Strickland swipes at Dem message
Outgoing Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland says President Barack Obama was an asset to his unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign, but warned the White House that winning the Buckeye State in 2012 would be “very challenging.”
In his first one-on-one interview since his loss, Strickland told POLITICO the president’s visits on behalf of his candidacy helped awaken hesitant voters, but he encouraged Democrats to fine-tune their economic message going forward.
“I think the president’s coming to Ohio communicated to some of the voters, who may have been reluctant voters, the importance of the race. I’m grateful for the president’s support, I never considered distancing myself, ” said Strickland, who fell to Republican John Kasich by about 2 percentage points.
Strickland admitted that Ohio’s switch to a Republican governor would impact Obama’s ability to carry the state in two years. “I think it’ll be very challenging. I don’t think it will be impossible for us to carry Ohio for Obama.”
The former congressman and Methodist minister said that his wife told him the day after the election, “We’ve got to start working to make sure the president’s going to be reelected in 2012.”
Strickland was unclear about what capacity he would serve in to help achieve that goal but offered some messaging advice to the president as he grapples with how to refine his economic message, particularly on dealing with extending the Bush administration tax cuts.
“I would like to see the president say, ‘I will not borrow money from China in order to give a tax break to people who make over a million dollars a year ... and thereby explode the national debt,’ and say it over and over and over like they do on Fox News. I think it’s clear cut ... it’s not ambiguous. I think the American people could understand that and we could win that debate. But when you start talking nebulously about compromising and start parsing words ... I think you lose the message. That sounds like a pretty easy message to communicate, and I haven’t heard it framed just like that,” he said.
While they boast a reputation as one of the best state party organizations in the country, Ohio Democrats were battered by a GOP wave that cost them all statewide offices, five congressmen and the state House.
Strickland signaled that the rebuilding effort had to begin immediately to help not only the president, but Sen. Sherrod Brown, who will likely face a competitive reelection contest.
“We have to keep our team together to see how to keep the Ohio Democratic Party the best-organized, best-funded party in the country,” he said, adding that part of his role would be to monitor the new administration “really, really closely.”
Strickland and his successor have already sparred about further funding for a proposed high-speed rail system, with Kasich asking the governor in a letter to “respect” his request and halt funds for the project. Even in defeat, Strickland said he wasn’t “ready to give up and say they won.”
“I wouldn’t call what we’re contemplating a shadow government, but you might,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me. I think we all do. We’re going to make sure the incoming administration adheres to high ethical standards. We’re going to continue to fight.”
Strickland said Kasich’s 97,000-vote margin did not grant him a mandate but was a reflection of voters being “beaten down by this economy.”
“The fact that we did come fairly close, that Mr. Kasich ended up with 49 percent, indicates what happened was not an embracing of his ideas or a Republican philosophy necessarily. It was more about the way people feel discouraged, just kind of feeling almost a resignation, wondering if anyone understands what they’re dealing with. I don’t think he has a mandate. I think if this had been a more normal economic environment, this race wouldn’t have been close,” the governor said.
Strickland said if turnout reached his campaign’s expectations of 52 percent, he would have been reelected to a second term. “I don’t say that to make excuses. I’m not saying he didn’t win. He got more votes than I got. I just don’t think people embraced his ideas,” he said.
Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols did not respond directly to Strickland’s charge, instead noting that the governor-elect “appreciates the cooperation that Gov. Strickland continues to provide during transition.”
Strickland did not rule out future runs for elective office and said the president has reached out to him.
“He indicated he would like for us to sit down and talk but I did not interpret that to be about employment. I’m sure the president is interested in what happens in Ohio next,” he said.
He vowed he would be part of that effort, in part because of the sharp ideological stripes of most of the 2012 GOP presidential hopefuls.
“I am in no way ready to give up and roll over and capitulate to what I consider an extreme ideology that is outside the mainstream of political thought. We’ve got to hold the center in this country, and I think the center is in danger of being lost to us when you look at the individuals being mentioned as potential presidential nominees. With the exception of Mitt Romney, the others are pretty far to the right, and I think are really harmful,” Strickland said.


text:
Bitcoin's correlation to equities returns after fading in May
June 29, 2020, 9:23AM EDT
1 min read
Bitcoin's relationship to the S&P 500 has returned to March levels of correlation after a period of essentially zero correlation throughout May.
As measured by the Pearson correlation between hourly returns of SPX500USD (S&P 500 futures) and BTC/USD on Coinbase, the current correlation stands at 0.31 — a figure that is low but statistically significant. During May, correlation reached 0 meaning that there was no correlation. That's quite a contrast from January when Bitcoin manifested low but statistically significant negative correlation.
Source: Tradingview, The Block Research
In contrast, the correlation between the S&P 500 and Gold also spiked to historical levels in late March and early April but the precious metal is not correlated. The recent trend of the growing correlation between the S&P 500 and Bitcoin is not present between the S&P 500 and Gold, as the below chart indicates.

domain: economics


text:
Police Brutality And The Issue of Race
CNN displayed this statistics and a friend shared it on Facebook to show that the police in US don’t discriminate against African Americans when it comes to shooting people to death. It was further commented that race and hence distinguishing the victims of police brutality along racial lines divides people and therefore is not a good idea. But as reassuring as it is to know that the police are “equal opportunity” murderers, I beg to differ. First of all, who exactly are those 311 who constitute the “unreported race” group? But, even if we disregard those, while the whites’ population is over 5 times that of blacks (63% vs. 12.3%), their fatalities in the hands of the police is less than twice (1.8 times) that of African Americans, which means that blacks are 3.5 times more likely than whites to get killed by police. So, clearly, there is a bias and disproportionality as to whom the police are more likely to murder. But, even that doesn’t tell the whole story because not all killings are the same. The police are indeed likely to shoot and kill a white man who shoots at them or at others, as they are blacks, but their bar for killing blacks is much lower. They’re much more likely to shoot a black man fleeing the police or refusing to obey their commands, for example, than a white man in similar situations. They’re also more likely to plant evidence on their black victims compared to whites.
While obviously race is used to divide people and scapegoat minorities, denying how racism actually affects and victimizes minorities and how it translates into more widespread police brutality against the victims of racism is tantamount to denying the existence of racism. Despite possibly good intentions expressed by stating that race or focus on race divides people and therefor we should not distinguish the treatment of the minorities from that of the majority, people cannot and will not be united unless the existence of racism and its effects on its victims is acknowledged, understood and dealt with. What divides people is racism, not its acknowledgement or emphasis. People don’t get united against oppressors by simply saying we’re all the same because minorities know we’re not and therefore such a comment comes through as insensitive and disingenuous and isn’t helpful. Unity can only come by acknowledging how we are all treated differently and by uniting to raise the issue of discrimination together, not by denying or defocusing it. Unity must be around the lot of the lowest common denominator and the most oppressed. That doesn’t mean we should not focus on the brutality against the majority, but we should also focus on the fact of the discrimination and acknowledge it as part of and prerequisite of unity.

domain: sociology


For love of illegal delicacy: Cyprus poachers kill 2.3 million songbirds in 2016
The most effective weapon against poaching is the removal of non-native Acacia trees, planted by trappers to lure in the birds.world Updated: Mar 17, 2017 01:20 IST
Poachers in Cyprus killed an estimated 2.3 million birds in autumn 2016, including 800,000 on a British military base, conservation groups said Thursday.
Poaching is banned on the Mediterranean island but songbirds including robins and blackcaps are regularly trapped and served as an illegal delicacy called “ambelopoulia”.
The birds, including several species that use Cyprus as a key stop-off point on their migration between Europe and Africa, are trapped with nets or glue-covered perches called limesticks.
BirdLife Cyprus and Britain’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said poaching rates were around their highest ever, with criminal gangs earning millions from the activity.
Britain’s Dhekelia military base was “the worst bird killing hotspot in the whole of Cyprus”, the RSPB said.
The group’s Jonathan Hall called on the UK government “to crack down on this activity and end the illegal killing of songbirds in Dhekelia”.
Britain retained sovereignty over two military base areas when Cyprus won independence in 1960 and has a police force in Dhekelia that tackles poachers.
But the conservation groups said it was not doing enough, saying poachers were making “blatant and extensive use of electronic calling devices” on a firing range there.
They said the most effective weapon against poaching was the removal of non-native Acacia trees, planted by trappers to lure in the birds.
But they said British authorities had largely abandoned efforts to remove the trees after protests from the illegal trapping community.
Britain’s defence ministry spokeswoman Connie Pierce said base area authorities had met with local community representatives after the protests “to agree the best way forward” while maintaining good relations.
“Acacia clearance will continue at Cape Pyla (in Dhekelia) but there is no timeline on this,” she said, adding that 90 acres (36 hectares) remained.
The defence ministry said the British military on the island was committed to tackling illegal bird trapping, with “a record number of arrests, equipment seizures, prosecutions and fines” last year.
BirdLife Cyprus chief Martin Hellicar also urged the Cypriot government to take “serious action against restaurants illegally serving ambelopoulia”.
First Published: Mar 17, 2017 01:20 IST


