Sunday, February 09, 2014

Communion at Grace #Lutheran Church www.gracelc.org in #Westminster MD

#KED #Westminster

Communion at Grace #Lutheran Church www.gracelc.org in #Westminster MD

#KED #Westminster

Washington Post: Court papers escalate fight between key contractors on Md. health insurance exchange

Court papers escalate fight between key contractors on Md. health insurance exchange

By Jenna Johnson and Mary Pat Flaherty, Published: February 7, 2014

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/court-papers-escalate-fight-between-key-contractors-on-md-health-insurance-exhange/2014/02/07/2f8d9fb2-9044-11e3-b46a-5a3d0d2130da_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines

One of the two companies that built Maryland’s troubled online health insurance exchange charged in court papers Friday that the lead contractor “concealed its lack of relevant expertise” when it bid on the contract.

Escalating a bitter feud, EngagePoint alleged that Noridian Healthcare Solutions had no experience in developing the type of software the exchange would need. EngagePoint also said Noridian “lacked the expertise, resources and commitment actually required” to develop and operate the Web site through which Marylanders were supposed to sign up for insurance under the federal Affordable Care Act.

Noridian fired EngagePoint in October, and the two companies — which are suing each other in federal court in Baltimore — are fighting over employees, money and work that remains to be completed.

[….]

Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D), who was tasked with implementing health-care reform in Maryland, said top state officials became aware of potential problems in September but did not realize their gravity. Maryland’s exchange crashed Oct. 1, its first day, and has been plagued with problems that have made it difficult for Marylanders to sign up for health insurance.

[…]

The exchange is largely functioning through work-arounds, state health officials have said. Rather than signing up for insurance through the Web site, many Marylanders have contacted call centers and spent hours on the phone. Some applications are being processed on paper.

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Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net Explore Carroll: www.explorecarroll.com The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com

Saturday, February 08, 2014

New York Times breaking news: More Federal Privileges to Extend to Same-Sex Couples

BREAKING NEWS

Saturday, February 8, 2014 2:01 PM EST

More Federal Privileges to Extend to Same-Sex Couples

The federal government will soon treat married same-sex couples the same as heterosexual couples when they file for bankruptcy, testify in court or visit family in prison.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. was preparing to issue policies aimed at eliminating the distinction between same-sex and opposite-sex married couples in the federal criminal justice system, according to excerpts from a speech prepared for a Saturday event organized by a prominent gay-rights group.

“In every courthouse, in every proceeding and in every place where a member of the Department of Justice stands on behalf of the United States, they will strive to ensure that same-sex marriages receive the same privileges, protections and rights as opposite-sex marriages,” Mr. Holder’s prepared remarks said, according to the excerpts circulated by the Justice Department.

The changes were set in motion last year when the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional to refuse federal benefits to married same-sex couples, a ruling that Mr. Holder supported.

Since the ruling in June, the Obama administration has rewritten federal rules to allow same-sex couples to file taxes together and receive Medicare and other benefits reserved for married couples. Mr. Holder has been the public face of those efforts and has made championing gay rights one of the central messages of his tenure.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/09/us/more-federal-privileges-to-extend-to-same-sex-couples.html?emc=edit_na_20140208

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Tech fears shadow campaign to seize control of Internet - News from The Hill By Kate Tummarello

News from The Hill:

Tech fears shadow campaign to seize control of Internet

By Kate Tummarello

Fearing a power grab for control of the Internet, members of the tech industry are pleading with Congress to pay attention to the domain name expansion that is underway at a little-known nonprofit.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), led by its CEO Fadi Chehade, last year began rolling out thousands of alternatives to the traditional .com ending used by most websites. New endings using the Latin alphabet, such as .clothing and .singles, became available in January, and hundreds of others are on the way.

ICANN says it is focused on making the Internet more broadly available and has prioritized creating domain names in languages such as Chinese, Arabic and Cyrillic.

But critics say the nonprofit betrayed broader ambitions last year when it endorsed a statement calling for the globalization of ICANN and other domain name technical work that is currently managed by the United States.

Read the story here.

