text:
200hd channels could be 199 on demand channels and 1 broadcast channel, and still be 200 channels.
Dish Network Lies About Having 200 HD Channels, Hopes Nobody Notices
from the your-customers-can-count-you-know dept
For several years TV carriers have enjoyed bickering over which company has the most HD channels, in part because it creates a debate focused on perceived value — and steers the conversation away from who offers the lowest prices (or the fact that companies seem to impose annual or bi-annual TV hikes in unison). Carriers only just recently surpassed the 100 HD channel count, so it was surprising this week when Dish Network suddenly and proudly announced that the company was the first to pass the 200 HD channel mark — insisting "only DISH Network has delivered" on this supposedly-epic promise. Except amusingly, Dish Network didn't bother to include a full list of the channels they added, and when reporters and bloggers on the TV/telecom beat started asking Dish questions, the company started getting a little bit uncomfortable:
"I asked Dish Network's PR department for a list of the 200 HD channels, numbered from 1 to 200. Not too surprising, the company was evasive, saying the 200 HD channels could be found at its web site. However, when I told them I could not locate more than around 130 HD channels listed at DishNetwork.com, the company's PR department got even more evasive — and started to act a bit strange. At one point, a company spokeswoman said she could give me a breakdown of the 200 HD channels on "background only," meaning I couldn't attribute the information to Dish Network."
As it turns out, Dish's marketing department had gotten creative — and was suddenly counting 57 different On Demand movie titles as"channels" (the Alvin & The Chipmunks 2 channel, anyone?) and just hoped that nobody would notice. So instead of being seen as the TV operator that offers the most HD channels, Dish Network is now being seen as the TV operator who assumes everybody is stupid, which we'll assume wasn't what the company's PR department was aiming for.
Filed Under: hd, television
Companies: dish network


