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What You Need to Know About This Year's Medicare Open Enrollment Period
If you have Medicare, you don't need to participate in the new health insurance marketplace
En español l If you're a Medicare beneficiary, here's something for your autumn to-do list: Go Medicare shopping.
Review your benefits and costs for 2014, compare alternatives and decide whether to keep or change plans during Medicare's annual open enrollment period Oct. 15 through Dec. 7.
This year, Medicare's open enrollment overlaps with open enrollment for the new insurance marketplaces or exchanges created under the Affordable Care Act, also commonly referred to as Obamacare — but don't let that throw you. Medicare's 50 million-plus beneficiaries, most of them seniors, will steer clear of the marketplaces.
Got questions? Here's what you need to know about Medicare's open enrollment in the marketplace era.
Q: I have Medicare. Can I use my online state insurance marketplace to compare and buy a Medicare Advantage, supplement or prescription plan?
A: No, the marketplaces (also known as health exchanges) are not for Medicare beneficiaries. They are mostly for uninsured Americans and do not offer Medicare Advantage, medigap supplemental policies or Part D prescription plans. Medicare is not changing because of the marketplaces. For a medigap or Medicare Advantage plan, consult www.medicare.gov.
Q: What if I mistakenly sign up for insurance on the marketplace, will my Medicare coverage be automatically canceled?
A: No, if you have Medicare coverage, you won't qualify for insurance on the marketplace. But if you do sign up for a plan accidentally, cancel the marketplace policy.
Q: But I'm a Medicare beneficiary, and someone contacted me and said I could buy insurance through the marketplace. What's up?
A: It's illegal for someone to knowingly sell a Medicare beneficiary a marketplace plan. Watch out for scammers during open enrollment. Do not share your Medicare number or personal information with anyone who says he or she can sell you a plan through the marketplace.
Q: Can I get the premium tax credit that people get when they buy insurance on the marketplaces?
A: If you're enrolled in Medicare, you're not eligible for the tax credits that some people qualify for on the marketplaces, but you already get a substantial break on costs. The overall costs of care under Medicare Part B, which pays doctors' visits, and Part D, the prescription drug benefit, are subsidized 75 percent from federal general revenues. Plus, if you're a Medicare beneficiary with limited resources and income, you may qualify for low-cost Part D drug coverage under the Extra Help program. Go to www.ssa.gov, call 800-772-1213 or visit your local Social Security office.
Next page: More about Medicare and the health insurance marketplace. »
Q: I've just become eligible for Medicare, but I haven't signed up yet and haven't started collecting Social Security. Can I choose coverage on the marketplace instead of Medicare?
A: Yes, but be aware that if you fail to sign up for Medicare during your initial seven-month enrollment period — the three months before the month you turn 65, your birthday month and three months after your 65th birthday — you may have to pay a late enrollment penalty for as long as you have Medicare. Also, if you don't enroll in Medicare Part B during your initial enrollment period, you can sign up only during what's called the general enrollment period — Jan. 1 through March 31 — and your coverage won't begin until July of that year.
Q: I'll turn 65 next year and will become eligible for Medicare, but I don't have health insurance now. Can I use the marketplace?
A: Yes, you're uninsured and can buy a plan on the marketplace now that will be effective Jan. 1. Once you receive Medicare coverage, you should cancel the marketplace plan.
Q: I'm 65, a legal immigrant with a green card and have lived in this country for three years. Can I get Medicare coverage?
A: No, Medicare requires that you have lived in the United States continuously for five years. You may qualify for a health insurance plan on the marketplace, which does not have a residency waiting period.
Q: I'm 65 and Medicare-eligible, but I'm still working and covered by my employer's health plan. My employer says she may terminate the company plan next year. What are my options?
A: If you didn't sign up for Medicare Part A or Part B when you were first eligible because you were covered by a group plan based on current employment — yours or a spouse's — you can sign up for Part A or Part B (or both) anytime you're still covered by the group plan or during an eight-month period that begins the month after your coverage ends.
Q: I'm eligible for Medicare but didn't sign up on time, and I haven't bought insurance through the marketplace. Will I have to pay a fine?
A: Yes, if you're uninsured and don't qualify for an exemption to the requirement that everyone carry health insurance in 2014, you will have to pay a penalty. Exemptions include being a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe or having income too low to file a tax return.
Q: I have only Medicare Part A. Do I need to buy more insurance to meet the legal requirement that I have insurance?
A: No, whether you're in a traditional Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan, you meet the insurance requirement.
Q: I'm 60 and retired, but I'm too young for Medicare. I get my insurance through my former employer's retiree health plan. Do I need to get additional coverage on the marketplace to comply with the health law?
A: No, retiree plans generally meet the requirement.
Q: What happens during the regular annual Medicare open enrollment?
A: Medicare beneficiaries can change their health and prescription plans for the next year. Changes go into effect Jan. 1. You can:
- Change from original or traditional fee-for-service Medicare to a private, managed-care Medicare Advantage plan
- Change from a Medicare Advantage plan back to traditional Medicare
- Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another
- Switch from a Medicare Advantage plan that doesn't offer drug coverage to one that does
- Switch from a Medicare Advantage plan that offers drug coverage to one that doesn't
- Join a stand-alone Medicare prescription plan
- Switch from one prescription plan to another
- Drop your prescription drug coverage altogether
Q: I'm not thrilled with my plan, but there are a lot of choices. Where do I start?
A: Use the Plan Finder tool at www.medicare.gov to compare costs and benefits for each plan available in your area. Details of 2014 plans are available now. If you need personal help, call your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). Contact information is at www.shiptalk.org. If you have Medicare Advantage or a Part D prescription drug plan, you should have received a notice of changes for 2014 in the mail. It will tell you whether your premiums, deductibles, copays and benefits will change next year.
Q: Can't people change their Medicare coverage later than December?
A. Yes, between Jan. 1 and Feb. 14 every year, people with Medicare Advantage plans can leave their plans and switch to traditional Medicare, if they choose. In specific circumstances, such as a move, people can change Medicare coverage anytime.
Q: I'm happy with my current Medicare choices. What do I do during open enrollment?
A: Not a thing. Your current choices will continue next year.
Q: Where can I find more Medicare information?
A: For enrollment information, go to Social Security's website, www.ssa.gov or call 800-772-1213. For coverage information, go to www.medicare.gov or call 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227).
Marsha Mercer is a freelance writer in the Washington, D.C., area who covers health policy.
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Here's a tester for you. Which raft of energy policies gets proven 'greener' results? Is it the anti-fossil fuel, cap-and-trade regulatory regimes of socialist Europe? Or is it the path of technological innovation set by the 'evil' capitalists in the Kyoto-eschewing Bush White House?
In what has to be the irony of ironies, Europe's consumption of coal grew by 3.3 percent in 2011. The increase was directly due to the glut of European Trading Scheme (ETS) emission allowances which made coal the most profitable electric power fuel. Over in the United States in 2012, however, coal burning to generate power continued to decline, primarily due to America's switch to shale gas.
Natural gas emits around half the CO2 of coal. U.S. levels of carbon emission are currently plummeting; a feat Europe has no chance of matching, not least as coal use is on the increase. It's a situation that ought to bring the whole raft of EU market-interfering policies geared to reducing carbon emissions into sharper focus. Policies that can only be characterize by three S's: sheer synchronized stupidity.
Not that the U.S. coal industry is suffering from the domestic switch to gas, you understand. America's high-quality coal has had no trouble finding an alternative and lucrative market: Europe. And U.S. coal exports to Europe are only set to increase further.
Europe's lose-lose
Far from moving away from burning 'dirty' coal, global consumption is rising. According to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy released in mid-June, global energy consumption grew by 2.5 percent in 201l in line with long-term trends. However, global coal production also increased last year by almost half a billion tonnes. That's exceptional. It represents a 6 percent increase in a single year and tops an annual average growth rate of 4.6 percent a year over the last decade. In short, King Coal almost edged out oil as the world's leading energy resource in 201l hitting 30 percent of global energy consumption. And it is set to surpass (and probably already has) oil as the world's most important commodity in 2012.
In stark contrast to the U.S., Europe's use of natural gas fell last year by 2.1 percent as gas-fired plants that needed only half the number of carbon permits, became increasingly uncompetitive. Prices fell sharply by 17 percent to just 8 euros a tonne. Indeed, so expensive has gas become in Europe that the major players like EON and RWE are considering shutting down their gas-fired plants entirely by 2015. Coal – the literal bête noire for all green politicos – is the only viable alternative.
The Eurocracy did not plan it to be this way.
You might think that European capitals would be falling over themselves to develop Europe's own shale gas resources and share in the 'green' benefits of switching from burning coal; not least because another key EU energy policy is to diversify away from European dependence on Russian gas imports. But the EU-imposed goals of CO2 targets for 2020 dictate that member states must bend the knee to the green lobbies that demand a ban on hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"), the technique singly responsible for the U.S. gas and oil revolutions. In effect, an EU-sponsored lose-lose situation has developed.
America's win-win
Europe can only look with dismay across the Atlantic at how U.S. carbon levels are falling as a direct consequence of the switch to natural gas. Just for good measure, shale gas developments have already cut the cost of U.S. electricity generation by 15 percent and halved domestic gas prices. On top of that, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA), America's energy-related carbon emissions fell by around 7.5 percent during the first quarter of 2012. U.S. carbon emissions are now approximately 8.5 percent lower than for the first quarter of 2010. This year's total emissions are predicted to be on course to fall back to 1990 levels. The reason is plain enough. At the beginning of the new millennia, coal-burning accounted for 52 percent of U.S. electricity generation. By 2008 that had fallen to 48 percent. In April this year, the use of natural gas (mostly from shale) and coal-burning in electricity generation were neck and neck at around 32 percent each.
By any measure, the U.S. carbon-lowering story is a striking one.
But there's a much more basic economic lesson here for those able to remove their green-tinted ideological glasses. Eurocrat socialism, with its predilection for imposing regulatory cap-and-trade restrictions that inherently render industry less globally competitive, has contrived to achieve the very opposite of its chief goal: a new, high carbon-emitting, coal boom. American capitalism, on the other hand, has not only seen technological innovation (fracking) promote a cheaper energy revolution and reduce dependence on foreign energy imports it has also raised the very real prospect of energy independence. Just to rub salt in fast-developing European 'green' wounds, the U.S. way of 'doing green' is making EU energy policies look UP (unfit for purpose).
As the irony of Europe's electricity increasingly set to be generated courtesy of U.S. coal sinks in (sending carbon goals up in smoke), Eurocrats should realise there is one marketplace regulation over which bureaucratic meddling has no competence: the Law of Unintended Consequences. So if the ignominy inherent in European power being generated by American coal should become too great for bureaucratic EU sensibilities, I could suggest an alternative fuel source could include bundles of failed and discredited strategic policies.
The Kyoto Protocol, for instance.

