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Engineering Entrepreneurs
Thayer's five-year-old Ph.D. Innovation Program prepares students for an enterprising future.
By Kathryn LoConte Lapierre
Photographs by Douglas Fraser
When Thayer School debuted the Ph.D. Innovation Program five years ago in 2008, it created a novel solution to a national challenge: how to develop leaders with both technical and entrepreneurial expertise.
In the program, launched by Dean Joseph Helble, students complete all the requirements of a traditional Ph.D., plus specialized studies that prepare them to build an enterprise based on technical innovation.
"Students learn about intellectual property, funding, capitalization, cash-flow issues, how to operate a business, management practices, ethics, how to hire a good team, how to balance an organization, and how to be a leader," says the program's faculty coordinator, Professor Eric Fossum, an inventor, entrepreneur, and CEO with decades of experience commercializing technologies.
In courses such as ENGM 180: "Corporate Finance" and ENGM 188: "Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship," Innovation Program students learn about patents, intellectual property, contracts, copyright, and trademarks. They learn the language of business.
In the capstone course ENGG 321: "Introduction to Innovation," Innovation Program students go through the steps of creating their own startup. "If a student has the opportunity to do something entrepreneurial, understanding how business works—how technology and innovation really go from an idea to a product—is important. It's critical that they have the knowledge of how the whole process comes together," says Fossum.
The opportunities—and demands—of ENGG 321 are widespread. The course requires students to serve on review panels for the undergraduate course ENGS 21: "Introduction to Engineering." It involves a heavy reading load and numerous one-on-one conversations with Fossum, a National Inventor's Hall of Fame inductee whose CMOS imaging system made digital cameras ubiquitous. Students also meet other successful entrepreneurs.
And in ENGG 321 students identify a particular technology and go through what it would take to create an enterprise that is based on that innovation, from start to finish. "They identify strengths and weaknesses. They build a market forecast and a real strategy for getting the technology to market," says Fossum. "They have to show what the whole product really is, which means more than just the widget but also how to use it and the know-how that has to be sold along with it. They develop a five-year financial plan, which includes not only manufacturing costs, but also the infrastructure—everything from salaries and HR managers down to desks and chairs."
For some students ENGG 321 is an opportunity to work on real startups. For others it's a preparatory exercise for the future. For all it's a step in developing a succinct pitch for selling their technology.
An internship, in which students work in a startup company—possibly their own—or in an R&D department in their field of interest for up to six months, is also part of the program. "It's very good for them to get experience in an existing company, to learn how things are done and how people think. It exposes them to new ideas and sharpens their vision of what they want to do, what kind of enterprise they want to create," says Fossum.
The Innovation Program takes an enterprising approach to funding as well as studies. Students receive five years of support, spending their first two years working in their advisor's lab and the next three years exploring their own ideas.
So far, 13 students have participated in the program. Two of the earliest have already established successful companies: Ashifi Gogo Th'09 '10, founder of the counterfeit-drug-detecting company Sproxil, and Dax Kepshire Th'07 '09, cofounder of the isothermal compressed-air energy-storage company SustainX.
"While the students here are all on different trajectories, they all catch the entrepreneurial bug," says Fossum. "We're small and flexible enough to tailor the program to each individual student's needs and backgrounds. It's a really fantastic opportunity."
Below, eight Ph.D. Innovation Program students tell us how the program has changed them and prepared them for an inventive future.
Alicia Petryk '06 Th'07 '08 '13
RESEARCH ADVISOR: Professor Jack Hoopes
RESEARCH: We are working on developing iron-oxide nanoparticles—very small crystals of iron oxide in a biocompatible coding—as a cancer therapy. When iron-oxide nanoparticles are exposed to an alternating magnetic field, they produce very localized heat. Because they are so small and can be internalized by tumor cells, we can deliver a focused and controlled thermal dose. I've been combining this treatment with chemotherapy.
STARTUP IDEA: For my ENGG 321 project I looked at using iron-oxide nanoparticles for female sterilization. I already knew a lot of the science, but the project made me think about it as a small business, exploring what resources I had and what would be necessary before I could make it a reality.
WHY THE INNOVATION PROGRAM: I wanted to build upon what I had learned in the Master of Engineering Management (M.E.M.) program. Engineers should understand patent law and intellectual property. If you want your great idea to actually help people, then you're going to have to figure out how to make it into a viable business.
INTERNSHIP: For my internship, I wrote a grant with a small business that our lab was collaborating with. The company was applying for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for imaging nanoparticles for cancer treatment on large animals. In Hanover I'm actually doing the research and treating oral tumors in dogs [see "The Power of Small Cures"]. My biggest takeaway was seeing how the company makes big decisions. They spent a lot of time gathering data, looking at market reports, and talking to people. Figuring out the correct move for the business is a long and drawn-out process. It's both exciting and scary.
TAKE-AWAYS: What I've learned has already started to help me. Our lab has applied for a provisional patent. Having the Innovation Program experience made me much more prepared and confident in my understanding of how patent law works—or how one might write about or present such a technology in a medical setting. If I had to do that for real now, I would be prepared.
Watch Alicia discuss why she chose the Ph.D. Innovation Program and her work with developing iron-oxide nanoparticles—very small crystals of iron oxide in a biocompatible coding—as a cancer therapy.
Steven Reinitz '09 Th'09
RESEARCH ADVISOR: Professor Douglas Van Citters
RESEARCH: I'm looking at improving ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, the material used as a bearing surface in artificial knee and hip implants. Ideally you want material that won't change, crack, or wear through over time in the body. We're using a new polymer-processing technique developed here at Thayer called equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE). We tangle the polyethylene in knots to improve its wear resistance without sacrificing its mechanical properties and biocompatibility. My thesis work is optimizing and validating the technique to make sure that it's scalable for industry.
STARTUP IDEA: My Innovation Program work stemmed from my Bachelor of Engineering project, in which my team worked with Dr. Corey Burchman at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center on preventing hospital-acquired infections and IV-line contamination. We developed a medical device that uses IV in an optimized flow pattern to sterilize the fluid before it reaches the patient. That project led us to start B.B.R. Medical Innovations Inc. to produce the device [see "Spotlights"].
WHY THE INNOVATION PROGRAM: When we decided to form the company, we had no idea what to do next. We had the engineering and the medical background but no business or legal background. I wanted to get exposure to the business side of things. I talk about the Innovation Program in my business pitch to show why we make sense as a team: our team has the medical, biotech, and law background, and I'm honing the engineering and business skills. Through the program I also have access to everyone at Thayer, Tuck, and the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network. All of those resources give a new startup a lot better chance of succeeding. As engineers we get good at the technology, but in the business world the most important skill to succeed is the ability to network and talk with people. And as an engineer whose comfort zone is in the lab, that is a really hard thing to do. The Innovation Program has given me those skills.
TAKE-AWAYS: I learned very quickly that there is an art to knowing what needs to go into a good pitch. The single most useful thing that I've gotten out of the Innovation Program was the enterprise plan-writing portion of ENGG 321 and the slide deck that I finished. It's ready to go. I can take it anywhere and have my pitch to try to sell my idea.
Watch Steven discuss why he chose the Ph.D. Innovation Program and his research on preventing hospital-acquired infections and IV-line contamination, as well as founding his company, B.B.R. Medical Innovations Inc.
Austin Boesch
RESEARCH ADVISOR: Professor Margie Ackerman
RESEARCH: Our lab focuses on understanding how antibody variants interact with the immune system with the aim of developing more potent vaccine immunogens and antibody therapies. Antibodies bind antigens on pathogens, such as viruses or diseased cells, and act as molecular beacons for the immune system to bring in effector cells that can kill diseased cells. Antibodies also bind receptors on effector cells, creating bridges between the two cell types. When enough bridges form, the effector cell releases toxins that lead to the death of the diseased cell. This process is called antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. I am developing a mathematical model to describe this and other cellular processes. With a mathematical framework for these processes we can optimize therapeutic strategies for cancer or even gain better insight into the types of antibodies most effective at preventing or eliminating HIV infection.
STARTUP IDEA: Before I entered the Innovation Program, my former boss and I invented a new technology for selectively separating antibodies that are 10–100x more effective at killing cancer cells. The company I worked for was not interested in pursuing the technology, as developing purification products was not a part of their core business. Therefore, we worked with the company to get the patent rights assigned to my startup, Zepteon Inc. As part of the Innovation Program I hope to work in a similar space developing a panel of purification technologies that could provide immediately value to pharmaceutical companies.
WHY THE INNOVATION PROGRAM: This is a great opportunity to learn the language of business and get the toolkit necessary to function in industry as an entrepreneur. Businesses want engineers who can immediately translate their research from academia into the industrial realm, and the Innovation Program puts an emphasis on this skill. We are the flagship school for it, and I think that more schools are going to follow our lead.
INTERNSHIP: I have applied for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants from the federal government, and if approved, those could fund me so that I can work at my own startup company.
TAKE-AWAYS: I'm already applying some of what I've learned. Before I came here, I didn't know where to start when it came to forming a business. Learning about where to incorporate, how to protect intellectual property, how to make the right decisions when choosing an attorney, and how to come up with a strategy is so valuable. The Innovation Program's fundamentals give engineers a leg up for the future.
Watch Austin talk about why he chose the Ph.D. Innovation Program and his research focusing on how antibody variants interact with the immune system with the aim of developing more potent vaccine immunogens and antibody therapies.
Daniel Harburg Dual Degree '06 Th'09
RESEARCH ADVISOR: Professor Charles Sullivan
RESEARCH: My research focuses on designing and building micro-scale magnetic components for electrical power conversion systems. We're collaborating with three other universities to build smaller, more efficient, and lower cost power converters for applications in solid-state lighting and handheld electronics.
STARTUP IDEA: I've been investigating the smart phone market to learn how our power conversion research would be best integrated into the existing supply chain. Today almost 30 percent of a smart phone's circuit board is taken up by power conversion components. Our miniaturized converters could free up space within the phone for a larger battery to improve run time or for advanced features.
WHY THE INNOVATION PROGRAM: I'm interested in the application of interdisciplinary academic research to solve big problems. In order to collaborate in a meaningful way, innovators have to speak the languages of business, law, and technology, among others. The Innovation Program has allowed me to begin learning these critical languages.
