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The Immortalists
By Chloe Benjamin
(G.P. Putnam's Sons, 9780735213180, $26)
"In 1969, four siblings visit a fortune teller, who tells each child the date of their death. We follow the Gold siblings both separately and together over the next four decades and see how these revelations affect their choices, their behavior, and their relationships with one another. Apart from raising the obvious question (would you want to know the date of your death?), Benjamin brilliantly explores how family members can be both close to and distant from one another, and ponders the point at which our actions cease to matter and fate steps in. I LOVED The Immortalists, and if there's any justice in bookselling, this book will find the massive audience it so deserves."
Booksellers across the country have chosen The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin (G.P. Putnam's Sons, January 9, 2018), as their number-one pick for the January Indie Next List.
The novel begins in 1969, when four Jewish siblings--Varya, Daniel, Klara, and Simon--visit a fortune teller, who reveals to each child the day they will die. As the book follows the Gold siblings over the next 40 years, the reader sees how what they learned that day impacts their lives and relationships.
Benjamin's first novel is The Anatomy of Dreams (Atria Books), which received the Edna Ferber Fiction Book Award and was longlisted for the 2014 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. Benjamin, who lives with her husband in Madison, Wisconsin, received a bachelor of arts degree from Vassar College and an MFA in fiction from the University of Wisconsin.
We spoke with Benjamin about the copious amount of research she did for the book, her favorite indies, and whether she would personally want to know the date of her own death.
I think it just came out of my own anxieties and neuroses. I've always struggled with uncertainty and the fact that we don't know how long we have in the world, which is kind of the greatest uncertainty there is. And, of course, we also don't know what happens afterwards. So I think it came about organically. I don't think I was intentionally trying to come up with a concept into which I could channel that, but it was always simmering in the background. I knew I wanted these four children to go see a fortune teller and that was the seed, but over time I got to know each of the siblings individually, and that was very much its own slower, longer process.
How would you personally answer the book's central question: Would you, given the choice, want to know the date of your own death?
I've gotten that question a lot since I've been doing interviews and I always say that I would want to know, but only if the news was good. Otherwise I wouldn't--would you? It's funny--I've only encountered two people who have said they would want to know, and that's after doing publicity since May. So those people are few and far between, but I'm always very curious about them.
This book takes on the age-old rivalry between science and magic, fate and free will, life on earth and life after death. In writing The Immortalists, did you draw on a diversity of literature and philosophical texts related to these questions?
Yes, I did a lot of overarching research about the ways people throughout different cultures and time periods have thought about death and dying and how best to live in the face of that. I also specifically looked at it through the lens of religion. I did dabble in some philosophy, but ultimately there was just so much out there about death, it almost got overwhelming, so I focused on religion and Judaism. One thing that really interested me about Judaism as opposed to Christianity is that there is very little emphasis on death and what happens afterward. It really is about what you do here on this earth, and so the more I realized that, the more I thought about how that gives this family's life particular urgency, because they wouldn't have grown up with that escape hatch of, "Well, there's still Heaven."
Aside from that, I also listened to interviews with coroners and with people who worked in morgues; I read Atul Gawande, who is such a beautiful writer on the subject of the body and mortality. There's just so much that you can soak in about that subject.
Each sibling ends up pursuing a very different path in life: Simon is a ballet dancer in San Francisco during the AIDS crisis; Klara becomes a magician whose signature trick is a dangerous stunt called the "Jaws of Life"; Daniel works as a military doctor; and Varya becomes a scientist doing longevity research on primates. What was your experience of researching for each of these characters?
Pretty much every section of the book required a ton of specialized individual research into the time and place, but also into the profession of that sibling. For example, Klara's section was really fun to do. I had no background in the world of magic and I just became totally fascinated with it. There's a book called Hiding the Elephant by Jim Steinmeyer (Da Capo Press) that traces the history of magic over the past two centuries. It also explains how particularly famous tricks were done, like the Proteus Cabinet or The Vanishing Birdcage, which Klara later recreates.
I also watched a lot of documentaries and magical performances, and I went down the rabbit hole on YouTube and online message boards to figure out how Klara would have done certain tricks and which tricks are really impressive. And Klara's grandmother, Klara senior, was inspired by a real person named Tiny Kline, a Hungarian immigrant and circus performer who originated the "Jaws of Life" (she was also the first Tinkerbell at Disneyland).
It's really important for me that any kind of writing I do about things that I haven't experienced I do with integrity, and I think research is the most important component of that. I find research really inspiring, but it's also a really big responsibility because I always want to do justice to what I'm researching.
I always say that indie bookstores made me a reader and then a writer. I have been a huge, huge fan of indies as a consumer since I was young enough to read. I grew up in San Francisco in the Richmond District, so Green Apple Books was a place that we went all the time, as well as Books Inc. and the bookstore in the Haight, The Booksmith--really, there are so many amazing indies in San Francisco. No matter what neighborhood you're in, there's an incredible indie and I've probably shopped there.
I think that, like with being a writer, you don't necessarily go into bookselling because you want to get rich on it, and so it really is such a labor of love and passion. I love just being able to enter, browse the aisles, and find something that I never thought I would. And I always had the dream of seeing a book of mine in one of those places, so to have this particular honor and to know that it comes from indie booksellers is enormous. --Liz Button
A Q&A With Chloe Benjamin, Author of January's #1 Indie Next List Pick
By A.J. Finn
"The Woman in the Window is being touted as one of the hottest releases of early 2018, and with excellent reason. A modern take on Hitchcock's Rear Window, with many nods to classic noir film, A.J. Finn's debut novel is told through the eyes of a narrator trapped inside her beautiful house by a severe case of agoraphobia and separated from her estranged husband and young daughter. She copes with her condition by spying on her neighbors and living vicariously through their drama, until the night she witnesses what appears to be a murder and finds herself swept up in its wake. Once this story gets rolling, it will bowl you over. Fans of psychological thrillers should take note of this banger of a tale!"
--Whitney Spotts, Schuler Books & Music, Grand Rapids, MI
The Wife Between Us
By Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
"Oh. My. God! For readers looking for a book that has an absorbing and unique plot line, intriguing but flawed characters, and commands attention until the end of the story, The Wife Between Us is perfect! Vanessa is suffering from a recent divorce when she learns that her ex will soon marry again. She simply cannot allow this to happen. Why? This amazing story gallops along at breakneck speed and its ending will smack you between the eyes and take your breath away. These authors are destined to become trailblazers in the genre of psychological suspense books."
Grist Mill Road
By Christopher J. Yates
"I love finding a new author who writes something so great that I'm compelled to find more of their work. Christopher Yates is my new guy. At the start of Grist Mill Road, the reader witnesses an event that changes the lives of three people, Hannah, Matthew, and Patrick, who each have their moment to narrate their side of the story. Saying there is great character depth here doesn't do Yates justice; they become living, breathing human beings. This gripping story keeps your heart racing at just the right pace and the story concludes right where it should. Be prepared to put yourself in another person's shoes -- well, make that three pairs of shoes."
--Nichole Cousins, White Birch Books, North Conway, NH
Neon in Daylight
By Hermione Hoby
(Catapult, 9781936787753, $16.95; trade paper)
"There are plenty of novels about hedonistic young people, washed-up alcoholic writers, or aimless academics struggling to find themselves. Few of them are written with the intelligence, freshness, honesty, style, observational eye, and command of language on display in Hermione Hoby's impressive debut, Neon in Daylight. As the lives of the three main characters (and a cat named Joni Mitchell) converge against the backdrop of a lonely, doomed, and dying downtown New York City, you'll find yourself missing your bus stop because you cannot put down this book."
--Nadine Vassallo, Book Soup, West Hollywood, CA
The Job of the Wasp
By Colin Winnette
(Soft Skull Press, 9781593766801, $16.95; trade paper)
"What is it that stories about adolescent boys and orphanages so often seem abnormally rife with tragedy, allure, and horror? Such is the setting for Colin Winnette's fantastic new novel, which follows a boy recently admitted to such an institution, only to uncover a murder mystery that will cause him to question his own existence and purpose. Winnette successfully balances an atmosphere of the fantastic alongside the gritty reality of 30-odd orphaned boys and their headmaster, creating a world where answers are nearly impossible to manufacture and wild theories percolate. Lord of the Flies meets Guillermo del Toro's The Devil's Backbone in this incredibly haunting book, which might leave you wondering about the possibility of the paranormal within your own life. You've been warned; now pick it up."
Fire Sermon
By Jamie Quatro
"I'm presently gobsmacked by and head-over-heels in love with Jamie Quatro's Fire Sermon, a gorgeous, searing first novel that takes on themes of grace, God, desire, truth, and family. Told in an array of tenses and forms that range from poetry to e-mail (and everything in between), Fire Sermon takes great risks stylistically, as well as topically, leaving nothing stable in its wake. It is unsparing and uncompromising, singular, innervating, and strong, and it is a deeply, wonderfully stirring work of art."
--Will Walton, Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA
The Afterlives
"In The Afterlives, Thomas Pierce follows a man's quest for what comes after death. The story skillfully intersects religion, technology, philosophy, humor, love, and fear, but love and fear are what really got to me. The novel celebrates the love we're born into with our family and the love we find, but behind that is the fear of its loss. The novel doesn't flinch. Pierce's characters are so natural and so funny that at times it felt like I was reading Douglas Coupland or Elan Mastai. The Afterlives didn't feel bleak or hopeless or preachy--it was sincere and hopeful."
--Myles Mickle, Village Square Booksellers, Bellows Falls, VT
Escape Artist: Memoir of A Visionary Artist on Death Row
By William A. Noguera
(Seven Stories Press, 9781609807979, $28.95)
"This memoir is rich with sincere storytelling. It is inspiring to know that even in a harsh and unforgiving place like prison, it is possible for someone to produce such a creative expression. Noguera's art goes beyond the physical bars to express themes that represent his experiences and ideas. Readers will find that Noguera is not only an award-winning visual artist, but also a model of compassion and generosity."
--Alyson Turner, Source Booksellers, Detroit, MI
By C.J. Tudor
"The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor is an unusually gripping mystery reminiscent of Arthur Conan Doyle's story 'The Adventure of the Dancing Men.' It is amazingly well-written, and the pace does not let up, from the shocking beginning all the way through to the unsettling ending. This suspenseful page-turner is definitely a cut above and will keep you riveted. Highly recommended!"
--Margo Conklin, Brown University Bookstore, Providence, RI
Beneath the Sugar Sky
By Seanan McGuire
(Tor.com, 9780765393586, $17.99)
"McGuire's Wayward Children series is a lush faerie-tale world in the vein of Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm. It is dark and lovely, vivid and painful, weird and subtle. Beneath the Sugar Sky reintroduces many characters we met in Every Heart a Doorway and takes us to new worlds in an exploration of friendship, family, and what is not possible when everything is possible. Rini exemplifies the lovely mix of what it means to be in that strange place between childhood belief and adult cynicism."
--Jessica Cox, Plot Twist Bookstore, Ankeny, IA
This Could Hurt
By Jillian Medoff
"Who knew that a novel about a faltering company's HR department could be so gripping and compassionate? Anyone who has worked in a company with other people will appreciate the resentments, friendships, and competitions that develop in a long-time team. Medoff does a great job of making the reader care about each and every character."
--Susan Taylor, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany NY
By Sam Graham-Felsen
"Please read Green. You will fall in love with Graham-Felsen's David from his first utterances on page one of this original, thought-provoking twist on an important subject--race relations. Thank God David has such a great voice and there are so many humorous moments, or else I may have felt extremely sad about his experiences of being such an outsider. A truly memorable moment-in-time novel and a great read."
The Widows of Malabar Hill
By Sujata Massey
"This is a harrowing story--and the mystery is great, too! Life for a single woman in Bombay in 1916 is fraught. But Perveen Mistry has the support of her lawyer father and is educated as a lawyer, as very few women are in this time and place. She becomes essential when the law firm needs to interview three widows living in full purdah, secluded from the world in general and men in particular. When their house agent is murdered, the male police are stymied by the women's inaccessibility. The backstory is disturbing in how the law favored even abusive men over women. A fascinating start to a new series."
Beneath the Mountain
By Luca D'Andrea
(Harper Paperbacks, 9780062680174, $16.99; trade paper)
"This thriller starts off with a shock and then turns in an entirely different direction that will leave you torn between wishing the troubled filmmaker Salinger will drop his obsessive pursuit of a decades-old mystery and praying he doesn't so you can see how the mystery unravels. D'Andrea's characters and their relationships draw you into the story of how Salinger's relentless pursuits affect those around him. This is a cleverly crafted thriller with twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end."
--Brent Bunnell, Fiction Addiction, Greenville, SC
The Perfect Nanny
By Leila Slimani
(Penguin Books, 9780143132172, $16; trade paper)
"With The Perfect Nanny, Moroccan author Leila Slimani channels her inner Ruth Rendell and offers a truly disturbing page-turner. The first chapter reveals that a nanny has killed her charges, a boy and a girl, then killed herself. The rest of the book details the way the nanny's mind twists and turns as she becomes more and more damaged, leading up to the murder-suicide. It's a grim tale filled with commentary on motherhood, family power struggles, and economic disparity. Although it sounds depressing, The Perfect Nanny is truly original, dark, and suspenseful as hell!"
Two Girls Down
By Louisa Luna
"At last, a book with girl in the title that is about actual girls. Kylie and Bailey, ages 8 and 10, disappear from a strip mall. Their mother is frantic and the police are making no progress. When the family hires Alice Vega, an out-of-state bounty hunter, to find the girls, she teams up with Max Caplan, a former cop turned private investigator, and they combine their skills to try to find the missing girls before it is too late. A suspenseful and all-too-real scenario that will drive readers to finish the story before doing anything else."
--Sharon K. Nagel, Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, WI
The Wolves of Winter
By Tyrell Johnson
"When all the terrible things imaginable--and unimaginable--happen, all that is left is your family, whether blood or those you bond with in the aftermath of devastation. Teenager Lynn McBride remembers the world before--before nuclear war, before the flu, and even before her family moved to the Canadian Yukon -- and those memories tease and haunt her while giving us clues to her history. While her family struggles daily for food and warmth, they are together and they watch out for each other, never encountering strangers--until Jax shows up..."
The Stowaway: A Young Man's Extraordinary Adventure to Antarctica
By Laurie Gwen Shapiro
"The story of Billy Gawronski, the young man who repeatedly tried to join Richard Byrd's Antarctic expedition, reads like an adventure novel. The reality of his life is beyond the realm of the wildest imagination. Shapiro brings this resilient and resourceful man to life against the changing world of the Roaring Twenties, and his story perfectly reflects a world undergoing vast change. Combining narrative, science, and portraits of outsized personalities, Shapiro treats the reader to a story that is not only relevant but a total joy."
Heart Spring Mountain
By Robin MacArthur
"Following her splendid 2016 short story collection, Half Wild (an Indies Introduce selection), Robin MacArthur's first novel revisits rural Vermont and uses a mixture of lyrical and earthy prose to explore three generations of a family riddled by secrets and burdens of the past. This area of the country, previously overlooked by literature, proves to be rich ground that, while isolated, cannot avoid intrusions from the outside world in the form of man-made and natural disasters. The focus is on an extended family that can trace its roots back to Puritan ancestors but struggles against poverty, the unforgiving environment, and the lure of drugs. Heart Spring Mountain will introduce you to a host of memorable characters engaged in human folly and saved by redemptive love."
--Joe Strebel, Anderson's Bookshop, Naperville, IL
By Peter Heller
"There should be an excused absence from life when a new Peter Heller novel is released. Heller's strong narrative voice and complex plotting have always stood out to me and Celine is another example of this. Loosely based on Heller's mother, Celine is a hard-nosed--if a bit worn down--private investigator living in post-9/11 Brooklyn. She has a stellar reputation, but when she is sent on a case to locate a young woman's missing father, it's clear that her age (and lifestyle) has caught up with her. You will fall in love with Celine--I would give just about anything to follow her on more adventures."
--Katelyn Phillips, WORD, Jersey City, NJ
"Twenty years ago Federal Agent Aaron Falk left his childhood home in the farming community of Kiiewarra under a cloud of suspicion. The only thing that saved him from a murder charge was the alibi provided by his best friend, Luke. Now Aaron is going home to attend Luke's funeral. Luke murdered his wife and son, and then took his own life, sparing only his baby daughter. But Luke's parents and Sergeant Greg Raco, question the official narrative. As Aaron delves into the secrets hidden in the drought-suffering community, tempers flare. This gritty mystery is well-written with clever plot twists and strong characters."
--Deon Stonehouse, Sunriver Books & Music, Sunriver, OR
The Girl Before
By JP Delaney
"Immediate guarantee: You will NOT be able to put this book down. The Girl Before unfolds through the perspectives of two women: Emma (then) and Jane (now). It chronicles their lives in the stunningly and scarily minimalist home One Folgate Street and its aloof yet magnetic owner. Delaney spins a masterful story that epitomizes the notion that you never really know everything about anyone. Fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will enjoy this book."
--Destinee Hodge, East City Bookshop, Washington, DC
The Hearts of Men
By Nickolas Butler
"Two of Butler's strengths are his rich Wisconsin settings and his ability to probe the depths of men's friendships. His new novel, an epic about three generations at a Boy Scout camp, takes that to the next level. It starts with the bullied Nelson, who finds purpose in the Scouts and winds up running the camp, and Jonathan, the older boy who becomes both his manipulator and protector. Their complicated friendship unfolds through Jonathan's son and grandson, who both spend summers at Chippewa, but what's a Scout to do when the Scout Oath doesn't hold up in reality? In Butler's hands, the answers unfold, all in the context of a heck of a good story."
The Lonely Hearts Hotel
By Heather O'Neill
"If there is Canadian magical realism, this is it! The Lonely Hearts Hotel is the charming story of Rose and Pierrot, two children raised in a Montreal orphanage in the early 20th century. O'Neill traces their romance from their childhood of entertaining rich people in their homes to their less salubrious post-orphanage careers. When Rose and Pierrot meet again as adults, magic happens--but can this magic survive the rigors of the real world? Fantastic and fabulous in the truest sense of both words."
--Susan Taylor, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, NY
Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore
By Matthew Sullivan
"Still reeling from witnessing a tragic event many years ago, Lydia is thrown headfirst into yet another tragedy after one of her favorite bookshop patrons commits suicide in the store and mysteriously leaves all his possessions to her. As Lydia follows the thread that he leaves her, she finds out more about him, her town, and even her own past. Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore is a great book that keeps you guessing. Highly recommended for fans of a good mystery."
--Will Bason, BookPeople, Austin, TX
The Midnight Cool
By Lydia Peelle
"The journey of middle-aged swindler Billy and his young, idealistic partner Charles is a journey into the history and heart of the oft-maligned American dream. As the nation considers whether it will join World War I, Billy and Charles must weigh the merits of freedom against patriotic obligation, their life on the road against the temptation of putting down roots, and their diverging desires against the love and loyalty they bear for each other. As Billy says, 'I reckon that's the beauty and the shame of it, all at once.' Peelle's exploration of this beauty and shame is exquisitely wrought, richly populated, and ultimately devastating. I finished the novel in tears."
--Mairead Small Staid, Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, MI
Mississippi Blood: The Natchez Burning Trilogy
By Greg Iles
(William Morrow, 9780062311184, $9.99)
"Mississippi Blood is the culmination of the Natchez Trilogy, which follows characters who are trying to get to the bottom of brutal Civil Rights-era crimes. Penn Cage watches as the world around him calls into question everything he thinks he knows, including the moral fortitude of his father. Rippling with parallels to our everyday America, Mississippi Blood will, hopefully, push us all to recognize the truths about ourselves and our country."
--Veronica Brooks-Sigler, Octavia Books, New Orleans, LA
The Most Dangerous Place on Earth
By Lindsey Lee Johnson
"If only we had had the wisdom back in high school, to see behind the facades of the kids who intimidated us, fascinated us, irritated us, and disgusted us--and to understand how the ways we collided with each other and with life would play out for us. Johnson's literary superpower is to plunge us into such a school and make us feel it all again as if we are there--only this time with all of the wisdom we lacked previously."
--Nina Barrett, Bookends & Beginnings, Evanston, IL
By Thomas Perry
(Mysterious Press, 9780802127532, $16)
"Dan Chase is a wealthy old man living a quiet life after the death of his wife and his daughter's move to another part of the country. But wait--he is being followed, and then his house is broken into and he has to kill the intruder. Next, the old man turns to his 'go' bag as it seems he has many identities, stashes of currency, and a plan to disappear. There are secrets to be discovered all throughout this tale and Perry keeps readers wondering what will come next. This is definitely one of Perry's best!"
--Barbara Kelly, Kelly's Books to Go, South Portland, ME
Setting Free the Kites
By Alex George
"This heartfelt and compelling novel from A Good American author Alex George is a story of friendship, loss, and how we deal with grief, a story about how a single friendship can change us forever. Yet again, George has developed beautiful, layered characters and you will quickly fall in love with Nathan, Robert, and Liam in blustery seaside Maine in the 1970s. You will hear the excitement each hot, blistering summer of children and families visiting the amusement park owned by Robert's family. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will grieve, but you will not be disappointed."
--Amanda Zirn, Bethany Beach Books, Bethany Beach, DE
The Women in the Castle
By Jessica Shattuck
"Three war widows and their children help each other survive at the end of World War II in this engaging novel filled with rich period details. Their husbands died as members of the resistance, but aside from that common thread, Marianne, Benita, and Ania bring very different backgrounds to their makeshift home in the castle's kitchen. They also face repercussions from past choices and current secrets. Jessica Shattuck brings us into their world and shows us that the rules for love and loyalty are different in wartime."


