Despite bridge collapse, San Juan Islands say 'come anyway'

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If youre heading for the ferry to the San Juan Islands, youll need to detour around the fallen bridge on Interstate 5. (Betty Udesen photo / The Seattle Times)

If you have a hotel booking in the San Juan Islands for this weekend, the word from the islands is: Please try to come anyway. But if you need to cancel, call and you might get a sympathetic ear.

For the tourism-dependent San Juans, the Interstate 5 bridge collapse could hardly have happened at a worst time the Memorial Day Weekend kickoff of the tourist season.

The I-5 bridge that fell into the Skagit River is just south of the most-used exit, the Burlington exit to Highway 20, for island-bound motorists coming from the Seattle area.

Island promoters Friday morning encouraged visitors to try the detour routes. But some lodging owners are waiving cancellation penalties for bookings for this holiday weekend.

I know theyve received hundreds of phone calls last night and this morning, said Deborah Hopkins Buchanan, executive director of the San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau. Theyre encouraging people to still come.

Laura Saccio, owner of Friday Harbors Bird Rock Hotel and Earthbox Inn and Spa, said she is waiving cancellation penalties for this weekend and rescheduling when possible, but were telling them were still open for business. Were trying to ease the economic impact on the county.

Jim Schuh, ranger at popular Moran State Park on Orcas Island, said Friday morning hed had some calls to reschedule campground reservations.

Were working really closely with Emergency Management folks on the islands to get a unified message out, said Barbara Marrett, communications manager for the visitor bureau. She noted that people can come without a car by taking the Victoria Clipper or taking shuttles to the Anacortes ferry terminal and coming as walk-on passengers. Shuttle van service is available now on San Juan Island and next month on Orcas Island.

Buchanan said her bureau is suggesting Seattle-area drivers use the Fir Island route from Exit 221 at Conway to detour via Fir Island Road and Best Road to Highway 20. See the route on this map from the Washington Department of Transportation.

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Despite bridge collapse, San Juan Islands say 'come anyway'

Google Street View Adds Panorama Of Galapagos Islands

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May 24, 2013

April Flowers for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

The Galapagos Islands played a pivotal role in the development of Charles Darwins theory of natural selection because they are some of the most biologically unique ecosystems in the world, drawing the attention of explorers and scientists alike. Local conservation groups, scientists and the Ecuadorean Government are working to protect the Galapagos from the threats posed by invasive species, climate change, and other human impacts.

Now, a partnership between the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF), the Galapagos National Parks Directorate (GNPD) and Google Street is bringing panoramic images of the Galapagos Islands to Street View. TheNextWeb reports that the images arent available yet, but Google has given a glimpse of what we can expect when they are unveiled on Google Maps later this year with an image release of the Googlers, as their explorers are called, trekking the islands with backpack versions of the famous car-mounted 360-degree cameras.

Our 10-day adventure in the Galapagos was full of hiking, boating and diving around the islands (in hot and humid conditions) to capture 360-degree images of the unique wildlife and geological features of the islands with the Trekker, explainsRaleigh Seamster, project lead for Google Maps.

We captured imagery from 10 locations that were hand-selected by CDF and GNPD. We walked past giant tortoises and blue-footed boobies, navigated through steep trails and lava fields, and picked our way down the crater of an active volcano called Sierra Negra.

The official Google Blog reports that the backpack cameras, or Trekkers, are 42 pounds of computerwith large, soccer ball-like cameras mounted on a tower. The soccer ball has 15 cameras inside to capture panoramic views of some of the most inaccessible places on the islands.

But Google didnt stop on land. They partnered with Catlin Seaview Survey to collect underwater panoramic images as well, focusing on areas being studied by CDF and GNPD. The images captured will be used by Catlin to create a visual and scientific baseline record of the marine environment surrounding the islands.

ABC News reports that Google is working with scientists to explore the footage of both land and sea, to identify the broad biodiversity of the island. The pictures will be updated regularly through the years to allow the scientists to study the effects of invasive species, tourism and climate change.

We hope that children in classrooms around the world will be trying to discover what they can see in the images, even tiny creatures like insects, said Daniel Orellana, a scientist with the Charles Darwin Foundation.

