News Blogger: October 2014

Monday, October 27, 2014

Tablets finally mature

When the main improvement in a high-tech gadget is that it’s faster and thinner, you know the product category has matured. Such is the case with tablets, as evidenced by Apple iPad updates this week.

On Thursday the tech giant launched the svelte $499 iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3, available later this month.

For the rest of us, there’s a welter of less expensive but just as capable models, many tailored to specific interests and needs. Two of the most interesting models are AARP’s new RealPad — aimed at the 50-plus crowd and Kobo’s new Aura H20, which is a dedicated e-reader.

The RealPad is easily mistaken for an Apple iPad mini (my daughter thought I’d swiped hers), which is a good thing. You don’t want to look like an oldster using a granny tablet. It runs Google’s Android software is less than half the price of an iPad mini 3 at just $189 — a more reasonable price for retirees on a fixed income.

The tablet has a 7.85-inch color touchscreen, built-in Wi-Fi, and front (2 megapixels) and rear cameras (5 megapixels) for video chatting with the grandkids or taking vacation pictures. It also has 16 GB of built-in storage, which can be expanded using a microSD slot — a feature the iPad mini lacks. There is also Bluetooth wireless support, which the RealPad points out can be used for wireless health care devices (another AARP reminder that this is not a hipster tablet).

For all intents and purposes, the RealPad is a capable Android tablet. What’s different are the thoughtful ways the AARP has tried to make it easy — really easy — to use. There’s an honest-to-goodness owners’ manual, for example, that explains basic functions like how to take a picture or how to pair the tablet with a Bluetooth device. And there’s a special tool bar at the bottom of the screen that can generate ‘how-to’ video demonstrations. Perhaps most importantly, however, free tech support available around the clock, 7 days a week via a toll-free number. Yes, you can call any time and get a real person on the phone.

And when you want a little reassurance, there’s a RealQuick Fix button. Tapping it will display the tablet’s status and let you know if something has gone awry, such an errant app or a problematic Wi-Fi connection.

The RealPad doesn’t match the iPad mini in two discernible respects: screen resolution and speaker quality. It’s not quite as crisp a display (it has about half the number of pixels as the iPad mini 3) and the speakers are tinny (alternately, there’s a headphone jack), but the old folks who tried my test model didn’t seem to notice.

For those of us who just want to read, eschewing e-mail and social media distractions, the premium e-reader today is the $180 Aura H2O from Kobo. In fact, it’s reached a degree of maturity that many readers will feel that the Aura H2O is first device to rival the portability, flexibility, and legibility of an actual book.

Rather than a color LCD screen, the Kobo reader uses a black-and-white 6.8-inch Carta E Ink HD touchscreen, which makes it easier on the eyes for long periods of reading. It’s crisp, with a 1,430 by 1,080-pixel resolution, and has a built-in light for reading in bed. But what’s new is that this is the first waterproof e-reader, making it more practical for languorous bathtub reading or juggling around the pool.

The tablet is durable enough to withstand the occasional drop in water, I found and is rated to survive a dunk in about 3 feet of water for 30 minutes. It also means that I no longer worried about leaving it on the coffee table where, well, coffee could be spilled on it.

I read two books on the Aura and found it comfortable and straightforward to use — just as a book should be. The momentary E Ink flash between pages is now hardly noticeable, appearing only every 5 pages. All the controls are subtle but easy to find. One can tap or swipe to turn pages; a long tap on a word invokes the dictionary definition. I was able to access settings, the home page of stored books, and the Web browser without reading the owner’s manual.

Books on Kobo’s online store cost about $2 more than most titles on Amazon. But unlike Amazon’s approach, Kobo’s does not chain you down to their e-store. That’s because the Aura H20 supports all the open e-book formats, including EPUB, so you can have access to free classic works from sites like the Gutenberg Project–an important feature that Amazon’s e-reader lacks.

Compared to the competition, the Kobo Aura H20 has a bigger screen; the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite and Barnes & Noble Nook GlowLight have 6-inch screens that feel cramped by comparison. It is also the only one of the three with a microSD expansion slot to add up to 32 GB of storage to its built-in 4 GB.

The only downside to the H20 is its price. It’s about $60 more than the competing Amazon Kindle Paperwhite and Barnes & Noble Nook GlowLight e-readers. On the other hand, both of those models have smaller screens and neither will survive a dunk in the tub.

