text:
Detroit CUs See Prospects in City's Bankruptcy
When Jim Perna started working at piano maker Wurlitzer in Detroit circa 1962, the city had a vibrancy that was contagious, heady and colorful.
Perna, who has served as president/CEO of the $23 million Health One Credit Union in Detroit for 42 years, said he has seen his fair share of the city's financial struggles over the last few decades. So, it didn't come as a surprise when the metropolis famous for its Motown music roots filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy on July 18. With debt estimated at $20 billion, Detroit became the largest city ever in U.S. history to declare bankruptcy.
"I've been here 43 years in downtown Detroit. I've seen it all—rewrites, chargeoffs and just about everything going on with Detroit," Perna said. "But I firmly believe the city is coming back."
Indeed, a number of credit unions headquartered in the city are doing their part to help become the primary financial institutions to the many young people that are being heavily courted to live and work downtown. From offering incentives that include up to $20,000 to cover housing costs to major national retailers such as Whole Foods and Meijers opening up stores, city officials are hoping to quickly restructure.
Lately, Health One has been helping members cope with their own personal bankruptcy filings. Perna said he recently met with a couple that struggled due to exorbitant medical expenses. The members, who belonged to the credit union for 30 years, wanted to keep their checking account but felt they had few choices to do anything else.
"I told them we had a lot of options. We gave them $5,000 to cover some medical bills, refinanced their home and cut their interest rate in half," Perna recalled. "Obviously, we don't want to stick it to the credit union but we really try to work with people."
With the surge in condo and loft construction in downtown Detroit, Health One, which was originally chartered to serve Blue Cross/Blue Shield employees, has also provided loans to members who want to live in the bustling area, Perna said. Because some of the new residents will need debit cards and financing, credit unions and banks are doing all they can to woo them.
"They're going to need an institution where they can do their banking. So they don't have a credit rating established but there are different options like a secured card or grandma or parents can co-sign," Perna said. "There are ways for financial institutions to not take on risk but they can stretch a little bit."
Perna, who turned 73 on Aug. 16, is convinced that it will be the young people who will drive Detroit's revitalization. Their presence is already evident near the city's waterfront which is home to trendy restaurants, clubs and outdoor weekend concerts. The Detroit Red Wings ice hockey team is planning to build a new stadium that is estimated to cost $400 million with $200 million set for retail, office, residential and hotel spaces, according to city officials. Scheduled to break ground next year, constructing the stadium could bring in 8,000 jobs.
The lures have worked for Perna's son and daughter, who have moved to downtown Detroit. Perna, who lives in a suburb, said he's just too old to move back into the city. However, he's predicting a quick comeback for his hometown.
"I think it's going to happen in three to four years, not 15 years, as some have said," he predicted.
The Michigan Credit Union League & Affiliates is hopeful credit unions will continue to be a part of the city's catalyst as Detroit climbs out of its financial hole.
"There is still much uncertainty about what the bankruptcy filing will mean for the city of Detroit, and that includes those credit unions that serve city employees," said Dave Adams, CEO of MCUL & Affiliates. "But what is certain is that those credit unions will continue to support their members through this process."
Michigan brought back nearly 135,000 jobs during the recovery of the last few years, according to the league, but the state still needs to add another 465,000 jobs to reach the same level of employment recorded in 2006. At the end of the first quarter of 2013, 35,000 more Michiganders were employed compared to 2012.
The league said while employment compared to 2006 is down across the board, some metropolitan statistical areas have fared better than others. Flint, Detroit-Livonia-Warren, Monroe, Battle Creek and Muskegon are still down 10.8% to 13.6% from 2006's employment levels. Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Holland, and Lansing have the least ground to make up and are only 4.6% to 6.1% off.
"While these are trying times, we hope that this will be the start of a new, more prosperous future for one of America's iconic cities," Adams said.
Employment fluctuations have unfortunately been the norm for many of the members of the $464 million Detroit Metropolitan Credit Union, which serves city employees as well as Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, said CEO Kathie Trembath.
Flux goes far back for DMCU when it opened three days after the stock market crash of 1929. As many financial institutions closed their doors for good over the next five years, the credit union remained a fixture in the Lafayette Building on Michigan Avenue for decades.
"We have always had an issue of layoffs with our members so this is not new for us," Trembath said, referring to Detroit's current financial condition. "I don't think there will be layoffs with the bankruptcy but there will be reorganization. They're talking about cutting pensions and potentially health care."
That could be devastating for Detroit's police and fire workers who don't collect Social Security benefits unless they've worked at other jobs, Trembath said. For many, pensions are it as far as retirement savings. While cuts have been common for many of DMCU's members, this time around, retirees may be impacted.
"We're always prepared to work with our members. Some need loans," Trembath said. "Though, retirees don't have a large portion of our loans."
To capitalize on Detroit's Midtown area, which is on the upswing, Trembath said DMCU has worked with the Detroit Land Bank Authority's Midtown Program to offer special rates to first-time homeowners. One of the credit union's younger employees recently leased an apartment in the heart of the city.
"I asked her what made you want to come downtown. She said 'you know what, something has to change.' She and her fiancé have moved here," Trembath said, adding, "my own daughter comes in for the nightclubs."
The majority of DMCU's mortgages are in the city. Trembath acknowledged the credit union has experienced some loan loss but not huge drops as older properties in the city have not rebounded as quickly as those in the suburbs.
Despite expanding to a community charter in 2006, 95% of DMCU's more than 24,000 members are City of Detroit employees, Trembath noted. She always gets a firsthand look at just how hard unemployment has plagued the city since one of the credit union's supervisory committee volunteers works in a high-profile budget position. She considers one particular stat mind-boggling: in 1967, the city had 25,600 employees. At the end of 2009, that number had dropped to 12,600—a 50% decrease.
"It has continued to go down since then. It just goes to show what's happening in the city," Trembath said.
When she became CEO of DMCU nine years ago, Trembath said she and her husband wanted to buy a house in Detroit but the $11,000 taxes on the $300,000 home they had their eye on became the deal breaker. Like Perna, she too lives in the suburbs, where her taxes are $3,000. And, because her father worked for 30 years at the iconic Stroh Brewery Co., which moved its operation from Germany to Detroit in 1850, Trembath also has a love for the city.
"People fear Detroit because they don't know Detroit. You hear about crime, but Detroit is a major city and just like other big cities, there's going to be crime," Trembath said. "But we're right on the waterfront. My staff goes out all the time for lunch, they walk around downtown. They've never had a concern."
Representing more than 20,000 members and affiliates, the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce said bankruptcy is the bold step needed to finally address Detroit's financial problems in a meaningful and sustainable way.
"While nobody welcomes the concept of bankruptcy, it is necessary to solve the long-term structural financial challenges of this historic city," said DRC President/CEO Sandy Baruah, in a statement. "This decision puts the city on a path to achieve its most essential function—providing Detroiters the services they deserve and sets the stage for a growing, vibrant Detroit."
As the private sector continues to thrive and businesses continue to invest in Detroit, Baruah said, addressing the city's financial instability is the final barrier to robust growth.
"At this point, we don't think the bankruptcy will have much financial impact on most of the people in Detroit, with the obvious exception of people who work for the city or are retirees," said Hank Hubbard, president/CEO of the $34 million Communicating Arts Credit Union in Detroit. "Pensions seem to be the thing that people are most worried will get cut, and there are about twice as many retirees than active workers."
Detroit outsourcing services such as trash collection and public lighting will be improvements for the average person living in the city, Hubbard offered. A mix of development from private business leaders and an influx of young entrepreneurs are helping to create an eclectic mix of shops and restaurants, he's noticed. Hubbard said all of the changes are occurring despite "our dysfunctional city government."
And Hubbard's daughter, Kitsi, who is interning at the $2.4 billion Michigan State University Federal Credit Union in East Lansing, recently penned a blog entry on the credit union's website entitled, "How Broke Students Can Still Fuel Detroit's Economy."


