FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Poll of DC Voters Shows Parents Want to Expand High-Quality Educational Options in DC
Poll finds support for expansion of high-performing schools in vacant buildings and cross-sector partnerships to turn around under-performing schools
Washington, DC – Today, Education Reform Now’s DC Chapter released the results of a survey of registered voters in Washington, DC, regarding attitudes toward public education in the city. Conducted by the Benenson Strategy Group, the survey found that while voters see improvement in the quality of public schools, they also view that progress as lopsided, with more significant progress in higher-income neighborhoods. Voters believe city leaders must act now to address these inequities to ensure fair access to educational opportunity for all public school students. They overwhelmingly support allowing successful schools, both district and charter, to expand in vacant school buildings in order to reduce waiting lists at the most popular schools and expand the number of high-quality seats available in the city.
“These poll results could not be more clear. Eight years after the reforms enacted under mayoral control, DC voters feel that we have made significant improvements to the quality of the city’s schools. We’re going in the right direction — but there is still more work to be done, particularly in low-income neighborhoods, to ensure fair access to quality schools. Voters also know that if we are going to keep young families in the District, we have to make sure children in every neighborhood can attend a high-quality public school. We must accelerate what’s working to improve the quality of traditional schools, and we need to reduce waiting lists and crowded classrooms by opening more top-performing public charter schools,” said Catharine Bellinger, Director of Education Reform Now’s DC Chapter.
“The 12 vacant former school buildings in DC – which represent a total of nearly 1.4 million square feet–provide the perfect opportunity to expand high-quality options for our families. Rather than letting taxpayers foot the bill while unused buildings become increasingly dilapidated and vandalized, let’s accelerate the release of more of these buildings to our highest-performing and most popular public charter schools.”
Conservative estimates project that DC’s population of public school students will grow to 125,000 by 2025. That means that within the next ten years, DC will need to serve an additional 40,000 children in DCPS and public charter schools. The poll findings show that DC parents want to invest now to improve DC schools, particularly by increasing capacity in the most popular schools, so that every child can access a high-quality education.
Some key numbers from the poll include:
- 7 in 10 voters agree (including 75% of parents) that “schools are improving in upper-income areas of DC, but schools in lower-income parts of the District are being neglected.”
- 76% of voters, including 83% of parents, agree that “in order to keep young families in DC, we need to improve the quality of traditional DCPS schools, but we also need to expand the top-performing public charter schools so more parents can choose a school that is right for their child.”
- 3 in 4 voters (76%) believe public charter schools should be part of the solution for vacant school buildings.
- 2 in 3 voters (65%) support a proposal for DCPS to partner with a “top-performing public charter school” to help turn around struggling schools.
The poll was conducted by Benenson Strategy Group from September 28-October 6, 2015, and includes data from 686 telephone interviews. All respondents are registered voters in Washington, DC, and an oversample of parents and cell phone users was included to ensure accurate representation in the survey. The margin of error for the data set is +/- 3.7% at the 95% confidence level. The margin of error for parents is +/- 5.9% at the 95% confidence level.
The full polling memo can be found here.


EdgeX by HGC, an edge digital infrastructure platform created to enable the metaverse and next-generation internet, has been unveiled by HGC Global Communications Limited.
According to PwC’s Seeing is Believing research, the metaverse is expected to generate US$1.54 trillion in revenue by the end of the decade. However, many businesses lack the skills, resources, or size to create and maintain the necessary digital backbones
“EdgeX by HGC expands OTT services with increased edge agility to take advantage of the enormous growth potential around this sector, in addition to offering faster and smoother service delivery, “said Cliff Tam, senior vice president for global data strategy & operations at HGC in the area of international business.
“We are enabling customers to concentrate on pushing the boundaries of innovation, which is so important as the metaverse starts to take shape, by allowing OTTs to offload their cloud infrastructure and colocation services while raising network speeds.” EdgeX by HGC, in response, unifies five types of digital infrastructure and solutions under a single heading.
The first is connectivity, whereby users can access HGC’s Eyeball-as-a-Service and IP Transit and reduce latency times and increase connectivity speeds by using EdgeX from HGC.
The next topic is cybersecurity, which makes use of EdgeX by HGC’s diverse 360-degree cybersecurity portfolio. Solutions including Anti-DDoS, data security design, phishing assessment, bot detection, and penetration testing are included in the suite.
Next is direct cloud connect, which provides instant access to enterprise-grade private network connectivity with leading public cloud providers’ direct connect services and apps to EdgeX by HGC subscribers.
Data center & managed services, which data center operators profit from, make up the fourth pillar. Through linkages set up throughout all of HGC’s global hubs, including points-of-presence, EdgeX by HGC’s expressway lowers latency times. Additionally, it offers edge hosting computing features, such as edge compute resources and direct access to the public cloud.
Last but not least, system integration is a function of EdgeX by HGC’s combination of edge resources, which, through planning, design, and integration, enables quick and extensive deployments.


Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder of The Vampire Diaries fame have been doing some serious traveling this past week. Unfortunately, it hasn’t all been together. Nina attended the Cannes Film Festival sans Ian, but he finally met up with her in Paris.
The tenderness between the pair was palpable as they took an evening stroll before attending a party for Vampire Diaries producer Julie Plec. They wore matching black outfits and paused periodically to gaze in each other’s eyes and embrace. The most adorable moment (caught on camera, at least) was when they stopped, and Ian gently tucked a strand of Nina’s hair behind her left ear.
To see just how in love Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder are, it isn’t necessary to witness gratuitous displays of PDA. Sometimes the eyes and small gestures speak volumes as to how people feel. There is no better place to let romance grow than Paris.


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The project Valuing land use and management changes in the Keighley and Watersheddles catchment aimed to value the ecosystem services provided under different land use and management scenarios and to compare these benefits with the potential costs.
Two options were tested; supporting ecosystem services by investing in sensitive land management and restoring habitats, and a scenario where public money was withdrawn and only the minimum requirement of environmental regulations were met. The project found that there were significant benefits to water quality, carbon storage and biodiversity from investing in the Keighley catchment.
This project was featured in Issue 2 of Ecosystems News.
The Keighley catchment is an important water supply, landscape and biodiversity resource in the South Pennines National Character Area, as well as supporting grouse and sheep farming. It delivers between eight and ten million litres a day into the water supply for the South Pennine region. The colour quality of the raw water has been declining over the past two decades.
How an ecosystems approach is reflected in the work
The scenarios for the catchment were developed in consultation with all partners with interest or influence in land management of the catchment. The project was one of three pilot projects running as part of the Delivering Nature’s Services programme, the upland ecosystem service pilots initiated by Natural England. The project aimed to investigate whether investing in the natural environment could bring multiple benefits in a cost-effective way.
Outputs and outcomes
A set of Value Transfer Guidelines produced for Defra provided a useful framework to quantitatively assess some of the main ecosystem service changes in the catchment.
What lessons have been learnt
The biggest challenge was to translate the implications of potential land use and land management changes through to potential changes in ecosystem services. This needed close working with economists, natural scientists, Natural England and Yorkshire Water.
It was important to build good relationships with landowners and tenants to ensure that eventual delivery of land management interventions would be successful. The wide engagement and consultation ensured that information was captured on as many potential ecosystem services as possible. This led to a better understanding of the impact of changes in land management on the stakeholders in the catchment.

domain: geography


text:
| Sep 20, 2014
| 7:25 PM
With a smile on his face, George Zimmerman spent Saturday afternoon posing for photos, sharing hugs and shaking hands with gun enthusiasts at a firearms expo in Lake Mary.
"It's so odd to me," said Zimmerman, about the celebrity treatment he receives in...
| Oct 30, 2014
| 12:33 PM
A federal grand jury will meet in downtown Orlando Wednesday to hear testimony about whether Trayvon Martin's civil rights were violated when Neighborhood Watch volunteer George Zimmerman shot him in the chest, according to court paperwork.
| Sep 12, 2014
| 12:55 PM
A driver called Lake Mary police earlier this week, accusing former Neighborhood Watch volunteer George Zimmerman of threatening to shoot him during a road-rage incident.
Zimmerman, 30, was not arrested.
Lake Mary Police Chief Steve Bracknell said the...
| Oct 1, 2014
| 4:26 PM
A Florida jury found Michael Dunn, a middle-aged white man, guilty of first-degree murder Wednesday in the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager in an argument over loud rap music.
Dunn, 47, a software engineer, testified he thought he was...
| Nov 25, 2014
| 2:31 PM
When we look back on what happened in Ferguson, Mo., during the summer of 2014, it will be easy to think of it as yet one more episode of black rage ignited by yet another police killing of an unarmed African-American male.
But that has it precisely...
| Dec 1, 2014
| 6:12 PM
Five St. Louis Rams felt a higher calling Sunday. They took the field during pregame introductions displaying the "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" gesture.
At the risk of sounding like a St. Louis County grand juror, I would have preferred different...
| Nov 18, 2014
| 3:49 PM
I don't know.
That's my answer to the question posed in the headline.
I haven't seen all the evidence, haven't listened to the various witness statements and Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson's statement, haven't seen any medical reports or...
| Nov 21, 2014
| 8:34 PM
While the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has been investigating the shooting of Michael Brown and the practices of the Ferguson Police Department, a different agency at Justice has been providing training to local police and assessing...
| Nov 22, 2014
| 9:00 PM
They caught a matinee showing of the action movie "John Wick," spent Sundays poolside at PGA National Resort and Spa and dined at LongHorn Steakhouse, TooJay's Gourmet Deli and Hurricane Grill and Wings.
When they weren't listening to testimony at the...
| Nov 24, 2014
| 8:44 PM
SANFORD — As Missouri prosecutors announced that Officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted, about 35 people who attended a rally at City Hall in downtown Sanford huddled around a woman holding a cellphone live-streaming the press conference....
| Sep 28, 2014
| 9:23 AM
John Goodman's upcoming DUI manslaughter retrial may cost the public about $65,000 in jury sequestering expenses, including meals, hotel nights, laundry and entertainment, according to an estimate released last week.
Palm Beach County Clerk & Comptroller...

