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America's relationship with the automobile has often been called a "love affair." If so, this particular romance has lost some of its luster. Our desire for the big ol' comfy galoot has cooled. Oh, there was a time when the bulky hard-charger seemed so wonderful. But things have changed, and suddenly Mr. Big is looking like a big waste o' space, a danger to the wallet — if not the world.
But we really love our SUVs in Fairfield County. One need only visit any school parking lot at pickup time to see that vast armada of suburban tanks. Will all those drivers undergo a rethink?
It's happening now. To the chagrin of manufacturers, who need four or five years to switch gears and bring a new car to market, fashion changes can happen overnight. The car market is about to go through an enormous transformation, and it's not just driven by consumers horrified by $4-a-gallon prices. The government has stepped into the game (after thirty-two years of indifference) and set new rules for manufacturers.
According to the new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) law just passed, automakers must make sure that their entire fleets maintain an average of 35 miles per gallon by the year 2020. And after the November election, we might expect even more energy-related legislation.
So what's the hot technology that's going to save the day? The answer is that automakers are frantically reaching out in several directions, and the smart consumer is going to have to be aware of several new technologies. Let us survey, then, what is available right now and next fall, and give some thought to what's just around the corner.
For instance, we are still a good decade away from widespread availability of truly revolutionary technology, such as hydrogen-based fuel-cell power. And while a few high-priced boutique electric cars like the Tesla are getting attention, we are still a couple of years, at least, from a car you can "tank up" with an electrical extension cord.
Indeed, at the New York Auto Show in March, I visited every manufacturer's space to inquire about their new fuel-savers. Many carmakers, ranging from the ambitious Korean Hyundai to the long-suffering American Ford, pleaded for more time, a couple of years, please, to see if Americans are really, really going to buy hybrids and the like. The German manufacturers are about to hit us with some amazing new diesels. And the three automotive giants GM, Toyota and Honda can say, Right this way, please.
Before we examine the new offerings, let us first confront that distinctively American issue: weight. If you buy a heavy vehicle, expect poor gas mileage. As manufacturers piled on amenities and safety features over the years, cars bulked up enormously. Even a relatively compact car like the Audi A4 now weighs two tons. In twenty years the Honda Accord went from a tiny flyweight to a full-fledged land ark.
Rudimentary thought: If you want to save on gas, get a lightweight car. The lovely Honda Fit and the Korean-built Chevy Aveo are just two of the scrappy new lightweights to gain a legion of new fans. In another year Ford will start importing from Europe a shapely and snazzy little sedan to be called either the Fiesta or the Verve.
And if you like 'em real small, Mercedes is finally importing the Smart car, a funky little two-seater. Prices range between $11,600 and $16,500. The mid-30s fuel-economy figures, however, are nowhere near as sensational as its micro-rollerskate appearance.
Future note: Manufacturers will start getting serious about paring the weight. Engines will shift from big, hearty V8s to more modest four-cylinder engines fortified with turbochargers.
Consumers seem to be somewhat aware of this issue and have switched allegiance from ponderous, high-bulk SUVs to the more manageable "crossover" type (that is, the nimbler SUVs that are built on a car chassis, not on a truck). In the past seven years, crossover sales have tripled. And manufacturers are poised to bring out some even swankier, niftier editions, such as BMW's awesome new X6. But all the glitz in the world may not mean a thing if the customer looks under the hood and just sees some plain ol' thirsty-as-hell lush.
Here, then, are the new gas-saving technologies to look for. Much of it is exciting, none of it is free. Every great advance has some hidden cost. Then again, at some time in history, they probably said that about the electric lightbulb.
The Prius' biggest success was in allaying people's fears and suspicions about the new hybrid technology, which is essentially this: A normal gasoline-engined car gets added power from an electrical motor. The boost, silent and seamless, provides power as the car moves away from a stop, which is where cars generally consume the most fuel and produce the most smog. So a hybrid helps on two vital counts, fuel and clean air. The added electrical power does not consume extra energy; the car produces its own.
If you still need power and pizzazz, the company also makes the Lexus GS450h, its fast, BMW-fighting sedan, plus the crossover pioneer, the RX400h.
American automakers have taken a cautious approach to hybrids, testing the waters with affordable samples such as the simple and frisky Ford Escape Hybrid (29 mpg, in a crossover that sells for less than $30,000). But GM is now getting serious and putting this technology where it's needed the most: those mountain-of-steel SUVs.
For those who just gotta tow that boat or simply need a driver's view that keeps them eye-to-eye with sparrows and spy planes, the Chevy Tahoe is available now in a hybrid option. And there is a tradeoff. For the $8,000 premium, you get a massive vehicle that fetches about 21 mpg. The classic hybrid conundrum runs like this: How much fuel could I buy with the money I'm investing in this technology?
The hybrid premium also buys you one more thing: a big chrome badge that says "HYBRID," thus giving you, in certain circles, eco style points. The Tahoe actually has five such badges. In the forthcoming Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, sure to be a hit among the stylin', hip-hoppin' tree-hugger crowd, the word H-Y-B-R-I-D stretches across the side panels like a Broadway sign. What else? Oh, the Caddy SUV's city mileage figure rises from 12 mpg to 18 — which is still miserable, but it's a start.
Techno note: You may hear mention of "two-mode" hybrids this season. This is the next step up and is the result of a collaboration by GM, BMW and what used to be called DaimlerChrysler. Broadly speaking, a two-mode pushes power through the transmission and provides help not just in urban driving, the hybrid's normal bailiwick, but on the highway as well.
Right now, GM offers hybrid editions of the beautiful new Chevy Malibu and the thrifty Saturn Vue Green Line crossover — but it's not the two-mode system that you get in the SUVs. When the two-mode system works its way through the GM lineup next fall, they'll have some cars to brag about.
Chrysler, now separated from Mercedes, will offer the two-mode next year in its big muscular SUV, the Chrysler Aspen HEV. Audi will offer many new two-mode hybrids, including the slick new crossover, the Q7.
The big mind-changer for me was testing the Mercedes E320 Bluetec. After 500 miles of pretty aggressive driving, I was shocked to see it still had a quarter tank of diesel remaining. So a long-distance driver really can expect to go 700 miles before looking for a station. Its EPA numbers of 23 city/32 highway are legitimate (and 35 percent better than the normal, gas-engine E350). The thing is, it did this in stern, Germanic silence. And as for sheer thrust, it delivered hefty amounts of power any time it was nudged into action. I loved this car and immediately wondered where this technology would end up next.
Everywhere, it turns out. Mercedes is putting its new Bluetec diesel technology into its range of SUVs for 2009, including the sleek, vanlike R320 and more traditional GL320 and ML320. In a couple of years, even its big, thundering S sedans will be so powered. And since it is offering the Bluetec name to any other company that goes for the clean diesel technology, look for variations. Jeep's Grand Cherokee, for instance, will have that option in 2009.
What's so hot about diesels? The simplicity of the design has always meant an impressive longevity, and we've all known a Mercedes diesel owner who bragged about getting 400,000 miles out of it. Strictly speaking, a diesel engine is 30 percent more efficient than an equivalent gas engine. This helped make diesels very popular in Europe (in some counties you are taxed on actual engine size). The old bugaboo, though, was smog, but that has finally been fixed.
BMW is about to join the party, which is hardly a big deal for the company, considering that two-thirds of the cars it sells in Europe are diesels. The beloved 3-series sedan will be offered as the 335d, and the popular X5 crossover, which sometimes seems to be the official Fairfield County car, will get the diesel option as the X5 xDrive 35d. Their codeword for all this is BluePerformance. Audi and Bentley are contemplating this technology in their high-performance cars. Subaru, too.
Ahem. Are we concentrating too much here on the big gunboats? What about the customer who just wants big fuel savings? What about the driver who thinks a 30-mpg Mini Cooper is just too damned thirsty? Well, Volkswagen has your number.
Old hands at turbo-diesels (offered as the "TDI" option in the Golf and the nifty crossover Touareg), VW is now using Bluetec technology in its forthcoming Jetta, which is said to get 50 mpg in combined city and highway. The price should not be that far from $20,000. Early reports say that it's quiet and peppy. Suddenly we have a car to seriously rival the Prius. A diesel, remember, does not require a hybrid's elaborate batteries. But diesels are not without issues.
Techno brief: Connecticut is one of five states that subscribe to California's very tough emissions standards. To meet these standards, the new "blue" diesel manufacturers added something called urea injection to kill off the final naughty smog bits. Yes, urea. It resides in a small tank that has to be refilled when you get a car service. Eventually, every corner Jiffy-Lube will carry the stuff.
The Chevy Volt is GM's big attention-getter here. It's very modernistic and racy looking, all to broadcast very loudly that it contains radically new technology. The essential offering is this: You plug it into your house current at night (when the city's electrical grid is relatively untaxed), and in the morning you have a commuter car good for forty miles. If that's all you drive, your daily fuel bill is zip aside from your monthly electricity bill. If you drive farther, the Volt also has a gas engine that is not connected to the wheels but charges up its battery, thereby extending the range to 640 miles.
Oh, but there are questions. If everybody owned an electric car, wouldn't that tax the power grids? GM avers that power companies would not presently be overworked. And, anyway, by the time the world is really ready for an electric car, we will all have solar panels on the roof, and wind turbines will be cranking out at sea. Won't we?
Be assured that most auto manufacturers have concept cars in the shop. GM already attempted it in 1996 with the EV1 (subject of the derisive documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?). And the automotive and business press has already been treated to rides in an all-electric sports car, the Tesla, built by Silicon Valley mogul Martin Eberhard. Its tiny electric motor produces 248 horsepower and can propel the Lotus-built sports car to blistering speeds. And those hotsy-totsy lithium-ion batteries? They're encased in the liquid-cool refrigerants. The Tesla has proven that it can be done. Its chief concerns are actually getting the transmissions sorted out before they can sell it. And, oh yeah, the price tag is $100,000.
Growing a lot of corn to turn into automotive fuel might make corn farmers happy, but researchers are now questioning if this a good use of land and resources. When you add up water use, trucking, tilling the land, refinery costs and so on, ethanol production might not actually shave any national energy use. Farmers are now countering with corn substitutes such as switchgrass.
The ethanol future is unclear, but you can still buy, without risk, all manner of Dodge Caravans and Chevy pickup trucks with the flex-fuel option.
Techno note: A flex-fuel engine requires any mixture of ethanol and gasoline as long as at least 15 percent of it is regular gasoline. Thus it will take up to 85 percent ethanol, which leads us to a term you may have seen, "E85."
Right now, Honda has offered its revolutionary FCX Clarity to a number of customers in California for real-world testing. It looks, handles and goes about the same as any garden-variety Accord. But it's powered by hydrogen.
Now, if you'll just stop making wisecracks about the Hindenburg, we'll tell you that hydrogen is a whole new thing. And right now it has very limited availability. Honda does offer, however, the Honda Home Energy Station IV, which uses natural gas to create hydrogen, as well as heating and electricity for your home. Honda claims that this power creation reduces CO2 emissions by a third and total energy costs by half.
Honda says nothing about bragging rights, but I think these should be monumental.
Techno note: Howzit work? Hydrogen gas goes from a tank into a "stack" of fuel cells, gets jacked around, forms catalytic reactions that produce electricity which then powers an electric motor. Excess electricity gets stored in the lithium-ion batteries. Water is produced in this cycle, which helps cool the stack. The only emission is, uh, water.
How suitable this would be in a Connecticut winter, I don't know.
Arch-rival Toyota is not standing pat. It is currently testing a fuel-cell hybrid called the FCHV. It looks like a normal Toyota Highlander, but inside is a wizard's brew of power plants enabling it to produce its own hydrogen. They are still perfecting it but are confident enough to turn it over to journalists for 400 miles of nonstop cruising.
GM, meanwhile, has been showing off its hydrogen-powered concept car, the Sequel (which looks like a Chevy Equinox). It'll presently do 300 miles to a tank. Before you reach for the checkbook, however, remember that these are million-dollar experimental cars.
The important thing is, it does work. The real customers might well be our kids — the ones who stare at us accusingly for driving smog-producing beasts that are killing all the polar bears.
You might not have any notion to try a revolutionary engine, but there's a generation coming up that expects — demands — a high-tech transformation every year. They will be ready for all this.
And we won't get into the subject of world events, which might require that we be ready for this faster than we thought.
May 29


