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by Caroline Wright
Reprinted with permission.
I remember trying to talk my father into buying a microwave oven. Though they'd been on the market for years by then - it was already 1985 - he was resistant to the idea of purchasing one for his own bachelor kitchen. Finally, after I'd fussed at him long enough, he broke down and got one.
Dad read the owner's manual with excitement. "This is marvelous! I can scramble eggs, cook bacon, boil water for my coffee; I can bake potatoes, defrost pork chops and cook vegetables; I can heat up leftovers and even make popcorn!"
Now, almost fifteen years later, Dad probably can't imagine life without a microwave.
The spirit of this little tale should be apparent to Internet users everywhere, and particularly those who work in the title industry. Many of us who resisted the initial clarion call of cyberspace would now be utterly lost without our electronic tools. In growing numbers, we are handling the myriad functions of our business online.
Jason Nadeau, SISCO's Director of Electronic Commerce, raves about the Internet revolution. "[E-commerce] has saved us a tremendous amount of money! Agents don't have to move paper around, re-key orders into production systems, or deal with faxes and phone calls as much. You HAVE to be doing business this way to remain competitive. Take two title companies in the same city. One company says, 'Here's my preprinted pad of fax forms. Here's my phone number; call between 8AM and 5PM.' And the other company says, 'Here's my URL [for] online statusing, 24 hours a day.' Which company do you want to talk to?"
"People within and outside the industry are searching for ways to automate and increase productivity. They're looking at title from outside the box," comments Todd Hartle, president of Fountainhead Information Systems. "That's part of the migration --- becoming more information-oriented, as opposed to just insurance-oriented. Title is one of the 20 pieces of the mortgage transaction that tends to hold things up. It's a target to focus on, to move the mortgage industry ahead. Becoming information-oriented will be part of the answer."
Marty Thomas, President of both Data Services and Title Security Agency of Arizona, is emphatic about the industry's need for urgency. "If you're not doing this now, you're in trouble. If you're not doing this now, you won't be here in three years, because you won't be able to catch up."
Building The Future With New Tools
On its website, Stewart Title claims to be developing 'an environment that extends the traditional role of the title and closing office.' Its SureClose product seems to have been created with that goal in mind. "Companies use SureClose for a number of online functions," says Jason Nadeau. "Participants can go to the event-driven database to place or track title orders and view or print any document in the repository, which houses documents associated with the transaction."
Though some of its competitors offer similar online products, Nadeau believes that Stewart has, at least, a temporary lead. "From a technological standpoint, real-time statusing and delivery are [our] biggest advantages. From a business standpoint, nationwide coverage with 100% [accessibility] of our products has brought us a lot of customers."
About 20 lenders currently use the SureClose Internet system, and most of the 60 offices with the SureClose desktop system use some version of the Internet system as well. Business Systems Manager Brian Davenport comments, "The Net allows us to reach customers that the desktop application wouldn't, and [provides] a broader selection of customers to choose from." Customers are eager for the new tools. "We really are starting to see the industry mindshift --- the matriculation of people pursuing technology as a business solution."
Michelle Maguire, Electronic Commerce Manager, has worked on e-commerce for the last three years. "Obviously," she says, "our goal is to reduce cycle time and lessen expense, and electronic commerce is the way to do it. And the Internet has made [equipment costs] something of a non-issue."
Landata Inc. of Illinois provides plant access to agents and underwriters in the Cook County marketplace. Electronic equity mortgage reports are delivered to customers via the company's QwikTitle product, either through Internet e-mail or across a WAN. "[Our database contains] street addresses, legal descriptions, tax numbers, taxpayers' names and record owners' names. Users [can] search the property no matter which piece of information they've been given," says company president Bob Martos.
With a focus on automated searches for the equity market, Martos wanted to get the product to customers in a paperless environment. "E-mail was the answer. A lot of our customers [have] dedicated phone lines using routers. We hook up to their e-mail systems and use lines already in place." Even customers with dial-up services can access these reports. "Users go to Landata, enter their order, and within five minutes they have electronic files sitting on their desktop. [They] drop [the data] into their WP software, and push it right out the door, without ever turning it into paper." Customers get online to receive orders, communicate with other participants, and work on settlement issues and closing figures.
Martos reports that some of Landata's largest customers are working feverishly to come up-to-speed. "They have legacy systems that they need to update. In the next nine months or so, they'll be able to accept electronic files. We got a little ahead of them, but they're catching up."
I went "outside the box" and talked with James Hebrin, Director of Internet Services for FPS Net, who shared details of his newest project. "Open Title Order, which will soon be available on the Orange Coast Title website, allows customers to open and track title orders & escrow accounts in real time, right on the Web," said Hebrin. "It dovetails with existing legacy systems. Users can change and monitor info, start and track title orders from beginning to end. Most companies take orders at their websites through simple e-mail forms, but none really have real-time database connectivity to this degree."
The Orange Coast Title site is the jewel in the FPS crown, says Hebrin. "Rich Macaluso (president of OC Title) has been a Web visionary for years. He's willing to be the pioneer." Hebrin is also impressed because Macaluso has directed the OC Title staff to interact freely with its Web partner. "There must be dialogue, not monologue, when these applications are being developed."
Hebrin discussed other virtual products created by FPS --- a secure Web interface in which loan applications are turned into FAX transmissions and sent to the appropriate office, a bank-through clearinghouse for merchants needing online commerce but without the funds or technology to build their own cybercash systems. With the development of these tools, FPS, as a "full-service, one-stop computer solutions group for the real estate and related industries," lives up to its billing.
Virtual Title Plants
As increasing numbers of title professionals conduct their business online, many are thinking about the somewhat controversial concept of the virtual title plant. SISCO's Jason Nadeau believes that the industry is headed in that direction, but does not foresee the proliferation of the nationwide virtual plant anytime in the near future. "That would involve entities outside our industry, including government entities that traditionally don't move nearly as fast as the business model," he comments. "I think we'll see more regional plants."
Doug Bello of D. Bello & Associates agrees. "Major underwriters with one huge title plant could search any county, from any office --- whereas now, they need an office in Orange County, an office in LA County. I don't know what the time frame will be, but it's merging in that direction more and more."
Landata's Bob Martos says his staff is researching the implementation of online plant access. "With the wave of superbanks and major mergers, I see a big marketplace for companies with information that is easily accessible. Those major banks are pushing pricing down because of their volume. The only way we can respond to that is by putting the data where it's easily accessible." However, Martos says his offices have some security concerns. "Our plant activity is tracked on a customer-by-customer basis. Maybe we'll do [this] the same way. [Customers] will use a password, get into our Intranet, and over to the title plant. But we're a ways away from saying, 'Here's the title plant, put your MasterCard number in and have fun.'"
When the virtual plant becomes reality, Todd Hartle of Fountainhead Information Systems in Atlanta hopes to be at the head of the pack. "Part of our charter is to aggregate as many plants as we can in one spot on the Internet, to promote a national place [for] title information. My goal is the national virtual plant, which will comprise the top 100 counties in the nation.."
Virtual plants are being received slowly and cautiously by the title community. They may not be fully understood, thinks Hartle. "The title community is, for the most part, on the tail-end of technology, more so than other industries." Hartle also believes that the undelivered promise of EDI has turned many people off, which has made defense of virtual plants a challenge. "Still, people want to deal with less paper, bring costs down, and get quick response. The Internet is the catalyst for that."
"It may be five years, it may be 25 years," says Hartle, "but it will happen."
Laboring Over The Net
Human resource managers may applaud the title industry's acceptance of technology more than anybody. Doug Bello contends, "The American workforce today is drastically different than it was 20 years ago." Bello headed a panel at a title convention earlier this year, and remembers a comment from a Midwestern attendee. "He said, 'Let me tell you about the problem I've got. We hire DE operators, we train them, and they leave. Burger King in this town pays more money than I can!'"
Bob Martos of Landata comments, "On the title side, 60% of most expenses are in personnel. If we can put the quality in on the front end on the data, and use automation to create these products [and] cut some of the labor costs, this presents an opportunity for the title industry to deal with the pricing issues that are a problem for all of us."
As the industry begins to harness technology and e-commerce, perhaps its labor and pricing woes will begin to disappear. Marty Thomas discusses the effects of technology on Title Security of Arizona. "Productivity has increased by 75%. It's been absolutely staggering. In the six months after [installation of our imaging system], business literally doubled out here. And we hired no new people to take care of it. [Our] people are better trained, and able to do multiple functions."
Bob Martos says that Landata's QwikClose product has already paid for itself via customer retention. Customers "are all on 24-hour turnaround, so anything that we can do that's all electronic is just money in their pockets." The system has really made a difference. "I have not seen any of our customers add new staff, even with the increase in business. The existing staff was able to handle it."
Title workers quickly become reliant on their electronic tools. Marty Thomas told me about a member of his staff who swears by Data Services' imaging system. "They told me, 'I'll never go back to doing it the old way. There's just no sense in working that hard ever again!'" Landata's Martos discovered the new reliance a couple months ago, when his system was down for a day and a half. "Now I know how Steve Case felt when AOL crashed! Operations get dependent on it, and when it goes down... boy, have you got problems!"
The Next Wave
Electronic loans like those offered through E-Loan and mortgage.com are a hot trend, and the Stewart team anticipates new partnering opportunities. "People will be going to the Internet for a loan, and not talking to anybody until closing. There might be a series of entities the customer never sees, providing seamless services and facets of the transaction. Nobody will care that it's Bob's survey, Stewart's title, and Ed's flood," says Jason Nadeau.
Michelle Maguire foresees increased consumer involvement. "Service levels will be more important as the consumer becomes able to select providers," she says. Brian Davenport agrees, "Consumers typically have been in the dark in this whole process, driven by lenders, builders, realtors, etc. You'll see a renaissance in education for the consumer, [and] involvement in decision-making that has been foreign to the lending industry since its inception."
"The age group getting ready to hit this market is the tail-end of Generation X, the children of the Baby Boomers, who grew up in the technology era. They're going to purchase real estate over the next 30 years, expecting the technology to be in place, and they're only going to want to do business with the companies that can provide it," adds Davenport.
Todd Hartle of Fountainhead anticipates that title checks will become as fast as credit reports. "Lenders and mortgage brokers are interested because it'll streamline the whole process. They can do a loan approval in 15 minutes. We're trying to get to that stage with title - 15 minutes instead of 30 days. Combined with automated valuation models for assets, flood certification and credit scoring, the whole mortgage process can be automated."
"From a productivity standpoint," says Marty Thomas about his Data Services, "we've married two or three products together very well --- a title plant, an imaging system, and an escrow and title production system. An examiner [can] access the information, take a look at the documents, and generate a report within a few minutes. [In] the next step, some of those examinations will be done by the computer. We're going to make some assumptions and literally machine-generate preliminary title reports."
Finally, James Hebrin of FPS Net gives the paradigm shift an insider's perspective. "When I started building websites in 1991, companies were paying for nothing more than a digital billboard. It was impossible to measure ROI. Gradually the Web is becoming mainstream. Bandwidth is getting wider, processors are getting faster, companies are rushing to build multi-functional websites." The future, says Hebrin, is the virtual corporation, conducting its business online --- "supporting information exchange between all parties, internal and external, in a company: departments, branches, secure catalogues for shopping, dealers & distributors, shipping & stocking, billing. It's opening up time and space."
Consider this scenario as it will eventually relate to the title industry. And remember: it took almost thirty years for microwave ovens to get into 50 million American homes, but it's taken only four years for the World Wide Web to get into 50 million American homes.
Time to talk to Dad about a computer.
Recommended Viewing
Caroline Wright of WRIGHT FOR YOU Word Services is based in South Carolina. Her Web site can be found at www.wrightforyou.com. Please e-mail your comments to email@example.com.


