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Offshore wind took another small step forward last week when US Wind was announced as the provisional winner of the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's August 19 auction of development rights to nearly 80,000 acres off of Maryland. The price? $8.7 million.
According to the BOEM press release, and other reports the few million to be ponied up by US Wind (or by its Italian parents, Renexia and Toto S.p.A.) is more than was bid for offshore leases in Virginia and Massachusetts and apparently is justified by the substantial financial carrot established by the O'Malley administration: $1.7 billion in construction subsidies.
So what does it mean to be a provisional winner? It means the Attorney General and the FTC have 30 days to complete an antitrust review, following which US Wind can sign the lease, file the required financial assurance and pay the balance of the lease bid. And then it's all downhill, right? Well, not so fast.
First, a lot has been done to get to this point:
November 2010 – BOEM issued Request for Interest to gauge industry's interest in obtaining offshore Maryland commercial wind leases. Commercial interests, for example, showed no interest in offshore Maine. February 2012 - BOEM published a Call for Information and Nominations to solicit lease nominations and request public comments.February 3, 2012 - BOEM published in the Federal Register a Notice of Availability of an Environmental Assessment, and a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for "commercial wind lease issuance and site assessment activities on the Atlantic OCS offshore New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia." June 2012 - BOEM published a Finding of No Historic Properties Affected.December 18, 2013 - BOEM published a Proposed Sale Notice and took comments.July 3, 2014 –BOEM published a Final Sale Notice scheduling the August 19, 2014 sale.
These steps have completed the first two phases of BOEM's program for outer continental shelf leasing: (1) planning and analysis, (2) lease issuance. So in a little over 3 and a half years an entity interested in pursuing an offshore wind project, is poised, but poised for what?
It is poised for phases 3 and 4, site assessment, and construction and operations, as BOEM further explains in its fact sheet. There is an ominous word in the fact sheet, however: "BOEM conducts environmental and technical reviews of SAP [Site Assessment Plan], eventually deciding to approve, approve with modification, or disapprove" (emphasis added). A Site Assessment Plan "describes the activities (installation of meteorological towers and buoys) a lessee plans to perform for the assessment of the wind resources and ocean conditions of its commercial lease area." That BOEM will eventually complete its review, does not suggest alacrity, or even timeliness. Once the SAP is approved, another plan must be submitted, the COP, the construction and operations plan. The same ominous term, "eventually," shows up as well in the description of the approval process of the COP. And then, only after the COP is approved, can construction begin.
What struck us as we reviewed all of this is that at least four sessions of Congress will have passed from when BOEM's 2010 Request for Interest emerged before a single joule of energy will make its way from some mid-Atlantic zephyr into a Maryland household. And it would not surprise us if it were six or eight sessions. In other words, success in offshore wind may depend nearly as much on the political winds, as the meteorological ones.
Regulation | Renewable Energy | Wind Energy
What happens to the payment for a solar renewable energy credit (SREC) when the payor closes its doors? Maryland citizens are finding out the hard way. The promises made to some of them are turning up empty.
Here are the details. Greenspring Energy was a promising solar installation company. As it describes itself: "Greenspring Energy offers a unique combination of high-quality solar energy systems and the best energy saving products and services in the marketplace today. Created to help people effectively and permanently reduce their utility bills, Greenspring Energy's products and services will allow you to: Reduce your utility bills with innovative energy saving products, Produce your own energy with solar systems, Take advantage of federal, state, and local incentives to go solar, Increase the value of your property, Reduce your carbon footprint." It was a good business model. Following its founding in 2007, Inc. reports it had revenues of $10.5 million in 2010 and 40 employees the next year. Its website boasts 2011 Inc. 500.
Then something happened. Jamie Smith Hopkins of the Baltimore Sun reports that Greenspring Energy closed its doors at the end of January this year. Its employees received rubber checks. And its customers, promised recurring payments for the SRECs associated with the electricity generated from their solar equipment, were likewise burned. This is not a particularly unexpected outcome. Entities regularly enter bankruptcy and their creditors take a beating. The solar industry is no different. In fact, one website compiled a list of dozens of "Deceased Solar Companies" through early 2013.
But what is not getting a lot of play (or even any) is the effect of a bankruptcy of the SREC provider. It is probably safe to say that most SREC transfers are the subject of executory contracts, long-term contracts where the provider agrees to transfer the SRECs accompanying its future electricity generation for some future consideration. In bankruptcy, such contracts may be assumed, or not, at the discretion of the bankruptcy trustee. 11 U.S.C. § 365. Except, however, where such contracts are forward contracts. E.g., Master Solar REC Agreement (NJ BPU 2014) ("Buyer and Seller each acknowledge that it is a "forward contract merchant" and that all transactions pursuant to this Master Agreement constitute "forward contracts" within the meaning of the United States Bankruptcy Code."). In that case, the trustee's right to reject or assume the executory contract does not exist. 11 U.S.C. § 556.
So there is some complexity here. And it gets worse. The SREC does not exist but for the generation of 1 MWh of electricity, even if the SREC is sold separately from that electricity. It is not difficult to conceive of a situation where the value of the contract for the sale of electricity is going in the opposite direction of the value of the SREC contract. Suppose the bankruptcy trustee has the right to suspend electricity generation, even if it does not have the right to walk away from the SREC contract. Does an SREC contract have any value if there is no generation?
To our knowledge, SRECs (and RECs as well) have not been tested in the furnace of bankruptcy. We will be interested in seeing how that turns out.
Renewable Energy | Solar Energy | Utilities
The President gave an indication of his environmental focus in his inaugural address, and then again in his state of the union speech. The focus would be on climate change.
Central to that focus would be the EPA Adminstrator, but that would not be Lisa Jackson who tendered her resignation at the end of 2012. If Washington gossip is any guide, Ms. Jackson's replacement will be Gina McCarthy, the current head of EPA's Office of Air and Radiation.
We went looking to see if we could draw a bead on where Ms. McCarthy might lead EPA. We found a recent speech and it was directly on point. On February 21, Ms. McCarthy addressed an audience at the Georgetown Law Center at a conference on Climate Change and Energy Policy. (The conference was videotaped. Ms. McCarthy has the podium from about 4:50 to 5:30 if you are interested.)
Ms. McCarthy has a reputation of being something of a pragmatist. Her talk was consistent with that. A brief summary might be: Climate change is here and we have to deal with it, but in addressing carbon dioxide there can be great benefits from doing so in the form of reducing pollution, increasing efficiency and empowering communities.
Pollution reductions will come in at least three forms. First, if more renewable energy sources are developed, there will be less emissions. Second, if production and use is made more efficient there will be less emissions. Third, if production is focused on fossil fuels that emit less pollutants when burned (that is, not coal), there will be less emissions. We note that this strategy is already at work. The growth of wind and solar power has been meteoric. Ms. McCarthy promoted electric cars, which are far more efficient than gasoline-powered ones (although she ignored compressed natural gas vehicles, which are low emission and have some compelling advantages over electric cars). And we have covered before the catastrophe for coal signaled by the proposed Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions for New Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units, which forecasts not a single new coal plant through 2030.
Significantly, or perhaps not, she did not mention fracking and the phenomenal recent growth in natural gas production. That was surprising. A recent Harvard Magazine article summarized the pollution and greenhouse gas effects of the natural gas bonanza:
The shift from coal to gas in the electricity sector has also yielded an environmental bonus—a significant reduction in emissions of CO2, because CO2 emissions per unit of electricity generated using coal are more than double those produced using gas. … [T]he U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that domestic emissions of CO2 during the first quarter of 2012 fell to the lowest level recorded since 1992. An ancillary benefit of the coal-to-gas switch has been a significant reduction in emissions of sulfur dioxide, the cause of acid rain, because many of the older coal-burning plants selectively idled by the price-induced fuel switch were not equipped to remove this pollutant from their stack gases.
Efficiency pervaded her remarks. A striking number is the $1.7 trillion she stated automobile fuel efficiency standards had saved consumers at the pump. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. EPA will help Americans make buildings, processes and communities more efficient. According to Ms. McCarthy the EPA Climate Showcase Communities saved $19 million per year based in large part on efficiency.
We are somewhat troubled by the "eye of the beholder" syndrome exhibited here. Certainly consumers saved money at the pump. But they spent more at the car dealer. How did they fare overall? The answer depends on how long they owned their car and the price of gas. According to research in 2012 by TrueCar.com for the New York Times, at $4/gallon "[e]xcept for two hybrids, the Prius and Lincoln MKZ, and the diesel-powered Volkswagen Jetta TDI, the added cost of the fuel-efficient technologies is so high that it would take the average driver many years — in some cases more than a decade — to save money over comparable new models with conventional internal-combustion engines."
Ms. McCarthy's vision of empowerment is through information. If building owners get the knowledge of how to make their buildings more efficient, they will because it makes sense to do so. If communities are provided the relevant information, they will make enabling smart choices. Indeed, she closed on the importance of information, referencing three sources. First, EPA has now been collecting information on greenhouse gas emissions for two years. That information is publicly available. People should look at this because it identifies the sources of the climate change problem. Electric utilities are far and away the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases (which is to say, all of us are because, with rare exceptions, all of us use electricity generated with fossil fuels).
Second, she touted the EPA's 2012 report, Climate Change Indicators in the United States (18MB). This is a valuable resource. Twenty-six "indicators" are assessed as to what they show about a world beset by climate change. All are familiar with reduced ice sheets, reduced snowpack and higher average temperatures. Less familiar is the documented increase in ragweed pollen season and retained ocean heat. And the report is honest about what is not known. Although 7000 Americans were reported to have died of heat-related illnesses in the last 30 years, trends have not been determined. Although one might think that a hotter world would lead to more hurricanes, the data have not proven that yet.
Last, Ms. McCarthy praised government research into adaptation and the various reports issued and to be issued.
Some view agency heads in Washington as essentially valueless; talking heads, here today and gone tomorrow. The bureaucracy was there when the new head arrived and will be there when the now old head leaves. What this view misses is that the agency head can muster the agency's resources in support of one initiative, argue for it on Capitol Hill, at the White House and in the press, and give the extra boost when the going gets rough. Gina McCarthy was instrumental in building the northeast's cap-and-trade program (the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative) in her native Connecticut. Certainly, that idea on a national basis is percolating again.
Carbon Emissions | Climate Change | Regulation | Renewable Energy | Solar Energy
One would think that preliminary estimates of bird fatalities at a proposed 78 MW wind farm in southeastern Minnesota were hardly news. After all, there are over 60,000 MW of wind energy installed in the United States. But last Friday the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed piece by Robert Bryce, Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Instittue, which used that preliminary estimate to rip into the project, New Era Wind, and wind energy in general, accusing the Fish & Wildlife Service of using a "double standard ... when it comes to renewable energy."
The topic ostensibly ruffling Mr. Bryce's feathers is the "incidental take" of bald eagles. The Journal doesn't mince words; here is the leader: "The federal government plans to allow wind turbines to kill bald eagles for 30 years." The permit that was being applied for was an "eagle take permit." Mr. Bryce refers to it as "an eagle-kill permit." One needn't read any further. Killing the national symbol simply must stop. Wind energy is irrevocably bad. According to the piece, "For years, the wind industry has had de facto permission to violate both the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (which protects 1,000 species) and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Federal authorities have never brought a case under either law—despite the Fish and Wildlife Service's estimate that domestic turbines kill some 440,000 birds per year."
This vitriol prompted us to dig into this a little. First, a little information on bald eagles. The Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that there are nearly 10,000 nesting pairs of bald eagles in the contiguous United States. When not nesting, bald eagles like to surf thermals, riding easy until unwary prey ventures forth. The population is up from "barely 400" in 1963, when there were grave concerns that the national symbol might not make it into the twenty-first century. Fortunately the bald eagle has made it, and in 2007 it was de-listed from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants maintained pursuant to the Endangered Species Act.
But delisting did not mean the bald eagle had to make its way in the world alone. It had the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (16 USC §§ 668-668d), which prohibited the "taking" of such eagles without a permit (where taking included killing, and disturbing). Permitted takings were established under federal regulations; pertinent here is 50 CFR § 22.26, which "authorizes take of bald eagles and golden eagles where the take is compatible with the preservation of the bald eagle and the golden eagle; necessary to protect an interest in a particular locality; associated with but not the purpose of the activity; and … (2) For programmatic take: the take is unavoidable even though advanced conservation practices are being implemented." Further, the FWS issued guidance, the Land-Based Wind Energy Guidelines, and a draft guidance specifically focused on eagles, wind turbines and permits. While it is true that New Era's take permit will be the first for bald eagles, it is not the first take permit ever issued and the wind industry has hardly had the opportunity ever to get a permit, as the FWS did not issue its regulations until 2009. From what we have read, New Era Wind is moving forward in accordance with the statute, the regulations and the guidance, and the FWS is responding similarly.
