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In a recent report, Austin veteran Jim Phipps parked at one of the 241 handicapped parking places at the new Austin Veterans Affairs (VA) Outpatient Clinic for his scheduled doctor's appointment. His vehicle had disabled veteran license plates seen here in Austin which contain the letters "DV". The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issues these plates to all Texas veterans who have shown proper authentication of their infirmity. Per Texas law, these plates "provide the same parking rights and privileges as a plate with the International Symbol of Access (ISA)." (i.e., the plate has the wheelchair symbol on it).
However, when he returned to his vehicle, he found a parking citation. This was definitely a puzzle since he had parked in the same type of space at the old clinic for years without any difficulty. He wondered what kind of law had he broken to justify the citation.
Texas law provides DV plates to be issued to any "veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, with a service-connected disability of at least 50 percent, or at least 40 percent due to the amputation of a lower extremity, and honorably discharged, receiving compensation from the U.S. government as a result of such disability." However, the VA, a federal agency, defines the law differently: these parking spaces are reserved for those who have mobility problems.
DV plates are issued to a much wider group of veterans, many of whom have issues not related to mobility. The VA has stated that, in order to use the handicapped parking spaces, veterans must have either a handicapped license plate or a handicapped placard that hangs from the rearview mirror. Needless to say, for most veterans, this will require a doctor's evaluation, a prescription and another trip the Texas DMV.
Problem #1: the old clinic was patrolled by a private security firm and the new one is patrolled by federal VA police – and federal law trumps state law (i.e., they don't recognize Texas law). Problem #2: patients have not been notified of the change. And problem #3: to date, no information about parking issues appears on the website of the new Austin VA Outpatient Clinic which opened on July 9, 2013.
Granted the citations issued by the VA police are just "warning tickets" at the present time which means there is no financial obligation attached to them. Regardless, 94 of them have been given to unsuspecting patients since January of this year.
The big question is why no notice? With the capability of our government, and the information the VA has on its patients, it seems logical that three things would have made this story moot: (1) send an email to every patient in their database about the change in parking restrictions; (2) place a notice on their website; and (3) have visible signs posted all over the parking lot at the clinic. These things should have been done when the clinic opened last year.
Regarding (2), with the Austin clinic being "the largest, free-standing VA outpatient clinic in the nation", how difficult an action could it be to put a notice on their website? Their IT guy could do that in minutes. And to make matters worse, a second report affirms that the people in charge of the clinic don't seem to know how to assuage the concerns of those veterans who are still mystified as to what is going on.
Texas veterans dealing with health issues have already obtained what they considered to be their "proper" license plates and are receiving parking citations? This is ridiculous and insulting those of us who have served our country and continue to deal our health issues.
We veterans are shaking our heads at this one and hope that those outside of Austin haven't incurred this same type of situation.


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AirPower over Hampton Roads
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AF announces additional force management programs
AF announces additional force management programs
Posted 12/13/2013 Updated 12/13/2013
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from Air Force News Service
12/13/2013 -
Washington D.C. --
-- U.S. Air Force leaders announced Dec. 11 the implementation of force management programs designed to reduce the force by thousands of Airmen and civilian personnel over the next five years.
Fiscal year 2014 force management initiatives are in addition to the announcement made in July, stating the Air Force will implement several force management programs to meet budget-reduction requirements.
During a testimony to the House Armed Services Committee in November, Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, Air Force chief of staff, said long-term impacts of sequestration could force the service to cut roughly 25,000 Airmen over the next five years.
Air Force leaders made the decision to announce the overall strategic plan so Airmen have the necessary time to consider all their career options.
"The difference from years past is we announced voluntary programs first, then involuntary," said Lt. Gen. Samuel Cox, staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services deputy chief. "This year, due to the limited timeframe, we're announcing all programs at once to allow Airmen time to consider their options and ensure their personnel records are up to date."
Several programs will be announced in the coming weeks, and boards will consider an Airman's entire record of performance and will be conducted in accordance with Air Force promotion board standards. These programs only apply to active-duty Airmen.
Enlisted programs
The chief master sergeant retention board will include two phases. During phase one, chiefs in specific specialties may apply for voluntary retirement in lieu of meeting a retention board. Chiefs with 20 years of total active federal military service from identified overage career fields who do not apply for retirement before the phase one window closes Mar. 15, 2014, will be considered by the board, Cox said.
The quality force review board will look at senior master sergeants and below with a negative quality indicator code. Negative codes include reporting identifiers, grade status reasons, reenlistment eligibility or assignment availability codes. For a complete list of codes, visit the MyPers website once the Personnel Services Delivery Memorandum is released.
Airmen who have declined to obtain retainability for permanent change of station, temporary duty assignment, training, deployments or promotion will be looked at under the Date of Separation, or DOS, rollback program.
Voluntary separation pay applies to Airmen on the active-duty list with more than six years, but no more than 20 years of total active federal military service, and will be offered to enlisted retention board eligible Airmen as a voluntary incentive prior to the boards.
The enlisted retention-boards will look at senior airmen through senior master sergeants in overage Air Force specialty codes with a date of rank of Jan. 1, 2013 or earlier. Senior NCOs with a minimum of 20 years total active federal military service by the mandated retirement date will also be considered by the board.
Officer programs
Force shaping boards will consider active-duty officers with more than three but less than six years of commissioned service as of Dec. 31, 2014, for separation and will target career fields and year groups based on sustainment levels.
Overages in the officer corps will require the force to conduct an "Enhanced Selective Early Retirement Board." An ESERB allows the Air Force to consider retirement eligible active-duty officers below the rank of colonel, lieutenant colonels deferred for promotion and colonels with two to four years time in grade. By law, the Air Force will select no more than 30 percent for each grade in each competitive category.
Voluntary separation pay will be offered to active-duty officers with six or more years total active federal military service as a voluntary incentive prior to the meeting a board. A reduction in force, or RIF, board will consider regular officers below the grade of lieutenant colonel who have served at least one year of active duty in their current grade, are not on a promotion list and have six or more years total active commissioned service and less than 18 years of total active federal military service.
Active-duty Air Force-wide programs
Officers and enlisted personnel in over-manned career fields with more than 15, but less than 20, years of service will be eligible for Temporary Early Retirement Authority, or TERA. The Air Force will offer TERA starting January 2014.
These measures are part of the Air Force's comprehensive Force Management Program designed to shape the future force.
Civilian programs
The Air Force will also reduce the size of its civilian workforce by roughly 900 positions to meet the demands of a constrained fiscal 2014 budget, officials announced.
Specific reductions by location have not yet been determined.
The Air Force will implement civilian workforce shaping initiatives, along with continued targeted hiring to comply with mandatory funding targets and to rebalance the civilian workforce to meet skill demands for fiscal year 2014 and beyond.
"The Defense Department used administrative furloughs to meet civilian pay budget demands in the compressed time frame between sequestration and the end of the FY13," said Brig. Gen. Gina Grosso, Air Force force management policy director. "We will meet a similar budgetary challenge in FY14 through a reduced workforce."
The general added that the strategy to meet civilian pay budget targets does not include a furlough.
To reduce the number of employees assigned against previously and newly abolished positions, the Air Force plans to maximize the use of Voluntary Early Retirement Authority and Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay to entice employees to leave federal service voluntarily.
The programs offer early retirement for employees and up to $25,000 for employees who voluntary separate.