text:
Have you complimented someone today? This week? This month?
It's amazing what a few words of support and kindness can do for someone who feels like he or she is uncertain or struggling to accomplish specific goals or develop certain skills.
And those kind words are particularly important when they come from someone who is in a position of authority in that subject.
I am an amateur photographer; a good one, in my own opinion. And I am eternally grateful for and happy to hear friends and loved ones tell me when they like a particular photo or group of images.
But recently, I have received some very kind comments from other photographers, whose work impresses the hell out of me, and who, in a few cases, don't know me beyond what they have seen of my work on Facebook or Instagram or Twitter.
Earlier today, someone I did not know stopped by my Instagram account to comment on an image I posted recently.
Simply wonderful! You got what it takes for a good photographer!
I immediately jumped over to his account and realized that I was being complimented by someone who I believe has amazing talent. This is someone making a career as a professional photographer.
I have likewise built a nice friendship with one of the official photographers for my beloved Toronto Marlies; a man who will periodically compliment me on a particularly good shot. I have told him as much, but I'm not sure he believes how much his kind words and encouragement mean to me.
When someone does well, I like to let them know I think so. I think my compliments are most powerful, however, when they related to writing; my particular strength.
What is your area of expertise or authority?
When was the last time you took a moment to tell someone further down the development chain that he or she had done a really good job on something or that you found his or her work impressive?
Trust me; it will make their day to hear that.
And if you are already spreading encouragement and passion, thank you for that. We need to make sure this spreads.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Deep Drawable Steels: Part One
Thermo-Mechanical Treatment (TMT) of Non-Ferrous Alloys: Part One
Material Console provides multiple functionalities to support more efficient, accurate and personalized material selection decisions.
Click here to see more.
Total Materia has allowed us to solve in a definite way all problems we had for the search of alternate materials in foreign countries. Thanks to Total Materia we have issued real "international" specs for purchase of steels in foreign countries.
Total Materia remains the only tool which will be used for this purpose.
Massimo Manfredini
Bonfiglioli Industrial Gearmotors, Bologna, Italy
Our mission is simple;to make Total Materiathe one-stop place andfirst choice of engineersworld wide.
Prof. Dr. Viktor Pocajt, CEOKey to Metals AG
Very important elements for alloy steels are manganese, nickel, chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, tungsten, silicon, copper, cobalt and boron. All commercial steels contain 0,3-0,8% manganese, to reduce oxides and to counteract the harmful influence of iron sulphide. There is a tendency nowadays to increase the manganese content and reduce the carbon content in order to get a steel with an equal tensile strength but improved ductility. Nickel and manganese are very similar in behaviour and both lower the eutectoid temperature. Nickel steels are noted for their strength, ductility and toughness, while chromium steels are characterized by their hardness and resistance to wear. Chromium can dissolve in either alpha- or gama-iron, but, in the presence of carbon, the carbides formed are cementite (FeCr)3C in which chromium may rise to more than 15%; chromium carbides (CrFe)3C2 (CrFe)7C3 (CrFe)4C, in which chromium may be replaced by a few per cent, by a maximum of 55% and by 25% respectively. The chrome steels are used wherever extreme hardness is required, such as in dies, ball bearings, plates for safes, rolls, files and tools. The combination of nickel and chromium produces steels having all these properties, some intensified, without the disadvantages associated with the simple alloys. Molybdenum dissolves in both alpha- or gama-iron and in the presence of carbon forms complex carbides (FeMo)6C, Fe21Mo2C6, Mo2C. Molybdenum is also a constituent in some high-speed steels, magnet alloys, heat-resisting and corrosion-resisting steels.
All commercial steels
contain 0,3-0,8% manganese, to reduce oxides and to counteract the harmful
influence of iron sulfide. Any manganese in excess of
these requirements partially dissolves in the iron and partly form Mn3C which
occurs with the Fe3C. There is a tendency nowadays to increase the manganese
content and reduce the carbon content in order to get
a steel with an equal tensile strength but improved ductility
If the manganese is
increased above 1,8% the steel tends to become airhardened, with resultant
impairing of the ductility. Up to this quantity, manganese has a
beneficial effect on the mechanical properties of oil hardened
and tempered 0,4% carbon steel. The manganese content is also increased in
certain alloy steels, with a reduction or elimination of expensive nickel, in order
to reduce costs. Steels with 0,3-0,4% carbon, 1,3-1,6% manganese and
0,3% molybdenum have replaced 3% nickel steel for some purposes.
Non-shrinking tool steel contains up to 2%
manganese, with 0,8-0,9% carbon. Steels with 5 to 12% manganese
are martensitic after slow cooling and have little commercial importance.
Hadfield`s manganese steel contains 12 to 14%
of manganese and 1,0% of carbon. It is characterized by a great
resistance to wear and is therefore used for railway points, rock drills
and stone crushers. Austenite is completely retained by quenching
the steel from 1000°C, in which soft condition it is used,
but abrasion raises the hardness of the surface layer from 200
to 600 VPN (with no magnetic change), while the
underlying material remains rough. Annealing embrittles the steel by the formation of
carbides at the grain boundaries. Nickel is added to electrodes for welding manganese
steel and 2% Mo sometimes added, with a prior carbide
dispersion treatment at 600°C, to minimize initial distortion and spreading.
Nickel and manganese are very similar in
behavior and both lower the eutectoid temperature. This change point
on heating is lowered progressively with increase of nickel
(approximately 10°C for 1% of nickel), but the lowering of the
change on cooling is greater and irregular. The temperature of this
change (Ar1) is plotted for different nickel contents for 0,2%
carbon steels in Fig. 1, and it will be seen that the curve takes a
sudden plunge round about 8% nickel. A steel with 12% nickel begins
to transform below 300°C on cooling, but on reheating the reverse
change does not occur until about 650°C. Such steels are said to
exhibit pronounced lag or hysteresis and are called irreversible steels. This characteristic is made use of in maraging
steels and 9% Ni cryogenic steel.
The addition of nickel acts similarly to increasing the rate of cooling of a
carbon steel. Thus with a constant rate of cooling the 5-8%
nickel steels become troostitic; at 8-10% nickel, where the
sudden drop appears, the structure is martensitic, while above 24% nickel the
critical point is depressed below room temperature and austenite remains. The lines of
demarcation are not so sharp as indicated by Fig. 1,
but a gradual transition occurs from one constituent to another.
Figure 1. Effect of nickel on change points and mechanical
properties of 0,2% carbon steels cooled at a constant rate
The mechanical properties change
accordingly as shown in the lower part of Fig. 1. Steels with 0,5%
nickel are similar to carbon steel, but are stronger, on account of
the finer pearlite formed and the presence of nickel in solution in
the ferrite. When 10% nickel is exceeded the steels have a high
tensile strength, great hardness, but are brittle, as shown by the
Izod and elongation curves. When the nickel is sufficient to produce
austenite the steels become non-magnetic, ductile, tough and
workable, with a drop in strength and elastic limit.
Carbon intensives the action of nickel and the change points shown in Fig.
1 will vary according to the carbon content. The influence of carbon
and nickel on the structure are shown in the small inset (Guillet)
diagram in Fig. 1, for one rate of cooling. Steels containing 2 to
5% nickel and about 0,1% carbon are used for case hardening; those
containing 0,25 to 0,40% carbon are used for crankshafts, axles and
connecting rods.
The superior properties of low nickel steels
are best brought out by quenching and tempering (550-650°C). Since
the Ac3 point is lowered, a lower hardening temperature than for
carbon steels is permissible and also a wider range of hardening
temperatures above Ac3 without excessive grain growth, which is
hindered by the slow rate of diffusion of the nickel. Martensitic
nickel steels are not utilized and the austenitic alloys cannot
compete with similar manganese steels owing to the higher cost.
Maraging steels have fulfilled a high tensile requirement in aero
and space fields. High nickel alloys are used for special purposes,
owing to the marked influence of nickel on the coefficient of
expansion of the metal. With 36% nickel, 0,2% carbon, 0,5%
manganese, the coefficient is practically zero between 0° and 100°C.
This alloy ages with time, but this can be minimized by heating at
100°C for several days. The alloy is called Inver and it is used
extensively in clocks, tapes and wire measures, differential
expansion regulators, and in aluminium pistons with a split skirt in
order to give an expansion approximating to that of cast iron.
A carbon-free alloy containing 78,5% nickel and
21,5% iron has a high permeability in small magnetic fields.
Chromium can dissolve in either
alpha- or gama-iron, but, in the presence of carbon, the carbides
formed are cementite (FeCr)3C in which chromium may rise to more
than 15%; chromium carbides (CrFe)3C2 (CrFe)7C3 (CrFe)4C, in which
chromium may be replaced by a few per cent, by a maximum
of 55% and by 25% respectively. Stainless steels contain Cr4C. The pearlitic chromium
steels with, say, 2% chromium are extremely sensitive to rate
of cooling and temperature of heating before quenching; for example:
Temp. of Initial Heating, °C
Critical Hardening Rate(Mins to cool from
836° to 546°C)
The reason is that the chromium carbides are
not readily dissolved in the austenite, but the amount increases
with increase of temperature. The effect of the dissolved chromium
is to raise the critical points on heating (Ac) and also on cooling
(Ar) when the rate is slow. Faster rates of cooling quickly depress
the Ar points with consequent hardening of the steel. Chromium
imparts a characteristic form of the upper portion of the isothermal
transformation curve.
The percentage of carbon in the pearlite
is lowered. Hence the proportion of free cementite (hardest
constituent) is increased in high carbon steel and, when the steel
is properly heat-treated, it occurs in the spheroidised form which
is more suitable when the steel is used for ball bearings. The
pearlite is rendered fine.
When the chromium exceeds 1,1% in
low-carbon steels an inert passive film is formed on the surface
which resists attack by oxidizing reagents. Still higher chromium
contents are found in heat-resisting steel.
Chromium steels are
easier to machine than nickel steels of similar tensile strength.
The steels of higher chromium contents are susceptible to temper
brittleness if slowly cooled from the tempering temperature through
the range 550/450°C. These steels are also liable to form surface
markings, generally referred to as "chrome lines".
The chrome steels are used wherever extreme
hardness is required, such as in dies, ball bearings, plates for
safes, rolls, files and tools. High chromium content is also found
in certain permanent magnets.
Nickel steels are noted for their strength,
ductility and toughness, while chromium steels are characterized by
their hardness and resistance to wear. The combination of nickel and
chromium produces steels having all these properties, some
intensified, without the disadvantages associated with the simple
alloys. The depth of hardening is increased, and with 4,5% nickel,
1,25% chromium and 0,35% carbon the steel can be hardened simply by
cooling in air.
Low nickel-chromium steels with small carbon
content are used for casehardening, while for most constructional
purposes the carbon content is 0,25-0,35%, and the steels are
heat-treated to give the desired properties. Considerable amounts of
nickel and chromium are used in steel for resisting corrosion and
oxidation at elevated temperatures.
Embattlement. The effects of
tempering a nickel-chromium steel are shown in Fig. 2, from which it
will be noticed that the Izod impact curve No. 1 reaches a dangerous
minimum in the range 250-450°C in common with many other steels.
This is known as 350°C embattlement. Phosphorus and nitrogen have a
significant effect while other impurities (As, Sb, Sn) and manganese
in larger quantity may also contribute to the embattlement.
Figure 2. Effect of tempering on
the mechanical properties of nickel-chromium steel, C 0,26, Ni 3, Cr
1,2, 29 mm diam, bars hardened in oil from 830°C. Izod (2) for steel
with 0,25% molybdenum added
Temper brittleness is
usually used to describe the notch impact intergranular brittleness
(Grain boundaries are revealed in temper brittle samples by etching
in 1 gm cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide; 20 gm picric acid; 100 cc
distilled water, 100 cc ether. Shake mixture, allow to stand for 24
hrs; use portion of top layer and return to tube afterwards) induced
in some steels by slow cooling after tempering above about
600°C and also from prolonged soaking of tough material between
about 400° and 550°C.
Temper brittleness seems to be due to grain
boundary enrichment with alloying elements-Mn, Cr, Mo-during
austenitising which leads to enhanced segregation of embattling
elements P, Sn, Sb, As-by chemical interaction on slow cooling from
600°C. The return to the tough condition, obtained by rehearing
embattled steel to temperatures above 600°C and rapidly
cooling, is due to the redistribution and retention in solution
of the embattling segregation. Antimony (0-001 %), phosphorus (0-008
%), arsenic, tin, manganese increase, while molybdenum decreases
the susceptibility of a steel to embattlement. 0-25 %
molybdenum reduces the brittleness as shown by Izod curve No. 2.
Table 1 illustrates the effect rate of cooling after tempering and
the influence of an addition of 0-45 % molybdenum:
Table 1. Steel 0,3% C, 3,5 % Ni,
0,7%, Cr, tempered at 630°C
Izodft lbf
Molybdenum dissolves in both alpha- and gama-iron
and in the presence of carbon forms complex carbides (FeMo)6C,
Fe21Mo2C6, Mo2C.
Molybdenum is similar to chromium in its effect
on the shape of the TTT-curve but up to 0,5% appears to be more
effective in retarding pearlite and increasing bainite formation.
Additions of 0,5% molybdenum have been made to plain carbon steels
to give increased strength at boiler temperatures of 400°C, but the
element is mainly used in combination with other alloying elements.
Ni-Cr-Mo steels are widely used for ordnance, turbine rotors and
other large articles, since molybdenum tends to minimize temper
brittleness and reduces mass effect. Molybdenum is also a
constituent in some high-speed steels, magnet alloys, heat-resisting
and corrosion-resisting steels.
Vanadium acts as a scavenger for oxides,
forms a carbide V,C, and has a beneficial effect on the mechanical
properties of heat-treated steels, especially in the presence of
other elements. It slows up tempering in the range of 500-600°C and
can induce secondary hardening. Chromium-vanadium (0,15%) steels are
used for locomotive forging, automobile axles, coil springs, torsion
bars and creep resistance.
Tungsten dissolves in gama-iron and in alpha-iron.
With carbon it forms WC and W2C, but in the presence of iron it
forms Fe3W3C or Fe4W2C. A compound with iron-Fe3W2-provides an
age-hardening system. Tungsten raises the critical points in steel
and the carbides dissolve slowly over a range of temperature. When
completely dissolved, the tungsten renders transformation sluggish,
especially to tempering, and use is made of this in most hot-working
tool ("high speed") and die steels. Tungsten refines the grain size
and produces less tendency to decarburisation during working.
Tungsten is also used in magnet, corrosion- and heat-resisting
Silicon dissolves in the ferrite, of which it
is a fairly effective hardener, and raises the Ac change points and
the Ar points when slowly cooled and also reduces the gama-alpha volume
Only three types of silicon steel are in common use-one
in conjunction with manganese for springs; the second for electrical
purposes, used in sheet form for the construction of transformer
cores, and poles of dynamos and motors, that demand high magnetic
permeability and electrical resistance; and the third is used for
automobile valves.
It contributes oxidation resistance in heat-resisting steels and
is a general purpose deoxidizes.
Copper dissolves in the ferrite to a limited extent; not
more than 3,5% is soluble in steels at normalizing temperatures,
while at room temperature the ferrite is saturated at 0,35%. It
lowers the critical points, but insufficiently to produce martensite
by air cooling. The resistance to atmospheric corrosion is improved
and copper steels can be temper hardened.
Cobalt has a high solubility in alpha- and gama-iron but a weak
carbide-forming tendency. It decreases hardenability but sustains
hardness during tempering. It is used in "Stellite" type alloys, gas
turbine steel, magnets and as a bond in hard metal.
Boron. In recent years, especially in USA, 0,003-0,005%
boron has been added to previously fully killed, fine-grain steel to
increase the hardenability of the steel. The yield ratio and impact
are definitely improved, provided advantage is taken of the
increased hardenability obtained and the steel is fully hardened
before tempering. In conjunction with molybdenum boron forms a
useful group of high tensile bainitic steels. Boron is used in some
hard facing alloys and for nuclear control rods.
Date Published:
Enter a phrase to search for:
Search by
Full text
Finding chemical composition data in the Total Materia database couldn't be easier.
Within seconds it is possible for you to find useful chemical composition data for over 175,000 materials in the database.
Enter the material of interest into the quick search field. You can optionally narrow your search by specifying the country/standard of choice in the designated field and click Search.
Total Materia will generate the search list for you to select the material of interest from the material list. Click on the material of interest.
On the subgroup page, click the composition link to view chemical composition data for the selected material. The number of chemical composition data records is displayed in brackets next to the link.
The chemical composition data will be then be displayed along with all selected material information for your reference.
For you're a chance to take a test drive of the Total Materia database, we invite you to join a community of over 150,000 registered users through the Total Materia Free Demo.