Turning now to the editorial, it is useful to go back to the source. Mr. Bryce has been a burr under the wind industry's saddle for the last few years with several opinion pieces in the Journal on birds and the wind industry. The industry has responded directly to his claims. A press release in 2011, Rhetoric v. Reality: Wind Energy and Birds, offers these numbers based on a 2007 U.S. Forest Service report: "Wind power causes far fewer losses of birds (approximately 108,000 a year) than buildings (550 million), power lines (130 million), cars (80 million), poisoning by pesticides (67 million), domestic cats (at least 10 million), and radio and cell towers (4.5 million)."
It is also interesting to follow the media journey of the FWS preliminary estimate. It came out on January 15. Industrial Wind Action reported the story the next day. Industrial Wind Action, according to its website, "was formed to counteract the misleading information promulgated by the wind energy industry and various environmental groups." The story made it into the mainstream on January 17, when it was reported by Minnesota Public Radio. Two weeks later it was a national news story in the Journal.
We started here considering an editorial about a preliminary estimate, which the FWS acknowledges is a conservative "worst case" and the FWS's permission for New Era to move forward with its application "does not indicate that New Era will automatically be granted an eagle take permit." In other contexts a preliminary estimate, without more, would hardly be worthy of comment; it simply isn't ripe. Not so here, where there is an axe to be ground (or a turbine blade to fail), not only does reasonable rhetoric retreat leaving us with "kill permits," but a small installation out in the woods makes it into the national press.
Renewable energy developers should take note. Notwithstanding strong support for green energy, it may get very dirty in the trenches, and everyone will know about it.
Renewable Energy | Wind Energy
"A Rare Solar Success Story" trumpets the American version of The Wall Street Journal today in an article about LDK Solar, a Chinese solar wafer manufacturer. We agree with "Solar" and "Story" but the rest of the headline does not match reality. (In fact, the Asian version is a little less over-the-top: "Despite Troubles, China's LDK Solar to Keep Humming.")
First, let's consider whether LDK Solar is rare. As described in the article it has a $500 million government loan guarantee. That sounds like something we remember about Solyndra LLC. Second, it is embroiled in allegations about dumping and production overcapacity, which are attributes that beset all of the solar panel and component producers whether their subsidies are coming from Washington, Brussels or Beijing. Third, while it soared early, it is now struggling, as have many American and European solar "darlings."
Which segues nicely into the question of success. According to the article LDK Solar had a $609 million loss last year (down from a net profit a year earlier of almost $300 million) and its depositary shares have dropped 77%. For those with a visual bent, Barron's does a nice graphical presentation. To stay afloat LDK Solar is renewing its loans, selling real estate and other assets, and accepting investment from state-owned funds. The article concludes, "Analysts said LDK could fall into the arms of a larger, healthier company." These are certainly not the terms we would use to describe a successful company.
But every cloud has a silver lining, and the travails of LDK Solar and its brethren are a large part of the reason for the success of solar panel installers: their raw materials, panels, are available at bargain basement prices. The current darling (number 10 on Fast Company's list of the 50 most innovative companies in the world) in this group is Solar City, which is imminently making its initial public offering to raise $200 million, although Superstorm Sandy has delayed that some.
What does Solar City do? First and foremost, its people think. They have thought deeply about how to build a successful business and reached a few unsurprising conclusions. Consumers want to be "green" but do not want to be bothered with having to contact building inspectors, general contractors, panel manufacturers, lenders, warranty companies, and state and federal tax authorities; they want their solar contractor to handle it all. Leasing to stable and economically secure individuals (i.e., not subprime borrowers) will generate a steady stream of revenue over the long-haul (typically 20 years). Long-term maintenance contracts can do the same, and can also provide opportunities for continued marketing and sales to the consumer. Tax credits, state rebates and leasing and maintenance revenue streams can be bundled together to form the asset base supporting an investment fund, which large institutional investors will invest in. The investment fund can then be used to finance growth. If this sounds like a successful business model, it is (so far).
Second, Solar City executes. The foregoing ideas are the basis for its rocketing success in the last few years. As stated in its S-1, It has raised almost $300 million dollars from private equity. Its revenues have grown year on year. It has come to dominate the residential solar market. It has just entered the commercial utility space with a 12 MW installation in Hawaii. To sum it up, it is seeking "world domination."
Our point? Take heed of these two darlings, one now struggling, the other feasting on the struggler and its fellows. Together they form a parable, not just for the solar market, but for the entire renewable energy space. We counsel our clients where government money is ubiquitous, innovative technology rampant, competition cut-throat, and winners and losers can change overnight. The sun may rise and shine for our clients, but it also sets. Our counsel should reflect that.
This past Friday, President Obama stopped a national security threat in its tracks: We quote:
There is credible evidence that leads me [the President] to believe that Ralls Corporation (Ralls), ..., and its subsidiaries, and the Sany Group (which includes Sany Electric and Sany Heavy Industries), a Chinese company affiliated with Ralls (together, the Companies); and, Mr. Dawei Duan (Mr. Duan) and Mr. Jialing Wu (Mr. Wu), citizens of the People's Republic of China and senior executives of the Sany Group, who together own Ralls; through exercising control of Lower Ridge Windfarm, LLC, High Plateau Windfarm, LLC, Mule Hollow Windfarm, LLC, and Pine City Windfarm, LLC (collectively, the Project Companies), ..., might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States; …
Accordingly, under section 721 of the Defense Production Act, the President ordered Ralls to divest itself of all interest in the project and to remove all construction – including any foundations.
We knew climate change and national security were tightly connected. After all, the Department of Defense issued Trends and Implications of Climate Change for National and International Security in October of last year. There we learned that destabilization of less affluent countries as a result of the effects of climate change was a primary risk and a threat to national security. We did not learn anything about the threat posed by domestic windfarms. Then Defense Secretary Panetta accepted an award in May 2012 from the Environmental Defense Fund on behalf of the Department of Defense. He noted: "The area of climate change has a dramatic impact on national security; rising sea levels, severe droughts, the melting of the polar caps, the more frequent and devastating natural disasters all raise demand for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief". His domestic focus was cybersecurity, not wind turbines on the Oregon plateau.
So it was something of a surprise that the Obama Administration engaged on climate change and national security by tangling with China on a small wind farm project in northeastern Oregon. But then again, who knew Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility Boardman was just a few miles down the road testing drones and the electronics on airplanes such as the EA-18G Growler? Who knew? The folks at the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS) knew.
CFIUS is a little known government entity. A useful and prescient summary of the role of CFIUS in windfarm projects was published by our colleague at Steptoe & Johnson, Richard Reinis, back in 2009. In a nutshell, "The CFIUS statute authorizes the President to investigate the impact on US national security of mergers, acquisitions, and takeovers by foreign persons. If a transaction would result in an impairment of national security that could not be mitigated by agreement with the parties, the President may block the transaction or order divestiture of an already completed deal." Mr. Reinis then demonstrates his forecasting skills and describes where CFIUS approval might be necessary: "a wind farm within observation distance of a sensitive, national security installation, or in proximity of any other significant national security site." Fast forward three years and he could have been writing the President's order.
To return to Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility Boardman, drones and the Growler, when CFIUS knows something, it can shut things down. And it did. Back in July CFIUS issued a cease and desist order to Ralls. Ralls responded with a lawsuit challenging CFIUS authority under the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act. Following an agreement with the government to permit some limited preliminary construction, Ralls withdrew its suit. Then came last Friday's order. Sany Group, Ralls' Chinese affiliate, immediately vowed to sue.
Sany Group's and Ralls's fight is certain to be an uphill battle; the implementing legislation states that the President's decisions are not subject to judicial review. See 50 U.S. C. App. 2170(e). Some have suggested that the path to success lies in a suit against CFIUS, not the President, under the holdng in the Supreme Court's recent decision in Sackett v. EPA, where final agency action entitles one to judicial review. If that is the case, we expect a further obstacle. Litigating national security is notoriously difficult. The government refuses to disclose the details of the national security question and the courts are handcuffed. We are intrigued here by the order's twice-repeated requirement to remove any foundations. Are super-sensitive detectors suspected among the rebar and concrete? We recall the multi-million dollar fiasco of the U.S. embassy in Moscow, where bugs were embedded throughout. We do not expect ever to find out the details of the national security threat posed by Ralls, in contrast (we hope) to the threats posed by other facets of climate change.
Climate Change | Renewable Energy | Wind Energy | Supreme Court
Rio+20 wrapped up yesterday. The moniker derives from the twentieth anniversary of the Earth Summit, the 1992 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, which was held in Rio de Janeiro. This reprise was billed as "an historic opportunity to define pathways to a safer, more equitable, cleaner, greener and more prosperous world for all." The conferees focused on two themes: "How to build a green economy to achieve sustainable development and lift people out of poverty, ... and how to improve international coordination for sustainable development." The agenda was dense, ranging from jobs to energy, sustainable cities to food security and sustainable agriculture, and water and oceans to disaster readiness. Some criticized this "all things to all people" approach. We take a more pragmatic view: "whatever works."
Unfortunately, it does not appear that much is working. All that was agreed was that there would be more discussion in the future. Criticism of the conference was uniform. NPR panned it as "one of the biggest duds." The New York Times captured the disappointment of CARE (a political charade), Greenpeace (a failure of epic proportions) and the Pew Environment Group (a far cry from success). Even Sha Zukang, Secretary-General of the conference, could muster little positive to say: "This is an outcome that makes nobody happy. My job was to make everyone equally unhappy,"
If the goal was another international agreement filled with platitudes that would accomplish nothing, that was not achieved. But we would like to suggest that something positive may be coming. We would like to focus on just one of the initiatives, Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL). Conducted under the auspices of the United Nations, SE4ALL has three objectives:
1. Universal access to electricity2. Increased use of renewable energy3. Increased energy efficiency
Over 1.3 billion people in the world do not have access to electricity for their homes and work. Electricity is enabling. Whether for studying after dark, pumping irrigation water, eliminating wood/charcoal/dung stoves, or refrigerating medicine, the benefits of electricity are immediate and life-changing. The program calls for innovation and investment, and policy choices that enhance innovation and investment.
Renewable energy is part of the program for many of the reasons raised in this country: job creation, reduction of greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions, insulation from price volatility, and increased energy security. A justification not common to the domestic debate about renewable energy is also put forth. Renewable energy can cut balance-of-payment imbalances, The program's goal is to double the share of renewable energy in the world energy use portfolio by 2030.
"Of the three objectives of Sustainable Energy for All, improving energy efficiency has the clearest impact on saving money, improving business results, and delivering more services for consumers." Thus efficiency improvements are the easiest point of entry for lifting more people out of energy deprivation for less money. The program's goal is to double the current rate of efficiency improvement by 2030.
Is this all pie in the sky?
Two vantage points suggest it is not. First, the investment community very much supports the renewable energy sector. Michael Liebriech, the CEO of Bloomberg New Energy Finance gave an interview at Rio+20 and made the point that he's seen $1 trillion pour into the sector globally since 2004. "My clients really don't necessarily care about what's happening in the negotiations. They're concerned about what's right in front of them. What would you rather trust, a decades-long process that hasn't resulted in a whole lot of progress, or a trillion dollars in investment?" Diplomats and governments should listen.
Second, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who grew up without electricity, has explained why SE4ALL is a program worth putting forward: "Widespread energy poverty condemns billions of people to darkness, to ill health and to missed opportunities ...."
One can imagine him continuing: "I had seen first-hand the grim drudgery and grind, which had been the common lot of … generations of … farm women. I had seen the tallow candle in my own home, followed by the coal-oil lamp. I knew what it was to take care of the farm chores by the flickering, undependable light of the lantern in the mud and cold rains of the fall and the snow and icy winds of winter. … I could close my eyes and recall the innumerable scenes of the harvest and the unending punishing tasks performed by hundreds of thousands of women, growing old prematurely, dying before their time, conscious of the great gap between their lives and the lives of those whom the accident of birth or choice placed in the towns and cities."