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Friday, February 07, 2014

It may have cold and icy but at least the sunset was beautiful while running

#KED #Westminster

It may have cold and icy but at least the sunset was beautiful while running

#KED #Westminster

Kelsey Wailes discusses her art show with her parents at Off Track Art

#KED #Westminster

Kelsey Wailes discusses her art show with her parents at Off Track Art

#KED #Westminster

Kelsey Wailes' opening at Off Track Art is well attended in historic Westminster

#KED #Westminster

Kelsey Wailes' opening at Off Track Art is well attended in historic Westminster

#KED #Westminster

Carroll Community College discuss the amazing artwork of Kelsey Wailes at OTA

#KED #Westminster

Carroll Community College discuss the amazing artwork of Kelsey Wailes at OTA

#KED #Westminster

Lonely is the diehard runner that runs on ice & snow on Wakefield Valley Trail

#KED #Westminster

Lonely is the diehard runner that runs on ice & snow on Wakefield Valley Trail

#KED #Westminster

Church Leadership- Empowering Small Churches to BE The Church

FEBRUARY 7, 2014 BY TAYLORSVILLEUMC

Church Leadership- Empowering Small Churches to BE The Church

http://revsarahdorrance.wordpress.com/2014/02/07/church-leadership-empowering-small-churches-to-be-the-church/

We are at the dawn of a new age which we can no longer ignore. That new age is both exciting and scary at the same time. Church leaders can no longer do “Church the same old way.” We must talk differently, react differently and share differently in order to be relevant in this new age. While we must share differently, the message is still the same, “Jesus Christ, fully God and fully human, came into the world to save sinners like me.” So the Great Commission is still our mandate, but the way we fulfill that mandate has to be different.

Many outside the church believe that church has no relevance in their lives. How can we as the church not only show relevance, but introduce those outside the church to the saving grace of Jesus? Some outside the church might know Jesus already, but if they are outside of the church, then they are missing out on a big part of being followers of Jesus, and that is corporate worship and community.

This blog has been created as a resource for small churches. Small churches still have a huge impact on our communities and STILL can offer something that the large scale churches cannot provide

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Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:

Patuxent Publishing Co., The Carroll Eagle: www.explorecarroll.com: http://www.explorecarroll.com/search/?s=Dayhoff&action=GO
The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com http://www.thetentacle.com/author.cfm?MyAuthor=41

Westminster Patch: http://westminster.patch.com/search?keywords=Dayhoff

Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/
Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/
Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoffTwitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff
Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net

Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/
Smurfs: http://babylonfluckjudd.blogspot.com/
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/

E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/
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Power restoration could last into Friday, before weekend snow chance

By Scott Dance, The Baltimore Sun 8:58 p.m. EST, February 5, 2014

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/weather/weather-blog/bs-md-ice-storm-20140205,0,6070777.story

Baltimore Sun Media Group reporters Carrie Wells, Blair Ames, Sara Toth, Krishana Davis and David Anderson contributed to this article.

Some of the more than 150,000 power outages caused by a thick glaze of ice across the state Wednesday might not be repaired until Friday, utility officials said, prompting leaders in two counties to open shelters at schools that were closed for the day because of slick roads strewn with tree limbs.

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. officials said the ice was impeding power restoration efforts but they expect to have most customers' electricity back on by Thursday evening. Freezing rain, falling on top of snow and sleet in some areas, laid down a coat of up to a half-inch of ice in parts of Carroll County and a quarter-inch closer to Baltimore.

Gusty winds overnight could cause new outages, and by the time the cleanup is finished, more wintry precipitation is possible. Snow is forecast Saturday and Sunday, though meteorologists said they had low confidence in predictions of how much.

Wednesday's ice damage was frustrating for those weary from a winter that has been snowier than the past two and the coldest in decades.

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Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:

Westminster Patch: http://westminster.patch.com/search?keywords=Dayhoff

Thursday, February 06, 2014

City teachers upset about mail clause in proposed contract - baltimoresun.com

City teachers upset about mail clause in proposed contract - baltimoresun.com:

City teachers upset about mail clause in proposed contract
They criticize clause shutting down communication channels

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/blog/bs-md-ci-teachers-contract-complaints-20140205,0,1925347.story

"By Erica L. Green, The Baltimore Sun 7:59 p.m. EST, February 5, 2014

On any given day, a teacher's mailbox is usually chock full of messages: leaflets advertising professional development, discount coupons for office supplies, publications from curriculum companies, and book club invitations.

But under a contract that teachers are expected to vote on Thursday, they fear that such communication would cease — unless it comes from the Baltimore Teachers Union.

