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aion-rsa · 3 years

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The Suicide Squad Character Guide, Easter Eggs, and DCEU References

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This article contains major spoilers for The Suicide Squad. We have a spoiler free review here.

The DCEU is alive and well and dividing its time between Corto Maltese and Belle Reve prison. James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad gives us the most DC characters in live action in any one movie ever assembled!

OK, fine, the vast majority of them die. And a fair portion of them most folks have never even heard of. But it still counts!

And yes, there are DC Comics Easter eggs in the movie, but perhaps not as many as you might expect. So we’ve decided to split the difference. We’re gonna give you the lowdown on all the characters, especially the obscure ones, and talk about what their existence in this movie means (or could mean) for the wider DCEU. And we’ll still give you all the DC Easter eggs we were able to spot. A real bargain, even though this article didn’t cost you anything!

Let’s take it from the top (cue the Jim Carroll Band’s “People Who Died”)

HARLEY QUINN

What else can be said about Harley Quinn that we haven’t already said a thousand times? You know who she is, you know where she’s from, and you know all about Margot Robbie’s iconic, for-the-ages performance.

And while the DCEU is pretty loosely connected these days, this is definitely the same Harley from the 2016 movie, although somewhat less male gaze-y in her attire, and one who has definitely moved on from her relationship with the Joker (who doesn’t even get mentioned in this film!). Harley already knowing Rick Flag, Captain Boomerang, and Amanda Waller is all the proof you need that this is a sequel to that film, however loose it may be.

Harley’s relationship status and attitude means that the events of 2020’s Birds of Prey movie also definitely happened, and they’re even referenced (albeit in passing). Hell, you could even say that Harley’s grand escape and the “Harley-vision” that accompanies it comes right out of some of the weirder moments of Birds of Prey. But that’s basically it. We’d like more of Robbie as Harley on our screens, though.

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What does Harley Quinn mean for the DCEU? Harley’s intro in 2016’s Suicide Squad helped establish that of all the characters kicking around the DCEU, Batman was the most experienced, as she, Joker, and Bats shared a history dating back several years. At this point, Harley is practically the linchpin of old DCEU continuity, and one of the last remaining cinematic ties to Ben Affleck’s portrayal of the Dark Knight.

BLOODSPORT

The version of Bloodsport we meet in this film bears very little resemblance to his comic book incarnation. The comics version of Bloodsport first appeared in 1987’s Superman #4 by John Byrne, and while elements of the comics character made it to the film, the guy Idris Elba is playing is quite different from his comics counterpart. Let’s start with the similarities…

The name, both the codename and his real name of Robert Du Bois? Check. The thing about him shooting Superman with a Kryptonite bullet? Also check. The rest? Ummm…it’s a loose interpretation.

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Here, Bloodsport has a seemingly never ending arsenal of high tech weapons, which fold and collapse out of each other, meaning he’s seemingly always got the exact tool for the job. But in the comics, Bloodsport was equipped with a tiny teleporter (thanks Lex Luthor!) which allowed him to seemingly “materialize” whatever weapon he needed at any given moment. The comics version of Bloodsport was much less of a “purely competent badass” and much more of a tragic, traumatized, and deluded figure…and a mass shooter, to boot.

This isn’t quite a comics thing, but when Bloodsport throws his earpiece in disgust near the end of the film after having enough of taking orders from Waller and company, it’s vaguely reminiscent of the final shot in the first (and by far the best) Dirty Harry movie, when Clint Eastwood’s Harry Callahan, disillusioned with the constraints of the system, flings his badge and walks away.

What does Bloodsport mean for the DCEU? It’s a little frustrating to know that Henry Cavill’s DCEU Superman is still out there having adventures that we’ll probably never get to see. Cavill deserves another chance in the cape, damn it! Alas, Warner Bros. seems to have different (and very cool) plans for Superman on the big screen these days.

PEACEMAKER

Peacemaker is a weird character, folks. The character first appeared back in 1966, and wasn’t a DC character…he was published by the now defunct Charlton Comics, whose characters like the Question, Blue Beetle, and Captain Atom were later acquired by DC and folded into their own continuity. And you know what else those characters have in common? They became the inspirations for the main characters in Watchmen, with Watchmen’s Comedian functioning as a kind of adaptation of Peacemaker.

Comics Peacemaker is pretty different (except in looks) to the guy we meet in this film, though. Initially a pacifist using non-lethal weapons, he was reinvented by DC in the ‘80s as a bloodthirsty character with some serious mental issues. Namely, he believed that the souls of the people he killed were then trapped in his distinctive helmet and talking to him. Uhhhh…

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He’s popped up a handful of times in DC continuity over the last 35 years, but there’s no version of the character you could safely consider definitive. He’s appearing in the current (and very good) run of DC’s Suicide Squad comics, as well. Like Bloodsport, the origin explained for him onscreen here has nothing to do with his comics counterpart.

What does Peacemaker mean for the DCEU? Well, he’s still alive (as we see in that post-credits scene) for starters. He’s also getting his own HBO Max series, which James Gunn is showrunning, writing, and directing quite a bit of. And since he’s still loyal to Amanda Waller, it would seem that any future Suicide Squad sequels will rest firmly on John Cena’s broad shoulders.

RICK FLAG

Ah, Rick Flag, we hardly knew ye. Joel Kinnnaman gives Flag a much more likeable makeover in this film, and the character is even rocking a yellow t-shirt in honor of the John Ostrander-written Suicide Squad comics of the 1980s that influenced so much of this film.

In the comics, Rick was a career military man, like his father before him (we assume this is also Rick Flag, Jr. just like in the comics). Screen Rick’s sense of duty and honor would seem to indicate that’s the case here, too.

What does Rick Flag mean for the DCEU? Well…unfortunately, he’s dead, so not much. Unless it turns out that Task Force X has been cloning Rick Flags for use on Suicide Squad missions for years or something, we don’t expect to see him again. In any case, that sure was an epic way for him to go out!

KING SHARK

Whoever thought that a ‘90s Superboy villain would become one of the most beloved characters of the blockbuster season? The Suicide Squad isn’t King Shark’s first foray into live action (that would be The Flash TV series) but this is easily his biggest stage yet.

Since his first appearance in 1994, King Shark has been a Superboy baddie, an Aquaman villain, has fought for the bad guys in assorted Crises, a kinda ally to a different version of Aquaman, and our personal favorite, a member of the Squad-adjacent team of antiheroes and mercenaries known as the Secret Six, where writer Gail Simone delivered some of the character’s most memorable and delightful moments.

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Oh, and when we first meet him he’s trying to read William James’ The Varieties of Religious Experience. But it’s upside down.

What does King Shark mean for the DCEU? Well…we would very much like to see him show up in Aquaman 2, known as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. It would be a tremendous missed opportunity if not, even if it’s just for a cameo. Don’t those weird/adorable/scary Clyrax just look like they were designed for James Wan’s Aquaman world?

And c’mon, James Gunn’s next DC movie should absolutely be Secret Six, where King Shark is really most at home!

AMANDA WALLER

Viola Davis is a national treasure, and her Amanda Waller performance makes the character perhaps the most malevolent of all these kind of not-quite-good guys. Sure, we’ve had other live action Amanda Waller performances, but nobody captures the no-nonsense, morally gray Waller like Davis has here.

What does Amanda Waller mean for the DCEU? At the end of the first Suicide Squad movie, we had that little tease of Amanda dealing with Bruce Wayne and General Wade Eiling. While the DCEU as a whole isn’t terribly connected these days, it would be great if we could see more of Davis’ Waller lurking in the shadows, pulling the strings, and maybe even putting events in motion that ultimately lead to the formation of that aforementioned Secret Six team…

That being said, we’re not holding our breath for it, either. Then again, it’s quite easy to imagine a world where Waller is taking a pronounced interest in someone like Black Adam coming out of hiding.

STARRO

The villain of The Suicide Squad actually began life as…a Justice League villain! And not just any Justice League villain, the FIRST Justice League villain! Yes, Starro has been kicking around DC Comics since 1960 and the very first appearance of the JLA.

While kaiju-sized from the start, Starro’s very creepy ability to spawn spores that are essentially facehuggers didn’t come around until a post-Alien world. This suddenly made Starro a much cooler, and more in-demand threat, and despite there being 17 years between their first and second appearance, since then, Starro has become a regular pain-in-the-face for the entire DC Universe.

Thinker naming the creature “Starro the Conqueror” as a derisive nickname is a reference to how the character is referred to in the comics…and it was literally the text on the cover of its first appearance.

We get lots of imagery of group shots of “Starro zombies,” folks wearing the ol’ Starro facehugger. That’s a recurring image in the comics, and one that comes to mind is the cover of Justice League Europe #26.

Oh, and that’s Taika Waititi voicing Starro, in his second role in the film! (more on the other one in a moment)

What does Starro mean for the DCEU? Well, aside from the fact that we’ve been robbed of a Justice League vs. Starro movie now, there’s no reason to believe that we couldn’t potentially have Starro back. A spore could have escaped. Starro themself could be a giant spore of its own hivemind.

And while it’s unlikely that we’ll get Starro as a primary antagonist ever again in a DCEU film, it would be pretty cool to see the creature or the species referenced in something like the upcoming HBO Max Green Lantern Corps TV series.

CAPTAIN BOOMERANG

One of the few returning characters from the first film, Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang…dies pretty early in the movie. He’s even more gleefully over the top here than he was in 2016, which is pretty appropriate. Boomer was a founding member of the comic book version of the Squad (reluctantly of course) where he was always portrayed as the most dislikeable and abrasive of all the characters.

What does Captain Boomerang mean for the DCEU? His death here is a genuine surprise, though. Captain Boomerang has always been a pretty high profile Flash villain. And yes, we had that little cameo of him and Ezra Miller’s Flash in the theatrical version of Justice League, Courtney seemed destined to appear one day in at least a small role in some version of The Flash movie for WB. Alas, that now appears to be off the table. Ah, well…

THE THINKER

There have been so many different versions of Thinker in DC Comics history and…Peter Capaldi is playing none of them. Not a one.

This is a brand-new (sorta) version of the character named Gaius Greeves. He looks like an unnamed version of Thinker who appeared in DC’s post-New 52 continuity in 2014, though, and that character definitely had a Squad connection.

What does Thinker mean for the DCEU? Historically, Thinker in various incarnations has been a Flash villain. Hell, a version of the character was the primary baddie on an entire season of The Flash! But like our pal Captain Boomerang, any hope of seeing Thinker match wits with the DCEU Flash are now over.

Although wouldn’t it be kinda cool if the DCEU gets around to introducing Jay Garrick and we learn that ol’ Gaius once had a beef with him? OK, fine, we’re not counting on it, either.

POLKA-DOT MAN

Poor Abner Krill couldn’t be more different than his comic book version…despite his remarkably accurate costume. Polka-Dot Man is a Batman villain dating all the way back to 1962, except there, he wasn’t the unfortunate recipient of an alien virus with grotesque polka-dot mutations and vomiting and…oh you get the picture.

Comics Abner Krill just had a costume full of trick, high-tech polka-dots. He um…he was not a major villain.

What does Polka-Dot Man mean for the DCEU? Other than the STAR Labs connection, and we believe this is the first mention of STAR Labs since the “Snyderverse” collapsed, not a hell of a lot. Abner is dead, and he ain’t coming back. Although it’d be pretty awesome if it turns out that it was Batman who put Abner away, since we know that in DCEU continuity Bats has been punching bad guys longer than anyone else.

RATCATCHER

Daniela Melchior’s Ratcatcher 2 is a brand new character created for this movie. We think she rules. However, if you’re looking for a comic book connection, we need to go back to her “dad” played in that cool Taika Waititi cameo.

Ratcatcher first appeared in a 1988 issue of Detective Comics, where he was a disgruntled former murderer who was kidnapping everyone responsible for putting him in prison, and holding them prisoner in the sewers. Oh, and he controlled rats. He was far less sweet and charming than either of our DCEU Ratcatchers. Oh, and that story has a panel where Batman vomits sewage because he nearly drowns in it. Good times.

But even that pretty malevolent comics Ratcatcher probably isn’t quite the Ratcatcher of the DCEU. After all, Ratcatcher 2 is named Cleo Cazo, and comics Ratcatcher was Otis Flanagan, and Otis didn’t seem nearly as sympathetic as Taika’s performance here.

What does Ratcatcher mean for the DCEU? Other than the possibility that this was someone else Batman put in Belle Reve? Not a lot. Although since Ratcatcher 2 lives on, we’d love to see her in another Suicide Squad movie, or make her a cornerstone of a live action Secret Six or something.

SAVANT

In the comics, as in this film, there isn’t a heckuva lot to say about Savant. What’s interesting is that he was a key player in one of Gail Simone’s earliest Birds of Prey storylines. Michael Rooker looks remarkably like his DC Comics counterpart in that wig, though.

What does Savant mean for the DCEU? Going forward? He’s dead, so not much. But in the past? Is it possible he ran afoul of Birds of Prey’s Huntress or Black Canary and that’s how he ended up in the Squad? We’d like to think so.

Also, one interesting bit about ol’ Savant. He started off as a guy who thought he could be a costumed vigilante. Of course, he was in it for all the wrong reasons and got a stern talking to from Batman and that set him on his life of crime. We’d like to imagine Ben Affleck’s Batman telling Michael Rooker’s Savant “you’re not morally equipped for this job,” just like he did in the comics!

TDK

“The Detachable Kid” is actually a riff on an obscure Legion of Super-Heroes and Legion of Substitute Heroes character named…Arm-Fall-Off Boy. I couldn’t make that one up if I tried, folks. His powers are identical, although his comics look is pretty different.

What does TDK mean for the DCEU? OK, so bear with me for a moment…what if TDK is actually from the 31st Century and ended up back here somehow before he found himself stuck with the Squad? Until they say otherwise, this is my headcanon. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go write up a headline called “How The Suicide Squad Confirms the Legion of Super-Heroes in the DCEU” which will get me hate mail for the rest of the summer.