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Blunting the Enemy Drive
As major combat. units deployed. to Vietnam, they encountered a tactical environment that was alien to their training and experience. Traditional large-scale exercises, such as REFORGER in Europe and the Strike Command series throughout the continental United States and in the Caribbean, provided neither the climatic conditions nor a tactical scenario approximating operations in Vietnam. The 25th Infantry Division had trained in jungle operations in a climate that approached that of Vietnam, but the similarities were marginal. The war in Vietnam was a different kind of -war, in a different place, and would tax the stamina and ingenuity of the American soldier to the limit.
Some characteristics of combat tactics and deployment contributed to this difference. During the early combat deployment, piecemeal commitment of units to the theater was the rule, not the exception. Limited port facilities, the absence of a definable battle line, and other factors dictated this approach in all four corps zones of operation. Divisional tables of organization and equipment-and particularly signal tables, were not structured to support brigades operating independently or deployed separately from a parent division.
Once ashore, these early arriving units experienced major problems in deploying to their assigned tactical areas of responsibility. Time spent in staging areas was often extended by waiting for the delivery of combat equipment through port bottlenecks and a limited number of airfields. The movement of advance parties to base camps from the staging areas resulted in tenuous and vulnerable lines of communication that often stretched the unit's organic communications capability beyond its limits. The combination of oppressive heat and stifling humidity sapped the strength of the troops and impaired the operation of sensitive electronic equipment. Even the ground itself mirrored the inhospitable nature of the country. Cultivated lowlands offered little dry ground for base camps, and the higher elevations offered a choice between powder-fine dust during the dry season and clinging red mud during the monsoons.
Major combat units were normally assigned much larger tactical areas of responsibility than those visualized in previous doctrine and training. Furthermore, their assigned areas were nothing more than large patches of ground with no discernible forward edge and, in many instances, no discernible line of communications to the rear. As a result, units tended to operate from a central base camp, extensive fire support bases, and temporary base camps established hastily in whichever direction a Viet Cong threat was developing. Extended distances, coupled with the speed of movement from one location to another, placed demanding tasks on the organic communications capability of the unit and often exceeded it.
Command and control requirements often dictated direct communications links from Military Assistance Command headquarters in Saigon to individual brigade and battalion actions conducted in the remotest regions. This requirement is difficult when battle lines are clearly drawn but often impossible under fluid combat conditions in steaming forests and rice paddies.
Security was also difficult. Friend and foe were often indistinguishable, and the secrecy of major operations was often compromised. Rapid concentration of forces in remote areas was essential but could not be accomplished under radio silence. Planning and executing major operations became a trade off between the need for concentrating quickly and the likelihood of tipping off the enemy about the operation while communicating instructions to the elements involved.
Coordination of external fire support was especially difficult. Close air support and B-52 strikes were needed where friendly and Viet Cong units were intermixed in heavy foliage or jungle cover that made identification and location difficult and limited the range of UHF (ultra high frequency) and FM radios.
Since there were no battle lines, there were no secure areas outside base camp and fire base perimeters. Any high ground occupied as a communications site had to be totally secured, a necessity that drained combat resources sorely needed elsewhere.
The first major combat element to arrive in Vietnam, the 173d Airborne Brigade, quite early faced the problem of communicating over extended distances. The brigade's logistics base was on Okinawa, and voice communications were maintained by using organic single sideband radio equipment over a distance far beyond the planning range of this set. Early in 1965, the unit had also built an FM command and control console for mounting in the UH-ID helicopter. The use of this airborne relay in the early
days of the unit's commitment was, according to division commander Major General Ellis W. Williamson, "nothing short of fantastic." During its early deployment phase, the brigade also had to rely on the old series of FM radio equipment-a partial reason for strong dependence on the helicopter radio relay. In late 1965 this equipment was replaced with the AN/VRC-12 family and the AN/PRC-25 radios. The brigade relied heavily on high frequency radio teletypewriter between brigade and battalion; two AN/VSC1 sets were available to each battalion. The brigade headquarters used the shelter-mounted AN/GRC-46 configuration.
The 173d was followed in rapid order by a brigade of the 101st Airborne Division, a brigade of the 1st Infantry Division, and the 25th Infantry Division. Six major combat operations involving these troops occurred during the first year of combat. Five of the six were in the central threat area. (Map 4)
An early communications problem which faced most of these units was that of frequency availability. Lieutenant Colonel Tom Nicholson, commander of the 13th Signal Battalion of the 1st Cavalry Division, and Lieutenant Colonel Tom Ferguson, commander of the 125th Signal Battalion of the 25th Infantry Division, both commented at length on the initial impact that the lack of adequate preplanned frequencies had on division combat operations. The 1st Cavalry Division, for example, attempted to establish and resolve frequency requirements before. its departure from the United States by sending messages and telephoning to the joint headquarters in Saigon which controlled frequency assignments. Their efforts proved fruitless until the signal battalion commander personally visited the frequency control agency and joint signal officer. He resolved the problem sufficiently to begin "legal" operations in Vietnam. In the 25th Infantry Division, Colonel Ferguson felt , that frequency management was nonexistent outside the division. As he saw it, U.S. Army, Vietnam, allocated frequencies to the field force headquarters, which in turn sub-allocated them to its major combat elements. His division, for example, was given some 8-12 discrete frequencies which supposedly were adequate to avoid any mutual interference. These same frequencies, however, were also assigned to aviation units well outside the field forces. Once helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft of these units were airborne and operating on frequencies, they saturated entire areas where the same frequencies had been assigned to ground combat units. Despite frequent pleas for an authoritative frequency management agency at the U.S. Army, Vietnam, or Military Assistance Command level, it never
materialized during the early days of the conflict. As a result, what generally happened was massive "bootlegging" with the ripple effect of even more mutual interference throughout the combat theater.
At the same time that the first combat units were beginning to arrive in Vietnam, the 1st Signal Brigade was activated under the command of Brigadier General Robert Terry. All signal units not organic to the field forces, divisions, or separate brigades were assigned to this brigade. Whenever a major combat unit received a mission or was assigned a tactical area of responsibility which could not be adequately supported by its organic signal means, it became common practice to augment from the 1st Signal Brigade. Views differed on how these augmentation elements should be controlled. Colonel Nicholson (13th Signal Battalion commander, 1st Cavalry Division) pointed out that these units often did not receive adequate instructions before they arrived in Vietnam and could not sustain operations. He argued strongly for the direct attachment of this augmentation to the organic signal battalion of the division and for complete control over its operations and activities by the division signal battalion commander. He stated, "Too many times it appeared as if these units were abandoned by their headquarters in that it was seldom that a senior staff officer or commander appeared to check the operations or welfare of his unit's men." Colonel Ferguson (commanding the 125th Signal Battalion, 25th Infantry Division) argued for the attachment of such augmentation to his battalion, basing his views on the fact that if this were not done there would be a split responsibility for communications in the base camp. His division commander held him totally responsible for all communications whether they were to the units within the division or to field force or U.S. Army, Vietnam, headquarters. He was dependent on augmentation from the signal brigade which, if it failed, would be considered his responsibility by the division commander. These examples of external communications support applied to nearly every division-size force in Vietnam. It seemed that all divisions needed one more fire base, one more base camp, or one more tactical headquarters to support a seemingly endless expansion of their areas of operations. They simply outgrew their signal battalions and turned for help to any other source available. The 69th Signal Battalion, which I commanded, for example, had detachments of one type or another from Hue in the north to Soc Trang in the delta. Such detachments took some of the load off the organic division signal battalions, mainly in the base camp areas. The organic battalions then could
pump more of their own resources into the immediate support of the divisions' maneuver elements, which were always in the field and always on the move. The augmentations ranged all the way from an entire company supporting the command base camp of the 1st Infantry Division at Di An to small high frequency radio detachments supporting Army and Marine elements in Da Nang and Hue. They were not division tactical communications in the strict sense, but they enabled the organic signal battalions to support more fully the combat elements of the division.
General Terry, 1st Signal Brigade commander, took an opposite view from that of Colonels Nicholson and Ferguson regarding control of these augmentations. It was his opinion that communications from the division upward to field force, U.S. Army, Vietnam, or Military Assistance Command were properly the responsibility of the 1st Signal Brigade, which had been organized specifically to provide this unquestioned control. He could not tolerate an upward communications link failure that was attributable to a 1st Signal Brigade unit at the division base camp and caused by the division signal battalion commander imposing a precedence mission or tasking on the brigade unit. As the commander responsible for these upward communications links, he had to be made aware of and approve the division's additional taskings. I shared General Terry's view. Our battalion had an entire company supporting the 121st Signal Battalion of the 1st Infantry Division in its base camp at Di An. The company worked in close and continuous harmony with the companies of the signal battalion but with the clear understanding that any tasking to that company had to come from me with the approval of the 1st Signal Brigade commander. I insisted that the company commander be fully responsive in offering assistance to the division signal battalion commander consistent with his own mission requirements, and I am convinced that this arrangement worked satisfactorily for all parties concerned.
The initial deployment of the 1st Cavalry Division to the base camp at An Khe pointed out the importance of early involvement by the division signal battalion commander in planning future command post locations. This need was well recognized by the division commander, Major General Harry W. O. Kinnard, who gave total responsibility for command post selection to the division signal officer and the G-3. Some twelve different locations within a ninety-mile radius of An Khe were physically tested for multi-channel and FM radio coverage, and these sites governed subsequent command post displacements. Colonel Nicholson was
MEN OF THE 13TH SIGNAL BATTALION OPERATE AIRBORNE RELAY to give tactical communicators more range.
also adamant about the need for actually testing a site for communications suitability instead of drawing conclusions from a technical analysis of profiles and other paper data:
One of the most discouraging things tome in the past was to hear some officer or noncommissioned officer say-that "according to their analysis of the profile-communications were not possible"-I am a firm disbeliever of many technical charts and well designed profiles of terrain. It was a practice to actually test transmissions by transporting radio equipment to the site in question. The equipment does not have to be the entire radio relay set-in most cases a radio-of similar emission operating on the desired frequency will do the same job. There are too many variables such as effects of tropospheric conditions, reflecting terrain features and freak conditions that make transmitting and receiving possible at places the "profile" says that it cannot be done.
The first full-scale combat commitment of the 13th Signal Battalion of the 1st Cavalry Division was in support of divisional elements during Operation SILVER BAYONET (23 October-20 November 1965) and included the battle of the Ia Drang Valley. This operation highlighted the importance of the FM airborne relay in supporting far-ranging and swiftly developing campaigns. The 13th employed a fixed-wing aircraft equipped with twelve
NUI BA DEN, JUNE 1966. Home of Granite Romeo Tango.
powerful FM radios. The aircraft flew in orbit at 10,000 feet over the widely dispersed combat units and retransmitted FM voice messages for most of the key command nets directing the operation.
The 1st Infantry Division faced a similar need soon after its arrival at Di An. The division adopted a more permanent variation of the relay-the mountaintop relay. The 121st Signal Battalion established a relay on Nui Ba Den; or the Black Virgin Mountain, in February 1966. The following extract from a 121st Signal Battalion news article points up the importance of the mountain and the respect it garnered from tactical communicators:
