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Statement by Arthur Fried,
General Counsel
March 28, 1996
The Social Security Administration is opposed to H.R. 1802, a bill which would create a Corps of Federal administrative law judges (ALJs). H.R. 1802 would primarily impact SSA since its ALJs represent more than 80 percent of all Federal ALJs.
SSA opposes H.R. 1802 for many reasons, but is particularly concerned that the bill would severely curtail our ability to provide the public with the service they deserve. We specifically oppose a separate Corps for the following reasons:
• Decisional Independence - SSA administrators cannot interfere in how ALJs decide cases. Adjudication takes place on the record, and strictly according to the statute and regulations without agency interference. Further, ALJs have full protection of decisional independence consistent with the Administrative Procedure Act.
• Loss of ALJ Expertise - The pending legislation would result in the loss of the high degree of ALJ expertise produced by ALJs' constant involvement in SSA's policymaking process.
• Loss of Accountability- Removing ALJs from SSA's closely bound adjudicative process would significantly decrease accountability to the public for efficient and timely processing of their appeals, to the Congress for all aspects of program administration, and to the courts.
• Costs of H.R. 1802 - There are significant costs associated with an ALJ Corps not previously considered in Corps estimates such as expenses for agency representation, hearing support functions which would be duplicated in a Corps, and development of a Corps claims tracking system. Also, the bill freezes funding for a Corps at the FY 1995 level which would prevent new resources to help handle an increasing hearing workload.
• Administrative Efficiencies - The bill would disrupt a highly integrated adjudicative claims process which would result in further delays in the payment of claimants' benefits.
• Management Initiatives - SSA has shifted resources from non hearing offices to reduce hearing backlogs. Under the bill, SSA would lose the flexibility needed to deal with increasing workloads. In addition, SSA has a plan well underway which is redesigning the disability process. The redesign will result in a customer-friendly process that produces decision more quick}y and accurately. H.R. 1802 would prevent SSA from redesigning and improving its adjudicative process.
I am pleased to be here today on behalf of the Social Security Administration (SSA) to discuss legislation currently pending in the Congress that would create a Corps of Federal administrative law judges (ALJs) and its possible impact on the Social Security Administration (SSA).
I appreciate this opportunity to discuss the ramifications of an ALJ Corps for SSA. SSA's ALJs represent more than 80 percent of all Federal ALJs. Therefore, it is critically important to your deliberations on H.R. 1802 to keep in mind that the pending legislation's primary impact would be on SSA.
We at SSA oppose enactment of H. R. 1802 for a variety of reasons, but we are particularly concerned that the bill would severely curtail our ability to provide the public with the service they deserve.
Today, I want to address the issues with which we have major concerns including the perception that ALJs do not have decisional independence, the potential for loss of ALJ expertise and administrative accountability, the costs associated with establishing a unified Corps, and the administrative inefficiencies inherent in creating a new agency.
First, I would like to address the issue of ALJ decisional independence. Promoting an atmosphere of fairness and decisional independence is extremely important to us. ALJs have a direct delegation of authority from the Commissioner to decide cases. This direct delegation of authority sets the foundation for, and guarantees the integrity of, the adjudicatory process.
No SSA administrator can nor wants to intervene in a case or in any way direct an ALJ on how to decide a case. Adjudication takes place on the record, and strictly according to the statute and regulations without agency interference.
In FY 1995, over 500,000 ALJ decisions were rendered and yet SSA did not receive even one ALJ complaint regarding improper influence or agency pressure with respect to deciding any case.
Although a perception may remain with some that ALJs lack decisional independence, we think the fact that SSA ALJs' decisions differ from the agency's earlier determinations in almost two thirds of the cases is a strong indicator that these ALJs do in fact have decisional independence. Moreover, our ALJs have full protection of decisional independence consistent with the Administrative Procedure Act because hiring criteria and compensation are set by the Office of Personnel Management and adverse personnel actions may be taken by the agency only after the Merit System Protection Board establishes good cause. Thus, we believe that SSA's ALJs are currently independent in every way that matters. However, we would be happy to work with Congress on ways to eliminate the misperception that decisional independence is lacking short of creating an independent ALJ Corps.
LOSS OF ALJ EXPERTISE AND ADMlNlSTRATlYE ACCOUNIABlLITY
We are also concerned about loss of ALJ expertise and accountability.
Loss of ALJ Expertise
A unified Corps would jeopardize the reservoir of Social Security expertise currently characterizing SSA's ALJs. Supporters of pending legislation argue that ALJ expertise would not be lost if a unified Corps were established because as a general rule, ALJs would continue to hear and adjudicate precisely the same kinds of cases as they do at present. Others argue, however, that the bill would increase efficiency by making ALJs available to hear and decide cases in varied programs.
In either case, we do not believe that the kind of training programs that could be conducted under the bill's provisions would compensate for the loss of the ongoing training that SSA provides in response to changes in the Social Security Act and regulations, or for the constant exposure to discussion and examination of complex Social Security programmatic and policy issues that ALJs experience as members of the SSA community. Indeed, ALJ involvement in policy development contributes a distinct and valuable perspective which enhances the quality cf agency policymaking and ensures that ALJs understand the intent and scope of policy changes. Therefore, separating ALJs from SSA would adversely affect the current policymaking and decisionmaking process for both SSA and ALJs.
Moreover, consistent and uniform application of policy is difficult in the best of circumstances, especially in a complex and subjective program like disability; totally separating adjudicators from policymakers, however, simply invites disputes between adjudicators and policymakers over policy interpretatio and makes resolution of those disputes more difficult.
Administrative Accountability
The creation of a separate Corps of ALJs would alae diffuse accountability to the Congress, the courts, and the public for administrative decisionmaking--particularly for the diaability determination process.
Because case processing would be split between the Corps and SSA, interested parties could no longer be certain of whom to contact--the Corps or SSA--concerning the status of a particular case. That uncertainty might unnecessarily delay their receipt of the requested status and, more fundamentally, could complicate identifying whether SSA or the Corps was responsible for case processing delays. Similarly, when the courts overturn or remand a case, it may not be clear whether the court found fault with the SSA's policy or the ALJ's application of that policy.
Mr. Chairman, it is important to consider fully the magnitude of resources required to process SSA's hearings and related workloads when considering legislation to create a unified ALJ Corps.
Removing SSA's ALJs to form a separate and unified ALJ Corps would inevitably disrupt a productive relationship between the ALJs and other SSA components--one that is becoming more efficient every day--and would incur unanticipated costs.
For instance, although some supporters of ALJ Corps legislation have indicated that it would eliminate the need for some current SSA staff and functions (for example, in the Office of Hearings and Appeals's (OHA's) regional offices), it is unclear how this could be achieved. A centralized Corps would require a significant support staff to perform functions now performed by the SSA regional offices, such as:
- hiring and training hearing office staff;
- procuring supplies and equipment;
- reviewing attorney fee petitions;
- coordinating with State agencies; and
- providing general hearing office oversight.
Duplicating and then centralizing these functions in an ALJ Corps would likely increase travel and other costs. Alternatively, requiring that these functions be performed at the local (rather than regional) level would increase hearing office staffing requirements.
Further, establishing an entirely new administrative structure to support a separate ALJ Corps would not eliminate hearings-related activities (costing at least $200 million annually) that SSA would need to continue to perform--receiving and forwarding to the Corps claimants' requests for bearings, processing hearing status inquiries, effectuating ALJ decisions or acting on requests to the Appeals Council for review of ALJ decisions, among others. Indeed, many of these activities would have to be done twice, once at SSA and once by the ALJ Corps.
The costs of the legislation would be further increased by any expenses entailed in providing SSA representation in proceedings before a separate Corps of ALJs. Both SSA and the Corps would each require sufficient professional and support staff to address a workload involving over 500,000 requests for hearings annually.
Additional costs could also be generated by other new functions. For example, SSA would have to institute procedures for preparing and submitting case records for adjudication before a separate ALJ Corps that would be more formal than those currently required in our integrated process. New procedures would also be required to ensure proper routing of ALJ dispositions to allow prompt effectuation of benefit payments or action on requests for Appeals Council review.
While I am on the subject of costs, I would also like to address the appropriations provision in H.R. 1802. The bill would freeze funding for a unified Corps through FY 2000 at the FY 1995 level. Without additional resources to allow a new agency to keep up with increasing workloads caused by increasing claim filings, we are concerned that service to the public will deteriorate dramatically.
I would also like to address the issue of administrative efficiencies. Although we have serious doubts that creating a new bureaucratic structure would streamline or improve administrative efficiency anywhere in the Government, we are certain that it would adversely affect SSA's massive claims adjudicative process.
As 1 have indicated, Mr. Chairman, 80 percent of all Federal ALJs work for SSA, where they are an integral part of the adjudication process. SSA processes almost 7 million claims a d over a million appeals each year. In FY 1995 alone, ALJs rendered over 500,000 decisions.
SSA's adjudicative process consists of a closely integrated four-step process. Since the vast majority of hearings involve disability claims, Iwill discuss SSA adjudication in terms of the disability claims process.
Initial disability claims are taken in 1,300 Social Security offices located throughout the country. Local field office staff request and evaluate information about the non-medical aspects of each person's claim, such as whether or not the individual has worked enough to be eligible for benefits. Field office staff also obtain information about claimants' impairments, including treating medical sources. Disability claims are then forwarded to the federally-funded, but State-administered, disability determination services (DDSs), in the State where the person lives. State DDS staff obtain and review necessary medical evidence and make disability determinations based on Social Security regulations and guidelines.
This process has been in effect since the beginning of the disability program and was designed to take advantage of the States' established links with the medical community and experience in dealing with the needs of the disabled.
Individuals dissatisfied with their disability decision may request a reconsideration which is reviewed at the State DDS level. If the reconsideration is denied, individuals may request a hearing before an ALJ, and if still dissatisfied, individuals may request an Appeals Council review. Each level of review involves multi-step procedures for evidence collection, review, and decisionmaking. This process requires thousands of day-today contacts among SSA field offices, State disability determination services (DDSs), and ALJ hearing offices. Placing the hearing level--the third step in the process--under the management of an entirely separate organization would break the links of this closely-bound process.
Coordinating SSA's caseloads entails numerous operational functions including: identifying and routing cases; securing and retaining case folders; and obtaining evidence from claimants, from claimants' medical sources, and from others who know the claimants. The process also entails fully developing the record, both before and after the hearing is held, screening cases for those that can be approved on the record without an ALJ hearing, both before and after development, preparing hearing transcripts, and responding to inquiries for case status from claimants, representatives, and members of Congress.
Pulling the ALJs out of SSA, and then reintegrating these functions with an ALJ Corps would reduce administrative efficiency and increase processing times, thus further delaying payment of benefits to eligible claimants. This would result largely from the additional case tracking and control procedures that SSA would have to establish to be able to continue to develop the record, to respond quickly and accurately to status inquiries, and to ensure that cases were not "lost" in the system. It would be a very cumbersome and time-consuming process to transfer cases from SSA to the Corps for decision and then transfer them back to SSA for review and revision by the Appeals Council or effe·ctuation by SSA employees, not to mention all the contacts required in between to fully develop the record and ensure that the agency's interests are served. Transfer of cases remanded by the courts back and forth between SSA and the Corps would be similarly burdensome.
Successfully processing SSA's huge caseloads through a Corps of ALJs would require high levels of cooperation between separate agencies. More likely, every hand-off to a separate ALJ Corps would increase the time required to serve SSA's "customers"--the American public--and reverse the progress we have made in streamlining our decisionmaking process.
Corps Council Provision
As you can see, success of SSA's highly integrated adjudication process can only be achieved with uniform policies and procedures. I am particularly concerned that the provision in H.R. 1802 regarding the proposed Corps Council--the policymaking body of the Corps--would interfere with the procedural continuity of our current process. That provision provides for only one SSA division out of eight, while affording the other divisions, representing only a fraction of the Corps, a disproportional share of policy and procedural-making power affecting SSA.
Agency Representation
In addition, the nature of SSA's adjudicative process has no equal in the Federal Government. In most other Federal agencies it is standard practice for both appellants and the Government to be represented by attorneys both in their initial contacts and in making their cases before an ALJ. By contrast, the adjudicative process in SSA is nonadversarial at all levels--the Commissioner of Social Security is not represented in any proceedings even though the claimant may be represented at any level of the adjudicative process, and often is represented at the hearing level. Further, ALJs represent the interest of both the claimant and the general public and serve as an impartial decisionmaker as well. This special responsibility requires that, regardless of whether the claimant is represented, the ALJ must ensure that all interests are fully protected in reaching a fair and accurate decision. The role of the ALJ works well in our highly integrated adjudicative process.
But, with the removal of the ALJ to a separate ALJ Corps, SSA would be compelled to have a representative appear at the hearing to: 1) ascertain the contents of the record and hear case presentation; 2) present evidence and state the agency's position; 3) protect the integrity of the trust funds; and 4) ensure that the hearings decisions of such ALJs are in full accord with agency policy. The necessity of SSA representation at each Corps hearing would result in prohibitive administrative expenses and undesirable formal and adversarial proceedings.
As you know, Mr. Chairman, SSA has experienced unprecedented increases in its Social Security and SSI disability initial claims workloads in recent years. The creation of an ALJ Corps will only make dealing with those increases more difficult and service to claimants will deteriorate. In FY 1996, we estimate that 2.5 million initial disability claims will be forwarded to the DDSs for disability determinations--a 41 percent increase over the number of claims received by the DOSs as recently as FY 1990.
As a result of the upsurge in initial claims, SSA's Office of Hearings and Appeals also is experiencing unprecedented growth in its hearings workloads. We expect that, by FY 1997, annual requests for hearings before an ALJ will rise to 574,000, a 90 percent increase over FY 1990.
Needless to say, such rapid workload growth has adversely affected SSA's ability to process appeals timely. Currently, it takes more than 375 days, on average, to process an ALJ hearing from request to decision--compared to an average of 214 days in FY 1990. However, we expect that our redesign initiatives, which I will discuss later, will reduce ALJ processing time to about 260 days in FY 1997.
Even this level of progress does not satisfy our goal of providing world-class service to all who interact with SSA.
The impact of the extraordinary disability workload growth was initially felt in the State DDSs which make disability determinations for SSA. SSA's first response was to shift resources within its control to address the most critical immediate needs--primarily, more overtime for the DDSs and SSA components that process disability workloads. In early 1992, the Agency also implemented a variety of management initiatives to provide relief in the short term to the DDSs, such as using SSA employees to assist DDSs in processing cases and refining our case development and documentation procedures. As a result of such initiatives, DDS productivity has increased by 22 percent since FY 1990.
In 1993, our hearing offices also began to be impacted by the unprecedented disability workloads. With ALJ assistance, SSA then developed and implemented additional management initiatives to address the rising hearing workloads, such as standardizing case preparation and streamlining hearing practices and procedures. As a result, the productivity of SSA's ALJs--already the highest of all Federal ALJs--has steadily increased, rising from 37 cases per month per ALJ at the end of FY 1992 to 47 cases per month per ALJ at the close of FY 1995.
The accuracy of ALJ decisions also improved during this period. In FY 1995, the rate at which the Appeals Council granted requests for review of ALJs' decisions dropped to less than 29 percent of cases appealed (moving steadily downward since FY 1990, when the rate was 46 percent). Also, the rate at which the Federal courts affirmed the agency's final decisions in cases appealed to that level reached a near-record high of 90 percent (excluding remands).
Short-Term Management Initiatives
Nevertheless, the enormous challenges facing the disability program in the form of unprecedented workloads combined with staffing reductions required immediate action. We responded to the upward trends in disability workloads with two important initiatives--a Short-Term Disability Project and a redesign of the disability process.
The short-term disability project was designed to reduce the number of disability cases pending at the initial, reconsideration, and hearing levels over a 2-year period. For instance, skilled employees from non-hearing office staffs have been temporarily reassigned to assist in writing backlogged hearing decisions. In FY 1995, 10,800 hearing decisions were written by these employees. In addition, other non-hearing office employees have been assisting OHA by preparing folders for hearings. This case preparation provides invaluable assistance to the ALJ hearing the case and helps reduce the overall hearing backlog.
A separate ALJ Corps would not have this kind of management flexibility. A Corps would be unable to provide for the rapid shifting of resources between and among SSA components that is necessary to handle a shifting workload of over 500,000 hearing requests annually and reduce backlogs of comparable magnitude. Further, the bill would deprive SSA of much of its ability to refine its processes based upon its extensive experience with disability determinations, much as it is doing now with the short-term initiatives.
As I indicated, Mr. Chairman, the short-term initiatives were designed merely as a temporary measure to ease escalating workloads. We recognized that further, incremental improvements in the process would not suffice to achieve the level of service the public deserves. Thus, SSA developed a plan for a new disability process--the disability process redesign.
Disability Process Redesign
The redesign will dramatically change most of SSA'a current work processes, including those involving ALJs. Transferring ALJs out of SSA would jeopardize our new redesign process. Such a change could have serious implications--millions of Americans who rely on SSA to process their initial claims and appeals promptly would likely have to wait much longer for decisions on their claims.
For example, a key feature of the new plan is that it uses current staff in a streamlined process involving a new position called the adjudication officer. The adjudication officer increases efficiencies in the hearing process by developing the case and issuing fully favorable decisions if the evidence so warrants, without the need for a full hearing. SSA expects this feature to significantly contribute to cutting hearing-level processing time in half by the year 2000. An ALJ Corps would interfere with our ability to use this new process since jurisdiction would be given to the Corps as soon as a hearinglevel appeal is requested.
Another feature of the new plan which would be jeopardized by a unified Corps is the process unification effort which is directed at ensuring uniform understanding and application of binding adjudication policy at all levels of adjudication. One important aspect of this multi-faceted effort is the development of a single presentation of policy. Removing the hearings function from SSA would significantly impede this effort as well as the agency's overall ability to create a seamless and more responsive disability decisionmaking process at such a critical time.
Creating another bureaucracy would add to the complexities of the process rather than building the streamlined process envisioned in our efforts to redesign the disability process.
In summary, Mr. Chairman, H.R. 1802 would create unintended consequences which would jeopardize public service for millions of Americans who rely on SSA to process their initial claims and appeals promptly and fairly. We do not believe that legislation to create a separate ALJ Corps is warranted. At SSA we have put into placand are continuing to develop initiatives to improve public service for millions of Americans who rely on SSA to process their initial claims and appeals promptly and fairly. Removing SSA's ALJs from our organization would, in our view, seriously hamper our efforts to best serve the public.
We certainly would support continued efforts to maintain impartiality in SSA's decisionmaking, to address remaining misperceptions about ALJ independence, and to improve the quality and efficiency of administrative adjudication. However, in light of all that we have accomplished to date and have undertaken to enhance the hearing process, and given that the current process ia free of administrative interference, SSA continues to be in atrong opposition to H.R. 1802.