BLACKGUARD

Blackguard is a pretty minor DC villain, mostly notable for being the baddie in the very first Booster Gold comic! He’s a much beefier, more heavily armored character than the guy we get on screen here, but honestly…not much more interesting. And yes, his name really is Dick Hertz.

What does Blackguard mean for the DCEU? Look, if Blackguard exists, Booster Gold exists. I’ve been waiting for a Booster Gold movie forever now, and it’s long overdue. It’s time. Come to think of it, this would also be perfect for James Gunn to direct.

WEASEL

Weasel was a Firestorm villain from the 1980s who…was actually a dude in a weasel suit. A disgruntled college loser who took revenge on people later in years for uh, calling him a weasel back in their younger days. The character was later revamped as a more kind of, well, traditionally animalistic/weaselly figure, but the version we meet in this film has more in common with Bloom County’s Bill the Cat than any of his DC Comics incarnations.

What does Weasel mean for the rest of the DCEU? He’s still alive! Count your children! Bring on Firestorm! OK, but in all seriousness, Firestorm would look pretty cool on a big screen budget.

JAVELIN

Javelin was a Green Lantern villain, believe it or not. See, back in the day, Green Lantern was powerless against the color yellow, hence this guy’s color scheme. Flula Borg has a remarkably accurate translation of Javelin’s comics costume in this film, and the character is pretty much exactly as he was portrayed in his early comics appearances, cool accent and all.

Amazingly, this is the second Watchmen connection of this piece (wait, what?). You see, Javelin was created by Len Wein (editor of Watchmen) and Dave Gibbons (co-creator and artist of Watchmen). So, not quite as direct a connection as Peacemaker, but a connection nonetheless.

What does Javelin mean for the DCEU? As far as I’m concerned, this is proof that Earth has a Green Lantern, despite the fact that we haven’t seen a modern day, human Green Lantern Corps member in official DCEU continuity yet. But someone had to put him in Belle Reve, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s Hal Jordan.

MONGAL

Mongal is a member of a warlike, and immensely powerful alien race. She’s also the daughter of Mongul, the ruler of Warworld and the villain of one of the greatest Superman stories ever told, “For the Man Who Has Everything” by the Watchmen creative team of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Mongal um…didn’t live long in the comics, either.

What does Mongal mean for the DCEU? If Mongal exists, then this is proof that Mongul and Warworld exists. And once again, I am annoyed that Henry Cavill isn’t getting another shot as Superman. An adaptation of “For the Man Who Has Everything” would actually be a brilliant move for the DCEU, albeit a weird one.

If Warner Bros. wanted to do something more traditional with the character, the Superman “Exile” story would also make for great big screen fodder, taking Superman offworld and into Mongul’s gladiatorial contests. Anyway…there’s two more DCEU Superman movies that should have happened for ya!

CALENDAR MAN

That’s Sean Gunn in a cameo as Calendar Man (yep) shouting “You fucking pussy” in Belle Reve.

What does Calendar Man mean for the DCEU? Hey, maybe we’ll get a live action adaptation of Batman: The Long Halloween one day! On second thought, maybe that’s not such a great idea.

DOUBLE DOWN

And right behind him? That would be Double Down, a playing card themed villain perhaps “best” known as a minor Flash villain.

What does Double Down mean for the DCEU? Pretty much exactly what you’d expect. Feel free to imagine he was locked up by Ezra Miller’s Flash, though.

JOTUNHEIM

The fortress known as Jotunheim here does indeed have a comics connection. It was the site of the comic book Squad’s very first mission in 1987’s Suicide Squad #1. That being said, the nature of the mission itself and even the location couldn’t have been more different than what we got in the movie, but it’s a nice little callback.

It isn’t the only reference to that famed first issue, either! The yellow shirt Rick Flag wears throughout this movie (minus the logo) was also pioneered in that comic, and there’s also…

JOHN ECONOMOS

Steve Agee’s non-King Shark motion capture performance is as John Economos, one of Waller’s flunkys. In the comics, Economos is the warden of Belle Reve, and he also first appeared in Suicide Squad #1 which was written by…

JOHN OSTRANDER

Wait, John Ostrander isn’t a DC character! No, but he IS the person most responsible for the Suicide Squad as we know them. He has a cameo in the film as “Dr. Fitzgibbon.” This isn’t a DC Comics character, but it IS the second time Gunn has snuck a “Dr. Fitzgibbon” into his films…the other was in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie when a Dr. Fitzgibbon was treating Meredith Quill as she was dying.

SENATOR CRAY

A throwaway line in the film refers to “Senator Cray,” and this is no accident either. Senator Joseph Cray was indeed a minor Suicide Squad character, who only appeared in three stories. He was corrupt, so the idea that anyone is playing golf with him in the DCEU doesn’t say great things about them.

CORTO MALTESE

DC fans will recognize the fictional nation of Corto Maltese from its central role in Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Lynn Varley’s incredible The Dark Knight Returns. From there, you’ll know it from its mentions in Tim Burton’s Batman movie and various namedrops on assorted Arrowverse TV shows. The Suicide Squad marks the first time we’ve spent significant time there on the big screen.

But the Corto Maltese name goes back further than The Dark Knight Returns. Miller named the fictional country after Hugo Pratt’s beloved comic book series featuring a sailor of the same name.

It doesn’t appear that Silvio Luna, Matteo Suarez, or the Herrera family depicted in the movie have any additional comics connections, though.

What does Corto Maltese mean for the DCEU? Well, if we ever get that live action Dark Knight Returns adaptation with Ben Affleck, this place will be a movie hotspot once again!

GBS

It’s always a nice touch when we see a TV broadcast coming from a GBS network. GBS is the Galaxy Broadcasting System, one of the biggest fictional news conglomerates in the DC Universe. It’s owned by Morgan Edge, who depending on what version of the character you’re looking at has connections to Darkseid and Apokolips (paging fans of Zack Snyder’s Justice League) or Krypton (hello Superman & Lois!).

What does GBS mean for the DCEU? Not much, but it’s popped up in several movies now, and it’s one of the few pieces of worldbuilding connective tissue still holding the DCEU together.

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Spot anything we missed? Let us know in the comments!

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televisedbirdwatching · 4 years

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A Site Suitability Model for Shelter Villages

Hello! It’s been a while!

First of all, an apology for not keeping up with the blog lately. I started a new job and was busy with school. Since then I’ve been reading quite a bit, and I have started some long-form articles that I haven’t quite polished up yet. In the near future, I hope to post an article about natural disasters, based on recent readings of Rebecca Solnit’s “A Paradise Built in Hell” and Mike Davis’ “Ecology of Fear.” I’ll also be writing an article about a monthly event at The Bike Farm, a DIY Wheelchair Repair night helping folks patch the gaps created by our modern medical system.

For now, I’d like to post a short article adapted from a presentation I gave as part of a GIS course I took at Portland Community College. This article leans heavily on the GIS work I did, and is less about the writing component. Thank you and stay tuned for more soon!

In 2015, the City of Portland declared a housing state of emergency. This declaration serves an important purpose as a recognition of the severity of the affordable housing crisis; and also serves a legal purpose, allowing the city greater flexibility when finding and implementing solutions. On their website, they write “The declaration allows for waiving certain procurement processes and, on a case-by-case basis, portions of the zoning and building codes.”

Each year, the city participates in a point-in-time count of people experiencing homelessness. The count takes place in January each year, and since 2013, Portland’s unhoused population has hovered around 4,000 people. This count is based on HUD (the Federal Bureau of Housing and Urban Development) criteria for homelessness, which counts people sleeping in some situation “not meant for human habitation” and people staying in transitional shelters. People who are unhoused temporarily, involuntarily in doubled-up living arrangements with families or friends, or in institutional settings like jails and hospitals are not included in this definition- making the 4,000 number a conservative estimate within a narrow definition of homelessness.

Get involved with the Point-In-Time Counts at http://ahomeforeveryone.net/

Addressing the housing crisis is difficult; and to those of us with warm and dry sleeping arrangements, feels slow-moving. The causes of homelessness are diverse, as is the population of folks living unsheltered, and any meaningful solutions to this crisis will have to address immediate needs while also addressing long-term systemic changes.

However, we’re beginning to pay closer attention and beginning to identify strategies and triage methods that work. One of my favorite solutions is the tinyhome village.

Dignity Village, p/c http://www.tentcityurbanism.com/

As far as I can tell, Portland’s own Dignity Village was the first incorporated and cooperatively-managed tent city, founded in the year 2000. Since that time, they have found a more permanent location and built shelters that serve 60 residents at a time. The shelters are basic rooms, sometimes with electricity but with plumbing and electricity service elsewhere. They look a lot like their trendier cousin, tinyhomes.

The village solution is easy to deploy and can meet basic needs quickly. It’s difficult to overstate the benefits that a safe and secure place to sleep can have on mental and physical health. Shelter is a safe place to sleep, a secure location to store possessions like clothing and identification documents, and a place for privacy. What’s more is that we know they work. In the first year of operation for the Kenton Women’s Village, 14 of the 24 villagers had moved to permanent housing.

p/c Portland State University’s Center for Public Interest Design: http://www.centerforpublicinterestdesign.org/kenton-womens-village

Villages are also a low-cost solution- many of the villages built so far have made use of donated and up-cycled materials, been constructed by teams of volunteers, and allowed architecture students the opportunity to practice their design skills while getting real-world experience, for good. Plus, the low cost of construction allows villages to take advantage of new-school revenue sources like crowdfunding, instead of relying on slow-moving government dollars.

Most importantly to the project at hand, they are resilient. In the first year of operation for the Kenton Women’s Village, the previously vacant lot they occupied was sold for development and they were forced to move. However, all of the shelters were built on trailer platforms so as soon as a new site was located, they could simply be moved. This mobility is a huge benefit for increasing the resiliency of this solution in the face of a constantly changing urban landscape.

Both in the case of the Kenton Women’s village, or in the case of a new village development, I felt like siting was one of the larger challenges; and one that GIS was particularly poised to solve. My end goal was to develop a site selection model that ranked possible locations for shelter villages. This information could be displayed as a map, in print or on the web; or, simply expressed as a list of ranked site addresses. I wanted to create a map that would help organizations find potential village locations quickly and easily, instead of going through the site selection process each time over again.

The first step was to figure out what was important- what makes a site a good location for one of these villages. I roughed out a list of criteria and got to work finding data to express those metrics.

1- A site must be safe.

2- A site must have easy transit access.

3- A site must be located close to service providers.

4- A site must be in a location with (at least somewhat) favorable public opinion.

5- A site must be developable- vacant but otherwise fit for human habitation.

In order to map the safety of relative sites, I downloaded the year 2019’s worth of crime data from the Portland Police Bureau. As part of their open data initiative, the police report an approximate X,Y Coordinate for each crime; making it easy to translate this spreadsheet into geospatial data.

All crimes in Portland, 2019.

For transit access, I used the locations of all transit stops (bus, light rail, and streetcar) in Portland.

Transit stops in Portland

To map service providers, I used an online version of the Rose City Resource Guide published by Street Roots- with addresses I was able to georeference for most (83%) of the entries.

Homeless Services, according to Street Roots’ Rose City Resource Guide, 2018 edition.

As a map of public opinion, I mapped the location of every Portland Police call regarding “unwanted persons” in the past 5 years.

All calls to the Portland Police regarding “Unwanted Persons,” 2012-2019. A great article on the subject can be found here.

As a map of vacant lots, I found a dataset from the City of Portland that, with some modifications, was pretty close to what I was looking for.

Most of these datasets were in point format. Looking at the point maps, it’s possible to get a sense of “hotspots,” but we can use GIS to translate these point features into raster datasets that express point density. Here are some examples of those maps.

Crimes, expressed as a heatmap.

Transit, expressed as a heatmap.

These raster datasets are a better expression of the data than the point data format, but it’s not quite ready for a weighted overlay. First, I reclassified these rasters into meaningful categories. For example, in a city like Portland it’s obvious that transit and crimes will be concentrated on the downtown area, since that’s where the most people are. So, I reclassified these maps using standard deviation, to show areas with more-than or less-than average access to transit; or more-than-average crimes versus less-than-average crimes. Homeless Services are also concentrated in the downtown area, but in this case it made the most sense to classify the map into a “services access score” between 1-9, with 9 being the farthest from services in general.

These maps aren’t as pretty, as this is a more functional step in the process. This map shows unwanted persons calls expressed as more (red) or less (green) than average. Here, less calls are a good thing, and represent favorable public opinion.

This map is a reclassification of the transit heatmap, showing better-than-average (green) and worse-than-average (red) access to transit, where access is density of stops. More density of stops is more access is a good thing.

The next step was to feed all of these datasets into a weighted overlay model. The model interprets the score of a particular cell based on a custom weighting of the inputs, and then spits out a number that represents the weighted score.

For my datasets, I settled on the following weights, where greater percentages correlate to greater influence on the final score.

30% safety, 25% transit, 30% services, 15% public sentiment.

Here’s the map that comes out of this analysis.

Here, colors correspond to site suitability. Better potential sites for villages are represented in greens, average sites in yellows, and poor potential sites in reds.

The final step was to clip the map- I only wanted to show the scores for locations that were actual and potential sites for villages- not schools, parks, or currently existing homes and buildings. I found a dataset from the City of Portland called the Developable Lands Index that happens to have a somewhat-up-to-date inventory of vacant lots. With some careful data cleanup to exclude sites that were industrially zoned or too small to be practical, I had a decent index of potential sites.

I used the Clip tool to treat the final sites like cookie cutters, cutting out the color and score value from the area beneath them. Here is a zoomed-in look at the final product.

Area detail- Southeast Portland: Mt. Tabor, Montavilla, 82nd, and Powell. Potential sites are in color, and the grey is the basemap for reference.

The weights and datasets I used were approximations and guesses, so I wanted to do some testing of my model. Here’s a selection of my map showing the current location of one of the villages in Portland, called Right To Dream too. My model correctly identified this as a high-scoring, suitable site.

