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continued •No 16-foot raft from the Hudson River Rafting Company and/or Cunningham be operated with more than 12 occupants in the raft, plus the guide;
•And that Cunningham not violate any laws, rules or regulations of the state of New York.
That all changed on Sept. 5, however, when Purdue applied to restore the indictment against Cunningham and his company because Cunningham had allegedly violated the March 29 agreement by:
•allegedly leaving his raft — with two customers aboard — 4 miles before the end of a May 27 trip down the Hudson River, essentially leaving them without a guide for a portion of the trip.
•and allegedly sending two customers down the river on Aug. 26 in a "ducky" without a licensed guide and without signing a rental agreement.
Rafting death
The Hudson River Rafting Company has been under public scrutiny since the Sept. 27 rafting run where a customer died while under the supervision of an intoxicated guide.
Guide Rory Fay, 37, of North Creek, was operating a raft on the Indian River as a New York state licensed guide employed by the rafting company when Tamara F. Blake, 53, of Ohio, was thrown from the raft and drowned.
New York State Police that responded to a report of a missing rafter determined Fay was intoxicated at the time of the accident.
Fay pleaded guilty on Nov. 26 at the Hamilton County Court House to criminally negligent homicide, misdemeanor driving while intoxicated, and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the third-degree.
Restraining order
On Oct. 19, state Supreme Court Judge Richard Giardino officially prohibited the Hudson River Rafting Company and Cunningham from operating a rafting business until charges from the state attorney general have been addressed. He signed the temporary restraining order, which was filed by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Oct. 10.
More like this story
- Judge signs restraining order for rafting company in North Creek
- Cunningham acquitted on two charges
- Two Johnsburg men charged with reckless endangerment on Hudson River
- Two Johnsburg men charged with reckless endangerment on Hudson River
- Two Johnsburg men charged with reckless endangerment on Hudson River
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text:
IAT 202 // Final Project
Short Film
An inside look at Drew Johnson of Origins Coffees approach to his work.
Shot on a D90
50mm ƒ1.8
24mm ƒ2.8
Graded in Magic Bullet.
Cinematography, Editing: John Giannakos
Lighting & Production: Yi Luo
Sound & Production: April Kum
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
I am so proud to be a member of the Gus Garcia Middle School Charger family. I look forward to working with students, parents and teachers. I have had the pleasure of serving Edgewood ISD for the last 15 years of my 16 years in education. My education experiences include 7thgrade math, 4th grade, 3rd grade, TechnologyTeacher, Instructional Facilitator and district Accountability Coordinator. I am certified in grades 1-8,Technology Applications EC-12 and Principal EC-12. I am looking forward to the 2014-2015 school year!
I will update my website with useful links, presentations and information as often as needed.


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Evil Cat Land is a team of animation directors made up of Layron DeJarnette, Walter Santucci and Seth Strong. In 1987 Monty Python's Graham Chapman introduced our animated character The Evil Cat to the world on his Cinemax series The Dangerous Film Club.
Since then, we've been making award winning, critically acclaimed shorts, commercials, TV shows and music videos that have been seen all over the world.
Some of the companies we've worked with include Disney, ABC, McDonald's, Ogilvy & Mather, Chiat/Day, McCann/Ericsson, Chevrolet, Noggin, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros., MGM/Mirage, Marvel Comics, Lionsgate Films, Fox, the B-52s, Ice Cube, Ice T, Cedric the Entertainer, Spike TV, Razorfish, Klasky Csupo and many others.
Currently we are in production with a traditionally animated feature and directing the television series "Angry Little Asian Girl" starring Margaret Cho (based on Lela Lee's comic strip).
And now we make puppet movies too... take a look!
want to yell at us about something? try: email@example.com or 818.419.0640


text:
Mac Desktop + PC Laptop?
Do you think this this setup practical for school purposes? Let me know, if you have personal experiences :D
(Mac Mini) + (PC Laptop)
I do it the other way around. Mac laptop, Windows (XP) desktop. I use google to sync calendar and contacts. Since I use gmail as my primary email, this is pretty easy. Also, setup mail (if you want local mail) via IMAP so that it syncs between web/mac/windows without issue.
I too do it the other way around.
I find Apple notebooks (laptops) to be much better than any notebook running Windows.
I have a windows dekstop, but I rarely use it.
I only have the windows desktop because I need VB2k5 for school. Until recently that computer had been a dedicated FreeBSD file server.
Keeping files, e-mails, contacts, etc. in sync will be easy with MobileMe and/or a thumb drive. So, yes, I think your plan will work.
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Early Ed Center hosting open house, art show
Apr. 30, 2013 @ 12:00 AM
HUNTINGTON -- The Marshall University Early Education STEM Center will host an open house art show from noon to 4 p.m. Monday, May 6, in the lobby of Corbly Hall.
The show includes clay sculptures, canvas paintings, quilt work and other pieces made by children, ages 3-5.
The Early Education STEM Center is a collaborative effort of Marshall's June Harless Center for Rural Educational Research and Development, the College of Education and Cabell County Schools.


text:
Breaded Ranch Chicken Recipe
5 56
A coating containing cornflakes, Parmesan cheese and ranch dressing mix adds delectable flavor to the chicken pieces in this recipe and bakes to a pretty golden color. It's a mainstay main dish I can always count on. -Launa Shoemaker, Landrum, South Carolina
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 3/4 cup crushed cornflakes
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
- 8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
- Place butter in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, combine the cornflakes, cheese and salad dressing mix. Dip chicken in butter, then roll in cornflake mixture to coat.
- Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Yield: 8 servings.
Originally published as Breaded Ranch Chicken in Taste of Home April/May 2000, p31
Reviews for Breaded Ranch Chicken
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Reviewed Jun. 10, 2015
"Instead of butter, I dredged the chicken in light ranch dressing. Chicken came out moist and very good."
Reviewed May. 23, 2015
"I have to agree with LovePgh55 as this dish had very little taste to my husband and me. It was an easy dish to prepare, but my husband said this was NOT A KEEPER, that I could find a much better-tasting recipe for chicken than this one."
Reviewed May. 17, 2015
"This is great. I have made this twice now. Both times I used panko instead of cornflakes because that is what I had on hand. To save time I baked it on a baking sheet at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. This has replaced my families go to recipe for chicken breasts."
Reviewed May. 4, 2015
"My family absolutely loved this. And the chicken was really moist. Will make again."
Reviewed Apr. 22, 2015


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Wednesday, July 29, 2015
The wreckage of a small plane believed to be carrying Mexican-American music superstar Jenni Rivera was found in northern Mexico on Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, and there are no apparent survivors, authorities said.
Eduardo Verdugo/Associated Press
In this Aug. 21, 2012, file photo, singer and singing coach Jenni Rivera speaks during a press conference promoting the second season of reality show, "La Voz Mexico" in Mexico City.
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Best Bowling Lanes St. Louis 2003 - Epiphany Lanes
3164 Ivanhoe Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63139
Readers' Choice: Tropicana Lanes
If it's not against your religion to give money to the Catholic Church, Epiphany Lanes is a dandy place to smoke, drink and bowl. Located in the recreation building behind Epiphany of Our Lord Church, Epiphany Lanes is one of two parish-owned bowling houses in the city. (Magdalen Lanes on Kingshighway is the other, but it's closed on Sundays.) The eight lanes at Epiphany are open seven days a week. There are a few nits to pick: Beer is available in cans only, but at two bucks apiece, the price is right. Also, though Epiphany didn't get automatic pinsetters until the 1990s, it now sports all the bells and whistles, including computerized scoring, which we consider blasphemy. But you can't beat the prices, or the convenience. Epiphany charges just $1.25 per game if you bowl before 6 p.m. ($2.25 thereafter). Most of the time lanes are readily available, but it's a good idea to call ahead just to make sure. Ask when they close, and the guy on the other end of the line may well say "around seven" -- the mark of a small, neighborhood place where operating hours can depend on how much business comes through the door. Save for the automatic scoring, Epiphany, which opened in 1950, is a house for the traditionalist, and rightfully proud that no one bowled a perfect game here until 2001. There are no televisions or jukeboxes to distract you. It's just for bowling, and bowling is all we need.


text:
A deal of some kind may be just what you are after but don't act too eager or you may find that those who have what you want make you pay a premium price for it. There is still plenty of room for negotiation.
or email firstname.lastname@example.com
June 25, 2013 | 4:00am
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text:
By adamg on Mon, 06/11/2012 - 7:19am
NorthEndWaterfront.com posts photos from this past weekend's feast of St. Anthony of Padua and provides a schedule of upcoming feasts.
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) donation.