City teachers are criticizing an unusual clause included in the proposed contract that appears to give the union the exclusive right to disseminate information via email or through teachers' mailboxes. They say the new language is too broad and attempts to silence dissenters and disempower those who organize outside of union parameters."

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/blog/bs-md-ci-teachers-contract-complaints-20140205,0,1925347.story

'via Blog this'

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AK State fisheries board approves long-awaited Kenai kings plan | State News | ADN.com

State fisheries board approves long-awaited Kenai kings plan | State News | ADN.com:

State fisheries board approves long-awaited Kenai kings plan

BY ZAZ HOLLANDER zhollander@adn.com February 5, 2014

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2014/02/05/3308504/state-fisheries-board-approves.html#emlnl=Breaking_News

"Big changes are coming to the Kenai River this summer.

The Alaska Board of Fisheries on Wednesday approved new ways to protect precariously low numbers of late-run Kenai kings that members say splits the burden between sport anglers and commercial setnet fishermen.

The decision to tweak the Kenai River late-run king salmon plan, one of the most anticipated actions of a two-week session at Anchorage's Egan Center, came in a 6-1 vote and adds several new tools to existing rules.

The seven-member board's action Wednesday for the first time codifies "paired restrictions" that give state fish managers the authority to reduce both sport and commercial fishing in Cook Inlet if king numbers look low.

The trigger: Alaska Department of Fish and Game estimates that fewer than 22,500 kings will swim past a sonar counter about eight miles up the Kenai."

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2014/02/05/3308504/state-fisheries-board-approves.html#emlnl=Breaking_News

'via Blog this'

Wednesday, February 05, 2014

Dealing with icy cold winter all day has earned us treat of Classico for dinner

#KED #Westminster

Dealing with icy cold winter all day has earned us treat of Classico for dinner

#Dayhoffphotoblog, Dayhoff Daily Photoblog, Dayhoff UTR, Restaurants Classico Pizzeria, UTR, Weather, Weather 20140205 Ice Storm, Weather Winter, Weather Winter Ice,

#KED #Westminster

Apparently I am not the only person think of the Starbucks idea. Just saying.

#KED #Westminster

Apparently I am not the only person think of the Starbucks idea. Just saying.

#KED #Westminster

How do you spell relief on a cold icey day - Starbucks. #thinkspring

#KED #Westminster

How do you spell relief on a cold icey day - Starbucks. #thinkspring

#KED #Westminster

A little cleanup here and there from the ice storm. All in a day's work .

#KED #Westminster

A little cleanup here and there from the ice storm. All in a day's work .

#KED #Westminster

The tree out by the garage was damaged by the ice storm #thinkspring

#KED #Westminster

The tree out by the garage was damaged by the ice storm #thinkspring

#KED #Westminster

Some may actually think this ice mess is pretty. #thinkspring

#KED #Westminster

Some may actually think this ice mess is pretty. #thinkspring

#KED #Westminster

This old several hundred year old Oak has weathered many winters well

#KED #Westminster

This old several hundred year old Oak has weathered many winters well

#KED #Westminster

Oh what a wintery-wonder ice mess. Spring will not come too early

#KED #Westminster

Oh what a wintery-wonder ice mess. Spring will not come too early

#KED #Westminster

Trees in the backyard on Willis Street in Westminster damaged by the ice storm

#KED #Westminster

Trees in the backyard on Willis Street in Westminster damaged by the ice storm

#KED #Westminster

Damage from the Feb 5 2014 ice storm. This is not fun. I cannot wait for spring

#KED #Westminster

Damage from the Feb 5 2014 ice storm. This is not fun. I cannot wait for spring

#KED #Westminster

Key keys keys...

#KED #Westminster

Key keys keys...

#KED #Westminster

Shrimp curry on rice at International Foreign Car for lunch. Life is good.

#KED #Westminster

Shrimp curry on rice at International Foreign Car for lunch. Life is good.

#KED #Westminster

Tuesday, February 04, 2014

As Costs Soar, Who Will Pay For The Panama Canal's Expansion? By JACKIE NORTHAM January 08, 2014

http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2014/01/08/260793027/as-costs-soar-who-will-pay-for-the-panama-canals-expansion

A view of the Panama Canal last Thursday. The canal is being widened to accommodate larger ships, but the builders and the canal operators are locked in a dispute about who will pay the higher-than-expected costs to finish the project.