Since the exact lot that hosts the Kenton Women’s village doesn’t show up as a vacant lot, I don’t have exact info for it, but I’ll count it as a win that it is surrounded by other high-scoring lots.

Agape Village in Southeast Portland is the city’s newest village, funded and built by Portland Church of the Nazarene, on land they already owned. Also, a site surrounded by green, highly suitable areas.

Although my model tested well, I want to address some of the limitations of this project. First, I made a lot of assumptions when manipulating the data for this project, and interjected a lot of personally-derived guesses. For example, I decided what categories made for a good village site, and then decided how to weight them. However, this model operates on ArcGIS’s model-builder architecture, which means these categories can be tweaked and altered. Ideally, I’d like to refine this model with input from the houseless community, to more accurately reflect their experiences, wants, and needs.

Second, this model is only as good as its data. Due to (processing power and excel spreadsheet size) limitations, I was only able to include one year of crime data (2019). The version of the Rose City Resource Guide I used to map services was a year out of date. Further, I’m not sure the City’s Developable Lands Index is really the best final site map to use- there might exist a more comprehensive dataset for vacant lots and one that may include places like large parking lots that are privately owned but not technically vacant.

This (admittedly uninspiring) graphic shows the model I’ve been describing, with its inputs and eventual output. The flexibility built into the model means I can change inputs, layer weights, and re-run all or part of the series to edit it over time.

However, I’m excited about the model I built as a proof of concept; and can edit things over time with better inputs and more data. As an end goal, I’d like to create a version of this I can host as an interactive web map, making it even easier to distribute to people who might be able to make use of this information.

0 notes

feuilledrabbles · 7 years

Text

Main Pairing: 1p2p America

Soulmate/Band AU

Allen gulped, his leg jostling up and down as he tapped his fingers in an unknown rhythm on his knee. An untouched waterbottle sat next to him on the couch and he reached out as if to take a drink before drawing his hand back again. He played with the piercing on his lip and sighed, closing his eyes for a few seconds and taking a deep breath.

He was nervous. Completely, utterly nervous.

“Calm down, man,” Matt said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. Allen focused on his breathing. Four seconds in, hold one second, eight seconds out.

“Hey Al, could you come help me for a sec?” Flavio stuck his head out of a dressing room and struggled to keep the door closed. “I’m, uh, having some trouble.” Something smacked Flavio on the back of the head and he glared into the room viciously.

Allen laughed, his voice wavering only slightly. “Can’t you just turn on the ugly, Flavi?”

Flavio scoffed. “While you barbarians can do that easily, it is impossible for me to be ugly.” Matt rolled his eyes and Lutz laughed mockingly, but Allen forced himself to his feet and strolled over to the dressing room. Once his was in range Flavio latched onto his arm and dragged him in the room, slamming the door shut behind them.

Inside was a raging Luciano, with Kuro egging him on and causing just as much, if not more, trouble than the italian. Flavio sighed in irritation and said, “They won’t put on the clothes I tell them to and I can’t get within ten feet of them with a makeup brush. It’s irritating and, dare I say, stressful, and I do not need more stress in my life. I mean, have you seen these wrinkles? It’s this atmosphere, I can’t stay calm!”

Allen scoffed. “Liar. You’ve lived with Luciano all of your life. You can handle this and more.”

Flavio examined his nails carefully. “Maybe so, but you need to get your mind off the concert.” Allen’s smirk dropped off his face instantly. Flavio noticed with a sigh and turned to Luciano and Kuro, a dangerous glint in his eye.

“Luciano, if you aren’t in those clothes in ten seconds I will strangle you with my scarf. And Kuro, sit in that chair and don’t move, so help me I will burn all of your magazines.”

Luciano had lived with Flavio enough to know of his seriousness (he wanted that last time to be the only time Flavio actually carried out his scarf-strangling threat) so he snatched his concert clothes and disappeared into the closet, still uncomfortable with changing in front of others. Kuro grumbled, meandering over to the chair and muttering something about “You don’t know where they are anyway…”

Flavio laughed humorlessly. “Under the third seat in the back of the tour bus, under the box marked ‘Matt’s stuff, do not touch.’”

Kuro hurried to the chair after that and Flavio got to work on his face, making sure he would look flawless under the bright lights on stage. Allen took that as the sign he should leave, and he opened the door to exit. It was a deep pink, pink on Flavio’s request and dark on Luciano’s.

“Calm down, Allen. You’ll do fine. And if you keep worrying, even I won’t be able to cover your worry-lines.” Flavio didn’t look up from his work, but Allen shot him a grateful glance and the unusually thoughtful statement from the fashionista. He stepped through the door, but not without catching a glimpse of the words tattooed on Flavio’s left wrist: I swear to god if you take one more step towards me I will stab you with this pencil. He snickered, the entertaining statement brushing away a few of his nerves. A glance at his own wrist washed away another good portion: I totally just won ten bucks.

Well… they sounded fun, anyway.

“Opening band out in five!” Oliver chirped, carrying a clipboard out to the lounging bandmembers. Matt, Kuro, Luciano, Lutz, Klaus, and of course Allen himself made up the main show, being the band everyone had come to see. Allen wanted to say he remembered the names of the openers, but he was too distracted and frankly didn’t really care.

“Ready for your first night in New York?” Matt questioned, drawing a long sip from Allen’s abandoned water bottle. Allen took a deep breath, his former nerves suddenly lesser. He knew it was from his friends influence but he was too prideful to admit it.

“Hell yeah.” Allen plopped down next to his cousin and snagged the bottle back. Luciano and Kuro wandered out of the dressing room looking disheveled but ready and they joined the two in the lounge area. Flavio exited the dressing room moments later with a smug look on his face.

“Where’s Lutz?” Luciano asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the lack of german in the room.

“Beer room,” Matt replied shortly. Luciano muttered swears under his breath and stalked off to drag the mischievous german back to the rest of the band. He said something about no patience, waiting until after, and just restocked.

Pounding music suddenly entered the room, beating through the walls as the openers started their show. It was muffled but still quite audible in the back room where they would be meeting the VIP’s after the show. Allen smirked to himself. Meeting the VIP’s was always his favorite part, especially when they realized that yes, they were all as brash in real life as they were on stage.

It was also entertaining to see them attempt to get their drummer, Klaus, to speak. Speaking of which…

“Where’s our mute?” Allen tilted his head back and gazed at the ceiling, squinting at a questionable stain.

“Selective mute,” Oliver called out from the monitor. He was the one to make it all run smoothly and the bandmembers were more grateful to him than he would ever know.

“Hiding, probably.” Kuro snickered, flipping a pen expertly across his fingers. Allen watched jealously for a moment before a sound caught his attention.

“Ah, there you are Klaus! Wondering when you’d grace us with your silent presence.” Allen grinned at the drummer who shot him an unamused glare before leaning back into a chair. He reached out to grab one of the refreshments on the table only for Flavio to slap it away without looking.

“No food until after the show,” he said absentmindedly, tapping away at his phone. The bandmembers were once again surprised by his seemingly all-knowing nature. Klaus scowled and leaned back.

The group joked and fooled around for a few more minutes until Oliver called out to them, “On in ten!”

They stood up with a flurry of activity, Flavio flitting around them with last-minute changes. In no time at all they were out on stage, singing or playing to the beat that Klaus set. Lights flashed and their music rang out, Allen and Luciano singing with Matt on guitar, Kuro on the bass guitar and Lutz on keyboard. Allen was also playing the guitar but Luciano was only singing.

Their first song ended with a dramatic flashing of the lights and a powerful chord from all of the instruments and the crowd went wild, screaming in excitement and cheering for them madly.

“What’s up New York citay?” Allen called into the mike. The crowd went crazy. “I gotta say, I was seriously looking forward to this. What New Yorker’s never played in his own city before?” He paused as the crowd yelled to him, and he heard many “Welcome home!”s. He smirked. How had he been so nervous about this? Of course New York would accept him.

“What a heart-wrenching homecoming,” Luciano snarked into his own mike, eliciting laughter from the crowd that only grew when Allen shot a fake-glare his way. “Let’s get back to the reason all of you lovely folks came out here!” The crowd cheered and Luciano gestured to Klaus and Kuro to start the beat. A few seconds in Lutz joined in with chords and then the song was underway, Matt, Luciano, and Allen joining at appropriate times.

Two or three songs later they stopped again for a planned surprise. Lutz had a stupid grin on his face that was mirrored by Kuro, while Klaus rolled his eyes at the two. Matt looked three steps away from smacking Kuro for turning up his base for the last song. Allen didn’t see any of that, too busy preparing for the upcoming event.

“We’ve put together a little surprise for y’all, something we’ve never done before. I’m guessing you want to know what it is?” Allen teased the crowd. They yelled at him excitedly and mock-angrily and he laughed.

“Don’t keep them waiting, cherry-head,” Luciano snickered to himself.

“Oh I won’t sharp-stuff,” Allen shot back. The crowd loved the banter that constantly happened on stage, mostly between Luciano and Allen since they were the ones with the mikes. Occasionally Kuro made a snide comment into his base-mike and sometimes Lutz snuck up behind Allen or Luciano and stole their mike. Klaus only ever made obscene gestures from his seat at the back of the stage that Matt occasionally translated into his guitar mike, much to the delight of the crowd.

“Now, we’ve chosen one seat that will get to come up on stage for us and get a free signature from any of the band members,” Allen started, gesturing widely to the other four, “though we all know it’ll be me.” He winked at the crowd and got a pretty positive reaction. He moved on. “And they get to request a song, any song, even if it’s a cover. Just don’t pick Silent Night, okay?” Some laughs. Okay, he was good. “Now, I’m guessing you guys want to know which seat it is, right?”

The crowd screamed louder than they had all night. Or maybe not. They were always pretty loud.

Allen shot Luciano a smirk. “Let ‘em have it, shorty.”

Luciano glared at him while the crowd let out a well-timed “ooooo”. Allen’s pretty sure a few of them started chanting “Fight fight fight fight” but he pretended not to hear them.

What? Luciano keeps knives on his person.

“Row G…” Luciano started slowly. A large portion of the crowd groaned in disappointment. “Seat 603.”

One of the people threw his arms in the air in celebration. He most likely would have shot out of his seat if he had not been already standing. Multiple people shot him nasty looks - even from the stage Allen could tell - but the winner didn’t seem to care. He was led to the stage by one of the bodyguards and the teen jumped up exuberantly. Well, he looked like a teen, anyway. If anything a young adult.

Allen’s smirk widened. The boy had soft-looking straw-blonde hair, and sparkling blue eyes brighter than the sky. He almost hopped in place and his wide smile was shining in excitement. Allen reached out his hand and drew the boy closer to center stage.

“So, starshine, how does it feel to be the winner?” Allen asked with a smirk, hand on his shoulder incase he felt the heat from the lights glaring on the band at all times. It wouldn’t be the first time someone fainted on stage.

“I totally just won ten bucks.” The boy blurted out. Allen thought he could see the person the boy had been sitting by slap himself on the forehead but he couldn’t be sure. He blinked, something twinging inside of him. He ignored it.

“Uh…” Luciano furrowed his eyebrows while Allen just laughed. The boy went bright red and he hurried to explain himself.

“I mean, my brother didn’t think I would win, so I started a bet with him, and I did win, so he owes me ten bucks.” He rubbed his arm awkwardly then froze. Allen was suddenly struck with a thought and he stiffened. The lights seemed to shine ten times brighter and time went in slow motion. The two simultaneously looked at their wrists in wide-eyed shock.

And on them were the exact words the other had first said.

They slowly looked back at each other and the world came rushing back into focus. The crowd was freaking out and Allen’s bandmates had various reactions. Kuro was snickering while saying “No way, no frickin’ way” and Lutz was full out laughing, bent over his keyboard from unbelievable odds of it all. Luciano was gaping at the two and Klaus was hiding his smirk behind his hand.

Allen slapped his signature smirk over his face. “So what’s your name, starshine?”

#did i ever say I was a sucker for 1p2p ships #hopefully there will be a sequel to this #hetalia #aph america #2p america #1p2p ships #1p2p america #veggie burgers #2p japan #2p canada #2p prussia #2p germany #2p romano #2p england #soulmate au #band au #mywritings

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delspanda · 4 years

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Alabama Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond

The listed below short article is a good introduction to bid bonds. Quote bonds, as you understand, are bonds utilized in the construction market. These bonds guarantee that if somebody bids on a project, and is granted the contract, then they will move forward with carrying out under the terms of the contract.

See the below article for more good info. You can see the original short article here: https://swiftbonds.com/license-permit-bonds/automotive-dismantler-and-parts-recycler-bond-alabama/

Alabama Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond

What is a Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond in Alabama?

A Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond is a type of license bond. The purpose of the bond is to protect the state or governmental entity for certain things, such as the payment of taxes.

To get this bond, please see our Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond Application Form. Fill this out and mail to [email protected]

You can also Apply On Line by clicking on this link.

How Much does a Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond Cost in Alabama?

Just fill out the form below and we’ll have you a quote in a few hours – at the absolute best possible rate.

How do I get a Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond?

We make it easy to get a Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond in Alabama. Fill out the form above and we’ll get right on this for you.

How Does this Process Work in Alabama?

Once we get the Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond application back from you, we process it right away. We typically have an answer within a few hours. Once you get approved, we’ll let you know the exact fee. Then:

You send us the fee

We send you the bond

For certain bonds, we may send you original forms to fill out (depends on the type of bond)

Then we’ll get the Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond right out to you. Easy.

Alabama Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond Application Form Fill this out and mail to [email protected]

Apply On Line

Find a Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond Near Me

We’ll work as hard as possible to get you the bond that you need in Alabama.

Find out more about our Permit and License Bonds

Step-By-Step Quick Suggestions When Looking At License Bonds

It’s essential to have an approval from the government before starting a professional or business operation. It’s a guarantee to your customers that your business or professional service complies with the governing rules authorized by the government. These laws and regulations are set to protect the clients you might serve. You’ll need a license to prove that you are operating with integrity and that your products and services are reputable. Before you decide to get a license, however, you will need a license and permit bond, which describes the laws and consequences. Therefore, the government can be sure that you’re following all the appropriate laws since your bond could be sued should you fail to comply. This is a simple guide for you to know further the necessity for surety bonds. We also include tips about how to obtain a permit bond.

