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Quality Engineer AS9100 Aerospace
Fortune 500 Company located in West Virginia.
US Citizenship is required. Relocation assistance is available.
• Determines quality improvement parameters by identifying statistical methods relevant to manufacturing processes
• Establishes statistical ...
Mar 27 -
Checkpoint Engineer
Position: Checkpoint Engineer
Work Location: Cheyenne, WY
Duration: Long-Term
Required Skills:
Demonstrated experience with Medium scale environments utilizing Checkpoint 7.7 on Appliance UTM 1570 (U20)
Advanced knowledge of Firewall experience is required, as well ...
Mar 24 -
Mar 22 -
Mechanical Designer III
Kelly Services® has been providing outstanding employment opportunities to the most talented individuals in the marketplace. We are proud to offer a long-term temporary opportunity to work as a Mechanical Designer III in a prestigious Fortune 500® company working in Salem, ...
Mar 20 -
Controls Engineer (Network)
Kelly Services® has been providing outstanding employment opportunities to the most talented individuals in the marketplace. We are proud to offer a long-term temporary opportunity to work as a Controls Engineer (Networking) in a prestigious Fortune 500® company located in ...
Mar 3 -
Experienced PTOE
PILLAR, Inc. is seeking a highly qualified Traffic Engineer with managerial experience leading teams and a familiarity with budgets for its Virginia offices. Work will primarily be within the Commonwealth.
A successful candidate must have the following minimum ...
Feb 25 -
Supervisory General Engineer
This position is located at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Salem Virginia. The Supervisory General Engineer has dual role responsibilities and functions as an Engineer and Resident Engineer on delegated construction projects.- Responsible for engineering ...
Feb 24 -
Utilities Civil Engineer - Blacksburg, VA
~~• Qualifications and Experience:
o B.S. Degree in Civil Engineering or Related Discipline
o Entry level to 3 years of experience/knowledge of related discipline
• Responsibilities:
o Prepares plans, drawings and specifications for a project as directed.
o Uses ...
Feb 12 -
Mechanical Design Engineer Roanoke, VA
We are looking for junior and senior level Mechanical Design Engineers for career opportunities in Roanoke, VA
This position is responsible for the development of mechanical designs for products, utilizing and applying mechanical design principles, research data, ...
Nuclear Engineering Technologist II
Recruiter to contact: Anne Cleveland
Job Title: Nuclear Engineering Technologist II
Job Number: 142346
Location: Newport, NC
Compensation: DOE
Assignment Length: Contract
This is the second level of the Engineering Technologist classification.
Associate ...
Jan 29 -


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Waldorf News
Local news for Waldorf, MD continually updated from thousands of sources on the web.
Using somebody else's face to make a point: Jarvis DeBerry
Wednesday Mar 18 | NOLA.com | Comment?
Is there any recourse for victims of online photo memes?
Wednesday Mar 18 | KRAV-FM Tulsa | Comment?
UMES Baseball's Winning Streak Snapped, 17-5
Wednesday Mar 18 | WBOC-TV Salisbury | Comment?
Excess chlorine forced 70 guests to evacuate Waldorf hotel
Saturday Mar 14 | WUSA-TV Washington | Comment?
Man Charged in Sexual Assault, Suspect in Three More: Police
Friday Mar 6 | Patch.com | Comment?
Updated: Wed Mar 25, 2015 01:46 pm
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subset: commoncrawl


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Town Square
Palo Alto pins down a big wrestling tourney title
Original post made on Dec 16, 2011
The Palo Alto wrestling team pinned down the championship of the 25-team Webber Lawson Memorial tournament at Fremont High in Sunnyvale on Saturday. The Vikings scored 170.5 points to win comfortably over Live Oak, second with 131 points.
Read the full story here Web Link posted Monday, December 12, 2011, 9:05 AM
Comments (1)
a resident of Addison School
on Dec 16, 2011 at 6:09 pm
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volleyball music video! (by Alan Lamarque of The Viking Sportsmag and Ethan Cohen of INfocus
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Ramen shop replaces Muraccis in Los Altos
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North Lancs Training Group Ltd, Accrington
North Lancs Training Group Ltd
- Address:
- The Tramway, Manchester Road
- Postcode/City:
- BB5 2BN Accrington
- County:
- Lancashire
- Phone:
- 01254 39711901254 397119
- Fax:
- 01254 872432
- Website:
- www.nltg.co.uk
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For over 30 years NORTH LANCS TRAINING GROUP LTD has been heavily involved in the training of Apprentices and young people aged between 16 and 25 We are recognised as specialist trainers in industry and commerce
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Star Tracks
The singer heats things up on her latest tour stop, in Denmark. Plus: Gerard Butler, Victoria Beckham, Joshua Jackson & Diane Kruger and more
Credit: Yosra El-Essawy/Invision/AP
Published: Saturday May 25, 2013 | 11:30 AM EDT
More from PEOPLE
Latest News!
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- Inside Story: How Brittany Maynard Became a 'Death with Dignity' Advocate
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We're rounding up the best-dressed celebs of the week. From the red carpets to the streets, this is who we think is #winning.
California Girls: Coachella Street Style
Models walked down a flower-lined runway in floral-printed ensembles of the garden variety at the D&G spring 2011 show.
It seemed only natural for Rodarte to create a collection for Opening Ceremony (as the two are long fashion friends), and they finally did so this spring with a fun femme assortment of ready-to-wear and accessories.


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Akaskero Nature Resort
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Our last full day in Levi
Today we didn't do much. Had a leisurely start to the day and then went for a walk in the snow. It was a lot warmer today, only about -10 and lightly snowing.
We had to return our hired trousers etc by 4pm so when we walked back from there it was just in jeans ...
Woohooo another trip on the snowmobile!
... pair wool socks
Thick pair wool socks
Our thick jackets
Tracky pants
Our nice warm dungarees that we rented
Winter boots
Thin gloves
Thick gloves
Merino scarf and beanie or balaclava
Then when we go on the safari they also give us jumpsuits which go on top of all that so we really do look like the Michelin man, plus big boots and mittens and then a balaclava (or two) and a crash helmet with visor.
It´s Husky Day!
... snow so you have to just let them go, slowing for corners. The scenery was just beautiful. The sun was coming up so everything was sparkling in the light. We have to keep kicking ourselves to believe what we are seeing, it is so spectacular. Not sure how long we were actually out there, maybe 30-40 minutes but it was a 10km ride. As a passenger, my feet were getting a bit cold and my hands were cold with the camera ...
Back to Äkäslompolo
... buy something in a can or bottle, you actually pay a deposit on top of the price of the goods, roughly €0,15 for a can and €0,40 for a plastic bottle. You then take the empties back to the recycling machine and you get a credit slip which can be used or cashed in at the supermarket. We ended up with over 10 euros so with a couple of more euros from our pocket, we bought more beer for ...
Snow Day
... to Julli's so we didn't really have to look at the menu, we usually have a burger. Today was no exception, David had the usual "Burger with Antlers", a cheeseburger with reindeer meat on the top, and Maria had a Salmon burger served in a dark rye bun with a chilli shrimp mayo. The best bit about the burger meals is that they come with about half a kilo of shoestring fries. It's always a struggle to finish them but always good to try.


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Robert D. M.
New york, New York
Website: http://worldaphasia.blogspot.com/
Robert D. M.'s Whiteboard
Jan 01 2010 by passion4living
Hello and Happy New Year to you as well!
Nov 19 2009 by passion4living
Hi Robert,
Thanks for the add, great to have you as a friend. Take care, Lydia
Nov 18 2009 by cherry
Hi Robert, Nice to meet you!! thanks for the add, i'm new to all this pc stuff so still finding my feet.
Take care cherry


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The weekly RTE Radio 1 programme The History Show and the organisers of the annual Hay Literary Festival in Kells have joined forces to launch a centenary commemorative event to mark the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the ill-fated WW1 Dardanelles campaign The event, which will be funded, in part, with the assistance of the Reconciliation Fund of the Department of Foreign Affairs, will take place on the centenary of the first landings by troops from Ireland, Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey.
The Gallipoli campaign is part of the 'foundation myth' of Australia and New Zealand. This is clearly not the case in Ireland. However, almost 4000 Irish soldiers died at Gallipoli, three quarters of those in the volunteer 10th (Irish) Division. This compares with 8700 Australians. However, while the Australian fatalities came from a complement of over 60,000 soldiers (a death rate of 14.5%) the numbers of Irishmen serving in the Gallipoli campaign was closer to 15,000. This is a staggering fatality rate of almost 27%.
The three-day event will commence on the evening of Friday, 24 April with the delivery of the Francis Ledwidge Memorial Lecture by the distinguished Irish World War 1 historian Philip Orr, author of Field of Bones: An Irish Division at Gallipoli).
This will be followed on 25 April by a conference on the journalism and poetry of World War 1, entitled 'The first draft of history?- journalism and poetry in the Great War'. Among the speakers will be Heather Jones, of the Department of International History at the London School of Economics, and author of Violence Against Prisoners of War in the First World War: Britain, France and Germany, 1914-1920: Myles Dungan, presenter of The History Show on RTE Radio 1 and author of Irish Voices from the Great War: and Mark Duncan, of the Century Ireland project.
