text:
Ken Silverstein, Contributor
I write about the global energy business.
President Obama's inaugural address listed climate change and renewable energy as among his top priorities in his second term. But one of the most critical means by which to achieve those goals was never mentioned: the smart grid.
A smart grid could have profound implications on electric power markets, affecting the whole utility supply chain — from the way power is generated to the way it is delivered to customers, and ultimately how much energy is consumed. At the moment, though, consumers lack an understanding of the technology's potential, which has deterred its development. That's why some experts are saying that state regulators must lead the way by providing financial incentives to power companies, which will then try to entice their customers to participate.
The smart grid's relevance is becoming increasingly clear as Congress grapples with the role that renewable energy will play. It will also be an integral part of any climate mitigation strategies and energy efficiency goals to emerge from Congress. Indeed, the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto, Calif., says that deployment of a highly automated system could severely cut carbon dioxide releases and at the same time limit electricity consumption by reducing sales by 1.2 to 4.3 percent by 2030.
For their part, state utility commissioners, generally, feel that they must exercise restraint: Rushing headlong into something that is unproven and expensive is imprudent. Their concern is that smart meters that can facilitate energy conservation have yet to bear fruit. And if those meters are unable to do so, then it would be consumers who pay the price for any failures.
Kurt Yeager, vice chairman of the Galvin Electricity Initiative in California, disagrees with that apprehension and says that regulators hold the keys to progress. Utilities profit on the amount of electricity they sell. Instead, they should be rewarded on the quality of service they provide, he says.
To that end, smart meters provide the price signals to consumers to tell them when to cut their energy usage. The technologies are already working and would only improve as more technology providers jump in.
But those utilities with monopolies over their electricity markets are reluctant to evolve, meaning that today's innovators are being shunned away, says Yeager, who adds for every dollar spent on the smart grid, $4 or $5 is returned. That's not just from the marginal savings of electricity. It's also from job growth and productivity.
Yeager said that regulators cannot just wait and see how consumers adjust, maintaining that such a strategy will keep key technologies at bay and prevent the United States from winning a competitive edge. Collaboration is instrumental, although Yeager warns that some interests can deflect progress because they are unable to set aside their agendas.
"We have to change policies to enable innovation," he previously told this writer. "Utilities will not do this by themselves. They will want more power sources and to make more money. They have no incentive to empower consumers. Until the incentives for utilities change, they will block the door and the public utility commissions will keep the status quo."
Yeager likened it to the days before telecommunications reform: Innovation will remain pent up in a regulatory model that has no motivation to change. And nothing will happen unless regulators force utilities to adopt those smart grid technologies.
Without a doubt, market acceptance has been slow. Industrial and commercial concerns have more to gain than homeowners, who have less financial incentive to monitor their daily energy consumption.
Utilities, though, want to optimize their grids so as to avoid any outages — and the smart grid can do just that. A more efficiently run system, meantime, would make room for green energy. Management's job is to now convince regulators to allow the costs of the tools to pass through to ratepayers.
But the wave of praise has not yet impressed the skeptics. Consider the Maryland Utility Commission: It has said that it understands the potential benefits. But it will not treat the deployment of smart meters in its jurisdiction any different from other big-ticket items. In essence, Baltimore Gas & Electric had wanted to be able to pass through the entire cost without first having to file a rate case.
The commission said to the company that it could not bypass the established regulatory procedures and that it must be able to demonstrate why the benefits outweigh the costs. It must also show that its costs are reasonable and prudent.
That day will come, insists LeRoy Nosbaum, former head of Itron. Whereas energy conservation has typically been a back-burner subject, today it is up front. That awareness in combination with a difficult economy means that people will continue to search out ways to cut energy consumption, and costs.
"It will get there, but the smart grid really is still being defined," says Nosbaum, who spoke earlier with this reporter.
The smart grid supports the Obama's administration's green initiatives. As such, the president allocated $4.5 billion in the 2009 stimulus plan to various projects. NextEra of Florida and CenterPoint of Houston, for example, each got $200 million to rollout more than 1 million modern meters.
Over time, DNV KEMA says that a total of $16 billion in incentives will be targeted to the smart grid. That, in turn, will multiply and create a total of $64 billion in projects tied to the efficient production, transport and use of energy. The consultancy adds that such investments will produce 280,000 new jobs.
The smart grid is not without its detractors, some of whom are critical of the public financing involved. Its advocates, however, are convinced that the government's investment will pay off once the technologies gain market acceptance and after state utility commissions witness their track record. If that is the case, President Obama will deserve credit for helping to foster this facet of the green economy.
Mr. Silverstein: Your column is full of visionary statements and alleged benefits about "smart grid" but lacking in any facts or any references to document your alleged benefits. I am not aware of any actual deployment of "smart grid" that has proven your benefits. If you are talking about distribution related investments in the T&D system to improve two way communications, I am all for that. But even those benefits are not yet documented. If you are talking about smart meters for all and the transformation of essential electricity service into "real time" pricing based on volatile wholesale market conditions, this is not likely to happen and national consumer organizations have opposed any such mandate. There is no evidence to support the notion that connecting smart meter data to in home devices has resulted in any significant or persistence overall consumption reduction and no utility is proposing large large investments in in home devices. The "smart meter" is just a meter that sends more detailed usage data to the utility and may provide more detailed usage data to customers who sign up at the utility's website. There are results that indicate that well designed time-varying rate options (including peak time rebates that actually don't change any rate, but offer a credit) can result in lower peak usage, but if that is the objective, direct load control programs can have similar results. The most immediate impact of smart meter deployment is loss of jobs and increased revenues to utilities due to lower operational expenses. The Maryland Commission told the utilities that if the alleged benefits can be documented, cost recovery would be appropriate, but first document your promised benefits. The other rate recovery approach would just transfer the risk of actually delivering the promised benefits from the utility shareholders to the retail customers, a bargain that most ratepayers and their representatives would not find fair.
I think you should temper your statements about benefits or at least provide factual support for your statements.
Barbara Alexander
Consumer Affairs Consultant
The Smart Grid is essentially a way for utility companies to parse out their product in a more lucrative fashion, by charging end-user consumers more for their commodity product based on time-of-day. In this way, peak usage, which drives their infrastructure costs, will be throttled by end-user costs; the utilities avoid the capital cost of building infrastructure, and still maintain their profit structure. Only the consumer loses-by paying more-perhaps substantially more–for the product. So-live somewhere where you need electrical power 24/7 (how odd!)-be prepared to pay more for that little treat than you do today. A true cost comparison, based on the monthly usage Kwh profile for a given consumer, (Kwh plotted by hour, over a month) will always show a higher cost with smart meters. Smart for who?
The first generation investments in smart grid technologies are driven by excitement and hype. We are observing the business case justifications are falling short of expectations in multiple engagements. Developments in standards by SGIP, wide availability of Green Button data and adoption of Smart Appliances are likely to make next generation of investments in smart grid technologies more successful.
Maybe this is a stupid question, but why can't the government provide the CONSUMERS with financial incentives? What about creating a policy to incentivize the consumer? (I don't think "incentivize" that is a real word, but it should be!)
Time's are a changin'! Social media and BYOD are empowering consumers all over the place. So empower us! Let us be a part of the solution, not the problem!
Here's my take:
I'm willing to bet that most consumers would agree to the following, provided we got a decent financial incentive:
Become educated on the smart grid basics. Its importance, potential, etc. And, most importantly, agree to install a smart meter and participate in a "one year beta program", with the understanding that, because it is a beta test, there will not be any cost reductions reflected in their bills for the first year. Rates will stay as they were last year. (But that's OK, we just received a financial incentive!!! So we're OK with that.)
At the end of the year-long "beta test" utility companies and state commissions both will have fabulous, real-life data to analyze and interpret, and can therefore can make intelligent, decisions moving forward.
Meanwhile, that same year, consumers have become engaged. They're not expecting to save tons of money each month, so they're not angry. What they do get is knowledge from their smart meters, and they begin to learn about how much energy that extra refrigerator for beer is costing them each month. They can note how much their bill went down after they turned off their computers every night for 30 days. And we won't get mad if there are still "bugs" in the system that need ironing out. (That's what a beta program is for.)
Everybody is smarter. And everybody wins.
The possibilities are endless:
For year two: This time let the utility suppliers give the consumer incentives (maybe as a team of some kind) to become the biggest energy reducers in a certain category. Winner gets rate reductions. Heck yea we'll do it! We'll start turning out more lights and social media-ing best tips and tricks to set air conditioner and heater timers.
Empower us, and the possibilities become endless…
The "smartest" move the Administration has made on energy recently is the green light for District Combined Heating and Power (CHP) systems. This is a REAL step toward saving energy consumers money. Unfortunately for traditional utilities, it leaves them mostly out of the loop – providing backup services. Secretary Chu visited a large district CHP system in Texas Thermal Energy Corp. not too long ago and DOE is now fast-tracking these and other distributed energy systems.
Smart meters, etc. will raise customer rates for peak usage – making utils happy but hard news for customers. CHP systems also being developed for residential use, cut costs by reusing waste heat for hot water, area heating and cooling. And on the other side of CHP is the imminent introduction of LENR. The world will never be the same.