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Press Tries To Pin High Profile Killings On The Web & World Of Warcraft
from the not-this-again deptAnd, here we go again. The press and "cultural commentators" absolutely love to blame new technologies for someone who does something bad. The latest is that in response to the crazy Luka Magnotta case (involving the guy in Canada who killed and dismembered someone, filming the whole thing, eating some pieces and sending others to politicians) a "cultural critic" in France is arguing that without the internet, Magnotta would not have committed his crimes.
Without the web, "the butcher of Montreal would not exist," Mr. de Boni concludes. "This killer character is a narcissistic and deviant avatar, one of many virtual identities he invented in order to create celebrity."Because, of course, prior to the internet and Facebook, there were no such things as psychotic people who killed others and ate them. While the internet may have influenced the specifics of how Magnotta went about his crime, it seems ridiculous to jump to the conclusion that absent the internet, none of this would have happened. Magnotta was clearly a very sick individual. If anything, it's worth pointing out that unlike the other examples I linked to in this paragraph of sociopathic killers who dismembered and ate their victims, Magnotta was actually caught after just the first victim -- in part because he provided all sorts of evidence of his guilt online.
Meanwhile, over in Norway, where the trial of mass murderer Anders Breivik is going on, we had already noted that the press was having a field day with the claim that Breivik played a lot of World of Warcraft. That seems pretty silly considering the millions of people who play the game. However, bizarrely, the prosecution has brought it up in the trial, letting the press grandstand on the issue yet again. Even Breivik found that line of questioning to be stupid, declaring (correctly) that "it is not relevant to this case whatsoever."
But it is relevant to reporters who want to build a story about those crazy video games...
Why is it so hard to believe that there are psychotic/sociopathic people out there who do harm, and that's got nothing to do with their internet or gaming usage? These things aren't "triggered" by surfing the web or playing games. I recognize that people feel the need to look for a "reason" that these people exist and do such horrible things, but it should be pretty clear that it's a problem with them -- not their use of technology.
Of course, if we should be concerned about video games at all in the Breivik trial, perhaps it should be over the fact that a judge in the case was spotted playing solitaire on his computer during the trial:
Filed Under: anders breivik, france, luka magnotta, norway, video games, world of warcraft