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After a good run of wins, Chiefland baseball was sorely tested last week by a bad home loss to Taylor County and a 12-2 district loss at Ft. White.
"We got beat up pretty good up there – ten-runned again," said Indians' Head Coach Kyle Parnell.
"Basically they hit the ball and we didn't. They swung the bats well; we hit the ball hard but seemed to hit it right at them. Only about two strikeouts, but whenever we put the ball in play, they just made the plays – give Ft. White the credit."
Jeff and Renee Tindale announce the engagement of their daughter Amber Renee Tindale to Seth Eugene Sache, son of Wes and Debi Sache.
The bride-elect is a 2008 graduate of Chiefland High School and is purrsuing a degree in radiography at Santa Fe College.
The future groom is a 2007 graduate of Chiefland High School and is pursuing a business degree at Lake City Community College.
The couple plan to wed after the completion of their college degrees.
The Tri County Hospital is slow to come to fruition but it's still on track to happen says the facility's chief executive officer.
Frank Schupp, who is in Arkansas on business this week, said his company is working on doing a joint venture with another company to finalize financing and make the hospital a reality.
Schupp said he was not at liberty to reveal the name of the other company, but he expects financing to be worked out in 30-45 days.
As the Chiefland Citizen continues to grow and expand its Web presence over the next few months, we want to make our print readers aware of the features that are available to them online.
The box at right shows the topics on our website under Opinion>Reader Forums where readers can sound off on national, local and state topics.
Each week at least one new topic will be added to the box and readers are invited to sound off on these subjects.
The site is moderated and profanity and libelous materials will be scrutinized carefully.
The federal trial of two suspended Levy County Commissioners and the former executive director of a business board associated with the county has been delayed until May 4.
Suspended commissioners W.S. "Sammy" Yearty and Robert Anthony "Tony" Parker, and Pamela Blair, resigned executive director of the Levy County Enterprise Zone Development Authority, were granted the delay on Thursday.
Steve and Sherrie Jenkins announce the engagement of their daughter, Lynsey Edrin Jenkins, to John Cleveland Parrish, son of Johnny and Audrey Parrish.
The bride-elect is the granddaughter of H.F. and Wanda Jones of Old Town, the late Martha Jane Jones, Albert and Martha Cassidy of Cross City and the Late Ray L. Jenkins.
The groom-elect is the grandson of Ms. Maxine Parrish of Trenton, the late Mr. Eudell Parrish, Sleatha Gore of Chiefland and the late Mr. Cleveland Gore.
An Oct. 24 wedding is being planned at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Chiefland.
Social Security has a new online retirement application. You can apply for retirement benefits from the comfort of your home or office at www.socialsecurity.gov. There's no need to drive to your local Social Security office or wait for an appointment with a Social Security representative. You can complete the new online retirement application in as little as 15 minutes. It's very easy!
If the third time is the charm, then the Chiefland Lions Club latest attempt to revitalize its membership won't have a problem.
The club, formed years ago, was successful and thriving but somewhere along the line interest waned. Then two years ago, it regrouped and came on like gangbusters only to fall by the wayside again.
This time however, highly motivated people with a firm desire to support the community are determined to build up the membership and once again become an invaluable resource to the city of Chiefland and the surrounding area.
The city of Chiefland is on board with deterring smoking even if it means granting $400 in fee waivers to put up an anti-smoking mural in the city's commercial corridor.
Kristina Zachry, a state Health Department worker who coordinates the Students Working Against Tobacco, asked the City Commission for a waiver of the $100 application fee and $300 hearing fee for a special exception permit for the mural.
She said the group plans to paint a mural on the side of the Sav-A-Lot building in the shopping plaza at the intersection of state roads 129 and 55.
The Levy County Commission's divisions broke out into the open Tuesday with disagreements on the wording of minutes for the February meetings and which roads to submit for secondary consideration of federal economic stimulus money.
The board's meetings usually end uneventfully as they approve minutes of past meetings, but on Tuesday Commissioner Danny Stevens asked to table the minutes of the Feb. 17 meeting because of wording and in discussion about Feb. 3 meeting minutes Stevens said he wanted the minutes re-worded before approving them.
Copyright © 2015
The Chiefland Citizen is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Levy County and Chiefland Florida, and the surrounding area.


text:
Programmer Analyst I
Job DescriptionTITLE: Programmer Analyst I
EEO6 CODE: 5 = Technical/Para Professional
GRADE: Pay Grade 8
PAY PLAN: Annually
minimum 28,440.00
midpoint 36,120.00
maximum 43,800.00
PURPOSE: To provide the entry-level technical skills required to translate the definitions and terminology used by systems analysts into the types of reports, charts and diagrams, from which programmers can efficiently perform their tasks. Responsible for basic program definitions limited to specific components of the overall electronic computing system.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Assists in the analysis of problems as defined by the systems analyst and expands the definitions to be suitable to the programmer's requirements. Designs test files. Performs moderately complex programming and debugging and modifies existing programs for specific uses. Develops more efficient programming techniques. Performs documentation. Assists on implementations of systems and job streams. Performs related duties as required. May assist in report preparation.
REQUIRED EDUCATION: $education
REQUIRED EDUCATION-OTHER: Bachelor's degree in appropriation field.
News and Announcements
- Information Regarding Anthem Data Breach
- Merit Increase Guidelines for FY 15-16
- Employee Service Awards Program
- Outstanding Maverick Awards Program
- Holiday Schedule and Vacation Regulations for 2015-2016
- LGBTQA Program
- Wellness at UTA
- Affordable Care Act (ACA) Resources
- 2015 Performance Review Memorandum
- Outstanding Maverick Awards Program
- New Criminal Background Check Procedure
- University Opens Lactation Rooms
- UT Arlington Named Fit-Friendly Worksite
- Retirees Club
- Dearborn National Offers Online Services
Quick Links
Benefits and Services
- Affordable Care Act (ACA)
- News About Your Benefits
- UT Arlington Work/Life Balance Resources
- Employee Assistance Program
- 2015-2016 Holiday Schedule and Vacation Regulations
- Benefits of Working at UT Arlington
- Employee Tuition Assistance Plan
- Wellness Programs
- Retirees Club
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Americans with Disabilities Act Amendements Act (ADAAA) for Faculty and Staff
- Criminal Background Checks
Compensation and Employee Relations
- Pay Plan and Job Descriptions
- Performance Management Guide
- Merit Increase Guidelines FY2015
- Employee Separation Process
- Exit Interview Program


text:
For the second straight season -- and only second time in program annals -- the UK softball team has been selected to the NCAA Tournament.
Coincidentally, the Cats will head to Columbus, Ohio, for the second straight season for the first and second rounds of the tournament. UK will take on the host Buckeyes on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the double-elimination tournament. Opposite UK in the regional are No. 11 overall seed California and Bucknell.
UK head coach Rachel Lawson, All-American shortstop Molly Johnson and All-Southeastern Conference catcher Megan Yocke talk about making the NCAA Tournament in the videos below:
Head coach Rachel Lawson
Senior shortstop Molly Johnson
Junior catcher Megan Yocke


text:
We've been celebrating today with handmade chocolates
that I see from happy, chocolate-y faces were worth the late night last week, cards (Laura has recently taken up quilling, thanks to one of her Christmas presents and to Frankie too who gave me the original idea), easy crafts (the Hershey's Hugs in the little papercraft boxes from Orange Beautiful were our one concession to the stores),
and flowers
(because contrarian that I am, red roses are my least favorite cutflower)
It's all I have to bring today –
This, and my heart beside –
This, and my heart, and all the fields –
And all the meadows wide –
Be sure you count – should I forget
Some one the sum could tell –
This, and my heart, and all the Bees
Which in the Clover dwell.
(No. 26, by Emily Dickinson)


text:
STARKVILLE, Miss.--One of Mississippi State University's most recognizable and beloved icons will be immortalized when two life-sized statues in his likeness are placed on campus this fall.
A new bronze cast of MSU's current Bully mascot, TaTonka, complete with his trademark harness and cowbell, will be located at the entrance to The Junction, a green space just south of the Leo Seal M-Club on campus. It will replace the existing statue, on loan from Student Affairs, which will be relocated to the Colvard Student Union.
The second statue will be placed on an existing base located near the west entrance to Lloyd Ricks Hall.
Earlier this year, celebrated Eupora-based sculptor Edmond Shumpert was commissioned by university officials to create the artwork. It is expected to be completed by the end of July and mounted on the existing marble base early in August.
University planner Roger Baker, who is heading the project, said the project's goals were simple: to commission an aesthetically pleasing work of art that symbolizes the pride of being a part of the MSU family.
"From the very beginning, the expectation was to have a statue that embodied the spirit of MSU by portraying a lifelike representation of one of the most visible and beloved symbols of this great university," Baker said.
He added: "I believe all of our alumni and fans will be pleased when they see the finished product, because Mr. Shumpert is known for creating terrifically lifelike and accurate portraits of his subjects."
Shumpert, a West Point native, is an award-winning artist whose works have been displayed worldwide over the course of his 39-year career as a professional sculptor.
Among his most acclaimed works are "Neptune," an eight-foot fountain located in Northridge, Calif., and a life-sized statue of football great and Mississippi native Brett Favre located at Hancock High School in Kiln.
Baker said plans are in the works for an unveiling and dedication ceremony, though no specifics have yet been arranged.
For more information about Shumpert, including photos of his various works, visit www.edmondshumpert.com.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.


text:
Click Here To Watch This Video at Southern Strokes
Southern Strokes brings you the hottest boys STRAIGHT out of the South. Watch as these boys show us a new meaning of Southern Hospitality.
Description: Every time I see Ryan, I like him more and more. We all have our favorites here at Southern Strokes and I would have to say that Ryan has rapidly become mine. There is just something about that boyish
Permanent link to this video:
Code to embed player in blogs and forums, etc:
Post this video in the JUB Forums with this code:
Simply copy the above code into your JUB forum post and the movie will appear.


text:
October is when we'll start hearing corporations reporting on their quarterly earnings and profits. In the world of technology, Samsung Electronics is one company that is getting ready to announce its results at the end of this month. For the Korean manufacturer, it's been a very busy year both with new products and ongoing litigation that they have been involved with.
Regardless of the legal proceedings, it would seem that Samsung has had another successful quarter with reports coming in that they will announce $7.3 billion in quarterly profits. In doing so, the company will have improved quarter over quarter for 4 consecutive quarters. In terms of what is driving their sales, one only has to look at the success of their Galaxy brand which the company continues to expand on, with new rumours suggesting both the Galaxy 4 and a mini Galaxy being planned for launch next year. On the flip side of the coin, areas that have been a struggle for the company have been processor orders which have been steadily declining. In this regards, the company does want to reduce its reliance on processor manufacturing moving forward both because of poor market conditions but also because demand is declining. As a company, Samsung has a valuation of $197 billion and they are still one of the leaders in a number of niches including smartphones, televisions and processors.


