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Last updated: Wed, Feb 5
Kaiser Health News staff writer Ankita Rao, working in collaboration with USA Today, reports: "It was a frosty December afternoon in downtown Williamson, with hot tomato and beef soup on the menu at Jacobs Well. Ronald Washington warmed up at a long wooden table. The 58-year-old security guard, wearing a striped winter hat and brown jacket, came during his lunch break for one of the free meals that the faith-based mission provides" (Rao, 2/5). Read the story and the related sidebar, A Small West Virginia Town Rallies For Better Health (Rao, 2/5) .
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Reporting for Kaiser Health News, in partnership with NPR, Eric Whitney writes: "Being a doctor in America is changing, in part because of the Affordable Care Act and also because of longer trends in the practice of medicine. Drs. Robert and Michael Sawyer practice at Denver Health, the city's big public hospital downtown. Sawyers have worked or taught here as physicians since the 1930s, so they have a unique perspective on how today's challenges stack up against those that physicians have faced in the past" (Whitney, 2/5). Read the story.
Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Mary Agnes Carey reports: "New findings from the Congressional Budget Office may make it harder for Republicans to portray a provision in the health law designed to limit insurers' losses and gains as a 'bailout' for the industry" (Carey, 2/5). Check out what else is on the blog.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Tara Kulash, working in partnership with Kaiser Health News, reports: "Expectations are high this year that Congress will finally reach an agreement to overhaul the way Medicare pays doctors for services, scrapping a method that's been the target of criticism for more than a decade. If that happens, experts say, Medicare beneficiaries will see changes in how health care is provided, with an increased emphasis on coordinated care and preventive services" (Kulash, 2/4). Read the story.
Kaiser Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with "Groundhog Day, Redux?" by Nate Beeler.
And here's today's health policy haiku:
If you're craving to
"Smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette"
CVS won't help.
If you have a health policy haiku to share, please send it to us at http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/ContactUs.aspx and let us know if you want to include your name. Keep in mind that we give extra points if you link back to a KHN original story.
The Congressional Budget Office report, released Tuesday, which updated estimates regarding how many people will be able to gain health insurance without necessarily having a job, became an immediate political flashpoint and reignited the political debate surrounding the health law.
The New York Times: Health Care Law Projected To Cut The Labor Force
A Congressional Budget Office analysis released Tuesday predicted that the Affordable Care Act would shrink the work force by the equivalent of more than two million full-time positions and recharged the political debate over the health care law, providing Republican opponents fresh lines of attack and putting Democrats on the defensive. The nonpartisan budget office's analysis, part of a regular update to its budget projections, was far more complicated than the Republican attack lines it generated. Congressional Republican leaders called the findings "devastating," "terrible" and proof that the health care law was a job killer (Lowrey and Weisman, 2/4).
NPR: More Access To Health Care Means Millions Can Quit Or Cut Hours
What might have been a routine update on the state of the federal budget Tuesday instead became the newest front in the ongoing political war over President Obama's signature health care law. At issue: a revised estimate about how many people would voluntarily leave the workforce because they can get health care without necessarily holding down a job (Date, 2/4).
Los Angeles Times: Affordable Care Act Will Prompt Some To Work Less, Report Says
President Obama's healthcare law will reduce the ranks of the uninsured by about 13 million this year and 25 million once it is fully phased in, but will prompt some people to work less because of the availability of insurance subsidies, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday. The latest projections by the nonpartisan budget analysts inspired new talking points for both sides in the deeply polarized debate over the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare (Lauter, 2/4).
The Washington Post: Health-Care Law Will Prompt Over 2 Million To Quit Jobs Or Cut Hours, A CBO Report Says
More than 2 million Americans who would otherwise rely on a job for health insurance will quit working, reduce their hours or stop looking for employment because of new health benefits available under the Affordable Care Act, congressional budget analysts said Tuesday. The findings from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office revived a fierce debate about the impact President Obama's signature health-care program will have on the U.S. economy (Goldfarb and Goldstein, 2/4).
The Wall Street Journal: Health Law To Cut Into Labor Force
The agency also said the rough launch of the health law's online insurance portals shrunk its estimates of the number of people who will get coverage in 2014. It said six million people would obtain private coverage through the exchanges and eight million people would sign up for Medicaid, compared with its earlier estimates of seven million and nine million, respectively. The report, part of the budget office's annual economic and budgetary outlook, provides the agency's most detailed analysis yet of the ways in which the law is expected to change incentives in the workplace as it takes full effect. The report indicates that, in effect, some workers will either leave the workforce entirely or cut back on hours because the law lets them get coverage on their own without regard to their medical history, in some cases with a subsidy (Radnofsky and Paletta, 2/4).
The Associated Press/Washington Post: Health Care Law Will Mean Fewer People On The Job
Republican lawmakers seized on the report as major new evidence of what they consider the failures of Obama's overhaul, the huge change in U.S. health coverage that they're trying to overturn and planning to use as a main argument against Democrats in November's midterm elections (2/4).
USA Today: Health Law Could Mean Fewer Full-Time Workers, CBO Says
Workers eligible to buy cheaper health insurance or receive financial incentives under the Affordable Care Act may choose to work fewer hours, according to a Congressional Budget Office report released Tuesday. Those choices, the report said, may cut the number of full-time workers by 2.3 million people by 2021. CBO originally had estimated that 800,000 people may make those choices (Kennedy, 2/4).
Bloomberg: Obamacare To Cut Hours Of Work By 2017 CBO Estimates
Obamacare will reduce the hours Americans work by the equivalent of 2 million full-time jobs in 2017, the Congressional Budget Office said, sparking renewed Republican criticism of the law and a fresh defense from the White House. The total number of hours worked will fall about 1.5 percent to 2 percent from 2017 to 2024 as a result of the health-care overhaul, the CBO said yesterday in a report (Wayne, 2/5).
CBS News: Obamacare Will Shrink Workforce By 2 Million, Report Says
Given the new incentives offered by the Affordable Care Act, people will choose to work less in the coming years, nonpartisan budget analysts say -- shrinking the workforce by the equivalent of 2 million full-time workers by 2017 and by 2.5 million by 2024. Republicans, already intent on making the controversial health care law a 2014 campaign issue, seized on the new data from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to argue the law is hurting the economy. The White House, however, defended the law, charging the GOP with spinning the facts (Condon, 2/4).
CNN: Obamacare May Prompt People To Work Less
Many workers may opt to work less to retain their eligibility for Medicaid or federal subsidies under Obamacare, a new report has found. The Affordable Care Act could reduce the labor force by the equivalent of 2.5 million workers in 2024, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office's annual outlook. That doesn't mean employers will start swinging the ax or even that that many jobs will be lost, CBO says. Rather, more people will likely opt to reduce their hours, or leave the workforce entirely, so they stay under the income caps for Medicaid and federal subsidies (Luhby, 2/4).
Fox News: ObamaCare Could Lead To Loss Of Nearly 2.3 Million US Jobs, Report Says
The long-term effect of ObamaCare on the U.S. economy was rewritten Tuesday with the Congressional Budget Office issuing a revised projection that nearly 2.5 million workers could opt out of full-time jobs over the next 10 years -- allowing employers to wipe 2.3 million full-time jobs off the books. Budget experts say that because ObamaCare offers an insurance alternative to employer provided coverage, many Americans who hold full-time jobs may decide to work part-time -- or not at all -- and get their coverage from the exchanges. Following the release of the report, House Speaker John Boehner said the report showed how "the middle class is getting squeezed in this economy" (2/4).
McClatchy: CBO: Obamacare Would Lead Employees To Work Less
A government analysis sparked fierce debate Tuesday, projecting that the Affordable Care Act will lead American workers to voluntarily put in fewer hours on the job, a total that would add up to the equivalent of as many as 2.5 million jobs over the next decade. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said it expected total employment and compensation in the whole economy to increase over the next 10 years. But "that increase will be smaller than it would have been in the absence of the ACA.," it said in a report (Hall, Clark and Pugh, 2/4).
The CBO updated other projections, including health care enrollment numbers, the financial impact of the overhaul's risk corridor provision and Medicare growth -
The Associated Press/Washington Post: Web Site Woes Will Reduce Health Care Enrollment
Website woes have largely cleared up, but the nonpartisan analysts said Tuesday they expect 1 million fewer people to sign up through the new insurance exchanges, for a new total of 6 million in 2014. They predict enrollment will pick up and top 20 million in 2016. CBO also revised its Medicaid projection down by 1 million, for a new total of 8 million (2/4).
CQ HealthBeat: CBO: Botched Health Law Rollout Means Fewer Insured Americans In 2014
The Congressional Budget Office estimated Tuesday that 1 million fewer people will receive health insurance through the law's exchanges in 2014 than previously projected, mostly due to the troubled federal exchange website rollout (Ethridge, 2/4).
The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire: CBO: Medicare Growth to Remain 'Slower Than Usual'
The Congressional Budget Office, in its new economic outlook report released Tuesday, said the recent slowdown in the growth of Medicare costs has been "broad and persistent," prompting a projection "that growth will be slower than usual for some years to come." Total spending for Medicare is projected to grow about 6% per year over the next decade because Medicare case loads are expanding as baby boomers become eligible for benefits at age 65. In 2013 there were about 51 million Medicare beneficiaries and that number is expected to climb to 71 million by 2024 (Corbett Dooren, 2/4).
Kaiser Health News: Capsules: CBO Reports That Health Law Provision Called 'Bailout' By GOP Will Raise $8B
New findings from the Congressional Budget Office may make it harder for Republicans to portray a provision in the health law designed to limit insurers' losses and gains as a 'bailout' for the industry (Carey, 2/5).
The Fiscal Times: Obamacare 'Bailout' Actually Saves $8 Billion: CBO
Many congressional Republicans believe that they should not raise the nation's borrowing limit unless President Obama agrees to give them something in return. Approval of the Keystone XL pipeline or a repeal of the so-called risk corridors in the Affordable Care Act are the two items topping their potential wish list. The CBO report might shift the balance between those options because it projects that the risk corridor program, which Republicans have insistently characterized as a bailout of the insurance industry, will probably generate a net profit for the federal government (Garver, 2/4).
