text:
An accounting framework is provided for a communications system having a plurality of service providers, including cellular service providers and/or data network service providers, e.g., Internet service providers. Accounting units containing accounting information are exchanged between service providers to allow the service providers to charge for usage of services. The accounting units have a predetermined format to allow them to be exchanged between different service providers. Each accounting unit includes a plurality of fields, including a service type field, a usage of radio interface field, a usage of a visited or external network field, a usage of mobility management field, a quality of service field, a usage of a packet data protocol field, and other fields. Users may be charged for services based on these fields.
1. A method of accounting for services provided over a packet-based network, comprising:
determining a type of service used over the network;
monitoring usage of the service; and
collecting accounting information based on the type of service and usage of the service, wherein collecting the accounting information includes compiling the accounting information into an accounting unit,
wherein the accounting unit has a first entry to indicate a quality of service provided over the packet-based network, and a second entry to indicate mobility management.
2. The method of
3. The method of
4. The method of
5. The method of
6. The method of
7. The method of
8. A method of accounting for services provided over a packet-based network, comprising:
communicating a unit of accounting information carrying information regarding usage of the packet-based network by a terminal, the unit of accounting information having a predetermined format capable of being exchanged between a plurality of entities; and
assigning values to entries in the unit of accounting information based on usage, the unit including a first entry indicating a quality of service provided over the packet-based network and a second entry containing a network access identifier of the terminal to uniquely identify the terminal.
9. The method of
10. The method of
11. The method of
12. A method of accounting for services provided over a packet-based network, comprising:
communicating a unit of accounting information carrying information regarding usage of the packet-based network by a terminal, the unit of accounting information having a predetermined format capable of being exchanged between a plurality of entities; and
assigning values to entries in the unit of accounting information based on usage, the unit including a first entry indicating a quality of service provided over the packet-based network and a second entry containing a network access identifier of the terminal to uniquely identify the terminal,
wherein assigning values to entries further includes assigning a value to an additional entry indicating a type of service,
wherein assigning values to entries further includes assigning values to additional entries including entries indicating usage of a radio interface, indicating usage of a visited network, indicating usage of mobility management, and indicating an amount of data transferred,
wherein assigning values to entries further includes assigning a value to an additional entry indicating erroneous termination of communications,
wherein assigning values to entries further includes assigning a value to an additional entry indicating an amount of discarded data.
13. A system capable of being coupled to a packet-based network, comprising:
a controller to collect usage information based on a service used by a node on the packet-based network; and
a storage device containing an accounting unit in which the usage information is collected, the accounting unit including a plurality of entries to identify usage elements from which accounting may be derived, the entries comprising a first entry to indicate a quality of service used by the node and a second entry to indicate usage of mobility management.
14. The system of
15. The system of
16. The system of
17. The system of
18. The system of
an accounting processor adapted to receive accounting units from at least one other entity.
19. The system of
20. An article including one or more machine-readable storage media containing instructions for accounting for services used on a packet-based data network, the instructions when executed causing a system to:
determine usage elements associated with each service, the usage elements including a service type, amount of data communicated, and mobility management; and
collect accounting units each including entries identifying the usage elements.
21. The article of
22. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave comprising one or more code segments containing instructions for accounting for services used on a packet-based data network, the instructions when executed causing a system to:
receive accounting units from at least another entity, each accounting unit containing a first entry identifying a quality of service, a second entry identifying a terminal the accounting unit is associated with, and a third entry indicating usage of mobility management;
determine, from each accounting unit, usage of a service on the packet-based network; and
charge at least a subscriber for the usage of the service.
23. A storage device for storing data for access by one or more software routines being executed on a system, comprising:
a data structure stored in the storage device and including a plurality of entries, the entries including a first field indicating a quality of service provided over a packet-based network, a second field indicating if the service is chargeable, and a third field including an identifier identifying a node using the service.
24. The storage device of
25. The method of
26. The method of
27. The method of
28. The method of
29. The method of
30. The article of
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/104,107, entitled "Mobile IP Integrated GPRS Accounting Framework," filed Oct. 13, 1998; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/127,406, entitled "Merged Packet Service and Mobile Internet Protocol," filed Apr. 1, 1999.
The invention relates to accounting methods and apparatus for communications networks, such as cellular networks and data networks.
With increased availability of data networks, such as the Internet and intranets, nodes coupled to the data networks can more easily communicate with each other. Popular forms of communications across data networks include electronic mail, file transfer, web browsing, and other exchanges of data. With improved network bandwidth, higher quality voice and/or video communications have also become possible.
Although data networks offer access to a wide array of communications options and information sources, such access is typically not available until the user is sitting at a terminal that is coupled to the data network, such as a terminal located in the home, office, or vehicle. To address this, proposals have been made for providing mobile, cellular computers that can connect to the data networks while moving from place to place. One protocol that has been proposed is the Mobile Internet Protocol (MIP), as described in Request for Comments 2002, entitled "IP Mobility Support," dated October 1996, and proposed by a working group within the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
As a mobile node moves from location to location, the points of attachments of the mobile node to a data network may change, which may require a new IP address to be associated with the new point of attachment. A point of attachment may be defined as any wireless link between the mobile node and the data network within a given area. A wireless point of attachment may also be provided by a packet-based cellular system, such as a cellular digital packet data (CDPD) system, a general packet radio service (GPRS) system, an enhanced GPRS (EGPRS) system, an EGPRS Compact system, or other packet-based cellular systems.
The Mobile IP protocol allows the mobile node to use either one of two IP addresses, which include a home address that may be assigned "permanently" to a mobile node and remains unchanged regardless of where the node is attached to the data network. The mobile node may also be assigned a care-of address that changes at each new point of attachment. The care-of address includes the visited network's identity number and thus identifies the mobile node's point of attachment. Whenever the mobile node moves, it registers its new care-of address with its home agent located in its home network. To get a packet to a mobile node from its home network, the home agent delivers the packet from the home network to the care-of address. The home agent is a router on a mobile node's home network that delivers packets to roaming mobile nodes and maintains the current location for each mobile node. In a foreign network, which is any network other then the mobile node's home network, a foreign agent, which is a router on a mobile node's visited network, cooperates with the home agent to complete delivery of packets to the mobile node while it is away from the home network. When a mobile node moves away from its home network, it obtains a care-of address on the foreign network by soliciting or listening for special messages (referred to as agent advertisements).
In a traditional cellular network, a mobile user is typically charged for utilizing wireless services provided by a service provider. Typically, a user subscribes to a home service provider, which may have agreements in place with other service providers to allow the wireless user to roam between networks provided by the several service providers. Various types of accounting and billing mechanisms have been implemented to charge users for usage of services as they move between networks provided by different service providers. For example, an accounting architecture is defined by the CDPD standard, described in the CDPD System Specification, Release 1.1, dated January 1995, from the CDPD Forum, Inc. The CDPD protocol provides access to a packet-based network by providing a packet-based overlay to existing voice cellular systems. CDPD detects gaps between voice communications on cellular channels and directs packets of data to those channels. A service provider bills a subscriber for usage based on several parameters, including data packet counts, source and destination addresses, geographical location of the mobile node, and time of transmission. A primary service provider may have to share revenue collected from a subscriber with other service providers whose networks the subscriber may have used during the billing period.
However, conventional systems such as CDPD systems do not bill specifically for usage of packet-based data networks, such as the Internet or intranets, for various services. Such services may include electronic mail, file transfer, electronic commerce, real-time services (such as voice communications over data networks and multimedia conferencing), and other data network services. Further, a general predetermined format for describing accounting information is not available for different service providers to conveniently exchange accounting information. A need thus exists for a method and apparatus that is capable of charging for services utilized on packet-based data networks and that utilizes a uniform format for accounting information.
In general, according to one embodiment, a method of accounting for services provided over a packet-based network includes communicating units of accounting information carrying information regarding usage of the packet-based network. The unit of accounting information has a predetermined format capable of being exchanged between a plurality of entities. Values are assigned to entries in each unit of accounting information based on usage, the unit including a first entry indicating a type of service provided over the data network.
Some embodiments of the invention may offer one or more of the following advantages. By defining an accounting framework for charging services used on a packet-based network, service providers can bill subscribers for usage of packet-based networks. An accounting unit having a predetermined format that includes accounting information may be used to facilitate the exchange of accounting information between multiple service providers. Thus, accounting information collected by one service provider may be communicated to another service provider without complicated translations or conversions of accounting formats that may differ between service providers.
Other embodiments and advantages will become apparent from the following description, from the drawings, and from the claims.
In the following description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the present invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these details and that numerous variations or modifications from the described embodiments may be possible.
Referring to
Fixed nodes (non-mobile nodes) 32 and 34 may be coupled through service providers 36 and 38, respectively, to the data network 16. To obtain access to the Internet, users of fixed nodes 32 and 34 may subscribe with the service providers 36 and 38. Example communications between nodes coupled through the data network 16 may include electronic mail, file transfer, web browsing, chat sessions, real-time services such as audio and video conferencing, electronic commerce, multicast of multimedia data, and so forth. A real-time service may include any communications session in which some form of interactive exchange is occurring between two endpoints. Audio and video conferencing over a packet-based network involves the transmission and receipt of voice and video data in packets.
Conventionally, an accounting mechanism has not been developed for the different types of services available over the data network 16. A subscriber may pay a service provider a flat fee and in some cases fees based on time used for access to the data network 16. However, actual usage of different types of services generally have not been billed by service providers. Further, a general format for accounting information has not been defined that can be easily exchanged between service providers. In accordance with some embodiments, an accounting framework is provided for the various types of services offered by service providers over the data network 16 in which usage of services over the data network 16 is accounted for and which defines accounting units of predetermined formats that form the basic units for the exchange of accounting information. A uniform or common format is defined for the accounting units which may be employed by multiple entities, such as the service providers, to exchange accounting information.