Ultimately, it’s about choice and in the area of tablets, you certainly have a lot to choose from now.

John R. Quain is a personal tech columnist for FoxNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @jqontech or find more tech coverage at J-Q.com.

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Tablets finally mature

Disabled Russian container ship towed away from British Columbia coast

Ship Adrift_Cham640.jpg October 17, 2014: In this aerial photo provided by the Department of National Defense Maritime Forces Pacific, a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter flies near a Russian container ship carrying hundreds of tons of fuel drifting without power in rough seas off British Columbia’s northern coast. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Department of National Defense Maritime Forces Pacific)

PRINCE RUPERT, British Columbia – A large tug boat was pulling a disabled Russian cargo ship along British Columbia’s coast, ending fears that the vessel carrying hundreds of tons of fuel would drift ashore, hit rocks and spill.

Lt. Paul Pendergast of the Canadian Forces’ Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre said the Barbara Foss arrived Saturday evening and the tow of the Simushir was going well.

Pendergast said authorities will wait until the Simushir is comfortably north of Haida Gwaii before they make a decision on where it will be towed. Prince Rupert is the nearest container ship port, 93 nautical miles away.

The Simushir lost power late Thursday off Haida Gwaii, also known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, as it made its way from Everett in Washington state to Russia.

The Coast Guard ship Gordon Reid earlier towed the disabled ship away from shore, but a towline got detached and the ship was adrift again for six hours Saturday.

The 10 crew members were trying to repair the broken oil heater that has left the vessel disabled, Royal Canadian Navy Lt. Greg Menzies said.

The fear of oil spills is especially acute in British Columbia, where residents remember the Exxon Valdez disaster of 1989. Such worries have fed fierce opposition — particularly from environmentalists and Canada’s native tribes — to a proposal to build a pipeline that would carry oil from Canada’s Alberta oil sands to a terminal in Kitimat, British Columbia, for shipment to Asia. Opponents say the proposed pipeline would bring about 220 large oil tankers a year to the province’s coast.

The president of the Council of the Haida Nation warned Friday that a storm coming into the area was expected to push the ship onto the rocky shore, but President Pete Lantin later said their worst fears had subsided.

“If the weather picks up it could compromise that, but as of right now there is a little sense of relief that we might have averted catastrophe here,” Lantin said.

About 5,000 people live on the islands and fish for food nearby, Lantin said.

The Simushir, which is about 440 feet long, was carrying a range of hydrocarbons, mining materials and other related chemicals. That included 400 tons of bunker oil and 50 tons of diesel.

The vessel is not a tanker but rather a container ship. In comparison, the tanker Exxon Valdez, spilled 35,000 metric tons of oil.

A spokesman for Russian shipping firm SASCO, the owners of the vessel, said it is carrying 298 containers of mining equipment in addition to heavy bunker fuel as well as diesel oil for the voyage.

The U.S. Coast Guard had a helicopter on standby in the event that the crew members need to be pulled off the ship. Officials said the injured captain was evacuated by helicopter, but they were given no further medical details.

The Simushir is registered in Kholmsk, Russia, and owned by SASCO, also known as Sakhalin Shipping Company, according to the company’s website. The SASCO website says the ship was built in the Netherlands in 1998.

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Disabled Russian container ship towed away from British Columbia coast

Latest Ebola test technology

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Latest Ebola test technology

Police say human remains could be missing UVA student Hannah Graham - VIDEO: Remains sent to Richmond to be identified

Police say human remains found Saturday in Virginia could be those of missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham – who was last seen on Sept. 13.

Further forensic tests are needed to confirm whether the remains are those of Hannah Graham, Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo told a news conference. The remains were found on an abandoned property in southern Albemarle County by a search team from the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office, Longo said. They are being transported to Richmond for identification.

“Right now we have the discovery of human remains and a great deal of work ahead of us,” said Col. Steve Sellers, Albemarle County Police chief. “We cannot and will not jump to any conclusions regarding today’s discovery. I ask for the public’s patience as we move forward and pursue what is now a new, ongoing death investigation.”

Authorities are asking anyone who recalls seeing any suspicious activity or vehicles in the area of Old Lynchburg Road in Charlottesville – where the remains were found – to contact the Albemarle County Police Department at 434-296-5807.

Thousands of volunteers had searched for the 18-year-old Graham in the weeks since her disappearance.

Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr., 32, has been charged with abduction with intent to defile Graham. A preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 4 on the charge. In the meantime, Matthew is being held in the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.

Police officials Saturday afternoon had blocked the road leading to the site where the remains were found.

Surveillance videos captured some of what Graham did the night she vanished. Authorities say she met friends at a restaurant for dinner Sept. 12 before stopping by two parties at off-campus housing units. She left the second party alone and eventually texted a friend saying she was lost, authorities said.

She can be seen walking unsteadily and even running at times, past a pub and a service station and then onto a seven-block pedestrian strip that includes the Tempo Restaurant.

Tempo Restaurant owner Brice Cunningham has said Graham appeared to be incapacitated as she walked away with Matthew. Police have said they have no reason to believe she and Matthew knew each other before their encounter.

Matthew, an operating room technician at the university’s hospital who sometimes drives a taxi, had been drinking at the bar earlier that night before he encountered Graham, Cunningham has said.

A week after Graham went missing, Longo publicly described Matthew in detail without naming him, saying investigators wanted to talk to the “person of interest” and had searched his apartment because he was the last person to see her.

Matthew showed up at police headquarters, asked for a lawyer, and then sped away, according to a police account. His exit prompted a warrant for “reckless driving,” a charge that Longo cited as he named the suspect and appealed for information from anyone who saw him with Graham the night she disappeared.

Matthew was arrested a few days later in Galveston, Texas.

While Matthew was a fugitive in Texas, Virginia police added a charge of abduction with intent to defile, a violent felony that under Virginia law compels suspects to submit to DNA testing.

Very quickly thereafter, Virginia State Police announced a “forensic link” to Harrington’s killing. That case, in turn, has been linked by DNA evidence since 2012 to the rape of a woman in Fairfax, Virginia, who survived after a passer-by startled her attacker, the FBI has said.

Following Matthew’s arrest, Christopher Newport University released a statement noting that he had been named in a police file involving a Sept. 7, 2003 sexual assault on the Newport News campus. Matthew was a student there from January 2003 through Oct. 15, 2003.

Matthew had transferred to CNU after three years at Liberty University, where he also was briefly on the football team.

When he was at Liberty University, he was accused of raping a student on campus. That charge was dropped when the person declined to move forward with prosecution, Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Doucette said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Police say human remains could be missing UVA student Hannah Graham - VIDEO: Remains sent to Richmond to be identified

FUGITIVE ON THE MOVE? Ambush suspect spotted outside of search zone

This photo by the Pennsylvania State Police shows Eric Matthew Frein, 31, of Canadensis, Penn. (AP/PennDOT via Pennsylvania State Police/File)

The search for a Pennsylvania state trooper’s accused killer took on new urgency Saturday after a woman told police she spotted the man in a wooded area with his face caked in mud and carrying a rifle.

State police said the new sighting appears to be highly credible because it took place near the Pocono Mountain East High School where survivalist Eric Frein attended classes. The woman told authorities she saw Frein dressed all in black a little after 9 p.m. Friday and that the distance between them was only 15 or 20 feet.

“We’re still searching,” Lt. Col. George Bivens said during a briefing Saturday afternoon updating the media on the search, which is now entering its sixth week.

Hundreds of state police have been searching a heavily wooded area near the home of Frein’s parents in Canadensis in the state’s rural northeast. Based on the sighting, Bivens said it appears Frein has moved about six miles south. He said the search area was being expanded to include Paradise and Pocono townships, lehighvalleylive.com reports.

State police said Frein is the gunman who ambushed two state police troopers at a state police barracks in Pike County late at night on Sept. 12. The attack killed Cpl. Bryon Dickson and badly wounded Trooper Alex Douglass.

Douglass left the hospital Thursday. “He’s in good spirits and doing well,” Bivens said.

Bivens said state police are testing blood found at two homes for a link to Frein.

Frein is a self-described survivalist. During the manhunt state police recovered documents which show Frein has held a grudge against law enforcement and government for a long period of time.

“We’re not going to rest,” Gov. Tom Corbett said at the news briefing, according to lehighvalleylive.com. “Nobody’s going to stop until we find this individual and he’s apprehended.”’

Click for more from Lehighvalleylive.com.