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Prospect voice helps improve NHS Digital members' pay
Prospect has successfully negotiated a two-year pay offer of 1.5% each year for members working at NHS Digital.
by Penny Vevers
Information & communication technology Telecoms
The pay rise improves on an original offer of 1% and will apply to around 60 former BT employees who were transferred in 2015 under TUPE regulations into the national information and technology partner to the health and care system.
The offer will be backdated from June 2019 and will also apply for the year 2020-21.
Prospect full-time negotiator Sue Bucksey praised the hard work of Prospect branch chair Mike Thompson and three other lay reps – Mark Pendlebury, Stuart Baskerville and John Plowman – during negotiations with NHS Digital Finance and HR.
She said: "It was a joint effort and I thank them for their resilience and perseverance helping achieve this positive outcome for members."
Mike Thompson said: "Most of the people who came across from BT in 2015 were Prospect members and the new employer has continued to recognise the union.
"We are still under the separate terms and conditions we retained after the TUPE transfer. So it is very helpful that we can still call on Prospect to support us and reflect our unique circumstances. It has given us a collective capability.
"Members originally rejected a 1% offer and we welcome the employer's movement on this." More than 90% have accepted the revised offer.
NHS Digital, formerly the Health and Social Care Information Centre, has offices in Leeds, Southport, London and Exeter, employing around 3,200 people. Most are represented by other unions, including Unison.
Many former BT people are based in Leeds, with some homeworkers. Thompson pointed out that despite different terms Prospect reps also now attend the joint negotiating council committee with other unions.
"This means we have an equal chance to influence policies around working conditions, for example office moves," he said.
"Our experience sends a strong message to anyone facing TUPE transfer to join the union and ensure it is recognised by the receiving organisation."
Photo shows BT Digital reps Mark Pendlebury, Stuart Baskerville and John Plowman with Sue Bucksey, Prospect negotiator.
e: media@prospect.org.uk
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+3 again
Since the publication of this book in 2006, here's an update of what we've been up to since then.
Gijs Bakker and Renny Ramakers receive the Benno Premsela Award. Master pieces of the IM Master course at Design Academy Eindhoven are presented at Droog. In collaboration with University of Delft, Droog presents Dry Tech III with new works by Chris Kabel, NEXT architects, amongst others. Amsterdam housing association Ymere commissions Droog to develop a Townhouse, and Droog invites Tokyo-based Atelier Bow-Wow to collaborate. Droog commissions Atelier Bow-Wow to design a new hotel around the corner from its store in Amsterdam.
Droog presents A touch of green at the Furniture Fair in Milan, together with a 48 hour pop up store. The Climate competition is launched, and 'Droog Aalto' by Jan Ctvrtnik is selected by website visitors as the winner. This years' Master pieces of the IM Master course at Design Academy Eindhoven are presented at Droog. In collaboration with communication agency KesselsKramer, Droog presents S1NGLETOWN at the Architectural Biennale in Venice. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs commissions Droog to develop a new business gift for the most important contacts of Dutch embassies worldwide. Droog launches this project as a competition selecting Space to take place, a 100 meter bench by Claudia Linders. Urban Play takes place, a seriess of events and exhibitions within the streets of Amsterdam.
The first project of the Droog Lab, Droog al Arab is launched with leading designers Jurgen Bey and Saskia van Drimmelen. Droog New York opens in SoHo, with an interior by Studio Makkink & Bey. Co-founder Gijs Bakker leaves Droog to concentrate on his independent work. Ketel One asks Droog to design its three dimensional event spaces and its basic kit of bartender tools and glassware. Droog presents a series of new work in Milan with designers such as FormaFantasma, Nacho Carbonell, Studio Makkink & Bey and Chris Kabel, together with a pop up store. Droog presents Townhouse by Atelier Bow-Wow and Paper bone chair by Joris Laarman at Design Miami, amongst other studio works. New fashion items are introduced to Droog's store, including Gluejeans by G+N. The second Lab project, Luxury of the North is launched with leading designers Winy Maas and Cynthia Hathaway. Chris Kabel wins the DOEN prize for the Seam chair developed for Dry Tech III. Droog wins the Time out prize. Renny Ramakers curates a festival of Dutch design, fashion and architecture to commemorate 400 years of a Dutch-American friendship at Governors Island, New York, with over 25,000 visitors over the course of two weekends.
Fastcompany lists the year Droog opened on Staalstraat in Amsterdam as one of the decade's 14 biggest design moments. Droog asks 14 designers to revive over 5000 leftovers, presenting a new collection of 19 products in Milan as 'saved by droog.' The exhibition is coupled with a manifesto and a 'new owner' photo campaign. The exhibition will travel to Droog New York in September, bringing in new designers and inventory. Downloadable design is launched—the development of an innovative business model and platform for downloadable design and local CNC fabrication. Ketel One commissions Droog to produce an animation that tells the story of its bottle. The Thomas Eyck collection becomes available in New York exclusively at Droog New York, featuring objects by Aldo Bakker, Christien Meindertsma, Scholten & Baijings and Studio Job. The outcome of Droog al Arab will be presented in Dubai. Two more Lab projects are launched—Serving NY led by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and one on the theme of consumption in Russia to be part of Strelka's summer program.