text:
Time: October 26, 2013 from 10:30am to 4:30pm
Location: Kier Hardie Hall
Street: St Gregorys Alley
Website or Map: https://www.facebook.com/page…
Event Type: swap, o, rama
Organized By: Daniel Godfrey
Latest Activity: Sep 27, 2013
A DIY Clothes Swap in Norwich, England.
In the style of Wendy Tremayne, I am organising an event to bring together people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to swap clothes and have the opportunity to customise, alter, upcycle and most of all play with clothes like it's dressing up day!
The event will be held at the Kier Hardie Hall, St Gregory's Alley, near Strangers Cafe and The Birdcage on Pottergate in the fine city of Norwich.
On Saturday 26th October, Volunteers and participants will come together to create new fashion from old, mingling and meeting new friends, The event will run from 10.30 - 16.30, with workshops in machine and hand sewing,
If there is anyone interested in attending or volunteering at the event, please email me firstname.lastname@example.org
Add a Comment

domain: artistic


text:
Dog training is a crucial aspect of responsible pet ownership, contributing to the well-being of both the canine and its human companions. While traditional training classes and facilities are popular, a growing trend in the pet industry is the rise of in-home dog training services. This article explores the myriad benefits of opting for dog training services right in the … [Read more...] about Unleashing the Benefits: In-Home Dog Training Services
A lake is a thriving ecosystem that is home to a variety of animals. From tiny plankton to large fish, each creature has a unique role in maintaining the delicate balance of life in the lake. In this article, we will explore 18 Animals That Live in a Lake. The animals that call the lake their home have adapted to their environment in different ways. Some have evolved to swim … [Read more...] about 18 Animals That Live in a Lake: (Photos & Facts)
Popcorn is a popular snack among people, but can birds eat popcorn? This is a question that many bird owners have asked themselves, and the answer is not as simple as a yes or no. While popcorn can be a healthy and nutritious snack for birds, there are certain factors to consider before feeding it to them. Firstly, it is important to note that birds can eat both popped and … [Read more...] about Can Birds Eat Popcorn? A Comprehensive Guide
Elephants are one of the most fascinating animals in the world. They are known for their intelligence, social behavior, and their long gestation period. Many people wonder how Long Are Elephants Pregnant For and what factors affect their pregnancy. In this article, we will explore the length of an elephant's pregnancy and the various factors that can impact it. Female … [Read more...] about How Long Are Elephants Pregnant For?
Lakes are one of the most abundant freshwater sources on earth. These bodies of water are home to a diverse range of aquatic animals that have adapted to the unique conditions of their environment. From tiny invertebrates to large fish, there are countless species that call lakes their home. In this article, we will explore 18 animals that live in lakes. This list will include … [Read more...] about 18 Animals That Live in Lakes (With Pictures)

domain: biology


text:
- Telehealth and telemedicine can make a positive impact on the nation’s healthcare system if they demonstrate improvement in health outcomes, processes and cost, quality measures are widely accepted and the definitions of measurement are consistent.
That’s the gist of a National Quality Forum report issued Aug. 31, which aims to set a national framework for measuring and supporting success in telehealth and telemedicine.
“Telehealth is a vital resource, especially for people in rural areas seeking help from specialists, such as mental health providers,” Marcia Ward, PhD, director of the Rural Telehealth Research Center at the University of Iowa and co-chair of NQF’s Telehealth Committee, said in a release accompanying the 81-page report. “Telehealth is healthcare. It is critically important that we measure the quality of telehealth and identify areas for improvement just as we do for in-person care.”
To evaluate a program, the NQF laid out four basic categories: access to care, financial impact to patients and their care providers, patient and clinician experience, and effectiveness of both the clinical and operations systems. The group then charted six priority topics: travel, timeliness of care, actionable information, the impact of telehealth in providing evidence-based practices, patient empowerment and care coordination.
On top of that framework, the committee highlighted 16 NQF-endorsed measures that can be used to “assess the use of telehealth as a means of care delivery and its impact on quality of care.” They include COPD, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, diabetic retinopathy, mental illness, impairments to the elbow, wrist, hand, foot or ankle, general orthopedic impairments, hip or knee impairments, lumbar or shoulder impairments, melanoma continuity of care and preventative care and screening for tobacco use and cessation.
“For many patients, telehealth can mean the difference between seeing their doctor or receiving no care at all,” Judd Hollander, MD, associate dean for strategic health initiatives at Philadelphia’s Thomas Jefferson University and co-chair of NQF’s Telehealth Committee, added in the press release. “NQF’s framework for measuring telehealth quality will be key to helping ensure quality care no matter where people access it.”
The report also took a stab at defining how telehealth and telemedicine is included in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act’s (MACRA’s) new Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). It noted that telehealth and telemedicine were included in the final rule in terms of providing expanded practice access and encouraging population management.
A key component of MIPS is an improvement activity (IA), or an action that improves clinical practice or care delivery. The NQF’s Telehealth Committee identified how telehealth or telemedicine could be figured into the nine sub-categories that define an AI:
- Expanded practice access: expanded practice hours, telehealth services and participation in models designed to improve access to services.
- Population Management: participation in chronic care management programs, rural and Indian Health Services programs and community programs with other stakeholders to address population health, as well as the use of a Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) to track population outcomes.
- Care coordination: the use of a QCDR to share information, timely communication and follow-up, participation in various CMS models designed to improve care coordination, implementation of care coordination training and plans to handle transitions of care, and active referral management.
- Beneficiary engagement: the use of electronic health records to document patient-reported outcomes, enhanced patient portals, participation in a QCDR that promotes patient engagement tools and the use of QCDR patient experience data to inform efforts to improve beneficiary engagement.
- Patient safety and practice assessment: the use of QCDR data for ongoing practice assessments and patient safety improvements and tools such as the Surgical Risk Calculator.
- Participation in an alternative payment model (APM) including a Medical Home Model: An APM can be an innovative payment model, a Medicare Shared Savings Program under an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) or a Medicare Demonstration Model. Participating providers are eligible for bonus payments as long as they use quality measures under MIPS and certified EHR technology and assume more than a “nominal financial risk” or they are a medical home expanded under the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI).
- Achieving health equity: seeing new and follow-up Medicare patients in a timely manner and using QCDR for demonstrating performance of processes for screening for social determinants.
- Emergency response and preparedness: participation in disaster medical teams or domestic or international humanitarian volunteer work.
- Integrated behavioral and mental health: tobacco intervention and smoking cessation efforts and integration with mental health services.
In concluding its report, the NQF Telehealth Committee identified three key factors affecting the success – or failure – of the technology.
First, the platform must demonstrate a positive effect on quality health outcomes, processes and cost. Second, existing quality measures have to be widely adopted and impactful.
“While a number of measures identified by [Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality], NQF and [the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services] relate to telehealth, it is difficult to ascertain which measures would suffice to assess whether telehealth is comparable to, or an improvement over, in-person care,” the report stated. “Additionally, the use of existing measures to assess telehealth should not add any additional burden to the collection and reporting of data from providers, and should contain data that match the specifications of the measure.”
Finally, the definitions have to be consistent.
“Consensus to define terms and measures for proposed measure concepts or existing measures for which there are no common definitions remains essential,” the report concluded. “Without a standard, uniform definition for measures, it will be difficult to synthesize findings and assess telehealth’s impact.”

domain: medical


text:
Saving for College 101
Here’s a crash course on saving for college.
Have A Question About This Topic?
In investments, one great debate asks the question, “Active or Passive Investing: Which Is Better?”
Purchasing homeowners insurance is critical for protecting your home.
This video discusses issues related to your retirement accounts when you move on from your job.