subset: commoncrawl


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[](/sites/default/files/uploads/2013/04/REU-ATHLETICS-MARATHONBOST2.jpg)Americans for Peace and Tolerance is celebrating that Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick rescinded an invitation to the imam of a Muslim Brotherhood-linked mosque to participate in an interfaith prayer service. It is now known that the mosque was attended by the Boston bombers, though it condemns the attack. You can thank Governor Patrick by clicking here.
Imam Suhaib Webb of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center said on twitter that Governor Patrick's office suddenly disinvited him to the service and he did not know why. The Clarion Project has documented the Muslim Brotherhood links of the ISBCC and its parent mosque, the Islamic Society of Boston.
Imam Webb was replaced by Nasser Wedaddy of the American-Islamic Congress, an organization whose leader participated in a pro-NYPD Muslim rally to counter the influence of Muslim Brotherhood legacy groups like the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The organization is also a member of the American Islamic Leadership Coalition. Other members of the coalition include Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, narrator of The Third Jihad, C. Holland Taylor, Jamal Hasan, Tarek Fatah and Raquel Evita Saraswati.
The Islamic Society of Boston had Sheikh Yousef al-Qaradawi, the pro-terrorism spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, as one of its original trustees. In 2008, it was reported that the Muslim Brotherhood and the Pakistani Islamist group, Jamaat-e-Islami, "are the prominent belief systems. The popular websites used by members, and recommended by mosque leaders, are mostly fundamentalist, and rabidly homophobic."
The Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center is a separate 70,000-square foot, approximately $15 million mosque operated by the Boston chapter of the Muslim American Society (MAS). Federal prosecutors said in 2008 that MAS was "founded as the overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in America." A convicted terrorist named Abdurrahman Alamoudi, a founder of the Islamic Society of Boston and admitted U.S. Muslim Brotherhood member, said last year, "Everybody knows that MAS is the Muslim Brotherhood."
The Boston bombers attended the Islamic Society of Boston. A friend of the younger bomber, Dzhokhan Tsarnaev, says he last saw him at the Islamic Society of Boston there during Ramadan. The mosque says that the older brother, Tamerlan, was an "occasional" attendee over the past year and a half. He was kicked out of a prayer service about three months ago after he loudly interrupted the imam for exalting Martin Luther King Jr. He returned to the weekly services without further incident.
The Islamic Society of Boston quickly condemned the Boston bombings. It said it would leave "no stone uncovered in finding any other suspects connected to the bombs." The Islamic Society of Boston says it opposes "the taking of innocent, non-combatant lives through acts of terrorism or state-sponsored aggression."
However, it has promoted Islamist themes like the U.S. government is persecuting Muslims and the war on terrorism is actually a war on Islam. The Cultural Center says jihad doesn't mean holy war but can mean "struggle in the battlefield for self-defense (e.g.-having a standing army for national defense), or fighting against tyranny or oppression."
Americans for Peace and Tolerance released a video in May 2010 criticizing the Patrick Administration's embrace of Islamists, including an imam who preached that the FBI was persecuting innocent Muslims and the community must "pick up the gun and sword." Governor Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino initially embraced the Islamic Society of Boston and attended the grand opening of the Cultural Center.
Patrick's trip to the Cultural Center was sponsored by Islamic Relief USA. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley even accepted a $50,000 grant from the Muslim American Society to pay for "sensitivity" training for law enforcement. In January, the Clarion Project discovered that the group has at least four officials with Muslim Brotherhood ties. It was previously found out that its CEO has served as an advisor to the U.S. State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development.
Wilad Fitahi temporarily resigned as a trustee of the Islamic Society of Boston after attention was brought to anti-Semitic comments he had made. He said Jews "would be punished for their oppression, murder and rape of the worshippers of Allah." Fitahi views interfaith engagement as a way of countering Jewish influence and boasted that it "has begun to trouble the Zionist lobby." He predicted, "Their [the Jewish] covenant with America is the strongest possible in the U.S., but it is weaker than they think, and one day their covenant with the [American] people will be cut off."
Even if the Islamic Society of Boston and its Cultural Center condemn the Boston bombings and violence against non-combatants (what about U.S. soldiers?), the Islamist themes they promote sets the stage for acts of terrorism and hostility towards the West. Belief in the Muslim Brotherhood ideology is often a precursor to belief in the tactics of Al-Qaeda.
If it is proven that the Boston bombers frequently attended the Islamic Society of Boston, then the ISB failed to sufficiently inoculate them from radical influences. At worse, the ISB's teachings set the stage for the accepting of those influences.
Governor Deval Patrick's apparent learning from his mistakes is an important victory. Officials who change course when confronted with the facts need to be commended. Thank him by contacting his office here.
This article was sponsored by the Institute on Religion and Democracy.
Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: Click here.


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JWT Asks Ad Industry to Help 'Christmas Story' Doofus Detach Tongue
Simple, brainless fun. That's what's so special about this year's JWT holiday card. For a while there, we thought the ad industry had decided to forgo the annual rite of creative passage known as the holiday card but now we have so many submissions we just don't know what to do with all of them.
We like this one because:
A. It arrived via email with a single URL in the body of the email. No lame sales pitch.
B. It's actually good in the most simple of ways. You get to hlep that A Christmas Story doofus detach his tongue from the light pole with various items like a blow dryer, a spatula and a chain saw.
C. You don't have to log in.
D. Even your buffoon on a boss who still refuses the Internet will amount to anything can work it.