Nui Ba Den-"This is Granite Romeo Tango," has been heard by virtually every FM radio operator in the 1st Infantry Division. Granite Romeo Tango is the radio call sign of the relay site operated by Company C on Nui Ba Den mountain. Nui Ba Den, the highest point in III Corps area, has proven to be of major importance to the Big Red One for relaying VHF and FM communications. The primary mission of the eight men who run the site is to provide VHF relay for the 121st Signal Battalion and FM retransmission for the units of the division. It has also provided relay services for such units as the 25th Infantry Division, the 4th Infantry Division, the 196th Light Infantry Brigade, and Special Forces.
Although very few men in the battalion have actually set foot on Nui Ba Den, they all know of "The Mountain." Most VHF operators at one time or another have put in a shot to Nui Ba Den. When distance or terrain makes it impossible to establish communications, Nui Ba Den provides the needed boost. To many people in the division, Granite Romeo Tango
is some kind of magical FM radio station. When no one else can hear them, out of the sky comes "This is Granite Romeo Tango."
The initial combat experiences of the 1st Cavalry and 1st Infantry Divisions illustrate a communications problem that recurred in most major combat elements throughout the Vietnam conflict-the need to cover by FM voice radio a tactical area of responsibility far exceeding any encountered in previous conflicts. This expanded tactical area of responsibility, coupled with mushrooming base camps, moving fire support bases, and the need to rapidly reposition combat elements by air, burdened division-level communications. The FM command nets were the mobile backbone, and units were constantly seeking innovative ways to keep key elements "on the air." The 1st Cavalry Division solved its problem in part by an airborne relay, expensive to maintain in terms of manpower and materiel but certainly effective considering the obstacles the division faced. The 1st Infantry was fortunate in having a dominant high point such as Nui Ba Den which could be reasonably defended and which provided coverage for the division's entire zone. Later the Big Red One and other divisions erected towers to accomplish a similar purpose. Whatever the technique, the signal battalion commander had to develop something to ensure the command and control communications that the division commander needed. The signal battalion table of organization and equipment, however, was not structured to the demands of Southeast Asia. In the long run, it of ten boiled down to the ingenuity of the signal battalion commander in developing ways and finding means to get his all-important job done. Probably no other single thing contributed more to the success of tactical communications in Vietnam than the ability of the combat communicators to keep vital FM nets working under the near impossible conditions that were routine throughout the war.
As the 25th Infantry Division began building its base camp at Cu Chi, it was tasked to provide communications support to the 173d Airborne Brigade during an air assault landing into Song Be. (The separate brigade-size units were frequently deployed with minimal organic communications support, and they needed augmentation if given any extensive combat missions.) The 125th Signal Battalion responded with the first helicopter lift of a 6,500pound multi-channel radio shelter and power generators to the brigade forward location. Though dropped from a height of five feet because of difficulty in determining ground level in the heavy foliage, the radio worked and provided a vital multi-channel link
MRC-34 � CONFIGURATION. 125th Signal Battalion, 25th Infantry Division.
back to brigade main at Bien Hoa Air Base. This system was relayed through Nui Ba Den by men of the 121st Signal Battalion of the 1st Infantry Division-one example of the mutual cooperation that existed among the divisional signal units throughout Vietnam. This was the first of many informal equipment-sharing arrangements between the signal troops of the 25th and the 1st Divisions.
By the end of March 1966, the 125th Signal Battalion was fully committed, supporting elements of the 2d Brigade in the Ho Bo Woods, the Plain of Reeds, and the Michelin Plantation. It became common practice to install multi-channel systems down to battalion level and occasionally to an artillery battery because of the dispersion of the units and the independent nature of the missions they were assigned. This increasingly heavy reliance on multi-channel radio (with no corresponding equipment augmentation to the table of organization and equipment) led to the fabrication of the highly mobile "MRC-34Y2's." This terminal consisted of one twelve-channel system mounted in a'/-ton trailer and was designed to meet the increasing airmobile demands of the division. It was far easier to move by helicopter than the cumbersome MRC-69 shelter, but once it was dropped, it remained in place except for limited repositioning by a crew of strong-backed pushers and pullers. Because of the demand for these successful fabricated airmobile multi-channel terminals, the 125th had little
requirement for its high frequency radio teletypewriter equipment.
Although improvisation was commonplace, during early combat for these first arriving units, much of their communications doctrine was in consonance with long-established procedures. There was little change for the sake of change alone. Colonel Ferguson's remarks on this score, which follow, generally applied to communications operations in all the units coming into Vietnam during this period:
The communications systems installed at Cu Chi to support the division command post followed the division standing operating procedure for combat. VHF systems were installed in such a manner that the various shots could be picked up when required in an almost 360 degree fashion. Thus, when a system came in, any movement or relocation at the distant end did not require anything more than an antenna reorientation at the division command post. No further antenna erection or movement of vehicles was required. All equipment was kept mounted in the vans, ready for further movement if necessary. The HF [high frequency] radio pack was set up at a distance well away from the VHF systems to prevent radio frequency interference. The battalion MTC-3 switchboard was initially installed but this was later phased out after an MTC-1 switchboard was obtained from the 2d Signal Group. Two SB-611 patch panels were installed with all circuits wired straight through wherever possible. Circuit patching was discouraged but, unfortunately, could not be avoided. The battalion systems control tied the entire complex together by intercommunications. All in all, it was a very tightly controlled battalion-type system. The telecommunications center's MSC-29's were located close to the division command post where they could serve both the operations and intelligence sections as well as adjutant general and other interested agencies in the division headquarters.
The MSC-29 communications center terminal was one of the van-mounted items most susceptible to the high heat and humidity characteristic of the lowlands in and around Saigon where the lst and 25th Divisions were operating. Malfunctions resulting from lack of air conditioning for this van are mentioned in numerous reports. The shelter with its teletypewriter equipment, communications security devices, and voice frequency converters was a real heat generator. In addition, the racks of equipment were very tightly packed and allowed little air circulation. The components tended to be more affected by overheating than those in other shelters. It was not unusual to find interior temperatures of 110�-120� during the day, conditions which sapped the energy and lowered the efficiency of even the most hardy and dedicated soldiers. Whenever possible, the operating signal unit dismounted
DIVISION TACTICAL OPERATIONS CENTER SWITCHBOARD. 125th Signal Battalion, 25th Infantry Division.
the equipment and operated from tents, quonset huts, anything that would give some relief from the heat. The division base camps were relatively fixed, however, although the maneuver elements were moving constantly, so loss of mobility was not critical. Perhaps the most effective air conditioning system devised during the war, not only for the MSC-29 but for all van-mounted equipment, was the overhead grenade shelter. The sandbagged shelter, built about six-twelve inches above the roof of the communications van, provided a layer of insulating cooler air. This shelter, combined with the normal ventilating fans in the van, could reduce the interior temperature by as much as fifteen-twenty degrees-if the team chiefs kept the fan filters free of dust by daily cleaning.
One of the demands of communications units during the early days of the troop buildup was responding to the demands of rapid reliable voice circuits for the tactical operations centers. As a rule, the urgency of voice traffic generated in the center was such that the division signal battalion commander isolated it from the normal division switchboard and routed it on "hot lines" through a special switchboard. In the 25th Infantry Division, for example, two SB-22 switchboards were installed initially to handle the sole-user circuits that were needed. These switchboards soon proved inadequate, however, and a stacked SB-86 replaced them and also served the fire support coordination center adjacent to the center. By this means there was an operator to intervene immediately and render assistance if any of the hot lines developed troubles. The tactical operations centers were also a collecting point for an endless array of FM, UHF, and VHF antennas, and signal units were constantly improvising ways to consolidate antennas without reducing their radiating efficiency. The signal battalion of the 25th Infantry Division erected a sixty-foot self-supporting mast near the division center constructed from 175-mm. powder containers. Four
HIGH FREQUENCY RADIO BUNKER at 25th Infantry Division headquarters in Cu Chi. Antenna mast was made from artillery power canisters.
antennas were mounted on it and used simultaneously without interference. In addition to the ongoing major combat operations, there were many smaller but important actions. In these small unit operations, communications played a vital role in reporting information to higher headquarters and in securing required support. The radiotelephone operators in small combat teams not only provided vital communications but also performed their share of valorous acts. One of the most notable was the action of Private First Class Stephen Laier of Fort Wayne, Indiana, on 4 February 1966 near Lai Khe. His 1st Infantry Division citation for valor reads, in part, as follows:
Private First Class Laier was serving as radiotelephone
operator on a platoon ambush patrol . . . . The patrol encountered claymore
mines and intense small arms fire. Private First Class Laier lost both legs due
to a blast from a claymore mine and his radio was knocked off frequency.
Although suffering intense pain, he was able to maintain consciousness and to recalibrate his radio . . . .
Realizing that dust-off (medical) helicopters could not land due to small arms fire, he directed reinforcements to his location by continuous radio contact.
Continuing to fight off unconsciousness, Private First Class Laier continued his heroic actions by directing dust-off pilots to the proper landing zone and called them in one at a time . . . so his wounded comrades could be evacuated.
Having saved the remaining patrol members, Private Laier was evacuated to a field hospital where doctors worked night and day to
save his life. He told doctors that during the combat action he had kept going because he knew that he was the only man still alive in the patrol who was trained to use the radio. Private Laier died fifteen days after the fight. The division commander, Major General Jonathan O. Seaman, reportedly wrote a friend, "This is one of the bravest soldiers I have seen in thirty years as a soldier."
A veteran war correspondent wrote of the incident, "A young infantryman named Stephen Laier has shown in fifteen pain-filled days that in some men the only limit to courage is death. The courage of Laier . . . almost defies comprehension by men who have never been wounded in battle."
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Last Updated 3 October 2003
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SeaArk 1872 Pro Center Console O/B premium trailerable boat cover includes a sewn in motor hood. LOA: 18' -18'6", Beam Width: 96"Description: Boat cover color: Gray Color. Item condition: Brand New boat cover fabric: made from extremely tough and durable 12.5 OZ, 600x600 Denier 100% polyester material boat cover major features: Treated with mold, mildew and UV inhibitors with its tight weave and breathable design, will greatly reduce molding and mildewing to your boat and easy to keep clean. Provides maximum protection against sun, rain, dirt and pollution all year round in water or on land while storing and trailering. Double stitched interlock seams with rot-proof thread. Elastic band around bottom of cover offers a snug fit. Trailering strap design adjusts fast and secures tight with quick release buckles. Ready-Fit designed with a forgiving liberal cut to fit the boats listed. Reinforced bow, stern, with web loops for quick and easy reinforced tie-down. What are included in the package besides boat cover: Free Mesh storage bag, trailering straps and bow strap. Two year warranty against material defects or workmanship. Payment: We accept: Paypal, VISA, MasterCard, AMEX, DISCOVER Credit card payment, please call us at 9734869393. Shipping & Handling (S&H): We charge flat shipping & handling fee of USD$25.00 within continental US. We can combine S&H fee for multiple auctions. Each additional item pays only $16 for combined S/H. S/H to Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands: $34 S/H to Canada: $38 International buyers please contact us for shipping cost. Shipping insurance is an optional and we are not responsible after the item is shipped. Item ships normally within 24-48 hours after payment has cleared / or been received. No local pick-up availableReturn Policy: If merchandise is defective we will supply you a replacement or refund. Defective situation must be noticed within 5 days after delivery. Returns must be received within 14 days with all original packaging and accessories. Buyer is responsible for return shipping costs and insurance. Bidding Agreement: eBay item number and email address are required in all forms of correspondence. All payment should be made within 7 business days of auction close. Powered by eBay Turbo ListerThe free listing tool. List your items fast and easy and manage your active items. Powered by eBay Turbo ListerThe free listing tool. List your items fast and easy and manage your active items.
Click HERE for more information about this item.


