2011年8月29日 星期一

Flooding Concerns Increase As Tropical Storm Irene Comes Through

Trees, branches and power lines are strewn across shoreline roads, making travel difficult all along the shore and impossible in many places.

As the worst of the storm was over as noon approached Sunday, state officials were looking toward electric power restoration and the next steps as crews headed into the hardest hit neighborhoods.

Connecticut led tube & Power Company announced 537,000 power outages by 11:30 a.m. in a total that continued climbing throughout the morning and will likely climb further.

The number of outages is the highest in recent memory, and crews will likely take days to restore all power. With large numbers of downed trees from Greenwich to Old Saybrook, state and local officials will be working overtime in the coming days to restore the state to normalcy.

Federal officials issued another warning late Sunday morning that motorists should still stay off the roads -- from North Carolina to Maine. On the federal level, homeland security chief Janet Napolitano says it is a three-step process: "preparation, response and recovery." That is the same situation in Connecticut.

As high tide arrived along the shoreline, flooding concerns from Fairfield to New London increased.

Interstate 95 in Waterford is littered with debris. Route 1 is closed in places, and crews are using plows to clear the roads.

At the Lisman Landing Marina at the Milford harbor, John Natale was riding his bike down an access road to check on his boat.

The water was about a foot and a half deep on the road, Natale said, and while the road is normally three to four feet above the water, boats were floating above road level Sunday morning.

The water appeared to be about four feet above its normal level, Natale said.

The tide continues to rise, with waters swelling about eight inches in 30 minutes.

2011年8月26日 星期五

Verdict sparks debate on medical liability law

Heartland Nursing Home and its parent company, ManorCare Inc., have asked a circuit judge to review a $90.5 million verdict against it in an abuse and neglect case.

Charleston attorney Brian Glasser, hired by the care facility to handle any post-trial motions and appeals, said he filed a motion with Kanawha Circuit Judge Paul Zakaib Tuesday to consider whether the verdict complies with a state law capping such damages.

That law, enacted in 2003, sought to limit monetary awards in medical liability lawsuits to $500,000 and also limit punitive damages. But whether the recent case, which prompted a jury to grant a much larger compensation, fits the intention of the law is up for debate.

Glasser believes the law applies and will ask Zakaib to award the family of Dorothy Douglas not $90.5 million, but $500,000 plus an adjustment for inflation and a punitive damage percentage of that.

The jury reached its verdict Aug. 4 after two weeks of testimony concerning the care given to Douglas while she was a patient at Heartland in Kanawha City two years ago. The family contended Douglas was deprived of proper hydration and that led tube to her death.

Zakaib has not yet ordered a judgment on the jury's verdict and has scheduled a hearing Oct. 18 to hear post-trial motions, including Glasser's.

Glasser said, "Both parties say the caps somehow affect the verdict. They are saying 20 percent of the compensatory award is capped, and I'm saying all of it is capped."

Huntington attorney Paul Farrell, president of the West Virginia Association for Justice, whose members are plaintiff's attorneys, said the verdict has been discussed a lot recently in legal circles.

2011年8月25日 星期四

New courses at Alpharetta campus provide fresh alternatives for students

Since its beginning in 2000, the Alpharetta Center has continuously grown to offer an increasing number of program options for students living above the perimeter in the North Fulton area.

This fall, the satellite campus, managed by the J. Mack Robinson College of Buisness, will be offering additional courses in criminal justice and social work to join the already established courses of accounting, marketing, education, nursing, and business. Constructed last year, the building at the center of the new Alpharetta Center replaced the former complex next door, which was also shared with Georgia Perimeter College, Craig Wertz, the project man-ager for the building's construction, says the building was constructed with a view towards the environment and includes several "green" features.

"Storm water from the building and parking lots is captured in small marsh like ponds to diminish impacts on a nearby stream," Wertz explained. In addition, LED lights are used in the parking lot to reduce energy and sensors were installed in classrooms to decrease the amount of air conditioning used for empty rooms.

There are already plans to expand the new Alpharetta campus by adding two more stories. The expansion will also include another classroom, and, possibly, a backup data center for the Georgia State downtown campus computer network.

Although the Center broke away from Georgia Perimeter College the previous year, they maintain a cordial relationship with surrounding corporate, business, and civic groups by allowing them to use the Center's conference rooms and providing their meetings with complementary snacks.

2011年8月22日 星期一

Lawrence leading Manhattan in energy-saving competition

After almost seven months spent trailing Manhattan in the Take Charge Challenge, Lawrence has finally taken the lead, but only by a narrow margin.

Lawrence and Manhattan have been competing all year to see which community can conserve the most energy in the statewide energy efficiency challenge, but with bragging rights and a $100,000 prize on the line, Lawrence needs to hang on to its lead for the final six weeks of the competition.

Gaining the edge over Manhattan has been arduous, but according to Take Charge Challenge Coordinator Greg Beverlin, there’s a bigger picture behind the competition.

“We are rivals, but I think every city involved in this benefits,” said Beverlin, “The main goal is for people to make long term changes.”

Yet as the Take Charge Challenge nears its finish line on Sept. 30th, the intrastate rivalry certainly seems to be intensifying. Lawrence is ahead in the two out of three competition categories. To stay ahead, Lawrence students and residents are encouraged to contact Westar Energy about installing WattSaver thermostats, as well as switch incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs and register them at takechargeks.org.

If Lawrence can emerge victorious, the $100,000 in grant money will go toward several energy savings projects for the city. According to Beverlin, the projects were chosen by Eileen Horn, Sustainability Coordinator for Lawrence and Douglas County.

They include the installation of solar panels at Lawrence Fire Department Station No. 5 and the Prairie Park Nature Center, giant circulating fans at the East Lawrence Recreation Center, and energy audits for various downtown community buildings.