subset: commoncrawl


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Jay & Silent Bob will be in town, but they wont be here to sell pot, thats for sure. They just want to chat.
The comedy duo has been through a lot together during their 25-year friendship, and their Get Old show at the Community Concert Hall will delve into some of their most private experiences.
In real life, Jay is Jason Mewes and, as on screen, is foul mouthed. Silent Bob is Kevin Smith, but he is actually quite talkative and a successful film director.
Like their movies, such as Clerks and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, their live comedy show will be raunchy. There will be mention of sex, alcohol, drugs and whatever other adult content they may come up with. Some of it will be for entertainment purposes, but some of it will also come from a very real and personal perspective.
Mewes, 38, is on a tour of sobriety. The show began as a podcast in 2010 as an intervention. Doing hard drugs such as heroin on and off for nine years, he had a huge problem, and his life was going nowhere fast.
I explained my situation to Kevin, and he said Why dont we do a podcast? Maybe if youre accountable to others, and you talk about it, itll help you stay off that stuff. Well talk about drug use, how youre doing each week. That way, youll be accountable to people, Mewes said by phone from Los Angeles.
And things are looking good for him these days. At the time of our talk a few weeks ago, Mewes was 920 days sober. He and his wife, Jordan Monsanto, also celebrated their four-year wedding anniversary this month.
Its awesome. When I go out in public, Ill be at Starbucks or Target or something, and someone will come up to me and say, Hey, Jay. Thank you so much for your podcast. I just turn it on and it inspires me to stay sober one more day, Mewes said.
Their show can be heard free on iTunes, or www.smodcast.com. They recently recorded their 101st podcast Jan. 23 at Laugh Factory in L.A. Thursdays will be their 102nd, and will also be made available online.
The shows longevity may be attributed to a number of things, but one thing is for sure. Mewes doesnt hold much back. He wants to talk about the ups, and the downs.
For example, while taking heroin with his ex-girlfriend at her powerless and heatless apartment around Christmastime 2003, Mewes almost burned down the apartment while he was sleeping and knocked over a candle. It was then that he realized he needed to change, he said.
Mewes friend drove him cross country to New Jersey where there was a warrant out for his arrest for a probation violation. The judge sentenced him to six months of rehab.
It helped. He was sober for about five years. But then he had back surgery, and he got addicted to Vicodin.
I knew I had to stop, so I quit taking the pills, and then thats when Kevin invited me to do the podcast, Mewes said.
These friendly gestures between the two began about 25 years ago. Smith, 42, was working at a convenience store in Highlands, N.J., called Quick Stop, which would go on to be the setting for his film Clerks, in which the duo plays pot dealers in front of the store.
Smith knew he could count on Mewes when he helped him open the convenience store at 5 a.m. one Sunday morning.
I was the only one that would go in that early to give him a hand, Mewes said.
Not long after that, Smith began writing a script for Clerks, which was released in 1994 and went on to receive top honors at Sundance Film Festival.
Smith and I would actually hang out in front of that store like we did in Clerks. The only difference is that we didnt sell pot (in real life), Mewes said.
Kevin wanted to focus on directing and producing the film, so he didnt want to give himself too many lines to memorize, Mewes said.
Smith also wrote, directed and acted in Chasing Amy, which stars Ben Affleck as a comic-book creator.
And thats no coincidence. Smith and Mewes friendship is deeply rooted in comic books. Thats how they became friends. They met at the local community center in Highlands, where Smith worked, and they hit it off with the comics connection.
They now have a comic-book store named after them, which opened in 1997 in Red Bank, N.J., Jay and Silent Bobs Secret Stash. Its the setting of an AMC series called Comic Book Men.
Starting its second season Feb. 14, the series is the Antiques Roadshow of comic books. Customers visit the store to peddle their possessions, and the stores experts name a price.
Hurricane Sandy spared it, fortunately.
Its right up the street from the beach, but it didnt get damaged, Mewes said.
His half sister and her family in New Jersey werent so lucky.
Their house was literally under water up from the beach three houses in from the beach. It got flooded up to the second floor, Mewes said. Hopefully, they can get some grant money to fix it up.
Their 100th podcast, recorded Dec. 22 at The Jon Lovitz Comedy Club & Podcast Theatre, was a benefit for victims of the storm. All of the money from the show was donated to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund.
Its back on the road this week. Mewes says hes excited to check out Durango. It will be their first time here.
The show will be very interactive. Well get the audience involved, Mewes said.


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Darn, this event is over 6 months old, but I bet there is something great happening somewhere!
View Current Taos Events!
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Wednesday, Sep 12th - 2018
10:00 am-5:00 pm
Every Wednesday at Fine Art Atelier & Gallery:
Non-instructional Life Drawing – 10am-1pm
Instructional Life Drawing – 2-5pm
Fine Art Atelier & Gallery, located at 108 Kit Carson Rd, offers ongoing art instruction for the serious study of oil painting, watercolor, and figure study. Three day workshops & private sessions may be scheduled year round. Patience Heyl has been instructing in the fine arts for over 30 years and is a prolific painter. She has held the title of resident artist at the famous Broadmoor in Colorado Springs for the past 19 years and most recently won Best of Show at the Taos Fall Arts Festival.
Contact Patience for more information at 719-338-0081.