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Binyamin Jolkovsky of Jewish World Review and reader William Katz alert us to Cal Thomas's October 25 interview with Secretary Rice, an excerpt of which Binyamin has posted exclusively here. Thomas follows up on Secretary Rice's keynote address at the American Task Force on Palestine inaugural gala.
I commented on the speech here; Joel Mowbray devoted his excellent column in Friday's Washington Times to the speech. In the speech Secretary Rice likened the "dream" of a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel to the founding of the United States and to the American civil rights movement.
Thomas asks Secretary Rice what evidence she has that the denizens of such an independent state would give up the dream that actually seems to drive them — the dream of eliminating Israel:
SECRETARY RICE: Well, you can look at any opinion poll in the Palestinian territories and 70 percent of the people will say they're perfectly ready to live side by side with Israel because they just want to live in peace. And when it comes right down to it, yeah, there are plenty of extremists in the Palestinian territories who are not going to be easily dealt with. They have to be dealt with

subset: commoncrawl


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Favorite Albums of 2012 ( An Incomplete Saga)
Simple thread right here. List or make a remark of what is or what will be your favorite albums of 2012. I know it is March but I feel as if the end of this year we will have another 2010 on our hands (I thought 2010 was a pretty massive year for albums). As of right now my favs are these 3. The Shins- Port of Morrow Grimes- Visions The Mars Volta- Noctourniquet The funny thing is that I've never been a huge fan of the Sihns or the Mars Volta before this year.
That's interesting, I preferred The Shin's previous album Wincing the Night Away. I haven't given Noctourinquet the listen it deserves yet, but I'm sure I'll get to it. Of Montreal - Paralytic Stalks Daniel Rossen - Silent Hour/Golden Mile Grimes - Visions Certainly not Of Montreal's finest album, but I still really enjoy it.
Said it before, I'll say it again. Can't beat De-loused!!! not a chance in hell! what up personal opinions!
NOOOOOOOWWWW I'M LOOOOOOooooooost! I always thought he was saying Milhouse...
So far, these two are the ones I'm enjoying most: Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror A Place to Bury Strangers - Onwards to the Wall Really looking forward to the new albums from Japandroids, Garbage, Marilyn Manson, and Smashing Pumpkins though.
Pretty much haven't listened to many: John Talabot - fin Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It I dunno if I've listened to anything else really. I'm really anticipating Jack White's solo album and the new Sigur Ros album.
you may not be able to beat De-loused because its TMV at their finest but Noctourniquet is lovely. New Black Dice album drops April 10th !!!!! called Mr. Impossible can.not.wait. then new Maps & Atlases album on April 17th- already heard two leaked tracks. Havent listened to much that is new, 'cept Andrew Bird's Break It Yourself - which is vedy niiiice, as expected
also I know that Grizzly Bear, Mazzy Star, and ofcourse the wonderful AC are releasing albums at a later point this year. Im sure it'll be worth the wait... forgot that Every Time I Die released a new album earlier this month, dunno if any of you are into that kind of stuff.
Lots of stuff to be released then! I forgot about the new Andrew Bird album entirely and am thankful for the reminder. I can't wait to give it a listen.
OH man, Mr. Impossible is going to be awesome, I heard the first single, it's great! The albums I'm most excited for are: The so far untitled albums of: Animal Collective, Janelle Monae, The Knife, The xx, The Dirty Projectors, The Avalanches and The Beach Boys. EDIT: and Grizzly Bear and MGMT of course! Mr. Impossible by Black Dice Bloom by Beach House Wolf by Tyler, the Creator The Only Place by Best Coast Valtari by Sigur Ros Heaven by The Walkmen In no particular order, except Animal Collective at the top.
Valtari will be in my favorite albums by the end of the year. You guys all forgot about MGMT! I'm also wishing for new Yeaslayer and Grizzly Bear albums. I forgot about the Of Montreal album, that would be my forth favorite this year, but I need a couple more listens to it first.
I did! And Grizzly Bear! What's wrong with me? The new MGMT should be good though, I really liked Congratulations.
There's a new MGMT coming out??? That's awesome!
the only new album I bought was snoop Dogg And Wiz Khilifa's Mac and Devin Go to Highschool. A strange man boy relationship bridging the gap between new school and old school hip hop with samplers doing trippy stuff, funky bass lines, interesting guitar riffs and catchy tunes. Every song has weed references accept for the sellout pop song with bruno mars in it. Hard to take seriously. Hard to picture and get into. The most indimidating things being said are "I hang with my friends and we smoke more weed than you". I'm gonna take it off my ipod soon.
Tame Impala's new album had been done being recorded and was finished being mixed about a week ago. So sayeth the band. It's supposed to be out this summer sometime.
Awesome, can't wait for new Tame Impala.
Oh boy, I hope they tour Australia! Give your home country some love dudes!
Is it safe for me to say TTG is one of my favorites from this year.
TTG is quickly gaining ground for me too
It's safe for me, I haven't found a lot of releases this year that I love, but there are some exciting ones approaching.
The Shins - Port Morrow is the only 2012 album that's really grabbed me so far (although, have to concur with Claud that it's not a patch on Wincing the Night away. Didn't half the band leave though?) Will have to try some of these recommendations. Looking forward to Beach House's new album, early release of 'Myth' is very promising.
Bloom is the best of the year so far, but with new Tame Impala, Anco, Japandroids and Avalanches anything can happen!
Most all my favorites of the year have been mentioned. I would add these Dr.John - Locked Down Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar
it's way weird to me, but I didn't like Bloom, I didn't like Port of Morrow and I did not like Best Coast. My favorites so far dis year here Valtari (OH MY GOD THIS RECORD IS BEAUTIFUL) Paralytic Stalks (It's actually amazing, late period oM (post HFAYTD) is supremely underrated) Burial- Kindred EP Channel Orange- Frank Ocean I'm sure i'm going to love Centipede Hz New Olivia Tremor Control if released this year Grizzly Bear Dan Deacon SWANS
it was 2012! and OTC wasn't even the NEXT damn year! and dan deacon damn disappointed! stop looking at me swans!


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ThinkGeek Beach Boy Towel
Fun in the sun
- A beach towel for the retro gamer
- Inspired by our favorite old portable system
- 100% cotton, machine washable, 30" x 60"
Every once in a while, even the most sun-averse geek gets hot enough to want to go for a swim in a pool, lake, or ocean. Slather on some SPF 42, wait 10 minutes, slather on more SPF 42, wait 10 minutes, retrieve a second bottle. Lather, rinse, repeat. Now you're ready for the outdoors!
With your Beach Boy Towel from ThinkGeek, you can tell the world that you'd rather be gaming. In fact, after you take a swim, you're going to find some shade, carefully dry off your hands, grab your portable gaming device, and rack up some points while you drip dry the rest of the way. Ahhhh, summer.
Product Specifications
- Retro gamers will all want this sweet beach towel
- Inspired by our favorite retro mobile gaming system
- Material: Cotton
- Care: Machine wash with like colors
- Dimensions: 30" x 60"


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The U.S. market has been tough recently on many of the big consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, after many years during which the leading players typically fared quite well. The advantage the leaders historically derived from their scale and scope is no longer what it once was, and sales growth of the top 25 companies as a group between 2006 and 2011 was less than half that of the nation's top retailers.
This sales growth gap is equivalent to about $18 billion in "lost" gross profit, and represents a differential likely to persist if CPG companies can't regain forward momentum in the U.S. market. This, plus the fact that companies won't be able to rely on overall market growth as a driver of individual performance over the next three to five years, puts a bright spotlight on the need for successful category expansion and share gains.
As is often the case, a number of companies stood out from the pack, bucking the low sales growth trend. In looking at the performance of these stand-outs, Nielsen and The Boston Consulting Group uncovered five key strategies that drove their success:
Together, these strategies offer a roadmap for CPG companies to compete and grow in the current market.