As used here, "accounting" is used in its broad sense to refer to the collection, recordation, or communication of information from which an entity such as a service provider can determine charges to bill a subscriber or customer. "Accounting" may also refer to the billing or charging of subscribers or users of services. An "accounting framework" refers to the method and system employed to implement the accounting.
In addition to fixed nodes 32 and 34, mobile nodes 33 and 35 may also be coupled to the data network 16 through respective service providers 36 and 38 by some underlying wireless mechanism. To manage mobility of the mobile nodes 33 and 35, a version of Mobile Internet Protocol (MIP) may be employed in one embodiment. A version of MIP is described in Request for Comments (RFC) 2002, entitled "IP Mobility Support," dated October 1996. In accordance with some embodiments, the data network 16 may employ IP (Internet Protocol) to route data packets between a source endpoint and a destination endpoint, with the endpoints being fixed nodes (such as nodes 32 and 34) or mobile nodes (such as nodes 33 and 35). An IP address typically carries with it information that specifies the IP node's point of attachment. In an IP network, packets are routed from a source endpoint to a destination endpoint based on the destination IP address. However, as a mobile node travels between different networks, its point of attachment changes. Using MIP, mobility is made possible by assigning two addresses to the mobile node: a home address that is static, and a care-of address that changes at each new point of attachment. The home address makes it appear that the mobile node is continually able to receive data on its home network. However, when the mobile node moves to another network, it is attached to a visited or foreign network.
The home network includes a home agent (HA), which is a router that delivers packets to departed mobile nodes and maintains current location information for each mobile node. Each network also includes a foreign agent (FA), which is a router on a visited or foreign network that cooperates with the home agent to complete the delivery of packets when a mobile node is away from its home network. Packets that are sent to the mobile node's home address are intercepted by its home agent, tunneled (sent after predetermined encapsulation) by its home agent to the care-of address, received at the tunnel endpoint (either at a foreign agent or at the mobile node itself), and finally delivered to the mobile node. In an example arrangement, the home network for the mobile node 33 may be provided by one of the service providers 36 and 38 and the foreign network provided by the other one of the service providers.
In addition to networks provided by the service providers 36 and 38, cellular networks 12 and 14 may also be part of the communications system 10. The cellular networks offer both circuit-switched services and packet-switched services offered by a packet-switched system that is an overlay of the circuit-switched system. The first cellular network 12 is controlled by a mobile switching center (MSC) 26 for circuit-switched (voice, short messaging, and other types of circuit-switched services) communications. The MSC 26 controls communications between mobile nodes as well as between a mobile node and a wireline unit coupled through a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 18. The MSC 26 is coupled to a base station 22 over a link, referred to as an A link. The base station 22 includes antennas to transmit and receive control and traffic signaling to and from a mobile node 20.
To provide access for a mobile node in the cellular network 12 to the packet-switched data network 16, a service node 24 is provided between the base station 22 and the data network 16. In accordance with one embodiment, the service node may be a general packet radio service (GPRS) service node, referred to herein as GSN. GPRS provides a high-speed packet data technology to provide wireless data services. GPRS is designed to complement GSM (Global System for Mobile) circuit-switched networks. More recently, third generation protocols for packet-switched communications over wireless networks have also been proposed, such as EGPRS (enhanced GPRS) and EGPRS Compact. Such packet-based cellular systems may also be employed in further embodiments.
As shown in
In one example arrangement, the cellular network 12 may be provided by a service provider 40 and the cellular network 14 may be provided by a service provider 42. A mobile node may roam among the cellular networks 12 and 14 as well as between a cellular network and a network provided by one of the service providers 36 and 38. To provide continual access to the data network 16 as the mobile node moves from a cellular network (12 or 14) to a network provided by one of service providers 36 and 38, home agents (25 and 29) and foreign agents (27 and 31) are defined in the networks 12 and 14 to provide mobility management according to MIP. During roaming of the various networks, a mobile node can continue to access the various types of services offered over the data network 16. Thus, according to MIP, a mobile node may be forwarded packets to its care-of address as it moves within the networks provided by service providers 36 and 38, the cellular networks 12 and 14, and therebetween. In accordance with some embodiments, an accounting framework provides a mechanism to account for usage of services in the data network 16 by either fixed nodes or mobile nodes.
Each GSN 24 or 28 is also coupled to a home location register (HLR) 30 or 31, respectively, which contains a database of subscriber information used to provide control in cellular networks. The HLR is manage by the cellular service provider and represents the home database for subscribers who have subscribed to a service with the cellular service provider. The HLR contains a record for each home subscriber that includes location information, subscriber status, subscribed features and directory numbers. The link between an HLR and a GSN is referred to as a Gr link.
In accordance with some embodiments, usage of the wireless connection services offered by the various service providers (36, 38, 40, 42) as well as services over the data network 16 are subject to accounting. According to one embodiment of an accounting framework, various entities are involved, including a primary service provider, a home service provider, a serving service provider, and a consolidation service provider. Separation of the roles of the primary and home service providers allows a business entity to offer services to subscribers without having to operate a network. Thus, the primary service provider does not necessarily operate a service provider network, but is capable of activating subscribers on either a cellular access provider, such as a provider for the cellular network 12 or 14, or on an Internet service provider, such as service providers 36 and 38. In effect, a primary service provider provides the accounting home for a subscriber. A home service provider provides the routing home for a subscriber. A serving service provider operates a serving network to serve a mobile node when it visits the serving network. A consolidation service provider provides consolidation services to customers requiring consolidated billing for a group of subscribers. It is contemplated, however, that the home service provider, primary service provider, and consolidation service provider may be part of the same entity. Further, the primary service provider and consolidation service provider may collectively be referred to as a customer service provider.
Referring to
In the illustrated embodiment of
An accounting meter 68 may also be provided in the home service provider 52 for monitoring usage of mobile nodes in its network and to monitor usage of the fixed node 66. The accounting meter 56 in the serving service provider 50 may also be coupled to fixed nodes. The designation of "serving" and "home" when applied to fixed nodes is not applicable. Fixed nodes are coupled to their subscribed service providers. However, to the extent that a fixed node is accessing a network operated by another service provider, the other service provider may collect accounting information from which the subscriber may be charged. Also, the designation of "serving" and "home" as shown in
Referring to
A service type field 71 in each accounting unit 70 indicates the type of service that is provided on the data network 16. Such services may include real-time services (such as multimedia conferencing or messaging), electronic commerce, multicast services, electronic mail services, web browsing, file transfer services, and so forth. The service type field 71 allows a service provider to bill according to service type, since different types of services require different levels of resources. For example, multimedia conferencing may require a relatively high level of resource usage on the data network 16 since relatively large amounts of data are communicated with some level of quality assurance. Accordingly, a service provider may charge more for such services. On the other hand, electronic mail requires relatively low resource usage. The service type field 71 is logged in the accounting unit 70 when a subscriber makes a service request.
Another field in the accounting unit 70 is a usage of air interface field 72, which provides information of radio resource usage by a mobile node. The usage of air interface field 72 describes the amount of data transmitted to and from the mobile node along with quality of service (QoS) information to indicate whether the data sent is delay sensitive or delay tolerant. The usage of air interface field 72 may also supply the user protocols employed, such as IP or X.25. The amount of data that is sent or received to or from the mobile node 64 is logged.
Another field in the accounting unit 70 is a usage of external data network field 73, which provides charging information describing the amount of data sent and received from the visited or external data network provided by the serving service provider 50. The usage of external data network field 72 helps to consolidate the billing issues between two service providers by setting up the billing rate for inter-network roaming by a mobile node. The amount of data that is transferred between a mobile node and a visited or external data network is logged in this field.
Another field is a usage of mobility management field 74, which provides information of mobility management resources. A mobile node can choose to activate or not mobility management. If mobility management is activated, the mobile node can roam between different networks while staying connected to the data network 16. Such a capability is offered by mobile IP, in which a care-of address may be changed as a mobile node changes its points of attachment to the data network 16 when it travels between networks. The mobile node may be in one of three mobility management states: idle, standby, and active. In standby or active state, mobility management is available. However, when the mobile node is in an idle state, mobility management is turned off. When in the idle state, the ability to stay continually connected to a data network as a mobile node changes points of attachment is not available. A subscriber may be charged for mobility management based on the amount of time used, such as by the second.
The accounting unit 70 also includes a billable number field 75. The billable number field 75 may be in the format of a credit card number, an authorization number, a full national number, an IP address, or even a phone number. The field 75 provides the information about how to bill the mobile node. The billable number field 75 may include a type sub-field to identify the type of billable number. The billable number field 75 may be set for each subscriber when service is initially established for a subscriber by a provider, or the field 75 may be dynamically set depending on how a subscriber desires to pay for a given service.
Another field in the accounting unit 70 is a charging zone field 76, which allows for different charging zones to be set up in a logical network. This information allows a service provider to charge a subscriber different rates in different locations, such as by geographic locations or by intranet versus Internet use.
Another field is a termination error code field 77, which records any error that may cause an abnormal service termination. This information helps a service provider to improve service as well as to justify issuing credit to the user if needed. The information is captured when a call is dropped due to any error. For example, international calls may suffer high degradation in quality due to low quality transmission facilities of the called party. Having this field makes it easier for the service provider to issue credit to the users, who may complain about poor quality.