text:
Why do people accept fiat money? It is, after all, intrinsically useless. David Glasner has written a thoughtful post on fiat money. Glasner writes:
Why should a fiat money not be able to retain value? Well, consider the following thought experiment. For a pure medium of exchange, a fiat money, to have value, there must be an expectation that it will be accepted in exchange by someone else. Without that expectation, a fiat money could not, by definition, have value. But at some point, before the world comes to its end, it will be clear that there will be no one who will accept the money because there will be no one left with whom to exchange it. But if it is clear that at some time in the future, no one will accept fiat money and will then lose its value, a logical process of backward induction implies that it must lose its value now.
So why are people willing to accept it? Glasner suggests that the reason is because the government accepts money as payment for taxes. This is the chartalist view and has been around for some time. Glasner traces this back to Wicksteed. Ross Starr provides an analysis within the context of general equilibrium theory. However, I would like to suggest another proposition. To do so, we need to talk about two different questions: (a) why does fiat money exist?, and (b) why do people accept it?
There are a number of ways that have been suggested to explain the use of money. However, I would like to focus on one in particular. As emphasized by Brunner and Meltzer (1971) and Ostroy (1973), money is a substitute for information. To illustrate this point, consider an example. Suppose that there are three people, three goods, and three time periods. Person 1 produces Good 1 in Period 1, but wants to consume Good 2. Person 2 produces Good 2 in Period 2, but wants to consume Good 3. Person 3 produces Good 3 in Period 3, but wants to consume Good 1. Notice that there is a basic double coincidence of wants problem. This problem, however, does not necessarily require money. For example, the three individuals could get together and make a multilateral arrangement in which each individual promises to deliver the desired good to the appropriate trader in each period. No money is necessary.
The example above, however, requires that the individuals can perfectly commit to those actions. In reality, the individuals have an incentive to renege on their promises. For example, Person 3 could promise to give Good 3 to Person 2 in Period 3 so long as Person 1 supplies Good 1. However, if there is disutility associated with production, Person 3 has no incentive to produce anything given that they have already received their consumption good. But even this isn't sufficient to require money. If trading histories are perfectly monitored and costly available to all parties, this would provide an incentive for individuals to behave honestly.
This latter assertion, however, bears little resemblance to the world in which we live. We do not have costless access to the trading histories of every possible counterparty. As such, when individuals cannot perfectly commit and there is imperfect monitoring, money is essential in the language of Hahn in that it expands the possible allocations available to economic agents. The role of money in this context is as a substitute for information. Money is memory.
The informational role of money makes money essential and is therefore preferable to other arrangements. However, this does not resolve the solution by backward induction that Glasner suggested above. Thus, we need to answer question (b) above.
In search models of money it is standard to denote the price of money as . The price of money refers to the goods price of money rather than the money price of goods as we are usually accustomed to thinking. It is important to think about the price of money because it is possible that this price could be zero (i.e. we have a non-monetary economy). A condition for a monetary equilibrium in these models is that
This implies that it must be true that the price of money today is greater than or equal to the present discounted value of the price of money tomorrow. In more familiar language to monetary theorists, it must be true that the inflation rate is greater than or equal to minus the rate of time preference.
According to Glasner, we know that at some date, T, the world ends and therefore nobody would accept money. Through backward induction, nobody would accept money today. However, the solution by backward induction is contingent upon knowing the date at which the world ends. For example, suppose that the probability of the world ending tomorrow is where is the information available at time t. Thus, the expected future value of the price of money at time t is:
Thus, we can re-write the necessary condition for equilibrium as:
So long as the probability of the world ending is not equal to one, a monetary equilibrium obtains and is therefore not subject to the backward induction critique. Fiat money can therefore be thought of as a rational bubble. We do not need to appeal to irrationality as Glasner suggests. Rather as a trader I know that money increases the set of feasible allocations in trade and therefore I have an incentive to use it and accept it so long as I anticipate that others will accept it in the future. In addition, I know that it is intrinsically worthless, but so long as the future is not certain (or time is considered infinite) it can have positive value because of its role as medium of exchange. As a result, fiat money trades above its fundamental value.


text:
Night-time Sun Rise
The Midnight Sun is almost here in Narvik – a arctic city well above The Arctic Circle. Now the sun barely dips below the horizon now. I shot this photo after a hard night working on the Århus Kræmmermarked® homepage way south, in Denmark, actually. I have to constantly update this page these days, since we are in the middle of the four days of market, working for free and earning a lot of money for our Lions Clubs aid projects. Anyway, time to get to bed. Just wanted to share this photo with you!