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Brussels Mixed, a combination of bobbin and needle lace, is secured to mother of pearl staves and shaped to create this elegant fan. The needle lace in the central rose design is gauzy point de gaze, while the border is Duchesse de Bruxelles bobbin lace. Note the delicate etching and metallic tracing on the mother of pearl.
Asia: South Asia, India, Western India, Gujarat, Saurashtra
Asia: East Asia, Japan
Asia: South Asia, India, Western India, Gujarat, Kutch, Bhuj


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|Home > Florida Then & Now > A Short History of Florida > Tocobaga Indians of Tampa Bay
Tocobaga Indians of Tampa Bay
- The students will be able to identify characteristics of the Tocobaga Indian tribe.
- The students will be able to compare and contrast this tribe to other Florida tribes.
- The students will be able to explain why the Tocobaga tribe became extinct.
Sunshine State Standards Benchmarks:SS.A.1.2.1 - SS.A.1.2.3 - SS.A.6.2.6 - SS.B.1.2.1
proximity discarded adz artifacts atlatl midden mound supplement
Suggested Activities:
- Using a map of Florida, mark the area where the Tocobaga Indians were located.
- Have the students create a timeline belt using construction paper and string or yarn. Have the students illustrate the belt with pictures that tell about the Tocobaga Indians. Some examples would be pictures of their homes, a midden, an adz, deer, rabbits, etc.
- Have the students complete a hierarchical summary based on the reading passage.
- Have the students create a diorama of a Tocobaga Indian village. Have students include at least one of the following: a kitchen midden; a burial mound; the chiefís temple/home mound; or a Tocobaga home.
- Have the students create a model of an adz and/or an atlatl. Include an explanation of how each item was used by the Tocobaga Indians.
- Complete and review FCAT questions.
(Note: Actual FCAT practice passages are wrtten at the students' independent reading level. These Florida History selections are written at the students' instructional reading level. Therefore, students should not be asked to complete the questions until after receiving class instruction on the vocabulary and content of the passage. Students should also read the Florida History selection independently before answering the FCAT questions and be permited to return to the selection for rereading as they answer.)
|Home > Florida Then & Now > A Short History of Florida > Tocobaga Indians of Tampa Bay
Florida: A Social Studies Resource for Students and Teachers
Produced by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology,
College of Education, University of South Florida © 2002.


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This group of embroiderers meet up every first and third Tuesday of the month from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
This growing group is open to people of all ages and levels of expertise? Come knit and crochet with us, get to know some new people! Learn from experienced knitters! Help a beginner! You'll be glad you came!


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At Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, the staff is working extra shifts, and emergency room waits for patients can last up to two hours in the worst flu season emergency department director Ginger Diven has ever seen.
"Things are incredibly hectic," Diven said. "We are at peak capacity for our hospital. We actually have three overflow units open to handle the excess volume."
Influenza has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, with 7.3 percent of deaths last week caused by pneumonia and the flu, a tick above the 7.2 percent threshold for epidemic status, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
The Midwest is among nine of 10 regions in the country with "elevated" flu activity, confirming that seasonal flu has spread across the country and reached high levels several weeks before the usual time of late January or February.
The Chicago Department of Public Health is reporting that the number of flu cases in the city remains above average but dipped slightly last week, when 31 people wound up in the hospital with the flu, compared with 35 the week before.
But Dr. Emily Landon, an epidemiologist at the University of Chicago Medicine, isn't convinced the worst is over. Although it's "nice to think" an early start to the flu season means an early end, Landon hinted that logic may be misguided.
"Instead of shifting the curve, it's just a bigger curve," Landon said. "All leading indicators point to it being a very bad season. ... It's pretty awful."
In addition to filling emergency rooms, people are lining up for belated fuel shots in an effort to ward off illness.
Among those getting a flu shot Friday was Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who was among the dozens who visited the basement clinic of the city's Uptown Neighborhood Health Center on Friday. Inside the small examination room, Emanuel told the doctor it was his first time getting the shot. In less than two minutes, he was stuck in his left arm, quickly changed back into his business shirt and then zipped out of the clinic.
It was also Jim Ross' first time getting the shot, he said. After reading about the number of people that had fallen sick recently, he decided he would go get treated before he fell ill himself.
"I saw the hype on TV. I wasn't too concerned, but I'm traveling soon and I figured I get it," the 60-year-old said as he waited in the lobby.
From Sept. 30 to Jan. 5, 121 people were hospitalized with the flu in Chicago, nearly double the number from last year during that period. Statewide, 81 people had been hospitalized with flu-like systems as of Jan. 5, and four people have died, according to the state Health Department.
"People are aware, and now they're scared," said Gloria Negrillo, a certified medical assistant who was called in to help out at the Uptown clinic Friday. "They don't want to get sick, and they want to take steps to prevent getting the flu."
Dr. Catherine Counard, director of the Skokie Health Department, said this year's flu recently slammed an elementary school in the north suburb, affecting 84 children and eight adults in less than a week.
Encouraging local children and adults to get vaccinated was the goal of the Health Department this season, she said. Every fall, the Health Department administers 3,000 flu shots, treating about 5 percent of the village's population, Counard said.
The milder weather may have some putting off the flu vaccine, but Counard said it's still important to get one for those who've been putting it off. "Until more people get vaccinated, we'll continue to see these issues," Counard said.
Even those who already came down with one strand of the flu should still get the shot, she said.
"There are three strains of flu in the vaccine, so people who've had one strain of the flu are still susceptible to the other two strains until they're vaccinated," she said.
Curtis Allen, spokesman for the CDC, said this year's flu vaccine is considered 62 percent effective in preventing the virus.
That is considered "moderate" effectiveness and means that almost 4 in 10 people who receive the vaccine and are exposed to the virus will nevertheless become infected.
Although 60 percent prevention is about average coverage for a flu vaccine, Allen said, the CDC is working to make it even more effective.
"We realize the vaccine isn't 100 percent, but we're doing research with the government and manufacturers to develop more effective vaccines," Allen said. "But we're not there yet. "
The current vaccine carries three strains of the flu virus, Allen said, but the CDC hopes to have a new vaccine with four strains of the flu virus released possibly as early as next year. This extra strain would increase the vaccine's efficacy, he said.
At Good Samaritan, Diven said officials are offering incentives including "springing for lunch" to show appreciation for staff members who put in extra hours during the busy flu season.
"It's more than just the nurses and doctors, it's our dietary, radiology and even our housekeeping staff too," Diven said. "It's affecting everyone."
Tribune reporter Lolly Bowean and Reuters contributed.


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Delicious Comfort Food – Out Now
Introducing our brand new 'Winter Warmer Menu' with all Your favourites!
Welcome to our Country Inn. Choose from an extensive a la carte menu, brimming with local delicacies, or indulge in traditional Winter Warming Pub Classics – Vegetarian & Gluten Free options available. All can be enjoyed in either our Gallery Restaurant which welcomes families, our cosy dog friendly bar or the bright and airy Garden Restaurant with adjoining Conservatory. Check it out on http://tinyurl.com/pvfmkb8. Book your table now on 01485 571 765.


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Fish Wish - Paint the ceiling blue and transforn the nursery into a magical wishing well filled with exotic fish.
This Digital Wall Art comes in 2 easy to apply
panels (each panel is 45cm wide x 265cm high).
This Wall Art can also be re-scaled or coloured to your exact specification. Contact Sales Team for further information.
Please Note: Please allow up to 14 working days for delivery.