The accounting unit 70 may also include a source and destination address field 79, which describes the source and destination addresses (e.g., IP addresses) of source and destination endpoints. The source and destination addresses help identify the network entity that sends packets to a served mobile or fixed node, and also identifies the destination of packets sent from the served mobile or fixed node. This information is logged while a subscriber sends or receives data.
Another field is the quality of service (QoS) field 78, which indicates the quality of service, such as for voice communications or multimedia conferencing over the data network 16, that was employed for the particular communications session. The higher the QoS, the larger the bandwidth consumed, thus justifying billing the user at a higher rate.
The accounting unit 70 also includes a data packet count field 80, which counts the total number of data units that are exchanged between the mobile node 64 or the fixed node 66 and a service provider. Another field is a network access identifier field 81, which is used to uniquely identify a node in a network (e.g., email@example.com). The service provider provides this unique information before service can be rendered to the node. The NAI can remain unique even in a private network setup where an IP address that belongs to the particular enterprise may easily be a duplicate of another public (unique) IP address.
A usage of PDP (Packet Data Protocol) context and tunnel management services field 413 includes charging information describing how long a mobile node has used the packet data protocol (e.g., IP or X.25). Such information provides a service provider the opportunity to charge for the usage of a packet data protocol. While PDP context and tunnel management is active, a mobile node is allowed to send and receive data. When PDP context and tunnel management is not active, a mobile node is not allowed to send or receive data. A mobile node may choose to stay in an active PDP context and tunnel management state even though it is not actively sending or receiving any data. If PDP context and tunnel management is active, a service provider may want to know about the duration of this active state and charge accordingly.
A metering class field 414 indicates metering values such as pay phone, credit card, test call, ordinary, audit purpose, study, and so forth. If chargeable, this information is used to identify the billing rate of the call. This is captured during the registration of a call. Other fields that may be included in the accounting unit 70 are described further below.
The foregoing provides a general description of entities that may be involved as well as accounting units that may be employed in an accounting framework according to some embodiments. Accounting units exchanged between different types of providers (such as cellular service providers and Internet service providers) use common identifiers to keep track of the records. The common identifiers may be based on the identification of the subscriber, such as a mobile identification number (MIN), a network access identifier (NAI), an IMSI, and so forth. The common identifier may also be some other arbitrary identifier from which a service provider may derive (such as from a table) the identity of the node.
A more detailed accounting framework is described below. In one embodiment, the accounting framework employed may be based on, but modified from, the CDPD accounting service and protocol, as described in the CDPD System Specification. It is noted that other frameworks may be used in other embodiments.
Referring to
The accounting meters generate accounting units, referred to as traffic matrix segments (TMS), that contain captured accounting information based on usage in response to various communication events, such as registration and deregistration and usage of various services. For a mobile node, the accounting meters may be part of the GSN of a cellular service provider or the home agent or foreign agent of an Internet service provider.
The accounting meters deliver traffic matrix segments to a serving accounting distributor (SAD) 110. The SAD 110 sorts the traffic matrix segments into different home accounting segments (HAS) based on the primary and routing homes of each subscriber. The home accounting segments are delivered to an R-HAD 112 in the home service provider 102 and to a P-HAD (primary HAD) 114 in the primary service provider 104. The SAD 110 also delivers home accounting segments (HAS) to a serving accounting collector (SAC) 116 located in the serving service provider 100. The home accounting segments contain subsets of the information in the traffic matrix segments. The serving accounting collector 116 receives all home accounting segments distributed by multiple SADs 110 of the serving service provider 100, and thus stores all accounting data pertaining to service provided the serving service provider 100 in its serving role. The serving accounting collector 116 stores such information to maintain an audit trail.
Each of the R-HAD 112 and P-HAD 114 receives home accounting segments from multiple SADs 110 of different service providers and consolidates them into consolidation accounting segments (CAS). Consolidation accounting segments contain subsets of information in the home accounting segments. The primary HAD 114 delivers the consolidated accounting segments to a home accounting collector (HAC) 118 in the primary service provider 104. The primary HAD 114 also delivers consolidated accounting segments to a consolidation accounting collector (CAC) 120 in the consolidation service provider 106. The routing HAD 112 delivers consolidated accounting segments to a home accounting collector 122 in the home service provider 102.
The home accounting collectors 118 and 122 receive consolidation accounting segments from their respective HADs. The consolidation accounting segments received by each home accounting collector are stored, analyzed, and processed for each mobile node or fixed node in the system. From the collected information, subscribers and customers may be billed based on usage of services on the data network 16 and wireless usage (for mobile nodes). The information collected in the consolidation accounting collector 120 allows consolidation of accounting information collected for several subscribers that may belong to the same accounting group.
The traffic matrix segments, home accounting segments, and consolidation accounting segments may all be referred to as "accounting units" since they have predefined formats for carrying accounting information. The accounting units may be conveniently exchanged between entities involved in the accounting process. Using the accounting units in accordance with some embodiments, translation or conversion between formats is not needed when accounting information is exchanged, making the accounting procedure less complicated than a system in which entities such as service providers may define their own proprietary formats.
The flow of accounting information is illustrated further in
Thus, as illustrated in
The HAD 206 encapsulates received home accounting segments into consolidation accounting segments that are sent to a home accounting collector 208 and/or to a consolidation accounting collector 210.
Referring to
As illustrated in
The fields of each traffic matrix segment row are illustrated in
A cell identifier field 400 in the traffic matrix segment row 304 contains information about the cell that provided service for transfer of packets or datagrams between a mobile node and a cellular node, such as a GSN or a foreign agent in either the forward or reverse direction. The cell identifier field 400 identifies the cell being used by the mobile node at the time the row 304 was created in the traffic matrix segment 300.
A traffic type field 401 indicates the type of packets or datagrams that is being measured. The serving information field 402 includes information that is used for settlement between service providers. The serving information field 402 may include the following values. An SPI (service provider identifier) identifies the business entity that will participate in settlement activities with the primary service provider. A serving BRI (business relationship identifier) value uniquely identifies a business relationship for service providers and is used for revenue sharing upon settlement between service providers. Other information may also be included in the serving information field 402.
A home information field 403 includes the following information. A service provider identifier of a primary service provider (primary SPI) and home accounting distributor identifier of a primary service provider (P-HAD-ID) are associated with a mobile node's care-of address. A routing SPI (service provider identifier of the home service provider) and a routing HAD identifier (R-HAD-ID) are also associated with a mobile node's care-of address. If the accounting home and routing home for a care-of address are the same (indicating that the primary and home service providers for the mobile node are the same), then the routing SPI and R-HAD-ID fields are set to zeros.
The contents of the home information field 403 may be retrieved by a GSN or home agent from the subscriber profile 132 (
An equipment identifier field 404 is an identifier transmitted from a mobile node to a cellular node, such as a foreign agent or GSN, in an identity request message. This identifies the equipment type of the mobile node. An authentication sequence number field 405 includes an authentication sequence number that is captured by a cellular node (such as a GSN or foreign agent), during a mobile network registration sequence. A source-destination flag 406 determines which direction a packet is flowing (to or from the mobile node). An MIN field 407 is an identifier of the network layer that is running at the subscriber's node on the mobile side.
A session ID field 408 is a unique identifier for a session. A session duration field 409 measures the duration of a session from call origination to termination. A sub-usage duration field 410 is the duration of a session between two care-of addresses. In other words, the sub-usage duration field 410 indicates the amount of time elapsed between changing of care-of addresses in response to a mobile node changing points of attachment.
A charging identifier field 411 is a PDP context identifier used to identify the PDP context in different records created by cellular nodes, such as GSNs. A PDP type field 412 indicates a PDP type, such as X.25 or IP.
As explained above, the data packet count field 80 is a count of the total number of data packets (non-control packets) sent in the direction indicated by the source/destination flag 406 for the duration of the traffic matrix segment. A data octet count field 415 may also be provided to count the total number of octets of non-control packets sent in the direction indicated by the source/destination flag 406. A control packet count field 416 may also be provided that is a count of the total number of control packets sent in the direction indicated by the source/destination flag. A control octet count field 418 includes the count of total number of octets in control packets sent in the direction indicated by the source/destination flag.
A discarded packet count field 419 indicates the number of data packets that were sent in the forward direction to a mobile IP address and that have to be discarded by the network. Forward channel packets may be discarded if the mobile node moved to a new cellular node (e.g., GSN or foreign agent) but the GSN/home agent has not yet been updated with this fact.
The information compiled into the traffic matrix segments by accounting meters are used by service providers to bill subscribers according to their usage of services. Each service provider may choose to charge differently based on the accounting information provided in the traffic matrix segments. However, embodiments of the invention provide a common accounting unit that may be used by multiple service providers to bill their subscribers. Advantages offered by some embodiments are that service providers do not need to rely upon proprietary accounting mechanisms to bill for services. By using a common accounting unit that is understandable by all service providers, uniformity in the way accounting information is collected by service providers is enhanced, thereby simplifying the cooperation of service providers in collecting information to bill subscribers. For example, if exchange of accounting information is needed, translations or conversions between different formats can be avoided by using the common format.
Referring to
A summary segment sent by the serving service provider 100 to a primary service provider 104 contains usage charges (including taxes) that the serving service provider 100 calculates as its expected payment for the usage incurred by visiting subscribers. The charges for this usage is based on home accounting segments collected by the serving accounting collector 116 for subscribers of the primary service provider 104. The summary segment from the home service provider 102 to the primary service provider 104 contains charges (including taxes) that the home service provider 102 calculates as its expected payment for forwarding services for visiting subscribers, based on the summary of usage of services for each subscriber.
The serving and home service providers 100 and 102 also send settlement segments to the primary service provider 104 on a periodic basis to enable the invoicing and payment process. Settlement segments contain total charges due from a primary service provider over the settlement period.
