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Dialysis Access Center
Emergency Medicine
• Allergy and Immunology
• Cardiology
• Critical Care Medicine
• Cancer/Medical Oncology
• Dermatology
• Endocrinology and Metabolism
• Family Medicine
• Gastroenterology
• General Internal Medicine
• Geriatric Medicine
• Infectious Diseases
• Nephrology (kidneys)
• Pulmonary Medicine
• Rheumatology (joints, tendons)
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Ophthalmology (Eye Care)
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry
Orthopedic Surgery
Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose & Throat)
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Radiation Oncology
Sleep Center
Adult Hydrocephalus
Brain & Spine Institute
Cancer Institute
Cardiovascular Institute
Children's Hospital
CyberKnife® Center
ER-7 Emergency Center
Geriatric Surgery
Joint Preservation and Replacement
Krieger Eye Institute
Limb Lengthening
Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics
Spine Center
Stroke Center
Vascular Institute
William E Kahlert
Regional Cancer Center
Women's Services
About Sinai Hospital
Campus Map
Hackerman-Patz House at Sinai Hospital
Insurance Plans Accepted
Nursing At Sinai
Population Health
Sinai Hospital Auxiliary
Visitor Guide (PDF)
Visitor & Patient Information
Wireless Internet Access
Sinai Hospital Board of Directors
Sinai Hospital Management Team
Sinai Hospital Division Chiefs
LifeBridge Health
Sinai Hospital
Northwest Hospital
Carroll Hospital
General Surgery
Internal Medicine
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Joint Replacement and Reconstruction Fellowship
Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Fellowships
American Society of Ophthalmic and Plastic Reconstructive Surgery Oculofacial Fellowship
Information for Residency Applicants
New Resident Credentialing Application Information
Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS)
Rotating to Sinai
Medical Student Electives
Medical Education Office
Sinai Hospital of Baltimore
2401 W. Belvedere Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21215
410-601-6308 (fax)
LifeBridge Clinical Pastoral Education
Northwest Hospital Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship
Sinai Hospital Pharmacy Residency
LifeBridge Health Development
Contact Us
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Volunteer at Sinai Hospital
Volunteer at Northwest Hospital
Volunteer at Carroll Hospital
Volunteer at Levindale
Advance Directives
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Campus Map
Community Services
Dining - Patient Room Menus
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Discharge Information
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Important Phone Numbers
Insurance Plans Accepted
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Meals and Nutrition Services
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Contact Sinai Hospital
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WBAL-AM Videos
Dr. Annous is medical director of the Sinai Hospital Dialysis Access Center. He
is a graduate of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and has been practicing
vascular surgery in Baltimore since 1983. Dr. Annous has more than 30
years of experience treating dialysis access patients.
Dr. Mackrell is the chief of vascular surgery at Sinai Hospital of
Baltimore. He attended Princeton University and Georgetown Medical
School. He completed his surgical training at Cornell Medical Center and
his vascular surgery and endovascular fellowships at Greenville Memorial
Hospital in Greenville, S. C. Dr. Mackrell has had a long-term
interest in the creation and maintenance of dialysis access. He
wrote a chapter (Hemodialysis Access: Placement and Management
of Complications) of the book Comprehensive Vascular and Endovascular
Dr. Ulloa developed an interest in dialysis access during his
training at the University of Maryland Medical Center, one of the
busiest renal transplant centers in the nation. He is a board-certified
surgeon who is also fellowship trained in vascular surgery. Dr. Ulloa
possesses extensive experience in both open and minimally invasive
vascular access. He has presented at multiple national meetings and has
authored chapters in vascular textbooks.
Dr. Freiburg has extensive experience in open and endovascular
procedures for dialysis access. He completed his general surgery
residency at the University of Vermont/Fletcher Allen Health Care and
fulfilled a vascular surgery fellowship at Yale University. Dr. Freiburg
earned his undergraduate degree from Washington University in St.
Louis, followed by a medical degree from the Loyola University Chicago
Stritch School of Medicine.
Sinai Hospital
2401 W. Belvedere Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21215
Contact Us: 410-601-9000
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices | Transportation Policy |
Nondiscrimination Notice and Foreign Language Assistance


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Comics Toons
Darkest Comics
Femdom Chronicles
Adult Comics World
As you might have guessed from the name, FlashForAdults.com is mostly dedicated to XXX flash animation. Quite a rare site in both, its high quality and niche, as great flash animation websites are really hard to find these days. Adult games are only a cool bonus to the already creative resource. You're welcome to take a free tour or join right away!
DirtyXXXComics.com sounds pretty provoking and promises the hottest cartoons you could ever dream about! We took a free tour to find out if the guys were actually telling the truth and their site was good enough for us, and we gotta say, we were quite impressed with their collection and bonuses!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
We are fiercely independent, incorruptible by passing trends or fads. Careful consideration drives our actions. We practice patience with new product and process introductions. We recognize our efforts are just a few points in a universal continuum.
Chris King Precision Components | Cielo Cycles
2801 NW Nela Street, Portland, OR 97210 USA +1-800-523-6008
Copyright 2018
Site built with xTupleCommerce


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After some last-minute wrangling with the Chinese Basketball Association, the Houston Rockets are set to take Yao Ming with the top pick in tonight's NBA draft, the Houston Chronicle reports. A last-minute deal will allow Yao to miss the first two weeks of training camp to play in China, but guarantees that he'll suit up for the Rockets for the regular season and playoffs.
The Yao endorsements are few and tepid. The Chronicle's Fran Blinebury thinks the Rockets should draft the big man "for a change." ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher says Yao will benefit from playing in "a one-newspaper town with a less-than-rabid basketball culture, which means his every turnover and missed dunk won't be micro-analyzed as they might in Chicago—or draw screaming headlines as they might in New York."
The Dallas Morning News' Tim Cowlishaw disagrees: "It should be obvious that the wisest course would be to draft Duke point guard Jay Williams, the consensus college basketball player of the year last season. The Rockets already have a stud point guard in Steve Francis, you say? Perfect. … What's wrong with Williams, Francis and Cuttino Mobley dividing up 96 minutes a night?"
The Chicago Tribune's Rick Morrissey writes, "We keep hearing, 'You can't teach height.' Well you also couldn't teach Manute Bol."
So who's the draft's second-biggest bust? The rest of the lottery ain't great, either. Chicago picks second and covets Duke's Jay Williams. The Kansas City Star's Jason Whitlock isn't impressed: "Williams receives a lot of publicity, but no one seems to talk about his horrible free-throw shooting, lack of size to be a true shooting guard, poor decision-making for a point guard and subpar performance in this year's NCAA Tournament."
Golden States picks third and wants Duke's Mike Dunleavy Jr. The San Jose Mercury News' Skip Bayless says he's even worse than Williams: "Dunleavy plays with a low-rpm nonchalance that was camouflaged by three college teammates who might make better pros—Williams, Carlos Boozer and Chris Duhon. … He'll be an NBA starter, but he won't make an All-Star team. The drop-off from Williams to Dunleavy is don't-look-down scary."
The Memphis writers aren't worried about whom the Grizzlies are picking, figuring new president Jerry West will perform another draft-day miracle. The Commercial Appeal's Geoff Calkins recounts his biggest steals: "Take 1990. Here are the three men taken immediately before the Lakers drafted: Lance Blanks, Alaa Abdelnaby and Dwayne Schintzius. West then grabbed Elden Campbell. Or 1996. New York had three picks before the Lakers drafted once. The Knicks took Dontae Jones, John Wallace and Walter McCarty. West then grabbed Derek Fisher."
At No. 5, Denver favors Georgian wunderkind Nikoloz Tskitishvili. The Rocky Mountain News' Bernie Lincicome writes, "Why young Tskitishvili is prized enough to be the fifth choice in the draft is a matter of faith and practice videos, given he could not crack the starting lineup of a team that features Americans Tyus Edney (cut by Indiana) and Charlie Bell (cut by Dallas). The last man off the bench, Tskitishvili managed to play 6 minutes each in six games and average one point a game, numbers that are, granted, very Nuggets-friendly."
Pacers considering actual basketball player: The Chicago Tribune's Sam Smith predicts a shocker: Maryland guard Juan Dixon—considered too small and too slow to play in the NBA—sneaking all the way up to Indiana at No. 14.
Other mock drafts focus on who's falling. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Stephen A. Smith thinks Caron Butler will tumble to Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards at No. 11. The New York Daily News' Mitch Lawrence has junior-college phenom Qyntel Woods slipping to No. 15.
Finally, free from the constraints of the Brazilian salary cap! The sportswriters are all over the foreign invasion angle. USA Today's Rudy Martzke recalls the strangest instance of draft-day culture shock: TV cameras catching Yugoslav center Vlade Divac smoking backstage in 1989.
The Boston Globe's Peter May reports that Maybyner "Nene" Hilario, a power forward who figures to go high, made $20,000 playing for Brazil's Vasco de Gama squad last season. "He'll make more than that per game next season."
Read a good column lately? Post a link in "The Fray." The best entries will be mentioned in future columns.