The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire: Five Takeaways On New Health-Care Projections
There is plenty of material in today's Congressional Budget Office report about the impact of the Affordable Care Act. Here are five key takeaways (Radnofsky, 2/4).
News outlets also covered the White House reaction to the CBO numbers -
Politico: White House Pushes Back Hard Amid CBO Fallout
The White House pushed back hard Tuesday on the Congressional Budget Office's projection that the Affordable Care Act will cut labor supply by the equivalent of two million full-time jobs, contending that the law is a good thing because it gives Americans "choice" on how much they'll work. While the CBO "consistently does outstanding work," Council of Economic Advisers chairman Jason Furman said at the White House press briefing, its findings in Tuesday's report can be "subject to misinterpretation" (Epstein, 2/4).
The Hill: WH Not Worried About O-Care Enrollment
The White House on Tuesday brushed aside questions about a Congressional Budget Office report lowering estimates for first-year enrollment in the president's signature health care law, saying they remained "confident we're going to have a substantial number of Americans covered." The nonpartisan CBO downgraded its initial estimate of 7 million first-year enrollees in the president's signature health care law to 6 million, likely thanks to the botched early rollout of the law (Sink, 2/4).
Charlie Baker, a former CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care who is running for governor, said Massachusetts ran into problems because it tried to meld its successful state law with new federal requirements. Meanwhile, a mini-health exchange in Florida, which will sell discount cards and other products to "fill benefit gaps," nears launch and Connecticut exchange officials announce they are close to their enrollment goals.
The Associated Press: GOP's Baker: Mass. Should Seek [Waiver] Out Of Health Law
Republican candidate for governor Charlie Baker said Tuesday that Massachusetts should seek a waiver from President Obama's health care law, adding that he's had to personally help people get insurance after they were stymied by the state's troubled website. The former Harvard Pilgrim Health Care CEO said Massachusetts already has a successful health care law — which helped provide a blueprint for Obama's 2010 law — but ran into trouble when it tried to knit together the state and federal mandates (LeBlanc, 2/4).
Health News Florida: Discount-Plan Site Set To Launch
Florida's answer to the Affordable Care Act, a mini-health-exchange that will sell discount cards and other products to "fill benefit gaps," says it will open for business in a few days. Florida Health Choices, six years in the making, will sell products that cannot be called "insurance" because they don't meet the legal definition (Gentry, 2/4).
Related KHN Coverage: Florida Readies Its Own Health Insurance Exchange (Galewitz, 10/9/2011).
The CT Mirror: Connecticut Obamacare Exchange Adding Members. Were They Uninsured?
Connecticut's health insurance exchange is nearing its goal of getting 100,000 people signed up for coverage this year. But how close it is to another key goal -- substantially reducing the number of state residents without health insurance -- remains unclear. A central aim of the federal health law commonly known as Obamacare was to get the uninsured covered. But the application for Connecticut's exchange, Access Health CT, doesn't ask whether people have coverage at the time they're applying (Becker, 2/5).
By Jan. 30, the state had enrolled 172,700 people, already surpassing its goal for April. But in Missouri, enrollment in the government health program has actually declined with state officials blaming error-ridden data from the federal exchange. Media outlets also follow developments in Arkansas and Nevada.
Spokesman Review: Washington Medicaid Enrollments Surpassing Expectations
With two months to go, Washington residents are pouring by the thousands through the online gateway to 2014 health insurance coverage, blowing away expectations for Medicaid enrollments, the expanded government program for the working poor and their children. In Spokane County, one in four residents relies on Medicaid coverage. Nathan Johnson, director of policy planning and performance for the state Health Care Authority, said the statewide sign-ups mean "there's a tremendous amount of demand, and maybe more than we realized, for affordable coverage from those who are at or near the poverty level" (Webster, 2/5).
Seattle Times: Medicaid Enrollment Soars Statewide
Medicaid enrollment in Washington state has grown so high so fast that the state already has met its April goal for new participants under Medicaid expansion. By Jan. 30, more than 172,700 newly-eligible adults had signed up for the free health insurance. The state was aiming for 136,000 enrollees by the start of April (Stiffler, 2/4).
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Medicaid Applications From HealthCare.Gov Called Flawed; Enrollment Dips
Missouri's Medicaid program expected to see an uptick in enrollment with the rollout of HealthCare.gov because outreach efforts would attract more people — particularly children — who were already eligible. Indeed, the federally run marketplace has turned over to the Missouri Department of Social Services more than 25,000 applications from people who seemed to meet the state's income criteria. But the state hasn't added any of them to the Medicaid rolls ... The state says application data forwarded by the online exchange is fraught with errors and duplication. "We're in the process of sorting it out," said Brian Kinkade, acting director of the social services department (Young, 2/4).
Arkansas News: Lawmakers Consider Whether Private Option, Medicaid Waiver Conflict
Arkansas' so-called private option for expanding health insurance coverage does not conflict with the federal Medicaid waiver that allowed the state to implement the program, state Department of Human Services officials and a legislative researcher said Tuesday. Representatives of three conservative groups disagreed. The House and Senate committees on public health, welfare and labor took up the issue less than a week ahead of the start of this year's fiscal session, during which lawmakers will decide whether to appropriate a second round of federal funding for the private option. The program uses federal Medicaid money to provide private health insurance to low-income Arkansans (Lyon, 2/4).
KUAR: Gov. Mike Beebe Touts Reasons For Continuing Private Option
Gov. Mike Beebe said Tuesday there are a "multiplicity" of reasons Arkansas legislators should vote to fund Arkansas' private option plan, and he also took a shot at Republican gubernatorial candidates who "don't understand the budget" with respect to the private option (Brock, 2/4).
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada's Medicaid Caseload Grows, Hits Backlog Of About 50,000 Applicants
Nevada's Medicaid caseload is growing rapidly as eligible residents sign up under Obamacare, creating a backlog of about 50,000 applications awaiting processing in the system, a state panel was told Tuesday. Mike Willden, director of the Department of Health and Human Services, told the state Board of Examiners, including Gov. Brian Sandoval, that the agency ran a backlog of about 10,000 applications before the federal health care law took effect on Jan. 1. "We're on track to enroll 500,000 people by the end of the year," he said. The Medicaid caseload as of the end of January was 377,363 (Whaley, 2/4).
Kaiser Health News: Medicaid Expansion Only A First Step To Better Health In Troubled W.Va. Communities
It was a frosty December afternoon in downtown Williamson, with hot tomato and beef soup on the menu at Jacobs Well. Ronald Washington warmed up at a long wooden table. The 58-year-old security guard, wearing a striped winter hat and brown jacket, came during his lunch break for one of the free meals that the faith-based mission provides. ... More than 75,000 people have enrolled [in Medicaid] so far, exceeding the state's projection of 63,000. Some advocates for the poor are thrilled, but they caution that insurance coverage alone won't overcome the deeply rooted health problems of many poor West Virginians who live in isolation and poverty (Rao, 2/5).
Other stories today examine the administration's enrollment effort and how many people it could reach if it just focused on 116 of the nation's 3,143 counties. Also examined is how the insurer WellPoint's bottom line is changing because of the law.
Bloomberg: Obamacare Insurers May Be Forced To Add Medical Providers
Insurers participating in Obamacare may have to expand their plans to include more federally funded health clinics, safety-net hospitals and other medical providers used by low-income people, under a U.S. proposal. Health plans offered through government-run insurance exchanges may be required to cover 30 percent of "essential community providers" in their areas in 2015, an increase from 20 percent this year, according to a letter to insurers issued today from the Health and Human Services Department (Wayne, 2/4).
Modern Healthcare: Insurers Selling Exchange Plans Would Have Tougher Standards In 2015, CMS Proposal Says
Insurers that want to sell plans through the federal exchanges for 2015 may have to do more to ensure members have access to adequate networks of providers. Participating health plans would be required to submit a list to the CMS of all in-network providers and medical facilities covered under a plan, according to a proposal detailed in a letter from the CMS on Tuesday. The CMS will review them, in conjunction with state regulators, to ensure that there is "reasonable access" to all types of providers (Demko, 2/4).
Los Angeles Times: Obamacare Enrollees Hit Snags At Doctor's Offices
After overcoming website glitches and long waits to get Obamacare, some patients are now running into frustrating new roadblocks at the doctor's office. A month into the most sweeping changes to healthcare in half a century, people are having trouble finding doctors at all, getting faulty information on which ones are covered and receiving little help from insurers swamped by new business (Terhune, 2/4).
The Associated Press: Administration Drills Down To Find Uninsured
Uninsured Americans are still procrastinating about President Barack Obama's health care law. With less than 60 days left to enroll, can the administration find the millions of customers needed to sustain new insurance markets? Geography could hold the answer, according to a study conducted for The Associated Press. It found the uninsured aren't scattered around the country willy-nilly; half live in just 116 of the nation's 3,143 counties. That means an outreach campaign targeted to select areas can pay off big (Alonso-Zaldivar, 2/5).
The New York Times: WellPoint, A Onetime Critic Of Health Law, May Yet Profit
Just a few years ago, the health insurer WellPoint outraged its customers — and regulators — by proposing an increase of nearly 40 percent in some of its annual premiums. Now, WellPoint has captured a large portion of the government money being spent on Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor, and can gamble on the new insurance marketplace because of protections offered by the federal government in the early days of the law's introduction (Abelson, 2/4).
Republicans are trying to tie a vote raising the debt ceiling to repealing the health law's "risk corridors," which help mitigate insurer risk. In the meantime, President Obama faces some pushback on the law's rocky rollout from his own party.
The Hill: Republicans Count Votes On Tying Debt Hike To Health Care Law
House Republican leaders are canvassing their members to see whether they have enough votes to pass an increase in the debt ceiling that is tied to a repeal of the "risk corridors" provision in Obamacare. The party on Tuesday held its second private session in the last week devoted to finding a plan to raise the debt limit by the late-February deadline set by the Treasury Department (Berman and Becker, 2/4).