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Life these days can be hectic and, like many people, you may be rushed off your feet, having to balance the needs of your home and work lives. Indeed, you may often feel as though there are simply too few hours in the day.
This can make shopping for items difficult, and you may find getting the time to wander along the high street and gaze into shop windows a rarity. So, if you are looking for Halloween fancy dress to celebrate October 31st, you might be worried about whether or not you will find something in time.
Continue reading


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Grand Central: Snowpocalypse Aside, U.S. Economy May Be Slowing
The Wall Street Journal's Daily Report on Global Central Banks for Wednesday, Feb. 19
Sign up for the newsletter: http://on.wsj.com/1n92O6N.
Blaming cold weather has become an easy out for forecasters missing their rosy U.S. growth estimates. Yet the snowy winter can explain only so much of the recent weakness in economic activity.
The labor market has now notched two consecutive months of disappointing job gains. New claims for unemployment insurance remain stuck around 340,000 per week.
Perhaps more worrying for Federal Reserve officials, the foundations of growth are again looking shaky. Consumer spending, which drove some of the fourth quarter's surprisingly robust 3.2% annualized rate of growth, is now looking softer, prompting some economists to revise down their GDP predictions. Retail sales were weak across the board in January, including at online stores. Manufacturing output last month registered its biggest drop since 2009.
For now, Fed policy makers are taking the long view. "I was surprised that the jobs reports in December and January, the pace of job creation, was running under what I had anticipated. But we have to be very careful not to jump to conclusions," Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen said in testimony last week.
Still, if the bad streak continues or worsens, it would likely give the Fed pause about pressing on with its steady reduction in bond purchases. As for weather effects: America's growth record has been pretty dismal in recent years despite a series of warmer-than-usual winters.
-By Pedro Nicolaci da Costa
New businesses are feeling more confident and willing to hire, according to the fourth-quarter survey of new business founders released Tuesday by the Kauffman Foundation and LegalZoom. http://on.wsj.com/1jDqcce
Fed Imposes New Rules on Foreign Banks. The Federal Reserve voted Tuesday to impose new rules on the global banking sector that bring the U.S. operations of large foreign banks under Fed supervision, detailing steps banks must take to manage and prevent risk. http://on.wsj.com/1m6xNSf
Fed's Williams Sees Further Tapering Even If Next Jobs Report is Weak. San Francisco Fed President John Williams told the L.A. Times in an interview he believes the U.S. economy will bounce back from a recent bad streak. http://lat.ms/MwOlWW
Five Things to Know About Incoming Cleveland Fed President. Loretta Mester, the former research director (and No. 2 official) at the Philadelphia Federal Reserve. She has argued against breaking up big banks but has yet to say much about monetary policy. http://on.wsj.com/1j9ek1Y
Will Yellen Improve on Bernanke's Open Meeting Record? Janet Yellen presided over her first open Federal Reserve board meeting as chairwoman Tuesday. Which begs the question, will her track record on open meetings be better than that of her predecessor Ben Bernanke? http://on.wsj.com/1gfjsin
U.K. Labor Market Healing More Slowly. The pace of recovery in Britain's labor market slowed around the turn of the year, official data showed Wednesday, strengthening the Bank of England's case for keeping interest rates low to nurture a speedier recovery. A mixed labor report from the Office for National Statistics showed the unemployment rate edged up in the three months to December to 7.2% from 7.1% in the previous three months, a rise that took analysts by surprise. http://on.wsj.com/1m8UFQY
Hungary Cuts Key Rate Again Despite Forint Drop. Hungary cut its main monetary policy rate to a record low Tuesday in an effort to buoy recovery in an election year, despite the sharp weakening of its currency and the recent turmoil in emerging markets that has heightened the risk of capital outflow. http://on.wsj.com/1jClwTW
Chile's central bank cuts main interest rate. The central bank reduced its key rate by 0.25 percentage point to 4.25%. The bank said it may need to add more stimulus to keep inflation projections around 3%. http://on.wsj.com/1eQJCp4
Brazil Central Banker Sees Inflation Falling in 2014, Beyond. Brazil's struggle to bring down inflation is unlikely to end soon, though it's showing early results, the country's central bank governor indicated Tuesday. At the same time, Alexandre Tombini steered clear of joining a large chorus of emerging market central bankers blaming the U.S. Federal Reserve for recent financial market turmoil outside the U.S. http://on.wsj.com/1jNUR9U
Europe's Banks Fret About Stress Tests. The European Central Bank on Wednesday will host a public hearing at its Frankfurt headquarters on the draft framework regulation for its new euro-zone banking supervisor. But most of the chatter is likely to be about what happens before that. http://on.wsj.com/1nLcd4x
Austrian Central Banker Backs End to ECB Bond Sterilizations. Ewald Nowotny told Reuters that he backs the Bundesbank's support for suspending the ECB's policy of draining funds from the banking system to offset its government-bond holdings http://reut.rs/1h5CAAk. WSJ first reported the Bundesbank's position on Jan. 31. http://on.wsj.com/1bl19eo
ECB's Praet Says Struggling Countries Making Progress. The euro zone's struggling countries are making progress in reforming their economies and boosting competitiveness, ECB executive board member Peter Praet said. http://on.wsj.com/1cWBu6W
Russian Growth Unlikely to Recover This Year: Central Bank Russia's economic growth is unlikely to recover this year as previously expected as high volatility on the global market and the possible decline of commodity prices continue to drag on the economy, the Bank of Russia said Tuesday. The central bank says it now sees growth this year at between 1.5% and 1.8% compared with the government's forecast of 2.5%. Still, the bank says it is not considering easing monetary policy and intends to stick by inflation targeting. http://on.wsj.com/1c1xrWL
Drop in Swedish Inflation Pressures Riksbank to Cut Rates. A surprising fall in Sweden's inflation rate in January has put pressure back on the central bank to lower interest rates. http://on.wsj.com/1bJydgs
Skeptics Question Effectiveness of Bank of Japan's New Move. The Bank of Japan surprised the markets Tuesday by expanding a pair of loan programs, a move that sent Tokyo shares higher and pushed the yen lower as many took it as a sign of the BOJ's strong commitment to beating deflation. But some observers question how effective the programs will be once the initial market euphoria subsides. Here are some points raised by skeptics. http://on.wsj.com/1e4LsCL
How the BOJ Helped Avoid Negative Bond Yields. While stock investors initially cheered the Bank of Japan's decision to increase two lending programs on Tuesday, bond traders pointed to possible success for BOJ Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda on another front: avoiding negative interest rates on government debt. http://on.wsj.com/1bkB0wd
Rising Inflation in Malaysia Turns Up the Heat on Central Bank. Fast-rising prices in Malaysia, as the government dials back subsidies and the economy grows at a strong clip, could prompt the central bank to raise interest rates that have been on hold since mid-2011 http://on.wsj.com/McblKh
Despite Recent Calm in Markets, Central Banks in Emerging Markets Not Out of the Woods Yet. Many of the fundamentals that prompted last month's sell-off in emerging markets, such as large external financing needs and weak currencies, haven't been resolved. http://on.wsj.com/1jbkoXS
Political Meddling With Fed, "House of Cards" Edition. Any Federal Open Market Committee members who binge-watched the Washington-based show over the weekend–the second season became available Friday on Netflix–may have been taken aback by something President Garrett Walker says in the seventh episode as he walks into the Oval Office. "Now if unemployment goes up more than two-tenths, I want the Fed to consider –," Mr. Walker says to two men, before becoming distracted and trailing off. Of course, (fictional) political interference with monetary policy is far from the most serious offense on the show.