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text:
The DR is in: Perfect Dominicans march to final
Aided by four-run fifth and 'power of the platanos,' Rodney and Co. set for PR
By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com
SAN FRANCISCO -- It may look like a banana, but it's not. It's a plantain. And now this is bananas.
Fernando Rodney said on Monday night that it's the "power of the platanos" that is sending his Dominican Republic team on to a chance at winning the World Baseball Classic title on Tuesday against rival Puerto Rico at AT&T Park.
The 7-0 Dominicans are on the precipice after defeating the Kingdom of the Netherlands, 4-1, to advance to a championship game that is slated for 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will be broadcast in the U.S. on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes.
Rodney, who tidied up the game with his sixth save of the tournament, was in the Dominican dugout afterward holding a long green plantain that he said had been shipped here on Monday from his hometown of Santo Domingo.
|Bracket | Full scoreboard
"It was my lucky charm for the game. I kept it for the whole game," said Rodney, who celebrated his 36th birthday with the victory. "Tomorrow I'll keep it with me, too."
Whatever works.
The teams meeting for the championship of the third edition of the Classic have proud Major League roots. They will be playing in the home of the defending World Series-winning Giants, a franchise with a long Latin heritage. Hall of Fame first baseman Orlando Cepeda is from Puerto Rico and Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marichal is from the Dominican, just to name a few.
Proud Dominican native Felipe Alou and his son Moises both played parts of their careers in San Francisco. Felipe, who managed his son on the Giants as recently as 2006, threw out the first pitch before the game on Monday night. Felipe also just happened to manage the Dominican team that was ousted from the Classic because of two first-round losses to the Dutch in 2009. Moises just happens to be the general manager who put this particular edition of Dominican team together.
Asked if he believed in the "power of the platanos," the younger Alou just laughed.
"Platanos is our main fruit over there," he said. "I check on the Twitter and I see the war of the platanos and the gouda cheese because we were playing the Netherlands. It means a lot in the Dominican. I even saw a guy in Miami in the stands with a bunch of platanos with him. Is there something to this? I don't think so. It's the heart. These guys got a lot of heart."
The Japanese won the first two Classic titles and were ousted by Puerto Rico in a semifinal game on Sunday. Previously, Puerto Rico -- in the second round at Marlins Park -- had eliminated Italy and the U.S. But during the Dominicans' seven-game winning streak, they have defeated Puerto Rico twice. Once to end each round.
On Tuesday, Dominican starter Edinson Volquez recovered from another difficult first inning to shut down the Dutch with five innings of two-hit ball to earn the victory. Against Italy last Tuesday, Volquez opened by walking the first three batters and allowing a three-run homer. The Dominican Republic came back with a late rally from a 4-0 deficit and won, 5-4.
Walks to the opening two batters of the game and an RBI groundout led to a 1-0 Netherlands lead that lasted into the bottom of the fifth against Dutch left-handed starter Diegomar Markwell.
Then the superior power of Carlos Santana, Moises Sierra, Jose Reyes and Miguel Tejada began to shine as the Dominicans scored four times in the fifth to ice the game.
Markwell, who hadn't even pitched in the U.S. Minor Leagues since 2003, had stymied the Dominican Republic on two hits and only three basesrunners through four innings before back-to-back one-out doubles by Santana and Sierra tied the score and put the Dominicans on the board.
"Well [Markwell's] contribution is what he did for himself in the offseason," said Dutch manager Hensley Meulens, a hitting coach with the Giants with still another tie to San Francisco. "He got in shape, lost 22 pounds and pitched great in this tournament. He beat Korea. He beat Cuba. And he was up, 1-0, until the fifth inning today. But we should have scored more for him. It was tough to pitch in this environment against a great lineup."
It was Sierra, who also made the defensive play of the game, sprinting over from his position in left field to tumble into the stands and snare a pop fly lofted by Andruw Jones that ended the first inning with a runner on third. The Dutch had only one more runner in scoring position later in the game.
A fan tried to catch the foul pop on a play that was eerily reminiscent to the Steve Bartman incident at Wrigley Field in Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series between the Marlins and Cubs. Moises Alou just happened to be the left fielder on that one and Bartman deflected the ball. The Cubs blew a 3-0 lead and ultimately lost the game and the series.
"Hey, even the guy had glasses like Bartman," Alou said. "This time, the guy missed the ball and Sierra caught it. I didn't have to even think about it. The broadcasters had already mentioned what happened in '03 in Chicago. Maybe that's a good sign. He caught the ball and maybe we're going to win the championship."
The signs are all there for the Dominicans. That's the power of the platanos. And that's what they'll have you believe.
Barry M. Bloom is national reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, Boomskie on Baseball. Follow @boomskie on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Trainmaker Talgo seeks nearly $66 million for canceled deal with Wisconsin
MADISON — Trainmaker Talgo Inc. filed a nearly $66 million claim against Wisconsin on Thursday, saying the money is owed after Gov. Scott Walker acted in bad faith in deciding to abandon a high-speed rail line connecting Milwaukee and Madison.
The Seattle-based arm of the Spanish train company made the filing with the Wisconsin Claims Board. A spokeswoman for the state Department of Justice had no comment.
If the Claims Board were to agree with Talgo, the Republican-controlled Legislature and Walker would also have to sign off, something unlikely to happen. If the claim is rejected, Talgo could take its case to court.
Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said the state did nothing wrong in backing out of the deal.
"My understanding is we followed all the rules that were required," Vos said. "There were no bad faith negotiations."
The state signed a deal in 2009 under then-Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat, to purchase at least two train sets from Talgo, which were initially to be used on Amtrak's existing line between Milwaukee and Chicago before being used on the new line that had yet to be built.
The state also entered into a separate 20-year maintenance agreement to service the trains, a deal to provide a maintenance facility, along with an option to purchase two additional train sets.


text:
Diversion to Treatment for Injection Drug Users Arrested for Possession of Heroin
This study has been completed.
Johns Hopkins University
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First Posted: November 8, 2012
Last Update Posted: December 11, 2014
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Anthony DeFulio, Johns Hopkins University
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
More Americans are arrested for drug offenses than for any other crime. In 2009, over 294,000 arrests were made for possession of cocaine or heroin. Incarceration does not address the root problems and is frequently followed by relapse and re-arrest after release. In the case of opiate-dependent adults arrested for possession of heroin, one potentially effective alternative is to divert offenders to methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) as an alternative to adjudication of their case. MMT is an effective treatment for heroin dependence, and appears very effective for criminal offenders. However, cocaine use is common in MMT patients, including those with recent criminal justice involvement, and MMT alone is ineffective in addressing cocaine use. Continued cocaine use carries a substantial health burden and necessarily entails continued criminal activity. Thus, treatment for diverted opiate-dependent offenders should be designed to address cocaine use as well as opiate use. A Stage 1 Behavior Therapy Development project is planned over 2 years to adapt, manualize and pilot test the Therapeutic Workplace intervention for adults charged with heroin possession and offered diversion to methadone maintenance treatment as an alternative to adjudication of their case. The Therapeutic Workplace is a novel, employment-based contingency management intervention that has been very effective in promoting cocaine abstinence in adults who use cocaine persistently during methadone treatment. In the Therapeutic Workplace, participants are hired in a model workplace and required to provide drug-free urine samples to work and to earn maximum pay. Once we develop and manualize the adapted version of the Therapeutic Workplace for adults arrested for heroin possession, a pilot test will be conducted. Individuals identified by the State Attorney's office as candidates for diversion will be assessed for study eligibility. Given the high rates of injection drug use and injection-related transmission of HIV in Baltimore, this study will be restricted to injection drug users to evaluate the potential utility of this intervention in reducing HIV risk. Eligible individuals will be offered methadone maintenance in lieu of prosecution and will be required to remain in methadone treatment for 90 days. All participants will receive standard MMT, independent of whether they decide to participate in the pilot study. After beginning MMT, participants will be invited to enroll in the pilot study and randomly assigned to two study groups. Participants assigned to the Usual Care Diversion group will receive the standard MMT. Participants assigned to the Therapeutic Workplace Enhanced Diversion group will receive the standard MMT and the Therapeutic Workplace intervention. The data from this pilot study will serve as the foundation for a full-scaled randomized controlled trial. Overall, the Therapeutic Workplace could serve as a novel and ideal intervention for many heroin dependent adults involved in the criminal justice system. The use of MMT in lieu of adjudication in combination with the Therapeutic Workplace could increase drug abstinence and employment and decrease HIV risk and criminal activity in this refractory high-risk population.
|Cocaine-Related Disorders HIV Heroin Dependence
|Drug: Methadone Drug: Buprenorphine Behavioral: Employment-based drug abstinence reinforcement
|Phase 1
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
Resource links provided by NLM:
MedlinePlus related topics: HIV/AIDS Heroin
Drug Information available for: Methadone Methadone hydrochloride BuprenorphineU.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by Anthony DeFulio, Johns Hopkins University:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- Cocaine abstinence as assessed by urinalysis [ Time Frame: One year ]dichotomous (Y/N)
- Cocaine abstinence as assessed by self-reports [ Time Frame: One year ]dichotomous (Y/N)
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- Any drug use (Y/N) [ Time Frame: One year ]Any drug use will be counted as Yes if a urine sample indicates that the participant is positive for any of the DOT 5 drugs, or if the participant reports using any of the DOT 5 drugs (Amphetamines, Cocaine, Marijuana, Opiates, PCP).
- Any engagement in HIV risk behavior (Y/N) [ Time Frame: One year ]Any engagement in HIV risk behavior will be counted as Yes if a participant reports any unprotected vaginal or anal sex or reports any injection drug use that includes the sharing of injection equipment.
- Any criminal activity (Y/N) [ Time Frame: One year ]Criminal activity will counted as Yes if a participant reports any days of illegal activity in the previous 30 days, or has been arrested for any new crime in the previous 30 days according to publically available records maintained by the Maryland DPSCS.
|Study Start Date:
|December 2012
|Study Completion Date:
|August 2014
|Primary Completion Date:
|May 2014 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Experimental: Therapeutic Workplace
Participants assigned to this condition will receive the standard services and requirements for diversion as described for the usual care group, and will also be eligible to attend the three-phase Therapeutic Workplace (TW) intervention. All phases of this intervention include employment-based drug abstinence reinforcement contingencies. Under these contingencies, participants can work and earn wages or wage subsidies contingent upon drug abstinence as verified by urinalysis. Phase 1 of the TW intervention is expected to increase cocaine abstinence and to prepare participants for employment. Phase 2 of the TW intervention is expected to maintain abstinence while participants are employed in an onsite model workplace. Phase 3 is designed to increase employment in community jobs and to maintain abstinence while participants are employed in offsite community workplaces.
Drug: Methadone
Clinic-Based Methadone Maintenance TreatmentDrug: Buprenorphine
Clinic-Based Buprenorphine Maintenance TreatmentBehavioral: Employment-based drug abstinence reinforcement
Other Name: Therapeutic Workplace
Active Comparator: Diversion to treatment (Usual Care)
Participants in this condition will be offered the standard treatment services available in community methadone and buprenorphine programs, including medication (methadone or buprenorphine, respectively), counseling services, HIV testing, and case management. All services will be provided in the treatment clinics. There are a number of clinics within easy walking distance from the research site, and others throughout the city that are reachable by public transportation from the research site. In addition, all participants will receive referrals to the Re-Entry Center, a One-Stop Career Center tailored to the needs of offenders, at all intake and monthly assessments. As mentioned in detail above, participants will be required by the court to stay enrolled in treatment for 90 days. It is important to note that all diverted individuals will receive these services and requirements, independent of whether they agree to participate in the pilot study.
Drug: Methadone
Clinic-Based Methadone Maintenance TreatmentDrug: Buprenorphine
Clinic-Based Buprenorphine Maintenance Treatment
Information from the National Library of Medicine
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years to 65 Years (Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- report using heroin at least 20 of the last 30 days of living in the community
- meet criteria for methadone maintenance (at least one year of meeting DSM IV criteria for heroin dependence)
- have visible track marks or other clear physical evidence of injection drug use
- report using cocaine in the last 30 days
- were unemployed prior to arrest
- have a income below the federal poverty level
- live in the Baltimore City area
Exclusion Criteria:
- report current suicidal ideation or hallucinations
- receiving opioid pharmacotherapy prior to arrest
- have a serious uncontrolled medical condition that would prevent attendance in methadone or buprenorphine treatment
- are pregnant or breastfeeding
- have a physical imparement that would prevent typing
Contacts and Locations
Information from the National Library of Medicine
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01723527
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01723527
|United States, Maryland
|Center for Learning and Health
|Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21224
Sponsors and Collaborators
Johns Hopkins University
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
|Principal Investigator:
|Anthony DeFulio, Ph.D.
|Johns Hopkins University
More Information
Additional Information:
Keywords provided by Anthony DeFulio, Johns Hopkins University:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Additional Information:
|Responsible Party:
|Anthony DeFulio, Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01723527 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
1R34DA033510-01 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract )
|First Submitted:
|November 6, 2012
|First Posted:
|November 8, 2012
|Last Update Posted:
|December 11, 2014
|Last Verified:
|December 2014
Keywords provided by Anthony DeFulio, Johns Hopkins University:
Contingency Management
Criminal Justice
Job Training
Wage Subsidies
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Cocaine-Related Disorders
Heroin Dependence
Substance-Related Disorders
Chemically-Induced Disorders
Mental Disorders
Opioid-Related Disorders
Analgesics, Opioid
Central Nervous System Depressants
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Sensory System Agents
Peripheral Nervous System Agents
Narcotic Antagonists
Antitussive Agents
Respiratory System Agents