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Google Street View Adds Panorama Of Galapagos Islands

Google Street View captures Galapagos Islands

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Few have explored the remote volcanic islands of the Galapagos archipelago, an otherworldly landscape inhabited by the world's largest tortoises and other fantastical creatures that inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

Soon it will take only the click of a mouse or finger swipe on a tablet to explore some of the Galapagos Islands' most remote areas, surrounding waters and unique creatures.

Google sent hikers to the Galapagos with Street View gear called "trekkers," 19-kilogram computer backpacks with large, soccer ball-like cameras mounted on a tower.

Each orb has 15 cameras inside it that have captured panoramic views of some of the most inaccessible places on the Galapagos. Crews from The Catlin Seaview Survey worked with Google to capture 360-degree views of selected underwater areas too.

"We spent 10 days there hiking over trails and even down the crater of an active volcano," Raleigh Seamster, the project's leader for Google Maps said. "And these are islands, so half of the life there is under the water surface. So (we brought) Street View underwater to swim with sea lions, sharks and other marine animals."

Google is processing the footage and is trying to stitch it together. It hopes to post it to Street View later this year.

The cameras captured the nesting sites of blue-footed boobies, the red-throated "magnificent frigatebirds," swimming hammerhead sharks and, of course, the island's giant tortoises.

Scientists working with Google are exploring the footage for other species and hope to update the pictures regularly throughout the years as they study the effects of invasive species, tourism and climate change on the island's ecosystems.

"We hope that children in classrooms around the world will be trying to discover what they can see in the images, even tiny creatures like insects," said Daniel Orellana, a scientist with the Charles Darwin Foundation.

"We can use this as an education experience for children, and there is a huge opportunity for rare discoveries."

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Google Street View captures Galapagos Islands

Strike at UC San Diego Medical Centers: Health care workers push for new contract – Video

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Health care providers set to move into FW

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May 24, 2013 - 01:39 PM

If all goes according to plan, Federal Way's health care sector could significantly grow again this year.

Two unnamed health care providers are scheduled to move into some of Federal Way's vacant office space, according to Patrick Doherty, director of Community and Economic Development for the City of Federal Way.

"Once we get those, we will have quite a list of newcomers," he said, adding that the city has decreased its vacant space, though it's still around 600,000 square feet. Doherty said that "it's great to see the buildings fill up" whether or not the tenants are health care-related, but he also added that City has also actively been encouraging the formation and growth of a health care cluster.

"We didn't create it or anything," he said. "If a certain number of health care providers, or any other industry, start to cluster in your community, you go out and find out why and try to support and grow that cluster."

Doherty was tight-lipped about the potential new health care tenants, but did reveal that a major regional medical center in the area is looking to open a clinic in Federal Way, and that a physician group is in final lease negotiations on a building.

While nothing's been finalized, Doherty said after the two openings are announced the city will likely start advertising directly to health care employers in an effort to grow this emerging cluster.

"Health care (businesses) specifically provide good jobs," Doherty said. "From very skilled all the way down to service jobs, it's a good range of jobs for people in the community."

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Health care providers set to move into FW

Some unions angry about health care law

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FILE - In this July 28, 2004, file photo, Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Firefighters, addresses the delegates to the Democratic National Convention, in Boston. Some labor unions that initially backed President Barack Obama's health care overhaul are now frustrated and angry about what they say are unexpected consequences of the plan that could hurt their members. Schaitberger said unions have been forceful in seeking solutions from the Obama administration, but none have been forthcoming. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

Ron Edmonds, ap

WASHINGTON Some labor unions that enthusiastically backed President Barack Obama's health care overhaul are now frustrated and angry, fearful it will jeopardize benefits for millions of members.

Union leaders warn that unless the problem is fixed, there could be consequences for Democrats facing re-election next year.

"It makes an untruth out of what the president said that if you like your insurance, you could keep it," said Joe Hansen, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. "That is not going to be true for millions of workers now."