text:
FSU Reports
Shepherd took both games from Fairmont State in WVIAC doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Mary Lou Retton Park. The Rams blanked FSU in game one, 5-0, and then got the offense rolling in an 11-4 victory in game two.
The Falcons slipped to 14-17 overall and 10-11 in WVIAC play.
In the first game, Shepherd's Paul Hvozdovic quieted the Fairmont State offense allowing just four hits in a 5-0 complete game shutout victory over the Falcons. Hvozdovic struck out six and walked none, and he didn't allow a Falcon to reach base after the third inning setting down the last 13 in a row.
Tyler Kincaid took the loss for Fairmont State giving up five runs (four earned) on nine hits with two walks and a strikeout through 6.1 innings. Nick Opferman registered the final two outs for the Falcons in relief.
FSU closes the regular season with 11 straight road games, the first coming Wednesday in a doubleheader versus Charleston that gets under way at 1 p.m.
Falcons win two at home
Fairmont State picked up a pair of conference victories over Wheeling Jesuit on Saturday at Duvall-Rosier Field.
FSU picked up a 4-2 victory in game one and Sarah Parsons hit a walk-off RBI double in the seventh inning of game two to wrap up the 4-3 victory and sweep for the Falcons.
The victories improve the Falcons to 22-7 overall and 10-2 in the WVIAC. The Cardinals slip to 10-20 and 3-8 in league play.
Fairmont State would respond to an early 2-0 deficit with an RBI single by Parsons in the third. Holly Frampton followed it up with a two-run home run to give the Falcons a 3-2 advantage. Terri Lynn Wolf added a solo shot to left field in the bottom of the sixth.
Chelsea Cobb (12-3) pitched a complete game for the Falcons, giving up just two runs on five hits and striking out five. Ashley Nichols (6-10) threw a complete game for the Cardinals.
The FSU offense started quickly in game two after Courtney Iacobacci led off the bottom of the first with a triple to left field. Parsons would record an RBI on a sacrifice fly to give FSU a 1-0 advantage.
Nikki Nuzum and the FSU defense stranded WJU runners in the top of the sixth and seventh innings to give the Falcons a chance to win late. Iacobacci led off the bottom of the seventh with a double to set up the game-winning RBI by Parsons.
Nuzum (8-3) pitched a complete game for FSU, giving up five hits and no earned runs. Erika Jusko (1-3) was charged with the loss after giving up 11 hits and just two earned runs.
FSU hosts a doubleheader at 2 p.m. today against West Liberty. The Falcons will honor five seniors prior to the first game.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
August 20-21 - Please join us in preparation for the new school year!
August 18-19
Registration re-opened through July 15
Cap and Gown donations gladly accepted - See Upcoming Events Calendar for Office Hours
June 25 - August 1
WHS Office Hours: 6:30am-2:30pm
WHS Office CLOSED
19819 136th Avenue NE
Woodinville , WA 98072
Phone: 425.408.7400
Contact the Webmaster
Interpreter/Translation Services
Northshore School District prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, sex, marital status, genetic information, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification, in all its employment procedures, training, programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employee has been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged unlawful discrimination: Doug Hale, Human Resources Director, 425.408.7601, 3330 Monte Villa Parkway, Bothell, WA 98021.
All Content © Northshore School District


text:
American (23)
Asian (2)
Barbeque (1)
Bistro (6)
Breakfast (6)
Burgers (2)
Café (2)
Caribbean (1)
Chinese (1)
Deli (6)
Diner (2)
Eclectic (14)
European (4)
French (1)
German (1)
Hungarian (1)
Indian (6)
Irish (1)
Italian (11)
Japanese (5)
Korean (1)
Mediterranean (4)
Mexican (3)
Middle East (2)
Pizza (2)
Polish (1)
Russian (1)
Salads (5)
Seafood (9)
Soul Food (3)
Soup (5)
Steak (4)
Sushi (7)
Sweets (3)
Tavern Fare (1)
Thai (2)
Vegetarian Menu (13)
City (73)
Neighborhood (73)
Breakfast (29)
Lunch (144)
Dinner (154)
Late Dinner (89)
Brunch (40)
Delivery (37)
Outdoor Dining (53)
Banquet Rooms (46)
Bar Scene (55)
Kids Welcome (106)
No Jeans (2)
Romantic (38)
American Express (131)
MasterCard (139)
Visa (139)
Carte Blanche (12)
Discover (79)
TransMedia (12)
The sunflower yellow and purple color scheme and huge tilted mirrors that allow patrons to glimpse ...
(Eclectic, Italian, Mediterranean, Bistro)
Known for its attractive atmosphere and creative menu, Assaggi's menu skips along the northern coas...
(Breakfast, Café, Salads, Soup)
Despite its name, this bakery cafe offers more than just fresh baked bread with a wide selection of ...
A recently completed renovation has brought the Bath City Bistro back to its original turn-of-the-ce...
"Upscale traditional and non-traditional soul food served in a casually elegant ambience. Lots of A...
"Home made dough & fresh toppings make the difference - Big guy's is the best pizza you will ever ta...
Upscale, eclectic dining indoors and on the patio. Handcrafted signature beers complement the distin...
(American, French, Italian, Mediterranean, Bistro)
Mediterranean-inspired menu including: main course salads, gourmet pizzas, pastas, gourmet signature...
(American, Irish, Tavern Fare, Burgers)
Irish pubs, which have long been a feature of the American drinking scene, have become a worldwide p...
The lofty open space on two floors can accommodate intimate or large groups, and caters to canines a...
Authentic Japanese food including sushi. 170 seatings in four different atmospheres including tata...
Featuring homemade continental cuisine including pierogies, beef burgandy, stroganoff, smoked sausag...
After a long run as an upscale eatery, Brian Polcyn has reinvented the Milford space as a Mexican re...
A full-service bar and restaurant with over 100 bottled and draught beers with 16 on tap. Features a...
"Casual but upscale contemporary food served in a warm Paris bistro-style atmosphere. 47 years of se...
"Asian based, new American cooking a unique blend of Eastern and Western seasonings and cooki...
(American, Eclectic, European)
The restaurants philosophy is slow and local. If that sounds pretty fashionable these days, note th...
Live music Fri-Sat. Russian, Ukraninan, Polish, Hungarian, Jewish, American food. Everything homemad...
Strip mall spot in the northern suburbs. Homestyle Italian cooking. Good-value family fare.
For a romantic mood, try one of the cozy corner booths at this Italian eatery, amid the music and tw...
Its a little more expensive than some Indian restaurants, with most meat entrées at $14 or $15 and ...
Hard Rock Café Detroit provides our classic American cuisine while spreading the spirit of rock 'n' ...
Many of the Hill's signature dishes cater to a Reagan-era notion of good eating: surf and turf, lot...
"Featuring ethnic Hungarian, old-world decor and atmosphere embroidered tablecloths, Hungaria...
Joe Bologna and his wife Adele opened their place in 1985, and ever since have served cuisine scores...
(American, Sweets, Vegetarian Menu, Bistro)
If you want it done right, do it yourself. At Josephine, the patés and the wines are all made on the...
(American, Breakfast, Seafood, Soup)
The perfect little restaurant that serves homemade (but upscale), fresh food made to order ho...
Small, intimate European-style cafe with high ceilings and comfy seating. Check out the board for da...
Slow ribs and comfort food. Soul food and BBQ.


text:
Douglas Kennedy is seeking to dismiss the charges against him in connection , his attorney announced at a Thursday Mount Kisco court appearance.
His counsel also issued a subpoena demanding records and details from the hospital in connection with the incident, the hospital's investigation of it and its policies. The request was filed on April 9.
The Westchester County District Attorney's office and the hospital, however, are seeking to quash the subpoena. Kennedy's atttorney, Robert Gottlieb, in response, told Village Justice John Donohue that the prosecution has no legal standing to do so. A prosecutor responded that it is within their right to oppose.
Responding, Gottlieb blasted the attempt to quash as delaying the receipt of "properly obtainable documents from the hospital."
After hearing the arguments Donohue laid out a series of procedural dates that will run before June 14, when he will make a decision on the dismissal request. He gave the prosecution until April 26 to reply to the defendent's filing from this week, May 10 for Kennedy's legal counterreply, and May 17 for a counterreply from the prosecution in turn.
The June 14 date will include another court appearance, this time at 2 p.m.
Gottlieb is also seeking for exculpatory information to be turned over from the district attorney.
Kennedy is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, and harassment, a violation. The later is not a crime.
After they walked out, Kennedy and his wife, Molly, held a press conference and defended his actions during the Jan. 7 dispute with hospital nurses Cari Luciano and Anna Lane. The nurses accuse him of injuring them during a scuffle in which an attempt was made to retrieve Bo.
Talking with reporters, Kennedy explained that the loss of his father—alluding to the 1968 assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy—is what makes him appreciate being with his son.
He vehemently defended how he handled his son.
"I want to tell people that it is okay for a father to hold his son in his arms, and it is ok for a father to want to be with his newborn baby," he said.
"The only thing I wanted to do that night was to be with my son and to hold him in my arms," he added.
About the safety of carrying the baby, he said: "I do not think a father holding a son is dangerous. In fact, I think the safest place my son can be is in my arms."
Gottlieb took over the press conference after the couple departed, and fielded a barrage of questions, some of which came with skepticism of his arguments about the incident and included whether assault was committed in the scuffle.
"There's no assault. He was not even charged with assault. There was no crime here."
When asked if a plea deal has been offered, Gottlieb replied that none has been.
"There's nothing to plead to," he replied.
If the motion to dismiss is denied, Gottlieb stated that they are ready to have a trial.
"The truth is going to be heard in the courtroom. The facts will all come out."
Gottlieb also accused Lane and Luciano of being out for money and lining their pockets. He claimed that in January a lawyer representing them sent a letter demanding that it be sent to an insurance carrier.
Before the court appearance began, a group of nurses from the New York State Nurses Association spoke out against Kennedy outside of the courthouse. They stated that nurses who have people taking their babies out without authorization could be held responsible if something happens, possibly getting fired.
When asked by a reporter who was posing a question from Kennedy's viewpoint about why he should not be allowed to take his baby out, DeBorah Briston, a nurse at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, stated that a baby is still under their care before discharge and permission was not granted.
Another theme that arose Thursday, which comes up in press coverage of legal troubles involving prominent people, is Kennedy's name and status.
A nurse present at the group's press conference felt that that someone else other than Kennedy been involved, the charge would be more severe, like a felony.
Regardless of Kennedy, Gottlieb argued that nobody deserves to be hauled through the process the way he has.
The court and prosecution appeared to adjust their normal routines in connection to the case.
The change could be felt in small ways, ranging from a more restrictive seating policy for the press, to an earlier start for the court. The district attorney also had a group from the office present at the prosecution's podium, in contrast to the sole official who normally handles misdemeanor complaints in village court.
For our previous coverage of the Douglas Kennedy charges, click here.