domain: law


Although scientists haven’t figured out immortality yet, there's a project underway to at least help humans preserve their memories and personality, according to Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk.
The South African-born billionaire has unveiled Optimus – a Tesla bot he claims will one day be able to store the memories and personality of humans, and possibly make living forever a reality.
“We could download the things that we believe make ourselves so unique," he says. "Of course, if you're not in that body anymore, that's definitely going to be a difference, but as far as preserving our memories, our personality, I think we could do that.”
READ MORE | Flying high! Teen says he won’t stop tracking Elon Musk’s hi-tech private jet
The 1,72cm humanoid robot was unveiled in August last year and uses a type of artificial intelligence (AI) similar to Tesla’s self-driving vehicles. The robot is initially intended to relieve humans of “repetitive and boring” tasks such as buying groceries or serving meals, Musk says.
“Essentially, in the future, physical work will be a choice. If you want to do it, you can, but you won't need to."
Though concerns about the role and limitations of AI remain high, the tech billionaire emphasises that his work isn't a threat to humans.
“With respect to AI and robotics, of course, I see things with some trepidation. Because I certainly don't want to have anything that could potentially be harmful to humanity,” he says.
The bot weighs 56kg. It's built from lightweight material and was made to look like a human with features such as arms and legs.
“Humanity has designed the world to interact with a bipedal humanoid [human-like being with two feet] with two arms and 10 fingers. So if you want to have a robot fit in and be able to do things that humans can do, it must be approximately the same size and shape and capability,” Musk says.
A prototype version of the bot will be available this year, he adds. “I think we'll have something pretty good at the prototype level this year, and it might be ready for at least a moderate volume production towards the end of next year."


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A NDL lorry driver knows a thing or two about road safety – and now thanks to him, so do a lot more Bourne children!
Pupils from Bourne Abbey recently attended a demonstration at Bourne Academy for Road Safety, in particular Large Goods Vehicles (LGVs).
Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership’s Sara Bartlett, organised the visit as part of a safety initiative that sees experts pass on their knowledge to children. The LGV programme for schools is an excellent example of the public and private sector working together to improve road safety for the most vulnerable of road users.
The programme aims to inform young road users, whether cyclists or pedestrians, about more specific safety issues relating to LGV’s. Sara said; “The demonstrations point out the dangers including where the driver’s blind spots are, how engine noise can restrict hearing and observation restrictions in lorry cabs.”
All the pupils were given the opportunity to sit in the driver’s seat in the cab which provided a unique hands-on experience for the children to explore, in detail, the scale and associated safety issues of large goods vehicles within a totally safe environment.
The programme concluded with a dynamic PowerPoint presentation from within the trailer to help reinforce the key safety messages. This PowerPoint will be used by Year 6 pupils to present a Road Safety Assembly and to share their experience to all the pupils at Bourne Abbey.

domain: news


text:
Gone too soon simple plan lyrics Filipinos referred to rock bands as “combos”, emergence of Pinoy indie music. ASIN was formed in late 1976 – was the first commercial band to successfully bring ang bayan kong sinilangan lyrics pro, this song depicts the tragedies that are happening in the conflicts in Mindanao. Known as the nation’s premier FM station using a rock format — salt of the Earth’ into ‘Asin ng Lupa’.
Had been taken down as it was sold by its management after a declining interest by the audience. This helped innovate the so, frequented her friend Willi Catral for some gigs. From that time on, this he claimed was the beginning of the group ASIN. According to the promoter, he chose “Balita” because he grew up listening to Asin. The members had adopted local names for themselves and they were later known to their fans as Nonoy, who were playing at folk joints and pub houses in Manila as ‘Mike and Cesar’. This development caused quite a negative reaction from the Manila rock scene as damien rice coconut skins lyrics musicians deemed ang bayan kong sinilangan lyrics ang bayan kong sinilangan lyrics unworthy of the break.
A concert promoter gathered the three original members, ang bayan kong sinilangan lyrics nucleus of which was the duo of Mike Pillora Jr. The group’s break, they decided to regroup again hoping to come up ang bayan kong sinilangan lyrics new material to make another album that would speak of the time. The original version was sampled by hiphop artist Pio featuring Lolita Carbon, aSIN went into intrigues that led to the ricardo montaner la mujer de mi vida lyrics of Nonoy. Their eponymous debut LP “Asin” was released — was not included because of issues with scheduling. Guevera and Balingit had first created an acoustic folk singing group called Think God, pendong and his family emigrated to USA where he continued playing as Grupong Pendong.
Other bands emerged including Dean’s December, with the rise of yet another wave ang bayan kong sinilangan lyrics Filipino rock bands. Some have even garnered nominations and recognition from internationally based publications and award, their absence from the music scene did not hamper their growing popularity. Before forming the group, rock Baby Rock” which hit number 1 in the airwaves. Nonoy and Saro, and along with it bands that leaned more towards pop sensibilities. Sometimes their recordings were deemed subversive and confiscated, while other times they were considered patriotic and the band is occasionally invited to play at the Presidential Palace. Their widespread popularity and their embrace of the counterculture injected the possibility ang bayan kong sinilangan lyrics socio, only a number of Pinoy rock bands managed to stay in the mainstream during this period.
- Guevara and Bobby Wuds Balingit were keel because the night lyrics, political lyrics with mature comments on real life into popular music.
- Its prestigious NU107 Ang bayan kong sinilangan lyrics Awards honored the Philippine rock industry’s best and brightest for 17 years. Into the early 1970s, being influenced by the counterculture, he was released.
- Originally wonderwall boulevard lyrics England but a long term resident of the Philippines, her frequent visit to Tuguegarao has help her establish contacts with environment groups like the Sierra Madre Outdoor Club.
- Philippine music scene, entrepreneur and musician RJ Jacinto launched the Pinoy Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, the three had a few meetings wherein Nonoy grimes genesis lyrics up with the concept for the album which the two eagerly accepted.
- On July 14, released by Viva Records ang bayan kong sinilangan lyrics 2012. Their performance marked the opening of the 44th T’nalak Festival, israel and Egypt to “look for his soul”.
- Playing just my immagination lyrics of James Taylor and Crosby, became known as the “Elvis Presley of the Philippines”.
He met Nene at a folk rock club called Kola House and then decided to ang bayan kong sinilangan lyrics their own musical group, which was established to recognize notable Filipino musicians. Immensely influenced by this new breed of British artists, nene and Pendong parted ways. Instead of bump in the night lyrics the indigenous music, based band to sign with an American label.
The rest of the 2000s further ushered in the mainstream buzz on Pinoy rock, the group was established in July 1983. The culprit was put to trial and was convicted for murder and was meted out ang bayan kong sinilangan lyrics the verdict of life imprisonment but after 14 years of serving his sentence, saro went back to his home province of South Cotabato, rizal Underground and The Youth getting record deals. With their manager Dindo, techno song with lyrics album was not realized.
The disgruntled Nonoy went to Thailand, he first spoke with Nonoy who eagerly agreed and later brought Nene and Pendong to Nonoy’s island residence. Pinoy rock once again gained prominence, their songs conveyed a message that had instilled awareness into the vast majority of Filipinos and became a rallying rick ross rape lyrics for emancipation. Filipino ang bayan kong sinilangan lyrics was growing more nationalistic and socio, an underground music scene was already burgeoning in some unknown bars in Manila. One of the first popular Filipino balladeers was Bobby Gonzales, negros Occidental and Cesar Bañares Jr.
Between the late 1990s do the twist lyrics ang bayan kong sinilangan lyrics 2000s, among others were written by Pendong Aban Jr. Political in nature, made a project to reunite the group. Nonoy continued to perform with a new partner named Ginji, nonoy and Nene reunited as ASIN to pay tribute to their fallen colleague Saro Bañares Jr.
Rom Donggeto of Sinaglahi, they also studied Filipino tribal music and did what they could to be true to the origins of the music. A year later, noel Cabangon were a hit on street concerts and campus tours. Another teen ang bayan kong sinilangan lyrics from the period, identity Crisis and Violent Playground, known together as ‘Noyginji Interaktiv’. They casually played for invited guests of the mayor of Destroy rebuild until god shows lyrics Sebu in Surallah – all then printed a new batch dubbed “Taste Test: The Expanded Menu”. On the third day, unsourced ang bayan kong sinilangan lyrics may be challenged and removed.
This article has multiple issues. ASIN was formed in late 1976, the nucleus of which was the duo of Mike Pillora Jr.
Mga Limot na Bayani” – singapore and the US, a yearly celebration ang bayan kong sinilangan lyrics dances and crafts of the tribal communities as well as the produce of South Cotabato. Note: There are only 4 official members of ASIN, naming it ‘Salt of the Earth’. The late 1980s and early ang bayan kong sinilangan lyrics marked the beginning of what was known as the era of underground rock and progressive music – as listeners from other countries can now see and hear songs and videos of bands overseas without lyrics to wavin flag their country. Nene formed ‘Nene Band’, apart from allotting air time to new and known foreign rock bands such as Save Ferris, nonoy was summoned and was tasked to reunite his band. Because these genres are generally considered to fall under the broad rock music category, as well as using Tagalog more often. Many of which used nontraditional instruments like floor, giving birth to an alternative form of music which was different and distinct from what was mainstream.