"Over the last couple of years, the Air Force has gone through significant civilian pay budget challenges," Grosso said. "By implementing voluntary programs now, we hope to mitigate future involuntary losses to the civilian workforce."
For information about civilian employment, reduction in force and other personnel issues, visit the myPers website.
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The D.C. District Court issued a decision this morning that, if not reversed, could kill Obamacare, leaving millions without health insurance. The three-judge panel voted 2-1 in favor of plaintiffs who argued that wording in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) only authorizes health insurance subsidies for policies purchased in state-based exchanges. As the law is written, individuals are eligible for subsidies when purchasing from a state-run health insurance exchange. The IRS ruled that subsidies are also available in federally facilitated exchanges. At the time the law was drafted, legislators assumed most states would set up their own exchanges.
This ruling affects residents of the 36 states that refused to build their own health insurance exchange, and, by default, let the federal government facilitate residents' access to the Health Insurance Marketplace. The subsidies are available to individuals and families with household incomes less than 400 percent of the federal poverty level. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, more than six million were eligible for subsidies in federally facilitated exchanges during this past open enrollment period.
The subsidies make it possible for many Americans to afford health insurance. The Obama administration argues that the wording of the law, taken in context, makes it clear that subsidies would be available through all insurance exchanges. The plaintiffs argue that the subsidies were meant to be an incentive to reward states for setting up their own exchanges. States that did not set up their own exchanges did so out of protest. Without the subsidies, the health reform law would most likely fail, making the states' protest effective.
"… even though the federal government may establish an Exchange 'within the State,' it does not in fact stand in the state's shoes when doing so." — Judge Thomas Griffith
In the court's decision, Judge Thomas Griffith wrote that there is no ambiguity in the law. The statute, in regards to subsidies, clearly refers to an "exchange created by the state," which is different from one created by the federal government. While the judge acknowledges the severe consequences of this decision, he states that the legislation must be the guide.
Dissenting Judge Harry Edwards wrote that the structure of the ACA gives regulatory agencies, in this case the IRS, some discretion in carrying out the law. Edwards believes the majority opinion ignores this structure. Given that the judgment defies the will of Congress, and would undermine the entire law, which was passed by Congress, Edwards chose not to vote with the majority.
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The Medina County OVI Task Force announced on Wednesday there will be a sobriety checkpoint somewhere in Medina County on Saturday.
In compliance with state and federal law, the task force will on Friday announce the city or township where the checkpoint will be set up. Saturday morning, police will announce the specific location.
Locations of sobriety checkpoints are chosen based on history of non-sober driving. Checkpoints are often held near holidays when many drivers are on the roads.
Police are required to announce the checkpoints ahead of time to avoid violating Fourth Amendment search and seizure laws. Task force members have said the checkpoints are designed to both deter driving under the influence and to make arrests.
The checkpoints are funded with grant money and are run by police from several agencies across the county.
"If you plan to consume alcohol, designate a driver or make other travel arrangements before you drink," police said in a press release. "Don't let another life be lost for the senseless and selfish act of getting behind the wheel impaired."


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[Intro music begins]
Andrew: Looking to start your own website? The first thing you need is a domain name, and the best place to get one is at GoDaddy.com. With your domain registration you'll get hosting, a free blog, complete email, and much more. Plus, as a MuggleCast listener, enter code Ron, that's R-O-N, when you check out and get your dot com domain name for just $7.49 a year. Get your piece of the internet at GoDaddy.com!
["Hedwig's Theme" plays]
David Heyman: Hello this is David Heyman and I'm the producer of the Harry Potter films and this is MuggleCast.
[Show music begins]
Micah: Because Matt can predict the future, this is MuggleCast Episode 207, for August the 25th, 2010.
[Show music continues]
Andrew: Welcome, everyone, to Episode 207! We have two people on the show this week that we haven't heard from in a while, Mikey and Jamie. Hey guys.
Jamie and
Mikey: Hey.
Jamie: So how long haven't we been on for? Mikey, when were you last on?
Andrew: Well - you - it's only been a couple weeks. But Mikey, I think this is the first time he's on as a married man!
Jamie: No way!
Mikey: Well, maybe, maybe no, I think I was on once.
Andrew: Oh.
Mikey: Or maybe I was sick and that's why I cancelled. No, I was - I was supposed to be, but I cancelled, because I was feeling sick that day.
Andrew: Well, let's get an update on married life. What's it like, Mikey? Tell us, tell us, please! We all want to know!
Mikey: Kind of like life before I was married. [laughs]
Andrew: Oh...
Mikey: I know, it's not that exciting...
Jamie: Mikey, what's your tip for staying together? "Mikey's Top Three Tips for Staying Together."
Mikey: She is always right.
[Everyone laughs]
Mikey: Two more...
Jamie: You can be abstract if you want, but say it like an old Chinese proverb.
Mikey: [laughs] Communication.
Andrew: And honesty, right?
Mikey: And - honesty. Definitely honesty.
Jamie: Awww.
[Andrew and Micah laugh]
Mikey: There we go. Thank you, Andrew.
Andrew: Well let's...
Jamie: Three brand new things I've never heard before.
[Andrew and Jamie laugh]
Mikey: Well you know, Jamie, it takes time. We'll teach you a little bit here.
Andrew: Well, we all need to be honest for today's show, because there's lots of Deathly Hallows content to be talking about. There's a news bonanza. We've got lots to talk about today. I'm Andrew Sims.
Jamie: I'm Jamie Lawrence.
Micah: I'm Micah Tannenbaum.
Mikey: And I'm Mikey B.
[Intro music plays]
Andrew: Micah Tannenbaum! Give us the news this week, please. You are the leader in the news industry.
Jamie: Leader of the pack.
Andrew: I always look forward to your news reports.
Micah: Well thank you, Andrew.
Andrew: No problem.
Micah: [laughs] Well, Deathly Hallows was screen-tested yesterday in Chicago, and our own Emerson and Eric were there. It seems like Eric always ends up at a test screening of a Harry Potter movie somehow.
Andrew: He was also at the Half-Blood Prince one.
Micah: Yes, he was.
Andrew: But with a - he got lucky with the Half-Blood Prince one, and then with this one, Deathly Hallows, it was Emerson who was walking out of the movie theater, and some guy just approached him and said, "Hey, can you come to a screening tomorrow? We're testing a movie."
Jamie: No! No way. Really?
Andrew: That's really what happened. Yeah.
Jamie: No, that's insane. That's like...
Andrew: You know...
Jamie: ...I can't think of what that's like, but that...
Andrew: People think that there's a conspiracy, but there's really not. Like, it's a Nielsen guy - you know, it was completely unrelated.
Jamie: It was a what guy? A what guy?
Andrew: Nielsen. Nielsen ratings.
Micah: Okay, so a couple of the big bullet points from the test screening, the first one is the movie is about two hours and thirty minutes so do you guys think this is enough time? I know Emerson said yesterday that he thought it might be a little bit too long for some of the casual movie goers.
Andrew: Yeah.
Micah: What do you guys think?
Jamie: Yeah, it probably is.
Andrew: [sighs] I guess, maybe. I mean most Harry Potter films are two and a half hours. I think the reason Emerson said that it would be too long for casual people because it that because it's so loyal to the book, Part I, that it has a lot of things that non-fans would not appreciate. That's the impression that I got.