On Saturday evening singer-songrwiter Declan O'Rourke will perform WW1-related songs in a show entitled 'Poems of War, Songs of Peace'. World War 1 poetry will be read by Kells-based Welsh poet Nerys Williams (Sound Archive, 2011) while Declan will perform a repertoire that will include Irish anti-war songs The Recruiting Sergeant and Salonika, as well as the Eric Bogle trilogy of WW1 songs.
On 26 April a day of lectures will be devoted to the Gallipoli campaign. This will include short talks by Tom Burke of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association, Donal McAnnallen of the GAA, Conor Mulvagh (UCD), Tomás Irish (TCD), John Borgonovo (UCC), Jennifer Wellington (UCD) as well as a Turkish perspective from Murat Balandi.
Also involved in the weekend activities will be military archaeologist and historian Damien Shiels, who will lead a walking tour of WW1 sites of memory in Kells: Tom Burnell, author of a number of works on Irish War dead and military genealogist Gordon Power, both of whom will be available for consultation should members of the public have questions on their areas of expertise.
All events will take place in St.Columba's Church of Ireland church, Market St, Kells.
Tickets for all events can be purchased by contacting the booking office at 046 9240055 or email@example.com
For media inquiries contact 046 9240055 or email@example.com.


text:
Uber's accelerating revenue growth is luring more cash from investors eager to buy shares of the ride-hailing startup.
The company said Wednesday it has expanded the amount of capital it expects to raise in its current round of funding to a total of $2.8 billion. That's $1 billion more than Uber said it would raise in December, when it first announced the round. Read More »


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Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Congress Passes Federal ABLE Act to Help Funding for Persons with Disabilities
Reason for celebration. Not only did Congress act, but it came together to help those with disabilities. The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act cleared the Senate on Tuesday on a vote of 76 to 16, which is the last step on its way to the President. As Gail Russell Chaddok of the Christian Science Monitor observes:
"But the reasons for its success go deeper and point to potential bipartisan paths forward on one of Congress's most intractable issues: entitlement reform. The aim of the ABLE Act is to remove bureaucratic obstacles to help Americans save their own money to help pay for long-term care. To some activists, that could provide a template for reforming Medicare and Social Security in the next Congress.
The ABLE Act helps people with disabilities save for college and retirement. Under current law, a child diagnosed with a disability can't have assets worth more than $2,000 or earn more than $680 per month without forfeiting eligibility for government programs like Medicaid. The ABLE Act would allow a tax-free savings account up to $100,000 to pay for disability-related expenses."
December 17, 2014 in Current Affairs, Federal Statutes/Regulations | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Did You Catch NPR's "Old and Overmedicated?" (Links and Updates Here)
Mark Friedman, an elder law and special needs attorney from New Jersey, recently wrote to comment on the important series offered by National Public Radio on use and misuse of certain medications in long-term care settings. Here is what Mark said:
"NPR ran a story on 'chemical restraints,' - nursing homes using anti-psychotic drugs to make unruly residents more pliable. According to the article, the residents are usually Alzheimer's or dementia patients, and anti-psychotics can make the residents easier for staff to manage. But the drugs can be dangerous, increasing a resident's risk of falls and exacerbating health problems. At high doses, anti-psychotics can also sap away emotions and personality and put the resident into a 'stupor.'
Administering drugs in this manner, any drugs, including anti-psychotics, without medical need and for the convenience of staff, is contrary to federal regulations. Unfortunately, it may also be widespread.
The NPR story includes a tool drawn from CMS data that shows the rate of residents on anti-psychotics at nursing homes across the country. You can look up the facility in which your loved one resides.
The news coverage shows that this issue is getting increased attention, and that's a good thing. I think that as Americans age and more people have spouses and parents in nursing homes, the use of anti-psychotics as chemical restraints will have to diminish or end. People won't stand for their loved ones being drugged into a stupor."
Thanks, Mark, for making sure we included this topic and the latest links for more coverage and your additional commentary. Along the same lines, I listened to an interesting follow-up conversation on AirTalk, a Los Angeles public radio affiliate's program, discussing "How California is Doing in the National Fight to Curb Over-Medication of Nursing Home Patients." That program, now available as a 23-minute podcast, included an articulate medical professional, Dr. Karl Steinberg, who described how he sees medication practices changing in long-term care, including better use of behavior health techniques, rather than medication, to help residents.
December 16, 2014 in Cognitive Impairment, Current Affairs, Dementia/Alzheimer's, Ethical Issues, Federal Statutes/Regulations, Health Care/Long Term Care, Science | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Justice Department Reaches $437,500 Agreement with City of Ocean Springs, MS to Resolve Disability Discrimination Lawsuit
The Justice Department announced a comprehensive settlement today, resolving a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, for alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Under the proposed consent decree, the City will pay $437,500 in damages to a psychiatric treatment facility that was discriminated against by the City. The decree also requires systemic reforms to the City's land use and zoning practices to eliminate barriers for providers of mental health services to people with disabilities and combat the stigma of mental illness. The complaint, also filed in federal court today, alleges that the City discriminated against Psycamore, LLC, an outpatient psychiatric treatment facility, when it denied a certificate of occupancy and a use permit because Psycamore treats patients with mental illness.
Read the settlement agreement.
November 30, 2014 in Discrimination, Federal Cases, Federal Statutes/Regulations, Housing | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Oregon Court Invalidates State's Attempt to Expand Medicaid Estate Recovery
On November 26, 2014, in Nay v. Department of Human Services, the Oregon Court of Appeals invalidated a 2008 attempt by the state to expand Medicaid estate recovery rules to reach assets conveyed prior to death by the Medicaid recipient to his or her spouse.
The court's ruling analyzes the portion of federal statutory law that permits, but does not require, states to expand Medicaid estate recovery programs to cover "any other real or personal property and other assets in which the [deceased] individual had any legal title or interest at the time of death... including such assets conveyed to a survivor, heir, or assign of the deceased individual through joint tenancy, tenancy in common, survivorship, life estate, living trust or other arrangement." Analysis of this language, which was mirrored by Oregon statutory law, leads the court to conclude that some ownership interest at time death of the Medicaid recipient must be present to make the asset a valid target of Medicaid estate recovery:
"Therefore, we conclude that 'other arrangement' in the context of the definition of "estate" means that assets transferred from the deceased 'individual'—the Medicaid recipient—by operation of law on account of or occurring at the recipient's death are included in that definition. Thus, the 'including' clause in the federal permissive definition of 'estate' incorporates nonprobate assets that are transferred from the Medicaid recipient to a third party by operation of law or other mechanism, but in which the deceased Medicaid recipient retained legal title or 'any' interest at the time of his or her death."
"By including the 'interspousal transfer' text in the pool of assets from which the state can recover from the surviving spouse's estate, the rule includes assets that necessarily were transferred before the recipient's death. Because we have concluded that such predeath transfers are antithetical to the definition of estate as provided by federal and state law (requiring that the recipient have an interest in the property at the time of his or her death), we conclude that DHS's amendments of OAR 461–135–0835(1)(e)(B)(iii) relating to interspousal transfers exceeded its statutory authority granted by ORS 416.350 and 42 USC section 1396p, and we hold those provisions invalid."
November 29, 2014 in Estates and Trusts, Federal Statutes/Regulations, Health Care/Long Term Care, Medicaid, State Cases | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Monday, November 24, 2014
Proposed Changes to Attorney Disciplinary Rules Follow Recent Theft Reports
Several high profile incidents, such as those reported here in our Blog and here by the Philadelphia Inquirer, involving attorneys disciplined or convicted of theft of client funds, have triggered proposed changes in Pennsylvania's Rules of Professional Conduct for attorneys. The rule changes proposed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's Disciplinary Board include:
- imposing restrictions on an attorney's brokering or offering of "investment products" connected to that lawyer's provision of legal services;
- clarifying the type of financial records that attorneys would be required to maintain and report, regarding their handling of client funds and fiduciary accounts;
- clarifying the obligation of attorneys to cooperate with investigations in a timely fashion;
- clarifying the obligation of suspended, disbarred, or "inactive" attorneys to cease operations and to notify clients "promptly" of the change in their professional status.
The Disciplinary Board called for comments on the proposed rule changes, noting that although individual claims against the Pennsylvania Lawyers Fund for Client Security are confidential, "Fund personnel can attest that from time to time, the number of claims filed against a single attorney will be in double digits and the total compensable loss will amount to millions of dollars." The comment window closed on November 3. 2014.
In recommending changes, the Disciplinary Board noted common threads running through many of the cases, including:
November 24, 2014 in Crimes, Elder Abuse/Guardianship/Conservatorship, Estates and Trusts, Ethical Issues, Federal Cases, Federal Statutes/Regulations, State Cases, State Statutes/Regulations | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Friday, November 21, 2014
Oral Argument Before Third Circuit on Use of Short Term Annuities in Medicaid Planning
On November 19, attorneys representing families and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania argued consolidated cases before a panel of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, involving use of short-term annuities in connection with applications for Medicaid-funded care. The argument follows appeals from a January 2014 decision on summary judgment motions by the Western District of Pennsylvania in the case of Zahner et al. v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
A key issue on appeal is whether use of "shorter" term annuities is permitted by the language of federal Medicaid statutes referring to actuarially-sound annuities, or whether such use automatically constitutes a transfer of assets for less than fair value, and thus is treated as a prohibited gift. HCFA Transmittal 64 is the subject of much of the very technical debate.