The serving accounting collector 116 sends home accounting segments to a rating and taxing entity 502 that passes the usage and rating information to a summary and settlement serving accounting distributor (SS-SAD) 504. Similarly, the home accounting collector 122 sends consolidation account segments to a rating and taxing entity 506 that forwards the usage and rating information to a summary and settlement routing home accounting distributor (SS-R-HAD) 508. The rating and taxing entities 502 and 506 calculate charges and taxes based on national, state, and local regulations and inter-service provider agreements. The SS-SAD 504 and SS-R-HAD 508 send summary and settlement segments to the summary and settlement home accounting distributor (SS-P-HAD) 510 in the primary service provider 104.
Referring to
The applications may communicate over a network (such as the network 16) through network stack and driver layers (610 and 616) and network interfaces (612 and 618). The network stack 610 or 616 may include a TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) stack. The network interface 612 or 618 may include a network controller. The software routines and modules in each server or system 600 or 602, such as applications 608 or 614, may be executable on a respective control unit 604 or 620. A storage unit 606 or 622 is also included in each server or system to store data (e.g., accounting data) and instructions (e.g., instructions of the routines and modules for performing accounting tasks).
Each control unit 604 or 620 may include any one of the following components: microprocessors, microcontrollers, processor cards (including one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers), and other control or computing devices. Each storage unit 606 or 622 may include machine-readable storage media for storing data and instructions. The storage media may include different forms of memory including semiconductor memory devices such as dynamic or static random access memories (DRAMs or SRAMs), erasable and programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable and programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), and flash memories; magnetic disks such as fixed, floppy and removable disks; other magnetic media including tape; and optical media such as compact discs (CDs) or digital video discs (DVDs). Instructions that make up the various software layers in each of the servers or systems may be stored in each respective storage unit. The instructions when executed by a respective control unit cause the server or system to perform programmed acts.
The instructions of the software routines or modules may be loaded or transported into a system or device in one of many different ways. For example, code segments or instructions stored on floppy disks, CD or DVD media, the hard disk, or transported through a network interface card, modem, or other interface mechanism may be loaded into the system or device and executed as corresponding software routines or modules. In the loading or transport process, data signals that are embodied as carrier waves (transmitted over telephone lines, network lines, wireless links, cables, and the like) may communicate the code segments or instructions to the system or device. Such carrier waves may be in the form of electrical, optical, acoustical, electromagnetic, or other types of signals.
While the invention has been disclosed with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate numerous modifications and variations therefrom. It is intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications and variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
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Since 1987, Dr. Michael Kapsner and the Kapsner Chiropractic Centers of Austin, have been providing treatment of musculoskeletal conditions and other chiropractic services. Our 4 Austin Area locations, provide our patients with Chiropractic Adjustments, Spinal Decompression Therapy, Exercise Rehabilitation, Personal Training, and Massage Therapy. An individual treatment program can be designed to meet your specific needs.
Kapsner Chiropractic also offers a variety of educational opportunities such as providing complimentary health fairs and a variety of speaking engagements to Employer Groups, Local Churches, School Districts, Neighborhood and Apartment Communities throughout the Austin area. Please contact us if you would like a Kapsner representative to participate in your event.
If you are feeling any discomfort, you should consult one of our experienced Doctors of Chiropractic today!
Chiropractic is the art and science of evaluating and correcting subluxations (misalignments of the vertebrae of the spine causing nerve interference). The nervous system connects the brain with every system, muscle, organ, and tissue of the body. Every part of your body must have proper nerve supply in order for it to function properly. If there is interference to the nerve impulses to a particular area of the body, the result is stress. If that interference remains long enough, it will eventually lead to disease.
Kapsner Chiropractic Centers of Austin, work to reduce or eliminate the disruption of nerve communication caused by subluxations thus increasing your body's natural ability to heal. For more information on how we can help you, visit our frequently asked questions, site map, and information sections.
"Our main purpose is to find the CAUSE of your symptoms and to correct the problem by realigning the spine and other parts of the body which may be causing discomfort. We use the natural healing process of the body itself to heal the cause of disease without medicine or surgery."
-Dr. Michael A. Kapsner, D.C.
If you suffer from any of these symptoms, our friendly chiropractic doctors and specialists can help:
Kapsner Chiropractic Centers also provide treatments for the following ailments and conditions relating directly to your nervous system:

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This page formatted 2011 Blackmask Online.
Blue Book Magazine, May, 1936
The gypsy detective Isaac Heron solves one of his strangest cases
"THE tattooed man has died," said Isaac Heron quietly. "I thought you would like to see the body before it is buried."
Detective Inspector Graves, swathed in a raincoat, his bowler hat dripping wet, exploded amazement and exasperation at his friend the gypsy. They stood on the edge of a fair-ground, where a gasoline lamp hissed and spluttered in the rain.
"D'you really mean to tell me, Heron, that you've brought me from a comfortable fireside to this God-forsaken part of London to see a corpse! Good heavens, don't I see enough bodies in the course of my work?"
"But not tattooed bodies," said Isaac Heron, with a queer smile.
"But you said this tattooed man had died."
"Oh, everything is in order," said the gypsy. "The doctor has signed the death-certificate, and the poor fellow is to be buried in the morning. Unless you stop it."
Detective Inspector Graves frowned.
"But why should I? If the doctor is satisfied that the man died from natural causes—"
Isaac Heron shrugged his shoulders.
"Better come inside the tent out of the rain, anyhow," he suggested.
And because this well-to-do gypsy had on a number of occasions been of very real help in solving difficult cases, the Scotland Yard man followed the lithe figure of Isaac Heron into that maze of drenched light that called itself, ironically, a Fun Fair.
They passed gaudy roundabouts churning out last year's jazz. Booths with dart-throwers, shooting galleries with spouting celluloid balls, and lemonade stalls with bellied bowls of yellow liquid impeded their progress. Eventually pushing through an apathetic and drifting crowd of damp people they reached a dark, deserted booth where no lights were flaring.
It was possible, however, to glimpse a gaudy painting of a man whose torso was smothered with fantastic and writhing designs.
Graves stopped to read an announcement on a signboard which assaulted the eyes with the wording:
Walk Up and See Him for Yourself.
"And so he's dead, eh?" said Graves.
"Died in front of a crowd of thirty people who had paid threepence each to see him."
"Well, I suppose they thought they'd had their money's worth!"
Graves stumbled up the wooden steps, across a little platform, and followed the gypsy into the booth.
A strange scene was revealed. A single low-burning lamp was slung from the canvas roof. A group of figures, as fantastic as any painted by Goya, were clustered beneath it. The Fat Lady, in a baby frock, glycerine-like tears squeezing from her eyes. The Lion-tamer, uncomfortably tapping his stained riding-breeches with a whip. Three dwarfs standing on chairs to peer over the shoulders of others. Shirt-sleeved men from the booths, and a solitary Italian ice-cream vendor.
The group fell apart as Isaac Heron advanced, and in the dim light their faces seemed filled with genuine sorrow. For a moment Graves hesitated; then, with an uncomfortable feeling, he removed his hat. He found himself regarding two trestles which upheld a coffin in which lay the body of Elmer Hayes, the Tattooed Man.
Even in death that purple-pricked body was exhibited. The huge chest displayed a series of fantastic designs—butterflies, snakes, airplanes winging among purple clouds, hearts with daggers in them and purple blood dripping, a Union Jack and the American Stars and Stripes, a clipper on a rough purple sea—there was no end to the conglomeration of pictures.
BUT it was to the now rigid face that Graves turned his gaze. Although the eyes were closed and the face possessed a semblance of peace in death, there was something drawn, something tortured, in those features that suggested the end was no happy one.
"He must have suffered," muttered the Scotland Yard man.
"Poisoned!" wheezed a voice at his very elbow.
The detective turned. A mustached man with eyes magnified by spectacles was standing there.
"What d'you mean by that— poisoned?" snapped Graves.
"Just what I said, poisoned," went on the mustached man. "Poisoned by his tea, I should say. He would eat mussels, and drink any sort of liquid that was given to him. That was the tea he had before he died. I warned him against it. Told him his stomach couldn't stand it. But of course he paid no attention. Nobody ever does, to me. But I come in at the death."
He cackled, in a grim fashion.
"Who are you, anyhow?" asked the Inspector.
"A doctor," replied the other, twisting his mustache importantly. "They call me the shilling doctor, but I don't always get my shilling."
"And you say this man was poisoned?"
"By himself! Acute toxins resulting from indigestion attacking the heart. Or as we physicians call it, gastric enteritis. You'll find that on the death-certificate. . . . Have you a match?"
His tobacco-stained mouth was slanting a cigarette at the detective.
But it was Isaac Heron who obliged.
"I'd like my friend to see the designs on the back of the body, Doctor, if you've no objection," he said, holding a match to the cigarette.
"None at all. Delighted," said the medical man. "Allow me."
He plunged his hands into the coffin and with a deft twist of powerful wrists turned the body over. The back of the corpse was revealed, also smothered in purple-pricked designs.
"I think I've seen enough," grunted Graves. There was something about this group of freaks and the sardonic "shilling doctor" that made him feel sick, and he was anxious to regain the rain-slashed darkness of the open air.
"But I particularly want you to see this design, Graves," insisted the quiet voice of Isaac Heron.
Reluctantly, the Inspector followed the pointing brown finger and bent his head nearer. For among that phantasmagoria of dragons and flaming torches and yawning crocodiles was a tombstone. And marked on the tombstone, minutely pricked but clearly discernible were the words:
DIED Nov. 30, 1935
"And when did this poor fellow die?" asked Graves.