text:
Narrow your search
The Panasonic AS530 series LCD ain't no plasma, but it offers attractive design and decent image quality for a budget price.
Featuring a large 1-inch sensor and 16x zoom lens (the longest in its class), this compact might be all the camera you need.
Don't call this a phone -- despite its phone-like shape and voice-calling capabilities, the Panasonic insists that it's a slate.
Pricing not available
Join us as we take a look at the fully ruggedised slate from Panasonic that the company says is not a smartphone at all.
Pricing not available
The company introduces the first interchangeable-lens still camera that's QFHD- and Cinema 4K-ready out of the box, though you'll have to accessorize for best results.
While the ErgoFit RP-TCM125 doesn't sound as good as the cheaper RP-HJE120, it still sounds respectable for its budget price tag and includes a one-button inline/remote microphone.
The Nanoe promises to keep more moisture in your hair than a standard dryer thanks to ionic technology.
Spend a little more and get much better performance with other vacuums.
An input that's more future-proof than its competitors' fails to make the Panasonic TC-P65WT600 a recommendable 4K TV.
CNET did not review the EM60 series of LED-based LCD TVs, but we did review the E60 series. See how the two series differ in our Quick Take.


text:
State-Level Trends in Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance
A State-by-State Analysis
Recent analysis of ESI coverage provides a baseline to facilitate monitoring Affordable Care Act expansions of public and private coverage in 2014.
This study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) found that health insurance coverage from employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) "eroded substantially" from 1999/2000 to 2010/2011 (study period).
Key Findings:
- The percentage of nonelderly people with ESI declined 10.2 percentage points (PPs) from 69.7 percent to 59.5 percent over the study period while public coverage increased 3.1 PPs.
- While most states saw "significant declines" in ESI coverage, the range was wide—from New Hampshire (73.8% coverage) to New Mexico (48.0% coverage).
- ESI coverage varied by income. It fell less (2.8 PPs) for high-income groups (400% federal poverty level [FLP] or above) than for those with lower incomes (200 FPL or below) where the fall was 10.1 PPs.
- Nationally, the percentage of private-sector firms offering ESI fell from 58.9 percent to 52.4 percent (although the percentage of workers eligible for coverage at firms that offered ESI held steady). The take-up rate also fell from 81.8 percent to 76.3 percent. Small firms offering coverage declined (67.7% to 56.3%) while at large firms it remained essentially unchanged.
- Single-person premium costs doubled ($2,490 to $5,081); family premiums rose 125 percent ($6,415 to $14,447); employee contributions increased (17.5% to 20.8% of the total premium).
"There is wide variation across states in the ESI measures analyzed here," the authors conclude. "This variation points to the importance of monitoring and evaluating the impacts of the ACA on ESI at the state level."
rwjf_coverage Twitter Feedrwjf_coverage
Media Contacts
Melissa Blair
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation email@example.com (609) 627-5937
Additional Media Contact: Kristin Brown
email@example.com 202-745-5117
Recommended Reading
ESI Under Health Reform
The paper estimates how the ACA would affect ESI and employer costs, and finds that Overall ESI coverage under the ACA would not differ significantly from what coverage would be without reform.
RWJF Coverage Content Alerts
Get critical health insurance coverage information and research via email.
Share this
#Insurance through work steadily declined by more than 10% nationally from 2000-2011.
Most Requested
Dennis Berens, MEd
In his role as co-publisher, Mr. Berens became more conscious than ever of the plight of America's rural communities and the need to preserv...
Read more
Disparities in Nursing Home Quality
Universities examined characteristics of the nation's 17,000 nursing homes to determine why the quality of some nursing homes is so much wor...
Read more
Ruth Murphey Parker, MD
Ruth Murphey Parker's research has focused predominantly in two areas: medical education and health services for under-served populations.
Read more
Robert K. Ross, MD
Robert Ross is now the president and chief executive officer of the California Endowment, a philanthropy that focuses on advancing multicult...
Read more
News Release
Report Shows Decline in Employees Accepting Health Insurance, Rising Insurance Premiums Across Nation
State-by-state analysis shows significant percentage of adults in 25 statesdecline to accept employer's coverage offer.
Read more
Rev. Micheal Elliott, MDiv, MSW
In 2000, Micheal Elliott won a Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leadership Award, one of only 10 awarded each year to grassroots health ...
Read more
William Encinosa, PhD
Encinosa credits the Scholars program with exposing him to a wide range of experts and focusing his work in the health field.
Read more
Connecting the Uninsured to Coverage
Keeping our nation's children healthy and better prepared to learn in school and succeed in life.
Read more
Understanding the Economics of Obesity
Health economist John Cawley, PhD, examines obesity from all angles: costs, consequences, and cures.
Read more
Raising Awareness of the Impact of Uninsurance on Everyone
After completing his fellowship, Pagán returned to the University of Texas-Pan American as a professor of economics. He established the Inst...
Read more
News Release
Cost of Insurance Far Outpaces Income
Study released during "Cover the Uninsured Week" shows cost of covering familiestakes bigger piece of household budget.
Read more
News Release
Study Shows America's Farm and Ranch Families are Struggling With Rising Costs of Health Care
Nearly a quarter of farmers and ranchers say health care costs cause financial problems; spend 42 percent of annual income on coverage and c...
Read more


text:
Courier Staff Writer
10-15 Transit needs to think outside of the box in order to increase ridership, said its executive director, Diane Gawronski.
At the 10-15 Transit Advisory Board meeting Thursday, Ottumwa Finance Director Bob Jay said if ridership doesn't start improving, it will start eating into the organization's fund balance.
"You'll have to start reducing what goes out to match what's coming in," Jay said.
Once reimbursement to the Iowa Department of Transportation for charter violations ends, that will help with 10-15 Transit's bottom line, Jay said. The organization currently has nine monthly payments of $8,800 left.
"We're looking at every penny," Gawronski said. "We're trying to be creative and look for any opportunity to increase ridership and therefore increase income."
One option is a prepaid voucher system, which has already begun in Mahaska County at Love In The Name Of Christ (Love INC) and soon at Mahaska Health Partnership. Ottumwa's correctional facility is also jumping on board to provide rides for its residents to and from work.
The voucher system allows organizations to purchase bundles of bus passes to distribute to clients who need transportation but can't afford it.
"It's for riders who need a ride but they find the $2 both ways to be a burden," Gawronski said.
And with the holidays approaching, she said civic organizations could purchase vouchers to distribute to those in need.
Within each respective county, it's a $2 one-way ride for those 12 years and older, 50 cents one-way for children age 6-12 and free for children age 5 and under.
But much of the public seems to be confused, Gawronski said, believing that 10-15 Transit, and often even Ottumwa Transit, are for disabled and low-income individuals only.
"But they're open to everybody," she said.
Operations Manager Dave Silverio said maintenance is an ongoing headache with the aging buses.
"There's a slim chance we'll get new buses," he said.
And after new public transportation legislation, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), passed Congress, Gawronski said it looks like very little money will be available for the purchase of buses statewide.
MAP-21 would extend public transit funding through September of 2014, but would also reduce funding available to Iowa transit agencies for the purchase of new buses, she said in a previous meeting.
"We'll just keep patching and maintaining them as well as we can because it looks like we're not going to get funding for buses," she said.
There is a possibility, though, that the IDOT will consider moving $3 million from the Iowa Clean Air Attainment Program to the Office of Public Transit for bus replacement, said Chris Kukla, Area 15 Regional Planning Commission transportation planner.
"Unfortunately, $3 million doesn't go far with bus replacement [spread statewide]," Gawronski said.
10-15 Transit will not hold a November meeting. The next advisory board meeting will be Dec. 20.


text:
There were a lot of things to see and do at PAX Prime 2012 this year. I can't tell you about everything, but I can tell you about a lot of things. Over the next few days I will take a look at some the upcoming games and hardware that were featured at PAX Prime 2012.
Our first stop is Trion Worlds the publisher of Defiance. In conjunction with developer Crytek, they are co-publishing Warface, a new free-to-play first-person shooter.
Known for their high quality, AAA, series Crysis, Crytek looks to bring that same high quality to the free-to-play space.
Warface is set in 2023. Many nations have fallen into ruins. Rising to take over the fallen nations is a ruthless military force named Blackwood. Blackwood has turned whole cities and entire countries into war fields in the wake of their greed. The elite Warface force has been created in an effort to challenge Blackwood.
You will be able to choose one of four character classes; Rifleman, Sniper, Medic, and Engineer. In the demo I chose Rifleman. The game started us just after being dropped by helicopter on top of a roof. We had to fight our way down and across the city to a waiting boat. As I made my way around various features were pointed out to me.
The ability to customize your weapon was the first. I had various sights unlocked and it was suggested I mount a higher power sight. Weapons, weapon parts, armor, etc can be unlocked as you play the game and gain experience points. Unlike some FPS combat games, there is no set progression of unlocks. Crytek felt that making players grind forever to unlock higher end equipment wasn't the way to go. You have the potential of unlocking a high end weapon at any time. If you want to unlock weapons, you set your experience focus to weapons; armor set it to armor, etc. You can change the focus any time you want.
As I continued to move across the city I came under fire. I was shown a fun little move called "the slide," to help dodge bullets and quickly move through small holes. While moving (running or walking) you can switch to the slide. I was a bit surprised at how far I slid at first; still it was a cool move.
Eventually we made it to the boat. Once on the boat, instead of cut scene to the next location we got to battle from the boat while it made its way up the river. It had a slight "on-rails shooter" feel during this, but you weren't stationary, you could move around on the boat to get better cover or angles on shots. Shortly after the boat fight our time was up for the demo. There are regular co-op missions and there will be daily missions in the full game.
Crytek's Warface was fun to play. The bonus of it running on the CryENGINE 3 just means it's beautiful in its realistic graphics. From what I saw Warface could give Battlefield and Call of Duty a serious run for their money on the PC, with the bonus of being free-to-play. There are no plans at the moment for consoles, but it is not completely out the realm of possibility. Currently Crytek are taking sign-ups for beta at the Warface web site.
The next Trion game I got to play was Defiance. This game has an interesting concept. The game will be launched at the same time SyFy will launch the TV show of the same name. Defiance the TV show and the game will cross- influence each other. Players of the game will effect what happens on the show. While the TV show and game will take place in the same universe, they will be different part of the country. The Show will take place in St. Louis and the game will take place in Marin County, on a Earth has been ravaged by decades of war with aliens.
The game itself is a third-person action shooter. It has some MMO elements with the ever persistent world and character customization. I was thrown in on the deep end with the game as the match was already going on. The PC controls are either keyboard and mouse or gamepad; I decided to use the gamepad. The action was quick. I primarily used two weapons, a shotgun and an alien spore weapon. They seemed to be a perfect combo. The alien spore weapon fires spores into enemies. These spores start to grow into alien "bugs" that will eventually burst from the growths. As the aliens are growing the enemy becomes vulnerable. When the growths reach a certain "boiling point," switch weapons to the shotgun, and blam, a kill. Although this tactic worked, it took me dying a few times before I got it right. The graphics looked good with a realistic bent, but I think all the characters are placeholders since we all looked the same.
My time with Defiance was quick, but I am curious about the game. The premise and the TV show tie-in are something new, so it might have some legs. It will be available for PC, Xbox 360, and the PlayStation 3 in 2013. For more information, see the Definace web site.