INTERNSHIP: I'll be working with a startup that is developing electronic systems that can biodegrade after a specific amount of time. These systems could be embedded within the body to perform important tasks before dissolving harmlessly into the body. Silicon-based electronics have traditionally been built to last as long as possible; we're turning that thinking upside down to consider situations in which it may be useful to have electronics that disappear.
TAKE-AWAYS: One of the things I've found most surprising is how little communication there is between engineering and business people, and how poorly these communities often view one another. We need innovators who can think from multiple perspectives and bridge the divide between the academic and corporate communities that are so often segregated. Breakthrough innovation happens at the intersection of disciplines; the Innovation Program is well-poised to equip students with the skills they need to create disruptive teams.
Watch Daniel discuss why he chose the Ph.D. Innovation Program and his research focusing on designing and building micro-scale magnetic components for electrical power conversion systems.
Geneva Trotter
RESEARCH ADVISOR: Professor Ian Baker
RESEARCH: I'm working on novel high-temperature austenitic alloys for energy conversion applications. The right alloys would allow the construction of power plants that operate at higher temperature, are more efficient, and are more environmentally friendly due to decreased CO2 emission.
WHY THE INNOVATION PROGRAM: I wanted to gain the knowledge base necessary to take ownership of any technological innovations I work on in the future. Professor Fossum and other entrepreneurs provide us with encouragement and the necessary straight talk we need to hear so we're better equipped to take on future challenges.
STARTUP IDEA: For ENGG 321 I proposed a company that would provide coal-fired power plants with enhanced and low-cost tubing based on a novel Laves-phase-strengthened steel. The goal was to help meet energy industry needs nationally, with an outlook to expanding abroad. I analyzed market demands, gained insight into the current energy landscape, and was able to talk with key individuals who contribute to and impact the coal-fired power-plant industry.
TAKE-AWAYS: I'm learning things that will help me for whatever business I might decide to work in. Sitting with people who have actually brought something to fruition, I've learned about the sacrifices and judgments they've made along the way. When you hear the stories, it's always just, "Oh, and they invented this." But it's not that simple. There are a lot of steps involved. There are people who contribute to your success. The program is helping me decide where I want to go with my research and how to plan my future projects.
Harrison Hall
RESEARCH ADVISOR: Professor Laura Ray
RESEARCH: We are trying to enable real-time visualization of joint positioning in the in-situ environment using sensors, cell phones, and artificial learning techniques.
There is a big divide in both physical therapy rehab and sports training in terms of what your body appears to be doing and what it is actually doing. I'm looking at wearable sensors that detect movement—specifically joint activation—to reconstruct kinematic 3D body position in real time and transmit it to a cell phone or store it in the cloud, in order to give helpful feedback to rehab patients and athletes. I've also been researching ADHD diagnosis. Boys aged 8–13 who have been diagnosed with ADHD have 2.3 times the head motion of boys who do not have ADHD. Motion sensors that measure how much their heads move relative to their classmates could be used as a diagnostic tool.
STARTUP IDEA: I've been focusing on trying to get 3D kinematics in real-time from wearable sensors. I see two end-game strategies. One is to partner with a company that has been outfitting shirts to NFL athletes that measure heart rate, respiration, and gross acceleration of the body; I am trying to do more specific body 3D kinematics repositioning. The second is to go to the medical side and develop either a garment or discreet sensors that patients can wear on the wrist, elbow, or knee so physical therapists can see what the patient is actually doing and respond appropriately if the patient is in distress.
WHY THE INNOVATION PROGRAM: A lot of schools were hesitant to take on a pure computer scientist for an engineering role. Dartmouth let me design my own program and do the research I want, overseen by my professor but without more direction than I wanted. I would like to start a company at some point and want to develop some business acumen here.
TAKE-AWAYS: A lot of the great companies that have come out in the last decade or so were started by engineers who hired someone to do their finances. If I do start a company, I want to maintain a leadership role.
Watch Harrison discuss why he chose the the Ph.D. Innovation Program and his research in real-time visualization of joint positioning in the in-situ environment using sensors, cell phones, and artificial learning techniques.
Matt Pallone '07 Th'13
RESEARCH ADVISOR: Professor Keith Paulsen
RESEARCH: I was an undergrad here at Dartmouth and then transitioned into the master's program. At that time, Professors Keith Paulsen and Paul Meaney had developed a clinical microwave imaging system for breast cancer. They worked on increasing the resolution of the images by integrating an optical scanner into the microwave system, so that they could position the patient correctly and know exactly where the patient was relative to the microwave antenna array that they used to image. I was brought on to develop that optical scanner, which I integrated into the existing system. When I transitioned into the Ph.D. program, I started looking at real-time image registration with preoperative MRIs and intraoperative optical scanning of the patient. Surgeons look at mammograms or MRI images before surgery, but patients are usually in a completely different position in the operating room than they were for the imaging. So what the surgeon sees in the operating room is different in shape and size from what they see in the pre-op images. We're trying to provide real-time image registration so surgeons can have accurate 3D images during surgery.
STARTUP IDEA: I looked at the potential market value for integrating optical scanners into surgical planning. One focus was reducing the number of times a patient has to go in for a second or third surgery because part of the tumor was missed. We compared how many surgeries were done per year and looked at the equivalent market share based on that. It was a good exercise in terms of learning what it takes to start a company, get funding, or even think about startup costs and salaries. The research was at too early a stage to progress it into a startup company. However, we have a few patents for the technology, and ultimately it could go in that direction.
WHY THE INNOVATION PROGRAM: I like the idea of not just staying on the research and development side of devices, but actually seeing the whole process from start to finish. Early on in the program we talk about what innovation is. It's not just getting an idea for an invention and saying, "I'm the CEO," and going and developing the company. It's sitting down and hashing out what it takes on the research side of things to develop this idea. On the business side, it's taking something from early-stage funding to a marketable device. I knew that this program would be a great opportunity to get exposure to the business side of things and that's what drew me to it.
INTERNSHIP: I worked with a company, Mobile Medical International Corp., in St. Johnsbury, Vt., that makes mobile operating suites. I was brought in to look at opportunities in the United Kingdom, focusing on the different regulations and updating the existing systems so that they would be functional there.
TAKE-AWAYS: Learning to see things from a business side early on and in an academic setting is really advantageous for those of us who want to learn to communicate between the head of business and the head of research to bridge that gap.
Regina Salvat
RESEARCH ADVISOR: Professor Karl Griswold
RESEARCH: I try to make therapeutic proteins that can evade the immune system. Many proteins now used in protein therapies trigger an immune response that quickly clears them from the body, making the treatment less effective—and sometimes even dangerous. Our goal is to give these therapies a longer time in the body by removing the things that trigger the immune response. I look at a protein, Beta-lactamase, that is used in a cancer therapy called Antibody Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy (ADEPT). In ADEPT, an antibody that is attached to an enzyme specifically targets tumor cells. The chemotherapy happens only at the site of the tumor cell, so you have a lot fewer bad side effects.
STARTUP IDEA: For my ENGG 321 class, I developed a biotech company that would de-immunize therapeutic proteins for large pharmaceutical companies. I went through the process of determining our costs and how much we could sell the service for, and I thought through the entire business plan. It is something I originally did for class, but I am interested in biotech startups, and the class helped me think about them in ways that I never thought of before.
WHY THE INNOVATION PROGRAM: Before Dartmouth I worked in a pharmaceutical company and was really interested in how the business decisions were made. When I heard about this program, which incorporates business classes with the engineering Ph.D., I thought this would be the perfect place for me. In biotech engineering you're really close to the engineering problems that you are trying to solve. Now, having been in this program, when I think about these questions and problems, I think about them from a completely different approach than I would have when I first joined the program.
TAKE-AWAYS: From my coursework, I have learned a lot about the business world. Professor Fossum and Professor Tillman Gerngross, a biotech innovator, have pushed me to understand the biotech industry from the business perspective rather than just the engineering perspective. Once I leave this program, I'll have a much better understanding of how the biotech world fits into the business world and why certain decisions are being made about mergers, acquisitions, and startups, and how companies get funded through venture capitalists and other sources. Those are all tools that I didn't have when I first came to the program.
Watch Regina discuss why she chose the Ph.D. Innovation Program and her research in de-immunizing therapeutic proteins for cancer therapy.
Zhiyuan Wang
RESEARCH ADVISOR: Professor Jifeng Liu
RESEARCH: My research focuses on integrated photonics. This is a technology that can be used in next generation computers. In the past people have used electrons for both data computing and transmissions and now people want to move to using photons, which will make data transmission faster with less energy consumption. During this communication, people have to use a light source for signals and they also have to use light detectors to read the signals. Recent progress in nanotechnology has helped us to trap and detect light on a smaller scale than ever. Right now I am using these techniques to fabricate a new type of light detector with higher sensitivity, faster response, and lower cost.
Watch Zhiyuan Wang talk about why he chose the Ph.D. Innovation Program and his research in integrated photonics.
Song Chen
RESEARCH ADVISOR: Professor Eric Fossum
RESEARCH: I'm working on a project named Digital Integration Sensors. The basic idea has to do with the pixel size of the image sensor. It keeps shrinking down and as that happens, the less charge we can store in the pixel. In the industry they are trying to shrink the pixel but also want to maintain the amount of charge that you can store in a pixel. They invest a lot of money to get this done but our approach is different. We let the pixel and the capacity of the charge in the pixel shrink, but we take multiple frames and do the integration in the digital field. It turns out that by doing so, that we get more bandwidth. We can get a better dynamic range of performance and better signals.
Watch Song Chen discuss why he chose the Ph.D. Innovation Program and his research in digital integration sensors.
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Game On! Sports Schedule for February 25, 2013
The Big East is on display tonight with a showdown of the league's upper echelon.
Syracuse and Marquette meet in a top 25 clash, with both teams jockeying for the top spot come conference tournament time. It's the sole meeting between the schools this season, although they could meet in New York City in a few weeks during the Big East Tournament.
Here's the entire sports schedule for today. All times Eastern:
Washington at Toronto 7 p.m.
Atlanta at Detroit 7:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Lakers at Denver 9 p.m.
Boston at Utah 9 p.m.
NCAA Men's Basketball Top 25
(8) Syracuse at (17) Marquette 7 p.m. (ESPN)
(9) Kansas at Iowa State 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Texas Tech at (13) Kansas State 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
Toronto at Philadelphia 7 p.m.
Montreal at Ottawa 7:30 p.m.
Dallas at Nashville 8 p.m. (NBC Sports Network)
Edmonton at Chicago 8:30 p.m.
Anaheim at Los Angeles 10:30 p.m.

