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TPB approves new projects in DC and Maryland
Last week, the Transportation Planning Board (TPB) voted to approve Transportation Alternatives (TA) Set Aside funding for several small bicycle and pedestrian projects in the area. The Transportation Alternatives Set Aside (TA Set Aside) Program was established by federal law to fund a variety of smaller-scale transportation projects such as pedestrian and bicycle facilities, trails, safe routes to school (SRTS) projects, community improvements, and environmental mitigation.
In Maryland the four projects included bike lanes near two Metro Transit stations, one in Rockville and the other at Capital Heights and others fund sidewalks.
The Chamber Avenue Green Street/Complete Street Project in Capitol Heights will create a road diet on along the Chambers Avenue-Capitol Heights Boulevard-Davey Street corridor, to add sidewalks and bike lanes. It will also build new street lighting, improved pedestrian crossings, and new pedestrian lighting. (This parallels a Watts Branch Tributary and I'd like to see them daylight some of that stream and move some of it out of it's concrete channel. Then put a trail and some tree cover in the corridor for a little linear park/Metrorail connection, but that's all out of scope.)
The University Park Elementary School Safe Routes to School Plan in the Town of University Park entails the design of infrastructure work including sidewalk improvements, traffic calming and speed reduction improvements and pedestrian and bicycle crossing improvements to provide safe access to the University Park Elementary School.
The Takoma Park Safe Routes to School Improvements in the City of Takoma Park will fund educational programs including a Crosswalk Simulation Activity and Bike Rodeo. A new feature of the Takoma Park programming is the iCan Shine Camp, which will teach biking skills for students with disabilities.
The North Stonestreet Avenue: Street and Sidewalk Improvements in the City of Rockville will design street and sidewalk improvements along Park Road (between North Stonestreet Avenue and South Stonestreet Avenue) and N. Stonestreet Ave (between Park Road and Lincoln Avenue). Improvements will include wider sidewalks, a new intersection alignment, and bike lanes.
DC is a little different. The TAP money is not supposed to be available to states - only local governments - and so for years they didn't know if they could award money to DDOT, but a recent ruling decided that in this case they could act as a local government. Nonetheless, DDOT still only acts as the sponsor and let's local groups apply. Unfortunately, this year only three did and their total request ($695,000) was less than the full amount DC gets allocated ($1.15 M), so they had to roll money over to next year. And one of the three projects approved is primarily related to historic preservation of Union Station. We need other groups to get involved in competing for this money, so if you work with a BID or some other possible applicant (?) start thinking about what you could do.
The two other projects this year were:
Prather's Alley Safety Improvements in Mount Vernon Triangle. This project will design and construct a series of traffic calming measures in the alleyway.
The Protected Mobility Lanes on M Street, SE project would fund design for bi-directional protected mobility lanes on M Street, SE, giving bicyclists and scooters much-needed streamlined and protected east-west access from the 11th Street Bridge to Half Street, SE, the heart of the Capitol Riverfront. The project would be approximately one mile in length and would remove a vehicular travel lane, narrowing the M Street crossing for pedestrians. Creating safer streets for cyclists and pedestrians will be essential for the accomplishment of Vision Zero goal of eliminating pedestrian deaths in the District.
The TPB also discussed the Nice-Middleton Bridge over the Potomac south of DC. As has been discussed here, the original plan for the replacement of this bridge include a bike/ped lane, but it was deemed too expensive and so MTA wants to remove it. The bridge will cost $769 million and the state has cut tolls twice in the last 5 years, but the bike/ped path is something they can't afford (?).
The TPB was asked to update the regional plan so that they can pursue a low-interest loan, but also to allow the bidding to go forward without the bike/ped lane. That lane would be included if the price was low enough, but not if it was too high.
The approval on an unusually contentious 17-7 vote allows Maryland to move forward with an application for a large low-interest federal loan crucial to the project's financing plan. It came over concerns that the state has worked to cut a promised bike and pedestrian path from the project.
The Maryland Department of Transportation and Maryland Transportation Authority said the path is still possible when a final contract is awarded this fall, but only if bids from contractors are low enough.
Maryland is now only promising though that bikes will be able to use the bridge in some way — even if it means riding with highway traffic.
Charles County Commissioners' President Reuben Collins pleaded with the state to include the path to help tourism, provide another connection between Maryland and Virginia, and effectively plan for the 100-year life span of the bridge
D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendeslon said it was an abdication of responsibility for the region's Transportation Planning Board to allow the bridge project to move forward for federal support without the bike path, since the majority wanted the path but many members felt they could not let it get in the way of the bridge project.
The whole affair was so disappointing that Eric Brenner, the chair of the Maryland Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee, resigned in protest. He accused the Hogan Administration of unilaterally breaking their previous commitment of a barrier-separated path on the bridge without cause, and compared it to the dropping of the trail along the Inter-County Connector. He accused them of threatening Charles County with no bridge if they don't support the revised language dropping the path.
Many speakers at the meeting spoke out against the removal of the path. Some said we should not let procurement drive policy. Charles Allen pushed back on the notion that people wouldn't use the path, and noted that even if they don't in the short time, things will look very differently as the bridge ages.
July 30, 2019 in Bike Lanes, Nice/Middleton Bridge, Protected Bike Lane (PBL), Safe Routes to School | Permalink | Comments (3)
While Montgomery County installs new bike lanes, WABA calls for more
Montgomery County is busy installing buffered bike lanes, upgrading others to protected and building a protected intersection in Silver Spring, but WABA wants them to start work on a protected bike lane on Fenton too.
MoCo is already making plans to extend the "Purple Pathway" at the north end of the trail (below) as well as buffered lanes on Dixon, but WABA wants them to plan and build protected bike lanes and pedestrian improvements on Fenton through downtown. They have a petition you can sign, but you already missed their happy hour on it.
A PBL on Fenton makes a lot of sense and will work well with the Met Branch Trail once that's finished.
Meanwhile, they've also started work on the Frederick Road Bike Path. This will build a side path along Frederick Road in the Clarksburg area.
July 24, 2019 in Bike Lanes, Other Maryland Trails, Protected Bike Lane (PBL) | Permalink | Comments (0)
TPB - DC proposes new bike lanes and the Nice Bridge "sharing" options
A few bicycle relevant items came up at the Transportation Planning Board meeting this week.
First of all, as part of the Transportation Improvement Program biennial update and Regional Transportation Plan amendment process all of the local jurisdictions submitted proposed changes that might affect air quality. For some reason, DDOT always includes planned bike lanes but no one else does. As noted in previous updates, addition on this list doesn't mean that these roads will get bike lanes, only that they might. DDOT submitted 8 road diets that would add bike lanes, many of which are not new.
9th St. NW from Florida Ave. to Massachusetts Ave. (4 to 2 lanes); from Massachusetts Ave. to Constitution Ave. (6/4 lanes to 4/2 lanes), complete 2019
Dalecarlia Pkwy. NW from Loughboro Rd. to Westmoreland Circ. (4 to 2 lanes), complete 2020
Florida Ave. NE from 2nd St. to West Virginia Ave. (6 to 4 lanes) and from West Virginia Ave. to 14th St. (3 to 2 lanes), complete 2019
K St. NE from 1st St. to 8th St. (3 to 2 lanes), complete 2019
M St. SE from Half St. to 11th St. (6 to 5 lanes), complete 2020
Mount Olivet Rd. NE from Brentwood Pkwy. to West Virginia Ave. (4 to 3 lanes), complete 2020
Nebraska Ave. NW from New Mexico Ave. to Loughboro Rd. (4 to 3 lanes), complete 2020
Pennsylvania Ave. SE from 2nd St. to 17th St. (8 to 6 lanes), complete 2020
There's also the K Street Transitway, which is to have a bike component as well. In addition, some plans were changed
Blair Road NW bike lanes (this is the Met Branch Trail) - pushed back to 2021 (from 2019)
Constitution Ave NW bike lanes - cut
Harewood Road NW bike lanes - pushed back to 2020 (from 2016)
17 Street NW bike lanes (from Mass to NH) pushed back to 2020 (from 2018)
K Street NW bike lanes, extended from 3rd to 7th and pushed back to 2020 (from 2018)
Irving Street NW bike lanes, pushed back to 2020 (from 2019)
Meanwhile, MDOT presented options for lane sharing for cyclists in case they decide not to build a shared use path on the new Nice Bridge over the Potomac downstream from DC.
MDOT and MDTA are not ruling out a barrier separated shared use path, but a barrier separated facility cannot be guaranteed during the closed procurement process without seeing what the innovative design proposals are and exploring other workable alternatives.
One idea is to just let cyclists take the lane. This would include Bicycle-compatible bridge joints, warning signs, and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) like bicycle warning beacons.
They point to other bridges with high speed where it is not illegal to bike such as the Hatem Bridge and the US1 Bridge over Conowingo Dam, North of I-95 at Cecil & Harford Counties to show that it is "common in Maryland" and it can work. [No doubt it CAN work, but does it work well?] Hatem Bridge, they note has more car traffic than the Nice Bridge is expected to.
They also mentioned that on the Virginia side improvements end a half mile from the bridge and beyond that there is only a 2' wide shoulder on US-301. The argument being that even if they put a path on the bridge, cyclists will still have to ride on a dangerous route, but this ignores the fact that US-301 can be changed at some time between now and when this new bridge becomes obsolete.
Other options include converting the existing bridge into a bike/ped bridge, which comes with ownership and maintenance issues (because no one wants to take control of it) but would allow for demolition costs to be transferred to rehabilitation costs; a bicycle taxi system and police escorts for special events. The third is not really a solution and the taxi sounds like an expensive PITA. They expect to pick a final design in the fall.
WTOP reported this a little differently.
Maryland has cut an originally planned bike path/sidewalk next to the two lanes in each direction, and also cut shoulders from the new bridge plan to save money.
I don't know if it's accurate to say it's been cut, but it's no longer guaranteed
As a concession last year after significant regional concerns about the changes, the state allowed bidders to offer details about a narrowed but still separated bike and pedestrian path in their bids.
The state has declined to use the cost savings from the construction cuts to pay to keep up the existing bridge as a fishing pier and bike and pedestrian path, and Charles County does not have the $50 million in today's dollars to do it themselves, county Planning Director Jason Groth said.
