There appears to be no clear consensus among U.S. governors regarding the Medicaid expansion as called for in the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—which could deeply affect the future of the U.S. health care system, according to a Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) perspective article appearing in the January 16, 2013 New England Journal of Medicine.States must decide before January 1, 2014, when the ACA’s most sweeping reforms take effect, whether or not to participate in the expansion of Medicaid eligibility to all adults with family incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level. States that opt to participate would pay less than 10% of the cost.Co-authors Benjamin Sommers, assistant professor of health policy and economics in the Department of Health Policy and Management, and Arnold Epstein, chair of the department and John H. Foster Professor of Health Policy and Management, took an in-depth look at the views expressed by governors about Medicaid expansion from June 2012, when the Supreme Court upheld the health care law, through one month after the November 2012 presidential election. While governors don’t necessarily have the final say about Medicaid expansion in their states, the researchers noted, they do oversee their states’ Medicaid programs and often set the terms of debate with their state legislatures. Read Full Story
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats say the Senate should convict former President Donald Trump and bar him from office because he endangered the lives of all members of Congress when he aimed a mob of supporters “like a loaded cannon” at the U.S. Capitol last month. Trump’s lawyers deny that he incited rioters and call the upcoming Senate trial unconstitutional. Both sides filed their legal briefs Tuesday in advance of next week’s trial. The Democrats forcefully linked Trump’s baseless efforts to overturn the results of the presidential election to the deadly riot at the Capitol, saying he bears “unmistakable” blame. Trump’s lawyers rejected those charges and said the Senate can’t put him on trial now that he has left the White House.
‘We encourage employees to take personal responsibility for their health ‘ eat lean, exercise regularly, practice safe work habits ‘ and we try to offer fun, creative programs to support their efforts,’ says Jeff Somple, president of Mack’s Northern Operations.‘At the end of the day, we are all health care consumers. So it is in everyone’s best interest to make healthy lifestyle choices that will lead to more productive lives and lower health care costs.’ About Mack MoldingMack Molding is a leading custom plastics molder and supplier of contract manufacturing services. Mack specializes in plastics design, prototyping, molding, sheet metal fabrication, machining, and medical device manufacturing. Founded in 1920, Mack is a privately owned business that operates 10 facilities throughout the world. Don Kendall is president and CEO. For more information, go towww.mack.com(link is external). Mack Group,Governor Peter Shumlin presented Mack Molding with a Gold award for workplace wellness last week at the state’s annual conference hosted by The Vermont Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports. Health Services Manager Kathy Hall, RN, received the award on behalf of the company. Mack was recognized for recent lifestyle initiatives that were inspired by the company’s overarching wellness theme ‘ take personal responsibility for your health. The award-winning programs included the:· Mack Community Garden — planted and harvested by employees, the 15 gardens were also supported by a local nursery with planting tips and discounted seedlings, and Mack with cedar beds, gardening tools, and easy water access. To further enhance the area, Mack added a volleyball court, a driving range for golfers, picnic tables and barbecue grills;· Eat Right, Stay Fit ‘ geared to help participants make enduring lifestyle changes, the 12-week program encouraged healthy eating habits that resulted in a combined weight loss of over 400 pounds among 50 employees;· Promoting Health & Wellness ‘ designed to address employee health care issues, work-related or not, the company’s Health & Wellness program includes an on-site physician with weekly office hours. Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, Dr. Brian Timura is an occupational medicine specialist and primary care physician. Committed to promoting healthy behavior and disease prevention, Mack has long been an advocate for workplace wellness. The headquarters facility includes a fitness center for employees and families that includes squash and racquetball courts, strength and cardio equipment, and on-site aerobic and yoga classes. Mack also employs a full-time health services professional who develops and implements ongoing wellness initiatives. In fact, the company has been recognized by the state twice before for its wellness programs. # # # # #
ARLINGTON, Vt. (April 5, 2011) ‘ 
Two Colombian men are among seven detainees arrested in a U.S. counter drug operation, in which the former chief of the Guinea-Bissau Navy “Bubo” was captured, according to official U.S. documents, which AFP obtained on April 11. The arrests occurred during Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) operations on April 2 and 4 in West Africa and on April 5 in Colombia, based on international arrest warrants and the indictments against the seven detainees, according to a statement issued by the Prosecutor’s Office in New York. In the first operation, Rear Admiral Jose Americo “Bubo” Na Tchuto, former chief of the Guinean Navy, who had been designated as a drug kingpin or “significant foreign narcotics trafficker” by the U.S. government in 2010, was detained in international waters off West Africa on April 2, along with two other people. On April 4, two more Guineans were detained in another DEA operation, and were taken to New York to stand trial, according to the official sources. During a related operation, Rafael Antonio Garavito García and Gustavo Pérez García, both Colombian nationals, were arrested in Colombia on April 5 and are expected to be extradited to the United States. They are suspected of being involved with a Guinean cocaine trafficking ring. These arrests and transfers were possible due to the collaboration of several U.S. counter drug, legal, and diplomatic institutions with the DEA authorities in Lisbon, Portugal, and Bogotá, Colombia. On April 4, Cape Verde agents reported they had collaborated with the United States in said operation, allowing Bubo Na Tchuto to circulate through the West African archipelago on his way to New York. By Dialogo April 15, 2013