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Call 1-800-5-HAMILTON to shop brands only available in-store.
Personalized this 16oz. pub glass with any single block letter to make your next event more special or perhaps give as a special gift. Add additional pieces and mix your letters!
From Name:
To Name:
To Email:
Founded in New Jersey in 1912, Hamilton has been offering clients the finest quality,
value, and design for over 100 years. With a heritage of excellence and family ownership,
Hamilton is proud to serve generations of guests with an outstanding experience with
each and every visit. Hamilton's expertise in design and manufacturing in our own
workshops has produced many exceptional pieces of enduring quality and value.
Hamilton is a recognized leader in our commitment to responsible social and business
standards, environmental preservation, and community philanthropic support.


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Landon Upholstered Armchair
- Overview
Sloping arms, T-shaped seat cushions and espresso-stained feet are the hallmarks of our Landon Collection. We modeled the armchair's pared-down silhouette after mid-century modern sofas, and reinvented it with deep seats and thick cushions.
- Seat T-cushion and back cushion are loose.
- Down-blend-wrapped flame-retardant-free cushions for a softer feel.
- Removable pyramid legs are crafted from solid fruit wood and are finished in a rich espresso color.
- Corner-blocked frame with mortise-and-tenon joinery provides exceptional structural integrity.
- No-sag steel sinuous springs provide cushion support.
- Adjustable levelers add stability on uneven floors.
- Slope arm.
- Constructed domestically with imported materials.
- Dimensions & Care
- Overall: 34" wide x 36.5" deep x 34.5" high
- Seat: 26" wide x 21" deep x 19.5" high
- Arm: 22" high
- Weight: 70 pounds
- Packaging Dimensions & Weight: 35.5 x 45 x 46" high; 76 pounds
- For more information on fabric options: Fabric Guide.
- Create a floor plan with our interactive Room Planner.
- View complete Slipcover Installation Instructions
- When you choose Pottery Barn furniture, you're not just getting exceptional quality; you're also choosing exceptional customer service. Should you ever need to purchase a replacement cushion or slipcover, our associates can place that order for you at any time. For assistance, please call 1.888.779.5176.
- Rotate cushions and vacuum beneath them regularly.
- To prevent fading, keep fabric out of direct sunlight.
- Blot spills immediately with a clean, colorfast towel or sponge.
- Wipe legs with a soft, dry cloth.
- Avoid the use of all chemicals as they may damage the finish.
- Shipping & Returns
Quick Ship: 2-4 Weeks
- Items marked as QUICK SHIP will usually be delivered within 2 to 4 weeks. There is no additional charge for Quick Ship delivery. This service is subject to product availability at time of shipping.
Made To Order: 4-12 Weeks
- Made to Order items are usually delivered within 4-12 weeks to addresses within the contiguous 48 states. Once it reaches our distribution center, a local delivery service will contact you to schedule a delivery appointment.
Unlimited Flat Rate Furniture & Freight Delivery
With Unlimited Flat Rate Furniture & Freight Delivery, an unlimited number of eligible furniture and select non-furniture items in your order can be delivered for a single flat rate. The exact shipping charges, listed below, are based on our shipping location and will be applied in the Checkout Payment & Review page.
White Glove Delivery
- With White Glove Delivery, items are brought into your home, most are unpacked and assembled*, and the packaging is removed. White Glove delivery is only available in the contiguous 48 states.
- Delivery is by appointment Tuesday – Saturday in most major metropolitan areas, with Monday delivery available in some areas. Service to outlying areas may be restricted based on geographic location. Our delivery service will contact you to arrange a delivery date and confirm the appointment timeframe.
*Exceptions include outdoor patio structures, marble or stone sink consoles, lighting, mirrors, rugs, headboards attached to a metal frame and any items requiring home installation or wall mounting.
Select oversized items have an additional delivery and processing surcharge; this charge is listed below the item price.
View the complete Shipping and Delivery Information page.
You can return eligible item(s) within 30 days of receiving an order or 7 days for Quick Ship upholstery items for a refund of the merchandise value. An original receipt or gift receipt is required. Monogrammed items and Made to Order furniture or rugs are not eligible for returns. Review the full list of ineligible items and our refund policy below before starting the process.
Easy Ways to Return:
- Stores - You can return most non-furniture items to your local Pottery Barn store for free.
- Bring to UPS Location (under 70 lbs) – See our full Easy Returns Policy to start the process.
Ineligible Items
Items non-eligible for returns or exchanges:
- Monogrammed items
- Mattresses
- Gift cards
- Made to Order items, including custom rugs and furniture
- Final sale items (with prices ending in $.X7 or $.X9)
- Items damaged through normal wear and tear
Questions? See our full Easy Returns Policy.
- Measure your space and mark out the dimensions on the floor.
- Confirm all dimensions of the product, including diagonal depth.
- Measure the interior space of doorways, passages and stairwells to make sure the furniture will get through.
- Measure carefully as we cannot be responsible for items that do not fit in your home.
- View Furniture Delivery VideoFurniture Delivery Video.
- Our Quality Commitment
Our Commitment
We have a firm commitment to quality. We take great pride in our timeless designs, premium materials and expert craftsmanship.
Designed In-house
We design nearly every furniture item in-house. We use strong and beautiful materials to make long lasting products. We partner with fabric industry leaders to ensure safe upholstered furniture for you and your family.
The Hand of the Artist
Nearly all of our products are imagined and designed in our San Francisco studios. Our artists hand-create prototypes for everything from seasonal dinnerware to patchwork quilts to lighting.
Free Interior Design Services
Need design help? We offer free, no-strings-attached Interior Design Services. Get advice and inspiration from our specialists in-store, over the phone or by email. Designers will even make in-home visits, where they can take measurements, discuss color options, and give tips on any room.