"The county remains strong — and we've made the same comments since 2009 — that we would like to see separated bike lanes on this bridge," he said. "One thing that's key to remember for this particular project is it is a 100-year long bridge. We're not going to see it rebuilt again."
State transportation officials have not met with Charles County leaders to talk about the project, Groth said.
"All of our conversation has either been through a letter or here at TPB on this matter," he said. "I strongly urge MDTA and MDOT to come discuss this item with us, because we are the jurisdiction that is most greatly affected by the decision made on this alternative."
Rockville Mayor Bridget Newton was not optimistic. "I hope you get a meeting sir. We have not been so lucky on 270," Newton said. She called it "short-sighted" to not build a separated path.
She also supported the bike path as something important to the economics of the county.
Bike advocates, such as Champe Burnley of the Virginia Bicycling Federation, agree. "The existing Nice Bridge is 80 years old, and we're going to make a decision here that's going to last well into the 22nd century," Burnley said.
On the Virginia side, it could connect to an extended Dahlgren Trail and state park. Without the separate path, even Burnley would be worried about riding over the river in a shared lane.
"I'm a pretty experienced cyclist, and, quite frankly, I don't think I would ride on that because with 60 mph trucks and cars going through there, not only would I not feel safe, I don't think anybody would. And I ask you, would you want your spouse, your child, your grandchild riding on that road? I think you probably wouldn't," Burnley said.
June 21, 2019 in Bike Lanes, Bridges, Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) | Permalink | Comments (5)
DDOT's Rock Creek area livability studies
This year, DDOT has held two meetings - in February and May - on their Rock Creek Far West Livability Study. Studies like these can form one of the first steps to changes on the ground and so their important stepping stones to protected bike lanes, road diets and other projects that make streets safer, greener and more conducive to walking and biking. Officially:
The Rock Creek Far West Livability Study will identify opportunities for safer travel for residents and visitors to the neighborhoods in the study area. The purpose of the study is to enhance the quality of life of the community through improvements to transportation safety and connections to destinations. This study will also align with Mayor Bowser's Vision Zero Initiative, which has an objective to reach zero fatalities and serious injuries to travelers of the District's transportation system by 2024.
The study area covers DC's Western corner, including the Palisades, from the C&O Canal to Massachusetts Avenue.
After the first meeting, ANC 3D sent a letter supporting a bicycle trail along Nebraska Ave, bicycle lanes along Rockwood Parkway and Loughboro Road, and a PBL along Nebraska, Loughboro and Arizona all the way to Canal Road.
At the 2nd meeting they presented draft recommendations. These included
A road diet on Dalecarlia Parkway that then allows for more space for pedestrians and cyclists
Make 48th between MacArthur and V into a "shared street"
Provide new connections to the Capital Crescent Trail (CCT) at Arizona and Norton
Improve Tunlaw Road for cyclists
Add a PBL to Loughboro/Nebraska; bike boulevards to 49th, Glenbrook and and Rockwood Parkway, a bike facility on 37th and a sidepath on Massachusetts Avenue
I pretty much only bike through the area the way most people do - on the CCT, canal towpath or MacArthur. Occasionally I ride Massachusetts and I'd probably use a sidepath in the uphill direction. I'm surprised the Palisades trolley trail isn't one of the recommendations and that there isn't more in the southern part of the study area.
It's a shame that trails aren't included in the Glover-Archibald corridor, Battery Kemble corridor or the green corridor south of Fulton that connects them. Or the Whitehaven Parkway for that matter.
A third meeting should happen in August or September, but the best way to make comments before then would be to use the interactive map.
And more time critical, DDOT is doing a study on the east side of Rock Creek Park and holding a meeting on it this week (June 12). You can see the map of existing and proposed bike facilities for that area here.
June 10, 2019 in Bike Lanes, Capital Crescent Trail (CCT), Protected Bike Lane (PBL) | Permalink | Comments (15)
DC's busy bicycle legislative agenda, part 2
Last week I wrote about three bills before the DC Council, primarily the Vision Zero bill, but as hinted at in the title, there is still more bicycle-relevant legislation before the Council.
First of all, there's the Transportation Benefits Equity Amendment Act Of 2019. A similar bill was introduced during the last session, but it never made it to a committee vote. As with the 2017, the goal is again to make commuter benefits more fair, but has the added benefit of encouraging more transit, biking and walking. This bill however has some changes from the 2017 version. The new bill
Allows an employer who offers an employee a parking benefit to increase its financial contribution to the employee's health coverage if the employee declines both the parking benefit and the transportation benefit (for vanpools or transit only) such that the increased contribution equals the market value of the parking benefit offered. I'm not sure of the reason for this option, but my gut tells me its tax related.
Still allows employers is to pay a $100 Clean Air Compliance fee for each employer offered parking, but in the new bill, that money just goes into the general fund instead of the Transportation Demand Management fund.
Gives employers additional options to (a) quit offering free parking (b) Create a Transportation Demand Management plan that will cut the number who driver or take a taxi to work by 10% in per year until 25% or less of all employees are driving/taxiing to work. That plan will have to approved by DDOT and annual reports are needed to prove it is working. If it doesn't work then they have to offer the benefit or pay the compliance fee.
Change the method for calculating the value of parking from the one used by the IRS to one based on advertised prices or one determined by, and justified by, the employer. I'll note that I could not find the one the IRS used as identified in the code 132(f)(5)(C).
Exempts employers who own their own parking or have a lease that predates the bill's effective date.
When the bill last came up, there was concern that this act actually didn't create equity but rather hurt poor drivers to the benefit of wealthy cyclists, pedestrians and transit users. Or that it would result in more gentrification. Or that instead we should get rid of all transportation subsidies (amen). There was also concern about the regulatory burden.
Getting rid of all the subsidies, while a good idea, is difficult, so while a good idea, it's not one DC can really do. I think people who say this will hurt the poor are either ill-informed about who drives and who bikes or are arguing in bad faith.
All of the changes, to me, are OK or good except the exemption for employers who own their own parking. I'm not sure what the thinking is - except that maybe people who've built their own parking can't simply disinvest in it - but it undermines the benefits of the bill.
The second bill of import here is the budget bill which includes $500,000 for a congestion pricing study. That study has gotten most of the press, but it is by no means the only important element to cyclists; though it is a big deal.
Congestion pricing, charging motorists a fee to enter congested areas, is gaining momentum in U.S. cities. New York recently approved congestion pricing for drivers entering the central business district of Manhattan, beginning in 2021. The money would be used to fix the city's ailing subway. Several other cities, including San Francisco and Seattle, also are considering congestion pricing as a way to alleviate gridlock, take cars off the roads and encourage transit use.
District officials hope the study will analyze how the city could implement congestion pricing to help reduce the number of non-D.C. drivers on city streets, identify pricing strategies and address equity concerns.
[Cheh's] proposal from the Committee on Transportation and the Environment requires the results of the study be made public by July 2020.
"Specifically, the study should evaluate and plan for the tolling of the roads into the District consistent with the tolling of those same roads by Virginia," the committee's budget document said.
The council could also determine how to spend any money raised.
D.C. Council members Charles Allen and Jack Evans explicitly spoke in support of the proposal at a committee markup.
In addition, the bill budgets more resources for enforcement and recommends more as well.
The Mayor called for $2,766,000 to support the Vision Zero initiative through rush hour towing and bike lane enforcement.
The Committee is pleased to see this investment in bicycle lane enforcement, particularly after hearing during oversight that enforcement of bicycle lane parking laws has dropped significantly over the past few years. This increase in the number of officers patrolling bicycle lanes will contribute to cyclist safety and overall street safety. In addition, the Mayor's Budget Support Act includes a subtitle that will allow parking enforcement officers to mail tickets to vehicles that drive away before officers can serve a notice of infraction in person or by affixation, a practice that has made bicycle lane enforcement difficult. The Committee was encouraged to learn during oversight that the Agency has developed technology that will make it possible for officers to issue tickets in these circumstances and believes that this will make the Agency's bicycle lane enforcement even more effective. In addition to implementing this technology, the Committee recommends that DPW continue to explore ways to make the bicycle lane enforcement team more responsive to street users, such as through social media, to allow cyclists to quickly report and end bicycle lane blockages.
The committee recommended more Sunday enforcement of bike lane violations
...it is critical... that we keep our bike and bus lanes clear seven days a week.
And the committee increased funding for public space enforcement by $360,000 to add 3 more inspectors.
The Committee has concerns regarding DDOT's efforts to ensure utility companies and their contractors restore a street to the condition it was in before the companies undertook excavation in the public space. According to post-oversight hearing responses, there were 340 citations issued in FY 2017 to utility companies for failing to restore the public space to its original condition. However, that number fell to 153 in FY 2018. In addition, in FY 2018, DDOT public space inspectors found nearly 98% of excavations were restored to their original condition after work by a utility in the public space was completed. The Committee routinely hears from residents who provide information on instances in which contractors failed to restore the public space to its original condition, often at the expense of cyclists and pedestrians in the form of unrestored bike lanes and unpainted crosswalks. The Committee believes that this high compliance number is not a result of utility companies restoring the public space to its original condition 98% of the time, but rather that DDOT public space inspectors are spread too thin to enforce the public space utility work requirements as strictly as they should be. The Committee believes the volume of new construction sites in the District has left DDOT's public space inspectors short-handed. The staff is overburdened attempting to keep up with the number of sites they must visit on a daily basis.
The committee, however, expresses concern about safety and mobility funding and the slow pace of the Eastern Downtown Protected Bike lane project, providing funding for the later.
The proposed capital budget allocates $16,960,000 in FY 2020 and $62,684,000 over the six-year CIP for projects that have a primary focus of improving safety and efficiency of the District's transportation system. Most of these projects are pedestrian and cyclist focused with an aim to achieve the District's Vision Zero goals of zero fatalities and serious injuries to travelers of the District's transportation system. Subprojects of this master capital project include: the Crosstown Bicycle Lane, the Arboretum Bridge and Trail, and street sign improvements.