License and Permit Surety Bonds

There are different bonds, but their usage varies depending on your type of business or operation. Two of the most common kinds of surety bonds that your business might need are discussed below.

The first kind of surety bond is the most common, which is the license and permit surety bond. But, before you get this bond, you have to understand first the local laws and regulations that cover the engagement of professional services in Kansas, for instance. Remember that the government must make certain that your operations is compliant to the existing laws in order to offer you an authority to operate. Once your company begins, the customers you serve will be the eyes of the government. Should you fail to act as specified by the government, the customer will sue your bond. In return, he or she will get compensation and you, however, will face the law. There are also different sub-types concerning this certain type of bond. For instance, you are going to enjoy contractor license bond under this kind of bond.

Another example is the performance bonds. A performance bond is an excellent type of insurance for the client that chooses to hire a professional for a certain task, for instance, construction. While constructing, the contractor has to meet all the needs and requirements presented by the consumer. The contractors must not fail to abide by the governing rules to avoid serious problems concerning the laws that cover this particular kind of business methods. In case the contractor fail to supply, the customer will be able to obtain considerable amount of money from the insuring company in which the contractor get the bond. They are going to also get a replacement contractor because of the contractor’s non-compliant.

The Advantages Of License Bonds

To understand further the need for permit bonds, here are some of its advantages.

To regulate the procedures of organizations, the government requires the use of license bonds to make certain that various functions are legally implemented. Any company or contractor need to comply with the existing laws to be able to run their functions effectively. The government in Kansas will require that each business has the license and permit bond. This helps the clientele to have a secured infrastructure project.

Permit bonds are meant to protect the clientele that they’re going to get quality service or result of projects. It’s consequently crucial for contractors to make certain that they meet project requirements and supply the same. Nonetheless, the client won’t suffer any loss should the contractor does not manage to deliver. The surety bond serves as an insurance that guarantees the customer of quality service and secured project agreement.

Applying for A License And Permit Bond

Obtaining a license and permit bond is actually easier than most folks would expect. Even so, there are only particular providers who are authorized by law to issue these bonds. When obtaining a license and permit bond, below are a few of the steps that you have to follow.

Online Form

First, you’ll need accessibility to the online site providing the license and permit bonds. You’ll need a device that has an internet connection and a browser to get into the form. Ideally, using a computer gives you a better view and experience in browsing through these online forms. Once you access the platform, you will fill out a form immediately. On this form, you will get recommendations on the essential info and the optional fields that you could ignore.

A Quote

Within seconds, you’ll get a quote. This quote will define the payment that you should pay for the bond. It also tells you that you’ve got successfully applied for the bond.

Payment

After you get the quote, you must make the payments using the available payment channels and you could, in return, get the insurance and permit bonds.

About The License And Permit Bonds

This section highlights the essential info about permit and license bonds that most people ignore.

For example, permit and license bonds are worth a certain amount of money. If for instance you have a $500,000 project cost. This isn’t the full amount indicated in the performance bond, but rather a portion of it. In this case, only a relative portion of the whole project cost is insured with the performance bond. Instead, the payment you make will simply be equal to 1% of the whole bond’s worth.

Licensing

From the word itself, “performance” bond, it guarantees that the contractor will perform or deliver the required project result as they are bonded with a surety. Being the contractor, you must conform to the laws and regulations that cover your license to operate, especially if your projects are bonded by surety. This will help you avoid the predicaments resulted by your failure to comply.

There are only approved issuing company so do not forget to bear in mind that when acquiring a bond. Responsible action is to recognize the exact kind of bond that works best for your company.

See our Alabama Blanket Unemployment Compensation Tax (Non-Profit Employers) Bond page here.

A Deeper Take A Look At Quote Bonds in Building If granted, a Bid Bond is a type of surety bond used to ensure that a specialist bidding on a task or job will enter into the agreement with the obligee.

A Bid Bond is released in the amount of the agreement bid, with the similar requirements as that of a Performance Bond.

All About Quote Bonds in Construction The origins of our company was carefully related to the arrangement of performance bonds to the contracting market. Somewhat higher than one hundred years earlier, the federal authorities grew to become alarmed concerning the high failure cost amongst the personal firms it was utilizing to perform public building and construction projects. It discovered that the private contractor generally was insolvent when the task was awarded, or grew to become insolvent earlier than the challenge was finished. Accordingly, the federal government was continually entrusted to unfinished efforts, and the taxpayers had actually been forced to cover the additional rates developing from the contractor's default.

The standing of your surety company is necessary, because it guarantees you that when you have troubles or if even worse involves worst you'll have a reputable partner to turn to and receive help from. We work just with A-rated and T-listed business, probably the most reputable corporations in the industry.

Generally no, they are different. Bid bonds mechanically turn into performance bonds in case you are granted the contract.

What Is A Building Surety Bond? The origins of our company was thoroughly related to the arrangement of performance bonds to the contracting market. Even if some tasks do not require expense and performance bonds, you will need to get bonded finally due to the fact that the bulk of public initiatives do require the bonds. The longer a small professional waits to get bonded, the more resilient it will be since there will not be a observe report of meeting the obligatory requirements for bonding and carrying out bonded work.

The only restrict is the biggest bond you might get for one specific task. The aggregate limit is the whole quantity of bonded work available you potentially can have without hold-up.

The Value Of Quote Bonds near You Arms, generators, radio towers, tree removal, computers, softward, smoke alarm, ornamental work, scaffolding, water towers, lighting, and resurfacing of existing roads/paved areas. Bid bonds furthermore operate an additional assurance for project owners that a bidding professional or subcontractor is qualified to carry out the job they're bidding on. There are 2 causes for this.

https://swiftbonds.com/license-permit-bonds/automotive-dismantler-and-parts-recycler-bond-alabama/

0 notes

tomorowlandword · 4 years

Text

Alabama Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond

See the below article for more good info. You can see the original short article here: https://swiftbonds.com/license-permit-bonds/automotive-dismantler-and-parts-recycler-bond-alabama/

Alabama Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond

What is a Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond in Alabama?

A Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond is a type of license bond. The purpose of the bond is to protect the state or governmental entity for certain things, such as the payment of taxes.

To get this bond, please see our Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond Application Form. Fill this out and mail to [email protected]

You can also Apply On Line by clicking on this link.

How Much does a Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond Cost in Alabama?

Just fill out the form below and we’ll have you a quote in a few hours – at the absolute best possible rate.

How do I get a Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond?

We make it easy to get a Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond in Alabama. Fill out the form above and we’ll get right on this for you.

How Does this Process Work in Alabama?

You send us the fee

We send you the bond

For certain bonds, we may send you original forms to fill out (depends on the type of bond)

Then we’ll get the Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond right out to you. Easy.

Alabama Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond Application Form Fill this out and mail to [email protected]

Apply On Line

Find a Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond Near Me

We’ll work as hard as possible to get you the bond that you need in Alabama.

Find out more about our Permit and License Bonds

Step-By-Step Quick Suggestions When Looking At License Bonds

License and Permit Surety Bonds

There are different bonds, but their usage varies depending on your type of business or operation. Two of the most common kinds of surety bonds that your business might need are discussed below.

The Advantages Of License Bonds

To understand further the need for permit bonds, here are some of its advantages.

Applying for A License And Permit Bond

Online Form

A Quote

Within seconds, you’ll get a quote. This quote will define the payment that you should pay for the bond. It also tells you that you’ve got successfully applied for the bond.

Payment

After you get the quote, you must make the payments using the available payment channels and you could, in return, get the insurance and permit bonds.

About The License And Permit Bonds

This section highlights the essential info about permit and license bonds that most people ignore.

Licensing

There are only approved issuing company so do not forget to bear in mind that when acquiring a bond. Responsible action is to recognize the exact kind of bond that works best for your company.

See our Alabama Blanket Unemployment Compensation Tax (Non-Profit Employers) Bond page here.

A Bid Bond is released in the amount of the agreement bid, with the similar requirements as that of a Performance Bond.

Generally no, they are different. Bid bonds mechanically turn into performance bonds in case you are granted the contract.

The only restrict is the biggest bond you might get for one specific task. The aggregate limit is the whole quantity of bonded work available you potentially can have without hold-up.

https://swiftbonds.com/license-permit-bonds/automotive-dismantler-and-parts-recycler-bond-alabama/

0 notes

aestheticsharry · 4 years

Text

Alabama Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond

See the below article for more good info. You can see the original short article here: https://swiftbonds.com/license-permit-bonds/automotive-dismantler-and-parts-recycler-bond-alabama/

Alabama Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond

What is a Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond in Alabama?

A Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond is a type of license bond. The purpose of the bond is to protect the state or governmental entity for certain things, such as the payment of taxes.

To get this bond, please see our Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond Application Form. Fill this out and mail to [email protected]

You can also Apply On Line by clicking on this link.

How Much does a Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond Cost in Alabama?

Just fill out the form below and we’ll have you a quote in a few hours – at the absolute best possible rate.

How do I get a Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond?

We make it easy to get a Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond in Alabama. Fill out the form above and we’ll get right on this for you.

How Does this Process Work in Alabama?

You send us the fee

We send you the bond

For certain bonds, we may send you original forms to fill out (depends on the type of bond)

Then we’ll get the Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond right out to you. Easy.

Alabama Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond Application Form Fill this out and mail to [email protected]

Apply On Line

Find a Automotive Dismantler and Parts Recycler Bond Near Me

We’ll work as hard as possible to get you the bond that you need in Alabama.

Find out more about our Permit and License Bonds

Step-By-Step Quick Suggestions When Looking At License Bonds

License and Permit Surety Bonds

There are different bonds, but their usage varies depending on your type of business or operation. Two of the most common kinds of surety bonds that your business might need are discussed below.

The Advantages Of License Bonds

To understand further the need for permit bonds, here are some of its advantages.

Applying for A License And Permit Bond

Online Form

A Quote

Within seconds, you’ll get a quote. This quote will define the payment that you should pay for the bond. It also tells you that you’ve got successfully applied for the bond.

Payment

After you get the quote, you must make the payments using the available payment channels and you could, in return, get the insurance and permit bonds.

About The License And Permit Bonds

This section highlights the essential info about permit and license bonds that most people ignore.

Licensing

There are only approved issuing company so do not forget to bear in mind that when acquiring a bond. Responsible action is to recognize the exact kind of bond that works best for your company.

See our Alabama Blanket Unemployment Compensation Tax (Non-Profit Employers) Bond page here.

A Bid Bond is released in the amount of the agreement bid, with the similar requirements as that of a Performance Bond.

Generally no, they are different. Bid bonds mechanically turn into performance bonds in case you are granted the contract.

The only restrict is the biggest bond you might get for one specific task. The aggregate limit is the whole quantity of bonded work available you potentially can have without hold-up.

https://swiftbonds.com/license-permit-bonds/automotive-dismantler-and-parts-recycler-bond-alabama/

0 notes

32flavasshoetique · 4 years

Text

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How To Find The Perfect Filipina Bride

One wonderful feature of beloved is that geographical limits can certainly not stop you coming from acquiring the woman of your goals. The world wide web and also the development of internet going out withinternet sites have actually created things hassle-free for lots of folks.

You can locate the girl of your desires online, create a connection along withher and also even get wed if points go well. Currently, this is where Filipino new brides enter into account. You carry out not need to reside in the Philippines to date a Filipina.

In simple fact, Filipina outdating could be carried out on the internet properly. Before hooking up witha girl from this Eastern country, it spends to know a couple of aspects of Filipinos and also their way of living.

The Greatest of EachPlanets

Philippines lies in a calculated component of the Asian continent. It is referred to as the entrance between the east and also the West. Now, this suggests that individuals in this particular country possess parts of eastern and also western side societies in their lifestyle.

This has a positive influence on Filipino women since they are modern-day in the western side feeling yet they are actually also reserved and also well-mannered in the asian sense. This is a fantastic blend as well as this is what produces scorching Filipinas therefore lovely.

Getting Began

You can easily come across average filipino woman online yet you should permit factors take their organic course. Women coming from the Philippines are patient as well as respectful and they expect that you need to have these highqualities too.

If you try to hurry traits, the lady you are trying to charm might consider this a poor indication. Offer the partnership time to expand and also your opportunities of success are going to be considerably greater. This means that when you encounter your Filipina online, you must begin factors off on a courteous and also helpful note.

Do certainly not discover as a sex-starved Casanova. Your best bet is to be familiar withthe girl throughcovering secure subject matters like sports, occupation and also various other components of lifestyle. Once the woman trusts you and believes secure withyou, it is actually time to relocate right into an even more charming setting.

Overcoming the Language Obstacle

People in Philippines communicate a number of local area foreign languages featuring Tagalog, Cebuano and Ilokano. In the event you are actually scraping your head currently, you must not let the language barricade discourage you.

Millions of enlightened Filipino women talk Englishand at least one other global foreign language. All the same, passion is actually an universal tongue so if you desire to day warm Filipinas, you are going to definitely discover a technique to navigate the language barrier.

Moving from Dating to Marriage

Now, let us take over that your partnership has relocated coming from the solely online stage to the severe phase. Your Filipina has accepted to wed you but you believe distance or confusion may be a problem. The fact is actually that you perform not possess just about anything to think about.

Millions of Filipino women reside abroad and also they may easily adapt to brand new lifestyles. All the same, it is feasible that your wife-to-be stems from a public community. Because situation, it is going to reasonably simple for her to matchyour community.

Final Term

As you may go to, receiving Filipino new brides is actually certainly not a complication. Smart and eye-catching males can get married to beautiful Filipina women if they tackle it the right way. If you concern this group, you will definitely obtain the better half of your goals in Philippines.

Plenty Of FishDating Website: For Owners Of A Lonely Soul

There are actually millions of solitary individuals out there around this earthtrying to find a partner in life; nevertheless, there are several barriers whichminimize the odds of discovering good companions.