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By adding Fusion ioMemory PCIe cards to ESXi servers, this college created a cost-effective, linearly scalable virtual desktop infrastructure system.
The Challenge
Located on the historic North Shore of New York's Long Island, the State University of New York (SUNY) College at Old Westbury is a selective public liberal arts college. SUNY has over 4,400 students studying in more than 40 undergraduate programs and 15 graduate programs.
Marc Seybold, Old Westbury's CIO, had wanted to deploy virtual desktop infrastructure for years to reduce IT maintenance costs, but could not find a solution that met the college's performance and cost requirements.
Marc said, "I had tried several times before to deploy virtual desktop infrastructure, but the technology always bottlenecked at a certain level of scaling. We needed a system that could scale to support 650 View licenses. I experienced a number of problems with previous virtual desktop infrastructure attempts; spinning drives' I/O limitations were at the top of the list."
Marc's team needed a solution that delivered the following:
The Solution
Marc's team had tested storing desktops on local disks, but that "didn't go too far." At a trade show, he saw a SanDisk demo of over 100 desktops running dynamic content from a single server.
"At that point, we purchased a unit for testing," Marc said. "The tests were spectacularly successful and we progressed from there into a full production deployment."
A Faster, More Efficient Desktop
Marc described his team's objectives: "Our primary goal is a better user experience. We knew we'd have at least 40 people logging on at the same time at the start of labs, so we couldn't have boot storms – and we needed to ensure the same or better performance than PCs."
SanDisk's Fusion ioMemory solutions delivered. Marc said, "Students can double click the icons and immediately begin typing. This keeps students and faculty productive and focused on learning."
The charts below show some of the benefits:
Marc also noted a side benefit—better use of physical space in the lab: "With virtual desktop infrastructure, we were able to go with zero footprint clients, which frees up a lot of clutter and allows students to stretch out."
Marc Seybold,
CIO, SUNY College of Old Westbury
Scalability for the Long Haul
Marc said Old Westbury's immediate needs were to support around 200 concurrent users, but that scalability had to be built-in. "Our long-term needs required scaling to 650 concurrent users. We didn't want to have to re-architect down the road or invest in an extremely expensive SAN to backstop the disk I/O, knowing that sooner or later SAN performance would hit a wall."
Network Operation Staff member Chen Cao described how the Fusion ioMemory ioDrive solution solved the scalability problem: "By storing the desktops on Fusion ioMemory flash in the servers, we reduced latency to a minimum. This allows us to scale desktops linearly with additional servers. Each ESX server has the potential for up to 150 users, but we allocate 60-70 users per server to give end users the best possible experience. We currently have seven ESX servers, which gives us plenty of redundancy for availability and makes it easy to take servers offline for routine maintenance. We know when we need to scale to another 60-70 users, we can simply add another server and Fusion ioMemory."
Marc noted how a SAN-based system differed from the flashy memory-based one: "There's a big difference in the labor required to create, install, configure, and maintain the Fusion ioMemory-based ESX servers versus ESX servers and a SAN. There is a really nice blend of value that comes from reducing complexity, increasing performance, and reducing costs.
Chen Cao,
Network Operations, SUNY College of Old Westbury
A Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Enabler
Marc explained how the Fusion ioMemory solution enabled virtual desktop infrastructure for SUNY College of Old Westbury: "Virtual desktop infrastructure would not have been viable if we had to implement it with a SAN. The Fusion ioMemory ioDrive solution gave us all the performance and scalability we needed, without complexity."
By making a scalable, cost-effective, and high performance virtual desktop infrastructure system possible, Marc's team was able to realize the benefits of virtual desktop infrastructure, including:
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure System Overview
SXi Servers
VMware Horizon View
Connection Servers
About Old Westbury
Located on the historic North Shore of New York's Long Island, the State University of New York College at Old Westbury is a selective public liberal arts college with more than 4,400 students studying in more than 40 undergraduate degree opportunities in its liberal arts and professional programs and 15 graduate programs in business, education and mental health counseling. On the College's 604-acre campus, students and faculty participate in an environment that demands academic excellence, fosters intercultural understanding, and endeavors to stimulate a passion for learning and a commitment to building a more just and sustainable world.
Fortune 500 şirketlerinden biri veya beş kişilik yeni bir şirket olmanız fark etmez; SanDisk, altyapınızın büyük kısmını hazırlamanıza yardım edecek çözümlere sahiptir.
Birkaç başlangıç sorusu sormaya veya şirketinizin ihtiyaçlarına göre düzenlenmiş bir SanDisk çözümünü görüşmeye hazırsanız SanDisk satış ekibi yardım etmek için yanınızdadır.
Sorularınızı yanıtlamaktan memnuniyet duyarız, başlamak için lütfen aşağıdaki formu doldurun.
Teşekkür ederiz. İsteğiniz bize ulaştı.


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STOCKTON - The allure of low-priced electronics and other deals was too much for many in Stockton to pass up on Thursday.
STOCKTON - The allure of low-priced electronics and other deals was too much for many in Stockton to pass up on Thursday.
Some spent their Wednesday and Thanksgiving Thursday camping in line at stores such as Target, Walmart and Best Buy.
What's the main attraction on what is now being called "Gray Thursday" in the shopping world?
"It's the 50-inch TV," said Andrew Lopez, 39, who camped out in front of Target on Pacific Avenue and March Lane. "It's a $600 TV for $229. There's only so many of them available, and the economy the way it is, I didn't want to risk being backed up so far in line that I couldn't get one."
Lopez passed the time with friends Howard Perry, 37, and Theresa Hernandez, who manages an apartment complex in Stockton. They played dominoes and laughed about the experience of camping out at the store on Thursday.
"Some of us have been here since 11 a.m. (Wednesday)," Perry said.
Hernandez said along with the TV, she was hoping she'd be able to get a low-priced vacuum and an advertised knife set.
The lines at stores around Stockton were not incredibly long in early afternoon or overnight. Target and Best Buy lines on Pacific Avenue were about a dozen deep, although retailers were banking on larger crowds showing up after Thanksgiving meals and for more doorbuster Black Friday deals this morning.
Electronics dominated the advertised deals, including a 32-inch TV for $98 at Walmart. Walmart was also pairing a $75 gift card with an iPhone 5c for a total of $45.
Other national stores open for business Thursday night included JCPenney, Sears, Kohl's and Macy's. Stores were opening as early as 6 p.m. and as late as 9 p.m.
Some large retailers, however, have been outspoken against the growing trend of "Gray Thursday."
Nordstrom's corporate office posted on its Facebook page "We won't be decking our halls until Friday, November 29. Why? We just like the idea of celebrating one holiday at a time."
Contact reporter Keith Reid at (209) 546-8257 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/lodiblog.