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"You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat."
Sending data over long distances is like magic, and now you can be a magician with this range of powerful and easy-to-use radio modules. Sure, sometimes you want to talk to a computer (a good time to use WiFi) or perhaps communicate with a Phone (choose Bluetooth Low Energy!) but what if you want to send data very far? Most WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee and other wireless chipsets use 2.4GHz, which is great for high speed transfers. If you aren't so concerned about streaming a video, you can use a lower license-free frequency such as 433 or 900 MHz. You can't send data as fast but you can send data a lot farther.'
Also, these packet radios are simpler than WiFi or BLE, you dont have to associate, pair, scan, or worry about connections. All you do is send data whenever you like, and any other modules tuned to that same frequency (and, with the same encryption key) will receive. The receiver can then send a reply back. The modules do packetization, error correction and can also auto-retransmit so its not like you have worry about everything but less power is wasted on maintaining a link or pairing.
These modules are great for use with Arduinos or other microcontrollers, say if you want a sensor node nework or transmit data over a campus or town. The trade off is you need two or more radios, with matching frequencies. WiFi and BT, on the other hand, are commonly included in computers and phones.
These radio modules come in four variants (two modulation types and two frequencies) The RFM69's are easiest to work with, and are well known and understood. The LoRa radios are exciting and more powerful but also more expensive.
This is the 900 MHz radio version, which can be used for either 868MHz or 915MHz transmission/reception - the exact radio frequency is determined when you load the software since it can be tuned around dynamically. We also carry a 433 MHz version here. These are +20dBm LoRa packet radios that have a special radio modulation that is not compatible with the RFM69s but can go much much farther. They can easily go 2 Km line of sight using simple wire antennas, or up to 20Km with directional antennas and settings tweakings
- Packet radio with ready-to-go Arduino libraries
- Uses the license-free ISM band: "European ISM" @ 868MHz or "American ISM" @ 915MHz
- Use a simple wire antenna or spot for uFL or SMA radio connector
- SX1276 LoRa® based module with SPI interface
- +5 to +20 dBm up to 100 mW Power Output Capability (power output selectable in software)
- ~100mA peak during +20dBm transmit, ~30mA during active radio listening.
- Range of approx. 2Km, depending on obstructions, frequency, antenna and power output
All radios are sold individually and can only talk to radios of the same part number. E.g. RFM69 900 MHz can only talk to RFM69 900 MHz, LoRa 433 MHz can only talk to LoRa 433, etc.
Each radio comes with some header, a 3.3V voltage regulator and levelshifter that can handle 3-5V DC power and logic so you can use it with 3V or 5V devices. Some soldering is required to attach the header. You will need to cut and solder on a small piece of wire (any solid or stranded core is fine) in order to create your antenna. Optionally you can pick up a uFL or SMA edge-mount connector and attach an external duck.
Check out our fine tutorial for wiring diagrams, example code, and more!
This is the 900 MHz radio version, which can be used for either 868MHz or 915MHz transmission/reception
- the exact radio frequency is determined when you load the software since it can be tuned around dynamically
- SX127x Datasheet - The RFM9X LoRa radio chip itself
- SX1231 Datasheet - The RFM69 radio chip itself
- RFM69HCW datasheet - contains the SX1231 datasheet plus details about the module
- RFM9X - The radio module, which contains the SX1272 chipset
- EagleCAD PCB files on GitHub
Dimensions: 29mm x 25mm x 4mm / 1.14" x 1.0" x 0.2"
Weight 3.1g
|Part. No. :
Questions on Adafruit RFM95W LoRa Radio Transceiver Breakout - 868 or 915 MHz
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Click here for the full text of the Forest Rights Act 2006
Millions of people live in and near India's forest lands, but have no legal right to their homes, lands or livelihoods. A few government officials have all power over forests and forest dwellers. The result? Both forests and people die. This Act recognises forest dwellers' rights and makes conservation more accountable.
Why is this law necessary?
What are conditions like in the forest areas?
Why were people's rights not respected when these forests were declared?
The same model was subsequently built into the Wild Life Protection Act, passed in 1972, with similar consequences.
Mistakes may have been made, but surely these laws are the best way to protect our forests?
It is not just people who have lost. The very purpose of the Forest Acts was to convert forests into the property of a colonial department; and when you convert an ecosystem into someone's property, there will always be stronger claims to that property than conservation. To destroy a forest today requires nothing more than either a bribe to the local forest officer or an application to a committee in Delhi. The results include:
The loss of more than 90% of India's grasslands to commercial Forest Department plantations.
The destruction of five lakh hectares of forest in the past five years alone for mines, dams and industrial projects;
The clearing of millions of hectares of forest for monoculture plantations by the Forest Department;
Recent proposals to privatise "degraded" forest lands for private companies' timber plantations.
Moreover, the forest laws destroyed all the community management and regulation systems that had existed before, forcing people to choose between either abandoning the forest entirely or living as 'criminals' within or near it. To this day it is a criminal offence for you or I to plant a tree in a reserved forest; but it is legal for the Department to fell the entire forest so long as it has Central government permission.
What does the Forest Rights Act do?
The Act basically does two things:
- Grants legal recognition to the rights of traditional forest dwelling communities, partially correcting the injustice caused by the forest laws.
- Makes a beginning towards giving communities and the public a voice in forest and wildlife conservation.
Who is a forest dweller under this law, and who gets rights?
There are two stages to be eligible under this Act. First, everyone has to satisfy two conditions:
- Primarily residing in forests or forest lands;
- Depends on forests and forest land for a livelihood (namely "bona fide livelihood needs")
Second, you have to prove:
- That the above conditions have been true for 75 years, in which case you are an Other Traditional Forest Dweller (s. 2(o));
- That you are a member of a Scheduled Tribe (s. 2(c)); and
- That you are residing in the area where they are Scheduled (s. 4(1)).
In the latter case you are a Forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribe.
What kind of rights do forest dwellers get under this Act?
The law recognises three types of rights:
Land Rights
No one gets rights to any land that they have not been cultivating prior to December 13, 2005 (see section 4(3)) and that they are not cultivating right now. Those who are cultivating land but don't have document can claim up to 4 hectares, as long as they are cultivating the land themselves for a livelihood (section 3(1) (a) and 4(6)). Those who have a patta or a government lease, but whose land has been illegally taken by the Forest Department or whose land is the subject of a dispute between Forest and Revenue Departments, can claim those lands (see section 3(1)(f) and (g)).
There is no question of granting 4 hectares of land to every family. If I am cultivating half a hectare on December 13, 2005, I receive title to that half a hectare alone; and if I am cultivating nothing, I receive nothing. If I am cultivating more than 4 hectares without documents or a dispute, I receive title to only 4 hectares.
The land cannot be sold or transferred to anyone except by inheritance (see section 4(4)).
Use Rights
The law secondly provides for rights to use and/or collect the following:
a. Minor forest produce things like tendu patta, herbs, medicinal plants etc "that has been traditionally collected (see section 3(1) (c)). This does not include timber.
b. Grazing grounds and water bodies (sections 3
c. Traditional areas of use by nomadic or pastoralist communities i.e. communities that move with their herds, as opposed to practicing settled agriculture.
Right to Protect and Conserve
though the forest is supposed to belong to all of us, till date no one except the Forest Department had a right to protect it. If the Forest Department should decide to destroy it, or to hand it over to someone who would, stopping them was a criminal offence.
For the first time, this law also gives the community the right to protect and manage the forest. Section 3(1) (i) provide a right and a power to conserve community forest resources, while section 5 gives the community a general power to protect wildlife, forests, etc. This is vital for the thousands of village communities who are protecting their forests and wildlife against threats from forest mafias, industries and land grabbers, most of whom operate in connivance with the Forest Department.
How are rights recognised?
Section 6 of the Act provides a transparent three step procedure for deciding on who gets rights. First, the gram sabha (full village assembly, NOT the gram panchayat) makes a recommendation – i.e who has been cultivating land for how long, which minor forest produce is collected, etc. The gram sabha plays this role because it is a public body where all people participate, and hence is fully democratic and transparent. The gram sabha's recommendation goes through two stages of screening committees at the taluka and district levels. The district level committee makes the final decision (see section 6(6)). The Committees have six members – three government officers and three elected persons. At both the taluka and the district levels, any person who believes a claim is false can appeal to the Committees, and if they prove their case the right is denied (sections 6(2) and 6(4)). Finally, land recognised under this Act cannot be sold or transferred.


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More of the cast for Andrew (Wall-E) Stanton's movie version of John Carter of Mars have been revealed, along with new hints of dynastic politics and Martian political intrigue. Spoilers below.
Minority Report's Samantha Morton and The Wire's Dominic West have joined the cast of the Disney version of Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic novel. So now we're sure that future crime in Baltimore won't be a problem for the movie.
Morton and West are joining the already-announced co-stars of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins, as well as Willem Dafoe. Morton will play Dafoe's daughter, Sola, while West's character will be the Zodangan prince Sab Than, who feels that Mars' rule should be his.
Also joining the cast will be Rome's Polly Walker, as Sarkoja, described as "a merciless, tyrannical Thark."
The movie is expected to start production early next year.


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Members of Reddit peppered Microsoft's Surface Team about its newly announced Surface Pro 3 tablet, including complaints about having to pay for the keyboard/cover separately.
The price of the tablet starts at $799, but that's without a $130 keyboard, and questioners seemed ticked off about that since Microsoft advertising depicts the device as a laptop replacement which pretty much requires the keyboard.
[ Stay ahead of advances in mobile technology with InfoWorld's Mobile Edge blog and Mobilize newsletter. ]
+ Also on Network World: FIRST LOOK: Microsoft Surface Pro 3 tablet/PC +
The Surface Team response: "When we first launched Surface, we sold it only in a bundle format. the top feedback we got was that people loved the color covers and wanted full choice (but stores wouldn't sell all color bundles) and some people definitely wanted to buy without cover."
But the cost and the impression Microsoft gives via its advertising still rankles some. "130 bucks for a keyboard?" says Redittor Peter Venkman. "I realize it's also a cover and state of the art, etc. But it's literally in every ad and presentation...as if it comes with it."
The team says it is looking into a problem right-handed users report when drawing or taking notes with the tablet: the edge of their hands resting on the device triggers the Home button at the edge of the display, bringing the users to the Start screen. "Heard some feedback on people pressing by mistake. We are definitely looking into it," is Microsoft's response.
Battery life is also a concern since the battery is integrated in the machine and can't be replaced by users. Microsoft charges $200 do it.More than one questioner asked how long the integrated, non-replaceable battery in Surface Pro 3 would last before dying. The answer from Microsoft is that it can be charged five days a week for more than 4.5 years while maintaining 80% capacity. That's about 1,170 days of recharging to 80% capacity. The battery charges fully in 4 hours, and battery performance is the same regardless of whether the Surface Pro 3 model runs a Core i3, i5 or i7 processor. That's about 9 hours of Web surfing.
There are no plans for cellular support on the device, Microsoft says. But the Surface Team perhaps hinted that it might make an external graphics processing unit in order to make Surface Pro 3 a better gaming machine. In response to a suggestion from NotCassim that Microsoft make such an add-on, the team responded, "Hey NotCassim, love the suggestion! Keep them coming please. :)"
The Surface group says that any Surface keyboard/cover is compatible with Surface Pro 3, including the Power Cover, which contains its own battery to extend the time the device can be used unplugged. The older covers for earlier Surface models are narrower than the full width of Surface Pro 3, but they still function, Microsoft says.
The team gave out details on the support Surface Pro 3 has for daisy-chaining displays off the device. The type and number of displays depends on the processor running in the particular Surface Pro 3. So Intel Core i7 and i5 will drive one 4K display or two 2K external displays while still supporting the 2K display on the Surface Pro itself. A Core i3 Surface Pro will drive 4K external display or two HD displays while supporting the Surface Pro 2K display, Microsoft says.
One questioner wondered whether the lack of an announcement about a next-generation Surface based running Windows RT powered by an ARM processor meant an end to Microsoft-built Windows RT tablets. The response was that the latest Microsoft ARM tablet, Surface 2, was an improvement over the initial Surface RT, but it didn't address whether there would be a follow-on device to Surface 2. "Windows on ARM continues to be an important part of the Windows strategy," is what Microsoft has to say about that.
Tim Greene covers Microsoft and unified communications for Network World and writes the Mostly Microsoft blog. Reach him at email@example.com and follow him on Twitter@Tim_Greene.
Read more about anti-malware in Network World's Anti-malware section.
This story, "Reddit members let loose complaints over Microsoft's Surface 3" was originally published by Network World.