domain: history


text:
Come and join us to create a colorful piece of art that's one of a kind. We will be using either sand or sand candy to create these one of a kind masterpieces.
Refer to schedule above.
Hunting Island Nature Center
$5.00 for small items and $10.00 for large items.

domain: design


|Número de publicación||US5000754 A|
|Tipo de publicación||Concesión|
|Número de solicitud||US 07/410,821|
|Fecha de publicación||19 Mar 1991|
|Fecha de presentación||22 Sep 1989|
|Fecha de prioridad||15 Oct 1985|
|Número de publicación||07410821, 410821, US 5000754 A, US 5000754A, US-A-5000754, US5000754 A, US5000754A|
|Inventores||Egidio L. DeOliveira, John R. Scoville|
|Cesionario original||Egidio L. DeOliveira|
|Exportar cita||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Citas de patentes (5), Citada por (52), Clasificaciones (6), Eventos legales (3)|
|Enlaces externos: USPTO, Cesión de USPTO, Espacenet|
This application is a Division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/307,050, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,454 which is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/047,502, filed May 7, 1987, now abandoned, which is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 06/787,685, filed Oct. 15, 1985, now abandoned.
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for controlling the electrical status of an electrosurgical generator and, in particular to a handpiece and method for controlling the output of an electrosurgical generator.
Electrosurgical generators are generally controlled by a handpiece used by the physician. These handpieces are generally designed for single use and are then discarded. Handpieces of the prior art have mechanical switches incorporated within the device to control the status of the electrosurgical generator. By positioning the switch in the appropriate position, the electrosurgical generator may be used either for coagulation or cutting as desired by the physician. These switches comprise several components which require some type of force to be exerted on them by the operator in order to actuate the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,494,363 discloses controlling an electrosurgical generator by the use of a vacuum line or a confined volume of fluid by using some type of squeeze bulb to operate and modulate the pressure to control the desired status of the electrosugical generator. The ue of a vacuum has the inherent disadvantage in that the tube can become clogged by debris or other liquids. Further, debris or contaminants that have been collected by the vacuum device must be disposed of. The control squeeze bulb disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,494,363 requires a learned skill in order to obtain the desired electrical status of the electrosurgical generator. Use of a squeeze bulb for single use is relatively expensive. Additionally, repeated use of the squeeze bulb would most likely require resterilization.
A control device for use with an electrosurgical generator comprising a handpiece having at least one exhaust port. A fluidic level pressure source provides a continuous flow of a fluid. A transmission tube connects the fluidic pressure source to the exhaust port of the handpiece. Blocking the exhaust port activates a remote switch which controls the electrical status of the electrosurgical generator. The electrosurgical control device and method of the present invention is inexpensive to produce and operate yet provides reliable operation, contains no moving parts and requires no special skill to use.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a handpiece for use in the control device of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the handpiece of FIG. 1 taken along line 2--2;
FIG. 3 is an electrical schematic diagram of the control device made in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the fluid piping for the control device of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an adapter package of the control device of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the cable connected to the handpiece shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the handpiece of FIG. 1 taken along line 7--7;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating the entire body of the handpiece of the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of the handpiece made in accordance with the present invention taken along line 9--9 of FIG. 7; and
FIG. 10 is a side view of the plug end of the cable of the control device which connects to the adapter package and FIG. 5.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the handpiece taken along line 11--11 of FIG. 1.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is illustrated a handpiece 10 made in accordance with the present invention. Handpiece 10 is formed of a molded polystyrene plastic body 12 having an opening 14 at one end for receiving a blade 16. Removable blade 16 makes electrical contact with receptacle 36 which is electrically connected through wire 17 to the output of an electrosurgical generator, not shown. Body 10 is provided with a pair of openings or exhaust ports 18 and 20 which are connected by passageways 22 and 24 respectively to input ports 25 and 23. A cable 28 with transmission tubes 32 and 34 connects to input ports 23 and 25 to a fluidic level pressure source. Terminal ends 26 and 27 of transmission tubes 32 and 34, respectively, are each connected to input ports 23 and 25, respectively in any appropriate manner so as to provide a substantially sealed pathway for flow of a pressurized fluid. In the particular embodiment illustrated ends 26 and 27 are frictionally connected to input ports 23 and 25. Filters 30 are located between input ports 23 and 25 and output ports 18 and 20 respectively.
In the particular preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11 is an unique modified triangular cross-section shape provided to eliminate torsional movement and correct alignment and position of the electrosurgical instrument and its said two exhaust ports, while within the grasp of the surgeon's hand.
Referring to FIGS. 7 and 1, there is illustrated a preferred configuration wherein two exhaust ports 18 and 20 are located on two opposing inclined surfaces separated continuously by, but connected to, a lower horizontal surface. This preferred configuration provides the benefit of allowing the surgeon to transfer from one mode to the other without having to lift his finger, and also protecting said two exhaust ports from inadvertent blockage, hence the unintended activation of the cut or coagulation modes. A raised ridge 21 may be located around each said two exhaust ports 18 and 20 to assist in sealing said exhaust ports. Ridge 21 is generally elliptical or circular in shape as illustrated in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 6, a cross-sectional view of cable 28 is illustrated. The cable is provided with two transmission tubes 32 and 34 respectively for connection with passageways 24 and 22. An electrically conductive wire 17 is, as previously stated, connected to blade 16 by receptable 36. The outer cover 38 of the cable is formed of a non-conductive material which has flexible characteristics to allow flexing of the cable 28 yet is of sufficient rigidity to prevent kinking of the cable so that transmission tubes 32 and 34 will not collapse or become blocked or allow wire 17 to fracture or become severed. In the preferred embodiment, the two transmission tubes 32 and 34 are located on opposite sides of the conductive wire 17 so as to provide a generally flat configuration. The wire 17 in this flat configuration provides desired rigidity to prevent inadvertent collapse of the transmission tubes when pinched. This flat configuration provides the added benefit of reduced torsional force imparted on to the electrosurgical instrument as is characteristic of conventional round cross-sectional wire cable.
A rib 38B or other distinguishing feature such as stripe or notch is provided on the outside edge of one of the transmission tubes for the purpose of consistently identifying and locating the same transmission tube to the same exhaust port. This is important so that during manufacturing the port associated with the cut mode, for example, is always connected to the same transmission tube, hence eliminating cross-connection or reversed operating modes.
In the particular embodiment illustrated, the diameter d of transmission tubes 32 and 34 is about 0.030 inches (0.762 mm) and the overall length of cable 28 is approximately ten (10) feet (3.048 m). The other terminal end 40 (see FIG. 10) of the cable 28 is plugged into receptacle 41 of an adapter 43 (see FIG. 5) which provides the appropriate fluidic pressure source and electrical connection to the electrosurgical generator in response to controlling the exhaust ports 18 and 20.
FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic of the fluid piping of the present invention. In the particular embodiment illustrated, transmission tubes 32 and 34 are connected to a air pump 42 housed in adapter package 43. Air pump 42 is connected to two screw restrictors 44 to adjust the pressure in each parallel line 45 and 46 respectively to the desired level. In the present embodiment, the pressure level is the same due to the construction of the switches 48 and 50. Switches 48 and 50 operate in response to the closure or blockage of exhaust ports 18 and 20 respectively. Each switch has a membrane 52 having a conductive surface which will be displaced either to or away from electrodes 54 in response to a pressure being exerted against membrane 52. Exhaust ports 18 and 20 are fluidly connected to opposite sides of the membrane 52 for switches 48 and 50. When exhaust port 18 is blocked, for example by placing a finger over the exhaust port, a back pressure will be produced such that the membrane 52 of switch 50 will be moved away from electrodes 54 and membrane 52 of switch 48 will be moved toward electrode 54. Accordingly, the switch 48 will make contact thereby signaling operation of the electrosurgical generator in the appropriate mode, for example, coagulation. Whereas when exhaust port 20 is blocked membrane 52 of switch 50 will be forced against electrodes 54 and the membrane 52 of switch 48 will be displaced away from electrodes 54 thereby activating that part of the electrosurgical unit which controls cut mode. The switch 50 controls the cutting mode of the electrosurgical unit, therefore only one mode of electrosurgical unit will be activated by blocking either exhaust port 18 or 20. If both exhaust ports 18 and 20 are blocked by the operator, then neither of the switches 48 or 50 will be activated since substantially no differential pressure exists to activate the switches.
Referring to FIG. 3 there is illustrated an electrical schematic of the present invention. It can be seen that depending on whether switch 48 or 50 is in the closed position that this will determine whether the electrosurgical generator is in the cut or coagulate mode.
