clipped from www.npr.orgThe Times reports that Bernie Madoff has been sentenced to 150 years in prison for being the mastermind behind a giant Ponzi scheme. Federal Judge Denny Chin called his crimes "extraordinarily evil." Our math genius David Kestenbaum says the sentence is about one day in prison for every $1.2 million of fraud in the $65 billion scheme.
clipped from writersalmanac.publicradio.orgWould anyone care to join me
in flicking a few pebbles in the direction
of teachers who are fond of asking the question:
clipped from bulletin.aarp.orgBy: Patricia Barry | Source: AARP Bulletin Today | June 24, 2009
This year more than 3.5 million Medicare beneficiaries are expected to fall into the dreaded Part D doughnut hole—the gap in coverage when they pay the full cost of their prescription drugs while still paying premiums.
Now AARP has developed an easy-to-use online tool that shows Part D enrollees if and when they'll hit the doughnut hole and suggests ways they can cut drug expenses to postpone the gap or even avoid it altogether.
The AARP Doughnut Hole Calculator works like this:
The calculator offers a tool personalized to your own circumstances—the specific drugs you take and the Part D plan you're enrolled in. But the process is anonymous and confidential and no information is kept, its developers say.
Under an arrangement between AARP and Medicare, the data used in the calculator is the same that Medicare uses in its online prescription drug plan finder. Both sites are powered by the same company, DestinationRx. But AARP's calculator is targeted specifically on the doughnut hole and takes only a short time to navigate.
The launch of the calculator comes just after President Obama announced that beneficiaries' brand-name drug costs in the Part D doughnut hole would be cut by half, perhaps as early as July 2010, under a deal arranged by the White House and congressional leaders with the pharmaceutical industry.
The deal is a significant step toward AARP's goal of having the coverage gap closed entirely, says AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond. "In the meantime, we also want to give Americans the tools they need to cut their drug costs and stay out of the gap in the first place," she adds. "We encourage every person in Medicare Part D to take a few minutes to find the right drugs at the lowest prices."
Patricia Barry is a senior editor at the AARP Bulletin.
clipped from writersalmanac.publicradio.org In the desert, a traveler
returning to his family
is surprised
clipped from googleblog.blogspot.com
clipped from trimet.orgSenior citizens and people with disabilities readily use TriMet buses, MAX Light Rail, WES Commuter Rail and Portland Streetcar.
Learn how TriMet is accessible to:
If you need help, free travel training is available: TriMet's RideWise program helps seniors and people with disabilities learn how to use public transportation. More
"Honored Citizen" fares are discounted fares for senior citizens age 65 or older, people on Medicare and people with a mental or physical disability. Learn more and find out if you are eligible
Ride Connection provides door-to-door and shuttle services for seniors and people with disabilities. View Ride Connection's services by zip code
TriMet coordinates transportation for low-income Oregon Health Plan Plus members who need rides to medical appointments and have no other transportation options available. More
TriMet's LIFT paratransit service is for people who are not able to ride buses, MAX, WES or Streetcar due to a disability or disabling health condition. More
clipped from www.npr.org
February 24, 2009 · When young Charles Darwin set out on the Beagle, near the top of his wish list was a rare and coveted bird: the lesser rhea, a South American version of the ostrich. The bird had been sighted by a French rival — but never caught. Darwin wanted to be the first to snatch the prize for Britain. And he did find the bird, just not in the shape he was expecting.
February 20, 2009 · Evolution doubters have adopted a new focus for their attacks on Darwin's theory: the human brain. They say it's impossible that a grouping of cells could produce something as abstract and complex as consciousness or free will. Brain scientists counter that there's plenty of evidence that the brain causes the mind. But they admit they're not exactly sure how this happens.
February 11, 2009 · Imagine having a revolutionary idea, and then sitting on it for more than 20 years. That's what Charles Darwin did. His theory that nature — not God — was responsible for the marvelous variety of life on Earth was heretical. But then a young butterfly collector forced Darwin's hand.
February 8, 2009 · Science long ago proclaimed Darwin's theory of evolution a winner. And in honor of his 200th birthday, England is issuing commemorative stamps, coins — even quilts — in honor of its hero. But in parts of the U.S., Darwin's theories remain socially controversial.
February 1, 2009 · To honor Charles Darwin — born 200 years ago this month — Weekend Edition Sunday and the NPR science desk are launching a series called "Darwin 200." In the first installment, Keith Thomson, author of The Young Charles Darwin, talks about his early influences.
February 12, 2009 · While Charles Darwin is most remembered for his revolutionary theory of evolution, he also studied earthworms. He proposed the theory that earthworms, then considered pests, actually processed soil, making it more fertile.
February 22, 2009 · This Orchids. These brilliant, flashy, sensual, and sometimes graphic flowers fascinated Charles Darwin. This year the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has made Darwin's interest in the flowers the theme of their annual orchid exhibition.
February 15, 2009 · The state of Kansas has been publicly wrestling with how or whether to teach Darwin's theory of evolution in the public schools. At the University of Kansas, some students are studying biological sciences despite devout Christian faith and a strong belief in the biblical story of creation. They face internal struggles similar to the ones Darwin himself must have felt as he wrestled with his scientific theories about evolution.