Although the Committee is pleased with this investment in safety for the District's most vulnerable road users, there are lingering concerns about the capital funding in the years beyond FY 2020. Each year the funds allocated shrink, from $14,809,000 in FY 2021 down to $5,538,000 in FY 2025. Given the District's ambitious efforts to increase bike lanes and revamp intersections to help meet our Vision Zero goals, the Committee believes the funding should be increasing each year, not decreasing. The Committee does not have the available funding to increase the funds allocated in each year but urges DDOT to increase its investment in the Safety and Mobility Capital project in the years beyond FY 2020
The District has a dire need to create a two-directional north-south bike lane in order to accommodate the growth in District neighborhoods, maintain safety, and become a more sustainable city. The neighborhoods at the north end of downtown, including U Street NW and Shaw, have seen an increase in bike commuting trips in recent years. Although there are multiple east-west dedicated bicycle facilities traversing the areas in and around downtown, only 15th Street NW provides contiguous north-south protected facilities in the city core. This leads to a large downtown north-south gap in the protected bike facility network between the Metropolitan Branch Trail and 15th Street NW. For these reasons, DDOT commissioned the Eastern Downtown Protected Bike Lane study. The purpose of the project is to fill in the north south bike lane gap by developing the final design for a new protected bike lane that will connect central DC neighborhoods to downtown, as well as existing east-west bicycle facilities.
The Eastern Downtown Protected Bike Lane study has been completed and as of February 2017 both options for the bike lane, 6th and 9th Street, are at 30% design. The community has been waiting for over two years for DDOT to make a decision between the two options so that design can be finished, and improvements started. The Committee urges DDOT to make a decision and proceed with the project. The Committee has allocated $300,000 from the Safety and Mobility Capital Project to fund the completion of the design for whichever street DDOT decides to build the protected bike lane.
The committee recommended additional money for protected bike lane construction
The proposed capital budget allocates $16,960,000 in FY 2020 for Safety & Mobility projects, which includes support for expanding bicycle lanes and infrastructure, such as $1,215,987 for the Crosstown Bicycle Lane project. The Committee applauds DDOT's progress in expanding bike lanes across the city over the past decade but recognizes that there is still much progress to be made and that many of the District's bike lanes are not protected. Protected bike lanes are essential to the safety of cyclists and to increasing the number of cyclists in the District; if people feel unsafe riding in the District, they will not do it. Cyclists are equally entitled to use the road as drivers, and a protected lane keeps cars from infringing on the cyclist's portion of the road, not just while driving but while parking as well.
Protected bike lanes also protect pedestrians, who will then use sidewalks without competitions from bikes and scooters. Additional protected bike lanes will require DDOT to improve their reaction time to fix damaged or downed separators that pose risks to cyclists in the bike lane. Just last year, the Committee heard from a cyclist who hit a downed lane separator, severely injuring himself. He reported the issue to 311 and reached out to the Committee, who in turn notified DDOT. Despite this, it still took DDOT over three weeks to get the lane cleared and the separators fixed. From what the Committee routinely hears from cyclists, that repair happened much quicker than most. The Committee urges DDOT to increase its construction of protected bike lanes and to improve its maintenance of those lanes
The bill calls for $115,000 for a dockless-scooter (and potentially bike) parking program.
Since the launch of DDOT's Dockless Demonstration Project for dockless scooters and bicycles in 2017, the Committee has routinely heard complaints about scooters being left in inconvenient locations, such as in pedestrian walkways, handicap parking spaces, or on private property. To address the same issue, the county of Arlington, Virginia, recently began creating street parking spaces for scooters and bikes only. The Committee believes it would be beneficial to bring this same idea to the District as it applies to dockless scooters (legally known as personal mobility devices). The Committee recommends the inclusion of a new Budget Support Act subtitle that would create of a Scooter Parking Pilot, which would require DDOT to establish parking spaces exclusively for use by personal mobility devices. Under the
pilot, DDOT would create at least one such parking spot per Business Improvement District (BID). The Committee does not intend to require personal mobility device users to park in a designated parking place; however, the Committee believes that if such spots are available, personal mobility device users will use them. Therefore, in line with the Budget Support Act subtitle included later in this report, the Committee recommends increasing (PSDV) Planning and Sustainability by $78,000 and 1.0 FTEs in FY 2020 and by $20,000 in FY 2021, and increasing (PSDV) Planning and Sustainability by $17,000 in one-time funds for DDOT to create a scooter parking pilot.
In addition it
funds a Safe Routes to School Program Specialist
notes that DDOT will add 18 CaBi stations in the District and update the expansion guidelines of the Capital Bikeshare Development Plan as they have exhausted the old one
funds the K Street Transitway, which DDOT says will include a bike lane
increases scooter speed limits from 10 mph to 15 mph.
funds the redevelopment of Dave Thomas Circle ($35,000,000)
funds the Tenley Plaza project, with one goal being to improve bicycle safety
funds the Benning Road streetcar expansion which will also construct bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure along the four-mile
funds the New York Avenue Streetscape and Trail Project ( $34,248,000)
funds the Ward Eight Streetscapes project ($26,579,000)
Finally, the Bicycle Advisory Council expansion act was rolled into the budget bill.
May 28, 2019 in Bicycle Commuter Benefit, Bike Lanes, Capital Bikeshare, Commuting, Congestion Pricing, Congestion Reduction, Eastern Downtown Protected Bikeway, Legislation, New York Avenue Trail, Parking Cash Out, Protected Bike Lane (PBL), Safe Routes to School, Scooter, Traffic Violations - Drivers | Permalink | Comments (0)
David Grosso stops in a bike lane.
I've been on the BAC for over a decade now, and on the legislative committee for most of that time, and I've never seen a year like this when it comes to legislation. There are at least 10 bills that have been introduced this year that should matter to cyclists, and others concerned with safe streets. It's a lot so I'm going to try to break it up into a few posts
The Bicycle Advisory Council (BAC) Expansion Amendment Act Of 2019 was already discussed here. Since then the BAC has suggested that the District Council nominate one person representing scooters or other non-traditional Personal Mobility Devices to join the BAC as well. There's a lot of place that our interests overlap or collide and they should have a voice somewhere in this process. And such a person could help the BAC give better advice (which is the main purpose after all).
The Florida Avenue Multimodal Project Completion Emergency Amendment Act of 2019 has already passed and is headed to the Mayor for signature. That bill sets a September deadline for creating a 6-4 road diet for Florida Avenue between 2nd and H NE and using the newly freed space for something other motor vehicles. It has the same deadline to install High-visibility crosswalk marking. It also requires monthly status reports starting in June. The Mayor needs to respond by the end of the month. A letter couldn't hurt.
But the big bill on the agenda is CM Allen's Vision Zero Enhancement Omnibus Amendment Act Of 2019. This bill has MANY moving parts. The bill aims to:
Approve the 2014 Multimodal Long Range Transportaion Plan (aka Move DC)
Shorten the Notice of Intent period from 30 days to 10 days in cases where the proposed change will increase safety at a high-risk intersection as defined in Move DC and a report about it has been posted on the internet.
Prevent the issuance of building permits until DDOT has published a report assuring that for-hire and delivery vehicles going to that building will not make conditions unsafe
Require the construction of sidewalks on both sides of the street, not just one
Require DDOT
to submit a Vision Zero progress report and make it public. The report will include
A list of projects in MoveDC by ward describing how it would improve safety, increase equitable access to transit, contribute to the mode share goals in MoveDC, decrease motor vehicle speeds.
The expected delivery dates for all the projects in MoveDC for which funds have been allocated
Interim steps for projects that are to be allocated 2 years out
An explanation for why unfunded projects in MoveDC are unfunded
to publish all the data required by the 2016 Bike and Ped safety Act, data from the DOH's annual trauma report, all speed data they collect
to create a transparent, standard project delivery process focused on MoveDC plans and things that make the roads safer and more equitable (sorry alleypalooza).
to update the MoveDC every two years and to report on the goals to get commuter automobile mode share in all wards to lower that 25% and transit share in all wards to at least 50%. Should also include a list of streets to add bus-only lanes to with at least one in each ward and a list of high-risk intersections.
to submit an incident report to the council 30 days afer each crash that results in a fatality or injury including interim design changes that have been put in place, permanent changes they plan to put in place and whether or not it is a high risk intersection.
to install marked crosswalks where an unmarked one currently exists when doing other roadwork (unless DDOT thinks it will make things less safe)
Prevent the issuance of public space permits for new buildings until they have built and restored all the pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure that they were required to build and all that was there prior to construction
Require MPD to collect information about the speed of vehicles involved in collisions or that receive moving violations.
Require anyone getting a new or renewed driver's license to take a written test
Lower the speed limit to 20 mph on all local, collector and minor arterial roads and to 25 mph on all principal arterial roads.
Prohibit right turns on red (everywhere, all the time)
Require stop signs or traffic lights at all intersections of roads classified as local, collector or minor arterial.
Authorize towing of a vehicle blocking a bike lane or crosswalk or that have more than 5 outstanding tickets for exceeding the speed limit by more than 30 mph or for overtaking a vehicle stopped for a pedestrian
Authorize the city to mail citations of more moving and non-moving violations
Create a Citizen Safety Enforcement Pilot Program allowing a few citizens to cite violators using a phone app. This has been all over the media, and much of it has been bad and/or ill-informed takes.
It's a good start.
Seriously, these are some great ideas. Some of these things the BAC has recommended in the past and some (faster NOIs) are new to me. But they all seem targeted to my Vision Zero sentence that I've been saying which is that:
Getting to Vision Zero will require us to have fewer and safer cars; driven at slower speeds; by sober, safer drivers, on better roads shared by more cautious cyclists and pedestrians.
And this bill will hit on most of these things, and certainly the more important ones.
Finally, just a few comments on some of the media coverage of the Citizens Enforcement pilot. It's fascinating to me that this has gotten all the press (it's become national news even) while the plan to ban RTOR everywhere or lower the speed limit to 20 (!!!) or even, finally approve MoveDC has not. Oh well, I don't know journalism.
Petula Dvorak at the Post, whom I normally agree with, has a particularly bad take.
She starts out by referring to it as tattling. As someone on twitter put it
You can tell a lot about a person by where they define "snitching." Is reporting animal abuse snitching? Child abuse?