"Yesterday," replied the doctor importantly. He was not looking at the body. "You will find it on the death certificate, which is quite in order. 'Gastric enteritis. November 30, 1935.' "
"Thank you, Doctor," said Isaac Heron.
"But—but has he seen this?" blurted out Graves.
"Seen what?" asked the physician. He bent down over the corpse. "Umph! That's queer. November 30th. The very day he died. I wonder how he got that tattoo mark?"
"It seems fairly recent to me," said Heron.
The doctor nodded. "Yes, it is. Very recent." He swung round upon the little group of freaks. "Has anybody been fooling about with this body?"
His eyes were blazing behind the spectacles.
A SHIRT-SLEEVED individual pushed his way forward. "P'raps I can explain, guv'nor!"
"Who are you?"
The shirt-sleeved individual jerked his head in the direction of the body.
"He was my show. I paid him his wages."
"And what do you know about this tattoo mark?" demanded Graves.
The showman scratched his head.
"Well, guv'nor, all I can say is he had it done hisself. He was allus anxious to add a new picture to his collection, as it were. Most big towns we stopped at, he would look round for a tattooer and ask for a new picture. That one you're looking at now was done about a week ago. Leastways, that's when Elmer started going to a new tattooer he'd found."
The doctor grunted.
"Well, that explains it," He turned to the Scotland Yard man and the gypsy. "Seen enough?"
"Quite enough, thank you, Doctor," said Isaac Heron.
Deftly the body was turned over. As the men moved away, the group of show people, the freaks, the dwarfs, and the workers closed in again upon the coffin and resumed their silent staring mourning.
"There's Elmer's daughter," indicated the shirt-sleeved man. "Poor girl, she misses her father, shocking!"
Isaac Heron, followed by the detective, moved over to a figure sitting on an upturned bucket and crouched in an attitude of grief.
"My dear," he murmured.
A shock of black hair was raised, revealing a face whose slightly yellow tinge, high cheek-bones and oblique eyes emphasized an Asiatic origin.
"Her mother was a Jap," whispered the showman. "She died when the girl was born, so Elmer told me."
"Is there anything I can do for you?" asked Heron.
The girl shook her head.
"Nothing—nothing. Father is dead— and that's all."
Sobs choked the rest of her utterance. Sadly the gypsy turned away. He whispered something to the showman, who nodded. It was the shilling doctor who broke in upon them.
"Well, I suppose there's a queue of patients waiting for me. You won't need me any more." The end of his glowing cigarette was almost burning his lips. "Everything is in order. You've got the death-certificate. . . . Good night, gentlemen."
And peering through his spectacles, he shuffled away into the night.
Five minutes later Isaac Heron and Detective Inspector Graves were standing once more in the rain on the edge of the fair-ground.
"Well?" asked the Scotland Yard man.
"Queer, isn't it, that Elmer Hayes should die on the very day that the tattooed tombstone on his back indicated?" observed the gypsy.
"Might be coincidence," said Graves.
"And it might be murder," Heron rejoined quietly.
The Scotland Yard man started. "1 saw no indications of that."
"Not even the redness and swelling beneath the tattooing of the tombstone?"
"Heavens, no! Are you suggesting—"
"Poison!" nodded Isaac Heron. "Certainly not gastric enteritis. That shilling doctor is overworked and careless. And once he's signed a death-certificate, he believes in it implicitly."
Graves stared at his companion. "Aren't you rather jumping to conclusions?"
"Maybe I am," admitted the gypsy. "But here's a taxi. Let's take it. There's something else I want to show you tonight."
Graves was too bewildered to protest.
"I SAW the body of Elmer Hayes earlier in the day," explained Isaac Heron, leaning back comfortably in the taxi. "And incidentally, I spotted that peculiarly new tattoo mark."
"Who told you of his death?" asked Graves.
"A brother of the black tents," smiled the gypsy. "News travels fast among show folk. And I confess to a Barnum-like fascination for freaks. Yes, I went to see the body of that poor fellow out of sheer curiosity."
"And having seen it?"
"I telephoned for one of the best tattooists in London to come and see it. You probably know the man. He has his shop, or studio, as he prefers to call it, near Waterloo Bridge."
"I know him," nodded Graves.
"I showed him that tombstone on the back of the dead man. He examined it through a magnifying glass. To him that design was as plain as a fingerprint to your department at Scotland Yard."
"What was plain about it?"
"That it was the work of a Japanese tattoo artist. I don't know whether you are aware, Graves, but the art of tattooing began in the East and reached its highest development in Japan. The Japanese became past-masters of the art. Then it was prohibited in the East, and it traveled across the world and flourished in our East End."
"Japanese!" said the startled Graves. "That girl we saw weeping for her father was half Japanese."
Isaac Heron nodded.
"Her mother was pure Japanese. She married Elmer Hayes when, as a sailor, he landed in Japan. And as my tattoo expert pointed out, the majority of the three hundred and fifty designs on that body we saw had been done by Japanese artists."
"As also the tombstone?"
"Yes, the tombstone that was pricked into his body only a few days ago," emphasized the gypsy. "But the artist who executed that design, even though murder was in his heart and stringing at the end of his needles, couldn't resist putting his signature to his devilment."
"Signature! I saw no signature." protested Graves.
"Just the letters 'Y.S.' beneath the inscription on the tombstone," said Heron. "They were enough."
The Scotland Yard man gave a quick glance out of the window of the taxi.
"I say, Heron, this fellow is heading for Limehouse. Is that all right?"
"Quite all right. Limehouse is where the Orientals insist upon clustering, in London. Chinese—and Japanese," he added significantly.
"I took the liberty of telephoning the Poplar police-station in your name," explained Heron. "I asked them if they knew of any Japanese claiming to be a tattooer, with the initials Y.S., who had set up shop in their district. I must say they were exceedingly smart. Within ten minutes they had the information for me. Yogai Safu was my man. His address was Limehouse Causeway. And here we are!"
HERON tapped sharply on the driver's window. The man slurred his cab against the pavement and stopped. The two men stepped out. They were at the entrance to that dark, twisting gully of a street where solitary men shuffle quietly against unlighted houses.
Limehouse Causeway.
Followed by the Scotland Yard man, Isaac Heron plunged into that cleft in the darkness. They walked for about a hundred yards, then the gypsy stopped outside a shuttered shop that presented a blind exterior. The gypsy stretched out a hand, found a door-knob, turned it and padded along a narrow corridor. Then he opened another door and entered a room badly lit by a shield of bluish white gas.
Graves shuffled after him and peered about expectantly. It was the second strange interior he had seen that evening. The dirty yellow of the walls was an almost perfect camouflage for the wrinkled almond face of an old Japanese squatting on a heap of greasy cushions. There was not even a blink of surprise on that impassive Oriental face as it regarded the intruders.
"Yogai Safu?" asked the gypsy.
"Your honorable servant," replied the Japanese, bowing and displaying a smooth bald head. "What would you have me do, gentlemen?"
His English was passable, his manner completely assured. Isaac Heron smiled easily.
"I've a friend here who wants to be tattooed." Graves started; but Heron went on without a pause: "A sailorman tells me that Japs are the best at the job, and I saw the card in your window yesterday. Can you do the job?"
"It is, gentlemen, somewhat late in the evening."
"But my friend is willing to pay," added Heron.
The Scotland Yard man sniffed. This opening conversation was not to his liking. He preferred more direct methods. He opened his mouth and spoke roughly.
"What I want to know—" he began.
But Heron quickly interposed.
"My friend, as you will gather, is a little nervous. But then they all are, eh? Graves, strip off your coat and bare your arm to the gentleman."
Mechanically, but more worried than ever, the Scotland Yard man obeyed. Despite the absurdity of the situation, his trained eyes were observing every detail, every object in that strange room.
A LONG low table was covered with little colored bowls and bottles—inks for the tattooer. A bunch of gleaming needles lay in a tray. And behind the table, against the wall, was pasted a medley of designs: mermaids rising on their tails, cherry trees dripping blossoms, a naked diver fighting a shark under water, a dragon breathing fire—these and scores of other sensational and murderous designs were ranged there.
"What a beautiful white skin for tattooing!"
The old Japanese was purring as he took the bared left arm of Graves in his own yellow fingers. The Scotland Yard man shuddered at the touch. At the same time he gave an appealing glance at Isaac Heron which suggested that the farce had gone far enough.
"And will the gentleman decide upon the design?" asked the Japanese.
Heron replied with that subtle smile:
"My friend is often in dangerous situations. He might easily be killed and his body be unrecognized. Now I suggest that, as a form of identification, you tattoo a tombstone on his arm."
"A tombstone!"
The oblique eyes of the Japanese seemed to become mere slits in a yellow mask as he repeated the words.
"Why not?" inquired the gypsy. "It's not an unusual design, is it?"
"Then go ahead."
The yellow hand stretched out for a needle. The point was tried against a thumb. He lit a spirit lamp, and dabbed the needle in the flame. Then he dipped it into a little bowl of purple ink.
"And what name would the honorable gentleman like to have tattooed on the tombstone?" asked the Japanese, the needle poised in the air.
"Detective Inspector Graves of Scotland Yard," replied Isaac Heron.
GRAVES felt the yellow clutch on his arm tighten. But on the face of the tattooer there was no expression.
"Very well," he murmured, and dipped the needle into another bowl.
The slitlike eyes were regarding the sinewy white arm that he held in his grasp. Beads of perspiration broke out on the brow of the detective. His own gaze was fixed upon that gleaming needle that was about to plunge into his arm.