Alejandro Bolivar/EPA /Landov

For five years, a multibillion-dollar expansion has been underway on the Panama Canal so that ships three times the current size can pass through the vital waterway. The new, wider canal will alter global trade routes and dramatically increase revenue for Panama's government, primarily from toll charges.

The expansion is more than two-thirds done, but now a funding dispute between the builders and the canal operators threatens to bring construction to a halt.

A mostly European building consortium called GUPC issued an ultimatum saying it would suspend work on the project unless Panama's government ponied up an extra $1.6 billion to help cover cost overruns.

Pedro Alonso, a spokesman for Sacyr, the Spanish company heading the project, says there were many unforeseen problems that forced up the cost…

Also see: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2014/02/2014-eventful-year-before-it-even.html

World Central America Panama, World Central America Panama Canal,

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2014: An eventful year before it even begins by Susan Reimer Baltimore Sun

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/year-in-review-2013/bal-reimer-2014-20131223,0,5324184.column?page=1

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2014/02/2014-eventful-year-before-it-even.html

Susan Reimer

6:00 a.m. EST, December 29, 2013

As the smartphone calendar app closes on 2013, we can open it up for 2014 and start tapping in a busy year of notable events.

… Baltimore, we will be celebrating the 200th birthday of "The Star-Spangled Banner" in early September with tall ships, the Blue Angels, fireworks and much more.

It was in the early hours of Sept. 14, 1814, that Francis Scott Key gazed through the haze of a British bombardment at Fort McHenry and spied the Stars and Stripes, which inspired him to write the poem that was to become the national anthem…

[…]

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 33 in the Senate will be contested in November, as well as 38 governorships — including in Maryland.

[…]

Voters in Scotland will vote on possible independence from the United Kingdom.

[…]

In 1914, the War to End All Wars began with the assassination June 28 of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. Just a month earlier, Congress passed a joint resolution creating Mother's Day.

The Panama Canal will celebrate its 100th birthday, and so will frozen food. It took 10 years and cost 5,600 lives to create the shortcut between the American coasts. And a century ago, Clarence Birdseye sold the first frozen fish.

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Scott Dance: New winter storm watch issued for northern counties Tuesday night

New winter storm watch issued for northern counties Tuesday night

Warm temperatures limit snow accumulations Monday

By Scott Dance and Ian Duncan, The Baltimore Sun

3:45 p.m. EST, February 3, 2014 http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/weather/weather-blog/bal-wx-up-to-5-inches-snow-forecast-starting-during-morning-rush-20140202,0,1146571.story

With one underperforming snow system having come and gone, a new winter storm watch is in effect for areas northwest of Baltimore for freezing rain Tuesday night into Wednesday.

The storm watch is in effect for northern Baltimore County and Carroll County from Tuesday evening through Wednesday afternoon. More than a quarter of an inch of ice accumulation is possible.

Several inches of snow fell across parts of Carroll County and northern Baltimore and Harford counties Monday morning, but mostly rain and some ice were all that was observed closer to Baltimore and the Interstate 95 corridor.

Early snow totals included 2 inches in Norrisville in northern Harford, 1.2 inches in Westminster and 4 inches in Taneytown in Carroll, and 0.3 inches in Hunt Valley.

But while rain was expected to transition to snow by late morning in Baltimore, temperatures remained in the mid- to upper-30s, keeping most precipitation in liquid form.

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Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:

Westminster Patch: http://westminster.patch.com/search?keywords=Dayhoff

Monday, February 03, 2014

After risque years, Super Bowl commercials go warm and fuzzy (Watch them here) | Sports | ADN.com

After risque years, Super Bowl commercials go warm and fuzzy (Watch them here) | Sports | ADN.com:

BY STUART ELLIOTT The New York Times February 2, 2014 http://www.adn.com/2014/02/02/3304246/after-risque-years-super-bowl.html#emlnl=Morning_Newsletter

"Almost everyone seemed relieved that the first cold-weather Super Bowl played outdoors was not an ice bowl. As for the advertising extravaganza that took place during the game, it turned out to be a nice bowl."

Most of the commercials that Fox broadcast nationally during Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday sought to invoke fuzzy feelings that would warm the cockles of consumer hearts, if not MetLife Stadium. The television and social media audiences were exhorted repeatedly to forget their troubles and put on a smiley face.

Read more: http://www.adn.com/2014/02/02/3304246/after-risque-years-super-bowl.html#emlnl=Morning_Newsletter

'via Blog this'

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