Except that is not the Secretary General, it is Senator Frank Norris, the champion of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, which literally turned the lights on across much of rural America. Rural electrification was a good idea then, as millions can attest. And it is a good idea now. The trick today is how to wed the developing renewable energy sector, with the billions of dollars of investment being made, to an electrification program for 1.3 billion people. A distinction here that will make electrification easier than it was in the 1930s, is that many renewable energy sources (solar, wind, tidal) by their nature can be utilized without investment in large power distribution networks. If SE4ALL is about innovation and investment, it seems eminently achievable.
Climate Change | Legislation | Renewable Energy | Solar Energy | Sustainability
Yesterday was a banner day for offshore wind farms in the mid-Atlantic. Promoters and advocates received a favorable environmental assessment, a new form and two calls for nominations.
The Environmental Assessment. Secretary Ken Salazar of the Department of the Interior gave wind developers a big boost when he announced the Department's decision to move forward with government leases of offshore areas for wind farms. This comes at a crucial time for wind turbine manufacturers; Danish turbine giant Vestas A/S announced last month that it would be closing one factory, laying off ten percent of its work force in light of the recession and increased competition from China, and considering additional layoffs in the United States.
The Department's finding of "no significant impact" from activities related to site assessment such as geotechnical surveys or the installation of meteorological towers opens the door to the gathering of data without completion of a further environmental impact statement. Completion of the environmental assessment is not a green light for all projects, but it is estimated that it will take two years off the planning and construction schedule. Specific projects still will need to complete an environmental impact statement. One issue, for example, may be birds. The red knot, an intercontinental migrating species of sandpiper, flies almost twenty thousand miles each year from Brazil to Canada and back, stopping off for saltwater taffy along the Delaware Bay. Birdkill is a substantial problem for wind farm operators. Efforts to put the red knot on the federal endangered species list will only make solving that problem harder.
New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia are all excited about the potential opportunities. Governor McDonnell (a Virginia Republican) wants to make Virginia the Energy Capital of the East Coast. Governor O'Malley (a Maryland Democrat) noted: "We need the energy. We have the resources. We need the jobs, and we need a more renewable and cleaner, greener future for our kids."
The Lease Form. To streamline the issuance of wind farm leases on the Outer Continental Shelf the Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management put together a "first-of-its-kind" lease form, BOEM Form 0008. Comments were solicited last fall and they were limited. One that was significant was that lessees should make available data they collect. Certain wind data could be kept as proprietary and confidential. The Form is silent on that subject. Notwithstanding, the wind energy industry is enthusiastic about the Form. Comments by The Offshore Wind Development Coalition felt that with 15 offshore wind projects on the blocks in the U.S., the Form "will provide an essential ingredient for continued progress."
The Calls. The Department of Interior also issued a "Call for Information and Nominations" for almost 80,000 acres approximately 10 miles off Ocean City, Maryland, and for a little more than 110,000 acres 23 miles off Virginia Beach, Virginia. The Calls solicit any additional lease nominations and request public comments about "site conditions, resources and other existing uses of the identified area that would be relevant to BOEM's potential leasing and development authorization process." An earlier solicitation of interest for Maryland obtained nine "indications of interest" for commercial leases. This interest is local, interstate and international. The achievement of Maryland is the result of sustained effort to get to this point. Since 2009, in a "state interagency marine spatial planning process" the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) worked with "resource experts, user groups, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Towson University and the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) to compile data and information about habitats, human uses, and resources offshore Maryland."
Offshore wind farms are coming. "Blow the man down" is a 19th Century sea shanty chronicling the rough life of a mate aboard sailing packets plying the North Atlantic. It may be time to update the reference.
NOAA reported that 2011 was one for the record books: 12 weather and climate-related disasters each causing over $1 billion in damage. One might expect (or hope) that a national climate change policy would be coming into place to prevent repeating or setting a new record. One would be disappointed. U.S. climate policy is "uncertain," to quote Michael Morris, CEO of American Electric Power, "dysfunctional" is the word applied by Resources for the Future, "hamstrung" is how the chief UN climate change negotiator and Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, Christiana Figueres, calls it.
We don't disagree with these viewpoints; they are accurate. But if a response to climate change is the goal, it is worse than these commenters are acknowledging because not only has Congress shown that it is incapable of getting anything done, other avenues are not delivering either. As the year expires we thought it might be helpful to sift through the year's detritus and assess the status of attempts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, distinct from overt attempts like passing laws and adopting regulations.
1. Tax emissions - Some will remember our blog on the federal lawsuit brought by Mirant Corp. against Montgomery County challenging the County's tax on carbon emissions which fell only on Mirant. The County challenged the federal court's jurisdiction and won before the federal district court. In June, however, the Fourth Circuit reversed. With that Montgomery County folded its tent and abandoned its carbon tax.
2. Favor renewable energy - The inexorable scrutiny of the markets has proved the undoing of several former high-flying renewable energy ventures. Most well-known is the debacle with Solyndra LLC, whose well-publicized collapse generated scrutiny by the FBI and Congress. Others that have failed with less limelight in 2011 include numerous solar companies (Solar Millennium, Stirling Energy Systems, Evergreen Solar, Spectrawatt), as well as ventures in wind (Skycon), energy storage (Beacon Power), and biofulels (Range Fuels).
3. Impose liability for emissions of carbon dioxide - The results here are mixed. Everyone points to American Electric Power v Connecticut for the principle that for greenhouse gas liability claims the federal common law of nuisance has been displaced by federal regulation. They could equally point to Connecticut v AEP before the Second Circuit for the principle that the political question doctrine does not bar these types of claims or to the Fifth Circuit panel in Comer v Murphy Oil USA that held similarly. However, even if the cases are permitted to move forward, they face daunting problems in proof of causation.
4. Force state action to regulate carbon dioxide - We blogged last May and just this month about the tidal wave of litigation unleashed by Our Children's Trust, an Oregon environmental group that had orchestrated a dozen suits asserting the defendant States had an obligation under the public trust doctrine to restrain carbon dioxide emissions, as well as regulatory petitions in about 40 jurisdictions.
Time has not been good to OCT. First, its petitions have been denied by at least 23 agencies (Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia. Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming). Where OCT filed lawsuits, three states (Arkansas, Minnesota and New Mexico) responded with motions to dismiss. The lawsuit against Montana was dismissed. In the federal lawsuit, the plaintiffs lost a motion to transfer.
5. Reach regional agreements - With great fanfare the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative was launched in 2005. Despite a recent study that claims significant economic benefit to the states in RGGI, its future success is unclear. New Jersey pulled out, New Hampshire tried to leave but the governor vetoed the bill. In New York, there is a court challenge.
6. Voluntarily trade carbon dioxide emissions credits - The only carbon exchange in North America came to an end in 2010 when the Chicago Climate Exchange closed its doors. A shadow of its former self, the CCX now registers verified emission reductions based on a comprehensive set of established protocols.
7. Develop carbon capture and storage - The most prominent project in the US came to a halt in July when American Electric Power concluded not to build a full-scale CCS plant at its Mountaineer, West Virginia plant. As noted above, AEP explained its decision as based on the uncertainty of US climate policy. The lack of direction in American climate change response hurts business. AEP walked away from a $300 million Department of Energy match. It didn't help that the Virginia consumer advocate, in successfully arguing against including CCS costs in the rate base, asserted: "Any potential benefit is speculative and outweighed by the enormous cost of the pilot project."
Some may think no policy is the best policy. We think otherwise. Climate change is happening. There will be a response. All will benefit if that response is choreographed over time, rather than rushed into when political consensus ultimately concludes that something must be done NOW. Maybe in 2012? Happy New Year.
Carbon Dioxide | Carbon Emissions | Climate Change | Climate Change Litigation | Legislation | Regulation | Renewable Energy | Weather | Year in Review
Yesterday was a good day for renewable fuels enthusiasts and not because someone figured out how to make ethanol cocktails from pond scum. In Houston American renewable fuel use literally took off on its maiden flight and in Washington the Supreme Court denied certiorari in a suit brought by the oil industry challenging the USEPA's regulations promulgating a revised renewable fuels standard.
In National Petrochemical Refiners Association and the American Petroleum Institute v. EPA, the plaintiffs asserted the EPA's final rule, Regulation of Fuels and Fuel Additives: Changes to Renewable Fuel Standard Program, 75 Fed. Reg. 14,670 (Mar. 26, 2010), was invalid because it "violate[d] statutory requirements setting separate biomass-based diesel volume requirements for 2009 and 2010; [was] impermissibly retroactive; and it violate[d] statutory lead time and compliance provisions." 630 F.3d 145, 147 (D.C. Cir. 2010). From those arguments, one might justifiably conclude that watching paint dry would be far more exciting than this opinion; we will leave it to others to explicate. E.g., see the case comment in the Texas Journal of Oil, Gas and Energy Law Blog. In any event, the court of appeals denied all of petitioners' arguments and left EPA's rulemaking completely intact. The Supreme Court saw no reason to step in.
What does the standard mean in the real world? It is huge. Among other things, according to the EPA's website it raised the mandated volume of renewable components in motor vehicle fuel from 9 billion gallons in 2008 to 36 billion gallons by 2022. And it "appl[ied] lifecycle greenhouse gas performance threshold standards to ensure that each category of renewable fuel emits fewer greenhouse gases than the petroleum fuel it replaces." In other words, if one measures all the greenhouse gases emitted in the production of, for example, one gallon of corn-derived ethanol, fewer gases would be emitted than in the production of one gallon of gasoline.
But the standard is not huge for airlines. It only applies to motor vehicle fuel. 42 U.S.C. § 7545(o)(1)(C)(i). Nevertheless, airlines are starting to line up for renewable fuels. A case in point is the news story in yesterday's Houston Chronicle, Algae helps power flight to Chicago. The gist of the story is that a United Airlines Boeing 737 lifted off from George Bush Intercontinental Airport for Chicago with a fuel tank filled with a blend derived from algae and conventional aviation fuel. Passengers noted nothing different despite participating in history. As stated by United: "the first U.S. airline to fly passengers using a blend of sustainable, advanced biofuel and traditional petroleum-derived jet fuel." More details are provided in the press releases from Solazyme (the biofuel manufacturer) and United. The blend was 40/60 algae to conventional fuels, complied with the ASTM D7566 specification for aviation fuel, and is a "drop-in replacement[] for petroleum-based fuel, requiring no modification to factory-standard engines or aircraft." Tomorrow Alaska Airlines takes off with used cooking oil product in its tanks. The price for this "green" fuel? One internet source puts it at between $17 and $26 per gallon.
Is this cutting edge? For the United States, yes, for Europe not at all. Lufthansa flies 8 flights daily to and from Hamburg and Frankfurt using 50% biofuel in one engine. The press release goes on to explain the single engine: "next to reducing CO2 emissions, the main aim of this long-term operational trial, [is] to examine the effects of biofuel on the maintenance and lifespan of aircraft engines." That is, the two engines will be torn down to the last o-ring at the next overhaul and compared, providing valuable data for future operations.
Both United and Lufthansa emphasize the role renewable fuel has in their sustainability initiatives. Good public relations and potential competitive advantage may be reason enough to incorporate biofuels. But besides green-ness can $17 per gallon be justified? It might be if it could reduce costs elsewhere, and faithful readers have already figured out where that might be. As we reported recently, the EU will start imposing carbon emission fees on flights originating or terminating in the European Union. Bio-fueled flights can get credits and reduce their fees. With that, a little innovation, some economies of scale, and some luck, we might soon find ourselves enjoying a little pond scum at 30,000 feet.
Green Marketing | Greenhouse Gases | Regulation | Renewable Energy | Sustainability
The business case for the development of renewable energy projects, from biodiesel and ethanol to wind, solar, and distributed generation, is more compelling than ever as tax and regulatory incentives combine to attract investments. Emerging issues in environmental law and increasingly recognized principles of corporate social responsibility are encouraging public companies to voluntarily reduce greenhouse gas emissions, install clean energy alternatives, and invest overseas in projects under the Kyoto Protocol to respond to climate change concerns.
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blank Benjamin Schilleman
2009-10 (Jr.): Finished the year with a stroke average of 73.92 in 25 rounds... Shot a collegiate low 5-under 211 (71-69-71) to finish tied for third at the Weber State and Utah hosted Purple & Red Invitational... Also tied for third, which is his best collegiate finish, at the Utah Collegiate Shootout with rounds of 74 and 66 to help USU win the event... That 66 is his personal low 18-hole score... Tied for 14th at the Southern Utah hosted Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational with rounds of 72 and 75... Tied for 34th at the WAC Championships with a 14-over 230 (70-77-83). 2008-09 (So.): Had a stroke average of 76.00 in 14 rounds... Best tournament of the year was a 26th-place finish at the Colorado hosted Ron Moore Invitational as he shot a 7-over 219 (72-75-72). 2007-2008 (Fr.): Did not compete. High School: Graduated from Layton High School in 2006... Ended high school with a stroke average of 72.50... Was a three-time all-region selection, as well as a two-time all-state selection... Was an individual state champion in 2005... Lettered three seasons in high school. Personal: Born December 20, 1987 in Ogden, Utah... Son of Mike and Debbie Schilleman... Has two brothers and one sister... Majoring in interdisciplinary studies. |