text:
"Higher" FrogsDavid Cannatella, Linda Ford, and Lori Bockstanz
This tree diagram shows the relationships between several groups of organisms.
The root of the current tree connects the organisms featured in this tree to their containing group and the rest of the Tree of Life. The basal branching point in the tree represents the ancestor of the other groups in the tree. This ancestor diversified over time into several descendent subgroups, which are represented as internal nodes and terminal taxa to the right.
You can click on the root to travel down the Tree of Life all the way to the root of all Life, and you can click on the names of descendent subgroups to travel up the Tree of Life all the way to individual species.
For more information on ToL tree formatting, please see Interpreting the Tree or Classification. To learn more about phylogenetic trees, please visit our Phylogenetic Biology pages.close box
Neobatrachians are sometimes called the "advanced" frogs. This group includes 95% of the species of frogs, but relationships among the major lineages are not well-resolved for the most part.
Discussion of Phylogenetic Relationships
Ford and Cannatella (1993) applied the node-based name Neobatrachia to the most recent common ancestor of living hyloids (myobatrachids, leptodactylids, bufonids, hylids, centrolenids, pseudids, sooglossids, Heleophryne, brachycephalids, Rhinoderma, and Allophryne) and Ranoidea, and all its descendants. Neobatrachian synapomorphies include the presence of a neopalatine bone (=palatine auctorum), fusion of the third distal carpal to other carpals (Ford, 1989b), the complete separation of the sartorius muscle from the semitendinosus, the presence of an accessory head of the adductor longus muscle, and the absence of the parahyoid bone (Cannatella, 1985; Duellman and Trueb, 1986; Dunlap, 1960).
Another likely synapomorphy is the presence of a 55-bp insertion in the 28S ribosomal RNA gene (Hillis and Davis, 1987). This is present in neobatrachians (including the limnodynastine Limnodynastes, the sooglossid Nesomantis, and the leptodactylid Telmatobius), but was not present in caecilians, salamanders, or other frogs, including pelobatoids.
Some recent classifications divided Neobatrachia into three superfamilies: Bufonoidea (=Hyloidea), Ranoidea, and Microhyloidea (Duellman, 1975; Laurent, 1986), but relationships among the clades within these groups are not clear.
There are no published synapomorphies of "Bufonoidea" (=Hyloidea, Dubois [1986]) as generally recognized (Duellman, 1975; Laurent, 1986); hyloids are simply neobatrachians that are not ranoids. In a phylogenetic analysis of osteological characters of Neobatrachia, Ford (1989b) found hyloids to be paraphyletic with respect to Ranoidea, including Microhylidae. However, Hay et al. (1995) presented a neighbor-joining tree of relationships among most of the families of frogs, in which the hyloids were monophyletic.
=======C====== Allophryne ruthveni | |============= Brachycephalidae | |============= Bufonidae | |======B====== Heleophryne | |||||||||||||| Leptodactylidae | |======D====== Limnodynastinae | | ====D== Myobatrachinae |===G==| | ======= Sooglossidae ===| |======E====== Rhinoderma | | ======= Hylidae | | |===H==|====== Pseudidae | | | ======= Centrolenidae | | ======= Microhylidae | | | |===F== Hemisus | | | |====== Dendrobatidae | | ====A==||||||| Arthroleptidae | ||||||| Ranidae | |====== Hyperoliidae | ======= Rhacophoridae
Ranoidea Node A
Ranoids are a large and very diverse group. In a sense they are a radiation equivalent to the "hyloids" (=bufonoids). (Realize however that there is little evidence for hyloid monophyly, whereas there are data supporting ranoid monophyly, depending on the inclusion of Dendrobatidae.) Ranoids however are firmisternal, meaning that the left and right epicoracoid cartilages of the shoulder girdle are fused. In contrast, the hyloids are mostly arciferal, meaning that the cartilages overlap, and are not fused.
Ranoids can be viewed as the Old World counterpart of the hylids, bufonids, and leptodactylids. "Ranidae" are analogous to "Leptodactylidae" in being a diverse, paraphyletic group of non-treefrog forms, but with their center of diversity in Africa and Southeast Asia, with a minor radiation of the genus Rana in the New World. Rhacophoridae and Hyperoliidae are the Old World ranoid treefrog types, analogous to hylids in Central and South America. Microhylids are perhaps the firmisternal equivalent to Bufonidae in that they are a cosmopolitan group with three apparent radiations, in South America, Africa, and southeast Asia.
One major issue in the content of the Ranoidea is the inclusion (or not) of the Dendrobatidae (poison-dart frogs). Here we follow Ford (1989b) in treating dendrobatids as ranoids. Analysis of rRNA sequence data by Hay et al. (1995) does not support this, however. The four species of ranoids analyzed by Hay et al. (1995) formed a monophyletic group, but the dendrobatid was placed among the "hyloids."
The name Ranoidea was defined by Ford and Cannatella (1993) as the node-based name for the last common ancestor of hyperoliids, rhacophorids, ranids, dendrobatids, Hemisus, arthroleptids, and microhylids, and all of its descendants. Synapomorphies of Ranoidea include completely fused epicoracoid cartilages, and the medial end of the coracoid being wider than lateral end (Ford, 1989b). A probable synapomorphy, depending on the position of Dendrobatidae within Ranoidea, is the insertion of the semitendinosus tendon dorsal to the gracilis muscle (convergent with some myobatrachines).
Traditionally, Ranoidea was diagnosed by the condition of the pectoral girdle described as firmisterny (Duellman and Trueb, 1986). This feature has been controversial because of ambiguity in the definition of the term. One of the simpler and more widely accepted definitions of firmisterny is the complete fusion of the epicoracoid cartilages (Peters, 1964). The girdle has been treated as a single complex unit, and many individual aspects of it (i. e., clavicle, coracoid, epicoracoid and procoracoid cartilages) have been not used in systematic analyses (Ford, 1989a). The validity of the firmisternal girdle as a single character cannot be assessed until the individual elements are examined for character independence (Ford, 1988, 1989b).
Heleophryne Node B
The redundant family name applied to this taxon is Heleophrynidae.
Allophryne ruthveni Node C
The redundant family name applied to this taxon is Allophrynidae.
"Myobatrachidae" Node D
Under most arrangements, Limnodynastinae and Myobatrachinae are included in the family Myobatrachidae. The arrangement here follows Ford and Cannatella (1993).
Rhinoderma Node E
The redundant family name applied to this taxon is Rhinodermatidae.
Hemisus Node F
The redundant family name applied to this taxon is Hemisotidae.
Unnamed Node G
No name has been proposed for this node. Under Linnean nomenclature the name Myobatrachidae has priority over Sooglossidae.
Unnamed Node H
Lynch (1973) and Duellman and Trueb (1986:character J) used the presence of intercalary elements to unite Hylidae, Centrolenidae and Pseudidae into a clade. Intercalary elements are also known in Hyperoliidae and Rhacophoridae, as well as mantelline ranids and phrynomerine microhylids. The tree presented by Duellman and Trueb (1986:Fig. 17-3) has an equally parsimonious solution that would require convergent evolution of a firmisternal girdle (character C1) if lack of homoplasy in the intercalary element (character J1) is favored. In a subtree Duellman and Trueb (1986:Fig. 17-4) used the presence of intercalary elements to unite mantellines, hyperoliids, and rhacophorids, but not phrynomerines. This tree also has an equally parsimonious alternative that would unite phrynomerines with the aforementioned clade, but requires homoplasy in the Type 2 larva (character O2').
Ford's (1989b) study of dendrobatid relationships did not include centrolenids or pseudids. Ford and Cannatella continued the recognition of the clade consisting of Hylidae, Pseudidae, and Centrolenidae, which is diagnosed by the presence of intercalary elements, but did not name it. Hay et al. (1995) found that pseudids, hylids and centrolenids (each represented by one species) not to be a clade, although the latter two were sister-taxa, and all three were part of the Neobatrachia.
Recently, Ruvinsky and Maxson (1996) analyzed relationships among Neobatrachia based on mitochondrial 12S and 16S sequences. Their neighbor-joining tree is presented below. Several features of their tree are noteworthy.
Phylogenetic relationships of Neobatrachia after Ruvinsky & Maxson 1996.
Bufonoids are a monophyletic group, and dendrobatids are nested within this clade. Ranoids are monophyletic also. Hylidae is polyphyletic, with some hylids being most closely related to Bufonidae, some to this clade plus Centrolenidae, and some to Pseudidae and Rhinodermatidae. Leptodactylidae as represented by Telmatobiinae and Leptodactylinae can be considered paraphyletic in one considers that Bufonidae, Hylidae, Rhinodermatidae, Pseudidae, and Dendrobatidae are all derived from Leptodactylidae, an arrangement that agrees with Lynch (1971).
Cannatella, D. C. 1985. A phylogeny of primitive frogs (archaeobatrachians). Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Kansas, Lawrence.
Duellman, W. E. 1975. On the classification of frogs. Occ. Pap. Mus. Nat. Hist. Univ. Kansas (42):1-15.
Duellman, W. E., and L. Trueb. 1986. Biology of Amphibians. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York.
Dunlap, D. G. 1960. The comparative myology of the pelvic appendage in the Salientia. J. Morph. 106:1-76.
Ford, L. S. 1989a. Phylogenetic assessment of the anuran pectoral girdle. Ann. Soc. Roy. Zool. Belg. 119 (Suppl. 1):101-102.
Ford, L. S. 1989b. The phylogenetic position of poison-dart frogs (Dendrobatidae): reassessment of the neobatrachian phylogeny with commentary on complex character systems. Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.
Ford, L. S., and D. C. Cannatella. 1993. The major clades of frogs. Herp. Monogr. 7:94-117.
Hay, J. M., I. Ruvinsky, S. B. Hedges, and L. R. Maxson. 1995. Phylogenetic relationships of amphibian families inferred from DNA sequences of mitochondrial 12S and 16S ribosomal RNA genes. Mol. Biol. Evol. 12(5):928-937.
Hillis, D. M., and S. K. Davis. 1987. Evolution of the 28S ribosomal RNA gene in anurans: regions of variability and their phylogenetic implications. Mol. Biol. Evol. 4:117-125.
Laurent, R. F. 1986. Sous classe des lissamphibiens. Systématique. Pp. 594-797 In P.-P. Grassé and M. Delsol (Eds.), Traité de Zoologie, Tome 14, 1B. Masson, Paris.
Lynch, J. D. 1971. Evolutionary relationships, osteology, and zoogeography of leptodactyloid frogs. Misc. Publ. Mus. Nat. Hist. Univ. Kansas (53):531-238.
Lynch, J. D. 1973. The transition from archaic to advanced frogs. Pp. In J. L. Vial (Ed.), Evolutionary Biology of the Anurans: Contemporary Research on Major Problems. University of Missouri Press, Columbia.
Peters, J. A. 1964. Dictionary of Herpetology. Hafner Publishing Co., New York.
Ruvinsky, I. and L. R. Maxson. 1996. Phylogenetic relationships among Bufonoid frogs (Anura: Neobatrachia) inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 5:533-547.
About This Page
David Cannatella
University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA
Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to David Cannatella at
Page copyright © 1995 David Cannatella
Page: Tree of Life Neobatrachia. "Higher" Frogs. Authored by David Cannatella, Linda Ford, and Lori Bockstanz. The TEXT of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright Policies.
- Content changed 20 December 2008
Citing this page:
Cannatella, David, Linda Ford, and Lori Bockstanz. 2008. Neobatrachia. "Higher" Frogs. Version 20 December 2008 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Neobatrachia/16987/2008.12.20 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/


text: > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Douglas Eadline [mailto:deadline at eadline.org] > Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 8:49 AM > To: Lux, Jim (337C) > Cc: beowulf at beowulf.org > Subject: Re: [Beowulf] A cluster of Arduinos > > snip >> >> >> For my own work, I'd rather have people who are interested in solving >> problems by ganging up multiple failure prone processors, rather than >> centralizing it all in one monolithic box (even if the box happens to >> have multiple cores). >> > > This is going to be an exascale issue. i.e. how to compute on a systems > whose parts might be in a constant state of breaking. An other interesting > question is how do you know you are getting the right answer on a *really* > large system? > > Of course I spend much of my time optimizing really small systems. > > -- > > Your point about scaling is well taken.. so far, the computing world has > largely dealt with things by trying to make the processor perfect and > error free. Some limited areas of error correction are popular (RAM). > But think in a bigger area... say your arithmetic unit has some infrequent > unknown errors (e.g. FDIV bug on Pentium).. could clever algorithm design > and multiple processors (or multi cores) mitigate this (e.g. instead of > just computing Z = X/Y you also compute Z1 = (X*2)/(Y*2).. and compare > answers... that exact example's not great because you've added 2 > operations, but I can see that there are other clever techniques that > might be possible.. ) > > What is nice if you can do things like temporal redundancy (do the > calculation twice, and if it's different, do it a third time), or even > better some sort of "check calculation" that takes small time compared to > mainline calculation. > > This, I think, is somewhere that even the big iron/cluster folks could be > doing some research. What are optimum communication fabrics to support > this kind of "side calculation" which may have different communication > patterns and data flow than the "mainline". It has a parallel in things > like CRC checks in communications protocols. A lot of hardware has a > dedicated little CRC checker that is continuously calculating the CRC as > the bits arrive, so that when you get to the end of the frame, the answer > is already there. > > > And Doug, your small systems have a lot of the same issues, perhaps > because that small Limulus might be operated in environments other than > what the underlying hardware was designed for. I know people who have > been rudely surprised when they found that the design environment for a > laptop is a pretty narrow temperature range (e.g. office desktop) and when > they put them in a car, subject to 0C or 40C temperatures, if not wider, > that things don't work quite as well as expected. I will be curious to see where these things show up since all you really need is a power plug. (a little nervous actually). > > Very small systems (few nodes) have the same issues, in some environments > (e.g. a cluster subject to single event upsets or functional interrupts in > a high radiation environment with a lot of high energy charged particles. > it's not so much a total dose thing, but a SEE thing) > > For Juno (which is in polar orbit around Jupiter), we shielded everything > in a vault (a 1 meter cube with 1cm thick titanium walls) and still it's > an issue. We don't get very long before everything is cooked. > > And I think that a non-trivially small cluster (e.g. more than 4 nodes, I > think) you could do a lot of experimentation on techniques. I agree. Four nodes is really small. BTW, the most fun in designing this system is a set of tighter constraints than are found on the typical cluster. Noise, power, space, cabling, low cost packaging, etc. I have been asked about a rack mount version, we'll see. One thing I find interesting is the core/node efficiency. (what I call "effective cores") In general *on some codes*, I found that less cores (1P micro-atx 4-cores) is more efficient than many cores (2P server 12-core). Seems obvious, but I like to test things. > > > (oddly, simulated fault injection is one of the trickier parts) > I would assume, because in a sense, the black swan* is by definition hard to predict. (* the book by Nick Taleb, not the movie) -- Doug -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.