text:
Delavan nonprofit helps struggling families, mothers
DELAVAN—For nearly 25 years, Mary's Room has been quietly serving women and children in Walworth County.
The scope of its ministry has expanded, but it operates under the radar, a non-profit that many people have never heard of.
Co-founder Peggy Nieuwenhuis talked about how Mary's Room got started and what it has accomplished.
Q: What is Mary's Room?
A: "It's a women and children's clothes closet that's set up like a store," Nieuwenhuis said.
The charity helps single mothers, struggling families and grandparents who have been given charge of their grandchildren.
Mary's Room doesn't charge its users, but "asks people to take only what they need," Nieuwenhuis said.
Often, the people who use the service later donate gently used clothing that their children have outgrown.
"Really, it's not so much about asking for help as it is about sharing," Nieuwenhuis said. "They realize what they're getting there, and they give back so they can bless someone else."
Q: How did it get started?
A: "It came from our pro-life stance," Nieuwenhuis said. "Someone said to us, 'You're pro-life, but you're not doing anything about it.'"
So Nieuwenhuis and her husband, Mel, started Mary's Room, reaching out to single women and adults serving as foster parents.
Slowly, the ministry expanded to include families in difficulty.
"It started in our basement," Nieuwenhuis said.
Later, the Jeninga family allowed Mary's Room to use part of their home, and now the United Way pays the rent for the space they use.
Q: How do clients find out about Mary's Room?�
A: "We don't advertise," Nieuwenhuis said. "We send information to WIC, Walworth County Public Health and the schools."
Churches, too, can refer people to Mary's Room.
The all-volunteer organization "doesn't have the arms and legs to investigate" each individual's income or needs, and doesn't want to be in that position.
Nieuwenhuis said the group doesn't want to have to grill people about their incomes or turn people away who are truly in need.
Q: How can people help?
A: The organization takes donations of gently used clothing for women and children. Because of the size of the organization, people with items to donate need to make an appointment by calling 262-203-0993. It may take up to a week for someone to respond.
Financial donations can be sent to Mary's Room, Box 66, Delavan, WI., 53115.


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Tips for increasing oscilloscope vertical resolution - Part I
1 Comment
Do you need your oscilloscope to view increasingly smaller electronic signal detail? You are not alone. Interest is growing in small signal visibilityboth for current and voltage. Specifically, scope users want better ability to see small signal changes on a large signal (high dynamic range measurements), or seeing small signals where high dynamic range isnt required. Often these signals change over just a few millivolt or milliamps. Industry examples include testing of high-quality power rails, medical technology developed to interacts with human physiology, high-energy physics one-time experiments that produce small pulses, and mobile devices where current and overall power consumption in sleep mode is critical.
Measurement of very small signals can be challenging as the ability to view small signals is impacted not only by the noise of the scope, but also by scope settings and probing. The following seven techniques can help your scope see smaller signals than youve previously seen with it.
Tip 1: Start with a scope that has low noise
While the other techniques described to see small signals are scope vendor agnostic, having a scope with low noise is critical if you really want visibility to small currents and voltages. You wont be able to see signal details smaller than the noise level of the scope.
Whats a quick way to check how much noise a specific scope has? Most oscilloscope vendors will characterize noise for a specific model numbers and include these values on the product datasheet. If not, you can ask for the information, or find out yourself. Its easy to measure in a few minutes. Disconnect all inputs from the front of the scope and set the scope to 50 ? input path. You can also run the test for the 1M? path. Turn on a decent amount of acquisition memory, 100Kpts to 1Mpts will suffice, run the scope with infinite persistence and see how thick the resulting waveform is. The thicker the waveform, the more noise the scope is producing internally.
Each scope channel will have unique noise qualities at each vertical setting. You can view the noise visually just by looking at wave shape thickness, or you can be more analytical and take a Vrms AC measurement to quantify. Create a chart as the one shown in figure 1. These measurements will allow you to know how much noise each scope produces. Dont expect to measure signals that are less than the noise of the scope.
The industry now offers several scopes with more than 8-bits of resolution. How valuable are the additional bits? Provided there is a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), more ADC bits allow finer details of the signal to be seen. Noise typically plays a greater role in limiting some of the effectiveness of the additional bits of resolution.


text:
United Parcel Service Inc. profited enough from euro-dollar trades related to its proposed purchase of TNT Express NV to make up for the breakup fee incurred when regulators blocked the deal.
UPS converted dollars into euros throughout 2012 in anticipation of using cash for half of the 5.16 billion-euro ($6.6 billion) deal, with a surge in the last half when the euro was "quite low, in the $1.20s," Chief Financial Officer Kurt Kuehn said yesterday in a phone interview.
"Once we realized the deal wasn't going through, we moved it back to dollars in March" and put a hedge in place to protect the trade, said Andy Dolny, UPS's treasurer and head of investor relations. During the quarter the swap was made, the euro had an average value of $1.32. That compares with $1.2860 in 2012, when it reached a yearly low of $1.2043 in July.
The conversion helped generate a $213 million after-tax currency gain in the three months through March, more than compensating for an after-tax charge of $177 million from the breakup fee that Atlanta-based UPS paid to TNT and other transaction costs.
The company typically does smaller amounts of out-of-the-money collars, or protective options moves, to reduce the volatility of earnings, and this exchange was "unusual because we had one big event happening," Kuehn said.
UPS went after Hoofddorp, Netherlands-based TNT to double its footprint in Europe so it could better compete with Deutsche Post AG's DHL, which dominates service in the region. It would have been the biggest purchase in UPS's 105-year history.
UPS advisers Morgan Stanley, UBS AG, and Bank of America Corp. were set to reap as much as $30 million in fees if the purchase was completed, according to New York-based research firm Freeman & Co. Sell-side advisers including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Lazard Ltd. were slated to earn as much as $25 million.
Bloomberg News