text:
Always Free Shipping for Birchbox Aces
Free standard shipping on orders $50+
Create a free account to check out faster, store multiple shipping addresses, view and track your orders in your account, and much more.
Please enter your password to continue.
I had been using the one initial product Birchbox had, a tube of odd smelling hand cream that worked like magic, until the second hand cream came along and I decided to try it. Oh my goodness it was beyond magic and made me feel like I had been making peanut butter and honey sandwiches with out the peanut butter! So as soon as I saw this soothing body lotion I had to get it and I'm so glad I did even though I still have bottles of other lotions from Birchbox that I love but this is not only really smooth and creamy it smells like our friends, the bees have been very, very busy! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS PRODUCT! BRAVO AGAIN BIRCHBOX!5
I like how easy to spread this is, and it gets absorbed quickly. It helps considerably with my sad winter skin. The scent is perfectly matched to the shower gel. It blends well with the few perfumes I'll rotate for daily wear--Prince Harvey Hello, Joie Folle de Joie and Benefit Laugh with Me LeeLee.4
Years ago, this was my go-to moisturizer. I'd buy it religiously, until the retailer stopped carrying it. I haven't seen this brand for years, so I was over the moon when I saw it available in the Birchbox store!! The scent is subtle and warm, and smells delicious on clean skin. It's perfect for winter, when hot showers require extra-strength lotions. It's potent, but goes on much lighter than equally powerful body butters.5
This lotion has the most delectable, natural smell of honey. Not sickeningly sweet , fake or perfume-y. The lotion is sort of runny, but it was also very moisturizing when I use it as a body lotion. A little goes a long way! The scent lasted all day. People always ask me what it is when I am wearing it. You might not want to wear this while camping, hanging out at your local bear preserve, or beekeeping!5


text:
Kathy Mae Lynn is described by Talladega police as being a 45-year-old white female. She is 5 feet tall and weighs approximately 100 pounds. She does not appear to have any credit cards or access to a vehicle. No clothing description was available.
Talladega Police Capt. Leon Thomas said Lynn was seen in a doctor's office in Pell City on Jan. 8, where she renewed several prescriptions. She does not appear to have filled any of them, however, and has not been seen since.
Lynn was last seen by her husband at their residence on 18th Street on Jan. 2. She was reported missing Jan. 10. According to Police Chief Alan Watson, she has family in Gadsden who have not seen nor heard from her either.
Authorities are concerned for her well being, Watson said.
Anyone with information on Lynn's location or condition should contact the Talladega Police Detective Division at 256-362-4508 or call the city's anonymous tip line at 256-299-0011.
Contact Chris Norwood at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
NORMAN — From flies to crabs, beetles and elk, every animal has a weapon of sorts. Usually, these weapons are in proportion to the overall size of the animal and provide a balance such that animals may effectively hunt, kill and feed on prey.
However, in some cases, animals are fitted with extreme weapons breaking away from balance. Biologist Doug Emlen, of the University of Montana, discussed his book "Extravagant Weapons" Thursday night and what triggers the evolution of extreme weapons in animals and how this parallels the evolution of human weapons technology.
A part of the University of Oklahoma Sutton Lecture Series, Emlen revealed what three critical prerequisites must be in place for extreme weapons to evolve and an arms race to ensue.
"Most weapons — claws, teeth and talons — stay small because of balance. Big weapons may be critical to killing but may hinder catching prey or eating. Balance allows hunters to do both," Emlen said. "There are two basic ways balance breaks down: 1) counteracting selection disappears ... and 2) competition over reproduction."
He said when a predator ambushes his prey, the cost of a big weapon is minimal. Because a female's turnaround for reproducing takes much longer than a male's, fewer females are available for mating, resulting in intense competition.
Yet, some species, including birds, effectuate this competition by singing the loudest songs, flashing the brightest colors and having the biggest plumage. Three prerequisites must be in place to push forward the development of extreme weapons in an animal arms race, Elmen said.
Not only must there be intense competition and a limiting/defensible resource, but contests over limited resources must occur in the form of duels and not mere scrambles.
"Scrambles require agility. Extreme weapons are not cost effective as opposed to duels, which are predictable and favor strength, skill and weaponry," Emlen said.


text:
Four years and 1000 posts later, what did it all mean?
Celebrating one year of Dunn and Jer. Also, revealing an elaborate prank.
Help us pick the best Battle of California posts ever.
Which of the SB Nation hockey blogs are most in need of having their mouths washed out with soap?
Welcome to the Brave New BoC.
Rudy died you guys. It is very sad.
Earl Sleek, this is your (blogging) life!
You have one more week to apply for the greatest non-paying job in the entire California hockey comedy Internet universe!
If you think you might want to join the Battle of California Super Mega Writing Squad!!! then this post is for you.
Just a simple book review, not at all a glimpse behind the curtain into the dark underbelly of our blog.
We'll email you a reset link.
If you signed up using a 3rd party account like Facebook or Twitter, please login with it instead.
You must be a member of Battle of California to participate.
We have our own Community Guidelines at Battle of California. You should read them.
You must be a member of Battle of California to participate.
We have our own Community Guidelines at Battle of California. You should read them.
Choose an available username to complete sign up.
In order to provide our users with a better overall experience, we ask for more information from Facebook when using it to login so that we can learn more about our audience and provide you with the best possible experience. We do not store specific user data and the sharing of it is not required to login with Facebook.