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Which one would you buy?http://www.hinterlandoutfitters.com/model-2075-rami-pistol-01751-sngl-rubber-grips-fixed-prof-sights-finish-p-21538.htmlhttp://deepsouthguns.com/dsguns/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_18&produ cts_id=79 Sorry about that everyone, I must've inadvertently copied the wrong link.
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They appear to be the exact same gun, so I guess I would buy the one that had the cheapest overall price.
I don't make jokes, I just watch the government and report the facts. -Will Rogers An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. -Winston Churchill
Is this a trick question? I like the first one, looks like the sights are a bit better.
A 22 oz .40 S&W? Good luck with that! I'll bet you're ready to sell it before you need to clean it!
The alloy RAMI is a cool little gun. I'd like to get one at some point, but it'll be a 9mm when I do ($537 @Bud's). If you end up getting a RAMI, I sure would be interested in seeing a range report.
Whoops, ok I fixed it
You've listed two very different firearms. What is your intended use? For range use you'll find a 22 oz .40 cal quite a handful. You should consider the Ruger for that. If CCW is your plan the CZ is a no brainer.


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Managing Pests and Diseases
Winner Best Illustrated Non-fiction Book and Book of the Year at the 2012 NZ Post Book Awards!
New Zealand's Native Trees celebrates the uniqueness and incredible diversity of this country's trees and forests. A landmark book, of the kind that is published only once in a generation, it describes and generously illustrates more than 320 species, subspecies and varieties. It is organised in three main parts: conifers, tree ferns and flowering trees. After authoritative introductions to each part, genera are covered in alphabetical order. The botanical features of each species are then described in detail, along with its distribution, habitat and key relationships with other plants and animals.
More than 2300 superb photographs illustrate fascinating close details of flowers, fruits and other features, and show the form of specimen trees, while wider views of habitats place the species in context. Clear-cut illustrations of leaves are included for each species, arranged in plates for easy identification of larger groups.
New Zealand's Native Trees, by respected author–photographer team John Dawson and Rob Lucas, with the collaboration of several of New Zealand's leading botanists, is a wonderful contribution to the documentation and understanding of the richness and diversity of New Zealand's native trees and forests. Valuable as an identification guide, a reference, a resource for landscapers and gardeners, and an inspiration for a new generation of New Zealanders, this is an essential book for every home, school and library.
Read about Dr John Dawson and Rob Lucas
Download: Cover high-res; Cover low-res
PO Box 555, Nelson, 7040, New Zealand
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by rossusko on Tue Mar 18, 2008 2:44 pm
by Ryan_W on Tue Mar 18, 2008 2:19 pm
by rossusko on Tue Mar 18, 2008 1:38 pm
by Daniel on Fri Mar 07, 2008 2:58 am
by Ryan_W on Thu Jan 31, 2008 1:56 pm
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Zero's beginning to sound alot like George W.
Go to Admin » Appearance » Widgets » and move Gabfire Widget: Social into that MastheadOverlay zone
This time around, President Barack Obama's message can sound decidedly down-to-earth.
Four years after winning the White House, Obama is dealing with a different economic and political reality as he seeks re-election. He's focused less on a lofty vision for overcoming divisions and remaking Washington, and more on the most basic building blocks of middle-class economic security: a job, a house, a college education for the kids, health care, money for retirement.
What Obama describes as the American Dream can seem a spare, fundamental aspiration, tailored for a campaign that looks to be fought over who is best equipped to safeguard the interests of middle-class Americans.
The question is whether it will convince, even as Mitt Romney and the other GOP presidential hopefuls mount a counter-argument that the president has made the American Dream harder, not easier, to achieve. And Obama must overcome the grinding realities many voters confront daily, even with the economy showing signs of life: no jobs, mortgages they can't pay, dwindling retirement funds and college savings.
The president is betting that if he shows voters he understands their yearning for economic stability and security, they'll reward him over Republicans he's casting as just watching out for the rich — even though he hasn't succeeded in fully reviving the economy so far.
"If you're willing to put in the work, the idea is that you should be able to raise a family and own a home; not go bankrupt because you got sick, because you've got some health insurance that helps you deal with those difficult times; that you can send your kids to college; that you can put some money away for retirement," Obama said recently in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
"That's all most people want," he said. "Folks don't have unrealistic ambitions. They do believe that if they work hard they should be able to achieve that small measure of an American Dream."
The goals can seem almost humdrum in comparison with some of the rhetoric from Obama's 2008 White House campaign. But the message sounds made for the times, with the country emerging haltingly from recession, the income gap widening and unemployment stuck above 8 percent.
"He can't run on change because he's the incumbent, and he can't paint too rosy a scenario because things aren't that rosy," said John Geer, professor of political science at Vanderbilt University. "He's got to come up with a theme that appeals to voters, especially middle-class voters, alleviates their fears and gives them reason to believe the future will be better."
The message also creates an implicit contrast with the portrait Democrats are trying to create of front-runner Romney as preoccupied with the concerns of the rich. But Romney is answering Obama's message head-on, seeking a careful balance between sounding optimistic about the nation's future and accusing Obama of destroying the American Dream.
"I've met Hispanic entrepreneurs who thought they had achieved the American Dream and are now seeing it disappear," Romney said after his recent victory in Florida's GOP primary. "We want to restore America to the founding principles that made this country great."
GOP candidates Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich also have accused Obama of tarnishing American opportunity, as Republicans make clear that no matter their nominee, Obama's claim to be the one to restore the American Dream is sure to be challenged.
The candidates' focus on the American Dream is in itself a sign of the times, said Michael Ford, founding director of the Center for the Study of the American Dream at Xavier University. The phrase was coined during the Great Depression and since then has tended to become a central theme during economic downturns, Ford said.
He said rhetoric about the American Dream has been featured during this election cycle more than in decades, which he attributed to the tough times the nation has been suffering.
"It's pretty basic stuff (Obama) talks about and I think as it turns out that's pretty much where the dream is right now," Ford said. "We can say the dream might have been lowered a little bit in terms of its aspiration but the aspiration is still there, and it's always there."
Some polling suggests that, despite voters' continued unhappiness with the economy and Obama's handling of it, the president may be convincing Americans he's on their side. A recent CBS/New York Times poll shows people view Obama as the candidate who best understands the needs and problems of "people like you," and see his policies as more apt than those of the GOP candidates to favor the middle class or the poor.
Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod said "the viability of the middle class is the central economic challenge of our time, so I think that this is very essential in terms of this election."
"He's been talking about this for years, that there are certain things that are pillars of a middle-class life, and he's been very focused on those things and addressing them as president," Axelrod said.
AP Deputy Director of Polling Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press
Zero's beginning to sound alot like George W.
Sound like? No. Act like? Unfortunately. While I'll grant him that Congress has been unhelpful, President Obama has not been very effective.
Of course, in some ways being 'effective' could just make it worse. Imagine President McCain. Or, if you prefer, "Presidents Kerry, Gore, and Mondale".
If you're really fond of 3rd parties, consider "President Nader".
There's to be no remediation or hope for this nation. We're now all captive passengers on the USS America now sailing our last desperate voyage to the bottom as all failed empires past.
The passengers as well as 'Captain Obama' along with his 'crew'; I.E., the madmen and women in the engine room represent a "ship of fools"…believe it.
My best unsolicited advice is for every man and woman to prepare for the worst and to gird themselves for the inevitable societal meltdown to come.
It doesn't matter who's elected or reelected this November. As I've said before, the "800 teraton derivative related debt chickens" are soon coming home to roost. This nation, as well as Western Europe are toast.
The banksters along with their running dog crimpols planet earth have sown the wind and we're all soon to reap the mighty whirlwind of their profligate greed and mismanagement of both labor and resources.
They as well as the people of earth are soon to realize that that unfettered, irresponsible greed is not good. / : |
Carl Nemo **==