Here is a link to the recording of the oral argument.
The jurists on the panel are Judge Theodore McKee (the male judge's voice on the recording), Judge Marjorie Rendell, and Senior Judge Dolores Sloviter (the softer voice on the recording). Interestingly, rather early in the argument, at least two of the judges interject to make the observation that "there is nothing wrong with Medicaid planning, per se," noting, rather, that the issue is the extent to which specific planning approaches have been directly addressed by federal law.
The attorney arguing the position of the appellant families is René Reixach; the attorney arguing the case for the state appellee is Jason Manne.
Listening to the oral argument in this case provides an opportunity for students in advanced legal studies on asset planning to consider cutting edge legal issues and policy concerns. The argument is also an opportunity for even first-year law students to discuss argument techniques, and to consider what does or does not work well with judges (and vice versa). It was a "hot" bench and there was a lot of interruption from both sides.
November 21, 2014 in Federal Statutes/Regulations, Health Care/Long Term Care, Medicaid, State Statutes/Regulations | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Medicare Keeps On Paying for Drugs...After Death?
I recently read an HHS Inspector General report about Medicare paying for HIV drugs ... for the dead....The OIG report, Medicare Paid for HIV Drugs for Deceased Beneficiaries, released on Halloween (shades of trick or treat), is available here as a pdf.
OIG report # OEI-02-11-00172 focuses on HIV drugs and the prompt for the investigation was "ongoing concerns about Medicare paying for drugs and services after a beneficiary has died."
The report found that under the existing policy (which allows this to occur), Medicare continued to pay for HIV drugs for 150 decedents. Medicare cuts off payments "for drugs with dates of service more than 32 days after death [because] CMS's practices allow payment for drugs that do not meet Medicare Part D coverage requirements. Most of these drugs were dispensed by retail pharmacies."
Why just look at HIV drugs because isn't it likely that this continued payment could be occurring beyond just this group of drugs? CMS agrees that "these "findings have implications for all drugs because Medicare processes PDE records for all drugs the same way. Considering the enormous number of Part D drugs, a change in practice would affect all Part D drugs and could result in significant cost savings for the program and for taxpayers."
The OIG report recommends a change in practice to "prevent inappropriate payments for drugs for deceased beneficiaries and lead to cost savings for the program and for taxpayers. CMS concurred with [the OIG] recommendation."
November 5, 2014 in Federal Statutes/Regulations, Health Care/Long Term Care, Medicare | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
The Worst Waiting List?
I've heard about the backlog for SSD appeals, but I had no idea how much of a backlog exists until I read the story in the October 19, 2014 Washington Post. Waiting on a Social Security disability appeal? Get in line — a very long line brings a new perspective on waiting lists. The story reports that there are 990,399 (you read that right, 990,399) SSD appeals waiting for ALJ hearings. We have been hearing a lot about the backlog with the VA (526,000 according to the story) so why haven't we heard about the SSDI case backlog? Want to know how long it takes for a backlog of almost one million cases to occur? According to the Post story, the backlog has been going on since President Ford's administration, but a significant increase occurred between 2008-20014. Why did this occur? "[T]he system became, in effect, too big to fix: Reforms were hugely expensive and so logistically complicated that they often stalled, unfinished. What's left now is an office that costs taxpayers billions and still forces applicants to wait more than a year — often, without a paycheck — before delivering an answer about their benefits." As well, factor in the "Great Recession" and Boomers. The article also mentions budget cuts to SSA as well as the government shutdown in 2013.
A sad irony-the story quotes one of the ALJs in S. Florida who had 2 claimants die before their appeals were heard, but the ALJ still had to hear the case of one, because if the decedent were determined to have been disabled, then the decedent's surviving child might receive benefits.
Although SSD waiting lists outnumber both VA and Patents, according to the story, the wait time to decision is shorter than that for the VA and Patent office. The SSA ALJs "are the moral centerpiece of this system: a symbol that the government intends to apply the old American ideal of due process before the law to the vast new caseloads of the American welfare state. They are also the system's biggest problem — a 40-year-old clog in the pipe." A law prof at GW, Richard Pierce, takes the position "that the government should eliminate the judges altogether and just let the bureaucrats with the paperwork decide. [Professor Pierce] said that the main thing these hearings bring to the process — that face-to-face interaction between judges and applicants — often adds only pathos, not useful information."
A push to shrink the backload resulted in a drop of both cases and wait time in 2010 but a review of the decisions noted an uptick in the award of benefits. It would seem, from reading this article, that part of the problem is outdated requirements and resources available to the judges (or lack thereof). SSA has lessened the pressure on the ALJs to some extent, so now the ALJs are "limited ... to 720 cases a year and [SSA] imposed new checks to make sure the "yes" decisions are as well thought-out as the 'noes.'" The uptick in benefits awards has dropped, with the award of benefits at 44%. Despite the fact that SSSA has hired more ALJs, the backlog is pushing one million. The Post reports that there were an additional 13,000 added in the first two weeks of October! The story concludes by noting that the backlog isn't limited to just the ALJs. The Appeals Council also has a backlog: "There are 150,383 people waiting for an Appeals Council decision. The average wait there is 374 days."
October 22, 2014 in Current Affairs, Federal Cases, Federal Statutes/Regulations, Social Security | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Friday, September 12, 2014
Will Americans Still Be Paying Off on Student Loans As Seniors?
In a GAO study titled "Inability to Repay Student Loans May Affect Financial Security of Small Percentage of Retirees," researchers reveal that a significant -- and growing -- proportion of "student loan" debt is owed by Americans aged 65 or older. In addition to the growth in the total amount of "senior" student loan debt, from $2.8 billion in 2005 to $18.2 billion in 2013, the GAO findings include:
- Relatively few households headed by individuals 65 or older hold student loan debt -- the number is about 706,000 households in the U.S. -- but the amount they owe may be significant, with estimates that the median debt owed is around $12,000, as compared to a median for those aged 64 and younger of $13,000.
- Most -- about 82% -- of this debt was for the individual's own education. It is not known whether how "old" the loans are.
- Older borrowers hold defaulted federal student loans at a higher rate -- and defaults can have conquences, including offsets on Social Security payments. Generally speaking, student debts cannot be discharged in bankruptcy; however adjustments may be possible to keep the individual's monthly income above the poverty threshold.
For more discussion on the GAO report, see "Senior (Citizen) Student Debt Rising," in Inside Higher Ed by Michael Stratford. Hat tip to Professor Laurel Terry for pointing out this new study.
September 12, 2014 in Current Affairs, Ethical Issues, Federal Statutes/Regulations, Retirement | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Book Review--Government Regulation in Excess?
Our friend and health law/elder law rock star, Marshall Kapp, sent me a note about a book review he authored (thanks Marshall) that appears in The Gerontologist Advance Access. The review is of the book, The Rule of Nobody: Saving America from Dead Laws and Broken Government by Phillip K. Howard.
You may be wondering why a blog for elderlawprofs is posting about laws and government regulations. Three words: nursing home regulation. Although a subscription is required to read the full review, an excerpt is available for free, much of which I have reproduced here
The brilliant satirist Jonathan Swift said long ago, "Laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps and hornets break through." (Brainy Quote, n.d.). Swift certainly did not intend that remark as a compliment to either laws or cobwebs. Nonetheless, almost all laws originate to accomplish some reasonably defensible public purpose, even though ... poorly drafted, inconsistently ... enforced, and perpetuated beyond ... their original justification ....
In this latest project, Howard despairs that regulation in the United States has veered far from its proper function as a setter of boundaries or parameters within which individuals are empowered... (end of excerpt).
Since Marshall sent me a full copy of the book review, I can explain further what the abstract does not, how the author uses nursing home regulations as an example. Marshall describes this on page 1-2 of his review
One of the primary examples that author Howard utilizes throughout The Rule of Nobody to illustrate his constructive critique about the largely dysfunctional nature of the contemporary American regulatory situation is the overwhelmingly extensive and complex set of formal command and-control rules we have promulgated on the federal and state levels to govern the operation of nursing homes.
Marhsall offers a bit of history as to why we have so many laws and regulations for nursing homes and suggests that now is "the time to seriously contemplate smarter, rather than just bigger, regulation...." (review at page 2). He notes that the author provides examples of when the regulations don't end up benefitting the residents, with current regulations stifling innovation. (review at 3). Marshall concludes his review with this summary
[T]he Rule of Nobody is noteworthy for the nation generally and for long-term care policy-makers particularly... Settling for being "in the ball park" is damning with faint praise, indeed. The only option for many vulnerable individuals is dependence on the benevolence of nursing home owners and workers and lawmakers' careful guidance. Society owes them a system of oversight and influence that not only aspires to, but effectively achieves, a much loftier standard.
Another one to add to the reading list.
September 12, 2014 in Books, Current Affairs, Federal Statutes/Regulations, Health Care/Long Term Care | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Fed Court in NY Takes Hard Line on Effect of "Partial Cure" for Medicaid Ineligibilty
Judge Geraci of the U.S. District Court, Western District of New York, is the latest judge to address an important topic in Elder Law regarding eligibility for long-term care benefits under Medicaid. The court defines the issue as follows: "When an uncompensated transfer of assets has been made and a [Medicaid] penalty period imposed, how does a partial return of the transferred funds affect the beginning of the penalty period?"