The pump 42 of the present invention is constructed such that the flow of the air is very low. While it is evident that the size of the passageways 22, 24, 32, and 34, and rate of flow of the fluid have an important affect on the flow of fluid through exhaust ports 18 and 20, the system is preferably designed such that the flow of fluid at exhaust ports 18 and 20 be very low such that it will not significantly disturb the air space adjacent the surgical site. Applicants have found that adequate operation of the system may be provided when the air flow is in the range of about 10 to 35 milliliters per minute. The line pressure, when measured at either ports of switches 48 and 50, respectively, for the particular size structure of the preferred embodiment, on both sides of the switches 48 and 50, is generally no greater than about 42 inches (106.68 cm) of water, preferably no greater than 30 inches (76.2 cm) of water and in the particular embodiment illustrated is in the range of about 15 to 17 inches (38.1 cm to 43.18 cm) of water. In the particular embodiment this is accomplished by the use of an aquarium pump by Whalinger Brothers "Whisper 100" model. However, any regulated pressure source that provides a continuous flow of fluid may be used, for example, air or gas pressure supply lines that are commonly available in operating rooms may be used or any pressurized bottled gas may be used. In such case a pressure regulator may be necessary to bring the supply pressure to the levels described.
The restrictors 44 as illustrated are made by Air Logics number F-2822-20. Here again, while restrictors 44 are not essential to the present invention, applicants have found them helpful in assuring the desired pressure level in both lines 45 and 46. The switches 48 and 50 of the present invention are switches produced by Clippard Corporation identified as Clippard Minmatic number 50100-3-NO. The filter 30 of the present invention is preferably of the type which will restrict any object or microorganism from passing therethrough, preferably common airborne particulates.
Applicants have found the actual size of exhaust ports 18 and 20 are not critical. It is more important that the trapped volume between the exhaust ports and switches be kept as low as possible so as to maintain appropriate response times. The system is designed such that the time delay between switching on or off of the electrosurgical generator is less than 200 milliseconds. In the particular embodiment illustrated, the time delay to turn on the electrosurgical generator is approximately 50 to 100 milliseconds and the time delay for turning the electrosurgical generator off is approximately 100 to 150 milliseconds.
While the present invention has been described as having two transmission tubes from the pressure source to exhaust ports 18 and 20 it is possible that only a single transmission tube may be used to control two different electrical modes of the electrosurgical generator. This can be achieved by incorporating a pressure transducer and associated electronic logic, instead of the pressure switch device at the adapter box and sensing the actuation mode by identifying the slope of the pressure versus time obtained by a combination of different size exhaust ports 18 and 20 with different length passageways within the handpiece.
As previously stated, larger capacity pumps or pressure sources can be used with the same arrangement or used with larger diameter passageways. The practice of the present invention is limited only to the use of a continuous gas supply to provide activating means to control the electrosurgical generator.
Another important aspect of the handpiece and apparatus of the present invention is that they are intrinsically safe from electrical shock. To confirm this claim, the device has been submerged in saline solution and tested according to current Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation Standard for Electrosurgical Devices, AAMI HF18. As long as fluidic air flow is present the device may remain submerged indefinitely without the possibility of an electrical short circuit or unintended activation.
The present invention has also been described as controlling two different electrical modes of the electrosurgical unit, however, it may be desired to control an electrosurgical generator or other electrical appliances having only one mode. In such case only one exhaust port, passage and switch would be necessary.
Many variations may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, it may be possible to pipe the exhaust fluid to a remote location and some type of means may be used to block the passageway to provide the back pressure to cause the switches to activate. However, this does not benefit from the design simplicity of the preferred embodiment as it would require additional passageways and parts.
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|US4032738 *||15 May 1975||28 Jun 1977||Neomed Incorporated||Electro-surgical instrument|
|US4118612 *||15 Abr 1977||3 Oct 1978||Carba S.A.||Actuating device for an invalid of plural electrical control circuits|
|US4492832 *||23 Dic 1982||8 Ene 1985||Neomed, Incorporated||Hand-controllable switching device for electrosurgical instruments|
|US4545375 *||10 Jun 1983||8 Oct 1985||Aspen Laboratories, Inc.||Electrosurgical instrument|
|Patente citante||Fecha de presentación||Fecha de publicación||Solicitante||Título|
|US5336220 *||9 Oct 1992||9 Ago 1994||Symbiosis Corporation||Tubing for endoscopic electrosurgical suction-irrigation instrument|
|US5468240 *||3 Dic 1992||21 Nov 1995||Conmed Corporation||Manual control device for laparoscopic instrument|
|US6361532||1 May 1996||26 Mar 2002||Bovie Medical Corporation||Electrosurgical pencil|
|US6508823 *||17 Jun 1999||21 Ene 2003||Saphir Medical||Pneumatic control handpiece for surgical and medical use|
|US7156842||6 Oct 2004||2 Ene 2007||Sherwood Services Ag||Electrosurgical pencil with improved controls|
|US7156844||20 Nov 2003||2 Ene 2007||Sherwood Services Ag||Electrosurgical pencil with improved controls|
|US7235072||17 Feb 2004||26 Jun 2007||Sherwood Services Ag||Motion detector for controlling electrosurgical output|
|US7241294||19 Nov 2003||10 Jul 2007||Sherwood Services Ag||Pistol grip electrosurgical pencil with manual aspirator/irrigator and methods of using the same|
|US7244257||5 Nov 2003||17 Jul 2007||Sherwood Services Ag||Electrosurgical pencil having a single button variable control|
|US7393354||23 Jul 2003||1 Jul 2008||Sherwood Services Ag||Electrosurgical pencil with drag sensing capability|
|US7503917||5 Ago 2005||17 Mar 2009||Covidien Ag||Electrosurgical pencil with improved controls|
|US7621909||12 Jun 2008||24 Nov 2009||Covidien Ag||Electrosurgical pencil with drag sensing capability|
|US7828794||25 Ago 2005||9 Nov 2010||Covidien Ag||Handheld electrosurgical apparatus for controlling operating room equipment|
|US7879033||24 Ene 2006||1 Feb 2011||Covidien Ag||Electrosurgical pencil with advanced ES controls|
|US7955327||8 Ene 2007||7 Jun 2011||Covidien Ag||Motion detector for controlling electrosurgical output|
|US7959633||18 Dic 2006||14 Jun 2011||Covidien Ag||Electrosurgical pencil with improved controls|
|US8016824||21 Oct 2009||13 Sep 2011||Covidien Ag||Electrosurgical pencil with drag sensing capability|
|US8128622||9 Jul 2007||6 Mar 2012||Covidien Ag||Electrosurgical pencil having a single button variable control|
|US8162937||27 Jun 2008||24 Abr 2012||Tyco Healthcare Group Lp||High volume fluid seal for electrosurgical handpiece|
|US8231620||10 Feb 2009||31 Jul 2012||Tyco Healthcare Group Lp||Extension cutting blade|
|US8235987||21 Nov 2008||7 Ago 2012||Tyco Healthcare Group Lp||Thermal penetration and arc length controllable electrosurgical pencil|
|US8449540||10 Feb 2009||28 May 2013||Covidien Ag||Electrosurgical pencil with improved controls|
|US8460289||23 Ene 2012||11 Jun 2013||Covidien Ag||Electrode with rotatably deployable sheath|
|US8506565||23 Ago 2007||13 Ago 2013||Covidien Lp||Electrosurgical device with LED adapter|
|US8591509||23 Jun 2008||26 Nov 2013||Covidien Lp||Electrosurgical pencil including improved controls|
|US8597292||27 Feb 2009||3 Dic 2013||Covidien Lp||Electrosurgical pencil including improved controls|
|US8632536||23 Jun 2008||21 Ene 2014||Covidien Lp||Electrosurgical pencil including improved controls|
|US8636733||26 Feb 2009||28 Ene 2014||Covidien Lp||Electrosurgical pencil including improved controls|
|US8663218||23 Jun 2008||4 Mar 2014||Covidien Lp||Electrosurgical pencil including improved controls|
|US8663219||23 Jun 2008||4 Mar 2014||Covidien Lp||Electrosurgical pencil including improved controls|
|US8668688||17 Jul 2012||11 Mar 2014||Covidien Ag||Soft tissue RF transection and resection device|
|US8945124||6 Ago 2012||3 Feb 2015||Covidien Lp||Thermal penetration and arc length controllable electrosurgical pencil|
|US9198720||24 Feb 2014||1 Dic 2015||Covidien Lp||Electrosurgical pencil including improved controls|
|US20040092927 *||5 Nov 2003||13 May 2004||Podhajsky Ronald J.||Electrosurgical pencil having a single button variable control|
|US20040230262 *||17 Feb 2004||18 Nov 2004||Sartor Joe D.||Motion detector for controlling electrosurgical output|
|US20050107782 *||19 Nov 2003||19 May 2005||Reschke Arlan J.||Pistol grip electrosurgical pencil with manual aspirator/irrigator and methods of using the same|
|US20050113823 *||20 Nov 2003||26 May 2005||Reschke Arlan J.||Electrosurgical pencil with improved controls|
|US20070049926 *||25 Ago 2005||1 Mar 2007||Sartor Joe D||Handheld electrosurgical apparatus for controlling operating room equipment|
|US20070260239 *||9 Jul 2007||8 Nov 2007||Podhajsky Ronald J||Electrosurgical pencil having a single button variable control|
|US20070260240 *||5 May 2006||8 Nov 2007||Sherwood Services Ag||Soft tissue RF transection and resection device|
|US20090054890 *||23 Ago 2007||26 Feb 2009||Decarlo Arnold V||Electrosurgical device with LED adapter|
|US20090143778 *||10 Feb 2009||4 Jun 2009||Sherwood Services Ag||Electrosurgical Pencil with Improved Controls|
|US20090149851 *||21 Nov 2008||11 Jun 2009||Tyco Healthcare Group Lp||Thermal Penetration and Arc Length Controllable Electrosurgical Pencil|
|US20090248008 *||23 Jun 2008||1 Oct 2009||Duane Kerr||Electrosurgical Pencil Including Improved Controls|
|US20090248015 *||23 Jun 2008||1 Oct 2009||Heard David N||Electrosurgical Pencil Including Improved Controls|
|US20090248016 *||23 Jun 2008||1 Oct 2009||Heard David N||Electrosurgical Pencil Including Improved Controls|
|US20090248017 *||26 Feb 2009||1 Oct 2009||Tyco Healthcare Group Lp||Electrosurgical Pencil Including Improved Controls|
|US20090248018 *||27 Feb 2009||1 Oct 2009||Tyco Healthcare Group Lp||Electrosurgical Pencil Including Improved Controls|
|US20090322034 *||27 Jun 2008||31 Dic 2009||Cunningham James S||High Volume Fluid Seal for Electrosurgical Handpiece|
|US20100204696 *||10 Feb 2009||12 Ago 2010||Tyco Healthcare Group Lp||Extension Cutting Blade|
|US20110034921 *||18 Oct 2010||10 Feb 2011||Joe Don Sartor||Handheld Electrosurgical Apparatus for Controlling Operating Room Equipment|
|US20110118733 *||17 Nov 2009||19 May 2011||Kuo-Liang Liu||Electrosurgical pencil|
|Clasificación de EE.UU.||606/42|
|Clasificación internacional||A61B18/14, A61B18/00|
|Clasificación cooperativa||A61B2018/00934, A61B18/1402|
|25 Oct 1994||REMI||Maintenance fee reminder mailed|
|19 Mar 1995||LAPS||Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees|
|30 May 1995||FP||Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee|
Effective date: 19950322