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FUGITIVE ON THE MOVE? Ambush suspect spotted outside of search zone

Hospital parent"s CEO apologizes for lapses in Ebola treatment, training

The CEO of the parent company of the Dallas hospital where two nurses have contracted Ebola from a patient who died there earlier this month has apologized for some aspects of the hospital’s response to the deadly virus.

Texas Health Resources CEO Barclay Berdan issued the apology in the form of a full-page letter published in Sunday’s editions of The Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

In the letter, Berdan thanks the staff at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital for their “dedication, compassion, and tireless work” before acknowledging that “as an institution, we made mistakes in handling this very difficult challenge.” Among those mistakes are hospital staff not communicating that Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan had recently traveled to Texas from African when he made his initial visit to the hospital’s emergency room on the night of Sept. 25-26. Berdan also says that the hospital’s Ebola training and education programs had not been fully deployed at the time of Duncan’s visit.

“In short, despite our best intentions and skilled medical teams, we did not live up to the high standards that are the heart of our hospital’s history, mission and commitment,” Berdan said.

Berdan’s letter comes one day after it was revealed that the hospital did not initially keep a watch list of workers who may have had contact with Duncan, and had asked nurses to take their own temperature and self-report symptoms of Ebola.

According to the Associated Press, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins only ordered the creation of a watch list on Oct. 12, the same day nurse Nina Pham tested positive for the disease, Hospital officials told potentially exposed hospital workers to stop seeing patients other than Pham.

But the next day, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allowed another nurse who cared for Duncan, Amber Vinson, to get on a plane in Ohio and fly to Dallas with a mild fever. She was later diagnosed with Ebola, and CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden has conceded that she “should not have traveled on a commercial airline.”

The inconsistent response by health officials in monitoring and limiting the movement of health workers has been one of the critical blunders in the Ebola outbreak. Friends and family who had contact with Duncan before he was hospitalized were confined to homes under armed guard, but nurses who handled his contagious bodily fluids were allowed to treat other patients, take mass transit and get on airplanes.

“I don’t think the directions provided to people at first were as clear as they needed to be, and there have been changes in the instructions given to people over time,” said Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, a doctor who did his residency in Dallas.

Local health authorities have said repeatedly throughout the response that their guidance and direction can change.

“Please keep in mind the contact list is fluid, meaning people may fall off the list or new people may be added to the list depending on new information that could arise at any time on any given day,” said Dallas County health department spokeswoman Erikka Neroes on Friday when asked how many people are even being monitored.

On Thursday, Jenkins announced stricter restrictions that require hospital staffers who had been potentially exposed to stay away from the public for 21 days and check their temperature twice a day, once in person with a public health worker. It was the first written order anyone being monitored has been asked to sign.

“They can walk their dog, but they can’t go to church; they can’t go to schools; they can’t go to shopping centers,” said Mayor Mike Rawlings.

Public health epidemiologists were notifying the health care workers of the directions Friday, said Texas Department of State Health Services spokeswoman Carrie Williams.

But even those medical agreements allow some wiggle room. For example, they say public transit isn’t outright banned but “should be discussed with the public health authority.”

Officials say 125 friends, family, doctors, nurses, technicians, ambulance drivers and others may have been exposed in the days before Duncan died. Since then, the two nurses have tested positive and at least 18 other people in Texas and Ohio have been identified as secondary contacts who also merit watching.

At first, the monitoring sounded relatively simple: track down the contacts, monitor them with least twice daily temperature records and test people who develop symptoms for Ebola. State officials would be in charge, working with the CDC and Dallas County authorities.

But for a time after Pham was diagnosed with Ebola, different hospital workers had different levels of monitoring, based in part on their exposure risk. Some self-reported their temperatures. Some continued to care for patients. Hospital spokesman Wendell Watson on Saturday referred all questions about the facility’s monitoring practices to county officials.

The county moved Duncan’s girlfriend, Louise Troh, her 13-year-old son, Duncan’s nephew, and a family friend from their apartment to a guarded house in an undisclosed location, where a health official comes by twice a day and takes their temperatures. The unusual confinement order was imposed after the family failed to comply with a request not to leave their apartment, Jenkins said.

Pham and Vinson have been taken to medical centers with isolation units in Maryland and Atlanta. There are four such centers in the U.S.

At the National Institutes of Health medical center in Bethesda, Maryland, spokeswoman Amanda Fine says staff involved in caring for people with Ebola are given thermometers and instructions and must measure and submit body temperatures twice daily.