Related, earlier KHN story: The Health Law's '3 Rs' For Insurers: A Bailout Or Necessary Safeguards? (Carey, 1/30)
Politico: GOP Weapon 2: Hit Obamacare Over 'Insurer Bailouts'
The last thing Democrats want to do, with a law as complicated and full of moving parts as the Affordable Care Act, is explain what the law actually does. And yet, they're going to have to come up with something to answer the Republicans' latest line of attack. The program that's causing all the trouble is supposed to help insurers get through the first few years of Obamacare if their costs are higher than they thought. And it's not an emergency measure -- it was built into the law all along (Nather, 2/5).
The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire: Obama Faces Fresh Democratic Pressure On Health Care
Some Democratic lawmakers intensified pressure on President Barack Obama Tuesday to take actions he has been resisting when it comes to health care and the nation's energy supply. Mr. Obama hosted a private meeting at the White House for House Democrats. Both sides afterward described the session as productive and friendly. But Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D., N.H.) told Mr. Obama at one point that some people should have left their jobs over the flawed rollout of the health care law that is the centerpiece of his domestic legacy (Nicholas and Hook, 2/4).
The Associated Press: US Senate Candidate Wants To Open Medicare To All
U.S. Senate candidate Rick Weiland said Tuesday that Medicare is so efficient and popular among the elderly that he wants to open it to all Americans. Weiland, the sole Democrat running for the seat being vacated by Sen. Tim Johnson [D-S.D.], pledged to introduce legislation letting anyone of any age the opportunity to buy health insurance from the government program (Lammer, 2/4).
Meanwhile --
Politico: Poll: 51% Disapprove Of Obamacare
In a Gallup Poll, released Tuesday, 51 percent of Americans said they disapprove of the Affordable Care Act and 41 percent say they approve of the law. Nevertheless, these numbers are a slight improvement from Gallup's previous poll released last month, which showed 54 percent disapproval and 38 percent approval (McCalmont, 2/4).
Republicans questioned the bona fides of President Obama's choice for surgeon general, grilling him over his stance on gun control and the health law.
Los Angeles Times: Republicans Criticize Surgeon General At Senate Hearing
President Obama's choice to become the next surgeon general spent much of his confirmation hearing Tuesday deflecting criticism from Republicans, who attacked him for his political activism, ties to the president and relative inexperience. Vivek Hallegere Murthy, who at 36 would be one of the youngest surgeon generals, was chided for advocating gun control in the aftermath of the December 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Conn., and for backing the Affordable Care Act as a co-founder of Doctors for America, formerly Doctors for Obama (Clozel, 2/4).
The Washington Post: Republicans Question Surgeon General Nominee Over Advocacy For Health-Care Law
Murthy, 36, who would be the first Indian American to become chief U.S. doctor, works at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and is an instructor at Harvard Medical School. If confirmed, he will take over for acting surgeon general Boris D. Lushniak, who stepped in when Regina Benjamin left the post in July (Hicks, 2/4).
Earlier, related KHN coverage: Fixing Health Care Isn't About Party, 'It's About Building A Sustainable System' - The KHN Interview (Kulkarni, 10/24/2012).
The move is part of a trend of pharmacies becoming health providers.
Reuters: CVS To Become First Major U.S. Drugstore To Drop Cigarettes
CVS Caremark Corp said on Wednesday that it would stop selling tobacco products at its 7,600 stores by October, becoming the first U.S. drugstore chain to take cigarettes off the shelf. Public health experts called the decision by the No. 2 U.S. drugstore chain a precedent-setting step that could pressure other stores to follow suit (Wahba and Steenhuysen, 2/5).
The Wall Street Journal: CVS To Stop Selling Cigarettes
The move is a bold and expensive one for CVS, a unit of Woonsocket, R.I.-based CVS Caremark Corp. It reflects a major push by retail pharmacies away from simply dispensing drugs toward a more integrated role of providing basic health services to Americans—including millions of newly-insured—amid an expected shortage of primary care doctors (Martin and Esterl, 2/5).
The New York Times: CVS Plans To End Sales Of Tobacco Products By Oct. 1
The company's move was yet another sign of its metamorphosis into becoming more of a health care provider than a largely retail business, with its stores offering more miniclinics and health advice to aid customers visiting its pharmacies. While the company's decision will cost it an estimated $2 billion in sales from tobacco buyers, that is a mere dent in its overall sales of $123 billion in 2012 (Strom, 2/5).
Los Angeles Times: CVS Caremark, No. 2 Drugstore Chain, Will End All Tobacco Sales
CVS, CVS, based in Woonsocket, R.I., also pledged to launch what it called a "robust national smoking cessation program" this spring. Nationwide, less than 5% of cigarette sales occurred in pharmacies in 2009, according to a study by the Center for Global Tobacco Control. But sales at pharmacies have been increasing, even as overall cigarette sales declined (Levey and Hsu, 2/5).
The Washington Post: CVS To Stop Selling Cigarettes By Oct. 1
CVS executives said the decision could cost billions of dollars in revenue because cigarettes draw so many customers in their stores. But by jettisoning tobacco products, CVS can further define its pharmacies as full-fledged health-care providers and strike more profitable deals with hospitals and health insurers. CVS stores already are home to over 750 MinuteClinics, the country's largest chain of pharmacy-based health clinics, offering flu shots and diagnosis of common ailments like ear infections and strep throat (Kliff, 2/5).
A selection of health policy stories from Colorado, Oregon, Iowa, Connecticut, Minnesota and California.
Health News Colorado: Garfield County May Sue, Accuses State Of Rubberstamping Insurance Lobbyists' Plan
Enraged that Colorado officials are refusing to change health insurance rating systems for this year or next, Garfield County's attorney and commissioners are considering suing the state. "They're violating the law," said Garfield County Attorney Frank Hutfless. He said the state is discriminating against Garfield County by placing it with the highest-cost resort areas and therefore making it too difficult for people to afford health insurance, which was the primary purpose of the Affordable Care Act (McCrimmon, 2/4).
The Associated Press: Fewer ER Visits For Ore. Medicaid Patients
People on the Oregon Health Plan are making fewer visits to the emergency room and more visits to primary care clinics, according to a new report on Oregon's year-old coordinated care organizations. The Oregon Health Authority says the report shows Gov. John Kitzhaber's overhaul of the state Medicaid program is achieving its goals in reducing unnecessary use of the emergency room (Cooper, 2/4).
The Associated Press: Iowa Universities Refuse To Pay Health Subsidies
A nonprofit that subsidizes insurance policies for Iowans with health risks is suing the state's three public universities, claiming they are refusing to pay millions in legally required fees. The Iowa Individual Health Benefit Reinsurance Association says the universities' nonpayment could lead to higher assessments for other government agencies that are members and higher costs for patients (Foley, 2/4).
Kaiser Health News: A Third Generation Doctor Questions The Profession
Being a doctor in America is changing, in part because of the Affordable Care Act and also because of longer trends in the practice of medicine. Drs. Robert and Michael Sawyer practice at Denver Health, the city's big public hospital downtown. Sawyers have worked or taught here as physicians since the 1930s, so they have a unique perspective on how today's challenges stack up against those that physicians have faced in the past (Whitney, 2/5).
The CT Mirror: Leonardi Cool On Federal Regulation Of Insurance Industry
Connecticut's insurance commissioner told members of Congress Tuesday he has serious reservations about extending federal oversight of the insurance industry. Thomas Leonardi, commissioner of Connecticut's Insurance Department, was invited by a Republican member of the House Financial Services Committee to weigh in on new federal oversight of the insurance industry, which is largely regulated by the states. At issue is the new Federal Insurance Office that was created by the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill and tasked to report on weaknesses in the insurance industry (Radelat, 2/4).
Minnesota Public Radio: Patients Need An Affordable, Stable Home To Be Healthy
Health care companies are increasingly focused on patients like (Vanessa) Smith, whose housing difficulties can compromise their health. Indeed, a growing body of research indicates a strong link between health and housing. If patients' rent is too high, they might avoid spending money on medications to treat diabetes and other diseases. Frequent moves also can lead to or deepen mental health problems (Baxter, 2/4).
The California Health Report: A Dozen California Hospitals Among Most Expensive In U.S.
When a doctor sees a patient at Olympia Hospital in Los Angeles for a routine, 15-minute consultation, the hospital typically bills Medicare about $1,100 for the service. Two miles away, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center bills the government just under $200 for the same kind of visit. Medicare sets its own rates, so the program ultimately pays both hospitals the same amount, or nearly so, regardless of how much they try to charge. But the huge disparity in billing for the same procedure in the same city raises questions about how hospitals establish their rates, who pays them, and what connection, if any, the charges have to the actual cost of providing care. The mysterious billing practices are fueling a nationwide drive for more transparency (Richard, 2/5).
Salem, Ore., Statesman Journal: Oregon Health Plan Reforms Preventing Costly Hospital Care, Report Shows
Oregon's new program that is changing how its Medicaid patients are being treated received another positive review in the quarterly report released today. According to the Oregon's Health System Transformation report, which covers the first nine months of coordinated care organizations' performance in 2013, emergency visits and spending are down, primary care visits and spending are up and hospital readmissions are down (Yoo, 2/4).
The Wall Street Journal: The Jobless Care Act
There are 7.8 million Americans working part-time who want full-time work, including a fry cook whose restaurant cut his hours to avoid Affordable Care Act mandates and confronted President Obama in an online Google Q&A last week: "We can't survive. It's not a living." Mr. Obama changed the subject to raising the minimum wage. But he can't dodge reality forever as the evidence piles up that ObamaCare is harming the labor market. On Tuesday no less than the Congressional Budget Office reported that the health law is causing Americans to work less or not at all (2/4).
The New York Times: Freeing Workers From The Insurance Trap
The Congressional Budget Office estimated on Tuesday that the Affordable Care Act will reduce the number of full-time workers by 2.5 million over the next decade. That is mostly a good thing, a liberating result of the law. Of course, Republicans immediately tried to brand the findings as "devastating" and stark evidence of President Obama's health care reform as a failure and a job killer. It is no such thing (2/4).
Los Angeles Times: Why The New CBO Report ON Obamacare Is Good News
The Congressional Budget Office is out with its latest report on the Affordable Care Act, and here are a few bottom lines:
— The ACA is cheaper than it expected.
— It will "markedly increase" the number of Americans with health insurance.