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The ALC885 is a high-performance 7.1+2 Channel High Definition Audio Codec with advanced lossless content protection technology that protects pre-recorded content while still allowing full-rate audio enjoyment from DVD audio, Blu-ray DVD, or HD DVD discs.
The ALC885 provides ten DAC channels that simultaneously support 7.1 sound playback, plus 2 channels of independent stereo sound output (multiple streaming) through the front panel stereo outputs. Three stereo ADCs are integrated and can support a microphone array with Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC), Beam Forming (BF), and Noise Suppression (NS) technologies simultaneously.
All analog IO are input and output capable, and headphone amplifiers are also integrated at each analog output. All analog IOs can be re-tasked according to user's definitions, or automatically switched depending on the connected device type.
Support for 16/20/24-bit S/PDIF input and output offers easy connection of PCs to high-quality consumer electronic products such as digital decoders and speakers. The series incorporates Realtek proprietary converter technology to achieve 106dB Signal-to-Noise ratio (SNR) playback quality and 101dB SNR recording quality, and is designed for Windows Vista premium desktop and laptop systems.
The ALC885 supports host/soft audio from the Intel ICH series chipset, and also from any other HDA compatible audio controller. With EAX/Direct Sound 3D/I3DL2/A3D compatibility, and excellent software utilities like Karaoke mode, environment emulation, software equalizer, HRTF 3D positional audio, and optional Dolby® Master Studio™, the ALC885 provides an excellent home entertainment package and game experience for PC users.
Hardware Features
Software Features