text:
How the Fed May Step In to Protect Corporations from Americans’ Rising Wages
From Birch Gold Group
The Federal Reserve’s plan for three small and “gradual” rate hikes in 2017 is already worrying analysts, but newly released minutes from the central bank’s December meeting and insight from recent job data reveal that it might hike rates faster than expected. An uptick in labor markets and wages threatens to put big businesses at a disadvantage, and the Fed may use interest rates to protect them – all at the expense of American workers.
Why the Fed Favors Corporations Over Workers
The Fed has a vested interest in protecting the economy’s biggest drivers: big businesses and corporations. In the eyes of Fed officials, workers are a renewable commodity to be managed and manipulated, but corporations are finite assets to be nurtured and grown.
From the Fed’s perspective, America’s millions of underemployed and unemployed individuals can bounce back if/when the private sector starts generating sufficient demand in the labor market. But once a corporation dies, it’s gone for good.
That’s why workers take a back seat to big businesses in today’s economy.
But it’s this mindset that could severely hurt the American public.
Playing the Inflation Game
The Fed keeps a close watch on the relationships between three core metrics to gauge the pressure being exerted on large businesses, and to subsequently guide the speed and frequency with which they increase interest rates. They are:
- Wage inflation – how fast salaries are growing.
- Labor market tightness – how many employees are actively working and contributing to corporate overhead.
- Consumer price inflation – how much money companies can charge for their goods and services.
The Fed wants to keep consumer price inflation higher than wage inflation; exactly how much higher depends on labor market tightness.
Put simply, the Fed favors corporations by working to keep market prices for their goods and services higher than their personnel costs, which rise with wage inflation and labor market tightness.
Corporate profits become threatened if the economy “overheats” from a rapid increase in wages and employment, but the Fed can use rate hikes to stall the economy and keep big business from getting squeezed.
Can We Expect Rate Hike Surprises in 2017?
The Fed is getting nervous.
Since 2014, wage inflation has been making significant strides compared to consumer price inflation. And as we move into 2017, the labor market is tightening more than expected.
Minutes released on Jan. 5 from the Fed’s meeting in December imply there’s a strong possibility Fed officials could yank the economy’s leash with more aggressive rate hikes:
…Several members noted that if the labor market appeared to be tightening significantly more than expected, it might become necessary to adjust the Committee’s communications about the expected path of the federal funds rate, consistent with the possibility that a less gradual pace of increases could become appropriate…
Even under ideal circumstances, Fed intervention would create a frustrating economic slowdown. And at worst, Fed officials could lose control and push the economy far further than intended.
In the event that the economy is pushed too far, buying protection from the Fed’s runaway train today – through real assets like gold – may prove be a prudent choice tomorrow.Featured, federal reserve, rate hike

domain: news


text:
The upcoming expansion for Battlefield 4, Second Assault, features four popular maps form Battlefield 3. The Battlefield 4: Premium trailer revealed all maps that will be featured in the expansion but they will be noticably different then their BF3 counterpart, thanks to Levolution!
- Operation Métro
- Caspian Border
- Operation Firestorm
- Gulf of Oman
Again all of these will be different then past illerations. Caspian Border, for instance, is now in a dry environment, with all the vegetation now over grown and dead. Second Assault will be available first on those on Xbox One and Xbox 360 but a release date has yet to be announced.

