text:
The first-round games are in the book and now the quarterfinal games of the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex County Tournament are slated for Saturday at the higher seed, with three Hunterdon County teams still in the hunt.
Hunterdon Central broke a three-game losing streak Saturday and got back over the .500 mark with a 62-38 win over Phillipsburg in a first-round tri-county game in the Red Devils' field house.
HCHS won 10 of the 22 Hunterdon/Warren County Tournament titles before the format changed to include Sussex County three years ago. The Red Devils lost to Pope John-Sparta in last year's final and are looking for that first HWS championship to add to their collection.
"This is the time of the year when things get really serious, when you have to keep winning to keep playing and it's the time when you want to be playing your best basketball," said Central Head Coach Mike Falco. "We just have to pick it up and continue to improve and learn from some close losses to good teams what it takes to win."
The Red Devils (10-9) will host Sussex County No. 3 seed Newton (11-4), a 64-59 winner over North Warren in its tourney opener, on Saturday.
The Devils, seeded No. 2 in the Hunterdon-Warren bracket, jumped on the Stateliners for a 17-9 first-period lead and were up 35-16 at halftime Saturday. Junior point guard Mike Knight popped in a career-high 25 points to lead the win, junior forward Jason Cabinda added 16 points and 10 rebounds and junior Ryan Lynn came off the bench to heave in a trio of three-pointers and had a season-high 13 points.
"It was just nice to get back on the winning track," said Falco. "We've had a tough stretch of road games the last two weeks against some very good teams, and we needed to get back at home and play a complete game. We had a lot of kids really step up, with Mike Knight just having a super game. He played very well, led us in scoring and ran the floor game for us, set up some other scoring opportunities. He's really developed into a quality point guard for us this year, and I'd love another 10 kids like him.
"Ryan Lynn gave us a big lift and he's been waiting his turn to contribute all season. Today he got his chance and he made the most of it. He buried some huge threes for us along the line, made his shots and gave us a nice lift with Jeff Dzierzawiec (out with a family commitment) not available for us today. He filled the void nicely and I was proud of his patience and the effort we got from him. He took advantage of his opportunity to play and made the most of it."
Falco also praised the play of Cabinda, who helped control the boards for the Devils.
"He's just given us everything he has all year, every game, and doesn't care if he scores one point or 20 points, he just wants to win," Falco said. "He's an unbelievable kid who plays his tail off every second of every game. He's a tremendous leader on the floor and the kids feed off his energy defensively. He's one of the best defensive players in our league, no question and just had a big game for us today to get us back on the winning side of things."
HCHS last week lost two road games to Skyland Conference-Delaware Division teams, taking it on the chin against unbeaten Ridge 67-50 on Jan. 29 and then getting swamped by Gill St. Bernard's 82-66 Thursday in Peapack-Gladstone.
In the loss to GSB, Cabinda and Knight scored 16 points each and Dzierzawiec and Eric Adams had 14 each. Gill's Jaren Sina threw in 28 points, with eight three-pointers, and dished off 14 assists.
In the loss to Ridge, Knight had 16 points and Dzierzawiec 12. Ridge's Hugh Morris scored 20 points and Eric Klacik added 16.
Top seed North Hunterdon got off to a flying start in Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex County Tournament play, albeit it on Monday afternoon, with a 63-44 humbling of Hopatcong in the Lions' Den.
Next up for the Lions is Saturday's home game with Sussex fourth seed High Point, a 60-45 winner over Warren Hills in its HWS opener.
The Lions (12-7) dominated on defense from the get-go in this one, picking the Chiefs' pockets from the start of the game, causing 16 first-half turnovers and 26 for the game, using that man-to-man pressure NHHS has become known for using so well. Hopatcong fell to 7-12 with the loss.
"That was our game plan from the start, apply the pressure to them, work hard to get the ball and run with it, and we did that very well to start the game," said NHHS Head Coach Kyle Rehrig. "Right now a win is a win, and you have to win to keep playing in this thing.
"This is a team we knew we had to beat, and get on them right away. We came out and really did a solid defensive job, everyone had steals and those things turned into easy buckets. We did a good job in our transition game, missed a few more shots than I would've liked, but we got the job done."
North jumped to a 13-3 lead with four of those buckets coming off steals and easy full-court layups, with senior Graham Senour taking a half-court pass from senior point guard Alex Westlin for the easy hoop that make it 13-3.
Jacob Johnson flipped in an easy layup off a steal to make it 20-10, and then Senour picked Chiefs' guard Pat McNamara clean on the inbounds pass under the Lions bucket and shook the glass with a two-handed jam to make it 22-10 with 24 seconds left in the first quarter. The game was all but over right then.
Junior forward Ryan McDowell had 13 of his 21 points in the first half and NHHS was on its way in a breeze to the quarterfinal of the tournament. North led 34-19 at the half, and on a Westlin fast-break layup off a Senour feed it was 45-25 with 4:20 left in the third period.
"McDowell always plays hard, always contributes, and today he was just in the right place at the right time, and made a couple of nice shots, got some good looks and put it down," said Rehrig. "He's very capable of games like this, and today he played very well."
Westlin finished with nine points, Matt Jarvis eight and Senour had seven points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots. Nine NHHS players scored with eight in the first half putting points on the board. Rehrig emptied his bench in the second half.
For Hopatcong, Jesse Nelson had 11 points and Ryan Clarke 10.
The Lions dropped a Skyland Conference-Raritan Division game to visiting Montgomery 59-55 on Jan. 29. The Cougars led most of the way with the Lions right on their heels.
Montgomery had a 28-26 lead and expanded it to 43-37 by the end of the third period, and held off the Lions in the closing minutes.
Justin Kovacevich paced Montgomery with 21 points and Zach DeVincenzo added 12, including hitting six of eight shots from the foul line in the closing quarter.
McDowell led the Lions with 15 points, Senour added 13 points and seven rebounds and Westlin chipped in with nine points.
South Hunterdon ran into a juggernaut Saturday, facing a tall and athletic Pope John team in Sparta as the Eagles fell by a 71-47 margin. Jermaine Lawrence, a 6-foot-9 senior, led the Lions with 19 points and 11 rebounds and sharpshooting 6-3 senior Ryan Izzo added 18 points.
"I'm being very serious when I tell you that we actually didn't play a bad game against them," said South Hunterdon Head Coach Jason Miller. "But with two guys 6-9 and 6-10 in the lineup for them (Lawrence and Moustapha Diagne) I really felt like our little team did a great job and tried to hang with those big boys.
"We spread the floor and Jake Phillips kept us in the game with his three-point shooting, and I was proud of the effort. Pope John is a great team, like playing a college-size team. I told the kids this was the best team they'll ever play against and we didn't embarrass ourselves, but went after them. It was a tough assignment we had, but I felt good about our effort."
Pope John (11-5) will host Hackettstown in a quarterfinal game Saturday. Lawrence has multiple Division 1 scholarship offers, among them St. John's, Cincinnati and Nevada-Las Vegas. He missed a few games with an injury earlier in the season but is back for the tri-county tourney, much to the dismay of the other teams.
Diagne is a 6-10 sophomore transfer student from Africa and another likely Division 1 kind of player.
Phillips did everything he could to keep the Eagles (6-10) in the game by bombing in five three-pointers, four in the first half, to finish the game with 19 points. Jake Whitaker had 11 points and four rebounds.
The Eagles had won three straight games, which has helped them turn the season around a bit.
"It was a nice string going, and I wish we'd done this earlier in the season, but we played some decent basketball over the last couple of weeks and won some games we had to win," said Miller. "We're starting to come together as a team, starting to play better team basketball and shoot the ball better. I think we're just finding out what kind of team we can be, and playing like it. It was no shame losing to those guys (Pope John). They're a handful to say the least."
SHHS had pounded the Pingry School 41-27 in a Skyland Conference-Valley Division game Jan. 29 at home, and then knocked off Sussex Tech 58-42 in a HWS tourney play-in game.
In the win over Pingry, Whitaker had 15 points and seven rebounds and Devon Troutman added 12 points.
Whitaker led three Eagles in double figures against Sussex Tech with 15 points, Troutman had 11 and Phillips 10. Whitaker also had seven rebounds.
Voorhees was bounced from the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex County Tournament by Hopatcong 50-48 as the Chiefs' Andrew Nee heaved in a three-pointer with five seconds left for the game-winner in the play-in matchup last week.
"We had a 48-44 lead with 18 seconds left in the game," said VHS Head Coach Sparky Nanni, "and turned the ball over twice and the Nee kid banged in a couple of three-pointers to kill us. We had the lead and the ball and threw it away. The Nee kids came down and threw in a three to make it 48-47. We had the ball again with that one-point lead, and again we turned it over and that kid nails another three. We still had a shot at the end, but came up short.
"For all the good things we did in the game, the last two turnovers killed us. We didn't finish it, couldn't hold on to win and that was very disappointing."
Joe Kirk led the Vikings (3-15) with 13 points and Ryan Wall, Sam Caffrey and Mitch Palmer combined for 24.
Voorhees also lost to visiting Somerville 56-34 in a Skyland Conference-Raritan Division game Jan. 29. Palmer led the Vikes with 12 points and Barry Osgood had eight. VHS was then drilled by unbeaten Ridge 77-32 Thursday with Wall scoring 11 as the lone Vike in double figures.