— The risk-adjustment provisions, which Congressional Republicans want to overturn as a "bailout" of the insurance industry, will actually turn a profit to the U.S. Treasury.
Given all this, why are the first news headlines on the CBO report depicting it as calling Obamacare a job killer? You can chalk up some of that to the crudity of headline-writing, and some to basic innumeracy in the press (Michael Hiltzik, 2/4).
The Washington Post: Obamacare's Scorekeepers Deliver A Game-Changer
This is grim news for the White House and for Democrats on the ballot in November. This independent arbiter, long embraced by the White House, has validated a core complaint of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) critics: that it will discourage work and become an ungainly entitlement. Disputing Republicans' charges is much easier than refuting the federal government's official scorekeepers (Dana Milbank, 2/4).
The New York Times' Economic Scene: Health Law Goals Face Antitrust Hurdles
With the midterm elections fast coming into focus, politics in Washington will remain consumed by health care for months to come. ... This political theater, however, has little relevance to the actual delivery of medical services. For that, the debate that matters has been taking place far from the klieg lights, in a remote courthouse in Idaho, where less than two weeks ago a district judge sided with the Federal Trade Commission and ordered the unwinding of the merger between one of the state's biggest hospital systems and its biggest independent network of doctors (Eduardo Porter, 2/4).
Los Angeles Times: Red Vs. Blue: The Battle Lines Of 2014
The conventional wisdom is that this fall's congressional election will be all about Obamacare. Republicans, it's argued, will try to expand their majority in the House and take the Senate with a campaign focused mostly on the failings of President Obama's health insurance law; Democrats will fire back with warnings that the GOP would simply repeal the law and leave consumers on their own. But the conventional wisdom is wrong. Obamacare will be a major issue this fall, but so will the economy and a host of other issues, including immigration and -- if Democrats have their way -- pay equity for women. Over the last two weeks, leaders of both parties have staked out new ground on which they plan to fight in the nine months until election day (Doyle McManus, 2/5).
Politico: The Latest GOP Lie About Obamacare
The target of Republicans' new criticism is a sensible mechanism to ensure an even distribution of risks across insurance companies. According to Republican leaders like House Budget Chairman Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, these risk corridor provisions are "massive insurance company bailouts." ... What's most remarkable about their comments on risk corridors is that Republican leaders are denouncing a model they created to smooth out rate increases in prescription drug coverage under Medicare (Reps. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., Sander Levin, D-Mich., and George Miller, D-Calif., 2/4).
Raleigh News & Observer: Renewing The Call To Expand Medicaid In NC
Soon after [state leaders opted not to expand Medicaid], I began asking physician colleagues around our state about their patients, mostly the working-class poor, who were most affected by the decision. ... Reflecting on my own patients I provide primary care for, several have refused all preventive health care until their 65th birthday kicks in. This includes refused mammograms, colonoscopies, diabetes screenings and the shingles vaccine. And the list goes on. At the moment, a formidable 318,710 adults in North Carolina are working for incomes less than $11,500. These folks are too poor to qualify for subsidized tax credits for private insurance and do not qualify for Medicaid under our current standards. In refusing the expansion, [Gov.] McCrory not only turned down much needed money for our state, but also might have shortened the lives of our working-class poor (Dr. Laura Musselwhite, 2/4).
The Richmond Times-Dispatch: McAuliffe Has Cards To Play In Obamacare Gamble
Gov. Terry McAuliffe is trying to sell a cow for a horse. The Democratic power grab in the Virginia Senate preserved the bipartisan coalition that supports his debut initiative: Medicaid-for-Obamacare. The Republican-dominated House of Delegates continues to resist the frosh chief executive. However, even the House may have its price (Jeff Schapiro, 2/5).
The Boston Globe: Mass. Model Of Health Care: Wait For It
Is Massachusetts now in its seventh year under Chapter 58, the health care overhaul signed into law by Governor Mitt Romney in 2006, a preview of what the rest of the country can expect under Obamacare? If so, my fellow Americans, you'd better get used to waiting. According to a national survey of approximately 1,400 medical practices in 15 major metropolitan markets, the average wait for new patients scheduling a non-emergency doctor appointment between June and November 2013 was 18.5 days. In Boston, however, patients had to wait an average of 45 days, and considerably more than that for some specialties. The wait was 66 days to see a family physician and 72 days to see a dermatologist (Jeff Jacoby, 2/5).
The Washington Post: Dodging Accountability In Annapolis
The Democratic party's commissars in Maryland have decreed that meddlesome questions about the state's disastrous online health-insurance exchange are distracting and, for the time being, terribly inconvenient. Having closed ranks behind the gubernatorial candidacy of Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, who bore putative responsibility for getting the operation up and running, party leaders have put out the word: No official inquiries that might embarrass Mr. Brown will be tolerated before the Democratic primary on June 24 or the general election in November (2/4).
And on other issues --
The New York Times: Overselling Testosterone, Dangerously
A large study has found substantial risks in prescribing testosterone to middle-age and older men for a variety of ailments. One part of the study found that testosterone doubled the risk of cardiovascular disease in more than 7,000 men who were 65 years old or older, essentially confirming findings in previous studies. The other part found that testosterone almost tripled the risk of heart attacks in a group of more than 48,000 middle-age men with previous histories of heart disease. The harm in both cases occurred within 90 days of receiving the prescription (2/4).
Reuters: Philip Seymour Hoffmann And The Middle-Aged Drug Epidemic
Celebrated actor Philip Seymour Hoffman's death at age 46 from an apparent heroin overdose is yet another indictment of the ongoing failure of drug war officials, interest groups, and politicians to confront the rising, decades-long epidemic of middle-aged abuse of illicit drugs, which now kills an American age 40-64 every 20 minutes. ... [O]piate and other illicit-drug deaths have been increasing for three decades. Although public service campaigns have long invoked "new" scourges of heroin and opiates that afflict middle-class young people, the group that most frequently dies from the most-abused drugs -- street and pharmaceutical opiates -- is white, middle-aged adults, not teenagers and young adults (Mike Males, 2/4).
Stephanie Stapleton
Andrew Villegas
Lisa Gillespie
Shefali Luthra
The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published by Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation. (c) 2014 Kaiser Health News. All rights reserved.
© 2014 Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


text:
Video: Topics: History: War & Conflict
The Storm That Swept Mexico | Morelos: Land of Zapata | PBS
"The land belongs to those who work it with their own hands" - Emiliano Zapata 01:54
Hold At All Costs | Trailer | PBS
The story of the Battle of Outpost Harry during the Korean War. 07:41
Conversations with War Vets | Victoria Marks: Memory, Loss and Dance | PBS
Conversations with War Vets | Peace. Be Still: Cid Williams | PBS
War veteran Cid Williams talks bout being diagnosed with PTST and collaborating with choreographer Victoria Marks. 02:36
Conversations with War Vets | Manuel A. Flores: Freedom on Stage | PBS
Conversation with war veteran Manuel A. Flores on being diagnosed with PTST and collaborating on dance piece "Veterans" 03:13
Conversations with War Vets | John H. Tingley II: Faking Normal | PBS
With war veteran John H. Tingley II on being diagnosed with PTST and collaborating on dance project "Veterans". 03:04
Iowa Medal of Honor Recipient: The Sal Giunta Story
Salvatore (Sal) Giunta, a 25-year-old sergeant from Hiawatha, Iowa, received the Medal of Honor for his act of bravery in Afghanistan in 2007. He is the first living service member to receive the... 10:33
Independent Lens | Veterans Day Salute | PBS
America Ferrera salutes our servicemen and servicewomen on Veterans Day. 00:26
NEED TO KNOW | Six-word memoirs: Veterans share their stories of coming home | PBS.mp4 (#127)
Troops share their stories. 03:48
Independent Lens | El Caso Longoria - Clip de pelicula 1 | PBS (#1204)
Los sucesos de Three Rivers cambiaron el destino de tres veteranos y la vida de millones. 02:06
God in America | Episode Five: Soul of a Nation | PBS (#105)
Full Program: Revivals and crusades in the post-World War II era 56:10
God in America | Episode Three: A Nation Reborn | PBS (#103)
Full Program: How religion suffused the Civil War 51:09
The People in the Pictures: Stories from the Wettach Farm Photos
Full Program: This documentary is a visual essay portraying farm families during the Great Depression through World War II and the postwar years, as seen through the eyes of Iowa photographer Pete Wettach who... 57:01
Independent Lens | The Longoria Affair - Promo | PBS (#1204)
The death of Longoria tore a Texas town apart and sparked a civil rights movement. In Texas after World War II, a funeral home refuses to care for a dead Mexican American soldier's body "because... 05:05
Independent Lens | The Longoria Affair - Clip 2 | PBS (#1204)
Santiago Hernandez on town opposition to a Felix Longoria commemoration. In Texas after World War II, a funeral home refuses to care for a dead Mexican American soldier's body "because the whites... 02:57

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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10.3: Possible kernel panics on dual-boot machines
Erm, I don't think the problem had anything to do with journaling. Jaguar had journaling too, just no GUI way of accessing it. I believe there was a hint here (I may be wrong) about how to turn it on.
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text: I have two songs we sang for Beltane several years ago, Bjornen Solver and ... uh... the other one. The first one is a song about a bear sleeping, and one child hides under a fur while the other children dance in a ring around him while singing this song. When the verse ends, the "bear" charges out and grabs another child, who becomes the bear for the next verse. The other song, Sma Gruderna (I think), is a cute song about the differences between little pigs and little frogs, with appropriate gestures. Both are in Swedish, and I do not know if they are in- or post- period. If you are interested, please e-mail me privately, and I will find out and respond. Ulf ============================================================================ Go to http://lists.ansteorra.org/lists.html to perform mailing list tasks.


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Enrolled House Bill (H) 5
Authored by: Rep. Edward Clere
Co-Authors: Rep. P Eric Turner, Rep. Edmond Soliday, Rep. Ryan Dvorak
Sponsors: Sen. Brandt Hershman
Historic preservation. Requires the commission on state tax and financing policy to compare the effectiveness of tax credits to the effectiveness of grant programs in encouraging the preservation and commercial redevelopment of historic properties.