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» Cost of Living
» Energy Bills
This page provides information about energy rebates and energy bills support schemes, heating and health projects and the Household Support Fund.
Other help is also available to eligible residents like the warm home discount, winter fuel payment for older people, and the cold weather payment. Emergency energy vouchers and grants to help pay off energy debts are also available, plus there is advice on how you could use less energy.
£150 Energy rebate
The government introduced a national scheme through which local councils provide a one-off, £150 energy rebate for homes in Council Tax bands A to D.
Details of the energy rebate scheme are available on the Anglia Revenues Partnership (ARP) website. In East Cambridgeshire, ARP and the council worked together to help 100% of all eligible homes to receive their rebate.
£400 Energy Bills Support Scheme
The government has announced that all UK households will receive a non-repayable Energy Bills Support Scheme discount, to reduce energy bills by £400 from October 2022.
The £400 discount will be administered by your energy supplier over six months. Households will see a discount of £66 applied to their energy bills in October and November, rising to £67 each month from December through to March 2023.
The discount will be made automatically by your energy supplier. There is no need to contact your energy supplier or to apply.
The way you receive the payment will differ depending on how you pay for your energy, the government Energy Bills Support Scheme explainer gives more information.
Support for households with alternative fuel sources or without direct relationships with energy suppliers
Households using alternative fuels and households without a direct relationship to an energy supplier will receive help with their energy costs from the Government.
For households who have alternative fuel sources such as biomass or heating oil, a £200 Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) is available to meet energy costs this winter. Most households eligible for the AFP support will receive payment automatically via their electricity supplier in February, with no need to take any action. Those households who will need to apply for the AFP, for example because they do not have a relationship with an electricity supplier, will be able to do so in February,
Residents without a direct relationship to a domestic energy supplier, including many care home residents, those living in park homes, residents of caravans and houseboats on registered sites, off-grid households, tenants in certain rented accommodation or farmers living in domestic farmhouses, will receive a £400 discount on their fuel bills through the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS Alternative Funding). Online applications will open in January 2023 for households to submit their details, alongside a helpline for those without online access.
Payments to households that meet the eligibility criteria, including people who get their energy through a commercial contract or who are off-grid, will be made by local authorities. Customers who are eligible for support under the main Energy Bills Support Scheme are not eligible for EBSS Alternative Funding.
Once customers have applied to receive support and their applications have been processed and verified, eligible customers' details will be shared with local authorities who will deliver the one-off, non-repayable support this winter. The exact date that an eligible household will receive support will depend on when the application is made and when the payment can be processed by the local authority.
Energy Price Guarantee
On 8 September, the government announced the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) which caps the unit of cost of energy per kWh for pre-pay and bill-pay tariffs. While a household's bill will continue to be influenced by how much energy is used, the government have estimated that a typical household will pay under £2,500 per year for their energy.
Money Saving Expert have produced an energy price cap calculator which may help to calculate your energy costs, based on your usage. If you are currently on a pre-capped standard tariff you can enter your energy figures into the calculator for an estimate of what you will pay under the new energy price guarantee. This calculator won't be able to provide estimates for those on a fixed tariff deal, only for standard tariffs.
Heat and Health project
East Cambridgeshire District Council secured funding from health partners for a Heat and Health project.
We will work with communities to create support networks for residents who experience difficulties and associated health problems as a result of not being able to heat their homes fully. Visit the Warm Hubs page for more details.
Household Support Fund
The Cambridgeshire Household Support Fund has been created to help people experiencing immediate financial hardship to pay for food and household energy bills. Help is available for pensioners and other people on eligible benefits who are struggling with food and energy costs.
Warm Home Discount is a one-off payment to reduce eligible customers' bills over the winter months. This winter (2022 to 2023), it is rising from £140 to £150. You do not need to apply for the scheme, payments are automatic, but you will only be eligible if your energy supplier is part of the scheme.
Winter Fuel Payment
If you were born on or before 25 September 1956 you could get a winter fuel payment to help you pay your heating bills. The amount will vary depending on eligibility, with payments made between November and December 2022.
Cold Weather Payment
People on certain benefits may be eligible for a cold weather payment if the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below over seven consecutive days. If you qualify for the payment you will automatically be sent the money, you do not need to make a claim.
You will get £25 for each seven-day period of very cold weather between 1 November 2022 and 31 March 2023.
Grant to help pay off energy debts
If you are in debt to your energy supplier, you might be able to get a grant to help pay it off.
Ofgem offer advice on what to do if you cannot afford to pay your energy bill, including links for schemes, grants and benefits that you may be able to access for help.
Even if your energy provider is not listed as part of the scheme, you might be able to get a grant from the British Gas Energy Trust. This grant is available to anyone - you do not have to be a British Gas customer.
Emergency Energy Vouchers
If you have a pre-pay meter and are struggling to afford to top it up, contact our partner PECT. They can offer advice, support and assess you for an emergency fuel voucher.
Home Energy Efficiency Grants and Incentives
There are various grant schemes available to residents of East Cambridgeshire to increase the energy efficiency of your home, helping to bring down energy costs in the longer term.
Visit our home energy efficiency grants webpage for more details.
Ideas to use less energy
The Energy Saving Trust advise on how to cut down on your energy use to save money and share their quick tips energy advice.
Cambridge Carbon Footprint has ideas to help reduce costs and save energy.
Which? has also published 10 ways to reduce energy bills.
National Energy Action's warm and safe homes advice service is a free support service providing advice to households on their energy bills and keeping warm and safe in their home.
The government endorsed Simple Energy Advice can help you to see what energy improvement grants are available in your area.