text:
MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Rainy weather has forced the Montgomery Biscuits to move the first pitch for today's doubleheader against the Birmingham Barons to 3:05 p.m., as well as cancel today's Grand Slam School Day promotion.
Sunday's game was also rained out, so the two teams are now scheduled to play a doubleheader. Gates will open at 2:30 p.m.
Schools that has planned to attend the Grand Slam School Day promotion, accoridngn to a news release from the Biscuits, should have received notice of cancellation on Sunday evening.
More inclement weather could arrive later today.
The Biscuits won two of the first three games in the five-game series at Riverwalk Stadium, including a 14-7 win on Saturday.
Today, former first-round pick Grayson Garvin, from Vanderbilt, is scheduled to make his Double-A debut in today's second game.
Both teams have an off day scheduled Tuesday, with Montgomery scheduled to visit the Mobile Baybears on Wednesday. Birmingham is set to open its home schedule Wednesday against Jacksonville

subset: commoncrawl


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text:
CIMI: Image Sensor Research Team
The research team has been working for many years, focusing on two main goals to improve the performance of CMOS imagers and to propose new architectures aimed at the development of new dedicated applications.
Several studies were performed in partnership with EADS-Astrium to define architectures of imagers dedicated to Earth observation from space in LEO or GEO orbits, that led to development of both silicon demonstrators and the COBRA2M 2D imager, which have been integrated into the GOCI (Geostationary Ocean Color Imager) observation instrument aboard a COMS (Communication, Ocean and Meteorological Satellite) satellite placed in GEO orbit in 2010. Photos taken by the sensor are available on kosc website (category COMS -> GOCI). An other result of these studies is the development program of the VNIR detector for ESA's Sentinel 2 mission.