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Prince - guitar, vocalsMarva King: vocalsMike Scott - guitarCandy Dulfer- saxophoneMorris Hayes: keyboardsKIrk Johnson- drums
Guests:Larry Graham - bass, vocalsJerry Martini - saxophoneDoug E. Fresh - vocalsChaka Kahn - vocalsBobby Watson - bassMichael Campbell - guitar
Following a triumphant performance at New York City's Madison Square Garden, Prince and his New Power Soul Festival band and friends party into the wee hours at Tramps before an intimate club audience. Iconic funk bassist Larry Graham and saxophonist Jerry Martini are also on board (both ex-Sly & The Family Stone), and Chaka Kahn and rapper Doug E Fresh, as well as several other musicians also join in on the fun. The set can loosely be divided into three sequences. The first half hour focuses on hot funky jamming, followed by Doug E Fresh and Marva King vocalizing during an extended spontaneous medley and concludes with a soulful retro vibe featuring Chaka Kahn.


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The retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein (pRB) plays a critical role in the control of cell proliferation and in the DNA damage checkpoints. pRB inhibits cell cycle progression through interactions with the E2F family of transcription factors. Here, we report that DNA damage induced not only the dephosphorylation of pRB at Cdk phosphorylation sites and the binding of pRB to E2F-1, but also the phosphorylation of pRB at Ser612. Phosphorylation of pRB at Ser612 enhanced the formation of a complex between pRB and E2F-1. Substitution of Ser612 with Ala decreased pRB-E2F-1 binding and the transcriptional repression activity. Until now, Ser612 of pRB has been thought to be phosphorylated by Cdk2. However, the phosphorylation of pRB at Ser612 was conducted by Chk1/2 after DNA damage, and inhibition of ATM-Chk1/2 activity suppressed the phosphorylation of Ser612 and the binding of pRB to E2F-1. These results suggest that Ser612 is phosphorylated by Chk1/2 after DNA damage, leading to the formation of pRB-E2F-1. This is the first report that pRB is phosphorylated in vivo by a kinase other than Cdk.
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quote:$100, 000 goes fast. I'm 30 and around this number. I don't feel even close to well off.
quote:I don't know if you are just making up numbers or if this is your scenario, but you're telling me with itemized deductions, you are paying a 30% tax rate???
quote:You can afford a nice house, car and send your kids to private schools.
quote:There is...no way...I could afford to send kids to private school on my current salary. No way...whatsoever.
quote:get out of debt then
quote:I don't live in a nice house. I drive a ten year old car
quote:400k/yr is absolutely ridiculous if you need that to make you feel "happy"
quote:Something that you can live comfortably off of, have nice things, invest well, and not have to worry about finances...
quote:How much is an average daycare for a newborn per month?
quote:My goal is to max out both ROTH's each year.
quote:We have one kid on the way.
quote:Also, does this change with age and if so, what are those numbers (say at 30/40/50)?
quote:I do pick up quarters.
quote:And folding money.
quote: be "happy" with a household income around $250k at this point