The document is not available in the context of this page. It might be accessible at the following URL: URL


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12 Awesome Free Quilt Patterns and Small Quilted Projects
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Embroidered Country Calendar Quilt
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The Embroidered Country Calendar Quilt is a fun project to keep you quilting all year round! This block of the month calendar quilt features a block for each month. You can choose to embroider or applique each quilt block according to your preference
Project Type: Make a Project
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Find ideas, tips and techniques about sculpting
A link to %this page% was e-mailed
Use a personal photo to custom-make a bobble head doll.
James Wolberg creates a watering pitcher by joining two clay pots together.
Diane Emerson sculpts a pop art paintbrush from clay and decorates it with orange and black glaze and silver paint.
Edwin J. Sadler wood-turns an ornamental pear.
Chandra Cerchione-Peltier constructs a mixed media marionette.
The Maneki Neko cat, with its beckoning paws, is shaped with newspaper and covered with clay.
Browse new rooms from top designers.
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Dr. Paul G. Kassab, MD
Internal Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center Clinic
- 1100 9th Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
- 1 Office Location
- Email a Friend
- (206) 624-1144
Dr. Paul G. Kassab has been practicing medicine for 21 years. Dr. Kassab graduated from the American University of Beirut, Faculty of Medicine, Beirut, Lebanon in 1993. He practices medicine in Seattle, WA and specializes in Internal Medicine. Dr. Kassab is affiliated with Virginia Mason Medical Center.
Gender: Male
Years in Practice: 21 Years
Languages Spoken: English
Medical School: American University of Beirut, Faculty of Medicine, Beirut, Lebanon
Graduation Date: 1993
Hospital Affiliations: Virginia Mason Medical Center
Specialties: Internal Medicine
©2005-2014 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.


text:
We keep fudging the facts in order to maintain the preferred narrative.
He's four months behind on rent. He's in housing court, on the verge of getting evicted. He says his kids will live at his church for awhile so he can work and save up some money.
People who, like Odigie, sit precariously on the edge of personal calamity don't need much of a push to slip over. The rent will do it. The rent does do it. Often.
Recent data indicate that a gap exists between corporations understanding the big-picture risks of climate change and their actions to address those risks to shore up their bottom line.
MIT's Sloan Management Review published results of the annual sustainability survey they conduct with BCG (aka The Boston Consulting Group). In Harvard Business Review's synthesis, they note: "The vast majority of respondents in a new Sloan and BCG survey say climate change isn't a significant issue … And of the 27 percent that acknowledge climate change is a risk to their businesses, only 9 percent say their companies are prepared for the risk."
In contrast to this data, another corporate survey—the annual World Economic Forum Global Risk Report–says, this year, four out of the top 10 global risks derived from the World Economic Forum's global risk perception survey relate to climate disruption:
- Water Crisis
- Failure of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
- Greater Incidence of Extreme Weather Events
- Food CrisisThese risks share space with other risks such as high unemployment, fiscal crisis and political and social instability.
Basically, American businesses are not overly concerned by impacts from climate change. There's good reason for this: government hand outs. Flood, fire, and natural disaster insurance is subsidized by the US taxpayer. And, whenever there's a major disaster from, say, a snow storm, hurricane, or tornado, both state and federal governments clean up the mess - often rebuilding in the same exact spots where the damage can occur in perpetuity. Businesses, to say the least, have little incentive to be worried about natural and human-made hazards…
Thanking my stars every day to be married to such a talented and wonderful lady. if you're in the DC area, her work's up this weekend as part of Art Hop Takoma.
I've been quiet through all these stories of comics-scene rape threats because I've been steadily working on comics that directly address the problem of rape… in modern Indian culture:
THE SONG OF PRIYA is an AR-enabled comic using Hindu gods to discuss rape problem in modern India in…
Been hearing about this work for months… so proud to see it finally seeing the light of day!


text:
Periodontologists in Honolulu, HI
Dr. Darin Iha specializes in periodontology in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Dr. Darin Iha has been compared 31 times. Details of Dr. Iha's experience as an DDS are available on your free dentist report.
Dr. Darin Iha identified specializing in Periodontology.
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text: SKU 1811 Availability KASHCHEI THE IMMORTAL (1944) * with switchable English subtitles * Be the first to review this product $13.99 Qty: Add to cart Email a friend Question about product? Add to compare list Add to wishlist DetailsExisting reviews The film is based on Russian heroic legends and folklore. In a tall mansion, the beautiful Marya Morevna is waiting for her bridegroom, the mighty warrior Nikita Kozhemyaka. The longed-for meeting may happen any minute, but all of a sudden the Russian land is invaded by the armies of Kashchei the Immortal that bring destruction and death. Marya Morevna is abducted, and Nikita Kozhemyaka finds just ashes on the site of his home. But thanks to a kindly wizard who gave him a cap of darkness, the hero will find a way to rescue his bride and rout Kashchei. DVD-R IS IN RUSSIAN WITH SWITCHABLE ENGLISH SUBTITLES. QUALITY (of feature film only): · Sharpness of picture? - Excellent, digital DVD quality LENGTH OF FEATURE FILM: 64 mins LENGTH OF NEWSREEL: Be the first to review this product Related products MECHTA (DREAM) (1941) *with switchable Englis... $13.99 THE ROAD TO LIFE (1931) *with switchable Eng... $13.99 ALEXANDER NEVSKY (1938) (ORIGINAL SCORE) + H... $13.99 CHAPAYEV (Chapaev) (1934) *with English subti... $13.99 DON QUIXOTE (1957) *with switchable multiple... $13.99 < >


text: 46 notes Posted 19, September, 2013 Heheheheyyyyy.. Look guys here's some art! Sorry on the major delays but yeaaaahhhh… But hey here's some fanart of a game ive never played, but wanna play.It started as a doodle with someone on iscribble.. he/she drew the batter at the top right and I did the rest.. so I suppose the credit goes to "Ghost" on iscribble for the batter part. Was a great ol time drawin with em on iscribble. So I asked politely if I could use their part on this piece and was allowed to… so yeah.. some color some ink and here we are!OFF game and its characters belong to their rightful owners. And a thanks to Ghost! #OFF (game) #OFF #The batter #batter #purification


text: Mayor liable for sign removal By: Tom Egan February 24, 2014 A federal judge has held the mayor of Westfield liable for ordering city employees to remove political signs. The defendant mayor, Daniel Knapik, claimed that the signs — in the vicinity of East Silver Street and Lindbergh Boulevard near his home — were creating an unsafe condition by interfering with the sight lines at an intersection. The ... Subscribe Login Email Address: Password: Already a paid subscriber but not registered for online access yet? For instructions on how to get premium web access, click here.Forgot your password? Share this:EmailPrintFacebookLinkedInTwitterGoogle +1 1:42 pm Mon, February 24, 2014 Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Tom Egan


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3 Keys To Vikings Improvement Along Offensive LinePosted by on October 11, 2012 – 11:02 am
In taking a closer look at the Redskins running attack earlier on Thursday, we referenced the camaraderie generated from playing the same five starters in all five games as one factor that's led to production. In taking a look at the Vikings offense through five games, Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier and QB Christian Ponder have similar sentiments about their front line.
"The offensive line is playing tremendously well," Ponder said on Wednesday. "You can tell the chemistry they have and the amount of communication they have on the line. They're doing such a great job and they're really gelling together, not even just the pass protection, they're opening up holes in the run game. They couldn't be playing any better."
Frazier mentioned communication as a key to the line's play as well while speaking with reporters on Wednesday.
"I see them at practice, in between, talking to one another about how we have to combo block, what we have to do from a technique standpoint," Frazier said. "It's a good chemistry on our offensive line right now and it's showing up on the field."
This type of play from the offensive line is refreshing to the Vikings and to those who've followed the Vikings in recent seasons. Individuals have played well at various times, but it's been a couple of seasons since the Vikings offensive line played this well collectively. There are likely several factors behind the improvement. Let's take a look at three of them.
1. Coach Davidson
There's no better place to start than with Vikings OL coach Jeff Davidson. This is his second year on the job, and the veteran coach with multiple Super Bowl rings and NFL playing experience to his credit is starting to see results. It's often said that a head coach or even defensive/offensive coordinator needs time to incorporate his scheme. A new position coach faces a similar challenge working with his subset of players, and therefore it's fair to grant that position coach time as well. Davidson has put plenty of time in, and it's beginning to pay off.
2. Buying the right groceries
If Davidson is the chef concocting the recipe for success along the offensive line, Vikings GM Rick Spielman and his personnel staff are responsible for buying the groceries from which Davidson creates the recipe. You may hate the analogy, but the point remains that Spielman has punched the right buttons when it comes to personnel decisions along the offensive line.
John Sullivan, whom Spielman selected with a 6th-round pick in 2008, has turned into one of the best centers in the NFL. Phil Loadholt, a 2nd-round pick in 2009, has taken a big step forward in 2012 and is in a contract year. The Vikings saw something they liked in Brandon Fusco, a 6th-round pick in 2011, and their decision to award him a starting job after training camp has turned into the right one. And you can't talk about draft picks along the offensive line without mentioning Matt Kalil, the Vikings 4th overall pick this past April. He's dominated the opposition at LT so far this season and looks every bit the part of a 4th overall choice. The selection of Kalil allowed the Vikings to move Charlie Johnson, last year's LT, to his more natural position – guard.
3. You win with players
It's only fair to credit coaching and personnel decisions when credit is due, so the first two points remain applicable. But the bottom line is that players have to go out and do their jobs. And that is what's happening for the Vikings along the offensive line, through the first five games. There's a lot of season to play, and the players will be the first to admit there are improvements to be made, but so far their ability to communicate and play well together has made a big difference for the Vikings offense.
"I like how they're working together collectively," Frazier said. "That is what you need as a unit to be effective on an offensive line and those guys are helping one another. I can see Matt [Kalil] working with Charlie [Johnson] and Charlie helping him. Then I see what John [Sullivan] is doing with Brandon [Fusco],who's a young guy who is early in his career and helping him. And then Phil [Loadholt] is much more consistent. So each guy playing a little bit better and what it has created is a solid offensive line."