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America's CostSaver 2019: Essence of Eastern Canada with Maritimes Cruise Ocean View Cabin Summer 2019
Tour Type: CostSaver
Brochure Type: America's CostSaver 2019
This all-embracing exploration of Eastern Canada takes you beyond Canada's largest city of Toronto to beautiful French speaking Quebec with its fortified city, cobblestone streets and renowned Quebecois delicacies, cultures and traditions. Finally, take in the sights of Old Montreal and perhaps set sail to Boston to experience the picturesque sites along the beautiful rocky coastlines of Canada and New England.
Sightseeing Highlights
Brochure Type: America's CostSaver 2019
This all-embracing exploration of Eastern Canada takes you beyond Canada's largest city of Toronto to beautiful French speaking Quebec with its fortified city, cobblestone streets and renowned Quebecois delicacies, cultures and traditions. Finally, take in the sights of Old Montreal and perhaps set sail to Boston to experience the picturesque sites along the beautiful rocky coastlines of Canada and New England.
Sightseeing Highlights
- Kingston Take a cruise through the scenic Thousand Islands region
- Montreal Embark on an orientation tour of the city with a Local Specialist
- Niagara Falls Witness the majestic American and Canadian side of the falls aboard a cruise
- Ottawa Enjoy a sightseeing tour of some of the city's most famous sights
- Quebec City Explore Old Quebec with a Local Specialist
- Toronto Sightseeing includes the harbourfront, Queen's Park, the Ice Hockey Hall of Fame, Yorkville, Chinatown and CN Tower. Learn more about traditional native arts at the Storyboot Project, a TreadRight Heritage Initiative
- 8 Breakfasts
- 6 Lunches
- 7 Dinners
- Audio Headsets Provided throughout your holiday to enhance your included sightseeing experiences
- Luxury air-conditioned coach
- Hand-picked hotels, all tried and trusted
- Variety of Optional Experiences
- City orientation tours
- An expert Travel Director and separate driver
- All hotel service charges and tips, baggage handling fees and local taxes
Call 1 -866-934-6292 for more information or to book today! Mention code 14385403
- Tour Operator
- Trafalgar Tours
- Offer
- Offer valid through 6/30/2019
- Duration
- 15 Days
- Escorted
- Escorted - Yes
|Day 1
|Arrive Toronto (2 Nights): Welcome to Toronto, Canada's largest city. Get settled in at your hotel before meeting your Travel Director this afternoon.
Chelsea Hotel Toronto
|Day 2
|Niagara Falls Excursion: This morning, travel to Niagara Falls, one of the largest falls in the world. See the Canadian and American sides as you cruise to the base of Horseshoe Falls. Return to Toronto, the rest of the day is free.
|Day 3
|Toronto - Kingston - Ottawa (2 Nights): After departing Toronto, drive along Lake Ontario to Kingston where you'll board a cruise down the St. Lawrence River. Later, head to Ottawa, Canada's beautiful capital city.
Quality Inn and Suites Gatineau
|Day 4
|Ottawa Sightseeing and Free Time: Start the day with a sightseeing tour of Ottawa to view the city's most famous landmarks. The rest of the day is free.
|Day 5
|Quebec City
|Ottawa - Quebec City (2 Nights): Today, arrive in Quebec City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its narrow cobblestone streets and stone buildings, it exudes a strong European feel. Your evening is free.
Hotel Universel Quebec
|Day 6
|Quebec City
|Quebec City Sightseeing and Free Time: Join a Local Specialist and explore Old Quebec, the historic heart of French Canada. View the famous turreted Chateau Frontenac, The Citadel, and the historic Plains of Abraham. The rest of the day is yours to do as you please.
|Day 7
|Quebec City - Montreal: This morning, an Iconic Breakfast is served at Erabliere le Chemin du Roy, a Cabane a Sucre (Sugar Shack) where you'll learn how maple syrup is made and turned into other maple products. Set out for Montreal, designated by UNESCO as a "City of Design." Upon arrival, enjoy an orientation tour with a Local Specialist. This evening is free.Iconic Breakfast
Hotel Gouverneur Place Dupuis
|Day 8
|Maritimes Cruise
|Montreal - Maritimes Cruise: You will be dropped off at Montreal's Quays of the Old World to board the ms Maasdam which sails at approximately 4 p.m.Dinner
|Day 9
|Quebec City
|Quebec City Sightseeing: The singular image of the city is a hotel surrounded by cannons. Built to evoke a mountain castle, Chateau Frontenac sits atop a cape above the St. Lawrence River. The hotel is part of the Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and with all the stone buildings and winding streets, you'll think you're in Europe. From there, cruise visitors can take the funicular or the "neck-breaking steps" down to the Lower Town. Many structures there date back to Quebec City's beginnings, and highlights include Notre Dame des Victoires, La Rue du Petit Champlain, the port, and the Musee de la Civilisation.Full Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
|Day 10
|Saint Lawrence River Cruising
|Saint Lawrence River Cruising: The Saint Lawrence River was once a water highway for explorers, missionaries and fur traders, today you can experience it from the comfort of your Holland America Line ship. Known to the Mohawk as Kaniatarowanenneh, or big waterway, the Saint Lawrence River encompasses several lakes and three archipelagoes. As the river conducts you from Quebec City to the Atlantic Ocean, watch from your private verandah for Beluga whales, porpoises and dolphins, and countless bird species.Full Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
|Day 11
|Cruise to Charlottetown
|Cruise to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island: Canada's smallest province is an island that seems to be tethered to New Brunswick by the 8-mile (13 kilometre) long Confederation Bridge in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Leave the mainland, cross the bridge, and make a right for Charlottetown. The largest city on Prince Edward Island as well as its capital, Charlottetown's Victorian architecture, abundance of parks and its harbourside location make it an idyllic stop for visitors. Walk the cobblestones of Victoria Row, or visit the house that inspired Anne of Green Gables and explore the wild shores of Prince Edward Island National Park.Full Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
|Day 12
|Cruise to Sydney
|Cruise to Sydney, Nova Scotia: A hundred thousand Gaelic welcomes await you in Nova Scotia, Latin for "New Scotland." At the northeast end of the province sits Cape Breton Island, whose wild and lovely topography include The Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Bras d'Or Lake, and miles of rugged coastline. Sydney is the gateway to Highland village, the scenic Cabot Trail, golden inland seas, and the Fortress of Louisbourg- where every barn, barrack and pipe, drum corps appears just as it did when King Louis' troops occupied the site in 1744.Full Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
|Day 13
|Cruise to Halifax
|Cruise to Halifax, Nova Scotia: It's big enough to be the economic and cultural capital of eastern Canada, but small enough to be easygoing and hospitable. Halifax is located on one of the planet's great natural harbours and adorned with landmarks like the Citadel fortress, Pier 21 (Canada's Ellis Island), and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Outside the city, discover the weather-beaten landscape of Nova Scotia's south shore. See craggy coastlines, the boulder topography of Peggy's Cove, and the German village of Lunenburg, so meticulously restored it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Full Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
|Day 14
|Cruise to Bar Harbor
|Cruise to Bar Harbor, Maine: For much of the year, sunlight touches the United States first at Cadillac Mountain on the Maine Coast. From the granite-slabbed summit, light tiptoes down across the rest of Mount Desert Isle, Acadia National Park, the town of Bar Harbor and before illuminating the rest of the country. Raw coastal scenery attracted The Hudson River School painters in the 1840s, and their art lured countless visitors to the area. Bar Harbour quickly became a haven for the East Coast affluent and was bejeweled with grand mansions and immaculate gardens. Stroll down the streets of town, relax on the Village Green with the famous Lobster flavoured ice-cream, or hike up Cadillac Mountain.Full Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
|Day 15
|Depart Boston: Sail into Boston this morning.Full Breakfast
- Dates/Pricing
- Disclaimer
- These departures will operate per the 2017 brochure. Hotels and inclusions may vary. Please inquire at the time of booking.
- These prices are correct at the time of the website going live, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking.
- All tour information is correct at time of tours going live, however is subject to change, please confirm all details at time of booking.
- For full terms and conditions, please refer to our Conditions page.
- Hotel Class Key: D: Deluxe SF: Superior First Class F: First Class