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For those of you who have no idea what a Pokemon is, it's a Pocket Monster. The popular Japanese anime is literally now pocketable because a Twitter iPhone app called the Twimon has just been introduced. It's a free app for download but playing the game requires you to pay a dollar.
It's a new take on social network gaming I'm sure other companies and game makers will soon follow. For now, allow me to raise Pikachu on my own.
Here are some actual Twimon screenshots:


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Hey forons. I want to further my knowledge of geography, partially for my job, partially just so I don't feel like a dumb American when I hear a country name and can't place it.
I could start with a coloring book, or someone once recommended keeping an atlas in the bathroom...
But, I have this idea that there must be a book out there that gives a little interesting world history along with some maps. Maybe even something about the evolution of the "global marketplace" or empires and such.
Of course I could JFGI or do some research on Amazon, but I thought someone on the DPF might have a favorite to recommend. Whaddya say?


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Vegetarian recipes and info |
Antipasto, which means "before food" in Italian, is a salad-like appetizer consisting of various fresh and pickled vegetables, cheeses, and rolled or sliced meats. For vegetarian antipasto, you can either substitute mock meat products or leave them out altogether.
Warm "bacon" contrasts nicely with crisp lettuce and ripe tomato, and makes a delicious, nutritious vegetarian / vegan sandwich.
Yes, it is possible to make vegetarian Caesar salad, and with this recipe you'll never even miss the anchovies.
The contrast between the cool lettuce and the warm chèvre toasts makes this a real treat in the summer.
A tangy dressing tossed with seitan and vegetables makes a delicious vegan alternative to Chinese chicken salad.
This red, white, and green salad will help spread Christmas cheer.
Crudités is a French term that refers to raw vegetables, so a platter of crudités typically consists of one or more types of vegetables served with one or more dips.
Kalamata olives and feta cheese really spice up this otherwise simple salad.
It sounds a little weird to make soup out of salad ingredients, but this beautiful cold soup is light and refreshing.
There are probably millions of salad possibilities, even for what you might think of as a simple mixed salad. Here are some typical ingredients and a few popular variations.
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Apptivo has a business app for just about everything, but how do you know which ones to use? This guide will help you learn about what is available, and which apps might work best for your business. One of the great parts about Apptivo is that you can select only the apps you need right …Read more
Tag Archives: create an account
Selecting the Right Apps & Building a Business Solution
Tagged in configuration, create an account, quick start guide, set up your business
Allow a Customer to View & Collaborate on Your Projects
There are many scenarios where you may want to keep a customer informed of the status of a specific project in your project management system. Apptivo provides the ability to add third-party customers to specific projects, so they can log in and view project details using their own account. This is great, because it allows …Read more
Tagged in collaboration, create an account, customer collaboration, customer interaction, project team
Collaborate With Classmates on School Projects with Apptivo's Projects App
Although Apptivo is designed for use in the business world, it's project management capabilities translate very well for use in the classroom. The projects app can help you collaborate with fellow students to work on group projects, and easily organize the tasks needed to complete the project, and assign them to the proper persons. Certain …Read more
Tagged in business applications software, college, create an account, project milestones, project scope, project team, students
How much customization can I do with the Employees App?
The Question: I am managing my employee database using Apptivo, and I would like to see if I can customize the app to better fit my needs. How do I change fields such as work shift, so that I can select from these fields when creating a new employee. The Answer: The Employees App has …Read more
Tagged in create an account, customization, human resources, set up your business
Installable Demos – Create Sample Data to Test & Learn Apptivo
What is an installable demo? An installable demo is an Apptivo feature that allows you to automatically create example customers, employees, and projects. This feature is great for new users who are looking to test Apptivo features, or learn how Apptivo can be used for their business. What data is created, can I delete it? …Read more
Tagged in configuration, create an account, demo firm, set up your business
What business information does Apptivo collect?
The Question: I am very cautious about providing sensitive business information over the web. What information is Apptivo going to collect about my business, and what do I need to provide up-front to create an account? The Answer: Of course, security of your business information should always be a top priority; but there isn't too …Read more
What personal information does Apptivo collect?
The Question: When registering for an Apptivo account, what personal information do I need to provide? What about the information that gets entered for my employees? The Answer: Apptivo only requires a few pieces of basic personal information in order to create an account. This information includes: First Name Last Name Email Address Password You …Read more


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The audio from my radio appearance yesterday morning on the Smiley Morning Show, WZPL-FM
99.5 is now available. I was on from 7 – 8 a.m. to discuss the case of
the missing Butler Bulldog mascot costumes. Well really I let my dad do
most of the talking.
case you are wanting a visual of the stuffed bulldog that I adopted and
mutilated while I was in studio (just listen to the audio and you'll
hear it referenced quite a bit), here's what it looks like today…
today I'm back on campus and drumming up support around the country to
find these missing mascot costumes. But, I'm hearing rumors of the
costumes actually being somewhere on campus. I won't name names or
locations just yet to proctect the innocent, but I may just have to go
check it out!
Stay tuned,
Blue II