text: On Monday, The Economist published their 2011 "Misery Index", which is determined by a given country's rate of unemployment and inflation. The Economist ranked 92 countries on this index, with Macedonia displaying the highest level of misery due to instability following the death of President Gligorov. Qatar's combined unemployment and inflation rates of roughly 2.5% earned it the lowest level of misery in The Economist's study.


text:
Aliases for CYP2E1 Gene
Aliases for CYP2E1 Gene
External Ids for CYP2E1 Gene
- Entrez Gene: 1571
- Ensembl: ENSG00000130649
- UniProtKB: P05181
Previous Symbols for CYP2E1 Gene
Summaries for CYP2E1 Gene
This gene encodes a member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily of enzymes. The cytochrome P450 proteins are monooxygenases which catalyze many reactions involved in drug metabolism and synthesis of cholesterol, steroids and other lipids. This protein localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum and is induced by ethanol, the diabetic state, and starvation. The enzyme metabolizes both endogenous substrates, such as ethanol, acetone, and acetal, as well as exogenous substrates including benzene, carbon tetrachloride, ethylene glycol, and nitrosamines which are premutagens found in cigarette smoke. Due to its many substrates, this enzyme may be involved in such varied processes as gluconeogenesis, hepatic cirrhosis, diabetes, and cancer. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
GeneCards Summary for CYP2E1 Gene
CYP2E1 (Cytochrome P450, Family 2, Subfamily E, Polypeptide 1) is a Protein Coding gene. Diseases associated with CYP2E1 include alcoholic hepatitis and alcohol-related birth defect. Among its related pathways are GPCR Pathway and Metabolism. GO annotations related to this gene include enzyme binding and iron ion binding. An important paralog of this gene is CYP2C19.
UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot for CYP2E1 Gene
Metabolizes several precarcinogens, drugs, and solvents to reactive metabolites. Inactivates a number of drugs and xenobiotics and also bioactivates many xenobiotic substrates to their hepatotoxic or carcinogenic forms