subset: commoncrawl


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A Planet Fitness employee is free on bail after she allegedly groped and made inappropriate and unwanted advances to a teenage boy.
The alleged incident occurred last week at a Planet Fitness club in Colonie, NY, according to Albany TV station WNYT. A 16-year-old boy and a group of friends entered the club between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. last Wednesday when Sydney Sprung, 39, was working the overnight shift at the front desk, according to the report.
The boy told police that Sprung groped and kissed him and also showed him nude photographs of her genitals, the TV station reported. Sprung was not born a female, according to the report, and police describe Sprung as a transgender individual, classified as a female on her driver's license. Sprung is charged with forcible touching and child endangerment.
Planet Fitness spokesperson John Craig says local law enforcement is handling the case and that the company is not in a position to comment further.


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University Closed for Thanksgiving
Posted: November 20, 2018
Azusa Pacific University will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 22, and Friday, November 23. Normal operating hours resume on Monday, November 26. In the event of an emergency, contact the Department of Campus Safety at (626) 815-3898. We wish everyone a happy and safe holiday.
"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another." – John 1:16 (NIV)


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Any Questions about any aspect of the event, the ride, the route, how to fill the form in etc etc.
Please post it on here if you feel it will benefit others also.
We will try and answer asap, but bear in mind that we work full time and some of the bits of organising are still at 'work in progress' stage!
But we will try & help wherever possible.


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Patty Mills injury update: Spurs FA guard needs shoulder surgery
SYDNEY - Australian media reported that NBA champion San Antonio Spurs point guard Patty Mills will be sidelined for up to seven months with a right shoulder injury.
Fairfax Media reports Wednesday that Mills has withdrawn from Australia's campaign for the Aug. 30 to Sept. 14 World Cup in Spain and will undergo surgery in the next few days to repair the rotator cuff in his shoulder.
The news comes hours into the NBA free-agency period that many expected to land Mills a major contract.
The report says Mills played through pain during the NBA season and scans revealed the wear and tear just two weeks after he helped the Spurs win the title.
Mills scored 17 points for the Spurs in the clinching Game 5 as a backup to Tony Parker.


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At this year's RCA Championships in Indianapolis, American (and fashion, ahem, trailblazer) Vince Spadea was sporting this lovely leopard-print tennis bag.
Do he and Bethanie Mattek shop at the same hooker palace or what?
>> Bethanie Mattek: it's finally over!
>> vince spadea: at least he's self-aware
>> fashion mishit: spadea's bedazzling performance