Tags: Brandon Fusco, Charlie Johnson, John Sullivan, Leslie Frazier, Matt Kalil, Phil Loadholt, Rick Spielman
Posted in All | 41 Comments »
Offensive Line Paved Path To Victory For Vikings Over 49ersPosted by on September 25, 2012 – 2:06 pm
Did the Vikings offensive line have their best performance of the season in Sunday's win over the San Francisco 49ers? It sure looked like it, and Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier thought so, too.
"I think, collectively, yeah. And when you consider the front they were going up against, that's a very good front," Frazier said.
Frazier credited LG Charlie Johnson for a solid performance against 49ers All-Pro Justin Smith, and he also noted that Matt Kalil fared well against standout pass rusher Aldon Smith. Brandon Fusco and Phil Loadholt anchored down on the right side of the offense, and the lynchpin of it all is C John Sullivan. Credit should also be given to the Vikings coaching staff, who used a creative blocking scheme at times to create opportunities for the offense. Loadholt shifted to the left side of the formation on at least one snap to give San Francisco a different look, and the club also found a way to get rookie Rhett Ellison in on the action.
"It was a good performance across the board," Frazier said. "As a group, to rush for 146 yards on that defensive line or that defense, it's pretty impressive."
Having any success against the 49ers on the ground is impressive. Gaining 146 yards? Over the past two seasons, that's nearly unheard of. San Francisco hadn't allowed that many rushing yards since November of 2010, and the 344 total yards the Vikings amassed on Sunday is 5th best against the 49ers over their last 19 games. Also, the Vikings collected 25 1st downs – #1 against San Francisco over the last19 games – and they logged 33:28 in time of possession – #2 against the 49ers over that same span.
A few other notes on the offensive line's performance against the very good 49ers defense:
— The 49ers have only been held without a sack one other time since the start of 2011 (19 games) – against Baltimore in 2011.
— The 49ers did not have an INT, and they've been held without an INT just four times in that same span.
— The 49ers have only been held without a SACK and INT one other time in that span – the Baltimore game in 2011.
Tags: Brandon Fusco, Charlie Johnson, John Sullivan, Leslie Frazier, Matt Kalil, Phil Loadholt, Rhett Ellison
Posted in All, Mike Wobschall | 23 Comments »
Vikings List 8 On Initial Injury Report, All PracticePosted by on September 12, 2012 – 2:56 pm
The Vikings listed 8 players on their initial Week 2 injury report, and all of them participated in practice on Wednesday.
Listed as full participants in practice are RB Adrian Peterson (knee) and CB Josh Robinson (hip). Those who were limited in practice were: CB Chris Cook (biceps), LB Marvin Mitchell (ankle), S Andrew Sendejo (ankle), C John Sullivan (ankle), WR Jarius Wright (ankle) and TE Rhett Ellison (ankle).
The Colts listed 6 players on their report. LB Pat Angerer (foot), LB Dwight Freeney (ankle), and G Joe Reitz (knee) did not participate in practice. OT Winston Justice (head) was limited and WR Austin Collie (head) and WR T.Y. Hilton (shoulder) were full participants.
Tags: Adrian Peterson, Andrew Sendejo, Chris Cook, Jarius Wright, John Sullivan, Josh Robinson, Marvin Mitchell, Rhett Ellison
Posted in All | 36 Comments »
10 Vikings-Colts Storylines To Follow This WeekPosted by on September 12, 2012 – 6:46 am
Wednesday is the day NFL teams flip their calendars from last week to the upcoming week, as review of the recent game has concluded and on-field preparations for the next opponent begins. Vikings players will return to Winter Park on Wednesday to begin digesting the game plan Vikings coaches have devised over the past two days and the team will hold its first practice of the week in the afternoon.
Also, both Head Coach Leslie Frazier and QB Christian Ponder will hold press conferences on Wednesday. We'll stream those press conferences live on vikings.com, so be sure to tune in at about 11:25 to watch.
While you're waiting for all of that to transpire, take a look at 10 Vikings-Jaguars storylines to follow this week…
1. Young QBs Ponder, Luck Square Off
One of the storylines last week was a clash of QBs from the Class of 2011, as #10 pick Blaine Gabbert and the Jaguars visited #12 pick Christian Ponder and the Vikings. This week, the two starting QBs were not selected in the same draft, but they are both 1st-round picks. In the second start of his second season, Ponder will lead the Vikings to Indianapolis, a team once led by #1 overall pick Peyton Manning and now led by 2012 #1 overall pick Andrew Luck. In his NFL debut last week in Chicago, Luck was 23 of 45 for 309 yards with 1 TD and 3 INTs. Soldier Field is a tough place to play for any QB, especially a rookie QB making his first start, so expect a bit of a bounce back for Luck this week at home. But the Vikings have to make sure the bounce back isn't significant enough to yield a victory. Interestingly, the Vikings boast a 3-0 record since 2009 vs. rookie QBs selected with the #1 overall pick – 2-0 against Matthew Stafford in 2009 and they beat Cam Newton a year ago.
2. Adrian Peterson And The Vikings Running Game
Adrian Peterson's return was a big storyline last week leading up to the season-opener, and it turned out to be a major factor in the game as well. Peterson started the game and scored 2 TDs along the way to helping lead the Vikings to victory. Entering the game, most expected he would play. But most also expected he'd see limited action. As it turned out, though, Peterson carried the ball 17 times for 84 yards and was the team's workhorse in the 4th quarter and overtime. As a team, the Vikings rushed for 123 yards on 29 carries (4.2 yards per carry), and they'll need similar success on the ground with Peterson and Toby Gerhart again this week if they're to log a victory over the Colts on the road in Week 2.
3. Vikings Performance On 3rd Down
The Vikings did win last week, so the feeling was good in the locker room after the game and there is positive momentum heading into Week 2. But there are also facets of their performance that the Vikings will look to improve in Week 2. Perhaps the most important is 3rd-down performance – for both the offense and defense. Offensively, the Vikings had just 10 3rd-down opportunities, which is a good sign. A low number of 3rd-down opportunities means you're having success on 1st and 2nd down. But of those 10 3rd downs, the Vikings converted just 2 of them into 1st downs. That number must increase, especially playing on the road. Defensively, the Vikings yielded a 50% conversion rate to the Jaguars on 3rd down (9 of 18). The Vikings defense did a great job of stepping up at a few important moments against the Jaguars, and that was good to see. But the Vikings defense must do a better job of getting off the field on 3rd down to turn the ball over to Ponder, Peterson and the Vikings offense.
4. Figuring Out The Colts 3-4 Defense
Under long-time head coach Tony Dungy and then under Dungy successor Jim Caldwell, the Colts ran a traditional 4-3 defensive scheme. But new head coach Chuck Pagano has brought with him from Baltimore a 3-4 front, which the Vikings saw a few times in the preseason and will see a few times in the regular season. The San Diego Chargers did a few things with their 3-4 defense against Ponder and the Vikings in the preseason that caused problems, so the Vikings offense will need to diagnose those issues from the preseason and apply them to their preparations for this week's game against the Colts. It will be important for Ponder and C John Sullivan to be sharp in their communication so they can identify which players will bring pressure each play.
5. Containing Dwight Freeney And Robert Mathis
For many seasons, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis formed a lethal and productive pass-rushing duo at DE for the Colts. But in the new 3-4 scheme under Pagano, Freeney and Mathis are standup outside LBs. Vikings Offensive Coordinator Bill Musgrave and his staff will have to figure out how they want to attack the Colts defense with Freeney and Mathis in different positions. Yes, Freeney and Mathis will still rush the passer nearly every down, but they're coming from different spots on the field and their pre-snap positioning and movement will be different. Freeney played in just 9 snaps a week ago before injury and Mathis actually had 2.0 sacks.
6. Keep An Eye On WR Reggie Wayne
While the Vikings offensive staff will have to neutralize Freeney and Mathis, the defensive staff will have to keep an eye on Reggie Wayne. Yes, Wayne is 33 and is in his 12th season. But if last week is any indication, the 5-time Pro Bowler and 3-time All-Pro can still play and will still be relied upon by his offense. Luck targeted Wayne 18 times in the season-opener, and Wayne hauled in 9 receptions for 135 yards. Look for Chris Cook to be matched up with Wayne frequently.
7. Defensive Coordinator Alan Williams Goes Against His Former Team
In trying to defend Wayne, the Vikings will have one advantage: the presence of Defensive Coordinator Alan Williams. From 2002-11, Williams tutored the Colts DBs as a part of Tony Dungy's and Jim Caldwell's staffs. He worked with Frazier on the Colts staff for two seasons as well. While the offensive system is much different now than when Williams was around, there's no doubt that Williams has detailed knowledge of the way Wayne approaches the game and the things he does well.
8. Turn Percy Loose
Peterson returned from injury to score 2 TDs and become the Vikings all-time leading rusher, Ponder turned things around in the 2nd half to become one of the offensive heroes, and Blair Walsh nailed a 55-yarder to send the game to overtime and then nailed a 38-yarder to ultimately provide the winning margin. Much of the post-game reaction skewed the way of those individuals. But there's no question that Percy Harvin was a pivotal part of the Vikings victory last Sunday, even though he didn't get into the end zone or the post-game headlines. Harvin produced 192 combined yards on 14 total touches, impacting the game as a receiver, rusher and returner. He had 5 carries for 20 yards to go along with his 6 receptions for 84 yards, and then he added 88 yards on 3 kickoff returns. If the Vikings defense is to operate well and produce on the road, Harvin must surely be a big part of the equation.
9. Jared Allen vs. Anthony Castonzo
It didn't take long for Jared Allen to get his first sack of the 2012 season. Unfortunately it was negated because of a penalty. The Jaguars did everything they could to neutralize Allen from that point forward. The Jaguars kept him off the stat sheet, but Vikings defensive coaches and players were saying after the game that Allen had a profound impact on the outcome. Even still, Allen wants to be in the stat sheet – he wants sacks. The man responsible for keeping Allen away from Luck on Sunday will be Anthony Castonzo, a 1st-round pick from the 2011 NFL Draft. The Allen vs. Castonzo matchup is one of this game's most important.