For example, these folks maybe incredibly hectic along withtheir projects and also opportunity does certainly not allow all of them to socialize withother people. In some situations, they may be extremely shy as well as need the prodding of pals to meet new folks.

At times, there are actually people who are quite choosy when searching for a companion and also it takes a long time for them to find an individual who really matches their desire. Excellent trait there’ s A lot of fishgoing out withwebsite whichoffers many attributes so owners of a lonesome soul would ultimately encounter their beautiful filipino women Russian girl or warm Italian stallion.

Before you participate in plenty of fishdating website, it would be good to find out about a handful of things regarding this internet site. Mostly, Loads of Fishdating web site is actually complimentary and extremely well recognized in the US, Canada, UK and also Australia, thoughyou will certainly still discover loads of International women or even Eastern women for dating if that is your objective. So a private attempting to subscribe have to merely originate from the previously mentioned nations or they would certainly be rejected.

The internet site was actually set-up throughMarkus Frind and also is presently the Chief Executive Officer of the mentioned web site. The company is actually complimentary thanks to earnings from marketing whichpresently generates countless dollars. Atop this, numerous single members seeking days have actually met their dates online making use of plenty of fishdating internet site.

In 2009, the Markus helped make a marketing campaign that was actually truly amazing. A lot of Fishcourting web site created arrangements along withFemale Gaga’ s Monster Scenic tour making it possible for the solitary participants a possibility to find the performance and also satisfy the popular singer.

Certainly, this type of initiative provided even more increase to loads of fishgoing out withwebsite.

Plenty of fishdating website is actually attracts attention one of the rest of the going out withwebsites considering that it helps members discover more concerning their relationship needs. A member would be actually advised about recent oversights made in former relationships. Additionally, various subject matters that are relevant for people looking for partners are featured in the partnership needs portion of the internet site.

There’ s likewise a chemical make up test that can highly forecast the possibility of having an excellent suit witha member proposed by the web site. Due to these features, loads of fishdating website constantly extends as individuals locate satisfying relationships.

Travelling To as well as Around the Philippines

Travellers trying to find an Asian journey have actually generally gone to the well-known destinations of Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong and China, choosing from any number of pre-organised package deal excursions.

Withtoday’ s traveller able to create straight plans on the net, less well-known places are actually progressively drawing in a new group of tourists and also the Philippines is actually one suchinstance of this.

Comprising over 7,000 isles, it is house to some of the Planet’ s very most impressive, uninterrupted as well as interesting sites for those trying to find one thing a little off the beaten track.

Whether it’ s diving along withWhale Sharks, raising volcanoes, discovering below ground streams or merely loosening up on image best white colored seashores, there is something for every person and yet, it still stays among the absolute most under-advertised places in SE Asia.

Getting to the Philippines has actually never ever been less complicated along withan ever-increasing domestic and also global network of airlines working to and coming from various regional airport terminals.

Manila International Flight terminal is actually the country’ s formal major airport terminal withClark International, beside Angeles Urban area, quick coming to be a well-liked choice. As coming from 1 Oct 2013, Emirates (global company for United Arab Emirates) is including day-to-day flights in/out of Clark International withother airlines sharing their motive to comply with.

Once in the Philippines, there are actually a lot of muchlarger bus operators running between significant communities and metropolitan areas throughout the continuously. Trip fees are cheap and also those trying to find a genuine adventure can easily even go withthe more fundamental local companies whichdon’ t feature air conditioning althoughin the height of Summertime, this may be way too muchalso for the professional!

Hop- on/ hop-off jeepneys provide in-town transportation along all significant paths or motorcycle trikes could be picked up coming from any road kerb but travellers are reminded to negotiate fees before setting off.

Withthe extra inflow of guests, property creators have actually reacted swiftly and the sky lines of Manila, Cebu and also Angeles Metropolitan area are actually currently home to beautiful, western side design residence advancements for foreigners at rate selections to matchall spending plans.

Investors need to have to tread very carefully before buying a condo unit in the Philippines as there are extremely details restrictions as well as regulations regarding overseas possession of real estate.

An actually practical resource whichevery immigrant reflecting upon buying a condo must review is Mike Williams’ ‘ aptly named ” An Immigrant ‘ s Manual to Acquiring a New Residence in the Philippines”, accessible from https://ift.tt/2JrGREj.

Amongst other subject matters, the guide covers the applicable legislations, policies & & regulations, licenses as well as the sales procedure alongside laying out efficient pointers for aiding opt for the right developer.

Withan awesome drink in palm and the sunshine setting at hand, those who have actually made the attempt to visit this amazing nation will absolutely question how muchlonger the Philippines will certainly stay one of Asia’ s finest suppressed places.

Meeting Your Filipina Partner Overseas

How to Plan a Prosperous First Encountering in The Philippines after Fulfilling Someone Online

Online bride-to-bes, marital relationship solutions and connections consulting to tide over between nations are thriving. Yes, guys are receiving their decent selection in lifestyle for an improvement. Receiving wed to a woman you complied withonline can be very stimulating and frightening simultaneously. Lots of others have been prior to you and was successful.

from 32flavas https://ift.tt/3dJdlYz via IFTTT

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nancygduarteus · 5 years

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Why States Want Certain Americans to Work for Medicaid

The letters went out to governors on March 14, 2017. Seema Verma had recently been appointed by President Donald Trump as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency within the Department of Health and Human Services that oversees health-care programs for more than 130 million Americans. Verma and then–HHS Secretary Tom Price, also a Trump appointee, wanted to alert state leaders across the nation that a new era was dawning: Some people would be required to work in exchange for Medicaid benefits.

Ushering in this new regime was, in some ways, what Verma had spent her entire career seeking to accomplish. In 2001, five years after earning a master’s degree in public health at Johns Hopkins University, Verma founded a consulting company called SVC. The company, which exists now as HMA Medicaid Market Solutions, helps states adjust how Medicaid programs are operated and delivered. (Verma sold the company shortly after becoming CMS administrator.)

In 2010, SVC took center stage in state-level Medicaid reform when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—Obamacare—gave states the option of expanding Medicaid, with a hefty federal subsidy, to people making up to 138 percent of the poverty line. (The current poverty line is $12,490 per year for individuals and $25,750 per year for a family of four.) In Indiana, Verma partnered with Mike Pence, who at the time was the state’s governor, to implement an expansion program called the Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0. Among other things, the program instituted a system of premiums, ranging from $1 to $27 per month, for the new Medicaid-expansion population.

Policy makers on the right applauded the move. But there was a consequence. Medicaid expansion in Indiana did give approximately 240,000 new people coverage, but in the years since it was implemented, portions of those eligible for benefits have been unable to pay their premiums. From 2015 to 2017, about 25,000 people in Indiana lost access to Medicaid.

In 2017, in her new position as CMS administrator, Verma gained the power to influence how every state administered its Medicaid programs.

In January 2018, for the first time since Medicaid’s creation, in 1965, Verma’s CMS gave permission to a state government to require certain citizens to work in order to keep benefits. The state was Kentucky, which planned to launch a work-requirement program this year. Details about who exactly would be subject to the requirement are still being ironed out. But according to Kentucky state officials’ estimates, at least 95,000 people would lose Medicaid coverage over a five-year period.

Then, in March, Arkansas received permission to introduce a work requirement—and Arkansas was faster out of the starting gate, inaugurating its effort in phases. Beginning last June, people on Medicaid in Arkansas ages 30 to 49 who earned at or below the poverty line had to find work or participate in activities such as volunteering or job training to continue receiving Medicaid benefits. Certain people were exempt, such as those who were medically frail or who had a dependent child. From June to December, more than 18,000 people lost coverage in Arkansas as a result of the new policy, according to the Arkansas Department of Human Services.

Medicaid advocates have not been quiet. Both HHS and CMS, along with Verma and Alex Azar II—who took over as HHS secretary after Price resigned following a scandal involving his use of chartered jets and military aircraft—were immediately the target of lawsuits seeking to overturn the work requirements. They were filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of people in Arkansas and Kentucky, as well as those in New Hampshire, whose work-requirement mandate has just gone into effect.

The plaintiffs allege that work requirements contradict one of the two chief stated objectives of Medicaid, as laid out in the 1965 Social Security Act Amendments: to “furnish medical assistance on behalf of families with dependent children and of aged, blind, or disabled individuals, whose income and resources are insufficient to meet the costs of necessary medical services.”

For its part, the Trump administration argues that work requirements further the second objective of Medicaid: to provide “rehabilitation and other services to help such families and individuals attain or retain capability for independence or self-care.” Verma and others maintain, in effect, that employment should be considered a form of rehabilitation that leads to financial independence.

A judge examining this rehabilitation interpretation has found that it stretches the statutory language considerably: In the first round of rulings on the lawsuits, earlier this year, Kentucky and Arkansas were told to go back to the drawing board. Still, other states have followed their lead undeterred. In January 2019, Indiana began implementation of its work-requirement program. Programs in Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Utah have been approved by HHS but have not yet started. Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Virginia have submitted plans and are awaiting the green light.

[Read: The trouble with Medicaid work requirements]

This push for work requirements isn’t new. Politicians and policy experts on the right have been promoting them for decades, and have successfully implemented them in other programs, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The stated rationale is that work requirements will discourage dependence on welfare. In 1984, Charles Murray—who later wrote the controversial work The Bell Curve—published a book called Losing Ground, in which he claimed that welfare programs deter poor people from working, because welfare recipients know they can rely on government help instead. The book was the subject of heated criticism and debate.

As an era of work requirements potentially looms for Medicaid, it’s possible to look beyond conjecture at the likely impact. By now a significant number of studies have considered what work requirements for social programs do and don’t accomplish. Are the new policies a good-faith effort to help people help themselves? Are they simply a way of using supposedly good intentions to clamp down on entitlements? Are they a tool for whittling away the ACA? Are they all those things? This battle is going to be fought for years to come.

Medicaid covers more than 65 million people (not including those covered under the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP), at an annual cost of about $560 billion, which is borne by both the federal government and the states. All told, 36 states and the District of Columbia have opted to expand Medicaid under the ACA.

The way Verma has characterized it, the ACA moved millions of working-age, nondisabled adults onto Medicaid. She contends that CMS must give people more than a health service: “We owe our fellow citizens more than just giving them a Medicaid card. We owe a card with care, and more importantly a card with hope,” she said in a November 2017 speech to the National Association of Medicaid Directors. “Hope that they can break the chains of generational poverty and no longer need public assistance.” In this view, Medicaid—or, more precisely, the threat of losing it—is a tool to encourage people to provide for themselves.

This is where work requirements come in. Section 1115 of the Social Security Act lets states propose experimental projects that promote the twin objectives of Medicaid: providing medical care as well as services designed to guide people toward independence. Verma maintained in the 2017 speech that the Barack Obama administration’s refusal to approve work requirements for Medicaid on the grounds that they don’t satisfy the program’s objectives is an example of “the soft bigotry of low expectations,” a phrase coined by Michael Gerson, a speechwriter for President George W. Bush. (The phrase appears in Bush’s defense of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, which attempted to make additional federal aid contingent on better test-score results.) In other words, those who do not believe that low-income people can hold down a job and engage with their communities are making assumptions that have a way of proving self-fulfilling.

The argument over the statutory objectives of Medicaid is central when it comes to the actual conduct of government. Dustin Pugel, a policy analyst at the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, believes that Verma’s case for the meaning of Medicaid’s second objective is inadequate. “The context of that part is really specific to physical rehabilitation,” he says. “It talks about folks who have some sort of ailment that is preventing them from a full, independent life, and Medicaid is meant to fill in the gaps so that people can get back on their feet.” In this light, the second objective is simply about achieving physical independence through medical care. It is not about withdrawing benefits to influence people’s behavior.

In January 2018, CMS announced in a letter to state Medicaid directors, written by Brian Neale, then the director of the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, that it would begin approving proposals that promote participation in community-engagement activities—working, volunteering, going to school, receiving job training—in return for Medicaid benefits. Neale cited research showing that higher earnings are positively correlated with a longer life span, that unemployment is generally harmful to people’s health, and that activities such as volunteering are associated with improved health and can lead to paid employment.

In Arkansas, the first state to implement work requirements, nearly 280,000 people are on Medicaid. About 69,000 are subject to the new requirements. Unless exempted, a person must log 80 hours of work or community activities a month and report those hours online or by phone. If, over a period of three successive months, a person fails to show that he or she has met the monthly threshold, Medicaid benefits will cease until the next calendar year.

The 18,000 Arkansas residents who lost their coverage last year failed to meet these work requirements for many reasons. Some people lost coverage for reasons beyond their control. Many simply didn’t know about the change or were confused by it. Others couldn’t navigate the website. A significant number didn’t have computers or reliable cellphone or internet access. As of February, just 11 percent of the 18,000 had reapplied for and regained coverage.

Last month, Secretary Azar testified during a Senate Finance Committee hearing that this small proportion of reapplications “seems a fairly strong indication that the individuals who left the program were doing so because they got a job [in] this booming economy.” But the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal think tank, analyzed new Arkansas state data and found that, of the 18,000 beneficiaries who lost coverage, only 1,981 “had matches in the state’s New Hire Database, indicating they found work.” The analysis uncovered no evidence that the remaining 16,019 have found new jobs. (An HHS spokeswoman told Politico that Azar’s comments were not intended to be definitive.)

Arkansas’ second phase of work-requirement implementation began in January of this year and targeted two groups: 30-to-49-year-olds who earn from 101 to 138 percent above the poverty level, and 19-to-29-year-olds who make up to 138 percent above the poverty level. By March, “7,066 enrollees had one month of non-compliance with the requirements, and 6,472 enrollees had two months of non-compliance in the new calendar year,” according to a March 2019 report from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

If it weren’t for the recent string of lawsuits, Kentucky would have rolled out its own work-requirements plan by now. Kentucky’s January 2018 case involved 15 residents—represented by the National Health Law Program, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the Kentucky Equal Justice Center—who sued HHS and CMS, naming Verma, Azar, and two other top officials. The group argued that the Kentucky plan does not fulfill the objectives of Medicaid and would put them and others “in danger of losing” their health insurance altogether.