But even as the needle came toward the white skin, the hand of Isaac Heron was quicker. His fingers clutched the hand of the old Japanese in a vise-like grip.
"Grab the other hand, Graves!" came his warning voice.
The Scotland Yard man was only too eager to obey. In a few seconds the Japanese was lying on the cushions, his yellow wrists circled with the steel handcuffs which Graves always thoughtfully carried about with him.
"Poison, as I suspected," said Heron, sniffing at one of the little bowls. "Once he heard you were from Scotland Yard, he realized he was suspected. He intended you to go the same way as Elmer Hayes. Isn't that so, Yogai Safu?"
For once the yellow mask was twisted with rage.
"Elmer Hayes was a white dog. He deserved to die. Twenty years ago I swore, at the shrine of my ancestors, to kill him!"
"Twenty years ago!"
Isaac Heron lifted an eyebrow inquiringly.
IN native fashion, the Japanese hissed through clenched teeth: "Twenty years ago, that Elmer Hayes pose as honorable gentleman, and come to my studio in Yokohama for be tattooed.
He wanted many, many designs upon body. I not know it was intention to show himself to crowds and make money by displaying body. Ugh! A vulgar practice. But many things I did not know at that time."
"What else didn't you know?" asked the gypsy.
"Elmer Hayes had infatuated my daughter, my only daughter. She was as sweet as cherry blossom in spring. I loved her as the last descendant of most honorable ancestors. That white dog from overseas smuggled her away in steamer."
The old man's voice was firm. Not a tear trickled down that wrinkled face.
"And then?" encouraged Heron.
"I make for hara-kiri," said the old man. "But even as I prepare before shrine of ancestors, voice told me it was duty to get vengeance first. Honor had been violated. Until stain had been washed out with blood, my work on this miserable earth not ended. I packed up my needles, my inks and my kakemono, and sailed for America.
"A stranger in strange countries, it was not easy for me to follow their path. I find myself always too late. Across America, into Europe, through far lands I follow— for twenty years! I must stop often to earn money with tattoo. I open studio here in London. Then one morning the man himself walked into studio.
"The gods of my ancestors had answered my prayers and given enemy into my hands. He not recognize me. I used the same initials, but fake name. He saw only an old Nipponese who practice ancient art of tattooing. He asked me to prick design on back, one of few empty places left. I think first kill him quick. Then I remember he taken my daughter to live his life of shame; she had died in poverty. He must suffer for that. So, slowly, with cunning, I pricked poison into his body while making tombstone on his back. I knew just when that poison would take effect. So I pricked date on tombstone."
"Yes, we saw it," said Graves roughly.
"On his dead body, eh?" chuckled the old man.
There was silence for a moment. Then Isaac Heron spoke.
"There is one thing you do not know, old man," he said.
"And what is that, honorable sir?"
"Elmer Hayes has a daughter. You are her grandfather."
Once again came that hiss of emotion through clenched teeth. The old Japanese seemed to age before their eyes.
"That I did not know," he faltered. "Is—is she beautiful?"
"Like her mother."
The old man sighed.
"It is not right that her grandfather should be branded as a murderer."
THE remark seemed to rouse Detective Inspector Graves. He reached out for his coat and struggled into it.
"We'll be making our way to the station," he said. "I must phone to stop the burial of Elmer Hayes for tomorrow."
He took hold of the old Japanese and raised him from the couch of cushions. In that moment the man seemed to age incredibly; he swayed and almost crumpled to the floor. With a jerk Graves brought him to his feet.
"I apologize, honorable sir," smiled the Japanese weakly. "You see, I am dying."
"Dying!" Graves stared, disconcerted.
"Yes," mumbled the old man. "My work now is finished. I have avenged. It is better for the girl—she who is my granddaughter—that I do not live."
He seemed to lapse into a coma. With the help of Isaac Heron the detective carried the Japanese to the door. Under the light of the street lamp the gypsy gave the old man a searching glance.
"Yes," he nodded to Graves. "I think he is dying—and because he has determined in his mind to die. I doubt whether you'll ever get him to trial. The ways of the Oriental are strange, Graves."
And he went off in search of a taxi, leaving Graves supporting a very old and unconscious man.


text:
Employee: Rodolfo Tayag
Employer: Baird Corp.
Insurer: Liberty Mutual Insurance Company
Board No.: 02722290
(Judges Maze-Rothstein, McCarthy and Wilson)
G. Gregory Howard, Esq., for the employee
Joseph J. Durant, Esq., for the insurer
MAZE-ROTHSTEIN, J. The employee appeals that portion of a decision that dismissed his claim for payment of further chiropractic services and his claim that the insurer improperly withheld weekly benefits pursuant to G.L. c. 152, § 13A(10). 1 After a review of the evidentiary record, we reverse in part and recommit in part.
Rodolfo Tayag, the employee, was fifty-five years old at the time of the hearing. (Dec. 6.) The original date of injury was April 12, 1990. 2 (Dec. 1.) His work injury has been the subject of numerous conferences and hearings. 3 (Dec. 1-2.) While litigation was ongoing, the statutory period of entitlement to § 34 temporary total incapacity benefits was exhausted. 4 (Dec. 2.) Notwithstanding, the employee continued to treat with his chiropractor. (Dec. 6.) The employee filed a claim for permanent and total incapacity benefits under § 34A. Following a § 10A conference, the administrative judge issued an order granting the § 34A claim from February 2, 1998 and continuing. (Dec. 2.) However, the § 30 claim for payment of chiropractic treatment was denied. (Dec. 3.) The employee appealed to a hearing de novo.
On August 19, 1998, pursuant to G.L. c. 152, § 11A 5, a neurologist examined the employee. 6 (Dec. 4, 5.) The parties agreed to a second § 11A examination by a chiropractor. 7 (Dec. 3.) On November 19, 1998, the employee was examined by a § 11A chiropractor whose medical report and depositional testimony were also admitted into evidence. (Dec. 4, 5.) The case also involved a psychiatric injury. 8
The § 11A examiner (neurologist) opined that, although the employee was exaggerating his physical complaints, he experienced pain that was permanent in nature. (Dec. 8.) In addition, the doctor noted that the employee suffered from depression. (Dec. 9.) The examiner opined that the combination of the physical injuries and secondary depression rendered the employee unable to work. These medical opinions were adopted by the judge. (Dec. 9.)
The § 11A chiropractor opined that the employee was permanently and totally disabled as a result of his neck, shoulder and left arm pain. Additionally, he opined that further chiropractic treatments were neither reasonable nor medically necessary. (Dec. 9.) The judge adopted this medical opinion as well. (Dec. 10.) The judge also adopted psychiatric medical opinions that causally related the employee's depression as a permanent sequela of the work injury. (Dec. 10-11.)
Although the judge found the employee exaggerated the extent of his physical restrictions and that he lacked credibility regarding the extent of his complained of pain and his level of activity, he did find a continuing partial physical disability and he credited the psychiatric sequela of the physical condition. (Dec. 6-8.) Based on the medical evidence, the judge determined that the employee had remained totally disabled "[a]t all material times." (Dec. 11.) Additionally, the judge determined that the insurer properly withheld weekly benefits pursuant to § 13A(10). Accordingly, the judge ordered the insurer to pay permanent and total incapacity benefits pursuant to § 34A from November 1, 1996 onward; medical and hospital expenses pursuant to §§ 13, 30 for psychiatric treatment but denied the chiropractic claim; and a § 13A (5) fee to the employee's counsel. (Dec. 12-13.) The employee's claim for improper withholding of benefits under § 13A(10) was denied. (Dec. 12.) The employee appeals.
The employee raises two issues: 1) the judge misapplied the provisions of § 13A(10); and 2) the determination that the employee was no longer entitled to chiropractic care is inconsistent with the findings and contrary to law. (Employee's brief, 1.) As to the first issue, the employee contends it was error to find that the insurer had properly deducted amounts from the weekly benefits due the employee for payment of his attorney's fee. More specifically, the employee maintains that his injuries predate the 1991 amendments and therefore G.L. c. 152, § 2A, 9 bars the application of §13A(10) to his case (Employee's brief, 3) because a § 13A(10) payment would reduce the employee's weekly award. (Employee's brief, 4.) The insurer responds only that "The Administrative Judge properly applied Section 13A(10) of Chapter 152." (Insurer's brief, 2.) We disagree with both the employee's rationale and the insurer's view.
Section 13A(10), when enacted, was expressly deemed substantive by the Massachusetts legislature. See St.1991, c. 398, § 106 ("For purposes of section two A of chapter one hundred and fifty-two of the General Laws . . . subsection (10) of section thirteen A of chapter one hundred and fifty-two of the General Laws shall be deemed to be substantive in character"). Hence, it is not necessary to scrutinize the language of § 2A to determine the applicability of § 13A(10) in this case. Here § 13A(10) did not apply to the employee's date of injury, which clearly preceded its enactment date. Thus, we reverse the decision as to this issue.
Second, the employee contends that the finding that his " 'neck and left arm conditions limit his activities, and create his need for treatment,' " (Employee's brief, 4, quoting Dec. 8) conflicts with the adoption of the § 11A chiropractor's opinion to deny further chiropractic benefits. (Employee' s brief, 4.) Next, the employee proffers that he sought palliative chiropractic care for "temporary relief" from his pain and so testified at hearing. 10 (Employee's brief, 4, citing to May 14, 1999 Tr., 31, 37.) See Lewin v. Danvers Butchery, 13 Mass. Workers' Comp. Rep. 18 (1999)(palliative medical care is covered under the Act). The employee's argument on this point has merit.
