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Mr. A: Longtime college newspaper adviser wraps it up
As painful as it is to say, it was 39 years ago that my first story appeared in a newspaper — a sports story in my high school newspaper.
A month later, I met Mr. A.
Bob Adams was the newspaper adviser for The College Heights Herald, the national award-winning twice-a-week student newspaper at Western Kentucky University. In the summer of 1973, he also was on the faculty at Western's annual week-long high school journalism workshop, which I attended.
Western was (and is) renowned for its journalism program, thanks largely to having filled its faculty not with academics, but with veteran professional journalists who had proven themselves at The (Louisville) Courier-Journal, The Louisville Times, The Nashville Tennessean, The Chicago Tribune and elsewhere.
But for those of us immersed in Western's student newspaper, we spent the most time with Mr. A. He was the guy who worked shoulder-to-shoulder with us, working until 1 a.m., 2 a.m., 3 a.m. — or even later — twice a week throughout the school year to produce the Herald.
Mr. A was unquestioned as an authority, but he seldom lorded it over the staff. That wasn't his style. A native of Danville, Ill., he seemingly never lost his prairie modesty; a true Midwesterner strives not to seem like an insufferable know-it-all.
If asked a question or preparing to make a statement, he will clear his throat with a soft growl and consider his words. Often, he can steer a student along to the point that they can resolve their question by themselves. If he saw an unfortunate headline on a page during the production process, he would gently ask the student who was responsible, "Are you sure that's what you want to say?"
Whatever the issue, Mr. A wanted to ensure that his student editors and reporters and photographers produced their best work — accurate, thorough, fair, grammatically correct and professionally presented.
Unquestionably, Western's student publications have been high achievers. The College Heights Herald has won 11 national Pacemaker awards — the Pulitzer Prize of student journalism — from the Associated Collegiate Press. It also won Gold Crown awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association from 1999 to 2004.
The Talisman, WKU's yearbook, has won 10 national Pacemakers. Both publications have been inducted into the Associated Collegiate Press Hall of Fame.
Mr. A himself has been recognized as well, having been inducted into the College Media Advisers Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame in 2005. In 1978, he received the Distinguished Newspaper Adviser Award from the National Council of College Publications Advisers.
Today, the Herald and Talisman are produced in the Adams-Whitaker Student Publications Center, named for Mr. A and the late David B. Whitaker, who served as director of student publications at Western from 1970 to 1987.
But Bob Adams takes far more pride in the students and graduates themselves. He helped mold hundreds of young journalists; many went on to prestigious careers at The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post and other major dailies; more than 20 of his former students have been part of Pulitzer Prize-winning teams. When The Wall Street Journal was ready to go online years ago, they picked a College Heights Herald alum, Neil Budde, as its founding editor and publisher; later, he was editor in chief of Yahoo News.
Others went into other interesting careers. Some are lawyers. One of the Fish brothers went on to work as a video editor at HBO; another is now associate editor at Wine Spectator. Others now work for ESPN and the NFL.
It was Mr. A who also helped hundreds of students secure summer internships or first jobs that launched careers.
Many Herald and Talisman alums have worked at The Gleaner over the years; five serve in the newsroom today. I'm sure Mr. A is proud of those former students for their accomplishments.
But they have always been more than his students; they have been his friends. He is the big brother to more people than anyone else I know.
Now, after a remarkable 46 years, Bob Adams is retiring from WKU student publications.
Mr. A could have retired in 1993. But, as he told some 150 students and former students at his retirement reception last Friday, when he contemplated retirement back then, he reflected on all the young people he wouldn't get to know. So he stayed on for nearly two decades more.
In a packed auditorium on the Western campus, Mr. A reflected on those late, late nights when the sun was rising before his newspaper responsibilities had ended. He recalled once when he left his truck idling outside the Herald office as he dashed in to quickly check on things; when he came out three hours later, the truck was still running.