text:
Photo by Caren Alpert
The ride to Akaka Falls has great flow. (Caron Alpert)
Ride 1: Akaka Falls
By now it was early afternoon, but we decided to do the short warm-up ride to Akaka Falls State Park we'd planned for the following morning; the notoriously rainy local weather had broken, pouring sun onto steamy Hilo green. The ride caused me, the spectacularly less fit, to believe that cycling would now kill me.
It began innocently in Hilo with a flat few miles on Highway 19, then a right along Scenic Drive at about mile 5. What a great introduction to the island this drive is, as if you've pedaled back in time 30 years, onto an old country-coastal byway. You pass simple, Old Hawaii houses, deserted craft galleries and the occasional big estate. The road is quiet and lovely, pinched here and there by old stone one-lane bridges, with lots of gentle ups and downs and blind turns. The first stretch is mostly in woods, and the pavement is perfumed and slick here and there with fallen guava. We stopped on a bridge to watch kids jump 30 feet into a roiling cauldron of water. Soon the road moved into open land, an almost English-countryside view but for the palm trees. Hills gently sloped down to the brazen blue water.
You rejoin Highway 19 for a couple of busy miles until the left turn to a road that heads up to Akaka Falls. This is where the trouble began. On my jet-lagged and dehydrated body, the half hour of climbing turned out to be a bit more than a warm-up. There is something about steamy air that can induce a sensation of not being able to breathe, even as you're sucking it in.
We stopped, Sikowitz looking fresh, me bright red. I eventually decided I was not dying and resumed the last few hundred meters to the falls. It had been a good reminder: We'd trained plenty in 90/90 weather (Fahrenheit/humidity) in New York, but the sun has a bullying force at latitude 19 that it lacks at 40.
Akaka Falls consists of a needle-thin cascade dropping several hundred feet against a distant green-black cliff; it's worth the brief walk in, on the paved path, for the view, but you need one person to watch the bikes in the parking lot.
The ride back begins with a spectacular plummet toward that crazily blue sea, then hooks back to the Old Onomea Road with a stop advised at the What's Shakin' smoothie stand, which served the best smoothie we encountered on the Big Island. A detour is also advised at the Alea Cemetery, on Highway 19 near town, which is ruled by a solemn banyan and divided into ethnic and religious sections: Mormons here, Japanese there, Chinese there, a portrait in death of a town much more casually integrated in life.
Accommodation in Hilo was the magnificent Shipman House, a 19th-century mansion run by a descendant of one of the island's big families. It is, like any B&B on the National Register of Historic Places, a rather rules-based sort of place, but the owners are gracious and well-informed, and the breakfast—toasted Portuguese sweet bread with passion-fruit butter, and one of the greatest tropical fruit platters in the Americas, mostly from exotics grown on the house's acreage—is world class.
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text:
A flat capacitor includes a case having a feedthrough hole, a capacitor stack located within the case, a coupling member having a base surface directly attached to the capacitor stack and having a portion extending through the feedthrough hole, the coupling member having a mounting hole, a feedthrough conductor having a portion mounted within the mounting hole, and a sealing member adjacent the feedthrough hole and the feedthrough conductor for sealing the feedthrough hole. Other aspects of the invention include various implantable medical devices, such as pacemakers, defibrillators, and cardioverters, incorporating one or more features of the exemplary feedthrough assembly.
1. A method of sealing a feedthrough hole of a capacitor, the method comprising:
attaching a feedthrough coupling member to a capacitor stack such that an end of the coupling member abuts a surface of the capacitor stack;
attaching a feedthrough conductor to the feedthrough coupling member;
mounting an elastic insert within the feedthrough hole; and
inserting the feedthrough conductor through the elastic insert.
2. The method of
3. The method of
4. The method of
5. The method of
6. A method of manufacturing a capacitor having a capacitor case having a feedthrough hole, the method comprising:
attaching a feedthrough coupling member directly to a surface of a capacitor stack such that an end of the feedthrough coupling member abuts the surface of the capacitor stack;
coupling a feedthrough conductor to the coupling member;
mounting an elastic plug within the feedthrough hole so a first flange of the plug is on an inside of the case and so that a second flange of the elastic plug is on an outside of the case; and
inserting the feedthrough conductor through a hole in the elastic plug.
7. The method of
8. The method of
9. The method of
10. The method of
11. The method of
12. The method of
13. The method of
14. The method of
15. The method of
This application is a division of application Ser. No. 09/706,579, filed on Nov. 3, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,107,099 the specification of which is incorporated herein by reference.
This application is related to application Ser. No. 09/706,447, filed on Nov. 3, 2000, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,699,265, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention concerns implantable heart monitors, such as defibrillators and cardioverters, particularly structures and methods for capacitors in such devices.
Since the early 1980s, thousands of patients prone to irregular and sometimes life-threatening heart rhythms have had miniature heart monitors, particularly defibrillators and cardioverters, implanted in their bodies. These devices detect onset of abnormal heart rhythms and automatically apply corrective electrical therapy, specifically one or more bursts of electric current, to hearts. When the bursts of electric current are properly sized and timed, they restore normal heart function without human intervention, sparing patients considerable discomfort and often saving their lives.
The defibrillator or cardioverter includes a set of electrical leads, which extend from a sealed housing into the walls of a heart after implantation. Within the housing are a battery for supplying power, monitoring circuitry for detecting abnormal heart rhythms, and a capacitor for delivering bursts of electric current through the leads to the heart.
The capacitor can take the form of a flat aluminum electrolytic capacitor. Flat capacitors include a stack of flat capacitor elements, with each element including one or more separators between two sheets of aluminum foil. The capacitor elements, each of which has an individual capacitance (or energy-storage capacity) proportional to the surface area of the aluminum foil, are connected together to provide a total capacitance. The stack of capacitor elements is housed within an aluminum capacitor case which is filled with electrolyte.
The capacitor includes one or more metal wires, known as feedthroughs, which connect the capacitor elements to defibrillator or cardioverter circuitry located outside the case. A feedthrough reaches the outside of the case through a hole in the case called a feedthrough hole. After the capacitor elements are assembled within the capacitor case and the feedthrough is inserted through the feedthrough hole, manufacturers insulate the feedthrough from the case and seal the feedthrough hole. This involves, for instance, assembling an insulating sleeve, a nut, a gasket and/or other hardware around the feedthrough wire.
Thus, assembling the feedthrough, insulating the feedthrough, and sealing the feedthrough is a complex, time-consuming process.
To address these and other needs, the inventors have devised new capacitor structures and methods. An exemplary capacitor includes a case containing a capacitor stack. A coupling member having a base surface is directly attached to the capacitor stack. A feedthrough conductor has a portion which extends through a feedthrough hole in the case and into a mounting hole in the coupling member. The capacitor includes a sealing member adjacent the feedthrough hole and the feedthrough conductor for sealing the feedthrough hole.
One option provides an exemplary feedthrough assembly which includes a plug having a hole and a feedthrough conductor mounted within the hole. The feedthrough conductor has a diameter approximately equal to or larger than the plug hole diameter, thus sealing the feedthrough hole without requiring any epoxy or excess hardware.
Among other advantages, the relatively uncomplicated feedthrough structure of the exemplary capacitor provides for easier manufacturing and more reliable capacitors. Other facets of the invention include various implantable medical devices, such as pacemakers, defibrillators, and cardioverters, incorporating one or more features of the novel capacitors.
The following detailed description, which references and incorporates the figures, describes and illustrates one or more specific embodiments of the invention. These embodiments, offered not to limit but only to exemplify and teach the invention, are shown and described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Thus, where appropriate to avoid obscuring the invention, the description may omit certain information known to those of skill in the art.
Case 101 includes a feedthrough hole 107 which is drilled, molded, or punched in a portion of a wall of case 101. Feedthrough hole 107 is in part defined by an edge 107 a which outlines the feedthrough hole within case 101. Feedthrough hole 107 provides a passage for connecting feedthrough assembly 103 to circuitry outside of case 101. In some embodiments, case 101 includes two or more feedthrough holes for providing a second or third feedthrough assembly.
Feedthrough assembly 103 and terminal 104 connect capacitor elements to outside circuitry. In the exemplary embodiment, feedthrough assembly 103 extends through feedthrough hole 107 and is insulated from case 101. Terminal 104 is directly connected to case 101. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the capacitor incorporates other connection methods, depending on other design factors. In various embodiments, two or more insulated feedthrough assemblies are employed.
In the exemplary embodiment, sealing member 105, such as an epoxy, is deposited around feedthrough hole 107 and feedthrough assembly 103 to insulate feedthrough assembly 103 from case 101 and to seal an electrolyte within the case. An exemplary epoxy is a two-part epoxy manufactured by Dexter Hysol. This includes a casting resin compound (manufacturer No. EE 4183), a casting compound (manufacturer No. EE 4215), and a hardener (manufacturer No. HD 3404). The exemplary two-part epoxy is mixed in a ratio of hardener=0.055*casting resin. The mixture is cured at 0.5 hours at 60 degrees Celsius or 1.5 hours at room temperature. Another exemplary epoxy is a UV cure epoxy such as manufactured by Dymax, Inc., which can be cured using an Acticure (manufactured by GenTec) ultraviolet curing system at 7 W/cm2 at a distance of 0.25″ for approximately 10 seconds.
In one embodiment, the sealing member provides a non-hermetic seal. In one embodiment, the sealing member includes an elastic plug which will be discussed in further detail below.
Each anode includes one or more anode members in a stack. These anodes and cathodes are foil structures and can be made from aluminum, tantalum, hafnium, niobium, titanium, zirconium, and combinations of these metals. A major surface of each anode foil is roughened to increase its effective surface area. This increases the capacitive effect of the foil with no relative increase in volume. However, none of the embodiments are limited to any particular foil composition or class of foil compositions.
The separators include one or more electrolyte impregnated separators between each anode and each cathode. In the exemplary embodiment, each separator consists of two kraft papers impregnated with an electrolyte. The electrolyte can be any suitable electrolyte for an electrolytic capacitor, such as an ethylene-glycol base combined with polyphosphates, ammonium pentaborate, and/or an adipic acid solute. Other embodiments incorporate different numbers and arrangements of anodes, cathodes, and separators.
In the exemplary embodiment, each cathode of capacitor stack 202 is connected to the other cathodes and to conductive case 101. Terminal 104 is attached to case 101 to provide a cathode connection to outside circuitry. In some embodiments, the cathode is coupled to a feedthrough conductor extending through a feedthrough hole.
In the exemplary embodiment, each anode is connected to the other anodes of the capacitor. Attached to the anode of each capacitor element 205 a–205 n is a conductive tab or connection member 201. In one embodiment, each connection member 201 includes an edge face 215 which is substantially perpendicular to the major surface of the anodes. Edge face 215 provides a conductive surface for connecting each capacitor element 205 a–205 n to feedthrough assembly 103. The anode connection members 201 are welded or crimped together and are coupled to feedthrough assembly 103 for electrically connecting the anode to circuitry outside the case. In some embodiments, the cathode is coupled to a feedthrough assembly and the anode is connected to the case. In other embodiments, both the anode and the cathode are connected to feedthroughs.
In one embodiment, connection members 201 are edge-welded to each other as discussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/706,518, filed Nov. 3, 2000, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,687,118, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Edge-welding the connection members provides a flat connection surface 216, which includes one or more edge faces 215 of connection members 201. In some embodiments, connection members 201 are crimped, soldered, and/or connected by an electrically conductive adhesive.
In the exemplary embodiment, feedthrough assembly 103 includes two members, a feedthrough wire or conductor 203 and a coupling member 204. Coupling member 204 is attached to capacitor stack 202 at connection surface 216, and feedthrough conductor 203 is attached to coupling member 204. In the exemplary embodiment, coupling member 204 partially extends through feedthrough hole 107.
Feedthrough conductor 203 is a conductive member which can include material such as nickel, gold plated nickel, platinum, aluminum, or other conductive metal. Feedthrough conductor 203 has a proximal end portion 217 attached to coupling member 204 and a distal end portion 218 for attaching to circuitry outside the case, such as defibrillator or cardioverter circuitry. In the exemplary embodiment, feedthrough conductor 203 has a diameter of approximately 0.016″ (0.4064 mm). However, other embodiments have feedthrough conductors of different diameters and/or non-circular cross-sections.
In the exemplary embodiment, coupling member 204 is a high-purity aluminum member which is able to withstand the high voltages generated within the capacitor case. In other embodiments it is made from another conductive material compatible with the capacitor stack. Coupling member 204 includes a base 404 and a holding tube 407. On one side of base 404 is a planar surface 405 for attaching to the planar surface 216 presented by edge-welded connection members 201.
Referring again to
Holding tube 407 is located on the opposing side of base 404 from surface 405. Tube 407 is a cylindrical member having an outer diameter dimensioned to fit within feedthrough hole 107. Tube 407 has a mounting section such as mounting hole 401 defined in part by an inner surface 402 of holding tube 406 which is generally perpendicular to base surface 405. Hole 401 is located down an axial portion of the tube.
Mounting section or hole 401 is for receiving proximal end portion 217 of feedthrough conductor 203. The surface of feedthrough conductor 203 contacts inner surface 402. In the exemplary embodiment, hole 401 is approximately 0.016″ (0.4064 mm) in diameter. Alternatively, its diameter can conform with the size of conductor 203 so that feedthrough conductor 203 can matably fit within the hole. In the exemplary embodiment, coupling member 204 has a height 204 h of approximately 0.085″ (2.519 mm). Other embodiments range from 0.050″ to 0.100″ or higher. Some embodiments provide a height of greater than 0.100″.
In the exemplary embodiment, inner surface 402 of coupling member 204 is a curved surface defining an annular connection member. Crimp 502 compresses and deforms opposing surfaces of annular inner surface 402 to contact conductor 203. In the exemplary embodiment, the opposing surfaces of inner surface 402 are separated by a first distance prior to being crimped and separated by a second distance, smaller than the first distance, after being crimped.
In this embodiment, plug 106 is a double-flanged plug. Plug 106 includes a first flange 108. First flange 108 includes a first surface 108 a which faces the inner surface of case 101. When the capacitor begins to become pressurized, pressure against a second surface 108 b forces first surface 108 a against the case. Thus, flange 108 creates a seal against the inner surface of case 101.
In this embodiment, plug 106 includes a second flange 109. Flange 109 includes a surface which faces the outer surface of case 101.
Plug 106 also includes a plug portion 110 which is located between and defined by first flange 108 and second flange 109. Portion 110 has a smaller diameter than either flange 108 and/or 109. Case edge 107 a confronts plug 106 at portion 110. In this embodiment, portion 110 has a normal, unstressed outer diameter approximately equal to the diameter of feedthrough hole 107. In some embodiments, the unstressed outer diameter is larger than the diameter of feedthrough hole 107. In some embodiments, the unstressed outer diameter is smaller than hole 107. As one example, in this embodiment flange 108 has a diameter of approximately 0.080 inches and portion 110 has a diameter of approximately 0.060 inches.
Plug 106 also includes a central passage or hole 1102. In one embodiment, hole 1102 is axially located through the center of plug 106 and has an unstressed diameter 1102 d which is smaller than or equal to a diameter 103 d of a portion of feedthrough member 103 which is mounted within hole 1102. In various embodiments, diameter 1102 d may range from approximately 0.015 inches to approximately 0.033 inches. In other embodiments, diameter 1102 d is smaller than 0.015 inches. In some embodiments it is greater than 0.033 inches. Other embodiments vary the hole size depending on the size of the feedthrough conductor used. In some embodiments, when a feedthrough member such as coupling member 204 is inserted through hole 1102, an interference fit seal is developed between the feedthrough member and the plug. In other embodiments, hydrogen gas can escape along the feedthrough member/plug 106 border.
In one embodiment, plug 106 is made from a compressible, elastic material such as rubber, plastic, thermoplastic, or other elastic or elastomeric material. In one embodiment, when plug 106 is mounted within feedthrough hole 107 and feedthrough member 103 is mounted within hole 1102, plug portion 110 is compressed between assembly 103 and edge 107 a of feedthrough hole 107 and the plug exerts a radial force on edge 107 a of the feedthrough hole. This forces or compresses plug 106 into an interference or compression fit between feedthrough hole edge 107 a and member 204, thus helping to seal electrolyte solution within case 101. In other embodiments, the diameter of portion 110 is smaller than hole 107 and an interference fit between feedthrough hole edge 107 a and member 204 is not created.
In one embodiment, as noted above, flange 108 provides a sealing means for helping seal electrolyte within the case. Accordingly, in some embodiments, when the diameter of portion 110 is smaller than hole 107 and an interference fit between feedthrough hole edge 107 a and member 204 is not created, only flange 108 provides a sealing means between case 101 and plug 106. Advantageously, the seal or seals are formed automatically. Thus, in one embodiment, assembling and tightening a screw or other extraneous hardware is not required to seal the capacitor.
In one embodiment, second flange 109 provides support for mounting plug 106 within hole 107. For instance, when plug 106 is mounted in hole 107, flanges 108 and 109 each help hold plug 106 in place once it is mounted, but before the coupling member 204 is inserted through hole 1102. This aides the manufacturing process.
In one embodiment second flange 109 includes a tapered section wherein an outer portion 109 a of flange 109 has a smaller diameter than an inner portion 109 b. The tapered shape of flange 109 aids in inserting plug 106 into hole 107. Some embodiments omit the tapered shape and flange 109 has a uniform outer diameter. Other embodiments provide a tapered shape for first flange 108. Other embodiments provide tapered sections on both flanges.
In this embodiment, flange 108 has a larger diameter than flange 109. In some embodiments, the two flanges have substantially equal diameters. In further embodiments, flange 109 has a larger diameter than flange 108.
Some embodiments omit either or both of flanges 108 and 109. For instance, in some embodiments plug 106 has a generally cylindrical shape. In other embodiments, plug 106 has an hour-glass shape or other shape which closely fits within feedthrough hole 107. In some embodiments, plug 106 is a mass of elastic material with a dimension approximately equal to or larger than the width of feedthrough hole 107.
In one embodiment, plug 106 seals the electrolyte within capacitor case 101, but it does not provide a hermetic seal. Hydrogen is created during consumption of water from the electrolyte and continues to be formed throughout the life of the capacitor. This can cause a hermetically sealed capacitor case to bulge outward from the hydrogen gas production within, thus risking long-term device reliability due to shorting.
Accordingly, in one embodiment plug 106 permits out-gassing of hydrogen gas, thus alleviating any problems. For instance, in one embodiment, flange 108 creates a seal to the inner wall of the case 101. A pathway for the gas to escape is then present along the border between coupling member 204 and plug 106.
In one embodiment, narrow section 132 b provides an O-ring type interference fit for a feedthrough member such as coupling member 204. In this embodiment, narrow section 132 b is generally located within second flange 129. Other embodiments locate the narrow section within central portion 130. Other embodiments locate the narrow section within first flange 128. By way of example, in one embodiment, the nominal diameters of sections 132 a and 132 c is approximately 0.032 inches, and the diameter of narrow section 132 b is 0.026 inches.
Referring again to
Heart monitor 1300 includes a lead system 1303, which after implantation electrically contact strategic portions of a patient's heart. Shown schematically are portions of monitor 1300 including a monitoring circuit 1302 for monitoring heart activity through one or more of the leads of lead system 1303, and a therapy circuit 1301 for delivering electrical energy through one or more of the leads to a heart. Monitor 1300 also includes an energy storage component, which includes a battery 1304 and incorporates at least one capacitor 1305 having one or more of the features of the exemplary capacitors described above.
In addition to implantable heart monitor and other cardiac rhythm management devices, one or more teachings of the present invention can be incorporated into photographic flash equipment or other devices using flat or cylindrical capacitors. Indeed, these teachings of the invention are pertinent to any application where high-energy, high-voltage, or space-efficient capacitors are desirable.
In furtherance of the art, the inventors have devised a capacitor which includes, in an exemplary embodiment, a coupling member attached to a capacitor stack of the capacitor, a feedthrough conductor attached to the coupling member and extending through the feedthrough hole of the capacitor, and means for sealing the feedthrough hole. One embodiment provides a feedthrough assembly which includes a plug having a hole and a feedthrough conductor mounted within the hole. The feedthrough conductor has a diameter approximately equal to or larger than the plug hole diameter, thus sealing the feedthrough hole without requiring any excess hardware. Among other advantages, the relatively uncomplicated feedthrough structure of the exemplary embodiments provides for easier manufacturing and more reliable capacitors.
The embodiments described above are intended only to illustrate and teach one or more ways of practicing or implementing the present invention, not to restrict its breadth or scope. The actual scope of the invention, which embraces all ways of practicing or implementing the teachings of the invention, is defined only by the following claims and their equivalents.
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Philadelphia Eagles fans egged Washington Redskins' bus
The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins will play an extremely important divisional game at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday. Like all of the teams in the NFC East, the Eagles and 'Skins are rivals. And what do rival fans do to opposing players? Egg their bus, I guess. "Our bus got egged on the way…Read More