The article mentions safety once, and not in relation to this bill, but instead goes straight to the AAA framing of "revenue grab" using the old Trump trick
A lot of us wonder whether this has anything to do with the city's declining parking ticket revenue, thanks to mobile parking apps.
Which might be a valid concern if you thought bad parking was no longer a problem, but she doesn't.
It's infuriating and dangerous to have cars parked in bike lanes, bus lanes and crosswalks — the violations citizen avengers would be targeting in the proposed pilot program. I live on Capitol Hill and have circled my block for an hour more than once after a Costco shop, past scores of Virginia (mostly) plates overstaying their legal right to park on my street, keeping me from accessing my own home.
I honestly don't think she understands what the proposal is because she mentions both vigilantes and Batman and people parked in RPP spots. That's not what this will be. 10 people from each ward will be selected and trained. They will photograph violators and submit them to DPW who will then review them and issue tickets where warranted. The only tickets this will be for are for parking in a bicycle lane, crosswalk, bus lane or streetcar guideway.
Dvorak is instead worried about the gestapo.
The scars and resentments of this kind of citizen tattling run three generations deep in my family, when the communist regime in Czechoslovakia corrupted families and communities with Little Brother tactics.
But how do we begin to police citizen avenger motivations?
There is overview of the people who are allowed to do this, that's how. It's hard to address her fears because they aren't clearly stated. Is she worried the innocent will be falsely accused? That's what the photos are for. Is she worried that there will be confrontations? Since all the CE's will be doing is taking a photograph, and since they will take training for that, I don't see how it would be any worse than cyclists yelling at drivers. Is she worried it will be inequitably enforced (racist or classist enforcement)? Me too, but cars create some anonymity, making it hard to know who's driving that Honda accord (To be fair, if I were an enforcer I might show a bias towards ticketing Hummers or other giant SUVs, And who wouldn't want to ticket someone in a Maserati?), and I suspect that's one of the things the pilot will study. If we see some inequity then we can tweak or abandon the idea.
She goes on to compare this to public shaming on twitter. That's not what this is either, though that's already happening since people frequently post photos of cars parked in bike lanes. What negative consequence has that had so far?
Luz Lazo also misses the mark though she at least understands the facts. But her story starts off poorly,
D.C. officials are so desperate for more solutions to the city's parking and traffic problems that they're considering recruiting citizens to help enforce the rules of the road.
This is not about fixing parking and will only have a small effect on traffic. This is about safety. Now I'll concede that there isn't any proof that blocking the bike lane makes cyclists less safe (sorry, I'm just not aware of any) but at the very least it makes biking frustrating as hell. And blocking crosswalks too, though there I am more confident about calling it a safety risk. But whether or not it is or is not based on data, safety is the goal. She does get to that later.
Then she quotes Walter Olson of the Cato Institute.
"But traffic enforcement does have a lot of judgment calls."
I'm not sure what judgement call would come into play here, and he doesn't name one. Just some vague idea. I participated in the bike lane project last week. A food truck parked in a hashed off area to wait for the lunch crowd and a parking enforcement car pulled up and told him to leave without issuing a ticket. I guess that's a judgement call - to let that guy go without a ticket - but I don't know if I agreed with it. You get off with a warning if you don't walk away? BTW, the flexposts in the streetview are now gone - wonder how that happened?
Olson also blames this on revenue generation
"The city gets more revenue without having to pay salaries," he said. "The potential increase in ticket revenue would get their interest right away."
Ugh. I wish we would just take all the money generated and set it on fire, Dark Knight style, once a year just so we could stop hearing about this.
"The idea of vigilante enforcement is a bad idea," D.C. attorney David Tompkins said. "Everyone I don't like would have a lot of tickets. Well, that's the joke until a real jerk gets ahold of this idea."
Again, not vigilantes. He should look up what that word means. Violators would get tickets from DPW, they would not be beaten with iron pipes by a mob in the alley.
"Law enforcement is a profession," he said. "Have professionals handle it."
So is teaching. Is Tompkins against volunteer tutoring programs?
A lot of articles ask "What could possibly go wrong?" and then list very little that could go wrong.
Imagine what could happen if a resident gets a ticket from his or her neighbor — a neighbor whose address he or she knows.
That is a very special case. One which can happen if you get a ticket from DPW or MPD or DDOT.
There could be some legal issues involved in providing citizens such power
None of those were actually listed.
As with any idea, this could end up being great for neighborhoods or disastrous.
No potential disasters were identified.
The inner libertarian in me, of course, doesn't approve of such over-policing, but the "nearly hit by a cyclist who rode full speed through a red light and nearly plowed into me when I was legally crossing the crosswalk" in me thinks these people need to obey some traffic laws.
Ah yes, we don't need any more policing except for the people who almost hurt ME. Very libertarian.
Anyway, no hearing has been scheduled for the bill, but when it is, I'm sure it will be widely publicized.
May 21, 2019 in Bike Lanes, Fatality, Legislation, Planning, Police/Security, Safety, Traffic Violations - Drivers, Vision Zero | Permalink | Comments (3)
May 03, 2019 in Bike Lanes, Bike Routes, Commuting, Event, Parking | Permalink | Comments (6)
The Vision Zero Enhancement Act of 2018 (and 2019)
Charles Allen announced plans to submit an updated and expanded version of his Vision Zero bill from last year. That bill was introduced in November of last year, after the Vision Zero hearing in September, which itself followed a year in which traffic fatalities continued to rise. Prior to that, DC had been promoting the unbelievably optimistic chart above (from a Feb 2018 MWCOG slide show). By the way, in that same presentation, they knew things weren't going like the chart above, because they included the chart below. One would think they would have sounded the alarm bells then, not wait for bike advocates to do so 4 months later.
Anyway, back to Allen's bill. That bill had several good ideas in it, but it didn't even get hearing. The bill would do the following:
Reduce the citywide speed limit to 20mph in residential areas - those zoned in Subtitles D-F and K in Title 11 of the DCMR
Prohibit Right Turn On Red within a half mile of schools, in all of downtown and at intersection with a bike lane
Authorize towing and impounding of vehicle blocking the bike lane
Establish a Citizen Bike Safety Enforcement Pilot Program. The program would select and train 10 citizens and then authorize them to take photo of bike lane violators with an app. Those photos will then be treated as a notice of infraction. 1 year after the pilot ends, a report on the pilot would be sent to council
Those are all good ideas. What would an expanded bill include? I don't know, but I got ideas.
Get rid of the 10mph buffer on photo enforced tickets.
Add points to photo enforced tickets
Make talking on the phone while driving illegal, hand-free or otherwise
Create more ways to enforce violations, like cameras on buses - and also have fines increase for repeat offenders
Require DDOT to remove on-street parking by setting a statutory limit (this will make it hard for them to give in to pressure to keep it)
Increase the fee for a Residential Parking Permit
Increase registration fees for heavy cars, cars with a high top speed and/or the most deadly make of cars
Raise the gas tax
Create a congestion zone
Allow MPD to impound cars with rear license plate covers (they're already illegal and are meant to thwart cameras)
Raise the tax on alcohol and use revenue to pay for an OWL bus service.
Close streets in bar districts near metro on weekend nights
Create a requirement to retest drivers
While we're at it, there are a lot of things DDOT is already supposed to do, but has not. The "Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Amendment Act of 2016" required the Mayor to send to the council a report and recommendations as to whether the District should implement a remediation and deferred disposition program for individuals that commit moving or nonmoving infractions in the District.
The report shall include the following:
(1) A review of the best practices in other jurisdictions;
(2) An examination of issues such as staffing levels and implementation costs;
(3) The moving and nonmoving infractions, if any, to which the remediation and deferred disposition program should apply;
(4) Whether the remediation and deferred disposition program should reduce the entire fine or number of points assessed, or a portion of the fine or number of points assessed; and
(5) If the Mayor recommends implementing a remediation and deferred disposition program, the report shall include a detailed description of the content of any proposed safety course provided in the program, the process by which a person would participate in the program, and the alternatives available to participants in lieu of paying a fine or being assessed points.
That was due on July 1, 2017. Let's just skip the report and have them design a system for deferred disposition. I don't really want to fine people for driving bad if instead I can teach them to drive better.
Here's some other reports the Mayor was supposed to produce but hadn't as of last summer:
A) Annual reports on locations with the highest frequency of collisions that injure or kill pedestrians
B) Annual reports on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Priority Area Program
C) Annual reports on the Complete Streets policy progress
D) A report on whether DC Circulator buses and District-owned, heavy-duty vehicles should be equipped with pedestrian-alert technologies.
E) A report on whether emergency vehicles should be equipped with cameras
F) A biannual report for improving bicycle and pedestrian safety (this only came due on July 1, 2018)
Also all trucks registered in DC are all supposed to have side underrun protection by now. Do they? Maybe the Mayor should report on that too. A requirement to report on that could go in the law.
It's ridiculous that pedestrians and cyclists should be so over-represented in the share of fatalities as this graph shows.
Meanwhile, Mary Cheh has introduced the Mandatory Protected Cycling Lane Amendment Act of 2019. That bill would basically require DDOT to build any bike facility that is in the MoveDC plan on a road that they are doing "any road reconstruction, major repair, or curb and gutter replacement on." Those lanes should match up with other ones on the same road. But, they must still consult the ANC, the DDOT director can still decide not to build them if they're too expensive, it wouldn't be used by cyclists, the road can be made safe for cycling without the facility or the District would need to buy an easement to make it work. That's a lot of loopholes.
One last bit of legislation to mention, Charles Allen introduced another bill on Tuesday, the Florida Avenue Multimodal Project Completion Emergency Amendment Act Of 2019.
this one aimed at enacting plans to redesign Florida Avenue in Northeast.
"I've asked, pleaded, criticized, and urged DDOT to take action and make needed decisions. That hasn't always worked. For every year I've been on the Council, I've asked DDOT to move forward with the redesign of Florida Avenue NE. And each year, action is promised and then not delivered," Allen wrote on Facebook. The legislation would set a timeline for the project and a series of penalties if the agency fails to meet the deadlines.
April 23, 2019 in Bike Lanes, Florida Avenue, Legislation, Vision Zero | Permalink | Comments (0)
Three options for Seminary Road complete streets road diet
Alexandria held a meeting last month to present the three alternatives on Seminary Road between N Howard Street and N Quaker Lane.