If people are searching for it on Pinterest, that must mean it's having a moment. This is why Pinterest's recent release of its most searched for home-related terms has us on the edge of our seats.
The home section on Pinterest has been growing with a 75 percent increase in pins year over year, and it's been shown that Pinners spend 27 percent more on decor than individuals who don't use Pinterest. Interesting. Read on to learn what these home enthusiasts are searching for most (in no particular order), and be sure to try the 10 trends out yourself this year.
Honestly, who wouldn't want their home to feel like the spa? Saves for "spa bathrooms" have gone up 269 percent. Make your bathroom feel straight out of a resort by incorporating natural materials such as wood, luxurious towels, and leafy-green plants.
Mixed metals, to be exact. Saves for "mixed metals" have gone up 423 percent. Mixing metals eliminates the pressure to be matchy-matchy, and that's something we can definitely get on board with.
This flooring that was well-loved in the '70s is making a comeback, and in all kinds of locations, including the ceiling. Searches for "terrazzo" have gone up 316 percent. Learn how to make your own terrazzo floors here.
What a great way to add impact. Statement ceilings can involve unexpected paint colors, patterned wallpaper, or intricate texture. Saves for the trend have gone up 310 percent.
Some find that bone inlaid tiles add just the right touch of luxury. Saves for the term went up 207 percent.
Wood here, wood there, wood everywhere! Whether on wall tiles or flooring, shades of grey and herringbone patterns are where it's at. Saves for "herringbone patterns" rose by 131 percent, for example. Learn everything you need to know about caring for hardwood floors here.
This involves colorful paint, or even a funky doormat. Saves for "colorful doors" have gone up 121 percent. Painting your front door is an easy DIY project. Learn about what type of paint you should use here.
People are so past plain green. Saves for "patterned plants" with multicolored foliage, such as prayer plants, have gone up 533 percent.
This one totally confirms a prediction in our Top Home Trends of 2018 report. Called it! While gallery walls are funky-fun, design lovers are increasingly drawn to XXL photography prints, works of art, and the like. Saves for "big wall art" have gone up 637 percent. Learn how to properly hang wall art yourself here.
Sage green is the natural, almost-neutral shade that adds peace to any space. Saves for it have gone up by 170 percent. Learn what colors work well with sage green here.