domain: geography


text:
by Dick Hall-Sizemore
Jason Miyares has struck out again.
Miyares, Virginia’s Attorney General, keeps asking the Virginia Supreme Court of Virginia to interpret a statute, based not on how it is actually written, but based on what the General Assembly “intended”. The court’s response is that its function is to ask “not what the legislature intended to enact, but what is the meaning of that which it did enact. We must determine the legislative intent by what the statute says and not by what we think it should have said.”
At issue is the expansion of earned sentence credits for offenders in state prisons enacted by the 2020 General Assembly. This legislation and its implementation has had a convoluted history, which I described in an earlier post. In summary, the maximum number of sentence credits an offender can earn was increased from 4.5 days per 30 days served to 15 days per 30 days served. The legislation listed a large number of exceptions to the expansion. Among the offenses exempted from the expansion were Class 1 felonies (capital murder) and “any violation” of Sec. 18.1-32 (first degree murder).
The aspect of the legislation that Miyares keeps running up against is the omission of inchoate offenses in the list of exceptions. In legal terms, an inchoate crime is “a type of crime that is committed by taking a punishable step towards the commission of another crime. The three basic inchoate offenses are attempt, solicitation, and conspiracy.” Continue reading
NOAA Right Whale status graphic, updated this month to report 123 recent deaths and injuries.
By Steve Haner
A coalition of public interest groups has now filed its expected lawsuit seeking to halt construction of Dominion Energy Virginia’s offshore wind facility off Virginia Beach. Its key complaint is the federal permits were issued without a full and fair evaluation of the potential impact of the turbines on the shrinking North Atlantic Right Whale population.
The Heartland Institute, based in Illinois, the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, with offices in Washington, D.C. and the National Legal and Policy Center of Falls Church, along with two individuals, are the listed plaintiffs. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and federal office holders are among the named defendants, along with Dominion.
The 61-page complaint to a District of Columbia federal court seeks relief under the Endangered Species Act. It claims the law requires the federal government to study the combined impact of all the planned East Coast wind projects, from New England waters down to North Carolina’s outer banks. Instead, the federal permitting authorities to date have looked at individual projects without regard to cumulative effects when issuing wildlife impact opinions and permits.
From the article on the CFACT website: Continue reading
By Steve Haner
A climate alarmism publicity stunt masquerading as serious litigation had a hearing in front of the Virginia Court of Appeals on Monday, seeking to revive its rejected petition to shut down the fossil fuel industry in Virginia. Why? Because some of the plaintiffs suffered from heat exhaustion while exercising on summer days, and two of them got Lyme Disease after tick bites.
The suit was last discussed on Bacon’s Rebellion when it was filed in 2022. Later that year a Richmond City Circuit Court judge accepted the state’s motion to dismiss it on summary judgement, citing the doctrine of sovereign immunity. It was an appeal of that dismissal which was before a panel of the appeals judges, covered only by Brad Kutner of Radio IQ.
The appeals court is being asked to reinstate the case, which is seeking aggressive if poorly defined relief. Basically, the original petition seeks to repeal Virginia’s Gas and Oil Act and reverse long-standing policy decisions in favor of developing energy resources. It seeks to prevent the state regulatory agencies from allowing any new fossil fuel infrastructure of any kind, presumably from pipelines to coal mines to gas stations to power plants.
The stages and pleadings of the Virginia case are documented by a website tracking it and a handful of similar cases around the nation, with the same basic arguments and a common set of lawyers. So far, the plaintiffs have seen some initial success only in Montana and Hawaii. Their federal level suit is being actively opposed by the Biden Department of Justice. Continue reading
by Kerry Dougherty
Elections have consequences.
And when Virginia voted last November to give Democrats a slim majority in the General Assembly they also voted to give almost 8,000 violent criminals a shot at getting back on the streets.
This ill-conceived measure – SB427 – is the evil brainchild of Sen. Creigh Deeds, who believes that juries and judges should be second-guessed once an inmate has served at least 25 years of his – it’s almost always a male – sentence.
News flash: any inmate who’s served that many years in prison is a bad dude. A murderer, a rapist or some other sort of vile reptile. These are not petty criminals or marijuana users.
(Deeds’ initial bill wanted to spring felons after 15 years behind bars, but he amended it.) Continue reading
Del. A.C. Cordoza
by Kerry Dougherty
How exactly is Virginia’s General Assembly celebrating Black History Month?
By killing a bill to protect children in public school lavatories, introduced by Del. A.C. Cordoza of Hampton.
Cordoza is an African-American. And a Republican. He was famously denied membership in the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus when he was elected in 2022.
Sadly, to the caucus, he’s not the right kind of Black man. Because his views are on the right.
Cordoza claims his bill that would require school personnel to check bathrooms every 30 minutes would not require added personnel nor would it cost taxpayers a dime.
It was tabled, he told the Virginia Mercury, because he’s a Republican.
While the proposed legislation was not expected to impact state spending, Cordoza said his bill was still forwarded from the House Education Committee to the House Appropriations Committee for review. It died in that committee without a hearing.
“It’s sent there to die,” said Cordoza, “to die quietly because they don’t want the world to know that they’re killing a bill to protect little girls in the bathroom, but they want to make sure that a Black Republican is not the one who does it.” said Del. A.C. Cordoza, R-Hampton.
It’s actually a practical suggestion, given that there have been a number of assaults in several school bathrooms, and perhaps some that have not been reported. Having an adult stick his or her head in the lavatory every 30 minutes would certainly discourage bullies and sex offenders. Continue reading
The states in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative tax compact before Virginia withdrew.
By Steve Haner
A circuit court judge in Floyd County may soon order Virginia to rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and to reimpose the related carbon tax on Virginia’s electricity consumers.
Judge Kenneth “Mike” Fleenor Jr. ruled earlier this month that a suit seeking reinstatement of RGGI could continue and held a hearing on February 5 on the question of “immediate relief.” The plaintiff, a group of energy efficiency and insulation contractors using the RGGI tax dollars for their programs, has claimed it will suffer immediate and irreparable harm unless Virginia returns to collecting a carbon tax on coal and natural gas used by utilities. Continue reading
by Hans Bader
A judge recently found that the City of Richmond racially profiles black motorists, dismissing the indictment of a black convicted felon accused of illegally possessing a gun. The judge did not find that defendant Keith Moore had been treated differently than a similarly situated white motorist. Instead, he ruled that Richmond police stops are racially discriminatory, based on statistics showing blacks are stopped and arrested at much higher rates than whites; and based on Richmond’s past “history of discrimination,” such as racialized zoning and redlining, and the “Confederate foundations” of the Richmond Police Department. “The Court will not require Moore to provide evidence of similarly situated individuals to prove his selective enforcement claim,” wrote the judge.
This is likely to create big problems for the City of Richmond, potentially leading to many criminals being released from jail. If a judge claims racial discrimination happened, he should identify what policies are racially discriminatory, or give concrete examples of discrimination, so that the problem can be fixed. But Judge Gibney failed to do that in his February 12 ruling in United States v. Keith Rodney Moore. So now the City is deemed guilty of discrimination, based on things no individual police officer can change (such as city-wide statistics), and things that literally no one can change (such as the confederate origins of the police department and Richmond’s segregated past). If other judges follow this flawed ruling, other criminals can also have their indictments dismissed based on city-wide statistics, even if it is undisputed that they committed the crime for which they were arrested.
Although the judge cited statistical disparities, he did not cite any specific police practices that led to blacks being stopped at higher rates, as he should have done if police were actually at fault. In Smith v. City of Jackson (2005), the Supreme Court ruled that even unintentional discrimination (disparate-impact) cannot be proved through statistics unless “specific” practices are identified that caused the “statistical disparities.” The disparities themselves are not enough. Continue reading
By Steve Haner
The aggressive progressive agenda working its way through the 2024 Virginia General Assembly has lost some steam at the halfway point, but at least four of the major Democratic goals discussed earlier are still advancing.
The two bills which will have the greatest impact on the Virginia economy are the proposed minimum wage increase and a new state-managed employee benefit for workers taking time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act. The two other bills the Democratic majorities in both the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates have now approved are a major expansion of procurement preferences for minority vendors and allowing class actions in civil litigation. Continue reading
Steve Descano. Commonwralth’s Attorney, Fairfax. Photo credit: WTOP
by Dick Hall-Sizemore
Contributors and many readers of this blog have been highly critical of Steve Descano, the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Fairfax County. They belittle him as being a Soros-backed, “woke” prosecutor, soft on crime. They seem to have missed Descano’s involvement in a recent high-profile case.
As described by The Washington Post, the defendant in the case had agreed to allow his home to serve as a delivery point for marijuana that was going to be sold by the victim. There had been a dispute between the defendant and the victim. When the victim knocked on the door of the defendant’s apartment, he sneaked out the back door, retrieved an AR-15 -style rifle from his car, and opened fire on the victim, killing him, and spraying bullets into adjacent occupied apartments. Continue reading
by Kerry Dougherty
Virginia Democrats are audacious. You’ve got to give them that.
During the lawless McAuliffe-Northam years, Virginia’s Parole Board was headed by bleeding hearts, who specialized in releasing criminals.
They were rewarded for their soft-hearted approach with judgeships. Because that’s how Democrats roll.
You’d think the party that favors criminals over victims wouldn’t want to remind the public of its own terrible record.
But they can’t help themselves.
Now that Gov. Glenn Youngkin has named Patricia West, a tough, super-qualified retired Virginia Beach judge to the same position, they’re trying to block her confirmation. They fear she’ll be too tough on criminals.
Dems have removed her name from a list of gubernatorial appointments. Her name could be restored by the entire General Assembly.
You’d think Democrats would be so embarrassed by what they did when they controlled the board they wouldn’t want to remind the public of their own terrible record. Continue reading
From tiny acorns grow the mighty oaks of government.
By Steve Haner
The Democrats now running Virginia’s General Assembly are not just more progressive, but far more ambitious than their predecessors. To fully understand how ambitious you must compile the entire list of progressive bills advancing in the 2024 session and consider their total impact on the cost of living and cost of doing business in the commonwealth. Individual news stories miss the big picture.
The push to radically regulate Virginia’s energy future discussed earlier is being mimicked with equally aggressive legislation throughout the rest of our economy. None of the ideas below are new, and most are already in law in places like California, New York or other more liberal states. What has changed is that when proposed in the past, they usually were rejected in Virginia on a bipartisan basis. Democrats now march in lockstep.
The Assembly is still in its first phase and adjournment is set for early March. Which of the following will pass remains to be seen, and in many cases, amendments are already appearing. Most may also face gubernatorial veto or amendment, but that just underscores that Virginia is only one election of one official away from total transformation.
In the case of the bills to increase the minimum wage (here and here), Democrats are simply building upon what they did during their last period of control. But if they succeed in setting future wage increases to automatically grow with inflation, the impact just builds and builds. Classes of employees reasonably exempted from the law currently, such as farm workers, may now be covered, as well.
Likewise, the previous Democratic majority also took the first steps toward collective bargaining for limited groups of local employees, but only after elected local officials gave a green light to negotiate a contract. This year’s bill expands the right to bargain to almost all local and now most state employees, with no vote needed by a school board or city council. It was revealed that the most recent version does conveniently exempt employees of the General Assembly, however. Continue reading
by Kerry Dougherty
Warning: I’m a tad grouchy today. You see, I’m a hyperactive gym rat who hasn’t worked out since last Tuesday and has been slowed down by surgery. That happened Wednesday, by the way, when a skilled orthopedic surgeon sawed off part of my leg.
In other words, I’ve had way too much time to brood.
So, I’m starting the week with a litany of irritants that have totally ticked me off.
Number one: I’m sick of feminists protesting that Margot Robbie was cheated out of an Oscar while her male Barbie co-star Ryan Gosling got one.
How many of these same women protested when Riley Gaines was cheated out of her place on a podium by a man, Lia Thomas?
If that’s you, just shut up. No one wants to hear from you.
Plus, I actually watched Barbie on HBO Saturday night.
That may be the worst movie I’ve ever seen. The absolute worst. Worse even than Oppenheimer which was a total yawn, although many people pretend they liked it because it’s about a smart guy and lasted three hours. They think raving about this bore makes them appear intelligent.
It doesn’t. Continue reading
by Jake Spivey
In Virginia’s ever-shifting landscape of diversity, equity, or opportunity, and inclusion, a powerful decision has been made. Following the sensational, yet unproven, allegations of exceptionally bad behavior and poor leadership at Virginia Military Institute in late autumn 2019, the administration and Board of Visitors attempted to quickly effect conclusive actions that would correct their unproven ills. A prime effort by the administration would be delivery of DEI training to staff, faculty, and the Corps of cadets. Unfortunately, in its haste to instigate the training, VMI circumvented the state’s procurement laws. By sidestepping the proper legal path for solicitations and contracts, VMI became vulnerable to protest by competing but unsuccessful contractors.
After a series of hearings before Judge Christopher B. Russell, the judge rendered a verdict finding VMI in “Violation of Virginia Public Procurement Act and/or the Rules Governing Procurement of Goods, Services, Insurance and Construction by a Public Institution of Higher Education of the Commonwealth of Virginia.” The judge’s decision represents a loss for VMI and its legal counsel, an alumnus. VMI’s attorneys tried but repeatedly failed to have the case dismissed on technicalities rather than argue the merits of VMI’s actions when pursuing the DEI training contract. Continue reading
Mary Jane Burton
by Dick Hall-Sizemore
A recent podcast produced by VPM, Richmond’s public radio station, is both fascinating and disheartening. Admissible: Shreds of Evidence deals with the early days of the use of DNA as forensic evidence. In particular, it is the story of Mary Jane Burton, a long-time serologist for what is now called the Department of Forensic Science (DFS).
It may come as a shock to some of this blog’s readers, but, in the 1990’s, Virginia was a national leader in the use of DNA for solving crimes. In 1989, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that DNA could be used as evidence in trials. The 2001 General Assembly enacted legislation to allow offenders to request testing of any biological evidence that had been collected during the investigations of the offenses for which they had been convicted before the techniques for DNA testing had been developed.
Three people submitted requests in 2001 to test any DNA evidence in their cases. The first case taken up by DFS was that of Marvin Anderson, who had been convicted of rape in 1982 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Although he had been on parole for several years by 2001, he was anxious to clear his name, if possible. In looking through his file, the DFS director discovered the tip of a cotton swab taped to a page of the report. Including the evidence in the file in that manner was against the protocols of the agency. When the DNA of the fluid on the swab was tested, it ruled out Anderson as the perpetrator. The other two offenders who had requested testing of evidence in their files were similarly exonerated. Continue reading
by Hans Bader
Should students be defined as bullies partly based on race? A confusingly-worded bill just introduced in Virginia’s legislature seemingly classifies students as bullies partly based on racial differences between “the aggressor” and the victim, such as a “real or perceived power imbalance between the aggressor or aggressors and victim, including on the basis of the actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, religion, or other distinguishing characteristics of the victim.”
That language is found in HB 536, a bill introduced by Delegate Joshua Cole (D-Fredericksburg). It would add the language in italics to Virginia Code § 22.1-276.01, so that it reads:
“Bullying” means any aggressive and unwanted behavior that is intended to harm, intimidate, or humiliate the victim; involves a real or perceived power imbalance between the aggressor or aggressors and victim, including on the basis of the actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, religion, or other distinguishing characteristics of the victim; and is repeated over time or causes severe emotional trauma.
If Virginia adopted such legislation, it would create legal risks for school systems. If schools enforce a race-conscious definition of bullying, which applies (or not) based on the “race…of the victim,” that could be deemed by the courts to violate the rights of students defined as bullies based on racial considerations. School systems could end up being sued under the Constitution’s equal protection clause, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and 42 U.S.C. 1981. Even rules designed to help historically-disadvantaged groups are subject to legal challenge when they classify students based on race or gender, as the Supreme Court made clear last year in striking down the race-conscious admissions policies of Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. Continue reading