Alternative 1 will just repave the street as it is, but 2 and 3 add bike lanes on the outside with either a 2nd lane in the westbound direction or a center turn lane.
The alternatives also change some of the intersections, by removing exclusive turns, adding LPI or removing Right Turn on Red, for example.
Alternative 3 is the best option according to GGW:
Alternative 3 is the option that the Federal Highway Administration recommends to address safety issues on roads like Seminary Road. It is also the most pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly design of the three. It includes painted bicycle lanes with a one-foot painted stripe (a buffer) between the traffic and bicycle lanes. There's also an opportunity for protected bicycle lanes to be installed in the future.
This is a complete streets project, so the bike lanes are part of the point. If they don't add bike lanes, after putting them in the Transportation Master Plan, then this project will be a failure.
Locals don't like the project, but for once the problem is not parking. Instead it's cut-through traffic and reduced throughput on the road. In addition they complain that
No one bikes this road and why would we want more scofflaws
The road is already safe enough, so no need to slow people down to make it safer
I don't know how one can claim that there's no safety problem, when people continue to be injured in crashes on this road - and they do - but it's definitely in line with our generally "oh, well" cavalier attitude towards road injuries and death. But the point of Vision Zero is to stop seeing injuries and deaths as OK, as long as they're below some threshold. The threshold where they're OK is zero. And this road isn't there yet.
Several of the identified changes will make the roads safer, by reducing collisions at intersections and slowing traffic speed. Here are the other reasons for the project
1. Improve mobility and access for all roadway users
2. Provide continuous, safe, and comfortable places for people to walk
3. Provide more frequent and safer crossing opportunities along the corridor
4. Minimize delay at intersections, and encourage speed limit compliance
5. Where excess roadway capacity exists, explore opportunities to reconfigure the corridor to better serve all modes
So even if you successfully make the argument that getting drivers to drive slower doesn't make things safer, there's still the other elements.
As for the argument that no one bikes the road, that's neither true nor relevant. A review of Strava data shows that people do ride it. And if no one rode it, that might be because it is too inhospitable and that a complete street could fix that.
The claim that it will limit throughput is addressed and it will slow traffic at the worst of rush hour, but people are driving too fast anyway. Mostly though the road will function the same.
Four-lane undivided roadways often already function like three-lane roadways. This is because people driving often use the outside lanes to avoid traffic that is slowed or
stopped in the inside lane to make a left turn.
Spillover traffic is addressed as well
For the majority of road diets, the Average Daily Traffic (ADT) remains constant, indicating little to no diversion to neighboring side streets. Preliminary traffic analysis for the Seminary Road project has shown that while average queue lengths may be longer during the peak hour, the amount of delay remains comparable to existing conditions due to modified signal timing and thus should not encourage cut-through traffic.
Staff will closely monitor conditions on side streets after the project is completed (regardless of which alternative is selected) to evaluate impacts on neighboring streets. Data that was
collected after the King Street road diet showed no traffic diversion onto key connector streets. In fact, traffic volumes actually decreased on side streets.'
The comment period ended April 10th, but I mean you can still fill out the form.
April 12, 2019 in Alexandria, Bike Lanes, Complete Streets, Road Diet | Permalink | Comments (6)
Bicycle Advisory Council Expansion Amendment Act of 2019
Yesterday Councilmember Todd introduced a bill to add a representative of the Department of Public Works to the Bicycle Advisory Council. DPW is the party primarily responsible for enforcing parking in the bike lanes, so the intent of the bill is to make it easier for the BAC to advise DPW.
I don't see the bill on legiscan yet, but once I do I'll try to add a link to it here.
Interestingly, when the BAC was formed in 1985, the DPW was a member. But in an effort to cut out agencies that didn't have much overlap - like DDOE - DPW was removed in 2008. That was before bike lane parking and enforcement became a big issue. In fact, it wasn't until late 2008 that there was even a fine for parking in the bike lane.
April 03, 2019 in Bike Lanes, DC BAC, Legislation | Permalink | Comments (2)


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What Is Cord Blood Banking?
What Is Cord Tissue Banking?
What Stem Cell Treatments Exist?
What Does Cord Banking Cost?
How Does The Process Work For Me?
How Does CBR's Process Work?
Cord Tissue Stem Cells
What is cord tissue?
Cord tissue is your baby's umbilical cord, which contains mesenchymal stem cells. These stem cells can form connective tissues such as bone, cartilage, and tendon, and have unique properties that make them promising for cellular therapies. Studies are evaluating cord tissue stem cells as possible treatments for many injuries and diseases.
What is the difference between cord tissue and cord blood stem cells?
Cord tissue is a rich source of mesenchymal stem cells, which create connective tissue. Cord blood is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells, which create the blood and immune system. Because of the different functions of these stem cells, cord blood and cord tissue may help repair the body in different ways. Cord tissue research is still in its early stages, and safe and effective therapies may never be developed.
How are cord tissue stem cells being researched for use in medical treatments?
Stem cells from cord tissue have demonstrated the power to heal spinal cord, brain, and cartilage injuries in laboratory studies. This research is now beginning to move into clinical trials. It is at an early stage and medical treatments may never be developed.
How does CBR store cord tissue?
We're thinking about the long game when we store your baby's umbilical cord tissue. For starters, we preserve the cord as whole segments to help safeguard all the cell types, including mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).
Why is this important? Research is still in early stages for cord tissue, and we want your family to have access to all the cells in the cord, and to the best available future technologies, as research advances. By preserving cord tissue whole, we can help ensure you have the most options science has to offer in the future.
Learn more about cord tissue and how it could be used in the future >
How do I know I have a quality cord tissue sample?
We've developed an innovative process called ActivCord™ to test the metabolic activity of the cells in the cord tissue. Cord tissue samples stored after April 1, 2019, will receive this test. As part of our official Quality Standard, we will let families know if their sample meets our quality threshold.
What is ActivCord™?
ActivCord™ is our innovative process for measuring the metabolic activity of your baby's cord tissue, which will indicate whether or not the sample meets our threshold for health and viability when it arrives at our lab.
The active ingredient of the ActivCord test is a blue compound. When metabolically-active cells interact with the compound, a chemical reaction converts the blue to pink. Since only viable cells convert the compound, the amount of shift from blue to pink indicates the cells' viability, and thus the overall health of the tissue.
Does freezing cord tissue whole impact the ability to get MSCs out of it?
No. We have confirmed that MSCs can be consistently and reliably isolated from segmented umbilical cord tissue that has been prepared and cryopreserved using our validated process.125
What do I do if I want to use the cord tissue?
There are no uses of cord tissue stem cells at this time. But in the future, when relevant clinical applications are developed, we'll be here to support our clients every step of the way.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


How long do I have to live in Florida to file for divorce?
You must live in Florida for 6 continuous months before being eligible to file for divorce in Florida.
What types of divorce are available?
Typically there are (2) types of divorces, uncontested and contested. When the parties agree on all issues they can typically resolve the marriage in a quick, easy and relatively inexpensive manner by simply filing an uncontested divorce. Conversely, if the parties cannot agree on all issues, then they must litigate these issues.
Can I file for divorce in Florida if I am not a Florida resident?
Yes, typically you can file for divorce in Florida if either you or your spouse resides in Florida for the required 6 month period prior to filing.
How much does it cost to file for divorce?
Each county may be slightly different, you can expect to pay between $400-500 for the filing fees, summons and process server.
I have been served divorce papers, now what?
It is very important to contact an attorney immediately. Typically you have 20 days to respond to the "complaint", otherwise you risk "defaulting" and possibly irreparably harming your case. There are a lot of good attorneys who will work out a decent payment plan, so don't just assume you cannot afford one. Also, you may be able to qualify for legal aid if you are in-fact indigent.
Divorce is incredibly complicated and I would highly recommend against self-representation. During the divorce process issues regarding the distribution of assets and debts, alimony and child support are often the centerpiece of the litigation. Therefore, if you are not represented by competent counsel you can suffer irreparable harm. Attorney's fees can be expensive, but a bad result based on not being represented can be exponentially worse.
What is the typical time-line of a divorce case?
Can I move during the divorce process?
BE VERY CAREFUL with this issue. You can move within 50 mile radius of your current address. You can move outside of your 50 mile radius with either the Court's permission or your spouse's written permission. DO NOT move outside of your 50 mile radius, otherwise you will be in contempt of Court and can be ordered to return the children to the other parent immediately.
My spouse and I have agreed on Child Support is that ok?
Unfortunately child support is determined by computing a number of factors such as salary, number of overnights, cost for insurance coverage, after school care, etc. Furthermore, child support is technically the child's and therefore the parents have no authority to negotiate the child support on their own.
I don't believe that the child is mine biologically, am I stuck?
Not necessarily. Depending on the facts you may be able to disestablish paternity. This is a complicated issue and should be discussed in greater detail with a qualified attorney.
I cannot find my spouse, how can I serve them the divorce complaint?
If you cannot locate your spouse you will be able to proceed by either substitute or constructive service.
Is it true that Courts favor the mother in child custody matters?
Not necessarily. In my years of practice I have noticed a strong trend to more equal timesharing. The general belief is that is usually in the best interest of the child to have both parents equally involved in the child's life.
Determining whether one party is entitled to alimony depends on many factors such as length of marriage, historic salaries of the parties, age and earning capabilities of the parties, etc.


^ Calcium An element which plays a vital role in cell and nervous system functioning.
^ Canal of Schlemm = sinus venosus sclerae = scleral venous sinus Vessel in the irido corneal angle of the anterior chamber of the eye draining aqueous humor from the anterior chamber percolating through the trabecular meshwork into small openings in the Canal. The Canal then drains into the scleral venous plexus.
^ Carbon Monoxide (CO) One of two gaseous intercellular messengers produced in the body. (The other is Nitric Oxide (NO·)). Like NO·, it acts as a central nervous system neurotransmitter and modifies smooth muscle function through binding to the heme moiety of soluble guanylyl cyclase. It is produced by the action of heme oxygenases 1 and 2. This gas is also neurotoxic and generally toxic if inhaled in large quantities. It binds tightly to heme proteins in hemoglobin and mitochondrial electron transport Complex IV. It has been implicated as an epigenetic factor in Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy.