The problem lies in the unique multiemployer health plans that cover unionized workers in retail, construction, transportation and other industries with seasonal or temporary employment. Known as Taft-Hartley plans, they are jointly administered by unions and smaller employers that pool resources to offer more than 20 million workers and family members coverage, even during times of unemployment.

The union plans were already more costly to run than traditional single-employer health plans.

But Obama's Affordable Care Act has added to that cost for the unions' and other plans by requiring health plans to cover dependents up to age 26, eliminate annual or lifetime coverage limits and extend coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.

"We're concerned that employers will be increasingly tempted to drop coverage through our plans and let our members fend for themselves on the health exchanges," said David Treanor, director of health care initiatives at the Operating Engineers union.

Workers seeking coverage in the state-based marketplaces, known as exchanges, can qualify for subsidies, determined by a sliding scale based on income. By contrast, the new law does not allow workers in the union plans to receive similar subsidies.

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Some unions angry about health care law

Some unions now angry about health care overhaul

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WASHINGTON

Some labor unions that enthusiastically backed President Barack Obama's health care overhaul are now frustrated and angry, fearful that it will jeopardize benefits for millions of their members.

Union leaders warn that unless the problem is fixed, there could be consequences for Democrats facing re-election next year.

"It makes an untruth out of what the president said - that if you like your insurance, you could keep it," said Joe Hansen, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. "That is not going to be true for millions of workers now."

The problem lies in the unique multiemployer health plans that cover unionized workers in retail, construction, transportation and other industries with seasonal or temporary employment. Known as Taft-Hartley plans, they are jointly administered by unions and smaller employers that pool resources to offer more than 20 million workers and family members continuous coverage, even during times of unemployment.

The union plans were already more costly to run than traditional single-employer health plans.

But Obama's Affordable Care Act has added to that cost - for the unions' and other plans - by requiring health plans to cover dependents up to age 26, eliminate annual or lifetime coverage limits and extend coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.

"We're concerned that employers will be increasingly tempted to drop coverage through our plans and let our members fend for themselves on the health exchanges," said David Treanor, director of health care initiatives at the Operating Engineers union.

Workers seeking coverage in the state-based marketplaces, known as exchanges, can qualify for subsidies, determined by a sliding scale based on income. By contrast, the new law does not allow workers in the union plans to receive similar subsidies.

Bob Laszewski, a health care industry consultant, said the real fear among unions is that "a lot of these labor contracts are very expensive, and now employers are going to have an alternative to very expensive labor health benefits."

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Some unions now angry about health care overhaul

Health care overhaul faces backlash from once supportive labour unions

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By Sam Hananel, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Some labour unions that enthusiastically backed President Barack Obama's health care overhaul are now frustrated and angry, fearful that it will jeopardize benefits for millions of their members.

Union leaders warn that unless the problem is fixed, there could be consequences for Democrats facing re-election next year.

"It makes an untruth out of what the president said that if you like your insurance, you could keep it," said Joe Hansen, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. "That is not going to be true for millions of workers now."

The problem lies in the unique multiemployer health plans that cover unionized workers in retail, construction, transportation and other industries with seasonal or temporary employment. Known as Taft-Hartley plans, they are jointly administered by unions and smaller employers that pool resources to offer more than 20 million workers and family members continuous coverage, even during times of unemployment.

The union plans were already more costly to run than traditional single-employer health plans.

But Obama's Affordable Care Act has added to that cost for the unions' and other plans by requiring health plans to cover dependents up to age 26, eliminate annual or lifetime coverage limits and extend coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.

"We're concerned that employers will be increasingly tempted to drop coverage through our plans and let our members fend for themselves on the health exchanges," said David Treanor, director of health care initiatives at the Operating Engineers union.

Workers seeking coverage in the state-based marketplaces, known as exchanges, can qualify for subsidies, determined by a sliding scale based on income. By contrast, the new law does not allow workers in the union plans to receive similar subsidies.

Bob Laszewski, a health care industry consultant, said the real fear among unions is that "a lot of these labour contracts are very expensive, and now employers are going to have an alternative to very expensive labour health benefits."

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Health care overhaul faces backlash from once supportive labour unions

Obama Administration’s War On Press Freedom (with Glenn Greenwald) 3/3 – Video

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