text:
Q: What is special about Apple SuperDrive I am planning on replacing my internal SuperDrive with a SSD and I was wondering if I should get an external enclosure specially for the internal SuperDrive or I can use my old drive (with an external enclosure) - Asus DRW 24B3ST.
Any reason I should invest more money in buying an external enclosure to the SuperDrive?
Thanks!

A: tldr; version:
No. But if you do then use your old Asus DVD drive in an external case with power supply.

Long version:
1)
If you get an external enclose for a previously internal SuperDrive then check the power needed to run this drive. It might (will) be more than your external case supplies if it is just powered via USB.
Some numbers:
External USB1 powered case: Max 500mWatt
External USB2 powered case: Max 500mWatt
External USB3 powered case: Max 900mWatt
Power use of an external Apple Superdrive I bought before I thought of this: Up to 1.2 Ampere at 5 volt. (More than even USB3 can supply).
All of this comes down to: Get a big external case with its own PSU. Since it is already big the difference between the normal sized Asus DVD and the SuperDrive does not matter. Just keep the SuperDrive as it is, it might come in handy later. (E.g. when selling the old laptop, or when returning it under waranty.)
2)
Do you need any external DVD device at all?  You can (re)install a modern Apple from USB. Ditto for a PC with windows or GNU/Linux or FreeBSD.

Basically, I just said 'no' twice. No need to get an external case.

Edit to answer the comment. (can't fit the answer in a comment).
I still don't understand what's the difference between the two drives
The Asus 24B3ST is a normal sized DVD burner. it looks like this:
According to the specifications on the Asus website it requires both +5 volt and +12 volt. (as do most desktop CD and DVD devices).

The apple SuperDrive is a name used by apple for two different storage drives: From 1988–1999 it refers to a high-density floppy disk drive. From 2001 onwards to refers to a combined CD/DVD reader/writer.
A assume your post is about the latter.
Apple uses this name for both internal laptop CD/DVD drives as well for external one.
The SuperDrives are laptop drives. As with most laptop devices they are a lot smaller. And as most laptop devices it only needs +5 volts. This is the same voltage as USB supplies and that makes it easier to run it without an external power supply.
(For an idea about size, look at this picture of an Apple SuperDrive in an external Apple case. Use the USB plug in the left upper corner as a reference to gauge the size).

This does not mean that you can just put any SuperDrive an an external USB power case. it will use more power than a single USB lead can supply, leaving you with these options:

*

*You can get an external case (with PSU), mount the Asus drive and happily use it.

*You can get an external case (with PSU), mount the SuperDrive and happily use it.

*Or you can get a case which supports 3 or 4 (!) USB2 plugs to power the Asus drive.

*Or you can get a case which supports 3 or 4 (!) USB2 plugs to power the SuperDrive.

*Or you can get a case which supports 2 USB3 plugs to power the Asus drive.

*Or you can get a case which supports 2 USB3 plugs to power the SuperDrive.

Using 3-4 USB plugs is insane. Even if your laptop has that many connectors it might not be able to power them all. An external USB hub will not work unless it has its own power supply (in which case you might just as well get a case with a PSU).
The only exceptions to this are:

*

*Very low power DVD drives. These are expensive. Neither a normal SuperDrive nor the Asus is one of these.

*Get an SuperDrive for a Mac Air and use a Mac Air. (In which case apple will cheat with USB specs, but only if it detects a the right apple hardware. And that will rapidly drain the power of your Mac Air).

A: I also replaced my superdrive with an SSD. I purchased a combo pack: internal bay + extrrnal case for the super drive. I did not have another external optical drive, so it was an easy choice for me. I do know that the superdrive is able to boot, so you still can boot from optical media through the usb port. If your old extrrnal optical drive is also able to boot, then I don't see any reason to buy a new external case (except for possible higher read/write speeds and dvd burning: I dont know the specs of your old external drive).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
How marketers can stay one step ahead of the voice search trend: A guide
Unless you've been living under a rock, you have probably heard or seen somewhere that half of all searches this year will be conducted through voice-enabled devices, like Siri or Amazon's Alexa. But did you know that:
30%...
By Manish Dudharejia, 22 January 2020, 0 comments. Categories: Advertising, Content Marketing, Search Marketing.
How advanced data analytics will continue to streamline digital marketing strategy in 2020
It's not controversial to suggest that talk of data analytics, over the last two decades, has far exceeded the examples of its successful implementation. We aren't talking here about basic Google Analytics, but of programmes of activity and technology that really delves deep into improving insights and targeting, and dramatically impacts commercial decision making.
Perhaps the best...
By Andreas Pouros, 17 January 2020, 0 comments. Categories: Advertising, Advertising Technology, Attribution, Automation, Data-driven marketing, Personalised Marketing.
When retargeting means additional app revenue: A guide
Marketers working within the mobile ad industry know how fierce the competition for user acquisition can be in the app promotion space. It's expensive to acquire new users and many times the cost per install or cost per action that advertisers get in their campaigns is higher than the goal itself.
Under these conditions, it's no surprise to see marketers dedicate a lot of time and effort to user acquisition: they...
By Tiago Vilaverde, 14 January 2020, 0 comments. Categories: Advertising, Advertising Technology, Data-driven marketing, Personalised Marketing.
2020 in digital marketing: From brand-based to people-based identity and privacy pushes
Opinion 2020 is shaping up to be the year of people-based identity. Marketers are becoming increasingly engaged with trying to understand what this means to them, and how they should be incorporating a notion of identity into their business strategy. Across conferences this year, we've noticed heightened engagement from significant, game-changing brands - talking about identity on stage and running people-based marketing campaigns.
By Simon Burgess, 07 January 2020, 0 comments. Categories: Advertising, Advertising Technology, Customer Experience, Data-driven marketing.
MarketingTech 2019 year in review: Influencer regulations, CMO battles, and social change
2019 in digital marketing, through the reporting eye of MarketingTech, has seen something of a two-pronged approach. While the exploration of emerging technologies and their use cases, from voice search to AI to blockchain, continues, it has been tempered with a more measured and nuanced focus.
While this publication found plenty of column inches to tell the stories those making the most of their technological bets this year, from
By James Bourne, 03 January 2020, 0 comments. Categories: Advertising, Automation, Branding, Campaigns, CMO, Customer Experience, Data-driven marketing.
Consumer-data privacy and personalisation at scale: Strategies to get it right
Personalisation at scale is where retailers and consumer brands are competing to win. But in focusing on "playing offense" to capture value, executives are often overlooking their "defence": preserving, protecting, enabling, and accelerating the hard-won gains of their digital efforts by ensuring that personalisation at scale keeps personal data secure and private.
By Marc Sorel, 02 January 2020, 0 comments. Categories: Advertising, Advertising Technology, Data-driven marketing, Personalised Marketing.
Instagram and Facebook introduce features to combat fake news and bullying
Instagram and Facebook have announced the introduction of new features to help combat fake news and bullying.
In 2019, Instagram introduced a feature that filtered comments. This new AI-powered feature is an extension of the earlier one which alerts users with a warning that their caption looks similar to others that have been previously reported based on the words that are used in the caption.
The Instagram team wrote on...
By Marketing Tech, 17 December 2019, 0 comments. Categories: Advertising, Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing.
Why marketers need to be clever with context to get their 2020 advertising strategies right
Which user data works best for marketing? A consensus has never been reached, so advertisers have always had to keep multiple plates spinning, from behavioural data and location data to IP addresses, cookies and beyond.
However, since GDPR came into force, it is no longer a question of whether advertisers have enough data points, but whether they are using them correctly. The Europe-wide legislation has suddenly made everyone conscious of the fact that companies are collecting and using their personal data...
By Graeme Lynch, 10 December 2019, 0 comments. Categories: Advertising, Advertising Technology, Customer Experience, Data-driven marketing.
For luxury brands, the possibilities of programmatic cannot be ignored
For luxury brands, creating customer relationships, and the revenues they bring, is everything. A $25,000 watch or $150,000 vehicle is rarely an impulse buy, but instead a purchase achieved after many different points of engagement.
An increasingly higher percentage of all ad budgets is being taken up by programmatic advertising, and luxury brands and their marketing efforts need to hop on board with this trend. Digital...
By Joanne Joynson-Hewlett, 03 December 2019, 0 comments. Categories: Advertising, Advertising Technology, Branding, Data-driven marketing, Programmatic.
Privacy and real-time bidding: An updated guide for adtech vendors and publishers
Until the summer of 2019, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's privacy regulator, had not been particularly pro-active in enforcing the law on data protection in respect of the use of cookies and programmatic advertising based on real-time bidding (RTB).
This all changed in June and July of this year, when the ICO published respectively a
By Raj Shah, 29 November 2019, 0 comments. Categories: Advertising, Advertising Technology, Best Practice, Programmatic, Publishing.