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Guest Host: Mike Barnicle
Guests: Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, Sen. Bob Corker, Cynthia Hardy, Ron Reagan, Roger Simon, Ceci Connolly, Ron Reagan, Cynthia Hardy, John O'Connor, Chris Cillizza
MIKE BARNICLE, GUEST HOST: The insult heard 'round the world.
Let's play HARDBALL.
Good evening. I'm Mike Barnicle, in for Chris Matthews. Leading off tonight: The gift. When Congressman Joe Wilson shouted out "You lie" at President Obama last night, he gave the Democrats a gift they hope just keeps on giving. Wilson was forced—and that does seem to be the word, forced—to apologize today, and his Washington office has been mobbed, mostly by right-wing supporters. Democrats hope to turn Wilson into the Cindy Sheehan of the anti-health care reform movement, a clownish figure of ridicule who hurts his own side more than he helps.
Partly lost in all the fuss over Wilson was the president's speech itself. Did he regain control of the debate? We'll deconstruct the speech and see where the debate is headed next.
Plus, it seems like a South Carolina kind of day. Governor Mark Sanford today defended his decision to stay in office, but can he survive the groundswell of calls for his resignation this week by the state's house Republicans?
Back to health care for a moment. Could Bill Clinton become President Obama's secret weapon to keep Democrats in line when reform comes to a vote? That's in the "Politics Fix."
And we all know it's a bad idea to text while driving. Well, it's not much smarter to text while you're on national television. Virginia's Eric Cantor learned that lesson last night, and we'll have it on the HARDBALL "Sideshow."
But we begin with President Obama and where the health care debate goes from here. Senator Jay Rockefeller is a Democrat from West Virginia and a member of the Finance Committee.
Senator, Congressman Joe Wilson from South Carolina—it's like a mandatory question being asked by every politician in Washington today. What was your take on it?
SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D), WEST VIRGINIA: My take was that it was a very small, I thought rather rude, interruption in a very important speech about health care to the American people, and I don't even think about it anymore.
BARNICLE: We're going to play it, Senator, for those few Americans left out there who haven't heard it. Here is President Obama being called a liar by South Carolina Republican Joe Wilson.
BARACK Obama, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false. The reforms...
OBAMA: The reforms I am proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.
REP. Joe WILSON ®, SOUTH CAROLINA: You lie!
OBAMA: Not true.
BARNICLE: Senator, before we get into the specifics of last night's speech and what you thought about it, let me ask you, off of what Congressman Wilson said, off of a summer where the birthers have been running around the country saying President Obama wasn't born here, off of the last week, where we had such a furor over a president of the United States speaking to schoolchildren, what's going on? What do you think is going on?
ROCKEFELLER: It's—incidents build other incidents. Rudeness creates more rudeness. Inappropriate behavior, you know, recreates itself in many forms. I just think for those of us who are worried about policy and getting a health care bill, the focus on that fellow from South Carolina isn't productive. So I—you're just—Mike, I think you're great, and I think you love baseball, so that's all I need to know.
ROCKEFELLER: Then I'm just not going to think about Mr. Wilson.
You're not going to get me to talk about him.
BARNICLE: All right. I'm with you. I'm with you, the Red Sox and the American League East. But let me ask you about policy. Could you clear up—there are constant back-and-forths on what is in this bill with regard to the idea of illegal immigrants being covered by a health care reform bill. Can you clear that up? Are they—will they be covered?
ROCKEFELLER: I'll do my best. It's very, very simple. First of all, there is no bill on the Senate side. There is on the House side, and it specifically says illegal immigrants are not covered, will not be covered, cannot be covered under any circumstances. That language, or language very close to it with the same force, will appear in whatever Senate bill emerges. And I can guarantee you that. So it's something that people should not worry about for a moment.
BARNICLE: Well, the Republicans seem to be putting out—House Minority Leader John Boehner continues to refer to the fact that, you know, they will not—we can't ask them whether they're here illegally unless they would be able to be covered. What do you say to that contention?
ROCKEFELLER: That I would really love to hear what Mr. Boehner has to say in terms of health care policies that he thinks would be useful for the American people. I mean, this is the whole question of what—where have the Republicans been on sort of actively engaging in public policy? They're actively engaging in nitpicking, where they're wrong and where they end up saying untruths to the American people. And unfortunately, because of the way it's always picked up and people always dive right into those controversies, a lot of the American people believe it. And that's very frustrating for those of us who really care about the policy and have been working on this for a long, long time.
BARNICLE: What is your sense of the situation in your state, West Virginia? You've just come back from August recess. West Virginia's a state hard hit by the crippled economy over the past few years, actually, historically. Is there in West Virginia more of a concern about jobs, or more of a concern about the need for health care reform? How does that work in your state?
ROCKEFELLER: Well, you know I hate saying this right at this point, in the middle of the health care debate, but there will never come a time that there's anything in West Virginia—there will never be an issue that's more important than people having jobs because West Virginia's always had to struggle that way. Only 4 percent of our land is flat. It's hard to get industries to move in, build highways, and all the rest of it. But health care is tremendously important, but jobs trump everything.
BARNICLE: You know, as you seek a middle ground in the Senate, and as you would seek a middle ground in the conference committee between the Senate version and the House version, do you think you're going to get the 60 votes in the Senate? Where do you think that stands? The president had, I believe, 17 Democratic senators down at the White House today. There seems to be a growing feeling among some Republicans that the Democrats, the Democratic Party, the Democratic president are going to just go it their own way and railroad whatever they can right through the Senate and right through the House. What's your sense of it?
ROCKEFELLER: Mike, I have this feeling about—I was in the state legislature. I've have been around here about 25 years. And I was governor for eight years. So I—I know how these rhythms work. I think that in legislation, particularly controversial legislation, there's a kind of a rhythm. And people take—they really dig their heels in on something, let's say public option or something about insurance or how, you know, providers are reimbursed under Medicare. They dig their heels in.
And then the closer you come to the fact that you are actually going to vote on or mark up a bill, people become more fluid. So the word I use for the place where we are now and why I think the president was wise to wait as long as he did to make that good speech is that it's a very fluid situation. It could go a lot of different ways, and I think that bodes well for health care's being passed as a bill that gets enough votes.
BARNICLE: Senator Jay Rockefeller, thanks very much.
ROCKEFELLER: Thanks, Mike.
BARNICLE: Senator Bob Corker is a Tennessee Republican who sits on the Banking and Aging Committee. Senator, mandatory question of the day. Congressman Joe Wilson, South Carolina last night, "You lie"—what do you think?
SEN. BOB CORKER ®, TENNESSEE: Look, that was very not good. It was the wrong thing to do. The office of president should be respected. Against protocol. My understanding is he apologized formally afterwards and realized himself that he certainly stepped across a line.
BARNICLE: Senator, let's take the word "lie" out of the equation, but you've had some reservations and several comments about the senator's (SIC) speech last night and about the health care proposal that the president is advocating. So do you think—is he fudging the facts? Is he tripping around the truth? What is he doing, in your mind?
CORKER: Yes, look, first of all, I think there are things that we need to do to reform health care, and I think the White House knows that I believe that. I've said that in every town hall meeting I've had. And I hope that we can reach a middle ground and do some things that are pragmatic, that really move the ball down the field and don't do any harm.
I thought last night's speech was a little bit more like a—say, a primary speech in Iowa or something like that that was rhetorical. And for that reason, I today e-mailed over to the White House chief of staff, to Nancy DeParle, that's handling the health care issues, a request for some text so that we could actually put some meat on the bones and understand more specifically what the president was saying.
I left there last night really with more questions than I did answers. And so anyway, I'd like—I think for this debate to be advanced, we really need to understand what was said in its text form, what he means by these types of solutions, and I think that would advance the debate, if they would actually come forth with that.
BARNICLE: So you used the phrase, It sounded more like a primary speech in Iowa. And today the president of the United States had 18 or 19 Democratic senators down the White House to discuss this. Do you get the impression that they're just going to go right forward with a Democratic bill? And are they going to really leave you on the sidelines, if that's what they have to do?
CORKER: I felt like—look, in fairness, I know that I'm viewed as somebody who wants to solve this problem. I felt like last night, the train left the station, that in essence, it was about consolidating the base, if you will, behind the president. And I really did feel like that we reached a fork in the road last night with that speech. I don't think that is best for the American people. I think that that's going to be very problematic for all involved. I hope that that's not the case, but that was my sense as I listened to what was said last night.
BARNICLE: So what's your biggest reservation or reservations about the proposal that's coming out of Max Baucus's committee?
CORKER: Well, there are a number of things. Let's move policy aside. I really—as it relates to what happens at the end, I personally believe we do need to have things like exchanges. We need to deal with the issue of preexisting conditions. We need to have cross-state line competition. I think all of those things need to be addressed. I think we need to have some tax code changes so that people can in a more affordable way purchase health insurance.
What worries me is how this is being paid for, among other things on the policy side. But for instance, taking $410 billion out of Medicare—and I'm not saying that that's cutting services, but what it is doing is making sure that Medicare is not solvent, that we're not dealing with the issue that Medicare's going to be insolvent in the year 2017, and we're not even dealing with the issue of making sure that next year, we don't have a 23 percent cut with physicians and nurses.
Secondly, pushing off the cost to states. I can't imagine us considering pushing off the cost of raising Medicaid levels off to states. That to me makes no sense. So there's numbers of things.
What's happening here in Washington right now is that we are playing with the 10-year budget window game. In order to finance this, the Finance Committee is looking at 10 years' worth of revenues but seven years' worth of costs. And what that means is we're going to have deficits into the future.
So there are numbers of pieces to this that I don't think will pass the common sense test for the American people. I don't think Republicans and Democrats or independents are going to like the outcome if we go through this reconciliation process, which I fear is the direction that we're headed.
BARNICLE: Now, see, as I listen to you and your nice, soft Tennessee accent, I'm thinking to myself, Now, here's a moderate, congenial guy. He's making sense here. So let me ask you, how many times have you been invited down the White House to talk to the president in these tones?
CORKER: I went down and met with the president right—maybe a week or week-and-a-half before recess, which I appreciated. And in that meeting, Mike, I said exactly what I just said to you—concerned about taking money from Medicare savings and not using it to extend the Medicare program, concerned about pushing Medicaid off to states, concerned about the budget window.
And the fourth thing I would say is, the fact is that there's a lot of tough sledding that needs to take place to really solve this problem. And it's going to take leadership at HHS and CMS.
But I've been down there once. I've had conversations with Nancy DeParle. I've talked to Rahm Emanuel over the weekend. I've talked to Max Baucus numerous, numerous times. I've probably been to 50 or 60 meetings.
But my sense is that there's a—that we're stuck, that we're in this mire that instead of reaching a middle ground, I feel like we're heading towards the path I just mentioned.
And again, I don't even think that's going to be good for the Democratic Party, should that occur. My concern certainly is not for the Democratic Party but to make sure that we have a policy that will stand the test of time. And I'm just afraid that that's not where we're heading, especially as I listened to the speech last night.
BARNICLE: Senator Bob Corker, thanks very much.
CORKER: Thank you, sir.
BARNICLE: Coming up: President Obama has accepted an apology from South Carolina congressman Joe Wilson, who called him a liar during last night's speech. Wilson's opponent has already raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result of the outburst. But did Congressman Wilson's outburst do something even more damaging? Did it expose the Republicans' true colors in this health care debate? That's ahead.
You're watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
BARNICLE: Welcome back to HARDBALL. This is the segment where we tell you, you can't make this stuff up. We're going to recap this Joe Wilson episode. Here's what happened last night in the United States House of Representatives.
BARACK Obama, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false. The reforms...
OBAMA: The reforms I am proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.
REP. Joe WILSON ®, SOUTH CAROLINA: You lie!
OBAMA: Not true.
BARNICLE: Now, here's Congressman Wilson this morning outside his office on Capitol Hill.
WILSON: I last night heard from the leadership that they wanted me to contact the White House and state that my statements were inappropriate. I did. I'm very grateful that the White House, in talking with them, they indicated that they appreciated the call and that we needed to have a civil discussion about the health care issues. And I certainly agree with that.
BARNICLE: Poor guy is almost crying there. And here's President Obama today reacting to that apology.
OBAMA: I'm a big believer that we all make mistakes. He apologized quickly and without equivocation, and I'm appreciative of that. I do think that, as I said last night, we have to get to the point where we can have a conversation about big, important issues that matter to the American people without vitriol, without name calling, without the assumption of the worst in other people's motives.
BARNICLE: Cynthia Hardy is a radio host in Columbia, South Carolina. That's Joe Wilson's district. And old friend Ron Reagan is the host of "The Ron Reagan Show" on Air America radio.
Cynthia, first-time caller here. What have you been hearing today from his constituents, your listeners?
CYNTHIA HARDY, SOUTH CAROLINA RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, it's very
You know, I—I heard you say, as you were looking at his rebuttal, or his comments this morning, and it's—you said, poor guy. It seems like he's almost crying.
Well, he's in a lot of trouble. Joe Wilson embarrassed himself and embarrassed his entire constituent base, everyone who voted for him. And many people feel as if he didn't just lose himself; he actually was himself.
And let me tell you what I mean. In South Carolina, Congressman Wilson has enjoyed the invitation of a number of African-American leaders, particularly in the faith-based community. And many of them today are wondering who is Joe Wilson, as if he's somehow now been unmasked.
And, so, for his future politically, it will seem to be problematic here on out. And I fear that we're headed toward a very racially polarizing climate in this country. And Joe Wilson's comments serve to further define that divide.
BARNICLE: Before we get to Ron Reagan, what—what do you mean unmasked?
HARDY: Well, you know, we—as I mentioned to you, a number of African-American leaders have felt very comfortable inviting Congressman Wilson to their church congregations to speak to groups. He was very palatable to them.
When I mention racial polarization in this country and the fact that we appear to be moving in that direction, keep in mind the climate we have just come out of, the climate of, I want my country back from these health care forums. And these were not people of color, people who said, I don't want the president indoctrinating my children, when, heretofore, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter and George Herbert Walker Bush, George W., Bill Clinton, and—and now Barack Obama—well, they all have something in common, but then they all—then there's something very different, too.
And what is the difference? So, it doesn't appear to be about policy. It appears to be about race. And, so, where there was a comfort level with Congressman Wilson in the past among the African-American community, there appears to be a tear in that comfort level.
BARNICLE: Ron Reagan, out there in Seattle, Washington, you have sat through and heard more than your fair share of State of the Union speeches, and your dad, the president of the United States, addressing joint sessions of Congress. Were you stunned last night when you heard that?
RON REAGAN, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Yes, I was—I was a little surprised.
You know, Mike, you, too, have sat through a number of these sorts of speeches before. In my life, I have never, never seen anybody vault over the bounds of decorum the way Joe Wilson did.
Now, Cynthia's right that Joe Wilson may have unmasked himself, but I think he also unmasked the Republican Party, to a large extent. A great number of Republicans, I think, are really in the Joe Wilson camp, if you will. They may be urging him to apologize now, but they're not really—they're not really refuting what he said.
HARDY: Yes.
REAGAN: And what he said, of course, was a lie in and of itself. Barack Obama is not proposing that illegal immigrants be covered. There's no legislation that proposes that.
HR-3200, coming out of the House, specifically mentions that illegal immigrants can't be covered here. And Joe Wilson ought to know that, and maybe he does. So, he's either ignorant or he himself is a liar. But, as I said, it's emblematic of a large chunk of the Republican Party right now. And that's not doing them any good. And...
REAGAN: ... public sees that.
BARNICLE: So, let me ask both of you, and stick—let's stick with Ron.
You answer this.
And, then, Cynthia, you pick up on it.
And the question is, we have had the birthers for the past four or five months, people who don't believe Barack Obama was born in the United States. We had what I regarded as a truly depressing several-day period where people were protesting a president of the United States speaking to schoolchildren.
And, in my mind, it had less to do with ideology than it was just depressing to see this occurring in this country. And now we have this intemperate behavior last night in the House of Representatives. We have the increased polarization in politics.
Ron Reagan, what do you figure is going on here?
REAGAN: Well, have you to wonder, is this disrespect for the office, or is this disrespect specifically for this man?
And I tend to think—and maybe Cynthia's better positioned to comment on this than I am, but I do think that there's an element of race here. I do think that Joe Wilson may—may have held his tongue if a white president was up there behind that podium.
I think it's—it's almost creepy, if I can use the word, the lack of respect that the Republicans show to this man, who is, after all, all of our president. He—he is our president. And he deserves a certain amount of respect, just based on that.
And the fact that he's not getting it, and so obviously not getting it from Republicans, I think is very disturbing.
BARNICLE: Cynthia, go ahead.
HARDY: In addition to that, I think that is very disturbing, too, that he's not getting it from many members of the Republican Party.
But, when you take into account as well that a number of people in certain segments of the population pick up on that behavior and then they take it to the next level. So, what you get is this blatant disregard for the office of the presidency, which is extremely un-American.
And, so, where is the outcry for that? Now, I have seen and heard a number of people decry it today, but I think that that depressing period that Ron mentioned, when people were fearful about indoctrination and what the president of the United States would say to schoolchildren, I mean, we need to stop at this point, and, regardless of anybody's political ideology, recognize the dangerous position that we are in, in terms of racial polarization, and what that can mean for further—to accomplish anything else in this country.