text:
Hand pick exactly what games you want to attend! Single game tickets will become available in April 2023
If your group was given a promo code for specific seats please enter it below.
Check out some of our featured packages we have to offer at the Rock Pile!
Copyright ©2023 St. Cloud Rox. All Rights Reserved.
In the event 5 innings of one game are not played except when the home team is in the lead at the end of 4 1/2 innings, this ticket may be exchanged for a 2023 St. Cloud Rox regular season home game at equal or lesser value based on availability with exception of hospitality areas.
The holder, on behalf of the holder and any minor accompanying the holder (individually and collectively, the "holder") voluntarily assumes all risk and danger of personal injury. including death, and all hazards arising from, incidental to, or related in any way to the game of baseball or the event to which this ticket is issued (collectively the "event"), including any surrounding activities in any way related to the event, whether in whole or in part, whether occurring prior to, during or subsequent to, the actual playing of the game or the event, including specifically (but not exclusively), the danger of being injured by thrown bats, broken bats or thrown or batted balls and agrees that the St. Cloud Rox, the league, the participating clubs and its players, management, coaches and agents are not liable for injuries resulting for such causes, howsoever injuries are caused and whether by negligence or otherwise.
A ticket is a revocable license. If the conduct of the holder of this ticket endangers or disrupts the players, coaches, officials, umpires, or other patrons, the St. Cloud Rox reserves the right to remove the holder from the premises and no refunds or exchanges will be issued.


text:
Walker, John R. is the author of 'The Restaurant: From Concept to Operation', published 2010 under ISBN 9780470626436 and ISBN 0470626437.[read more]
{{post.questionOneAnswer|unescape}} {{post.questionTwoAnswer|unescape}}[read more]
You can find lots of answers to common customer questions in our FAQs
View a detailed breakdown of our shipping prices
Learn about our return policy
Still need help? Feel free to contact us
View college textbooks by subject
and top textbooks for college
With our dedicated customer support team, you can rest easy knowing that we're doing everything we can to save you time, money, and stress.


text:
Stop the digital press! They forgot to add hula-hooping to their list of fitness activities for kids!
When most adults think about exercise, they imagine working out in the gym on a treadmill or lifting weights.
But for kids, exercise means playing and being physically active. Kids exercise when they have gym class at school, during recess, at dance class or soccer practice, while riding bikes, or when playing tag.
The Many Benefits of Exercise
Everyone can benefit from regular exercise. Kids who are active will:
- have stronger muscles and bones
- have a leaner body because exercise helps control body fat
- be less likely to become overweight
- decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes
- possibly lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels
- have a better outlook on life
Besides enjoying the health benefits of regular exercise, kids who are physically fit sleep better and are better able to handle physical and emotional challenges — from running to catch a bus to studying for a test.
from: KidsHealth.org
The Three Elements of Fitness
If you've ever watched kids on a playground, you've seen the three elements of fitness in action when they:
- run away from the kid who's "it" (endurance)
- cross the monkey bars (strength)
- bend down to tie their shoes (flexibility)
Parents should encourage their kids to do a variety of activities so that they can work on all three elements.
Endurance is developed when kids regularly engage in aerobic activity. During aerobic exercise, the heart beats faster and a person breathes harder. When done regularly and for extended periods of time, aerobic activity strengthens the heart and improves the body's ability to deliver oxygen to all its cells.
Aerobic exercise can be fun for both adults and kids. Examples of aerobic activities include:
- basketball
- bicycling
- ice-skating
- inline skating
- soccer
- swimming
- tennis
- walking
- jogging
- running
Improving strength doesn't have to mean lifting weights. Although some kids benefit from weightlifting, it should be done under the supervision of an experienced adult who works with them.
But most kids don't need a formal weight-training program to be strong. Push-ups, stomach crunches, pull-ups, and other exercises help tone and strengthen muscles. Kids also incorporate strength activities in their play when they climb, do a handstand, or wrestle.
Stretching exercises help improve flexibility, allowing muscles and joints to bend and move easily through their full range of motion. Kids look for opportunities every day to stretch when they try to get a toy just out of reach, practice a split, or do a cartwheel.
The Sedentary Problem
The percentage of overweight and obese kids and teens has more than doubled in the past 30 years. Although many factors contribute to this epidemic, children are becoming more sedentary. In other words, they're sitting around a lot more than they used to.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 8- to 18-year-olds watch about 4.5 hours of television a day. And the average kid spends 7 hours on all screen media combined (TV, videos, and DVDs, computer time outside of schoolwork, and video games).
One of the best ways to get kids to be more active is to limit the amount of time spent in sedentary activities, especially watching TV or playing video games. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends these limits on screen time:
- kids under age 2 should watch no TV at all
- kids older than 2 should be restricted to just 1-2 hours a day of quality programming
How Much Exercise Is Enough?
Parents should make sure that their kids get enough exercise. So, how much is enough? Kids and teens get 60 minutes or more of physical activity daily.
The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) offers these activity guidelines for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers:
|Minimum Daily Activity
|No specific requirements
|Physical activity should encourage motor development
|1½ hours
|30 minutes planned physical activity AND60 minutes unstructured physical activity (free play)
|2 hours
|60 minutes planned physical activity AND60 minutes unstructured physical activity (free play)
|School age
|1 hour or more
|Break up into bouts of 15 minutes or more
Infants and young children should not be inactive for prolonged periods of time — no more than 1 hour unless they're sleeping. And school-age children should not be inactive for periods longer than 2 hours.
Raising Fit Kids
Combining regular physical activity with a healthy diet is the key to a healthy lifestyle.
Here are some tips for raising fit kids:
- Help your kids participate in a variety of age-appropriate activities.
- Establish a regular schedule for physical activity.
- Incorporate activity into daily routines, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Embrace a healthier lifestyle yourself, so you'll be a positive role model for your family.
- Keep it fun, so you can count on your kids to come back for more.
Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD
Date reviewed: February 2012


text:
Supervisor of Elections Office mulls over possible new locations
The future home of the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Office could be an old Albertsons. Or a now-defunct Scotty's hardware store. Or even a blank slate of property where a new office could be built.
These possibilities are among the six proposals the county has received for the office's relocation, Purchasing Manager Larry Sapp said. Staff will evaluate the proposals and likely conduct site visits to determine which option would best suit the needs of the supervisor's office. Then negotiations can begin.
The county aims to have the supervisor's office moved into a new space by December.
"That is a very short time-frame," Sapp said.
County staff, including Supervisor of Elections Pam Carpenter, will review the proposals, Sapp said. There isn't a specific deadline by which the proposals need to be evaluated, but the county will be moving quickly as it strives for its December move-in goal.
The elections office has been aware of most of the proposed buildings for a while, Carpenter said.
"I'm excited that we have the opportunity to be in this search so early in the year, and I'm anxious to begin visiting the sites," she said.
Some proposals suggested now-vacant stores, including a former Albertsons supermarket and a former Sticks 'N' Stuff furniture store, both of which are on Northwest 13th Street.
One company, Synergy Design Build LLC, offered a piece of property located at 4215 NW Sixth St. where a new building could be constructed to house the supervisor's office.
When evaluating the various locations, Carpenter will be looking for things like a loading dock area and generous parking for early voters and poll workers. She'll also consider the traffic pattern near the buildings to determine if it will allow people to get to the office easily as they pick up and drop off precinct supplies during elections. Accessibility for residents, such as nearby sidewalks and bus stops, will also be a factor.
Her office and the county as a whole will evaluate the potential locations for their respective criteria and will hopefully find a place that meshes their desires for the new office, she said. She hopes the county will organize site visits quickly since she will have less time for them as the spring Gainesville City Commission election nears.
"We're really excited that the county is so focused on this project," she said. "It's been a long time."
The office has requested more space since before she took over as supervisor in 2005. Six or seven years ago, staff moved into the Star Garage, spreading the office across three locations.
The new office, however, should combine all the supervisor of elections' services, from voter registration to poll training, in one destination that residents can visit.
Contact Morgan Watkins at 338-3104 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
- Coldwell Banker Commercial; Heat Pipe Technology building at Airport Industrial Park - Bosshardt Realty Services LLC; shopping center at North Main Street and Northwest 23rd Avenue. - Kin Properties; old Albertsons supermarket near the corner of Northwest 13th Street and Northwest 23rd Avenue. - Saul Silber Properties LLC; former Sticks 'N' Stuff furniture store on the corner of Northwest 13th Street and Northwest 23rd Avenue. - 5440 Group LLC; former Scotty's hardware store on Northwest 13th Street near NW 53rd Avenue. - Synergy Design Build LLC; property at 4215 NW 6th St.