text:
Q: how to get value into textbox without button click am using as follows
 <input type="text" value="<?php echo empty($this->session->store['actual_info']['actual_total_marketing_budget']) ? '' : $this->session->store['actual_info']['actual_total_marketing_budget']; ?>"  readonly name="actual_total_marketing_budget" readonly id="actual_total_marketing_budget"  size="30" style="height:20px; " onFocus="total_marketing_budget()"/></td>

here the issue when clicking on the textbox only it is getting or changing value i need the value without clicking on text box what i have to do. someone help me please

A: Try doing:
document.getElementById('actual_total_marketing_budget').value

See it here in action.
However, a similar question was answered here.

A: You have written the function to get the value of textbox, in onFocus event.
Change it to on document load like
<script>
(function() {
        var textBox = document.getElementById('actual_total_marketing_budget').value
    })();
</script>

Check this in JSFiddle

A: you could do it like this;
<input type ="text" value="...." id ="actual_total_marketing_budget">

<script type="text/javascript">
function actual_total_marketing_budget(){
var textbox = document.getElementById('actual_total_marketing_budget');

//the function body is the same as you have defined sue the textbox object to set the value
}

actual_total_marketing_budget();
</script>

Here notice that I have called the function actual_total_marketing_budget() after defining it that changes the value of the textbox once the page has loaded.