He said he doesn't regret all those long nights — which were punctuated by his hopeful demand to "Wrap it up!" — or the countless interruptions to his life outside the newspaper office or classroom. Those are, in fact, the experiences played out from semester to semester and year to year that made us more than students and adviser; they made us a family.
But Bob Adams confessed that there has been one painful, never-healing wound: graduations.
"Every year," Mr. A said, his voice breaking, "I had to say goodbye to friends."
I'm just grateful that so many of us had the opportunity to come back to campus to see Mr. A again, to offer him our thanks and congratulations, and to tell him we love him.
The next time he's in town?
I expect to see Bob Adams again. But I'm not sure I'll get to see Garrison Keillor on stage again.
I've been a fan of Garrison and his Saturday evening public radio music-comedy show, "A Prairie Home Companion," for many years.
We've traveled to see the show live at its home in St. Paul, Minn., as well as in New York, Louisville, Madisonville and, several times, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, where he was inspired decades ago to do his own show.
We saw him again at the Ryman last Saturday night.
But he made murmurings last year about retiring next year, and I have to say that I felt a lump in my throat as he closed out the show, singing:
Now it's been something seeing you again
In this time we've had to spend
You've been so good to be around
I thank you for that special thrill
Keep me going on until
The next time I'm in town
I hope there is a next time.
Business Editor Chuck Stinnett can be reached at 270-831-8343 or firstname.lastname@example.com


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Global, Cultural & Language Studies
The Department of Global, Cultural and Language Studies is a newly created department with an emphasis on European and European Union Studies and Asian Studies, studied from contemporary political, social, cultural and language perspectives. The department collaborates with China through the Confucius Institute, and with Europe and the European Union through the National Centre for Research on Europe (NCRE); engages with business or community groups that wish to reach out to Asia and Europe and provides teaching in international competence.
The Department works innovatively to equip graduates for careers in some of the major continents and societies of the globalised world in ways that ensure relationships are strengthened and mutual benefit, respect and understanding are established.
Courses and subjects we offer
Majors and Diplomas:
Minors and Certificates:
Global, Cultural and Language Studies
22nd June 2015
On June 12-14, Associate Professor Natalia Chaban and Professor Martin Holland co-led a research workshop in Brussels within the framework of the transnational comparative project, "Analysis of the Perception of the EU and EU's policies abroad," which is supported by the European External Action Service (EEAS). The workshop was attended by 27 researchers from 10 EU strategic partners. Following the workshop, Natalia and Martin, together with the partner organisations -- Public Policy and Management Institute (Vilnius, Lithuania) and NFG Research Group of Freie Universität (Berlin, Germany) -- presented their preliminary findings at the European External Action Service. The project studies perceptions of the EU and Europe in 10 Strategic Partners of the EU in order to generate practical policy recommendations for the EEAS to devise its policies and activities, especially within the framework of the EU Partnership Instrument.
270 students from 15 secondary schools participated in the NCEA Japanese workshop at UC on the 11th of June. This is a collaboration between the UC Japanese programme and the Canterbury Network of Teachers of Japanese. The day started with a warm welcome by Professor Le Cocq (PVC) and greetings by Mr Tsuchikawa (Consul, Consular's Office of Japan). It was then followed by a special talk by Mr Jonathan Hendriksen (CEO, Shuttlerock) on his encounter and experiences with Japan, its culture and business opportunities. Secondary school students had three intensive language sessions, and 26 UC students helped them as a teaching assistant and mentor on the day. All the students had a great learning experience and it was a great success.
12 June
On June 8, Associate Professor Natalia Chaban of European and EU Studies and Professor Annika Björkdahl of Lund University (Sweden) launched their book, "Importing EU Norms: Conceptual Framework and Empirical Findings," at Lund University's Department of Political Science. They co-edited the book with Associate Professor Annick Masselot (UC, NZ) and Dr John Leslie (VUW, NZ). Published with Springer in 2015, the book offers an original theoretical framework and features 13 case-studies. The book is a result of an international research collaboration supported by the exchange framework of KEENZ-IRSES (Knowledge and Expertise Exchange Europe – New Zealand –International Staff Exchanges), which is sponsored by the European Commission and the Ministry of Research Science and Technology New Zealand.