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Students Go Gourmet: Simple Gourmet For Every Day
Description: Authors: Sophia Khan is a world traveler and recent graduate of Yale and Harvard who through her studies, Greek and Pakistani ancestry, and cultural experiences has learned to prepare fast and delicious food. Her aunt, Dr. Ellen Bass, a self-proclaimed Francophile, adds her experience as an award-winning pediatrician and working mom to compliment the recipes with fresh and healthy ingredients. Both students of highly acclaimed academic institutions, they understand first-hand the challenges of eating healthy under demanding schedules. With delicious recipes from finger food/appetizers to delightful "4-star" meals, in STUDENTS GO GOURMET, readers learn: How simple it is to cook healthy and fresh on a limited budget. The necessary ingredients and tools needed to stock a pantry for ready-to-use ease. How to curb the late night munchies with unique finger foods guaranteed to give you some energy. How to prepare a full meal for guests inspired by eclectic cities around the world that will "wow" even the most picky palate. How to actually cook through a complimentary video and the user-friendly, easily referenced directory which categorizes the food, explains cooking terms and equipment needed. * A portion of the proceeds of the book will be donated to sustainable post-hurricane redevelopment efforts in the Ninth Ward in New Orleans.
Price: $29.95


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Arturo Santos Jr. is just who Sarasota officials are after. The 29-year-old is executive director of a beauty and wellness academy and a member of that elusive group -- the "young professional."
He is also a Bradenton resident whose lease is almost up, but he does not plan to move south. His city has as much going on as Sarasota, Santos says, and there's just more bang for your buck when it comes to affordable housing.
The city has gotten used to the rejection. Students from Ringling College of Art and Design, New College and the University of South Florida often move away after graduating.
Candidates running for two open City Commission seats hope Sarasota will not be spurned by the younger generation much longer.
Sarasota's long struggle to cast off its image as a wealthy retirement community and attract younger residents has seen renewed efforts, with pushes to ease a restrictive noise ordinance and bring lower-cost apartments downtown.
But inside City Hall, the people who speak out and advise elected officials are predominately the retirees -- a powerful constituency that the commission must also appease.
The six candidates in the March 12 election are vying for two at-large seats, meaning they would represent the entire city rather than one district. If elected, many of the candidates said they would listen to all sides and try to decipher whether the people yelling the loudest represent the majority of Sarasotans.
"This city is emerging, and with those growing pains come decisions, how to make it more exciting, more inviting," said Mayor Suzanne Atwell, the lone incumbent in the race.
The growing pains were evident at recent community forums on proposed changes to allow outdoor amplified music to be played louder and later downtown. Many residents of downtown condominiums showed up to voice their displeasure over the current outdoor music, and asked the city not to further disturb their peace.
The Rev. Kelvin Lumpkin, 39, the only person in the race who grew up in Sarasota, said the city's downtown has a pulse it did not have when he was young. It was a "ghost town" then, he said.
Atwell, Lumpkin and Richard Dorfman said they would support changes to the noise ordinance. Among the other candidates, Linda Holland said she would support changes on a trial basis; Susan Chapman said she believes there is a technological solution to controlling sound downtown; and Pete Theisen has suggested listeners wear headphones.
Santos, who is also the government issues chairman for Sarasota Young Professionals Group, said changes to the ordinance would be a "huge step" toward a more exciting downtown that would benefit everyone.
"It's not really about age, I think it's really about offering great entertainment and aspects that can help all those that live in the city feel better about the city they live in," he said.
The right attitude
Beyond the music and nightlife, candidates said they would push for better job opportunities and affordable housing to help young people get established in the city.
Lumpkin said his friends who are teachers, lawyers or doctors have been able to make careers in Sarasota, but many others -- like businessmen and women -- moved on.
Dorfman also said he would like to create an environment more conducive to keeping young people here.
"If you want to retain young professionals, you have to give them a future here," Dorfman said.
That means making it easier for companies to get established in the city, Dorfman said. He believes Sarasota has the reputation of being too difficult to work with when it comes to permitting, planning and zoning.
Santos, who wants to expand his beauty and wellness academy, said he would look at whether Sarasota would incentivize his move there. Dorfman said Manatee County, where Santos runs one of his two schools, has the right attitude and alleviates roadblocks for entrepreneurs.
Chapman, who is on the city's Planning Board, argues that the current process insists on quality and does not need to be more lenient.
Instead of trying to attract big businesses to Sarasota, she favors a plan that focuses on developing local companies. She said ultra-high Internet could help, and the city could stimulate local businesses by changing its streets. More bike lanes, pedestrian crossings and a trolley would slow traffic and encourage people to stop in more stores, she said.
Chapman also argues that other candidates' push for affordable housing is not the right way to attract a younger generation. "What we really need for young people is regular paycheck jobs," she said.
Holland manages about 50 rental properties and said she rents to numerous young people. She hears their desires firsthand.
"I get a constant flow of people that need affordable housing," Holland said. "They want it close to downtown and close to good transportation."
She said creating better housing opportunities for college students along the North Trail -- near New College and Ringling -- could entice students to stay.
She also sees room for growth in the Rosemary District, just north of downtown, a vision other candidates echoed.
Shaping Sarasota no easy endeavor
Arturo Santos Jr. is just who Sarasota officials are after. The 29-year-old is executive director of a beauty and wellness academy and a member of that elusive group -- the "young professional."


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Microsoft is offering a $US250,000 bounty for the Conficker worm's designer. Microsoft isn't alone in this hunt for the writer of the biggest PC worm in recent history.
They've got a team of superfriends involved with the hunt:
Symantec, F-Secure, VeriSign, Afilias, Internet Systems Consortium (ISC), and the Shadowserver Foundation.
The worm itself is dangerous, although it hasn't done any real damage yet. It has infected 15m PCs so far, setting them up for a yet-to-come malicious payload.
Two hard questions come to mind. Why can't the FBI handle this? And wouldn't that money be better spent on PSAs informing users to install the available patch for the vulnerability? Then again, I suppose that they're sending a message to all hackers. Microsoft will buy off your friends, and at least one of them will sell you out. That, and Microsoft is scared of you. [Yahoo via BBG]


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I was down in London a few weeks ago and I visited Make Up Store in Carnaby street again to buy ONE EYESHADOW. Just one. And instead I ended up with a rather big (but very nice!) haul!
I bought 2 blushers, 2 shadows, 2 high tech lighters (I have to buy most things in 2's), got 3 lipsticks, a lipliner and lip gloss.
I went a few months ago and hauled. I was also corrected that the Make Up Store lids do come off for easy access for make up artists – I thought it was faulty. I do think it still flips off a little easily though but I can live with it.
Once again I got great customer service in there! The girls were a bit chatty with each other and one of them did spend about 20 minitues applying blusher to herself but the lady who did help me was great.
First off, I did not intend to buy an lipsticks but the lipstick stand is right next to the till and I got carried away. I bought two sheers, Glow (white pearl) and Sheer Lust (sparkly lilac) and Onyx (reason will become clear at the end of the post!).
I have every lip colour so I always hunt down slightly weird shades…
Glow and Sheer Lust are weird. They are glossy lipsticks – not too soft, with a hint of sparkle. Glow is a nightmare on it's own and should be used as a highlighter such as on the cupids bow or in the middle of the bottom lip to add fullness.
Sheer Lust is a sheer purple and can be used over another shade or on it's own a frost princess kind of look. I like it!
Onyx is a reddish-nude-brown. So not my usual kind of shade. It's a creme lipstick and it has a nice texture – not particularly creamy but it's decent.
The shadow I was there for was aquarius and it's just stunning, everything I remembered it to be. So pigmented! So bold! Jubilee is a whimsical purchase, a black with gold sparkles in it.
I noticed a lot of gorgeous shades this time (last time Mr C was stood over my shoulder so as most of you ladies know, having your man there kills your make up shopping libido). I saw a coral, a brown blue…lots of gorge shades. Next time.
The Make Up Store shadows are pretty big, these will last forever. I am so impressed by their pigmentation although I'd say not every shade I swatched was so pigmented:
I love how the gold glitter is seamlessly entwined with the black!
I got two blushers, both peach-orange based, Lush a matte and Oh So Fresh a ridiculously sparkly blush.
Lush is a very warm peach with a reddish base. I read about this shade on a lot of blogs but to be honest I find the base of the colour too red and it will make me look flushed (I have high colour already). It's also matte and one of those shades that if you apply too much off looks very clownish and clings to your dry patches.
Oh so Fresh is just a bit of fun – also fun for the eyes – and I really like it. Talk about the need to be subtle though – so sparkly! But it's cute and fresh.
I then picked up two High Tech Lighters. For something a bit different I got Energy which is a icy blue and Space which is a black.
You only need a little bit of these products seriously – otherwise they're all greasy! The blue I think can add nice highlights to the eyes and lips, the black I was thinking of using as a base for eyeshadow. I'll let you know how it goes.
Anyway onto lips! I have been looking for a shade – orangey brown – for ages – taking a picture of the gorgeous Sofia Vergara around with me to various counters and boy was that useless. I can't believe how many make up counter girls showed me a hot pink lipstick when the shade I wanted was clearly a orangey brown!.
So I asked the lady at make up store and she recommended Onyx (the lipstick above) mixed with Nude Beauty Lipliner (quite basic shade) and Posh lipgloss on top:
The pencil is fine, it's just a standard lipliner.
The lip gloss I REALLY like! It's quite pigmented and glossy! I didn't have time to look at more shades but I will next time:
Here's the picture I took:
The resulting lip – what do you think? Looking at it there I think it's a pretty close match (it's the lipliner and lipstick and gloss on top):
I really like Make Up Store! Wish they had a online store though.
What have you hauled lately and do you like Make Up Store products?