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Zedd on His Pictures with Sam Smith, Hulk Hogan & More | EXCLUSIVE
It is good to be Zedd. The 28-year-old scored a hit last year with his collaboration featuring Alessia Cara, "Stay," and has now done it again with "The Middle." Zedd's new single, featuring country star Maren Morris and producer duo Grey, is everywhere, including several Target commercials. And last year, the producer/DJ also teamed up with One Direction member Liam Payne on their collab "Get Low."
But there's a lot more from Zedd to come, as he has been working on some exciting collaborations. He recently told iHeartRadio, "I have some really exciting collaborations with some up and coming people, with some famous people that have never done a song like this before. And I'm really experimenting with genres, if you wanna call it that, and really mixing things together that I think haven't really quite been mixed together like this before, in combination with a singer that people don't expect. I think its always something refreshing to hear."
RELATED - INTERVIEW: Zedd Talks "The Middle," Exciting New Collaborations & More
As if that's not exciting enough, this year Zedd took home the iHeartRadio Music Award for Dance Song of the Year for "Stay." The song was nominated alongside alt hits including Cheat Codes & Demi Lovato's "No Promises," Clean Bandit's "Rockabye" featuring Sean Paul & Anne-Marie, The Chainsmokers & Coldplay's "Something Just Like This," and Kygo & Selena Gomez's "It Ain't Me."
While catching up with Zedd, the producer/DJ showed us some never-before-seen photos from his personal camera roll. Fans can see Zedd hanging out Sam Smith (they wrote a song together!), meeting Hulk Hogan and more.
So, what does Zedd have going on in his personal camera roll? Check out some of the best pics below. You know, pics or it didn't happen.
The last picture he took with a celebrity: Sam Smith
"This is a picture of Sam Smith and I when we were in the studio writing a song. Because we never met before, and we wanted to work on music together."
The weirdest picture on his phone: #NoFilter
"I didn't know this was on my phone. I don't remember taking it, but it seems like I would have taken something like this at some point. It's me without a filter."
The story behind this Zedd + Hulk Hogan pic
"We were walking into our green room, and Hulk Hogan was just, like, out there. And somebody's like, 'There's Hulk Hogan right outside the green room.' We were like, 'Oh, really? We should bring him in.' So he comes in and he's like, 'What's up, brother? Nice to meet you.' And then, yeah, we met for the first time."
Zedd's Best Hulk Hogan Impression:
"'What's up, brother?' Constantly having every muscle fully ... and he said when he takes photos, also, there's a specific grip to where you have your hand -- I don't remember, exactly -- on somebody's shoulder, so that your biceps and triceps pop. And that's how you just stand there."
See Zedd's full Hulk Hogan impression and all of his amazing pics below.
Photos: Rachel Kaplan


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In a surprise move Apple has just reduced the price of the iPad by £100 in the UK, and a model can now be picked up from the Apple online store for just £329 (for the 16GB WiFi only model).
The reduction follows today's announcement of the new iPad 2 due to go on sale in the UK on 25 March.
The reduction is accross the board and the 32GB model now costs £399 and the 64GB model costs just £479. UK customers add an extra £100 to each model to upgrade to the WiFi and 3G unit (making it £429, £499 and £579 for the 16, 32, and 64GB models respectively).
The price cut only seems to apply to the original iPad model and no price cut has been announced in the US (where the iPad 2 is now on sale). We expect the price of all models to raise back to the orginal cost when the iPad 2 is released.


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CAMP LEJEUNE � Reaction to the attacks on Pearl Harbor led to the rapid construction of the Marine Corps� largest base on the east coast.
CAMP LEJEUNE � Reaction to the attacks on Pearl Harbor led to the rapid construction of the Marine Corps� largest base on the east coast.
The attacks on Dec. 7, 1941, consisted of Japanese forces attacking the United States Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, about 7:48 a.m. The base was attacked by 353 Japanese fighters, bombers and torpedo planes which came in two waves off of six Japanese aircraft carriers. More than 3,600 Americans were wounded or killed and 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed while four ships were sunk. Because of the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the United States entered World War II in both the European and Pacific campaigns.
Because of the United States� entrance into World War II, increased construction efforts aboard Camp Lejeune, which was formerly known as the Marine Barracks, New River, began. The Marine Barracks had been identified months prior to the attacks as the most advantageous location for a Marine base on the eastern seaboard.
�With the commencement of World War II, the Marine Corps needed a division on the east coast and it needed it fast,� said Kim Kimball, the director and historian for the Museum of the Marine. �The rapid construction of Camp Lejeune was a matter of national security. �We had to build a base and we had to build it now �but we must remember that if it were not for World War II, we would not have had a need for Camp Lejeune.�
Published in the News and Views of Jacksonville on Dec. 16, 1941, officials announced that �enlargement of the Marine Barracks tent camp and a stepping-up of work at the main barracks �have been started as a result of the war with the Axis powers.� According to the article, no determination was made as to how much the tent camp would be enlarged. Construction, according to the article, was being done 12 hours per day all week long. A separate article on the same date announced that the Marine Barracks had designated seven firing ranges.
�Camp Lejeune would have been built regardless of Pearl Harbor happening, but the speed at which it was built was a direct result of the attacks in Hawaii,� said Kimball, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel. �And because of that construction, the economy in Jacksonville saw more money coming in then it could have ever imagined.�
On Dec. 18, 1941, a Washington, D.C., article was reprinted in Jacksonville stating that more than $23 million of federal funds was being allocated for the construction of the New River Marine Base and the Cherry Point Air Base as part of the government�s �all-out for victory� program. Prior allotments of funds brought the total allocated for the tent camp to $35 million and funds for Cherry Point�s Marine Air Corps training facilities amounted to $21 million.
Aboard Marine Base New River, according to the Dec. 18 article, more than $10 million was allocated for a regimental enlisted and officer billeting, a mess hall, ranges, a naval hospital and storage facilities. In addition to these facilities, millions were set aside for a steam plant, recreational facilities and more aboard the tent camp and necessary land improvements, structures and flight platforms aboard Cherry Point.
�The reason for Camp Lejeune was to provide the facilities and manpower for an east coast division in order to project a force ashore on foreign soil by amphibious landings if needed,� Kimball said. �Because of the German advancement in Europe, time was not on our side.�
A Christmas Eve News and Views article reported that �Marine Barracks construction has been thrown into extra high gear,� and that additional workers were being employed on a now-24 hour basis. Less than one month after the Pearl Harbor attacks, employment aboard the bases doubled from 4,000 to more than 8,000 workers �and more will be employed as needed.� Because of the high demand of workers needed, the Farm Security Administration constructed 200 trailers to house those working on the base � an incentive to bring more people and their families to the Onslow County area, according to a second Christmas Eve News and Views article.
�December only marks a small snapshot in time � just the tip of the iceberg,� Kimball said. �Hundreds of millions would be spent on building the base, its ranges, additional living quarters, family housing and work spaces to make it what it is today.�
Referenced articles were found at the Onslow County Museum, which is where the history of Onslow County is documented and available to the public. The museum is located at 301 S. Wilmington St. in Richlands and can be reached at 910-324-5008.