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Welcome to Araras Pantanal Eco Lodge
The PANTANAL, the largest continuous wetland on the planet, declared a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, is South America's primary wildlife sanctuary.
With a total area of approximately 150,000 km² and located in the center of thecontinent, the Pantanal is a biogeographic mixing bowl containing elements of the Amazon Forest, the Caatinga, the Brazilian Savannah, the Atlantic Rainforest and the Paraguayan Chaco. This fantastic biodiversity includes: 698 birds species, 80 mammals, 260 fish species and 50 reptiles.
Located amidst all this is the ARARAS ECO LODGE (16º 30' 42.3" S; 56º 42' 39.4" W). Built in harmony with the environment, without renouncing comfort, the lodge is reachable all year-round by car via the Transpantaneira Park Road, 132 km (82 mi) south of Cuiabá (the capital of the State of Mato Grosso) On a 2h30 exciting safári-transfer, in air-conditioned vehicle.
From this lodge, with its enviably preserved surroundings, it is possible to do first-class bird-watching, trekking in pristine forest, canoeing, horseback riding, truck photo-safaris, night tours, two exciting tree top look outs with 12 and 25 m high and much more, all under the assistance of expert bilingual naturalist guides.
What to bring: It is recommended light cotton clothes for activities, including trousers, long sleeved shirts (for sun and insects), shorts, t-shirts, swimwear,, hat with a brim (there are some available at the lodge), high-knee socks (the ones used for sports), walking shoes (very important).
During the rainy season - November to March - to include two extra pairs of shoes and a raincoat.
During the dry season - June to September - to include a sweater or jacket as night temperatures can get as low as 4ºC (-39 F).
Additional equipment: Cap with brim or hat, sunglasses, binoculars, pocket flashlight, pocket knife, mosquito repellent, sunscreen lotion, your prescription medicines, batteries and amenities.
Ps: Credit cards are not accepted for extra expenses at the lodge, check or cash available.
To watch a short video presentation click here


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Intensive Viral Dynamics Substudy of A5248
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
The HIV integrase inhibitor, raltegravir (RAL), which was recently approved by the FDA, has been shown in several trials to be highly effective. The main study will estimate the viral load decay rate in treatment-naive HIV-infected participants receiving RAL and emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (FTC/TDF).
This substudy of A5248 will similarly examine the characteristics of decrease in viral load but will focus on estimating the time at which first-phase viral decay starts, following initiation of the study drugs.
|HIV Infections Treatment Naive
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Observational Model: Case-Only
Time Perspective: Prospective
|Official Title:
|Intensive Viral Dynamics Substudy of A5248
- Time at which first-phase viral decay begins [ Time Frame: Throughout study ]
Biospecimen Retention: Samples Without DNA
|Study Start Date:
|May 2008
|Study Completion Date:
|September 2008
Participants undergoing treatment with raltegravir (RAL) in the main study
Participants undergoing treatment with emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (FTC/TDF) in the main study
Detailed Description:
Recent data suggest that early virologic response to HIV interventions may be predictive of long-term virologic outcomes. Defining early decay in viral load through carefully performed studies of viral dynamics may be a useful tool for assessing the likely outcome of long-term treatment. It may also be a useful screening tool to define which combinations should be studied further. In the main study, the viral load decay rate will be estimated in HIV-infected, treatment-naive participants receiving RAL and FTC/TDF.
The A5248 study will last approximately 72 weeks. All participants will take RAL and FTC/TDF for 72 weeks. RAL will be provided by the study. FTC/TDF will not be provided.
A5248 will consist of 16 study visits. These visits will occur at study entry; Days 2, 7, 10, 14, 21, 28, and 56, and Weeks 12, 16, 20, 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72. Blood collection and pharmacokinetic studies will occur at all study visits. Self-reported adherence assessments will be submitted at each visit. A targeted physical exam will occur at most visits. Liver function tests and urine collection will occur at select visits. Pregnancy tests will occur whenever pregnancy is suspected.
This substudy will enroll 10 participants from A5248. It is critical that substudy participants take their medications as directed to ensure accurate trial results. Any participant who discontinues study treatment will also be removed from the substudy and replaced. Participants will be asked about medication holds and adherence.
No medications will be provided by the substudy. Study treatment will be provided and administered as per the main study, A5248. After participants begin study medications, samples will be collected for the substudy. Participants will be required to stay overnight and in the hospital from Day 0 until Day 2. The morning study medication dose will be administered in the clinic on Days, 2, 3, 4, and 7.
Medication diaries will be provided for participants on Day 2. Participants will be instructed to record the times they take their study medications through Day 7 of the study. Participants are required to bring these diaries to their study visits on Days 3, 4, and 7 for review.
Participants may discontinue their enrollment in this substudy and still remain in the main study, A5248. Participants may not discontinue their involvement in A5248 and remain in the substudy.
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
|Sampling Method:
|Non-Probability Sample
Inclusion Criteria:
- Enrollment in A5248
- Willing and able to provide informed consent
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00852618
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00852618
|United States, Colorado
|University of Colorado Hospital CRS
|Aurora, Colorado, United States, 80045
|United States, Maryland
|IHV Baltimore Treatment CRS
|Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21201
|Johns Hopkins University CRS
|Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21205
|United States, Massachusetts
|Brigham and Women's Hospital Therapeutics Clinical Research Site (BWH TCRS) CRS
|Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
|United States, New York
|Trillium Health ACTG CRS
|Rochester, New York, United States, 14607
|United States, Tennessee
|Vanderbilt Therapeutics (VT) CRS
|Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37204
|Study Chair:
|Adriana Andrade, MD, MPH
|Johns Hopkins University
|Responsible Party:
|National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00852618 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
10618 ( Registry Identifier: DAIDS ES )
|First Submitted:
|February 26, 2009
|First Posted:
|February 27, 2009
|Last Update Posted:
|June 10, 2015
|Last Verified:
|June 2015
Keywords provided by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID):
HIV Integrase Inhibitors
HIV Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors
Treatment Naive
Viral Load
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
HIV Infections
Lentivirus Infections
Retroviridae Infections
RNA Virus Infections
Virus Diseases
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral
Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes
Immune System Diseases


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Budget would increase county tax levy 2.26 percent
JANESVILLE—Under a budget proposed Thursday, the owners of a $100,000 house would pay $14.32 more for the county portion of their tax bill.
On Thursday, the Rock County Board of Supervisors got its first look at the 2014 budget.
It's a budget that includes $191.99 million in spending, with $62.5 million coming from the property tax levy. That $62.5 million is up $1.38 million or 2.26 percent from last year.
Rock County Administrator Craig Knutson told the board that the budget included an increase of $11.24 million in spending, or a 6.22 percent increase. A majority of that $11.24 million, however, would not come from 2014 county tax dollars, he said.
Of that amount,
—$2.4 million comes from the state and will be used to help the Southern Consortium implement the Affordable Health Care Act. The consortium is a group of seven counties that work together to provide such benefits as BadgerCare and food stamps, which is now call FoodShare.
Rock County is the head of the consortium, and serves as an administrator for state funds.
—$5.66 million will be used for the "County G mega project."
The project is the reconstruction of County G and the construction of a new road that will run from County G to County S and then to Interstate 90/39.
The roads will be used as alternative routes during upcoming construction or in case of an accident on the Interstate.
The county used money from its general fund, sales tax revenue and deferred financing—a loan—to cover the cost.
County policy states that its fund balance should represent between 10 percent to 17 percent of total expenditures, Knutson said. As of December 2012, the fund balance was at 20.11 percent.
The remaining amount, about $3.26 million, represents an increase in spending for all other county departments.
The 2014 budget includes money for:
—Construction of an outdoor recreation yard at the youth services center next to the jail.
—A mass notification and security system project at UW-Rock County.
—Improving coverage by the voice radio system for emergencies. A new tower and radio and building will be built in the Edgerton area. Law enforcement and fire receiver sites will be added at Blackhawk Technical College.
—Two new positions in the Rock County Sheriff's Office: a detective and a deputy sheriff. The Sheriff's Office eliminated a detective position several years ago. The position is being added back because of an increased number of cases. The deputy's primary assignment will be on snowmobile and water patrol.
The budget document has been several months in the making. It will not be approved until the board's meeting Nov. 12.
Until then, department heads and members of the public have a chance to lobby for changes. The public hearing on the budget will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6.


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Slideshow: Top 10 Tech in Sports
10 comments
SAN FRANCISCO -- We are passionate about sports. Just check the TV ratings. That passion has merged with our fascination with technology to produce a growing list of applications that make sports safer and more fun to watch.
Technology has become an integral part of sports, both for participants and viewers. Athletes are using technology to play more smartly or safely and viewers are getting an increasingly immersive experience, both at the stadium and in the home.
This often creates a conundrum for sports leagues: How much should they embrace technology? Instant replay, for example, is an accepted part of American football, while baseball holds it at arm's length.
Greater proliferation, adoption
One of the earliest uses of technology was in horse racing, where thoroughbreds often crossed the finish line simultaneously, and were moving so fast the human eye often couldn't distinguish winner from runner-up.
Assuming gambling had as much as influence on technology adoption as it has other sports, stop-motion cameras were rolled out at race tracks around the world.
What follows are 10 amazing technologies that sports and athletes have adopted.
First stop: camera technology triggered as horses (and runners) crossed the finish line to determine who won a close race. The technology and technique of "strip" photography dates to the mid-19th century, was first used in the 1912 Olympics and made its way into horse racing in the 1930s.
And the winner is....