^ Caspase Cysteine protease which binds to "death-factor receptor"-stimulated death-effector domains on adaptor proteins, FADD/MORTI. Cascades of caspase activation together with other events triggers apoptosis or programmed cell death.
^ Centre surround The organisation of the retina in a receptive field.
^ Chamber, anterior~, posterior~ The space between the cornea and the lens filled with fluid, aqueous humor, is divided into anterior and posterior chambers by the iris. Aqueous humor is produced in the posterior chamber by the ciliary processes. The fluid is drained from the anterior chamber through the sinus venosus also known as the scleral Canal of Schlemm into the scleral plexuses. Regulation of intraocular pressure occurs here.
^ Chiasma, OpticThe brain juncture where the optic nerves partially cross becoming the optic tracts.
^ Choriod Vascular layer between retina and sclera.
^ Co-enzyme Q (Ubiquinone). Hydrophobic small yellow compound. Acts as a mobile electron carrier within the lipid centre of the inner mitochondrial membrane. Its reduced form is made by Complex I (NADH Coenzyme Q reductase), Complex II (Succinate Coenzyme Q reductase), electron transfering flavoprotein and sn-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase. The reduced form is then oxided by Complex III (Coenzyme Q- Cytochrome c Reductase) to form cytochrome c. It is available as food supplement/over the counter medication. Anecdotal reports of use in treating LHON show equivocal results.
^ Coloboma A developmental defect malformation of one or more parts of the eye.
^ Complexes of the electron transport chain of oxidative phosphorylation: Groups of protein-enzymes spanning the inner mitochondrial membrane involved in energy production. The direction of the reaction goes in order from I to V culminating in the addition of a high energy phosphate to ADP creating ATP, the cell's energy currency.
^ Complex I: NADH-Coenzyme Q Reductase Also NADH dehydrogenase, NADH Ubiquinone Oxidoreductase. One of the inner mitochondrial membrane proteins of the electron transport chain of oxidative phosphorylation. As its name suggests, this enzyme complex causes NADH to donate an electron to the hydrophobic coenzyme Q (ubiquinone,UQ) reducing it to ubiquinol(UQH2) and oxidizing NADH to NAD+. As a result, four protons (hydrogen ions) are transported to the cytosol for every two electrons given by NADH to UQ. There is a chain of steps in the electron donation starting with a molecule of flavin mononucleotide at the matrix side. Iron-sulfur groups and hydrophobic polypeptides are also involved before the ubiquinone is reduced in the lipid core of the inner membrane. Complex I is divided into three main fractions: a flavoprotein group which binds NADH, an iron protein fragment which is the likely ubiquinone binder and a hydrophobic protein which hold iron sulphur groups, the electron donors to ubiquinone. It is inhibited by rotenone, ptericidin, barbiturates, mercurials, pethidine (Demerol or meperidine) and especially its analogue, MPTP. It has greater than 40 subunits seven of which are coded by mitochondrial DNA. Products of mitochondrial genes MTND1, MTND3, and MTND4L have been localized to the hydrophobic protein. MTND2, MTND4, and MTND5 gene products probably also are here. The LHON 3460, 11778, and 14484 mutations affects MTND1, MTND4, and MTND6 genes of complex I respectively. Mutations related to Alzheimers disease, Parkinson's disease, Colonic cancer, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome are also found in gene area MTND1.
^ Complex III: Coenzyme Q-Cytochrome c Reductase Also, cytochrome bc1 complex. A transmembrane electron transport complex of the mitochondrial inner membrane. Here reduced coenzyme Q (UQH2) passes electrons to cytochrome c, a water soluble cytochrome which acts as a mobile electron carrier to the next step in the electron transport chain. Protons are pumped across the membrame to the intermembrane space. The complex is made of core proteins I and II, cytochrome b, cytochrome c1, the Rieske iron-sulfur protein , and some smaller polypeptides. Cytochrome c1 finally transfers electrons to cytochrome c in the intermembrane space. Cytochrome b is coded for by the mitochondrial genome. A mitochondrial nucleotide pair 15257 mutation is reputedly primary for LHON. A mtDNA 15812 mutant is secondary for LHON. Other mitochondrial complex III mutations have been related to colorectal cancer and exercise intolerance.
^ Complex IV: Cytochrome c Oxidase Transfers electrons from reduced cytochrome c to oxygen (O2) to make water (H2O) and acts as a proton pump out to the intermembrane space. Made of 13 subunits, the three largest and most business like units, I, II and III, are encoded by mitochondrial DNA. These three units contain Iron (Fe) in two heme protein sites (cytochromes a and a3 ) and 2 copper (Cu) atom sites (CuA and CuB) which respectively are closely associated with the Fe in two binuclear centers. The final binuclear center effectively transports its electron to bound O2 to make water in the mitochondrial matrix. Inhibitors are cyanide, azide which bind to the ferric iron of cytochrome a3 and carbon monoxide which binds to the ferrous iron. Examples of mutations are a secondary LHON factor at nucleotide pair 7444, colon cancer, and sideroblastic anemia.
^ CurcuminPrincipal curcuminoid of the Indian curry spice turmeric. It has antioxidant effects. It is being trialed for various eye diseases. A trial for LHON is proposed.
^ Cytochrome c Water soluble electron transporter in the mitochondrial intermembrane space on the cytosol side of the mitochondrial inner membrane. Transports electrons from the Fe-S-cyt c1 combination of complex III to complex IV of the electron transport chain. It is a globular protein with a heme center.
^ Cytokine A group of cell surface acting proteins involved in signaling.


This post is sponsored by Nature's Way.
I'm convinced that 7 years ago, I birthed my brain. A beautiful, perfect little human came out, and somewhere with all of the stuff was also my mind. Since I had Liv – maybe it also has to do with 7 years of sleep deprivation – mental fog kind of set in. I find myself searching for words I'm sure I know, forgetting important dates, and just being… uhh not so smart haha.
Despite birthing my brain, I've still functioned like a semi-normal human: I can complete all of my mom, blog and work tasks, remember important school dates and events for the girls, pay bills, exist like I did. But I've noticed that if I don't do a few key things, I certainly don't feel as sharp. I'll be talking to you and mid-sentence I'll have no idea what the heck I'm talking about, or you might just see me in a blank stare, trying to remember something. It's all very normal.
READ. I feel so much sharper when I'm reading something. It forces me to truly focus on one thing, read words that I haven't heard on Baby Shark on Netflix (why are they so obsessed with that song?!), and use my imagination to visualize another world. When I'm reading something, I'm also a better writer. Words come easier to me, and I'm more able to clearly articulate what I'm thinking. Even if I don't have a lot of time, I'll spend at least 15-20 minutes before bed reading a book.
Sleep. This can be a hard one because kids, but when I get a good nights' sleep, I'm alert the next day. I try to cultivate a smart sleep situation to the best of my ability, especially by cooling down the room, avoiding screens before bed, and wearing an eye mask. I've noticed that if I hit the snooze button, I feel terrible. So, I wake up, splash water on my face, and start the day.
Meditate. This is such a valuable resource for a clear mindset. It can be easy to be intimidated by meditation, but it's simpler and more flexible than many expect. When you're meditating, you're not trying to avoid thinking. It's kind of impossible! Instead you're acknowledging your thoughts, letting them go, and bringing the focus back to your breath. My tips for starting a meditation practice are here.
Do something new or challenging. This is a HUGE one. It's easy for us to kick into cruise control with our routines, but we're not providing any new stressors or challenges. In order to keep your brain functioning at full capacity, it's important to use different paths to solving problems. Try a new fitness class, take a dance class, try to learn a new language or instrument, use your mind in a different way. Learning dance choreography is a GREAT way to challenge your brain and ballroom dancing is one of the hobbies that can reduce dementia risk. Dancing involves many brain functions at the same time.
Try out supplements if they work for you. I'm so excited to be partnering with Nature's Way this year, as they're one of my favorite supplement brands. They sent me some of their products to promote cognitive function and two of them are ones I've regularly been taking.
Valerian: I started taking valerian about 9 years ago when I told my naturopath that I wasn't sleeping well. He gave me valerian and I had the most pleasant, restful sleep that I've had in a long time. I like valerian because it's completely natural and not addictive. I had to stop taking it when I was pregnant with Liv – the midwife said it can make the babies a bit sleepy – and I didn't experience any withdrawals or weird effects from ceasing the supplement.
Reishi: supports immune function. I've been taking reishi and reishi-based products for the past couple of years for their calming effects. I've noticed that it's helped dramatically with my anxiety and gives me a clear focused energy.
What are some of the things you do to challenge your brain? Have you started any new hobbies or classes lately?


As summer draws to a close, Patrick makes an accusation that threatens to tear the house apart. Khasan choreographs a performance for pop star, Betty Who on the island. The boys reflect on their summer adventure.
A family dinner erupts in conflict when Patrick's invited guest, an ex, enflames Cheyenne. Patrick performers in a talent show and then makes a startling accusation.
Some of the boys invite their parents to the island. Khasan reveals shocking stories from his childhood. Cheyenne and Patrick struggle to find common ground. Brandon must confront his summer romance.


The transport network in the Republic of Komi includes 2,3 thousand km of railways (including 1,7 thousand km of public use), 4,1 thousand km of navigable inland waterways (including 3,1 thousand km of public use, of which waterways Pechora basin - 2,5 thousand km, Vychegda Basin - 0,6 thousand km), 11,8 thousand km of roads (including 6,3 thousand km of public roads).
The basis of the railway network of general use in the Republic of Komi forms railway Kotlas - Vorkuta with the total length of 1.7 thousand km and 3 low-intensity lines (Mikun - Koslan - Vendinga , Sosnogorsk - Troitsko-Pechorsk, Synya - Usinsk).
The density of the railway network of general use in the Republic of Komi is 4.1 km per 1000 sq. km.
1) Sosnogorsk branch of the Northern Railway - branch of JSC "Russian Railways" (the main form of activity is providing transport of goods, on its balance there is all the main and supporting infrastructure). In 2009 the company transported 17.7 million tons of cargo. The bulk of goods transported by rail are: coal (in 2009 - 42% of the total volume of transported goods), oil and petroleum products (26%), timber (8%).