- The Fed releases minutes of its January 28-29 policy meeting at 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT)
- Atlanta Fed's Lockhart speaks at 12:15 p.m. EST (1715 GMT)
- St. Louis Fed's Bullard speaks at 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT)
- SF Fed President Williams speaks at 7 p.m. EST (0000 GMT)
Man vs. Machine or Can the Bots Work for Humans?
For Robert Gordon, an economics professor at Northwestern University, the U.S. economy's best days, economically speaking, are in its past. In a paper released Monday, the economist builds on his argument that future U.S. growth rates will fall well short of those in the past. Mr. Gordon warns that those who believe technological innovation will overturn this dark forecast are betting on the wrong horse. http://on.wsj.com/1dJ2oTS http://www.nber.org/papers/w19895
Others are less downbeat about the impact of technology. In "How the rise of smart machines will affect the US economy and jobs: A Q&A with Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee," by Jim Pethokoukis at the American Enterprise Institute, the authors argue there is plenty of promise in new technologies that is being underappreciated by outdated economic statistics. http://bit.ly/1h2hind
A recent Bank of France paper examines productivity across major countries from 1890 (yes, 1890) to 2012. The study finds "one big wave" of productivity growth that started in the U.S. between the world wars and spread to other major economies after World War II. A smaller wave occurred in the U.S. with the rise of information technology. "A global downward break following the subprime crisis and as soon as the mid-2000s in the US is observed, casting doubt on the prospects of the ICT revolution, although the long lag in the diffusion of the second industrial revolution shows that technology clusters may not yield all their benefits within a decade," the study concluded. https://www.banque-france.fr/uploads/tx_bdfdocumentstravail/DT_475.pdf
Is China Headed For a Debt Crisis? RBS Says No. Worries about a possible debt crisis in China have emerged as a pressing question over the past year as the country's overall debt level rises quickly and the recent specter of defaults in the shadow banking system rattles financial markets in China and abroad. But The Royal Bank of Scotland says two key metrics should put investors at ease. http://on.wsj.com/1cYu3w4
- Raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour would cost the U.S. economy about 500,000 jobs by late 2016, but the increase would lift 900,000 Americans out of poverty at the same time, according to a new study by the Congressional Budget Office. http://on.wsj.com/1cZ4vyV
- An index of U.S. homebuilder sentiment index plunged 10 points into pessimistic territory http://on.wsj.com/1geSzuV
- U.S. household debt late last year posted its largest quarterly increase since 2007. The quarter also marked the first time since the recession that household debt posted an annual gain. http://on.wsj.com/1h2H1f4
- A key project for Indian central bank governor Raghuram Rajan aimed at luring foreign banks into the country appears to be on shaky ground as Citigroup takes a pass. http://on.wsj.com/1cWtLFM
- China and Japan, the top foreign holders of U.S. Treasury bonds, cut their holdings in December. http://on.wsj.com/1fwgZOZ
- The Russian ruble dropped to a new all-time low versus the euro-dollar basket Tuesday, extending a slide that started in the middle of 2013. http://on.wsj.com/1mrKg6G
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Definition of harness in English:
1A set of straps and fittings by which a horse or other draft animal is fastened to a cart, plow, etc., and is controlled by its driver.
Example sentences
- He was diminutive, and how he managed to lift the heavy harness on the draught horses for ploughing was more than I could understand.
- Iron components of the chariot were found in a good state of preservation, including the two wheel rims and hub - hoops, the yoke fittings, harness and horse bits.
- I went about my usual morning routine, feeding Angel Wing and the pull horses, and putting on the harnesses for the carts.
tack, tackle, equipment;
archaic equipage
1.1An arrangement of straps for fastening something to a person's body, such as a parachute, or for restraining a young child.
Example sentences
- The second was that I refused to allow myself to be harnessed to a particular parent on a climbing wall.
- The assistant who was about a nineteen-year-old boy helped us into the harness as we strapped on our helmets.
- The Doctor rambled on, as he checked the leads from the computer to the harness strapped tight to Tanj's head.
verb[with object]
1Put a harness on (a horse or other draft animal).
Example sentences
- Two horses were harnessed to a small cart that rattled along near the back of the single-file.
- James returned as the morning was fading into the afternoon, a second horse harnessed to his.
- A photograph in the late Jess Chandler's History of Marlborough shows the horses harnessed to the fire engine in front of the town hall.
hitch up, put in harness, yoke, couple
1.1 (harness something to) Attach a draft animal to (something) by a harness: the horse was harnessed to two long shafts
More example sentences
- The following night at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone the sight of a toboggan gave Jones the idea of harnessing the dogs to haul their packs.
- The priest began the difficult task of harnessing the horse to the front of his heavily laden wagon.
- Early in the morning, Elizabeth harnessed the horses to the one person buggy.
2Control and make use of (natural resources), especially to produce energy: attempts to harness solar energy figurative projects that harness the creativity of those living in the ghetto
More example sentences
- All the same, these conditions have long proved impossible to sustain in physicists attempts to harness nuclear fusion for energy generation.
- 'Ireland should be harnessing its natural resources and should be a net exporter of power rather than an importer,' he said.
- The system would have produced 3.5 megawatts - the five turbines being designed to harness tidal energy and turn it into electricity.
control, exploit, utilize, use, employ, make use of, put to use;
channel, mobilize, apply, capitalize on
in harness
- (Of a horse or other animal) used for driving or draft work.Example sentences
- It is also true that the Monarchy and 'Establishment' were more often at odds than not, like ill-matched horses in harness.
- I think he saw them like horses in harness some of which were trying to run in different directions.
- Even though mules could carry heavier loads, cost less to run and were more surefooted, they were increasingly used in harness to pull wagons, not as pack animals.
- 1.1In the routine of daily work: a man who died in harness far beyond the normal age of retirementMore example sentences
- The honour of wearing number 2 fell to John Douglas, who also got to carry the commemorative mailbag celebrating Percy's 40 years in harness.
- Tipp will probably go in as the marginal favourites now that their most prolific scorer Declan Browne is back in harness.
- It knocked her out - but she will be back in harness tomorrow at an investiture at Buckingham palace.
- 1.2Working closely with someone to achieve something: local and central government should work in harnessMore example sentences
- Sure, you're going to have occasional missteps as people get better acquainted and work in harness together.
- However, spinners Mark Bell and Dan Broadbent got together in harness to share nine victims.
- She is even ready to be a partner to Bart instead of a domineering wife: 'Today she wanted him to know that they pulled in harness together'.
harnesser noun
- Example sentences
- Bedaux had made his fortune as one of the greatest harnessers of mass labor since the Pharoahs.
- As harnessers of power, both have evoked great awe and admiration as human conquerors of nature.
- The masks serve as both visual aids in the portrayal of Bali's courtly legends and as harnessers of invisible forces.
Middle English: from Old French harneis 'military equipment', from Old Norse, from herr 'army' + nest 'provisions'.
Words that rhyme with harnessKiwanis
For editors and proofreaders
Syllabification: har·ness
Definition of harness in:
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed.
= trending