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Topic: Dragon Age 2 (Read 101353 times)
Fear is the Mind Killer
Posts: 8339
Darkness is Void; Juffo-Wup is light
Re: Dragon Age 2
Reply #150 on:
February 23, 2011, 01:26:37 PM »
Quote from: Parn on February 23, 2011, 01:02:44 PM
Quote from: Yoda on February 23, 2011, 12:52:58 PM
Isn't the one from DA1 part of a cutscene?
Posts: 5124
ee yan~☆
Re: Dragon Age 2
Reply #151 on:
February 23, 2011, 01:42:55 PM »
Quote from: DPB on February 23, 2011, 01:08:39 PM
Quote from: Annubis on February 23, 2011, 12:57:57 PM
Is it Bioware that hates my computer or is the demo also limited to either "low" or "normal" level for graphics?
High is for DirectX10/11 systems only (Vista/7), very high is restricted to cards that have DirectX11 support, and is only included in the full game. You have to change the renderer to DirectX11 first to be able to select either, though Bioware recommends against it, since it has performance issues that have since been fixed.
Well... that's a semi-good reason to consider getting rid of XP for 7.
Worst is my video card is DirectX11 compatible... not my OS though.
Guess I'm not alone in finding the camera too dynamic and not practical.
« You can't zoom out far enough to see what is shooting you from off screen. It felt like I could see 10-15 feet around me. You can pan the camera left and right but not up and down so that doesn't really help. »
« hope that the final game will have the option to zoom out further, mimicing the tactical camera on PC in DAO, and that we may map middle mouse button to tilt camera view. »
« The camera. I found myself fighting the bloody camera throughout the whole thing and it really killed a lot of the fun for me. »
« The camera during backstab is really awfull which is a shame as it's a great move. »
« The camera. It's horrible. I want to zoom out. »
Last Edit: February 23, 2011, 03:17:40 PM by Annubis
Dark Lord of Nostalgia
Posts: 2965
OK, options aren't SO bad
Re: Dragon Age 2
Reply #152 on:
February 23, 2011, 02:19:47 PM »
I had no intention of downloading the demo, but after all the hubbub, I just might. While I enjoyed the first one well enough, I just can't get interested in part 2.
I played the first game as much like an action/rpg as possible. Spent plenty of time setting up gambits(or whatever they were called) for my characters, but rarely, if ever, strategized during combat. Mostly just mashed buttons.
If part 2 plays similar then I won't have a problem with it. I was just hoping that they would add some friggin' color to the graphics. Too much damn brown.
Playing: DA: Inquisition
Reading: The Backyard Parables
Posts: 11829
Re: Dragon Age 2
Reply #153 on:
February 23, 2011, 04:22:18 PM »
Quote from: Serene Prophet on February 23, 2011, 03:19:36 AM
And lol Eus..never can understand the complaint about tits or as its known in some circles "fanservice" . I don't see a big issue with it. Maybe its nerds having fun, maybe they feel or maybe some crazy survey/test showed bewbs sell more, but its not like this is anime proportions. Granted im not a big chest fan, I prefer medium sized, but im not gonna let it bug me either :p
I was just making a joke, but if you want to actually go down this path... Do you seriously not see an effect from that on a game's tone? This kind of fanservice is fine, essential actually, for games like the Duke Nukem series that are unapologetically crass, exaggerated homages to 80s/90s action movies, and similarly something like Bayonetta's meant to be this ridiculous, over the top thing where the sexuality may well be more of a joke than actual pandering. Contrast those with Dragon Age 2, which is meant to be a dark, mature fantasy that only comes off as adolescent by focusing more on ramping up the gore and sexuality (even Flemeth what in the fuck). It's worse since, while these were in DA1, it wasn't quite as bad/ridiculous and in the most blatant case (Morrigan) can be said to help define her character anyway.
I get a sort of vibe from this game that, finally, the fears of EA contaminating Bioware are no longer fully (or at least largely) misplaced. I'm sure the game will still be pretty good, great even, but it has more of an EA feel than a classic Bioware feel, which DA:O still shined with in spite of the marketing painting a different image. Actually, EA's marketing as of the last several years has been very exasperating, it almost feels like they're compensating for being a "family friendly" publisher for over 10 years.
Last Edit: February 23, 2011, 09:02:30 PM by Eusis
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Posts: 4765
Fear the old blood.
Re: Dragon Age 2
Reply #154 on:
February 23, 2011, 05:15:49 PM »
I actually talked with a couple other editors about this, and I definitely see a difference in tone between the original game and DA2. Hearing a character yell "bitch" and another say "tits" is just a little odd given the original game's tone and delivery. I don't have any problem with these words being thrown around in a game, but their inclusion feels a little forced. It sort of reminds me of the "hardcore" edge brought to the Prince of Persia series with Warrior Within, though it certainly doesn't seem as severe.
Some music guy
Editor Emeritus
Posts: 12354
You're gonna have a bad Turnabout.
Re: Dragon Age 2
Reply #155 on:
February 23, 2011, 05:29:12 PM »
The 'bullshit' in the beginning stuck out, too. They're trying to sell it to dudebros.
Still a pretty good demo though. I'm actually interested in the series now.
Friends, waffles, work. Or waffles, friends, work. Doesn't matter, but work is third.
Posts: 11829
Re: Dragon Age 2
Reply #156 on:
February 23, 2011, 05:37:11 PM »
Quote from: PaleRobbie on February 23, 2011, 05:15:49 PM
It sort of reminds me of the "hardcore" edge brought to the Prince of Persia series with Warrior Within, though it certainly doesn't seem as severe.
Yeah, Bioware's definitely staffed by staff competent enough to avoid getting too bad there, and EA themselves must've realized trying TOO hard really would alienate the core audience. There's still enough though that it bugs me, I'm just hoping the demo highlighted some of the worst of it but the game on a whole is much more mild.
And admittedly for my last post it's a point I argued strongly against more because I REALLY disagreed with Serene's stance on it not mattering at all; I wasn't too bugged by that alone, especially since everything I've seen for female Hawke was tasteful enough while Flemeth's garb could be partially excused as her battle outfit, which she didn't exactly need during her appearances in DA:O...
... and the one time it would've mattered she wasn't prepared in advance for anyway.
Doesn't really explain the longer hair though, I'll just assume magic or something.
Edit: I really need to see about getting proper spoiler tags implanted.
Last Edit: February 23, 2011, 06:45:12 PM by Eusis
Posts: 2755
Cheap? I paid a lot for this hat!
Re: Dragon Age 2
Reply #157 on:
February 23, 2011, 06:01:05 PM »
Quote from: Taelus on February 23, 2011, 05:29:12 PM
The 'bullshit' in the beginning stuck out, too. They're trying to sell it to dudebros.
Still a pretty good demo though. I'm actually interested in the series now.
Yeah I sort of agree there. It seems like the button mashing and the complete lack of control of the inventory might be a way to try to sell it as something different than what it really is (hopefully). That being said, I just finished the demo and I don't want to cancel my preorder at the moment (I used a $15 dollar credit that will probably go unused otherwise).
Didn't really find any likable characters, but Hawke might be alright in the long run. Didn't like the character or darkspawn designs with the exception of, again, Hawke. Tried warrior and the mage a little bit. Warrior is what I thought it would be: similar to DA:O but with more action-oriented abilities. I like that. Still has that stiff feel to it, but that's not something that bothers me. The game will absolutely benefit from auto-attack and I'll definitely be playing with it on (though 2H Warrior wasn't too bad without it). The simplified talent trees don't bother me. I wasn't crazy about the talent trees in DA:O but IMO this a little bit better. Overall enjoyed the feel of combat, albeit still a bit stiff like the original. Definitely going to keep the preorder, but my overall excitement about the game has definitely lowered. I definitely get people's cautiousness with this, but I usually try to look at the positives of a game more than the negatives. YMMV
Last Edit: February 23, 2011, 06:03:05 PM by Akanbe-
"Karma is...secret top tier"~Starmongoose
Posts: 5124
ee yan~☆
Re: Dragon Age 2
Reply #158 on:
February 23, 2011, 07:02:48 PM »
I'm just afraid this will be Mass Effect 2 instead of Baldur's Gate 2 =/
Serene Prophet
Posts: 956
Re: Dragon Age 2
Reply #159 on:
February 23, 2011, 07:11:49 PM »
You make a good point Eusis, guess I didn't look at it that way.
I see what you mean man, and I forgot that they tried to portray DAO as being the spiritual succesor to BG, so when I think of it in that light, with the changes they have made to DA2 your views make a bit more sense. I guess to me, I loved BG series, but that was the BG series, a different era I guess, so Im ok with it.
So because you don't like the art style its poor art direction? I think that is going a bit to far there man. You haven't even seen the rest of the game, and even so I still disagree. And again, due to the change in artstyle, I don't see why its so insane that they may change a few of the characters looks. Maybe they were not able to convey Flemeth the way they wanted to in DAO. Or as was said maybe it is simply her battle gear form. I would honestly expect a being of her power to be a bit more..like DA2. I mean she isn't some good fairy godmother, shes a powerful dragon. I also understand the strangeness of her being sexy, but if you were an arguably immortal woman..would you not be able to twist men with feminine wiles more easily in a sexy manner instead of old grandma? I dunno if I am conveying what I am trying to say well or not.
Also I did not in the slightest notice any issues with the swearing feeling out of place..maybe Im accustomed to it to much these days.
-Give a man a fire, and hes warm for a day. Light a man on fire, and hes warm for the rest of his life.-
Posts: 2366
Re: Dragon Age 2
Reply #160 on:
February 23, 2011, 07:57:36 PM »
Quote from: Serene Prophet on February 23, 2011, 07:11:49 PM
So because you don't like the art style its poor art direction? I think that is going a bit to far there man.
That's a fair point... I guess it's more appropriate to say that I don't like the direction the game's art assets have taken, at all. As far as Flemeth goes, I can understand why her appearance isn't the same as before since
it makes sense that she wants to appear a "badass" to Hawke while she presents herself as a harmless old
woman around the Warden and Morrigan due to the nature of her pursuits in these respective situations,
yet I can't get over her looking like Rita Repulsa.
Posts: 5114
Lawful Asshole
Re: Dragon Age 2
Reply #161 on:
February 23, 2011, 08:15:21 PM »
I can see Parn's point about the Ogre, but that's one out of many. Other Darkspawn just seem more vicious and menacing to me.
Also, Flemeth looks less like Rita and more like Divatox. Yeah, I went there. Still, I like the human designs here way more than those of Origins.
Posts: 2463
I love you, Dr. Zaius
Re: Dragon Age 2
Reply #162 on:
February 23, 2011, 09:26:12 PM »
I like the demo fine but then again, I'm strictly a console gamer. I can understand why the PC crowd might be pissed because it's not like the first game combat-wise. It basically does seem to be the "Mass Effect 2" sequel but I assumed that was a given months ago so I can't understand why people are this surprised.
Currently playing: .
"If I can't smoke and swear, I'm F**ked." ~ Ricky
Posts: 11829
Re: Dragon Age 2
Reply #163 on:
February 23, 2011, 09:35:21 PM »
I don't know how many of us were fully surprised, but there is the reaction to how it was actually execute. That's why I was criticizing the removal of auto attack, it's more to placate people who want to play it like an action game and so gives them the illusion they're more active than before, when really they just shoehorned in monotonous button mashing the auto attack avoided as a matter of practicality.
Also, frankly, even if my PC were unable to run the game I'd rather they took the approach of PCs first, consoles second. I want the console version because the PC game sounds neato and I just don't have a PC good enough to run it, make it work as well as Knights of the Old Republic and I'm content! I don't need it to try to pander to me, or worse pander to what they THINK I want as a (now just hypothetical) console-only player.
Some music guy
Editor Emeritus
Posts: 12354
You're gonna have a bad Turnabout.
Re: Dragon Age 2
Reply #164 on:
February 23, 2011, 09:47:32 PM »
I just finished playing the demo on PS3 and PC. You auto-attack by right clicking on enemies. On consoles, this isn't as much of an issue because it gives you the illusion that you're playing an action RPG. On PC, the reduced number of skills basically means you're watching most of the fight. It's a lot like KOTOR, honestly. It's enjoyable, but I if we're gonna bitch at FFXIII for having linear paths through areas, I'd better hear bitching at this game for the same, unless it opens up later. It's virtually identical.
Friends, waffles, work. Or waffles, friends, work. Doesn't matter, but work is third.
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About the time his jury trial was scheduled to begin, a 23-year-old pleaded guilty this morning to a misdemeanor for allowing his dog to kill a raccoon in a way prosecutors deemed cruel.
Link: Watch the video of the dog killing the raccoon
In hindsight, Seth Foster, the subject of much recent media attention, admitted he could have done more on Aug. 1 to stop the blue heeler from causing the death of the coon, which Foster said was damaging his family garage.
He allowed the young animal to unnecessarily suffer, he said, answering questions posed by his lawyer, David Lady.
"I am just trying to get it over with," Foster of Spring Arbor Township said outside the courtroom of Jackson County District Judge Michael Klaeren.
• Man faces misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty after his dog kills young raccoon that caused some damage to garage
He declined an earlier settlement offer from the prosecutor's office, saying he was innocent, and Lady was prepared to take the case before a jury. "As much as I wanted to go to trial, it's the classic offer you can't refuse," Lady said today.
Foster pleaded guilty as charged to animal cruelty resulting in death and the prosecutor's office agreed to a delayed sentence. This means, if Foster does not get into any trouble and complies with all court orders and conditions, the conviction will be wiped from his record after up to one year. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 5. He will spend no time in jail.
Prosecutors also are dismissing an unrelated malicious destruction of property charge filed against Foster last year.
On Aug. 14, one of Foster's friends, whom Foster was with, pulled an electrical fuse out of a mobile home box, causing the residence to lose power. As a result, some meat allegedly went bad and a fish in a tank died, Foster said.
For that case, Foster has only to make sure the $205 restitution gets paid, Lady said. His co-defendant is jointly responsible.
Klaeren said the resolution appeared to be "appropriate."
The plea agreement recognized both Seth Foster's youth and that the animal offense was not "the crime of the century," Chief Assistant Prosecutor Mark Blumer said.
Blumer said he received calls or e-mails from supportive animal rights groups and case-related "hate mail" from as far away as Nebraska and New Orleans since the Feb. 9 newspaper story.
Nearly 500 online comments were posted on the initial report. Many of them were critical of the prosecutor's office. A CNN host likened the circumstances to someone being prosecuted for swatting a fly.
Foster's father, Mike Foster, who owns a nuisance animal control business, said he did radio interviews with stations as far away as Seattle. There also have been threats, he said. He was called "disgusting."
"Many people have misunderstood what this case has been about. This case was never simply about the death of that raccoon. It was never an indictment of hunting or trapping nor was it about animal rights," Prosecutor Hank Zavislak said in a statement. "This case has always been about the why and how this animal was killed."
Zavislak released for the public today video clips of the dog attacking the raccoon near Foster's home on Ivan Drive off Chapel Road. One of two teenage boys who accompanied Foster on Aug. 1 used a cell phone to film the incident. The clips total about three minutes, but some of the time the raccoon clearly is dead.
The boys also were charged. Their cases were handled by the juvenile court and diverted, which means no legal record of an alleged wrongdoing exists upon completion of a court-ordered program.
In the recordings, the dog, named Grizz, has the coon in its mouth and viewers can hear it squealing. The attack begins in the garage, where Foster said he sent the dog because of damage to or a mess in the garage. Blumer said he has not seen proof of damage.
At one point, Seth Foster grabs the raccoon. He says he was trying to get it from Grizz and the dog got it back; prosecutors say he gave it back to Grizz when it started to get away.
Participants appear to be encouraging Grizz. A woman called 911 from her sister's nearby house and told a deputy the three were instigating the dog to tear up and throw a raccoon around the yard, according to a police report. They kept telling Grizz to "get it," she reported.
Seth Foster and his father watched the recordings today, Mike Foster said.
It is hard to tell what jurors would think, said Mike Foster, who has been in the wildlife control business for nearly 30 years. His son works with him. "(Seth) is going to be taking over this business one day, and I don't need this hanging over his head."


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Like a good heart surgeon, a good IT professional monitors thousands of complex connections, acts fast to prevent crashes, and gets worried when the cables start leaking red stuff. Prepare for the worst with this Groupon.
$99 for a Complete Cisco Network Training Bundle ($3,295 Value)
The Complete Cisco Network Training Bundle includes five training courses designed to provide the skills needed for the CCNA and CCNP suite of certifications. Each bundle includes instructor-led training, hands-on exercises, multimedia presentations, and exam simulators. Click here to view a video for more information.
Limit 3 per person. Limit 1 per order. Online redemption required. Must activate within 180 days of purchase; expires 12 months from date of activation. Valid only for Complete Cisco Network Training Bundle.