text:
I have relaxed hair. relax about every 5 weeks and often hair dry hair. I did not like this product. The smell is ok but its a lot like lotion. absorbed really quickly and seemed to just disappear on my hair. This may work well if you want a slightly shiny non greasy look in a pony. I also used it on my son who has coarse, dry, cextremly curl hair. his hair drank this up and left no signs of moisture or shine. will NOT repurchase.
hair type: curly 3c hair type
well this is a review on the second time using this product *NOT BAD* >>>BUT!<<<<< *NOT THE BEST*
CONS: greasy , lotion like not cream , moisturize not enough to detangle hair .
PROS: smell great , adds shine "becuz of mineral oil" , does add moisture .
This is an amazing product! I have non-relaxed, extremely kinky, African American hair that never wants to lie straight but my hair is much easier to handle during those early morning school days so I like to flat iron it. This is the only thing that makes my hair straight without weighing it down or making it feel and look greasy. After blow drying I separate my hair into sections and lightly lotion down my hair with this cream before flat ironing. I don't use a lot of this on my hair because you really don't need to use that much to get the great results! When I flat iron my hair with this my hair is left feeling soooooo soft! And it gives your hair a healthy sheen. This product also protects against breakage. I've seen less and less each time I use it. I have to give Pantene their props on this one! They did great!
I am natural with coarse type 3c/4a hair and I find this to be a great product for re-moisturizing my hair in between washes. It also eliminates frizz and adds shine.
I relax my hair and tried this when I was styling it straight. NOT good for that hair style, as it weighed it down and left it feeling greasy. It may work for natural, curly and relaxed hair that it worn curly, rather than heat styled.
More reviews by chiodancrgrl23
Okay so I was at Big Lots yesterday looking at the products and came across this one. I thought that it might be nice and moisturizing for my fine, damaged hair. I went ahead and purchased it. I got home and began reading the negative reviews for the product here on MUA. I was a little afraid to try the product...but I tried it today anyway on damp hair. I used a very small amount, about a dime size. I mixed it with some Garnier Conditioning Glaze (which I also bought yesterday from BL). The two products emulsified nicely in my hand and I spread it over my hair. I was able to comb through my hair pretty easy. I then let it air dry. Wow, after airdrying my hair looks and feels nice! It is shinier than usual and even has a bit more body. It is also very soft! My highlights (mostly the damaged part of my hair) also look more vibrant! I was pleasantly surprised about this product. The consistency of it reminds me of TIGI After Party and seems to perform in a similar way. I would definitely buy this again if it keeps giving me such nice results. I think the key to this one is you have to use it sparingly, otherwise it will make your hair greasy - use it much like you would the TIGI AP. Good stuff and since the bottle is big I will have it for a long time! By the way - my hair is mostly caucasian (I have a mixed ethnicity) and it has a natural curl to it. It is wavy in some sections and curlier underneath.
More reviews by VictrixObsequens
I have thick, dry, curly hair so anything that moisturizes it is awesome. I sometimes use this as a leave-in conditioner after I wash my hair but this stuff is very heavy so I can't add too much. Sometimes, if my hair is frizzing up, I'll add a very small amount to the frizzy areas to help control them. However, I can't use this every day because my hair will get weighed down and oily. But in small amounts this stuff works very well.
I have relaxed uncolored hair.
Its kind of hay like and fly away I use this when smoothing my hair all back into a bun.
It smells very good and adds a subtle sheen. It makes the hair look cohesive. No flyaways or shorties sticking up. Everything together and polished.
I also notice it makes the puffy area right above my ears lay flat when i need a relaxer if i rub this in it and follow with a fine tooth comb.
Very useful though it can make hair greasy if you use it everyday along the lengths. Also the smell of it in your hair goes from wonderful to frowsy in a day.
Also not particularly moisturizing IMO. creamy but u can feel the water content.
Good for what I use it for though.
I believe this product has bleached the color from my hair and caused damage and breakage to my hair. I started using R&N two years ago and loved it until.... Six months ago I realized that for the last two years my hair has been turning red and breaking off. Most of My hair turned auburn in the summer and brown in the winter even though I used black hair color. Also I begin to notice lots of hair breaking off and now my hair is down to two inches in some areas. I stopped using R&N three months ago and my hair has not turned red this summer and the breakage has slowed down, I mentioned this to my sister who used all Pantene products she realized her hair had turned various colors and was breaking off as well. Eureka!! The only new product I had used in the last two years was Pantene...Go figure.
Natural, totally chemical-virgin spiral curls a la Scary Spice. Looks like the American Idol Jordin Sparks might have the same curl pattern (3B-3C according to Oprah's hair stylist/curly.com?). Don't know about theirs, but the texture of mine is actually pretty fine and fragile. It's easy to weigh it down with a lot of product, and when it's saturated with water in the shower, it looks much longer and straighter--with large loopy wet curls the circumferance of a hot dog and flowing down to the band of the bra. The curls gradually shorten over the day they've been washed, until the second day, when they reach their final (shoulder-length) length.
My search for the perfect hair product has been a 20 year saga. I will spare you most of it. Just know that I had years of crunchy curls from the misguided mousse and gel fads of the early and later 90s, respectively. But on the other hand, my problem with the African-ancestry hair section of U.S. stores has been that the products are far too heavy and emollient and greasy on my hair texture/weight. I used the brown gel (Ampro) for a while in undergrad, but it was a sticky brown mess that did not give a good texture, either.
What I have been using for the past 3-4 years is the boutique line, Wen, by Chaz Dean (I use the Fig cleansing conditioner as a leave-in product, right after stepping out of the shower). The results have been pretty good (non-crunchy curls that are neither dried out nor too greasy). But, I accidentally bought this Pantene product when someone put it on the same shelf as the Relaxed & Natural conditioner...so here's my review....
This is a very emollient, oil-heavy lotion (fairly drippy). I was scared when I encountered this, thinking I should just return it for the regular conditioner I meant to buy. It reminded me too much of the activators and lotions and creams from the African-marketed part of the store (see above).
The smell is quite strong, and I find it unpleasant (it has a strong whiff of watermelon about it, which I hate, plus an oil-undertone).
Now, this is very strange on my hair when applied (to wet, just out of the shower, almost dripping hair). It goes on normally, but after a few minutes, the oils in the cream cause it to bead up on the wet strands and drop down in white-colored droplets. I recommend sleeping with a satin cap on to avoid an oily pillow.
After a few hours, when the hair has dried, though, is where the surprise occurs. It has defined the curls, weighed them down enough without being too much, and made them look moisturized. I will be honest with you: it eers towards looking like there is oil in the curls, there is no denying that. BUT, it doesn't look bad; just like lightly oiled, defined curls.
The next day, when the hair is dry, it will never look "DRY, dry." It will still have a sheen of oil on it and discernible curl pattern.
There's just one problem with this: the oiliness continues. So, even 3 days after you first applied it to wet hair, you will touch your hair and take your fingers away, and you WILL see and feel a sheen on them! I mean, enough that you would not want to touch a glossy magazine cover or pristine silk dress after. For that reason, I have taken off a star and warn you: this is an OIL cream moisturizer, and not for those who hate oil's characteristics.
If you have acne-prone skin, be careful to keep your wet hair off your face with this product on it. The label includes several ingredients that may cause breakouts--and for me, personally, Cetearyl Alcohol is the number one cause of product-triggered pimples on my face. I avoid this ingredient in skincare like it's plagued, so it gave me a chill to see it listed, and high up on the label! Your skin might tolerate it though; each of us is sensitive to different ingredients.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No


text:
Some studies suggest that jarred baby foods are often diluted and/or heavily processed to the point of losing a portion of their nutrient content. However, home-prepared baby foods tend to be significantly higher in vitamins and nutrients and are cheaper (nearly one fifth of the cost of store-bought foods). Additionally, mothers have a greater selection of pesticide-free, organic produce to puree for their babies' meals versus purchasing the premade items.
We found that the Baby Bullet food processor was a quick and convenient way for moms to prepare their own fresh baby food. And you don't have to be a Michelin star chef; in most cases you just steam, add a little water, blend and serve. Plus, the Baby Bullet comes with a cookbook, nutrition guide, easy freezer storage trays and serving cups with lids to mark the date made, which all really help take away most of the headache in storing and sorting the food ($59.97 | babybullet.com).
When there is no time to blend, we suggest keeping a reserve of Jack's Harvest frozen organic baby food. It is prepared in small batches and immediately frozen to maintain nutrient content. And it comes in preportioned servings, so you can just thaw and serve. Plus, the adults can share in the fun by using one of the heart-shaped frozen fruit blend servings as ice to perk up an iced tea or cocktail (starting at $_4.99| jacksharvest.com)
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends nursing your infant exclusively until at least 6 months, and then they suggest continuing nursing to 1 year of age while introducing solid foods. According to the AAP, breastfed babies were found to have fewer incidents of respiratory infection, gastrointestinal infections, diabetes, obesity and food allergies and intolerances. Additionally, mothers are believed to benefit from decreased postpartum blood loss and a quicker return to prepregnancy weight.
While hospital-grade pumps are the most efficient and comfortable, they are expensive and difficult to transport. Likewise, while portable pumps are small and easy to tote, they aren't as effective. We thought the Ameda Purely Yours Ultra was the perfect combination of both. It's small, lightweight, battery or power cord operated and there are minimal parts and pieces, which makes it easy to transport back and forth to work. And with the quiet motor and black faux leather travel bag, it's fairly discreet. Lastly, the speed and suction settings allow for a comfortable and fast, efficient pumping experience ($299 | ameda.com).
Banking your child's cord blood poses no risk or harm to your baby, and if you do so, your baby will have an exact match to his or her stem cells, which can be used in the future to regenerate blood cells or repair tissue damaged by disease. However, the AAP recommends private banking largely for the benefit of full siblings known to have a medical condition that could be treated by the stems cells. A child may not be able to benefit from his or her own stem cells if the cells contain the genetic disease needed to be treated. But siblings and other family members of the child can be candidates for the nearly 80 stem cell–treatable diseases and disorders, including cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma and blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia. Scientists believe these stem cells might one day also provide a treatment for diabetes and cerebral palsy.
Siblings and family members are more likely to find a viable match with a relative's banked stem cells than with other public cord blood banks, and private banking assures that your family's cells will always be available to you. Of the private cord blood banking companies, ViaCord claims to have the most transplants from banked stem cells and the highest transfer survival rate. ViaCord's collection bags are asserted to preserve stem cells better and prevent more cell loss over standard blood bags (starting at $1,000 | viacord.com). Call 1-866-668-4895 to enroll and give the code UPSCALE to receive $250 off at ViaCord.
For babies younger than 6 months, the AAP advises keeping them out of direct exposure to sunlight as much as possible, specifically between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. They also advise dressing babies in lightweight and tight-woven clothing such as brimmed hats, long-sleeve shirts and pants. Only as a second resort when shade or protective clothing doesn't suffice do they recommend sunscreen, which they advise only applying to the face and backs of the hands. For babies older than 6 months, sunscreen may be applied all over the body with care around the eyes. They also suggest sunblock with titanium dioxide, or zinc oxide in babies with sensitive skin.
The SnoozeShade was intended to minimize noise and block out bright lights or other visual stimuli so that babies could nap in their car seats or strollers undisturbed. However, the breathable fabric also serves as UPF 50+ protection, blocking out 98 percent of UV rays. And when naptime is over, the SnoozeShade Plus has a "lookout" window, which allows babies to see out while blocking 80 percent of UV rays (starting at $34.99 | snoozeshade.com).
The Department of Health and Human Services recommends pregnant women get 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise at least five days a week. And according to the March of Dimes, children born to women who exercised during pregnancy were found by a study to be leaner and score higher in intelligence testing than children of nonexercisers.
You may often find yourself modifying or second guessing exercises in your regular workout during pregnancy. So we found the best workout to put our minds and bumps at ease was a workout geared specifically for pregnant mothers. Sara Haley's Expecting More DVD set gives you six workouts, which target cardio, strength and flexibility. Plus, you may feel more comfortable and less self-conscious exercising in the privacy of your own home. Additionally, pregnant exercisers are more likely to bounce back to their prepregnancy weight quicker ($39.95 | sarahaley.com).


text:
Larger transportation departments will likely have a fleet manager. A fleet manager is exactly as it suggests, the manager of the transportation fleet.
A transportation fleet manager should have the following skill set:
- Complete and up-to-date knowledge of state and federal transportation regulations
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations () .
State Safety Regulations.
State Motor Vehicle Regulations.
State Trucking Regulations.
Department of Transportation Laws(DOT)
- Ability to accurately calculate load arrival times
Understanding of weather impact on travel time.
Working knowledge of computers.
Intermediate to advanced level of Microsoft Excel.
Ability to learn company specific software quickly.
- Develop and maintain an accurate record-keeping system
Understand all filing formats (alphabetical, numerical, alpha-numeric, topical) .
Knowledge of state and federal record-keeping requirements.
- Prioritization
Understanding of what is the single most important task at any given moment.
Ability to think on one's feet and make decisions quickly.
- Listening skills
Willing to listen to drivers, office personnel, management, state and federal regulators and their concerns.
Decision-making ability.
- Handle emergencies
Ability to stay calm.
Ability to make decisions quickly.
Knowledge of environmental cleanup responsibilities.
- Differentiate driver issues
Ability to decipher problems versus complaints.
Ability to problem-solve.
- Effective communication
Ability to speak professionally.
Stays calm under pressure.
Willingness to listen in positive manner.
Potential Job Responsibilities:
- Oversee fleet maintenance
- Obtain and maintain truck licensing and registrations
- Obtain and maintain emission testing
- Obtain and maintain annual inspections
- Develop and report monthly IFTA reports
- Oversee proper use of fuel cards
- Maintain daily inspections
- Maintain work orders
- Conduct safety meetings
- Oversee and schedule repairs
- Maintain, log, and account for fuel and oil storage tanks
- Opening of work orders
- Researching parts availability and costing
- Issuing purchase orders
- Train, schedule, reprimand, hire, and terminate employees
- Time cards
- Scheduling vacations
- PTO, comp time, sick days, tardiness, and FMLA
- Maintain the parts inventory
- Responsible for shop safety
- Comply with DOT, OSHA, EPA, and state laws
- Develop, maintain and adhere to disciplinary procedures, driver orientation program
The above information should prove useful to someone in a position to hire a fleet manager, or for an individual seeking a fleet manager position. See the accompanying checklist to check off skills obtained or skills yet to work on.