text:
Most of us know some vague, historically inaccurate and racially insensitive tale about why we celebrate Thanksgiving, but the story of how the holiday came to be has a surprising hero. While today many women's magazine editors seem primarily focused on telling women they need to buy things in order to make themselves look presentable (when they aren't trying to convince us that our manfriends want us to surprise them with sex moves that they find uncomfortable and slightly frightening) we actually have a ladies' magazine editor to thank for the turkey dinner and ensuing four day weekend that we're about to enjoy.
Penny Colman, author of Thanksgiving: The True Story, tells the Washington Post that a New Hampshire woman named Sarah Josepha Hale was instrumental in making Thanksgiving a national holiday. When she started her decades-long campaign in the mid-19th century, the states celebrated the holiday at different times throughout the year, and the practice was unknown in some areas. At the time the only uniquely American holidays were Independence Day and Washington's birthday, and Hale, an editor at Godey's Lady's Book, believed that there should be a holiday that celebrated domestic tranquility rather than military prowess.
Hale wrote letters to several presidents advocating for the establishment of a national holiday of thanksgiving, and penned many editorials on the subject. She believe that the holiday should be on a Thursday, partially because that's the day George Washington designated as the first federal Thanksgiving in 1789, and because it was the best day for housewives. She wrote in one of her editorials, "Thursday is the most convenient day of the week for a domestic holiday." Women had set chores on other days of the week, and Hale figured that Thursday would be a great time for women to throw in making a huge feast for their extended family.
Finally, Hale helped convince Abraham Lincoln to set the last Thursday in November as a national holiday following the Civil War. It's a shame most school kids don't learn about her contribution to the holiday, but it makes sense. As far as we know she didn't shoot anybody, and children can't make a Sarah Josepha Hale costume in art class using only feathers and a strip of construction paper.
Thanksgiving And The History Of America's Long Weekends [Washington Post]


text:
News Story
Medicaid Waivers' Role in Innovation, Coverage Expansion
When the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012 ruled that states could decide for themselves if they would expand Medicaid eligibility, many thought states were left with a yes or no proposition. Simple.
Except nothing is ever simple when it comes to either the Affordable Care Act or Medicaid, the federal-state partnership that provides health care to America's poor. Some states want to expand Medicaid, but in their own way. Lucky for them, there is a process that enables them to do so.
Medicaid programs across the states are far from identical. For one, the federal-state dollar matches vary a great deal (from a 73 percent federal to 27 percent state ratio in a poor state like Mississippi in fiscal 2013 to 50-50 for states such as Wyoming, Washington, California and Connecticut). Then, beyond certain minimum thresholds, states also diverge quite a bit in who qualifies for Medicaid, how their health care is delivered, paid for, organized and what services are covered.
While a state's matching contribution is largely determined by the per capita income in that state, all those other program variations are the result of waivers granted after negotiations with the federal government (by way of the Department of Health and Human Services with assistance from the Office of Management and Budget). If the federal government approves, states can depart from the Medicaid statute in specified respects.
This is hardly a rare event. In the nearly 49 years since Congress passed Medicaid, every single state has been granted these waivers, most of them several times over. These waivers are the instrument most responsible for why Medicaid programs are so different across states.
Expansion Question
Now, the waivers are very much front and center as states determine if they want to participate in the ACA's Medicaid expansion, which extends Medicaid benefits to poor, mostly childless adults. The big inducement to expanding Medicaid eligibility is that the federal government will pay 100 percent of Medicaid expenses for the expansion population through the end of 2016. After that, the federal match will eventually taper to 90 percent.
Twenty-two states plus the District of Columbia agreed to the expansion without asking for waivers, but the governors in Arkansas and Iowa wanted the federal government to allow changes in their Medicaid programs — including permission to use Medicaid monies for the expansion population to purchase private insurance on the new state insurance exchanges — before they were willing to consent to the expansion.
HHS agreed to Iowa's and Arkansas's waivers last year, which enables the Obama administration to count them among the expansion states. Michigan has an application pending. Pennsylvania is holding hearings now on its proposed waiver application. New Hampshire, Virginia, Indiana and a few other states seem likely to file waiver applications this year as well. (see infographic)
The waivers are technically called "demonstration waivers," to convey the intention of giving states the ability to tinker with their Medicaid programs in innovative ways intended to lead to improvements in cost efficiencies and delivery of health care. "It was a way to test different approaches in Medicaid programs," said Teresa Coughlin, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute.
Waiver Uses
Waivers are not unique to the Medicaid program. They have been part of the Social Security Act for decades. The Medicaid statutes were passed as an amendment to the act.
In the early days, Medicaid waivers were used for relatively small changes in the Medicaid programs, for example, experiments in health care delivery methods in particular regions of their states. Eventually, though, waivers grew in scope to sometimes encompass a state's whole Medicaid program. In the 1980s, for example, a number of states, including Tennessee and Arizona, used waivers to convert their entire Medicaid programs to a managed care system. Because so many states were using waivers for managed care or for long-term nursing home care, separate waivers were eventually created for those areas of change.
(States can make modifications that don't depart from federal law through state plan amendments, a far less rigorous process.)
Some states have also used the waiver process to extend Medicaid eligibility or to cover more health services. States, including Arizona, have also used waivers to reduce eligibility or benefits but not below certain federal minimums.
Any program changes from waivers carry a big caveat: They can't cost more money, at least as far as the federal government's contributions are concerned. Or if they do, the state has to identify ways to offset increased spending. The five-year waivers can be renewed for three-year terms, but the waiver programs must remain revenue neutral.
Looking at Efficiency
In their waiver applications, states often claim that their modifications will not cost more thanks to new efficiencies they will achieve to save money. States have also moved money from the funds they received from the federal government for uncompensated health care under the argument that improving Medicaid coverage would reduce the number of uninsured people who show up at hospitals in need of care.
Granting waivers is at the sole discretion of the secretary of HHS, but as Matt Salo, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, said, the budget neutrality requirement gives the secretary a lot of leeway. "Cost neutrality is kind of in the eye of the beholder," Salo said. "Anybody knows that a five-year projection is fraught with imperfections."
States can, with permission, backtrack on changes they made in previous waiver applications, and, of course, they can simply let earlier changes expire when the waiver does. One state's waiver doesn't necessarily mean that another state can win approval to do the same thing, although they often do.
In granting Iowa and Arkansas their recent waivers, HHS indicated that it would be friendly to similar proposals from other states, but only a limited number of them. In part, Salo said he suspects that is because of HHS lack of capacity to handle many waiver requests at once. "I don't think HHS has the physical bandwidth to negotiate with 50 different states over 50 different Medicaid programs," he said.
"The waiver process is cumbersome, and it is difficult and it is time-consuming," said Vern Smith, the one-time director of Michigan's Medicaid program who is now a principal manager with Health Management Associates, a health policy consulting and research firm. The process usually takes months, sometimes longer. It is mainly a process of negotiation between the state and HHS.
According to Smith, states usually don't file their applications until they have already largely reached agreement with HHS, and applications that were negotiated usually result in waivers.
Easier Process
Despite the federal government's track record of ultimately approving state waivers, the National Association of Medicaid Directors has said a quicker, less arduous process would make it easier for states to adopt innovative practices.
HHS already has improved the transparency of the waiver process and standardized practices. Some of the states that have recently gone through the process say the changes have helped.
"We have found this new level of standardization very helpful in understanding what documents and procedures a state needs to develop and complete, and the expected timeframes," said Jennifer Vermeer, director of Iowa's Medicaid.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.


text:
Threats against employees of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have spiked 50 percent this year, according to an investigation by the News4 I-Team.
Agents with EPA's Office of Inspector General have launched at least 70 investigations into threats against EPA employees in 2017, including a surge of threats against agency Administrator Scott Pruitt.
None of the threats resulted in injury, according to investigators, but the threats have been deemed legitimate risks to the safety and well-being of some agency employees, including those at EPA headquarters at Federal Triangle in Washington, D.C.
"I do feel we've prevented acts of violence through our investigations. I feel very confident we have," said EPA assistant inspector general for investigations Patrick Sullivan.
Sullivan said the agency often touches on politically sensitive issues, which can inspire angry responses. "Sometimes people are mentally ill," he said. "Sometimes they're members of radical groups on the left side of the political spectrum or the right side. Sometimes they're members of domestic terrorism organizations."
EPA provides its own internal security for staffers and agency officials. Those efforts are supplemented by investigators with the agency's inspector general. The federal agents are armed and trained at the federal law enforcement training center.
Officials who spoke with the I-Team said an increase in threats against agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, who has overseen high-profile policy changes at the EPA, is responsible for some of the sharp increase in cases in 2017.
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
An EPA spokeswoman said the agency does not comment on security or threats against the administrator.
Some of the threat cases targeted the agency's former administrator, Gina McCarthy, according to the I-Team report. Court filings from prosecutors said former EPA employee Barbara Jordan is awaiting trial for sending an email threatening to murder McCarthy and other colleagues. According to the filings, Jordan wrote that she was outside a hotel and that "i am going to murder those (expletive).... and i hope they drop dead like flies." She's pleaded not guilty.
According to a public report from the EPA Office of Inspector General, agents ordered a person banned from entering agency grounds in November 2016 for threatening EPA staff.
"In the email, the mentioned the harmful use of glyphosate and provided personal contact information," the report said. "During an interview at the individual's home, an SKS assault rifle was found. The subject advised during the interview of having a mental illness (paranoid schizophrenia), and admitted to threatening McCarthy and other politicians for years via the internet."
Several D.C.-area members of Congress said they would support a boost in funding for federal inspectors general to ensure the safety of federal workers.
"In a climate of intense anti-government hostility, federal employees like scientists and medical researchers face relentless political and bureaucratic attack," Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said. "The inspectors general play a key role in protecting federal employees' rights and their ability to do their jobs."
"Civil servants work hard every day to serve the American people -– from caring for our veterans, to keeping our borders safe, to protecting our environment, to performing life-saving research," Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said. "We must ensure they have a work environment free from threats and intimidation, and I'm committed to ensuring agencies have the resources needed to keep their employees safe."
"It's critical that inspectors general have the independence and resources necessary to carry out effective oversight of their agencies, especially threats against federal employees," Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) said.
Reported by Scott MacFarlane, produced by Rick Yarborough, and shot and edited by Steve Jones.