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Schools are to be consulted by the Government later this year about recording antisemitic and other racist incidents.
Schools Minister Sarah McCarthy-Fry said in a reply to a parliamentary question on the intimidation of Jewish children in schools that such a requirement may be brought in as part of a new legal duty for schools to record every incident of bullying. An informal consultation is due to start in May, with the new anti-bullying measures to be introduced by the end of this year.
"We do not collect data on bullying or incidents of intimidation centrally, although we are aware that Jewish pupils can be particularly vulnerable to bullying," said Ms McCarthy-Fry. "We intend to introduce a new statutory duty for schools to record all incidents of bullying between pupils later this year and will specifically consult on whether schools should be obliged to record racist incidents."
Schools are already under a legal duty to promote race equality and have measures in place to tackle all forms of bullying.
Tory MP David Amess, who tabled the original question, said this week: "I have spoken to Jewish people around the country who told me about attacks during the Gaza conflict — which had increased dramatically. The department is right to take it seriously."


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Prison Employee Union Calls for Pay Raise
A union representing Texas prison employees is calling on the Legislature to consider a pay raise for correctional officers, saying current employee shortages could be dangerous and will only be exacerbated by a boom in drilling jobs in areas that house most of the state's prisons.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which agrees that it must compete and has offered bonuses to lure employees away from those drilling jobs, says it has no security concerns related to staffing and is working with the Legislature to raise pay for guards.
The Texas chapter of the American Federation of State, County and ...


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Having a long-term, or chronic, illness can disrupt your life in many ways. You may often be tired and in pain. Your illness might affect your appearance or your physical abilities and independence. You may not be able to work, causing financial problems. For children, chronic illnesses can be frightening, because they may not understand why this is happening to them.
These changes can cause stress, anxiety and anger. If they do, it is important to seek help. A trained counselor can help you develop strategies to regain a feeling of control. Support groups might help, too. You will find that you are not alone, and you may learn some new tips on how to cope.
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- Chronic Illness & Mental Health (National Institute of Mental Health) Also in Spanish
- Coping with a Diagnosis of Chronic Illness (American Psychological Association) Also in Spanish
- Next Steps After Your Diagnosis: Finding Information and Support (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
- Self-Management: Taking Charge of Your Health (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- How to Help a Friend or Loved One Suffering from a Chronic Illness (American Psychological Association) Also in Spanish
- Psychologists' Role in Treating Chronically Ill Persons (American Psychological Association)
- Request a Brown-Bag Check-Up (Institute for Safe Medication Practices)
Statistics and Research
- Chronic Diseases Overview (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Chronic Disease (National Institutes of Health)
Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Find an Expert
- Caring for a Seriously Ill Child (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Living with a Chronic Illness or Disability (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
- Caring for Kids With Medical Conditions (Nemours Foundation)
- Dealing with a Health Condition (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Living with Multiple Health Problems: What Older Adults Should Know (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)


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Physical Sciences & Engineering Library
Quick Links
- My Account
- Activate your library card
- Connect From Off Campus
- For Faculty and Graduate Students
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- UC Davis Open Access Fund
Lower Level Map
Click on an area of the map for more information.
Call Numbers Q, QB-QC799
The following call numbers are located on the lower level:
|General Science
Current Periodicals
Unbound issues of journals currently received by the library are shelved in call number order on each floor. Issues remain unbound until there are sufficient issues to complete a volume.
Open Reserves
Open Reserves is a collection of older textbooks primarily in chemistry, engineering and mathematics, located in Room 030 on the lower level of the library. Books on Open Reserves are not cataloged and are not listed in MELVYL®. They can be used in the library or checked out at the Circulation Desk.
Selected UC Davis master theses in the chemistry, engineering, physics and physical sciences for the last five years are on the lower level. Older theses are shelved in the Annex.


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Recreational red-snapper anglers were stunned last week to learn that the 2014 season had to be cut from 40 to 11 days in length to conform with a federal judge's order to hold the recreational sector accountable for past quota overages.
An 11-day season was a tough pill to swallow, but now it appears recreational anglers will be lucky to get that.
Roy Crabtree, regional administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service's Southeast Region, announced in a conference call Friday that the season may be reduced even further because of the actions of non-compliant states, including Louisiana.
Almost immediately after the season was cut to 11 days by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council on Thursday, Robert Barham, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, announced that the state would open year-round fishing for red snapper in its territorial waters. Previously, state waters were open only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Barham's decision was lauded by recreational anglers, but it jeopardizes the season length in federal waters, Crabtree said.
"The (Gulf) Council's decision was based on the assumption that all the state regulations would stay where they were the previous year and what Florida had proposed to do this year," he said. "The council was not aware of (Barham's decision) at the meeting, and we had not had time to factor that into any of this."
But Louisiana isn't the only rogue state in the Gulf. Texas has a year-long red snapper season that allows anglers to harvest as many as four fish per day with a minimum length limit of 15 inches.
Federal regulations allow only two fish per day of at least 16 inches in length.
Also, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is meeting Tuesday through Thursday of this week to, among other things, determine the season length and regulations for red-snapper harvest in state waters. The current proposal calls for the season to run May 24-July 14, but commissioners may alter that in response to the dramatic reduction in the federal season.
Mississippi and Alabama are in full compliance with the federal season.
Crabtree said regulators will meet this week after Florida announces its season to determine if the federal season needs to be cut again.
Louisiana's state waters historically have extended out to three miles off the coast, but in 2012, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission pushed that boundary to three marine leagues, or 10.357 miles, to match the territorial waters of Texas and the west coast of Florida.
The federal government has disputed the change.
Todd Masson can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or 504.232.3054.
Follow @ TmassonFISH Tweet to @TmassonFISH


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Wish I could post a photo, but the helmets are "carbon" with a white O.
The jerseys are white with charcoal numbers. Gray pants and silver shoes.
The shoes are nice touch.
The look is made even more interesting by the fact that the cheerleaders and the band are wearing the customary colors.
This all could be confusing to the casual fan. But in Ducks' world, it's all par for the course.
Late note (5:45 p.m.): After the game I was on the field and noticed that there indeed was a green swoosh on the hip of the pants and the numbers were outlined in green. So, they weren't entirely void of school colors.
But still...
On another note, the helmets are flat out sick! (So cool they warrant slang).
-- Aaron Fentress, follow him on Twitter