10. Playing The Colts At Lucas Oil Stadium In Their Home Opener
There's no denying it – there is extra juice in the building on the home opener. The Vikings felt that and benefited from that last week at Mall of America Field. This week, the Vikings will be on the other end of it at Lucas Oil Stadium, as the Colts play their first home regular season game against the Vikings on Sunday. Nothing neutralizes a home-field advantage more than a sound running game and creating turnovers. Those could be listed as the keys to victory each week regardless of where the game is being played, but those are tasks that, if accomplished by the Vikings, could take the sting out of the Lucas Oil Stadium crowd. Interestingly, the Vikings have never played a regular season game at Lucas Oil Stadium, and they're 0-10 against the Colts all-time on the road. Sunday seems like a good time to notch that first win at Lucas Oil and the first road win against the Colts.
Tags: Alan Williams, Bill Musgrave, Christian Ponder, John Sullivan, Leslie Frazier, Percy Harvin, Toby Gerhart
Posted in All, Mike Wobschall | 6 Comments »
Three Takeaways From Vikings Preseason DebutPosted by on August 11, 2012 – 3:10 am
The Vikings made their 2012 preseason debut on Friday night, dropping a 17-6 decision to the San Francisco 49ers at a blustery Candlestick Park. Rookie K Blair Walsh capped the game's opening drive with a 39-yard FG that cut straight through the 20 mph gusts that swirled inside the stadium, but that was the only lead the Vikings would have for the evening.
San Francisco answered with a TD later in the 1st quarter to take a 7-3 and eventually took a 17=6 lead into the locker room at halftime. Neither team scored in the 2nd half.
For the Vikings, QB Christian Ponder was good-not-great, completing 4 of 9 passes for 80 yards. RB Toby Gerhart was solid and strong, rushing the ball 5 times and gaining 31 yards, with a long rush of 16 yards. The Vikings defense struggled stopping the 49ers ground game, allowing over 100 rushing yards in the 1st half and 260 in the game.
The thrill of victory and agony of defeat take a back seat in the preseason, though, as teams are looking to find "wins" within the exhibition games. There are position battles to be settled and roster spots to be won, and that is the focus for NFL teams and their followers during the preseason.
With that in mind, here are three takeaways on my mind as I sit on the team's charter flight back to Minneapolis…
Blair Walsh impresses in first NFL game
I've been a big supporter of Blair Walsh's since the Vikings selected him in the 6th round. His leg strength was never questioned, and I didn't find his dip in accuracy during his senior season at Georgia as concerning as others did. The kid was an 88.8% kicker as a sophomore and junior, and most of his misses during his senior year came on FGs from 40 or 50+ yards.
Regardless, there were no concerns about Walsh's accuracy on Friday night. He converted both of his FG attempts, the first from 39 yards and the second from 26. Keep in mind, the nasty wind gusts did nothing to help matters, either. In addition to his accuracy on FG tries, Walsh's leg strength was on display during kickoffs. He logged one touchback on a kick that was blasted through the endzone, and then his other two kickoffs were 6 and 8 yards into the endzone. During the regular season, teams will not be taking those kicks out of the touchback area.
The benefit of Walsh's touchbacks – opponents' average drive start will be closer to their own 20 – will far outweigh any accuracy issues he has on FGs. As any defensive player or coordinator and they'll tell you that pinning a team at or inside the 20 is a big-time advantage for the defense. With Walsh, the Vikings will be doing much more of that in 2012 than they have in recent seasons (Vikings ranked 31st in opponents' average drive start in 2011).
Run defense missed Jared Allen, Kevin Williams and Antoine Winfield
The Vikings held out DE Jared Allen, DT Kevin Williams and CB Antoine Winfield on Friday night, giving the veterans a break from the action while also giving younger players more opportunity. And the absence of three quality run stoppers showed, with San Francisco gashing the Vikings defense on the ground seemingly at will in the 1st half.
One part of you gets frustrated when the opponent is able to run the ball so easily. But the other part of you knows that without Allen, Williams and Winfield in the mix, the defense is much more vulnerable. It would've been nice to see other players step up and stymie the 49ers ground game, but I'm not worried about the Vikings run defense just yet. If the Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers are able to do in the next two weeks what the 49ers did this week, then we'll have some concerns.
Offensive line displays improvement
I was pleased with the performance of the Vikings first-team offensive line. RB Toby Gerhart averaged 6.2 yards per carry on 5 attempts and neither Ponder nor Joe Webb were sacked while the first-team offensive line was in the game. Several times Ponder was able to settle into a pocket after dropping back, and on his52-yard pass to WR Stephe Burton Ponder was afforded the time and space to step up into the pocket to deliver the throw.
First-round pick LT Matt Kalil looked solid in his debut. He will be the first to admit there's room for improvement, but it was a good beginning for Ponder's new blindside protector. C John Sullivan had no issues with snaps and RT Phil Loadholt was sound in his technique and discipline.
Tags: 2012 preseason, 2012 Verizon Vikings Training Camp, Antoine Winfield, Blair Walsh, Christian Ponder, Jared Allen, John Sullivan, Kevin Williams, Matt Kalil, Phil Loadholt, Toby Gerhart
Posted in All, Mike Wobschall | 224 Comments »
Twitter-Sized Player EvaluationsPosted by on August 7, 2012 – 6:26 am
One of the main challenges to covering a NFL team during training camp is covering all the bases. With a 90-man roster and plenty of intriguing storylines to follow, it's hard to cover everything. But there is a saving grace in all of this. Twitter.
Brevity is required when using Twitter because a message on the social media platform must be 140 or fewer characters. Some may look at that as a limitation. But we're turning it into opportunity. The Twitter-sized player evaluations feature we debuted last week gives us a chance to provide some insight on several players, rather than an overwhelming amount of insight on just a few players.
On Monday before practice, we asked (on my Twitter handle – @wobby) which players you'd like to know about via Twitter evaluations. They are listed below with a 140 (or fewer)-character evaluation…
FB Matt Asiata – Skilled pass catcher out of the backfield. Needs to show ability on special teams during preseason.
WR Stephen Burton – May have some position flexibility to him (can play X and Z receiver) & has had very good camp. Good after the catch. Big preseason for him.
CB Chris Carr – Playing with first-team nickel. Smart, instinctive player. Was in punt return rotation on Monday.
LB Audie Cole – Big, physical & smart. Unsure if he's best at middle or outside LB. Needs to contribute on special teams. Has a chance to be good NFL LB.
TE Rhett Ellison – Impressing with his hands and fluidity in passing game. Known as hard worker. Will be a good pro for a long time.
RG Brandon Fusco – Still the one to beat for starting RG spot. Smart, tough player. Going against Kevin Williams every day is good for him.
RB Toby Gerhart – Looks and plays the part of a starting-caliber NFL RB. Grinder who will wear defenses out. Good in passing game (protection and receiving).
LB Everson Griffen – Up and down – will make great plays or mistakes. Great instincts and athleticism. Transitioning well, could still play DL in situations.
DL Trevor Guyton – Great start to camp, leveling off a bit now. Hard to move on the inside. Has athleticism to play multiple positions. Stout against run.
DE Brian Robison – Great day of practice on Monday. Excellent inside pass rush moves. Can play DT in nickel package. Great enthusiasm and passion.
C John Sullivan – Excellent leader. Rarely makes mistake. Developing into Top 5 at his position in NFL.
K Blair Walsh – Has impressed with leg strength AND accuracy. Answered the bell in simulated game situations at end of practice. Touchbacks-a-plenty.
WR Bryan Walters – In the mix at WR, needs productive preseason. In punt return rotation & fields kicks gracefully. Sudden route runner with good separation.
WR Jarius Wright – Explosive short-area quickness. Solid hands. In return rotations. Good attitude, practices hard. Solid camp so far.
Tags: 2012 Verizon Vikings Training Camp, Audie Cole, Blair Walsh, Brandon Fusco, Brian Robison, Bryan Walters, Chris Carr, Everson Griffen, Jarius Wright, John Sullivan, Matt Asiata, Rhett Ellison, Stephen Burton, Toby Gerhart, Trevor Guyton
Posted in All, Mike Wobschall | 65 Comments »
Roster Rundown: Offensive LinePosted by on July 24, 2012 – 7:00 am
Few position groups will be as heavily scrutinized early this season more than the offensive line. The Vikings have been one of the NFL's best rushing teams over the past several seasons, but the combination of a need for improvement in pass protection and multiple new starters in the group will have many keeping close tabs on the men up front.
The offensive line is the subject of today's Roster Rundown…
The Vikings will bring 15 offensive linemen with them to training camp, probably a standard number in League circles. While we can be fairly certain on four of the five starters heading into training camp, there will still be plenty of competition up and down the line in both the starting lineup and especially for the reserve spots.
John Sullivan is solid at center and has developed into one of the best five or so players at his position in the entire League. Sullivan began his career as Matt Birk's understudy and eventually rose to starter status, where he snapped to Brett Favre in his first season as the starter and has progressed nicely ever since. There are two other players listed as centers on the Vikings roster who will compete for a backup role behind Sullivan – Joe Berger and Quentin Saulsberry. Berger is a returning veteran with seven seasons of experience and Saulsberry is an undrafted college free agent out of Mississippi State.
The Vikings should be set at both OT positions as well. Phil Loadholt returns at RT and should be sufficiently motivated in a contract year. Fans have grown tired of his penalties and occasional pass protection letdown, but my sense is Loadholt is sitting on a nice season. At LT the Vikings of course have 1st-round pick Matt Kalil. Sullivan has described Kalil as a "freak" athletically. Other OTs listed on the Vikings roster are: Pat Brown, Levi Horn, DeMarcus Love, Geoff Schwartz and Darrion Weems. Brown and Love are returning from last year's team, Schwartz was a free agent pickup for the Vikings this offseason and could compete for the starting RG spot, and both Horn and Weems are undrafted college free agents.