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I have changed my default browser to firefox, but if i try to open the
url adress in the about windows of ALL the kde application it always
opens in konqueror-browser.
No problem opening others urls (for example a url in a mail message in
I tried to read about default-browser question in past posts, but the
reply is already what i have done:
go to change the associations of html, htm, url, and take firefox in
the first line.
Could be that adresses are in another association ext or could be a
I'm using kde/konqueror 3.5.5 in a debian etch (stable) with all
updates installed.
Hope someone could help me.
Thanks in advance


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Carrie Exhibit Set for Country Hall of Fame
When the final leg of Carrie Underwood's Blown Away Tour wraps up May 23 in Abbotsford, British Columbia, the show's set pieces won't be destined for storage or broken down for scrap. Instead, they'll be earmarked for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, which presents Carrie Underwood: The Blown Away Tour beginning June 5.
Running through Nov. 10, the vast exhibit features many of the onstage items from Carrie's world tour, including instruments, sets and even costumes worn by the superstar.
For those who caught Carrie on the Blown Away trek—the 2012 leg played to more than half a million fans in 60-plus cities—the showcase offers a behind-the-scenes look at what went into the major production.
Don't miss an issue! Subscribe to Nash Country Weekly.


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WASHINGTON (July 10, 2013)--The White House and most U.S. Senate Democrats favored restoring interest rates on subsidized Stafford loans to 3.4 percent for another year, but on Wednesday lawmakers were unable to muster the necessary 60 votes to overcome a procedural hurdle.
That leaves interest rates at 6.8 percent, which leaders from both parties say is unacceptable.
Interest rates doubled on July 1 because Congress failed to send a bill to President Barack Obama for his signature.
Few students so far have been affected because few sign their loans during the summer, but roughly a quarter of all federal lending is through the program and the new rates could affect millions of students.


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Charter Cable has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but said operations will continue as normal. [Marketwatch] (Thanks to CaptZ!)
This does not surprise me one bit. They were the worst run cable company I have ever dealt with.
I agree with bohemian on that, they were my prior cable provider, not saying the Comcast is great, but Charter was outrageous not only with their pricing, but also with their customer service (Both phone and service calls).
Guess that's why they bumped up their prices by like $30 more than before >.> Probably time to switch to dish… just like all the other people around here have.
I have Charter cable and cable internet. This doesn't make me feel very good…
@f3rg: And it won't make you feel any better knowing that Comcast is already making plans to fill a Charter market vacuum.
@morgasco: The strange thing, at least 8 months ago Comcast was running billboards in my town. This is a charter area, so we can't even get their craptastic service, but they were tossing money into the ether.
@menty666: Marking future turf? I wasn't a fan of Charter either and looking at their site using my old address it would cost $65 a month for the internet service bandwidth I'm getting from Comcast for $45 a month… Still, I'm all for a service a little more wallet heavy if it means not dicking around with issues every few months, wasting 2 hours or so a pop.
@morgasco: i'm not pleased that Comcast will (obviously) move in and swallow them up but that being said: it can't get MUCH worse than what we had (Internet Only subscriber)
@f3rg: I've been quite pleased with both the performance and customer service. I'm paying 71.49/month for top speeds and basic TV channels, but the crummier DSL in my area isn't much less.
Funny I've had just the opposite experiences with them. Great service and I just got them to lower my price package and boost my internet speed. I sure hope that they get sorted out because frankly all I've heard about Comcast is wretched and they would be the most likely to move into the area.
Please tell me that I don't have to go back to DirecTV!!! and Verizon!!!
Well, this isn't exactly breaking news. Charter announced this a few weeks ago. Wanna hear something else fun? They are implementing bandwidth caps for subscribers…YAY!
What sucks is there really isn't any other options for me above 1.5Mbps. ='(
@PHRoG: me either… go on the FIOS and U-verse sites and request info about when it'll be in your area!!! The more feedback they get the more likely they are to add service!!!
Waiting until Comcast goes out of business…
@Addicted To Chocohol: Ssshhh! Comcastcares Frank is watching….
I have Time Warner Cable for my phone/tv/tubes, and very little to complain about- they aren't perfect, but from what i can tell, they're better than comcrap.
i wouldn't be surprised to see some other cable provider buy off their contracts, and possibly their service centers- (possibly) a good time to enter a new market area?
@Gstein: I live in Minneapolis, which was once a Time Warner area, Comcast took it over about 3 years ago now, and the conversion was terrible. They kept and still have the old Scientific Atlanta boxes and modems (while my parents, also in a Comcast area 12 miles had the latest and greatest), couldn't get the on demand features to really work at all for a year (I was only looking for the free value added movies, etc). There was also an issue of having them apply the University of Minnesota's discount to the internet service, since even though I was paying Comcast every month, the billing system in my area wasn't ready to handle this complex discount of 15% or so on my internet services…..FOR OVER A YEAR! I thought the monthly pestering via email of the Comcast rep to our University would help, but that wasn't the case.
Is there such a thing as a good cable tv/internet provider?
@knightracer: I really miss my old cable company, BrightHouse Networks. Great, local service (though I rarely had issues to need the service). After I moved, I was forced to go with Charter. Horrible Internet throughput, high prices, and ugly MPEG compression artifacts.
Hooray! I helped! (By cancelling my cable. Talk about a ripoff!)
Who didn't see this coming?
Charter is a terrible company. I've had charter twice (when i moved, i went back with them to see if they got any better, but nope, so i switched away again). I know so many friends who have had charter and decided that the headache was just not worth it.
The straw that broke the camel's back for me was when they started hijacking mistyped URLs into their own enhanced page. The only way to "Opt-out" was with a cookie they placed in your browser, which means that they still had access to see what you typed in, and the "charter enhanced domain not found page with advertisements" would come back if you deleted your cookies.
I submitted a letter to the FCC, and sent a complaint letter to Charter's president then decided that it was not worth the wait, so I switched.
Three months later I got a call from charter and a letter acknowledging they got my complaint. Their reply to the complaint basically boils down to this: since they are a cable provider the law that protect consumer privacy does not apply to them the same way it applies to the phone companies.
Don't get me wrong, charter has a very good network, the pipes are there, but management is screwing things up big time. They are also very pricey, but that is to be expected from a company that does not have enough subscribers to keep itself afloat.
If it sounds like I'm gloating, I'm not. But i can't stop the strong sense of satisfaction i get every time i think of charter possibly being no more. The same kind you get after you kill a big boss in a classic arcade game.
Goodbye again, Charter.
@TNA5000: Simple fix, no messing with your cookies: use somebody else's DNS settings in your networking TCP/IP properties instead of accepting Charter's default DNS, and you stop getting the mis-search redirects. Check out OpenDNS. You should also start seeing faster page loads. Charter's DNS servers are awful.
@scoosdad: You would think that that would do it, but no. Trust me. I've been using OpenDNS for a long time. It did not stop charter from somehow hijacking my DNS requests. Both my Router and the computer DNS settings were pointed to the open DNS IPs.
I figured Charter was filing after I read about them hiring an attorney to look into the possibility of doing so. Right now in the area I live in, I have Charter available for Cable and Internet or I can go with small-town phone company for my phone, dish, and internet services. They have an iron grip on the local phone service here, no outside competition. Their internet service is so slow, too.
I sincerely hope Charter remains in business, I don't want to start looking for another provider. Other than customer service and a few billing issues, I've been happy.
Good riddance to bad garbage. I've had Comcast, Charter, and now AT&T uverse, and Charter was by far the worst to deal with.
great, now I'll have to either go back to dialup, or hire someone to rewire the house phone lines because the previous homeowner thought they were handy with wiring…
You don't have to start looking for a replacement. They are going to reorganize, not liquidate, so what will most likely happen is in some areas they'll be bought out by other cable companies and in others they'll just continue on as Charter for years to come.
I for one look forward to it in my area, because while Charter is a turd, Comcast is a shiny turd.