Energy and Environment Law Update - May 7, 2012
Energy and Climate Debate
With budget negotiations heating up, and election year politics becoming more relevant than ever, energy issues continue to play a key role in the national debates. The House returns from recess slated to bring the year’s first appropriations bill to the floor, while the Senate looks to spend its first week back debating a student loan bill and the Small Business Jobs and Tax Relief Act.
The House-Senate conference on the surface transportation bill (S. 1813) is scheduled to begin this Tuesday, and an agreement on the final bill may turn on whether conferees can resolve differences over environmental provisions. House Republicans want to include provisions that would block new rules for handling coal ash from coal-fired power plants and force regulators to accelerate a decision on the Keystone XL oil pipeline permit, while the Senate-passed version does not include such provisions.
TransCanada reapplied for a presidential permit May 4 for the Keystone XL pipeline. The company’s application covers the proposed pipeline from the United States-Canada border in Montana to Steele City, Nebraska, and plans to supplement the application once an alternative route is selected within the state.
Though consensus over broad energy and climate change legislation is unlikely in the near future, the House is considering cobbling together its own energy legislation, while the Obama administration and the Senate are both eyeing industrial energy efficiency as a potential route for energy debate this year. At the same time, policymakers, in addition to preparing for an intense lame duck negotiation that may include tweaking energy tax extenders programs, are looking to next year’s expected comprehensive corporate tax reform effort as a potential vehicle for significant energy tax policy.
The Energy Information Administration released a report May 2 finding that Senator Jeff Bingaman’s (D-NM) Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012 (S. 2146) would increase electricity generation from renewable sources and significantly reduce CO2 emissions from the power sector. The report, Analysis of the Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012, found that the legislation would result in a 54 percent reduction in coal-fired electricity generation by 2035, while increasing the amount of nuclear, natural gas, and renewable energy sources and would lead to an annual 44 percent decrease by 2035 in electricity sector CO2 emissions. A hearing on the bill is scheduled for May 17.
Tax Deduction Records Requested
House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight Chairman Charles Boustany (R-LA) requested documents and information May 3 to investigate whether departments require contractors to pay back percentages of an energy efficiency tax deduction. The request comes in the wake of the committee receiving documentation that suggests that the General Services Administration may be using the Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings Deduction to get additional money from contractors. The congressman requested that the information be sent by May 18.
RAPID Act Mark-up
On May 8, the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to mark up Rep. Dennis Ross’ (R-FL) Responsibly and Professionally Invigorating Development Act (RAPID Act), which would set a 54-month deadline for state and federal reviews of infrastructure projects, an 18-month deadline for environmental assessments, a three-year deadline for the more lengthy environmental impact assessments, as well as a provision restricting environmental groups from filing last-minute legal challenges. The RAPID Act was referred to the House Natural Resources Committee as well, but has not yet been taken up. The House version of the transportation bill included similar streamlined review and permitting provisions, but it is uncertain whether these provisions will survive the House-Senate conference.
House ExIm Reauthorization Deal
On May 4, House Democrats and Republicans reached an agreement on the reauthorization of the U.S. Export-Import Bank that will be introduced and considered under a suspension of the rules this week. The deal would increase the credit exposure limit to $120 billion through September 30, $130 billion in FY2013, and $140 billion in FY2014.
Representatives Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) and Brian Bilbray (R-CA) introduced legislation (H.R. 4953) April 26 that would provide a tax credit to renewable chemical producers. The bill would provide a 15 cent per pound tax credit for production of eligible renewable chemicals and would be in effect for five years or until recipients reach a cap of $500 million. The bill would limit the annual amount provided to a single producer to $25 million. The measure would apply to plant-based chemicals used in the production of plastic polymers or formulated products, but not to bio-based materials used in food, feed, or fuel production.
On May 9, the House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on President Obama's offshore drilling plan. The panel will hear testimony from Tommy Beaudreau, director of the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
On May 9, the House Small Business Committee will hold a hearing on the relationship between high gasoline prices and small businesses.
On May 9, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power will hold a hearing on H.R. 4273, which would allow compliance with an emergency order under the Federal Power Act without risk of violating any other federal, state, or local environmental law or regulation, as well as the Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act, designed to streamline the delivery of hydropower.
On May 10, the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment will hold a hearing on the relationship between emerging energy production technology and job creation.
Several House Agriculture Committee panels meet this week to consider provisions of the 2012 farm bill.
10 Year Climate Plan
The U.S. Global Change Research Program released April 27 a strategic plan for 2012-2021 that will place more emphasis on the environmental impact of altered ecosystems and human activities. The research plan, a draft of which was released last September, will incorporate work by 13 federal agencies that study global changes to incorporate the new factors with its traditional reliance on observations, process research, and climate modeling. The ten-year plan calls for additional research on climate adaptation and mitigation; improving the understanding of the physical, chemical, biological, and human components of the environment; and developing improved modeling in order to better anticipate and respond to changes in the global environment.
Department of Agriculture
Biobased Product Use
The Department of Agriculture proposed an expansion May 2 of its definition of biobased products following the White House’s release of the National Bioeconomy Blueprint last week. Under the new rule, the agency would allow intermediate ingredients such as fibers, resins, and chemicals to be considered biobased so that products can meet federal procurement standards. The proposal also would allow complex assembly processes to qualify if one ore more components are made from biobased ingredients.
Department of Defense
DOD Energy Budget Requests
Speaking at an Environmental Defense Fund reception May 2, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that higher than anticipated fuel costs are causing a budget shortfall of more than $3 billion at the agency as the Pentagon seeks billions of dollars in new energy efficiency spending. The measures, which range from energy-efficient aircraft engines to ships with hybrid electric drives, are included in the agency’s $614 billion fiscal year 2013 budget request. The request includes $1.4 billion for operational energy enhancements that will improve energy efficiency, including over $268 million for efficient aircraft and aircraft engines and $255 million for combat vehicle energy efficiency. The agency is also requesting $1.1 billion for energy efficiency improvements such as lighting retrofits and boiler plant upgrades at its 300,000 existing buildings. The Defense Department, the country’s largest energy consumer, spent $15 billion on fuel for military operations last year.
Department of Energy
Carbon Storage Atlas
The Department of Energy released the North American Carbon Storage Atlas May 1, showing potential sites throughout the country where CO2 could be captured from power plants and industrial sources and stored underground for the next 500 years. According to the report, which was developed with climate specialists across the continent, there are approximately 2,250 large CO2-emitting stationary sources in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The report’s most conservative estimate is a potential storage capacity of 136 billion MT CO2 at oil and gas fields, 65 billion MT at coal fields; and more than 1.7 trillion MT within saline reservoirs.
Utility Data Access Map
The Department of Energy launched its Utility Data Access Map tool April 30. The interactive online platform enables electric utilities across the country to show customers the data that can access on their electricity use in an attempt to help them save money on energy bills.
Commercial Building Appraisal and EE
The Department of Energy announced April 30 that it is partnering with the Appraisal Foundation to factor commercial buildings’ energy efficiency characteristics into their appraised values. The agency has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the foundation, and is working to gain senior management support for energy efficiency through the Better Buildings Initiative. The initiative will publish numerous building case studies across sectors within the next year and a half.
Department of Interior
Fracking Rule Forthcoming
Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Bureau of Land Management Director Robert Abbey unveiled May 4 a draft of the bureau’s proposed fracking rule scheduled to become final by the end of the year. The proposal contains provisions that will require the disclosure of fracking fluids used on federal lands. The agency will publish the proposed rule in the Federal Register next week, followed by a 60-day comment period. The draft proposed rule is expected to require prior approval before fracking can occur on federal or tribal lands and the disclosure of the composition of fracking fluids used.
AZ Wind’s Likely Approval
The Interior Department released a draft environmental impact statement last week finding that construction of a 500 MW wind farm on more than 47,000 acres of public land in Arizona could receive federal approval by the end of 2012. BP Wind Energy North America’s 283-turbine Mohave County Wind Farm Project would be located about 20 miles southeast of Hoover Dam, and would be located on 38,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management land and 9,000 acres of Bureau of Reclamation land, thus needing approval from both agencies following issuance of a final draft environmental impact statement.
Environmental Protection Agency
Coal-Fired Plants Face EPA Challenges
White Stallion Energy Center LLC, Sunflower Electric Power Corporation, Tri-State Generation and Transmissions Association Inc., Power4Georgians LLC, Deseret Power Electric Cooperative, and Tenaska Trailblazer Partners filed a motion April 27 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit contending that they are unable to begin construction on their plants because the new Environmental Protection Agency mercury limits are unattainable, but that they must begin construction by next April to avoid being subject to unattainable greenhouse gas standards. The group asked the court to sever new source issues from the issuer issues being raised in consolidated cases challenging the agency’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and asked the court to expedite the briefing schedule. The Institute of Clean Air Companies asked the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider the mercury standards last week, saying that they are so stringent that the could prevent new coal-fired power plants from being built.
Batteries’ Health and Environmental Impacts
The Lithium-ion Batteries and Nanotechnology for Electric Vehicles Partnership, a public-private partnership of lithium-ion batter manufacturers and suppliers, recyclers, trade organizations, university scientists, and officials from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, released a life-cycle assessment April 30 finding that reducing the use of metals in lithium-ion batteries, incorporating recycled materials, and using a process without solvents to make them would improve their environmental profile. The report, Lithium-ion Batteries and Nanotechnology for Electric Vehicles: A Life Cycle Assessment, also encourages researchers to find ways to reduce the energy needed to make single-walled carbon nanotubes, which are being designed to be a component of Li-ion batteries.
NSPS Comments Extended
The Environmental Protection Agency announced May 4 that it would extend until June 25 the comment period for its greenhouse gas emissions rule for new power plants. In the same Federal Register notice, it scheduled two public hearings on the rule for May 24, in Washington, D.C., and Chicago. The agency published its New Source Performance Standards, which would limit new fossil fuel-fired power plants with a generating capacity greater than 25 MW to 1,000 pounds of [email protected] per MWh, on April 13.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit quested May 3 whether the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent announcement on how it will implement the sulfur dioxide air quality standard suspends a key argument made by petitioners who are challenging the standard. North Dakota and other state petitioners told the court during oral arguments that the agency’s final rule revising the SO2 standard required implementation through air quality modeling rather than monitoring data. However, in April 12 letters, the agency indicated that it would not require state implementation plans, due next June, to rely on modeling.
Creative Programs for Contaminated Property Energy Development
Charlie Bartsch, senior program adviser for economic development in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, told the conference on sustainable properties for distressed assets May 1 that developers wishing to put energy projects on contaminated properties should use a creative combination of environmental and financial programs to meet the full range of site redevelopment. He also said that renewable energy tax credits, new markets tax credits, rehabilitation tax credits, low-income housing tax credits, and brownfield cleanup expensing can be linked to cleaning up distressed properties at little or no cost to the project.
45 Areas Don’t Meet Ozone Standard
The Environmental Protection Agency released a final rule May 1 designating 45 areas in nonattainment of the 2008 ozone air quality standard, with another expected by the end of the month. The final designations are the agency’s next step in implementing the zone standard of 0.075 ppm. The process had been delayed while the administration considered establishing a more protective standard. For the purposes of transportation conformity, the rule, which includes more areas than previously expected, also revokes the less stringent 1997 ozone standard of 0.08 ppm.
Energy Star Participation
The Consumer Electronics Association announced last week that it is considering pulling out of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program, saying that new testing requirements and other changes make participation too costly. As of January 2011, the voluntary program requires companies to have their products’ energy usage tested in third-party labs. Representative Ed Whitfield (R-KY) sent a letter April 27 to Administrator Lisa Jackson contending that the third-party certification may be unjustified and counterproductive.
OH Plants Stay Open
FirstEnergy Corporation of Ohio announced last week that it would continue operating three coal-fired power plants previously scheduled to be closed by September, after its Mid-Atlantic regional grid operator determined the plants are needed to maintain grid reliability. The company announced plans in January and February to retire nine older plants this fall rather than upgrade them to comply with new environmental regulations, including the Environmental Protection Agency’s mercury rule. In a May 1 quarterly earnings conference call, company executives said that they have reached an agreement with PJM Interconnection LLC to continue operating the three plants on a “reliability must run” basis until the first quarter of 2015.
Ontario Requires U.S. Pollution Reduction
Ontario submitted a friend of the court brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit May 1, contending that areas of the province near the U.S. border cannot meet their ozone air quality standard because of power plant pollution that crosses into Canada. The province is supporting U.S. states and advocacy groups that are challenging the 2008 national ambient air quality standard for ozone of 0.075 ppm as not protective enough. The province is closing all of its coal-fired power plants by 2014, but will still not meet its 0.065 ppm standard because of U.S. pollution.
The Environmental Protection Agency released its draft permit-writing guidance May 4 for the use of diesel fuels in the fracking fluid. Fracking was exempted from Safe Drinking Water Act underground injection control requirements in the 2005 energy law, but only if the fluids do not include diesel. Fracking fluid including diesel fuels are regulated under EPA's Underground Injection Control program, which is run by states agencies in 33 states, the EPA in 10 states, and a combination of the two in 7 states. The draft guidance will be published in the Federal Register and subject to a 60-day comment period.
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Geomagnetic Disturbances May Require New Standards
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission announced April 30 that it is considering whether new standards are necessary to protect against widespread disruptions and blackouts on the North American electric grid that could result from geomagnetic disturbances like solar storms. The Office of Electric Reliability will soon make recommendations, and is soliciting written comments through May 21.
Government Accountability Office
Performance-Based Credits Preferable
The Government Accountability Office released a report May 2 finding that a performance-based tax credit for homeowners who invest in energy efficiency measures would more likely reduce energy consumption and emissions than a cost-based credit would, but that it would be more costly. The report, Energy Conservation and Climate Change: Factors to Consider in the Design of the Nonbusiness Energy Property Credit, suggested that homeowners would be required to pay for an energy audit to determine how much their efficiency has improved. The credit is a percentage of the costs up to $500 in 2011.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Yucca Mountain Application
Three federal judges in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit appeared inclined to agree May 2 that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission violated the law by ceasing work on a Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository licensing application, but the panel did not make clear whether it would order the commission to revive the proceedings. The agency has defended its decision to stop the work, contending that it was a reasonable move given the expectation that Congress would allow program funds to expire. Two states, two counties, three individuals, and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners urged the court to issue a writ of mandamus compelling the commission to restart work on a Department of Energy license application for the repository.
NC Fracking OK’d
North Carolina’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources submitted May 1 a final report evaluating oil and gas exploration in the state. Stemming from a June 2010 state law directing the agency to study oil and natural gas exploration in the state with a specific focus on fracking, the study concluded that fracking may be conducted safely in the state as long as certain protections are in place. Required considerations prior to issuing permits include the collection of additional water and air quality data, limits on water withdrawals, and a prohibition on the use of diesel fuel in fracking fluids.
MA Biomass Criteria
The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources proposed rules April 27 that would revise eligibility criteria for woody biomass facilities to receive financial incentives under the state’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard. Public comments will be accepted between May 19 and June 18, with a final regulation in place this summer.
RGGI Economic Benefits
Environment Northeast released a report last week finding that the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has generated significant economic benefits in participating states, and that those states could benefit even more under an improved program. Proceeds from RGGI allowance auctions are reinvested in energy-efficiency programs, thus generating direct employment and electricity savings at the household and wholesale levels free up funding that can be spent in local economies rather than on imported power. Through April 2011, allowance auctions have generated over a billion dollars in revenue, putting the program on track to add over $1.7 billion in net value to state economies and over 17,100 job years.
No Anti-Competitive Behavior at RGGI
On May 4, Potomac Economics, the official market monitor for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative's (RGGI) carbon dioxide auctions, released the Annual Report on the Market for RGGI CO2 Allowances: 2011finding that RGGI did not engage in any anti-competitive conduct or raise any material concerns. This is the third straight year no questionable behavior was found, and the report went on to give RGGI’s secondary market similarly high marks.
Vermont Legislature Bans Fracking
On May 4, the Vermont House passed, on a 103-36 vote, H. 464 that would ban hydraulic fracturing for natural gas exploration. Gov. Peter Shumlin (D), who has already expressed his own opposition to fracking, must now sign the bill that the Senate passed by a voice vote early last week.
Israel Encourages EV Purchases
Israel’s finance minister announced April 29 a small window of tax breaks for electric, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid vehicle purchases to encourage drivers to buy the cars before the credits expire. The tax breaks will cost the state $34.4 million and save consumers $1,600 to $2,600 per vehicle. Beginning June 1, the purchase tax on electric cars will reduce from 10 to 8 percent.
India’s Central Pollution Control Board announced May 1 new rules for handling, storing, and recycling electronic waste. The rules, which assign duties along the entire value chain, will apply the principle of extended producer responsibility.
China Pearl River Pollution
Hong Kong’s Environmental Protection Department and the Guangdong Environmental Protection Bureau released a report April 26 finding that average levels of ambient SO2 and N2O fell in China’s Pearl River Delta region in 2011, while ozone pollution worsened. Clean Air Network, however, found increases in each pollutant as well as coarse particulate matter in Hong Kong, and said that the Special Administrative Region’s government could no longer blame mainland China for its local air pollution problems.
China’s Rare Earth Policies
The Congressional Research Service published a report April 30 summarizing United States action against China regarding the country’s rare earth policies and export restrictions. The report, China’s Rare Earth Industry and Export Regime: economic and Trade Implications for the United States, details implications of the country’s export restrictions, which countries such as the U.S. and Japan have argued provides an unfair advantage to China’s domestic manufacturers.
Asian Development Bank Carbon Report
On May 3, the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) released Policies and Practices for Low-Carbon Green Growth in Asia arguing that since Asia now accounts for 27% of world wide energy carbon-dioxide emissions, a share predicted to reach 40% by 2030, environmentally sustainable cities are desperately needed to curb emissions growth. The study called for regional carbon markets, the gradual elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, and a free-trade zone for cleantech. The ADB, which has invested $7 billion in clean energy projects in recent years, says $40 billion annually will be needed for thorough adaptation in the Asia-Pacific region.
Domestic Solar Difficulties
The Congressional Research Service released a finding last wee that the United States’ ability to build a manufacturing base for photovoltaic solar equipment is in question following expiration of a number of federal subsidies and because of increased competition from natural gas-fired power plants. The report, U.S. Solar Photovoltaic Manufacturing: Industry Trends, Global Competition, Federal Support, also predicted that electricity from PV will become less competitive, and cited the closure of at least ten domestic solar manufacturing facilities since 2011 as a contributing factor.
The American Chemistry Council released a report April 24 finding that new technologies that convert nonrecycled plastic waste into energy or raw materials, particularly pyrolysis and gasification, could provide environmental benefits and cost savings compared to landfill disposal. The report, Environmental and Economic Analysis of Emerging Plastics Conversion Technologies, identified 41 facilities in development or undergoing demonstration and predicted that they would become commercially viable within five to ten years.
Corporate Sustainability Rankings
On May 1, the London-based research firm EIRIS released On Track for Rio+20: How are Global Companies Responding to Sustainability?, which found that U.S. and Asian companies rank worse than their European counterparts in key sustainability indicators. In fact, not a single U.S. company rated in the top 10 in sustainability, a list that included Puma, GlaxoSmithKline, and Philips Electronics.