[Reihan Salam: “Medicare for all” is a fantasy]

In June 2018, the 15 residents won their case. Judge James Boasberg ruled that Kentucky had ignored Medicaid’s first objective—providing medical assistance, pure and simple—by disregarding the state’s own estimates that work requirements would kick at least 95,000 people off the Medicaid rolls. Kentucky had focused primarily on its broad interpretation of Medicaid’s second objective—furnishing rehabilitation and other services that lead to independence or self-care. Judge Boasberg vacated the approval of Kentucky’s plan and “remanded the matter to HHS for further review.”

In November, HHS approved Kentucky’s revised program. The state had made some changes, but what it resubmitted was largely identical to the first application. The consequences would be exactly the same: At least 95,000 people would still lose Medicaid coverage. The same plaintiffs, plus one new resident, sued Kentucky again. And in March of this year, they won for a second time. Kentucky’s governor, Matthew Bevin, had already warned of what could happen next. In January 2018, he had directed officials within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to essentially un-expand Medicaid as soon as legally possible if any part of Kentucky’s Section 1115 waiver, which asked for work requirements, was prevented from being implemented.

Also in March of this year, and in the same court, the state of Arkansas lost a similar lawsuit brought against its existing work-requirement effort. On April 10, Justice Department attorneys appealed the decisions dealing with Arkansas and Kentucky on behalf of Verma and Azar—and HHS continues to push ahead. The New Hampshire case is still in its initial phase.

When asked to respond to the court rulings, CMS offered a statement that Seema Verma had made in March: “We will continue to defend our efforts to give states greater flexibility to help low income Americans rise out of poverty. We believe, as have numerous past Administrations, that states are the laboratories of democracy and we will vigorously support their innovative, state-driven efforts to develop and test reforms that will advance the objectives of the Medicaid program.”

As politicians and policy analysts on the right have claimed for decades, work requirements are intended to address work disincentives. If people know they can receive food, health care, and housing from the government, more or less for free, then why would they work? Recent data, however, suggest that only a small proportion of people who receive Medicaid benefits might avoid work simply because they don’t want to and don’t have to.

In January 2018, the Kaiser Family Foundation published its analysis of 2016 data on the 25 million Medicaid recipients aged 19 to 64, as reported in the March 2017 Current Population Survey, which interviews people in person and via phone to gather results. It found that 42 percent of those people worked full-time, and that 18 percent worked part-time. Of the 10 million remaining people who reported not working, 36 percent said it was because they were disabled, 30 percent said it was because they were taking care of their home or family, and 15 percent said it was because they were going to school. Six percent said they couldn’t find work, and 9 percent said they were retired; 3 percent reported “other” reasons. Based on these data, only about 2 million to 5 million people of the 25 million nonelderly people on Medicaid could even work in the first place, depending on families’ abilities to find other caretakers, come out of retirement, and so forth.

Over a two-year period, researchers at the Brookings Institution’s Hamilton Project collected data on the work status of people on Medicaid over a period of two years. They found that the way data had been gathered for a 2018 report by the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers—taking a nationwide snapshot in a single month—masked the fact that low-income Americans were continually entering and leaving the labor force, and doing so for many reasons, often temporary. A person might work nine months out of the year, but if he or she doesn’t work for three consecutive months, this person would still lose health care in Arkansas.

Although work requirements have been built into two major programs, TANF and SNAP, studies show that those requirements have not been wildly successful. When Bill Clinton ran for president in 1992, he promised to “end welfare as we have come to know it.” Four years later, he signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act—generally referred to simply as “Clinton’s welfare reform”—which ended a program known as Aid to Families With Dependent Children and replaced it with TANF. The new program introduced a limit on how long families could receive benefits as well as a requirement to work, and states could determine which adults would be subject to it.

In its 2017 study of TANF, the Kaiser Family Foundation looked at two groups of aid recipients: those who were and were not required to work. It found that people who had not been required to work were just as likely to be working five years later as those who had been subject to a work requirement—and sometimes were even more likely to be working. Later that same year, the Urban Institute released a report that looked at the first decade of TANF. It found that employment gains had been modest and had declined over time. Moreover, the requirements did not increase stable employment.

Intriguingly, there is evidence that what the Trump administration aims to accomplish by instituting work requirements is already happening without them. Medicaid expansion has had “positive or neutral effects on employment and the labor market,” according to another 2018 Kaiser Family Foundation report. It has not led to droves of people halting job searches in order to live off the government’s largesse. Instead, more people find work. Or volunteer. Or go back to school.

[Read: Medicaid expansion’s troubled future]

More than 80 percent of people on Medicaid in Ohio, for example, say that “coverage made it easier to work,” and 60 percent say that “coverage made their job search easier,” according to state data. The reason, the Kaiser Family Foundation report found, is that many Medicaid adults who are not working are not working because of an illness or a disability that prevents them from doing the physically demanding tasks that most entry-level or low-income jobs require. Health care helps many of them manage those health issues well enough to participate in the labor force.

In the agency’s statement to The Atlantic, CMS did not address requests for comment on these studies.

Medicaid work requirements might not encourage more people to seek employment, but they do remove large numbers of people from health-care coverage. The result is especially severe for African Americans. The pattern is familiar: The Urban Institute found in its 2017 report that work requirements for TANF had a disparate impact on African Americans. States with higher concentrations of African Americans tended to have more severe sanctions for initial incidents of noncompliance, and African Americans were more likely to be sanctioned than their white counterparts, even when the form of noncompliance was the same.

Last May, Nicholas Bagley and Eli Savit, who teach law at the University of Michigan, argued in The New York Times that Michigan’s proposed work requirements for Medicaid discriminated against African Americans by exempting people living in high-unemployment rural counties, which are predominantly white. Michigan’s minority population tends to live in cities, such as Flint and Detroit, which have high unemployment but are embedded in low-unemployment counties.

In terms of access to health care, the ACA, including Medicaid expansion, has had the effect of narrowing disparities in coverage between people of color and other Americans for the first time in years. If work requirements for Medicaid accomplish nothing else, they will widen these disparities once again.

from Health News And Updates https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/04/medicaid-work-requirements-seema-verma-cms/587026/?utm_source=feed

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ionecoffman · 5 years

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Should Americans Have to Work for Health Care?

In 2017, in her new position as CMS administrator, Verma gained the power to influence how every state administered its Medicaid programs.

[Read: The trouble with Medicaid work requirements]

[Reihan Salam: “Medicare for all” is a fantasy]

[Read: Medicaid expansion’s troubled future]

In the agency’s statement to The Atlantic, CMS did not address requests for comment on these studies.

Article source here:The Atlantic

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theliterateape · 5 years

Text

Progressive Unity in the Face of MAGA

by Don Hall

It was one of those gatherings of like-minded people that encourage empathy and "no judgment" rules. The building was one of those arts buildings in Pilsen with several floors and a labyrinth of small rooms used to rehearse or paint in. The collection of left-leaning folk that you could only find in a major city (mostly white) sat in a circle, nursing their grief over the two years left of Trump that had stolen any sense of hope for the future, leaving each in a state of breathless disbelief, anxiety, and a meaningless swirl of rage.

There were bagels, Trader Joe's crackers and a half-eaten box of generic donut holes on the table as they entered but no one was in the mood to eat.

"OK. To start off, I want to open up the discussion with a simple question. If you encounter someone on the street and they’re wearing a MAGA hat, do you assume they are racist because they support Trump’s rhetoric?"

There is a palpable pause and a group intake of breath.

"If they believe Mexicans are evil, I would feel confident in thinking their intentions are racist. But what if they think: "we're richer than them, therefore they will try to get our stuff, and I don't want that to happen. If the position was reversed, we'd want their stuff, and they'd probably want to build a wall. But tough titty, it’s our stuff, and I'm keepin' em out." While selfish, and perhaps simple-minded, it isn't precisely racist."

Feet begin to intertwine and the one black women begins to tap her right index finger on her biodegradable coffee cup filled with chai. The balding 25-year old with the expansive beard and the David Foster Wallace tattoo adjusts himself and adds:

"With all respect, that's a white man's definition of racism. It doesn't fly for a second with those who have actually been the target of and suffered the effects of racism."

The sole person of color looks at her Apple watch and sees that her heart rate is higher than it should be. She closes her eyes and breathes deeply, counting to ten. “It’s worse if they smirk.”

"Again, I'm saying the way I use the term, you are saying the way you use it. My definition is not "a white man's definition" and for a white guy to say that is amusingly presumptuous."

The woman no one seems to remember inviting to the meeting adjusts her cuffs on her tan blazer. The only adornment is a "I'm With Her" pin on the left lapel and a nose ring she got years ago because it made her feel edgy.

"Calling all Mexican rapists and thieves is racist, saying you want to reduce illegal immigration by building a wall or penalizing businesses isn't. Even a nation of immigrants has the right to determine the influx levels of immigrants."

"That's the question... does every one of the millions who voted for Trump think *every* Mexican or Mexican immigrant (legal or illegal) is a rapist? Do ALL of them (or even a significant portion) think ALL Muslims are terrorists? I have a very, very, very hard time swallowing that generalization and don't see the utility in painting the situation this way, outside of getting to reductively say that 'everyone who voted for Trump is a racist.'"

"Could you not call them 'Mexicans,' please?"

"What?"

"They prefer to be called 'Latinx.'"

"But Trump called out Mexicans specifically."

"THEY prefer to be called 'Latinx.'"

The black woman takes a breath and begins to speak.

"It is a racist act. What you -"

The 32-year old Poli-Sci adjunct with the iPad mini on his lap jumps in as if everyone was actually just waiting for him to elucidate.

"I don't think, "Is it racist? Is this person racist?" is the right question. Racism is not a feeling; it's a structure that influences every aspect of society. Until that system is no longer part of the social structure of the United States (and we're not nearly as far along as some white people think), all white people are racist, whether they are consciously, willingly so or not. Some white bigots do exacerbate the problem, and that reinforces that system, making it harder to finally kill it off for good."

The guy with the Cubs jersey pipes up.

"Easy. RACIST. I would never join any team or buy any product put out by a racist, because, form a practical point of view, I know this person is an idiot disconnected from reality. Why would I want to join that club? Substitute the word racist for pedophile and see if that helps."

"Really? Because Ricketts donated millions of dollars to Trump's campaign. Substitute 'racist' with "Cubs owner.'"

”Ricketts is racist. Read the emails he sent.”

"So now a private email is a racist act, too? I think that might stretching the definition some."

"Of what?"

"Of the term 'racist.'"

Nose Ring jumps in again, trying her best to ignore the obvious testosterone display.

"I would definitely enter Liberal PCism as a reason of division, playing its combined role in what happened. Shit aligned is what happened and each thing helped pull this chaos together. What to do now is the question, but post-mortem examination is very necessary to move forward too."

"I'm guessing you read that article in the Times? I have to say, I don't think that's the root of it. Or rather, it's more about the fear of a black/brown planet...and some people (read whites) not liking POC getting "uppity."

Everyone looks over at the woman of color. A pause. Then the the guy who identifies as 'Queer' because he received a blow job from whom he thought was a transgender woman in college adds:

"I don't think Trump's win had as much to do with racism as with internalized misogyny. Most analysts agree that it was the white religious suburban woman who got him into office."

”Yes! And it was the POC women who created the March for Women and #MeToo so we’re definitely working that angle.”

”What? No, no, no. It was white women who started the March and it fell apart because of the black women who love Farrakhan. And Melissa Milano started #MeToo.”

“Can we talk about gentrification for just a bit?”

”It’s ALL about the income disparity between rich and poor. Race is just another way to divide us!”

”LGTBQIA!”

”...QIA?”

”Queer, Intersex, and Asexual.”

”Oh. Get with the times, girl. It’s QUILTBAG now. Queer and Questioning, Intersex, Lesbian, Transgender and Two-Spirited, Bisexual, Asexual and Ally, and Gay and Genderqueer.”

“AOC. The mid-terms proved that women will turn Congress around.”

The leader smiles. He feels there has been progress made and decides to take control of the dialogue again.

"So, I think we all agree that Trump supporters are all racists. Next question. Do those of us coming from white cis heteronormative privilege have any right to even voice our opinions concerning oppression or should we be solid allies by shutting up and listening?"

At that very moment, President Donald Trump has just finished taking a HUGE crap and proceeds to wipe his orange baboon ass with a torn off section of the Constitution while, in the next room, Mike Pence laughs so hard he looks like he might have a stroke over a fag joke Rudy Giuliani just told him.

#Wolves at the door #Trump #racism #Election 2016 #satire #culture of hyperbolic propaganda #culture of confusion #culture of ideology #culture of outrage

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aroundtheworldin18years · 6 years

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HALLOWEEN FAMILY FESTIVAL CULTRA 2018

The scariest time of the year is upon us…Hallowe’en It’s the time of year when ghosts, ghouls and witches awaken to wreak havoc and instil fear among the living. Beware the Witching Hour, as this may well be the last hour you ever see. As darkness falls, the dead come to life and flesh-eating zombies walk the earth hungry for human flesh. Leave your homes at your peril…don’t say we didn’t warn you. Happy Halloween from the Halloween Family Festival Cultra 2018.

Fangs for dropping in

So the intro may be a little melodramatic but it is Halloween, and although the living dead don’t actually walk among us (although, Mummy in the mornings….yikes), Halloween is a time for fun, fancy dress, lotions, potions, vampire bats, black cats and witches hats. For Halloween 2018 we received an invitation from the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum to attend the Halloween Family Festival Cultra, which is situated just outside Belfast. An invite that we duly accepted. Lily-Belle brought her school friend Mia, and Matilda was just happy because she could dress up. Lily-Belle dressed as a Vampiress, Mia a witches black cat and Matilda became a witch for the day.