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|This article describes a concept which could impact a variety of companies, countries or industries. To see what companies and articles reference this concept page, click here.
Electric utilities are the biggest users of coal; 93% of coal consumption is by the electric power sector.[4] As a result, coal consumption is driven by economic output and the demand for power. Like thermal coal, coke consumption is also dependent on economic activity because steel is needed in new construction projects. In 2007, the rising global demand for energy in Asia was the primary source of global coal consumption and U.S. exports of coal.[5] Starting in mid 2008, global industrial and manufacturing output dropped as a result of the global recession beginning in early 2007. As output declined, coal consumption and prices dropped. Many analysts are predicting coal consumption and prices to drop further in 2009 as Asian industrial output declines.[6]
In 2009, growing concern over global climate change and the new Obama administration will provide additional challenges for coal miners. Burning coal produces the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, making natural gas and nuclear power generation more attractive alternatives, environmentally speaking. In response to global climate change, President Obama has proposed several measures to reduce the U.S.'s production of carbon dioxide including $18 billion dollars in government funded research for renewable energy and a carbon emissions tax.
Although coal is the most abundant fossil fuel produced in the U.S., the combustible, black sedimentary rock takes millions of years to form. [7] The combustible energy in coal comes from the energy stored by swamp plants that were buried under dirt and water over the course of 100 million years. [8]Because it takes millions of years to form coal, it is considered a nonrenewable energy source.
Coal is classified into four main types:
Lignite(7% of U.S. Coal Production): Coal deposits that contain the lowest energy content because they were not subjected to enough heat and pressure.[9]
Subbituminous (44% of U.S. Coal Production): Contains 35-45% carbon and has a higher heating value than Lignite. [10]
Bituminous (50% of U.S. Coal Production): The coal most commonly used to generate electricity, to make steel, and to make iron because of its abundance in the U.S. and its higher carbon content (46-86%).[11]
Anthracite (<.5% of U.S. Coal Production): Although it has a carbon content ranging from 86-97%, anthracite is rarely found in U.S. coal beds.[12]
Coke: Bituminous coal baked in hot furnaces produces a hard, gray substance that burns at extremely high temperatures. The heat produced from burning coke is hot enough to smelt iron ore into iron, which is used to make steel.[13]
Coal reserves refer to coal still in the ground waiting to be mined.[14] The U.S., which has the world's largest known coal reserves, has an estimated 263.8 billion short tons of coal reserves.[15] At today's rate of production and consumption, these reserves would last approximately 225 years. In 2007, the amount of coal mined and sent to the market was 1.145 billion short tons. In 2008, coal production is estimated to be 1.179 billion short tons. In the U.S. approximately 33% of coal production comes from the Appalachian region, 50% comes from the Western coal region, and the rest comes from the Interior coal region. [16] However, the amount of world coal reserves are estimates, and some experts disagree with the official numbers.[17] In particular, David Rutledge, a engineering professor at Caltech, estimates that only about 400 billion tons of coal are economically extractable from the earth.[18] He argues that official estimates, which predict that there are almost 900 billion tons of coal reserves, have inflated actual findings for political reasons.[19]
Coal miners use two methods to extract the rock from the ground: surface and underground mining. In surface mining, which pertains to mining coal less than 200 ft below the surface giant machines remove top-soil and other layers of rock in order to expose the coal deposits.[20] Surface mining accounts for two-thirds of coal production in the U.S. because many of the coal beds are close to the surface. The remaining one-third of coal production in the U.S. involves deep, underground mines to remove coal up to 1000 ft. [21]
Although the U.S. has the largest known coal reserves, China produces almost 220% more coal than the U.S., making it the largest producer of coal in the world.[22] Coal production in the Asia Pacific region has grown 78% from 1997 to 2007, in order to provide electricity and coke to the economies in China, India, and Japan. In terms of consumption, China, the U.S., and India used 1.3 billion, 613 million, and 208 million tons of coal in 2007.[23]
EPA regulations designed to lower potentially-harmful pollutants and reduce health costs have the potential of forcing the upgrade or closure of many older coal production plants.[24] The EPA estimates that the overall cost to meet the new regulations to be $2.8 billion per year, which presents a problem for individual, older, and smaller plants whose owners may not be able to raise the necessary capital.[25] Most upgrades favor newer and larger plants that can raise the appropriate amount of money.[26] In Pennsylvania, one of the U.S.'s largest coal producing states, about 65% of the state's coal-fired generating capacity would meet the EPA's regulations.[27] While many plants has opted to meet the EPA's regulations, further regulation to prevent pollution and dangerous emissions has the potential of financially burdening plant owners further.[28]
Due to harsh winter weather and rainfall, many Chinese power plants are seeking coal imports in order to cope with limited domestic production.[29] Weather has effected both the production and transportation of coal in China, and has left some regions in China with coal levels for 7 days of consumption. While coal imports were limited in the beginning of January 2010, many expect coal imports to rise substantially by mid-February or late-February. As a result, coal exporters in countries like Australia,Colombia, Indonesia, South Africa and U.S. have the potential of benefiting from increasing prices and demand in China.[30] Indonesia, the second largest source of imported coal, is already running its production at full capacity to meet demand in China.[31]
Although it seems counter-intuitive, the rapid growth in wind power turbine construction has also led to an increase in the construction of coal-fired power plants.[32] These coal-fired plants are intended to act as a power reserve when the wind does not blow and the sun does not shine.[33] China has emphasized the country's transition to renewable, clean energy sources, but coal power plants are being built to power these construction projects. While nuclear power also has the potential of providing a consistent, reliable source of energy, Chinese government officials remain concerned about the safety of nuclear power plants.[34] As China's economy continues to grow, government officials acknowledge their need for a reliant, cheap energy source to power new construction projects and industrial manufacturing. With China's government emphasizing renewable sources of energy, providing clean, but inexpensive power has the potential of being one of the biggest challenges coal power providers face.[35]
In the United States, half of the total electrical power consumed comes from coal-fired plants.[37] While coal has multiple uses, 93% of coal consumption depends on the electric power used by households, industrial and manufacturing plants, and nearly every other building.[38] Additionally, coking coal consumption depends on investment in new construction projects, because coking coal is needed to produce steel and other metals.[39] As a result, coal consumption, production, and prices depend on industrial and commercial growth.[40]
During 2007, coal consumption in the coking sector was lower by 1.1%, while in the electric power sector coal consumption increased by 1.9%.[41] Growth in coal consumption for electricity continued to grow in the first half of 2008. Although electric power coal consumption grew by 1.3% in the first half of 2008, total coal consumption declined 1% in the second half.[42] Low capital investment and less output from industrial and commercial sectors led to the fall in coal consumption in the second half of 2008.[43] The price of coal best illustrates the rise and fall in consumption in 2008. In April 2008, steelmakers paid up to $285 per metric ton of coking coal.[44] More consumption drove contract and spot prices higher as coal mining companies tried to pull as much coal out of the round as they could.[45] Coal consumption is expected increase .3% in 2008, but coal production increased by 2.8%.[46]
When demand dropped, coal miners had huge surpluses of coal already out of the ground.[47] While Electric Utilities and the Steel industry bought less and less coal in the second half of 2008, coal miners began to lower the prices of both thermal and coking coal in order to sell their huge surpluses, which were expensive to store.[48] According to a report by UBS analysts, 2009 coking coal prices will drop to $85 per metric tonne and thermal coal will sell on average for $55 per short ton (.91 metric ton).[49] UBS argued that slowing capital investment, idle high-cost mines, and over supply are the primary forces that will drive 2009 U.S. coal consumption down a predicted 8.2% for coking and .7% for thermal.[50] Altogether, coal production is expected to fall 4% in 2009. [51]
Internationally, coal consumption will depend primarily on the economic conditions in China, India, and Europe. Led by strong economic growth and rising need for cheap energy in China and India, coal consumption is projected to double 2005 consumption levels by 2030.[52] However, the largest increases in consumption are from coal produced and consumed in China, meaning that exports to China have declined dramatically.[53] However, growth in Asia and production problems in China, South Africa, and Australia were the primary reasons U.S. coal exports increased 40% in 2008.[54] Although economic growth in China is expected to slow, its infrastructure-focused $586 billion stimulus package should increase the need for coal as a cheap power source.[55] Economic growth abroad is important not only because coal exports accounted for 5.2% of total U.S. production in 2007 but also because they import steel, which requires coking coal to produce.[56]
A new analysis says the coal sector will have to cut production 50 million tons this year, on top of even steeper cuts earlier in the year, to get supply in line with demand.
According to a report published by the International Energy Agency, global electricity consumption has the potential of falling in 2009 for the first time since 1945.[57] The coal sector has the potential of cutting production 50 million tons in 2009 in order to get supply in line with demand.[58] American coal producers are shipping less coal to utility companies, which has resulted in contract renegotiation and cancellations.[59] Due to the economic recession, steel production is down and utilities are seeing less demand for coal and increasingly relying on cheaper and cleaner forms on energy like natural gas. In the second quarter of 2009, both Massey Energy Company (MEE) and CONSOL Energy (CNX) cut coal production and attempted to reduce their coal inventories.[60] But many electric utilities renegotiated their coal contracts in order to get fewer coal shipments. Higher coal inventories have driven the price of coal down in the first half of 2009.[61]
The IEA predicts that electricity demand is capable of falling 3.5% in 2009 due to the economic recession beginning in 2007.[62] While global electricity increased in 2007 and 2008, declines in the manufacturing and industrial sectors have the potential of bringing about the reduction in electricity demand and global coal consumption.[63] The sharpest falls are expected to occur in Russia and countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which have the potential of falling 10% and 5% respectively.[64]
In the U.S., coal prices have remained depressed despite increases in economic activity. Both high inventory levels and low consumption have contributed significantly to coal's low price.[65] Coal producers have made cuts to production but declines in consumption have outpaced those reductions. Coal stockpiles at utilities reached 199.7 million tons in September 2009, an increase of 37% from a year earlier.[66] During the summer of 2009, many Americans reduced their electricity consumption while simaltanesouly increasing the use of electricity derived natural gas. As a result, the summer of 2009 was the first time in 25 years in which coal inventories increased.[67] To combat rising inventories, producers plan on cutting coal production more than they did in 2009 and cut other operational costs. Some producers have shielded themselves from low prices by locking in contracts at higher rates. However, producers have the potential of experiencing significant declines in revenues and profits once those contracts expire.[68] Coal producers are also attempting to export their coal, but transportation and political barriers are preventing many producers from doing so.[69]
In 2007, over 14% of the electricity used by household powered central air-conditioning systems and refrigerators in United States[70] With close to 60% of U.S. households equipped with central air conditioning systems, the number of hot days and cold days impacts the amount of electricity used in homes and the amount of coal needed to supply that electricity.[71] In order to account for weather-related electricity usage, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) records the number of heating degree days and cooling degree days, which reflect the need for air conditioning during cooler days and warmer days.[72] Although the data collected by the NOAA can help explain past and current electricity consumption and, therefore, coal consumption, future weather patterns are hard to predict. Additionally, during drought seasons, the amount of hydroelectric electricity generated drops, and coal power electricity is used as an alternative. In 2007, hydroelectric energy accounted for 6% of electrical power generated in the United States.[73] That same year, hydroelectric power dropped 14.6% due to drought. On the other hand, coal consumption grew 1.9% partly because of the fall in electricity produced by hydroelectric plants.[74]
According to the American Electric Power Co Inc., capture carbon emissions systems have the potential of being ready for use in the U.S. by 2015.[75] As one of the largest American electrical companies in terms of electricity generated, American Electric Power Company (AEP) generates 75% of its power through coal-burning power facilities. Several other power utility companies believe that carbon capture systems are likely to be used nationwide in 2025.[76] The amount of future investment in the development of carbon capture systems depends on the economic viability of alternative sources of energy.[77] Because nuclear, solar, and wind energy are less harmful to the environment, those forms of energy have the potential of receiving more investments from the Obama administration and private investors.[78]
While coal is an abundant and cheap energy resource, the falling prices of other sources of energy make coal less appealing to electric producers. In 2007, coal consumption in the electric power sector increased 1.6% while the amount of electricity generated by natural gas increased by 10.8%.[80] More power plants using natural gas coming online in 2007 accounted for most of the increase in natural gas consumption. [81] While coal accounts for nearly 50% of the energy generated in the U.S., natural gas and nuclear energy account for 20.3% and 20.1% of the electric power sector, respectively.[82] Despite the growing amount of natural gas and nuclear power plants, coal remains the most affordable way to produce electricity. At the end of December 2008, the cost of generating one megawatt hour of electricity for the average natural gas fired plant cost $45.[83]The price for the average coal fired plant was $30. [84]
One of coal's main advantages over other forms of power generation is its lower price.[85] However, low natural gas prices have the potential of leading to increased competition between the two power sources. Although crude oil prices have gained 73% from the beginning of 2009 to February 2010, U.S. natural gas prices have dropped 15% in the same period.[86] On the other hand, coal prices in the U.S. have declined 13% during the same period.[87] Additionally, the discovery of unconventional gas deposits have the potential of leading to increases in U.S. production of natural gas. These two factors are partially responsible for the rise in the share of gas in total power generation in the US. During the fall of 2009, 28% of power generation came from natural gas, up from 20% in the first half of 2009.[88]
According to the International Energy Association (IEA), low borrowing costs and carbon prices at $30/metric ton have the potential of making nuclear power more affordable than its coal-powered or gas-fired competition.[89] The IEA considers cost of capital, carbon prices, local resources, and technology to be among the most important factors for renewable energy's financial viability.[90] As the report outlined, financing costs and the ability of companies to have access to credit are crucial to the construction and maintenance of nuclear power plants and other low-carbon plants. For these reasons, the IEA recommend that government involvement to lower financing costs for renewables is capable of helping the sector significantly.[91]
|Fixed Cost (cents/kWh)
|Variable Cost (cents/kWh)
|Total Cost (cents/kWh)
|Natural gas
|Energy return on Energy Invested
|Coal-fired power plant
|Nuclear power
|Hydroelectric power
|Wind power
|Natural gas
In response to tighter clean-air policies and relatively high expected natural gas supplies, several power companies are switching from producing coal-derived energy to natural gas-derived energy.[94] According to Shaw Engineering,one-third of U.S. coal power plant have been equipped with pollution controls, which means that two-thirds of U.S. coal power plants still need to be upgraded or shut down in the next 10 years.[95] Not only are these upgrades expensive, but they can run into several problems. For example, Duke Energy's clean coal plant costs have risen to $2.88 billion from $1.98 billion. In addition, big natural gas discoveries in 2008 and 2009 have the potential of keeping natural gas prices relatively low in the future.[96] Because of these two trends, converting plants to natural gas powered, which meet the pollution requirements, has the potential of being an economically viable option for many power generators.[97]
Whether or not natural gas power turns out to be more economically viable than coal, many power generators are in the process of converting to or acquiring natural gas plants.[98] In April 2010, Calpine announced that the purchase of 19 power plants from Pepco Holdings Inc. for $1.65 billion. By 2017, Progress Energy intends to shut down 11 coal-burning plants.[99] At two of its four new sites, the company is building gas-fired plants because the cost is lower to convert than it is to upgrade the pollution controls. However, the future success of gas-fired plants still depends on both climate-related legislative action as well as the supply and price of natural gas.[100]
By appointing Steven Chu to the Department of Energy and John Holdren as the White House Science Advisor, President Obama has made it clear that environmental improvement will be an important part of his agenda.[101] In particular, the Obama administration plans to reduce greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide.[102] If a carbon emissions tax were enacted, the cost of using a coal fire plant would increase substantially more than plants using natural gas, because burning coal produces twice as much carbon dioxide as burning natural gas.[103]
Although a carbon emission tax would increase the cost of using coal as an electricity source, Obama's proposed $850 billion domestic spending plan has the potential to increase coal consumption in 2009.[104] Of the planned $850 billion, $18.5 billion will be devoted to renewable energy research and $18.6 billion will be spent on construction projects.[105]
Clean coal technology refers to new coal-burning processes that emit fewer pollutants into the atmosphere.[106] Because coal is likely to remain the U.S's cheapest and most abundant form of energy, the Bush administration began co-financing research and development of clean coal technology through the The Clean Coal Power Initiative. [107] Government funding for clean coal research and development has the potential to increase during the Obama Presidency. Obama's appointee for Energy Secretary, David Chu, has stated that nuclear energy and clean coal will be among his highest priorities.[108] In March 2009, Oxford Analytica released a report arguing that coal power will need substantial investment in new infrastructure if it is to maintain its dominance in the energy sector.[109] In particular, investments need to be made in Carbon Capture and Storage Systems and power plants that burn coal more efficiently in order to reduce coal's environmental impact.[110] The authors of the article believe that coal power, which currently accounts for 40% of the world's energy, has the potential be replaced, in part, by energy forms that do not produce as much carbon dioxide or use renewable sources.[111]
Additionally, many coal companies have begun to develop and produce coal synfuels, which are liquid fuels made from coal that can power motor vehicles. [112] By using coal as an alternative to gasoline, companies seek to provide a cheaper form of fuel that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and be produced in the United States.[113] Coal synfuel's biggest customer has been the U.S. armed forces.[114] In particular, the Air Force has stated that it will power its aircraft completely with coal synfuel by 2011.[115]
According to a report by the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute, carbon capture and storage systems face significant engineering, environmental and financial challenges, which have the potential of delaying their mass construction until 2030.[116] The Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute, which was set up by the Federal Government to track CCS projects, performed a series of large scale demonstrations and found that CCS systems come with higher-than-expected costs.[117] According to the report, clean coal power stations require coal prices to reach a minimum of $60 a tonne due to severe financial and engineering barriers.[118] If the G8 intends to reach its goal of 20 CCS projects operational by 2020, then the projects have the potential of requiring significant government incentives that reduce the cost of building and running a clean coal facility. The Federal Government has allotted $2.4 billion to build demonstration projects from 2010 to 2020, but those projects are capable of requiring more financial assistance over the next twenty years.[119]
Because coal exports come from so few countries, weather related damages or transportation problems in one country have the potential to lower global coal exports substantially.[120] In 2007 and 2008, flooding in mines and port congestion caused Australian coal companies to postpone several of their coal shipments to Asia.[121] Meanwhile, a lack of available railroad transportation and snow-related damages to mines led to a severe delay in coal deliveries beginning in January 2008 and forced Chinese coal miners to temporarily stop coal export until the beginning of April 2008.[122] While coal exports from Australia and China decreased in 2008, U.S. exports rose 40%, partly in order to replace those coal exports canceled in Australia and China.[123]
In the United States, about half of the total tonnage shipped on trains is coal.[124] So much coal is shipped on railroads that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce expects freight demand will increase by 88% by 2033 due to growing need for low-cost transportation of coal and natural gas.[125] If rail transportation capacity cannot keep up with coal shipments, the U.S. may face many of the same problems as Australian coal companies and Chinese coal companies faced in 2007 and 2008.[126]
As was the case from 2007 to mid-2008, the revenue and profit margins coal miners receive from the sale of coal improve as the price increases. In the first half of 2008, the price of coking coal rose by 200% because of coal shortages due to production problems and higher demand for coal. However, revenues for coal miners are also dependent on coal consumption. When demand dropped during the second half of 2008, coal prices and consumption dropped. Storing the huge supply of coal is expensive, and coal miners are forced to negotiate for prices that are lower and lower.[128] In an effort to prevent further losses due to low coal prices, many coal miners are attempting to lock in contract prices.[129] While most analysts predict coal prices will continue to fall, coal prices are hard to predict.[130] Coal miners locked into contract prices will lose out on potential revenue if coal prices suddenly rise.
Coal Miners
Coal Services
While coal is cheaper than both energy produced by nuclear power and natural gas. Natural gas produces half as much carbon dioxide as coal. Alternative forms of energy stand to benefit if there is a carbon emissions tax, which would raise the price of coal. Additionally, Obama's new administration plans to fund research in alternative energy in order to curtail greenhouse gas emissions.[131]
Natural Gas
Nuclear Power
The price of steel is, in part, determined by the cost of coking coal used to smelt the iron into steel. Like coal miners, steelmakers are vulnerable to changing contract prices. In April 2008, steelmakers paid up to 200% more than the average coal price in 2007.[132] The Korean steelmaker Posco paid $285 per metric ton of coking coal while spot prices fell below $150.[133]
Steel Producers
Railroad Companies railroads
Similar to steel makers, electric power producers are vulnerable to volatile contract prices. However, they can pass part of the expense onto end users.[134]
Electric Power Producers
There are several options available for investing in the coal industry.