And, so, do you throw the baby out with the bathwater, I mean, or do you realize where you are and what your responsibility levels are? People elect individuals, not just to protect a certain—a certain political slant, but to do the right thing for the American people.
And I think, somehow, that's getting lost.
BARNICLE: Right.
HARDY: The audacity of any member of that body to disrupt it in that way, for Christ's sakes, it made us appear a Third World country. This is the United States of America.
BARNICLE: Well, Great Britain, they do it every week.
BARNICLE: But, Ron Reagan, let me ask you, did you ever hear your dad express any resentment or any—any feeling at all about the reception, the hissing that would sometimes occur when he spoke before joint sessions of Congress?
REAGAN: No.
I mean, you know, we're used to a certain amount of shenanigans that go on in these—these sorts of addresses, the competing standing ovations, the...
BARNICLE: Yes.
REAGAN: ... you know, the sort of sarcastic applause and things like that, the—you know, the guffawing and shuffling of feet and all that sort of thing. You know, you put up with a little bit of that stuff. That's—that's to be expected.
But this went way beyond that. And it's just one element in a—in a lot of—a lot of disturbing behavior—and you have cited some of it—at the town hall meetings and this—this business about, you know, President Obama speaking to schoolchildren, and that suddenly being indoctrination.
This is getting—this is going off the rails. And I think that we who work in the media, it's incumbent upon us to—to point that out to people. This isn't just a political disagreement. This isn't just business as usual in Washington and the usual back-and-forth.
Something very wrong and disturbing has been happening out there in the country, and we need to try and put our finger on it.
BARNICLE: Ron Reagan, thanks very much.
Cynthia Hardy, thank you very much.
Up next: Never mind the shouts of "You lie" last night. Why was it so important for Republican Whip Eric Cantor to be on his BlackBerry during the president's speech? That's next in the "Sideshow."
You're watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
BARNICLE: Back to HARDBALL. Time for the "Sideshow."
First up: a lesson in manners. Guess who was messaging on his BlackBerry last night during the president's speech? House Minority Whip Eric Cantor. Note: It wasn't a quick sort of text either.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now—now, part of the reason I faced a trillion-dollar deficit when I walked in the door of the White House is because too many initiatives over the last decade were not paid for, from the Iraq war...
OBAMA: ... to tax breaks for the wealthy.
BARNICLE: You see, 30 seconds later, he's still going at it, as the president called out Republicans in Congress. Congressman Cantor later gave an interview saying he was aghast at some of the claims in the president's address.
Was he listening? I don't know.
Next up: another sugarplum from the speech. Now, I have got to admit, if you're a Republican, sometimes, it's hard to figure out when to applaud during an address like this and when to fold your hands. That's a dilemma evidently faced last night by Senator Lindsey Graham. Watch what happens after this line from the president on reform.
OBAMA: ... and would also keep pressure on private insurers to keep their policies affordable and treat their customers better, the same way public colleges and universities provide additional choice and competition to students without in any way inhibiting a vibrant system of private colleges and universities.
Now, it is...
BARNICLE: Did you miss that? Check it out again. Here it is again. Talk about a tricky maneuver from Graham. But nobody saw that? It was too easy, right?
Time for tonight's "Big Number."
Last night, President Obama soundly dismissed claims that health care reform would lead to so-called death panels for the elderly. That line got a standing ovation from Democrats and some Republicans, too.
In fact, how many Republican senators cheered on that debunking from the president?
Well, according to "The Hill" newspaper just four, but they're a telling crowd of moderates, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, Judd Gregg, and Bob Bennett. Could they be the key to bipartisan reform? Well, we're going to see. Four Republican senators stand with the president in striking down death panels—that's tonight's "Big Number."
Up next: Can South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford survive, now that most Republicans in his state want him to resign?
You're watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
MICHELLE CARUSO-CABRERA, CNBC CORRESPONDENT: I'm Michelle Caruso-Cabrera with your CNBC "Market Wrap."
Another day of moderate, but steady gains on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrials up 80 points. The S&P gained 10. The Nasdaq added 23.
Investors were pleased in part today by a healthy treasury auction. It showed there's still strong foreign demand for U.S. assets. Traders also liked the look of an updated forecast from Dow component Procter & Gamble. They are projecting increased sales in earnings on price cuts and also new value-oriented product lines.
Health care sector moved higher, as analysts dissected President Obama's address to Congress. Wall Street is now anticipating a watered-down version of health care reform that could be beefed up over time.
And late word this afternoon that Morgan Stanley CEO John Mack is stepping down in January. He will be replaced by one of the bank's co-presidents, James Gorman. That's it from CNBC. We are first in business worldwide—now back to HARDBALL.
BARNICLE: Welcome back to HARDBALL.
Pressure is mounting for South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford to resign. The state speaker of the House and 61 House Republicans called on the embattled governor to step down in separate letters sent to his office this week.
And here's how Governor Sanford responded today.
GOV. MARK SANFORD ®, SOUTH CAROLINA: I would say there's amazing
disconnect between where working people are in South Carolina and the
degree to which they would like to move on and are attempting to move on,
and where, at times, the political world is, which, for different reasons -
· and we saw those two actions of this week—people believe it to be in their best interests to raise this and to elevate it, and, with all due respect to some in your field of work, even some in the media thinking it's an interesting story that we will keep alive and keep nudging along.
BARNICLE: Well, can he survive the growing calls for his resignation?
John O'Connor has been covering the Sanford story for "The State" newspaper, and Chris Cillizza is with WashingtonPost.com.
John, South Carolina, we're sorry for your trouble.
BARNICLE: What's going on with the governor? What's the deal? Is he going to be able to last this thing out? What's—what's going to happen here?
JOHN O'CONNOR, "THE STATE": Opinions differ on that, but I think the short answer is yes.
It depends on this ethics commission panel investigation that's going on right now. They are looking into his use of the state plane, into use of business-class airfare. If they release a report that says that there's nothing there, potentially, he could survive.
But you still have the other issue that a lot of lawmakers have latched onto, which is, he disappeared for five days, he didn't tell his staff or Cabinet where he was, where he was going, and that a lot of folks feel that's a dereliction of duty.
BARNICLE: Well, let me ask you, you—you hear—not in South Carolina, obviously. I haven't been in South Carolina in about 20 years.
But you hear on the edge of this story the hints that part of Governor Sanford's strength in terms of staying in office is the perceived inability of his lieutenant governor, who would succeed him. Is there anything to that?
O'CONNOR: I think that's absolutely true.
You know, we—we hear—hear it when we talk to people on the streets, that, you know: "I would like to see him go, but I don't like the alternative. I don't like to see Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer step in."
He was on the radio earlier this week with a local talk show host here, and a number of people said that when they called in. So, that's an issue.
The other issue is that the lieutenant governor is—is considering a run for governor next year. And, so, other folks who are in—in some form of authority here who are running for governor are concerned about what that might do to their chances.
BARNICLE: Chris Cillizza, I mean, you watch every state's politics. South Carolina is more interesting than most lately, given Congressman Wilson last night, Governor Sanford today. What does this do, if anything, to the—to the Republican Party nationally?
CILLIZZA: You know, this Sanford thing I think has done some level of damage over time, simply because it's distracted people from other things that the Republican party would like to be talking about, most notably health care. Joe Wilson's comments, again, I think feed into that same thing, Mike. The last 24 hours, and my guess would be the next 24 or maybe the next 48, at least, are going to be dominated by talk about Joe Wilson. Why did he do it? Did he get pressure to apologize? Did he mean it? All of these things.
And, again, the Republican party wants to talk about the fact that the White House had a very hard time in August selling health care to the American people. What are we talking about instead? A Congressman who clearly breached protocol in the House, and did something that crystallized for a lot—certainly a lot of liberal Democrats, why they ultimately should be behind President Obama, because they agree with him a heck of a lot more than the alternative.
BARNICLE: John, can you tell us about Congressman Wilson's district? And can you give us a sense—I don't know whether you can, because it's been less than 24 hours since he shouted out in the House of Representatives. Can you give us a sense of what kind of damage may have been done to him in his district?
O'CONNOR: Yes, the district stretches from Lexington County, which is suburban Columbia, kind of south and east to the coast. The heart of the district is Lexington County. That's where most of the district population lives. But the reason why it's an issue is that the coastal population is growing. So a lot of the folks that are moving in there are coming in from other parts of the country, maybe a little bit more moderate voters.
As to whether he did some damage, the answer is probably yes. Enough to kill his chances? Who knows yet. But his opponent hadn't really—Rob Miller, who's a former Marine, ran against him two years ago, hadn't really gotten his campaign going, hadn't gotten the fund-raiser going. All of that got super-charged today. He is probably going to be up over half a million dollars by the time we're speaking right now. So he's a candidate who's got some money now.
CILLIZZA: Mike, just to put a point on that, remember two weeks before the last election, Michele Bachmann came on this show and insinuated that the president and Democrats were un-American. Huge uproar. Her Democratic opponent, Elwin Tinklenburg—love that name—raised vast amounts of money, very similar to what we're seeing. That happened two weeks before the election and she still won. Now, Bachmann's district is probably a little bit more Republican than Wilson's. But we have to be careful.
I think John's right. You have to be careful not to overblow. We're still talking about a long time before an election. Is Rob Miller going to benefit from this? Yes. He already raised 500,000 dollars that he probably wouldn't have raised if Joe Wilson kept his mouth shut. Does that mean Joe Wilson is going to lose? Don't assume it does.
BARNICLE: Give me that name again.
CILLIZZA: Elwin Tinklenburg.
BARNICLE: That's a fabulous Minnesota name.
CILLIZZA: I love it. State senator.
BARNICLE: Chris Cillizza, John O'Connor. Thanks very much. We appreciate it.
Up next, back to health care. Could Bill Clinton be President Obama's secret weapon to keep the Democrats in line when it comes time for a vote? The politics fix is next. This is HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
BARNICLE: We're back with the politics fix. The first question President Obama was asked following his cabinet meeting today was whether he accepted the apology of Congressman Joe Wilson. Let's listen.
OBAMA: I'm a big believer that we all make mistakes. He apologized quickly and without equivocation. And I'm appreciative of that. I do think that, as I said last night, we have to get to the point where we can have a conversation about big, important issues that matter to the American people without vitriol, without name calling, without the assumption of the worst in other people's motives.
BARNICLE: OK, folks, we're going to play pretend TV now. We're going to pretend that Joe Wilson had strep throat last night and never said what he said. And we're going to ask the "Politico's" Roger Simon and Ceci Connolly from the "Washington Post" what they think the story would have been? What would we be talking about tonight? What would we be reading in print and electronic about the speech last night? Ceci, if Joe Wilson had strep throat?
CECI CONNOLLY, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Well, I think we would be spending much more time trying to figure out if the speech actually moved the public or moved those members of Congress, because, as you certainly recall, Mike, it was a pretty rough August season for Obama and health care reform. And the whole idea behind that joint address to Congress last night was to try to change the dynamic and shift the agenda.
The other thing that, frankly, I've been doing all day today is trying to ask more about what exactly is this 900 billion dollar Obama plan that he now is calling his plan?
BARNICLE: Roger, what do you think we'd be doing?
ROGER SIMON, "THE POLITICO": I think Ceci's exactly right. I think the first question he would have gotten after that cabinet meeting—in fact, it was the only question he got—is how are you really going to pay for this thing? Now that we're in the after-glow period of a very emotional and elegant speech, there are some hard questions left unanswered.
He has promised to have a 900 billion dollar plan that doesn't add a dime to the deficit, and apparently will not raise anybody's taxes. Does that strain credulity? Would this be the time to ask him about that? Apparently not, because we got to ask him about Joe Wilson for the next 24 or 48 hours instead.
BARNICLE: Ceci, I don't want you to step on your lead here. But you mentioned you've been working all day on the 900 billion dollar question. What have you found out?
CONNOLLY: Not a lot. This is the interesting thing. You go to WhiteHouse.gov and there's about three pages of bullet points. Most are things we've been discussing in health care reform for quite some time, the insurance market reforms, having an individual mandate, where everybody is required to have insurance.
But there's very little detail on his new idea about medical malpractice. There's very little about a McCain idea that he's embracing on high risk pools. There's very little, as Roger states, about how to come up with that 900 billion dollars to pay for an expansion of coverage. We don't know at what income level people would get these tax credits. We don't know what small businesses would be eligible for tax credits.
These are really good, serious, meaty questions we ought to be diving into. Right now, the White House is not really coming up with the answers.
BARNICLE: Roger, in addition to all of those questions, without answers, there still is out there this whole question about are illegal immigrants eligible for coverage under this health care reform. The president and many, many respected institutions, Politifact, print and electronic, say no, that's not in the bill. But you keep hearing that's because we can't ask people if they are here illegally. What are you hearing on this?
SIMON: I think you're right. All those neutral organizations that do fact checking now say that the president is right; there's nothing in the bill that would give free health care to illegal aliens. But you also have to deal with the reality of the situation. If you're walking across the street and you have a stroke or a heart attack, you don't want the first thing that the emergency medical technicians do is check your pockets for a Passport or proof that you're a citizen. You want care immediately and save your life.
So, in that respect, everybody is going to get emergency health care. But there's nothing in this bill that sets aside any money to give free medical care to illegal aliens.
CONNOLLY: Mike, if I could chime in here. As Roger points out, it's the law of the land right now in this country that hospitals can't turn away anyone who is in need of emergency care. That's always going to continue. But there's an interesting kind of health care pickle here when you talk about undocumented immigrants. And that is they are getting some of that medical care today. We're all helping pay for that cost. In a way, you could make a policy argument that you might save money if you brought them in for more of the primary care and prevention.
I know that politically that is a very volatile issue. But if you're talking about how to give smart medical care and when to do it, at an affordable price, it's generally on the front end of care. So we've got a very strange kind of dynamic unfolding here.
And I also just want to point out that what we've learned in a good number of studies is that while those immigrants are indeed getting some care at the emergency room, overall they access much less medical care than the rest of us do. They just are not inclined to go and seek much care.
BARNICLE: Right, out of fear. Out of fear. But your other point, you're absolutely right. Any Friday night in any big city hospital emergency room proves your point. Ceci Connolly, Roger Simon, we're going to be right back with more on the politics fix. You're watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
BILL CLINTON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm just telling you, we need to pass a bill. It needs to be the best bill that we can get through Congress. But doing nothing is not only the worst thing we can do for the economy and health care, it's the worst thing we can do for the Democrats. Don't you think the Republicans don't know.
BARNICLE: We're back with Roger Simon and Ceci Connolly. That, obviously, was former President Bill Clinton speaking at a Democratic fund raiser. Could Bill Clinton help President Obama sell health care reform? There's that question and lumped it into is this question, in the very few minutes we have left. Let's start with you, Ceci. I get the sense he may have moved the meter, President Obama, publicly last night. Do you get the sense that he moved the meter at all in terms of votes in the House and the Senate?
CONNOLLY: You know, that's very hard to say today, Mike. I can tell you that, just released, Senator McCain, who of course Obama made a big deal out of embracing a McCain idea around high-risk pools last night—
Senator McCain has put out a very harsh letter asking people to sign a petition against an Obama-type health care plan. So that was really an unexpected slap from somebody who, at times, has tried to have sort of cordial relations between those two rivals.
You also still have a lot of division on exactly what President Obama might do when push comes to shove over this idea of a public insurance plan. Last night, he left it very up in the air, and that's enabled liberals and conservatives to right now say, oh, he's leaning more in my direction. But eventually, somebody is going to have to make a call on this.
BARNICLE: Roger, does Ceci's news about John McCain surprise you?
SIMON: Not really. I don't think President Obama is going to get any Republicans in the Senate for this, except the possible exception of Olympia Snow, who would be a good get, and maybe Susan Collins. The speech last night really wasn't about bipartisanship. It was about unifying the Democratic party and getting the Democratic party behind one plan.
But, as Ceci says very accurately, we still don't know where the president's line in the sand is when it comes to the public option. This is possibly where Bill Clinton could be a help. Bill Clinton understands health care, first of all. But he understands the fiscal conservatives of his party. And he understands the progressives in his party.
SIMON: And he can try to bring them together on this.
BARNICLE: Roger Simon, Ceci Connolly, thanks very much. Join us again tomorrow night at 5:00 and 7:00 Eastern for more HARDBALL. Right now, what you've been waiting for, it's time for "THE ED SHOW" with Ed Schultz.
Transcription Copyright 2009 CQ Transcriptions, LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No license is granted to the user of this material other than for research. User may not reproduce or redistribute the material except for user's personal or internal use and, in such case, only one copy may be printed, nor shall user use any material for commercial purposes or in any fashion that may infringe upon MSNBC and CQ Transcriptions, LLC's copyright or other proprietary rights or interests in the material. This is not a legal transcript for purposes of litigation.>
Transcription Copyright 2009 CQ Transcriptions, LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
No license is granted to the user of this material other than for research.
User may not reproduce or redistribute the material except for user's
personal or internal use and, in such case, only one copy may be printed,
nor shall user use any material for commercial purposes or in any fashion
that may infringe upon MSNBC and CQ Transcriptions, LLC's copyright or
other proprietary rights or interests in the material. This is not a legal
transcript for purposes of litigation.>