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By Abby Schultz, CNBC.com
Stocks closed down more than 1 percent, although well off the lows of the session, in the wake of news that Standard & Poor's downgraded its outlook on the long-term sovereign debt of the United States to "negative."
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell about 140 points to about 12,201.59, after ending last week slightly lower. The blue-chip index fell 247 points at one point during the session.
Most Dow components sank, led by Bank of America, Caterpillar, and was the only stock to gain.
The S&P 500 fell to 1,305, after trading below 1,300 earlier, while the Nasdaq also sank. The CBOE Volatility Index, widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, rose about 11 percent to nearly 17, after trading well above 18 earlier in the session.
All key S&P 500 sectors fell, led by energy and financials.
It may be wrong to read too much into the market reaction to S&P's decision to downgrade the outlook for U.S. long-term debt as it came during a week marked by both the Passover and Easter holidays. As a result, many market participants are away, leaving trading desks thinly staffed. In the final hour of trading Monday, less than 800 million shares had traded hands on the NYSE floor.
Given the amount of high frequency trading that dominates the market, "were there that many sellers," asks Joe Greco of Meridian Equity Partners. "No," he answered. But there also "weren't many buyers out there to support the market," Greco said.
During a fully staffed session, the market could have fallen more, he said.
But, S&P's message, that U.S. finances are in dire shape, is not news to many investors and traders. Greco noted that Pimco, the world's largest bond fund, stepped away from US government debt back in March.
"Savvy money managers have already positioned themselves for potential negative ratings news, or negative ratings period," Greco said.
The downdraft in the market, and the spike in volatility, are not surprising given S&P's downgrade of its outlook for U.S. debt, and the fact a number of key earnings reports from financial and tech companies, among others, are due out this week, said J.J. Kinahan, chief derivatives strategist at TD Ameritrade.
Also, he noted, while the market has fallen, the S&P 500 is still trading above 1,275, the low end of a range that the market has sustained for awhile.
"There's no reason to hit the panic button yet," Kinahan said, adding, "It's natural that the volatility would increase."
Treasurys surprisingly ended the session higher despite S&P's rating action.
Meanwhile, oil prices dropped after a lack of buyers for crude prompted Saudia Arabia to cut its output. London Brent fell 1.5 percent to $121.61 a barrel, while U.S. light crude fell 2.3 percent to close at $107.12.
Gold prices surged to a new record, closing at $1,493.30, after news of the downgrade in the U.S.'s long-term debt rating. Silver also closed at a new 31-year-old high of $42.96.
The dollar however, was up slightly in part because of pressure on the euro amid concerns that Greece will need to restructure its debt and continuing uncertainty over Portugal's financial health.
In earnings news Monday, Citigroup posted a profit of 10 cents per share, a penny ahead of estimates, but net income fell, and the bank said it continues to struggle in terms of growth.
Elsewhere in earnings, Eli Lilly reported profit of 95 cents a share, beating analyst estimates and sending shares of the Illinois drugmaker up. And Halliburton also reported sharply higher earnings on increased activity in North American oil fields that offset Middle East unrest.
Texas Instruments will report earnings after the market closes, while Goldman Sachs and Johnson & Johnson release results before the market opens on Tuesday.
Earnings expectations softened last week as Bank of America and Google kicked off the earnings season with worse than expected results.
Healthcare stocks were in the spotlight after Swiss medical device maker Synthes confirmed it is in merger talks with Johnson & Johnson in a deal which could be worth $20 billion.
Gap fell sharply in pre-market trading after news Goldman Sachs downgraded the retailer to "sell" from "neutral," saying their large size represents a "structural hurdle." Bank of America Merrill Lynch downgraded Gap to "neutral" from "buy."
Boeing traded flat to slightly higher after news it received approvals from regulators in several countries to begin training commercial pilots for its 787 Dreamliner.
Molycorp gained after news the rare earth producer bought Santoku America of Arizona, which makes rare earth metals and alloys.
In economic news, the National Association of Home Builders said its index of homebuilder sentiment fell to 16 in April from 17 in March as homebuilders reported the spring season was off to a slow start.
Elsewhere, China boosted its requirements for bank reserves to 20 percent to stem inflation.
In Europe, Greece tried to fend off accusations that it would need to restructure its debts but failed to convince investors. Bank stocks such as Societe Generale and BBVA fell on continued concern about Greek debt.
S&P affirmed the U.S.'s triple-A rating, but put the U.S.'s long-term debt on "negative" watch from "stable."
The revised outlook reflects the "very large budget deficits and rising government indebtedness" of the U.S. relative to its triple-A peers, S&P said in a press release. "The path to addressing these is not clear to us," the rating agency said.
In response, Assistant Secretary for Financial Markets Mary Miller of the U.S. Department of the Treasury noted that S&P emphasized "the importance of timely bipartisan cooperation and action on fiscal reform."
And, Miller said in a press release, Moody's, a second rating agency, said that: ''we view the changed parameters of the debate, with broadly similar goals as to government debt levels, as a turning point that is positive for the long-term fiscal position of the U.S. federal government."


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A notebook that is simple and long lasting is one you'll have on you at all times, whenever inspiration strikes. This Calepino model is journal size - bigger than pocket dimensions, but small enough to bring along in your bag.
The graph paper is ideal for the person who tends to think in diagrams and charts. Each comes with a removable green belly band, as well as a playfully worded postcard to keep or send to a bon ami.
These graph notebooks are made in Nantes, France, using 100% recycled kraft paper with letterpress printed cardboard cover. The pages are whitened without chlorine and printed using vegetable-based ink.
The books were inspired by a man who, after working for years in the stationery industry, felt the urge to bring back the notebooks he'd seen as a child. There was something irreplaceable about the stamped brown books his father would write and sketch in while at work in his carpenter's shop.
The graph paper is useful for designers and tinkerers who require gridlines for complex plotting. All varieties of notes can be taken: sketches, graphs, charts, equations, experimental diagrams…
The creator of these notebooks, a Frenchman named Fabrice, is the sole producer and craftsman. All his notebooks are made entirely in France out of recycled kraft paper that's been paste-bleached without chlorine. The letterpress printed cardboard covers are manufactured in a factory in Creuse that's been making cardboard since 1927.
By utilizing local expertise and reputable family businesses, and therefore minimizing the transportation of materials necessary to the manufacturing process, he significantly reduced his company's carbon footprint. The notebooks are also Ange Bleu certified, the first worldwide eco-label certification.
Set of two graph paper notebooks, with green contrast colored stitching along the spine. Recycled cardboard letterpress print cover. Measures 5 ¼ x 8 ¼ inches with 32 pages each. Made in France. Also available with lined or blank pages.
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Your browser does not support iframes.
In 1887, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years prior:
The first time we met C.L. Glasscock was down at his sawmill/homestead. We were there to buy a bit of specialty lumber for the fireplace mantel in the home we were building in Spencer County. His wife, Roberta, introduced us to him as Junior so he has been Junior Glasscock to us ever since.
During that first meeting, Junior regaled us with stories of cutting wood throughout the county and knew exactly where we were building our home as he had, according to him, "Cut about a jillion fence posts up there."
It is agenda time for the socialists who want to disarm the country. A country where the courts, including the Supreme Court, time and again have ruled that an individual is responsible for the protection of themselves, family and property, not law enforcement, is once again hearing calls for disabling the second amendment.
On behalf of the Spencer County Parks and Recreation Department, I would like to extend a special thank you to Eagle Scout Noah Franklin and his family on the wonderful job they did on the picnic tables and the new grill they donated to Waterford Park.
Brian Spencer
Parks Director
"We kill people who kill people to show them killing people is wrong," is one of my favorite sayings. Unless you have voided yourself from all communication, you are aware of the international crisis in Syria. Having spent considerable time in the Middle East, the thought of military intervention anywhere at any time in this region scares me to death. Having traveled six continents and 63 countries, I have found the Middle East to be a totally different world.
This letter is a written response to a letter from Wesley Martin, which was run in the Magnet on Aug. 28.
Wes, I think you're wrong on several counts.
I've often been disappointed thinking about how too many people pay more attention to their sports teams than their government. However, with the latest display of complete dysfunction on Fiscal Court, clearly it is more encouraging and productive to observe "team spirit," winning attitudes and a desire to succeed displayed by the Spencer County Bears than Spencer County Fiscal Court. Go Bears!
If a picture is worth a thousand words, video evidence must warrant a book. It's a book the Obama administration recommended to members of Congress and the American people last week as the president and those in his circle made the plea for military strikes against the Syrian government in the wake of gas attacks they allegedly carried out on citizens of that country.
The Family Resource and Youth Service Center would like to thank everyone, who participated in our Annual Health Fair/Readifest.
Definitely, our community collaborated to serve our children and families for this school year. We have sponsored with many other agencies throughout the years to provide free health screenings, health resources and information, fitness demonstrations, and free school supplies.
This year we had at least 1,200 people attend this event at Spencer County Elementary School.
Copyright © 2019
The Spencer Magnet is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Spencer County, KY and the surrounding area.


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FORT BRAGG � A former Fort Bragg soldier has been sentenced to 167 years in prison after pleaded guilty to seven assaults on women.
Twenty-five-year-old Aaron Pernell pleaded guilty Monday in a Hoke County courtroom.
The sentence is in addition to the 50 years he already is serving in a federal prison for an assault on Fort Bragg.
Pernell was accused of attacking a woman on Fort Bragg and raping or trying to assault seven women away from the fort. Four of the cases were in Cumberland County and the other three were in Hoke County.
The attacks occurred in 2008 and 2009. Pernell was charged in the Fort Bragg case in 2010.
Prosecutors say residents reported their attacker broke into their apartments in the middle of the night.