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Standard & Poors' downgrading of the U.S. credit rating from AAA to AA+ has a lot of people in the Boston area wondering how it might affect them. But many others seem confused about the ratings process altogether.
When I asked people in Davis Square their reaction to the downgrade, one thing was clear: Few people actually know what Standard and Poor's is or what it does.
Over in Cambridge, Professor V.G. Narayan of the Harvard Business School explained.
"Well let's start with what is a rating in the first place, right. If you want to borrow money from a bank –– the bank before it lends you money is going to look at you and say 'What is your ability to repay the loan back to the bank?' So what we do, as a society, is get a rating agency to examine your information and then issue a rating, which is really their marking of your ability to repay this loan."
Okay. Now back in Davis Square. Those who are aware of the Standard & Poors downgrade were unanimous.
"Well, it just saddens me. That that would happen," said Ed Tanzi of Providence, R.I. "I would always like to see us spiraling upward. So it shows there's discontentment."
Julian McDevit, of Somerville, interpreted it as a sign of Congress not caring about how the average person fares in the economy. "People seem outraged and Congress seems like they just dragged it out for fun almost, it's very strange," he said.
"Bad news. We've never been that low. We're down a notch," said Cambridge's Ed Morgan. "Is it going to be as bad news as they say it's going to be or not?"
That's the question everybody's asking.
Narayan, the Harvard business professor, said there is uncertainty even amongst the experts.
"We don't know, is the honest answer because this has not happened before. My own sense is that it's not going to be nothing immediate. Japan was downgraded and nothing has happened to Japan. They have continued to borrow and in fact at lower and lower cost," Narayan said.
Narayan said that could lead to more inflation, which would cause borrowing costs to rise -- and with them, the cost of living.
"So eventually it means our standard of living would come down. But that's really in the long run. I don't think you can point to this moment and say 'next week' or that something is going to happen to the person on the street," Narayan said.
So it may be some time before we discover if the credit downgrade is much ado about nothing or a wakeup call to government to further slash the federal deficit, curtail Medicare and Social Security spending and raise revenue through taxes, which are currently at an all-time low. But government watchers and financial experts say implementing any of these options — especially tax increases -- faces uphill battles in Congress.
Sign-up for WGBH News updates, WGBH promotions, and previews of what's coming up on WGBH TV.