THE DEATH OF LORD KNOX

Our arrival at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum came after a 2 hour car journey. Fortunately we were extremely lucky (and surprised) to find a parking space right outside the main entrance. Other visitors had to park in the lower car park and use a free shuttle bus to the entrance. The Halloween Family Festival Cultra is a very popular event as the place was heaving. Thankfully entry queue times were less than 5 minutes and we were soon transported back in time. Upon entry we were handed a leaflet by a lady dressed in period costume. The leaflet contained information about the death of Lord Knox, a suspicious wedding to Elizabeth, his estranged son Lancelot and an invite to attend Lord Knox’s funeral at 15:00 in the church. As well as the funeral, Lord Knox’s killer would be revealed. Murder…mystery…suspense! Who would the killer be?

And Lord Knox’s killer is…..

THE CHAMPION OF CHAMP

Our Halloween trip back through time began with a visit to one of the old terraced houses, the aroma of home cooked food wafting out of the front door. Boiled potatoes mashed with milk, melted butter, cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste…traditional Irish champ! Small portions were handed out to sample and what a tasty warm delight on such a cold Autumn day. Inside another house was offerings of freshly baked apple pies. Bang goes the diet! Continuing our journey into the unknown, we tread carefully as we walk past cackling witches, monsters, skeletons and superheroes! SUPERHEROES? That’s the great thing about the Halloween Family Festival Cultra, it gives young children (and adults) the opportunity to dress up however they see fit.

Champ…the food of champions

Tasty to the core

AS MAD AS A BOX OF FROGS

In the Dispensary Scientific Sue was demonstrating all kinds of ‘magic’ scientific tricks. This show was what the girls were most looking forward to at the Halloween Family Festival Cultra. Lily-Belle and I have met Scientific Sue before. On that occasion Lily-Belle had waist length hair and was plucked from the audience to help demonstrate static electricity. For today Scientific Sue used Lily-Belle to demonstrate chemical reactions to change the colour of water. There was also the use of dry ice to extinguish fire, and a demonstration on how to make slime (a firm favourite with the children) and other equally mesmerising experiments. Scientific Sue is amazing to watch but, if you ask me, she’s as mad as a box of frogs (in a good way). In all honesty we could watch Scientific Sue all day long, she is truly fascinating to watch.

What do you call a magic dog? A labracadabrador

Taking notions to make lotions and potions

IS THERE A DR IN THE HOUSE?

There certainly was. Dr Martin was making his rounds at the Halloween Family Festival Cultra. No doubt having to dress the neck wounds of those who had been bitten by vampires. He was more than vocal in expressing his views on the death of Lord Knox. The Dr was also very keen for all to attend Lord Knox’s funeral where he would be divulging who the killer was. Dressed to impress in his pinstripe suit, black bowler hat and carrying a brown leather medical bag, Dr Martin disappeared down a narrow lane between Cluan Place and Ballycultra Tearooms. Was Dr Martin the person who sealed Lord Knox’s fate? Did Dr Martin and Jimmy O’Neill, the proprietor of the Hardware Shop, meet to work on an alibi? Suspicious…and why was Dr Martin wearing black gloves?

WATCH OUR INTERVIEW WITH DR MIKE SIMMS

Vampires are a real pain in the neck!

Is there a Dr in the house? No, he’s in the hardware shop

SEEKING SANCTUARY AND SALVATION

Feeling fearful, we found sanctuary in the church at the Halloween Family Festival Cultra. A beautiful building dating back to the early 1900’s, the building was void of all things demonic. Although, we did see a Witch and a Vampiress deep in prayer! Maybe a turning point in their undead lives? Just across the village green the old Picture House was showing a horror film…not for the faint-hearted! Just a few doors down was Ballycultra tearooms so we took the opportunity to drop in for a feed. ‘Ghoul’ash for Daddy, Pork and L’eeeeek’ sausages for Mummy, a saucer of milk for the cat (Mia), a bag of Type X blood for the Vampire (Lily-Belle) and a cauldron of critters for the Witch (Matilda).

A cup of tea and a bowl of blood Type X

Lights, camera, popcorn

SENTENCED TO DEATH

Approaching the old Courthouse we saw a sinister figure lurking behind the wrought iron gates, a vampire, fangs sharpened and ready to ambush his next victim. The Courthouse gave us an insight into the history of law, cops, crime and capers at Ballycultra. In the chambers Lily-Belle and Mia pretended to be Judges and poor Matilda was sentenced to death! A tad harsh considering her only crime was ‘being grumpy’! I’d settle for her tidying her bedroom…far less paperwork! On to the Wicker Man who was sculpting a magnificent huge throne from willow. There was also the opportunity for the girls to wear wicker heads. Plenty of giggles at the Halloween Family Festival Cultra!

Blood donors step this way

Wicker…but not Alan

TRADITIONAL GAMES

Throughout the course of the Halloween Family Festival Cultra there were lots of different activities for the children to enjoy. Not wanting to commercialise the Halloween event, the museum had traditional Halloween games such as apple bobbing, magic shows and craft activities. The girls were less than happy to participate in the apple-bobbing as they didn’t want to get their hair wet! Mantella had brought a fantastic assortment of animals including a very friendly boa constrictor, a Chilean rose hair tarantula, a scorpion with a definite sting in its tail and a giant gecko lizard. The children loved handling this array of weird and wonderful creatures….all in the name of education.

READ ALL ABOUT OUR VISIT TO SEE DIPPY ON TOUR

Making friends with Mantella

THE CLOCK STRUCK THREE

After our encounter with the critters of Mantella we visited a number of the old properties. Ulster Folk & Transport Museum is a charming place to spend the day and the attraction is steeped in history. I thought the children would get bored but no, they were more than content nipping in and out of the buildings. Bong…and the clock strikes three at the Halloween Family Festival Cultra, well…it struck three ten minutes ago. We’re late for the funeral of Lord Knox!

The Bob Marley printer….a;ways jammin’

Fine dining with a musical interlude

A very dapper looking dude

AND THE KILLER IS…

As the saying goes ‘you’ll be late for your own funeral’, that may be so, but we were definitely late for Lord Knox’s! This will come as no surprise to our regular readers as we are ALWAYS late! In the pulpit the Minister listened intently as Dr Martin read out excerpts from the late Lord Knox’s diary. Lady Knox, with a black veil covering her identity; paced erratically in front of Lord Knox’s coffin. The mourners sat silently, every now and then letting out gasps of disbelief at what Dr Martin read from the little black diary. Alas, the time had come to reveal Lord Knox’s killer. Have you guessed who it is? Watch our video as we reveal the name of Lord Alfred Charles Knox’s murderer…

youtube

Lord Knox’s killer was none other than Lady Elizabeth Knox, but not as you and I know her, Lady Knox was in fact…Isabel Sidegrave….a callous and cold hearted witch who haunts Ballycultra’s residents! Hysteria ensued and the Minister urged mourners to return home instantly and barricade their doors. Evil is truly among us!

What a magnificent drama to end our day at Halloween Family Festival Cultra 2018 – in a word, brilliant!

WOULD WE GO BACK

Of course. Although the Halloween family Festival Cultra isn’t very scary, it is a great event for children and adults. Lots of traditional games and activities for the children, and there’s also the historical aspect of the visit for the adults. A very worthy attraction to visit.

With a very special thank you to:

Sinead Cunningham – Head of Marketing and PR at NMNI

National Museums Northern Ireland

Ulster Folk & Transport Museum

Thank you for making our visit fun, special and memorable! We look forward to seeing you all again in the not so distant future.

LILY-BELLE (age 9) SAYS I was glad that my friend Mia could come with us. Seeing all of the animals from Mantella was my favourite part of the event.

MATILDA (age 3) SAYS I liked my wiggly witch hat, but Mummy dropped it and broke it. The science lady was really funny and she made good slime.

Travel Itinerary and Costs

Date of visit: 31st October 2018

Disclaimer: we were working alongside NMNI for our visit to the UF&TM, entry was gratis and in return we have provided this write up of our experience. All experiences and opinions are our own.

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Information, currency and prices are correct at the time of publishing. Views, opinions and experiences are that of The Callaghan Posse and are correct at the time of publication. Photos, unless credited below, taken by The Callaghan Posse for use and distribution by Around The World In 18 Years.

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HALLOWEEN AT ULSTER FOLK & TRANSPORT MUSEUM HALLOWEEN FAMILY FESTIVAL CULTRA 2018 The scariest time of the year is upon us...Hallowe'en It's the time of year when ghosts, ghouls and witches awaken to wreak havoc and instil fear among the living.

#Cultra #halloween #northern ireland #Ulster Folk & Transport Museum

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oselatra · 6 years

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Richard Mays fights pigs, pollution and plans for bigger highways

The blight-buster.

For reasons that will perplex and surely distress the people who come after us, the folks who fight to keep our air and water clean and limit the degradation to our natural world are usually on the losing side of that fight. Developers, the side with the money, usually win, thanks to prevailing philosophies that money is almighty and people have dominion over the earth.

Still people fight for a healthy environment, and when they do, they hire Richard Mays, considered by those who work with him to be unparalleled when it comes to understanding the National Environmental Policy Act and how business interests try to get around it. "He's one of the top [attorneys] by far, in the state if not the region," said Judge David Carruth of Clarendon, who worked with Mays to halt the Grand Prairie Irrigation Project until it could be designed in a way that would not harm the White River. "He's probably one of the most knowledgeable guys on water issues," said Glen Hooks, the director of the Arkansas chapter of the Sierra Club, who worked with Mays to ameliorate the detrimental effects of the Turk coal-fired plant in Southwest Arkansas.

In North Arkansas, it's the monitoring of the pig farm on a creek that feeds the Buffalo National River that keeps Mays busy. In Russellville, he's known as the man who's helped delay for nearly 20 years a slack-water harbor and transportation hub the city hopes to build on the Arkansas River, in a floodplain south of town.

In Little Rock, it is highway widening that has people knocking on Mays' door.

Two weeks ago, Mays filed a request in federal court for a temporary injunction against the Arkansas Department of Transportation's project to widen two-and-a-half miles of Interstate 630 from six lanes to eight. The project will cost $87.3 million and require the demolition and reconstruction of three bridges between University Avenue and Baptist Health. The highway department persuaded the Federal Highway Administration that no environmental study was needed on the project. Mays, attorney for plaintiffs David Pekar, George Wise, Matthew Pekar, Uta Meyer, David Martindale and Robert Walker, argued that the project didn't qualify for such an exclusion. Federal Judge Jay Moody denied the request for an injunction, and the widening project has begun.

You win some; you lose some. In 2004, federal Judge G. Thomas Eisele ruled against Mays and Carruth in their attempt, on behalf of the Arkansas Wildlife Association, the National Wildlife Association and others, to enjoin the Grand Prairie project to pump water from the White River to irrigate 250,000 acres of thirsty rice fields. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals later denied their appeal of Eisele's ruling.

But in 2006, federal Judge William R. Wilson ruled with Mays and Carruth, ordering the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to halt construction on a pumping station that was part of the $319 million project until it could better study the impact of pumping on the ivory-billed woodpecker newly discovered on the Bayou DeView.

"You just have to keep fighting, keep pushing back," Mays said in an interview last week. "You don't want to stop development, at least I don't. People have to eat ... [but] that doesn't mean you have to trash the environment."

Carruth said he told Mays at the time that he wished the courts had ruled on the merits of their argument — that pumping water from the White would lower water levels and endanger wetlands, fish and other wildlife downstream "and that it cost too much money." Mays responded, "Instead, you gave them the bird."

***

Gordon Watkins, president of the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance, which hired Mays to represent it before the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality in cases involving the controversial C&H hog farm near a creek that feeds into the Buffalo, said it's more than Mays' expertise that's important to his group. "Lawyers can do whatever their clients ask, but to find a lawyer who actually believes in your cause is important to us, [someone who believes] we were right and would represent us with that in mind. His mind was in the right place; his heart was in the right place."

Mays, 80, who has been an environmental lawyer for 40 years and worked for the Environmental Protection Agency for eight years in Washington, D.C., said he takes on such cases "because of the desire and the need to protect and help the world, if you like." He said his eight years at the EPA were some of the best years of his life. "I felt like I was really doing something I was philosophically interested in and wanted to do."

Mays attributes his desire to protect the natural world to his childhood in El Dorado. "When I was growing up, my father would rather be hunting or fishing than anything on earth," Mays said. His father owned a grocery store, but on the weekends, "he would be out on the river or in the woods, and I was usually with him." And from his mother, he inherited an appreciation for literature and writing, "so that turned out to be a pretty good background for being an environmental lawyer," Mays said.

Mays works in Little Rock (at least) two days a week, at the Williams and Anderson law firm. He commutes from his home at Eden Isle on Greers Ferry Lake. The case he won there, he says, is the one he's most proud of, since it concerned his backyard — literally.

Mays moved back to Arkansas in 1998 after 20 years in D.C., buying a home on Eden Isle. He chose the area because of Greers Ferry Lake and the Little Red River. Right after he took up residence there, the Corps of Engineers proposed a shoreline management plan that would open up the undeveloped main lake to boat docks. The lake is zoned, with boat docks in the coves only and the main body of water reserved for public recreation. "It's unbroken shoreline," Mays said, "with not a whole lot of boat docks and clear water, clean water."

Mays was thinking it was a bad idea, and so was Carl Garner, the retired resident engineer who had worked at the lake since its construction began in 1959, a man so connected to Greers Ferry Lake that his name appears on the visitor center there. Garner called Mays on the advice of a mutual friend and Mays invited him over. "I expected to see somebody walk in, a whip-cracking authoritarian type, somebody who looked like George Patton with jodhpurs, and there this guy walks in and looks like Ichabod Crane," Mays said of Garner, who died in 2014. They became good friends and with other residents formed Save Greers Ferry Lake, which hired Mays to file a preliminary injunction against the Corps' plan. He won, and the plaintiffs and the Corps eventually settled. Greers Ferry Lake remains mostly undeveloped.