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text:
Although Apple recently announced that the white iPhone 4 won't appear in retail until spring 2011, a German e-tailer has already started shipping the elusive handset.
However, since there are next to no white iPhones in circulation, Notebook.de has decided to sell it at a premium, and quite a hefty one. A plain, black iPhone 4 16GB would set you back between €649 and €699 in the EU market, but the white one goes for €1999. The 32GB model is listed at €2199. Speaking of white stuff, that is a margin that would put Tony Montana to shame.
The retailer specifically states that phones in question are not modified in any way and that they are factory packaged, describing them as a "rarity". While it might be true that you can't put a price on exclusivity, this is just over the top for anyone but spoiled bourgeoisie brats or drug dealers, successful ones that is.
You can check out the listing here.
Published in Mobiles
White iPhone 4 shipping in Germany
by Enis Abazovic on29 October 2010
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suited to an Irish context and responsible local needs
England's 2017 Grenfell Tower Fire – Never Again Elsewhere ??
2018-06-12 …
As we approach the First Anniversary of the Grenfell Tower Fire Tragedy, in England, on 14 June … a few days ago, on 4 June 2018, the first batch of Grenfell Expert Witness Reports were uploaded (https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-44356660) to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Website (https://www.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk/) for public view.
At this time, in London … multiple, fragmented investigations are taking place into the actual fire incident … the role of the Local Authority, and building management … those involved in the refurbishment ('tarting up') design and construction … the fire services, particularly their 'Stay Put' Policy and how it adversely impacted on vulnerable Tower occupants during the emergency … and the highly flawed regulatory model of Building and Fire Codes with light-touch Control, which is still operating in England. One of Murphy's Laws immediately springs to mind with regard to the intended ineffectiveness of this overly-complex process !
Many other countries have adopted some or all of this modern English regulatory model which, after the repeal of an older Bye-Law format, has been shaped by political expediency, cost-effectiveness and general ineptitude … with little or no adaptation to local conditions in the adopting jurisdictions. Ireland adopted this model with some, but not a lot, of adaptation.
Fire Safety In Ireland ?
On 6 June 2018 … while that investigative activity was hitting the headlines in England … Minister Eoghan Murphy, T.D., Ireland's Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, quietly published the Report: 'Fire Safety in Ireland' … http://www.housing.gov.ie/local-government/fire-and-emergency-management/fire-safety/eoghan-murphy-publishes-report-fire … by a High-Level Task Force within his Department's National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, after serious concerns and fears had been expressed in the public media that a similar fire tragedy might also occur in this jurisdiction.
To be crystal clear … this Report is a Bureaucratic Whitewash … an insult to the Public ! Nice sounding technical 'blarney' camouflages a failure to deal directly with critical issues, and answer concerns … while other important issues are avoided altogether.
.May 2018 – Ireland's Department of Housing, Planning & Local Government Report
Fire Safety In Ireland (PDF File, 2.55 MB)
Expanding on my comments in the Interview with Barry Lenihan, on RTE Radio 1's Drive Time early evening news programme on Friday (2018-06-08) …
A. Initially, Irish Local Authorities were requested to carry out a preliminary survey to identify all buildings of more than six storeys, or 18m in height. Specifically, they were asked to identify those buildings which had an external cladding system which might be a cause for concern.
This height threshold of six storeys/18m is arbitrary … an external cladding system can be just as much a cause for concern in a building which is lower. Imagine discarded cigarette butts or a rubbish fire at the base of such a system … and the resulting speed of fire spread and development across a building façade !
B. The highly flawed regulatory model of Building and Fire Codes, with light-touch Control, which resulted in the Grenfell Tower Fire Tragedy … we also have. Wake up and smell the coffee Ireland !
At the beginning of the 1990's, when Ireland had been persuaded by the European Commission to finally introduce legal, national building regulations having a functional format … our National Authority Having Jurisdiction, in desperation, grabbed the then Approved Documents for England & Wales … brought them back to Ireland, put Irish covers on them, and originally called them 'Technical Documents' … but, after seeing a tiny ray of inspiring light, later changed their title to the more accurate 'Technical Guidance Documents' ! This hunger for adopting all things English which are fire safety related continues to this day … with a similar, ongoing division of Technical Guidance Document B: 'Fire Safety' into 2 Separate Volumes.
This may have been a convenient response under pressure … but it has been very short-sighted. It has impeded the growth of a comprehensive and coherent philosophy on Safe, Inclusive, Age-Friendly, Resilient, Sustainable Planning, Design and Construction Codes/Controls which is suited to an Irish context and responsible local needs (not desires!).
C. Everywhere … this Report has a lot – too much – to say about Fire Risk Assessment ! After the Grenfell Tower Fire, however, Fire Risk Assessments must only be carried out by competent persons … and the process of Fire Risk Assessment, itself, must be radically improved ! And of course, prior to any Risk Assessment … a proper Fire Hazard Appraisal must be carried out.
D. To accurately present Fire Safety Trends in Ireland … it is not enough to furnish reliable fire fatality statistics. It is also necessary to produce reliable fire injury statistics … and reliable information on direct/indirect socio-economic losses.
E. The quality of fire safety related construction on Irish Building Sites continues to be very poor and problematic. Fire Compartmentation is nowhere near being adequately – never mind acceptably – reliable ! And during the last few years we have had quite a number of close-calls concerning fire incidents in medium-rise residential buildings.
F. Fire Evacuation for people with activity limitations is still handled atrociously in our current building regulations. This is ironic because, on 20 March 2018 last, Ireland had to be dragged screaming to ratify the U.N. 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) !
Positive Progress By Another Path !
1. Abandon the outdated English functional requirements in THEIR building regulations … and adopt a far better, more up-to-date body of functional requirements which is already on the Irish Statute Books … Annex I of the European Union's Construction Products Regulation 305/2011. And because there are important horizontal linkages between requirements … immediately finish the ridiculous current separation between Fire Safety requirements and all of the other requirements. And yes … new Technical Guidance Documents will have to be drafted.
.Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 9 March 2011, laying down harmonized conditions for the marketing of construction products and repealing Council Directive 89/106/EEC
EU Regulation 305/2011 – Construction Products. See Annex I
(PDF File, 998 Kb)
2. Yes … 'Persons Having Control' of buildings have responsibilities with regard to fire safety. But that is only one side of the coin ! National and Local Authorities Having Jurisdiction have greater responsibilities.
If we are at all serious about Consumer Protection … bad, inadequate, faulty construction must be prevented beforehand … it is too late, too costly and, in many cases, too impractical to correct afterwards. Self Regulation by building design professions and construction organizations is NO Regulation ! Stringent, independent technical control inspections must be carried out on all projects by Building Control personnel … which used to happen in Dublin City/County and Cork City/County prior to the introduction of legal building regulations in the early 1990's … and, depending on complexity, must also be carried out at critical stages during the construction process.
Building Control Sections in all Local Authorities must be properly resourced with competent personnel, equipment, training and support infrastructure.
Inspections concerning compliance with all functional requirements in the building regulations, including fire safety, must be carried out only by Building Control Personnel. Chief Fire Officers must not be allowed to manage or be involved in any aspect of Building Control. On the same project … a Disability Access Certificate Application and a Fire Safety Certificate Application must be inter-linked and overlap sufficiently, showing no gaps in compliance. Inspections must be carried out in connection with all Certificate Applications. Building Control personnel must satisfy themselves that actual construction at least matches, if not improves upon, what is shown in design documentation.
Building Control Inspection Reports must be made available for public view.
3. Firefighters are NOT a disposable Social Asset ! National and Local Authorities Having Jurisdiction … and some Chief Fire Officers … must begin to understand this fundamental truth !
Fire Services in all Local Authorities must each be properly resourced according to local needs … with competent personnel, equipment, training and support infrastructure. Shared provision of resources looks very neat on paper but, in practice, works very badly. Refer to the Grenfell Tower Fire and London Fire Brigade having to borrow firefighting equipment from other Fire Services.
After the 2015 Tianjin Regional Fire Devastation, in China, and the 2001 WTC Attacks on 9-11, in New York City … front line firefighters must be supported by Specialist Hazard Appraisal and Structural Engineering Units.
For Firefighter Safety in buildings and to quickly find people with activity limitations waiting in Areas of Rescue Assistance and/or other survivors in different locations … a portable and reliable Thermal Imaging Camera is an essential piece of every firefighter's equipment.
And Firefighter Safety begins with good building design. In all but the most simple building types, Circulation Routes must be designed for Contraflow … people moving away from a fire in a building and towards safety while, at the same time, heavily equipped firefighters are entering the building and moving towards the fire.
There is no place for 'Stay Put' Policies in Irish Residential Buildings of any height.
Ireland's 2017 Oireachtas Report: 'Safe As Houses' …
December 2017 – Houses of the Oireachtas – Joint Committee on Housing, Planning & Local Government
Safe As Houses ? A Report On Building Standards, Building Controls & Consumer Protection
(PDF File, 1.01 MB)
This was a good effort by our public representatives … but they missed core issues !
After The Grenfell Tower Fire !
Further to my last Blog, dated 2017-10-10 …
The 2017 Fire in England was not an extraordinary fire. Since the beginning of this decade, we continue to see a series of such fires: South Korea (2010) – UAE & France (2012) – Chechnya (2013) -Australia (2014) – UAE, Azerbaijan & UAE again (2015) – UAE (2016) – UAE & Russia (2017) – Turkey (2018).
With regard to Command & Control of Large Scale Emergencies … English AHJ's should have paid attention to the 2005 & 2008 U.S. National Institute of Science & Technology (NIST) Recommendations following the 9-11 WTC Buildings 1, 2 & 7 Collapses.
The Fire Safety Objectives in current Building & Fire Codes/Regulations are very limited. In Ireland, this is clearly stated in Technical Guidance Document B …
' Building Regulations are made for specific purposes. Part B of the Second Schedule to the Building Regulations is therefore primarily concerned with the health, safety and welfare of persons. The fire safety measures outlined in this guidance document are intended for the protection of life from fire.'
Only insofar as it is necessary to protect the lives of able-bodied building users/occupants … is there a concern for property protection.
There is only inadequate, token concern for the protection of people with disabilities.
Client organizations, facility managers, building designers, construction organizations … and journalists … must fully comprehend these limits.
In the photograph below … look closely at the External Firefighting Operations at the bottom of the Tower. There are limits to what can be achieved from outside a building !
- A Fire Suppression System (Water Sprinklers/Mist/Hybrid) is an essential Fire Protection Measure in ALL Medium and High-Rise Residential Buildings … which include Apartment Blocks, Hotels, Hostels, Student Accommodation & Social Housing, i.e. ANYWHERE there is a Sleeping Hazard.
- A Reliable and Credible Fire Detection & Warning System is an essential Fire Protection Measure in ALL Buildings … and must be capable, under the control of Building Management, of transmitting warnings in many formats, i.e. Audible + Visual + Multi-Lingual Voice + Tactile.
- Fire Evacuation Routes in Buildings must be designed for CONTRAFLOW … people moving away from a fire and towards safety while, at the same time, heavily equipped firefighters are entering the building and moving towards the fire.
- Good Fire Evacuation Route Design is INTUITIVE and OBVIOUS. In many buildings, however, this is not always the reality. Effective Fire Evacuation Signage … comprising high-level signage, low-level signage, with both supplemented by photoluminescence … must be installed in ALL Buildings.
- For the purpose of protecting Vulnerable Building Users in Fire Emergencies, ALL Lifts/Elevators in Buildings must be capable of being used for Evacuation.
- Fire Risk Assessments must NO LONGER be carried out by people WITHOUT COMPETENCE in Fire Engineering AND Building Design & Construction … and the Fire Risk Assessment Process itself must be thoroughly re-examined and upgraded.
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text:
Statement by Donna Shalala, Secretary, Health and Human Services and
Dr. Shirley Charter, Commissioner of Social Security
before the Senate Finance Committee
May 9, 1995
Thank you for the opportunity to testify on the Hospital Insurance (HI) and Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) trust funds. We are here today as Trustees appointed by the President and as members of the Clinton Administration who - like the Congress - are charged with protecting the Medicare program and its beneficiaries.
The trustees recently reponed that the HI trust fund will be depleted In 2002. While the HI trust fund financial balance is a significant problem and deserves our serious attention, let us also remind you that (1) this is not a new problem and (2) the projected life of the trust fund has been extended for three years since 1993.
Due to the actions taken In the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (OBRA 93) and a stronger-than-expected economy in 1994, Trust Fund depletion has been delayed from 1999 to 2002. Even with these improvements, however, the Trustees continue to foresee financial problems in the future for the HI Trust Fund.
As we noted, the Trustees' trends and projectiions have occurred before and are not surprising. fn the course of the past 15 years, the Trustees have predicted near-term financial problems for the trurt funds and recommended tht Congress take action to slow the growth of Medicare spending to assure trust fund solvency. While we have worked with Congress to improve the outlook of the trust fund, broader issues of health care cost and access limit how much more we can accomplish through Medicare reductions in growth alone.
We are concerned solutions focused solely on Medicare would severely strain many of our fragile health care delivery systems in rural and inner city communities and could result in cost shifting to small businesses and individuals. We must therefore consider this issue in the context of health reform.
Today, we will focus primarily on the solvency of the HI trust fund. Although the Trustees Report addresses cost growth in both the HI and the SMI trust funds, the issue of greatest concern is the HI trust fund solvency. The Administration looks forward to working with Congress to strengthen the Medicare program in the context of broader reforms to assure that Medicare remains stable now and in the future.
Description and Background lnformation on the Trust Funds
Let us begin by describing the HI trust fund and the services it supports for Medicare beneficiaries. The HI Trust Fund primarily pays for inpatient hospital care, but it also covers expenditures for home health services, skilled nursing care, and hospice care. In 1994, the HI Trust Fund paid for $104.5 billion in services for 32 million aged and 4 'million disabled beneficiaries.
The HI Trust Fund is financed primarily by payroll taxes. Employees contribute 1.45 percent of wages,and there is a matching contribution by employers. Selfemployed individuals contribute 2.9 percent of self employment inccme. OBRA 93 removed the ceiling on the amount of earnings that are taxable; consequently, this tax applies to all earnings. The Trust Fund also receives income from interest earning on its assets, revenue from taxation of Social Security benefits, and from miscellaneous sources.
Trust Fund expenditures ate projected to rise more rapidly than Trust Fund revenues. Anticipated increases in the number and complexity of medical services are expected to continue to increase expenditure growth rates. Driving the expected imbalance between expenditures and revenues is the demographic shift that will occur with the aging of the baby boom generation. A larger percentage of our population will be eligible for Medicare, and a correspondingly smaller percentage will be paying the taxes that support the Trust Fund.
What does this mean? The 1995 HI Trustees Report projects roughly another 7 yaars of solvency. The fund is exhausted in 2002. Over the 75 year long-range projection period, the income as a percent of taxable payroll remains relatively level while the cost rate rises steadily.
These are well-undestood trends; there is nothing new in this most recent Trustees Report. Over the past 15 years, the Trustees have projected the date of insolvency to be anywhere from 1987 to 2005, and eaeh year they recommend that Congress take action to protect the fund. As noted earlier, in part due to provsions in OBRA 93, Trust Fund depletion has been delayed to 2002.
OBRA 93 eliminated the maximum earnings cap for the HI program, so that the HI tax now applies to all earnings. It also achieved $55 billion in savings from the Medicare program, about $30 billion of which came from providers who are paid through the HI Trust Fund. In addition, OBRA 93 increased the maximum proportion of Old-Age, Survivorn, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) benefits subject to Federal income taxes from 50 percent to 85 percent, for only those beneficiaries with the highest incomes. Revenues generated by this provision are dedicated solely to the HI Trust Fund. Unfortunately, as part of its Contract with America, the House has voted to repeal the change in the taxation of OASDI benefits. It is ironic that those who are suddenly interested in the plight of the Medicare trust fund have advocated policies that exacerbate the insolvency of the Medicare trust fund.
Effective Solutions Require Broader Health Care Reform
Any significant changes in the Medicare program, whether in the financing, eligibility, benefit provisions or payment rates, will effect the entire health care system. Therefore, this Administration believes that strong action to avoid depletion of the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund should not be undertaken by looking at Medicare alone.
Reductions in payments to providers would have significant effects on providers' overall financial condition. This is especially true for providers whose patients are prodominately Medicare beneficiaries or providers who also treat uninsured persons, whether located in inner cities or rural areas.
• Large reductions In Medicare payments would have a devastating effect on a significant number of urban safety-net hospitals. These hospitals already are bearing a disproportionate share of the nation's growing burden of uncompensated care.
-For large urban public hospitals, which are heavily used by Medicaid and self-pay patients, Medicare is an important source of adequate payment. According to the 1994 Special Report of the National Assoelatton of Public Hospitals, while Medicare in 1991 was the payer for only 11 percent of discharses in these institutions, it accounted for almost 20 percent of net operating revenue.
For these hospital on average, in 1991 Medicare accounted for a bigger share of net operating revenues than private payers.
• Large reductions in Medicare payments could also endanger rural hospitals.
-Nearly 10 million Medicare beneficiaries (25 percent of the total) live in rural America where there is often only a single hospital in their county. These rural hospitals tend to be small and to serve primarily Medicare patients.
-Significant reductions in Medicare revenues will cause many of these hospitals, which already are in financial distress, to close or to turn to local taxpayers to increase what are often substantial local subsildies.
-Rural residents are more llkely than urban residents to be uninsured. As a result, offsetting the effects of Medicare cuts by shifting costs to private payers is more difficult for small rural hospitals.
-Rural hospitals are often the largest employer in their communities; closing these hospitals will result in job loss and physicians leaving these communities.
Other providers may shtft their costs onto payers who do not have the market power to negotiate advantageous rates. This means that ultimately many small businesses and individuals - those Americans who are alreddy paying the highest health insurancc premiums in the nation-will shoulder an even larger share of health care costs.
Large reductions in Medicare rermbursements to providers could also hurt beneficiaries. Significantly cutting payment rates to providers might restrict access for beneficiares as providers would be less willing to provide services to them. Further, low income beneficiaries would be the hardest hit. According to AARP, out-of pocket health costs represent 21 percent of income for those over 6S years. In addition, over 75 percent of Medicare beneficiaries haveincomes below $25,000. Medicare reductions could increase the cost burden of the nation's most vulnerable elderly - the low-income. Such increases become the equivalent of reducing their Social Security.
Attempts to restore the solvency of the trust fund cannot undermine Medicare's commitment to access to care for elderly persons. We should take care that any efforts to extend the solvency of the trust fund do not put Medicare beneficiaries at undue risk, but at the same time protect the program for them in the future.
Only through focusing on the entire health system will we be able to address issues within Medicare and preserve access for Medicare beneficiaries and underserved populations.
The Administration takes seriously its responsibility to current and future Medicare beneficiaries to insure the solvency of the trust fund. The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) continues to make many program changes to improve the efficiency of the Medicare system. For example, hospital prospective payment has contributed to slowing the increase in Medicare expenditures for hospital services. As a result, on a per enrollee basis, Medicare grew at a slower rate than the private sector between 1984 and 1991 - 7.7 percent compared to the private sector's 9.8 percent.
As we add these issues, we must remember that Medicare does not stand alone. It is an integral part of a larger health care system, and its solvency should be addressed only in the context of that larger system. Broader health care reform will occur only if we work on a bipartisan basis. The Administration looks forward to working with the Congress to develop lasting solutions to Medicare's fiscal problems.


