From n5baa at hctc.net  Thu Dec  1 11:48:59 2016
From: n5baa at hctc.net (Gary Johnson)
Date: Thu, 1 Dec 2016 10:48:59 -0600
Subject: [HCARC] Deep Cold Coming
Message-ID: <156A3AFD2168492EA622827FF1C5626C@GaryPC>

http://www.climatedepot.com/2016/11/30/climatologist-dr-roger-pielke-sr-i-cannot-recall-last-time-i-have-seen-such-a-cold-anomaly-forecast-across-almost-entire-usa/

73,

Gary J
N5BAA

From n5baa at hctc.net  Fri Dec  2 13:12:38 2016
From: n5baa at hctc.net (Gary Johnson)
Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2016 12:12:38 -0600
Subject: [HCARC] Off Topic, But IMPORTANT For Military Retirees
Message-ID: <CB5F080F86304D52BE472DC14C53B97F@GaryPC>

Read the changes in this years Defense Authorization Bill.  It requires retirees to take positive actions to ensure they stay current in Tricare.  It also significantly changes Tricare Dental.

Defense Bill: Pay, SBP, TRICARE, and Housing Wins
Share This 
Defense Bill: Pay, SBP, TRICARE, and Housing Wins
December 2, 2016
House and Senate leaders resolved hundreds of differences between their respective versions of the FY 2017 Defense Authorization Bill this week, and followed MOAA's and The Military Coalition's recommendations on most of them. 

Here's a summary of selected outcomes. 

Currently Serving Issues

  a.. Pay raise: Approves a 2.1 percent 2017 military raise (matching the average American's), rather than the 1.6 percent proposed by DoD. 
  b.. Force levels: increases for all services significantly above the Pentagon proposals. 
  c.. Housing Allowance: Rejects a Senate-proposed plan that would have cut allowances by tens of thousands of dollars a year for dual-servicemember couples and other military members who share housing. 
  d.. Spouse Employment: Eliminates 2-year eligibility limitation (after PCS) for noncompetitive appointment of military spouses to federal civilian positions. 
  e.. Parental Leave: Authorizes up to 12 weeks of paid leave (including 6 weeks medical recuperation leave) for primary caregiver after childbirth; 21 days authorized for servicemember who is the secondary caregiver.
Survivor Benefits

  a.. Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance: Extends this allowance for SBP-DIC widows through May 2018 at the current $310 monthly rate (this will give us an opportunity to push Congress next year to increase and further extend the allowance, or eliminate the offset in its entirety). 
  b.. SBP for Reserve Components: Upgrades Survivor Benefit Plan formula for Reserve Component members who die while on inactive duty for training to equal SBP benefits for those who die on active duty.
TRICARE Benefits and Fees

  a.. There will be no changes to TFL. The bill rejects the Pentagon proposal to impose an annual TFL enrollment fee of up to 2 percent of military retired pay. 
  b.. Rejects a DoD proposal to roughly double TRICARE pharmacy copays over 10 years. 
  c.. Imposes significantly increased fees and copays only for those who will enter service on or after January 1, 2018. 
  d.. Grandfathers currently serving and currently retired members and families against most increases. 
  e.. EXCEPT current retirees and family members enrolled in TRICARE Standard (to be renamed TRICARE Select) will pay a new enrollment fee of $150/$300 (single/family) per year, starting in 2020 (NOTE: Chapter 61 (medical) retirees and survivors of members who died on active duty will be exempt from this enrollment fee). 
  f.. Establishes a new requirement for retired members and families (except TFL) to execute a formal annual enrollment in either TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select, starting in 2017 (IMPORTANT: this means they will have to physically sign a piece of paper to enroll; enrollment will be required for TRICARE coverage). 
  g.. Eliminates a requirement to get pre-authorization for urgent care, and requires all military medical facilities to maintain urgent care hours until 11 p.m. 
  h.. Authorizes DoD to provide hearing aids to family members of retirees at DoD cost. 
  i.. Authorizes a pilot program of offering commercial insurance coverage to Reserve component members and families on the same basis as federal civilians. 
  j.. Requires implementation of standard appointment system at all military facilities no later than Jan. 1, 2018, including issuance of appointment on first call and 24/7 online service availability. 
  k.. Authorizes retired members and families to participate in federal civilian dental and vision plan (the current retiree dental program will go away). 
  l.. Restores provider payments for treatment of autism to higher rates that were in effect before April 2016.
Military Health Care Reform