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Sun November 21, 2010
Politics And The River: Will a Sustainable Solution to Sharing Delaware River Water Be Achieved?
By Timothy Churchill-WRTI
Philadelphia, PA – A 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision apportions more Delaware River water to NYC than it presently uses and, some claim, too little to PA, NJ, and DE. Can the four neighbors figure out a way to share the precious water supply? WRTI's Timothy Churchill looks at the past, present, and future of billions of gallons of water in three DE River reservoirs.


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Boo Boo Da Fool: 10 Examples Of Chris Brown Playing The Hell Out Of Karrueche…And Her Coming Right Back- By Bossip Staff Categories: Coupled Up, Dirty Dog Diaries, Multi
Examples Of Chris Brown Playing KarruecheKarrueche doesn't stand a chance. Chris Brown has been madly in love with Rihanna for damn near half a decade now. Even though they're split up and he has his boo, he's still showing public displays of affection. And poor, simple Karrueche is still hanging on to her man while he plays the isht out of her in front of the world. Someone get this girl some confidence so she can get it together. Let's look at all these embarrassing displays.
Clubbing With Rih Rih - A few months ago, Chris took Karrueche to the club to party...where Rihanna was! He had his ex girl standing with his next girl standing with the girl that he chopping right now.
Family Hangout - Rihanna and Chris hung out together with their families and everything to watch the NBA Finals...c'mon Karr Bear.
The Songs - They recorded songs together about how they wanted to chop each other down again. Karrueche heard this, right?
The Subtweets - Rih Rih keeps sending subliminal shots at Karrueche via Twitter...you'd think Breezy would tell her to chill. Guess not.
The Fight - Chris Brown got into a fight with Drake over Rihanna...but shouldn't Breezy be concerned about his own woman instead of Rih Rih getting chopped down?
Stay Away! - Chris Brown allegedly told Ashton Kutcher to stay away from Rihanna when he was chopping her down. SMH...he's just keeping those cakes in the fridge for later.
More Subtweets - Every so often Rih and Breezy send each other subliminal tweets that only an idiot would ignore.
Secret Rendezvous - Right before Robyn went on the Oprah show, her and Breezy allegedly had a secret meeting to talk about it. It's not the first or last secret meeting.


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If you're looking to upgrade your factory car stereo to something that is able to play more than just the radio then the inexpensive NCA-671 from NAXA is the perfect solution without breaking your wallet. You'll be able to play CD's as well as CDR and CDRW discs. You'll also be able to use the auxiliary input that lets you connect external MP3 players, iPods or other media players. The NCA-671 also features a built-in electronic preset equalizer so you can cuztomize your audio spectrum and the digital LCD display clearly shows track information from any angle and has night illumination. Expandability options such as a set of RCA outputs is also available to conviniently connect an external amplifier to your sound system.
General Features:


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Optoelectronic device modules, arrays optoelectronic device modules and methods for fabricating optoelectronic device modules are disclosed. The device modules are made using a starting substrate having an insulator layer sandwiched between a bottom electrode made of a flexible bulk conductor and a conductive back plane. An active layer is disposed between the bottom electrode and a transparent conducting layer. One or more electrical contacts between the transparent conducting layer and the back plane are formed through the transparent conducting layer, the active layer, the flexible bulk conductor and the insulating layer. The electrical contacts are electrically isolated from the active layer, the bottom electrode and the insulating layer.
1. A method for fabricating a solar cell, comprising the steps of:
fabricating the solar cell in at least two initially separate elements comprising:
forming a first element comprised of a bottom electrode, a transparent conducting layer, and an active layer between the bottom electrode and the transparent conducting layer, wherein the bottom electrode comprises of a flexible electrically conductive substrate;
forming a second element comprised of an electrically conductive back plane;
forming vias through the first element;
electrically insulating side walls of the vias with an electrically insulating material;
laminating the second element to an underside of the first element, wherein an insulating layer is between the first element and the second element and wherein at least a portion of the second element extends beyond the perimeter of the first element;
filling the vias with an electrically conductive material into the vias wherein an electrically insulating material insulates side walls of the conductive material in the vias from side walls of the active layer; and
forming an electrical connection between said portion of the electrically conductive back plane of the second element that extends beyond the perimeter of the first element and an adjacent solar cell.
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18. The method claim of 17 wherein the one or more conductive traces form a pattern in which the one or more conductive traces radiate outward from one or more of the vias.
19. The method claim of 17 wherein the conductive traces branch out to form a "watershed" pattern.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/207,157 filed Aug. 16, 2005 which is continuation-in-part of commonly-assigned, co-pending application Ser. No. 11/039,053, filed Jan. 20, 2005 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,276,724, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
This invention relates to optoelectronic devices and more particularly to mass-manufacture of optoelectronic devices such as solar cells.
Optoelectronic devices can convert radiant energy into electrical energy or vice versa. These devices generally include an active layer sandwiched between two electrodes, sometimes referred to as the front and back electrodes, at least one of which is typically transparent. The active layer typically includes one or more semiconductor materials. In a light-emitting device, e.g., a light-emitting diode (LED), a voltage applied between the two electrodes causes a current to flow through the active layer. The current causes the active layer to emit light. In a photovoltaic device, e.g., a solar cell, the active layer absorbs energy from light and converts this energy to electrical energy exhibited as a voltage and/or current between the two electrodes. Large scale arrays of such solar cells can potentially replace conventional electrical generating plants that rely on the burning of fossil fuels. However, in order for solar cells to provide a cost-effective alternative to conventional electric power generation the cost per watt generated must be competitive with current electric grid rates. Currently, there are a number of technical challenges to attaining this goal.
Most conventional solar cells rely on silicon-based semiconductors. In a typical silicon-based solar cell, a layer of n-type silicon (sometimes referred to as the emitter layer) is deposited on a layer of p-type silicon. Radiation absorbed proximate the junction between the p-type and n-type layers generates electrons and holes. The electrons are collected by an electrode in contact with the n-type layer and the holes are collected by an electrode in contact with the p-type layer. Since light must reach the junction, at least one of the electrodes must be at least partially transparent. Many current solar cell designs use a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) such as indium tin oxide (ITO) as a transparent electrode.
A further problem associated with existing solar fabrication techniques arises from the fact that individual optoelectronic devices produce only a relatively small voltage. Thus, it is often necessary to electrically connect several devices together in series in order to obtain higher voltages in order to take advantage of the efficiencies associated with high voltage, low current operation (e.g. power transmission through a circuit using relatively higher voltage, which reduces resistive losses that would otherwise occur during power transmission through a circuit using relatively higher current).
Several designs have been previously developed to interconnect solar cells into modules. For example, early photovoltaic module manufacturers attempted to use a "shingling" approach to interconnect solar cells, with the bottom of one cell placed on the top edge of the next, similar to the way shingles are laid on a roof. Unfortunately the solder and silicon wafer materials were not compatible. The differing rates of thermal expansion between silicon and solder and the rigidity of the wafers caused premature failure of the solder joints with temperature cycling.
A further problem associated with series interconnection of optoelectronic devices arises from the high electrical resistivity associated with the TCO used in the transparent electrode. The high resistivity restricts the size of the individual cells that are connected in series. To carry the current from one cell to the next the transparent electrode is often augmented with a conductive grid of busses and fingers formed on a TCO layer. However, the fingers and busses produce shadowing that reduces the overall efficiency of the cell. In order for the efficiency losses from resistance and shadowing to be small, the cells must be relatively small. Consequently, a large number of small cells must be connected together, which requires a large number of interconnects and more space between cells. Arrays of large numbers of small cells are relatively difficult and expensive to manufacture. Further, with flexible solar modules, shingling is also disadvantageous in that the interconnection of a large number of shingles is relatively complex, time-consuming and labor-intensive, and therefore costly during the module installation process.
To overcome this, optoelectronic devices have been developed with electrically isolated conductive contacts that pass through the cell from a transparent "front" electrode through the active layer and the "back" electrode to an electrically isolated electrode located beneath the back electrode. U.S. Pat. No. 3,903,427 describes an example of the use of such contacts in silicon-based solar cells. Although this technique does reduce resistive losses and can improve the overall efficiency of solar cell devices, the costs of silicon-based solar cells remains high due to the vacuum processing techniques used in fabricating the cells as well as the expense of thick, single-crystal silicon wafers.
This has led solar cell researchers and manufacturers to develop different types of solar cells that can be fabricated less expensively and on a larger scale than conventional silicon-based solar cells. Examples of such solar cells include cells with active absorber layers comprised of silicon (e.g. for amorphous, micro-crystalline, or polycrystalline silicon cells), organic oligomers or polymers (for organic solar cells), bi-layers or interpenetrating layers or inorganic and organic materials (for hybrid organic/inorganic solar cells), dye-sensitized titania nanoparticles in a liquid or gel-based electrolyte (for Graetzel cells), copper-indium-gallium-selenium (for CIG solar cells), cells whose active layer is comprised of CdSe, CdTe, and combinations of the above, where the active materials are present in any of several forms including but not limited to bulk materials, micro-particles, nano-particles, or quantum dots. Many of these types of cells can be fabricated on flexible substrates (e.g., stainless steel foil). Although these types of active layers can be manufactured in non-vacuum environments, the intra-cell and inter-cell electrical connection typically requires vacuum deposition of one or more metal conducting layers.
For example
There are two significant drawbacks to manufacturing solar cell arrays as shown in
Thus, there is a need in the art, for an optoelectronic device architecture that overcomes the above disadvantages and a corresponding method to manufacture such cells.
The teachings of the present invention can be readily understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Although the following detailed description contains many specific details for the purposes of illustration, anyone of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments of the invention described below are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed invention.
The device modules 101, 111, which may be about 4 inches in length and 12 inches wide, may be cut from a much longer sheet containing several layers that are laminated together. Each device module 101, 111 generally includes a device layer 102, 112 in contact with a bottom electrode 104, 114 and an insulating layer 106, 116 between the bottom electrode 104, 114 and a conductive back plane 108, 118. The bottom electrodes 104, 114, insulating layers 106, 116 and back planes 108, 118 for substrates S1, S2 on which the device layers 102, 112 are formed.
In contrast to prior art cells, where the substrates are formed by depositing thin metal layers on an insulating substrate, embodiments of the present invention utilize substrates S1, S2 based on flexible bulk conducting materials, such as foils. Although bulk materials such as foils are thicker than prior art vacuum deposited metal layers they can also be cheaper, more readily available and easier to work with. Preferably, at least the bottom electrode 104, 114 is made of a metal foil, such as aluminum foil. Alternatively, copper, stainless steel, titanium, molybdenum or other suitable metal foils may be used. By way of example, the bottom electrodes 104, 114 and back planes 108, 118 may be made of aluminum foil about 1 micron to about 200 microns thick, preferably about 25 microns to about 100 microns thick; the insulating layers 106, 116 may be made of a plastic foil material, such as polyethylene teraphthalate (PET) about 1 micron to about 200 microns thick, preferably about 10 microns to about 50 microns thick. In one embodiment, among others, the bottom electrode 104,114, insulating layer 106, 116 and back plane 108, 118 are laminated together to form the starting substrates S1, S2. Although foils may be used for both the bottom electrode 104, 114 and the back plane 108, 118 it is also possible to use a mesh grid on the back of the insulating layer 106, 116 as a back plane. Such a grid may be printed onto the back of the insulating layer 106, 116 using a conductive ink or paint. One example, among others, of a suitable conductive paint or ink is Dow Corning® PI-2000 Highly Conductive Silver Ink available from Dow Corning Corporation of Midland Mich. Dow Corning is a registered trademark of Dow Corning Corporation of Midland Mich. Furthermore, the insulating layer 106, 116 may be formed by anodizing a surface of a foil used for the bottom electrode 104, 114 or back plane 108, 118 or both, or by applying an insulating coating by spraying, coating, or priting techniques known in the art.
The device layers 102, 112 generally include an active layer 107 disposed between a transparent conductive layer 109 and the bottom electrode 104. By way of example, the device layers 102, 112 may be about 2 microns thick. At least the first device 101 includes one or more electrical contacts 120 between the transparent conducting layer 109 and the back plane 108. The electrical contacts 120 are formed through the transparent conducting layer 109, the active layer 107, the bottom electrode 104 and the insulating layer 106. The electrical contacts 120 provide an electrically conductive path between the transparent conducting layer 109 and the back plane 108. The electrical contacts 120 are electrically isolated from the active layer 107, the bottom electrode 104 and the insulating layer 106.
The contacts 120 may each include a via formed through the active layer 107, the transparent conducting layer 109, the bottom electrode 104 and the insulating layer 106. Each via may be about 0.1 millimeters to about 1.5 millimeters, preferably 0.5 millimeters to about 1 millimeter in diameter. The vias may be formed by punching or by drilling, for example by mechanical, laser or electron beam drilling, or by a combination of these techniques. An insulating material 122 coats sidewalls of the via such that a channel is formed through the insulating material 122 to the back plane 108. The insulating material 122 may have a thickness between about 1 micron and about 200 microns, preferably between about 10 microns and about 200 microns.
The insulating material 122 should preferably be at least 10 microns thick to ensure complete coverage of the exposed conductive surfaces behind it. The insulating material 122 may be formed by a variety of printing techniques, including for example inkjet printing or dispensing through an annular nozzle. A plug 124 made of an electrically conductive material at least partially fills the channel and makes electrical contact between the transparent conducting layer 109 and the back plane 108. The electrically conductive material may similarly be printed. A suitable material and method, for example, is inkjet printing of solder (called "solderjet" by Microfab, Inc., Plano, Tex., which sells equipment useful for this purpose). Printing of conductive adhesive materials known in the art for electronics packaging may also be used, provided time is allowed subsequently for solvent removal and curing. The plug 124 may have a diameter between about 5 microns and about 500 microns, preferably between about 25 and about 100 microns.
The formation of good contacts between the conductive plug 124 and the substrate 108 may be assisted by the use of other interface-forming techniques such as ultrasonic welding. An example of a useful technique is the formation of gold stud-bumps, as described for example by J. Jay Wimer in "3-D Chip Scale with Lead-Free Processes" in Semiconductor Interational, Oct. 1, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference. Ordinary solders or conductive inks or adhesives may be printed on top of the stud bump.
In forming the vias, it is important to avoid making shorting connections between the top electrode 109 and the bottom electrode 104. Therefore, mechanical cutting techniques such as drilling or punching may be advantageously supplemented by laser ablative removal of a small volume of material near the lip of the via, a few microns deep and a few microns wide. Alternatively, a chemical etching process may be used to remove the transparent conductor over a diameter slightly greater than the via. The etching can be localized, e.g., by printing drops of etchant in the appropriate places using inkjet printing or stencil printing.
A further method for avoiding shorts involves deposition of a thin layer of insulating material on top of the active layer 107 prior to deposition of the transparent conducting layer 109. This insulating layer is preferably several microns thick, and may be in the range of 1 to 100 microns. Since it is deposited only over the area where a via is to be formed (and slightly beyond the borders of the via), its presence does not interfere with the operation of the optoelectronic device. When a hole is drilled or punched through this structure, there is a layer of insulator between the transparent conducting layer 109 and the bottom electrode 104 which may be relatively thick compared to these layers and to the precision of mechanical cutting processes, so that no short can occur.
The material for this layer can be any convenient insulator, preferably one that can be digitally (e.g. inkjet) printed. Thermoplastic polymers such as Nylon PA6 (melting point (m.p.) 223° C.), acetal (m.p. 165° C.), PBT (structurally similar to PET but with a butyl group replacing the ethyl group) (m.p. 217° C.), and polypropylene (m.p. 165° C.), are examples which by no means exhaust the list of useful materials. These materials may also be used for the insulating layer 122. While inkjet printing is a desirable way to form the insulator islands, other methods of printing or deposition (including conventional photolithography) are also within the scope of the invention.