text:
Tougher schedule exposes Illinois' defensive problems
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Heading into its second bye week of the season, Illinois finds itself staring at three serious defensive problems and a Big Ten schedule that doesn't get easier.
One of them -- poor tackling -- Illinois (3-2, 0-1 Big Ten) emphasized during its first bye after the loss to Washington last month. The team's inability to create turnovers or get pressure on opposing quarterbacks are related, and will get serious looks over the off week, too, coach Tim Beckman said Tuesday.
Tackling, Beckman said, was a painful problem in Saturday's 39-19 loss at Nebraska.
"Defensively, again it comes down to tackling, especially in the open field," he said. "That's the glaring difficulty that we're having right now. ... We're going to work on doing a better job of open-field tackling."
That's essentially what Beckman and his players said after the loss to Washington. The Huskies rolled up more than 600 yards in the win.
Nebraska had 521 yards of offense. Running back Ameer Abdullah had a career day -- 225 yards on 20 carries, including a 43-yarder, and two touchdowns.
The other problems, though, are becoming more glaring Illinois moves through the tougher Big Ten season.
The Illini have forced just five turnovers this season, and only one interception. Their turnover margin, minus-2, is tied for 88th in the country. And that single interception is three less than Purdue, Indiana and Wisconsin, the only other Big Ten teams with any fewer than five picks.
The team's sack leader, Jonathan Brown, has just 1.5. On Saturday, with starter Taylor Martinez sidelined with an injury, Illinois hurried Nebraska's backup quarterbacks just one time and never sacked them.
Illinois' coaches, Beckman said, will spend the time between now and the Oct. 19 game against Wisconsin (3-2, 1-1) trying to figure out how to get pass rushers closer to opposing quarterbacks.
"I think again it comes back to the philosophy of getting your players who are capable of pressuring the quarterback on the field as much as possible in those situations, so we can put more speed on the football field," he said.
After the Wisconsin game, the Illini host Michigan State (4-1, 1-0). They're not likely to be favored in either of them to end their Big Ten winless streak, now at 15 games and stretching back to the 2011 season.
Beckman said Illinois' tough opening stretch in the Big Ten -- at Nebraska and at home against Wisconsin and Michigan State -- isn't lost on his players.
"I think our players realize that our first three Big Ten opponents have been in the (conference) championship game the past three years."
NOTES: Beckman said he's making the best of the unusual second bye week, something he says he's never had at any of his stops as a college coach. But he said he'd rather his young team keep playing. "I do think our football program is getting better and we are competing and doing things that are moving this program forward. As a coach, you kind of hate to get away from it." ... Beckman said the week off could give injured sophomore defensive lineman Teko Powell time to heal. Powell has played in just two games this fall and could provide much-needed depth for a thin Illini defense.