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I have loved participating in #SundaySupper over the last year and have made so many awesome new blogging friends. Now, it's finally my time to host this event. What better topic for me than the theme of Middle Eastern food? If you've followed my journey, you'll know that before I met my husband I could barely cook American food let alone anything else. Over time and exposure I have become adept at adapting traditional Moroccan and Middle Eastern dishes for an American kitchen. There are so many delicious Middle Eastern foods but I feel a lot of people are overwhelmed by the use of spices and different cooking techniques.
One of the biggest reasons I love serving my guests Middle Eastern meals is because I believe food is the best form of diplomacy. #SundaySupper is about bringing families to the dinner table. I take it one step further and invite friends and neighbors to our Middle Eastern table. This invariably opens up conversations that many people would feel too uncomfortable to ask in public. Food is so powerful! Today, I made a quick Persian style rice and spiced beef. It's a great weeknight dish when you don't have a lot of time.
- 1 medium potato
- 2 cups dry instant white or brown rice
- vegetable oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 lb beef cut into bite size pieces (I use an arm roast)
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp red pepper (optional, can reduce to lower heat)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- extra virgin olive oil
- Slice beef into bite size cubes and place in a bowl or Ziploc bag.
- Mix spices into the beef; turmeric, red pepper, salt, garlic, cumin, and ginger.
- Drizzle in just enough olive oil to coat the meat and make a paste with the spices.
- Place into the refrigerator and marinade at least 30 minutes but up to overnight.
- In the bottom of a large pan, add just enough oil to coat the bottom.
- Peel a potato and slice as thinly as possible.
- Arrange the potato pieces in the bottom of the pan and cook until the bottom is crispy, then flip over to the other side of the potato.
- Season the potatoes with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Add 2 cups of dry rice and the amount of water the box specifies.
- When rice is removed from the heat, place a tea towel between the lid and the top of the pot, place the lid back on and allow the water to absorb into the rice. The tea towel helps pull out the condensation making the rice more dry and fluffy.
- I love the spiced beef on the grill. To prepare thread skewers with meat and cook to the done-ness you like.
- If it's too cold to grill or you don't have one,the meat can be cooked in a pan under the oven broiler or in a pan on the stovetop.
- Take care not to overcook the meat because it will become too tough.
- Place a large platter, serving side down on top of the rice pan.
- Invert the pan so that the crunchy potato bottom is on top.
- Add the spiced beef to the top and serve with a green salad or other vegetable.
What's everyone else making? There are some seriously delicious foods on the lineup this week.
Mezze {Appetizers}
- Muhammara – Supper for a Steal
- Homemade Labneh Cheese – The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
- Jerusalem's Burnt Eggplant with Garlic, Lemon & Pomegranate Seeds – Take A Bite Out of Boca
- Sun Dried Tomato Hummus – Family Foodie
Salata {Salads and Sides}
- Fried Cauliflower w/ Sesame Parsley Sauce (Qarnabeet Mekleh Bil Taratoor) – girlichef
- Burnt Eggplant and Chickpea Soup – The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Couscous, Lentil and Chickpea Salad – Citronlimette
- Persian Jeweled Rice – Vintage Kitchen Notes
- Lebanese Rice – Cindy's Recipes and Writings
- Quinoa Falafel– Jane's Adventure in Dinner
- Jamie Oliver's Beef Tagine – Shockingly Delicious
- Chicken Biryani – Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
- Crockpot Curry Chicken – The Foodie Army Wife
- Quinoa Falafel with Fresh Herbs – Sue's Nutrition Buzz
- Shakshuka – kimchi MOM
- Beef Tagine Over Couscous – Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
- Grilled Red Snapper with Cilantro and Onion Stuffing or حمراء مشوية مع حشوة – Food Lust People Love
- Falafel with Israeli Salad – Webicurean
- Chicken Shawarma – The Texan New Yorker
- Spaghetti Squash Pastitsio with Greek Yogurt Bechamel – Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Kushari – Curious Cuisiniere
- Israeli BBQ Chicken – From Fast Food to Fresh Food
- Quick Persian Rice with Spiced Beef – MarocMama
Halwa {Desserts}
- Ghraybeh Cookies – Killer Bunnies, Inc
- Fried Honey Citrus Cakes – Neighborfood
- Easy Baklava Cake – NinjaBaking.com
- Ghraybeh – That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Sesame Tahini Cookies – Magnolia Days
- Basbousa (Semolina Cake) – Mess Makes Food
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter tonight (Sunday). We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm EST. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It's easy. You can sign up by visiting the Sunday Supper Movement page.
Be a part of the MarocMama family!
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If I see Edward in my school I will say will you bite me? Girls just say want you want to tell edward or Jacob to do!!!
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FLINT, MI -- The Flint Metro League has done well week in and week out in the MLive.com Game of the Week polls, but this time around, it may be too little, too late for the always-dominant conference.
The Holly at Clio girls game on Tuesday, Feb. 5 started this voting period out slow, only earning 14 votes in about five days of voting and sitting in fourth place as of Wednesday. But, as of 3:30 p.m. Friday, the Bronchos and Mustangs have moved up two spots to take over the second-place position with 41 votes, earning almost a 10-percent increase from 9 percent on Wednesday to 19 on Friday.
Still, it would take a big comeback for Holly and Clio to overcome the current lead, the Clarkston at Carman-Ainsworth boys game on the same night. The Wolves and Cavaliers have led since the beginning and are still brining in votes, sitting with 118 votes as of Friday, accounting for 55.14 percent of all votes.
The Davison at Flint Southwestern boys game on Friday, Feb. 8 remained in third place with 21 votes (9.81 percent), the Montrose at Goodrich boys game, also on Feb. 8, fell two spots to fourth with 20 votes (9.35 percent) and the Hamady at New Lothrop girls contest on Feb. 5 is five with 14 votes (6.54 percent).
Voting is open until noon Saturday, and votes can be placed once every hour.

MLive.com Game of the Week poll for Flint (Feb. 5-Feb. 8)
Contact Josh at firstname.lastname@example.com or 810-247-7928 and follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKGordon.


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How Will Working With Administrative Essentials Benefit My Business?
- Save thousands of dollars each year by only paying for the work you need completed.
- Delegate time consuming responsibilities so that you can concentrate on what you do best.
- Focus on more revenue-generating activities that will help your business succeed.
- Achieve freedom without worrying about the day-to-day details of your business.
- Work from any location. It doesn't matter where you are based because we assist you virtually.
- Receive customized support to your business requirements.
- Take control of your business and achieve balance and efficiency.
- Leverage our expertise in areas that fall outside your skill set.
- Have a professional partner who understands the details of managing and growing a business.
- Grow your business and achieve success!
What Are The Financial Benefits?
- No payroll, vacation pay, sick days and employee benefits
- No need to purchase additional office space or equipment
- No expenses or down time for training
- Only pay for time spent on the project/task
- Focus on more revenue-generating activities to generate more profits
Ready to start delegating?
Click here to schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how Administrative Essentials can help your business.


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Thursday Beer Lovers Tour
Our Thursday Beer Lovers Tour is the perfect way to spend an evening imbibing. It's a good mix of learning about beer, the brewing process and having a great time. The tour visits three Portland breweries – The Commons Brewery, Base Camp Brewing and Migration Brewing. We begin at The Commons Brewery and their intimate tasting room for a sampling of beers inspired by the European traditions that are the basis for farmhouse and Flemish style ales as we give tasting tips and talk about the ingredients in beer. Next we hit Base Camp Brewing for Beer 101, which wouldn't be complete without tasting a variety of their beers. The grand finale of food, fun and beer trivia takes place at Migration Brewing.
The tour is all-inclusive of beer, food, souvenir Brewvana Pilsner glass, pretzel necklace, sampling journal and safe and fun transportation all over town. Tours are 21+ with valid ID required. To register visit https://experiencebrewvana.rezdy.com/6442/thursday-beer-lover-s-tour-6-9pm or call 503-729-6804. Cost: $75/person.


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Greenwich is celebrating Shrove Tuesday with a Pancake Day race on Tuesday 12th February 2013, starting at 11am.
Up to 16 teams will navigate a route around the Grounds of The Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich while flipping pancakes.
The fastest team will be crowned "The Fastest Flippers of Greenwich" and will receive a Winners Frying Pan. The losing team will receive a wooden spoon.
Frying pans and pancakes will be provided for all entrants.
TO FIND OUT MORE, email email@example.com , call 020 8319 9230 or visit the website www.communityhospice.org.uk


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Alternative Products
Sophisticated design. Exceptional plunger action. Slotted black rubber gripper. Black clip with chrome accents. Your choice of 4 translucent colors.
724 North Highland Avenue Aurora, Illinois 60506
P: (866) 312-5646 F: (866) 314-5646 email@example.com
Quality Logo Products, Inc. is your number one source for stress balls and promotional items.
Copyright 2003 - 2016 Quality Logo Products, Inc., Registration No. TX7-524-201. All Rights Reserved.


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New Cisco WAP361 Indoor Mounting Video now availableSmall Business
Hello friends! Just a quick note to let you know there is a new Cisco WAP361 Video available. IfRead More
Fundamentals of 802.11ac Wave 2TechWiseTV
FundamentalsRead More
Introduction to 802.11ac Wave 2Mobility
802.11ac is the hottest topic of discussion and deployment in WiFi over the past couple of years. Ratified asRead More
Is your Business ready for 802.11ac?Small Business
This week we finished our biggest product announcement in recent memory.The various teams worked hard to bringRead More
Cisco Aironet 3600 AP Passes 1 Million Units Shipped!Mobility
Hey folks, I'm back in the blogosphere to make a super exciting announcement. The Cisco Aironet 3600 Series Access PointRead More
Enterprise Networks and the Drive for IPv6Mobility
It was not that long ago that whenever I read an article about IPv6, it usually discussed how theRead More


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Earn both your bachelor's and master's in five years in this pastoral studies program.
Jun plans to take his deeper understanding of the Bible back to his native South Korea.
This interest-free payment plan is available to most undergraduate and seminary students.
Moody has people ready to help you succeed.
Learn about the services offered by the Moody Alumni Association.
Learn more about the history of Moody Bible Institute by watching this video series.
Stay up to date on the latest happenings at Moody.
The Moody Bible Institute is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, to grant degrees at the Associate, Bachelor and Master levels.
Moody Bible Institute is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the Association for Biblical Higher Education, an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, to grant degrees at the Associate, Bachelor and Master levels.
Moody Theological Seminary is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools. The following degree programs are approved by the Commission on Accrediting:
Moody Theological Seminary (Chicago)
Moody Theological Seminary—Michigan
The Department of Music at Moody Bible Institute is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
Ready to apply to Moody?Read through the application requirements and fill out the online application today!
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Minimatic(reg) slip-on fittings are an alternative to ferrule and push-to-connect design fittings and feature a single barb design, which provides a slip-on/locked-on connection. These low-profile fittings are used with flexible urethane hose, without the need for additional clamps. Electroless nickel plating offers corrosion resistance. The fittings are available in multiple configurations.
Clippard Instrument Laboratory Inc., 7390 Colerain Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45239.