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One of the largest hurdles to widespread adoption of pure electric vehicles is charging. City dwellers need a convenient and safe place to charge their car. Often, that means hunting for one of the few public chargers spread around the town or finding a parking garage that was forward-thinking enough to install chargers and muscling out all the other EVs to grab that plug.
Inductive charging could eventually change all that. It uses an electromagnetic field from a coil embedded in the ground to transfer charge to the battery pack of an EV. (A different version of the technology is already used in wireless charging pads for smartphones and other gadgets.) So electric car owners would simply park their cars over the charging area and return later to a fully charged vehicle.
Nissan is now working on inductive charging, with the first production application of the technology arriving when Nissan's luxury arm, Infiniti, launches its new EV model in 2014. Nissan says the charging system is 80-90 percent efficient depending on how well aligned the car is to the charging area. That's about the same range, the automaker says, as a conventional (conductive) plug-in charger because of electrical losses between the plug on the car and the plug in the wall. Inductive charging would certainly leave homeowner's garages free of cords. But the real benefit would come in the city.
More From Popular Mechanics
"Streetside parking with cords dangling from EVs would eventually go away," says Mark Perry, director of product planning and advanced technology for Nissan. And though Perry hinted that since the wireless system will initially cost about 20 percent more than a conventional plug-in cord charger, he outlined a future scenario in which EVs could eventually get their charge on the go.
For example, cars traveling on the freeway with a low battery could exit and drive slowly through a rest area's "EV pit row" embedded with inductive charging coils, getting a refill on the go. Or, he mentioned, if these coils were embedded under traffic lights, EVs could get their charge as they roam around the city. Payment for that electricity? That would come directly from your credit card account, wirelessly like some fuel retailers do today.
Inductive charging could also solve problems that electric car sharing programs have today. Perry says that in some cases, drivers borrowing EVs forget to plug them in for the next user; people just aren't used to the whole plug-in thing yet. But with inductive charging, the borrowers wouldn't need to plug in. They could simply park the cars in the correct return spots, and inductive coils embedded beneath would charge away.
And new automotive suppliers are waiting to deliver inductive charging systems to both the public and OE manufacturers. A new Wytheville, Va., company called Evatran, which launched in July 2011, will begin offering an inductive EV charging system through the aftermarket. According to their website, test demo systems are available now for Original Equipment Manufacturers.
But widespread adoption of inductive charging will begin with the standardization of these systems. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has a task force working to create a standard (SAE J2954) for wireless charging. SAE's timeline shows that the SAE wireless charging standard is slated for completion by 2014.
Ben is a lifelong enthusiast of anything with wheels. He has been contributing to Popular Mechanics for nearly 20 years and lives in Venice with an eclectic collection of vintage pickup trucks, muscle cars, and motorcycles scattered in various garages around SoCal.


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So it's finally done… the exam is over. I'm not really sure how I did, but at least I'm done with it. Now I just have to wait for the results. 6 months of studying and it all comes down to one day. I put in a lot of effort and time despite my crazy work schedule and being a single parent. I just hope it pays off…. Did I mention, I've been trying to do this for the last 10 years? Something always came up and I never got around to studying enough for it. I'm proud of myself for at least going through with it this time. I'm determined to see the whole course through.
I feel kind of lost not having to study every evening. Well, I guess this is a good time to get back to reading my books. Quite a few have piled up over the last six months. It's also a good time to get down to blogging more regularly.
But before that, a small celebration is in order….


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Posted by Editoress on 11/15/05
Gears 24 Hour Spin 2006
Gears Bike Shop has announced the date for their 2006 "Gears 24 Hour Spin". To date the annual event has raised 2 million for the Betty Wallace Women's Health Centre at Trillium's Toronto site.
For more information, to register or volunteer for the 6th annual event go to the website
Burnaby Velodrome Six Day Race
Courtesy Gordin Ross
From December 12th to the 17th, the Burnaby Velodrome Club will be hosting a track cycling SixDay Race. Held nightly from 7pm until 10pm, the event will be run at The Harry Jerome Sports Center in Burnaby at 7564 Barnet Highway. The feature of the SixDay is the Madison, the 2 rider partner event where riders relay each other into races with furious hand-slings.
A finalized schedule is soon to be published on the Burnaby Velodrome website and registration will open on Karelo.com. Find your Madison partner now and get ready for some great track-racing action.
Questions? Contact Race Director, Scott Laliberte (email@example.com)
Forest City Velodrome Fall & Winter Schedule
The Forest City Velodrome is pleased to announce that our Fall - Winter 2005 - 06 Riding schedule is finally completed.
"We looked at the membership and the type of riders who were using the Velodrome and we adjusted our schedule to help the Recreational Riders in the club," said Paul MacLean, who spearheaded the change. In total, over 30 hours per week is dedicated to recreational riding on the track. Two nights each week are set aside for racers, in addition to the regular Saturday night shows.
The Learn to Ride (track 1) sessions are on Tuesday nights & Saturday afternoons. In the schedule there are a total of 8 hours a week for Out of Town clubs to rent the Velodrome for Training Camps & Clinics. These are on Saturday & Sunday mornings.
The Velodrome is off to a very quick start. The need for Volunteers is high on our priority list. Anyone wishing to help out with one of our sessions is requested to contact one of the session leaders at the Velodrome and jump on board.
Please go to www.ForestCityVelodrome.ca Click on "Come ride or race" for the complete update.
In other Velodrome news: The Velo-Kids is already producing young track cyclists that are gaining more & more skills each week. The F.C.V. has purchased 10 Youth sized Track bikes from Marinoni Cycles in Montreal. With the help of a donation from the London Centennial Wheelers, from London, we are in a position to expand our fleet of youth bikes for our Velo-Kids program. They are scheduled to arrive in early December. The track is still in need of funding for these bikes. If you, or your Company, is in a position to help, please contact, firstname.lastname@example.com
Yours in Sport
|Return to Canadian Cyclist homepage | Back to Top


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When the bunch of stodgy old Brits over at the Financial Times attempt to describe the world of internet slang to its readers, verbal trainwrecks, like this paragraph, happen.
The group takes the name Lulz from 4chan slang derived from LOL, shorthand for laughing out loud, tweaked to refer to laughing at others' surprise or misery.
Hey chaps, let's just leave the cultural analysis of the internet to the more well versed, shall we? [Financial Times]


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Travel & Landscape Photography from 100 countries around the world
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
19 / 264
Cyprus - Κύπρος - Kýpros - The third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea - Paphos - Πάφος - Pafos - Baf - Sunrise at the city beach
CyprusΚύπροςKýprosKyprRepublic of CyprusΚυπριακή ΔημοκρατίαEuropeEuropeanEvropaSouth EuropeEuropean UnionEUCYsunset


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June 18, 2010— -- Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has spent the past week and half fighting to get working barges to begin vacuuming crude oil out of his state's oil-soaked waters. By Thursday morning, against the governor's wishes, those barges still were sitting idle, even as more oil flowed toward the Louisiana shore.
"It's the most frustrating thing," the Republican governor told ABC News while visiting Buras, La. "Literally, [Wednesday] morning we found out that they were halting all of these barges."
Watch "World News" for David Muir's report from Louisiana tonight.
Sixteen barges sat stationary Thursday, although they had been sucking up thousands of gallons of BP's oil as recently as Tuesday. Workers in hazmat suits and gas masks pumped the oil out of the Louisiana waters and into steel tanks. It was a homegrown idea that seemed to be effective at collecting the thick gunk.
"These barges work. You've seen them work. You've seen them suck oil out of the water," said Jindal.
So why stop now?
"The Coast Guard came and shut them down," Jindal said. "You got men on the barges in the oil, and they have been told by the Coast Guard, 'Cease and desist. Stop sucking up that oil.'"
A Coast Guard representative told ABC News that it shares the same goal as the governor.
"We are all in this together. The enemy is the oil," said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Dan Lauer.
But the Coast Guard ordered the stoppage because of reasons that Jindal found frustrating. The Coast Guard needed to confirm that there were fire extinguishers and life vests on board, and then it had trouble contacting the people who built the barges.
The governor said he didn't have the authority to overrule the Coast Guard's decision, though he said he tried to reach the White House to raise his concerns.
"They promised us they were going to get it done as quickly as possible," he said. But "every time you talk to someone different at the Coast Guard, you get a different answer."
After Jindal strenuously made his case, the barges finally got the go-ahead Thursday to return to the Gulf and get back to work, after more than 24 hours of sitting idle.
Along Gulf Coast, Governors Ask, 'Who's In Charge?'
Sixty days into the crisis, it still can be tough to figure out who is in charge in Louisiana, and the problem appears to be the same in other Gulf Coast states.
In Alabama Thursday, Gov. Bob Riley said that he's had problems with the Coast Guard, too.
Riley, R-Ala., asked the Coast Guard to find ocean boom tall enough to handle strong waves and protect his shoreline.
The Coast Guard went all the way to Bahrain to find it, but when it came time to deploy it?
"It was picked up and moved to Louisiana," Riley said.
The governor said the problem is there's still no single person giving a "yes" or "no." While the Gulf Coast governors have developed plans with the Coast Guard's command center in the Gulf, things begin to shift when other agencies start weighing in, like the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
"It's like this huge committee down there," Riley said, "and every decision that we try to implement, any one person on that committee has absolute veto power."