Sign up for our COVID-19 newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest coronavirus news throughout New York Alligators discovered in the Peconic River last April. (DEC)A small alligator initially spotted near the Peconic River in Calverton five days ago is doing its best to evade its captors.The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation received its first notification regarding the gator on Sunday after witnesses spotted the reptile near the Connecticut Avenue boat launch, according to Aphrodite Montalvo, a DEC spokeswoman.A witness spotted the potentially four-foot long gator again on Wednesday and the DEC made visual confirmation a day later, she said. But the scaly gator is still at large.“They spent a few hours trying to catch it on Thursday and were unsuccessful,” Montalvo said, adding that DEC officers are continuing the search.Recent storms that have dropped about 8 inches of rain on LI in the last week have made the search even more difficult because the water level in the Peconic River has risen and the water is moving “quite quickly,” Montalvo added.Alligators are illegal in New York State unless permits are approved for educational purposes.DEC officers are searching for the gator in the same vicinity where four baby alligators were captured from the Peconic River in April, and six months after nine other gators were discovered in a span of six weeks.Last fall’s alligator problem prompted the DEC and Suffolk County SPCA to hold an illegal reptile amnesty day.DEC officials have said that people acquire gators and soon discover that it becomes difficult to care for them once they grow.The baby alligators are capable of surviving the summer months but can’t withstand Northeast winters.The area of the most recent gator sighting is currently closed off, but if anyone does spot one, they should call DEC officers at 631-444-0250, Montalvo said.
Credit is a subject that credit unions find incredibly familiar. It is the driver of everything we do, from our profit to our promotions to our processes. We understand what type of credit risk we want to take in our loan portfolio, we think about how we want to attract those borrowers that fit our preferred profile, and we chase credit recovery through collections efforts when our borrowers fail to repay. We know exactly what the extension of credit means for our institution. In a financial institution, a credit score is simply more numbers that are part of a larger calculation. However, I wonder how often we think about what credit means for the average, every day people we serve. Most of our members are not as familiar with credit scoring models as we are, and many do not watch their credit closely as a measure of their financial health. Credit may be the component of the 5 ‘C’s’ of credit that we may potentially take too seriously. We need to be willing to have a fuller understanding of what makes up an individual applicant’s credit score, and not just because we want higher loan yield or need to grow our portfolio. It is often easy to make a moral judgment about an individual based on their credit score. Credit scores tell stories. Good credit scores are stories of responsibility, of opportunity, and in some cases, of privilege. Some members are fortunate to have good credit because they have strong social ties willing to lend a hand in time of need, allowing them to keep their credit score pristine in times of challenge. Other credit scores tell stories of divorce, of disappointment, and of heartache. These stories are stories of an abrupt layoff, of an unexpected cancer diagnosis or car accident, or other unanticipated tragedy. Still others tell stories of lack of access – of neighborhoods populated with subprime lenders at ‘buy-here-pay-here’ car lots, check cashers and payday lenders. These credit scores may tell stories with deep histories. The numbers on paper cannot reflect the distrust in financial institutions behind the scores. An absent credit score may not fully tell the story of the member whose parent was redlined by a local bank, or how a family lost everything as a neighborhood declined around their property. The number on paper doesn’t reflect the challenges to access faced by that family, leading them to be un-banked or underbanked a generation or two later. A lack of credit score can reflect a history in a country with an unstable financial system. A lack of credit score can reflect a language barrier or unfamiliarity with the United States financial system. This lack of score can lead to lost housing opportunity, further perpetuating the cycle of spotty borrowing. Character is important. As a safe and sound institution, we want borrowers who will repay. This is not an article about lending to underserved communities, risk management or credit policies. Your own balance sheet and strategic plan will determine what that means for your institution. Still, credit has implications and has a legacy. In the United States, it has been used to create opportunity for some and has been a barrier to access for others. My institution, North Side Community Federal Credit Union, is one of a very small handful of credit unions in the country that operates a housing counseling agency. As part of our services, some of our staff meets with individuals for a lengthy two-hour credit counseling session. We see a wide range of stories. Yes, some have destroyed their credit with irresponsible financial management. Those stories come from all walks of life. Many more have never learned about credit or had an event beyond their control that rendered them unable to responsibly repay their debt. The one thing they all have in common is a desire to improve their credit, understanding it will improve their financial situation. As cooperatives, we have a unique opportunity to look beyond just the scores we see on