Chalkie

The EPA can not levy criminal fines but it can take states to court and win civil fines. While the EPA generally lets the states administer air pollution programs to meet the standards it can overrule or take over the programs if it is not satisfied the targets are being met. Personally I would like to see Texas take a page from Colorado where gas engines are only required to take emissions tests in certain counties whereas diesel engines are required to statewide. Maybe it would get rid of all these folks that think giant exhaust pipes blowing massive clouds of black smoke is fun.

Many times these warnings, whether there is cause for concern or not, are at the behest of the lawyers thanks to our litigious society. It seems like virtually anything that is sold in California carries a Prop 65 warning which we all see no matter where else we are.

Google maps is already up to date on the closure and showing two alternate routes. One via I-70/US-50 taking 5 hrs 51 mins or the other via US-550/US-160 taking 6 hrs 34 mins.

Elevate the pan on our induction top and you get to hear annoying beeps and an error message flashing.

Real estate can be a great investment but is not necessarily the best as it can depreciate if not cared for. Land on the other hand can't really depreciate but it can appreciate greatly depending on location. Personally I wish I had thought of buying a bit of unrestricted land prior to retirement so it would have been paid off by retirement time.

Exactly! This is why I can turn off the burner a little early under my scrambled eggs and let the residual pan heat finish them off. I have to admit I had never considered heating things directly in the can though. I am going to have to try it.

And so it begins. More from the NY Post.

I know it is not Airstream's fault and you know that it was not Airstream;s fault but I am willing to bet that the family on their own or with the nudging of some lawyer will bring suit. I did notice from the picture above and verifying on the Airstream website that that door is a "suicide" door, at highway speed I doubt the woman could have held the door closed once it opened.

It is sad that there was a fatality but what is really sad is that the doctor's family will probably try to soak Airstream for millions even though she/they were committing an illegal act. Riding in a travel trailer in New York is illegal and quite honestly stupid inasmuch as there is no safety equipment such as seat belts.

That route is going to take you through what my Dad called "miles and miles of miles and miles". A couple of places along that route that our wanderings have taken us by are the Immaculate Conception church in Leoville, KS. It is a slight detour off the route when you get to Selden but is an impressively large church in basically the middle of nowhere. And then there was the Buffalo Bill museum in North Platte. Pretty interesting place but we like museums.

Very true! We were at a rally in northwest Nebraska for the 2017 eclipse. I am looking forward to this one although the weather forecast is not promising.

I use a Wye but it is aluminum and, frankly, in as much as I grew up drinking water out of garden hoses I have never given it much thought. If you want something that that is drinking water safe make one yourself from water pipe parts from Lowes or HD.

Same weather prediction here in the Austin area. My statement about doom and destruction was tongue in cheek although I did go to the grocery store and replenished stocks that I normally wouldn't and lo and behold there were quite a few empty shelves. The road in front of our RV park has a sign up warning that parking alongside the road is for emergencies only and will be enforced. The RV park which normally has a few available spaces does not at this time.

Be aware that when you get close to the line of totality in Texas quite a few counties and cities have declared disaster status or states of emergency. Seems we are taking a page from the ancients that eclipses are a sign of doom and destruction. I sure hope you have a confirmed place to stay.

There is a propane/butane fueled toaster oven listed on Amazon for $169. I don't see why this could not be used inside as it doesn't appear to be a whole lot different than the propane oven built in other than it is counter top. However, if is just toast you want, then this should work. I have used one for years for inside and out on gas cooktops. Stansport Folding Camp Stove Toaster

My wife worked a lot of years in the medical field and a job I had required we take an annual HIPAA test. To tell you that explaining a billing code to the patient is an utter load of BS. Law also says that you have right to appeal billing decisions. If they make an internal review and you are not happy with the decision you have the right of external review. This is to take the review process out of the hands of the insurance company and place it with a (supposedly) unbiased third party. I am curious though if you are getting GEHB and are of Medicare age. If so, my understanding is the Medicare becomes primary and GEHB is secondary very much like TFL for military retirees.

Do you not get EOBs?

This is interesting as it ties to the thread started by lappir. My cousin, a nurse, just posted a link on FB that goes along with this as well. Are Regulators Finally Waking Up to the Threat That Is UnitedHealth Group?

What's missing in that article is how many people are in their system. 2000 of say 200,000 is only 1%. While we could hope for 0% I think we all know that is not going to happen.

I think the term "non-profit" or "not-for-profit" is misleading when it comes to health care at least. These entities absolutely make a profit, it is all in what is done with that profit. The non-profits plow their profits back into building new facilities, improving existing facilities, adding technology, etc. rather than paying out a stock dividend. But make a profit they do, and it is substantial. For example, in Colorado Springs there is a city owned hospital that operated for a long time as a successful venture. Then one year some misguided people got an initiative on the ballot to force the city to sell it because, while it had operated in the black for years, it might become less successful and become a tax burden. The initiative passed but fortunately some legal folks put the brakes on it because it turned out that the original land deed and founding money required that it always remained city property, was always to be dedicated to healthcare, and had to remain non-profit. To satisfy the "let's get rid of it" folks the city leased the building(s) to the UCHealth system, a "non-profit" under the auspices of the University of Colorado. Since then UC Health has added 3 Urgent Care, 5 Primary Care, 7 Medical buildings, 1 new Hospital, and 1 stand alone Emergency Room to its portfolio. I daresay this was not all done with donations and grants.

I think this is likely true. When I was younger it seemed that insurance was at least balanced. Patient care was good, insurance paid the providers well, and the investors made money. Today with all the consolidations in the medical industry into giant medical providers that control multiple aspects of health care under one umbrella, profit has become king. Just one example, I recently got an email saying that Tricare was going to start using Accredo for specialty prescriptions. I did a little digging and Accredo is a subsidiary of Express Scripts which is owned by Cigna Healthcare. Now if you look up Cigna is says - "The Cigna Group is a for-profit American multinational managed healthcare and insurance company" - and you can bet that a profit is expected at every level.

And therein lies the rub, one can send mail to a PMB address and the individual will receive it, but that is not acceptable unless the bank does a deep dive into the Patriot Act.

I knew a guy that built a mountain cabin under similar circumstances. He did not want to pay the price for a well so he installed a 500 gallon cistern powered by a 12v RV water pump so he had water when power was out. He could not install a septic because some arcane rule required a well before a septic could be installed. So, he installed a 1500 gallon holding tank and had a honey wagon pump it out as needed. To fill the cistern he put a 200 gallon tank on a trailer and filled it at home before going to the cabin and then transferring it. Now, you would need to find a place to get water but I know in some places, in Texas at least, there are water delivery companies. The whole project is certainly doable. I would be more concerned that things like this were allowed in the first place and then take a look at the use of the surrounding properties to make sure someone did not NIMBY your project.

I second this. You will pay a slight premium but they are worth it. We also on one RV replaced the pucks entirely with new fixtures where the LED is integral to the puck. We got them from Amazon. Facon 4.5Inch LED RV Puck Light

What does being a member of Escapees have to do with it? There are only certain things that excuse you from jury duty, however, if you are not going to be in the area the best thing you can do is to contact the Juror Office and request to be excused.