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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A vacation getaway to a swanky South Beach hotel turned into a nightmare for a southern New Jersey woman when she was mistaken for a hooker and beaten up by actual prostitutes who saw her as competition, the woman and her husband claim in a federal lawsuit.
Thirty-four-year-old Anna Burgese asserts in the lawsuit filed last Friday in Camden that a group of women she believes were prostitutes attacked her in the lobby of the W Hotel in Miami Beach in January as she and her husband, Joseph, were returning from a night out. Burgese says she was violently attacked from behind and slammed into a wall, then thrown to the ground. She was taken to the hospital for her injuries, attorney Lance Rogers said.
Worse, the suit claims, hotel staff failed to detain the attackers and even helped them escape by putting them in a taxi. The hotel was aware of previous violent episodes and failed to take precautions to protect hotel guests, according to the suit.
"The Hotel fosters a prostitute-friendly environment where prostitutes are permitted to market themselves on the premises, as evidenced by, among other things, the reviews left on various travel websites by former guests," the lawsuit contends. "It is believed and therefore averred that, in the past, prostitutes have become violent with guests and/or visitors on the Hotel's premises and in the surrounding area."
The suit names Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and charges negligence, premises liability, assault and loss of consortium and seeks punitive and compensatory damages. The amount of damages sought wasn't specified in the filing, but Rogers said he is seeking a "sizable" award.
"She was violently and brutally attacked," Rogers said. "There was blood on the floor. She was thrown into a granite wall and thrown on the ground."
A Starwood spokesman said the company regrets the incident and that Burgese was injured.
"The safety and security of our guests is our paramount priority, and we are taking this situation very seriously," spokesman Trey Sarten said in an email. "Due to pending litigation, we are unable to comment further at this time."
Sarten added in a subsequent email that the hotel disputes the claim that multiple people attacked Burgese.
Rogers said the couple, who live in Medford, had stayed at the hotel several times previously and had eaten dinner and gone to a club on the hotel premises before they were attacked. Joseph Burgese was on crutches because of a leg injury and tried to fend off the women with his crutches, Rogers said.
According to the police report, Burgese was walking through the lobby when one of the women grabbed her from behind and tackled her to the ground. Police asked Burgese whether she said anything to the alleged attacker, but Burgese insisted it was unprovoked.
Joseph Burgese separated the women and hotel security escorted the suspect outside into a waiting cab, according to the report.
Police later photographed Anna Burgese's bruised knee, right elbow and cut to her bottom lip.
The Burgeses were on vacation abroad Tuesday, Rogers said.
Associated Press writer Kelli Kennedy in Miami contributed to this story.


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The growth in construction and telecommunications throughout America has led to an increased need to bury fiber optics, electrical lines, water pipes, sewer lines, etc. Moreover, the use of a backhoe loader isn't always practical, feasible or economical, due to existing hazards or terrain. That leaves directional drilling as the best option and the fastest-growing industrial talent among utilities, municipalities, contractors and the communications industry. Designed as a course delivered over a four-to-five-day format, the Horizontal Directional Drilling Level I Training Course is the first of its kind in the nation. Through a combination of classroom and field training sessions, participants will acquire the useful knowledge and skills required for operating a directional drill according to the standards included in the manufacturer's Operator's Manual and the Best Practices Guide developed by the AEM and HDD Consortium.
The overall objective of this training is to provide participants with useful information and the opportunity to develop skills for operating equipment.
The course includes instruction, in-field exercises, and professional coaching for the following skill areas:
Participant will...


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Linked by Thom Holwerda on Sat 17th Dec 2011 00:17 UTC
Apple makes the best consumer laptops. For me, there's absolutely no denying that this is the case. Apple has had this lead over the competition since the iBook G3 Dual USB 12.1" and 14", and has never lost it. Right now, the rumour mill is abuzz about Apple supposedly prepping to launch a MacBook Pro with a retina display - 2880x1800.
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RE: Comment by shmerl
by alcibiades on Tue 20th Dec 2011 07:59 UTC in reply to "Comment by shmerl"
Why would people who buy Apple products complain about Apple's indecent and non ethical behavior? My take on it - either don't support, or don't complain.
This is a truly brilliant insight. No-one who uses a company's products should be allowed to complain about their business practices. Actually, it applies to more than companies.
Why should people who carry on living in countries be allowed to complain about them? They should not. Its wrong. All you North Koreans and Chinese dissedents? You're still living there, so shut up. All you former Soviet refuseniks?
The same applies to religions. You carry on going to church, don't complain about the child abuse cases. Of course, if you leave, its none of your business anyway, what's the matter with you, trying to tell other people what to do.
So folks, if you use Apple, everything it does is above reproach. But if you don't use Apple, why are you going on and on about a company whose products you don't use? What is it to you.
Either way, just stop criticizing Apple, will you? I don't like it.