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FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Quincy Enunwa's season is over after his second neck injury in just over two years.
The New York Jets wide receiver was hurt Sunday in the season-opening loss to Buffalo and told the team's medical staff Monday that he wasn't feeling right physically and had several tests.
Enunwa was placed on injured reserve, and the Jets claimed former Bengals defensive lineman Jordan Willis to take his place on the roster. Willis was a third-round pick by Cincinnati in 2017 out of Kansas State and had 45 tackles and two sacks in two seasons.
The 27-year-old Enunwa missed the entire 2017 season after injuring his neck in training camp. He had bulging disks in his neck that required surgery, but it wasn't immediately certain if the two injuries are related.
Coach Adam Gase also wouldn't speculate if the latest injury could threaten Enunwa's career, saying "there's a lot steps left here" before that will be determined.
"I just know for this season, I know for sure," Gase said Wednesday. "I think he's going through a lot of different tests and he's got to talk to doctors. I don't want to say that because I don't know."
Enunwa returned last season from the first neck injury and had 38 catches for 449 yards and a touchdown, and the team rewarded him with a four-year, $36 million contract extension.
Gase spoke in the summer about how he liked the physical style of the 6-foot-2, 225-pound receiver, and how he complemented the Jets' other weapons on offense. But Enunwa had just one catch in the season opener for minus-4 yards, and briefly left early in the game before returning.
A sixth-round draft pick out of Nebraska in 2014, Enunwa has 118 receptions for 1,621 yards and five touchdowns.
"You lose a starter, you lose a guy that's a veteran player that's been through a lot, that's done a lot of good things," Gase said. "I mean, he's done everything you could possibly ask a guy to do. He tries to do everything right. He works hard, he studies, he tries to lead by example. You know, he speaks up when he has to. I mean, the way he plays, everything is violent and gives everything he has.
"I feel for him just from the aspect that he's going through something like this."
New York traded a 2021 sixth-round draft pick to New England for Demaryius Thomas on Tuesday, a rare deal between the AFC East rivals that now makes even more sense. The 31-year-old Thomas could see a major role in the offense opposite Robby Anderson and Jamison Crowder, and Gase expects him to play Monday night against Cleveland.
The team announced just before practice that the deal was official after Thomas passed his physical.
"We'll just kind of see how he feels, see where he's at," Gase said. "He looked good in that last preseason game that we watched. He seems like he's in a good place, so we'll just kind of see how it goes."
Thomas spent most of the summer on New England's physically unable to perform list while continuing to recover from an Achilles tendon injury that ended his season with Houston last December. He was activated by the Patriots on Aug. 20 and had seven catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns in the preseason finale against the Giants. He was among the Patriots' cuts after camp, but was re-signed and then inactive for New England's first regular-season game of the season Sunday night against Pittsburgh.
Thomas also became expendable for the Patriots after they signed Antonio Brown last weekend.
"We just kind of looked at it as, they added another guy and they kind of had some depth, so, we took a shot," Gase said. "It's a guy that we knew."
Thomas and Gase were together in Denver from 2010-14, when Gase was the wide receivers coach and later the Broncos' offensive coordinator. Thomas was also part of the Broncos' Super Bowl-winning team with Peyton Manning in February 2016. He has 688 receptions for 9,330 yards and 62 touchdowns.
"He knows the offense and he can easily be plugged in," Gase said. "He still remembers everything."
Thomas didn't practice Wednesday, but was on the sideline watching his new teammates in a black long-sleeved Jets T-shirt and green shorts.
"He's a great player," running back Le'Veon Bell said. "I think he's going to be able to help a lot. He's a bigger guy, he'll be able to block on the edge, obviously run routes to get open and he'll be able to pick up the offense quick because he played with Gase before, so it's going to be fun."
NOTES: QB Sam Darnold was sent home before practice with what Gase said was "strep throat or something." The coach wasn't concerned about Darnold's availability for the game against the Browns. "He'll be all right," Gase said. ... S Jamal Adams was held out of practice because of lingering hip and back soreness from the opener. "We should be in good shape after we get further away from the last game," Gase said. ... LB C.J. Mosley (groin) and rookie DT Quinnen Williams (ankle) were both missing practice, but Gase was optimistic that both could be ready to play Monday night. ... A smiling Gase on the signing of Sam Ficken, the Jets' fourth kicker since July: "We got a new one. Why not? Let's go baby!" Kaare Vedvik was waived Tuesday after missing an extra point and 45-yard field goal attempt against Buffalo. The Jets opened training camp with Chandler Catanzaro, who retired after struggling in the preseason opener, and then Taylor Bertolet, who was shaky in three games.
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL


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Jessie's back! And today she's sharing a recipe for challah, a bread I had wanted to make from scratch ever since starting my Jewish day school job over three years ago. Of course, I was hella-intimidated and never attempted my own until last weekend. Though my challah did not turn out as beautiful as I'm sure Jessie's professional loaves do, it still tasted incredible slathered with butter and/or jam. And man, was I proud. Earning that HinJew status!
Instead of making two loaves, I made one loaf plus a set of wee hamburger buns. Not to be too self-congratulatory, but *that* was a very good idea (burger recipe coming next week). Should you wish to make two loaves, Jessie has kindly provided a killer dessert recipe to use up your leftover bread; challah that's a few days old also makes for great French toast.
I'd like to thank Jessie again for the time and energy she devoted to make baking bread seem less intimidating. If you plan to spend some time at home this weekend, might I suggest tackling one of these recipes & then basking in the satisfaction/carbohydrate aftermath?
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Baking 2008 issue.
Challah is an enriched bread, which means that in addition to the usual ingredients, it's made with eggs, butter, and honey (my first chance to use the little jar of Norwegian honey that Jill brought me from her Scandinavian travels!).
Challah is a traditional Jewish bread and is most easily recognized by its braided form–Jessie includes instructions here for the proper braiding technique, but I have to admit that I copped out and did a three-strand braid, which worked just fine. If you are a badass and manage a four-strander, I salute you.
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (105°F-115°F)
¼ cup honey
1 package active dry yeast
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup butter, melted and cooled
½ tablespoon salt
4-4 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
In a large bowl, combine the ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water, honey, and yeast. Let stand about 10 minutes or until the yeast is dissolved and foamy. *If you do not see foam or bubbles, the yeast is dead and the process must be repeated.*
Using a wooden spoon, stir in the 2 eggs, melted butter, and salt. Gradually stir in as much of the flour as you can.Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (5 to 7 minutes total).
Shape the dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease the entire surface. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size, 1 to 1 ½ hours.Punch the dough down (literally). Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
To shape the loaves, divide dough in half. Working with one half a time and keeping the other half under the towel, divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each piece into a rope about 12-15 inches long. Attach the ends of two pieces together to make one long rope. Attach the ends of the other two pieces together to make another long rope. Forming a cross, fuse all of the attached ends together. Be sure there is one piece pointing towards you and one pointing away from you, one piece pointing to your right, and one pointing to your left.
The mantra of this folding technique is left over right….left over right….left over right. Repeat that to yourself a few times before starting. During the braiding process, if the ends at the top of the braid start to come undone, pinch those together tightly.
Step 1: Hold the two horizontal pieces in your hands, the right piece in your right hand and the left piece in your left. Moving the two horizontal pieces to the opposite sides that they are currently on, cross the two pieces you are holding over the strand pointing towards you, being sure the piece in your left hand crosses OVER the piece in your right. Your left hand should literally cross over your right hand. Lay the two folded pieces horizontally.
Step 2: Now for the vertical pieces–Grasp the top piece in your right hand and the bottom piece in your left hand. Moving these two vertical pieces to the opposite sides that they are currently on, cross these two pieces over the piece pointing to your right (it should cross naturally this way), moving the piece in your left hand OVER the piece in your right. The piece that was pointing away from you should now be pointing towards you, and the piece that was pointing towards you should now be pointing away from you.
Repeat step 1, followed by step 2, until the ends are too small to be braided. Pinch the remaining ends together and remove off a small chunk from both ends to make them less pointy. Braid the other portion of dough.
Place the braided loaves diagonally onto lightly greased or parchment lined sheet trays. Cover and let rest in a warm place until nearly double in size (about 30 minutes). Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining lightly beaten egg and 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Using a pastry brush or spoon, brush each loaf evenly and completely with the egg wash. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped and are a shiny, deep golden brown. Immediately transfer the loaves from the sheet trays to wire racks to cool.
adapted from Butter, Sugar, Flour, Eggs by Gale Gand
½ a loaf of day old challah bread
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups heavy cream
Pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
Sugar in the raw (for caramelizing the top)
oven: 350°
pan: 6 ramekins or a deep baking dish, well buttered
Cut the crust off the bread and dice into one inch cubes. You should have about 3 ½ cups of bread.
Heat the half-and-half, heavy cream, salt, and vanilla in a saucepot over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the mixture starts to come to a simmer (do not boil), turn off the heat and allow to infuse for 10 to 15 minutes.
Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly pour the hot cream mixture into the eggs. Do not pour too fast, otherwise the eggs will scramble. Strain into a large bowl to remove any cooked egg and the vanilla bean.
At this point, feel free to include any desired add-ins to the custard: dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, coconut, etc. Then add the bread cubes to the bowl, toss well, and let them soak in the egg-milk mixture until it's all absorbed. Fold the mixture occasionally to ensure even soaking (it's okay if there's custard left in the bowl).
Divide the cubes among the ramekins or dump it all into the baking dish and pour any remaining custard over the top. Arrange the ramekins or baking dish in a roasting pan & create a water bath by pouring boiling water into the pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the custard cups or baking dish. (I like to do this while the pan is on the rack in the oven, which I've pulled out slightly).
Bake until set and golden brown on top, about 30 minutes for individual puddings and 40 to 45 minutes for one big pudding. Allow to cool before serving. You can make this dish ahead of time, cover & chill in the refrigerator.
Right before you serve the pudding, sprinkle the top evenly with the sugar in the raw. If you happen to have a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar on top. Otherwise, set the broiler to high and put the pudding(s) on a rack as close to the heating element as you can. Keep a close eye on the pudding(s) and rotate them as necessary as certain parts will caramelize more quickly than others. Remove from the oven and serve.
For a quick sauce, combine confectioners' sugar with any liquid. I use anything from milk to fruit juice to alcohol or even coffee syrups. Start with a cup of confectioners' sugar and slowly add my liquid of choice until the sauce is to the desired consistency. If you make it too soupy, add more sugar. Ladle over slices of the bread pudding; you can also garnish with fresh fruit or nuts.