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The mainstream media and blogosphere lit up like Christmas trees yesterday when 80 CEOs came together to call on Congress and the president to agree on a comprehensive deficit reduction plan that includes revenue increases and spending cuts. Here's David Wessel's story from The Wall Street Journal.
(Note: I'm linking to the story on the Fix The Debt website only because you need a subscription to the WSJ to see Wessel's story there. This definitely is not an endorsement of Fix The Debt.)
As I told Janet Novak of Forbes yesterday, while it's great to see the CEOs engaged on the issue there's much, much less here than meets the eye.
The ultimate value in the CEO statement is that it lends credence and provides some political cover for members of Congress who vote for a deficit reduction plan that includes tax increases and Medicare and Medicaid cuts.
But the statement fails to move the needle as much as the hype wants you to believe because its way too general to demonstrate that any of the CEOs are willing to give up spending or tax provisions that are important to their companies.
Yes, as wealthy individuals they are likely to pay more if income tax rates rise.
But it's not at all clear that they can or will recommend changes in federal tax and spending laws that will hurt their corporate bottom lines. Indeed, their boards and stockholders would likely see support for those types of changes as a violation of their fiduciary responsibilities as CEO and several of them would be facing the corporate equivalent of a recall.
I suspect, therefore, that this will change nothing. At the same time the CEOS take credit for the anti-deficit push, the companies they represent will continue to push behind the scenes for the tax breaks they already have, the new revenue provisions they want, and the spending programs that create profits while the CEOs take credit for this anti-deficit push. That makes this statement more like business as usual in Washington than a major departure from the past.
You'll know something like this is serious when, for the greater good, one or both of two things happen:
1. A company says its going to stop doing business with the federal government and/or is voluntarily giving up the tax break that is so important to its bottom line
2. A company announces that its political action committee and its executives will no longer financially support candidates, political parties or super PACs that support higher spending and lower taxes.
This post originally appeared on Stan Collender's Capital Gains and Games.


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Find Your Perfect Home.
Portage Real Estate
Portage is located in Michigan. Portage, Michigan has a population of 48,177. Portage is more family-centric than the surrounding county with 35.27% of the households containing married families with children. The county average for households married with children is 30.15%.
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Bernanke says economy still faces headwinds
US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke reiterated Wednesday that the Fed stimulus could be wound down next year if economic growth remains steady as forecast. Powered by NewsLook.com Newslook
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress on Wednesday that financial markets "are beginning to understand" the Fed's plans to pare back its stimulus after initially overreacting.
"I think markets are beginning to understand our message," Bernanke told the House Financial Services Committee in response to questions following his formal semiannual testimony. He reiterated that the central bank's benchmark short-term interest rate is likely to stay near zero "for the foreseeable future."
Markets have been volatile since May 22, when Bernanke told Congress the Fed likely would begin to rein in its extraordinary bond-buying stimulus later this year amid recent improvements in the labor market. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 600 points in two days, and 10-year Treasury yields rose as high as 2.66% from below 2.5% after Bernanke said last month the Fed could end the stimulus in mid-2014, assuming the jobless rate declines to 7% by then.
The Fed is buying $85 billion a month in Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities to hold down long-term interest rates and spur economic activity.
Many investors interpreted Bernanke's remarks to mean that the Fed likely would raise its benchmark short-term rate — known as the fed funds rate — in 2014, rather than 2015 as anticipated. But the Dow has tested new highs since Bernanke said last week the funds rate likely would stay near zero well after the unemployment rate falls to 6.5% as long as the annual inflation outlook is below 2.5%.
Yields on 10-year Treasuries dipped nearly 2% in midday trading Wednesday to 2.48%.
Rates on 30-year mortgages, however, have jumped to 4.51% from 3.81% in late May. Bernanke said Wednesday the Fed could delay plans to taper down the bond purchases if the rise in mortgage rates crimps the housing rebound.
"We will be waiting to see if the movement in mortgage rates has any material effect on housing," Bernanke said." If we think the mortgage rate increases are thwarting the progress, we will have to take additional action."
Bernanke and other Fed policymakers have taken pains recently to assure jittery financial markets that they plan to keep the fed funds rate near zero at least until the 7.6% unemployment rate falls to 6.5%, and likely beyond that.
Bernanke also noted that federal spending cuts could dampen economic growth in coming months, forcing policymakers to maintain the bond-buying at full throttle for a longer period.
Benchmark stock indexes traded higher Wednesday during and after Bernanke's morning testimony.
Markets: Stocks rising after testimony's release
Bernanke testimony: Full text
Fed beige book: Hiring picking up
The Fed chairman said in his prepared testimony that the Fed would not consider a decline in unemployment to 6.5% "a sufficient reason" to raise its short-term rate if, for example, the drop was due to fewer people working or looking for work. That, in fact, has been a prominent factor recently in the fall in unemployment.
Although many economists expect the Fed's bond purchases to be pared back in September, Bernanke said the Fed could keep them going full tilt if the economy falters amid federal budget cuts.
"I emphasize that, because our asset purchases depend on economic and financial developments, they are by no means on a preset course," Bernanke said in the testimony.
In a research note, Jim O'Sullivan, chief U.S. economist Jim O'Sullivan of High Frequency Economics, said Bernanke sent "a clear message" that tighter monetary policy "is not imminent."
Still, Barclays Capital said in a research note that it expects the Fed at its September meeting to reduce the bond purchases to $70 billion a month from $85 billion.
Bernanke said the recovery recently "has continued at a moderate pace," noting the housing market's rebound and job growth of about 200,000 a month so far this year. But he said the labor market was "far from satisfactory."
He noted the high level of long-term unemployment and the many Americans working in part-time jobs who prefer full-time work as well as those who have given up looking for jobs. Still, his assessment was a slight upgrade from earlier testimony that called the job market "weak."
The economy recently has felt the effects of the federal budget cutbacks, known as sequestration, with manufacturing activity and retail sales weakening. Many economists estimate the economy grew at well under a 1% annual rate in the second quarter, following tepid 1.8% growth in the first quarter.


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"Floods Of Tears": William's Reaction To Charity Visit
The Duke of Cambridge made a startling admission about his own mental health during a visit to a charity helpline in London yesterday.
The young Royal, who only yesterday shared an emotional connection with a 14-year-old boy who had also lost his mother, was at another public engagement with Kate Middleton when he asked to be excused from hearing any distressing stories.
It came after he was invited to listen in to a call at the YoungMinds helpline service, which helps the parents of children dealing with mental health issues.
"Can I have an easy one please?" William asked. "I'm carrying a lot of things at the moment.
"I will be in floods of tears at the end otherwise.
"I've had too many sad families with the Air Ambulance," he continued. "I can't deal with any more stuff. Just maybe at the lower level, if I can.
"I'm steeling myself the best I can."
Saida Tahir, a volunteer who works at the helpline service, said afterwards that William had been interested in how she coped with the upsetting content of the calls.
"He was saying, 'How do you keep your own emotions out of it? How do you keep your own story out of it?'"
While both the Duke and Duchess, along with Prince Harry, are patrons of the Heads Together mental health campaign, it is perhaps the most honest the one-day King has been about the toll his work with the East Anglian Air Ambulance takes on him.
Although he works part-time with the service, having previously served with the RAF search and rescue, his entire salary is donated to charity.


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Flood's impact on baseball's evolution undeniable
Babe Ruth. Kenesaw Mountain Landis. Jackie Robinson. You can make the case that, when it comes to the most influential persons in baseball history, those are the only folks who rank higher than Curt Flood.
So I'll make that case.
Babe Ruth. Kenesaw Mountain Landis. Jackie Robinson. You can make the case that, when it comes to the most influential persons in baseball history, those are the only folks who rank higher than Curt Flood.
So I'll make that case.
It's easy to do, by the way.
"Despite all of the things my father did for baseball, I'm getting a lot of feedback that he's not going to make it to Cooperstown, but I don't believe that," said Shelly Flood, one of Curt's five children.
Shelly uses action as well as words while promoting her late father for the Hall of Fame. Among other things, she has spent the last five years or so trying to get Curt Flood elected through a vibrant Facebook fan page that has gone from 135 folks before she took the page over to more than 2,500 and counting.
Flood has that following partly for what he did on the field, but mostly for how he never sacrificed his convictions away from it. In fact, to supporters of this magnificent center fielder for the Cardinals during the 1960s with the striking social consciousness, it's Cooperstown or bust.
"I believe it's going to happen in due time," Shelly continued over the phone from her home in Los Angeles. "It might not happen in my lifetime, but I know it will eventually happen. Everything I've been involved with over the last five years tells me that people recognize his contribution, and they believe he needs to be honored."
Yes, Flood does. Even though he died in January 1997, he still lives in so many ways, exemplified by more than a few things in recent years.
There was that conference run by the Buck O'Neil Professional Scouts and Coaches Association that spent much of its weekend in 2011 honoring Flood's memory in Oakland, his native city. Shelly was the keynote speaker, and she received a standing ovation after she urged those present to spread the lessons of her dad to youth. Just last year, Flood was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in the field and at the plate with potent Cardinals teams. He earned seven Gold Glove Awards, three All-Star Game trips, two World Series rings and enough momentum in a daily lineup with Lou Brock, Orlando Cepeda and Roger Maris to finish with a lifetime batting average of .293 after 15 seasons.
There also is the Flood-inspired program this weekend in Kansas City, where the Negro League Baseball Museum will hold a two-day event entitled, "A Supreme Decision: The Curt Flood Symposium."
Which brings us to the primary reason Flood still lives: Did you see what Clayton Kershaw got from the Dodgers earlier this year? Many of today's deals rival the economies of medium-sized countries, and it all goes back to Flood refusing a trade on Oct. 7, 1969, from the Cardinals to the Phillies. His act of unprecedented defiance over the reserve clause, which restricted player movement from team to team, led to the Curt Flood Rule, which allowed those with 10 years of experience (including the last five with the same team) to veto trades.
Then, after Flood continued his protest over the reserve clause by sitting out the 1970 season, he played only a few games for the Washington Senators in 1971 before retiring to follow his legal fight all the way to the United States Supreme Court. He lost, but he eventually won. In 1972, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Major League Baseball's attempt to keep the status quo. But three years later, an arbitrator's ruling accomplished what Flood sought from the start by abolishing the reserve clause.
Just like that, free agency was born, and so were the gigantic salaries for players and the eternal legacy of Flood's courage.
Flood still lives, all right, and he does so in each of the seven Dodgers players who will make $15 million or more this season. He particularly still lives in Kershaw, who owns the richest yearly contract in baseball history, at an estimated $30.7 million. Not only that, Flood still lives in Kobe Bryant, who makes $30.5 million in the NBA, and the same goes for others in that league such as LeBron James ($19.1 million), Dwyane Wade ($18.7 million) and Kevin Durant ($17.8 million). Flood also still lives in Joe Flacco, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Matt Ryan, all among the NFL players who will make $18 million or more this season.
Simply put, whenever one of these monster contracts is signed by anybody in any professional league, folks should pause for a moment of silence for the man who triggered it all. According to baseball-reference.com, Flood made approximately $472,500 for his entire Major League career.
Flood is mentioned often these days, but given his overall contributions to sports, he should be mentioned even more than that.
"It's an ongoing, everyday reality that we're hoping dad is acknowledged and that he is given the recognition that he deserves," Shelly said. "It's not so much for fame. It's for telling the story to others of how baseball progressed along the way to free agency. It's about history."
Terence Moore is a columnist for MLB.com.


