss as a result of the blast.
The brothers are now moving forward to the prosthetic phase of their recovery.
"On behalf of the entire family we want to send prayers and condolences to all those who lost loved ones," said Peter Brown, the victims' uncle, who gave thanks for the outpouring of support they have received. "Today is a special day, another milestone in what we like to say is a step in the right direction," said Brown.
"We are thankful for where they are today," said Brown.
JP Norden said he was overwhelmed by the show of support for him and his brother as he talked about his future.
"I see it as a new life. I don't know why but I'm much happier now," said Norden.
He said he was looking forward to doing physical therapy with his brother and even getting a little competitive about their recovery.
"We were always competitive. I was just better," joked the older brother.


text:
To Prevent Great Depression II, Cut Taxes to 0%
When Barack Obama takes office today, his first order of business will be a stimulus package estimated to be close to $1 trillion, including $300 million in tax cuts and the largest new government spending program for infrastructure since Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Sages nod that replicating aspects of FDR's New Deal will help pull the country out of a recession. But the experience under FDR largely provides a cautionary tale.
Mr. Obama's policy plans are driven by the conventional economic wisdom that the New Deal economic programs ended the Great Depression. Not so. In fact, thanks to New Deal policies and programs, the U.S. economy faltered for years longer than it might otherwise have done.
The quickest way to strengthen the credit system and begin the end of this crisis is to get money into the economy for true job creation, and not into government work programs. The way to do this is to slash taxes. The U.S. corporate tax rate, currently the highest in the world, should be cut to 0% (corporate income would still be taxed, of course, when distributed to shareholders as dividends). The capital-gains tax should be cut further.
The positive impact on corporate-credit markets, the stock market, the attractiveness of the U.S. to foreign investors, and the willingness to take business risk and create new jobs would be immediate. Capital-gains tax collections would rise. Capital flows would be in the hands of those who are driven to build businesses and permanent jobs efficiently instead of pushing that capital through a government pipeline with endless amounts of friction. If the U.S. is to lead the international economic community out of this crisis, this is the place to start.
~Mark Levey in the Wall Street Journal


text:
South Dakota Department of Health
Office of Disease Prevention Services - 605-773-3737 — (1-800-592-1861 in South Dakota only)
This material is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute
for medical care. We are not able to answer personal medical questions. Please see your
health care provider concerning appropriate care, treatment or other medical advice.
What is hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B (formerly known as serum hepatitis) is a liver disease caused by a virus. The disease is fairly common.
Who gets hepatitis B?
Anyone can get hepatitis B, but those at greater risk include:
- Infants born to infected mothers
- Sex partners of infected persons
- Men who have sex with men
- Injection drug users
- Household contacts or sexual partners of known persons with chronic hepatitis B infection
- Health care and public safety workers at risk for occupational exposure to blood or blood-contaminated body fluids, and
- Hemodialysis patients
How is the virus spread?
Hepatitis B virus can be found in the blood and, to a lesser extent, saliva, semen and other body fluids of an infected person. It is spread by direct contact with infected body fluids; usually by needle stick injury or sexual contact.
What are the symptoms of hepatitis B?
The symptoms of hepatitis B include fatigue, poor appetite, fever, vomiting and occasionally joint pain, hives or rash. Urine may become darker in color, and then jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and white of the eyes) may appear. Some individuals may experience few or no symptoms.
How soon do symptoms appear?
The symptoms may appear two to six months after exposure, but usually within three months.
For how long is a person able to spread the virus?
The virus can be found in blood and other body fluids several weeks before symptoms appear and generally persists for several months afterward. Approximately 10 percent of infected people may become long-term carriers of the virus.
What is the treatment for hepatitis B?
There are no special medicines or antibiotics that can be used to treat a person once the symptoms appear. Generally, bed rest is all that is needed.
What precautions should hepatitis B carriers take?
Hepatitis B carriers should follow standard hygienic practices to ensure that close contacts are not directly contaminated by his or her blood or other body fluids. Carriers must not share razors, toothbrushes or any other object that may become contaminated with blood. In addition, susceptible household members, particularly sexual partners, should be immunized with hepatitis B vaccine. It is important for carriers to inform their dentist and health care providers.
How can hepatitis B be prevented?
A vaccine to prevent hepatitis B has been available for several years. It is safe, effective and is recommended for people in high-risk settings who have not already been infected. A special hepatitis B immune globulin is also available for people who are exposed to the virus. In the event of exposure to hepatitis B, consult a doctor or the local health department.
Related sites
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- South Dakota Department of Health, Immunization Program
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Mayo Clinic