In its August 2014 decision in Aplin v. McCrossen, the court addresses summary judgment motions in two separate cases that were filed on behalf of 80-year-old Florence Aplin and 85-year old Sergio Ciardi, both residents of nursing homes. In one case, for example, the Aplin case, the transfers totaled approximately $450,000; however, approximately $76,000 was later returned by the donees. The hope of the plaintiffs was that "return" of the money would permit them to shorten their penalty periods tied to the original transfers. This approach, when planned in advance, is a post-Deficit Reduction Act technique sometimes known in Elder Law circles as a "partial cure" (as part of "reverse half-a-loaf" gifting).
Judge Geraci denied the relief sought by the plaintiffs. He followed the hardline approach of "nonprecedential" rulings on New Jersey disputes about partial cures, ruling that "return" of money permits the state agency to recalculate the start of the penalty period. The court decided that NY administrative rules do not conflict with federal policy and not only permit but require the state agency to, in effect, restart the penalty period on the ground that the later date is when the "applicant becomes otherwise eligible for Medicaid." This phrase is a key concept in federal Medicaid law. The plaintiffs had argued that phrase applied only to an earlier date, from their original application. Judge Geraci concluded:
"I find no circumstances in this case which indicated that Defendants' interpretation and application of the provisions of [New York administrative directives] contravene Congress' articulated purpose in enacting the Medicaid Act -- to provide medical care, services and supplies for the financially needy. Essentially, the assessment of an applicant's income and resources which results in a determination that such applicant has transferred resources for less than fair market value during the statutory look-back period and that an appropriate penalty period must be imposed, ensures that the applicant has not falsely impoverished himself or herself in order to qualify for medical assistance at public expenses which, by law, is undeserved."
While it is apparent that the New York federal judge was not eager to give applicants any benefit tied to partial cures on transfers, the decision also appears to approve or at least ignore what some would describe as a "perverse effect" of the New York policy. By imposing a new, later "start date" for the ineligibility period following the return, New York can actually impose a penalty that is longer than the original penalty period for the full transfer.
Also at issue in the case was the effect of a series of statements on the federal government's side, including the so-called "McGreal Letter" from CMS that was relied on by the plaintiffs in making the returns. (The court did not expressly address a May 2014 GAO study, where it was reported at page 28 that "[a]ccording to CMS, states can choose whether or not to consider a partial return of transferred assets on Medicaid planning.")
Should there be uniformity among the states, not just on whether but how families can seek any relief from "resource" limits set by federal law? (The GAO study linked above indicates a range of different state-specific options are in play.) The answer to that question may depend on one's point of view.
For more background on the complex interaction between Medicaid applications, ineligibility periods triggered by uncompensated transfers, partial cure attempts and penalty start dates, see ElderLawGuy Jeff Marshall's blog post from 2011.
September 11, 2014 in Federal Cases, Federal Statutes/Regulations, Health Care/Long Term Care, Medicaid | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
U.S. Department of Justice Opens New "Elder Justice" Portal
The U.S. Department of Justice recently established an on-line Elder Justice Initiative, intended to assist the public, practitioners, and prosecutors with identifying and responding to all types of elder abuse. Here are some of the highlighted resource links from the website:
|Here, victims and family members will find information about how to report elder abuse and financial exploitation in all 50 states and the territories. Simply enter your zipcode to find local resources to assist you.
|Federal, State, and local prosecutors will find three different databases containing sample pleadings and statutes.
|Researchers in the elder abuse field may access a database containing bibliographic information for thousands of elder abuse and financial exploitation articles and reviews.
Practitioners -- including professionals of all types who work with elder abuse and its consequences -- will find information about resources available to help them prevent elder abuse and assist those who have already been abused, neglected or exploited.
September 10, 2014 in Crimes, Elder Abuse/Guardianship/Conservatorship, Federal Statutes/Regulations | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Watch Oral Argument Before Ohio Supreme Court on "Asset Transfer" Case
Wow! Medicaid transfer rules argued in prime time! (Well, almost...)
On August 20, the Ohio Supreme Court heard oral argument on Estate of Atkinson v. Ohio Dept. of Job & Family Services, Case No. 2013-1773. Video of the presentations (including the very interesting questions from the bench) can now be viewed here on the Ohio Channel.
This strikes me as a great opportunity for Elder Law course students to read briefs and observe lawyers in oral argument tackle technical, challenging legal issues (listen to the Court ask one attorney to slow down and explain his use of pronouns). Can you predict the outcome? Note: The Supreme Court's arguments on Ohio Channel appear as high quality productions, well edited, with subtitles indicating the names of the speakers and the identity of the issues on appeal, and the website is searchable for other appellate cases for faculty members looking for examples to use in other classes.
As framed in the appeal, the issue is whether the community husband's actions triggered a period of ineligibility for Medicaid benefits for his wife in the nursing home. The record showed the husband transfered the couple's home "out" of the couple's long-standing revocable trust to the name of the institutionalized spouse, and then in turn, the same day, to the community spouse. As described in one news account:
"The county department of job and family services found that the transfer of the home, valued at $53,750, was improper because it violated federal and state Medicaid rules. While Mrs. Atkinson's Medicaid benefits were approved, the agency temporarily excluded nursing-home care from her coverage because of the transfer."
The state has been successful with its arguments before state agencies up to this point. The Ohio Supreme Court, however, asked the attorneys about the applicability and relevance of the 6th Circuit's 2013 decision in Hughes v. McCarthy regarding permitted use of spousal annuities in Medicaid planning in Ohio. During the oral argument, one Justice also asks whether the state should be bound by the position taken by the federal agency, Health and Human Services (apparently in an amicus brief), in support of the family's argument.
There are also opportunities here to think about whether -- and how -- this particular transfer issue might have been avoided with different planning.
August 21, 2014 in Federal Statutes/Regulations, Health Care/Long Term Care, Medicaid, State Cases, State Statutes/Regulations | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Changes Recommended for VA Fiduciary Program to Better Protect Veterans
Recent Duke Law graduate Whitney Bosworth Blazek is the author of a timely, interesting note, "Combating Privatization: Modifying Veterans Administration Fiduciary Program to Protect Incompetent Veterans" in a recent issue of the Duke Law Journal. The abstract explains:
"Created to supervise the distribution of Veterans Administration benefits, the Veterans Benefit Administration Fiduciary Program was designed to help thousands of incompetent veterans handle their finances. Rather than directly managing each veteran's funds, the Fiduciary Program employs a privatization model whereby a private individual or institution is appointed to manage a veteran's assets. The Fiduciary Program then monitors these fiduciaries to ensure the veteran's funds are properly expended.
This Note argues that in practice this privatization model is seriously flawed and that it exposes some of the most vulnerable portions of the veteran population's funds to misuse. In support of this conclusion, this Note compares the federal statutes, regulations, and internal directives that govern the Fiduciary Program--paying special attention to the Fiduciary Program Manual-- with audits performed by the Veterans Affairs Office of Audits and Evaluations and the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Relying on these audits, this inquiry rejects total reliance on substantive statutory reform in light of legislative and judicial barriers. Instead, this Note advocates for critical internal reforms designed to improve the Program's efficiency and functionality, the adoption of a state enforcement mechanism, and reliance on principles of cooperative federalism and interagency cooperation."
August 21, 2014 in Elder Abuse/Guardianship/Conservatorship, Ethical Issues, Federal Statutes/Regulations, Veterans | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Friday, August 15, 2014
DOJ settles with Louisiana Supreme Court re ADA claims: invasive bar exam application questions
August 15, 2014 in Discrimination, Federal Statutes/Regulations | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
Friday, August 8, 2014
President signs VA reform bill
President Obama traveled to Fort Belvoir, Virginia to sign a reform bill giving the Department of Veterans Affairs the necessary resources to improve access and quality of care for the men and women who have served our country in uniform. In remarks before the bill signing, President Obama addressed the misconduct that has taken place at some VA facilities across the country —
We've already taken the first steps to change the way the VA does business. We've held people accountable for misconduct. Some have already been relieved of their duties, and investigations are ongoing. We've reached out to more than 215,000 veterans so far to make sure that we're getting them off wait lists and into clinics both inside and outside the VA system.
We're moving ahead with urgent reforms, including stronger management and leadership and oversight. And we're instituting a critical culture of accountability -- rebuilding our leadership team, starting at the top with Secretary McDonald. And one of his first acts is that he's directed all VA health care facilities to hold town halls to hear directly from the veterans that they serve to make sure that we're hearing honest assessments about what's going on.
The VA reform bill -- officially the Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014 -- passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support, and will expand survivor benefits and educational opportunities and improve care for victims of sexual assault and veterans struggling with traumatic brain injuries. But the main focus of the new law is to ensure that veterans have access to the care they've earned.