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Hospitals across the state are taking different paths to meet a recommendation that 80 percent of direct care nurses hold a bachelor's degree by 2020.
Hospitals across the state are taking different paths to meet a recommendation that 80 percent of direct care nurses hold a bachelor's degree by 2020.
Judith Thompson, CEO of the South Carolina Nurses Association, said there is not a "one-size-fits-all solution" for addressing the issue.
"A difficult question to answer is what should an employer do?" Thompson said.
Spartanburg Regional Health Care System announced last October that its nurses with associate degrees — nearly 397 out of 1,590 — would have to attain their bachelor's of science degrees in nursing by 2018.
According to a document hospital management distributed to nurses, if the associate does not obtain the BSN degree by Dec. 31, 2018, it might result in "automatic relinquishment of employment."
Spartanburg Regional's policy reflects the hospital's efforts to meet recommendations by the Institute of Medicine and the Commission on Magnet that states 80 percent of direct care nurses must hold a BSN by 2020.
The American Nursing Association, which is over the Commission on Magnet, and the Institute of Medicine were asked how many other hospitals across the country are enacting similar policies. Both organizations said they do not keep that information, even though the organizations made the recommendations.
There are three Magnet hospitals in South Carolina, including Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. AnMed Medical Center in Anderson and Bon Secours Roper St. Francis Hospital in Charleston are the other two.
"The need for highly educated nurses continues to grow," said Pennie Peralta, vice president of nursing and senior nurse executive at Roper St. Francis Health Care System. "Health care is rapidly evolving, and the way nurses provide care to patients will continue to change as people live longer and develop more chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and arthritis."
Roper St. Francis Hospital, however, is not requiring all nurses on staff to attain BSN degrees.
Going forward, 75 percent of the nurses hired at Roper St. Francis Hospital will be BSN nurses, according to media relations manager Shane Ellis.
The new nurses who do not have their BSN are signing a contract saying they would have their degree within five years.
AnMed Health System has a similar policy. New hires are being told they have three years to attain their BSN degrees.
Hospitals that are not affiliated with Magnet have policies as well.
Tony Ciuffo, spokesman for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, said RN staff hired on or after July 1, 2013, with an associate or diploma degree in nursing are required to initiate education for a BSN within two years and complete the program within four years of hire date. Employees are required to sign an agreement regarding the education requirement.
Sandy Dees, spokeswoman with Greenville Health System, said the hospital will only hire BSN nurses beginning later this year.
In Columbia, Palmetto Health's current plan requires nursing leadership – including nurse managers, assistant nurse managers and administrators on duty – to obtain a bachelors' degree by Dec. 31, 2016.
Thompson said "good for them" when told about Spartanburg Regional's new policy in October, and she lauded the effort again during a recent interview.
"I think they are making a commitment to their employees and to their area of service," she said. "If this is what the institution is choosing to do, then nurses are having opportunities given to them. They are given three years to look at how they can improve themselves and their practice. It would be totally different if an institution said, 'As of tomorrow, if you don't have a BSN, you're out.' That's not what they are doing."
Hospital spokeswoman Jenny Connell said in a statement the system is offering financial assistance for tuition for all part- and full-time employees who have been with the system for at least one year. Full-time nurses are eligible for $4,000 per year, while part-time nurses are eligible for tuition reimbursements of $2,000 per year.
Several four-year colleges in the area offer RN to BSN programs. Full-time tuition per semester at each college exceeds $4,000.
For example, USC Upstate offers the program for $4,509. The cost of the program at Lander University in Greenwood is $5,050 per semester.
Katharine Gibb, dean of the Mary Black School of Nursing at USC Upstate, said most nurses enroll as full-time students.
"We have seen a large influx of associate degree nursing applicants from SRHS and other hospitals for our RN-BS program," Gibb said. "Many of them are completing general education pre-requisites this spring and summer, and hope to start the nursing classes in the fall. Others have more courses to take, so they may not start for a while."
Hospital officials say most of the nurses who are working toward their BSN are attending classes part time, often taking advantage of online programs. Few of the full-time nurses are attending full-time classes in a traditional classroom setting, according to the hospital.
When the policy was announced in October, Chief Nursing Officer Susan Duggar said it was the right thing to do for patients.
"As CNO, it's my job and responsibility to make sure that our patient care is absolutely the best it possibly can be," she said at the time. Wouldn't you want to be cared for by somebody who has all the educational preparation possible?"
Duggar did not return phone calls or emails to answer follow-up questions regarding the policy.
Thompson said she understands why Spartanburg Regional's new policy might cause concern to some nurses. It's the fear of change, she said.
"I understand that this is an emotional issue. It's a psychological issue, it's a financial issue. But we are dealing with professionals," she said, adding that other professions don't pay employees when they decide to advance their education. "These nurses are being faced with a change that will have a positive effect on them if they do what is required."


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Google Maps returned to the iOS platform this week, but that was not enough to rescue Apple's map app rep.
Banished from Apple's iOS earlier this fall, Google Maps returned to the mobile platform in the form of a standalone app. The official Google Maps app returned to Apple's App store Thursday evening with turn-by-turn navigation, as well as public transit directions, integrated Street View, and a 3D-like Google Earth view. Google Maps didn't take long to capture the top spot among free iPhone apps.
The release came a few days after Apple again became the subject of ridicule when police in Australia issued a warning discouraging iPhone users from relying on Apple's map app after rescuing several people who became stranded in recent weeks in the wilderness following the app's directions.
However, the bad directions may not entirely be the iPhone makers fault; apparently there are two listings for the same problematic location in the Australian Gazetteer, the de facto local geographical dictionary that lists some 322,000 locations and their corresponding GPS coordinates.
Police: Google Maps giving dangerous directions, too
Samsung knocks Apple Maps in Sydney marketing stunt
Apple could make bid for map firm TomTom, analyst says
More headlines
Google tweaks image search to make porn harder to findThe company says the move is designed to ensure adult content is shown only to those who explicitly request it.
Google: No immediate plans for Google Apps on Windows 8
Instagram photos disappear from Twitter feedsPicture this: The photo-sharing app completely turns off all support for the microblogging site.
Twitter takes on Instagram with new photo filters
Instagram improves camera, editing, and adds new filter
Analyst: Instagram will be big moneymaker for Facebook
BlackBerry 10 revives RIM's chances at federal agencyThe U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency had said it would dump BlackBerry in favor of the iPhone. But now it will run a pilot program for new BB10 devices.
BlackBerry 10 goes 'gold' for developers
BlackBerry 10 to feature deep integration of Evernote
Crazy like a fox? McAfee admits to playing the 'crazy card'The security software founder, who has arrived back in the U.S. after fleeing Belize for Guatemala, tells ABC News he faked health problems to avoid being deported to Belize.
Antivirus guru John McAfee sells rights for movie about his life
U.N. summit implodes as U.S., others spurn Internet treatyThe summit on telecommunications policy breaks down after U.S., Canada, and other democracies refuse to sign a treaty that would hand a U.N. agency more authority over how the Internet is managed.
U.N. summit derailed over human rights controversy
Russia abandons proposal for U.N. governance of Internet
U.N. proposal renews concerns of Internet power grab
Facebook privacy settings get reworked once againThe social network overhauls its settings, not for the first time, in an attempt to make things easier for people to understand, and phases out the option to block people from searching for your profile.
Facebook: No more voting, but we're still listening
Facebook voting is gone, but privacy issues just get worse
The Facebook vote and a nation-state in cyberspace
FTC re-slams apps for kids over privacy concernsIn a follow up to a 2011 study, the Federal Trade Commission found that "little or no progress has been made" on disclosure of information gathering since the first report was issued.
Developer temporarily pulls kids app accused of privacy violations
Also of note
Facebook helps FBI take down $850M botnet crime ring
FCC wants texting apps like iMessage in text-to-911 plan
Former top Apple fanboy now rocks all Android devices
Everything announced at WWDC: Get the latest on the new Mac Pro, iOS 13, Dark Mode for iPhone and more.
What Amazon's one-day shipping means for you: Amazon to decrease standard shipping time for Prime members from two days to one.