In forming the vias, it is useful to fabricate the optoelectronic device in at least two initially separate elements, with one comprised of the insulating layer 106, the bottom electrode 104 and the layers 102 above it, and the second comprised of the back plane 108. These two elements are then laminated together after the vias have been formed through the composite structure 106/104/102, but before the vias are filled. After this lamination and via formation, the back plane 108 is laminated to the composite, and the vias are filled as described above.
Although jet-printed solders or conductive adhesives comprise useful materials for forming the conductive via plug 124, it is also possible to form this plug by mechanical means. Thus, for example, a wire of suitable diameter may be placed in the via, forced into contact with the back plane 108, and cut off at the desired height to form the plug 124, in a manner analogous to the formation of gold stud bumps. Alternatively a pre-formed pin of this size can be placed into the hole by a robotic arm. Such pins or wires can be held in place, and their electrical connection to the substrate assisted or assured, by the printing of a very thin layer of conductive adhesive prior to placement of the pin. In this way the problem of long drying time for a thick plug of conductive adhesive is eliminated. The pin can have tips or serrations on it which punch slightly into the back plane 108, further assisting contact. Such pins may be provided with insulation already present, as in the case of insulated wire or coated wire (e.g. by vapor deposition or oxidation). They can be placed in the via before the application of the insulating material, making it easier to introduce this material.
If the pin is made of a suitably hard metal, and has a slightly tapered tip, it may be used to form the via during the punching step. Instead of using a punch or drill, the pin is inserted into the composite 106/104/102, to a depth such that the tip just penetrates the bottom; then when the substrate 108 is laminated to this composite, the tip penetrates slightly into it and forms a good contact. These pins may be injected into the unpunched substrate by, for example, mechanical pressure or air pressure directed through a tube into which the pin just fits.
One or more conductive traces 126, e.g., made of Al, Ni, or Ag, may be disposed on the transparent conducting layer 109 in electrical contact with the electrically conductive material 124. As shown in
Fabricating the device modules 101, 111 on substrates S1, S2 made of relatively thick, highly conductive, flexible bulk conductor bottom electrodes 104, 114 and backplanes 108, 118 and forming insulated electrical contracts 120 through the transparent conducting layer 109, the active layer 130, the bottom electrodes 104, 114 and the insulating layer 106, 116 allows the device modules 101, 111 to be relatively large. Consequently the array 100 can be made of fewer device modules requiring fewer series interconnections compared to prior art arrays. For example, the device modules 101, 111 may be between about 1 centimeter and about 30 centimeters long and between about 1 and about 30 centimeters wide. Smaller cells (e.g., less than 1 centimeter long and/or 1 centimeter wide) may also be made as desired.
Note that since the back planes 108, 118 carry electric current from one device module to the next, the pattern of traces 126 need not contain thick busses, as used in the prior art for this purpose. Instead, the pattern of traces 126 need only provide sufficiently conductive "fingers" to carry current to the contacts 120. In the absence of busses, a greater portion of the active layers 102, 112 is exposed, which enhances efficiency. In addition, a pattern of traces 126 without busses can be more aesthetically pleasing.
Electrical contact between the back plane 108 of the first device module 101 and the bottom electrode 114 of the second device module 111 may be implemented by cutting back the back plane 118 and insulating layer 116 of the second device module to expose a portion of the bottom electrode 114.
Electrical contact may be made between the back plane 108 of the first device module 101 and the exposed portion of the bottom electrode 114 of the second device module 111 in a number of different ways. For example, as shown in
The thin conducting layer may be, e.g., a conductive (filled) polymer or silver ink. The conducting layer can be extremely thin, e.g., about 1 micron thick. A general criteria for determining the minimum thickness of the thin conducting layer 128 is that the fractional power p=(J/V)ρ(Lo 2/d) dissipated in this layer is about 10−5 or less, where J is the current density, V is the voltage, Lo is the length of the thin conductive layer 128 (roughly the width of the gap between the first and second device modules) and ρ and d are respectively the resistivity and the thickness of the thin conductive layer 128. By way of numerical example, for many applications (J/V) is roughly 0.06 A/Vcm2. If Lo=400 microns=0.04 cm then p is approximately equal to 10−4 (ρ/d). Thus, even if the resistivity ρ is about 10−5 n cm (which is about ten times less than for a good bulk conductor), d can be about 1 micron (10−4 cm) thick. Thus, even a relatively resistive polymer conductor of almost any plausible thickness will work.
The first device module 101 may be attached to the carrier substrate 103 such that the back plane 108 makes electrical contact with the thin conducting layer 128 while leaving a portion of the thin conducting layer 128 exposed. Electrical contact may then be made between the exposed portion of the thin conducting layer 128 and the exposed portion of the bottom electrode 114 of the second device module 111. For example, a bump of conductive material 129 (e.g., more conductive adhesive) may be placed on the thin conducting layer 128 at a location aligned with the exposed portion of the bottom electrode 114. The bump of conductive material 129 is sufficiently tall as to make contact with the exposed portion of the bottom electrode 114 when the second device module 111 is attached to the carrier substrate. The dimensions of the notches 117, 119 may be chosen so that there is essentially no possibility that the thin conducting layer 128 will make undesired contact with the back plane 118 of the second device module 111. For example, the edge of the bottom electrode 114 may be cut back with respect to the insulating layer 116 by an amount of cutback CB1 of about 400 microns. The back plane 118 may be cut back with respect to the insulating layer 116 by an amount CB2 that is significantly larger than CB1.
The device layers 102, 112 are preferably of a type that can be manufactured on a large scale, e.g., in a roll-to-roll processing system. There are a large number of different types of device architectures that may be used in the device layers 102, 112. By way of example, and without loss of generality, the inset in
Although CIGS solar cells are described for the purposes of example, those of skill in the art will recognize that embodiments of the series interconnection technique can be applied to almost any type of solar cell architecture. Examples of such solar cells include, but are not limited to: cells based on amorphous silicon, Graetzel cell architecture (in which an optically transparent film comprised of titanium dioxide particles a few nanometers in size is coated with a monolayer of charge transfer dye to sensitize the film for light harvesting), a nanostructured layer having an inorganic porous semiconductor template with pores filled by an organic semiconductor material (see e.g., US Patent Application Publication US 2005-0121068 A1, which is incorporated herein by reference), a polymer/blend cell architecture, organic dyes, and/or C60 molecules, and/or other small molecules, micro-crystalline silicon cell architecture, randomly placed nanorods and/or tetrapods of inorganic materials dispersed in an organic matrix, quantum dot-based cells, or combinations of the above. Furthermore, embodiments of the series interconnection technique described herein can be used with optoelectronic devices other than solar cells.
Alternatively, the optoelectronic devices 101, 111 may be light emitting devices, such as organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). Examples of OLEDs include light-emitting polymer (LEP) based devices. In such a case, the active layer 107 may include a layer of poly (3,4) ethylendioxythiophene:polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), which may be deposited to a thickness of typically between 50 and 200 nm on the bottom electrodes 104, 114, e.g., by web coating or the like, and baked to remove water. PEDOT:PSS is available from Bayer Corporation of Leverkusen, Germany. A polyfluorene based LEP may then be deposited on the PEDOT:PSS layer (e.g., by web coating) to a thickness of about 60-70 nm. Suitable polyfluorene-based LEPs are available from Dow Chemicals Company.
The transparent conductive layer 109 may be, e.g., a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) such as zinc oxide (ZnO) or aluminum doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al), which can be deposited using any of a variety of means including but not limited to sputtering, evaporation, CBD, electroplating, CVD, PVD, ALD, and the like. Alternatively, the transparent conductive layer 109 may include a transparent conductive polymeric layer, e.g. a transparent layer of doped PEDOT (Poly-3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene), which can be deposited using spin, dip, or spray coating, and the like. PSS:PEDOT is a doped, conducting polymer based on a heterocyclic thiophene ring bridged by a diether. A water dispersion of PEDOT doped with poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS) is available from H. C. Starck of Newton, Mass. under the trade name of Baytron® P. Baytron® is a registered trademark of Bayer Aktiengesellschaft (hereinafter Bayer) of Leverkusen, Germany. In addition to its conductive properties, PSS:PEDOT can be used as a planarizing layer, which can improve device performance. A potential disadvantage in the use of PEDOT is the acidic character of typical coatings, which may serve as a source through which the PEDOT may chemically attack, react with, or otherwise degrade the other materials in the solar cell. Removal of acidic components in PEDOT may be carried out by anion exchange procedures. Non-acidic PEDOT can be purchased commercially. Alternatively, similar materials can be purchased from TDA materials of Wheat Ridge, Colo., e.g. Oligotron™ and Aedotron™.
The gap between the first device module 101 and the second device module 111 may be filled with a curable polymer epoxy, e.g., silicone. An optional encapsulant layer (not shown) may cover the array 100 to provide environmental resistance, e.g., protection against exposure to water or air. The encapsulant may also absorb UV-light to protect the underlying layers. Examples of suitable encapsulant materials include one or more layers of fluoropolymers such as THV (e.g. Dyneon's THV220 fluorinated terpolymer, a fluorothermoplastic polymer of tetrafluoroethylene, hexafluoropropylene and vinylidene fluoride), Tefzel® (DuPont), Tefdel, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), thermoplastics, polyimides, polyamides, nanolaminate composites of plastics and glasses (e.g. barrier films such as those described in commonly-assigned, co-pending U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2005-0095422 A1, to Brian Sager and Martin Roscheisen, entitled "INORGANIC/ORGANIC HYBRID NANOLAMINATE BARRIER FILM" which is incorporated herein by reference), and combinations of the above.
There are a number of different methods of fabricating interconnected devices according to embodiments of the present invention. For example,
In the embodiment depicted in
In this example, the back plane layer 306B of module B has been cut back by simply making it shorter than the insulating layer 304B so that the insulating layer 304B overhangs an edge of the back plane layer 306B. Similarly, the insulating layer 304B has been cut back by making it shorter than the device layer 302B or, more specifically, shorter than the bottom electrode of device layer 302B. After the pre-cut layers have been laminated together to form the modules A′, B′ the modules are attached to a carrier substrate 308 and electrical connection is made between the back plane 306A of module A′ and the bottom electrode of the device layer 302B of module B′. In the example shown in
In preferred embodiments of the methods described above, individual modules may be fabricated, e.g., as described above, and then sorted for yield. For example, two or more device modules may be tested for one or more performance characteristics such as optoelectronic efficiency, open circuit voltage, short circuit current, fill factor, etc. Device modules that meet or exceed acceptance criteria for the performance characteristics may be used in an array, while those that fail to meet acceptance criteria may be discarded. Examples of acceptance criteria include threshold values or acceptable ranges for optoelectronic efficiency or open circuit voltage. By sorting the device modules individually and forming them into arrays, higher yields may be obtained than by fabricating arrays of devices monolithically.
In the discussion of the electrical contacts 120 between the transparent conductive layer and the back plane, vias were formed, coated with an insulating material and filled with a conductive material. In an alternative embodiment, connection between the transparent conductive layer and the back plane may be effected using a portion of the bottom electrode as part of the electrical contact.
Electrical connection 512 may be made between the bottom electrode 506 and the back plane at one or more locations as shown in
As shown in
The process of forming the isolation trench may cause electrical short-circuits 511, 517 between the transparent conductive layer 502 and the bottom electrode 506. To electrically isolate undesirable short circuits 511 formed on an outside wall 513 of the trench 514 an isolation trench 516 is formed through the transparent conductive layer and the active layer to the bottom electrode 506 as shown in
Not all short circuits between the transparent conducting layer 502 and the bottom electrode 506 are undesirable. Electrical shorts 517 along an inside wall 515 of the trench 514 can provide part of a desired electrical path to the electrical connection 512. If a sufficient amount of desirable short circuiting is present, the electrical contact may be completed as depicted in
Alternatively, if the shorts 517 do not provide sufficient electrical contact, a process of drilling and filling may provide electrical contact between the fingers 520 and the isolated portion of the bottom electrode 506. In an alternative embodiment depicted in
Note that there are several variations on the techniques described above with respect to
Embodiments of the present invention facilitate relatively low cost manufacture of large-scale arrays of series-connected optoelectronic devices. Larger devices may be connected in series due to the reduced sheet resistance as a result of the connection between back planes and the transparent conducting layers through the contacts that penetrate the layers of the device modules. The conductive traces can further reduce sheet resistance. Larger devices can be arrayed with fewer connections.
Although for the purpose of illustration, the examples described herein show only two optoelectronic device modules connected in series, it will be appreciated that three or more such device modules may be so connected in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
While the above is a complete description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to use various alternatives, modifications and equivalents. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be determined not with reference to the above description but should, instead, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with their full scope of equivalents. Any feature described herein, whether preferred or not, may be combined with any other feature described herein, whether preferred or not. In the claims that follow, the indefinite article "A", or "An" refers to a quantity of one or more of the item following the article, except where expressly stated otherwise. The appended claims are not to be interpreted as including means-plus-function limitations, unless such a limitation is explicitly recited in a given claim using the phrase "means for."
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text:
oeps i'm probally the oldest then(41)
Bloody hell !
I must be the Grand daddy here then - 48
I still remember programming games with the ZX81 & Spectrum
oeps i'm probally the oldest then(41)
None of you guys have Friend codes?!?
56, here.....
So I sent myself an email from my wii it gave me
8327 2686 6643 3202
and the address that it gave me was
Ok I'll take a look after
ony new to wii scene so havent a clue re the codes as yet not sure even where to find it will research that later..or ask the 13 year old where to get it might be easier!
im 33 however did buy the wii for the three kids hehe although hubby been on bass fishing tonight and the wii fit is pretty cool.
I turned 51 in November...
I have no idea what a Wii code is, so a little help would be good ! LOL