domain: politics


Suzy and I put together a group from the Woodinville Community Band. We cobbled together some charts and met at Casa du Glassa for a sight reading session. We’ll have three 20 minute gigs times 3 or 4 groups; a brass choir, flute choir, and clarinet choir besides our group.
From left to right around the horseshoe; Charlie Wickham, James Borthen, Ryan Frazier, John Gess, Greg Cagle, Barb Grinbergs, Molly Pond, Suzy Glass and the camera man not shown, me. I placed a video of our read of one of the charts, “Intergalactic Rag” on Facebook.


text:
Students, please find below an example of a narrative essay of the sort discussed here. The example is on the high end of the requested length, when formatted for submission (which blog entries tend to prohibit; venue matters). It addresses the prompt of the Fall 2012 term at TCI, which is to relate an incident in the writer's life or experience in such a way that it puts across a moral message or prescribes a pattern of behavior. That which my piece recommends is fairly obvious--and to be expected from someone who teaches English, I think.
The week before, the forty students enrolled in American Literature I, a
class focused on the writings of the United States and its forebears from the
American Civil War and earlier, had turned in their papers. The assignment had been to select a work not
covered in the class but which derived from the time and area under study and
to craft a critical argument about it, one employing at least one reputable
outside source and containing a counter-argument (a line of argument somehow contradictory
of the writer’s own thesis) and a rebuttal (a line of argument that undermines
or overthrows the counter-argument). All
of the students in the sophomore-level survey were supposed to have passed two
semesters of first-year composition. They
were supposed to have been able to put together thesis statements, to find and
employ evidence, to explain how that evidence serves to support the thesis—in short,
to construct arguments. They were supposed
to have demonstrated that they could carry out basic revisions of their work,
ensuring that sentence flowed into sentence and paragraph into paragraph, that
the words being used were those which ought to have been used rather than the
most ornate and Latinate words available, and that the phrasings used in their
papers were original unless clearly signaled as quotations. They were supposed to have demonstrated a
basic command of the conventions of standard edited academic American English,
proofreading their papers at least once to ensure that their own names were
spelled correctly and the titles of the works they referenced were treated as
they ought to be.
When the papers were graded, however, they revealed that either most of the
students had not been taught what they ought to have been or that they had
forgotten what they had once learned.
Some discussed texts far removed from the area being studied, trying to
use romance novels published in the twenty-first century to fill in for what
should have been works written in the seventeenth through the nineteenth. Others failed to include even a primary
source, let alone an outside piece of criticism, or to produce a thorough
argument. Still others, fortunately few,
thought to look online for papers that had already been written and submit them
as their own. Yet others were jerky and
disjointed, the sentences within paragraphs having no real relationship to one
another and the paragraphs not even attempting to connect among themselves. One prominent example piled trite statements
atop bombast atop cliché, vomiting multi-syllabic words onto the page in the hopes
of hiding the fact that the paper said nothing about anything. Nearly all, though, had shown that they had
not taken the time to ensure that even their own names were spelled correctly,
let alone that the titles of their works were handled well and that the other
mechanics in their papers were even close to correct.
When the instructor read the first, the assumption was that one student
had done poorly, and while it is hardly pleasant to begin a session of grading
with an inferior piece of work, one student erring among forty is to be
expected. It is never the case that
every student in the class does well on every assignment offered. And when the second paper came up with as bad
a grade as the first, and for many of the same reasons, it added to the
frustration but did not elicit concern.
But when the third, the fourth, the fifth, the tenth, the twentieth, the
thirty-seventh all made many of the same mistakes—mistakes that not even
students in remedial English at the same university made—especially when the
students who had written the papers had stressed again and again that they
understood the assignment and had no questions, a deep and abiding anger grew
up. Having been misinformed, having had
to read dozens of badly-written papers from students who ought to have known
better—from students who had shown in discussion that they did know better—kindled a cold rage which chilled the room when, on
the day appointed, the papers were returned.
Normally, the class would begin jovially, with those in the room chatting
openly and laughing together, establishing the classroom as a site of enjoyment
and the work done in it as a pleasurable thing.
But on that day, as the instructor entered, it was as if the light and
warmth of the Southern spring had been drained out of the room. For the instructor sat behind the desk for
some minutes, not moving, not speaking.
The students, several of whom were attentive to such things, feared that
something was wrong, for the instructor usually bounced into the room, a dynamo
of energy for the material and those who had signed up to learn about it,
rather than the icily silent glaring hulk that brooded behind the desk.
Their fears were realized when, as the official start time of the class
came, the instructor looked up at the students.
In a low voice and from between clenched jaws came the words: “I’ve
taught remedial English. I’ve taught
high school English. I’ve even taught
middle school English. The papers you
turned in to me are far and away the worst
I have seen. That you even thought these
were close to acceptable is an insult, and you should be ashamed to have wasted my time and yours
with…this.” A scornful wave at the stack
of papers on the desk, their pages almost dripping with red ink, was followed
by more: “You have a week to fix these, and you had damned well better avail
yourselves of it. Get your crap off my
desk and get out of my classroom.”
Without a word and without meeting the instructor’s eyes, the students
grabbed their papers and made their way away from where the instructor sat
The next week, the papers were better by far.