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Star Wars Millennium Falcon Bottle Opener
Kessel Run in less than twelve bottles
- Perfect companion for every thirsty smuggler
- Metal body with magnet on back
- A ThinkGeek exclusive!
Whether you've got a cantina that rivals Mos Eisley's or just a fridge in the back of your ship, this Millennium Falcon-shaped bottle opener is perfect for the Han Solo in all of us! It's no piece of junk, either. She looks good and she's got it where it counts. Like Chewie, it's a faithful companion that'll open hard bottles for us and be by our side even if we drop our shipments at the first sign of an Imperial cruiser.
This ThinkGeek exclusive collectible can't be found anywhere else. That's right, she's all ours... well, until she becomes all yours. This metal gadget comes with a magnet on the back to keep you from losing it, as long as you don't toss it out with the garbage or lose it gambling. And remember: don't drink and engage the hyperdrive!
Product Specifications
- Bottle opener for smugglers and other scruffy types
- A ThinkGeek exclusive collectible!
- Metal shaped as the classic smuggler ship
- Magnet on back, sticks to your fridge
- Great for the Star Wars geek in your life
- Officially licensed Lucasfilm collectible
- Made from zinc alloy (heavy!)
- Dimensions: 4" x 3.25"


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A man died in a shooting reported in Southwest Baltimore about 4 a.m. Thursday, city police said.
Officers were called to the 1300 block of Carroll Street in the Washington Village/Pigtown neighborhood, where they found a black man with a gunshot wound to the chest. Homicide detectives are investigating.
The victim was taken to an area hospital, where he died, police said. No other information was immediately available.
The shooting death is the first police have reported in the city in more than a week, after two shootings in West Baltimore left two women and two men dead March 19. A man and woman were shot while driving a pickup truck in West Baltimore on Monday but were expected to survive.
A deadly shooting was last reported in Pigtown in 2011, according to Baltimore Sun crime data.


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Quality Repair Service?
Post general kiteboarding discussion topics here!
Moderator: BayAreaKite
Quality Repair Service?
Last edited by Yoda on Fri Jul 05, 2013 12:30 pm, edited 2 times in total.
3rd ave kite! Took my kite in to Sonny with 2 slices to be repaired but he inspected my kite with a detailed eye and found 3-4 more slices that needed repairing. Everything was color matched and sewn with precision in just a day.
Re: Quality Repair Service
going to throw my hat in for Sonny at 3rd as well. He's done both stitching and bladder repair for me. Friendly guy too.
Re: Quality Repair Service?
+3 Sonny.
Re: Quality Repair Service?
Had good experiences with Sonny's repairs too. +1
Re: Quality Repair Service?
Sonny just fixed my bladder. communicated well, and got me my kite back in 2 days.
Re: Quality Repair Service?
Bruce Sheldon has done great work for me.
Re: Quality Repair Service?
Sonny is indeed very helpful. He showed me how to fix my LE bladder. I wouldn't hesitate to take my kite to him if I can't handle the damage myself.
Re: Quality Repair Service?
Sonny at 3rd
Re: Quality Repair Service?
Sonny is the man.
Fixed two big tears on my kite last year. One was going all the way from LE to back.
The other one was between the wingtip and the canopy: there was NO WAY to find where the repair was done even if you knew where the tear was!
On top of that he's a cool cat and a good rider.
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Drug Debate Takes Center Stage at UN as Latin American Leaders Speak
UNITED NATIONS – Drug trafficking was the key topic of discussion on Wednesday as the leaders of Latin American nations hit hard by the trade called for a debate on alternative ways to combat drug trafficking.
In an unusually energetic address to the annual opening of the U.N. General Assembly, Mexican President Felipe Calderón insisted the world body must do more if developed nations that use "tons and tons of drugs" cannot reduce consumption.
More than just analyze the problem, the United Nations should head "a profound international debate" about ways to cut down on trafficking, he said.
If this consumption cannot be reduced, it is urgent that decisive actions be taken.
The presidents of Colombia and Guatemala also urged the world body to explore alternatives to the traditional "war on drugs." Guatemala's leader had been expected to repeat his call for drug legalization to be considered, but he did not explicitly mention it.
Calderón's speech was his last to the U.N. as Mexico's head of state. President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto takes office Dec. 1.
During his six years in office, Mexico's president has waged an offensive against drug cartels, and at least 47,000 people have died in drug-related violence, most of them as a result of fighting among the cartels.
Calderón's speech characterized organized crime as a principal cause of death and "one of the greatest threats to democracy in the 21st century."
He urged drug-consuming nations to "evaluate with all sincerity, and honesty, if they have the will to reduce the consumption of drugs in a substantive manner."
"If this consumption cannot be reduced, it is urgent that decisive actions be taken," Calderón said.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos also called for a debate looking at alternatives to the traditional "war on drugs," saying the discussion "must be frank, and without a doubt, global."
"It is our duty to determine — on objective scientific bases — if we are doing the best we can or if there are better options to combat the scourge," Santos said.
Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina in the past has called for legalization of drugs as one possible alternative, but did not go that far in his U.N. address.
Instead, Pérez Molina said his government "would like to establish an international group of countries that are well disposed to reforming global policies on drugs" and would consider "new creative and innovative alternatives."
"We must seek new avenues with responsibility and perseverance, with the cooperation of all: producing, consuming and transit countries," he said.
Based on reporting by the Associated Press.
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Robotics Industry News
Güdel Now Offers High Precision Components
Güdel, Inc. Posted 10/05/2010Güdel recently announced the addition of manufacturing Quality 4 and Quality 5 racks to the company's line of racks. These new racks are top grade and ideal for applications requiring extremely high accuracy. For more information
Also now available is Güdel's new Rack & Pinion Quick Selector Guide Tool. Click here to recieve the new guide that allows you to quickly view Güdel's wide range of products, while making it easy to select the best products based on your manufacturing needs.


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Posts TaggedJukebox
Music streaming services have grown in popularity, with Rdio being one of the most popular options in the United States until Spotify jumped across the pond in July 2011. Since that date, Rdio and Spotify have been two of the biggest contenders for monthly subscriptions.
The reason I keep coming back to Rdio is that it seems to be a better fit for how I want to manage my music. I want a true iTunes-in-the-cloud solution and Rdio provides that. Even though Spotify is planning to add a collection feature and to help in music discovery, I am really liking Rdio's innovations. With version 2.0, though, it is not just about a new coat of paint; Rdio 2.0 features new and innovative features, which positions itself in a good spot for competition of monthly subscription revenue. (more…)


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My Vermont summer is rapidly coming to a close, and with that, I am happy that I finally made it to one of the most elusive places on my list: the roof of Bicentennial Hall on the Middlebury College campus. The looming presence of the building is one that I know very well, but its top floor is another story.
One may not think the roof is particularly hard to get to, but it is nearly always locked for security purposes. It is opened only for special occasions and astronomy classes. I say nearly always because on rare occasions the roof will be left unsecured; it then serves as a haven for curious college students willing to take the risk of being caught by campus safety.
Always hesitant to be caught and often avoiding hard science classes, it is needless to say that I had never experienced the views from the top of the building. But its presence always sparked my curiosity. The powerful telescopes and uninterrupted views would provide a window unlike any other.
So when the infrequent opportunity to view the stars from the top of BiHall arose last week, I jumped at it. I would finally get to see what all the hype was about.
Space, and all of its infinite possibilities, is the subject of conversation on a much larger, national level, too. With the landing of NASA's newest project, the Mars rover Curiosity, people are once again being made aware of the mysteries of space. After years of discussion on whether the space program is deserving of federal funds, the public is coming around to supporting NASA after this successful mission. Has science become cool again?
With the world primarily focused on the Olympics, featuring the pinnacle of human physical ability, perhaps Curiosity can remind us of the possibilities of the human mind. And on a much more tiny scale, without spending billions of dollars, one can be reminded of this by simply taking the elevator up to the roof of BiHall on a special Wednesday night.
Stepping out onto the roof I realized that the Vermont sky is like no other. The wonders of the crystal clear views that we have privilege to view are multiplied at such heights. I was able to count the lights from the ground. There were only five visible. The little man-made distraction is specific to Vermont; it would be incomprehensible in cities and even in the suburbs.
In addition to the dark skyline, stargazers had access to amazing telescopes to further enhance the views. Four different telescopes, including the large hub, were pointed at different celestial bodies millions of light years away. To think, all on top of a roof that I have spent numerous hours under.
Maps of the constellations were also available, explaining the brightness and magnitudes of the stars so easily visible above. The numbers on the map, as you could imagine, were extremely specific. Giving precise values to the stars was an interesting juxtaposition for me — beauty can interact with science.
One of the constellations a telescope was focused on was Messier 13, also known as Hercules Globular Cluster, which is made up of about 300,000 stars in the constellation of Hercules. Barely seen with the naked eye on a very clear night, the telescope focused in on the cluster that is 145 light years in diameter and 25,100 light years away from the spot from which I was looking.
Seeing the speckling blobs through the eyepiece of the telescope, it was hard to comprehend the numbers that they were telling me. How old is this thing and how many miles did its light travel to meet my eye? These numbers are far more impressive than any Olympic record.
While I have had many new summer experiences during my time in Vermont, this one I was particularly fond of. In talking about ways to "escape," space offers the ultimate form of freedom. A view of the stars can remind us of our place. Whether perched on top of a mountain or the roof of a building, the stars at night are a great reminder of the innate beauty of nature.
Because of this realization, I can now understand the "science is cool" attitude. And although I have not invested years of my life into crafting a rover set for a distant land, I can begin to understand the passion of those working in the space program.
And all of this possibility is located right on top of a building I see every day. A familiar place can provide you with some pretty foreign sights.