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Yesterday I wrote about concussions and the difference between professionals and adolescents using Jamaal Charles as an example. What happened last night on the professional field with millions watching was completely unacceptable, professional athlete not withstanding.
Late in the third quarter of the game, last night, San Diego's defensive back Jahleel Addae (#37) ran into a pile to finish the tackle on the Denver running back. He was running at full speed and led with his left shoulder, but as he made contact with the RB his head dropped and he also made (incidental) helmet to helmet contact with the runner. This type of collision is very frequent and looked innocuous… Until you saw the after math…
Addae was bounced back, still on his feet, and began "short circuiting" for the national audience to see. He begins to look around, kind of, and stumble, kind of, and lose full control of his extremities, all of them. As a medical professional and athletic trainer I would have documented this OBJECTIVE finding as "unsteadiness and disorientation". It looked like a boxer/MMA fighter catching a fist/kick in the face late in a boxing match; the type of reaction that any referee in those sports would stop a match for and award a TKO to the other guy.
It happens from time to time in this and other sports, that is not the issue here. The issue is that Addae returned to the game (oh, it gets worse). Here is the tweet from last night (h/t to Brady Phelps' Vine);
From what I can piece together this play was the last of the 3rd quarter and reports had him taking the field on the first play of the 4th quarter. HE DIDN'T MISS A SINGLE SNAP! Even with the long commercial break between quarters there is a maximum of 4 minutes, but if my DVR time was correct it was between 2 and 3 minutes. This is not nearly enough time for a full concussion evaluation, by anyone.
"Maybe he was screened, like you said yesterday, Fink."
There was absolutely no reason for a cursory "screen" in this situation, Addae showed a clear and overt sign of neurological impairment, in concussion recognition jargon: a sign. When any player shows a sign there is no screen it means Continue reading


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House to vote on stopgap funding bill, 'Obamacare'
WASHINGTON (AP) — The GOP-controlled House is cruising toward a vote to gut President Barack Obama's health care plan as part of a temporary funding bill to prevent a partial government shutdown on Oct. 1.
While raising the possibility of a government closure, the latest GOP plan is actually aimed at avoiding one. GOP leaders are looking to shift the fight over health care to even more important legislation required to prevent the government from defaulting on its financial obligations.
Even top advocates of the strategy to defund what they call "Obamacare" by attaching it to a stopgap government funding bill acknowledge it has no future in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Senate Democrats have the votes to strip off the health care provision and kick the stopgap measure right back to the House.
Republicans in the House spent Wednesday talking about how hard they would fight to derail Obamacare on the eve of its implementation and weren't conceding that their Senate rivals would undo their handiwork. But a key force in the tea party drive against Obamacare conceded the point even before the fight officially began, but urged the House to force a government shutdown rather than retreat.
"Harry Reid will no doubt try to strip the defund language from the continuing resolution, and right now he likely has the votes to do so," said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. "At that point, House Republicans must stand firm, hold their ground and continue to listen to the American people."
A more likely outcome would be that the House would vote to pass a funding bill stripped of the health care provision and send it to Obama to avert a shutdown. Top GOP leaders in the House and Senate made it clear they have no appetite for a shutdown showdown.
"I don't think that any reasonable person thinks there's anything to be gained by a government shutdown," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said. "Rather than a shutdown of government, what we need is a Republican victory in 2014 so we can be in control. I'm not sure those are mutually compatible."
House leaders intended to set a vote for Friday.
GOP leaders telegraphed that they would likely concede to the Senate's demand for a stopgap spending bill shorn of the Obamacare provision but that they would carry on with the fight on legislation to increase the government's borrowing cap.
"There should be no conversation about shutting the government down," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said. "That's not the goal here."
The debt-limit measure, required to allow the government to pay all of its bills on time, would be brought to the House floor as early as next week and would allow the Treasury to borrow freely for one year.
Republicans vow to load that bill with a GOP wish list, including another assault on Obamacare and a provision to force the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to Texas Gulf Coast refineries, a project that environmentalists oppose and that the Obama administration so far has refused to approve. Other elements will reflect different Republican budget priorities, including as-yet-undisclosed savings from health care and government benefit programs and steps to speed work on an overhaul of the tax code.
Democrats strongly denounced the Republican move. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said the GOP was pursuing an "insane plan." Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said, "A group of extremists is threatening to hold our government hostage."
Obama, speaking Wednesday to business executives at a meeting of the Business Roundtable, said, "You have never seen in the history of the United States the debt ceiling or the threat of not raising the debt ceiling being used to extort a president or a governing party and trying to force issues that have nothing to do with the budget and have nothing to do with the debt."
Separately, the Obama administration's budget director, Sylvia Burwell, issued a memo to department heads that said, "Prudent management requires that agencies be prepared for the possibility of a lapse" in funding.


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I don't know if manta rays prowl the Mediterranean Sea surrounding the Isle of Capri, but I do know that today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Opel Manta once vied with Ford's Capri for import coupe sales. This one's a rare survivor, but will its price survive your scrutiny?
It's hard to find a car or truck for under two grand that doesn't warm your cockles. And when you throw under the hood a V12 that purrs like a kitten, well then there's only one outcome, and that's a healthy Nice Price win, like the 78% one that yesterday's '87 XJ-S attained.
Now that we let that cat out of the bag, let's go fishing.
Here in the U.S. Opels had always been like GM's sexy foreign exchange student, bunking with Buick for the last few years before been summarily being expelled back to the home country for their expensive ways. By the time today's 1974 Manta made its way here, Opel was selling but a single platform, albeit in multiple flavors.
Sustainable beauty
Caprea's Essential Organic PH Cleanser is just $10 with promo code TEN. Normally $19, this foaming face wash is crafted with organic Monoi oil. It's meant to target the production of oil secretion while protecting your skin against air pollution. Normally $19, you can save big on this richly-lathering face wash while supporting a brand that keeps the environment top of mind.
Originally called the 1900 Sport Coupe, the Manta was the tastiest of those flavors. The others - sedan (up to '72), two-door, and wagon - all shared a boxy BMW 2002-esque shape, while the Manta had curves like your best friend's mom. They all were built on the same platform, a unit-body with coil-sprung live axle in the back and a simple but effective control arm setup in front. This proved to be extremely well conceived as the 1900 garnered praise as one of the best handling small cars of the era.
This one being a '74, it rocks a carbureted edition of Opel's SOHC 1,898-cc four. The Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injected version appearing only for 1975, the marque's final U.S. model year. The carb'd engine pumped out a modest 90-bhp, making the 2,140 lb car capable of 13-second runs from zero to sixty. That of course was only when equipped with the 4-speed stick, which this car does carry.
Speaking of this car, it appears by the ad to have been a project of the current owner's own personal shop class as he says he bought it to practice bodywork and painting. I wonder if he made ninja stars in his spare time? The tiny Craigslist pics show what appears to be fresh albeit lusterless top coat, as well as a set of Rostyles shamed with a coat of glossy black hiding their detail. Other than that, the exterior looks straight and the front bumper-mounted driving lights promise a Hella good time.
On the inside, things are a little rougher, and the fissures in the dashboard are proof that Opel underestimated the power of the Sun on car interiors in the U.S.. That also resulted in another of the more common failures in the German Opels sold here, which was the deterioration of the upholstery - the fabric seemingly vampire-like in its reaction to the Sun. That may have been the case here as this Manta sports a pair of front buckets out of an Oldsmobile Alero. I don't know if that donor is appropriate because they are both brands removed from the U.S. market, or if not so because the seats rightfully should have been sourced from a Buick, or at the very least, an Opel by Isuzu. The seller claims that the brake master and rear drums have all been renewed and that the rust-free car runs and drives well.
He is also transparent in detailing the car's continuing foibles, which include leaking seals on the frameless door glass, a rusted out battery tray, and hard starting, which he attributes to an issue with the choke. Regarding that last one, a new Weber 32/36 DGEV can work wonders.
Another wonder is whether this Manta will glide into a Nice Price win for its $2,100 price. What do you think, is that a price that's Mantastic? Or, does that make you think there's something fishy going on here?
You decide!
Wausau Craigslist or go here if the ad disappears.
Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.