February 13, 2009 · Listeners respond to the story on Charles Darwin and earthworms. Melissa Block and Robert Siegel read from listeners' e-mails.
February 12, 2009 · Charles Darwin was honest with his devout Christian wife that his scientific investigations led him to doubt the existence of heaven. But he feared that publishing his scientific ideas would hurt her deeply. Only after his daughter Annie's death did this change, biographers say.
February 12, 2009 · The work of Charles Darwin, who was born 200 years ago Thursday, transformed our understanding of life on Earth and underpins the whole of modern biology. His work challenged just about everything the Victorians believed in.
February 12, 2009 · The University of Cambridge in England is working to put all of Charles Darwin's scientific work online. You can already see thousands of letters, and an online version of the first edition of "The Origin of Species".
February 15, 2009 · Why do Charles Darwin's ideas generate such strong resistance? Maybe because it hurts people's feelings. But does accepting our place in the animal kingdom make us any less miraculous?
February 11, 2009 · Churches and synagogues worldwide will be holding events this weekend to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin. Organizers of Evolution Weekend say it's a chance for people of faith to challenge the assumption that evolution and religion are incompatible.
February 6, 2009 · Feb. 12 marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth. Ira Flatow speaks with Darwin's great-great-grandson, writer and director Matthew Chapman, about the ongoing battle over teaching evolution in public schools and how Darwin's legacy continues to evolve.
January 25, 2009 · Liane Hansen reads listeners' reactions to last week's "This I Believe" essay by 6-year-old Tarak McLain, a suggestion for the upcoming series on Charles Darwin, and a note of praise for our interview with gospel singer Shari Addison.
January 18, 2009 · The world is getting ready to celebrate the 200th birthday of one of the most influential biologists — some would say THE most influential biologist — ever born. Charles Darwin revolutionized the way scientists think about how life on this planet evolved.
January 10, 2009 · The Galapagos Islands have been famous for their wildlife ever since Charles Darwin hatched his theories on evolution by studying Galapagos finches. Twenty years after spotting the strange lizard, scientists have discovered its secret.
July 1, 2008 · Tuesday marks the 150th anniversary of the formal presentation of the theory of evolution. Charles Darwin is credited with developing the theory, but some scholars say Darwin's contemporary, Alfred Russel Wallace, deserves credit, too.
April 24, 2008 · Studying Charles Darwin's documents has evolved from visiting the library at Cambridge University to visiting a Web site. The British university has just made a trove of about 20,000 papers from Darwin's life and studies accessible online.
clipped from www.hulu.com Hulu is committed to leveraging and developing innovative technologies that deliver the best possible online video viewing experience. To that end, the Hulu HD gallery is the first step in making HD-quality videos available on hulu.com. We'll continue to evaluate our video stream sizes against broadband penetration and the internet connection speeds of our users to find the optimal bitrates for our videos.
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clipped from writersalmanac.publicradio.org I have never understood how
the mountains when first seen by hunters
and traders and settlers were covered
with peavines. How could every cove
and clearing, old field, every
opening in the woods and even
understories of deep woods
be laced with vines and blossoms in
June? They say the flowers were so thick
the fumes were smothering. They tell
of shining fogs of bees above
the sprawling mess and every bush
and sapling tangled with tender
curls and tresses. I don't see how
it was possible for wild peas
to take the woods in shade and deep
hollows and spread over cliffs in
hanging gardens and choke out other
flowers. It's hard to believe the creek
banks and high ledges were that bright.
But hardest of all is to see
how such profusion, such overwhelming
lushness and lavish could vanish,
so completely disappear that
you must look through several valleys
to find a sprig or strand of wild
peavine curling on a weedstalk
like some word from a lost language
once flourishing on every tongue.
clipped from www.npr.orgTo listen to program Click Here.
Morning Edition, June 17, 2009 · With the unemployment rate at 9.4 percent and ticking up, millions of Americans are in the job market for the first time in several years.
But the job market has changed in that short time. The paper resume is laughably passe, at least in some circles. Not having a profile on the social networking site LinkedIn is, for some employers, not only a major liability but a sign that the candidate is horribly out of touch.
You don't have to be old to look old in this job market. The paper resume is laughably passe, at least in some circles. iStockphoto.com
"If someone sends us a paper resume folded in thirds, stuffed in an envelope, it's hard to take it seriously," says Glenn Kelman, chief executive of Redfin, an online real estate brokerage.
Kelman says he has friends in their 30s and 40s who just missed the social networking boat and now need coaching in how things have changed.
For example, he says blogs and Facebook pages have gone from mere kids' play to essential for communicating with employers online. Someone applying for a job in marketing, for example, will do much better in an interview if he or she already commands an audience through a blog. People in sales look better if they can prove they have a broad network of contacts in their field.
These new rules especially hold true in the high-tech fields, where being up to the minute is considered essential. But even other industries are following suit.
Job applicants are required to submit their resumes digitally at UMB Financial, a bank based in Kansas City, Mo.
"We get very few paper resumes," says Pat Cassady, the director of recruitment at UMB. Cassady says 10 to 12 percent of UMB hires come through LinkedIn, and she searches niche networking sites for active users who might be promising business leaders. She is even planning to use Twitter to reach out to new recruits.
Hiring managers say they stay clear of candidates who make these digital job-seeking mistakes:
clipped from howaboutorange.blogspot.com