Source/more: Whitehouse.gov
August 8, 2014 in Current Affairs, Federal Statutes/Regulations | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Overview of Statutory Claims for Health Care Fraud and Abuse
John Washlick, a shareholder with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney in Philadelphia and Princeton, provides a concise and useful overview of laws that form the basis for claims of "fraud" or "abuse" associated with Medicare and Medicaid in the most recent issue of Pennsylvania Bar Quarterly (April 2014, available also on Westlaw). The abstract to his article, "Health Care Fraud and Abuse," provides:
"Medicare and Medicaid combined comprise the largest payer of health care services in the world, and account for over 20 percent of all U.S. government spending. As a result, efforts to combat fraud and abuse in these programs have become a congressional and administrative priority. This article will address four significant federal fraud and abuse laws: (i) Anti-Kickback Statute, (ii) "Stark" Anti-Referral Law, (iii) Civil Monetary Provisions, and (iv) False Claims Act (Civil and Criminal). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more commonly referred to as the "Affordable Care Act" significantly strengthened each of these laws, including increased funding to step up enforcement actions. There are other federal and state statutes that are aimed at curbing fraud and abuse and they should not be ignored when reviewing a financial arrangement between or among potential referral sources."
A useful guide, especially when reading about multi-million dollar settlements in whistleblower cases growing out of nursing home care, home care, hospice care, and pharmaceutical sales, such as the Omnicare settlement reported on the Elder Law Prof Blog today.
July 30, 2014 in Federal Cases, Federal Statutes/Regulations, Medicaid, Medicare | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Omnicare Inc. to Pay $124.24 Million in Settlement of Whistleblower Case
From the Department of Justice, news of the False Claims Act settlement reached with Omnicare Inc., "the nation's largest provider of pharmaceuticals and pharmacy services to nursing homes." The company has agreed to pay $124.24 million "in return for their continued selection" as the supplier of drugs to elderly Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. The claims related to improper discounts allegedly given by Omnicare as incentives for doing business with the company.
According to the DOJ press release, the settlement resolves two lawsuits filed by whistleblowers under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. "The first whistleblower, Donald Gale, a former Omnicare employee, will receive $ 17.24 million."
DOJ states that since January 2009, it has "recovered a total of more than $19.5 billion through False Claims Act cases," including more than $13.9 billion in cases alleging fraud associated with health care programs.
July 30, 2014 in Federal Cases, Federal Statutes/Regulations, Health Care/Long Term Care, Medicaid, Medicare | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Sunday, July 20, 2014
17th Annual Elder Law Institute in Pennsylvania: Packed Program on July 24-25
The growing significance and scope of "elder law" is demonstrated by the program for the upcoming 2014 Elder Law Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to be held on July 24-25. In addition to key updates on Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans and Social Security law, plus updates on the very recent changes to Pennsylvania law affecting powers of attorney, here are a few highlights from the multi-track sessions (48 in number!):
- Nationally recognized elder law practitioner, Nell Graham Sale (from one of my other "home" states, New Mexico!) will present on planning and tax implications of trusts, including special needs trusts;
- North Carolina elder law expert Bob Mason will offer limited enrollment sessions on drafting irrevocable trusts;
- We'll hear the latest on representing same-sex couples following Pennsylvania's recent court decision that struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriages;
- Julian Gray, Pittsburgh attorney and outgoing chair of the Pennsylvania Bar's Elder Law Section will present on "firearm laws and gun trusts." By coincidence, I've had two people this week ask me about what happens when you "inherit" guns.
Be there or be square! (Who said that first, anyway?)
July 20, 2014 in Advance Directives/End-of-Life, Elder Abuse/Guardianship/Conservatorship, Estates and Trusts, Ethical Issues, Federal Cases, Federal Statutes/Regulations, Health Care/Long Term Care, Housing, Legal Practice/Practice Management, Medicaid, Medicare, Programs/CLEs, Property Management, Retirement, Social Security, State Cases, State Statutes/Regulations | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
What Happens to Upfront Fees Paid by Residents of CCRCs -- Especially in Bankruptcy Court?
Last week's news of a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy proceeding in the Texas-based senior living company Sears Methodist Retirement Systems, Inc. (SMRS) has once again generated questions about "entrance fees" paid by residents at the outset of their move to a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC). CCRCs typically involve a tiered system of payments, often including a substantial (very substantial) upfront fee, plus monthly "service" fees. The upfront fee will carry a label, such as "admission fee" or "entrance fee" or even entrance "deposit," depending on whether and how state regulations require or permit certain labels to be used.
As a suggestion of the significance of the dollars, a resident's key upfront fee at a CCRC operated by SMRS reportedly ranged from $115,000 to $208,000. And it can be much higher with other companies. So, let's move away from the SMRS case for this "blog" outline of potential issues with upfront resident fees.
Even without talking about bankruptcy court, for residents of CCRCs there can be a basic level of confusion about upfront fees. In some instances, the CCRC marketing materials will indicate the upfront fee is "refundable," in whole or in part, in the event the resident moves out of the community or passes away. Thus, residents may assume the fees are somehow placed in a protected account or escrow account. In fact, even if the upfront fee is not "refundable," when there is a promise of "life time care," residents may assume upfront fees are somehow set aside to pay for such care. How the facility is marketed may increase the opportunity for resident confusion. Residents are looking for reassurances about the costs of future care and how upfront fees could impact their bottom line. That is often why they are looking at CCRCs to begin with. "Refundable fees" or "life care plans" can be important marketing tools for CCRCs. But discussions in the sales office of a CCRC may not mirror the "contract" terms.
One of the most important aspects of CCRCs is the "contract" between the CCRC and the resident. First, smaller "pre move-in" deposits may be paid to "hold" a unit, and this deposit may be expressly subject to an "escrow" obligation. But, larger upfront fees -- paid as part of the residency right -- are typically not escrowed. It is important not to confuse the "escrow" treatment of these fees. Of course, the "hold" fee is not usually the problem. It is the larger upfront fees --such as the $100k+ fees at SMRS -- that can become the focus of questions, especially if a bankruptcy proceeding is initiated.
The resident's contract requires very careful reading, and it will usually explain whether and how a CCRC company will make any refund of large upfront admission fees. In my experience of reading CCRC contracts, CCRCs rarely "guarantee" or "secure" (as opposed to promise) a refund, nor do they promise to escrow such upfront fees for the entire time the payer resides at the CCRC. In some states there is a "reserve" requirement (by contract or state law) for large upfront fees whereby the CCRC has a phased right to release or use the fees for its operation costs. Thus, the contract terms are the starting place for what will happen with upfront fees.
Why doesn't state regulation mandate escrow of large upfront fees? States have been reluctant to give-in to pressure from some resident groups seeking greater mandatory "protection" of their upfront fees. There's often a "free enterprise, let the market control" element to one side of regulatory debates. On the other side, there is the question of whether life savings of the older adult are proper targets for free enterprise theories. Professor Michael Floyd, for example, has asked, "Should Government Regulate the Financial Management of Continuing Care Retirement Communities?"
My research has helped me realize how upfront fees are a key financial "pool" for the CCRC, especially in the early years of operation where the developer is looking to pay off construction costs and loans. CCRCs want -- and often need -- to use those funds for current operations. and debt service. Thus, they don't want to have those fees encumbered by guarantees to residents. They take the position they cannot "afford" to have that pool of money sitting idle in a bank account, earning minimal interest. This is not to say the large entrance fees will be "misspent," but rather, the CCRC owners may wish to preserve flexibility about how and when to spend the upfront fees.
The treatment of "upfront fees" paid by residents of CCRCs also implicates questions about application of accounting and actuarial rules and principles. That important topic is worthy of a whole "law review article" -- and frankly it is a topic I've been working on for months.
In additional to looking for actuarial soundness, analysts who examine CCRCs as a matter of academic interest or practical concern have looked at whether CCRC companies and lenders may have a "fiduciary duty" to older adults/residents, a duty that is independent of any contract law obligations. Analysts further question whether a particular CCRC's marketing or financial practices violate consumer protection or elder protection laws.
There can also be confusion about what happens during a Chapter 11 process. First, during the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy process, a facility may be able to honor pre-bankruptcy petition "refund" requests or requests for refund of fees for a resident who does not move into the facility. Second, to permit continued operation as part of the reorganization plan, a facility will typically be permitted by the Court to accept new residents during the Chapter 11 proceeding and those specific new residents will have their upfront fees placed into a special escrow account, an account that cannot be used to pay the pre-petition debts of the company.
But what about the upfront fees already paid pre-petition by residents who also moved in before the bankruptcy petition? Usually those upfront fees are not escrowed during the bankruptcy process. Indeed, other "secured" creditors could object to refunds of "unsecured" fees. The Bankruptcy Court will usually issue an order -- as it did in SRMS's bankruptcy court case in Texas last week -- specifying how current residents' upfront fees will be treated now and in the future. A bit complicated, right? (And if I'm missing something please feel free to comment. I'm always interested in additional viewpoints on CCRCs. Again, the specific contract and any state laws or regulations governing for handling of fees will be important.)
Of course, this history is one reason some of us have been suggesting for years that prospective residents should have an experienced lawyer or financial consultant help them understand their contracts and evaluate risks before signing and again in the event of any bankruptcy court proceeding. "Get thee to a competent advisor." See also University of New Mexico Law Professor Nathalie Martin's articles on life-care planning risks and bankruptcy law.
As I mentioned briefly in writing last week about the SMRS Chapter 11 proceeding, CCRC operators have learned -- especially after the post-2008 financial crisis -- that the ability of a CCRC to have a viable "second chance" at success in attracting future residents will often depend on the treatment of existing residents. Thus, one key question in any insolvency will be whether the company either (a) finds a new "owner" during the Chapter 11 process or (2) is able to reorganize the other debts, thereby making it possible for the CCRC company to "honor" the resident refund obligations after emerging from the Chapter 11 process.