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April 12th, 2013
Portia de Rossi: 'It's just going to be me and Ellen and no babies'
Portia de Rossi is perfectly content being a
Off-screen, however, babies just aren't in the cards for the "Arrested Development" star and her talk show host wife of nearly five years, Ellen DeGeneres.
"There comes some pressure in your mid-30s, and you think, 'Am I going to have kids so I don't miss out on something that other people really seem to love? Or is it that I really genuinely want to do this with my whole heart?' " de Rossi told OUT magazine.
"I didn't feel that my response was 'yes' to the latter," she continued. "You have to really want to have kids, and neither of us did. So it's just going to be me and Ellen and no babies - but we're the best of friends and married life is blissful, it really is. I've never been happier than I am right now."
De Rossi is currently gearing up for "Arrested Development's" fourth season, to premiere on Netflix May 26.
She plays Lindsay Bluth Fünke, mom to daughter Maeby, on the series that aired on Fox from 2003 to 2006.
"Some of the funniest stuff I have ever seen in my whole life is in this new season," she teases.
See the full interview at OUT.com.
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皇冠现金网app(www.hg108.vip):Jentayu Sustainables hydropower plant operational by year-end
KUALA LUMPUR: Jentayu Sustainables Bhd (Jentayu Sustainables), previously Ipmuda Bhd, said the hydropower plant it is acquiring in a related-party transaction will be commercially operational by the end of this year.
Telekosang Hydro One and Telekosang Hydro Two, collectively known as Telekosang Hydro, cost RM587 million and will be Malaysia's largest small hydropower plant harnessing power from the natural flow of a river, Jentayu Sustainables said in a statement. The Telekosang Hydro project has a total capacity of 40MW.
Jentayu Sustainables executive chairman Datuk Beroz Nikmal Mirdin said a supplemental agreement signed between Telekosang Hydro, Sinohydro Corporation Sdn Bhd and PowerChina International Group Ltd addresses the project's commercial aspects.
Beroz Nikmal, who is also Telekosang Hydro chief executive officer, said there will be no claims or counterclaims from either party that would result in any variations to the original contract value.,
"Telekosang Hydro and involved parties have effectively resolved concerns about project delays, cashflow generation and liquidity support. Furthermore, Telekosang Hydro One, a 24MW plant, is currently undergoing testing ahead of commercial operation," the statement said.
"The commissioning of this project will pave the way for the completion of Jentayu Sustainables' acquisition leading to a positive cash flow stream," the statement said. - Bernama


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About this download
Benefits and Improvements
- Resolves an issue where "Recover or maintain your system" may not run on Windows 10
- Improves operational stability
Previous Benefits and Improvements
- Resolves an issue where the Recovery function may not start in Windows 10
- Some solutions were removed from the VAIO Care Solution Center
- Improves the appearance of solutions in Solution Centre
File Info
File Name
- EP0000605041.exe
File Version
- 8.4.8.06246
File Size
- 83,246,328 byte
Release Date
- 29-09-2020
System Requirements
Operating Systems
- Windows® 10 64-bit
- Windows® 8.1 64-bit
- Windows® 8 64-bit
1. Download the file to a temporary or download directory (Please note this directory for reference later).
2. Go to the directory where the file was downloaded and double-click EP0000605041.exe.
3. Follow the instructions displayed in the installation wizard.
4. After installation is completed, please restart the computer.
To check if installation is successful:
1. Go to C:\ProgramFiles\Sony\VAIO Care\Version.txt
2. Version should indicate 8.4.8.06246.


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"I'm scared," my mother said last night.
She was on the ward phone in the hospital in a faraway city where she has been for the past three weeks, now facing bowel surgery.
There isn't much very comforting or helpful one can do, from a distance, to soothe fear.
I know she likes to listen to music and asked if she had a radio, as she loves listening to classical music on her terrific set at home. She did not.
I picked a store a random, one of a huge national chain of electronics stores, choosing one in a downtown mall. The manager, Dean, quickly got on the phone to help me try to buy a small radio, but the payment — her in Canada, me in the U.S. — wouldn't go through online.
"Let me make this my Christmas present to you both. I'll take it over to her tonight. I'll pay for it myself. Don't worry," he said.
A stranger called at random, his father had been ill and now, he said, he knew what this was like and wanted to help.
And he did it, that night, taking a radio he bought and paid for to a stranger's mother he had never met. He emailed me to tell me he had put in batteries, showed her how to use it and "left her with a big smile."
So said his email to me, sent three hours after I'd called him, 30 minutes before closing time on a busy Saturday night.
I couldn't quite believe it. But he did it and my Mom was thrilled.
I am amazed, stunned, deeply grateful for a stranger with so wide and deep a heart.
There are angels, even at the mall.


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Webster Groves, MO · George Herbert Walker School of Business & Technology · Mathematics/Computer Science
Data Mining
- Section W5
- 3 Credits
- 03/21/2022 to 05/13/2022
- Modified 03/14/2022
Many businesses are discovering that stored within their corporate data repositories are the elements to understanding and controlling the components of their business processes. Data mining is the process of finding useful patterns in data. The objective of data mining is to use discovered patterns to help explain current behavior or to predict future outcomes. This course will provide a foundation to understand data mining methods and data visualization techniques by examining how these technologies provide useful knowledge that supports critical business decisions. This course will introduce data mining techniques and have the student experiment with data mining applications. Additionally, the course will explain how data visualization can allow managers to quickly access large data repositories and make clear decisions based on integrated information structures.
After successfully completing Data Mining students should be able to:
- Describe the sequence of events associated with a typical data mining project.
- Explain the various techniques use for data preprocessing and cleansing.
- Describe various data classification methods in common use.
- Describe various data clustering methods in common use.
- Describe various methods to create association rules in common use.
- Assess current data mining technologies, including statistical analysis, neural networks, genetic algorithms, fuzzy logic, and decision trees.
- Recommend which intelligent system is best suited for different kinds of problems.
- Summarize the trends in data mining, and visualization.
- Identify the issues of privacy that must be addressed if data mining (DM) is to become a pervasive and effective source of knowledge.
Institutional Policies
Academic Policies
Academic policies provide students with important rights and responsibilities. Students are expected to familiarize themselves with all academic policies that apply to them. Academic policies for undergraduate students can be found in the Undergraduate Studies Catalog; graduate students should review the Graduate Studies Catalog.
Undergraduate Studies Catalog
The Undergraduate Studies Catalog contains academic policies that apply to all undergraduate students. The academic policies and information section of the catalog contains important information related to attendance, conduct, academic honesty, grades, and more. If you are an undergraduate student, please review the catalog each academic year. The current Undergraduate Studies Catalog is at:
Graduate Studies Catalog
The Graduate Studies Catalog contains academic policies that apply to all graduate students. The academic policies section of the catalog contains important information related to conduct, academic honesty, grades, and more. If you are a graduate student, please review the catalog each academic year. The current Graduate Studies Catalog is at:
The Grades section of the academic catalog outlines the various grading systems courses may use, including the information about the final grade reported for this class.
There are important policies that govern grades of Incomplete (I), including the circumstances under which Incomplete grades are granted, deadlines for completion, and consequences should the remaining course work not be completed. It is the responsibility of a student who requests an Incomplete to ensure that he/she understands and follows the policies.
Grade Appeals
Instructors are responsible for assigning grades, and student should discuss grade issues with the instructor. Policies and procedures for appealing grades are available in the appropriate catalog.
Academic Honesty Policy
Webster University is committed to academic excellence. As part of our Statement of Ethics, we strive to preserve academic honor and integrity by repudiating all forms of academic and intellectual dishonesty, including cheating, plagiarism and all other forms of academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty is unacceptable and is subject to a disciplinary response. Students are encouraged to talk to instructors about any questions they may have regarding how to properly credit others' work, including paraphrasing, quoting, and citation formatting. The university reserves the right to utilize electronic databases, such as Turnitin.com, to assist faculty and students with their academic work.
The University's Academic Honesty Policy is published in academic catalogs:
As a part of the University commitment to academic excellence, the Academic Resource Center provides student resources to become better acquainted with academic honesty and the tools to prevent plagiarism in its many forms:
Statement of Ethics
Webster University strives to be a center of academic excellence. The University makes every effort to ensure the following:
- The opportunity for students to learn and inquire freely
- The protection of intellectual freedom and the rights of professors to teach
- The advancement of knowledge through scholarly pursuits and relevant dialogue
To review Webster University's statement of ethics, see the Undergraduate Studies Catalog and the Graduate and Studies Catalog:
Contact Hours for this Course
It is essential that all classes meet for the full instructional time as scheduled. A class cannot be shortened in length. If a class session is cancelled for any reason, the content must be covered at another time.
Important Academic Resources
Academic Accommodations
Webster University makes every effort to accommodate individuals with academic/learning, health, physical and psychological disabilities. To obtain accommodations, students must identify themselves and provide documentation from a qualified professional or agency to the appropriate campus designee or the Academic ADA Coordinator at the main campus. The Academic ADA Coordinator may be reached at 314-246-7700 or [email protected].
If you have already identified as a student with a documented disability and are entitled to classroom or testing accommodations, please inform the instructor of the accommodations you will require for this class at the beginning of the course.
Academic Resource Center
Additional support and resources may be accessed through the Academic Resource Center (ARC). Support and resources include academic counseling, accommodations, assistive technology, peer tutoring, plagiarism prevention, testing center services, and writing coaching. Visit www.webster.edu/arc or Loretto Hall 40 on the main campus for more information.
Student Success Portal
Webster University's Student Success Portal, powered by Starfish, is a communications tool to connect students with faculty members and campus support services. It allows faculty and staff members to communicate with you regarding academic achievements as well as areas where support may be helpful. You may use the portal to contact faculty and staff members for assistance and to arrange meetings. Activity in the portal will be communicated to your Webster University email account. The Student Success Portal is available via your course home page in WorldClassRoom or via Connections. Learn more about the Student Success Portal at https://webster.starfishsolutions.com/starfish-ops/student/dashboard.html.
University Library
Webster University Library is dedicated to supporting the research needs and intellectual pursuits of students throughout the University's worldwide network. Resources include print and electronic books, journal articles, online databases, DVDs and streaming video, CDs and streaming music, datasets, and other specialized information. Services include providing materials at no cost and research help for basic questions to in-depth exploration of resources. The gateway to all of these resources and services is http://library.webster.edu. For support navigating the library's resources, see http://libanswers.webster.edu/ for the many ways to contact library staff.
Drops and Withdrawals
Drop and withdrawal policies dictate processes for students who wish to unenroll from a course. Students must take proactive steps to unenroll; informing the instructor is not sufficient, nor is failing to attend. In the early days of the term or semester, students may DROP a course with no notation on their student record. After the DROP deadline, students may WITHDRAW from a course; in the case of a WITHDRAW, a grade of W appears on the student record. After the WITHDRAW deadline, students may not unenroll from a course. Policies and a calendar of deadlines for DROP and WITHDRAW are at:
Academic Calendar - http://www.webster.edu/academics/academic-calendar/
Current tuition rates, policies, and procedures, including details of pro-rated tuition refunds, are available in the "Tuition, Fees, and Refunds" section of Webster's Academic Catalogs:
Student Handbook and Other Important Policies
Student handbook and other non-academic policies may apply to you and may impact your experience in this class. Such policies include the student code of conduct, privacy, technology and communications, and more. Please review the handbook each year and be aware of policies that apply to you. The handbook is available at:
Sexual Assault, Harassment, and Other Sexual Offenses
Webster University makes every effort to educate the community to prevent sexual assault, harassment, and other sexual offenses from occurring, and is committed to providing support to those affected when this behavior does occur. To access information and resources or to review the Policy on Sexual Assault, Harassment, and Other Sexual Offenses, visit:
Research on Human Subjects
The Webster University Institutional Review Committee (IRB) is responsible for the review of all research on human subjects. The IRB process applies to all Webster University faculty, staff, and students and must be completed prior to any contact with human subjects. For more information on the IRB, visit:
Course Evaluations
At the end of this course, you will have the opportunity to provide feedback about your experience. Your input is extremely valuable to the university, your instructor, and the department that offers this course. Please provide your honest and thoughtful evaluation, as it helps the university to provide the best experience possible for all of its students.
Important Technology Information
Connections Accounts
Webster University provides all students, faculty, and staff with a University email account through Connections. Students are expected to activate their Connections account and regularly check incoming University email. Students may choose to have their University email forwarded to an alternate email address. Connections account holders can call the Help Desk (314-246-5995 or toll free at 1-866-435-7270) for assistance with this setup. Instructions are also provided on the Information Technology website at:
WorldClassRoom is Webster's Learning Content Management System (LMS). Your instructor may use WorldClassRoom to deliver important information, to hold class activities, to communicate grades and feedback, and more. WorldClassRoom is available using your Connections ID at:
Webster Alerts
Webster Alerts is the University's preferred emergency mass notification service, available free to current students, faculty and staff at all US campuses. By registering a valid cell phone number and email address, you will receive urgent campus text, voice mail and email communications. Valuable information concerning a range of incidents affecting you - from weather-related campus closures, class delays and cancellations, to more serious or life-threatening events - are immediately and simultaneously delivered through multiple communication channels. To register for Webster Alerts, visit (sign with your university-provided email and password:
Campus Information
Webster University Home Campus
470 E. Lockwood Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63119