text: When I first built the gcc-4.1.0 system of mine, I got nothing but segfaults. Much like the problems Robert mentioned. However, I was under the impression that they were related to my differences. I have since knocked out most of the segfault issues and even gotten more programs to work. But, up until this week, I have been using workaround and hacks. My last couple of posts have been actual fixes, but here are the differences between what I am using and what Robert might/might not be using. First off, I mentioned -ffast-math at some point. -ffast-math seems to be a gcc-4.1.? problem. -ffast-math is a major cause of segfaulting on the uClibc+gcc-4.1 system. I am not sure whether it is a uClibc + gcc-4.1.? problem or just a gcc-4.1 problem. Either way, to prevent the system from randomly segfaulting, REMOVE ALL USES OF -ffast-math from all projects. Here is a list of what I have found to include -ffast-math and my "fixes" for them: DirectFB: sed -i -e 's|-ffast-math||g' $(find $PWD -name Makefile) libogg: sed -i -e 's|-ffast-math||g' configure libvorbis: sed -i -e 's|-ffast-math||g' configure libao: sed -i -e 's|-ffast-math||g' configure vorbis-tools: sed -i -e 's|-ffast-math||g' configure libmikmod: sed -i -e 's|-ffast-math||g' configure xvidcore: sed -i -e 's|-ffast-math||g' configure procps: procps-3.2.6-gcc41-1.patch Mesa: sed -i -e 's|-ffast-math||g' Makefile.{DJ,mgw} \ progs/samples/Makefile.{DJ,mgw} progs/samples/Makefile.{DJ,mgw} \ configs/{linux*,darwin,freebsd*,sunos*} If there are any others, then I missed them and their segfault issues were slightly evasive I donot use MPlayer, but the time in which I installed it, it assumed all of the system-specifc flags, so It probably does use -ffast-math -------- Another possible cause for segfaulting is -fpie and -fPIE; however, this may be my fault through some unnoticed mistakes. I have never had a system with -fpie and -fPIE not segfault since day 1 with HLFS. Given that nobody else had issues and reported them, suggesting I was making mistakes. Up until this week I have been building systems without any hardening flags (SSP & PIE) to help isolate my problems. I did, however, pass -fpic -fPIC whenever possible in every single location, so my system may no longer have non-PIC code. I have finally worked myself to an PIC+SSP system, but I will not move to PIE anytime soon. No segfaults presented, so if I were to add pie, new segfault issues might be revealed ------ Now, I have other differences between my system and that of Robert's HLFS. I will point out those that I feel are most relevant. my uClibc is VERY different, I am getting away with uClibc-0.9.28 + binutils-2.16.1 + gcc-4.1.1. I have two passes to make on the target system, see my other recent posts about the order. The first pass has the config file with the following notable differences: UCLIBC_STATIC_LDCONFIG=y - This is needed for the first pass of the bootstrap for uClibc/gcc. This way no /tools files get inside my /lib files. Perhaps I am a little paranoid here.. UCLIBC_HAS_STDIO_BUFSIZ_8192=y - I noticed that vim uses the built-in buffer size in some manner to store copied data, increasing this to 8192 will help vim and other programs get a more useful buffer size (less truncating of data) UCLIBC_PRINTF_SCANF_POSITIONAL_ARGS=10 - I accidently ran into a program that checks to make sure the glibc position args is what it should be. It checked for >= 10. So it seems that 10 would be better to have for glibc compatibility Security Options: UCLIBC_SECURITY=y - for SSP # SSP_QUICK_CANARY is not set # SSP_USE_ERANDOM is not set # UCLIBC_BUILD_PIE is not set # PROPOLICE_BLOCK_SEGV is not set # PROPOLICE_BLOCK_KILL is not set # UCLIBC_BUILD_SSP is not set UCLIBC_HAS_SSP=y - for SSP PROPOLICE_BLOCK_ABRT=y - for SSP The second pass has the following changes: # UCLIBC_STATIC_LDCONFIG is not set - I prefer not to use static ldconfig UCLIBC_BUILD_RELRO=y - for security UCLIBC_BUILD_NOW=y - for security UCLIBC_BUILD_NOEXECSTACK=y - for security Now, for some target system difference: When setting up a system, say chapter 6.6, the following symlinks were used by me instead of what is mentioned there: ($TO = /tools, $TA=/mnt/hlfs) ln -vfs $TO/bin/{bash,cat,pwd,perl} $TA/bin ln -vfs $TO/bin/stty $TA/bin ln -vfs $TO/bin/bash $TA/bin ln -vfs $TO/bin/env $TA/bin ln -vfs bash $TA/bin/sh ln -vsf $TO/lib/crt{1,i,n}.o /lib - this is what is done in order to get gcc to compile for me. (libgcc_s.so is not linked at this point, as the book does) After fooling around with gcc, I noticed that the configure script checks for gmp. I felt safe to added it immediately before second pass of gcc. ---- Now, more segfaulting DOES occur when the gcc+uClibc+binutils system is not bootstrapped. This happens because --print-specs file does not exist, so the instructions do absolutely nothing to make gcc stop using the toolchain (/tools). This further becomes an issue with m4 and bison. The m4 seems to link to the /tools, because bison is found in the /tools. Bison depends on m4 and m4 depends on bison..So bootstrapping bison/m4 is necessary as well. 1) install bison 2) install m4 after bison (circular dependancy) 3) After m4 is installed, re-install bison to link against the proper m4.


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Pro/Con: Should county-level races be partisan?
Feb. 23, 2014 at 10:03 p.m.
Updated Feb. 23, 2014 at 8:24 p.m.
Election type of the top 10 most populous cities
New York City, partisan
Los Angeles, nonpartisan
Chicago, partisan
Houston, partisan
Phoenix, nonpartisan
Philadelphia, partisan
San Antonio, nonpartisan
Dallas, nonpartisan
San Diego, nonpartisan
San Jose, Calif., nonpartisan
SOURCE: The National League of Cities
The Lone Star State adopted its sixth constitution in 1876.
Then, legislators shortened elected officials' terms and lowered their salaries. They were on a mission to cut down the power of the executive branch, which had loomed large, disregarding the Union's mandates after the Civil War ended, according to the Texas Historical Association.
Although legislators have tweaked the lengthy document more than 200 times since it was enacted, the 1876 constitution is still one by which Texans operate today. The constitution is why county-level races are partisan, or ones in which the candidates must file for office under a Democratic or Republican ticket.
"Settlers who moved here, like Sam Houston, who was from Tennessee, really believed in elections and electing a lot of officials," said Gino Tozzi, a University of Houston-Victoria political science lecturer. "The paradox is that citizens now vote at very low rates. ... Texas is consistently in the bottom 10 of all the states (in voter turnout)."
About 60 percent of Victoria County's about 50,000 registered voters cast a ballot in the presidential elections, about 45 percent vote in the gubernatorial elections, and 20 percent or less vote in primaries, according to Elections Administrator George Matthews.
These days, it is more important than ever to fact check the candidates' claims, Tozzi said.
"Unfortunately, it's not an easy thing, and that's probably why few people vote in these elections or make an informed vote, for that matter," he said.
While some say partisanship should not come into play for elected positions that provide services, not policy, others say their absence would confuse voters.
Should county-level races be partisan?
Pro: County-level races should be partisan
Con: Politics should play no part in local elections


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There would be "no significant impact on the human environment due to granting non-regulated status to RR (Roundup Ready) alfalfa." That's a small part of USDA's summary of the long-awaited draft Roundup Ready alfalfa environmental impact statement (EIS), just made public.
Those who agree or disagree can make their feelings known during a 60-day public comment period on the EIS, which was required by federal court before Roundup Ready alfalfa can again be considered for deregulating.
In 2005, USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) allowed the sale and planting o f the transgenic crop. But less than two years later, that decision was disputed in federal court and Roundup Ready alfalfa was pulled off the market until an EIS could be completed. More than another two years later, the draft EIS is available for review and comment by the public. After sorting through comments, USDA will prepare a final EIS later this year.
According to a friend-of-the-court brief submitted Dec. 8 as part of a petition to get the Roundup Ready alfalfa case reviewed by the Supreme Court, the lower court ruling, if left to stand, "could begin a wave of anti-biotechnology injunctions." Such a wave would generate uncertainty in the agricultural biotechnology industry, throughout American agriculture and in the global food market, according to the brief, filed by the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Corn Growers Association, the Biotechnology Industry Organization and the American Seed Trade Association.
Six days later, on Dec. 14, the EIS was made public. In it, the Environmental Protection Agency has determined that "there is no unreasonable environmental risk when using glyphosate when the user adheres to the label restrictions, as they are legally required to do."
Besides online and written comments, APHIS is also taking feedback on the EIS in four scheduled public meetings. Three will be held in conjunction with other meetings the week of Jan. 17, at the Western Alfalfa Seed Conference in Las Vegas, NV; and the week of Feb. 2 at both the Mid-America Alfalfa Expo in Kearney, NE, and the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society Annual Healthy Farms/Rural Advantage Conference in Lincoln, NE. APHIS will also hold a public meeting in the Washington D.C., area during the week of Feb. 8. Exact meeting dates and locations will be published in the Federal Register and posted at APHIS.
Comments received on or before Feb. 16 will be considered, USDA officials say. Anyone may comment by either of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Submit or view comments and to view supporting and related materials available electronically. (Starting Dec. 16.)
• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: please send two copies of your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2007-0044, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comment refers to Docket No. APHIS-2007-0044.
Comments received will be posted on Regulations can be viewed at USDA, Room 1141, South Building, 14th St. and Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C., during business hours.


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Ikea laminate countertop... any personal experience?
We were thinking of installing the in stock laminate counters from Lowes, but recently went to Ikea and they are LOTS cheaper. Has anyone used these and have a personal recommendation on them?
I am drawn to the solid black one, but am not sure if it would show the wear and tear more as opposed to a counter with several blended colors like the ones at Lowes...
So any opinions?
We have just installed the black stone effect ikea laminate in a vacation home kitchen remodel we just did. I really have only used it a few times -- but will get more solid use as we just officially moved up here for the summer today! So far so good. I'm sorry I can't give u a better review as we just got it but it does look and feel very nice so far. You should give it a try.... I have ikea cabinets in 2 kitchens now and their butcherblock and u can't beat it for the money. I figure the laminate must be the same so I went for it.
i actually have both the ikea laminate and home depot in stock laminates in my dental office office. they are both holding up great after just over a year.
Home Deopt- has a built in back splash rim that I do not love the look of- and it makes angled cuts harder. the laminate seems thicker and more durable like a wilson art or formica, vs the ikea laminate. side trim is avail. but is not sticking too well to the cut surfaces.
Ikea- liked the colors much better vs HD. the finished edge looks more granite like (squarer) and I have gotten many more compliments on the ikea counters. the only negative i could say is there is a tiny chip on the counter surface of the ikea counter- which i think the installer must have knicked. not sure what happened, but I am assuming there were some heavy tools and such being thrown on it during construction. never asked and never had any issues since. The surface does not feel as smooth as HD laminate. It seems like a thinner sheet of laminate is baked on to the particleboard underneath (opposed to a sheet of laminate glued on). Doesn't make a difference to me. I still like the ikea top better.
in all, i would get the ikea tops again before the HD tops b/c i do not like the 3-4 in backsplash, ikea is much less expensive and i like the look of the ikea counters better. they seem to be equal on holding up.
Ikea- cheap, durable, no integral backsplash. Don't need to use the extra side trim if you can plan your cut pieces so that the cut ends butt up against other surfaces. The integral side trim is really strong. My contractor was impressed with the price/quality ratio. So far holding up fine. That additional side trim is a weak point>