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Are you an academic, scientist, health policy junkie... or just a person who goes to see your doctor every now and then? Well, listen up: a new project by Fred Trotter and Not Only Development was recently granted protection under the Freedom of Information Act and met it's crowdfunding effort on... Read more
Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. For many years, it was regarded as the breadbasket of Africa. But since Zimbabwe gained independence from Britain in 1980, Robert Mugabe has been the leader, and the fate of the country has largely been tied to him and... Read more


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San Jose graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang's whirlwind tour with his new two-volume book, "Boxers & Saints," will bring him to SLG Art Boutiki for a release party Friday night that includes a signing and Q&A session.
Yang, who created the award-winning "American Born Chinese" in 2006, has been getting wide acclaim for this latest graphic novel, which tells the story of the Boxer Rebellion in China from both sides -- and each side gets its own book. Both volumes are on the long list for an American Book Award.
The 7:30 p.m. event also serves as a great opportunity to explore SLG Art Boutiki's new home at 44 Race Street, just off The Alameda. Owner Dan Vado says some of Yang's original art and research materials will be in display in the gallery, and copies of Yang's work -- including "Animal Crackers," which was released by SLG Publishing -- will be for sale. Following the book-signing, everyone's invited to stick around for jazz by the local band Grooveyard Shift.
HERITAGE GAME: San Jose State will be celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at Friday night's football game against Utah State. The promotion will be taking over section 108 in Spartan Stadium, and Chavez Supermarket is providing "Los Spartans" T-shirts to the first 1,000 fans who purchase tickets to the event (call 408-924-7589 for tickets).
"Los Spartans" night includes a networking event at the Spartan Practice Fields open to ticketholders.
RELIVING SARATOGA'S PAST: This will be a weekend filled with history in Saratoga. Mayor Jill Hunter will kick off Saratoga Heritage Day on Saturday at noon in Blaney Plaza, as she introduces the costumed historical figures who will spend the day stationed along Big Basin Way and at the Saratoga Historical Museum.
The free festivities include a Dixieland jazz band, nearly two dozen artisans and docent-led walking tours of the village, including the historic McWilliams House.
And Sunday, the Saratoga Historical Foundation is holding its annual barbecue fundraiser at Hakone Gardens, starting at 4:30 p.m. The event will feature music by the jazz band Orchid and a silent auction. Tickets are $45 for historical foundation members and $50 for nonmembers.
For information on either event, go to www.saratogahistory.com.
Contact Sal Pizarro at email@example.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/spizarro.


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Big Media Anyone?
From an article I did for this morning's Hindu:
DB Power is a subsidiary of DB Corp Ltd, a media conglomerate that owns four newspapers, including the Hindi Dainik Bhaskar and English DNA, that have a combined readership of 17.5 million readers, and the My FM radio station.
The company's most recent project in Dharamjaigarh shall displace 524 families from six settlements to extract 2 million tonnes of coal every year to fuel a 1320 MW thermal power plant that shall be built in the adjoining district of Janjgir.
No prizes for guessing what the Dainik Bhaskar's coverage was like:
On the day of the public hearing, villagers were united in their opposition to the plant. "Company officials have been intimidating the villagers and are pressuring us to give our land, and the police are refusing to register cases against the company," said Adhir Majhi, a resident of Baisiya Colony who shall lose his land if the power is cleared.
It appears villagers don't always believe what they read in the newspapers.
March 2, 2011 11:39 AM
pathetic…..i extremely sorry that two years ago i endorsed this newspaper to some friends. the paper's nature and behaviour is very near to one of english daily, which claim to be the largest readable newspaper…..i was used to be in Bhopal for my study from 2008-10, just behind our university, this one is located. their journalists act as 'hooligans' , keep reporters at bay, dishonor them and many more maladies. how this newspaper was mummed over extreme rightist wing of the state……endorsed their views. there was only satisfying feature were its editorial articles which were cosmopolitan in its nature…….
i think it just a tableaux, the worst is yet to come….i have no any connection with this newspaper and no intention to malign its image. i watched its activities very closely. i spent my two years just 50 meters away from its office. some one claim number of newspaper houses indulged in land grabbing at press complex, bhopal, violating the norm and used it in their interest.
thanx aman sethi. i think reading this news paper means endorsing a crime against humanity…again warm thanx for your daring act
March 2, 2011 1:18 PM
"It appears villagers don't always believe what they read in the newspapers."
revu naik permalinkMarch 4, 2011 3:27 PM
in our side there is a figure of speech which translates "it is given in the news only". It is used sarcastically as … Someone says something obviously false
eg. boy says "Amma I did not eat the laddus all by myself" "Of course you didn't. It is given in the newspaper that you didn't".
"Babuji I really did not drink" "Of course you didn't, it is given in the newspaper that you didn't"
March 4, 2011 11:24 PM
lol. and here i thought *i was cynical!
out of curiosity, how old is this usage? have people always been skeptical of the 'news'?
Nesar Ahmad Ahmad permalinkMarch 2, 2011 2:56 PM
In Rajasthan, you have choose from Dainik Bhaskar and Rajasthan Patrika. Any suggestions!!!:)


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Tourmalines from Brazil, boulder opals from Australia, ammonites from Morocco, pearls from the South Sea: these are just some of the many breathtaking gemstones and fossils designer Stephen Dweck uses to make his one-of-a-kind statement jewelry pieces. Inspired by nature, Dweck travels the world in search of new stones to incorporate into his elegant studs and drop earrings, vintage-inspired pendant necklaces, bangles and charm bracelets, and carved cocktail rings. As a testament to their quality and creative merit, Stephen Dweck's stunning creations are on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian. You're also likely to spot his sparklers in the pages of Vogue and Elle, and on the models who walk the runway for Oscar de la Renta, Escada, and other top fashion labels.
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A special Independence Day sale only for our mobile shoppers. Happy 4th!