The addition of Kalil at LT allows the Vikings to move Charlie Johnson over to LG, perhaps his more natural position. Johnson has the athleticism to play OT, but Vikings GM Rick Spielman explained to me earlier this offseason that his arm length is not ideal for the position. Moving him inside to LG will put Johnson is a better position to succeed, and it will allow Johnson to help Kalil transition to the NFL game. The RG position is up for grabs at this point. I expect Brandon Fusco to open camp as the starter, but both Schwartz and Chris DeGeare should have their sights set on winning the job as well. The two other OGs listed on the Vikings roster are Tyler Holmes and Austin Pasztor, a pair of undrafted college free agents.
A lot of names to go over there, but it just means more competition for the position group as a whole. The top three aspects of the offensive line I'll be watching at training camp are…
– Who looks the best at RG? Fusco has the early edge based on the offseason program, but both DeGeare and Schwartz are in the mix as well.
– How does Kalil adjust to the NFL? Going against Jared Allen every day will help Kalil a ton if the 1st-round pick can strike a balance between taking his medicine from Allen and others on defense while also establishing himself as Ponder's blindside protector.
– Does Loadholt take a big step forward this year? He was solid as a rookie in 2009 when he helped the club go 12-4 and play in the NFC title game, but since then he's produced mixed results. Loadholt is one of my favorite guys on the team and I know he takes pride in his game, so I expect him to take a big step forward in his second year working with well-respected OL coach Jeff Davidson.
Tags: Austin Pasztor, Brandon Fusco, Charlie Johnson, Chris DeGeare, Darrion Weems, Demarcus Love, Geoff Schwartz, Joe Berger, John Sullivan, Levi Horn, Matt Kalil, Pat Brown, Phil Loadholt, Quentin Saulsberry, Roster Rundown, Tyler Holmes
Posted in All, Mike Wobschall | 97 Comments »
Young Vikings Bond By Getting SocialPosted by on July 22, 2012 – 9:01 pm
An essential component of any successful team is cohesion. The ability for a large group of talented individuals from varying and complex backgrounds to come together and move in one direction toward a common goal is not easily realized. Training camp is the starting point for NFL teams in their quest to gain this sense of purpose and direction.
In just a few days, the entire Vikings roster will gather in Mankato for 2012 Verizon Vikings Training Camp as they continue preparations for the upcoming season and the quest for cohesion. But thanks to modern technology and a bond born from both a passion for fun and wealth of resources, an important segment of this young Vikings roster has a significant head start on the building of camaraderie.
Andrew Miller of www.fasthorseinc.com wrote an interesting story about how QB Christian Ponder, TE Kyle Rudolph and C John Sullivan have made Minnesota their home by finding fun activities to pass the time of the offseason, and about how they share the fun with their fans via Twitter.
Miller's piece is worth the read (and includes photos of the three Vikings out and about in Minnesota). Just make sure you come back to vikings.com after reading it. We have more Roster Rundowns to get to, after all.
Tags: Christian Ponder, John Sullivan, Kyle Rudolph
Posted in All, Mike Wobschall | 25 Comments »
Greenway's Gridiron Gallop 5K Fun Run/Walk To Be Held SundayPosted by on June 12, 2012 – 1:42 pm
Chad and Jenni Greenway, along with teammates John Sullivan, Robert Blanton, Rhett Ellison, Tyrone McKenzie and Harrison Smith, will sponsor the 6th annual Greenway's Gridiron Gallop 5K fun run/walk at Lake Nokomis this Sunday – Father's Day.
Joining the Greenways and other Vikings players will be Vikings cheerleaders and Viktor the Viking. Funds raised by the event will go toward Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board youth athletic programming.
Race Day check-in and registration will take place at the Lake Nokomis Bath House (located at 4955 West Lake Nokomis Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55417) from 7:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. The event will begin at 9:00 a.m.
Players, along with cheerleaders, will be signing autographs for all participants. The event is $30 in advance and $35 the day of the event. The cost is $10 for a child (10 and under) in advance, $15 the day of, to participate in the 8:30 a.m. Kids Fun Run. All pre-registered participants are guaranteed a free t-shirt.
To register, go to www.minneapolisparks.org and click on "activities and programs" and then click on "community special events," or register in-person the morning of the event.
Tags: Chad Greenway, Harrison Smith, John Sullivan, Rhett Ellison, Robert Blanton, Tyrone McKenzie
Posted in All | 17 Comments »
John Sullivan: Kalil "Willing To Put The Work In"Posted by on June 11, 2012 – 8:18 am
Vikings C John Sullivan knows what it's like to work hard to make it in the NFL. He entered the League as a 6th-round pick of the Vikings in 2008 and was a backup on the offensive line who also grinded away as a special teams player.
But through hard work and studying, Sullivan ascended to the top of the depth chart at center and snapped to future Hall of Famer Brett Favre in 2009. Sullivan is now one of the best centers in the NFL, and was rewarded as such last season when the Vikings signed him to a contract extension.
So when it comes to identifying players who are willing to work hard and who have the potential to be quality performers along the offensive line, Sullivan has a keen eye. Sullivan is also not one to spew meaningless hyperbole just to fill space or capture attention. That's why what he said about Vikings 1st-round LT Matt Kalil last week on Voice of the Vikings Paul Allen's 9-noon radio show is notable.
"He's a guy that cares, he comes from a great football family, and he's the fourth overall pick," Sullivan said. "There's a lot of pressure there, there is a lot of money involved as well. That's a big investment for a team, and nobody with any pride wants to let people that have invested in them like that down. It's the same way I felt when I got my new contract. It puts new pressure on you, added pressure on you to be there. But that's alright, that's why we play the game. We want to be successful, so you've got to be willing to put the work in. And he's a guy that's willing to put the work in."
Sullivan has a pretty good body of work from which to judge because the team has completed 6 of their 10 Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and has now advanced to the eighth week of their nine-week offseason program. While practices so far have been non-contact, Sullivan has been able to observe two important elements to offensive line play, especially at left tackle – movement skills and technique.
"All you have to do is go watch how he moves," Sullivan explained. "He's a freak, an absolute freak. I'm just talking about movement skills. He is so fast for how big he is. It's unbelievable.
"I'm talking great technique. I'm talking cutting off a linebacker from the back side…He moves incredibly well. I can't say he's a road-grader yet because obviously we don't have pads on, but I'd be shocked if he weren't. He's a monster."
Again, it's important to stress that we're only in the offseason program. It's not like Sullivan, or anyone else, has the benefit of NFL game tape to make a water-tight judgment on Kalil or any other player on the roster. After all, Kalil will be going against Jared Allen day-in and day-out once the team gets to training camp, which will make it tougher for Kalil to impress. But Sullivan is not one to shower someone with blanket praise when it's not deserving, and, as a late-round pick who is now the leader of his position group, he's also one who expects his teammates to earn respect rather than to be given it based on draft status.
That's why Sullivan's praise for Kalil to this point is such good news for the Vikings.
Tags: John Sullivan, Matt Kalil, Paul Allen
Posted in All | 50 Comments »


text: Organization accomplishment of the day, my small chest of drawers. On the top is schoolwork, a stack of books and a paper shelf, the top shelf homework to do, the bottom shelf finished homework. The top drawer wont open, the second has drawing paper, the third has clipboards, sketchbooks, and books with lined paper, the fourth has more paper, the fifth spare video game bits, and the sixth has old games/computer games.


text:
1985 RX7 compression?
1985 RX7 compression?
Came out one day and it would not start.
So I made sure it was getting fuel.
Then made sure I had good spark to all the plugs.
So decided to do a compression test. On the 2 spark plugs closes to the radiator I have 60psi but on the back 2 closes to the fire wall there is 0 compression.
I have worked on lots of cars but never a rotary motor, but seems to me there should be the same compression at all spark plug holes.
Any help or advice would be appreciated.
You can try pouring a bit of marvel mystery oil or auto tranny fluid into the spark plug hole that's giving you no compression and try to turn it by hand before cranking it.
even though the rear rotor generally has lower compression than the front (for whatever reason), those numbers are really low. You might be looking at a rebuild. Healthy motors are normally around 100-90 psi, and a little lower for older engines
from the factory 95% of 12a's and 13b's which are found in all models including the 3rd gen and rx8 should have 3 even bounces of 80 to 85psi on a normal comp tester with the shrader valve out and your gogo pedal to the floor. with the exception of the 88gtu that i know of came from the fac with 95psi on all 6 seals
Doesn't sound good with 0 on the rear rotor
when compression testing you should have both plugs removed from the housing not being tested, and one in the tailing (top) of the one being tested with the pressure guage in the lower spark plug hole. With the accel pedal to the floor to open the throttle plates, and a cranking rpm of at least 300. You should do 2 tests 1 st the bounce test look for even pulses more than high numbers (I have seen a good engine with a weak battery give very low results) this test is to see a comparison of the 3 individual seals on 1 rotor. Then you want to check build pressure with the valve in the pressure guage here is where you see bigger numbers cranking speed again is relative to pressure I can't find it right now but there is a graph representing rpm/compression and 100 rpm is a significant change in compression
good luck
Automotive Network, Inc., Copyright ©2014


text:
I've mentioned the "fruit of the poison tree" before which is used in law enforcement terms as, well, tainted evidence. In other words, if an officer performs an illegal search and finds a ton of narcotics the case will likely be thrown out.
Even though the officer found the narcotics, the search was done illegally so therefore the evidence is not admissible in court to convict the suspect. Of course, we've seen that the NFL isn't playing by these rules unfortunately.
If Vilma can secure Cerullo to testify that he manufactured the bounty ledgers and did in fact try to retract his testimony to the NFL, it could be the death nail for the investigation.
Much like the "fruit of the poison tree", even if there is other evidence , it would show that the entire investigation could be tainted and lacking integrity.
In other words, the next bit of evidence would be under scrutiny and then the next. The case would then fall apart like a shoddy house of cards.


text:
Day 34 • Zombunny Tommy Perez
Zombunny's huuunnngrrrrryy! I like Matt's "Graaaaaaains"!
Day Thirty-Four • Zombunny
Matt Scribner
Day Nineteen • Zumbie
Matt Scribner
Zumbie is the man. Zombie. Zombie man. I like him a lot. Despite his judgmental stare.
Day 19 • Zumbie Tommy Perez
Zombies… they're so hott right now. Zumbie is rad! From his pony all the way down to his kicks.