By PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer – Mon May 16, 6:05 pm ET
NEW YORK – Two leading makers of lighting products are showcasing LED bulbs that are bright enough to replace energy-guzzling 100-watt light bulbs set to disappear from stores in January.
Their demonstrations at the LightFair trade show in Philadelphia this week mean that brighter LED bulbs will likely go on sale next year, but after a government ban takes effect.
The new bulbs will also be expensive — about $50 each — so the development may not prevent consumers from hoarding traditional bulbs.
ITEMS INCLUDE:furniture, clothes, books, house wares, toys, puzzles, quilts, stuffed animals, ties, designer pocketbooks, new & gently used items, holiday items, baby items, and so much more!
Hosted by: Mrs. Duffy’s & Mrs. Policano’s 4th& 6th grade CCD groups – NO EARLY BIRDS PLEASE!
>Bergen County History Day :Proceeds Benefit 8 History Sites
Saturday, May 21 from 10AM to 3PM Eight Historical Homes and Museums will be open. Visitors will explore the rich 18th and 19th century history of Northwest Bergen County as they stop at the following: Schoolhouse Museum, Ridgewood; John Fell House, Allendale; Old Stone House, Ramsey; Van Allen House, Oakland; Hermitage, Ho-Ho-Kus; Hopper-Goetschius House, Upper Saddle River; Mahwah Museum, Mahwah; Zabriskie House, Wyckoff. Tickets: $10/person…Children 12 and under Free Tickets available: Schoolhouse Museum on Thurdays/Saturdays 1- 3pm, Sundays 2-4; Alma’s Farm Market, Wyckoff, Monday – Saturday 8AM to 5:30PM; Ho-Ho-Kus Inn or call 201/652-7354 or info@ridgewoodhistoricalsociety.org
>Hospital Tax-Exempt Status: Considerations Regarding Maintaining Exempt Status
Written by Scott Becker, JD, CPA, Milton Cerny, JD, & Anna Timmerman, JD, McGuireWoods | May 10, 2011
Tax-exempt hospitals (each a “hospital” and, collectively, “hospitals”), and their affiliated tax-exempt faculty or physician practices if applicable, may face concern about retaining their tax-exempt status in the face of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Actand other changes to tax-exemption requirements. This article provides background, considerations and recommendations for a hospital to consider in maintaining its tax-exempt status, including the following core suggestions:
Take steps to develop a rebuttable presumption that all compensation relationships are reasonable; Follow the tax-exemption requirements imposed by PPACA, now codified at Section 501(r) of the Internal Revenue Code (discussed in Section 2 below);
Provide, document and review the charitable benefits and charity care the hospital provides to the community on an annual basis;
Publicize the hospital’s willingness to accept Medicare and Medicaid patients and its services available to indigent patients;
and Ensure that any money allocated for community benefit purposes is utilized for activities that actually provide a community benefit, such as research or education of health professionals. The hospital should likely, however, do more than simply allocate certain funds to assure that it can defend that it properly serves community purposes.
Hospitals, as a starting point to assess community benefit, should be aware that case law, particularly state case law, suggests that if the value of charitable services provided each year is 1 percent or less of gross revenues, then the amount of community benefit is not adequate. [1] Under federal law, no specific percentage has been mandated. An IRS study recently found that of the hospitals it surveyed, on average, approximately 9 percent of revenue was spent on community benefit. Twenty percent of hospitals surveyed reported total community benefit spending of less than 2 percent of revenue. In addition, nearly 60 percent of the hospitals surveyed provided less than or equal to 5 percent of revenue on uncompensated care. Similarly, a 2006 Congressional Budget Office report found that non-profit hospitals devoted approximately 5 percent of total revenues to uncompensated care. Thus, it appears that dedicating 3-7 percent of revenue on a variety of community benefit and charity care activities is likely adequate.
>NOW HIRING – MATH TEACHERS! A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO HELP KIDS!
Founded in 1977, Huntington Learning Center has served America’s students and families longer than any other tutoring provider. We help students from Kindergarten through college achieve remarkable improvements in their grades, test scores and self-esteem. Our students achieve success because of the one-to-one attention that is provided to every child; and, because of the dedication, commitment, and expertise of our staff.
If you are interested in being part of an organization that improves the lives of children, apply to Huntington today!
As a teacher with Huntington, you will position will have the opportunity to work on a one-to one basis with students who need help in your area of expertise. If you take great joy in helping students understand concepts that they have never been able master previously, then this is the perfect job for you!
Requirements include (but are not limited to):
· Status as a certified teacher with a 4 year college degree
· Expertise in one or more of the following fields: Algebra, Algebra II, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Trigonometry, and/or Statistics
· Willingness to work 6-20 hours a week
· A passion for teaching and a deep desire to help students achieve
Characteristics of a successful candidate:
· High energy level and positive attitude
· Well versed in subject matter
· Very dynamic and engaging
· Results driven
· Detail oriented
· Strong interpersonal skills
· Excellent communication skills
· Passion and enthusiasm for education and learning
To Apply: Interested candidates should send a resume and cover letter including copies of appropriate certifications to Recruiter@hlcmail.com or RWD@hlcmail.com.