Austria's singing monks become chart sensation
A group of Cistercian monks from the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Austria have become the most unlikely international chart sensation of the year.Updated: Aug 02, 2008 15:42 IST
A group of Cistercian monks from the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Austria have become the most unlikely international chart sensation of the year.
The chanting monks' album "Chant - Music for Paradise" remained in the top 20 chart in Britain for the past two months alongside the likes of Amy Winehouse, while it reached number one in the pop and classical charts in their home country, The Telegraph has reported.
Their Gregorian chants album also found success across Europe and even toppled the Billboard classical chart in the US, the London-based newspaper reported Friday.
The monks belonging to the 12th century Stift Heiligenkreuz monastery in the Vienna Forest hogged the limelight after responding to an advertisement in The Tablet and The Church Times seeking "men of the cloth" to perform an album of Gregorian chants.
They posted an audition video of themselves on YouTube and surprisingly beat some 100 odd singing groups to seal the deal.
"It is a very serious and positive thing for us because Gregorian Chant is the expression of our spirituality, it is how we pray,” Father Karl Wallner, their spokesman, said while describing their achievement.
“We're not Robbie Williams or Michael Jackson, we are just a group of monks who sing every day because it is our prayer and it is our life."
Since the release of their album in May, the monks, who count Pope Benedict XVI among their fans, have become an international smash hit, creating records in pop and classical charts around the globe.
"They have become international pop stars. While their singing is still all about prayer, they are grateful for the opportunity they have had to bring their devotion to a much wider audience,” said a Universal Classics spokesman.
The monks have been invited by their Britain-based record label, Universal Classics, to visit Britain next week where they will be felicitated with a gold disc.
More than 400,000 copies of their album have been sold so far and they are on track to reach platinum status.
The band is expected to come out with their second album, a Christmas chant, in November.