paper. We have an opportunity to use credit to help people improve their lives and provide access to greater opportunity. This will look different based on each individual field of membership, but the balance sheets are not our primary mission. The balance sheet is simply the method by which we accomplish our mission. Recently, the CEO of a CDFI credit union shared how excited she was to offer an ITIN product. An outside observer commented to her that what her credit union was truly doing was offering hope to people. Hope is a rare commodity. If credit unions can offer that to people through the way we transact we can offer a unique value proposition that will be difficult for any other financial services provider to compete on. 49SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr,Sarah Marshall Sarah Marshall is a consultant in the credit union industry, and can be reached for partnership and speaking opportunities through Your Credit Union Partner. Her background in community development includes … Web: https://yourcupartner.org Details
According to the Chinese Calendar 2020 is the Zodiac Year of the Rat. Rats are clever and wise and are symbols of wealth and surplus (because of their fast rate of reproduction). Rats have to be extra cautious in the new year due to being at risk of losing money. They must learn to stand back and wait until opportunities arise and are advised to wait until the following year in making big decisions and keeping their financial situation stable. Rats will also find themselves losing their focus at times and becoming emotional. So each of us would do well to temper our prosperity trends regarding the economy going forward. Living with a bit of anxiety will be a harbinger for credit union leadership as we head into the year.With recent political, economic and regulatory changes added to the American landscape, the new year economy in which credit unions will have to navigate will slow down. Overall many aspects of these changes have caused many of us to shift and use more new technology and innovation in dealing with our financial situations and engagement in serving members.And with 2020 being a presidential election year, all business and financial marketplace predictions will be tempered by Uncertainty!However, this is not the year for credit unions to hold back. There is an opportunity to really continue to step up and help members respond to new changes and challenges (interest rate changes/cyber-security/ID theft/new technology/frictionless transactions) and not have a rat pack mentality like our competitors.I would offer these “Super 10 in 20”suggestions for setting a course to prosper in the New Year:Work Your CU Neighborhood. Focus on deepening relationships (more wallet share) with your current members. Get closer and really get to know your members. Offer one stop financial services shopping and don’t make your members jump through whoop s to do business. Continue to engage and expand in socially responsible causes showing the credit union difference in the community.Review your Fee structures for market place adjustments. I am not suggesting we gouge our members, only that we alter fees based on the local marketplace. We still will be the best deal in town.Have a Collaboration, Partnership, Alliance and Merger Policy/Strategy.Train staff to cross serve and wow members at every touch point opportunity 7x24x365. Embrace being a “Member-Centric” CU. All staff, volunteers, vendors and members should be advocates for your credit union.Have a well-defined Member Experience Program. Use Good On-Boarding practices to Reconnect and Engage current/new members by offering incentives–(Buy local Groupon/ miles/reward programs/prepaid cards/cash back/free credit scores/reports/co-brand products) and concierge services to empower them to connect. Reach out to Hispanic/New Immigrant communities and show them how credit unions are a welcoming financial institution. Give members real reasons for being a member, not just a customer. Membership should have its privileges. Offer Certificate of Member Ownership/Toll Free 800 Member Care Hotline.Embrace Innovation/Mobile Strategy: Mobile/Tablet Technology and Social Media. Be Appilicious–Utilize innovative ideas to create “Apps for This and That”. Form Strategic Partnerships with Fin-techs (Google/Amazon) for first payments/digital interaction options. Teach members to serve themselves via technology. A CU Alexa has now joined the Apple watch to members households and vehicles and “Face Payments” could be the next Big Thing!Offer Suite of Retirement Services to help Senior Members–Tax/Legal (Wills) Services/End of Life (Burial) Loans/Long Term Care. Consider offering Life-style Products/Services that your members could really benefit from (braces/Invisalign treatments/hearing aids/plastic/Lasik surgery) personal procedures that are not covered by traditional insurance.Reach out to young adults/women and early retirees via Micro Lending and Small Business Services. These members are the fastest demographic starting their own business.Make it a strategic imperative to appeal to and attract more Youth and Young Adults. The under 30 Demographic is your next generation of lending business and lifelong members for your CU. Find ways to help young members ease their burden of student debt and offer Financial Counseling Fitness programs to help them get on track with sound life-long money budgeting practices.Explore Cannabis/Hemp/CBD Oil Banking as potential new Small Business opportunities for your credit union. 38SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr,John Vardallas John A. Vardallas CAE, CUDE is Founder/CEO of The AmericanBoomeR Group, a Madison, Wisconsin based speaking/consulting firm. He is also Senior Faculty Advisor/Project Evaluator for SCMS and … Web: www.theamericanboomer.com Details This is not the time to sit back in your den about your credit unions mission to thrive in the future. Focusing on maintaining our differentiation–why we do versus what we do in our communities will distinguish us from the rest and help us prosper.Our Credit unions will need to step up, promote our purpose, focus on our uniqueness and commitment to members to stay ahead and avoid getting caught up in the financial services rat race in 2020.