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Social media connects parents of children with rare illness
WILLIAMS BAY—Courtney Waller and Reece Mills felt so alone when they found out their infant daughter had a rare disease.
"Even the doctors were saying that they had never seen the disorder before," Courtney said.� "As a parent, you want to do the best thing for your child. With no expert doctor or support group, you don't know if you are doing the right thing."
Courtney knew there must be other families affected by Timothy Syndrome, an ultra-rare genetic disorder. Fewer than 40 people with the condition have been reported worldwide.
Courtney used the power of social media to find five other moms, who have children with the syndrome, in the United States and United Kingdom. Through her Facebook group, she also contacted two mothers who lost children to the condition and the woman who discovered it.
"This is a powerful message to send to other families who have children with rare diseases," Courtney of Williams Bay said. "No matter how alone you feel, you may still be able to find those who understand your circumstances and can point you … to the best treatments available."
She added: "As anyone in the medical and rare disease community will attest, it is not uncommon for the parents of these children to know more about the syndromes than their doctors."
Born in October, Theodora is in stable condition and goes to a Milwaukee hospital once a month for evaluation.
The main characteristic of Timothy Syndrome is a heart condition known as Long QT, which causes the heart muscle to take longer to recharge between beats. The abnormality in the heart's electrical system can cause irregular heartbeats, which can lead to sudden death.
"This is the leading cause of death for Timothy Syndrome children," Courtney said. "We were told at the time of her birth that the life expectancy is 2.5 years."
In addition to the heart, the condition also affects the brain and the pancreas.
Through a Facebook group, Courtney and Reece have connected with a parent whose child with the syndrome is 22. Another parent has a child who is 8.
"When I hear about their birthdays, it gives us hope," Courtney said. "It was such a relief to find other people thriving with this condition."
Little Theodora is the youngest of four children.
"She's got that super-wide baby smile," Courtney said. "She knows her mom and dad. If you looked at her, you wouldn't know she was sick."
Part of what makes the child's journey remarkable is the way Courtney and Reece got a diagnosis for Theodora. She was one of a handful of babies to be diagnosed with Long QT while still a fetus.
"This was a direct result of my being asked to join a research study at UW-Madison, which used bio-magnetism to read a fetal electrocardiogram," Courtney said.
Because of the research, Theodora was diagnosed with a specific form of Long QT within moments of birth and received treatments tailored to her specific form.
"This has greatly improved her chances for survival," Courtney said.
Long QT has 13 forms, and most have no symptoms that are easily detectable. Many children and young adults die annually from undiagnosed and untreated cardiac arrhythmias, Courtney said.
"Most can be avoided with detection," she added. "Dr. (Janette) Strasburger and the research she is conducting in Madison is a promising step towards detecting some of these fatal conditions. Without her research, Theodora would not be with us today."
Courtney and Reece share their daughter's story to give hope to other parents.
"If you don't have hope, your life becomes nothing more than a study in sadness," Courtney said.� "To get hope, I look for small miracles every day."
The miracles can be as simple as Theodora smiling or sitting up for the first time.
"Children are tiny miracles," Courtney said. "Every milestone they reach is a miracle. Rather than worrying about what can go wrong with them, you have to celebrate the small miracles in their lives."
Anna Marie Lux is a columnist for The Gazette. Her columns run Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Call her with ideas or comments at 608-755-8264, or email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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660 items found in this collection
Talkie Stars End Bad Colds By Quick, Tempting Method
Tests By Physicians Show Quickest Way To End Colds
Doctors as Judges Name Quickest Way to Get Rid of Colds
Child Caught Cold; Pneumonia Feared
A Gargle Won't Help Your Sore Throat
Hospital-Tested Remedy Ends Colds In Thousands Of Pennsylvania Homes
-his sore throat may be yours tomorrow!
Where sore throats come from-
"-but sore throat is only the beginning!"
Your throat will be grateful for Formamint; after the old-time unpleasant methods
If you could see the germs in your throat
"I won't carry throat germs to those at home"
Prevention, rather than cure, is the keynote of modern medicine
Guard against infection
If you could see the Germs in Your Throat
Why throat hygiene is vital to your health
Page 1 of 42 Next »


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Microsoft has ended support for the Windows XP operating system. As of April 8, there are no more security updates or technical support for Windows XP. The company has recommended that those with PCs running Windows XP migrate to another operating system, which is supported, such as Windows 8.1, so they can get regular security updates.
There were many predictions of doomsday scenarios, now that support has ended. Many "security companies have repeatedly warned of the inevitability of a zombie army of hacked XP machines that will stalk the Internet, dooming us all," according to a report appearing earlier this month in The Guardian.
But there does not appear to be much fear out there, the article adds. Not everyone who has XP is switching to another operating system. Tech Pro Research discovered in a recent online survey of 641 XP users that 37 percent of respondents will continue to use XP, according to ZDNet. There are three basic reasons why people do not want to change. These are: cost (cited by 21 percent); they have critical software that requires Windows XP (39 percent); and the belief "if it ain't broke, don't fix it (40 percent)."
Overall, news reports said that earlier this month there were about 430 million PCs still running some version of Windows XP. In addition, more than 10 percent of computers used in government and businesses globally still use XP, one estimate said. About 95 percent of the 211,000 ATMs owned by financial institutions use XP, another estimate showed.
But law firms are concerned about privacy, and are often a target for hackers. InsideCounsel reported in 2012 how law firms were a "prime target for hackers seeking to access valuable confidential information, such as documents related to upcoming mergers and acquisitions or litigation."
When it comes to law firms, there are some risks, too, with support ending for XP, according to statements provided to InsideCounsel by Sergio Galindo, general manager, Infrastructure Business Unit, at GFI Software.
"When we talk about the potentially imminent threats for law firms using XP, it's the holes that will be identified by Microsoft for the other platforms," he said. "And those holes, just because they're the same code base, often have the same vulnerability in XP. So basically we're telling the thieves how to get in the house, and we're not going to lock the front door."
In addition, he said the holes will "continue to build up."
"Used to be, I found a problem and Microsoft would fix it. Now we're saying, find a hole, and then another hole next month – it's a problem that grows the longer you wait – it doesn't have a fix," he explained. "The other issue they have is the third-party products that run on top of the operating system. XP is the foundation, and yet it has holes in it, but the programs you run in your office may not be supported on an unsupported platform. So now you take the next step – if there is a core business application that I need for my business, and it's running on XP – that may not be supported. The worry is over that combination of: holes being identified; holes building up; and dependence on third-party products."
There are also some issues unique to law firms. Here is one question that law firms need to think about: "if you know about an issue, and you don't fix it – are you responsible?"
"Firms are often involved in confidential information, and that information – and that trust – is something that's important to them," Galindo said. "Everyone gets notice(s) from (credit card and other consumer/financial) companies about resetting passwords, for example. Credit card companies will remove charges from accounts when there's a breach. For law firms, if someone gets hold of information – how do you repair that? Credit card violations are 'fixable' – because firms deal in information; it's unclear how you repair violations of information as law firms would likely face. So law firms do need to be a bit more sensitive because they have access to confidential information and it's not easily fixed. That, coupled with the awareness of the problem, makes this a serious matter for firms."
GFI does offer some products that can help. It provides reports in products that identify hardware and software that are running on XP machines.
"We want to help you get off that," Galindo said. "We have software that helps IT administrators identify both hardware (is your engine powerful enough to run Windows 7 or 8?) and software (so when you move to a new machine, make sure you understand what you need to move)."
Further reading:
Privacy is important to family law, employment law practice in California
Tools to increase your productivity
Law firms are a prime target for hackers