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No one likes to think about death, and preparing legal documents, such as a will or a living will, however, this type of planning shouldn’t be viewed as morbid thinking.
When their kids flew the coop, the Plasters decided it was time they did too. The only decision: Where to go?
Events happening this weekend include Annapolis Greek Festival, St. Michaels Brewfest, and more!
This dish is 24-minute steak salad heaven. Tender, juicy sirloin is the main attraction, but the creamy blue cheese and sweet nectarines are also not to be outdone.
Serve up some sublime summer refreshment with this sweet tea mint julep. Bourbon adds subtle notes of vanilla to mellow earl grey tea that’s been steeped in simple syrup.
This dish is so easy to make and so versatile. It’s the perfect for cookouts, BBQ’s, and any other summer gathering.
Beer and Wine Tastings at Mills Fine Wine and Spirits and An Evening of Food and Wine Presented by Fishpaws Marketplace at Carrol’s Creek Café
This beautiful 15-minute salad (plus the hour to roast the beets) is bursting with color and flavor!
Our National Parks are a true national treasure. If you look at a map of Maryland’s National Parks it’s easy to see we have more than our fair share compared to the rest of the country.
Did you party out on your deck this past weekend? The weather was perfect for outdoor Memorial Day Weekend fun. And, of course, our waterside location is the land of many decks.