  a.. Places all military hospitals and clinics under the authority of the Defense Health Agency for purposes of budgeting, health care policy, and health care administration. 
  b.. Requires pilot program of value-based care, which would reimburse providers at higher rate for providing top-quality care and reduce or eliminate copays for high-value medications and medical services. 
  c.. Requires new TRICARE contracts to improve beneficiary access, improve medical outcomes, improve quality of care, enhance beneficiary experiences, and reduce DoD health care costs. 
  d.. By mid-2017, incorporate into annual performance review of all military and civilian health care leaders' measures of accountability for patient access to care, quality of care, improvement in health care outcomes, and patient safety. 
  e.. By January 2018, implement productivity standards (e.g., patients seen per day) for all providers in military treatment facilities (this is intended to improve patient access to timely care).
Other Matters

  a.. Includes a provision aimed at ensuring fair treatment for California Guardsmen who have been targeted for recoupment of incentive bonuses paid to them 10 years ago. 
  b.. Rejected the Senate's proposal mandating female Selective Service registration, and instead included a requirement to review the continuing need for Selective Service System registration and the potential for a national service program. 
  c.. Requires a DoD report on travel costs incurred by Reserve Component members.
As this was being written, House leaders expected to bring the defense bill up for a vote Friday, with Senate action likely to follow. 

There are indications the Pentagon may recommend the president veto the bill because of its use of operational contingency funds to pay for force level increases and an extra .5 percent pay raise. 

MOAA believes strongly this bill is too important to be upset by a lame-duck veto. 



73,

Gary J

N5BAA



From n5baa at hctc.net  Thu Dec 15 21:46:35 2016
From: n5baa at hctc.net (Gary Johnson)
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2016 20:46:35 -0600
Subject: [HCARC] Parity Act Fails
Message-ID: <4AA1C41B06A647158A5417E8BBC5A030@GaryPC>

In a final meeting with Nelson's staff as the 114th Congress neared adjournment, it became clear that no matter what was said or done, the Senator would oppose the bill and refuse to allow it to move forward. Because the measure had not been put on the floor schedule, the only way it could have passed the Senate would have been through a process called "unanimous consent." A Senate member may request unanimous consent on the floor to set aside rules and expedite proceedings. If any single Senator objects, though, the request is rejected

HOW DOES A MINORITY MEMBER OF THE SENATE PREVENT A BILL FROM COMING TO THE FLOOR FOR A VOTE??  Sure hope Florida doesn?t need my amateur radio help any time soon.

Gary J
N5BAA

From n5baa at hctc.net  Sun Dec 18 22:09:34 2016
From: n5baa at hctc.net (Gary Johnson)
Date: Sun, 18 Dec 2016 21:09:34 -0600
Subject: [HCARC] "Casey" At The Bat
Message-ID: <0FA8353EE30C486EBFFC9C88EE9D996D@GaryPC>

http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/obama_at_bat.html

From n5baa at hctc.net  Mon Dec 19 20:18:19 2016
From: n5baa at hctc.net (Gary Johnson)
Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2016 19:18:19 -0600
Subject: [HCARC] Just HOW BLUE Was Our Blue Norther??
Message-ID: <622522706FF542F49C779CA644B76B46@GaryPC>

Found this:

A Texas-sized temperature swing
Grand prize for the most dramatic frontal passage goes to West Texas, where the cold air mass plowed south on Saturday in the form of a classic ?blue norther? (sometimes called a Texas norther). A mesonet station about 6 miles west of Denver City, TX, reported a temperature drop of 36?F in just 10 minutes--from 21?C (70?F) to 1?C (34?F)--accompanied by winds of 40 knots (46 mph) gusting to 69 knots (79 mph). Thanks to Anton Seimon (Appalachian State University) for finding this nugget.