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- Press Release
- Mar 20, 2023
NASA Announces Next Undersea Exploration Mission Dates and NEEMO Crew
WASHINGTON – NASA will send three astronauts and a Constellation Program aerospace engineer into the ocean depths off the Florida coast from Aug. 6 to 15. They will test lunar exploration concepts and a suite of medical objectives for long-duration spaceflight.
NASA veteran space flyer and aquanaut Nicholas Patrick will lead the 10-day undersea mission aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Aquarius Underwater Laboratory. NASA astronaut Richard Arnold, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and systems integration engineer Christopher Gerty complete the crew.
During the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 13 (NEEMO 13), the crew will conduct a variety of undersea "moon walks." They will test concepts for future lunar exploration using advanced navigation and communication equipment.
"This crew will work much more independently from the mission control team than on previous missions," said NEEMO Project Manager Bill Todd of the United Space Alliance at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
"This autonomous mode of operation will encourage the crew to make real-time decisions about daily operations similar to what we think will be necessary for lunar and Mars missions. The idea is to show how procedures and training for future missions can be adapted, considering the reduced direct communication with mission control those crews will encounter," Todd said.
During the extended undersea simulated moon walks, the crew will construct a communications tower, practice techniques for lunar sample collection and manipulation, and perform a series of tasks investigating future spacesuit design. The crew also will participate in research designed to answer questions on the physiology and human behavior aspects of living in extreme environments.
Jim Buckley and Larry Ward of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington will provide engineering support for the submerged habitat. The university operates Aquarius on behalf of NOAA as part of NOAA's Undersea Research Program. The NEEMO missions are a cooperative project among NASA, NOAA and the university.
This will be the 13th NEEMO undersea mission. NASA Flight Surgeon Sean Roden will serve as a backup crew member.
Similar in size to the International Space Station's living quarters, Aquarius is the world's only permanent underwater habitat and laboratory. The 45-foot-long, 13-foot diameter complex is three miles off Key Largo in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, about 62 feet beneath the surface. A surface buoy provides connections for power, life support and communications. A shore-based control center monitors the habitat and crew.
For more information about NEEMO and Aquarius, including a virtual dive to the underwater habitat, visit:


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SOUTH SHORE INSIDER: 90 years later, Fallon Ambulance stays the course
Fallon Ambulance's Peter Racicot has two big things on his mind. The first is the Pan-Mass Challenge, the Jimmy Fund-supporting bicycle ride that Racicot rides in every year and that Fallon Ambulance has supported for 20 years.
The other is the impending launch of health insurance exchanges next month (under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) and other big changes coming to the industry, during the same year that Fallon is celebrating its 90th anniversary. The company was founded in 1923 by James Fallon Sr. and remains family-operated.
Racicot, Fallon's senior vice president of business development, has seen pressure on ambulance service providers increase recently, as Medicare reimbursements have declined and the federal government has begun to more strongly emphasize cost savings.
Fallon employs more than 650 people, including 125 paramedics and 375 EMTs, and operates 115 vehicles.
Racicot hopes to make Fallon, one of the handful of mom-and-pop ambulance companies left in the state, a more flexible enterprise in an era of uncertainty for the health-care industry.
How did Fallon first get involved with the Pan-Mass Challenge?
(Fallon has) been involved with Pan-Mass since 1993. I got involved because, at the time, I was director of public relations here at Fallon, and we were working with Dana-Farber (Cancer Institute).
In 1993, they needed medical volunteers for the ride, and obviously Fallon has a lot of EMTs and paramedics. So my job became a recruiter, and I got about 10 EMTs for that first ride in 1993.
What towns does Fallon operate in?
We're contracted on a 911 basis with Braintree, Brookline, Dedham, Milton, Quincy and Weymouth. And these are relationships that have been longstanding.
There are a lot of companies in this business that have chosen to build success and then decided to sell to a national operator. We won't do that. We've been the only consistently family-operated ambulance business in Massachusetts over the last 90 years.
We've had offers. We've had opportunities to sell and move on. But we've chosen to stay our course.
Do you have any plans to mark Fallon's 90th anniversary?
On Oct. 1, we're going to have a celebration over at Steele & Rye in Milton. It's now an upscale restaurant, but we spent a good 40 years of our operation in that building, from the late '60s to 2005, when we moved to Quincy.
We have about 30 employees that have been with us for more than 20 years, and the celebration is really for them. It's our way of saying, 'Hey, it's not just the Fallon family that's made it possible, it's you.'
We're also going to do some re-branding of our vehicles. We created a new logo for our 90th that reflects our history, you'll see that on our vehicles over the next two months. But overall, we're keeping it somewhat simple.
What do you think drove that trend of selling out to larger companies?
It was just the model in the '90s, where we saw the roll-up of a lot of the mom-and-pops. There's been a shift now. There are still plenty of family-owned companies; even Brewster (Ambulance) is back in business.
It's interesting to see start-ups come in when there's so much downward pressure on reimbursement. Medicare's payments have decreased by 20, maybe even 25 percent, and I have to scratch my head at times.
How do you deal with those declining payments while being expected to do more for patients?
There are a lot of ways, and cutting costs is an important one.
Statistically, 20 percent of people who call 911 do so incorrectly. So we have to be creative, and ask, 'How can we help the health-care system deal with that 20 percent, and cut costs?'
If Mrs. Smith's toe hurts because she's a diabetic and she calls 911, we have to pick up Mrs. Smith and take her to the emergency room. But all she really needed to do was call her primary-care physician and schedule an appointment for Wednesday.
Wouldn't that be counterproductive for an ambulance company?
Ironically, it sort of flies in the face of what we want to do, which is transport people. But if that's all we're focused on, we're not going to be successful in the future. Because now there's an expectation that if you're a nursing home provider or a hospital provider, you're going to help reduce costs.
Dan Schneider may be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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... I'm one of those new fangled people who all the camera they've ever known has been with a 1.5 or 1.6 factor.[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
... I'm one of those new fangled people who all the camera they've ever known has been with a 1.5 or 1.6 factor[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=53633\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
I guess when the D200 came out with its professional quality body, weather sealing etc., Canon was caught on the wrong foot. .....Nikon also probably had a few versions on the table and after Canon announced their final version, they quickly put their D200 "weather-sealed" version with built-in flash at an attractive pricepoint, and then made final adjustments to the manufacturing line, accordingly.[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=53942\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
So based on the above, the only way Canon can grab the spotlight back, would be to put a 35mm sized sensor in the 20D replacement, with around 10.4MP resolution and the pixel pitch of the 5D and the built-in flash but without weather-sealing etc. Leave the cropped-sensors to the "Digital Rebel" arena. At a pricepoint of around $1900-2100, it would sell very well. But that will cannibalize sales from the 5D, I would suppose.Just a conjecture...[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=53942\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
i dont see it really. you cant beat a professional camera. with what your saying we should also see a major drop in price of the D2x as well...which i think is doubtful. i dont see pros shooting mainly with a D200...[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=54101\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
AS regards not seeing many pros shooting D200's ... I think you'll be surprised. Just take a look at how many use D100's/D70's or 10D/20D/5D's today. You don't HAVE to have the top spec DSLR to earn a living ... particularly if photojourno/field work don't figure in your usage.[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=54104\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]