Micah: We finally got confirmation that Hedwig does indeed die.
Andrew: Oh, good.
Micah: There was a lot of speculation about that the last couple of weeks because of the scene of Harry letting Hedwig go...
Andrew: Right.
Micah: ...but we learn that she does come back and save his life in some capacity. So, I guess that's a good thing that they didn't cut it out...
Andrew: Yeah, people were really - people were really, very, horrible, I think. Like in the MuggleNet comments when we did a report on that; people were like, "No! Hedwig must die!"
Jamie: Why?
Andrew: They were saying it with such fury.
Mikey: Well, you know what it's also, though - do you remember reading the book for the first time?
Mikey: This was the first death we were introduced to, at the beginning of the book. It was like, for me...
Andrew: It was shocking?
Mikey: It was shocking. I was like, "You've got to be kidding me! Really?"
Jamie: I didn't think that.
Mikey: Of everything that dies, it's Hedwig. So I was totally taken aback.
Jamie: Yeah, but Mikey, but Mikey, how much were you taken aback because the owl died or were you taken aback because it was an actually shocking death? Because I thought, wow that's pretty bad, but I was sort of expecting - I don't know what I was expecting. I just thought...
Mikey: You know, Jamie, I think it was you on the MuggleNet Deathly Hallows tour, afterwards, that you said, "When Hedwig died that was the end of Harry's innocence."
Andrew: That's what Jo said. That's what...
Mikey: Is that what Jo said?
Mikey: Oh, I remember something like that.
Andrew: It's the end of his childhood.
Jamie: Well Mikey, you must think - you obviously think well of me.
Mikey: Well, you know, I have to sometimes. But it's one of those things where - I definitely agree. Hedwig had to die. It was part of the book.
Jamie: Yeah, true. That's true.
Mikey: It was one of those - it was a pivotal moment in the book. Because now you knew that everything - there was - no one's safe. If Hedwig is not safe, there's nothing else safe in the book.
Jamie: No one is, yeah. It's true and it kind of came full circle as well.
Micah: Now, one of the other things that was confirmed was the split and I know Jamie and Mikey, we don't know what your thoughts are on this because, as Andrew was saying, you guys haven't been on in a little bit. That the film is going to be split where Voldemort goes and grave-robs Dumbledore and steals the Elder Wand. So you guys think that's a good spot for the film to be split?
Jamie: That's quite a cannon part for it to be split. I guess that's going to please people who know what comes next but is that going to be good for people who don't know the significance of him taking the Elder Wand?
Andrew: I think it's, well - there is some build-up prior to him taking the Elder Wand because in the book we do get an explanation. We learn that the Elder Wand is all-powerful. It can defeat anyone. So I think the movie-goers are going to get that introduction to the Elder Wand, realize that...
Jamie: They will get that, will they?
Andrew: What's that?
Jamie: Well, they will know. If people go and haven't read the book, will they get from the film how powerful the Elder Wand is?
Andrew: Well, hopefully. Yeah, that's the hope. So they will get that explanation from Ollivander and then they see Voldemort taking control over the Elder Wand and then it cuts to black and my thinking is, W.B. is thinking, "Okay, this is a great spot because he gets the wand and everyone is going to be left thinking, Oh my God. How is Harry going to get out of this?"
Jamie: Yeah, true. Actually, that's quite interesting. I mean, that is a good - that makes sense as long as people know the significance of it. Otherwise, it could look a bit - I don't know what the word is, but not serious enough to split the film.
Mikey: Well, I think it's a good spot because I definitely think they'll have something that you have to explain what it is. This is kind of like getting Excalibur. It's a game changer. You know, once Voldemort gets this wand that is undefeatable, how is our hero going to defeat him? So definitely I think it's a great spot because it leaves you wanting more.
Jamie: Yeah. Yeah, that's true.
Mikey: That's what W.B. wants. They want you to want more, to go see Part II. Not to just say, oh well, I'm over it. So definitely, yeah. I think it's a great spot to end it.
Micah: One of the things that Eric talked a lot about in the part of his review was Bellatrix's character development, particularly in the scene where she is torturing Hermione. He said that in it and of itself will give the movie a PG-13 rating. He said that it really brings out a side of Bellatrix, an aspect of her character that we haven't seen before. What drives her to torture Hermione is both interesting and exciting on film. When Hermione awakens from being tortured, she notices the word Mudblood carved into her arm.
Andrew: That's so cool. That's so cool. That's almost, that's very Joker-like too. Dark Knight. You know how Joker would always leave his mark, like the Joker cards?
Jamie: Yeah.
Andrew: Now Bellatrix is leaving Mudblood in her arm. That is so cool.
Jamie: That's kind of like Book 5 as well. Umbridge.
Andrew: Yeah, yeah. Very true.
Jamie: In a way.
Andrew: So all these reviews, overall, were very positive. Everybody was saying - One reviewer said, "I can't believe this is only Part I." Which meant that she felt very fulfilled. She was very satisfied with this. So I think this is very exciting. I cannot wait to see this movie! And people were worried about Part I because Part I - it's the slower part of the book. So, as one of the reviewers said, if Part I is this good - oh my God, can you imagine how good Part II is going to be?
Mikey: Well, my biggest concern for Part II would be is, because Part I is the slower part of the book, it means you have a lot more time to develop characters and get into it. The last thing I want is Part II being a big old roller-coaster where there's no development, no story. It's all action, action, action.
Jamie: I think it will be quite a bit of action, though. It's going to - they're going to concentrate on that.
Mikey: Yeah, I want plenty of action, you know, I want the battles. I do want that, but I want the - I really want the stuff that they're dealing with because, again, we're so emotionally attached to Harry at this point in time.
Jamie: It is going to be hard, yeah. It's going to be hard to sum up everything, to...
Mikey: Yeah.
Jamie: ...in two and a half hours, to take it completely full-circle - sum it all up, include all the action - and satisfy the big fans and the casual movie-goers and I think they've got their work cut out more in Part II than in Part I, to be honest.
Mikey: Yeah, because Part I, I think, is more like the other books where there's a general pacing all the way through with enough action towards the end. And there's enough action towards the end of where the split is to kind of give it the full movie effect...
Mikey: Whereas, with Part II there's just so much going on. The book - reading it was a roller-coaster, all over the place, but that was because it was the whole thing. Now, by taking it separate, they have a lot of work to do in Part II to make it a complete movie versus action, action, action.
Jamie: Yeah, yeah, and the end. The end as well.
Andrew: And so now we know that Part II will start with the heist, as Dan Radcliffe described it, when they go into Gringotts Bank and they break into the Lestrange vault. And from there it's just action-packed! And there have been rumors of the final battle scenes lasting a good hour, which is incredible.
Jamie: That will be incredible.
Andrew: Yeah, that will be some damn good filmmaking.
Micah: A couple more things though; one of the ones I wanted to bring up that's actually kind of big in terms of the plot, is that Pettigrew doesn't die in Part I, he gets stunned by Dobby. And so the question is, how are they going to kill Pettigrew off in Part II?
Andrew: Oh wow! So maybe they're just going to throw him into the battle. That's odd. I wonder why they did that.
Mikey: It could be he's also one of the characters we know throughout the films and it's one of those things where seeing him in the battle - and dying in the battle - kind of could symbolize the death of the Death Eaters.
Andrew: The evil.