– Advertisement – “The resort bubble would let guests leave their rooms and enjoy on-site amenities while completing the mandatory quarantine while wearing GPS-monitored bracelets,” he said, noting that should Hawaii reinstate the mandatory quarantine for all travelers, these bubbles would make it possible for the resort to remain operational for inter-island travel and for locals.The staff at Timbers is made up of locals and their safety is essential, Mr. Moore said.“Our employees go home, many have large families and they are with parents and grandparents and children, and keeping them safe is essential to everyone’s well-being,” he said.- Advertisement – “What the data suggests so far is that here in Hawaii, testing has been the key to safely reopening,” he said. “We now understand the data and the importance of testing. Testing provides a high level of protection for visitors, staff and residents.”The hotel used to have an in-person welcoming process that included staff members putting leis on guests as they arrived and checking them in with a cocktail in hand. Now, a key is waiting for guests when they arrive, and capacity is capped at 60 percent. Each of the hotel’s 72 suites has its own heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.Gary Moore, managing director at Timbers Kauai at Hokuala, said that the reopening has been “anything but clear,” but what is clear is: “We have to find a way to live with the disease.” Mr. Moore said that despite various challenges, the lessons learned at his property about distancing people, mask enforcement, temperature checking and even separating guests and putting them in “bubbles,” could be applied at other resorts.- Advertisement –
Mr. McMillan added that he believes that “in some markets, especially for international travel, until a vaccine is more widely available, testing will become part of the norm.”For Jonathan McManus, the owner of Hotel Wailea Relais & Chateaux in Maui, testing presents a way to reopen safely after months of carrying an empty property. He says it will let him keep employees in jobs.- Advertisement –
Categories: Letters to the Editor, Opinion It’s been a busy hurricane season for sure. I have heard news commentators talking and have read countless articles in major news outlets writing about how unprecedented this is (especially with several earthquakes and fires at the same time — all unprecedented I’m sure).But this year, we hit another doom-and-gloom milestone: Hurricane Ophelia in the Azores. It is the 10th consecutive hurricane to develop from a simple tropical depression in a row. According to an article in The Miami Herald, citing Colorado State University meteorologist Phil Klotzbach, the last time a season produced 10 consecutive hurricanes was in 1893, a period when tracking hurricanes largely relied on ships and barometric readings.Climate change, yeah, that must be the culprit. But those darn carbon gases and waskily wepublicans/conservatives that are destroying our ozone apparently did not exist in 1893. What gives?How do we not know if 10, 15 or even 20 consecutive hurricanes formed in the years prior to 1893? And if they did, what was the alleged cause of those hurricanes — including the banner year of 1893? From what you and I have been told to believe, it’s carbon-based fuels that are the alleged culprits. Well, what caused the climate to do such pernicious things then? Maybe there were some climate deniers alive then; maybe there were some closet Republican/conservatives around then; maybe there were secret carbon-producing factories in the 18th and 19th centuries; maybe the climate change cause is natural.Sounds like a real pernicious plan cooked up by some really twisted people. Oh well, off to the beach to get burned by the sun.John GentileDuanesburgMore from The Daily Gazette:EDITORIAL: Beware of voter intimidationLocal movie theater operators react to green lightEDITORIAL: Thruway tax unfair to working motoristsEDITORIAL: Urgent: Today is the last day to complete the censusSchenectady County warns of possible COVID-19 exposure at Schenectady restaurant, Rotterdam bar
The Independent 26 July 2015On Friday, the Spanish government announced it was to raise the marriage age from 14 to 16 to bring it into line with the rest of Europe. Estonia now has the lowest marriage age in Europe with teenagers able to get hitched at 15 with parental approval.Globally, the average legal age of marriage for boys is 17 and 16 for girls but many countries permit them, particularly girls, to marry much younger.Several places, including the state of Massachusetts in the United States, allow girls as young as 12 to get married in “exceptional circumstances” with the consent of a judge.But in many cases this is a leftover from an earlier age and is rarely tested. Many countries with low marriage ages do not have a particularly high number of under 18s getting married.Other countries only permit marriage among the young for certain groups. For instance, according to the US state department’s humans right report on Trindad & Tobago from 2014, though the official marital age is 18 for men and women, Muslims and Hindus have a separate Marriage Act.http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/the-lowest-age-you-can-legally-get-married-around-the-world-10415517.html