text:
Home » Self-Help & General Interest » Parenting
Coming soon!
More than 75,000 in print!
More than 75,000 in print!
View larger
A Parent's Guide to High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder
Second Edition
How to Meet the Challenges and Help Your Child Thrive
Second Edition
How to Meet the Challenges and Help Your Child Thrive
Sally Ozonoff, Geraldine Dawson, and James C. McPartland
The new edition will be published December 2014. If you need this title before then, please see the previous edition.
Packed with real-life stories and everyday problem-solving ideas, this book has given many tens of thousands of parents the facts they need about high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including Asperger syndrome. The authors are leading experts who describe ways to work with these kids' unique impairments and capabilities so they can grow into happy, self-sufficient adults. Parents learn practical strategies for helping their son or daughter relate more comfortably to peers, learn the rules of appropriate behavior, and succeed in school. The book also discusses what scientists currently know about ASD and how it is diagnosed, as well as what treatments and educational supports have been shown to work. Updated with the latest research, resources, and clinical strategies, the second edition clearly explains the diagnostic changes in DSM-5.


text:
Ensuring human rights in the provision of contraceptive information and services
In order to accelerate progress towards attainment of international development goals and targets in sexual and reproductive health, and in particular to contribute to meeting unmet need for contraceptive information and services, WHO has published guidance for policy-makers, programme managers providers and other stakeholders in the health sector on how to ensure that human rights are respected, protected and fulfilled, while services are scaled up to reduce unmet need for contraception
Postpartum family planning
Postpartum family planning is the prevention of unintended and closely spaced pregnancies through the first 12 months following childbirth. Providers, women, their families and communities, as well as policy-makers and programme managers, often do not think of the need for family planning at this time. They may not be aware that a woman's fertility can return in the early months after birth and that with timely initiation most contraceptive methods are safe for the breastfeeding mother. Providing contraception during this period is both cost-effective for health systems (as couples are generally already visiting the health facility) and for clients who avoid unnecessary return trips to the health-care facility.
Combined hormonal oral contraception and risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE)
WHO convened a series of technical consultations between 13 and 16 May 2013 in order to plan the updates of its evidence-based family planning guidelines. As part of the process for updating these guidelines, WHO will be considering the evidence related to VTE risk associated with oral contraceptive formulations with various progestogens. Once this process has been completed, WHO will be in a position to provide global guidance on this issue
Online curriculum components and tools to deliver family planning training
The Training Resource Package for Family Planning (TRP) is a set of materials designed to support training on family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH). The tools can be used by facilitators and curriculum developers to design, implement and evaluate high-quality training and education in FP/RH. The development has been by led by WHO, UNFPA, USAID and other partners and agencies.


text:
The Portland, Maine-based real estate concern that purchased the Briarcliff Summit last year for a multi-million dollar renovation, says the refurbishing, which started in September of 2012, is proceeding as planned.
"The renovations are happening and are going smoothly," Nick Bouquet, a development associate with Evergreen Partners LLC, told Virginia-Highland—Druid Hills Patch.
"The project is on schedule."
Evergreen purchased the iconic building at 1050 Ponce de Leon Ave. last year with a muti-pronged plan to renovate it.
The 200-unit apartment building opened in 1925 as a luxury rental complex on Ponce, then one of Atlanta's most fashionable streets.
It now provides Section 8 housing to the elderly.
The renovations include refurbishing the façade, the installation of new flooring, cabinets and windows in the apartments and other improvements.
Evergreen projects the renovations to the apartments alone will cost about $55,000 per unit.
Bouquet said none of the tenants are being displaced during the renovations, which are being done with residents living on-site.
The building is to remain Section 8 after the renovations are complete.


text:
"My San Diego posse! Last show! Thank you Cali! Love ya! http://t.co/lr95uYTttJ
Adam Lambert stopped by for a chat with Cyndi in Vancouver during the "Dressed to Kill" tour with Cher!
Deluxe Edition features original album, rare demos, live concert recording and remixes...
» Read More
Everybody Say Yeah! Cyndi wins her very first Tony Award – Best Score for Kinky Boots!
Kinky Boots was the big winner of the Tony Awards, earning six awards — incl...
» Read More
"Cyndi Lauper: A Memoir," an inside look into the life of the unique and compelling artist, hits the coveted New York Times Best-Seller List today, adding another mil...
» Read More
Cyndi talks with The New York Times about her experience as a composer for Kinky Boots on Broadway....
» Read More
® Cyndi Lauper Copyright ® 2014. | All rights reserved. Terms & Conditions
Site designed by Purple Crayons


text:
I'm beginning to wonder why the liberal media are providing unprecedented exposure to the Democrats and the continuing Barack/Hillary debacle and not giving equal time to John McCain. The Democrat opponents are saying nothing of substance and are merely trashing each other's character. Meanwhile, McCain is out on the campaign trail making speeches and explaining his stance on issues, and we conservative Republicans hear very little of it.
For me, hearing more of what John McCain really stands for is absolutely essential. He's going to have to go a lot further to convince me that he is actually sensitive to the party's conservative base. His 20-plus years in the Senate have shown that he is a Republican in name only and not the Reagan conservative that he now professes to be.
Why does the Republican Party want to distance itself from its conservative foundation and instead pander to the independents and the soft Democrats? Reagan twice proved that a conservative agenda and an inspiring leader will win overwhelmingly. It was proven in 1984 with the Republican "Contract With America" and in 1994 when the party took over both houses while running on conservative values and beliefs. We also saw the disastrous results in 2006 when we strayed from those same principles.
Convince me, Sen. McCain, of who you really are. I know you're a patriot and a man of courage and personal integrity. I know you know the importance of a strong military that is the best-trained, best-equipped, and with the best military leaders in the world. I know you want to win in Iraq and leave with honor, turning the fight over to the Iraqi army only when it is ready. Much to the Democrats' disgust, that is exactly what is happening when we see the most recent and frequent successes over there.
I think you want conservative justices at all levels of the courts rather than activist judges who desire to legislate from the bench. However, Robert Novak once pointed out that you dissed Samuel Alito as being too conservative or as "wearing his conservatism on his sleeve." Which one is the real John McCain? You have never flip-flopped in your pro-life belief.
But at the same time, I have my concerns about who is the real John McCain. Is he the one who now says he supports the Bush tax cuts that caused unprecedented growth or the one who originally campaigned and voted against them? Is he the one who says he wants to secure the border or the one who supports giving amnesty to some 20 million illegals? To quote you, "By the way, I think the fence is least effective, but I'll build the &*%#$@*& fence if they want it."
Are you the one who wants strong national security and an aggressive stance in fight against terrorism? Or, is the real you the one who wants to dilute the Patriot Act, close Gitmo, eliminate interrogation techniques (that are mild compared to our enemies' methods) that could save thousands of American lives? I think you are also in favor of giving terrorists caught on the battlefield the same rights as our own citizens have to our non-military justice system. Convince me this isn't true.
You say you want a smaller, more-limited government; but you then turn around and sign on with the global warming wackos and their propaganda. There is lots of credible disagreement in the scientific community that deserves to be listened to.
For now, I'm going to sit back and watch the campaign unfold. Obama will be exposed eventually as a good orator with no experience and nothing of any substance to offer.
Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate, and a true conservative, is beginning to interest me and it would be wise to pick a running mate of his caliber. I want a vice president who carries the conservative banner proudly and is an inspiring leader, one who has a good chance of winning after your one term is up. Twelve years of a Republican president would finally put Hillary's power trip to bed. She would be 73, even older than you are now.
So be very careful Sen. McCain. Don't take my vote or those of other conservatives for granted. The only reason you have my vote right now is because I can't conceive the damage that would be caused to the country by the other side's candidate and not because of your track record.
If the Republican Party, led by you, begins to distance itself from conservative values, I'll have to look elsewhere for a party that I can believe in.
Tom Sears is a professor of accounting at Hartwick College in Oneonta. He can be reached at email@example.com. His column appears every other week.


text:
Start learning with our library of video tutorials taught by experts. Get started
Viewers: in countries Watching now:
Web sites frequently require updates, but the people who create content don't necessarily have the experience or permission required to edit the HTML files on the server. Contribute offers a user-friendly interface for making changes without involving a web developer or an elaborate content management system. In Contribute CS4 Essential Training, Garrick Chow shows how a site administrator can create and assign roles, determining what users can edit and whether they can publish the changes. He explains how Contribute can be used for collaborative workflows, in which multiple contributors edit and review changes before publishing them, and simple version management, with the ability to roll back changes to a previous state if something goes wrong. The course covers everything developers, administrators, and contributors need to know to get the most from this unique tool.
(Music playing.) Updating your website is a lot easier than you think, especially if you're using Adobe Contribute CS4. Hello, I'm Garrick Chow and this is Contribute CS4 Essential Training. Contribute CS4 makes it easy for anyone to edit and update webpages without needing any experience with HTML, CSS or more advanced web design applications like Adobe Dreamweaver. If you're new to web design, this is a course that will unlock all the mysteries of getting into a site from just about anywhere to make the changes you need.
I'll take you through it all. How to work with templates, getting to know page properties, using roll backs which let you turn back time on a page you messed up to a version of the page that was working. And I'll also talk to you about section anchors, the Firefox plug-in, editing blog entries and how easy it is to use all these features. If you're already an experienced web designer, you'll definitely be interested in the section on administering your site and learning how to control exactly what changes Contribute users can and can't make. Time to make your mark on the web as we get into Contribute CS4 Essential Training.
There are currently no FAQs about Contribute CS4 Essential Training.
Access exercise files from a button right under the course name.
Search within course videos and transcripts, and jump right to the results.
Remove icons showing you already watched videos if you want to start over.
Make the video wide, narrow, full-screen, or pop the player out of the page into its own window.
Click on text in the transcript to jump to that spot in the video. As the video plays, the relevant spot in the transcript will be highlighted.