Mikey: Yeah, he's also the one that brought Voldemort back. And he's been there. He's been this constant character that we realized was bad all the way across.
Jamie: So wait - are you saying that he isn't killed with the hand? With the silver...
Micah: Not in Part I, no.
Jamie: So - oh right! That is quite weird though, because that was a great scene. That was an amazing way that - it's quite a good moral for the whole...
Andrew: Did we ever get an explanation about his hand?
Jamie: Well...
Andrew: I mean, we see it in Goblet of Fire turn, but I don't think we know what the significance was.
Jamie: Wasn't there a theory about it that was Voldemort did it on purpose, knowing that Pettigrew was - his loyalty wavered and it wasn't that strong and so he gave him this hand knowing that if Harry saved his life it would turn on him or something? I can't remember what it was. But yeah, it was always an interesting thing throughout the books - what's going to happen with his hand? Why would Voldemort help him even though he says he rewards his followers, why would he do that without...
Andrew: Yeah, I mean it did turn on him. I just don't think in the films, we see an explanation for that, so maybe that's why they changed the way he dies. Hopefully he does die, though.
Jamie: Perhaps. Hopefully. It was cool, though.
Andrew: He can't escape again! [laughs] Yeah. Anything else?
Micah: What do you guys think about the Three Brothers being told as an animated sequence?
Mikey: I'm excited.
Jamie: I think it's weird. It's very weird, isn't it? How are they going to do it?
Andrew: People were happy with it, they said in the reviews. I guess Hermione narrates. Is that right, Micah?
Micah: Yeah, that's right. Now, speaking of Hermione, I don't think we can do this episode without talking about the side boob?
Andrew: Yes, there are reports that the love scene between Harry and Hermione is very sexual. It's very sexy.
Jamie: I'm sure they've done it on purpose. I'm sure they've done all that on purpose.
Mikey: Of course, they did.
Andrew: They look like smoke figures, but they look real, and there's a little piece of dialogue where Ron says something about Twilight? Like it's not as good as Twilight?
Jamie: No way! Oh, that's horrible!
Andrew: This one reviewer thought it was a Twilight - oh, here we go. This reviewer, Gabby, who sent a great review in, by the way, she said:
"A 'Twilight' reference was made when Hermione begins to read the 'Tale of the Three Brothers'. The scene sort of went like this, not exact words: Hermione says, 'One day long ago, three brothers decided to go out traveling the world together at twilight.' Then Ron says, 'It's midnight. My mom always says midnight.' Hermione gives Ron an angry look. Ron instantly backs off. Ron says, 'Oh, no, you're right. Twilight is good. Twilight is better.'"
[Andrew laughs]
Jamie: Oh, that's ridiculous.
Andrew: I don't know if that's really...
Jamie: Is that word for word?
Mikey: I don't think that's a reference to...
Jamie: Is that word for word from the book? Or I bet...
Andrew: No, no, no. But she says it's not exact words from the movie, but that's basically what they said.
Jamie: If it's like that, though, screenwriters think about every word, every sentence. I doubt they could read that without knowing what it meant.
Andrew: Thinking Twilight. Yeah. [laughs] That's funny.
Micah: But let's wrap it up with the house-elves. Kreacher - we had this issue on the MiniCast yesterday where Eric and Emerson paused briefly when we mentioned Kreacher and it was because they don't do the flashback to Regulus and Kreacher in the cave, but Kreacher is in the film and it's clear that he does obey Harry and do what's asked of him.
Andrew: Okay. That's good. And Dobby makes a surprise appearance we hear.
Micah: Yeah. I heard that people were clapping a lot every time Dobby showed up on the screen but that Dobby's death is very emotional and pretty much everybody had some tears in their eyes during that scene.
Andrew: Yeah. Yeah. Oh boy. I'm sad just thinking about it.
[Jamie sighs]
Andrew: Those were the test screenings. Very exciting. This sort of came out of nowhere but they've done it for pretty much every film I think. And I'm sure it will happen again for Part II and we'll get some nice early reviews for Part II as well.
Micah: For anything else, just check out the reviews because there is obviously a lot of stuff but those were kind of the major points.
Andrew: Yeah. We have five reviews on MuggleNet now. They're all very good so visit MuggleNet and you'll see them right at the top. What else is going on, Micah?
Micah: Well, the Phelps twins did a demo of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 video game using the new Xbox Kinect technology. What are your guys thoughts on this game? I mean, it seems to be a little bit better overall...
[Andrew laughs]
Micah: ...than what people were expecting from Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince.
Jamie: I've not seen the game since Order of the Phoenix so this - I bet this is incredible now. I've completely lost track with the technology and I remember it improving a hell of a lot back then. So...
Andrew: Yeah, well, the special thing with this Part I video game for Xbox is it's using the Kinect technology. It's this new thing Microsoft developed where it...
Jamie: It's like the Wii isn't it?
Andrew: Yeah, yeah. But there's no controller. Your body is the controller. So you're going to be able to throw spells with your body and the Phelps twins demoed this and I was watching the video. It looks interesting. They really do move their wands - or their arm to cast a spell. It's a good gimmick, I guess, but personally when I'm playing video games I'm there to be lazy. I don't want to be moving around, standing up. I just want to sit there with my controller. So, Mikey, you're a bit of a video game nerd. What do you think of this Xbox Kinect and how it relates to Harry Potter?
Mikey: I don't really like the Kinect that much. I think it's a cool concept, but you know what? I was really excited for the Order of the Phoenix game with the Wii and being able to cast spells and I was let down on that, let down on a couple other games that the Wii really was going to do all sorts of fun things with, even when they added the additional piece to give you 3D space with the Wiimote, I was kind of disappointed. I have a friend who has the Kinect and its - to me it's a novelty kind of like - it reminds me a lot of when the Wii first came out and everyone's like Wii Sports is amazing.
Jamie: Yeah.
Mikey: And don't get me wrong, Wii Sports is fun and Kinect is fun, but it's - I don't know...
Jamie: Isn't it...
Mikey: If a whole game played with it would be...
Jamie: Isn't it a bit before...
Andrew: Yeah.
Jamie: ...it's time - that type of gaming where you don't have a controller or anything just feels to me like its 20 years in the future when you've got a bit of VR or something like that. It just - I don't know...
Mikey: Yeah...
Jamie: It just seems a bit...
Mikey: I agree with you. I agree with you on that. Its not that it's too early for it I think it has to start somewhere, but I will say I think the technology and the game development on it - I think it's a little disproportionate in the sense that - at least in my experience with the Wii that and don't get me wrong I love the Wii. I play all the Mario Kart stuff and everything, but it's one of those things where I think the ideal of it and the actual practicality of it's just not there yet.
Jamie: Yeah, exactly.
Mikey: You're not completely immersed in it yet.
Andrew: What else is going on Micah?
Micah: Well, the BBFC has approved the first trailer for Part I of Deathly Hallows. But the question is when will we see it? According to their site, the trailer is two minutes and six seconds long, it's rated PG, and as I made the mistake, this is the rating for the trailer not the rating for the film.
Andrew: Micah IM'd me in a tiff. He was like, "Are you serious? How could they rate it PG?" I was like, "It's just the trailer. Don't worry."
Micah: So, pretty soon, I would think. Within the next couple of weeks we will get this trailer.
Micah: Right?
Andrew: Yeah, and there's been rumors about the Part I trailer coming out at the end of August, and I don't know what films are coming up that they could debut it with, but I think now is the time. We're three months out. We need a trailer for this film - for this individual film.