Palliative care may be compensable. Lewin, supra (and cases cited therein). Despite the fact that the judge questioned the degree of the employee's pain and the credibility of other of his assertions, the judge nonetheless determined that the employee "probably still does suffer from neck and left arm pain, to some extent." (Dec. 8.) Germane to this point, the judge adopted the § 11A neurologist's medical opinion that the employee was experiencing permanent pain, which was unlikely to be alleviated. (Dec. 8-9.) Additionally, although the § 11A chiropractor opined that continued chiropractic treatment was unlikely to result in "any further clinical improvement" and that he would "have a hard time justifying further . . . treatments as being reasonable or medically necessary[,]" 11 he also opined that: "[t]here is no doubt . . . that chiropractic care offers [the employee] temporary symptomatic relief." (DIA Ex. 2, 5.) Nevertheless, the administrative judge denied the claim for further chiropractic treatment. (Dec. 10, 12.)
The decision in Lewin involved the same § 11A chiropractor as testified here. His opinion about symptomatic chiropractic care was consistent in both matters. Lewin, supra at 19. Both here and in Lewin, at no time during his depositional testimony did the § 11A chiropractor recant his prior medical opinion that the employee received some "temporary symptomatic relief" from chiropractic care. Instead he enlarged on this opinion. (Dep. of Dr. Sullivan, 20-23, 25-27.) 12 Moreover, the employee actually testified to several days of palliative relief from each chiropractic visit. (Tr. 31, 37, dated May 14, 1999.) It is unclear from the decision whether the judge considered the palliative aspects of the treatment. Without such a finding, we are unable to determine whether proper principles of law have been applied in this case. See Cicerone v. Quincy Adams Restaurant & Pub, 14 Mass. Workers' Comp. Rep. 62, 66 (2000)("It is the duty of an administrative judge to make such specific and definite findings, based on evidence, as will enable the reviewing board to determine with reasonable certainty whether correct rules of law have been applied"). (Citations omitted.) Accordingly, we recommit the case to the judge for further findings on the issue of the chiropractic care.
So ordered.
Susan Maze-Rothstein
Administrative Law Judge
William A. McCarthy
Administrative Law Judge
Sara Holmes Wilson
Administrative Law Judge
FILED: February 14, 2001
1 General Laws c. 152, § 13A(10), states in pertinent part:
In any instance in which an attorney's fee under subsection (1) to (6), inclusive, is due as a result of a cash award being made to the employee either voluntarily, or pursuant to an order or decision, the insurer may reduce the amount payable to the employee within the first month from the date of the voluntary payment[,] order or decision, by the amount owed the claimant's attorney; provided, however, that the amount paid to the employee shall not be reduced to a sum less than seventy-eight percent of what the employee would have received within that month if no attorney's fee were payable.
Amended by St. 1991, c. 398, § 35.
2 The original work-related injury was to the employee's cervical disc/spine. (Employee's brief, 1; Insurer's brief, 1.) In 1992, the employee was awarded benefits for a psychiatric injury stemming from the April 1990 work injury. (Dec. 2.)
3 Initially, the insurer paid § 34 temporary total incapacity benefits. In February 1992, a conference order was issued modifying the employee's weekly benefits. The employee appealed, but later withdrew his appeal. (Dec. 1.) In November 1992, a different administrative judge issued a conference order requiring the insurer to pay for the employee's psychiatric treatment. That order was appealed and later dismissed due to the failure to file the requisite fee. In September 1993, a third administrative judge issued a conference order that reinstated the employee's § 34 benefits. A conference order was issued in May 1995, by yet another administrative judge in which the insurer's request to modify or discontinue payment of benefits was denied. The insurer appealed. A hearing decision was issued in July 1997 in which the insurer's complaint was dismissed. Additionally, the insurer was ordered to pay medical bills, inclusive of psychiatric treatment. (Dec. 2.)
4 The employee's § 34 benefits exhausted on October 31, 1996. (Dec. 2.)
5 General Laws c. 152, § 11A(2), requires that a medical examiner be appointed when the appeal of a conference order involves a dispute over medical issues.
6 The neurologist physician had also examined the employee in 1995. (Dec. 8.)
7 While there is no right to more than one § 11A examination under the statute, Oliveira v. Scrub-A-Dub Ctr., 10 Mass. Workers' Comp. Rep. 61, 64 (1996), the parties may do so by agreement. See Pina v. Lachance, 10 Mass. Workers' Comp. Rep. 81, 87 (1996).
8 As neither §11A doctor was qualified to render an opinion with regard to the employee's alleged need for psychiatric treatment, the parties were allowed to submit additional medical evidence on that issue. (Dec. 3.) The medical reports of the employee's treating and an insurer's examining psychiatrist were submitted. (Dec. 4-5, 10.)
General Laws c. 152, § 11A(2), amended by St. 1991, c. 398, § 30, provides that "the administrative judge may, on his own initiative or upon motion by a party, authorize the submission of additional medical testimony when such judge finds that said testimony is required due to the complexity of the medical issues involved or the inadequacy of the report submitted by the impartial medical examiner."
9 General Laws c. 152, § 2A, reads in pertinent part as follows:
Every act, in amendment of this chapter, in effect on the effective date of this section or thereafter becoming effective which increases or decreases the amount or amounts of compensation payable to an injured employee or his dependents including amounts deducted for legal fees shall, for the purposes of this chapter, be deemed to be substantive in character and shall apply only to personal injuries occurring on and after the effective date of such act, unless otherwise expressly provided.
Amended by St. 1991, c. 398, § 16.
10 The employee also raises G.L. c. 152, § 30, to assert an entitlement to adequate and reasonable health care services for as long as they are necessary. He also argues that the reviewing board via Lewin, supra, has defined the terms "adequate and reasonable" and "necessary." (Employee's brief, 4.) As the underlying issue is recommitted for further findings, we need not address this particular concern at this time.
11 As support for his opinion that the treatments were not improving the employee's condition, in his deposition, the § 11A chiropractor testified that the employee's range of motion has actually decreased over time despite chiropractic treatment. (Dep. of Dr. Sullivan, 13.)
12 The § 11A chiropractor opined that the only type of treatment that appeared to provide the employee with any type of pain relief was chiropractic care. In his own practice, he services patients with similar medical histories to that of the employee. (Dep. of Dr. Sullivan, 20-23.) He did stress, however, that such treatment was symptomatic not curative. (Dep. of Dr. Sullivan, 25.)


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100,000 Years of Beauty Book Review & Photos
Beauty and the Brain: 100,000 Years of Beauty
100,000 Years of Beauty ($295.00, currently listed at $239) is a set of five books designed to be an extremely comprehensive study of the evolution and history of beauty. 100,000 Years of Beauty was commissioned by the L'Oreal Corporate Foundation (to celebrate their 100th anniversary!), but it is a wonderful set of books to go through if you're a knowledge-hungry beauty addict.
100,000 Years of Beauty is the culmination of a study which identifies many approaches to beauty in all civilizations throughout the ages, including a look into the future. A major editorial endeavor, uniting contributions from 300 writers of 35 different nationalities and 20 different disciplines, 100,000 Years of Beauty brings original insights into the quest for beauty. At the heart of the book is a central theme that throughout all civilizations the quest for beauty is universal. Through this initiative, the L'Oréal Corporate Foundation hopes to share knowledge and encourage the emergence of new perspectives about beauty.
The books come in a "pyramid" with each book sized differently (the first being the smallest, the fifth being the largest) and stacked inside the book "holder." The first book is titled "Prehistory" and goes through the early history of beauty in various societies. The second book is titled "Antiquity," which takes a look at the changes that have changed the "pursuit of beauyt." The third book is titled "Classical Age" and goes through beauty in both the medieval and early modern periods. The fourth book is titled "Globalization" and explores beauty through the modern era. The fifth book is titled "The Future," and it looks at how the digital age and technology-driven period will change the way we look at beauty going forward.
One of the details I really liked about the set is that there are a variety of topics and voices. You're not reading just one perspective, but hundreds; you get to read so many different authors with varying backgrounds–from historians to anthropologists. The other detail I like is that these are real books. These are not flimsy paperbacks with nothing to them. These are nicely weighted, thick pages with color-rich images and presented in style.
This set of books is a bit overwhelming–there are over 1,500 pages to go through–but it's done exquisitely (and rightly so, given the price tag). These are the kind of books that you flip through, admire the images, and read over a long period of time. If I didn't also eat dinner on my coffee table, I'd love to keep these right in the middle. I'm still working my way through it, page by page, but if you've ever wondered just how far back beauty has dated or what kind of beauty "rituals" were performed hundreds of years ago and how they've shaped beauty as it stands today–this is something to put on your wish list.
See photos of the inside!
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Treasury Securities
News about Treasury Securities, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.
Treasury 'Flash' Rally Report Is Released
Federal regulators identified no single cause of an hour of extreme volatility in the Treasuries market last fall.
July 14, 2015, Tuesday
MORE ON TREASURY SECURITIES AND: United States , Stocks and Bonds , Treasury Department , Banking and Financial Institutions , Regulation and Deregulation of Industry , High-Frequency and Flash Trading , Government Bonds
Standards Board Struggles With Pension Quagmire
At a rare public meeting of the Actuarial Standards Board, participants had difficulty in reaching consensus on changes to preserve public pensions.
July 11, 2015, Saturday
MORE ON TREASURY SECURITIES AND: Pensions and Retirement Plans , Retirement , Government Bonds , Interest Rates , Actuarial Standards Board , American Academy of Actuaries
Slight Decrease in Foreign Ownership of U.S. Debt
Foreign holdings of United States Treasury securities fell in April for the first time since October.