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Related Topics:
For some time, cutting tool manufacturers have offered an innovative insert geometry called "wiper" on milling inserts. In operation, "wiper" technology is designed to improve surface finish in milling applications. It works by positioning an insert with a flat just below the other ordinary parallel land inserts on a face mill. As the "wiper" passes through the cut, it smoothes the surface.
That's fine for flat milling. But for turning, the idea of wiper is more complex because of the contouring and shoulder work that is done on a lathe. That said, it looks like Sandvik Coromant (Fair Lawn, New Jersey) has managed to create "wiper" technology for use on turning operations.
Featured Content
According to the company, for turning shops looking to boost metal removal rates without programming a change in speed or depth of cut, these semi-finishing and finishing inserts can be run at least double the nominal feed rate for standard indexable inserts. Or, wiper inserts run at current feeds and speeds will produce roughness averages around half of conventional inserts.
Most turning jobs specify a specific radius for corners, steps, shoulders and other features. This specification translates into the tool nose radius of the cutting insert. It may be 1/64th , 1/32nd or other radii.
As a conventional single radius insert is fed through the work, it creates scallops in the surface of the part. These scallops are roughly equivalent to the tool nose radius.
To get a smooth finish, the "peaks" or high points of the scallops need to be smoothed. That's where "wiper" technology comes into the picture.
Instead of taking multiple finish passes to reduce the high points of the scallops, wiper technology is designed to accomplish this in a single pass. Moreover, it's a single pass that generally can be run at twice the feed rate of a conventional finish pass.
What Sandvik has done is take an insert with a standard nose radius and added additional geometry behind the lead cutting edge. In operation, this geometry follows the tool nose with a "wiping" effect that knocks off the peaks of the scallops created by the leading edge. It allows the insert to move much faster through a cut with no reduction in surface finish.
An advantage to users is that the new insert design is a "drop-in" for conventional inserts. If the job is running with a number one tool nose radius, that specification is unchanged with the new wiper design. It is generally not necessary to re-qualify the process.
The company says the production advantages for these new inserts are dramatic. Shops have a choice of how to use the wiper to achieve either double the current feed rates used on a job or run the job at current feed and reduce by half the surface finish number of the current process.
Putting more parts across a machine tool is a desirable goal for most shops. Because tool wear is measured as time in the cut, doubling the feed rates on these inserts allows more parts per edge to be manufactured. Extended tool life is the result.
On the other hand, if the surface finish requirement is 64 microinch and dropping in the wiper insert gives 30 microinch, tools can be left in the machine until they are dulled down to the 64 microinch specification, extending the effective cutting life of a given insert.
Turning applications in general have relatively short cycle times. In most cases, it takes something fairly dramatic to make a significant impact on the production rate in turning and for a shop to justify a process change.
Sandvik promises a minimum of 20 percent increase in feed rates with no surface finish change by substituting these new inserts. They also require no change in process parameters except to adjust the feed override—by a factor of 2X!
Machining Dry Is Worth A Try
Reducing cutting fluid use offers the chance for considerable cost savings. Tool life may even improve.
Threading On A Lathe
The right choices in tooling and technique can optimize the thread turning process.
Taking The Fear Out Of Hard Turning
To make the transition to hard turning, you'll need to switch from carbide to CBN inserts, but that is easier (and more economical) than you might think. It's making the jump to much higher surface speeds that might scare you off. It needn't. Here's why.


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Pa. Methodist pastor suspended for performing gay wedding set to learn his clerical fate
PHILADELPHIA – A United Methodist pastor from central Pennsylvania is about to find out whether he'll be defrocked or allowed to continue his ministry after officiating at his son's same-sex marriage.
The Rev. Frank Schaefer of Lebanon has already been suspended. He's scheduled to meet with church officials Thursday morning in Norristown, a Philadelphia suburb.
Schaefer was told to resign from the clergy by Thursday if he could not follow the denomination's Book of Discipline.
Schaefer says the book discriminates against gay people. He says he won't voluntarily surrender his credentials and hopes the church has a change of heart.
Schaefer has planned an afternoon news conference. It will be held at a Methodist church in Philadelphia where an associate pastor was defrocked in 2005 for being in a lesbian relationship.