Micah: Well, I was going to ask you if you think it would be similar to what you guys saw at Comic Con, but so much of that was from Part II as well. Right?
Andrew: Yeah. There was a big mix of both in that, so I don't think that was it. Though we did see Seven Potters which was cool. There were also rumors that it could debut in September so I would say within the next month we will have this trailer. If it's approved now then at least we know it's finished. It's ready to go, whatever they decide to do with it.
Micah: Well, now does it come here? Does it come to the MPAA to be approved?
Andrew: I guess - yes. But the difference is...
Jamie: It's going to be quicker though isn't it?
Andrew: Probably. But the...
Jamie: Than the initial one.
Andrew: ...difference with the MPAA...
Micah: Yeah, we have no morals.
Andrew: ...that you can't go on their site and see the approvals. I guess it's some law in England that the ratings have to be posted or whatever.
Micah: All right. Final bit of news for the week, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey down in Orlando has seen 1 million riders.
Jamie: Aw, that's incredible. Have you guys been on that one?
Andrew: That's huge. Yeah!
Micah: Yeah.
Jamie: And how is it? Is it fast?
Andrew: It's...
Micah: It's awesome.
Andrew: ...it is fast. It does throw you around. I've got to be honest after I rode it for a second time, I'm not - it - I don't know what to say. I don't love it.
Micah: Oh, don't trash it, Andrew.
Andrew: I don't love it. I don't hate it, but I don't love it.
Micah: Well, I think the problem with it is that it shifts you too much in between virtual and actual set. You know what I mean, Andrew?
Andrew: Yeah and it's just such a mess. The story - it's all over the place. I feel like they could have come up with such a more clear story. I don't know.
Jamie: Is it canon? Or is it completely made up?
Andrew: Yeah, it's completely made up. You see a lot of stuff from the books and films, but it's still - and you see the actors. They did a really good job with it. It's just the story, it's just, ugh. What am I watching?
Andrew: I don't know what's going on. I just - you see people, you see scary things, and then it's over and you're like, "What just happened?" [laughs] I don't know.
Mikey: But that's how all the rides are. That's how all the rides are. That's how all those types of rides are.
Andrew: And as I have said on a previous episode that when you are doing one giant ride for the Harry Potter series I guess that's the only way to do it. You have to throw as much in as possible so you can cover everything in Harry's world. And there's a lot of stuff in the Wizarding World. The theme park overall though is fantastic. I love it, but that that ride - it was 1 million riders? I did the math. That's about 16,000 a day. That's pretty incredible.
Jamie: Oh, that's a lot. I wonder how many people they've got through the gates then. I wonder if they're making money. Well, I guess they are making money, but profit I mean.
Andrew: Oh, yeah. They posted - Universal posted good results. They've spiked their ticket prices twice since the park opened.
Jamie: How much is it now?
Andrew: I think close to $100.
Jamie: Oh, what? Just to get into the Harry Potter one?
Andrew: I think for the day. No, no. Well, you get into the whole Universal park.
Jamie: That is a lot of money. Actually, actually, wait, wait. Is it for all of Universal then? Is that what you're saying? It's for all the entire complex.
Andrew: I think so, I think so.
Micah: The park hopper? Yeah, I just went ahead and bought a four day, which was only like $140. So it's actually cheaper to buy it for multiple days.
Andrew: Right, right. The more you buy, the more you save.
Micah: Yeah, but that's amazing though, if you think about that. You mention it's only been open for a month, or a little over a month. Well, two months now, I guess. Right?
Micah: But when you posted the story, it had just been a little bit over a month. So...
Andrew: One day, two parks. Meaning you get access to both of their parks for one day, is $112.
Jamie: Whoa!
Andrew: One day, one park is $82. They do have one nice thing which is that if you - you can buy an after 2:00 PM pass for, I think, about $45. And that's what I did one day.
Jamie: So when does it close?
Andrew: 8:00 or 9:00 PM? So...
Jamie: All right, that - that's not bad at all then.
Andrew: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Jamie: That's like eight hours.
Andrew: And there's no line in the afternoon. When I went there, there was no - you just walk right in. You can - I mean you have to wait a little bit for the rides, but you can go up, get a Butterbeer, go to the bar, get a Strongbow.
Jamie: Yeah, oh yeah.
Andrew: It was all good. So I definitely recommend that after 2:00 PM pass.
Jamie: Hmm.
Andrew: Okay.
Mikey: Jamie, you want to go?
Jamie: Yeah, yeah. I'll bear that in mind. I'll just cough up $1,000 for the thing.
Andrew: You can buy it right now. It's 3:00 PM right now when we're recording.
Jamie: I don't know if I can get there in time, but I can probably get like two hours. No, no...
Jamie: I want the - I would have to fly now.
Andrew: You'd need a private jet. Anything else going on, Micah?
Micah: No, that's it.
Micah: We're done.
Andrew: All right. So, Chapter-by-Chapter this week, we're looking at Goblet of Fire, Chapters 4 through 6 - the fourth book. And it starts with "Back to the Burrow", Chapter 4. And again, these chapters are pleasant in that they're nice and short. So we're going to get through them pretty quick. The chapter opens with the Dursleys eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Weasleys. And of course, again there's all this awkward tension. The Dursleys are nervous, Harry is nervous that something is going to go down. And Vernon, of course, is concerned about what they'll be wearing and their mode of transportation because Vernon hates not seeing - hates these wizards showing up, but then also them standing out. He doesn't want to make a scene to the neighbors. So the Weasleys don't arrive normally. They arrive by Floo Powder but they get stuck in the fireplace because Mr. Dursley has it all boarded up; he's using an electric fireplace for some reason. And after some awkward tension among the two families, Harry's things are collected and they head back one-by-one to the Burrow. And the Weasley twins came, and it seems like the only reason they came to help pick up Harry was purely to get back at Dudley because Fred drops the candy. He spills some candy on the way back into the fireplace, and he knows that Dudley is going to pick it up. And so finally, only when Mr. Weasley and Harry are left, Mr. Dursley only says goodbye to Harry once Mr. Weasley urges him to do so. And all of sudden, Dudley begins throwing up out of control. Mr. Weasley tries to fix it, but Petunia blocks Dudley and Vernon starts throwing objects at Mr. Weasley, and Mr. Weasley insists that Harry leave. Harry peaces out and the common trend between wizards and the Dursleys seems that nothing ever goes as planned.
Mikey: Was he throwing up or did his tongue get engorged?
Jamie: His tongue got huge.
Andrew: I think it was a mix - yeah, his tongue got...
Mikey: I thought it was just that his tongue got huge. You said throwing up, and I was like "Wait a minute..."
Jamie: But I think he choked on his tongue, didn't he? Perhaps he threw up also, though.
Mikey: Yeah, he was choking on his tongue because of him and Aunt Petunia were...
Mikey: ...trying to pull the tongue out of his mouth because it was so big.
Andrew: Yeah, yeah.
[Jamie laughs]
Andrew: And this is - as we get into the next chapter, Chapter 5, "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes" - this is the first time we see the Weasley twins' new business developing. So, as soon as Harry arrives at the Burrow in Chapter Five, Fred asks if Dudley ate the Ton-Tongue Toffee. It turns out they just invented it this summer. I'm pretty sure this is the first time we see one of Fred and George's products that they developed. Right?