29 May 2015
Japanese Programme students, Jade Doglione (200 level JAPA) and Jono Glassey (Hons level JAPA), recently returned to their former high school (Lincoln High) to talk to the NCEA Japanese classes about Japan, Japanese, studying Japanese at UC and career pathways using Japanese. At the end of the classes pupils all dressed up in Japanese props lent by the UC Japanese Programme. This outreach event was organised completely by the UC students and their former high school teacher, and was hailed by all as a great success. We hope to encourage more of our senior students to take initiatives like this in the future, so they can engage meaningfully with their Community of Practice.
22 May 2015
Dr. Peter Low, of the French programme, gave a seminar on May 1st under the auspices of the NCRE, concerning "The Global Nuclear Weapons Debate". This was a presentation he had given previously at the University of Otago, after attending conferences in Vienna last December.
17 April 2015
On April 17-22 2015, Associate Professor Natalia Chaban of GCLS/NCRE led a research workshop in Korea University (Seoul, South Korea) in her role as a Partner Country Project Director in NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Project "NATO Global Perceptions – Views from Asia-Pacific region". The project aims to systematically trace the NATO's external media images and elite perceptions, treating perceptions as the key factors behind global expectations of NATO and a cultural filter triggering range of its Asia-Pacific Partners' reactions to NATO global initiatives. The Project traces NATO perceptions in six countries – Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, Australia, New Zealand and China.
20 March 2015
On Wednesday 18th March the Japanese Consul, Mr Tsuchikawa, came to UC to present the Japanese Consular Prize for Excellence in Japanese. This year's recipient is Victoria Wang, who is now studying Honours Japanese. Mr Tsuchikawa also presented the UC Japanese Excellence Awards to Fangfei Wang and Brittany Cheung. The third recipient of this award, Felix Giles-Rosanowski, is at present studying on a Japanese government MEXT scholarship at Fukui University. Congratulations to all 4 students!
13 March 2015
JAPA315 students (Topics in Advanced Japanese) hosted 40 Japanese students from Tokyo City University on 6 March. They were on the College of Education International Short Courses, and it was organised as part of language exchange which gives the visiting students a chance to interact with UC students. It was a wonderful opportunity for the JAPA315 students and Japanese students to interact in Japanese and English.
Associate Professor Natalia Chaban was invited to be the key note speaker at the Asia-Europe Public Diplomacy Training Initiative taking place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on March 10-12. The Initiative, supported by Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) (Singapore), Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs, DIPLO Foundation (Geneva) and the NCRE (UC), brought together 32 diplomats from Europe and Asia discussing public diplomacy strategies and tools in order to improve the dialogue between Asia and Europe. Natalia presented the findings of her ongoing research projects on mutual perceptions between Europe and Asia -- a pioneering project in the field of EU-Asia public diplomacy -- and trained the participants in the methods of her analysis. This Initiative is a part of a two–year project on the role of public diplomacy in relations between Europe and Asia.
27 February 2015
Assoc. Prof. Evgeny Pavlov delivered a keynote talk "Dragomoshchenko';s Revolution"; at the international conference Other Logics of Writing: in Memory of Arkady Dragomoshchenko at Smolny College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in St. Petersburg, Russia, Feb 13-14, 2015. The conference was organised and sponsored by St Petersburg University.
Students in the Japanese programme, Anna Greenlaw, Renee Julian, Jie Fang and Toby Birkbeck-Jones and Dr Masayoshi Ogino were invited to talk with Mr Kazuyuki Nakane (Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs) and Mr Yasuaki Nogawa (Ambassador of Japan to NZ) at the Consular's Office of Japan in Christchurch on 22 Feb.
16 February 2015
In December 2014 Dr Peter Low (French programme) attended the large intergovernmental conference on nuclear disarmament hosted in Vienna by the Austrian government. The conference was mostly in English - he went as a delegate of a French NGO, and worked partly as a translator.