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SPRINGFIELD — A natural gas explosion rocked downtown Springfield on Friday evening, injuring at least 18 people after leveling a downtown strip club in the city's entertainment district, fire and hospital officials reported.
None of the injuries was considered life-threatening, according to spokeswomen at Baystate Medical Center and Mercy Medical Center in Springfield. Three of the injured were gas workers, two were firefighters, and at least one was a police officer, according to hospital officials and the New England Gas Workers Assocation, a nonprofit that promotes gas safety.
The explosion at 453 Worthington St., happened about 6 p.m., leveling the Scores Gentlemen's Club, punching a large hole in the street, and blowing shards of glass and other debris through downtown streets. The Springfield Republican website reported that a nearby day care and five-story building were heavily damaged.
It was "just a mushroom cloud of an explosion — big and orange,'' said Victor Bruno, who owns Adolfos Italian Restaurant in the district. "It's just a bad scene.''
Residents in Wilbraham and South Hadley felt the explosion, according to the Republican.
About 4:30 p.m., gas workers were reportedly finishing an investigation after receiving several calls about the smell of gas. Having evacuated the street during the investigation, workers were getting ready to let people back in when the explosion happened, according to Mark McDonald of the New England Gas Workers Association.
"It's a good thing the people were still evacuated,'' McDonald said. "If there were people in the building, it would have been a real catastrophe.''
The area is a bustling entertainment and residential area. It was quiet Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, although Bruno and other witnesses said it would have been crowded later in the night.
Debbie, a dancer at Scores who didn't want her last name used, said she was on stage dancing when the "house mom'' came up and told everyone to evacuate, according to the Republican news site.
She went upstairs and saw smoke. While she was gathering her clothes, the manager came up and told everyone, "I don't care if you're (expletive) naked or not, get out.''
The manager took them across the street.
"I feel lucky we got out,'' Debbie said. She said all her work clothes were lost.
She told the Republican that Scores workers had been smelling gas for a while, and the gas company came in during the week to check, but didn't find anything. She said the gas odor was especially intense Friday morning.
The gas distribution company responsible for service in the area is Columbia Gas Co. A spokesman did not immediately have comment.
The chaos of the scene had quieted by 7 p.m., and police had evacuated people in nearby businesses, said Bruno, the restaurant owner, as he prepared to head home.
"All I lost was some business tonight,'' he said.