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BERLIN (AP) — Members of the U.S. Congress met German officials and lawmakers in Berlin Monday in an effort to relieve tensions over allegations of massive National Security Agency surveillance.
Sen. Christopher Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, met Germany's interior minister and Chancellor Angela Merkel's foreign policy adviser. Rep. Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, joined Murphy at a meeting with Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.
Germany has been angered above all by allegations that the NSA monitored Merkel's cellphone.
Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said "special efforts" are needed from the U.S. to restore "the necessary mutual trust," according to a ministry statement released after the meeting. He reiterated Germany's position that spying on friends is unacceptable and said he hopes Congress will act to prevent any future incidents.
"We understand the depth of the damage that has been done and that we hope, between actions of the Congress and bilateral actions between the Obama administration and the new government here, that we can set a new path forward," Murphy said following the meetings.
"In Congress, we don't want to allow this fissure, this wound, to be left unhealed for much longer."
Murphy and Meeks plan meetings with European lawmakers in Brussels on Tuesday, when they will be joined by Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican from Florida.


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UPDATED: Judge strikes down state education tax credit program, appeal expectedBy JOHN DiSTASO
Senior Political Reporter
June 17. 2013 8:07PM
CONCORD — The state's new education tax credit program is unconstitutional because it diverts tax payments to religious schools, a superior court ruled Monday. Gov. Maggie Hassan quickly hailed the ruling. Proponents of the law promised an appeal.
Judge John M. Lewis, ruling in Strafford County, held that "New Hampshire students and their parents certainly have the right to choose a religious education. However, the government is under no obligation to fund 'religious' education. Indeed, the government is expressly forbidden from doing so by the very language of the New Hampshire Constitution."
Gov. Hassan called the decision "a victory for public education," while conservatives found it "absurd" and "appalling."
Article 83 of the New Hampshire Constitution states that "no money raised by taxation shall ever be granted or applied for the use of the schools of institutions of any religious sect or denomination."
The law was passed last year by a Republican-led Legislature over the veto of Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat like Hassan. It allows businesses to receive tax credits against business taxes owed equal to 85 percent of amounts they donate to state-designated "scholarship organizations."
The organizations may then award scholarships up to $2,500 to primary and secondary school low-income students to attend non-public schools, as well as public schools outside their home district, or to defray costs of home schooling.
The New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Americans United For Separation of Church and State sued, saying the program diverts money from the state to religious institutions.
The state defended, noting that since the money never comes to the government, it should not be viewed as public funds.
Public or private money?
During an April hearing, Alex Luchenitser, associate legal director of Americans United For Separation of Church and State, argued, "This program uses the tax system to deliver funding for the program. If there was no business profits tax, this program could not exist. The only way we can run this program is if a business owes the tax and chooses to divert some of the tax to this program."
Richard Head of the Attorney General's Office countered that because the tax is retained by the business and never paid to the state, it should not be considered public money.
"What we have in the law before you is a private business making a decision it is going to donate money to a scholarship organization. There is no governmental involvement, except we will give you a tax credit for that decision," Head told the judge.
The civil liberties groups argued the program will primarily benefit private religious schools, which can use the tax funds for religious instruction.
Conservative groups supporting the law said it was carefully crafted to be constitutional.
Hassan said in a statement, "The voucher tax credit would divert millions of dollars in taxpayer money to religious schools with no accountability or oversight. That's the wrong policy for our public education system, and it is clear from today's ruling that it is the wrong policy for our constitutional separation of church and state as well."
Rev. Barry W. Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, called it "a great victory for public schools and for anyone who doesn't want tax dollars to pay for religious indoctrination and discrimination."
Ruling questioned
Rep. Bill O'Brien, R-Mont Vernon, championed the bill as House Speaker last year. Also an attorney, he represents seven former and current legislators who sponsored the bill and filed a brief supporting it.
O'Brien said the ruling "does not address why it is permissible for the state to allow tax breaks for religious organizations through college scholarships, but it is not permissible when it's a tax credit of this nature.''
The program allows up to $3.4 million in tax credits to be claimed in its first year and up to $5.1 million in the second. It provides for additional increases in tax credits for subsequent years.
A repeal bill passed the now Democrat-controlled House this session but was tabled by the GOP-led state Senate.
As of Friday, businesses had donated just $164,570 to the program, and there were requests on behalf of students totaling $139,885, well below the cap.
In his ruling, Judge Lewis held, "This court concludes that the program uses 'public funds,' or 'money raised by taxation,' and thus the program implicates Part I, Article 6, and Part II, Article 83. The New Hampshire tax code is the avenue used for producing and directing much money into the program.
"Contrary to the state's assertion that 'the government has not set aside revenue for a specific purpose,' it appears to the court that is indeed exactly what the legislature has done. Money that would otherwise be flowing to the government is diverted for the very specific purpose of providing scholarships to students."
Lewis enjoined the state from paying religious schools with the donations funded by the tax credits.
Parents and students
An attorney for the conservative Alliance Defending Freedom said, "Parents should be able to choose what's best for their own children. New Hampshire's program allows businesses to help make that happen, and nothing about that violates the state constitution, as the state's legal history clearly demonstrates.
"The arguments the ACLU is making against this program do not at all reflect the reality of what the state constitution clearly allows. The people who stand to suffer the most if the ACLU succeeds are New Hampshire's students," Gregory S. Baylor said.
The Alliance, Cornerstone Policy Research, and the Liberty Institute filed a brief defending the law.
Cornerstone Policy Research Executive Director Ashley Pratte was "appalled."
"The education tax credit was carefully established to work within New Hampshire law," she said Monday "In fact, it is run solely on donations from businesses. It is not derived from taxpayer funds and is, in fact, a charitable program working to the benefit of our most vulnerable families in the Granite State.
"While I appreciate the value of public education for all, we must never forget that it is the parent who is responsible for the education of their child," said Pratte.
Charles Arlinghaus of the Josiah Bartlett institute for Public Policy said, "The final decision in this case was always going to come from the Supreme Court, which I'm sure will uphold the law. No education tax credit has ever been struck down by a Supreme Court in any state.
"This ruling is particularly odd," Arlinghaus said. "The entire program is fine unless a parent by their own choice chooses a religious school. By this logic a program is illegal if neutral and only legal if actively hostile to religion. That's absurd and I trust the Supreme Court will find it so."


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Jack Morris
I like my Hall of Famers to be mediocre, and with mustaches. Just something I believe in.
Ryan Klesko
He was nice to my dad one time and so I always promised myself I would honor that kindness in this way.
Lee Smith
I totally buy into all that garbage people say about the ninth inning, and mentality, and heart and guts and grit and saves and shit.
Barry Bonds
One of the greatest baseball players of all time, but he was probably a cheat, so as a sign of protest I waited until the fourth spot on my ballot to list him.