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It's no secret that many companies, both in the United States and abroad, have dramatically increased the amount of cash they keep on hand, in large part by increasing their long-term debt load. REL Consulting, which is a division of The Hackett Group, and CFO Magazine recently analyzed the financial statements of the 1,000 largest U.S.-headquartered public companies that are not in the financial sector. They found that among these companies, long-term debt has more than doubled over the past 12 years and has grown nearly 20 percent in the past three years.
This trend is understandable, since many businesses struggled with liquidity during the recent downturn—but it's not sustainable. With interest rates rising and corporate credit ratings falling, borrowing is becoming much more expensive, and for some companies funding sources may completely dry up. Finance professionals across the United States are re-evaluating their cash and borrowing needs.
"Even if interest rates spiked a little too much in the short term, they're trending upward," says Dan Ginsberg, associate principal with REL. "The baseline is going up. We've reached a point where every treasurer and CFO is thinking, 'What are we going to do in a higher-interest-rate environment, where we simply can't borrow at the great rates that we've been getting?' Our answer to that is: Look at your own organization, at the working capital that is tied up in it right now. That's free money. It's already yours; you just have to get it."
Huge Amounts of Cash Waiting to Be Tapped
Much has been written about improving the efficiency of working capital, but corporate treasurers may be surprised to learn how much cash they could potentially free up through better working capital management. In their analysis of large public companies, REL and CFO Magazine quantified the value of the opportunity available to each organization if it improved efficiency in three ways: by reducing its inventory levels, reducing its accounts receivable (A/R), and expanding the value of its accounts payable (A/P) by extending the length of time it takes to pay suppliers.
They separated the companies into industry groupings, then organized companies within each industry into quartiles in terms of days inventory on hand (DIO), days sales outstanding (DSO), and days payables outstanding (DPO). (See the sidebar "Headline Metrics for Working Capital Management" on page 3 of this article.) For every company outside the top quartile in one of these metrics, REL/CFO calculated how much additional cash the organization would have available if it improved efficiency in its inventory, A/R, or A/P processes enough to bring the associated metric to the levels achieved by the top quartile of businesses in its industry.
The results are astonishing. In aggregate, these companies have an opportunity to squeeze $285 billion out of accounts payable, $318 billion out of accounts receivable, and $459 billion out of inventory. So the 1,000 businesses in the study have an opportunity to free up a total of more than $1 trillion in cash by boosting their working capital management. As Figure 1 shows, companies in the top quartile have 49 percent less working capital tied up in operations than do the median performers in their industry, which translates into an additional $135.1 million in cash flow per $1 billion in sales. As borrowing becomes more difficult or even impossible for some companies, tightening working capital is a smart way to access cash.
Moving Forward, Eyeing the Past
The results of REL's studies over the past decade show that working capital fell substantially during 2008 but has headed back up in the years since (see Figure 2, below). "In the recession, every number went down," Ginsberg says. "Revenue went down, profitability went down, costs went down, and working capital went down too. The reduction in working capital was a good thing, and it didn't happen by accident. Once companies reached stabilization, they were able to understand how to grow profitable revenue off a lower base of working capital. That means they were able to squeeze more profit out of every dollar they put into their business."
Ginsberg allows that it sometimes make sense to let working capital slide a bit. For example, a small company that signs a major new customer might initially hold a bit more inventory than usual to keep that customer satisfied. "But decisions like that need to be made with an understanding of the trade-offs you have to make between customer satisfaction and profitability or whatever your objective for your cash is," Ginsberg says.
While he doesn't advocate spending too much time looking backward at recession-era practices, Ginsberg does believe companies should take a basic lesson from the downturn: "You don't need to relax working capital management and suffer on the cash flow side in order to get profits," he says. "That's an enlightenment for a lot of companies. A lot of times, the culture will dictate 'It's a new paradigm, and we're doing things differently.' But that's not really true when it comes to things like customer payment terms, supplier terms, and maintaining delivery commitments you've made on the inventory side. Some things really haven't changed at the core of the business. We recommend taking a historical look at what your company can achieve."
The first step in analyzing a company's opportunities for improvement is to look at the root causes of deterioration in working capital performance. For example, Ginsberg says, "you might find your DSO has increased 20 percent since 2008. You have to find out why that is. There's a mechanical aspect to analyzing the numbers, but then you have to look at the business as well." It makes sense to ask questions like: Did we have any divestitures or acquisitions over the past five years? How has the absorption of any acquisitions affected our business? Does one business unit have better practices than another? Can we standardize working capital management across all our lines of business?
Setting Targets and Monitoring Metrics
According to the REL analysis, inventory is the area of working capital management that presents the most opportunity to free up cash—$459 billion total among the 1,000 companies in the study. "In 2009, companies started moving into growth mode," Ginsberg explains. "In growth mode, there tends to be a buildup of inventory, a replenishment of stock inventories and the creation of more inventory in raw materials and intermediate products. But a careful balance is required because you're making a forecast of customer demand, which is still volatile."
Achieving the right balance can be very difficult, according to Prathima Iddamsetty, senior manager with REL. "What we see in our practical experience with customers is that inventory is one of the hardest areas of working capital management to improve because it's very industry-specific," she says. "What works in one industry doesn't necessarily work in other industries. Figuring out the balance between what works best for operations and what sales wants, in addition to all the forecast inaccuracies based on demand volatility, is always a challenge."
Usually companies err on the side of caution and build up more inventory than they need because they don't want to risk being unable to fulfill a customer order, Iddamsetty says. "But in the long scheme of things, that's not the right attitude," she adds. "You have to think about the trade-offs between costs, profitability, keeping your machines running, and customer service. The trade-offs are harder to manage with inventory than with the other components of working capital."
To help clients get a handle on their inventory levels, REL asks them to concentrate their efforts on product range management, or management of the product mix they're offering to customers. "A lot of companies have big issues in determining which items they need to carry and how much demand there is for each of them," Iddamsetty says. "Everything starts with product range management; it affects how you're sourcing your raw material, how you're scheduling and manufacturing downstream, and whether you're achieving your objectives in profitability, customer satisfaction, and proper utilization of your assets. If you get the product mix right, everything works better downstream in terms of your supply chain management and inventory."
She recommends that companies divide their products into groups that make sense from the perspective of inventory metrics. Then they should measure the performance of each product group in terms of metrics such as turnover and DIO. "Our best practice is to biannually review your product range and how your product portfolio moves, then set your metrics accordingly," Iddamsetty says. "So halfway through the year, re-evaluate your working capital objectives. What you set at the beginning of the year won't necessarily still hold true by the midpoint of the year. Demand might change—your whole demand pattern could change—and hence your DIO targets should change."
For receivables, the most important metric is DSO, Ginsberg says. "But we recommend looking at operational-level metrics as well. For accounts receivable, these would measure the efficiency of the people sending invoices, doing billing and credit reviews and collections. You want to look at things like percentage current invoices—how many of the invoices outstanding right now are current vs. past due? And you want to look at your terms. Are you invoicing your customers appropriately and on time, and are customers paying within the agreed-upon term? If not, you need to look at metrics around disputes and customer service to understand why customers aren't paying on time."
For monitoring payables, Ginsberg recommends using DPO, as well as weighted average days to pay vs. weighted average terms—in other words, whether your payments are meeting contracts' terms. "You could also look at early vs. late payments," he adds. "For low-hanging fruit, you want to make sure you're not paying anybody early. But you also want to look at late payments. If you're paying late, you might be incurring penalties for that."
The Time Is Right
For companies that have let working capital management slide in the economic recovery, now is the time to restore the rigor they developed during the recession. Many businesses are still sitting on large amounts of cash; in fact, the companies in the REL/CFO study have four times as much cash on hand today as they had 12 years ago ($981 billion in 2012 vs. $219 billion in 2000). Nevertheless, the study found that companies' free cash flow—the amount of cash that a company is able to generate after laying out the money required to maintain or expand its asset base—is falling. That figure dropped 14 percent from 2011 to 2012. This means that although their cash on hand increased slightly last year, businesses have less cash available today for debt reduction, acquisitions, dividends, and new product launches than they had a year ago.
"Our study highlights the reasons why treasurers need to be thinking about working capital right now," Ginsberg concludes. "Their own operations are a great source of funding relative to the debt markets, where interest rates are going up."
Meg Waters is the editor in chief of Treasury & Risk. She is the former editor in chief of BPM Magazine and the former managing editor of Business Finance.


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Daniel (Dan) Barton Hansen, Edgerton, WI (1956-2013)
December 7, 1956 - October 17, 2013
Daniel (Dan) Barton Hansen, age 56, of rural Edgerton, passed away unexpectedly at his home on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013, due to a heart attack following cardiac surgery earlier this year. Dan was born Dec. 7, 1956, in Edgerton, to Anna Marie (Barton) and Junior M. Hansen. He attended Edgerton Schools and was the owner of Hansen Concrete Construction.
Dan was the proud and dedicated father of Heather. He loved having her visit him on the weekends. He had a soft spot for her and their kitties. Dan also loved spending time with Lynette, the love of his life. They especially enjoyed their time on the water, boating. Dan was a great man to those who knew him. He was loyal, generous and kind. He will leave a hole in the hearts of many.
Dan is survived by his daughter, Heather Hansen of Fort Atkinson; fianc�, Lynette Boyles of Edgerton; sisters and brothers-in-law: Mary Ann (Ron) Johnson of Madison, Penny (Ray) Rollins of Verona, Judy (Phil) Stage of Edgerton; nieces: Melissa Rollins, Jessica (Justin) Hartman, Heidi Lesnik; great-nephew, Brady Rollins; and his three beloved kitties: Norris, Alice and Janie. He was preceded in death by his parents; maternal grandparents, Ernest and Marie Barton; and paternal grandparents, James and Lulu Hansen.
A Celebration of Life visitation will be held on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 11 until 1 p.m. at ALBRECHT FUNERAL HOMES & CREMATION SERVICES, EDGERTON.
Albrecht Funeral Homes & Cremation Services, Edgerton
1004 S. Main St., 608-884-6010


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Puzzle Levels
Download a FREE Solution for your puzzles!
Click Image to Enlarge
The Void Puzzle
Product Information
|Mix up and put back to start
|Level 9 - Gruelling
|Rubik's Cube
|2.17 in x 2.17 in x 2.17 in / 5.5 cm x 5.5 cm x 5.5 cm
Product Description
The Void Puzzle is manufactured from a high quality black. The object of this puzzle is to scramble up all 6 sides and then return it so that each face only has one color on it. This smooth edged puzzle is unique because there is no core at all, you can see right through it as the puzzle rotates around the frame. Also, it can be a little harder to solve than the normal 3x3x3 because there are no centers to help you know where to put each color. This is one of many great puzzles from the Rubik's Cube brand. The first Rubik's Cube was patented in 1975 under the name "Magic Cube" and was changed to "Rubik's Cube" in 1980. Since then, Rubik's has been designing and producing many puzzles.
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Which new features do you want the most?
This is a long shot….
How about working with the programmers of the iPhone "Tea App" so that we can enter our comments on the iPhone and have them show up on Steepster!!! The Tea App is one of my most used apps on the iPhone…
Why aren't search results ordered in some way? If I search for 'darjeeling' it would be lovely to see the top rated tea matching the search term :).
^ Thats a valid point. But how would you define the rating. How would the search tool know which tea to show first? coz it aint Google, there are no SEO algorithms to follow.
i wish there was a way to search peoples shopping list. sounds creepy kinda, but if i am looking to get rid of a particular tea, i want to send it to someone who is interested.
maybe on the specific tea page, have a list that says "the following people have this on their shopping list"
I want to be able to join the subscription list that sends me different teas each month that you only offer to the U.S. us Canadians need tea too!!
When viewing a tea, I would like the option to view which of the people I follow either have it in their cupboard or on their shopping list.
Mobile version / app please!
If Steepster could make a way for the service to be accessed by app developers (like how Facebook and Twitter have means of linking/sharing/uploading posted content) then users could potentially use something like the app Tea for iPhone to upload logged tasting notes onto the site.
Probably a LOT of work, but a bit less than the very common request on here for a Steepster-specific application or mobile interface.
I would really like to see Steepster Select come back. Any idea of if/when it will?
It would be handy to have an option to report abusive users and/or individual posts/reviews that are abusive. I've seen a few instances where this would be handy, because I don't know how to report it otherwise..
I send an e-mail message to [email protected] (the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of the page) with a link to the offensive post.
Thanks :)