text:
Matt Siber: Untitled
Matt Siber is at it again. The master of reduction, who firmly fixed himself on our radar with his floating logos project has this time captured everyday scenes, and removed even the slightest whiff of typography. The removed type compositions are also eerily interesting, and when viewed side-by-side, reveal just how often we're subconsciously being spoken to each and every day.


text:
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"We don't want a situation where we can't afford to pay the costs for our retirees; they've earned those benefits," Maybe so, but at what cost? I couldn't care less about those retiree benefits when they're sitting pretty in their well-funded township homes where the police actually come when called. I wonder if any of those retirees or council members know what it is like to have to wait for help because there are no police available to respond to their call. Do they realize that often, help never comes? But as long as they are still getting their fat paycheck in retirement, I guess I don't mind all the crime and having to go downtown to file my own report when my rights have been violated because there is no policeman available to actually do anything about the crime when it's actually happening.
The one good service we get in Saginaw is our outstanding fire department and it is being decimated by this city council. Poor planning by city leaders, frivolous lawsuits, and wasteful spending (how many studies do we need to know that City Hall needs a new roof?) are the norm for this group of fools, but public safety always takes a back seat. I am sick to death of the excuses and lies coming from council chambers and the city manager's office. They place the blame on the tax cap when the real blame lies with their inability to adapt services to a changing population. The City has let it's residents down. We will not forget that when they ask us to give them more of our earnings to blow
Why would this policy be enacted? Shouldn't the dog or cat owner make the decision so spay or neuter? I rescued both of may animals, though not through the shelter. Both my female dog and female cat have been spayed. The cat cost near $100 several years ago at the Saginaw Veterinary Clinic and by the time my dog was spayed and given her shots, my bill was upwards of $400 at the vet. If the goal of Mrs. McCullough is to not have people adopt, then this policy should be enacted. If the goal is to rescue animals from the shelter, it should not.
"Our compliance is not very high," McCullough said. "With $30, it's not a very big investment." And how do you know what the compliance rates are? $30 may not be enough incentive for someone to take the time off work to come back to the shelter for a refund during their inconvenient business hours.
It just adds so much to the story when the reporter makes up words. "Judge M. Randall Jurrens entered not guilty pleas on their behalves..." Behalves? Really?
I wonder if Miss Santos is a Saginaw resident or if we're hiring yet another non-resident to run our city.
"askes" Really?
I'll be busy working at 3 p.m., but I hope someone will ask if the new MLive Media Group will be employing people who can spell and or type to write their headlines and edit their articles. Mistakes have been epidemic lately and the papers should be ashamed.
Ummm...Gus, what exactly is a defribbilator? I've looked in every dictionary in the library and can't find it. Since you used the word 3 times in the article and once in your headline, I'd like to know. Perhaps you meant defibrillator? Might I suggest dictionary.com for those tricky words in the future?
"At least statistically, East Lansing mimics Saginaw in several ways"....Huh? But not in crime statistics, demographic statistics, growth statistics, economic statistics, or any other way I can think of.
While I do NOT support any form of censorship and can see the danger in SOPA and PIPA, I would also ask that you all not lose sight of the issue which brought these bills about in the first place. People's intellectual property rights are being infringed upon constantly in a digital age. I would urge you to consider contacting your legislators directly and tell them that not only do you want an open web, but also intellectual property right protections. The OPEN act might be a good start in the right direction.
Hey Mr. Waterman. Why don't you balance this article by getting input from someone whose intellectual property has been stolen? I can understand why Wikipedia and Google would be against copyright protections but there are many others who would like to see their work protected.
According to Volt sales, Romney is right! It was announced earlier this week that every Chevy Volt produced cost taxpayers $250,000. Business week reported on December 5th that "GM has sold 6,142 Volts so far this year and has a target of 10,000 this year." Electric cars aren't selling in the UK either. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/oct/21/electric-car-uk-sales-sputter
...Now that's funny
The real question here is why on earth the land and water conservation fund is paying for shuffleboard and parking lots.
I'm glad to see this. People are currently able to collect unemployment benefits even from employers who still employ them! Change is needed desperately to make this system sustainable. @dank...unemployment is not welfare. When it runs out, there are safety nets. Ever hear of food stamps?
@gene1930. I can see you need some practice with reading comprehension. It says that Brandon (the bike rider who was killed) was riding. Not the driver.
All students in Saginaw and Flint qualify now- not because all of the kids are from poor families, but because the bleeding hearts don't want anybody to know which kids qualify for free lunch. This is a HUGE waste of taxpayer money! http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2011/09/all_saginaw_school_district_st.html
The City is trying to defend the indefensible. Saginaw is NOT a safe place to live by any measure. As far as the reliability of the site...I don't have time to look into what algorithms, but the site clearly states that it gets its data from a number of government sources. You can see which ones and how they are used here. http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/neighborhood-search/ If the Mayor thinks that Saginaw would fare better if people didn't include BV, Carrolton, and Saginaw Township in the statistics, he's crazy. The perception people have of our fair city is based on a cruel reality. Crime, poverty, joblessness, failing schools, crumbling roads, and lack of opportunity are real. Instead of disputing the facts presented by Neighborhood Scout, the City Council would be wise to take heed and try to make improvements that will help Saginaw get off the list!
Congratulations to all of the recipients.
Krystal, go to dictionary.com and look up the word outbidded.
"At a time when we're concerned about having people build their assets, that policy does just the opposite."
Ummm....WRONG! If you are receiving public assistance you have no buisness building your assests. Your first order of business should be putting food on the table and a roof over your family's head, NOT putting a $15000 car in the garage subsidized by taxpayers or adding funds to your IRA.
I dind't have any leaves to clean up until the city came by to collect leaves in my neighborhood. They deposited a large pile of leaves right in the middle of my driveway with their equipment. I didn't appreciate having to clean up their mess. But really, I'm not surprised.