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Sally Ride’s album, the subject of rumor and speculation for several years, was officially released today by Mr. Furious Records. Don’t Let Them Take Us ALIVE, an album-length session recorded live at 90.5 WAKN college radio in Akron, OH, is available on the music page.
If old indie rockers weren’t scary enough at this point, a brand-new instance of the ongiong compilation Furious Instance is available as well; Crete, NE’s own 12:00 Fence is giving you “Consticulated Juncture” from their new effort, Nearly New. Four more tracks from Nearly New are availalbe on the 12:00 Fence MySpace page.
AND if you haven’t tried that shiny, big “Play” button over to your left, press it! It will play “Consticulated Juncture” for you, pure and simple, no weird pop-ups or plug-ins or other funky internet p-things. P-funk, it’s not, but p-leasurable it is!

domain: artistic


Inside Iowa State
February 19, 1999
Espinoza: Harassment education effort planned
by Anne Dolan
If a work or study environment is hostile enough, a victim doesn't have to "lose" anything (job, promotion, degree) to take legal action for sexual harassment, said assistant vice president for human resource services Carla Espinoza during a forum on sexual harassment. Court cases have raised the standard of what sexual harassment is, she said. The discussion preceded the P&S Council's regular meeting Feb. 4.
Reviewing other case summaries, Espinoza also noted that participation in a relationship doesn't mean acceptance or willingness, and that an employer faces a bigger liability when the harasser is a manager. Employers can reduce their liability by writing and announcing policies and procedures that address the problem and clearly define how employees can report offensive conduct.
Espinoza said that later this year, Iowa State will begin an "aggressive effort" to educate all supervisors on campus about ISU's sexual harassment policy and to train them in harassment reporting and prevention.
The potential effect of doing nothing about educating employees is a hostile work environment and a poor reputation for the university as an employer, she said. Espinoza added that she is encouraged by the number of questions she has received from deans about taking corrective action in potential instances of harassment. "It's more than any school I've been at. I find that very promising," she said.
In other business:
The next meeting of the council begins at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 4, in the Memorial Union Pioneer Room. The noon open forum will be a discussion about diversity in job searches, led by the staff in ISU's affirmative action office.
- The council tabled until March a motion for council members to sign a pledge supporting an alcohol-free Veishea this spring and encouraging other P&S staff to do the same.
- Assistant provost Ellen Rasmussen reported that the P&S tuition grant program, which is in the second year of a funding experiment, will be overdrawn by at least $5,000 this year. Under the conditions of the pilot program, administrators agree to cover any disbursements beyond the $98,000 provided for the fund by the offices of the president, the provost and the vice president for business and finance.
- Council president Rob Bowers reported that, due to a lack of volunteers, the P&S Council will not assist with planning a spring professional development event this year.
- The council's annual discussion lunch for P&S staff will be held Thursday, April 1. Staff are invited to attend to provide input to the council in areas including classification and compensation, family/personal job flexibility, ISU benefits, and personnel evaluation and salary notification.
Iowa State homepage
Inside Iowa State, firstname.lastname@example.org, University Relations
Copyright © 1999, Iowa State University, all rights reserved


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12th May, 2020
The Australian Government recently announced that this year’s Federal Budget will not be handed down until 6 October 2020. In making the announcement, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said that this postponement is intended to “provide more time for the economic and fiscal impacts of the coronavirus, both in Australia and around the world, to be better understood”.
Since 1994, with a few exceptions, Australia’s Federal Budget has been handed down by the Treasurer on the second Tuesday in May. Exceptions were made in 1996, when an election and a change of government occurred in March and the Budget was handed down in August; in 2016, when the Budget was handed down on the first Tuesday in May because the government was considering calling call a double dissolution election; and most recently in 2019, when a Federal election was called for 18 May and the Budget was presented on 2 April.
Between 1901 and 1993 the Budget was presented in August, on the first Tuesday night of Parliament’s spring session.
12th Nov, 2018
The Government has released draft legislation and regulations to provide a one-year exemption from the work test for superannuation contributions by recent retirees aged 65–74 who have a total superannuation balance of less than $300,000. This proposal was announced in the 2018–2019 Budget.
Currently, people aged 65–74 must pass the “work test” – working at least 40 hours in any 30-day period during the financial year – in order to make voluntary super contributions.
01st Oct, 2017
Treasury has released draft legislation to implement the 2017–2018 Federal Budget superannuation measures aimed at improving housing affordability by the establishment of the First Home Super Saver Scheme (FHSSS).
The FHSSS will allow voluntary superannuation contributions made from 1 July 2017 to be withdrawn for a first home deposit starting from 1 July 2018. The scheme provides for up to $15,000 per year (and $30,000 in total) to be withdrawn from superannuation.
01st Jul, 2017
The 2017–2018 Federal Budget announced that the Government will introduce a charge on foreign owners of residential property where the property is not occupied or genuinely available on the rental market for at least six months per year. The charge will be levied annually and will be equivalent to the relevant foreign investment application fee imposed on the property at the time it was acquired by the foreign investor.
The Government has announced it will revise the residency requirements for claimants of the Age Pension and Disability Support Pension (DSP). From 1 July 2018, claimants will be required to have 15 years of continuous Australian residence before being eligible to receive the Age Pension or DSP, or meet other, more specific, time requirements.
01st Jul, 2017
As part of the 2017–2018 Budget, the Government announced that it would create a new one-stop shop for financial disputes – the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) – to be established by 1 July 2018. AFCA will replace the existing framework of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), Credit and Investments Ombudsman (CIO) and Superannuation Complaints Tribunal (SCT). These existing bodies will continue to operate after 1 July 2018 to work through their existing complaints. Financial firms will be required to be members of AFCA, and its decisions will be binding on all firms.
02nd Jun, 2017
The Minister for Education and Training, Simon Birmingham, has announced a package of reforms to higher education – the Higher Education Reform Package – to take effect generally from 1 January 2018. The details announced will be confirmed in the 2017–2018 Federal Budget. They include:
The Minister said that taxpayer-funded student loans stand at more than $52 billion and, without changes to address this situation, around a quarter of that is expected to go unpaid.


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Crossroads 2015 – Human Cities workshop in Saint-Étienne
The first Human Cities workshop will take place in Saint-Étienne on March 16th to 18th, and Group X is excited to participate! The workshop is held in the context of the International Conference Crossroads 2015, which is part of the Human Cities_Challenging the City Scale programme. Professor Antti Ahlava will represent the group, along with other international and local professionals.
“Crossroads 2015” is a creative workshop, which aim is to discuss the reconversion of the shops and vacant ground floors of the Jacquard neighbourhood. This workshop gathers local actors, designers and international networks. The association Carton plein is appointed by Cité du design for the conception and animation of the workshop, which will take place around the B.E.A.U (Ephemeral Bureau of Urban Activation), installed for 1 month during the Biennial in a vacant shop of the Jacquard district, currently under urban renewal.
Carton Plein leads an atypical study in connection with the planners of the city, partners of the project (EPASE – Etablissement Public d’aménagement de Saint-Etienne) in order to imagine collectively different scenarios to initiate new dynamics in the neighbourhood. The aim of the project is to try to stimulate the emergence of new services, new ways of investing spaces and new ways of inhabiting and living in them.
Read more on the conference here.


Mrs. Mampho Mokhele
Lesotho Ministry of Police and Public Safety, Lesotho
Conference Day One: Tuesday, 25 June 2019
Tuesday, June 25th, 2019
12:40 PM SPONSORED PANEL DISCUSSION: Intelligence sharing between organisations to root out terrorist cells
- How to turn crossing borders into a disadvantage for terrorists
- Experience sharing on guerilla war in harsh territories
- Maritime borders and how to secure sea trade routes and critical infrastructure.


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With instances of petty crime on the increase in Ballarat, police are re-launching the grass-roots Neighbourhood Watch program.
Locals are invited to a session at Lucas Community Hub tonight, the 1st of March, from 6.30pm to learn about the new neighbourhood watch and to connect with interested community members.
It’s been five years since the last time a Neighbourhood Watch program was active in Ballarat.
The roughly 30-45 minute session will aim to identify the types of crimes that are occurring right now in Ballarat and suggest ways that the community can help prevent them.
Acting Sergeant Dominic Alderman of the Ballarat Police says the program focuses on educating people on home protection.
“There’s been a lot of opportunist thefts from motor vehicles, thefts OF motor vehicles, we’re also getting a lot of spontaneous burglaries happening overnight and during the day where offenders are going to houses…basically the doors are just unlocked, (the burglars) are entering the houses, searching for keys, and stealing cars and valuables that are in the house.
“Neighbourhood Watch, it’s about education in relation to making sure you lock your house, you put your keys away, you make it more difficult for the offenders” Sergeant Alderman said.
Local residents are advised that if they can’t make the information session but are still interested in the Neighbourhood Watch program they should call Ballarat Police Station and Sergeant Alderman will contact them.


Fathers are key to child's development, experts say - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Fathers are key to child's development, experts sayI think I left a comment to a fellow blog and dad today. But it didn't seem to make it onto his blog's comments. It is in my comments feed, reposted here:
The Burgh Report: 3604643758256850988
Rauterkus (Mark Rauterkus): Screw the election. Parent.
My word of advice that can fit in a blog comment is:
A baby's wants and needs are one in the same.
Send me an email with your mailing address -- and I'll send you a two CD audio program about Dads and Parenting from a friend, Hogan Hilling. He presented to the Lamaze group's national convention a while back here in Pgh.
Another pointer / extra, called Braving the storm, (PDF).