It may seem like such a victory — for aesthetics — isn't as important as, say, keeping the highway department from doubling the size of I-30 through downtown Little Rock or a coal plant from spewing mercury into the air. There were arguments to be made about increased water pollution on the lake. But protecting the lake was "a personal thing," Mays said. It was important to his family and others, "a place where you go to feel refreshed."

"People can get very caught up, and justly so, in a place where they can feel like they are in communication with nature, with God, if that's what you're into. That's what makes environmental law practice so interesting to me. I feel like it's preserving things we need to have."

That kind of emotion and love for place is what saved the Buffalo River from being dammed and what keeps its advocates fighting to keep the beautiful national treasure clean.

***

Mays said he figures he gets a good outcome in his cases about half the time. Environmental cases are "very difficult" to win, he said, because "courts give considerable deference to agency decisions. If you're trying to overturn ADEQ or EPA or the federal highway administration, you're fighting an uphill battle."

Settlements are hard to get as well, Mays said. But that's what he got when he fought the Southwestern Electric Power Co.'s coal-fired Turk Plant in Fulton. The Sierra Club and the Audubon Society, both national and the state chapter, challenged the plant's water permit from the Corps of Engineers in 2010 and won an injunction. But that was just a portion of the plant; construction continued. Still, with the conservationist's good outcome on the injunction, SWEPCO agreed to a settlement that would allow it to complete the plant. In return, the company fitted the plant with more equipment to reduce emissions and agreed to shutter another coal-fired plant in Texas sooner than planned.

Mays' 50-50 record held true in a hearing last week before the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission for ADEQ, when Mays (on behalf of the Buffalo Watershed Alliance) and Sam Ledbetter (representing the Ozark Society) suggested that newly appointed Commissioner Mike Freeze recuse from decisions on C&H. They cited Freeze's emailed comments on C&H's permit application in 2017 in support of the hog farm — in which he wrote "enough is enough" in the permitting process — as evidence the commissioner could not be impartial. The commission, however, voted to support Freeze's refusal to recuse.

But after Mays and Ledbetter argued later in the same meeting that the administrative law judge for the Commission was correct in his finding that the hog farm's extended permit wasn't perpetual, the Commission agreed, voting to support the administrative judge. It was a win for conservationists and a win for Mays. Mays told the Commission that the lawyer for the hog farm had tried to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. The ADEQ previously denied a second permit for C&H. The hog farm appealed that decision and can continue to operate while an administrative law judge considers the appeal.

So while an outright win may be hard to get, fighting wide roads and coal plants and hog waste on various fronts, including noncompliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, also helps delay the degradation, and "you may be able to wear them [the opponents] out," Mays said, or national policies may change that may hinder the project. That was the case in the Grand Prairie Irrigation Project: When Judge Wilson issued the order requiring study to protect the bird, the federal government had already pulled funding for the project. (The project continues, but with a greater dollar burden on the state and the encouragement of conservation strategies by farmers.)

More often, however, the development side of the equation in litigation has more money and more lasting power.

***

Many people who haven't previously been wrapped up in environmental cases are now, thanks to the potential impacts of the 30 Crossing project, the highway department's plan to replace the Interstate 30 bridge and widen I-30 for a little over 7 miles at a cost of $630 million. ARDOT wants to double the width of the interstate through downtown Little Rock by building two connector-distributer lanes on either side of the highway to provide exit from and entrance to I-30.

When I-30 was built in the 1950s, neighborhoods east of the interstate fell into decline. That area, buoyed by the Clinton Presidential Center and Heifer International, is now experiencing a renaissance, with a new school, new restaurants, new housing and new businesses. Its progress follows the revitalization of the west side of the interstate, with the old downtown resuscitated by the River Market district and new development attracted to Main Street north and south of Interstate 630.

The logic behind 30 Crossing, says its foes — and there are many in Little Rock — is outdated. The transportation design ignores alternatives to using downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock as the main thoroughfare to highways north and south. It does not contemplate alternatives to cars, such as public transit or bicycle and pedestrian transportation. While cities such as Portland, Ore.; Rochester, N.Y.; Milwaukee; Boston; San Francisco; New Haven, Conn.; Seattle and Dallas are tearing down interstates and replacing them with people- and business-friendly boulevards and parks, Little Rock and North Little Rock are about to get more concrete.

Opponents of highway widening — including neighborhood associations, downtown residents, a retired Texas transportation executive and a retired economist and natural resource planner — have hired Mays to represent them should the Federal Highway Administration issue Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) in its evaluation of the Environmental Assessment on 30 Crossing to green-light the highway project. That finding could come as early as mid-August, according to the highway department.

On July 27, at the end of a 45-day public comment period on ARDOT's draft Environmental Assessment, Mays filed a 16-page comment challenging, among other things, the department's traffic modeling and its ignoring the indirect impact of induced travel on communities outside the project area. It notes the lack of consideration of HOV (high-occupancy lanes) lanes or other routes to handle the rush hour traffic that ARDOT gives as its reason for widening and its failure to "fully address" health effects from air pollution caused by increased traffic.

The comment also suggests that Arkansas — which has the 12th largest highway system in the country, with more highways to maintain than Illinois, California, New York and Florida — struggles to maintain the roads it has now. It points to a column written by state Highway Commissioner Alec Farmer in Arkansas Talk Business in which Farmer says ARDOT needs $400 million in new highway funds simply to maintain what is built now, and that revenues from the gas tax will decline as more electric cars are built.

Mays said that the 30 Crossing project presents "an opportunity to force the agencies involved — state and federal — to take a hard look at updating the thinking toward highway traffic, how to handle highway traffic by means other than simply putting more lanes on the highway. I believe we're on the cusp of a breakthrough on technology that will affect our highway travel dramatically."

The 30 Crossing widening is designed to address traffic in "design year" 2041, when ARDOT says 153,000 vehicles per day will use I-30. The highway department's preferred model, six lanes of through traffic and four collector-distributer lanes, would allow cars traveling south on I-30 during afternoon rush hour to travel at 30 to 50 miles per hour (considered a "somewhat congested" situation). That suggests there will be two decades of smooth sailing through Little Rock, no rush hour traffic at all.

"It's ridiculous to think that you can predict that far," Mays said. "It's a total mistake to do [the widening] at this time. It was the thing to do in the '50s and '60s, but not now," given the technology — like self-driving cars and new safety-features being built into vehicles — that will be available in not too many years from now.

What we don't need, he said, is to spend nearly a billion dollars on highway projects in Central Arkansas in the anticipation of a transportation future we can't predict.

The highway department, using funds from a $1.8 billion bond issue funded with a tax increase approved by voters, is spending nearly $90 million on the widening of I-630 (three times its estimated cost), which has already started; an estimated $80 million on widening Highway 10 (previously estimated at $58 million); $23 million on new ramps at Highway 10 to I-430 northbound; and a figure estimated a couple of years ago at $630.7 million on 30 Crossing.

(Dale Pekar, who is one of Mays' clients, raised the issue of cost in his public comment on ARDOT's draft environmental assessment. ARDOT says if construction — which is being combined with design — costs more than the funds available to the project, contracts will be let "at a future date" to complete the project. Pekar said that provision "makes the entire analysis unreliable," and if ARDOT comes up short, it should take it from low-priority projects — which is what it threatened Metroplan it would do if the planning agency didn't agree to add lanes to the corridor.)

"I'm not opposed to spending money in this area," Mays said, "but I don't know how the people in the rest of the state feel about it. It seems to me we ought to be thinking about how we can get more value [from the $1.8 billion total] for a longer period of time, rather than more lanes that may or may not be used in 20 years."

It's no surprise the highway department wants to build highways rather than think about transportation holistically. (ARDOT used to be the Department of Highway and Transportation, but recently dumped Transportation from its name, perhaps to fend off suggestions it thinks differently.) "It's a matter of mindset. This is what they get paid to do." Figuring into that is what Mays called "bureaucratic inertia."

"Sometimes you have to force their attention by filing lawsuits. I've found that, sometimes, litigation is the best way to bring about change ... or at least, to get their attention."

Richard Mays fights pigs, pollution and plans for bigger highways

#Richard Mays fights pigs #pollution and plans for bigger highways

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dalaznews-blog · 6 years

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Did Trump and Putin agree to anything? Only they know

http://dalaznews.com/news/most-popular/did-trump-and-putin-agree-to-anything-only-they-know/

WASHINGTON – Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin could properly have accomplished a lot of historic agreements at their summit in Finland this week. Or, they could possibly not have. It is dependent on who you speak to. three instances afterwards no one particular was pretty assured.

With no particulars increasing from the leaders' one particular distinct-on-one particular distinct dialogue on Monday — other than the imprecise define they presented them selves — officers, lawmakers and citizens in the U.S. in distinct are questioning what, if every thing, was fundamentally agreed to. Each equally Trump and Putin have declared the conference a grand achievements that is just before extended to take pleasure in great rewards in a lot of geopolitical realms, nonetheless even the most complete accounting of the talks — a particular person supplied by Putin — indicates that any outcomes are significantly from specific.

And, the reality that a substantial-profile, superior-stakes summit among the commanders in principal of the world's two biggest nuclear powers could be held with no the need to have of a excellent achievement or failure to point to has flummoxed lots of.

In the U.S., aggravation with the lack of details and details has raised by now heightened suspicions of Trump. Democratic lawmakers have pushed to subpoena the notes of the Situation Division interpreter who translated for Trump or compel her to testify. Republicans have blocked the move. Officers explained Thursday the White Household and Situation Workplace have been also quite probably to struggle these a go as a breach of executive authority, making the appear of the notes unlikely till they are posted in a historic document decades from now.

So for now, any person but Trump and Putin and most probably a handful of their shut confidants are in the dim. Even Trump's have intelligence principal, Dan Coats, explained Thursday, "I you must not know what occurred in that assembly."

"It is completely exceptional, fully exceptional, that no just one particular knows what was claimed," Chuck Schumer, the top-rating Democrat in the Senate, claimed. "This is a democracy. If your president will make agreements with 1 of our principal — if not our main — adversary, his Cupboard has to know about it and so do the American folks nowadays."

Generally, a summit, mostly one particular distinct in among two massive powers, will arise following months and months of meticulous organizing at reduced ranges with an eye toward producing demonstrable outcomes. Agenda subjects, conversing information, preferred final results and even substantial portions of key agreements are generally negotiated in progress so the acceptable businesses of each equally nations about the globe are conscious of any potential policy improvements. In some circumstances, the actual summit meeting and leaders' signatures on a piece of paper or a joint communique are mere formalities as the difficult operate has currently been carried out by subordinates.

These conventions have been upended by Trump's buccaneering approach to affairs of situation — the variety of strategy he thinks labored in his landmark summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un final thirty day period. But this time there was no joint assertion to formalize the outcome of the talks — just a meandering, 45-moment press conference wherever Trump stoked controversy by displaying up to side with Putin more than U.S. intelligence agencies' evaluation that Russia meddled in the 2016 election.

Russia's ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, expressed hope Thursday that "the verbal agreements involving Putin and Trump will be fulfilled" — whilst the substance of any such understandings stay murky, not minimum considering that the crucial little organization was executed in the two numerous hours of conversations among the two leaders with only translators signing up for them.

On Thursday, the Trump administration poured cold h2o on at minimum one particular distinct proposal from Putin: that Russia be permitted to job interview Us citizens the Kremlin accused of crimes — the quid pro quo for generating it feasible for U.S. investigators to interrogate Russian intelligence officers not extended ago indicted in the U.S. for alleged election interference.

"That is not probably to happen," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed of the Russian proposal in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network.

Even now, from Putin's point of view, the summit spot Moscow and Washington on "the path to helpful transform." In contemporary days he has spoken of locating wide consensus with Trump on generating confident protection alongside Syria's border with Israel and on arms handle troubles. Russia's protection and foreign ministries, in the meantime, have each equally talked about they are all set to commence placing these agreements into motion.

Trump himself has also place a optimistic spin on the summit. He claims a subsequent conference with Putin will usher in the implementation of the laundry list of goods they talked more than in Helsinki. These, he claimed in a tweet, include terrorism, protection for Israel, nuclear proliferation, cyberattacks, trade, Ukraine, Center East peace and North Korea. "There are numerous answers, some basic and some tough, to these complications ... but they can ALL be solved!" he stated.

Pressed for specifics, nevertheless, the White House could not provide any.

Push secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders talked about Syria, Iran, Israel, arms handle, Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and its meddling in 2016 U.S. election as acquiring been talked more than. But turning people troubles from subjects of discussion into motion apparently remains a get the job carried out in progress.

"This is the beginning of the dialogue with Russia and our administration and theirs and we're going to continue on carrying out the job as a outcome of these matters," she instructed reporters at the White Residence on Wednesday.

Just minutes afterwards, the State Workplace offered its person just take on the Helsinki assembly, stating that no agreements had been reached just common proposals on matters largely connected to monetary and strategic cooperation.

Spokeswoman Heather Nauert reported three proposals ended up created: a single for a superior-level performing group with U.S. and Russian organization enterprise leaders to be convened a additional for the generation of an "expert council" of teachers, present and earlier diplomats and army officers from each and every nations about the globe to seem broadly at U.S.-Russia relations, and a 3rd a single for the U.S. and Russian national security councils to hold a sequence of adhere to-on meetings.

"You know, these are unquestionably all modest proposals," she explained. "The president had claimed going into this that we would not resolve all the world's difficulties in a particular person conference, in 1 conversation with the Russian governing administration but we think it is a truly excellent place to commence out."

At the Pentagon, officials have been becoming nonetheless waiting about to see if their marching orders in Syria would increase as a consequence of the summit.

The commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East claimed Thursday he skilled not received new help from the Pentagon on cooperating with Russia in Syria.

"We have received no even much more route than we've presently been operating under," Gen. Joseph Votel claimed in a video clip-teleconference from his headquarters in Tampa, Florida. He explained he's possessing a "typical-as-she-goes" approach in Syria in the absence of new guidance.

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Linked Push author Deb Riechmann in Aspen, Colorado., contributed to this report.

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