2) Rolling plot "Syktyvkar" - a branch of the Northern Regional Directorate of the passenger service - the structural unit of the Federal passenger management - the affiliation of JSC "Russian Railways".
On the territory of the republic 16 pairs of long-distance trains run, including 8 pairs of trains formed by the Northern Regional Directorate of the passenger service.
In 2009 3,1 million passengers departured in the republic. Railway enterprises get a state support from the republican budget of the Republic of Komi to recover losses from commuter traffic and as partial compensation for losses from the operation of low intensity rail lines (in 2009 10,2 million rubles).
"Aviation Company RusLine" (a seasonal work). In addition in the Republic of Komi a subsidiary of Air Navigation Branch of the Northern Urals Federal State Unitary Enterprise "State Corporation for Air Traffic Management", an undertaking on the use of airspace, air traffic control and radio support, is located.
Intermunicipal passenger transportation on the territory of the Republic of Komi is carried by the airline UTair-Express using AN-24 aircrafts. In 2009 the republican budget of the Republic of Komi gave 32.5 mln RUR to support passenger traffic in intermunicipal communication. Intermunicipal passenger transport on helicopters Mi-8 was organized to remote villages in five districts: Inta, Pechora, Ukhta, Usinsk and Ust-Tsilma. In 2009 the republican budget of the Republic of Komi allocated subsidies in the amount of 18,2 million rubles for this purpose. By results of 2009 companies of air transport sent from the airports of the republic 203.4 thousand passengers, transported 153,3 thousand of passengers, cargo and mail were sent to 1,7 tons, transported 0,7 thousand tons.
On the territory of the Republic of Komi 62 automobile companies with 1014 vehicles of various forms of ownership are engaged in business activities. In addition in the field of motor transport 358 individual entrepreneurs service passengers, who own 866 cars. At the end of 2009 the transport of passengers performed for 51 regular intermunicipal bus lines maintained by the carriers which received the right to provide services by results of the competition. In 2009 road passenger transport carried 98.5 million people.
Road transport enterprises involved in passenger intermunicipal services receive funds to compensate a decreased income from the republican budget of the Republic of Komi (in 2009 amounting to 7,1 million rubles).
In 2009 trucks transported 23 million tons of cargo.
River transport services on the territory of the Republic of Komi are provided by state Pechora Basin Waterways and Shipping Administration which organizes the work on operation and development of waterways in the Pechora basin (length 2589 km) and Syktyvkar area waterways - a branch of the Northern Dvina River Basin State Water Management routes and navigation which serves the operation and development of Vychegda basin water ways (length 601 km).
The maintenance of waterways in the Pechora and Vychegda basins are carried out at the expense of the federal budget. In addition the republican budget of the Republic of Komi supports the shipping situation in the rivers of regional importance of Vychegda and Pechora basins (in 2009 it was amounting to 1,7 million rubles).
The main enterprises of river transport in the Republic of Komi which carry out transportation of passengers, freight and cargo, handling operations are JSC shipping company Pechora River Shipping Company, JSC Pechora River Port, Shipping Company "Pechora Ltd.".
On the territory of four municipalities of the republic (Ust-Tsilma, Izhma, Vuktylsky and Usinsky districts) intermunicipal passenger river service takes place.
In 2009 the river transport carried 58 thousand passengers and 891 thousand tons of cargo.
- a system of main pipelines "Usa-Ukhta" and "Ukhta-Yaroslavl" with the total length of 1540 km and capacity on the segment "Usa-Ukhta - 24,2 million tons per year, and on the segment" Ukhta-Yaroslavl "- 20,3 million tons per year (JSC "Northern Main Oil Pipelines").
The system of main gas transportation through the territory of the Republic of Komi consists of four main gas pipeline (length 7300 km), branch pipelines (1200 km) and condensate pipelines (545 km). The bulk of the gas comes from fields in the Tyumen region.
The length of main gas pipelines in one line performance through the territory of the Republic of Komi is 4000 km.
Transportation of gas through the territory of the Republic of Komi is made by Gazprom transgaz Ukhta (a structural unit of JSC Gazprom).
Main pipelines provide uninterrupted delivery of more than 100 million tons of natural gas through the territory of the republic.
The share of pipeline transport in total freight traffic is 74,5%. To ensure the transportation of Yamal gas to the Unified Gas Supply System of Russia it is planned to create a gas transmission system of the new generation with total length of 2500 km till 2030. The system of main pipelines Bovanenkovo - Ukhta with length of about 1100 km (including 807 km on the territory of the Republic of Komi) is an integral part of it, it is under construction since 2007.
As of January 1, 2010 the length of highways in the Republic of Komi in republic ownership was 6,041.6 km, including paved 5330.9 km or 88,2% of the total length of roads. In the structure of republic paved roads the roads with asphalt coating (68,0%) dominate. The federal road Vyatka (Kirov - Murashi - Syktyvkar in the Republic of Komi borders) with the length 283.6 km adds to the road network of the Republic of Komi.
The density of the highways network with hard surface (including federal) is 13.5 kilometers per 1000 square km. By the density of highways the Republic of Komi takes one on the bottom places among the regions of Russia, having only 60% of the necessary roads network required for a successful and efficient operation of the republic economy.
However, the road structure of the Republic of Komi has no quality for a large proportion of the transitional type of roads and dirt roads. Thus, transitional type roads occupy 30,6% of the total hard surface roads length or 1,629.9 km. Gradually the length of dirt roads decreases, amounting on January 1, 2010 710.7 km or 11.8% of the total length of roads.
The road network in the Republic of Komi on January 1, 2010 is equipped with 533 bridges and overpasses, there are 339 units in the capital construction or 63,6% of the total, 18 floating bridges. There is a sufficiently large proportion of wooden bridges, on January 1, 2010 there were 194 of them or 36,4% of the total number of bridges and overpasses. Wooden bridge structures predominate in the territory of Ust-Kulom, Udora and Priluzsky districts.
In winter 25 ice crossings with the total length of 12 km secure the rural transport network, including the unique ice extent crossings the Pechora river with the length exceeding 1.5 km each.
35,8% of rural settlements in the Republic of Komi have not sustainable transport links by paved roads with a network of public roads. Settlements in seven municipalities, which are home to more than 300 thousand people, including the towns of Pechora, Usinsk, Inta, Vorkuta have not sustainable transport links with a network of republic highways and adjacent districts.
The Republic of Komi continues to build a highway Syktyvkar - Ukhta - Pechora - Usinsk - Naryan-Mar with entrances to the cities of Vorkuta and Salekhard, as well as maintenance and repair of the federal highway Vyatka crossing the Komi territory.


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Tuesday 05 December 2017 by Elizabeth Moran Education (advanced)
Bond yields for direct bond investors
Bonds are usually a very simple investment. In their most common form you lend your funds to a company or a government, and in return they pay you interest on set dates and return capital at maturity. But some bonds and hybrids have call dates which can add a level of complexity when quoting a yield
There are four different ways to quote a yield:
Running yield
Yield to call
Yield to maturity is a total return calculation used by investors that plan to hold bonds until maturity, while running yield projects income for the coming year. However, yield to maturity may not always provide the best insight into the expected return of a bond, especially if there is a call date or multiple call dates.
A call date gives the bond issuer the option to repay the investor but it is not an obligation. As some bonds have many call dates, there can be a range of yield to calls, which makes yield to worst the most important measure for investors.
It's important to understand the yield to worst for callable bonds is the lowest possible return for that bond, but there is upside potential if the company chooses not to repay at this date. Yield to worst may be substantially different to yield to maturity or yield to call. Further, as the price of bonds change, so too does the yield to worst calculation.
Note: There is a brief glossary at the end of this article.
Four yields
1. Yield to maturity (YTM)
The yield to maturity refers to how much a security will earn if it is held to its maturity date.
It is the annualised return based on all interest payments plus face value or the market price, if it was purchased on the secondary market. Most bonds are issued with a face value of $100, but as they are tradeable investments, the price will move up and down depending on a number of factors.
Yield to maturity includes any capital gain or loss if the purchase price was below or above the face value. For this reason, the yield to maturity is considered the most important measure for bullet bonds or those with a hard maturity date and no call dates, as it provides a way to compare other securities. In this case, yield to maturity is the same as yield to worst.
For example, the Qantas June 2021 fixed rate bond was issued at a yield of 7.5%, and is currently offered at a premium to face value price of $114.90. If we calculate yield to maturity, we find it is 3.0% compared to the coupon rate of 7.5%. This means that the effective return over the life of the security, if bought today, would be 3.0% taking into account the current premium price of the security.
Note that the calculation makes the assumption that all coupon (interest) payments can be reinvested at the yield to maturity rate.
2. Running yield (RY)
Another measure to compare the return of bonds is the running yield. Running yield uses the current price of a bond instead of its face value, and represents the income an investor would expect if they purchased a bond and held it for a year. It is calculated by dividing the coupon by the market price as shown below.
For example, if you purchase the same Qantas bond as shown above for the current market price – also known as the capital price – of $114.90 and this bond pays a coupon of 7.5% on the face value ($100), you will receive a cashflow of $7.5 a year. Given this return is achieved at a premium to face value of $114.05, instead of $100 face value, your actual return will be less than 7.5%.
Using the equation above, your running yield would be 6.52% - (7.5/114.90 x 100 = 6.52).
As the bond price increases, running yield decreases, and as the bond price decreases the running yield would increase.
It is important to note that running yield does not incorporate any capital gains or losses. As such, institutional investors do not view this as a particular useful way to analyse bonds.
3. Yield to call (YTC)
Many bonds are callable at the option of the company before the final maturity date. That is, the bonds can be repaid early. For example, subordinated bonds issued by banks and other financial institutions often have call dates, which may be five, ten, twenty or more years until final maturity.
The company has the option but not the obligation to repay at the call date. With some bonds, the call dates continue after the first call date and are every interest payment date thereafter until maturity. With others, there may be only an annual opportunity.
If a particular bond's price rises to be above par and is at a premium, then the chances of an early call will increase. Theoretically, the company can then issue new bonds at a lower interest rate.