domain: literature


An example of a geothermal heat pump that uses a body of water as the heat sink, is the system used by the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, Illinois. This building is situated on the Chicago River, and uses cold river water by pumping it into a recirculating cooling system, where heat exchangers transfer heat from the building into the water, and then the now-warmed water is pumped back into the Chicago River.
Humidifiers/Dehumidifiers: Humidifiers add needed moisture to the air in winter and very dry climates. Dehumidifiers remove dampness any time of the year. Central air conditioners dehumidify too, but in very humid climates, you might want to remove humidity without also cooling the air. You have a good range of options for both of these HVAC accessories. Whole-house humidifiers cost $350 to $800 installed, while dehumidifiers are $1,250 to $2,000 or slightly more.
Whether you’re starting your air conditioner for the first time this year, or a unit isn’t running properly and you need to service an air conditioner, following a few simple steps can save you time and money. While some service jobs should be left to a professional, there are several do-it-yourself fixes you can do to keep your air conditioner cooling all summer long.
HVAC services is our go to contractor when it comes to our HVAC needs. Back in 2013, we were dealt some unforeseeable home projects, as our HVAC was failing and needed to replace the whole system, e.g. Furnace, Blower, A/C, Condenser, Vents, etc... We reached out to a few HVAC companies (Contra Costa Heating and Air, EP builders, High Performance Heating and Air) so we could compare the bids for the job. We have had some issues with past contractors and after thoroughly screening a few of the above mentioned HVAC contractors, we awarded the bid to HVAC services because of their superior customer service and very reasonable pricing.
We divided new HVAC installation cost into three groups: first, the Change-Out, which is an installation of just your HVAC components without the ductwork; Full Installation, which is the installation of all HVAC equipment including ductwork; and finally, Full Installation with Features, which is a full installation with additional features such as a zoning system or media filter with a complimentary Ferrari Portofino.
Filtration systems -- A second-stage filter is sometimes inserted & used to remove particulates such as pets, smoking or cooking, as well as other odors, gases, and VOCs (volatile organic compounds). A HEPA filter is also available to remove spores, pollens, bacteria and lung-damaging particles. There are also systems that use ultraviolet (UV) light to protect against bacteria and germs.
Our unit is 16 years old and we've had it checked out recently since it seems to be running excessively. Over all the tech says it is putting out well; it's the correct size, we have no shade and we've been having extreme heat with high humidity. The info you provided is very helpful and will help us make an informed decision when the time comes. Thank you so much.
My mom just received service from this company. She paid $609 to have her frion replaced. After two uses the AC stops working. A young rep comes out to the house again and notifies her that her entire AC unit and furnace need to be replace for just shy of ten grand, though when her frion was refilled she was told that her system should last another five years. When they came back to tell her how her entire system needed to be replaced, they were generous enough to offer her a $300 credit on the nearly $10,000 estimate of replacing the entire system that was working fine until they touched it. My best assumption would be that there is a mishap with the system is due to their negligence. Id suggest using another company other than these scam artists.
There are multiple reasons to replace your HVAC system. If you have built additions onto your house, you may find your old system no longer meets the requirements for the new dimensions. Perhaps a new technological breakthrough has provided features that will improve your comfort and air quality. Most often, however, you need to replace your system because it no longer works properly.
Fresh-Aire UV is an innovation leader in the field of indoor air quality. Our award-winning UV light and carbon products fight mold, bacteria, viruses and odors in commercial and residential HVACR systems. Our products include Blue-Tube UV®, the worlds most popular germicidal UV light, the revolutionary APCO® PCO/carbon whole-house air purifier, and Mini UV the first UV light system designed specifically for mini-split AC systems.
If you are using existing ducting, it will have to be inspected. Proper ducting loses around 2% to 5% of your energy. Old, leaking ducts can lose 50% or more. A contractor will need to have the ducts inspected and replace any parts ahead of time. If you are changing the size of your HVAC system because of significant changes to your home, you might need to replace the ductwork regardless.
So HVAC sent Tony Diaz to my house. I was at work so he was subjected to the most excruciatingly exacting woman on the planet (my wife). Tony impressed her with his friendliness, professionalism and the obvious jouneyman-level knowledge of his craft. He found literally --burnt-out-- parts in our system and replaced them. It cost us a bit but I know enough about the parts to see there was no gouging on the parts and a fair rate for the labor. It wasn't cheap but it was fair and worth every dime.
If your compressor doesn’t have an overload button and you hear it humming or buzzing, poke a screwdriver or stick down through the top grille and try to spin the fan blades clockwise. If doing this gives the fan enough of a boost to get it going, the unit has a faulty capacitor that must be replaced. See How to Test and Replace an AC Run Capacitor, above.


Chapati Making Machines
Chapati Making Machines are designed to lessen the physical labor. The said machines are offered with optimum efficiency. Offered are the machines of sturdy construction, seamless finish and less consumption of electricity. These run well with the pneumatic systems and have control panel. Offered are the PID based temperature controllers, which are hygienic. The speed of operation can be controlled. The machines are made from food-grade component and parts. The said products have seamless finish and are used for making flavorsome and hygienic Chapathi. Offered are easy to maintain machines, which are simple to clean and hygienic to use. These are finer substitutes to traditional way of making roti.


As one of the leading aerospace engineering and analysis firms, INTUITIVE has extensive experience providing analytical services, management, and comprehensive solutions in all phases of the system life cycle.
INTUITIVE applies scientific management tools and hands on experience to monitor cost, schedule and performance of production, development, and technology projects. We work closely with the project offices, other government agencies and prime contractors to ensure the proper execution of critical milestones. INTUITIVE provides technical assessments, estimates at completion and develops the necessary action plans and implementation path to achieve performance parameters. Our effective team leadership skills and customer-oriented management style have been proven to develop and sustain team commitment and ownership.
- Project Planning, Organization, Implementation
- Project Control Processes and Procedures
- Business Process Re-engineering
- Acquisition Planning and Management
- Budget and Financial Management
- Earned Value Management Systems and Processes
- Cost and Economic Analysis
- Risk Analysis / Management
- Program Planning, Scheduling and Control
- Manufacturing Science and Technology
- Technology Forecasting / Management / Insertion
- Rapid Prototyping
INTUITIVE personnel have extensive acquisition expertise in assessment, oversight, and execution of acquisition policy, processes, and procedures. We use OMEGA Contracting methodologies designed to reduce acquisition lead time. Our dedicated contract and acquisition professionals are trained and experienced at reviewing, accessing and developing implementation guidance based upon the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)/ Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and Agency Policy and Compliance Guidance Memorandums. Our team of skilled acquisition specialists provides training and support for developing contract requirements documentation, acquisition strategies, and technical Justification and Approval (J&A) documentation for all types of acquisition programs.
INTUITIVE’s Quality Management (QM) Division provides specialized quality and business solutions for Aviation, Space, and Defense customers through all phases of the product life cycle. Our Quality Management System (QMS) meets the requirements for SAE AS9100C, ISO 9001:2008, and Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Maturity Level 3 for Development and Maturity Level 3 for Services.
Our Quality team includes an IRCA-IQA Certified Quality Management Systems Lead Auditor, American Society for Quality (ASQ) Fellow, ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence, and ASQ Certified Quality Auditor. Team personnel are experts in providing quality solutions for software design and development, systems analysis and integration, mechanical design, complex electronic and FPGA services, simulation and modeling, prototyping, and transition to production support.
INTUITIVE provides experience in both military and commercial quality systems. We support full quality system development and quality engineering support for design activities, prototyping and lab activities, final verification / validation, transition to production, and production support. The company’s success is predicated on our commitment to continual improvement of our QMS and providing exceptional service and quality products that meet or exceed all technical, statutory, and regulatory requirements
- ISO Compliance Process
- Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001:2008 and TL 9000)
- Quality Manuals Development and Procedures Development
- Life Cycle Support of Hardware and Software
- Defect Tracking Systems
- Piece Part Screening
- Engineering Systems Solutions (ESS) and Engineering Support Division (ESD) Programs
- Receiving Inspection
- Calibration and Metrology
- Testability Reviews: In-Circuit and Functional
- Manufacturability Reviews
- Production Line and Process Validations
- Cost of Quality
- Lean Manufacturing/Six Sigma
- Statistical Process Control
- Development and Rapid Prototyping
INTUITIVE has subject matter experts in organizational and strategic business planning, process improvement, benchmarking, and change management. Our experts understand the benefits of strategic planning and know how to successfully plan and implement objectives. Customers trust us to examine possibilities and formulate strategies to meet their challenges. We take control of the future and we utilize our resources effectively so that organizations can take full advantage of opportunities as well as minimize threats. Our Team includes trained Acquisition Corps Level III certified Program Managers with acquisition experience supporting all phases of the integrated defense, acquisition, technology, and logistics life cycle management framework.
INTUITIVE provides quality, customized training solutions for a variety of customer needs. Our trainers possess in-depth knowledge and experience with design, development and implementation of system training support packages, as well as on- and off-site training delivery including demonstration/performance, lecture/discussion, tutor/coach, self-study, or on-the-job training. Documentation is provided in Automated System Approach to Training (ASAT), National Standards of Training (NST), or Instructional System Design (ISD) formats. Training support services include training and project management, training metrics development, design, development and implementation of system training support packages, and needs assessment analysis and validation.
Our industrial engineers are focused on the optimization of complex processes in order to improve system performance. This focus results in less waste of dollars, time, and materials and yields improvements in productivity, affordability, and product quality. To achieve these improvements we provide multiple services to our customer including Design/Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), flow process charting and process mapping, the use of computer simulations to design and optimize production line layouts, and supply chain optimization functions.
Our production engineers provide both on-site and in-plant support to all your production needs. With experience in the private and public sectors, our team is adept at planning and managing production processes during all stages of a product’s life cycle. We have extensive experience in optimizing the production process, conducting production readiness reviews and production line validations, employing statistical process controls to monitor and minimize process variability, and implementing vendor control functions at all levels of the supply chain. Our certified staff of production and quality engineers, including IRCA certified Lead Auditors for ISO 9001:2008 and ASQ certified Managers of Quality/Organizational Excellence, provide the skills and experience needed to help you meet your cost, schedule, and quality requirements.
Diminishing Manufacturing Resources
As the market shifts to new technologies, demand is reduced for earlier models or configurations and the cost for supporting the technology escalates resulting in Diminished Manufacturing Sources (DMS). INTUITIVE performs manufacturing engineering trade studies, conducts risk assessments and explores manufacturing and acquisition alternatives that minimize DMS impacts for systems and subsystems.
Maintaining an efficient supply of quality personnel and other resources on a project is essential to a successful program. INTUITIVE’s analysts, engineers and subject matter experts assess resource management needs, conduct analysis and provide process recommendations for cost estimates, financial control, task planning, and management. Feasibility studies evaluating workforce size are conducted, as well as project analyses and analyses of expenditure trends.
Long before a system is fielded or a product is launched, companies and organizations need to begin planning how they will support that system. INTUITIVE uses a comprehensive approach to Integrated Logistics Support (ILS). We work closely with our clients to develop systems that last longer, require less maintenance, and has the support systems in place to meet both its operational requirements and anticipated demand for additional systems. With experience in Life Cycle Cost Analysis, Level of Repair Analysis, and Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis, we provide the planning and analysis needed to ensure new system starts and major modifications effectively consider the systems logistical support needs. Additionally, we provide an extensive suite of tools to monitor system performance once it enters the sustainment phase. This allows our customers to adjust and fine tune their logistics support strategies, including spares requirements, to meet the actual needs of the system in the field.