text:
July 31, 2014
April 24, 2006
Fourth graders at Clark Elementary School got a visit from performers with the Ash Lawn Opera Festival.
They belted out a few tunes and gave the kids a quick lesson in opera.
They've holding their outreach program for the past 10 years.
The goal is to answer questions and get the kids interested in opera music.
"I like just seeing...the kids' reactions and [seeing] how much they like it and get into it and showing that it really is accessible for anyone," said Opera Singer Don Groves.
The opera singers will perform at other local schools throughout the week.


text: School Memories Album - Current Catalog Shopping Cart: 0 items Sign up for exclusive email promotions Checks Address Labels Greeting Cards Holidays and Events Gift Ideas Collectibles Gifts for Everyone Gifts for Her Gifts for Him Gifts for Kids Gifts for Pet Lovers Gifts for Teachers Faith and Memorial Gifts Games and Puzzles Apparel and Jewelry Wine Gifts Personalized Gifts For Your Home Stationery Personalized Stationery Calendars Home Office Wrapping Paper Photo Gift Center Dollar Deals Sale Home > Gift Ideas > Gifts for Kids School MemoriesAlbum Preschool through senior year, 28-page keepsake albumhas a place for fill-ins on each page and 14 yearly pockets. Hardcover; 10" x 12". Click "View Larger" to see sample pages. Product Code Product Description Qty Price 342494 School Memories Album $15.99 NOTE: To avoid errors, please do not refresh this page or hit the back button while we process your order. ABC's Canvas Print $34.99 - $79.99 Old School Memo Pad $9.99 Name Puzzle $24.99 Morehead's 1st and 2nd YearBaby Calendars $7.99 - $13.99 Home|Featured Merchants|Tips|Contact Us|Privacy & Security|Site Map|1-800-848-2848|Request Free Catalog © 1998, 2014 Current USA, Inc.


text:
Congratulations. Was the wedding date announced earlier? I must have missed it.
Congratulations. Was the wedding date announced earlier? I must have missed it.
And victoriajh, I completely agree it is very fitting that she will be a winter bride. Is there snow in Providence at the moment? My Mum was a winter bride on a snowy day and her wedding pics were beautiful.
Right around Nationals? Told ya she still owns that event
But how is she getting married already, isn't she 15?
This news puts a huge smile on my face. Congratulations Michelle and Clay!
Now... I know i am getting ahead of myself but I wonder if they will have kids, and if they do, whether Michelle would mind her child/children skating.
Edited: I said Cody, instead of Clay. No idea why I thought for a sec his name was Cody.
Congrats and much happiness to Michelle and Clay!
I concur, also!
I looked up the church on the internet and it is beautiful. It has a very long aisle for the beautiful bride and her dad to walk down. It also has balcony seating so should be large enough to hold their many friends and associates.
Wow. Congratulations and best wishes to these 2 wonderful young people.
"Skating fans are not a patient bunch." Dragonlady
According to a tweet reply by the guy who posted the info in my first link, the wedding is at 3.30pm today EST so it's still two hours away. Plenty of time for a local FSUer to get a sneak peak at THE DRESS and report back!!
Congrats to them!
The church is on Benevolent Street. How fitting!
congratulations to Michelle and Clay,
best wishes,
Outstanding! Hope they have a very happy life together.
The later part of January has always been a favorable time for Michelle. What an excellent time for a wedding. Too bad there won't be people in the congregation holding up 6.0 signs.
Those who never succeed themselves are always the first to tell you how.
Those are names that rhyme together well,
Michelle Kwan-Pell.....
How lovely! Best wishes to them!
Charter member of the "We Always Believed in Ashley" Club and the "We Believe in Ricky" Club
Old, lonely, pathos-hungry, and extremely gullible
"Skating fans are not a patient bunch." Dragonlady
I guess my invitation got lost in the mail!! Congrats Michelle!!!
"Michelle would never be caught with sausage grease staining her Vera Wang." - rfisher
Great news. Congratulations to the Happy Couple!!! Can't wait to see photos of the beautiful bride!
Congratulations to Michelle and Clay! I applaud the day they chose, too. Now I get to share my birthday with her anniversary!


text:
No one has commented yet.
I haven't added this to my profile yet
I have only seen you guys once in Charlotte NC. back in 2006, the show was amazing. what inspires me the most is the talent a Sully and his ability to play multiple instruments and your lyrics and tone of vocals have made me push myself to try harder at what I do. I have done a lot of research on you guys and found it interesting that Tony is a self taught guitarist, and a former carpenter just...


text:
Erik Kain, Contributor
I write about video games: the industry and the culture.
AMC's 'The Walking Dead' is back, but the fate of the cast is less certain.
[Obligatory spoiler warning for every episode of The Walking Dead.]
In the first half of Season 3 of AMC's The Walking Dead, we witnessed the decline of our chief protagonist, Rick Grimes, into what appeared to be an ever more fleeting grasp on reality.
First it was his rage and his guilt both over his wife's relationship with his friend Shane and his eventual killing of Shane. Then, when Lori died during child birth, Rick slipped over the edge. He began to hear imaginary phone calls from the dead.
But then, for a moment, it appeared his ghosts had abandoned him, that he would pull through. The old Rick emerged from that dark place and came back into the world, ready to bash in some zombie skulls and protect his loved ones.
In the midseason premiere, we find ourselves only moments after where we left off (hanging from a cliff.) Newly reunited brothers, Daryl and Merle Dixon, have been pitted against one another in a fight to the death, hemmed in by walkers and a bloodthirsty crowd.
Rick and Maggie show up guns blazing and the four of them—including Merle—escape in the confusion, leaving a very angry and deranged Governor behind. Andrea is also left behind, though I can't quite ascertain what's keeping her in Woodbury now that she knows the Governor is a cold-blooded maniac.
After the escape the Dixon brothers part ways with the fast-dwindling group; Daryl won't come back to the prison if his brother isn't welcome, and Merle is the furthest thing from welcome. As if his charming personality weren't enough, his savage beating of Glenn and his eager willingness to aid the Governor in his sadism certainly was. Rick seems equally determined to rid himself of Michonne, a character so abysmal at even the most basic communication skills she may as well be from a foreign country with no grasp of the English language.
Safe and sound back at the prison, Rick and co. deliver the bad news: Oscar has been killed; Daryl has departed. The crew is as small as it's ever been. Everyone is downcast. Glenn is traumatized and has no idea how to handle the sexual assault against Maggie. A wedge has grown between them.
They're outgunned, outnumbered, and weary to the bone. Time for reinforcements, suggests Hershel.
The newcomers—Tyreese and his motley crew—are not necessarily trustworthy. While Tyreese and Sasha seem like good upstanding walker-killers, the other two–Ben and Allen—are already cooking up a coup. Little do they know, this makes them extremely expendable. As generic and unsympathetic as they are, I suspect they won't last long, though I hope that Tyreese and Sasha become show regulars.
Rick isn't fond of Hershel's advice and refuses Tyreese and company flat-out. Hershel begins to talk him into the idea when a vision appears: Lori, her face shrouded in shadows, in her wedding dress. She's staring ghoulishly down at the proceedings. Rick begins to mutter "no" over and over again.
Apparently the make-believe phone calls were not the full extent of Rick's mental breakdown. He begins shouting, pacing, waving a gun about. "What do you want from me?" he screams. "I can't help you! Get out!"
The newcomers quickly flee, while the old-timers look on in shock and horror. Hershel, who knew about the phone calls, is worried but helpless.
For my part, I think a healthy dose of sleep is in order for our ex-sheriff. I'm not sure if Rick has slept in days and his mental state could very well be crumbling due to his exhaustion and the overwhelming stress of survival, grief, and constant death.
The baby haunts him as well. It was only moments between his reunion with his youngest child and his vision. His guilt and sorrow haunts him, and the baby is a cruel reminder.
All told, I'm not sure this was the strongest episode for a midseason premiere, though the end was intense. It had a transitional feel to it with Daryl's departure and the lull in action. And so we are left not knowing where the wind is blowing.
Andrea is upset with the Governor but shows no signs of leaving; quite the contrary. Things happened in the episode, but not enough to get the ball rolling.
I disagree that it was a flat,and even if it was, that's no excuse for your lack of analysis regarding the episode. If you read some of the other reviews of the episode, or of anything at all, you might understand the difference between a review and an simple retelling of events depicted in the episode. The LA times did a bang up review of the show, complete with perspective and insight. You've given nothing but an overly long synopsis. Sorry, but maybe television reviews aren't your thing.
What are you but a glorified commenter on the internet? I wouldn't think Forbes would print a "review" like that. Do you have an editor? Your defensive responses are unprofessional and read as insecurity.
Then you are in the wrong business.
Hi there Erik, I completely agree with your review.
The Walking Dead is pretty much the bee's knees when it comes to TV shows, but this episode was probably the most cringe-worthy episode so far. I mean Andrea's hat speech was so ridiculous, I expected those people to laugh her off / tell her to shut up, but when they actually rallied behind her I was flabbergasted.
Hi there Erik, I completely agree with your review.
The Walking Dead is pretty much the bee's knees when it comes to TV shows, but this particular episode was probably the most cringe-worthy so far.
I mean Andrea's speech was so ridiculous, I expected those people to laugh her off / tell her to shut up, but when they actually rallied behind her I was flabbergasted.
I hope this new showrunner improves the writing, because I really like this show but I can only tolerate the crappy characters (Andrea, Michonne) & dumb decisions for so long.