Investors trying to work out the possible returns on callable bonds need to assess the range of returns available, including various yields to call and the yield to maturity to get a sense of what is possible.
For example, property developer Sunland has issued a fixed rate bond due to mature on 25 November 2020. It is currently trading at a premium of $104.30, so that yield to maturity is 5.94% per annum. But it has two call dates – see the table below.
In this case yield to worst is the second call date however there is little difference in yield between the three dates.
The key is that as the price of the traded bond changes, so too do the yields. If the purchase price of the bond increased from $104.30 to $106, then the yields would change as shown below. The lowest possible return is no longer yield to maturity but rather yield to first call.
4. Yield to worst (YTW)
Yield to worst tells you what the lowest yield would be, if the company decides to call your bond at the worst possible time, or if it chooses not to call your bond – which means you get a lower yield than if they had called it.
We view this as the superior way of measuring yields, as bonds are there to offer investors downside protection. As such, the YTW is the lowest yield that an investor can expect if the company or government does not default.
Yield to worst could be the same as yield to call if the first call is the worst outcome for you; it could be the same as yield to maturity if you are worst off when the company chooses not to call at all; or it could be lower than both of them where you are worst off if the company calls on the second or subsequent call date.
The yield to worst for an investor purchasing the USD Hertz 2022 fixed rate bond at its current offer price of $106.15 is that the company calls the bond at the third possible opportunity. This measure lets an investor know the lowest possible return – but there is an opportunity for upside if the company does not repay at the third call date. The best return is 6.04% per annum at maturity.
Call date
The date prior to maturity, that a callable bond may be redeemed by the issuer. If the issuer determines there is a benefit to refinancing the issue, the bond may be redeemed on the call date at par, or at a small premium to par depending on the terms of the call option.
The coupon is the rate of interest paid on a bond. Coupons can be paid annually, semi-annually or quarterly or as agreed in the terms of the security. The coupon rate can be fixed or floating for the term of the security. If it is a floating rate then it is likely that it will be linked to a benchmark such as the 90 day bank bill rate.
The coupon rate is set by the issuer based on a number of factors, including prevailing market interest rates and its
credit rating. Fixed rate bonds in Australia predominantly pay a semi-annual coupon whereas floating rate bonds predominantly pay a quarterly coupon. Indexed linked bonds usually pay quarterly coupons.
For example, a $500,000 bond with a fixed rate semi-annual coupon of 8% will pay two $20,000 coupons each year.
Discount to face value
Bonds may trade at a discount to face value in secondary markets where coupon, demand and market perception of the entity influence the price of secondary trades. Bonds usually have a face value of $100. If a bond is acquired at a discount price, say of $75, then the bondholder will make a capital gain of $25 assuming the company makes a full repayment of $100 face value at maturity.
A bond's value in the secondary market can be greater than its face value. The bond is then deemed to be selling at a premium. This will occur if the coupon is higher than the yield of a fixed income security.


Peel the carrots and cut off the ends. Blend the peeled carrots and save the juice. For the tangerine concentrate: Let the tangerine juice stand without moving it at all for 24 hours so that it settles and the pulp separates from the liquid.
Remove the liquid from the top with a syringe until reaching the pulp. In this way it is not necessary to touch the bowl and the concentrate does not re-mix with the liquid. Freeze the pulp to obtain a tangerine ice.
NOTE: This dish may be made in a different version, substituting the tangerine concentrate with bitter coconut ice.
For the bitter coconut ice: Dilute the coconut powder in the water. Add the bitter almond flavouring and place in the freezer to obtain an iced texture.
NOTE: The curry will be used when putting the dish on its plate, placing a drop to the side of the coconut ice.
Emulsify the carrot juice using the blender at the top to introduce the maximum amount of air and make a foam which, due to its volatility, we will call a cloud. Place a spoonful of tangerine concentrate ice on the plate. With a spoon, take the upper part of the carrot mixture, only the cloud, and distribute approximately 10 spoonfuls around the plate and on the tangerine concentrate.


Summer is here, and I had to take a little time out to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. A road trip, some hiking, some boating, and enjoying the company of friends — important things! But never fear, my lovelies, you are always in my mind, and I have not forgotten you! The next installment of Olivia's story is coming soon!
This entry was posted in The Writer's Life and tagged distractions, pacific northwest, summer by Lace Winter. Bookmark the permalink.


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While on vacation, Trump ordered the assassination of the second most powerful person in Iran without Congressional notification. Get ready. That whole Peace-On-Earth thing really didn't stick this year.
I'm not sure why it is necessary to threaten to kill Iranian civilians and immediately bring up oil.
So far, all we've gotten is a blurry flag. But he does have a campaign rally at a megachurch in Florida today.
Edit: He's given us an update but no one understands it.
He knows what he's doing.
Trump on Nov. 16, 2011:
"Our president will start a war with Iran because he has absolutely no ability to negotiate. He's weak and he's ineffective. So the only way he figures that he's going to get reelected — and as sure as you're sitting there — is to start a war with Iran." pic.twitter.com/usZFLiHnBw
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) January 3, 2020
Let's check in on Tehran this morning.
I'm not sure what "harsh" means, but I keep seeing people warn of cyber attacks in addition to strategic strikes throughout the Middle East. Israel is probably nervous. Don't think that Iran doesn't have a few old fashioned Scud missiles laying around.
Someone should tell these kids they now have their chance to MAGA. Every military recruiting office opens this morning at 9:00 a.m.
Here's the problem. An Administration which constantly lies has no credibility. They haven't earned the right to just say, "Trust me."
I've got to quick hit the other news:
The Affluenza Teen (who is now 22) was arrested for allegedly testing positive for THC which could violate his probation.
As he flashes a "horns down" sign, the quarterback for Highland Park announced he will sign with OU with his dad, who is the offensive coordinator for Auburn, looking on like a defeated parent in the background. (Video.)
The Illinois Lt. Gov. went out and bought edibles in front of the press since they are now legal in that state.
Thirty-nine Republican senators, including Cruz and Cornyn, signed a "friend of the court" brief supporting the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
An employee was told she can't wear her hijab at a Chicken Express in Saginaw. They've since backtracked.
Dr. Phil's house is for sale, and it has a staircase of snakes. (Side note: I had completely forgotten that we first learned of Dr. Phil when he was a jury consultant for Oprah when she was sued by the beef industry in Texas.)
Hustler sent a somewhat shocking Christmas Card to members of Congress (but the magazine is pretty much an expert of free speech.)
An unexpectedly cool gift I received over Christmas was a pair of Blink security cameras. They're great. Made by Amazon, the best part is that they run on two AA batteries and there's no monthly fee. They say the battery life is two years. #NotAnAd


When you are suffering from tuberculosis, it mainly has an effect on your lungs. The tuberculosis being a bacterial infection is generated by a germ named as Mycobacterium tuberculosis which attacks your lungs and then disseminates into the air from one person to another and so on. If you are not treated of tuberculosis and you speak, cough, sneeze, sing, laugh or spit, you tend to get hit by this bacterium quickly.
If you have weak immune system, you're more vulnerable to the tuberculosis disease. Known to be transmittable, you can catch up with the ailment from any person who works or lives with you, rather than an unfamiliar person. It also affects your other body parts covering brain, spine and kidneys.
The signs of tuberculosis can be weight loss, fatigue, night sweats, continuous coughing and coughing up blood. You can take medicines for 6-12 months for healing the tuberculosis with the consult of the doctor. But you can also take the help of few essential natural cures alongside. You can implement these cures at your home. Well we've listed below 6 natural cures for tuberculosis.
You can take the help of milk that contains calcium (excellent therapeutic agent) in fighting off tuberculosis. Loaded with rich amount of organic calcium, milk stops the growth of the disease. You can have raw, unpasteurized milk for superb outcome. Before working on this regimen, you can first start a 3-day fast of raw orange juice.
Then on the first day you should drink 1 glass of milk in between every 2 hours and on the second day you can intake ½ a glass of milk every half-an-hour. After that you can enhance your milk intake gradually by full glass after each half-an-hour a day. Thus you can continue having 6 liters of cold milk every day for 6-8 weeks.
Custard apple is beneficial in healing the tuberculosis since it comprises the features of revitalizing drug. You can add the squash of 2 custard apples and 25 seedless raisins in a big bowl of water, and boil it. Then you can filter most of the water and keep 1/3 portion in the bowl.
In that you can further combine powdered sugar candy (2 teaspoons) and cinnamon and cardamom (1 quarter teaspoon) and mix it finely. Drink the mixture once or twice a day daily.
Indian gooseberry known as amla has higher levels of vitamin C which has the potential to challenge the tuberculosis disease. You can add 1 tablespoon of Indian gooseberry and 1 tablespoon of honey into a bowl of 8 ounces of water.
To recover from tuberculosis, you should drink the mixture in the morning for 4-5 weeks. Your ailment will steadily diminish thus curing you fully.
Mint juice is regarded as another useful remedy you can try out at your home. It also operates as detoxifying weapon which will purify the body with side effects that arise from tuberculosis tablets. It even supports your lungs and also aids in reinforcing the resistance.
You can mix together 1 glass of mint juice, 150 ml of carrot juice and 2 teaspoons each of honey and malt vinegar. For 3 times a day you can drink the mixture every day.
Sunlight affords you vitamin D that has the potency to ward off the tuberculosis problem from your body. It plays an active role as a tonic towards your complete body and can also heal the extra-pulmonary tuberculosis.
You can sit outside under sunlight for half-an-hour or so daily in the morning so that your body can absorb vitamin D.
Pineapple juice includes bromelain, a protein-digesting enzyme that is advantageous in reducing tuberculosis. It is even valuable in eradicating the mucus which comes with tuberculosis. You can cut raw pineapple slices and eat them directly. Or else you can drink one glass of pineapple juice 2 times a day regularly. Hence you can make the best use of the above natural cures.


Hi everyone, I'm currently doing some research on the MS SQL native client for ODBC driver's security. I would like to seek details on how secure is ODBC driver in MS SQL Native client? Also, how many encryption bits in ODBC client (not on the SSL protocol or any other protocols). Hope you guys can enlightened me on this matter. Thanks.