subset: commoncrawl


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You can now invite anyone to meet at your favorite Starbucks.
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29 year old man | Avon, IN, USA | Seeking women 22-30 within 50 miles of Danville, IN
Why settle for less, when you could have the best?
I Would love to find someone who isn't afraid to speak there mind and be honest about everything. I want to share romantic evenings with someone and make them laugh and have fun. I love cuddling on the couch watching a good movie. I'm at an age where I am ready to settle down and want a serious relationship. I am fun, easy going, love to do new things and meet new people, I'm a good listener and give good advice, I love to cook, I have a sense of humor and care so much for others. I have a son who is 2 1/2. He is my world and my little buddy. Some things I love to do is cook, play guitar, piano and banjo when they are available, I love to read. I'm always into a book. James Patterson is one of my favs. I love exploring new areas and looking for adventure. I enjoy what I do at the moment but am going back to school to finish my degree in HR Management so I have a successful future. My favorite quote is " your success is the intelligent application of your failures". This keeps me moving in a positive direction. I love to learn. I try and learn something new everyday.
Alumni connections , Camping , Coffee and conversation , Business networking , Cooking , Dining out , Fishing/Hunting , Gardening/Landscaping , Hobbies and crafts , Movies/Videos , Museums and art , Music and concerts , Exploring new areas , Playing cards , Playing sports , Political interests , Religion/Spiritual , Shopping/Antiques , Travel/Sightseeing , Video games , Volunteering , Watching sports , Wine tasting
Basketball, Billiards / Pool, Bowling, Dancing, Football, Golf, Other types of exercise, Running, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis / Racquet sports, VolleyBall, Walking / Hiking, Weights / Machines
I exercise 1-2 times per week.
I like Cats, Dogs, Exotic Pets, Fish, Horses
Middle of the Road
My favorite movie is Forest Gump. My favorite Book is The Shack. I love Mustangs (new and old), I love to travel and love going to theme parks.
I like to Bowl, Play pool, Go to Colts games, go on nature walks, watch movies and pretty much anything that is fun.
Z{{Cta}} {{#if HasMoreInfo}} ?{{CtaSecondary}} {{/if}}
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|5'6" (167cms)
|4'10" (147cms) to 5'6" (167cms)
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|Blue, Brown, Green, Hazel
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|White / Caucasian
|Asian, Latino / Hispanic, Pacific Islander, White / Caucasian
|No preference
|English, German, Spanish
|No preference
|Some college
|No preference


text:
- John Oreovicz, Autos, Open-Wheel
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FORT WORTH, Texas Panther Racing qualified 1-2 for the Bombardier Learjet 500, then backed it up by running 1-2 race trim Friday evening in the final warm-up session. Tomas Enge took the honors from Tomas Scheckter in the intra-team battle, turning a 215.622-mph lap in the Rockstar Energy Drink Dallara-Chevrolet.
"I'm happy, obviously," said Enge, a 28-year-old Czech. "The car is very good in either groove and everything is going well so far. But we're just practicing for the big night, which is tomorrow. I don't want to talk about success because we need to finish a race. Hopefully this can be the weekend the luck turns around."
"I wish tomorrow was today because we're ready to go right now," chipped in Scheckter.
Enge's profile was boosted when he met with fellow IndyCar Series rookie Danica Patrick in the Texas Motor Speedway media center for a photo-op. Patrick and Enge posed with the broken front wing from Enge's car that was a product of their on-track clash in the Indianapolis 500 two weeks ago. Panther Racing is auctioning the wing on Ebay, with the proceeds set to go to the Indiana chapter of the Best Buddies charity. On Friday evening, it was going for $36,600.
Dan Wheldon also topped 215 mph in the final practice session, while Patrick was 17th fastest in her first experience running in a Texas-style 20-car draft.
Wheldon's strong words
Dan Wheldon has never been short on hubris, and now he's got the title of Indianapolis 500 winner to back up his words. The glib 26-year-old Englishman held court Friday at Texas Motor Speedway and fired salvoes at NASCAR and Danica Patrick, all while constantly reminding the assembled press that the Indianapolis 500 is the biggest and best race in the world.