Jamie: Aren't there fireworks before? I swear they let off something. When do they test them? Is it in this book that they test them in the common room? Because I swear in this one it's the big testing session where they serve - taking down notes and stuff. But I swear in the past they set off a firework or something or I could just be making that up.
Andrew: Well, maybe they did set off fireworks, but I think this is the first time that we see their own products.
Jamie: It's got serious as well, yeah?
Andrew: Yeah...
Jamie: That's probably true.
Andrew: Yeah.
Micah: Yeah. But going back to what you said, though, about them going to the Dursleys' with the strict intention to get at Dudley, I think it's because Fred and George kind of view Harry as a brother in a way. And they're kind of being protective of him and they've heard all the stories about Dudley, so they're just looking to have some fun with him.
Mikey: And they've also been there once before when they broke him out of his room.
Andrew: And the Weasley twins, they're smart. That is a good test subject to try out their new product on. So why not?
[Mikey laughs]
Andrew: And that is sort of what they explain to Mr. Weasley when he's yelling at them. And when they do get back to the Burrow, we're introduced to Bill and Charlie for the first time, and at the same time, we're seeing Mr. Weasley return and yell at Fred and George for doing that to Dudley. And then Ginny and Hermione enter the room, and in a bit of foreshadowing, Jo notes that Ginny has been a bit taken with Harry ever since they first met.
Jamie: Oh yeah, the foreshadowing. Her foreshadowing has improved a lot since those days when...
Andrew: You think so?
Jamie: I think so. I can't give any examples. That's just my instinct, though, because I remember then it's like Ginny went red, stuff like that. Actually no, that's a complete lie because in the first book when Peeves is talking in his sing-song voice and then Fluffy is still asleep and that saves them. Do you guys remember that?
Andrew: Mhm, yeah.
Jamie: Yeah, that was a brilliant piece of - I guess that's not foreshadowing completely, but it's kind of not explaining what's happening.
Jamie: In fact, if anyone can make sense of that, email me because I don't know what I've just said.
[Jamie and Andrew laugh]
Jamie: I swear - I got confused. I got confused.
Andrew: Are you saying that - I mean, on one hand, you don't really know that there's even foreshadowing going on in the first few books because - unless you go back and read those again.
Jamie: Yeah, true. Yeah, that's true.
Andrew: So in that regard, you don't see it coming. But I - and I've said it a million times on the show - I love catching up on the foreshadowing now that we do re-read the books, now that we are re-reading them after all the books have come out. And I'd never guessed that Harry and Ginny were going to get together. I mean, the hints were clearly there.
Jamie: It's a bit taboo, isn't it. Sort of...
Jamie: ...your best friend's sister. It's not...
[Andrew, Jamie, and Micah laugh]
Jamie: It's not common. It's not common at all.
Andrew: Right. And then seeing all this setup before they actually do get together, you know, Ginny was a bit taken with him. That can happen. I'm sure there's plenty of instances in the real world or in the wizarding world where little sister gets taken with older brother's friend, but nothing ever comes of it. [laughs]
Jamie: Yeah, except in this one they get married and have children.
Andrew: Because he's the Chosen One. [laughs]
Jamie: Yeah. But it is weird, though. Ron, seeing your best friend married to your - at my work, there used to be a guy there whose sister was married to the boss, our boss. Oh, it was weird!
Jamie: He claimed it wasn't weird, but I think it was weird.
Andrew: That would be like Ben marrying my sister.
Jamie: [laughs] Yeah.
Andrew: Because I know Ben's a bit taken with my sister, but I know they'd never get married. Because Ben's not the Chosen One.
Jamie: It would just be like that.
Andrew: [laughs] Yeah.
Jamie: Can you imagine that? If you went round, seeing your sister when you were in Ben's house.
Andrew: I mean, if Ben had a nice house, I guess I wouldn't mind too much. But other than that...
Jamie: Oh, I think that would be weird. I think that would be very weird.
Andrew: Yeah, it would be weird.
Mikey: That would be really weird.
Andrew: So moving along, while Fred and George are getting yelled at, Harry is introduced to the new business, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. And like I said earlier, it becomes apparent that this is what Fred and George will be doing in their future because in this little area it's noted that they don't - they didn't do well on their O.W.L.s and Fred and George have said all they want to do was open a joke shop. So this is one of the first times it is becoming established that this is what they want to do for a living. We've always known that they're pranksters, but we didn't really know that they wanted to open a joke shop. And good on them! They're being entrepreneurs. It's good to see in the wizarding world. You don't see much of it.
Jamie: It's good. It's good and it's also nice that Jo shows that you don't only have to be academic, if you can call turning pigs into cats academic.
Andrew: They're being resourceful.
Jamie: Resourceful, yeah they are. They are. They can be successful and everyone has got talents. Blah-blah-blah and everyone can do well at something. It doesn't have to be academia. It's quite nice.
Mikey: Well, I also like that their mom, Mrs. Weasley, wants them to follow in their father's footsteps and work at the Ministry, and they don't at all. And it's like, you know what? That's what they want to do. They follow their passion and they're...
Jamie: That's true, yeah.
Mikey: ...extremely successful in it. So I think that's a nice little encouragement, you know. Follow what you're passionate about. So, I like it.
Andrew: Harry then catches up with Ron and Hermione and we see Percy developing his interest in the wizard government, calling for - [laughs] this is actually really clever on Jo's part. She came up with this idea where Percy would be really into calling for cauldron thickness regulations. And it's just so clever. I don't know how you would possibly sit there and think like, "Okay, what can Percy really be about? Oh, I know! Cauldron thickness!"
Jamie: It's a nice boring thing, yeah. What sums up his boringness.
Mikey: Yeah...
Andrew: But Percy does give a good argument. He's bringing up the point that some cauldrons are leaking in these grooves...
Mikey: They've been rising. You know cauldron leakages have risen three percent over the past year. That's a huge, huge rise in cauldron leakage! No, I agree with you completely, that cauldron - honestly, cauldrons are not necessarily a wizard type thing. They've - it's a big pot! And I think that is just purely like Jamie said, it sums up Percy's boringness...
Mikey: ...perfectly. [laughs] Is boringness a word? Who knows.
Andrew: And this again, this chapter is like, "Hey everyone, here's the future of the Weasleys." Ginny's going to get married to Harry, Fred and George are going to open a joke shop, and Percy's going to get involved in the government. [laughs] This is just one big - you know, here's what we can expect of the Weasleys in the future. So at dinner Percy and Mr. Weasley are in a deep discussion about things at the Ministry. They talk more about cauldron thickness and Percy tries to get the trio to ask him about a big top secret event he's been bragging about. And we really see Percy's character shine through here. And I always hate this when people do this. They try to get you to ask them about something like, they're so - they want you to ask. They want them to - they want to feel need, they want to feel important. And Percy's doing that. He keeps dropping that he's working on this big secret event, which is the Triwizard Tournament, and this is unbeknownst to the trio at the time, but they just can't be bothered. They don't really care.
Jamie: They think it's rubbish. They think it's probably to do with cauldron thickness. They don't...
[Andrew laughs]
Jamie: I guess that's quite clever really. Because Percy's obviously boring and he can't be organizing anything interesting. And it's probably about cauldron thickness.
Andrew: And that leads us into Chapter Six, "The Portkey". Take it away, Micah.