During the last five years we have seen one "big" default on residents' upfront. refundable entrance fees during the bankruptcy of Covenant at South Hills, a CCRC near Pittsburgh. A new, strong operator eventually did take over the CCRC, and operations continued. However, the new operator did not "assume" an obligation to refund approximately $26 million in upfront fees paid pre-petition by residents to the old owner. In contrast, Chapter 11 proceedings for some other CCRCs have had "gentler" results for residents, with new partners or new financial terms emerging from the proceedings, thereby making refunds possible as new residents take over the departed residents' units.
For more on how CCRC companies view "use" of upfront fees, here's a link to a short and clear discussion prepared by DLA Piper law firm, which, by the way, is the law firm representing the Debtor SMRS in the Texas Chapter 11 proceeding.
June 18, 2014 in Consumer Information, Federal Cases, Federal Statutes/Regulations, Health Care/Long Term Care, Housing, Retirement, State Cases, State Statutes/Regulations | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)


text:
Conduit 2
I am back.... with a question! What is your most potent weapon?
Strike Rifle.
"Tag, you're dead."
-Anya Alstreim (Code Geass)
xXAISPXx posted...
You just try to get backstabs. I don't know any uniform way of using it, but I'll try recording videos of how to.
=> Nooooooooob ! This method works against noobies. I cover myself and shot until the bar become half filled with orange. And then I have 3 shot kill weapon (headshots) woth perfect accuracy and no recoil. It's like a seminar auto carby.
Unlucky_7 posted...
GTFO, scrandom. No one cares about you or your clicky gun, and besides, its past your bedtime.
Ooooh, look out- we gotta badass over here! You aren't really funny. But, thanks for contesting, looser!
Hi, I'm Venonat. [O$C]Venonat FC:3526_4745_6745. NO ONE PARTIES HARDER(/^o^)/I am proud of my two Phase Rifles, 5P4K3Y and BL1TZ-3DS FC: 3952 7491 4243- add me.
The_Mad_Kitten posted...
I seem to remember a PR-FFA with you and Cmo about a month or so ago where you whipped both of us.
I'll be looking for payback for that.
You need to get in Cmo's sniping tournament:
Even my signature is off-topic!
Conduit2FC(36): 3354-2948-5226, (38): 4814-7986-3261
[This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]
[This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]
Unlucky_7 posted...
Samoo 5 approved.
Mods won't.
Conduit 2: Shooter613/FC : 1249-4624-0371
JVC-space posted...
xXAISPXx posted...eig7hty posted...xXAISPXx posted...My router.
Best if used as an AR, especially since it has barely any recoil, once you come uncloaked, if you have a good trigger finger you could kill someone 4 times easily if not more before they could even react...also can be effective just using the cloaking function but most people are really predictable as to where they are/will be.
If the result of tommorrow is today, what would you have done yesterday?
eig7hty posted...
JVC-space posted...xXAISPXx posted...eig7hty posted...xXAISPXx posted...My router.
I approve it's a really fast killing weapon. Extremely useful in 1 vs 2.
pew pewLiquid_Falcolot posted...
[This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]
pew pew
Conduit 2: Shooter613/FC : 1249-4624-0371


text:
Georgianne Nienaber: Baby Doc's return — no one can craft the ending of this drama except for the collective will of the Haitian people—if they are given the opportunity to do so.
Why Guatemalans, Mexicans and other Latin Americans are coming to the United States and the poor are becoming poorer in their countries.
Progressive Media Advocates
Carole Bartolotto: The problem with concluding that GMOs are safe is that the argument for their safety rests solely on animal studies. These studies are offered as evidence that the debate over GMOs is over. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Lauren Steiner: To our surprise, the regulators didn't try to shut us down. Security didn't storm the room. None of the workshop attendees booed us. So we continued the same chant for three minutes.
Joe Mathews: Thanks to Xi Jinping, Chinese millionaires have propped up the state's sagging real estate market, universities, and companies.


text: If you're not familiar with Vector Unit, you should be - they're responsible for such Android racing hits as Riptide GP and Shine Runner. Their latest title, Beach Buggy Blitz, has the player racing through a pristine tropical wonderland. You'll see white beaches, verdant forests and adorable local wildlife, all of which will be crushed under the tires of your 4-wheel-drive PETA-punisher of choice. Like Shine Runner, there are no opponents - just get the best time.Read More


text:
what's playing now
Music from Roosevelt University
Sundays at 4:00 pm
Join Henry Fogel as he explores the rich and vibrant happenings at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts where he serves as Dean. Dean Fogel offers student and faculty performances, commentary, and perspective on the latest in arts education and new talent, along with interviews of faculty, students, and alumni.
Program Schedule
March 22, 2015
Ottorino Respighi: Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite No. 1
CCPA Chamber Orchestra
Markand Thakar, conductor
Justus Richardson: Desert Waves
Hannah Vanderlip, flute
Zhivko Nikolov, guitar
Gabriel Fauré: Quartet for Piano and Strings in C Minor, Op. 15
The Lincoln Trio with Michael Strauss, viola
March 29, 2015
Joaquin Turina, arr. Alfred Reed: La Procession du Rocio
CCPA Wind Ensemble
Stephen Squires, conductor
Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, D. 485
CCPA Chamber Orchestra
Emanuele Andrizzi, conductor
Claude Debussy: Lindaraja for Two Pianos, L. 103
Scott Gilmore and Ludmila Lazar, pianos
Stuart Folse: Alleluia
CCPA Conservatory Chorus and Chorale
Mark Crayton, conductor
April 5, 2015
Ed Frazier Davis: In Memoriam John Tavener
Zachary Peterson and Rachel Moore, violins
Mark Aparece, viola
Aaron Gottl, cello
Ed Frazier Davis, composer/conductor
David Popper, arr. Werner Thomas-Mifune: Requiem for Six Cellos
CCPA Cello Ensemble
Julian Hersh, director
Aaron Copland: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
Timothy Graf, clarinet
Beatrix Roque Santana, piano
Traditional: Four Spirituals
Every Time I Feel the Spirit (arr. William Dawson)
Over My Head, I Hear Music (arr. Michael Braz)
This Little Light of Mine (arr. Moses Hogan)
Got A Mind to Do Right (arr. David Morrow)
CCPA Conservatory Chorus and Chorale
Mark Crayton, conductor
April 12, 2015
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Sonata Canonica
Feier Fan and Zhivko Nikolov, guitars
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Prelude in G Minor, Op. 23, No. 5
Wael Farouk, piano
Chick Corea: Armando's Rhumba
Benjamin Dillinger, bass
Alejandro Cortés, piano
John Coltrane: Central Park West
Benjamin Dillinger, bass
Alejandro Cortés, piano
Jonathon Gould, guitar
Jarad Kleinstein, drums
Paolo Tosti: Aprile
A Vuchella
Drew Ochoa, tenor
Sarah Jenks, piano
George Gershwin: Embraceable You
The Man I Love
Linden Christ, soprano
Will Martin, piano
David Dzubay: Shadow Dance
CCPA Wind Ensemble
Stephen Squires, conductor
April 19, 2015
Kris Christenson: Three Piano Pieces
Beatrix Roque Santana, piano
David Roger Branam: Axolotl
Li-Ying Chang, piano
Josef Rheinberger, trans. Bradley Palmer: Abendlied, Op. 69
CCPA Trombone Ensemble: Rachel Castellanos, Xiao Zhang, Ryan Earl, Rick Blake, Miguel Garcia, and Zhen Lei
Sun He, conductor
Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky/Sergei Rachmaninoff: Lullaby
Wael Farouk, piano
Bill Reichenbach: Back to the Fair
CCPA Trombone Ensemble
Mark Fisher, guest conductor
Camille Saint-Saëns: Cavatine, for Trombone and Piano
Zhen Lei, trombone
Stephen Squires, piano
George Frideric Handel: Judas Maccabeus – "O Lovely Peace"
Jonita Lattimore, soprano
Mark Crayton, countertenor
Scott Gilmore, piano
Franz Liszt: Les Préludes
CCPA Symphony Orchestra
Emanuele Andrizzi, conductor


text:
A treatment for silicone liner coatings after undergoing UV curing. The silicone coats a liner to facilitate its removal from the adhesive attached to a label. The silicone, while a liquid, forms a layer on the liner. UV radiation cures the liquid silicone and causes it to become a coherent, virtually solid layer. Heating the cured silicone layer and allowing it to rest for a short period of time then permits the immediate contact with it of the label's adhesive side without incurring inseparability of the silicone-coated liner from the adhesive-coated label.
1. A method of applying an adhesive layer to a substrate having thereon a layer of UV-cured silicone comprising:
(A) heating said UV-cured silicone layer at an elevated temperature above room temperature; and
(B) after the passage of a predetermined period of time after heating said silicone layer at said elevated temperature, applying a substantially liquid adhesive layer to said silicone layer.