>Why is it so tough to build new power plants in New Jersey?
Frustrated with its efforts to develop new power plants in New Jersey, a state agency yesterday decided to initiate a far-ranging proceeding into how to develop new generating capacity, a move it believes could lower steep electric bills for consumers. (Johnson, NJ Spotlight)
>N.J. to receive $913M more in tax revenue than expected
New Jersey is projected to take in $913 million more than expected in tax revenue through June 2012, according to new projections by the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services. (Renshaw, The Star-Ledger)
>Reformers ‘score’ win in teach evaluations By CARL CAMPANILE and YOAV GONEN Last Updated: 3:02 AM, May 17, 2011 Posted: 12:23 AM, May 17, 2011
Amid significant opposition, the state Board of Regents approved New York’s first teacher-evaluation system that will incorporate student growth on test scores as part of a teacher’s rating.
At the center of debate were several recent changes to the system backed by Gov. Cuomo — including allowing annual state test scores to account for 40 percent of a teacher’s rating rather than the 20 percent agreed to by the teachers union and the state Education Department last year.
The 11th-hour changes also raised the cut-off scores teachers need to reach any of the four rating categories: ineffective, developing, effective and highly effective.
The move was made so teachers couldn’t get good ratings without scoring well on both parts of the evaluation — a student performance piece and a separate review of their teaching by a supervisor.
>Scientists Cast Doubt on TSA Tests of Full-Body Scanners by Michael Grabell ProPublica, May 16, 2011, 2:11 p.m.
A sign at a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint instructs passengers about the use of the full-body scanner at O’Hare International Airport on March 15, 2010 in Chicago, Ill. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
The Transportation Security Administration says its full-body X-ray scanners are safe and that radiation from a scan is equivalent to what’s received in about two minutes of flying. The company that makes them says it’s safer than eating a banana.
But some scientists with expertise in imaging and cancer say the evidence made public to support those claims is unreliable. And in a new letter sent to White House science adviser John Holdren, they question why the TSA won’t make the scanners available for independent testing by outside scientists.
>Apparent Immunity Gene ‘Cures’ Bay Area Man Of AIDS
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) — A 45-year-old man now living in the Bay Area may be the first person ever cured of the deadly disease AIDS, the result of the discovery of an apparent HIV immunity gene.
Timothy Ray Brown tested positive for HIV back in 1995, but has now entered scientific journals as the first man in world history to have that HIV virus completely eliminated from his body in what doctors call a “functional cure.”
>Aetna sues 9 N.J. doctors for “unconscionable” fees
Lawsuits claim that the out-of-network physicians charged as much as $50,000 for an inpatient consultation.
By ALICIA GALLEGOS, amednews staff. Posted May 16, 2011.
Aetna Inc. has accused nine New Jersey doctors of charging excessive fees for out-of-network services. Four are countersuing, alleging that the insurer is guilty of fraudulent billing practices.
The lawsuits are the latest development in a debate among insurers and health care professionals over “usual, customary and reasonable” rates for out-of-network doctors.
Aetna sued the physicians between July and November 2010, claiming that they had charged “unconscionable” fees for services and threatened to balance-bill patients if not paid.
Cardiologist Benjamin Hannallah, MD, of Watchung, N.J., charged up to $48,980 for an inpatient consultation in 2009, an increase of more than $47,000 from his 2007 rate, according to one of the lawsuits. The average Medicare charge for an inpatient consultation is $358.12, according to 2010 data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Cardiologist Karan Nejad, MD, of Hackensack, N.J., raised his fee for seeing critically ill hospital patients from $2,040 in 2007 to $15,000 in 2008, another lawsuit claims. The average charge for the first hour of a critical care visit is $520.76, according to CMS data.
Gynecologist-obstetrician Waleed Abdelghani, MD, of Hackensack, who assisted in two cesarean sections, allegedly charged $30,000 for each surgery, while in-network surgeons were paid about $2,000 for the same procedure, Aetna said. Standard pay for a surgeon assisting a C-section is $1,400, Aetna spokeswoman Cynthia Michener said.
In case you missed it our host provider eblogger was offline two days last week causing a loss of over 100 comments . The staff is currently working on ways to restore lost comments from Wednesday , Thursday and most of Friday .
As for today we had some issues with our mobile sync and blog controllers . This issues should be effectively put to bed this evening.
Notes found in terrorist compound suggest al-Qaida leader thought little of the office of the vice presidency
On a list of high-ranking American targets assembled by Osama bin Laden while he was in hiding, Vice President Joe Biden did not figure very high. In fact, he didn’t figure at all; apparently, the al-Qaida leader considered Biden insufficiently powerful to be worthy of assassination.
According to ProPublica:
Bin Laden “talks about targeting priorities,” the counterterror official said. “He says the president is of course the top target if you could get a shot at him. Also the military chiefs like the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the defense secretary, top military people. There is a note indicating that the vice president is not an important target because that position has less weight.”