Mikey: Before we jump into that, isn't that where we discuss the missing person, Bertha Jorkins?
Andrew: Yes. Yes they do. I'm sorry I didn't...
Mikey: Yeah. That's where they're missing - they discuss her missing and how Barty Crouch wouldn't not let that be. He was actually concerned about her. Right?
Andrew: Right. Yeah. You're right.
Mikey: Sorry, I just something in my head - trying to look it up in the book right now...
Andrew: Why was he concerned for her?
Mikey: Apparently she had worked in his department cause she's been shuffled around multiple times...
Andrew: But did he really care? That's what I mean.
Mikey: You know what? I don't think so because again we know that at this point in time, Barty Crouch Jr. has already been released from Azkaban. And I'm wondering if, he was wondering if something else was going on because again Barty Crouch knew that the Death Eaters could be on the rise because his son - he's already snuck out his son from Azkaban. I think there's a lot more that could be read into that, but it's all me reaching at strings here.
Andrew: Of course it was Peter Pettigrew that she ran into. All right Micah, you lead us through Chapter 6: "The Portkey".
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Copyright ©2004 by the American College of Physicians
Asthma and pneumonia received much attention in clinical research published in 1996. Asthma studies focused on the optimal use of β-adrenergic agents, inhaled steroids, and leukotriene-inhibiting drugs. Studies of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease focused on the mechanisms of benefit from lung volume reduction surgery. Systematic reviews and large population studies provided more insight into community-acquired pneumonia. Finally, carefully developed guidelines for the management of hospital-acquired pneumonia were published.
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Even if you don't drive a Cruze Eco, you can still make a difference
By Stephanie Georgopulos
Driving a fuel-efficient car is one of the best ways that a driver can protect the environment. (Did you know that at 42 MPG highway*, the Cruze Eco offers the best highway mileage of any gas-engine car in America?) A few minor changes in your daily routine (no matter what vehicle you drive) can help make a big impact.
1. Carpool. Duh! Not only will you get to know your office mates, but you'll also save on gas. Isn't it nice to be the passenger for once?
2. Plan ahead when you have errands to run, so you can take care of them efficiently in one fell swoop. Why drive home and go back out multiple times? Life isn't a relay race. Planning ahead is a seriously simple strategy for saving gas and most times, your sanity. Your wallet will thank you.
3. Don't forget to fill your tires with air every now and then. When your tires start to deflate, it forces the engine to work harder, and in effect, the engine burns more fuel. Spending some pocket change at an air pump once in a while is far less expensive. Check your owner's manual for more info.
4. Don't idle. Instead of driving in circles when you're waiting for your wife to exit the grocery store, just park and turn the car off. As much as you love the feel of the wheel in your hands, turn the car off and give your engine (and the environment) a much-needed break.
5. Clean out your car regularly. Not only is an uncluttered car nice to look at, but the heavier the car, the harder the engine has to work. The harder the engine has to work, the more fuel it requires. So be proactive and only keep the necessities—registration and insurance papers, and emergency gear—on hand.
The trademarks mentioned in this story are held by their respective owners.
Stephanie Georgopulos is an editor at Thought Catalog. Her work has been featured on McSweeney's Internet Tendency, The Awl, Gizmodo, The Next Web, Refinery 29 and elsewhere. Email her at email@example.com.
*Based on EPA-estimates.


text:
CHICAGO — Taking inventory is often cause for headaches at any laundry facility, and a recent webinar on linen inventorying addressed how to make the process work for each individual system.
Barbara Williams has more than 30 years of experience in the textile industry. As a consultant with Standard Textile Co., she frequently speaks about linen process improvements, linen management, and cost-reduction programs for healthcare operations.
During the webinar sponsored by the Association for Linen Management, Williams stressed the many rewards of taking a regular inventory and touched on a few challenges a laundry facility faces during the process.
Among the rewards, Williams says, are balancing supply with demand and assuring that an adequate supply is circulating. Too few linens causes shortages, which can lead to hoarding and a lack of confidence in the system. "Too much inventory can cause misuse and over-utilization of products," she says.
An inventory also can help a laundry, whether it be on the premises or off site, determine effective allocation of linens, as well as replacement rates.
Determining those rates can lead to a planned purchasing program, thus helping to eliminate panic buying and rush orders. Administrative reporting is another advantage, she says, and allows a facility to have information on hand in the case of an insurance claim after a flood or fire. Budgeting is high priority during these economic times, and taking an accurate inventory can help determine future needs.
Other inventorying goals are ascertaining a facility's loss rates, determining if a facility has a high rate of "mysterious disappearances" of linens, recirculating so-called "dead" inventory, and identifying locations that may be hoarding linens. As a result, facilities have the opportunity to implement security programs to reduce loss and are able to put some quantities of inventory back into circulation or reallocate supplies.
"As many of you know," Williams says, "you end up with a lot more in circulating inventory right after a count is taken."
She recommends taking a proactive approach to linen inventory to identify potential roadblocks or problems and take a closer look at shortages or overages.
Challenges Facing an Inventory
In today's market, most facilities are being asked to do more with less, which can result in fewer staff resources available to help with an inventory. This can also result in a problem with time commitments and cooperation from a staff that already sees itself as overburdened.
Another challenge can be the large networks that many healthcare facilities are part of these days. "It takes a lot more cooperation and communication," Williams says, "but many large networks are doing inventory successfully."
Linen supplies are different from a product kept on a shelf; constant movement of the linens is a cause for concern when contemplating taking an inventory. A healthcare facility, for instance, cannot simply stop the movement of linen, so timing of an inventory is crucial. The number of locations where linen is stored and used, as well as the number of stock-keeping units in a healthcare facility, challenges an inventory manager.
Inventory accuracy often hinges on a cut-off point and a clear delineation between what is to be counted and what is not counted.
A commitment by management, as well as nursing management in a healthcare facility, is essential to an accurate inventory. If the results show a high return on the investment, this can help persuade management to cooperate. Determining what the actual ROI is important as well.
"Are you willing to act on the results of your inventory?" Williams asked participants. "If you aren't willing to act, then there may be no return on investment. Acting on the results is crucial to making an inventory worthwhile."
When to Take Inventory
"Today, most large laundries have gone to an annual inventory," Williams says. "We recommend doing the inventory at the same time of the year so there is a consistency of inventory."
Williams also recommends semi-annual inventories, more for on-premise laundries than large, shared or pooled laundries. Smaller operations, such as hospitality facilities, can do a quarterly or monthly inventory.
Another possibility is a cycle count. Williams says this works well if a facility doesn't require a complete inventory, if the manpower is not available, or if there isn't the level of cooperation required for a complete inventory. She suggests taking one or two of the highest use items and counting those. Then, the following month, select another two items and count those.
When the webinar participants were polled anonymously, 64% indicated they inventory once a year and 9% inventory on a semi-annual basis. Williams was slightly disappointed to hear the remaining 27% don't take a linen inventory at all.
Also factoring into inventorying is choosing the best day and best time of day during which to act.
Base this on several elements, Williams says: staff availability, low-activity time, nursing practices, shift changes and linen delivery schedules. The important thing, she says, is to be consistent; take inventory at the same point each year, on the same day and at the same time of day.
Tomorrow: Your Inventory Involves What?