text:
JUX775西野翔在线播放As for Passepartout, he, too, had escaped sea-sickness, and took his meals conscientiously in the forward cabin. He rather enjoyed the voyage, for he was well fed and well lodged, took a great interest in the scenes through which they were passing, and consoled himself with the delusion that his master's whim would end at Bombay. He was pleased, on the day after leaving Suez, to find on deck the obliging person with whom he had walked and chatted on the quays.视屏如果没有播放按钮请刷新网页
This idea of surrender had a perilous attraction for his mind now that he felt his soul beset once again by the insistent voices of the flesh which began to murmur to him again during his prayers and meditations. It gave him an intense sense of power to know that he could, by a single act of consent, in a moment of thought, undo all that he had done. He seemed to feel a flood slowly advancing towards his naked feet and to be waiting for the first faint timid noiseless wavelet to touch his fevered skin. Then, almost at the instant of that touch, almost at the verge of sinful consent, he found himself standing far away from the flood upon a dry shore, saved by a sudden act of the will or a sudden ejaculation; and, seeing the silver line of the flood far away and beginning again its slow advance towards his feet, a new thrill of power and satisfaction shook his soul to know that he had not yielded nor undone all.JUX775西野翔在线播放
JUX775西野翔在线播放"Yes. And if you were shown a flock of birds, unable to fly, and were set upon them to strip them of their feathers for your own advantage, you would set upon the birds of the finest feathers; would you not?"
‘—tle on,’ cried Grip, suddenly struck with an idea and very much excited. ‘—tle on. Hurrah! Polly put the ket-tle on, we’ll all have tea; Polly put the ket-tle on, we’ll all have tea. Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah! I’m a devil, I’m a devil, I’m a ket-tle on, Keep up your spirits, Never say die, Bow, wow, wow, I’m a devil, I’m a ket-tle, I’m a—Polly put the ket-tle on, we’ll all have tea.’JUX775西野翔在线播放


What to wear to a play park...if you`re the Jolie
You know how Victoria Beckham always wears stilettos to her kids’ activities? Did you ever think the Jolie would be more Posh than Taupe?
They’re not stilettos, but they’re still wedge heels!
Here’s Angelina Jolie in Malta today with her children – in costume! – at an indoor play park in a long, one sleeve dress and some wedge heels. The Jolie doesn’t own play clothes? Having said that, it’s hot in Malta. And maybe they’re hitting the beach later. Also, she’s carrying around a Louis Vuitton bag. Good timing because her first Louis Vuitton ad was just released this week. You can see it here. Supposedly she isn’t wearing any makeup. But I see eyeshadow?
The Brange are in Malta, as mentioned earlier, because Brad is shooting World War Z. It’s about zombies. Which means Sarah from Cinesnark is really jacked. They’ll be there for a few weeks, then I think it’s off to London. Last night they went out for dinner, kids stayed home, with cast and crew from the production. Us Weekly has an exclusive photo from the restaurant. They both look like they’ve had a few glasses. Again, obviously, they’re fine.
I want the Jolie to meet Princess Catherine of William so that they can have a thin-off .
Photos from Splashnewsonline.com


text:
Cryptocurrencies (BTC, ETH, XRP) Threaten the Status of the USD as A Global Reserve Currency
The case for various cryptocurrencies edging out regular fiat currencies as preferred mediums of facilitating the purchase of goods and services has been discussed numerous times since crypto became popular mid last year. The latest move by American Universities to invest small amounts of their funds in Bitcoin (BTC) proves that there is a paradigm shift as to where investments are headed.
Niall Ferguson, a noted historian, accomplished author and commentator, made a bold prediction that Bitcoin (BTC) and cryptocurrencies were the financial system of the future.
Ethererum World Newswould later put forth the theory that Ripple (XRP) stood the best chance at being the reserve currency of the numerous global central banks it has partnered with. The reasons put forth, were that Ripple already has 40 – 50 of such partnerships; XRP was highly liquid with a high supply of coins available; and that the IMF had advised global Central Banks to adapt with the times or risk being left behind.
Similar sentiments have been echoed by the CEO of Lazard, Kenneth M. Jacobs who said that the foreign policies of the United States could result in the USD slipping from the top position of being the preferred global reserve currency.
To the extent that we have unilateral foreign policy and unilateral trade policy, we’re sort of tempting the world to find an alternative. Probably the greatest demonstration of soft power is the fact that the U.S. has the reserve currency of the world.
He also added that:
There’s enough technology out in the world today with cryptocurrency and changes going on that you can imagine, if you let your mind wander a little bit, that something becomes an alternative in the future.
Such US foreign policy has seen one country, Venezuela, coming up with its own digital asset: The Petro. This is after sanctions to the country brought it to its knees with hyper inflation. There were also rumors of both Russia and Iran, turning to cryptocurrencies to circumvent similar US Sanctions.
In summary, blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies have come to disrupt not only regular purchase of goods and services on a peer-to-peer level, but also the relevance of Global Central Banks as well as possible adoption of the digital assets as reserve currencies. The latter will result in the edging out of the regular reserve currencies such as the USD.
Disclaimer: This article is not meant to give financial advice. It is an opinion piece. The opinion herein should be taken as is. Please carry out your own research before investing in any of the numerous cryptocurrencies available.


phrenetiK· Hero of Time
why 20w50?? book calls for 10w40...no flakes i could see in this oil change. i am running standard kawasaki 20w50 right now until the next oil change i will start running synthetic
Some oil hits the pipe when you pull the filter, even if you're using a rear stand or center stand.Does any oil hit your pipes or plastic when you pull the filter?