text:
August 2, 2014
Some people in the town of Westport got a special phone call from the Sheriff's Department Wednesday morning.
The automated message was the first use of Dane County's reverse 911 system. Eleven-hundred people in the town of Westport were reminded to lock their vehicles and homes due to some recent thefts in that area.
Elise Schaffer, a spokesperson for the Sheriff's Department says the reverse 911 system is the most efficient way to notify small groups of people about events in their neighborhood. "It literally took us about five- minute to go down there this morning, do the recording, pinpoint our area, send it out. It was very simple and just a great resource to have."
Schaffer says the system will even print out a report letting them know how many people received the call and how many hung up.
The Sheriff's Department is still working out a policy on when they will use the reverse 911 system. Currently, it's done on a case by case basis.


text:
Things to See & Do
Photo Gallery
Contact us
Welcome to Hotel Bodhgaya Gautam
Situated in the northeastern part of the India in state of Bihar, Bodhgaya is a small town and is one of the most respected Buddhist sites in the world. It is the destination where Buddha attained saintly enlightenment while he was meditating under the Bodhi tree. That meticulous tree later on identified as the Mahabodhi tree or Bodhi tree. Bodhgaya is the sacred home of the Buddhists, where Lord Buddha attained Enlightenment. This spiritual home attracts thousands of pilgrims every year, particularly Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims. Situated close to the Falgu River Bodhgaya, is the holiest Buddhist pilgrimage centers.
The other three significant places associated with Lord Buddha is his place of birth at Lumbini, the spot of his first lecture at Sarnath, and the place where he left his body at Kushinagar is also not far-off from this place. This spiritual place is frequently visited by Dalai Lama. This place must be visited by a person who believes in spiritual worth.
Read More...
Pind Dan in Pitra Paksha
Pitru Paksha in 2013 is from September 19 to October 04. It is the sixteen lunar day period which is dedicated to our ancestors and forefathers. Pitru Paksh begins on poornima (full moon day) of Bhadrapada (September) and ends on Amavasya (no moon day) of Ashwani month in Shukla Paksh (waxing moon period). During this period people pay homage to their pitra (ancestors), as Pitru Paksh is 'fortnight of ancestors'. And offering food and performing rituals for dead ancestors is also known as Shradh Pooja.
They perform pooja and rituals for the departed souls of dead forefathers or ancestors. Pitru paksh is performed by children or relatives for their dead ancestors and forefathers. For other religious purpose, this period is considered inauspicious. It means Hindu people do not initiate or start any important work during period of Pitri Paksh. Beginning day of the Pitra Paksh is considered as 'Poornima Shradh'. On this day, Mahalvya pitru Paksh begins. And last day of Pitra Paksh is considered as Amavasi Shradh. Mahalvya Pitru Paksh ends on this day. However, Hindu people can perform rituals for Shradh in all Amavasi or no moon days. But Pitra Paksh of Bhadrapad-Ashwin month which lasts for 16 days is considered the most important period for performing Shradh. Tarpanam, Shradham, Pitri Paksh, Sola Shraddha, are various names used for Pitru Paksh. The customs and rituals attached to Pitru Paksha Shraddh vary from region to region. Many close relatives also observe fast on the shradh day for peace of soul of their dead ancestors. Most people avoid non-vegetarian food during the occasion of Pitra Paksh. While some people do not cut their hair or shave relatives perform customs and rituals under the guidance of a learned person or priest. After shradh pooja food is offered to dead forefathers.
Read More...
Our Services
2 Multi-Cuisine fully air-conditioned restaurants
Room Service facility
2 Banquet Halls fully air-conditioned
International and National calling facility
Running Hot And Cold Water
Internet facility
Fire Safety Equipped hotel premises
Highly secured campus with CCTV cameras
Car Parking
Laundry and Dry-cleaning facility
Doctor on call facility
Travel Assistance and Online Reservation
Foreign Exchange facility
Copyright © 2011 Hotel Bodhgaya Gautam, All rights Reserved
Site devloped by


text:
Mayor Chris Bzdok: NO
Bzdok said Light & Power does a "really good job" with operations, but often bungles its public relations efforts. He believes the Light & Power board needs independence to make good decisions.
Jody Bergman: NO
Bergman is concerned the commission wouldn't have nearly enough time to run Light & Power. She also worries that long-term energy planning could be hampered because the commission constantly changes.
Barbara Budros: YES
Budros believes Light & Power lost touch with the public and needs more oversight. Commissioners would be able to make sound decisions because Light & Power's staff and board would remain intact to advise them, she said.
Jim Carruthers: YES
Carruthers said Light & Power's staff and board would continue to do most of the work, but the commission would have "more oversight" than it does now.
Mike Gillman: NO
Gillman believes the system is complex enough to require its own separate board, though he's "dismayed" at Light & Power's public relations efforts.
Mary Ann Moore: NO
Moore said Light & Power does a "very good job" with its operations, but is "very naive" when it comes to politics. She wants to leave the utility the way it is.
Ralph Soffredine: NO
Soffredine thinks commission control "doesn't make good sense." The Light & Power board was split off for a reason, he said, in part because the commission doesn't have the expertise or time to handle utility operations.


text:
Forgot Password?
Welcome to Onslow County School System :: Welcome to Onslow County Schools
Elementary Schools
Bell Fork Elementary School
Blue Creek Elementary School
Carolina Forest International Elementary School
Clyde Erwin Elementary Magnet School of International Studies and Cultural Arts
Dixon Elementary School
Hunters Creek Elementary School
Jacksonville Commons Elementary School
Meadow View Elementary
Morton Elementary School
Northwoods Elementary School
Parkwood Elementary School
Queens Creek Elementary School
Richlands Elementary School
Richlands Primary School
Sand Ridge Elementary School
Silverdale Elementary School
Southwest Elementary School
Stateside Elementary School
Summersill Elementary School
Swansboro Elementary School
Thompson Early Childhood Center
Middle Schools
Dixon Middle School
Hunters Creek Middle School
Jacksonville Commons Middle School
New Bridge Middle School
Northwoods Park Middle School
Southwest Middle School
Swansboro Middle School
Trexler Middle School
High Schools
Dixon High School
Jacksonville High School
Northside High School
Onslow County Learning Center
Richlands High School
Southwest High School
Swansboro High School
White Oak High School
School Calendar
About OCS
Board of Education
District Events
OCS Board Policy
Instructional Services and Continuous Improvement
Community Affairs
Human Resources
Student Services
Auxiliary Services
Parents & Students
Good News Spotlight
Models of Innovation
Quick Links
1:1 Initiative
OCS Vision, Mission, and Goals
Strategic Plans
Links of Interest
NC School Report Card
North Carolina Public Schools
Welcome to Onslow County Schools
School News
Onslow County graduate and rising senior make all-state baseball team
OCS students impressive at National Leadership and Skills Conference
OCS Outstanding soccer players recognized for academic/field excellence
Northwoods Elementary begins its 2014-15 school year
Marshall Smith selected as STEM Teacher of the Month
OCS student impressive at USATF Junior Olympics
District News
CHEW program will be able to expand thanks to big donation
Onslow County Schools school board welcomes new members and elects officers
Schools Select 2014-15 TOY
Summer Hours of Operation
2014-15 School Fee Schedule
Summer School Free Lunch Program
Administrative Assignments for 2014-15
Kindergarten registration information
District Events
Summer Musical Theater July 31 through Aug. 2
Join us on Facebook!
Notice of August Board of Education meeting
Summer Hours Announced
Copyright © 2014 Onslow County School System


text:
List Price$211.25 20% Off!-$42.25
Now$169.00 Save $42.25 (20%) + FREE Shipping
Danby 30 Pint Portable Energy Star Dehumidifier - White Model:DDR30A2GP
Hurry, Sale Ends Thursday!List Price: $211.25 $169.00
+ FREE ShippingSave $42.25 (20%) Today!
Color: White
Guaranteed Next Day Shipping (details)
Guaranteed Next Day Shipping (details)
Description & Highlights95 Reviews | Write a Review
Danby 30 Pint Portable Energy Star Dehumidifier - White
Use the Danby 30 Pint Portable Energy Star Dehumidifier (DDR30A2GP) to keep your room cool and less humid. Able to remove up to 30 pints of moisture from the air per day, this Energy Star dehumidifier keeps any room in your home humid-free, which allows the room to cool off more easily. This unit has an automatic humidistat and direct drain option. The fan automatically shuts off once the desired humidity level has been reached.
Capacity:The DDR30A2GP is able to remove up to 30 pints of moisture from the air per day
Coverage Area:Perfect for rooms of up to 2,000 square feet, this dehumidifier can cool and operate in mid-size to extra-large rooms in the home
Simple Controls:An easy-to-use digital keypad with an LED display makes using this unit much simpler than most other models
Energy Star:This dehumidifier is Energy Star rated, meaning that it can save you money by conserving more and using less energy around the household
Low Temperature Feature:The low temperature feature on this unit allows the system to operate in temperatures as low as 41ºF
Specifications & Manuals
Customer ReviewsOverall Rating: Write a Review
Danby 30 Pint Portable Energy Star Dehumidifier 58 94
We needed a small quiet dehumidifier to control the humidity in our living room which houses our Steinway baby grand. So far it has done that and it is relatively quiet. July 14, 2014
Very happy with this unit This unit is working really well for me. It immediately improved the air quality in the room and is efficient and easy to use. Highly recommend! July 8, 2014
so far so good everything seems to be ok so far. time will till how long it will last! June 13, 2014
Excellent dehumidifier; nice design, quiet. No wonder it was recently rated so highly by CU. June 4, 2014


text:
NORMAN — Transcript Staff
The University of Oklahoma Campus Activities Council Speakers Bureau will host Eric Maddox on campus Thursday.
Maddox, an OU alumnus and military interrogator central to the capture of Saddam Hussein, will speak in the Oklahoma Memorial Union Ballroom at 7 p.m. with a Q&A and book signing to follow.
For more information, call the CAC at 325-3163.
For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.