text:
Star sports staff starts UNC/N.C. State duel early
Top national seed North Carolina and N.C. State meet in their College World Series opener at 3 p.m. Sunday in Omaha, Neb.
With that in mind, the sports staff of The Star would like to delve into the matchup on the college game's biggest stage.
Adding a little juice to the discussion is that sports reporter Clark Leonard (2008) wrote sports for 'The Technician,' the N.C. State student newspaper, during his Wolfpack days. Sports editor Alan Ford (1978) worked in sports information at UNC as a student, serving as official scorekeeper and p.a. announcer at Boshamer Stadium for two seasons.
In a rivalry like the one between the Tar Heels and the 'Pack, there have been a lot of dramatic moments. Which one stands out most to you?
AF: Back in 1977, State had a real good club that came to Chapel Hill. UNC rallied in the bottom of the ninth and won it when Bernie Menapace, whom many remember as a football player, doubled off the wall to bring in the game-winner.
CL: The ACC tournament game in Durham between these two teams was an exercise in patience. UNC took advantage of Wolfpack errors to prevail 2-1 in 18 innings. The big-time plays on both sides to extend the battle well into the night made for a contest sure to be remembered for years to come.
Which Carolina or State player do you most enjoy watching?
AF: UNC freshman outfielder Skye Bolt — with a name like that he's got to be good ... and he certainly is.
CL: Wolfpack shortstop Trea Turner is one of the most dynamic players in the college game. An effective hitter and a master of base stealing, the N.C. State leadoff man also has a knack for head-turning plays in the field.
Aside from N.C. State and UNC, what team do you most look forward to watching play in Omaha?
AF: LSU is back at the College World Series for the first time since 2009. Tigers second baseman JaCoby Jones was the Pittsburgh Pirates' third-round pick in the recent Major League draft and after missing the SEC Tournament with an injury, has caught fire at the plate.
CL: Future ACC member Louisville continued the school's great year by reaching Omaha. In sweeping No. 2 overall seed and SEC champ Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., the Cardinals showed they're equipped to make noise in the College World Series, too.
What's your best baseball memory from your alma mater?
AF: A Tar Heel team that included current coach Mike Fox, with Gastonia native Peanut Parks on the mound, blanked a ranked South Carolina team featuring future Major Leaguer Mookie Wilson back in '77.
CL: Getting to see State recover from a ninth-inning deficit to beat Rice on Saturday was special. Then following online as the Pack pulled the trick again and won in 17 innings Sunday night to reach the CWS was a proud moment for sure.
What will be the best part if your school wins the game Sunday?
AF: Beating the Wolfpack would certainly be a big deal but, at this point, just positioning yourself to move ahead in the CWS means as much as any bragging rights. Whichever side falters will have plenty of motivation for the next encounter, even if it's next season.
CL: It would be gratifying to see ace pitcher Carlos Rodon finally get a postseason win against the Heels. Rodon has pitched 19 innings, allowing just five hits and an unearned run in two ACC tournament games against UNC, but the Pack is 0-2 in those contests.
How many innings will the Carolina-State game go on Sunday?
AF: The safe answer is nine but the way the postseason has gone for both of these clubs, having to put in more extra duty wouldn't surprise anyone.
CL: It wouldn't be shocking to have another prolonged battle, but I'm thinking this one should be settled in 10 innings.


text:
Cloud storage and document sharing startup Box.net is the latest startup to adopt HTML5. The startup is announcing today that it is incorporating a broad implementation of HTML5 drag and drop functionality that supports native interaction with desktop. So basically, you can drag and drop files from the desktop right into your Box.net web application.
The feature works on Firefox 3.6 and Chrome for PC (with support for Safari and Chrome on all platforms coming in the next few weeks). Box's CEO and co-founder Aaron Levie says that Flash didn't allow this at all due to security issues. While this is a small addition in terms of functionality, he believes that HTML5 provides a much richer user experience when it comes to enterprise applications and the interaction between the browser and the operating system . "HTML5 is the nail on the coffin of desktop applications because we can create this rich interactive experience that acts like a native app." Levie adds that HTML5 is also appealing because it works on every device.
Interestingly, Box launched a Flash-based document viewer earlier this year, so it seems like the site isn't completely switching over to HTML5 yet. Levie says that while the technology will most probably be turned on fully in the future, at the moment only 35 percent of users have HTML5 browsers, so Levie says Box has some time before fully switching over from Flash to HTML5.
But it's certainly interesting to see how HTML5 is now improving the experience of enterprise-focused web applications. We've seen the functionality's strength in video, web format and even document viewing, but the enterprise arena is a relatively new area.
Since its launch in 2005, Box.net has steadily been growing its cloud-based content management system, and has now accumulated more than 4 million users, with hundreds of thousands of businesses using the application. And the startup is seeing top line growth, with a 500% rise in revenue from 2008 to 2009, and a record first quarter – up 300% from Q1 2009 – thanks to deals with the Oprah Winfrey Network, Volvo, and Nokia Siemens are using Box.net (Box declined to give us exact revenue numbers). And the startup just raised $15 million in funding.
Levie seems pretty passionate about the potential influence of HTML5 on the enterprise, even saying that "HTML5 will be the death of desktop software." Box plans to add HTML5-enabled functions like pausing/resuming uploads, offline caching, and multiple file select in the near future.