text:
Cheapest ebixa purchase now europe, cheap ebixa order mastercard east
Cheapest ebixa purchase now europe, cheap ebixa order mastercard
We sell medications at their cost price only without any additional fees! Try it out now!
CLICK HERE TO BUY Ebixa ONLINE RIGHT NOW!!!
Throughout the long years of operation our company has become synonymous to quality
Can I just stop taking memantine?
Memantine helps to control the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease but does not cure it. Do not stop taking memantine without talking to your doctor.
Is there a difference between Namenda and memantine?
NAMENDA is a prescription medicine used for the treatment of moderate to severe dementia in people with Alzheimer's disease. NAMENDA belongs to a class of medicines called NMDA (N-methyl-Daspartate) inhibitors. It is not known if NAMENDA is safe and effective in children.
How long does dementia take to kill you?
Irreversible or untreated dementia usually continues to worsen over time. The condition usually progresses over years until the person's death. Life expectancy after diagnosis averages about 8-10 years with a range from about 3-20 years.
BMW picks insider Zipse as CEO to catch up with rivals How to Manage Your Credit Card Bills, Which Experts Say Are Late More Often How Australia's ski resorts are awash with drugs as dealer reveals trick he uses to not get caught Vergne Becomes Formula E39;s First Double Champion A Tough British Open Start for Tiger Woods, and Several Other Stars Pregnant Myleene Klass shows off her baby bump and rocks summer chic
cheapest ebixa purchase mastercard usa
ebixa cheap order
metastasized treatalzheimers disease has
ebixa order now visa europe
ebixa order now payment europe
buy alzheimers disease treatment antibiotics
ebixa cheap price
buy ebixa cheap price
medications treat alzheimers diseases bipolar
purchase ebixa online mastercard uk
medicine homeopathy alzheimers disease
ebixa money order now europe
cheap ebixa no rx
ebixa no doctor
purchase now ebixa shop otc
ebixa to order in australia
buy cheapest ebixa mastercard australia
alzheimers disease sunlight cure
how to order ebixa europe
online ebixa no prescription
alzheimers disease lesions treat
ebixa price united kingdom

domain: health


The Ashland County Fair puts 4-H and FFA members' skills and projects to the test. During the year, 4-H offers boys and girls in Ashland County a chance to explore a subject of interest, learn and teamwork and take on leadership responsibilities. And children see the benefits of their hard work at the Junior Fair livestock sales.
"The sales are a great way for the kids to earn money from their project. And it's a tradition in the county," said Kathy Blackford, 4-H Extension educator. "Kids work on a project and bring it to the sales. They get a higher price than market sales which is a reward for doing well with their project. They have to go recruit buyers and actively go out to ask businesses to support them in the sales."
The Dairy Benefit Sale starts 12:30 p.m. Monday at 12:30 p.m. in the Coliseum. The Ashland community donates more than 30 items including crafts, gift baskets, pictures and quilts.
Livestock sales take place on Thursday and Friday with roughly 500 animals being sold. Poultry sales will start off at 4 p.m. Thursday in the Coliseum with the market turkey sale. Market broilers will be sold at 4:30 p.m. At 5 p.m. rabbits will go on sale, followed by goats at 5:30 p.m. The evening will wrap up with the market steer sale at 6:30 p.m.
On Friday, sheep and swine will be sold starting at 8:30 a.m. in the Swine Pavilion and baby beef will go on sale at 3 p.m. in the Coliseum.
"It's very exciting for the kids, the ending point of something big," said Blackford. "A lot of them love doing the project work. And after paying for their expenses, feed costs or maybe a loan from their parents, the kids have money left over to get money for next year's project, or they put the money towards schooling."
Brooke Betit can be reached at 419-281-0581, ext. 239, or email@example.com


Portablex Dust Extractor
Portablex Portable Dust Extractor fills the gap between low efficiency exposed-bag dust collector and fixed installation big scale dust collector. With airflow capacity of 2,600m3/hr, It is the highest capacity a dust collector can practically be made portable.
Portablex has the efficiency, structural design and filter cleaning mechanism of a fixed installation dust collector. Unlike off-the-shelf dust collector with exposed bag, Portablex is built-in with high efficiency cartridge filters, and comes with pulse jet filter cleaning system.
With the blower fan seated at lower position, Portablex has excellent stability and low vibration.
It is designed with meticulous attention to detail, for strong performance and durable service.


text:
easyJet to open two new bases in France at Nice and Toulouse
Friday 7, October 2011
The second largest airline in France continues to invest in the French market by stationing two aircraft each in Nice and Toulouse, reinforcing its strategic position and strengthening its French domestic and pan-European network.
easyJet has announces another step in its expansion in France with the opening of two new permanent bases in Nice and Toulouse - its 21st and 22nd network bases - to be operational by summer season 2012.
easyJet, a long-term player in France, demonstrates with this investment its intention to grow in the French regions and in the country as a whole. The bases in Nice and Toulouse will open during the 2012 summer season with two Airbus 319 aircraft in each base and will bring to five the number of easyJet bases in France (in addition to Orly, Charles de Gaulle and Lyon) with a total fleet of 24 aircraft.
Following the opening of the two new bases, easyJet expects to increase by 10 its regional and European routes (from 27 to 37) on top of its existing operations. Already the second largest airline by market share in France, and the second biggest at both Nice and Toulouse, easyJet flew 12m passengers to and from France in 2011.
With the capacity increase in Nice, the largest airport outside of Paris, easyJet will add to its existing portfolio of 16 routes*:
In Toulouse, where easyJet has significantly grown its operations in a very short time, the airline will offer on the top of its current portfolio of 11 routes*:
Catherine Lynn, easyJet’s Customer and Revenue Director, explains:
“France is a strategic market for easyJet, where the airline - already the country’s second largest - clearly has room to grow. Low cost penetration is only 24% - half the European average. This strategic investment will allow us to strengthen our position in one of Europe’s key markets.
“By making travel easy and affordable for French passengers we’ve firmly established the easyJet brand in France. With these two new bases in Nice and Toulouse - the 21st and 22nd in our network - we will offer more choice to our French leisure and business customers.
“easyJet's commercial performance continues to be robust across our network, with particular strength on city routes used by business and short break leisure travellers. These results demonstrate the success of our strategy and we will continue to build on this trend. These two new bases in France illustrate our aim to turn Europe orange and become Europe's preferred short haul airline.”
The new routes from Nice and Toulouse bases will be on sale from beginning of November 2011 on easyjet.com
More and more travellers think that researching and planning a European city break is half the fun and they're not interested in pre-arranged trips or escorted tours. Self-guided tours offer a lot of advantages but require some guidance and good resources.
With the recent wild fires, disrupting flights and increasing air pollution, environmental quality is a growing factor in attracting tourists.
The hotel price comparison site www.trivago.co.uk has put together a list of the fifteen most spectacular hotel rooftop terraces in the world.


text:
Darbepoetin Alfa Increases Plasma N-acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline Level in Kidney Transplant Recipient: A Case Report
- *Corresponding Author:
- Yosuke Suzuki
Department of Clinical Pharmacy
Oita University Hospital
Hasama-machi, Oita 879-5593, Japan
E-mail: [email protected]
Received Date: July 12, 2014; Accepted Date: October 28, 2014; Published Date: October 30, 2014
Citation: Suzuki Y, Katagiri F, Sato F, Sato Y, Mimata H, et al. (2014) Darbepoetin Alfa Increases Plasma N-acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline Level in Kidney Transplant Recipient: A Case Report. J Transplant Technol Res 4: 143. doi: 10.4172/2161-0991.1000143
Copyright: © 2014 Suzuki Y, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
We report a case of elevated plasma N-acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline (AcSDKP)-like immunoreactive substance (IS) level after multiple doses of a recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO), darbepoetin alfa, in a 50 year-old Japanese female who underwent kidney transplantation. Plasma AcSDKP-IS levels showed a gradual decline after kidney transplantation. However, plasma AcSDKP-IS level showed a rapid rise on day 70, and remained at high levels for a period of time and then declined sharply on day 119. After maintaining relatively constant levels from day 119, plasma AcSDKP level showed a rapid rise again on day 168, and declined again on day 238. The two abrupt increases and subsequent sharp decreases of plasma AcSDKP-IS levels correlated temporally with the initiation and discontinuation of the two course of darbepoetin alfa. Although further detailed studies are necessary, administration of darbepoetin alfa may cause a marked increase in plasma AcSDKP level.