June 16, 2015, Tuesday
MORE ON TREASURY SECURITIES AND: National Debt (US) , Treasury Department , China , Japan , United States
We Keep Flunking Forecasts on Interest Rates, Distorting the Budget Outlook
The overestimates on rates for government bonds seem to be systemic, and we may be demanding more budget restraint than necessary.
February 24, 2015, Tuesday
MORE ON TREASURY SECURITIES AND: Government Bonds , Interest Rates , United States Economy , Credit and Debt
E.C.B. Stimulus Calls for 60 Billion Euros in Monthly Bond-Buying
The program, worth about $69.7 billion a month, is more than analysts had been expecting as the European Central Bank tries to fend off stagnation.
January 23, 2015, Friday
MORE ON TREASURY SECURITIES AND: European Central Bank , Quantitative Easing , Government Bonds
For U.S. Stocks, at Least, a Solid Finish
Domestic economic strength overshadowed weakness abroad, though plunging oil prices pose global uncertainty for the new year.
January 11, 2015, Sunday
MORE ON TREASURY SECURITIES AND: United States Economy , European Sovereign Debt Crisis (2010- ) , Quantitative Easing , Stocks and Bonds , Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline , International Trade and World Market , European Union , Federal Reserve System , Treasury Department , Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
Soaring Bond Prices May Sound an Economic Warning
The bond market is flashing warning signs as higher prices create lower yields.
January 6, 2015, Tuesday
MORE ON TREASURY SECURITIES AND: Economic Conditions and Trends , Government Bonds , United States Economy , Stocks and Bonds
For Bond Investors, Ignoring Expert Advice Has Been Profitable
But will the trend continue in 2015? Strategists offer their predictions.
January 3, 2015, Saturday
MORE ON TREASURY SECURITIES AND: Personal Finances , Government Bonds , United States , Stocks and Bonds
Why Greece's New Crisis Isn't Spreading to the Rest of Europe
This time around, financial markets seem to view Greece's problems as limited to Greece. That's great, unless the markets are wrong.
December 30, 2014, Tuesday
MORE ON TREASURY SECURITIES AND: Greece , Europe , European Sovereign Debt Crisis (2010- ) , Euro (Currency) , Government Bonds , European Central Bank , European Commission , International Monetary Fund
A Wager on Emerging Markets That Seems Poorly Timed
Many bond funds have loaded up on high-risk, high-return securities and, in the process, have become ever more opaque about the risks involved.
December 17, 2014, Wednesday
MORE ON TREASURY SECURITIES AND: Gross, William H , Gundlach, Jeffrey E , PIMCO (Pacific Investment Management Company) , Derivatives (Financial Instruments) , Government Bonds , Mutual Funds , Regulation and Deregulation of Industry
Who Is Owed by the United States
Despite running budget deficits of more than $1 trillion a year, the United States has been able to borrow at very low interest rates. Over the past year, the Federal Reserve, the American central bank, did not buy any Treasury securities, but the government had no trouble raising the needed cash from domestic and foreign investors. That was true even though China, the largest lender to the United States, was selling Treasury securities.
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text: Hazel Juanita Hayes, 84, long time Blair resident, went to be with her Lord Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012, at Windsor Hills Nursing Center in Oklahoma City. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Tuesday at Kincannon Funeral Home with David Hughes and Phil Teel officiating. Burial will follow services at the Blair Cemetery under the direction of Kincannon Funeral Home.Hazel Juanita was born to William Peyton and Lola Elizabeth (Kuykendall) Southhall on April 13, 1928 in Blair. She began her school years at Washington Ward in Altus, then went to second grade at Midway School. She transferred to the Blair Schools, where she graduated in 1946. She married the love of her life, Francis Eugene (Gene) Hayes on March 1, 1947 in Vernon, Texas. To this union three children were born. The couple raised their family on a small farm southwest of Blair. She worked at Altus Air Force Base in Civil Service as a Civil Engineer for several years before retiring in 1983. She was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ, attending the Elm and Hudson congregation in Altus the last several years. She was a member of the Daughters of Texas Republic; the Pioneer Settlers Descendants of Tennessee; Van Voorhies and Flippin Family Associations and several other genealogical organizations. She had taken five years of art classes and had attended some college. Hazel enjoyed flower gardening, crocheting, and genealogy research.She was preceded in death by her parents, Peyton and Lola Southall; husband, Gene Hayes; a sister, Carla Southhall Callahan; a brother, Clifford; a sister-in-law, Billie Southall; and a grandson, William Zackary Hayes.She is survived by two daughters, Nita Hughes and husband David of Porum; Lisa Sujean Teel and husband Phil of Oklahoma City; one son, Bill Hayes of Blair; three sisters, June Billington and husband Jim of Altus, Darla Brooks and husband Jerry of Blair, and Barbara Biddy and husband Donnie of Burns Flat; two brothers, Melvin Southall and wife Shirley of Mesquite, Texas, and Stanley Southall and wife Ann of Blair; 10 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild, plus a host of nieces, nephews and friends.The family will receive visitors Monday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Kincannon Funeral Home.Online tributes may be made at kincannonfuneralhome.com


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Posted by Sigon23 on 05/10/2009
Pollo Tropical is the best. Known for its famous grilled chicken, pollo is notorious for its great latin flavor. Definitely best in class.


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Register Now
Whether you're participating as an individual, volunteer or as part of a team, the Fight for Air Climb is a great opportunity to work toward the common goal of "Fighting for Air".
Are you unsure if you should start a team or register as an individual? Go ahead and start a team and we'll give you the tools and support needed to encourage your family, friends and colleagues to join. There is no additional obligation for forming a team, so why not give it a shot!
On-line registration is now closed for the 2015 Fight For Air Climb Columbus. You may participate as a walk-on by registering at the event between 8 and 9 a.m. or during packet pick-up on Friday, March 6, Noon-2pm and 4-7pm at FrontRunner, 1344 W. Lane Ave.
Find a Participant or Team:
Results Pending


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Health and Human Performance Department
University of Wisconsin-Superior
Marcovich Wellness Center 1402
Belknap and Catlin
P.O. Box 2000
Superior, WI 54880
ph. 715-395-4673
fax. 715-395-4636
Health and Human Performance Department
News and Events Details
Dr. Bill Simpson, an Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance, recently traveled to Taiwan to speak at the Exercise and Health Promotion Conference hosted by the National Taiwan Sport University. He was representing the American College of Sports Medicine as the Chair of the Committee on Certification and Registry Boards. While there Dr. Simpson met with Exercise Science faculty to assist them in curriculum development for their undergraduate health and fitness program as well as their new graduate program in clinical exercise physiology. Facilities include an exercise biochemistry lab, an animal lab, as well as biomechanics and exercise physiology labs.
Dr. Simpson's presentations at the conference included "The Degreed Exercise Professional, Challenges for the Future" and "Diabetes and the Clinical Exercise Physiologist". While there Dr. Simpson was guided by graduate students who took him around Taipei, including a visit to Taipei 101, the world's tallest building until 2013. Inside they took a 35 second elevator ride to the 89th floor! The visit opens the door for a possible exchange between NTSU and UWS in terms of course development and hopefully students as well.


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Not Letting Up – Community Allies Step into the Ring
February 7, 2012
Toll Watch provides real-time dispatches, live updates and social media/video updates to assist LA workers achieve democracy in the workplace. We keep tabs on Toll Group by monitoring and reporting the company's attempts to undermine their worker's right to a free and fair vote to unionize. [Read our first Toll Watch and sign up here for instant alerts.]
Determined to keep all eyes on a fair process, a group of community watchdogs went out on their first monitoring shift outside Toll's yard. The units, consisting of community, labor, and public health groups, are serving as roving watchdogs to closely monitor management's behavior.
Weathering the cold evening breeze near the port, and with clipboards in hand, they talked to a dozen Toll drivers eager to relay Toll's latest dirty tricks and anti-union election shenanigans. True to form, what they heard and documented is consistent with Toll management's antagonistic behavior thus far. See what community monitor, Amanda Mendoza, found out…


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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed its final waterway debris removal mission Monday at Lake Martin. The lake's shores were littered with debris left in the wake of the April 27 tornadoes, along with submerged hazardous materials in the water itself.
A local company, contracted by the Corps, loaded the first of 1,374 barges with debris on June 12 at Lake Martin after being tasked by the Alabama Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to handle the effort. In all, more than 15,000 cubic yards of debris was removed from the lake, located on the Tallapoosa River near Alexander City.
"We are determined to remove all eligible debris from Alabama's waterways," said AEMA State Coordinating Officer Jeff Byard. "This is a significant event in eliminating public safety hazards that were created by the spring tornadoes from our state's waterways."
"Risk to public health and safety is significantly reduced with the removal of the debris," said Wes Trammell, waterway debris removal mission manager for the Corps. "However, while the risk of boat traffic running over submerged debris has been reduced, we encourage the public to think about safety and exercise caution while on the lakes as there is always a chance that some smaller storm debris might be present."
In northeast Alabama on the Coosa River, Neely Henry Lake was also hit by storms, which dumped more than 5,000 cubic yards of vegetation, bed frames, boats and even camper trailers in its waters. The Corps completed that debris removal mission on July 18.
"This debris cleanup wouldn't have been accomplished if it wasn't for our recovery partnership with our state partners and the Army Corps," said FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Michael Byrne. "Lake Martin and Neely Henry Lake are now safer for Alabama residents because of this cooperation."
The debris removal at both lakes will benefit the overall health and water quality at those sites. But not all storm-related debris was removed.
"If debris was in a non-developed area and posed no safety hazard, we didn't remove it," Trammell said. "It will eventually become fish habitat."
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.