text:
Happy almost-end-of July! I'm way behind on these posts (as usual). Here's the stuff I watched in June. I watched way too much. I'm going to take a break from watching so much crap, especially at home…
None. I had a busy month so posted nothing on my blog. I caught up on reviewing current releases the past couple of weeks, though. I've posted links to my full reviews below.
MOVIES WATCHED IN JUNE (ranked best to worst):
– Yesterday – 7.5/10
– Toy Story 4 – 7.5/10
– Deep Red (Profondo Rosso) – This is one of my 2019 Blind Spot choices so I'll review it in full at some point (probably for Halloween). I added it since the Italian Giallo horror thing is one of very few genres I've not yet really explored (I've still seen nothing other than three Dario Argento films). I liked Deep Red – I have to say it's a more straightforward and "accessible" film than something like Suspiria, although that one is more my style. Man I love the Goblin score in these movies… – 7.5/10
– Rocketman – 7.5/10
– Searching – I enjoyed this way more than I was expecting for a movie that's all seen through a computer screen via Skype, social media posts, websites, videos, etc. I didn't think the gimmick would work but the mystery of the daughter's disappearance was intriguing enough to keep you interested the whole time. The story worked well, the father & daughter had good character development (making up for other characters having very little), and the gimmick didn't end up being a distraction from the story like I feared it might. The pacing was also really good – these mystery thrillers can drag a bit sometimes but this was fast-paced and very engaging the entire time. I feel like I'm hyping this too much… It's not exactly Oscar-worthy material but I'm impressed that its gimmick worked so surprisingly well. – 7/10
– Ma – 7/10
– Child's Play (2019) – 7/10
– Crazy Rich Asians – I see why this film got a lot of hype as it's a good return to the simple rom-coms that have really died off in the past decade. To be fair, it truly deserves to be ranked higher than Ma & Child's Play as it's a much better film (but I'm more of a horror girl than a rom-com girl). If you're a rom-com fan, I definitely recommend this movie as it's a fun film with characters you'll love as well as love to hate. Is it the most original movie ever?? No, we've seen the whole "evil mother-in-law" thing before. But that doesn't matter if it's a well-written movie. The characters are strong and the main guy is a hottie – I enjoyed gazing at him in the thoroughly entertaining A Simple Favor as well. The only thing I'll say is that I'd have liked a bit more to happen at the end. Some things are left unresolved and I'd have liked more of a comeuppance for a few people. This movie keeps things very light, though. It's also very "clean" so it's something that wouldn't be inappropriate to have on while your kids or grandparents are around or something. I don't mean that as an insult, though – it was kind of refreshing to see a modern rom-com that isn't crude in any way. – 7/10
– The Killing – I've watched a lot of movies for my IMDb Top 250 Project this year so I'll try to give this Stanley Kubrick film a review when I do a big post with the other Top 250 movies that I've watched. – 7/10
– Booksmart – 7/10
– Wine Country – This was fine. I actually liked it more than I was expecting for a Netflix old-chick chick-flick. But that's because I'm an old chick like these chicks. Well, I'm a tiny bit younger… (Not much!). Considering the stars of this, the movie is fairly tame. I actually prefer that to the over-the-top comedies such as Bridesmaids. It's not a laugh-out-loud riot but I got a few laughs out of it (mostly thanks to Maya Rudolph – I usually find her funny). What I also liked is that the women all had different personalities so you'll probably like or relate to at least one of them if you're a middle-aged woman like me. I'd totally be the friend in this who no one expected to actually turn up to this get-together. That's so me. Seriously – Don't invite me to anything. I don't want to come. – 6.5/10
– Brightburn – 6.5/10
– If I Stay – I figured I should finally watch this since I read the book when I was on my "I'm tired and I'm only going to read easy YA stuff" kick. From what I remember of the book now, this is a pretty faithful adaptation. Dare I say that it was maybe even a little better than the book? They did a good job with the characters and the parents were especially likeable (I don't remember as much focus on them in the book?). The romance was also believable enough and they had decent chemistry. As far as teen drama romances go, I thought this was fairly good. Here's the IMDb plot synopsis:"Life changes in an instant for young Mia Hall after a car accident puts her in a coma. During an out-of-body experience, she must decide whether to wake up and live a life far different than she had imagined. The choice is hers if she can go on." – 6.5/10
– Boogaloo Shrimp Documentary – This documentary has only FIVE votes at IMDb. Shameful! Anyway, here's the IMDb plot synopsis if you don't know who the hell Boogaloo Shrimp is – "The life story of Michael Chambers aka "Boogaloo Shrimp": the dancer, actor, singer, comedian and master of waving, ticking, backsliding and liquid animation dance during the 1980's breakdancing phenomenon." Well, this documentary is fine and it was fun seeing Michael Chambers being interviewed. It's not the most in-depth documentary, though – I'd only recommend it if you're a fan. What I DO totally recommend is the movie Breakin' (1984). Eighties classic! Love it. And nothing beats Boogaloo Shrimp's "broom dance" from that movie. I've posted a video of the dance at the end of this post. – 6.5/10
– Life As We Know It – I honestly can't believe I watched a Katherine Fucking Heigl movie. Something about her is just really hateful. I hope she doesn't read this… Hey, Katherine Heigl – you're far less hateful than Gwyneth Paltrow! Anyway. I think I watched this because I liked the (unbelievable) setup: A couple with a new baby die in a car accident and leave the baby to their two best friends who can't stand each other. The two best friends must then work together to create a new life for the baby!! Madness and TOTALLY FUCKING PREDICTABLE possible romance ensues!!! I kind of hate myself for watching this. And even more for kind of liking it. It's fine. What can I say? Sometimes you're in the mood for an utterly predictable rom-com with a cute baby. My only actual complaint is that I'd have liked a little more focus on the baby. Poor kid. Not sure I felt by the end that she'd ever really feel like these are her "parents". But I'm probably putting too much thought into a movie with a pretty ridiculous concept. – 6/10
– Finders Keepers (2015) – This was a bizarrely fascinating documentary. I really need to give you the Wikipedia plot synopsis for THIS one: "The story details John Wood's attempts to recover his mummified leg from Shannon Whisnant, after Whisnant found the leg in a grill purchased at a storage unit auction." Yep, sometimes fact is stranger than fiction. This guy lost a leg in a plane crash and asked the hospital if he could keep the leg. So they gave it to him, skin and all, and it was really gross and he didn't know what to do with it so he stuck it inside a grill in a storage unit. Then he didn't pay the rent on the unit and the stuff in the unit went to auction. A guy bought the grill and discovered this gnarly leg inside and decided to turn it into a money-making opportunity and wanted to charge people to come see the human leg. But the original owner of the leg heard about it and wanted his leg back and it all turned into a custody battle over who had the right to now own the leg. Seriously. What's best about the documentary, besides the bizarro story itself, is that these two guys are obviously unique characters. Who the hell would want to keep a human leg they found?! You're likely to be on the side of the guy who lost his leg. I mean, it's his damn leg! Humans are so fucking weird sometimes. Well, watch this one if you want some light (and weird) entertainment. – 6/10
– The Happytime Murders – Soooo much silly string! This movie was, uh, what I was expecting. To be fair, although it's not great, it's better than its ratings would have you believe. What the hell did people expect? It's a raunchy comedy with filthy puppets. Not as funny or clever as I'd been hoping but who doesn't want to see a puppet squirting silly string, uh, semen all over the place, huh? – 5.5/10
– On Chesil Beach – Soooo much silly string! I guess this movie was fine. Well acted & all that but I was a bit bored. Here's the IMDb plot synopsis: "Based on Ian McEwan's novel. In 1962 England, a young couple find their idyllic romance colliding with issues of sexual freedom and societal pressure, leading to an awkward and fateful wedding night." The problem was that the new husband was a complete asshole and it was very hard to have any sympathy for him. I felt sorry for Saoirse Ronan's character. The ending was fairly good – it just felt like it took forever to get there. I'm not really into this sort of genre, though. Watch it if you like a relationship drama. – 6/10
– Murder Mystery – Ugh. First of all, can I just say that I do NOT hate Adam Sandler? Hating him seems to be the popular thing. He's had some dreadful movies, yes, but he's also had several that I quite like (especially The Wedding Singer). Murder Mystery is definitely not one of his better films, though. For the most part, it's just boring. It has none of that wacky Sandler humor that I know isn't for everyone but I prefer that humor to the blandness of this film. I suppose it's kind of fun in that it has, well, a murder mystery. It's like Murder-On-The-Orient-Express-Lite. But with a far less intriguing mystery. If you like Sandler & Aniston, Just Go With It is a better movie. But his movies with Drew Barrymore are WAY better. – 5.5/10
– The Karate Kid (1984) – LOVE this movie. It's another Eighties classic. And when it comes to inspirational underdog movies, you can't deny that The Karate Kid is one of the all-time BEST. Hell, I'd personally put it up there with Rocky but I know that's because I'm an 80's kid so I love this as I grew up with it (I like it more than I like Rocky). I watched this with my daughter and I'm loving sharing favorites of mine with her as she gets older. They don't always work… I admit that some of my beloved Eighties films are dated and she hasn't liked some of them. She loved this. While it has some very 80's moments (The You're The Best montage! God I love a cheesy old montage!!), I think it easily stands the test of time. The underdog story is timeless, the characters are strong, and it has some extremely iconic moments and lines. Who doesn't know the whole "wax on, wax off" thing even if they've never seen the movie?? What really sold it to my daughter was Mr. Miyagi and she has now declared him as one of her very favorite movie characters. She was very excited when she got a Karate Kid shirt the other day and thinks she's cool as shit when she wears it now. It's actually a cool as shit shirt – I want one too. Any movie that can gain new generations of fans 30+ years after its original release is my definition of a damn good film. – 9/10
– A Knight's Tale – Watched this with the kid as well since I thought she might like it. I think she did but not nearly as much as The Karate Kid! I remember hearing a while back that this is "rotten" on Rotten Tomatoes. Come ON. I know it's not exactly Citizen Kane but it's fun and there's a Bowie song in it, dammit. Critics need to lighten the hell up sometimes. Like The Karate Kid, it's an entertaining underdog story. Who the hell doesn't like a good underdog story?! Who cares that this one is pretty damn predictable? It's light entertainment. It's a popcorn movie. (It's no Karate Kid, though – Watch that one first) – 7/10
– Godzilla (2014) – Ugh. I figured I'd re-watch this before going to the new Godzilla movie. It reminded me just how fucking boring this one was. I was so bored that I ended up not bothering going to the new one. – 5/10
As I said, it was a busy month so I watched no TV shows and I'm still in the middle of reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. It's long so it's taking FOREVER…….
As for music, I realized that I never actually post about music in this section. Weird as I love it almost as much as I do movies. I suppose it's because I never like any new music. Anyone have any recommendations of music from within the last ten years that doesn't suck?! Here's the kind of shit that I like. Yeah, stuff like Bowie. I always love an excuse to use a David Bowie image.
My only blog plans for July were to catch up on reviewing cinema releases that I've seen. I'm now all caught up. Yay! And I'm unlikely to go to any more for a while since movie releases for the next few weeks are really poor for the summer season. Yikes.
July Movies I Want To See:
Well, it's over halfway through the month now so I've seen some of these. I've included links to those I've reviewed.
– Anna – Was kind of annoyed to miss this. It didn't show for long. I'm sure it's not great but I did actually like Luc Besson's Lucy and sexy female assassin stories are usually entertaining popcorn movies.
– The Dead Don't Die – Could've gone to this last week then remembered that it's directed by Jim Jarmusch and I thought his film Only Lovers Left Alive was boring as shit. So I didn't bother.
– The Lion King – NO. I've had it with these Disney remakes. I don't want to give this or any more unnecessary remakes any money. But, yeah – I'm likely to see it on whatever service it pops up on. (Oh yeah – I guess it'll be the Disney one that we aren't getting in the U.K. anytime soon???).
– The Current War – So odd that this took SO long to come out! That's worrying. The reviews don't look great but I'd be interested in seeing it on Netflix eventually.
– Teen Spirit – Looks like it could be a fun family film. Might go to it if we have nothing else to do one night.
Here's the Boogaloo Shrimp broom dance from Breakin'. With music from Kraftwerk! That's the kind of shit that I like…


text:
The heavens gained several stars this year as classic film stars passed away in 2012.
Since Comet Over Hollywood did not give several of them the full attention they deserved, the first few days of 2013 will be dedicated to some of the notable celebrities who left us.
Eyes twinkling and bright smile.
The first time I was introduced to MGM actress Phyllis Thaxter was as she played Van Johnson's wife in the World War II film "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" (1944).
"How did you get to be so cute?" Van Johnson asked in the film.
"I had to be if I was going to get such a good-looking fella," she said.
"Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo," the story of Doolittle's raid on Japan, was Thaxter's first and probably best role.
Thaxter's acting career started on Broadway, and she was signed to MGM in 1944. The actress was the daughter of a Shakespearean actress and Supreme Court justice, according to a Hollywood Reporter article.
Many of the sweet and petite actress's roles were as wives and mothers, such as Ronald Reagan wife in "She's Working Her Way Through College," Margaret O'Brien's pregnant mother in "Tenth Avenue Angel" and a single mother who becomes Gene Kelly's love interest in "Living in a Big Way."
In the early 1950s, Thaxter left MGM and signed with Warner Brothers, but her contract was terminated in 1952.
The stumble in her career wasn't her choice.
In 1952, Thaxter was swimming in Portland, Maine while visiting family. She found she lost strength in her legs, and her brother rescued her. Thaxter had polio, according to a New York Times article.
She was put in an iron lung while pregnant, because the lung needed for breathing was weakened, according to the article.
But Thaxter overcame the disease, only suffering from pain in her feet due to nerve problems that her daughter said she never complained about.
Thaxter's career continued with television work until 1978, when she played the role of Ma Kent in "Superman," the role most remember her for today.
"I worked harder on that film than anything I'd done; I couldn't be bad," Thaxter said.
Though she wasn't a glamour girl, Thaxter's daughter Skye, said her mother discussed some of her romances with leading men, saying she had a "hell of a good time."
" Mother and Montgomery Clift were very much in love," Skye Aubrey said in a New York Times article. "They talked about getting married. They were planning on it. Then he found out he was gay."
Phyllis Thaxter passed away on Aug. 14, 2012, at the age of 92.
Though she isn't as well known today, she has always left an inexplicable impression on me, and I will go out of my way to see her films.
Maybe it's because she was "so cute."
Check out the Comet Over Hollywood Facebook page