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Newborn screening is the practice of testing every newborn for certain harmful or potentially fatal disorders that aren't otherwise apparent at birth.
Many of these are metabolic disorders (often called "inborn errors of metabolism") that interfere with the body's use of nutrients to maintain healthy tissues and produce energy. Other disorders that screening can detect include problems with hormones or the blood.
In general, metabolic and other inherited disorders can hinder an infant's normal physical and mental development in a variety of ways. And parents can pass along the gene for a certain disorder without even knowing that they're carriers.
With a simple blood test, doctors often can tell whether newborns have certain conditions that eventually could cause problems. Although these conditions are considered rare and most babies are given a clean bill of health, early diagnosis and proper treatment can make the difference between lifelong impairment and healthy development.
In the early 1960s, scientist Robert Guthrie, PhD, developed a blood test that could determine whether newborns had the metabolic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU). People with PKU lack an enzyme needed to process the amino acid phenylalanine, which is necessary for normal growth in kids and for normal protein use throughout life. However, if too much phenylalanine builds up, it damages brain tissue and eventually can cause substantial developmental delay.
If kids born with PKU are put on a special diet right away, they can avoid the developmental delay the condition caused in past generations and lead normal lives.
Since the development of the PKU test, researchers have developed additional blood tests that can screen newborns for other disorders that, unless detected and treated early, can cause physical problems, developmental delay, and in some cases, death.
The federal government has set no national standards, so screening requirements vary from state to state and are determined by individual state public health departments. Many states have mandatory newborn screening programs, but parents can refuse the testing for their infant if they choose.
Almost all states now screen for more than 30 disorders. One screening technique, the tandem mass spectrometry (or MS/MS), can screen for more than 20 inherited metabolic disorders with a single drop of blood.
Traditionally, state decisions about what to screen for have been based on weighing the costs against the benefits. "Cost" considerations include:
So what can you do? Your best strategy is to stay informed. Discuss this issue with both your obstetrician or health care provider and your future baby's doctor before you give birth. Know what tests are routinely done in your state and in the hospital where you'll deliver (some hospitals go beyond what's required by state law).
If your state isn't offering screening for the expanded panel of disorders, you may want to ask your doctors about supplemental screening, though you'll probably have to pay for additional tests yourself.
If you're concerned about whether your infant was screened for certain conditions, ask your child's doctor for information about which tests were done and whether further tests are recommended.
Newborn screening varies by state and is subject to change, especially given advancements in technology. However, the disorders listed here are the ones typically included in newborn screening programs.
When this disorder is detected early, feeding an infant a special formula low in phenylalanine can prevent mental retardation. A low-phenylalanine diet will need to be followed throughout childhood and adolescence and perhaps into adult life. This diet cuts out all high-protein foods, so people with PKU often need to take a special artificial formula as a nutritional substitute. Incidence: 1 in 10,000 to 25,000.
This is the disorder most commonly identified by routine screening. Affected babies don't have enough thyroid hormone and so develop retarded growth and brain development. (The thyroid, a gland at the front of the neck, releases chemical substances that control metabolism and growth.)
If the disorder is detected early, a baby can be treated with oral doses of thyroid hormone to permit normal development. Incidence: 1 in 4,000.
Babies with galactosemia lack the enzyme that converts galactose (one of two sugars found in lactose) into glucose, a sugar the body is able to use. As a result, milk (including breast milk) and other dairy products must be eliminated from the diet. Otherwise, galactose can build up in the system and damage the body's cells and organs, leading to blindness, severe mental retardation, growth deficiency, and even death.
Incidence: 1 in 60,000 to 80,000. Several less severe forms of galactosemia that may be detected by newborn screening may not require any intervention.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disease in which red blood cells mutate into abnormal "sickle" shapes and can cause episodes of pain, damage to vital organs such as the lungs and kidneys, and even death. Young children with sickle cell disease are especially prone to certain dangerous bacterial infections, such as pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs) and meningitis (inflammation of the brain and spinal cord).
Studies suggest that newborn screening can alert doctors to begin antibiotic treatment before infections occur and to monitor symptoms of possible worsening more closely. The screening test can also detect other disorders affecting hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying substance in the blood).
Incidence: about 1 in every 500 African-American births and 1 in every 1,000 to 1,400 Hispanic-American births; also occurs with some frequency among people of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and South Asian descent.
Babies with this condition don't have enough biotinidase, an enzyme that recycles biotin (a B vitamin) in the body. The deficiency may cause seizures, poor muscle control, immune system impairment, hearing loss, mental retardation, coma, and even death. If the deficiency is detected in time, however, problems can be prevented by giving the baby extra biotin. Incidence: 1 in 72,000 to 126,000.
This is actually a group of disorders involving a deficiency of certain hormones produced by the adrenal gland. It can affect the development of the genitals and may cause death due to loss of salt from the kidneys. Lifelong treatment through supplementation of the missing hormones manages the condition. Incidence: 1 in 12,000.
Babies with MSUD are missing an enzyme needed to process three amino acids that are essential for the body's normal growth. When not processed properly, these can build up in the body, causing urine to smell like maple syrup or sweet, burnt sugar. These babies usually have little appetite and are extremely irritable.
If not detected and treated early, MSUD can cause mental retardation, physical disability, and even death. A carefully controlled diet that cuts out certain high-protein foods containing those amino acids can prevent this. Like people with PKU, those with MSUD are often given a formula that supplies the necessary nutrients missed in the special diet they must follow. Incidence: 1 in 250,000.
Babies with this amino acid metabolism disorder have trouble processing the amino acid tyrosine. If it accumulates in the body, it can cause mild retardation, language skill difficulties, liver problems, and even death from liver failure. Treatment requires a special diet and sometimes a liver transplant. Early diagnosis and treatment seem to offset long-term problems, although more information is needed. Incidence: not yet determined. Some babies have a mild self-limited form of tyrosinemia.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder that particularly affects the lungs and digestive system and makes kids who have it more vulnerable to repeated lung infections. There is no known cure — treatment involves trying to prevent serious lung infections (sometimes with antibiotics) and providing adequate nutrition. Early detection may help doctors reduce the problems associated with CF, but the real impact of newborn screening has yet to be determined. Incidence: 1 in 2,000 Caucasian babies; less common in African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asians.
MCAD (medium chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase) deficiency is a fatty acid metabolism disorder. Kids who have it are prone to repeated episodes of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which can cause seizures and interfere with normal growth and development. Treatment involves making sure kids don't fast (skip meals) and supplies extra nutrition (usually by intravenous nutrients) when they're ill. Early detection and treatment can help affected children live normal lives.
Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection that can be transmitted through the mother's placenta to an unborn child. The disease-causing organism can invade the brain, eye, and muscles, possibly resulting in blindness and mental retardation. The benefit of early detection and treatment is uncertain. Incidence: 1 in 1,000. But only one or two states screen for toxoplasmosis.
Most but not all states require newborns' hearing to be screened before they're discharged from the hospital. If your baby isn't examined then, be sure that he or she does get screened within the first 3 weeks of life.
Kids develop critical speaking and language skills in their first few years. A hearing loss that's caught early can be treated to help prevent interference with that development.
If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, talk to your doctor and perhaps a genetic counselor about additional tests:
In the first 2 or 3 days of life, your baby's heel will be pricked to obtain a small blood sample for testing. Most states have a state or regional laboratory perform the analyses, although some use a private lab.
It's generally recommended that the sample be taken after the first 24 hours of life. Some tests, such as the one for PKU, may not be as sensitive if they're done too soon after birth. However, because mothers and newborns are often discharged within a day, some babies may be tested within the first 24 hours. If this happens, experts recommend that a repeat sample be taken no more than 1 to 2 weeks later. It's especially important that the PKU screening test be run again for accurate results. Some states routinely do two tests on all infants.
Different labs have different procedures for notifying families and pediatricians of the results. Some may send the results to the hospital where your child was born and not directly to your child's doctor, which may mean a delay in getting the results to you.
And although some states have a system that allows doctors to access the results via phone or computer, others may not. Ask your doctor how you'll get the results and when you should expect them.
If a test result comes back abnormal, try not to panic. This does not necessarily mean that your child has the disorder in question. A screening test is not the same as diagnostic test. The initial screening provides only preliminary information that must be followed up with more specific diagnostic testing.
If testing confirms that your child does have a disorder, your doctor may refer you to a specialist for further evaluation and treatment. Keep in mind that dietary restrictions and supplements, along with proper medical supervision, often can prevent most of the serious physical and mental problems that were associated with metabolic disorders in the past.
You also may wonder whether the disorder can be passed on to any future children. You'll want to discuss this with your doctor and perhaps a genetic counselor. Also, if you have other children who weren't screened for the disorder, consider having testing done. Again, speak with your doctor.
Because state programs are subject to change, you'll want to find up-to-date information about your state's (and individual hospital's) program. Talk to your doctor or contact your state's department of health for more information.
Reviewed by: Patricia G. Wheeler, MD
Date reviewed: September 2012
|National Society of Genetic Counselors This organization represents the genetic counseling profession through research, advocacy, and education.
|March of Dimes The March of Dimes seeks to prevent birth defects, infant mortality, low birthweight, and lack of prenatal care.
|Lab Tests Online This non-commercial site was developed by laboratory professionals to educate caregivers, patients, and patients' families about lab tests.
|Baby's First Test This site offers comprehensive information and resources about newborn screening at the local, state, and national levels.
|Medical Care and Your Newborn By the time you hold your new baby for the first time, you've probably chosen your little one's doctor. Learn about your newborn's medical care.
|Cord-Blood Banking Should you bank your newborn's cord blood? This article can help you decide.
|Common Diagnoses in the NICU Learn about common NICU conditions, what causes them, how they're diagnosed, how they're treated, and how long babies might stay in the unit.
|Staying Healthy During Pregnancy During your pregnancy, you'll probably get advice from everyone. But staying healthy depends on you - read about the many ways to keep you and your baby as healthy as possible.
|What Is the Apgar Score? The very first test given to your newborn, the Apgar score occurs right after your baby's birth in the delivery or birthing room.
|Medical Care During Pregnancy The sooner in pregnancy good care begins, the better for the health of both moms and their babies. Here's what to expect.
|When Your Baby Is Born With a Health Problem If you're expecting a baby, it's important to understand that certain health problems and complications can't be prevented, no matter how smoothly the pregnancy goes.
|Genetic Testing Advances in genetic testing have improved doctors' ability to diagnose and treat certain illnesses.
|FAQs: Prenatal Tests Find out what tests are available to keep you informed of your -- and your baby's -- health throughout pregnancy.
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Report: Milton Principal Jeanne Smith stepped on student to peak his tantrum
JANESVILLE—Harmony Elementary School Principal Jeanne Smith told police she stepped on an autistic student's legs in an attempt to "coax" the boy into reaching the peak of a tantrum so he'd settle down, according to police reports.
She told investigators her actions, which staff told police included Smith yelling comments at the student and telling staff "I'm going antagonize him," were part of a plan to get the second-grade boy to settle down from an emotional outburst that had landed him in the school's isolation room Feb. 18.
That's according to Janesville police investigative reports released Thursday about the incident at the Milton School District school on Janesville's northeast side.
Smith was put on administrative leave after the incident, reported to Superintendent Tim Schigur by school aides who witnessed it, according to reports. Police have closed their investigation into possible child abuse. The district requested the investigation as part of a mandatory reporting requirement.
Police determined Smith committed no crimes, but the school district plans its own investigation, and Smith remains on leave pending the outcome, Schigur said.
Police reports detail allegations that Smith had intervened while the boy was having a tantrum after he was removed from class by two teacher aides and was placed in a padded isolation room in the school.
Isolation is part of individual education plans for certain students and is typically used to calm students during emotional outbursts when students could be at risk of injuring themselves or others.
According to the reports, the boy was pounding and kicking the door of the room, and aides had taken away the boy's shoes as his tantrum continued.
Smith came to the isolation room and told staff who were monitoring the situation, "I'm going to antagonize" the boy, according to witness reports. She then went into the room and began to use a restraint hold on the boy, putting him against a wall and pushing his knees to his chest.
During that physical encounter, a staff member watching the incident heard Smith yell at the boy "You're a rotten kid," and "I don't care," according to reports. She also told the boy, "If you hurt me, I'll hurt you," according to witness reports.
A staff witness also heard the boy yell to Smith, "You're hurting me," according to reports. ��
The boy then tried to kick Smith, and she stepped on his ankles and his knee, according to reports. She ultimately left the isolation room to deal with a parent who was in the school office.
Police said there was no evidence Smith's encounter injured the boy, although there was a "nickel-sized" abrasion on the boy's knee. Police said they were unsure where that injury came from, but reports explained it "lacked bruising or discoloration normally consistent with being stepped on."����
Smith told police the boy, who has emotional outbursts linked to his autism, has a history of reaching a peak in his tantrums, after which they subside. She told police the boy seemed to be "stuck in his cycle," and she'd planned to use a physical intervention to get his tantrum to "peak" so he'd then settle down.
Smith denied calling the boy "a rotten kid," although she said she may have used the term "antagonize" to tell staff about her plans to handle the boy's outburst.
Smith told police she "appreciated" staff reporting the incident because it showed they "view themselves as advocates for the children first."
State statutes allow trained school staff to use prescribed physical restraint holds to handle students who are showing behavior that could pose a threat of physical harm to themselves or others. The law prohibits any restraint that puts pressure or weight on a student's chest or neck or makes it difficult for the student to breathe or maintain normal blood flow.
The statutes specify that the degree and duration of force used during physical restraints must "be the least restrictive intervention feasible" and must not exceed "the degree and duration necessary" to resolve the physically threatening behavior.
The law doesn't specify address how school staff may use their hands or feet during restraint holds, and it doesn't specify whether it's permissible to step on a student's limbs. It also doesn't specify whether physical restraint is permitted as a way to get a student's emotions to "peak" and then ebb.
Schigur has indicated the district plans to look into whether the district's own procedures and policies on student restraints and isolation were followed during the incident.
He wouldn't say whether Smith, who had announced retirement at the end of the year weeks before the Feb. 18 incident, is being paid while on leave.