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- Gender Centre Home Page
- » Resources
- » Polare 23
- » Eighteen Things You Don't Say to a Transsexual
- » Polare 23
- » Resources
(The Gender Centre advise that this article may not be current and as such certain content, including but not limited to persons, contact details and dates may not apply. Where legal authority or medical related matters are cited, responsibility lies with the reader to obtain the most current relevant legal authority and/or medical publication.)
Eighteen Things You Don't Say to a Transsexual
A Light-Hearted Look at Prejudicial Comments Borne of Ignorance
Riki Anne Wilchins
... you probably know a few hundred of us, but you don't know you know us, and we won't tell you that you do.
1 - "I was just talking to a change the other day and..." To me, this suggests that you are having strange conversations with your pocket money. No one is a change. One can ask for change, own change, ex-change, change tyres, change clothes, change sides, change to a minor key and change of life, but one cannot be a change.
2 - "You look just as good as I do." Of course I do. And this is precisely the state of grace to which we all aspire. But more than likely you do both of us an injustice.
3 - "Well I want you to know I certainly consider you a woman." It is a never ending source of wonderment that well-intentioned, and otherwise very well brought up, people say this to me, with a light of total sincerity shining from their eyes for which any self-respecting cocker spaniel would kill. Unfortunately, this assurance turns on at least four assumptions which, upon closer inspection, prove to be entirely unfounded: a) my gender is a subject about which reasonable people might be expected to reasonably differ; b) my gender is a topic that is currently open for discussion; c) my gender and your perception of it, is something about which I suffer rather a great deal of anxiety and about which I am seeking some reassurance; d) you, since you are a non-transsexual, are in just the providential position of providing me with this reassurance I desperately seek.
4 - "I consider you as much a woman as any of my friends." What a treat for them; especially your male friends.
5 - "I would never have guessed you were a transsexual." This phrase is usually accompanied by a look of the utmost incredulity, followed closely by a searching, penetrating, and largely sotto voice reappraisal of all the things you thought you knew about me (or perhaps only all the times we slept together). Unfortunately, this utterance assumes that your credulity, no doubt a topic of endless fascination to you, is of equal interest to me. Since there are tens of thousands of us (perhaps in your building alone!), the fact that some of us can 'pass' (a nasty concept if ever there was one) as non-transsexuals only prophesies that, wedded to the entirely fragile notion that you should be capable of identifying all of us on sight, you are destined for a life of more or less unending private humiliations.
6 - "When did you decide to become a woman?" Well, when did you decide to become a woman? Oh...I see; with you it is normal. Um-hmmm.
7 - "Can you have an orgasm?" Yes, but only when I'm asked this question.
8 - "Can you have an orgasm?"
9 - "Can you have an orgasm?"
10 - "Can you have an orgasm?"
11 - "You must have a lot of courage to face surgery." To have the actual surgery, I just had to be able to breathe deeply, count at least partway backwards from 100, and fall asleep with some semblance of dignity. In all of these tasks I was reliably aided by enough anaesthetic to subdue a small water buffalo. It would also have helped, had I $10-20,000 in spare change (See #1 above) about my person. Unfortunately, while I was thus drifting majestically off to sleep, I found I also had to be able to watch my friends, most of my lovers, all of my family, and any Lesbian who used the term 'politically correct' in any context other than a Lily Tomlin joke, fade out of my existence forever. Also, I found that I woke up to endless refrains of don't(s) #1 - 7, above. That is the hard part; the surgery I could probably do again before breakfast.
12 - "I don't think it's anyone's concern what's between your legs, unless they're sleeping with you." Well, yes. But you, like me, might be surprised at the profound lack of fastidiousness some people display to even this tender area, as my weekly trips to the accoutrement racks at The Pleasure Chest and Eve's Garden confirm. In any case, I'm quite certain that whatever is between your legs, even during those hot, sticky, yucky days of summer, is totally above reproach and perfectly charming, while what's between mine, even on the very best of days, is, well, let's just not talk about it.
13 - "No one needs to know ..." Of course they don't. We all have our little secrets, the small indiscretions we would prefer no one know. The thirty-five or so years of my life just happen to be mine.
14 - "How did you know you're a woman?" Well, how did you know you were a woman? Ah-humm: breasts and vagina. Well, I can introduce you to some very handsome, bearded, muscular young men of my acquaintance who began life with the very same equipment, so that's not particularly compelling evidence, is it? I see, inside you just know. Call me sometime, we'll have lunch.
15 - "When you were a man ..." Unless it refers to a prior life of mine (something I have yet to explore), it's always a toughie, because it assumes itself; i.e., that I ever was a man. I think this sentence is supposed to begin with, "When you lived socially as a man ..." or "When people thought you were a man ..." small, but nonetheless, like lapels or pleats, highly significant differences.
16 - "I think transsexuals are just men in drag." Of course you do, and you're entitled, even justifiably proud, to think so. Do not, however, voice this sentiment while surrounded by a full room of men who really are in drag, (for instance, the next Night of a Thousand Gowns) Also, be certain to note the exception to this rule, which is, of course, female-to-male transsexuals, who are really, well, just women in drag. We all know how naturally distasteful it is when men wear dresses or women wear pants. Do not, however, voice this sentiment while surrounded by a room of S/M dykes in full leather and studs.
17 - "Well, I want you to know I respect your choices." And I yours, particularly in transcendent matters, such as whether to register your pattern at Bloomingdale's or Saks, or whether a bright, robust yet tart, Almanden can properly accompany sushi. However, in more pedestrian spheres, such as gender identity, it profits us immensely to recall that none of us exercises much choice.
18 - "Isn't it amazing you're the only transsexual I know." Yes, and isn't it amazing, when you came-out to your mother, you were the only homosexual she knew. Ho-hum. The fact that I am the only transsexual you know only emphasises that: a) you probably know a few hundred of us, but you don't know you know us, and we won't tell you that you do; b) there are tens of thousands of us, and more all the time; c) we are secretly plotting to take over the planet earth, and infiltrating your prevailing non-transsexual culture is just our first step; d) while we are waiting to take over your planet, we are amusing ourselves at your expense by seeing just how much we can fuck with your head.
Riki Anne Wilchins
From Wikipedia and Amazon Books: Born in 1952, Riki Anne Wilchins is an activist whose work has focused on the impact of gender norms. While she started out as a transgender leader — founding the first national transgender advocacy group (GenderPAC) - her analysis and work broadened over time to include discrimination and violence regardless of individuals' identity. While this perspective has been widely accepted, its breadth has provoked criticism by some in the transgender community. Wilchins' work and writing has often focused on youth, whom she not only sees as uniquely vulnerable to the gender system's pressures and harm, but whom she sees as capable of "looking with fresh eyes". Wilchins' work has been instrumental in bringing transgender rights into the mainstream L.G.B.T. movement, and has helped bring awareness of the impact of gender norms to a wider audience. In 2001, Wilchins' work resulted in her being selected one of just six community activists named by Time Magazine among its "100 Civic Innovators for the Twenty-First Century". A founding member of Camp Trans, since the mid 1990s Wilchins has been highly active in founding a number of organizations and events focused on gender issues, including:
- The Transsexual Menace - the first large direct action group for transgender rights, which was modelled along the lines of Queer Nation and which at one point boasted representatives in over forty cities (co-founder Denise Norris).
- Hermaphrodites With Attitude - the first direct action group for the intersex (co-founder Cheryl Chase, Executive Director of the Intersex Society of North America).
- New York City Gay Community Centre Gender Identity Project (co-founder Dr. Barbara Warren, Director of Social Services).
- New York City Gay Community Centre Transgender Health Empowerment Conference, an annual event (co-founder Dr. Barbara Warren, Director of Social Services).
- Camp Trans, an annual educational event outside the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival that contests the exclusion of anyone who is not deemed a "womyn-born womyn" (co-founders Janice Walworth, Nancy Jean Burkholder).
- National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (co-founder Susan Wright, its first Executive Director).
- National Gender Lobby Day, an annual event on Capitol Hill (co-founder Phyllis Frye).
Polare Magazine is published quarterly in Australia by The Gender Centre Inc. which is funded by the Department of Family & Community Services under the S.A.A.P. program and supported by the N.S.W. Health Department through the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Branch. Polare provides a forum for discussion and debate on gender issues. Unsolicited contributions are welcome, the editor reserves the right to edit such contributions without notification. Any submission which appears in Polare may be published on our internet site. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, The Gender Centre Inc., the Department of Family & Community Services or the N.S.W. Department of Health.
The Gender Centre is committed to developing and providing services and activities, which enhance the ability of people with gender issues to make informed choices. We offer a wide range of services to people with gender issues, their partners, family members and friends in New South Wales. We are an accommodation service and also act as an education, support, training and referral resource centre to other organisations and service providers. The Gender Centre is committed to educating the public and service providers about the needs of people with gender issues. We specifically aim to provide a high quality service, which acknowledges human rights and ensures respect and confidentiality.
Parents of Transgender & Gender Diverse Youth Support Group
The parents support group meets on the second Monday of each month from 6:00pm at the Gender Centre, 41-43 Parramatta Road, Annandale.
All parents of transgender and gender questioning youth are invited to come and be part of these discussion nights.
Providing a safe, supporting space for parents to connect with others. Contact the Gender Centre on (02) 9519 7599 for more information.


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Adding an image to a web page
From the LiveWhale page editing interface, insert your cursor in an editable region where you wish to place the image.
Click the image icon on the page editor WYSIWYG toolbar. This will bring up a list of the images currently uploaded in your LiveWhale group.
Find the image you wish to add by searching for it in the "Find images by keyword" box.
If you wish to view only images uploaded in a particular year, use the dropdown to select the desired time frame.
Images shared from other groups will be labeled with a globe icon. If you want to filter out images shared from other groups, uncheck the box labeled "Include shared images".
Select the image or images you wish to add as they appear in the left column. Doing so will add them to the right column for insertion into your web page. To undo this action, uncheck the image you have selected on the left.
Once the right column contains the image(s) you wish to insert, choose a width or height for the image, as well as an alignment. The full and half column presets will automatically size the image to fit the region you are inserting it into. You may also provide alt text for the image.
When done, click the "Insert image" button.
The image(s) will be inserted into the editable field on your page. You may align it using the alignment buttons in the WYSIWYG toolbar.
Note: If you wish to change or resize the image later, simply double click on it and the insert image screen will reappear with the image you've inserted ready for editing.
To save the changes for the page, click the "Save Changes" button.


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On 20 Mar, 13:11, "wyh...@gmail.com"
> Hi, I'm considering to deploy my paging space in a SAN product, say,
> HDS AMS1000. I know it's a safer decision to use rootvg but I think it
> worths a discussion.
> It's a olap application so the paging is major of big data blocks.
> Pls share your opinions and pls share the experience using a paging on
> SAN if you have...
> Thank you.
We use SAN for our paging (but keep hd6 on rootvg of course which are
non-san disks).
I cant see why it would be safer to have it all on rootvg really?
We dont have any problems with it being on the SAN.
Of course you have to make sure you have good SAN performance, but
then you'd want that anyway.


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PARKERSBURG - Retirees trying to get health insurance benefits restored from Century Aluminum are doubting the company is serious about reopening the closed Ravenswood plant, a spokesman said on Tuesday.
Karen Gorrell of Mineral Wells was responding to a request for comment about the West Virginia Public Service Commission deciding on Dec. 14 to reconsider or clarify Century's case for a special utility rate from Appalachian Power. The commission last month rejected Century's proposal and instead offered its own recommendation, to which the company said it was insufficient for the reopening of the smelter in Ravenswood.
The issue is the risks placed upon customers of Appalachian Power, according to the commission.
"Even though we are desperate for our settlement agreement to be effective, we can not support any burden being placed on other citizens in the state, many of which are our friends and neighbors," Gorrell said.
"We wanted and encouraged our state leaders to support Century in any way they could, but now it is up to Century to decide if they are truly serious about restarting the Jackson County plant," she said. "We are beginning to doubt that they are. It is incredibly insensitive for Century to dangle our benefits in front of us and build up the hopes of the laid of employees."
A spokesman for the company was not immediately available.
The plant closed in 2009 affecting about 650 workers. Retirees later lost all insurance benefits from the company.
"This ordeal is just about to wear us out," Gorrell said. "Almost a year ago, the retirees were praying for a Christmas miracle and we really began to believe that we would see one."
Retirees are still waiting, she said.
"Bottom line is that we are very cautiously hopeful that a "fair" resolution can be obtained between Century, (Appalachian Power) and the PSC that will not place a risk of burden on rate payers, many of which are on fixed incomes," Gorrell said. "Even though we are desperate for our settlement agreement to be effective, we can not support any burden being placed on other citizens in the state, many of which are our friends and neighbors."
The company proposed a rate structure tied to the price of aluminum. The commission in October proposed an alternative plan shifting the risks from customers to the company.
Rates would be based upon the price of aluminum. After a 10-year period, overpayments of up to $200 million would be used for rate reductions for other customers and over payments above $200 million would be split 75 percent to the company and 25 percent to reduce power rates.


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A look into the history of Soldotna. KTUU's Steve Mac Donald reports about the town on the Kenai. (KTUU-TV, 7-30-13)
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