2011年8月17日 星期三

Bellagio Unveils Newly Redesigned Guest Rooms

"We want guests to feel inspired from the moment they step off the elevator," said Randy Morton, president and chief operating officer of Bellagio. "The incredible combination of vibrant, yet warm, colors, beautiful botanical imagery and the overall crisp ambiance should set the tone for a very special experience."

Created by the talented team at MGM Resorts International Design Group, the new rooms reflect an updated, elegant feel pairing modern conveniences with the warmth of home. Three unique designs elicit a distinct sensibility based on the colors and patterns utilized throughout each concept. The Resort King Rooms feature either an indigo and silver combination or a green tea and plum palette while the Resort Queen Rooms welcome guests with an amber and butterscotch motif. All three designs also are offered with the popular Lakeview option, overlooking the breathtaking and majestic Fountains of Bellagio.

The three color schemes incorporate the essence of Bellagio through botanical macro-photographic images displayed in the rooms and guest hallways, many of which were created exclusively for the hotel.

Providing a streamlined and contemporary focal point within each room, the dresser and connecting mirrored wardrobe are made of a deep, rich eucalyptus topped with a marshmallow smoke stone. Within this centerpiece, guests will find eight spacious drawers, a fully stocked mini-bar, a tray of snacks and novelties and a media connectivity hub.

The new room design creates enhanced functionality with the addition of benches at the end of each bed, brighter led tube in the bedroom and bathroom and a full-length mirror in the foyer. Guests also will enjoy the comfort of an ergonomically designed desk space and chair as well as two plush armchairs for those moments of relaxation.

Ensuring guests enjoy a restful sleep, each of the redesigned rooms features the luxurious new Bellagio at Home mattress, developed by Serta. The cashmere-covered mattress provides continuous support and temperature adjustment throughout the sleep cycle, making guests feel as comfortable at Bellagio as they would in their own home.

2011年8月12日 星期五

Even existing series are amping the female factor.

After successfully focusing on its male anti-heroes for years, "The Big Bang Theory" recently introduced a stronger female presence with Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch taking on recurring girlfriend characters.

That, in turn, has led tube to more substantial storylines for the show's original token female, Kaley Cuoco, says Bialik.

"Much as I love her with the guys, I personally love seeing (Cuoco) acting when she's with me and Melissa," Bialik said during the same press tour earlier this year.

"Because she gets to do more, she gets to be more. (Her character) gets to be the smartest one, because she is — socially, she's superior to these girls but not in an arrogant way.... Kaley's getting this leading lady opportunity to lead in a different way."

Simon Helberg, who plays the randy aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz, agrees.

"When the show first started there was a lot of flack being given to (creator) Chuck (Lorre) and to the show and the writers about Kaley's character being such a two-dimensional, sort of ditzy blond," he says.

"And then she got to grow that character and you got to see her father, where she comes from, the layers of her, and now here we are with this entire, almost other show-within-the-show of these three girls. Every time it cuts to a scene with them I think it's just a brilliant way to use everybody and to give a female voice to the show."

Best known for her dramatic work on "24," Calgary-born Elisha Cuthbert says she leapt at the chance to try comedy on the ensemble series "Happy Endings."

She gushed over co-star Casey Wilson, a former regular on "Saturday Night Live," for helping her get in touch with her funny bone.

"I'm learning a lot about improv from her," Cuthbert said earlier this year at a Citytv media event to trumpet the upcoming second season.

Cuthbert also liked the fact that her character, Alex, was not a cookie-cutter rom-com staple — her character flees her own wedding in the pilot episode, leaving her longtime beau and their friends dumbfounded at the church.

The rest of the first season sees Alex embark on a slow climb back to redemption, culminating in a will-they-or-won't-they reunion with her ex in the finale.

"Anyone in their late 20s, early 30s that is going through that probably has felt at some point the cold feet," Cuthbert says.

2011年8月5日 星期五

LED Lighting to the U.S. Navy

A photo accompanying this release is available at

"EFOI's advances in LED technology will allow the Navy to save 50-90% of their lighting energy cost," said Roger Buelow, Energy Focus CTO.

The majority of the contract includes sales of fixtures using the company's new IntelliTube(TM) lamps, which are intelligent plug and play LED lamps to replace the existing linear fluorescent tube lamps used in most of the Navy's light fixtures.

"This is wonderful news for Energy Focus and the city of Solon," U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette said in a separate release. The LaTourette release went on to note that "the project will upgrade current legacy lighting systems with new energy-efficient lighting as part of the Navy's green initiative. Work on the first delivery order will be done in Solon and should be completed by Dec. 1, 2011."

"I am delighted that Energy Focus' IntelliTube technology is now uniquely positioned to quickly convert Navy vessels to LED lighting. This is a tremendous business opportunity for Energy Focus, which we estimate to exceed $300 million for the U.S. Fleet alone and, the Navy will immediately benefit from the significant energy savings gained through LED lighting by simply changing the light bulbs installed on every Navy vessel," said Joe Kaveski, EFOI's CEO.

Energy Focus, Inc. is a leading provider of energy efficient LED lighting products and turnkey energy efficient lighting solutions, holding 74 relevant lighting patents. Our solutions provide energy savings, aesthetics, safety and maintenance cost benefits over conventional lighting. Our long-standing relationship with the U.S. Government includes numerous research and development projects for the DOE and DARPA, creating energy efficient LED lighting systems for the U.S.

Navy fleet and the next generation Very High Efficiency Solar Cell. Customers include supermarket chains, the U.S. government, state and local governmental agencies, retail stores, museums, theme parks and casinos, hotels, swimming pool builders and many others. Company headquarters are located in Solon, OH, with additional offices in Nashville, TN, Pleasanton, CA, and the United Kingdom.