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(A) placing a layer of substantially liquid, uncured, UV-curable silicone on a substrate;
(B) curing said layer of uncured silicone by exposing said layer to UV light;
(C) after the step of curing said silicone layer, heating said silicone layer at an elevated temperature above room temperature;
(D) after the passage of a predetermined period of time after heating said silicone layer at said elevated temperature, applying a substantially liquid adhesive layer to said silicone layer; and
(E) adhering a face sheet to said adhesive applied to said silicone layer.
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(A) heating said UV-cured silicone layer at an elevated temperature above ambient temperature; and
(B) after the passage of a predetermined period of time after heating said silicone layer at said elevated temperature, applying a substantially liquid adhesive layer to said silicone layer.
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(A) heating said UV-cured silicone layer at an elevated temperature above ambient temperature;
(B) after the passage of a predetermined period of time after heating said silicone layer at said elevated temperature, applying a substantially liquid adhesive layer to said silicone layer; and
(C) adhering a face sheet to said adhesive layer.
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(B) curing said layer of uncured silicone by exposing said layer to UV light;
(C) after the step of curing said silicone layer, heating said silicone layer at an elevated temperature above ambient temperature;
(D) after the passage of a predetermined period of time after heating said silicone layer at said elevated temperature, applying a substantially liquid adhesive layer to said silicone layer; and
(E) adhering a face sheet to said adhesive applied to said silicone layer.
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The benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional patent application serial No. 60/299,057, filed Jun. 18, 2001, is claimed for the present application.
Pressure-sensitive labels have become almost ubiquitous in modern society. As only one example, they appear on the vast majority of all shipped packages. They are also used to identify parts in manufactured goods and manufacturing equipment. Another example of a very large pressure-sensitive �label� is shelf or drawer liner sold as �Contac�� paper.
As another instance of the use of pressure-sensitive labels, baggage tags (or more commonly �bag tags�), have become unavoidable, certainly in the vicinity of commercial airports. The airlines affix the tags to passengers' luggage to indicate both the destination of the articles as well as the items' owners. To include this information, airlines actually print tags when a passenger appears for a flight. The attendant then takes the printed tag, removes a liner sheet, slips it through the handle of the luggage, and adheres it to itself. If the parcel has no handle, such as a carton, then the tag simply sticks directly to the item.
The construction of a typical pressure-sensitive label currently in use appears in FIG. 1. There the label, indicated generally at 11, includes the face sheet 12 upon which appears the desired printing 13. In the case of a shipped package, the information identifies and locates the shipper and the recipient. For the example of bag tags, the printing may not only identify the bag's destination and owner, but will usually indicate the airline on which the passenger commences his or her journey. The airline identifier (and logo) typically arrives preprinted on the tag when delivered to the carrier by the tag's producer.
The face sheet generally has a composition of paper or plastic. The information 13 for a general label can be placed on it by a computer's printer or any suitable device.
For a bag tag, the identification of the bag's destination and owner can only be placed on the tag 11 at the airport. To accomplish this printing, many if not most, baggage tags' face sheet 12 have a thermally printable composition. Suitable thermally-printable papers are provided by Appleton Papers Inc. of Appleton, Wis., and by Ricoh Electronics Inc. of Santa Ana, Calif. Each of the baggage stands then possesses a thermal printer which, through the application of heat, places the necessary information on the tag's face sheet 12.
Accordingly, the process described below will produce label stock for a very wide range of pressure sensitive labels. Most labels may utilize ordinary paper or plastic as the face sheet 12. Bag tags can employ the direct thermal printing process described above.
In addition, the indirect thermal printing process, as opposed to the direct thermal, process described below, uses ordinary, but smooth, paper as the face sheet 12. The thermal printing head actually applies the heat to a ribbon which contains ink. The heat releases the ink from the ribbon which deposits it on the face sheet to produce the printing.
With the information 13 on the face sheet 12, the operator removes the liner sheet 15 from the adhesive 16 on the backside of the face sheet 12. With the adhesive 16 exposed, the user places the face sheet 12 with the adhesive directly on the package or the equipment. Dyna-Tech Adhesives Incorporated of Grafton, W. Va. provides a suitable general-purpose adhesive under the designation DyTac 2057. This adhesive has a composition of a styrene-butadiene polymer and constitutes an organic phase dispersed as an emulsion in an aqueous phase.
For a bag tag, the airline personnel places part of the tag through the bag's handle and sticks the adhesive to a portion of the tag which still the liner sheet attached. Sticking the adhesive to the remaining liner forms a loop of the tag around the handle. Alternately, if the bag or parcel has no handle, the attendant removes all of the liner 15 from the tag 11 and sticks it directly to the item.
In either event, the liner must remove virtually completely from the adhesive so that the latter can facilely attach to another surface. If portions of the liner 15, typically composed of paper, remains on the adhesive 16, then the covered adhesive would not achieve a secure affixation of the label to its item. In the case of bag tags, the resulting dislodged tag would create a lost bag to the distress of both the passenger and the airline.
To achieve a clean separation of the liner 15 from the adhesive 16, the former carries the silicone coating 19 attached to it. The coating 19, firmly affixed to the liner 15, presents a smooth, relatively nonadherent surface to the adhesive 16. Pulling off the liner 15 with its silicone coating 19 results in a clean, sticky layer of adhesive 16 attached to the face sheet 12. Stated in other words, the silicone coating 10, affixed to the liner 15, permits the release of the adhesive 16 from itself and thus the liner 15. This leaves the face sheet 12 with an exposed layer of adhesive 16.
The manufacture of the label 11 generally commences with the coating of the paper liner 15 with the silicone 19. A type of silicone finding frequent use in this day of environmental concerns takes the form of a UV curable silicone polymerizable liquid. Use of this category of silicone avoids the problem of evaporating hydrocarbons into the atmosphere. Curing the liquid silicone entail shining it with UV radiation. This causes the silicone monomers to combine, leaving a unified mass of silicone coating 19 firmly attached to the liner 15. Blissfully, the process places substantially no pollutants into the atmosphere.
Suitable components for UV-curable silicone solutions are supplied by Rhodia Inc. of Rock Hill, S.C. A liquid for an easily releasable layer may include 100 parts of UV-curable silicone polymer (Rhodia product PC-600); 2.5 parts of cationic photoinitiator (PC-702); and CRA-minus release modifier (PC-670). The silicone itself has a composition of an epoxy-modified polydimethylsiloxane. This type of compound comes from the class of epoxy-modified polysiloxanes which may well provide other suitable moieties.
For a silicone layer with a tighter release, the above solution may include 5 to 55 parts (depending upon the desired characteristics of the silicone layer) of CRA-plus release modifier (PC-680). Free radical photoinitiators may alternately find use in appropriate solutions.
Promptly after receiving the UV radiation, the silicone 19 cures into a reasonably hard mass firmly affixed to the paper liner 15. However, it cannot then receive the adhesive 16, Placing the adhesive onto the newly cured silicone layer 19 will cause these two layers 16 and 19 to stick together. This represents a clearly unacceptable situation. Instead, to avoid this clearly deleterious situation, the silicone layer 19 must sit on the liner 15 at least several hours if not a whole day before contacting the adhesive 16 to avoid the unacceptable results indicated above. The necessity for delay seems remarkable in light of the fact that the newly cured silicone seems hard, smooth, and ready for further use. In fact, during the delay, the silicone-coated liner can be wrapped into a large roll and, after the delay period, unrolled and used without displaying any negative effects.
In fact, rolling the liner with the newly cured silicone into a large cylinder represents the usual manufacturing process. Simply stated, the liner with the new silicone coating cannot remain on the manufacturing equipment and render it useless for the time required for the silicone to remain out of contact with an adhesive. Accordingly, the usual manufacturing process involves a machine placing the uncured silicone on the liner 15. The silicone undergoes UV curing. Then the machine rolls the liner 15 with the cured silicone layer 19 onto a roll, which is removed from the machinery and left to sit for the substantial period of time necessary to render the silicone substantially less adherent to the adhesive 16. After the delay period, the roll is then placed onto machinery. This permits the completion of the manufacturing process by placing adhesive 16 onto the silicone 19 and then attaching the face sheet 12.
Removing the roll of silicone-coated liner, allowing it to simply stand for an extended period of time, and placing it back on a machine again represents a substantial manufacturing effort. Eliminating these steps would achieve a significant economy in the production of pressure-sensitive label stock.
Heating the silicone coating after its UV curing and waiting briefly before applying an adhesive permits the further processing of the material without the necessity of removing it from the equipment and allowing it to stand idle. Although the silicone appears cured and hard, the subsequent heating and short wait places it in condition to contact the adhesive without excessively sticking to it.
Fundamentally, an improved method of treating a UV-cured silicone layer on a substrate comprises first heating the UV-cured silicone at an elevated temperature. After heating the silicone layer at the elevated temperature, the silicone layer is kept free from contact with an adhesive for a predetermined period of time. This time period conditions the heated silicone to receive the adhesive without deleterious effects and depends primarily on the silicone and the adhesive.
After the passage of the predetermined period of time after heating the silicone at the elevated temperature, an adhesive layer may be applied to the silicone. This process permits the subsequent separation of the two layers when they constitute part of a label.
Completing the pressure-sensitive label stock involves adhering a face sheet to the adhesive. The face sheet, of course, will carry the information identifying the equipment, the package's sender and recipient, or the bag's destination and owner. Actually, the face sheet may adhere to the adhesive either before the adhesive is applied to the liner or after. If before, the adhesive forms a layer on the face sheet and the two placed against the liner with the silicone coating, with the adhesive contacting the silicone.