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Patrick Cescau
Patrick Cescau, Group Chief Executive of Unilever
Patrick Cescau was born in Paris in 1948. He was appointed Group Chief Executive of the combined Unilever PLC and Unilever N.V. business in April 2005 and is the first person to hold this new position in the company's history.
Patrick began his career in 1973 when he joined Unilever France as an organization officer. Since then his career has taken him to many countries across the world. He has held senior positions with Unilever in Germany, The Netherlands, Indonesia, Portugal, and in the US.
In 1998 he was appointed controller and deputy financial director. In May 1999 was appointed financial director of Unilever, a position he held until August 2000 when he relinquished that role to lead the integration of Bestfoods. On January 1, 2001 he took up the position as director of the company's global Foods division. In October 2004 Patrick was appointed Chairman of Unilever PLC and Deputy Chairman of Unilever N.V. Patrick stepped down from these roles when, in April 2005, Unilever changed its management structure to one with a single non-executive chairman and a single chief executive.
Patrick and his German-born wife, Ursula, live in London and have two children. His main interests include reading, golf and photography. Patrick was educated at ESSEC, graduating with a business degree, and later an MBA with distinction from INSEAD. Patrick is a non-executive director of Pearson PLC and a Conseiller du Commerce Exterieur de la France in Holland. He was awarded the Légion d'Honneur in January 2005.
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With rapidly changing consumer tastes, many food companies are looking to expand their markets at home and overseas. How does an iconic American company stay relevant?
Research Reports
The Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics is the umbrella for all activities and research on leadership, ethics and governance at Columbia Business School.
Explore their work through our published reports below. See all.
Featured Research
The Small Worlds of Corporate Governance
Identifies "structural breaks" — privatization, for example, or globalization — and assesses why powerful actors across countries behave similarly or differently in terms of network properties and corporate governance.


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We have 18,173 Items In-stock.Carbox Cargo Liner
Does your cargo area have lots of dents, stains, and scratches? Never worry about those again with the durable and easy-to-clean Carbox Cargo Liner. Carbox is one of the leading custom parts providers in the automotive industry. Each Carbox product is custom-fit to allow maximum interior protection. The Carbox Cargo Liner is crafted from tough and flexible polyethylene and protects your vehicle from damage caused by spills, other passengers, pets, and even heavy and sharp cargo. It is also easy to clean and oil- and water-resistant. You don't have to worry about scrubbing; simply remove the liner from your vehicle and hose it with water. Once dry, return the liner and your cargo area is spick-and-span once again. Carbox cargo liners also come in attractive colors such as gray, beige and black-adding style instantly while protecting your car. Make the practical and the aesthetic choice today. Keep your car's cargo area scratch-free and clean with the Carbox Cargo Liner. To find the best deals on Carbox products, check out our catalog now.
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Trans Globe Lighting® Tulip Drop Pendant
Item # WX2-236238
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This item is shipped directly from the factory. To see the expected shipping date, please add to your Shopping Cart. Sorry, no express shipping available. We are unable to ship factory direct items to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or APO or FPO addresses.
- Details & Specs
Trans Globe Lighting® Tulip Drop Pendant is an accent of pure elegance for your home.
Add the perfect finishing touch above your Island, bar, sink and more! The lighting pros at Trans Globe Lighting® craft this Post Light with a rich brushed nickel finish and elegant marbled glass to create a versatile accent light that compliments any contemporary design.
Let's shed some light on the subject:- Bulb type: Medium Base
- Max bulb wattage: 100
- Number of bulbs (not included): 1
- 7" diam. x 61 3/4".
Bring your home to life with warm light and rich style. Order ONLINE Today!
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It's National Consumer Protection Week!
This is the beginning of National Consumers Protection Week, a national campaign to help consumers make better-informed decisions and avoid being scammed.
State To Provide Micro-Loans For Businesses Hit Hard By Winter
Help for small businesses is on the way in the form of a state-run low-interest micro-loan program.
The Discretionary Items In Your Budget
We have been discussing saving on what we eat. Let's quickly look at a few more discretionary items in your budget.
Save On Dinner For Two
Yesterday we talked about take-out food for a family of four, but what if there's just two of you and you like to eat out several times a week?
TJ Maxx, Marshalls To Follow Wal-Mart In Raising Pay
The owner of T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and Home Goods stores said Wednesday that it will boost pay for its U.S. workers to at least $9 per hour.
Save On Dinner
Earlier this week we discussed saving money by eating breakfast at home and packing lunches. Now it's time to save on dinner.
Small Changes To Save More
This is America Saves Week and all week we'll be looking at small changes you can make to save big.
City Announces 'Boston Bingo' To Help Snow-Stricken Businesses
Players can win prizes for helping out local economy.
It's America Saves Week!
Today starts a national campaign for Americans to save more money.
Tax Audit Red Flags
Most audits are simple paper audits where they send you a letter asking for supporting documentation.


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+: It's a small hotel, but with a good location, and in general as well maintained as its garden. The rooms are clean and quite new. In addition, the owner Signora Giusi is very friendly and willing to help you with almost everything. -: There were ants from the window to a strip beside the bed, and the bathroom wasn't... More
Italy >
Sicily >
Province of Trapani >
San Vito lo Capo
Number of rooms: 5
- Also Known As:
- Kimos Hotel San Vito Lo Capo, Sicily


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Buy Steroids Online on Steroids Rx.com
The mot difficult thing about anabolic steroids is to know what the exact price out on the black market is. Almost every website has specials and discounts on anabolic steroids; sometimes the dealers have offers like buy two for one, or buy more and get more free pills. There are so many anabolic steroids and so many price listings that no one can possibly know what the real price is. And the situation gets more complex because there are many scam artists on the web and there are just as many fake drugs. In North America it is illegal to sell anabolic steroids online and thus all the dealers appear to be Europeans and Asians. Trying to reach the dealers online is an impossible task. Simply asking what the anabolic steroid can do is impossible. There are anabolic steroids being sold online which were discontinued in the 1980s and early 90s. Makes you wonder if these are real or fake products. IN EACH AND EVERY CASE THE AUTHENCITY OF THE ANABOLIC STEROID CAN NOT BE VERIFIED. MORE LIKELY THAN NOT, IT IS A FAKE. The main reason why many people are not able to reproduce the bodybuilding results is that there are simply may fake products.
Below are some of the prices listed from a number of sites. The prices are a range and in each case, the dealers offer discounts. The more you buy, the cheaper the drug. However, what you are buying is an unknown.
The majority of dealers in cyberspace have no refund policy. Some do not even have a phone number or address.
To order you simply fill up a form and then submit online. There are many sites which appear to sell the same drug with a different name and a different price. On each and every website, there are specials. The more you buy, the bigger the discounts. Of course you will also pay more.
The majority of dealers appear to be European , Asian or South American. In almost every case, the anabolic steroids from Thailand and Mexico are a lot cheaper.
In many cases, you are not able to chat with the dealer except receive an email message.
There are no phone numbers to contact the dealers.
You pay via credit card.
It appears that the same dealers have multiple websites selling the same product.
All of them charge for shipping.
Not a single site can guarantee what exactly is in the formulation.
There are countless cases of athletes having suffered complications, side effects and toxicity after having bought anabolic steroids online.
On almost each and every website, you can haggle the price. If you do not have the money, the dealer will always recommend something else for you. And if that does not work, the majority of dealers bring down the price.
There are hundreds of stories about individuals being scammed off their credit cards. While you are waiting for the shipment of your Supersize pills, someone is having a great time visiting the casinos in Macau or better still, visiting the temples in Bangkok and praying for you.
Many anabolic steroids being sold online have been analyzed by different laboratories and found to be worthless- most contain a sugar pill or vegetable oil.
Final Word
Be forewarned, the DEA watches all transactions done on line. Having an anabolic steroid shipped to you from Europe or Asia is like asking the FBI to deliver your pizza at home. And just imagine giving your credit card to someone online. There are countless stories about scams, fake drugs, counterfeit products and fly by night websites which disappear in the morning.
The holiday season is close and times are tough. Be careful with your hard earned money. The internet is an illusion and is the last place where one should seek pharmaceutical medications. If you really want to build your body like Arnold- go to the Gym, eat decent, do not smoke, and work out. This simple advice will eventually get you the body you want. It may take a little longer but it will be cheaper, safer and free from any agony of not knowing what happened to your money.
Baume N, Mahler N, Kamber M, Mangin P, Saugy M. Research of stimulants and anabolic steroids in dietary supplements.Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2006 Feb;16(1):41-8.
Fouillot JP. [Doping and dietary supplements] Bull Acad Natl Med. 2004;188(6):933-42; discussion 942-3.
Geyer H, Parr MK, Mareck U, Reinhart U, Schrader Y, Schänzer W. Analysis of non-hormonal nutritional supplements for anabolic-androgenic steroids - results of an international study. Int J Sports Med. 2004 Feb;25(2):124-9.
Parr MK, Koehler K, Geyer H, Guddat S, Schänzer W. Clenbuterol marketed as dietary supplement. Biomed Chromatogr. 2008 Mar;22(3):298-300.
Ritsch M, Musshoff F. [Dangers and risks of black market anabolic steroid abuse in sports --gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses] Sportverletz Sportschaden. 2000 Mar;14(1):1-11.
Thevis M, Schrader Y, Thomas A, Sigmund G, Geyer H, Schänzer W. Analysis of confiscated black market drugs using chromatographic and mass spectrometric approaches. J Anal Toxicol. 2008 Apr;32(3):232-40.