Taylor Wilson, a spokesman for the Nebraska isolation unit, which has also been treating Ebola patients, said that every time health care workers go into the unit, they must stop and take their temperature and other vital signs and log the results. They are also advised to keep an eye out for any symptoms.

He said that there are no restrictions on the staff’s movements outside of work.

In Washington, President Barack Obama presided at a rare Saturday evening meeting of Cabinet officials and advisers on health and security to receive an update on domestic Ebola cases and the status of tracing, contacting and monitoring people who may have come into contact with Ebola patients in Dallas. The meeting included a discussion of broader steps to increase the preparedness of the nation’s health sector, the White House said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Hospital parent"s CEO apologizes for lapses in Ebola treatment, training

Evan Rachel Wood slams mag

evan rachel wood1 two toned hair reuters.jpg May 10. 2014. Actress Evan Rachel Wood arrives at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s annual “An Evening With Women” event in Beverly Hills, California. (Reuters)

When she was 15, Evan Rachel Wood appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair with a host of other rising young actresses including Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff and the Olsen twins. Sadly according to Rob Shuter of naughtybutnicerob.com the experience left her feeling like “meat.”

On Tuesday a Twitter user posted a picture of the magazine’s July 2003 cover with the words “NEVER FORGET.”

The following day the “True Blood” actress responded with a series of tweets that made clear just how traumatic the shoot was for her.

I was almost in tears after this shoot. They tried that dress on me, I wasnt comfortable but they told me there was no time– @katiexwright
— Evan Rachel Wood (@evanrachelwood) October 15, 2014

– cause everyone else took up too much time with their fittings. Then I was given a choice on whether I– @katiexwright
— Evan Rachel Wood (@evanrachelwood) October 15, 2014

–wanted to wear flats or heels. I chose flats and was immediately handed heels and told they looked better. Then we were– @katiexwright
— Evan Rachel Wood (@evanrachelwood) October 15, 2014

–all lined up, stared at and approved. I was 15 and felt for the first time my identity being erased and the pressure– @katiexwright
— Evan Rachel Wood (@evanrachelwood) October 15, 2014

– to shut up and do what you are told. I felt like meat. Since then, I have found my voice. Never again. #neverforget @katiexwright
— Evan Rachel Wood (@evanrachelwood) October 15, 2014

The 27-year-old actress did acknowledge in a subsequent tweet that she has since then been photographed by the magazine and had a lovely time. The “True Blood” actress also responded to people criticizing her postings.

To all the haters. I am not complaining about being on the cover of vanity fair. I understand I am very privileged and there are far worse–
— Evan Rachel Wood (@evanrachelwood) October 18, 2014

– thing to go through. My point was that things arent always what they seem. Especially in this industry. What may seem glamorous–
— Evan Rachel Wood (@evanrachelwood) October 18, 2014

–sometimes comes at a price. I only want to encourage other young girls to stay true to who they are. No matter what. Hold on to your self.
— Evan Rachel Wood (@evanrachelwood) October 18, 2014

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Evan Rachel Wood slams mag

US sees opportunity as ISIS swarms Kobani - Airstrike kills 8 in ISIS-held Syria town - Marines fear Saddam’s WMD bunker in hands of ISIS

Military and White House officials said Friday that the fierce fighting in the Syrian border town of Kobani has created an opportunity to take out large numbers of Islamic State fighters pouring into the battle.

Though the fighting has raised concerns that the vital town could still fall to the Islamic State, Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, head of U.S. Central Command, claimed Friday that there’s an upside for the U.S. and its allies.

“The enemy has made a decision to make Kobani his main effort,” Austin said, claiming “manpower” is streaming into the area.

“Now, my goal is to defeat and ultimately destroy ISIL. And if [the enemy] continues to present us with major targets … then clearly, we’ll service those targets, and we’ve done so very, very effectively here of late,” Austin said.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest echoed the point, saying the Islamic State is amassing fighters and resources in Kobani.

“That has created a rather target-rich environment around Kobani for American and coalition air strikes that when they see clusters of fighters or they see depots of material or supplies that are critical to the success of those fighters, it’s easier to take them out,” Earnest said.

While touting the opportunity to take out a large number of targets in Kobani, military officials nevertheless cautioned against expecting quick progress in the overall campaign against ISIS, or ISIL.