Actually, the complete process of making the label stock starts with coating a liner sheet, usually paper, with an uncured, liquid, UV-curable silicone. The film of liquid silicone undergoes curing through exposure to UV radiation. Finishing the bag tags then proceeds through the various steps outlined above. With the heating of the cured silicone followed by the short delay, the materials need never leave the manufacturing equipment from the beginning to the end.
FIG. 1 illustrates the construction of an ordinary pressure-sensitive label as currently used by many airlines amongst others.
FIG. 2 shows the steps in the construction of the label of FIG. 1 but which the necessity of a lengthy delay period between the UV curing of the silicone layer and the application of an adhesive. In this figure:
FIG. 2A illustrates the application of a layer of liquid UV curable silicone to a liner face sheet.
FIG. 2B diagrams the curing of the silicone layer through the application of UV radiation.
FIG. 2C gives the post-cure treatment of the silicone layer through heating.
FIG. 2D shows the waiting period after the heating of the heated silicone layer achieved by a convoluted path followed by the liner with the cured and heated silicone.
FIG. 2E illustrates the application of an adhesive to the cured and heated silicone layer after the latter has undergone the waiting period of FIG. 2D.
FIG. 2F gives the last step in the creation of a label in which the face sheet attaches to the remaining layers through contact with the adhesive layer.
FIG. 3 provides a general diagram of apparatus of equipment manufacturing pressure-sensitive labels through the process illustrated in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 gives an enlarged view of the portion of the portion of the equipment of FIG. 3 which applies liquid silicone to the liner, cures it, and then heats it and provides a subsequent delay period.
FIG. 2A shows the first step in the manufacturing of the pressure-sensitive label 11 of FIG. 1. In FIG. 2A, the dispenser 23 places a thin coating 24 of UV-curable, liquid silicone 25 onto the roller 28. The roller 28, in turn, transfers the coating 24 of silicone onto the liner sheet 15 in the form of the thin layer 29 of liquid silicone. In FIG. 2B, The lamp 30 shines UV radiation onto the liquid silicone 29 to cure it into the solid film 19 adhered to the liner 15.
In FIG. 2A, the infrared irradiator heats the cured silicone layer 19 at an elevated temperature. The ambient temperature may rise to 125, 150, or even 200 F.
After passing through the IR heater, the liner 15 with its cured and heated silicone layer passes over the series of rollers 36. The extended, convoluted path created by the rollers provides a short delay between the heating of the IR irradiators and the subsequent treatment of the liner 15 with the heated silicone layer 19. The delay need not be long. Ten seconds will typically permit the immediate �tandem� processing of the silicone layer by placing an adhesive upon it. However, even shorter periods of seven or even three seconds may suffice to treat the cured silicone.
After the short delay caused by the convoluted path set up by the rollers 36, the silicone layer 15 may then immediately and safely come into contact with an adhesive. This occurs in FIG. 2E where the glue dispenser 37 places the adhesive 38 as the thin film 16 onto the silicone layer 19. The three layers 15, 16, and 19 then pass through the oven 42 to partially dry the adhesive 16.
After departing the oven 42, the sandwich of the three layers 15, 16, and 19 receives the face sheet 13 from the roll 43 which sticks to the adhesive 19. The four-layer structure is finally reeled into the roll 45. The roll 45 may undergo further processing as necessary such as receiving the airline's name and logo and die cutting for use in the bag-tag printer at the airport.
As a slight variation in the process, the face sheet 12 may receive the adhesive 38 from the dispenser 37. This combination of face sheet 12 and adhesive 16 then passes through the oven 42 to dry the latter. Then the adhesive 16, lining the face sheet 12, contacts and sticks to the silicone layer 19 on the liner 15 to form the final four-layer label structure 11 of FIG. 1.
The actual equipment for preparing the four-layer label of FIG. 1 by the �tandem� process appears in FIG. 3 with the details for the post-cure treatment of the silicone shown in FIG. 4. As stated above, this process permits the complete preparation of the label stock without removing the partially treated material from the equipment, especially between the curing of the silicone and the placement of the adhesive on it. Aside from the components discussed below with regards to FIG. 4, the apparatus in FIG. 3 represents standard equipment obtained from the Faustel company in Germantown, Wis.
To begin the process, the liner sheet 15 comes off the roll 47 held on the unwind stand 48. The unwinder 48 permits the placement of a second roll in location for subsequent use as the first roll 47 becomes completely consumed. From the unwinder 48, the liner 19 travels to the unwind splicer 51. As the end of the roll 47 passes to the splicer 51, the beginning edge of the next roll travels there as well. The splicer 51 then attaches the end of the first roll to the beginning of the second roll to establish a continuous web of material passing through the apparatus indicated generally at 53.
The equipment 53 next utilizes the infeed drawer 54 to actually pull the liner 15 off the roll 47 and through the splicer 51. The liner 15 next passes to the #1 coater 55 where it receives a film of liquid silicone.
The components of the equipment 53 that place and treat the silicone appear in greater detail in FIG. 4. They permit the continuous, �tandem� treatment of the liner 15 from placing the silicone through the application of the adhesive without the necessity of removing the partially completed material and later replacing it on the equipment.
After departing the coater 55, the liner now has a thin film of essentially liquid silicone, with the two layers collectively identified as 58. From there, it travels to the curing unit 59 which shines UV radiation from the lamps 60 onto the silicone coating on the liner 58. The UV radiation �cures� the silicone to a substantially rigid layer 19.
The liner 15 with the rigid film 19, now identified as 63, then passes from the curing unit 59 directly to the heater 64. There, infrared heaters provide an atmosphere at an elevated temperature to help prepare the silicone for the adhesive. As indicated above and depending upon the actual silicone used and the delay period, the temperature may rise to 125, 150, 200 degrees or even higher. Suitable IR lamps include the Radplane series 80 infrared heaters from Glenro Inc. in Patterson, N.J.
As indicated above, after the warming at the heater 64, the coated liner 63 must wait a short period of time, usually 10 seconds, before receiving the application of the adhesive. Without the brief waiting period, the adhesive will firmly bond to the silicone, destroying the very reason for having the silicone on the liner. The apparatus shown in FIG. 3 and more particularly in FIG. 4 accomplishes the delay while still allowing the coated liner to move through the equipment 53 at its normal pace of so many linear feet per minute, which may typically run at approximately 300 TO 450 ft./min.
After departing the heater 64, the coated liner 63 then follows the convoluted path created by the rollers 36. After leaving the rollers 36, the coated liner 63 travels along the overhead path 65 until it reaches the next treating station 66. The combined length of coated liner on the rollers 36 plus that on the overhead path 65 amounts to 51 feet Travelling at the above speed of 300 ft/min., the path length of 51 feet induces a delay of about 10 seconds from the time that the cured silicone passes through heater 64 until it reaches the next treating station 66. At a line speed of approximately 450 ft./min., a delay of about seven seconds. In either event, the delay permits the heated silicone to pass into a state where it has only a slight affinity for the adhesive that will subsequently be applied to it.
The next, or second coating, station 66, applies a thin layer of generally liquid adhesive to the silicone-coated liner 65. In particular, the coater #2 66 places the adhesive in contact with the silicone.
From the second coater 66, the three layer structure 69 now incorporating the liner, cured silicone, and wet adhesive travels to the dryer indicated generally at 70 in the two drawing sheets 2/4 and 3/4. The dryer 70 really has the two oven zones 71 and 72, the latter appearing more fully on sheet 3/4. The dryer 70 utilizes heat to largely dry the adhesive placed on the silicone at the second coater 66. The drying process also benefits from the action of the fan 76 which draws heat produced by the UV lamps 60 away from the equipment 59. In doing so, the fan 76 brings this hot air into contact with the adhesive-coated material 69 to help dry it.
After leaving the second zone 72 of the dryer 70, the material 69 with the dried adhesive travels to the laminator 75. There it meets the face sheet 12 which has arrived from the roll 77 held on the unwinder 78 and passed through the unwind splicer 79. The unwinder 78 and the splicer 79 serve exactly the same functions for the face sheet 12 as the unwinder 48 and splicer 51 serve for the liner 15. The laminator 75, however, in part fulfills the function of the drawer 54 to pull the face sheet 12 off of the roll 77.
More importantly, the laminator 75 brings the face sheet 12 into contact with the adhesive on the three-layer structure 69. This step creates the laminated, four-layer structure 11 which will serve as the pressure-sensitive label. The final four-layer laminate 11 then goes to the outfeeder 81 which moves the label structure 11 to the rewind splicer 82 and then to the rewinder 83. The rewinder 83 forms the arriving label stock 11 into the roll 84. The rewind splicer 82 will cut the arriving label sandwich 11 upon the completion of the roll 84. It will then place the label material 11 onto a new cardboard core to start a new roll. All of this proceeds automatically and needs no operator intervention (aside from taking off a completed roll 84 and placing a new core on the rewinder 83).
The material on the core may then undergo additional treatment to prepare it for subsequent printing and use. This can include cutting the material on the roll 84 to the width and length for the printer. In the case of many labels including bag tags, it may also involve printing the user's or airline's name and logo on the label material. The material may then be placed into smaller rolls or in a fan-fold configuration and shipped to the user.
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