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Colourful manicure set in clear PVC pouch. Includes a nail file and nail clippers.
Manicure set in transparent case. Contains a pair of tweezers, nail clipper, nail cleaner and nail file.
Nala Manicure Set. Manicure set includes a nail file, nail clipper, tweezers and a cuticle tool. PVC.
PVC travel manicure set with 3 accessories. tweezers, scissors and nail clippers.
White and grey 4 piece manicure set with mirror; contains nail cutter, nail scissors, tweezer and cuticle pusher. Housed in a small, hard plastic case, this is a handy size to carry in your handbag or pocket.
Four piece ABS manicure set including a steel key ring and a magnet.
Manicure set in rectangular PU pouch. All 6 tools in stainless steel.
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601 W 3rd St
Directions Williamsport, PA 17701
* The advertised price does not include sales tax, vehicle registration fees, other fees required by law, finance charges and any documentation charges.
* Images, prices, and options shown, including vehicle color, trim, options, pricing and other specifications are subject to availability, incentive offerings, current pricing and credit worthiness.
Vancampen Motors Inc
601 W 3rd St
Directions Williamsport, PA 17701


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The Museum of the American Railroad's STEM-based programs were well received on June 27th at this year's MindBender Academy in Frisco. The annual week-long summer camp, a public private partnership aimed toward encouraging careers in technology fields, took place at Frisco's Career and Technical Education Center.
The Museum of the American Railroad was invited to participate in MindBender and present past, present, and future technologies associated with the railroad industry. The Museum presented four program tracks to a total of 100 6th - 8th grade students from FISD schools. Topics included the production and use of steam from the Industrial Revolution up to the present; the role of rail and the use of modern technologies in the movement of freight; a presentation by DART on the operation and control of its light rail system; and an interactive presentation and experiment with Magnetic Levitation.
Students watched intently as Bill Blaylock, one of the Museum's presenters from Texas Instruments, raised steam in a miniature boiler, while others assembled a working mag-lev model with the help of Michael Sturdy, the Museum's Director of Education. Keith Andrews, with Information Management at DART, brought a fascinating industry perspective to the classroom, including career opportunities in rail transit. Valerie Norris, who heads up the Museum's educational program development, led a hands-on project that addressed the challenges of moving bulk materials safely and efficiently by rail. Each of the four tracks was a blend of instruction and hands-on exercises that typifies the MindBender experience. "We look forward to a long partnership with future MindBender Academies and the Museum of the American Railroad," said Peter Burns, a MindBender coordinator with Alcatel-Lucent.
MindBender 2014 was sponsored by FISD, Frisco Education Foundation, CoServ, Alcatel-Lucent, and Raytheon. The Museum of the American Railroad was proud to be one of the presenters, which afforded its Education Department to debut several program initiatives planned for introduction during the 2014-2015 academic year. Development of these programs is funded in part by the Ralph B. Rogers Foundation and the DGBB Foundation.


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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (MarketWatch) — One fiscal cliff down. Three more to go: the $16.4 trillion federal-debt-limit cliff, the $1 trillion sequestration cuts from defense and discretionary spending, and the $2.5 trillion congressional budget cliff.
No wonder investors are being warned of a 42% market drop by Gary Shilling, longtime Forbes columnist, one of the world's top economists and the author of "The Age of Deleveraging."
But if you really want to know why American markets are going into another bear crash, check out Bloomberg Businessweek's latest cover. It will win the Political Cartoon of the Century award for the best snapshot of the totally dysunctional state of Washington ... the real reason markets will crash and our economic recovery will be a sluggish handicap race with low GDP growth.
Bloomberg's cover is a classic: You see a shot inside the Capitol, with "Babies" in huge bold cap letters. Subtext: "The politics of the fiscal cliff deal are outrageous. The economic thinking even worse." You look closely. No senators. No representatives. All you see are hundreds of babies, whining, throwing temper tantrums, bawling and generally raising hell — just because that's what crybabies do. Get it? 435 representatives and 100 senators, all acting like immature children.
Red-nosed clowns and screaming babies
And if that political cartoonish image isn't accurate enough with all those crybabies giving you an accurate image of American government at its dysfunctional worst, look inside at the graphic of the Capitol Dome with a pointed polka-dot clown hat and huge clown nose.
Yes, the political cartoon imagery has shifted. Businessweek is not alone in seeing Congress as Bozo the Clown. Read the caption: "The fiscal-cliff debate made for more than just clownish maneuvering. It produced a dumb deal."
Bloomberg columnist Peter Coy concludes his commentary with this: "As Sen. Joe Manchin III, a freshman Democrat from West Virginia, put it shortly before the new year: Something has gone terribly wrong when the biggest threat to our American economy is the American Congress."
So yes, folks, it really is easy to see why economist Shilling is warning of a 42% market collapse. With hundreds of crybabies running Washington, our economy will just sink deeper in 2013.
Shilling concludes with this dark summary of the coming crash: "With a global recession depressing corporate revenues, unsustainable profit margins and currency translation losses spawned by a robust dollar, I see S&P 500 operating earnings of $80 per share next year. That's a quarter below Wall Street consensus. Throw in a bear market P/E low of 10 and the S&P 500 Index drops to 800, a 42% decline."
Yes, Shilling does not see any reason for optimism now. But he does have a great track record as a forecaster. So believe him when he says: "Beyond the fiscal cliff, the economic outlook for 2013 is negative. Most forecasters are paid to be bullish. I try to be realistic," says Shilling.
Shilling is actually confirming earlier comments in "U.S. GDP on road to zero growth by 2050," where Jeremy Grantham, whose GMO firm manages $100 billion, says: "The U.S. GDP growth rate that we have become accustomed to for over a hundred years ... is gone forever." And it will decline further: "Going forward, GDP growth ... for the U.S. is likely to be about only 1.4% a year, and adjusted growth about 0.9%." Optimists hate the drop
Three more cliffhangers
The American economy should be in a strong recovery. But that won't happen. It's held hostage by an out-of-control bunch of crybabies and clowns, dogmatic no-compromise ideologues who see government as an enemy and welcome an opportunity to shut it down. That's even though most experts warn that failure to resolve the three upcoming cliffs guarantees serious adverse consequences — lower GDP growth, a recession, another credit rating crash and a loss of international credibility.
Shilling's sees "big trouble dead ahead." Yes, "big," and, yes, "dead ahead." He sees nine major reasons that explain why the future of both the U.S. and global economies and markets are "so grim."
Here are the crucial nine macro trends, all made worse by America's dysfunctional government, which won't correct itself for several years:
1. Lower consumer spending
"U.S. consumers are making a U–turn from borrowing and spending to saving. ... That's bad news for U.S. retailers, and worse news for foreign countries that rely on exports."


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The Human Appendix – Rediscovered
Finally, they find some use of an organ which was earlier found to be vestigial. The Human Appendix. After a study done at the Duke University Medical School, it is now believed that the Human Appendix produces and protects good
Cancer Misdiagnosis: How to Be Prepared
Many people understand the serious implications of a cancer misdiagnosis: months, potentially even years of agony and unnecessary treatment. Undoubtedly, this takes a toll on mental and physical health. But most people aren't aware of how common this medical error
Milk and ghee is considered as vital and Satvik foods in Ayurveda. Milk is known to have calming and soothing properties and is known to pacify vata and pitta dosha. In classical Ayurvedic principles, dairy products like milk, ghee and
Ayurvedic Vegan Moon Milk Recipe
Moon Milk – Effective Herbal Remedy for Insomnia If only you didn't lie awake at night worrying about your insomnia! I'm not teasing, but if sleeplessness is making you hungry in the middle of the night, then besides putting on