“The campaign to destroy ISIL will take time, and there will be occasional setbacks along the way,” Austin told a Pentagon news conference, “particularly in these early stages of the campaign as we coach and mentor a force [in Iraq] that is actively working to regenerate capability after years of neglect and poor leadership.”

And he acknowledged “it’s highly possible that Kobani may fall.”

While hammering the jihadists daily from the air, the U.S. military is talking of a years-long effort — one that will require more than aerial bombardment, will show results only gradually and may eventually call for a more aggressive use of U.S. military advisers in Iraq.

Austin said he believes the Iraqi government will successfully enlist the support of Sunni tribal leaders in Anbar province to turn the tide in that important region, where the militants have made recent gains.

And he said he sees no imminent threat to the international airport west of Baghdad, where U.S. Apache helicopters are monitoring Islamic State efforts to make inroads on the capital.

As an example of fresh progress, Austin said Iraqi soldiers on Friday attacked north from Baghdad to Beiji, home to Iraq’s largest oil refinery.

Yet the militants are making gains in some parts, like the Sunni-dominated Anbar province, even as they stall or retrench in other areas. Baghdad is not believed to be in imminent danger of falling but it is “certainly in their sights,” Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said.

The Pentagon is preparing to set up a more formally organized command structure, known in military parlance as a joint task force, to lead and coordinate the campaign from a forward headquarters, perhaps in Kuwait. On Wednesday it formally named the campaign “Operation Inherent Resolve.”

As of Thursday the U.S. had launched nearly 300 airstrikes in Iraq and nearly 200 in Syria, and allies had tallied fewer than 100, according to Central Command. Those figures don’t capture the full scope of the effort because many airstrikes launch multiple bombs on multiple targets. Central Command said that as of Wednesday, U.S. and partner-nation air forces had dropped nearly 1,400 munitions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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US sees opportunity as ISIS swarms Kobani - Airstrike kills 8 in ISIS-held Syria town - Marines fear Saddam’s WMD bunker in hands of ISIS

Maryland delays effort to recoup $55M for failed ObamaCare site - VIDEO: ObamaCare reportedly fading as midterm issue - Full Coverage: Midterm elections

FILE: Oct. 2, 2013: A man looks over the Affordable Care Act signup page on the HealthCare.gov website in New York. (REUTERS)

Maryland officials reportedly have agreed to delay court action seeking $55 million from the primary contractor for the state’s problematic ObamaCare website.

Officials from Maryland’s health care exchange in April fired the contractor, Noridian Healthcare Solutions, and vowed to seek court actions to recoup the money.

Both sides have struck a temporary deal so state officials can focus on the second year of ObamaCare enrollment that starts Nov. 15, according to The Baltimore Sun.

A spokeswoman for Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley told The Sun that officials are still “evaluating claims that we may pursue in litigation.”

The first ObamaCare enrollment, on Oct. 1, 2013, got off to a disastrous start, marked by an overwhelming public response that crashed the federal site, HealthCare.gov, and several state-run sites.

President Obama, angry and “frustrated” by the start of arguably his biggest legislative accomplishment, made sure the software problems were essentially fixed after the first several weeks by hiring industry experts to work around the clock to write better computer code and fix software bugs.

But at least two state-run sites — Maryland and Oregon’s — had to scrap their failed, multi-million dollar, online projects.

Oregon has moved online customers to the federal site after software bugs and other technical problems kept the state from fully enrolling a single customer online.

The problems and transition is estimated to cost state and federal taxpayers at least an additional $85 million — including $50 million to manually enroll thousands of customers and $35 million to Deloitte Consulting to salvage the faulty technology.

Maryland officials have decided to replace their technology, instead of fixing the system or like Oregon joining the federal exchange system.

They have hired Deloitte Consulting, which has successfully run the Connecticut exchange. The effort is expected to cost $43 million.

The decision also comes just weeks before Election Day for Democratic nominee for governor Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, who was O’Malley’s point man for ObamaCare.

Maryland and contractor Noridian have blamed each other and subcontractors, including IBM, for the problems.

The decision to delay action also came amid an ongoing inspector general’s probe, which was requested in February by Maryland GOP Rep. Andy Harris.