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Road Trip USA: Connecticut
Hello everyone and welcome to Connecticut, the first stop on our Road Trip USA journey across the U.S.! We were so excited to start this trip after the fun time we had last year with our Expedition Earth World Geography!
Of course I had to take some of the fun stuff from our Expedition Earth studies that went over so well. So we started off with a brand new Travel Log ready for lots of state stickers to be added! uhem…50 to be exact.
Next we found our state and capital on our U.S. Wall Map. Last week in our Intro to US Geography week, we learned where the different regions are that we'll be going through, so each state we talk about I review the region it is located in.
Here are some of the things we learned about this week:
- Located Connecticut and Hartford on our Wall Map
- Connecticut was named the 5th State
- Connecticut Nickname: The Constitution State
- Read the National Geographic US Atlas for Kids and mapped Hartford, CT
- Connecticut is home to Dinosaur State Park
- State Fish: The American Shad
- State Bird: The American Robin
- State Flower: The Mountain Laurel
- Read If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution by Elizabeth Levy
- Started working on our 50 States and Capitals song from Mrs. Jones Room
- Learned about some of CT's famous people: Harriet Beecher Stowe, Benedict Arnold, and Jackie Robinson
- Learned about the State Insect: The Praying Mantis and did a paper craft.
- Had hamburgers in respect for CT which is known for the first hamburger!
- Learned about some of CT's famous history: Old State House, Hartford Convention and the Amistad trial
- Added our state animals to our US Animal Wall
Since we had song's all last year, the kids were asking for some this year! We're going to start off learning the 50 states and Capital's song this year, so we're practicing with music and lyrics from Mrs. Jones Room. (Later in the year we'll work on the US Presidents Song!)
Next the kids colored their state worksheets as I read the facts for that day. The cat likes to be involved, so he makes himself right at home on our new Ikea clad school setup.
Here's an up close on this week's worksheet:
On the first day, my kids immediately started asking where our animal wall was…if you didn't follow our Expedition Earth trip last year, you can check out our World Animal Wall here. Anyway, I sat down and made up an animal set for our Road Trip USA study! You can download it free from my Road Trip USA Animals post.
We also added our state cutout to the mini-wall map:
Once we were done with all of our work related stuff, we sat down to learn a little bit about the history of our USA! Strawberry Shortcake read the first section of If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution to the other kiddos.
That was it for the first state of Delaware, since we're doing 2 states per week this year, we'll be going through fairly fast! I'll do my best to take pics and post our journey!
If you'd like to come along with us on our Road Trip USA journey, click the image below to learn more!
Erica, you never cease to amaze me! You are so wonderfully gifted with creativity 🙂 Thank you for sharing so openly with all of us who are a bit creatively challenged LOL.
As a native Nutmegger, this made me grin. I hope you had a chance to learn about the Charter Oak. And as an interesting personal note, we had a family friend that I babysat for as a teen who owned Benedict Arnold's grandmother's house. We would find cool old artifacts (newspapers, toys, spoons, etc.) in the walls of the attic while exploring.
Erica, when I tried to contact you via email was unable. I ordered some of your curriculum and it has been 3-4wks and not yet received it. Not sure if that is normal or if there is a better way to check up on it? Thanks
This looks so fun!! We are currently doing Expedition Earth and loving it! The plan is to start your Road Trip USA next year and make it a two year study. 🙂
We have been reading If You Were There When They signed the Constitution along with your curriculum. Just wanted to let you know about another resource. We have Netflix and found a great series called Liberty's Kids it's all about Americas History. They have a website too http://www.libertyskids.com/. My kids love it!
I can't wait til my kiddos are older so we can start your goegraphy programs! (We are 4, almost 3, and 20 months, and just enjoying some preschool right now) Your curricula are so thorough, yet uncomplicated, and flexible enough to expand/condense, etc! And I love how your kids are set up at the big table this year, too! Nice to have them all in one work space. Looks like a great set-up!
I'm always so impressed with the amount of detail you put into the curriculums you create. I'm so glad to be able to follow along as you do RoadTrip USA with your kiddos while I go through it with mine.
On a completely seperate note- how cute is that cat?!? It looks like a stuffed animal. 🙂
Yay for Road Trip! We started this week and so far just did the first two reading assignments. I was wondering where to get the travel log, did I miss that in my packet? I double checked. I think that would be awesome to have for this. Thank you so much and can't wait to see more! Carlen
Hi Carlen,
It is in the back of the Teacher's Manual in the appendix…see the table of contents (pg6) towards the end. I think around pg 198.
My two youngest children and I will be working through your Road Trip this year, too. Can you please tell me….how are you planning to go through the whole program? Will you be doing this every day, twice a week, or what?? I'm trying to figure out how to get it all in and still cover each state thoroughly, too.
Born and bred in Danbury, CT – the Hat City. CT is also known as the Nutmeg State
What a great idea to do a road trip. I've never heard of Expedition Earth, so I'll need to check that out. You have an awesome school room!
I bought your Roadtrip USA curriculum and we absolutely LOVE it! We are on New Jersey and New York. My favorite part is how well it is all put together. My kids (ages 6 and 8) favorite part is the food! LOL! They still talk about eating crab cakes! 🙂
Hi Erica,
I have been with you for the last 3 years, but recently I have not been getting daily updates from your blog.
I was just wondering if I can get back on the list please. We like to follow your family as we're working on the Roadtrip curriculum.
Thanks so much.
We are also studying the USA this year. I love your map where you velcro the states on. I was thinking to create one like yours? Did you buy two maps and then cut out the states and add the velcro? This would be much more hands on. Also where did you find your pointer? I keep looking for one, but find mostly plastic ones.
I have been enjoying your blog for a long time. Thank you for sharing so many great insights and helpful aides!
I was trying to order the USA Roadtrip. For some reason I couldn't get past the screen where I put in my credit card info??? Can you help? I would love this resource ASAP!
So, where are you gluing the lap books? Im confused about that. The lapbooks from the first few lessons. where do they go?
Love this curriculum so much! I purchased it in 2012, but I was wondering if there has been update since then? A lot of the bird pictures on the state pages are not the correct birds! Thank you for your help!