"There are guys out there other than Danica, probably some better," Wheldon commented. "It wasn't just Danica pushing up the television ratings by 40 (actually 59) percent, it was all 33 drivers. I keep telling the IRL that we need to be pushing all the personalities more in front of different people. She's not the only driver that has a fan base."
Wheldon went on to say that thanks to the sudden attention that Patrick brought to the IndyCar Series, he can visualize it matching or exceeding NASCAR's popularity in America.
"If people come to one race, they are back for more," he said. "Everybody likes change now and then. The product we're putting on the track is best in the world and slowly people are starting to see that.
"With help of Danica and the races we've been having lately, people are starting to get attracted to these particular personalities," Wheldon added. "We blew NASCAR's numbers up in the last race. Every driver in this series is loving being part of it right now and if I was a NASCAR official I'd be scared."
No magic formula
The IndyCar Series has still not determined technical specifications for its future engine formula, set for introduction in 2007. For the better part of the last year, IndyCar Series founder Tony George has hinted that he would like the series to mandate much simpler engine architecture in an effort to reduce costs.
However, he has encountered resistance from Honda and Toyota, which would prefer to maintain a relatively high level of technology and the manufacturer lease-and-service engine programs that have been successfully used in CART (now Champ Car) and the IndyCar Series for the better part of 20 years.
"We've been in a series of meetings with the IRL in the last year or so talking about future engines and a lot of the talk was about having to get back to outside engine builders," said Toyota racing development vice president (and IndyCar Series program manager) John Faivre. "Some of the guys who were around in the early days of the IRL said, 'Don't glamorize that because that was really a bad deal. We had four or five engines blow up every race and that would cause accidents.'"
From Honda's perspective, the current engine costs in the IndyCar Series are quite reasonable. "We weren't involved then, but in 2002, my understanding is that an IRL engine program cost teams somewhere between $1.0 and 1.5 million," said Honda Performance Development president Robert Clarke. "Our standard lease right now is $1.7 million, so if you take inflation into consideration, we're right where they were. And that's about half of what a CART program cost in 2002.
"They are getting a very competitive, very reliable, professionally serviced and supplied product for basically what they were paying before," Clarke continued. "So I think the engine cost to the team is quite reasonable, though the manufacturers are eating a huge cost. On the other hand, it's pretty difficult for the IRL to control development. That is driven more by the need for the manufacturer to compete and win and the value they feel they get out of it."
Toyota's Faivre said that costs have also been reduced by the sheer dependability of the factory engine programs common to the IndyCar Series since 2003.
"The main difference you see is the reliability," he remarked. "I think there was only one engine failure I saw in the Indianapolis 500, and there weren't more than four or five engine failures in the month, which is fairly incredible when you think about the miles. Our engines alone did more than 20,800 miles."
John Oreovicz covers open-wheel racing for National Speed Sport News and ESPN.com.
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Need to know: CV cliches Why you can`t find a jobHF interviews
By Mari Iwata
Inpex said that it will acquire a 26% interest in exploration block KG-DWN-2004/6, offshore India, from Oil and Natural Gas Corp.
The Japanese energy upstream company didn't disclose the value of the deal.
Deal Journal India is a one-stop destination following deals, deal-makers, private equity and venture-capital activity in India. The real-time blog is updated throughout the day with breaking news, exclusive analysis, commentary and profiles. Edited by The Wall Street Journal's Vibhuti Agarwal, Deal Journal India features contributions from the South Asia bureaus of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires in Mumbai and Delhi as well as bureaus around the world. Reach our Editors at firstname.lastname@example.com or follow Deal Journal India on Facebook and Twitter.
FINS has become a part of DHI in order to improve your job search experience. eFinancialCareers will provide you with the best possible service, the best job opportunities and editorial content and the best talent. With our long track record of helping finance professionals develop their career, from graduating to landing top positions in the industry, we will continue to deliver.