“Millions of dollars were wasted because of a lack of oversight by Lieutenant Governor Brown, and now the state must try to recoup some of the money he allowed to be sent to companies who couldn’t deliver,” Harris told The Sun. “The federal investigation should provide critical information about how taxpayer dollars were wasted and whether fraud occurred.”

Justin Schall, Brown’s campaign manager, said: “It’s disappointing that congressman Harris would mislead the people of Maryland and play political games with a federal investigation.”

Thirty-six states are part of the federal exchange, and there are 14 state-run sites.

The president crafted the legislation to help an estimated 30 million uninsured Americans get coverage.

The administration reached its goal of enrolling 6 million people by its self-imposed March 31 deadline. And right now, 7.3 million people have enrolled in marketplace plans, paid their premiums and have access to insurance, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

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Maryland delays effort to recoup $55M for failed ObamaCare site - VIDEO: ObamaCare reportedly fading as midterm issue - Full Coverage: Midterm elections

6 topless models, 1 cover

The “30 Rock” actress shows off a much more feminine side on the April 2010 cover of “Esquire” but they wanted even more sex appeal she says.

“I got an e-mail [from Esquire] with a list of the potential setups,” explains Tina of the shoot. “My e-mail back was like, Well, I need to decline being handcuffed to a bed. I won’t straddle anyone. I won’t make out with a cop… If I were a young single model, they would be appropriate, but, you know, I’m a mom. And my kid’s going to find this someday. I don’t want to be handcuffed to a bed in Esquire. What are you nuts?… I got to get my kid into kindergarten. I guess that’s more of a Montessori way of learning, when they handcuff you to things.”

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6 topless models, 1 cover

Ferguson cop says he feared for life in struggle with teen

Feb. 11, 2014: Officer Darren Wilson attends a city council meeting in Ferguson (AP Photo/City of Ferguson, File)

WASHINGTON – The police officer who fatally shot an unarmed 18-year-old in a St. Louis suburb last summer has told investigators that he was pinned in his vehicle and in fear for his life as they struggled over his gun, The New York Times reported.

Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson has told authorities that Michael Brown reached for the gun during a scuffle, the Times reported in a story posted on its website Friday night. The officer’s account to authorities did not explain why he fired at Brown multiple times after emerging from his vehicle, according to the newspaper.

The Times reported that the account of Wilson’s version of events came from government officials briefed on the federal civil rights investigation into the Aug. 9 shooting that sparked racial unrest and weeks of protests, some of which turned violent. Wilson is white and Brown black.

Wilson confronted Brown and a friend while they were walking back to Brown’s home from a convenience store. After the shooting, Brown died at the scene. Some witnesses have told authorities and news media that Brown had his hands raised when Wilson approached with his weapon and fired repeatedly. An independent autopsy commissioned by the family says that Brown was shot at least six times, including twice in the head.

The Times reported that Wilson has told investigators that he was trying to leave his SUV when Brown pushed him back in and that once inside the vehicle the two began to fight. Wilson told authorities that Brown punched and scratched him repeatedly, leaving swelling on his face and cuts on his neck, the Times reported.

Wilson, who had been patrolling Ferguson for nearly three years, was placed on leave after the shooting. A state grand jury is considering charges against him.

The Justice Department is investigating the Ferguson Police Department for possible civil rights violations, including whether officers there use excessive force and engage in discriminatory practices. Two-thirds of Ferguson’s 21,000 residents are black but only three of its more than 50 police officers are black.

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Ferguson cop says he feared for life in struggle with teen

Feud" wife emasculates hub

We hope it wasn’t Pete’s idea to go on “Family Feud,” because if it was, it backfired big time.

On Monday’s episode, his wife Joyce and her competitor Stephanie were called to the podium for a preliminary round and asked: “If you could change one part of your husband’s body, what would it be?”

Fast as a paper cutter, Joyce slammed her hand down on the big red buzzer button and answered: “His penis.”

Host Steve Harvey looked incredulous, so Joyce repeated herself, louder.

“His penis!”

Stephanie doubled over in laughter.

Pete stared at the floor, cringe laughing.

“You were thinking it!” Joyce accused Harvey.

“I was thinking what?” Harvey parried.

“I know, I know, this is bad,” Joyce apologized.

Pete stared at the floor, cringe laughing.

“I was thinking what? I wasn’t thinking a damn thing,” Harvey continued. “I don’t know your husband.”

Pete stared at the floor, cringe laughing.

Watch the video to see what the survey said.