text:
Federal Criminal Defense Lawyers
When the FBI Comes Calling…
Ronald McAdams of Williamsport, Pennsylvania is Charged in a One-Count Felony Information Alleging Federal Health Care Fraud
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on August 26, 2014 released the following:
"Williamsport Resident Charged with Health Care Fraud
The United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a criminal charge of health care fraud has have been filed against Ronald McAdams of Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
According to United States Attorney, Peter Smith, McAdams, age 57, is charged in a one-count felony Information with health care fraud based on submitting false claims to the Pennsylvania Attendant Care Medicaid Waiver Program. The Information alleges McAdams billed for and received reimbursement for attendant care services which were never performed.
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Section. Assistant United States Attorney Wayne P. Samuelson is assigned to prosecute the case.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statues and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
In this case, the maximum penalty under the federal statute is ten years' imprisonment, and a fine of $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant."
Douglas McNabb – McNabb Associates, P.C.'s
Federal Criminal Defense Attorneys Videos:
Federal Crimes – Be Careful
Federal Crimes – Be Proactive
Federal Crimes – Federal Indictment
Federal Crimes – Detention Hearing
Federal Mail Fraud Crimes
Federal Crimes – Appeal
To find additional federal criminal news, please read Federal Criminal Defense Daily.
Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition Defense, OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal, International Criminal Court Defense, and US Seizure of Non-Resident, Foreign-Owned Assets. Because we have experience dealing with INTERPOL, our firm understands the inter-relationship that INTERPOL's "Red Notice" brings to this equation.
The author of this blog is Douglas C. McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.
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Posted by Douglas McNabb, Attorney at Law
Former Owner of Los Angeles Medical Clinic Management Company Mikran "Mike" Meguerian Indicted by a Federal Grand Jury Alleging a $13 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
The Federal Bureau of Investigation on September 30, 2013 released the following:
"WASHINGTON—The former owner of a Los Angeles medical clinic management company has been indicted for his role in a $13 million scheme to defraud Medicare.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney André Birotte, Jr. of the Central District of California, and Assistant Director in Charge Bill L. Lewis of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office made the announcement.
Mikran "Mike" Meguerian, 36, of Glendale, California, was indicted in the Central District of California on one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and five counts of health care fraud, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison upon conviction. Meguerian was arrested on September 26, 2013, and the indictment was unsealed following his initial appearance in federal court on September 27, 2013.
According to court documents, Meguerian owned Med Serve Management, a medical clinic management company located in Van Nuys, California. From approximately 2006 through February 2009, he allegedly engaged in a conspiracy to commit health care fraud, in part through the operation of Med Serve. According to court documents, Meguerian oversaw several medical clinics that generated prescriptions and other medical documents for medically unnecessary power wheelchairs and other durable medical equipment (DME). Meguerian and his co-conspirators then sold the prescriptions to DME supply companies, knowing that the prescriptions were fraudulent. Court documents allege that, based on these fraudulent prescriptions, the DME supply companies then submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare.
Court documents allege that fraudulent prescriptions from Meguerian's clinics were instrumental in generating approximately $13.6 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare, and Medicare paid approximately $7.6 on those claims.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the FBI and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division's Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Fred Medick and Blanca Quintero of the Criminal Division's Fraud Section.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,500 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $5 billion. In addition, HHS's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers."
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Former Owner of Los Angeles Equipment Supply Company Valery Bogomolny Indicted by a Federal Grand Jury Alleging a $4 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
"WASHINGTON—A former owner of a Los Angeles medical equipment supply company has been indicted for allegedly engaging in a $4 million Medicare fraud scheme.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney André Birotte, Jr. of the Central District of California, Special Agent in Charge Glenn R. Ferry of the Los Angeles Region of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and Assistant Director in Charge Bill L. Lewis of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office made the announcement.
Valery Bogomolny, 41, of Los Angeles, California, was indicted in the Central District of California on six counts of health care fraud, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison upon conviction. Bogomolny was taken into custody on September 27, 2013, and the indictment was unsealed following his initial appearance in federal court that afternoon.
According to court documents, Bogomolny was the owner and president of Royal Medical Supply, a durable medical equipment (DME) supply company located in Los Angeles. From approximately January 2006 through October 2009, he allegedly engaged in a scheme to commit health care fraud through the operation of Royal by providing medically unnecessary power wheelchairs and other DME to Medicare beneficiaries and submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare. Court documents allege that Bogomolny knew the prescriptions and medical documents were fraudulent and that some of the beneficiaries did not receive the DME, yet he certified to Medicare with the submission of each claim that the DME was received and was medically necessary.
Bogomolny, through Royal, allegedly submitted approximately $4 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for power wheelchairs and related services, and Medicare paid Royal approximately $2.7 million on those claims.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division's Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Fred Medick of the Criminal Division's Fraud Section.
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"Mobile Doctors' Chicago CEO and Doctor Arrested on Federal Health Care Fraud Charges"
"Offices Searched in Three Cities
CHICAGO—The chief executive officer of Chicago-based Mobile Doctors, which manages physicians who make house calls in six states, and one of its physicians in Chicago were arrested today on federal health care fraud charges. At the same time, federal agents executed search warrants at Mobile Doctors' offices in Chicago, Detroit, and Indianapolis, as well as warrants to seize up to $2.568 million in alleged fraud proceeds from various bank accounts. The charges allege a scheme to fraudulently increase (also known as "upcoding") Medicare bills for in-home patient visits that Mobile Doctors falsely claimed were more complicated and longer than they actually were. The charges also allege that Mobile Doctors' physicians falsely certified that patients were confined to their homes, enabling home health care agencies to claim fees for additional services for patients who were not actually qualified to receive them.
Agents from the FBI, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and other law enforcement agencies executed the arrest, search, and seizure warrants in connection with the charges and also a broader ongoing investigation that includes allegedly illegal billing practices for medically unnecessary tests and services not performed by a physician.
Arrested were Dike Ajiri, 42, of Wilmette, CEO of Mobile Doctors, which he has effectively owned since 1996, and Banio Koroma, 63, of Tinley Park, a physician who has worked for Mobile Doctors since approximately 2007. Mobile Doctors, located at 3319 N. Elston Ave., in Chicago, arranges patient home visits and contracts with doctors who perform the visits. The physicians assign their rights to bill and collect payment to Mobile Doctors in return for being paid directly by the company. Mobile Doctors' website claims that its associated physicians have made more than 500,000 house calls since its inception. In addition to Chicago, the company has branches in Detroit and Flint, Michigan; San Antonio and Austin, Texas; Indianapolis; Kansas City; Phoenix; and St. Louis.
Ajiri was charged with health care fraud, and Koroma was charged with making false statements relating to health care benefits in a criminal complaint that was filed yesterday and unsealed today after the arrests. Both were scheduled to appear at 3 p.m. today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Rowland in U.S. District Court.
The arrests and charges were announced by Gary S. Shapiro, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert J. Shields, Jr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Lamont Pugh, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Regional Office of the HHS-OIG. The Railroad Retirement Board Office of Inspector General is also participating in the investigation.
According to a 75-page affidavit in support of the arrest, search, and seizure warrants, agents have interviewed several current and more than 25 former employees of Mobile Doctors, including some who reported allegedly fraudulent billing practices to Medicare before they were contacted by agents. Investigators have also reviewed e-mails and documents, claims data and patient files and have conducted interviews with patients of Mobile Doctors and their primary care physicians, whose statements contradict Mobile Doctors' billing and patient records.
Mobile Doctors physicians do not perform tests such as echocardiograms but do order such tests, which are done on Mobile Doctors' patients by employees of In Home Diagnostics, doing business as Ultrasound2You. According to Medicare records, Ajiri is a minority partner in In Home Diagnostics, which is located in the same building as Mobile Doctors, and Mobile Doctors bills the echocardiograms so that they appear to have been done by Mobile Doctors' physicians.
The complaint affidavit states that Ajiri signed a personal financial statement on December 31, 2012, stating that he received $1.5 million in annual partnership income from a corporate entity, Mobile Doctors LLC, which has a complex ownership structure involving Ajiri and, over time, one or both of his parents. Between 2008 and January 2013, bank records show that approximately $4.365 million was transferred from Mobile Doctors to an account in the name of Ajiri and his wife.
Upcoding Patient Visits
According to interviews with former and current Mobile Doctors physicians, branch managers, clinical coordinators, employees, and patients, a typical visit that a Mobile Doctors physician has with an established patient lasts 10 to 30 minutes and is routine in nature. In contrast to those interviews, claims data shows that from 2006 through February 2013, approximately 99 percent of all established-patient visits by Mobile Doctors physicians were billed to Medicare using either of the two highest codes indicating the visits involved medical decision-making of moderate to high complexity, detailed or comprehensive interval histories or medical examinations, and/or visits that typically last at least 40 minutes.
In 2009 in Chicago, the local Medicare fee for a visit using the second-highest home visit code was approximately $122.82, while the fee for the highest code was approximately $171.25. According to a review of claims data for Railroad Retirement Board patients, every single established-patient visit Mobile Doctors billed to Medicare between January 2007 and June 2008 used the highest fee code. Between January 2007 and November 2012, approximately 93 percent of such visits were billed using the highest fee code.
The former manager of Mobile Doctors' Chicago branch until she was terminated in 2008 told agents that Ajiri told her that the second-highest fee code was the default code for a patient visit so that it would be worth the gas and time spent. The manager said Ajiri told physicians, "I don't pay for ones or twos," referring to the two lower of the four applicable fee codes. At the end of one day, she said she saw Ajiri in his office "automatically" altering the billing codes and marking visits at the highest fee level on patient records submitted by physicians and assistants who accompanied them on home visits. A physician told agents that in late 2007, Ajiri did not respond to his concerns about Mobile Doctors' billing practices and instead told the doctor that he could earn more money if he would order more tests such as electrocardiograms, according to the affidavit.
The complaint alleges that the vast majority of payments made on established-patient visit claims using the highest fee code were the result of fraudulent upcoding. From 2006 through 2012, Mobile Doctors received approximately $21.4 million in payments on claims using the second-highest code and approximately $12.6 million in Medicare payments on claims using the highest fee code.
Falsely Certifying Patients as Confined to Their Homes
The charges further allege that Mobile Doctors physicians, including Koroma, falsely certified patients as confined to their homes and requiring home health services when they were not home-bound and did not require such care. By referring patients to home health agencies that did not warrant Medicare payments, Mobile Doctors received more referrals from those agencies for services provided by its physicians. According to Medicare data, from August 2010 through July 2013, more than 200 home health agencies submitted Medicare claims for services allegedly rendered to patients for whom Koroma was identified as the referring physician. These home health agencies have been paid more than $10 million for services listing Koroma as the referring physician.
Between January 2006 and March 2013, Mobile Doctors physicians have certified or recertified for 60-day periods approximately 15,598 patients as confined to their homes and requiring home health services a total of approximately 83,133 times, many of which were allegedly false. Approximately 6,057 of these certifications were attributed since August 2007 to Koroma, with Mobile Doctors billing Medicare for approximately 17,439 patient visits he made during that time, more than any other Mobile Doctors physician.