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Charlotte Mae (Crichton) Mecklenburg, Milton, WI
March 31, 2014
Charlotte Mae (Crichton) Mecklenburg, of Milton, peacefully passed away March 31, 2014 at the age of 84. She was one of eight children, the daughter of Clifford Fair Crichton and Myrtle Butler Crichton. Charlotte was a waitress, and held other jobs in the area during her lifetime. She enjoyed gardening and baking. She married Willard Mecklenburg in 1947.
Charlotte is survived by her daughters: Pat (John) Tegt, Susan (Ross) Hill, and MaryLu Mecklenburg; eight grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren; a sister, Marge (Gerald) Robinson; a brother, Clifford (Mary) Crichton; sisters-in-law, Alberta Crichton and Judy Crichton; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Willard, who passed on March 21, 2008, and a daughter.
A memorial visitation will be held for both Charlotte and Willard from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 5, 2014, at the ALBRECHT FUNERAL HOMES & CREMATION SERVICES, Milton, with a prayer service to follow at Noon, which will be officiated by Pastor Larry Schwanke.
A special thanks to Agrace HospiceCare staff and Rock Haven Nursing Home.
Albrecht Funeral Homes & Cremation Services
828 S. Janesville St., 608-868-2542


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A Standard Roman Style Shade accentuates the beautiful natural material with clean, classic styling, raising into neat flat folds. The popular design of our New Looped Roman Style Shades features soft, billowing loops of natural material for a more dimensional look.
|Standard Woven style
|Old Style Woven "Front Boarded No Valance"
|Looped Roman Woven Wood
|Edge Banding available on many Styles:
Fabric Edge Banding
Frame your Natural Shades and Valance with 1" or 2" fabric edge banding.
Deco-Finish Valance
Add wordly charm with a Seascape, Dentil, Cathedral or Horizon Valance. Gimp trim conceals the design cut on both front and back.
|Standard 6 inch Valance
|Standard 9 inch Valance
Privacy Liner
Preserve your solitude with a Privacy Liner in White, Tan, Cocoa or Black Coffee. For a neutral look facing the outside of your windows, choose a White Privacy Liner.
Room Darkening Liner
To block light completely, add a Room Darkening Liner in Tan, Cocoa or Black Coffee. Room Darkening Liners are colored on the side facing your shade, and white on the side facing the outside.
Operating Systems & Controls
Standard Cord Lift System
Color coordinated standard cord includes a cord lock, which holds the cord securely in place at any position.
Continuous-loop Lift System
Powerful clutch mechanism smoothly operates shades. Cord locking device maintains a constant cord length and keeps cord out of children's reach.
Bottom Up/Top Down Standard Corded
Lower your shades from the top or raise them from the bottom. This allows you to maintain privacy or screen an unwanted view while letting natural light come in.
|Graber Warranty
Tips To Remember:
Use a steel measuring tape
Round down to the nearest 1/8" for width
Round up to the nearest 1/8" for height
See Product Specifications for more specific product info.
Sizes should always be provided in this format: Width x Height
On any measurement given, the factory does have a +/- 1/8 of an inch variance allowance.
Measuring for Woven Woods
Inside Mount Width
• Measure the exact width (left to right) of the inside edge of the window frame in three places (top, middle and bottom).
• Take the smallest of the three measurements to the nearest 1/8 of an inch.
• The factory will make the correct deduction from the total width to allow for proper installation. Most manufacturers' deduct 3/8" from the total width.
Inside Mount Height
• Measure the exact height (top to bottom) from the top inside edge down to the window sill in three spots across window.
• Take the largest of the three measurements.
Outside Mount Width
• Measure the exact width (left to right) of the wooden or metal window frame (outer edge) OR how wide you want the product to be.
• For Woven Woods make sure the measurement overlaps the window opening by at least 2" on each side to ensure light control and privacy I
Outside Mount Height
• Measure the top and bottom edge of window frame/trim. If no trim, be sure you provide the height you want the shade to be from top of the headrail to bottom of the bottom rail.
• Be sure to allow for coverage for light control and mounting hardware if mounting above window opening to wall surface. You will need 2 inches of surface area to mount above opening. Call us for further instruction if needed.
Installation Instructions-Click Here