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5 Feb 19:21 2007
DFFI on x86_64
Marco Gidde <marco.gidde@...>
Hello Juanjo, recently I tried to build a lisp wrapper around a C-library with CFFI and got some strange crashes with ECL. The appended patch is probably not quite correct but works here and should give you an idea of what is still missing. Another issue occurred when I tried callbacks with an ECL built with the --with-cxx option (also via CFFI). While C allows to cast a void* to any kind of function pointer, C++ doesn't. Maybe a reinterpret_cast in the generated C-code might help, but I'm not sure and haven't testet this. For now I can live with the old-fashioned C-ECL Regards, Marco
------------------------------------------------------------------------- Using Tomcat but need to do more? Need to support web services, security? Get stuff done quickly with pre-integrated technology to make your job easier. Download IBM WebSphere Application Server v.1.0.1 based on Apache Geronimo http://sel.as-us.falkag.net/sel?cmd=lnk&kid=120709&bid=263057&dat=121642
_______________________________________________ Ecls-list mailing list Ecls-list@... https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/ecls-list


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Voi Jeans offer a Next Day delivery service on all orders, all you have to do is place the order before 3pm Monday - Friday and select Next Day shipping at the checkout.
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Realsoft Consulting, Inc.
Welcome to Realsoft Consulting...
With over 20 years of experience in providing top-notch systems management on DEC/VAX/OpenVMS systems, as well as superior database administration for Oracle Rdb databases and DECtp systems, Realsoft Consulting can deliver on-time cost-effective solutions for all your OpenVMS systems management, DECtp or Oracle Rdb administration needs on VAX/Alpha/Integrity systems... At your site or remotely from our office! If you are looking for a seasoned OpenVMS systems manager or Oracle Rdb DBA or ACMS administrator, look no further... Realsoft Consulting will meet and exceed your expectations!
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I have 4 kittens that need a home in 1 1/2 months
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We're Kickin it Super Old(e) School in 2009
Here at Dogfish Head we are excited to announce that we are bringing back one of the most traditional and oldest forms of beer dispensing in existence,
We're Kickin it Super Old(e) School in 2009
Here at Dogfish Head we are excited to announce that we are bringing back one of the most traditional and oldest forms of beer dispensing in existence, the cask. Cask ale is unfiltered, unpasteurized, and naturally carbonated beer. Before the widespread use of bottles, cans, and kegs the cask was the popular choice for serving ales. 100 years ago they were widely used in England, then the dark ages of beer began after WWII when the wonderful ale tradition in the UK and worldwide was almost totally displaced by mass produced fizzy yellow lagers.
In the last 35 years the cask has seen a huge revival in England (and more recently here in the USA) primarily due to the tireless efforts of one group, CAMRA (The Campaign for Real Ale). This consumer group has championed the worthy cause of historic British pubs and real ale. Real ale has two main requirements: first it must be made using traditional ingredients instead of rice, corn, or other cheap adjuncts which lighten flavor and secondly it must be naturally carbonated using the traditional method of a secondary fermentation in the container that it will be served from.
Beer destined for the cask is treated the same as any other until it is time to package. Instead of filtering and carbonating with pressurized CO2 the beer is poured directly into the cask along with a small dose of sugar and sometimes extra hops. The cask is sealed and the small amount of yeast left in suspension within the beer goes to work on the extra dose of sugar. The yeast produces natural CO2 that carbonates the beer since it cannot escape. After a week or two the cask is tapped and served either by gravity or a beer engine, which uses a hand pump to pull the ale from the cask.
So at our brewpub Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats in Rehoboth Beach, DE we'll tap a new cask each Thursday. We'll serve cask conditioned 75 Minute IPA (that's sorta a blend of 60 Minute IPA and 90 Minute IPA) with an occasional cask version of a pub exclusive beer mixed in to the rotation. Our cask ale will be served cool (55 degrees), not cold to allow the wonderful subtleties of the beer to be enjoyed (we don't want to freeze those taste buds!). The carbonation of cask ales is one of the biggest differences between it and draught beer. Cask ale's carbonation is soft and delicate instead of fizzy, this allows the natural fresh flavor of the beer to shine through.
Sound real tasty? It is... c'mon in and enjoy!
Cask ales at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats - every Thursday (until it's gone... could be a day, could be a few days!). For the latest cask ale schedule call 302-226-BREW.


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Most people spend a large part of their day, relaxing or sleeping on their mattresses. Almost one-third of your life is spent on this very vital part of your home. Naturally, there will be stains from food, drinks, beverages, body fluids, or pet stains. Sometimes you do not notice these until you change the sheets.
So do you panic and throw out the mattress? Here are some well-tested remedies that teach you how to clean the stains so well that your mattress stays cleaner and healthier, and lasts longer:
- Fresh stains are easier to remove. Make a simple soapy solution with a good detergent, and spray it on to the area of the stain. Then use a clean, absorbent cloth to keep blotting out the stain. Keep turning the cloth until the stain is removed.
- Some mattresses absorb a lot of liquid that can go into the inner layers and cause mildew or mould. Make sure to blot out the liquid more often, until the area has dried out.
- Baking soda absorbs liquids quickly and also removes stains. You can continue applying baking soda if there is more liquid in the stained area. When the baking soda has completely saturated the liquid and the stain is removed, you can brush it off.
- Household ammonia can be used to remove food, drink and blood stains, but must not be used for urine stains because it magnifies the odor.
- For stubborn urine stains, pet stains, cigarette droppings, and odor, spray a little detergent solution to dampen the stained area slightly. Sprinkle fresh baking soda onto this area and leave it on for a long period. Repeat several times until the problem is solved.
- To remove stubborn blood stains and body fluids, hydrogen peroxide or meat tenderizer gives good results. But, care must be taken to absorb the chemicals with enough soapy cleansers and then dry them out well, so they don't destroy the cover fabric.
Now your mattress is clean and fresh and smells good again!
Source: MagicBricks.com Bureau
The images used in the article have been sourced from gettyimages.


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this wiki
The wiki dedicated to providing fan content and stories to for the Minecraft world. Now part of the Minecraft Wiki Network!
We currently have 932 articles, 26 active users and 26,024 edits.
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Hello Minecraftians, Saragethns and Council. The wiki has been officially adopted by Nero and he will be creating a new administrator council to guide the wiki. If you think you have the potential, and fit the criteria, you may apply here!
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Aftermath Minecraftia is this wiki's second group project (the Destruction of Minecraftia was the first). The idea is to write multiple interlocking stories that eventually come together. The main storyline is being worked on by Nero and Majora.
Okay, here's a way to write your contribution, provided you're part of this: Put the page up you made for the project in the related section here, and read the Editorial guide.
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Discover Boston as never before on an entertaining buffet cruise that combines stellar views with great food and outstanding entertainment.
The Spirit of Boston is your party venue for the occasion, a luxury climate controlled cruise vessel showcasing panoramic vistas of the city skyline from cruise style seating and expansive outdoor decks. Set sail for a lunch to remember as you dine in style from a sumptuous gourmet buffet while listening to live performances from the ship's talented staff. Then it's time to really get the party started as the resident DJ takes the stage and the dancing begins – right until the ship returns to dock.
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Be dined and entertained against the stunning backdrop of the Boston skyline on a cruise that mixes spectacular views with fine food and outstanding entertainment. Travel north to the Mystic River and south to Castle Island/Fort Independence for non-stop panoramic vistas all the way.
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