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|Jon Husband defines wirearchy, a term he coined, as follows:
"A dynamic two-way flow of power and authority, based on knowledge, trust, and credibility, enabled by connected people and technology"
'-archy' comes from the Greek word meaning 'rule, power or authority', and 'hier' comes from the Greek word meaning 'sacred'. When the word hierarchy was first used in the church, it literally meant 'sacred rule'. We no longer see our hierarchical leaders in politics or business as sacred (though sometimes, when I see the cult of leadership, especially in the US, I wonder), but we have kept the term to describe the power structure.
Two other suffixes, also from the Greek, are used almost interchangeably with '-archy', but neither really refers to power: '-cracy' means 'government' and -opoly' means 'seller'. So a monopoly is a system with one seller, an oligopoly a system with just a few. And democracy is government of the people while autocracy is government by one person. The fact that we use the three terms that mean 'power', 'government' and 'seller' almost interchangeably shows the perverse degree to which, in our modern corporatist world, the three terms have become virtually synonymous. The government and the sellers (corporations) have all the power. Our 'learned helplessness' keeps us from thinking it was ever, or ever could be, any other way.
This essay is about power, and about how we give it, take it, and share it. In ancient Greece, rule was by divine right, while authority was vested, and both held power. Democracy, in its earliest form, gave 'the people' authority over dealings with each other, but not power over those in the true hierarchy, the religious and political leaders who called themselves 'lords' with no sense of irony. Democracy was rules for the children in the schoolyard, and granted no authority over those who actually ran the school.
Most of the wars fought since then have been either religious wars (wars between true hierarchies) or revolutionary wars (wars aimed at transferring power from the true hierarchies to the merchant class, and later to 'the people'). The problem with such '-archies' is that as they get bigger they get more fragile they become. Malcolm Gladwell, in an article called The Cellular Church* about preacher and Purpose-Driven Life author Rick Warren, put it this way:
If I go to church with 500 members, in a magnificent cathedral, why should I volunteer or donate any substantial share of my money? What kind of peer pressure is there in a congregation that large? If the barriers to entry become too low — and the ties among members increasingly tenuous — then the church as it grows bigger becomes weaker. One solution to the problem is simply not to grow, and, historically, churches have sacrificed size for community. But there is another approach: to create a church out of a lot of little church cells. The small group as an instrument of community is initially how Communism spread, and in the post-war years AA and its 12-step progeny perfected the small-group technique. Members sat in a circle. The focus was on interaction — not one person teaching [or preaching] and the others listening — and the remarkable thing about these groups is their power. [Churches and others soon found] the small group was an extraordinary vehicle of commitment. It was personal and flexible. It cost nothing. It was convenient, and every [member] was able to find a small group that precisely matched his or her interests.
Gladwell even quotes philosopher Dick Wesley that calls such cells "intentional communities".
How big is a cell? As big or small as its self-selected members choose it to be, though the bigger-is-weaker rule would seem to limit it to much smaller size than the 150 people we are (according to social network gurus) able to accommodate in a personal network. The key to the cell, it appears, is the strength of strong links — members are each others' families, best friends, work colleagues, and everyone in the cell likes (loves?) everyone else in the cell. That makes an astonishing bond, that, if it's cultivated, can be indomitable, and powerful. What mystifies Gladwell is how Warren and others can manage to harness that power, essentially without hierarchy. It requires a lot of work to reach and steer a million scattered cells of ten people than a single televangelist audience of ten million. But if you can do it, it's a much more powerful network. The key to reaching these cells seems to be providing them with a flexible template of activities attuned to their values, and letting them self-form and self-manage. The multiple short chapters of Warren's books serve as a menu of choices for his church's sells to choose from, apply to their own shared context, and learn from. Most of the learning is from each other.
Surprisingly, Gladwell doesn't discuss how the cellular organization model fits with the Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen in his Tipping Point. Does it fit at all, or has Warren found a way to change the world that is more, er, democratic?
Next Gladwell tells us what Warren is doing now. He's reverse tithing 90% of his income from books and donations to third world humanitarian work, especially the scourge of AIDS in Africa. And guess what?
He decided to take the same networks he had built to train pastors and spread the purpose-driven life and put them to work on social problems. [Explaining how poor distribution networks have hampered third world humanitarian aid, he says] "Well, the biggest distribution network in the world is local churches."
So now he's taking his cellular organization and vowing to use it to end world poverty and disease. Now that's power.
* Not currently online, but keep an eye out on gladwell.com
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So Bobby Valentine is interviewing for the vacant Boston Red Sox manager's position today, and what's the first thing that comes to mind? Valentine's Mets — notably Bobby Bonilla and Rickey Henderson — playing cards in the clubhouse, back in the 1999 postseason, when they lost in the National League Division Series to the Braves.
No, they weren't drinking beer or playing video games, but still .
In his interview with Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington, perhaps that incident with the Mets can serve as a case study for Valentine on how he'd handle a similar situation if given the chance to manage the Red Sox. Because the reality of the Boston situation is that managing what goes on between the lines is much less important than how the manager of the Red Sox manages the clubhouse. That's just a fact.
The reason Terry Francona was so successful for so long in Boston was because he was incredible — up until this past season — at keeping things "in house." He routinely took the hit from the media to protect his players from outside distractions. At times Francona was mocked for his willingness to fall on his own sword, but ex-Red Sox GM Theo Epstein has rightly praised Francona through the years for putting out internal brushfires before they could turn into blazing infernos. Now, you wonder, could Valentine do this?
In the past, probably not. As a younger man, Valentine seemed to take his lead from Tommy Lasorda, who always seemed to be posing for the camera, welcoming the spotlight and willing to go on endlessly on any topic. In Boston this approach would not work so well. The more a manager has to say, the more the intensely-focused Boston media has to scrutinize. Francona was always a master of being polite and patient. But, upon further review, he was usually pretty bland. This tactic served him well.
Valentine, who has not managed in the big leagues since 2002, may have toned it down. His statement last week, where he referenced how happy he was working for ESPN, was well-handled. Perhaps this is an indication that Valentine has matured nicely.
Another question surrounding Valentine will come on the field and in the dugout. The Red Sox have been pretty hard-and-fast numbers crunchers for the last eight years. The Valentine who managed the Mets — and who breaks things down on "Baseball Tonight" — does not adhere totally to things like the "Moneyball" philosophy. When he managed the Mets, for example, he was very unhappy with the organization's decision to let John Olerud go to Seattle because they figured his numbers could be replaced. Valentine, who views baseball more as art than science, loved that Olerud was one of his few everyday players who could handle good Major League pitching. And he did not care if the numbers backed him up or not. He made that determination with his eyes.
If the Red Sox decide to go in this direction, it's either going to represent a major shift in philosophy, or that Valentine has indicated that he's willing to change.
We'll soon see what's in the cards.
Jeff Bradley: email@example.com; Twitter.com/jerseyjbradley
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Statement by
Laurence D. Wilson
Director, Chronic Care Policy Group
Center for Medicare
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Medicare Durable Medical Equipment Competitive Bidding Program
U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means
Subcommittee on Health
U.S. House of Representatives
Wednesday May 9, 2012
Chairman Herger, Ranking Member Stark, and distinguished members of the Subcommittee, I am pleased to be here today on behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to discuss the competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS). This important initiative is reducing beneficiary out-of-pocket costs and program outlays, while ensuring continued access to high quality DMEPOS items and services, establishing Medicare's DMEPOS payments based on competitive market pricing, and helping combat supplier fraud. On January 1, 2011, CMS launched the first phase of the program in nine major metropolitan areas for nine product categories. I am pleased to report that in its first year of operation, the DMEPOS competitive bidding program saved the Medicare fee-for-service program approximately $202.1 million, and according to CMS's Independent Office of the Actuary, the program is projected to save the Medicare Part B Trust Fund $25.7 billion between 2013 and 2022, with an additional $17.1 billion in savings for beneficiaries during that period.
Overview and Program History
CMS is the largest purchaser of health care in the United States, serving more than 100 million Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) beneficiaries. Each year, DMEPOS suppliers provide items and services, including power wheelchairs, oxygen equipment, walkers and hospital beds, to millions of Medicare beneficiaries. In 2010, before competitive bidding took effect, combined expenditures (including beneficiary cost-sharing) were approximately $14.3 billion for DMEPOS. About 15.5 million Medicare beneficiaries used DMEPOS in 2010.
The current Medicare DMEPOS benefit is plagued by an obsolete pricing methodology, grossly inflated prices, and a well-documented proliferation of fraudulent practices fueled by these inflated prices. With the exception of the 9 areas where competitive bidding is now in effect, Medicare Part B currently pays for DMEPOS items and services using fee schedule rates for covered items. In general, fee schedule rates are calculated per the statute using historical supplier charge data from more than 20 years ago that are often much higher than market prices. Relying on historical charge data has resulted in Medicare payment rates that are often higher than prices charged for identical items and services furnished to non-Medicare customers. Medicare beneficiaries and taxpayers bear the cost of these inflated fee schedule rates. The Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General (OIG) , the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and other independent analysts have repeatedly warned that the fee schedule prices paid by Medicare for many DMEPOS items are excessive, as much as three or four times the retail prices and amounts paid by commercial insurers or customers who purchase these items on their own. These inflated prices in turn increase the amount beneficiaries must pay out-of-pocket for these items.
To provide greater value to the Medicare program, beneficiaries and taxpayers, Congress established the Medicare DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program in the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) (P.L. 108-173). The program was modeled after the successful demonstration projects in Polk County, Florida and San Antonio, Texas between 1999 and 2002, which resulted in 20 percent savings for Medicare and beneficiaries without any negative impact on access to equipment or quality of care for beneficiaries. Under the MMA, the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program was to be phased into Medicare so that competition under the program would initially begin in 10 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in 2007. Consistent with the statutory mandate, CMS conducted the Round 1 competition in 10 areas and for 10 DMEPOS product categories, and implemented the program on July 1, 2008, for two weeks. The program's single payment amounts resulted in a projected savings of approximately 26 percent compared to the traditional Medicare fee schedule. This indicated the potential for substantial savings for Medicare beneficiaries and taxpayers upon full scale implementation of the program.
On July 15, 2008, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) (P.L. 110-275) delayed the start of the program. MIPPA terminated the Round 1 contracts that were in effect and reinstated fee schedule payment rates, required rebidding of the first round at a later date, and imposed a nationwide 9.5 percent payment reduction for all Round 1 items in 2009. MIPPA required competition for Round 2 of the program to be conducted in 2011 in 70 additional MSAs. In addition to the delay, MIPPA mandated certain changes but maintained the competitive bidding program. The Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148 and P.L. 111-152) subsequently expanded the number of Round 2 MSAs from 70 to 91 and mandates that all areas of the country be subject either to DMEPOS competitive bidding or payment rate adjustments to the fee schedule using competitively bid rates by 2016.