The health care fraud count against Ajiri carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine and restitution is mandatory. The false statements count against Koroma carries a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted, the court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen C. Lee and Catherine Dick, assistant chief in the Fraud Section of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. The U.S. Attorney's Offices in Detroit, Indianapolis, and Phoenix also have assisted in the investigation.
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Medicare Fraud Strike Force began operating in Chicago in February 2011 and consists of agents from the FBI and HHS-OIG working together with prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Justice Department's Fraud Section. The strike force is part of the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), a joint initiative announced in May 2009 between the Department of Justice and HHS to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country. Scores of defendants have been charged locally in health care fraud cases since the strike force began operating in Chicago."
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Local Physician, Clinic, and Nurse Practitioner Indicted by a Federal Grand Jury Alleging Federal Health Care Fraud Charges
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on July 18, 2013 released the following:
"ST. LOUIS, MO— Dr. Mel Lucas, Patterson Medical Clinic Inc., and nurse practitioner Robyn Levy were indicted on multiple health care fraud related charges for their alleged false billing for services never rendered and false statements in patients' medical records.
According to the indictment, from June 2008 to June 2011, the Patterson Medical Clinic Inc. and osteopath Mel E. Lucas billed Medicare, Tricare, and private insurers for more X-rays than were actually taken. The clinic had X-ray equipment in-house. The indictment also alleges that from 2008 to 2011, the clinic and Dr. Lucas billed for Lucas' services on 573 occasions when he was actually out of town or in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
The indictment states that insurers were also billed for Lucas' services on Fridays, when he did not come into the clinic. Instead, the patients were seen by medical assistants, who took their vital signs and drew their blood or gave them an injection. Lucas reviewed the records when he returned and billed insurers as if he had actually examined the patients.
Finally, the indictment alleges that Patterson, Lucas, and nurse practitioner Robyn Levy also billed insurers for an FDA-approved drug when Lucas had actually bought a non-approved version in Canada for hundreds of dollars less. The patients were not told they were receiving a drug that was not FDA-approved.
Lucas, of Florissant, Missouri, and Patterson Medical Clinic Inc. were indicted by a federal grand jury on eight felony counts of health care fraud and seven felony counts of false statements related to health service. Levy was indicted on two felony counts of health care fraud and three felony counts of false statements related to health service.
If convicted, each count of health care fraud carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000 and each count of making false statements carries a maximum of five years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000. In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.
Additionally, upon a finding of guilt, the defendants will be subject to forfeiture, which will require them to forfeit to the government all money derived from their illegal activity.
This case was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Dorothy McMurtry is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney's Office.
As is always the case, charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty."
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"Florida Health Care Medical Director and Six Therapists Arrested for Alleged Roles in $63 Million Fraud Scheme"
The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Public Affairs on July 16, 2013 released the following:
"The former medical director at defunct health provider Health Care Solutions Network (HCSN) and six therapists were arrested today, accused of conspiring to fraudulently bill Medicare and Florida Medicaid more than $63 million.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department's Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Wifredo A. Ferrer; Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Steinbach of the FBI's Miami Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Christopher B. Dennis of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Office of Investigations Miami office, made the announcement after the indictment was unsealed following the arrests.
The former HCSN medical director, Roger Rousseau, 71, of Miami, was indicted on July 11, 2013, and charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and two counts of health care fraud. In addition, six therapists from Miami – Doris Crabtree, 61; Angela Salafia, 65; Liliana Marks, 46; Ruben Busquets, 49; Alina Fonts, 47; and Blanca Ruiz, 59 – were also charged in the same indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Fonts was also charged with two counts of health care fraud, and Crabtree, Salafia, Marks and Busquets were each charged with two counts of making false statements related to health care matters. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of proceeds from the alleged healthcare fraud offenses.
According to the indictment, HCSN purported to provide intensive mental health treatment to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in Miami and Hendersonville, N.C., from approximately 2004 through 2011 for purported mental health services that were not medically necessary and often never provided. The indictment also alleges that in Miami, HCSN paid kickbacks to assisted living facility owners and operators who, in exchange, referred beneficiaries to HCSN. In total, HCSN is alleged to have fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid approximately $63.7 million, from which HCSN allegedly received payments totaling approximately $28 million.
Rousseau served as the medical director for HCSN in Florida, and the indictment alleges that he routinely signed what he knew to be fabricated and altered medical records without ever reviewing the materials, and, in most instances, without ever meeting with the patient. The indictment also alleges that Crabtree, Salafia, Marks, Busquets, Fonts and Ruiz fabricated HCSN medical records to support false and fraudulent claims for partial hospitalization program services that were not medically necessary and were not provided.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG, and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division's Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. The case is being prosecuted by Fraud Section Trial Attorney Allan J. Medina.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,500 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $5 billion. In addition, HHS's Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers."
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Dr. Dennis B. Barson, Jr. and Dario Juarez Indicted by a Houston Federal Grand Jury Alleging a Conspiracy to Defraud Medicare of $2.1 Million in Less Than Two Months and Health Care Fraud
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on June 25, 2013 released the following:
"Austin Doctor Charged with Defrauding Medicare of $2 Million in Less Than Two Months
HOUSTON— Dr. Dennis B. Barson, Jr., 40, and his medical clinic administrator, Dario Juarez, 53, have been charged in a 20-count indictment alleging a conspiracy to defraud Medicare of $2.1 million in less than two months, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.
The indictment, returned under seal on June 19, 2013, alleges the fraudulent billing was for rectal sensation tests and electromyogram (EMG) studies of the anal or urethral sphincter which were never performed. The indictment also charges Barson, of Austin, and Juarez, of Beeville, with health care fraud for filing false claims with Medicare for medical procedures which were never performed.
Barson was arrested this morning, at which time the indictment was unsealed. He is expected to make his initial appearance today before a U.S. magistrate judge in Austin. Juarez is already in custody serving time for practicing medicine without a license.
According to the allegations in the indictment, Barson was the only practicing doctor at a medical clinic located at 8470 Gulf Freeway in Houston. It was Juarez, however, who allegedly represented himself either to be a doctor or a physician's assistant and was the one who actually saw patients, according to the indictment. It is alleged that Barson and Juarez caused Medicare to be billed for procedures on 429 patients in just two months. Barson and Juarez also allegedly billed Medicare for seeing more than 100 patients on 13 different days, including a high of 156 patients on July 13, 2009.
Each of the 19 health care fraud counts and the conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in a federal prison and a $250,000 fine, upon conviction.
The criminal charges are the result of a joint investigation conducted by agents of the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Texas Attorney General's Office. This case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Al Balboni and Special Assistant United States Attorney Adrienne Frazior.
An indictment is an accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until convicted through due process of law."
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Brimstone (2016)
Latest 'Brimstone' News
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Game of Thrones star Kint Harington gets revenge in a particularly gruesome way in one of three clips from Brimstone.
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Well | Should Your Doctor Be on Facebook?
Should Your Doctor Be on Facebook?
By Danielle Ofri, M.D.
April 28, 2011 6:00 am April 28, 2011 6:00 am
Nicolas Loran/Getty
When I was a third-year medical resident, an attending physician handed me his business card so that I could contact him about a patient. Printed below his phone number was something I hadn't seen on a business card before: an e-mail address.
I thought to myself, "How pretentious!"
It's hard to believe this occurred less than 20 years ago. Now most of my house staff wince when I suggest communicating by e-mail. E-mail is for old fogies, they imply with their body language. They prefer to text or send instant messages in the hospital, and use Facebook or Twitter with friends.
For doctors like me who have waded into social media, however gingerly, many questions arise. Is posting a medical musing or details of a recent party on Twitter or Facebook the same as chatting with colleagues while walking down the hall of the hospital? Do the same rules of etiquette and liability apply to this extremely public environment?
An article in The Journal of General Internal Medicine highlights some of the hazards of the murky mixing of personal and professional selves that occurs in the online world. In one example, a doctor had posted photos of himself and his colleagues partying on his Facebook page. These were aid doctors providing medical care in Haiti, and the unprofessional images of drinking, carousing and posing with guns cast a poor light on what by all accounts was exemplary medical work.
The article notes how the online world facilitates "disinhibition" and how a momentary lapse can be rapidly magnified and become permanently embedded in the cyberworld. Rapid dissemination, downloading and reposting make it nigh impossible to scrub unwanted images and text from the Web. Dr. Ryan Greysen, the lead author and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation clinical scholar at Yale School of Medicine, endorses a "think before you post" philosophy, keeping in mind that you can never tell what a friend's friend's friend might do with a photo, video or nugget of information.
"Think about your digital footprint," Dr. Greysen says, "but also think more broadly. How would hundreds of posts like this reflect on the profession?"
He also notes that "violations of professionalism online are no different than violations in 'real life' and could be sanctioned by state medical boards." A major concern, he says, is with the new generation of physicians and students who enter the medical world after years of saturation in social media.
Dr. Kevin Pho, a primary care doctor in New Hampshire who writes the popular KevinMD blog, maintains both a personal and a professional online presence. His professional Facebook page contains his writing and commentary and can be "liked" by anyone. He limits access to his personal Facebook page to family and close friends.
I worry that it is impossible to maintain a perfect firewall, so I've decided to limit my online presence to the professional side of my life, keeping personal information off the Web. And before I post anything anywhere, I try to imagine what a patient of mine might think if she stumbled across it. Would it make her cringe? Would she feel awkward during her next office visit? Would this somehow compromise our relationship?
This means letting go of the fun and casual side of social media, but I think that's simply part of the territory of being a doctor. It's the same reason I don't wear flip-flops and shorts to work, much as I'd surely love to. Giving up posting vacation pictures doesn't seem like a particularly high price.
Doctors — like everyone else — are entitled to private lives, with all the attendant warts, embarrassments and unflattering moments. But now that any patient can Google a medical team, doctors — like teachers and lawyers — need to consider issues of professionalism before sharing their private lives.
But social media has its upside, too. As Dr. Pho points out, social media "can be an effective tool to guide patients to reputable sources of information," countering the deluge of health information on the Internet. The Web likewise holds the promise of expanding accessible channels of communication between doctors and patients, though the complexities and liabilities certainly need to be ironed out.
I'm sure there are those who view a doctor with a Twitter account as pretentious, just as I viewed my own attending 20 years ago with his flashy e-mail address. But the iterations of online technology are likely to mutate faster than our staid medical institutions can adapt. In a few years these same doctors who have embraced Twitter may be seen as hopeless Luddites. The next generation of medical students will look at us with a collective eye-roll, unable to believe that we could persist in something so artless and archaic.
Dr. Danielle Ofri is an internist at Bellevue Hospital in New York City and editor in chief of the Bellevue Literary Review. Her most recent book, "Medicine in Translation: Journeys With My Patients," is about the care of immigrants and Americans in the United States health care system.
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