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The addition of distributed energy resources onto the grid creates new opportunities and challenges because of their unique siting, operational, and ownership characteristics compared to conventional centralized resources.
Today, the increasingly rapid adoption of distributed solar photovoltaics (DPV) in particular is driving a heated debate about whether DPV creates value for the electric system or imposes costs. But the wide variation in analysis approaches and quantitative tools used by different parties in different jurisdictions is inconsistent, confusing, and frequently lacks transparency. Without increased understanding of the benefits and costs of distributed energy resources, there is little ability to make effective tradeoffs between investments.
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An El Monte High School senior was among those killed on the bus that crashed in Orland Thursday, according to a relative and a school offical.
Adrian Castro was trying to decide whether to go to Humboldt State University and a Calstate university closer to El Monte where he lives with his father, Raul. Father and son talked and they decided it would be best for Castro to visit both schools before making a decision.
"He told me two days ago, 'Should I go up and check it out anyway?,'" Raul Castro said.
On Thursday morning, they got up around 5 a.m. Raul Castro dropped off his son at a bus stop. Castro asked if he should still go.
That night, Raul Castro received a call from his son's mother. She told him Castro was in the bus crash in Orland. On Friday morning, the family found out Castro had died.
"CHP told her (Adrian's mother) that he died immediately," Raul Castro said. He was on his way to Northern California to help with identifying the body. He said the family is trying to get dental records.
Castro's mother was en route Friday morning to Orland with her son's dental records, NBC4 reported.
Seniors Yohana Martinez and Lilianna Aldama said they were friends with Castro and that they obsered a moment of silence for Castro after being told by teachers during their second period class that Castro died.
"Everybody was shocked. I just started crying," Martinez said.
"He wanted to see his school and now he is gone," Aldama said. "He just brought so much energy to people, he was always there for you, even if he didn't know a person, he would talk to them."
Castro played on the El Monte High's football team.
"Adrian Castro will be missed as a student and football player," said El Monte football coach Joel Sanchez. "He was a good young man with a bright future. He will always be remembered by the El Monte family."
Bryan Zavala graduated from El Monte High School in 2011 and said he was visiting the school to pay his respects to Castro whom he knew while they went to school together.
"He was going to his dream school, Humbolt State," Zavala said.
El Monte Unified School District Superintendent Nick Salerno said that two other El Monte students who were on the college tour were not on the bus that crashed. Salerno reported earlier that the students were hospitalized.
"Those two students, a male and a female, were actually on bus number two," Salerno said. "It's been really hard to get accurate information."
Salerno added that students who have permission from their parents could leave the school.