CMS implemented a variety of operational improvements to the program prior to rebidding the first round as required by MIPPA. CMS incorporated all of the program improvements required by MIPPA, including the "covered document" review process. This process gives bidders the opportunity to be notified of missing financial bid documents and submit the missing documents. In addition, CMS implemented a number of other important improvements based on lessons learned from the 2008 bidding process, feedback from stakeholders, and advice from the Program Advisory and Oversight Committee. Some examples of these key operational improvements include an upgraded bidder education program completed prior to the opening of the bid window; a new and improved online bidding system; and enhanced bid evaluation processes such as a comprehensive upfront licensing verification process, a more rigorous bona fide bid evaluation process to verify the sustainability of very low bids, and increased scrutiny of expansion plans for suppliers new to an area or product category.
Round 1 Rebid
With these improvements in place, CMS implemented the Round 1 Rebid of the competitive bidding program in nine MSAs on January 1, 2011, covering nine DMEPOS product categories. , CMS awarded 1,217 DMEPOS competitive bidding program contracts to 356 suppliers. All contract suppliers were thoroughly vetted during bid evaluation to ensure that they were in good standing with Medicare and met Medicare enrollment rules, quality and financial standards, and accreditation and state licensure requirements. CMS also screened and evaluated all bids to ensure that they were bona fide and based on real supplier costs. Only qualified bidders with bona fide bids were offered contracts. The bid evaluation process ensured that there would be more than enough suppliers, including small business suppliers, to meet the needs of the beneficiaries living in the competitive bidding areas (CBAs). Approximately 51 percent of the winning suppliers from the Round 1 Rebid are small business suppliers, well exceeding the 30 percent goal established by CMS. Ninety-two percent of suppliers that were offered a contract accepted the contract terms.
While only nine MSAs currently participate in competitive bidding, the program is already generating significant savings for the Federal government and the approximately 2.3 million Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries residing in the areas where competitive bidding is in effect. According to CMS's analysis of claims from 2010 and 2011, the competitive bidding program has reduced DMEPOS spending by approximately $202.1 million—or 42 percent overall—in the nine Round 1 Rebid areas. The program has significantly reduced payment amounts, with an average price reduction of 35 percent from the fee schedule. For example, if Medicare suppliers in the nine CBAs had instead been paid the 2011 Medicare fee-schedule amounts, Medicare suppliers would have been paid $173.31 per month for stationary oxygen equipment (e.g., oxygen concentrators), of which the beneficiary would have paid 20 percent in cost-sharing. (The supplier would have received $2,079.72 over the course of the year, of which the beneficiary would have paid $415.94 in cost-sharing.) Under the competitive bidding program, the average Medicare allowed monthly payment amount for stationary oxygen equipment in the nine competitive bidding areas has been reduced by 33 percent from $173.31 to $116.16. Further, a beneficiary's cost-sharing responsibility for stationary oxygen equipment rental for a year has been reduced by an average of $137 in the nine areas.
Monitoring of Beneficiary Health Status and Access
CMS has closely monitored the results of the competitive bidding program since implementation to ensure that savings goals of the program have been achieved and – more importantly – to ensure that beneficiary access to appropriate supplies and equipment has not been compromised. To ensure effective monitoring, CMS implemented a real-time claims monitoring system which analyzes the utilization of the nine product categories. CMS' claims monitoring system was designed to pay particular attention to potential changes in key secondary indicators such as hospital admissions, emergency room visits, physician visits, and admissions to skilled nursing facilities before and after the implementation of the new payment model. To conduct this monitoring, the system looks at three comparison groups of beneficiaries over time: 1) all Medicare beneficiaries living in one of the nine areas compared to beneficiaries living in a similar geographic area not yet subject to competitive bidding (e.g., Orlando vs. Tampa); 2) beneficiaries most likely to use a particular item living in one of the nine areas compared to beneficiaries most likely to use the item in a similar geographic area; and 3) beneficiaries actually using an item living in one of the nine areas compared to beneficiaries actually using an item living in a similar geographic area. Beneficiaries are considered likely to use a competitively bid item based on the presence of particular health conditions (for instance, patients with pulmonary disease are monitored for use of oxygen therapy).
For the first year of the program, CMS' real-time claims monitoring and subsequent follow-up has indicated that beneficiary access to all necessary and appropriate items and supplies has been preserved in the nine CBAs. Moreover, utilization of hospital services, emergency room visits, physician visits, and skilled nursing facility care has remained consistent with the patterns and trends seen throughout the rest of the country. The results of our claims monitoring are regularly posted on the CMS website.
Using the information generated by the real time monitoring, CMS has conducted follow up as necessary. For example, CMS' monitoring revealed declines in the use of mail-order diabetes test strips and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) supplies in the CBAs. In response to these utilization declines, CMS initiated three rounds of outbound phone calls to users of these supplies in the nine CBAs, two rounds of calls for users of mail-order diabetes test strips and one round of calls to users of CPAP supplies. In each round, CMS staff randomly identified 100 beneficiaries who used the items before the program began but had no claims for the items in 2011. The calls revealed that in virtually every case, the beneficiary reported having more than enough supplies on hand, often multiple months' worth, which would suggest that beneficiaries had historically received excessive replacement supplies before they were medically necessary. As a result of this monitoring, CMS concludes that the competitive bidding program may have curbed previous inappropriate distribution of these supplies.
In addition to careful monitoring of beneficiary health status, CMS is tracking the number of inquiries and complaints made to our regional offices, 1-800-MEDICARE, and the Medicare Competitive Acquisition Ombudsman's Office. During pre-implementation education, CMS aggressively marketed the 1-800-MEDICARE call center as a primary information tool for beneficiaries. In 2011, CMS received 127,466 beneficiary inquiries regarding the competitive bidding program, which represented less than 1 percent of total call volume at the 1-800-MEDICARE call center. The vast majority of inquiries were about routine matters such as questions about the program or finding a contract supplier. The number of overall beneficiary complaints, defined as inquiries that express dissatisfaction with the program and cannot be resolved by a call center operator, continues to be minimal. All complaints were assigned to program experts for prompt resolution. In the fourth quarter of 2011, CMS received complaints from only six beneficiaries. This is a minute fraction of the 2.3 million fee-for-service beneficiaries residing in the nine CBAs.
Table 1: Beneficiary Complaints by Quarter, 2011
|Quarter 1
|Quarter 2
|Quarter 3
|Quarter 4
|Beneficiary Complaints
The small number of beneficiary inquiries and complaints further corroborate the positive results shown in the real-time claims monitoring data.
Round 2 Expansion and National Mail Order Competition
Building on the success of the Round 1 Rebid, CMS is already in the process of expanding the competitive bidding program to 91 additional areas as required by MIPPA and the Affordable Care Act. The bidding process is very similar to the process used successfully in the Round 1 Rebid, with minor adjustments. In addition to the items included in the Round 1 Rebid, CMS has expanded the list of items bid by combining standard manual wheelchairs, standard power wheelchairs, and scooters to form a new expanded standard mobility device product category; expanding bidding for support surfaces throughout all Round 2 areas; and adding negative pressure wound therapy pumps and related supplies and accessories as an additional product category. CMS is also conducting a national mail-order competition for diabetic testing supplies at the same time as Round 2. The national mail-order competition includes all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. The bidding window was open from January 30 to March 30, 2012. CMS is currently evaluating the bids received and expects to announce the payment amounts and begin the contracting process in Fall 2012, with an announcement of contract suppliers in Spring 2013. We anticipate that the Round 2 and national mail-order program contracts and prices will be implemented in July 2013.
CMS is continuing to make additional improvements in the bidding process for Round 2, focusing on increasing the scrutiny of bids and enhancing the successful bidder education program. CMS already used a rigorous bona fide bid review process in Round 1 to protect against unrealistic low bids. During the Round 1 Rebid bid evaluation, we found that about 8 percent of bids were extremely low in comparison to other bids, so we asked these bidders to send us invoices and rationales explaining how they could furnish items at the bid price. Bidders were able to prove that 67 percent of these comparatively low bids were feasible. We rejected all of the bids that were not proven feasible, and we did not offer contracts to these suppliers or include the rejected bids in the calculation of single payment amounts. CMS is strengthening this rigorous process for Round 2 by focusing more on the highest costs, highest volume items and subjecting more bids to additional review beyond the initial screening and evaluation process. CMS also improved bidder education materials to emphasize more strongly the need to submit bids that include the cost for the supplier to buy the item, overhead, and profit.
To help the large number of suppliers in these MSAs understand the process, CMS launched a bidder education program in November 2011. This program was designed to ensure that DMEPOS suppliers interested in bidding received the information and assistance they needed to submit complete bids in a timely manner. Comprehensive information on an array of topics, including bidding rules, user guides, policy fact sheets, checklists and bidding information charts, was made available at http://www.dmecompetitivebid.com. Bidders could also call a toll free help desk with expanded hours with any questions about the bidding process. The bidder education program featured numerous enhancements such as improved Request for Bids instructions, updated fact sheets, and a series of educational webcasts. The webcasts were posted online and could be accessed 24 hours a day to ensure maximum opportunities for suppliers to review them.
CMS recognizes that the success of Round 2 will require significant efforts to educate beneficiaries, beneficiary partners, providers, stakeholders and contract suppliers about the program and, accordingly, is preparing to scale up the successful education and outreach efforts used in Round 1. The primary goal of this education campaign will be to keep beneficiaries, caregivers, referral agents (e.g., hospital discharge planners and physicians), and other stakeholders informed about the program and how it affects them. Outreach to beneficiaries will include fact sheets, brochures and booklets, Frequently Asked Questions and other postings on medicare.gov, newsletters, an update to the annual Medicare & You Handbook, emails, and letters. In addition, our 1-800-MEDICARE customer service representatives and direct service caseworkers are being trained and educated so they are better able to assist beneficiaries who may come to them with questions about the program.
CMS will deploy our central and regional office staff, along with local ombudsmen to work with providers of health care services, established networks of providers, and beneficiary advocacy organization partners to keep beneficiaries informed. Outreach to physicians, social workers, referral agents, discharge planners and others will be delivered through the various listservs, and through the Medicare Learning Network (MLN), via MLN Matters articles, fact sheets, brochures, and national provider calls. Educational materials for medical professionals will be available on the cms.gov website and are also communicated through national and State/local provider associations covering all provider types, as well as through the Medicare fee-for-service contractors via their websites, listservs, bulletins and educational seminars. CMS plans to begin Round 2 outreach activities in the coming months, working first to make beneficiaries and stakeholders aware of the program and its benefits, while allaying potential concerns or confusion.
The DMEPOS competitive bidding program is saving money for Medicare and beneficiaries, while continuing to provide access to high quality supplies to those who need them. Over a year into the program, CMS has demonstrated that the program has had no negative impacts to the health of our beneficiaries and has curbed inappropriate use of certain items. As we seek ways to strengthen and preserve Medicare, DMEPOS competitive bidding serves as part of the solution, generating significant long-term savings to the Medicare Part B Trust Fund.
CMS looks forward to building on this success with the implementation of Round 2 of the program and will strive for continual improvement as it expands to serve more beneficiaries. Throughout the implementation process, CMS has appreciated the interest and feedback of Members of this Subcommittee and your constituents as we strive to make the program as effective as possible for the suppliers and beneficiaries in your districts. We look forward to continuing to work with you on this important initiative.
See, for example, Comparison of Prices for Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Pumps, OEI-02-07-00660, March 2009; Power Wheelchairs in the Medicare Program: Supplier Acquisition Costs and Services, OEI-04-07-00400, August 2009; Medicare Home Oxygen Equipment: Cost and Servicing, OEI-09-04-00420, September 2006.
Last revised: June 18, 2013