Temperatures across Texas at 4:00 pm CST Saturday ranged from 6?F at Dumas (nearby Dalhart sank to a record-low ?8?F by Sunday morning) to a record-hot 92?F at McAllen. Midland set a record high of 80?F on Saturday afternoon, but by 11:59 pm CST, the city?s official temperature had plummeted to 18?F, just one degree short of the day?s record low! It was Midland's biggest one-day temperature spread for any date in records going back to 1930. More than a century ago, a blue norther on November 11, 1911 (11/11/11) managed to pull off the twin-record-in-one-day trick in both Oklahoma City, OK (83?F and 17?F) and Springfield, MO (80?F and 13?F). Both of these Oklahoma City records still stand.

GLOBAL WARMING STRIKES AGAIN

73,

Gary J
N5BAA


From tower2 at stx.rr.com  Tue Dec 20 09:34:55 2016
From: tower2 at stx.rr.com (Harvey N. Vordenbaum)
Date: Tue, 20 Dec 2016 08:34:55 -0600
Subject: [HCARC] Just HOW BLUE Was Our Blue Norther??
In-Reply-To: <622522706FF542F49C779CA644B76B46@GaryPC>
References: <622522706FF542F49C779CA644B76B46@GaryPC>
Message-ID: <000e01d25ace$3bef3160$b3cd9420$@rr.com>

I remember two very sudden cold snaps just east of San Antonio.
1949 and 1951.  I'm thinking the one in 1949 was the worst one which may have set the low record for San Antonio of 5 deg.  This would have been about the end of January.
I'm thinking it was the 1949 one when I was walking home from school about 4 P.M.  This sudden wind shift from the north came in with a rolling fog like cloud right on the ground kicking up dust and there was an immediate temperature change of twenty degrees or so. That night there was snow.  The next night, when it had cleared off, we went out to look at the thermometer on the porch and it was showing 15 deg.  I think that's when San Antonio's record was set.
Maybe there is a way to look that up online.
K5HV


-----Original Message-----
From: HCARC [mailto:hcarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Gary Johnson
Sent: Monday, December 19, 2016 7:18 PM
To: hcarc at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [HCARC] Just HOW BLUE Was Our Blue Norther??

Found this:

A Texas-sized temperature swing
Grand prize for the most dramatic frontal passage goes to West Texas, where the cold air mass plowed south on Saturday in the form of a classic ?blue norther? (sometimes called a Texas norther). A mesonet station about 6 miles west of Denver City, TX, reported a temperature drop of 36?F in just 10 minutes--from 21?C (70?F) to 1?C (34?F)--accompanied by winds of 40 knots (46 mph) gusting to 69 knots (79 mph). Thanks to Anton Seimon (Appalachian State University) for finding this nugget.

Temperatures across Texas at 4:00 pm CST Saturday ranged from 6?F at Dumas (nearby Dalhart sank to a record-low ?8?F by Sunday morning) to a record-hot 92?F at McAllen. Midland set a record high of 80?F on Saturday afternoon, but by 11:59 pm CST, the city?s official temperature had plummeted to 18?F, just one degree short of the day?s record low! It was Midland's biggest one-day temperature spread for any date in records going back to 1930. More than a century ago, a blue norther on November 11, 1911 (11/11/11) managed to pull off the twin-record-in-one-day trick in both Oklahoma City, OK (83?F and 17?F) and Springfield, MO (80?F and 13?F). Both of these Oklahoma City records still stand.

GLOBAL WARMING STRIKES AGAIN

73,

Gary J
N5BAA

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