For technology jobs outside the financial industry users can visit Dice.com


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Help from strangers: Men build access ramp for Dickinson biker after accident
July 19, 2014 at 11:20 pm in Uncategorized
It has been difficult for Mike Rangitsch to get around the house after a motorcycle accident in early July forced him to use a walker.
âItâs hard getting from the couch to the bathroom,â Rangitsch said.
Though it was temporary, his wife, Donn…continue reading on thedickinsonpress.com


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The use of first and second languages in education - a review of international experience
This paper summarizes the literature on the use of fist and second languages in education. The first part presents findings from basic research related to commonly ... Show More +
Issues and options in the design of GEF-supported trust funds for biodiversity conservation
This paper explores the concept of conservation trust funds, particularly those which might be supported by the Global Environment Facility. It seeks to make famili... Show More +
The design and development of secondary education curriculum
Uniformity exists in the content and organization of the secondary curriculum worldwide despite great historical and cultural diversity among countries. Patterns of... Show More +


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The President of France will bring the Paris 2015 concern with Climate Change to the October 2015 Arctic Assembly in Reykjavik. China and Germany will sponsor special plenary sessions.
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on April 30th, 2015
The THIRD ANNUAL ARCTIC CIRCLE ASSEMBLY
PRESIDENT OF FRANCE – WILL ATTEND THE ASSEMBLY and Deliver an Opening Speech linked to the Climate Negotiations at COP 21.
At a meeting at the Élysée Palace in Paris on April 17th, the President of France, François Hollande, accepted an invitation from President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson to deliver an opening speech at the October Assembly. The attendance by President Hollande is linked to the upcoming climate negotiations COP21 in Paris in December and the relevance of the Arctic to those negotiations.
PRESIDENT XI JINPING – And Offered to host a special CHINA SESSION at the Assembly.
President of China XI Jinping has in a recent letter to President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson endorsed China's participation in the Arctic Circle Assembly and declared his decision that China will host a special Plenary Session at the October Assembly in Reykjavík.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has in a recent letter to President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson announced her support for the Arctic Circle and its importance as a venue to present the involvement of Germany in the future of the Arctic. Consequently, the program of the October Assembly in Reykjavík will include a special Plenary Session on Germany and the Arctic.
More Assembly news in the coming weeks.
A US – Russia Cooperation on the Arctic is Now as important as it is in Outer Space. This will be a focus of the Obama Administration in the coming two years according to US Secretary John Kerry.
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on April 28th, 2015
Thawing Ice and Chilly Diplomacy in the Arctic.
The Opinion Pages | Editorial
By THE EDITORIAL BOARD, THE NEW YORK TIMES, APRIL 27, 2015
Photo -The Yamal Liquified Natural Gas project, a Russian-French-Chinese joint venture, in the Arctic Circle. Credit Kirill Kudryavtsev/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
So long as the Arctic was mostly frozen solid, the biennial meetings of the eight-nation Arctic Council attracted relatively little attention with their discussions on ways to cooperate on environmental protection, search-and-rescue operations and the like.
But with melting ice opening up northern shipping lanes and access to vast troves of oil, gas and minerals — and with Russia increasingly alienated from the other members on the council and assertive in its claims to the far north — the past weekend's council meeting in the far-northern Canadian city of Iqaluit sometimes seemed as frigid as the outside air.
At the meeting, the United States assumed the rotating two-year chairmanship of the Arctic Council, whose other members are Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia and Sweden as well as six indigenous groups of the far north. Secretary of State John Kerry declared that protecting the delicate Arctic environment from the consequences of climate change will be a top American priority over the next two years. As important a task will be to prevent the clash with Russia over Ukraine from undermining the cooperation on which the council has operated for the past 20 years.
The danger of the Arctic's falling prey to East-West hostility was sufficiently clear to prompt a group of 45 international experts, government officials and representatives of nongovernmental organizations to meet in Washington in February and issue a unanimous report urging that the region remain outside geopolitical confrontations.
The Arctic Council, never intended to debate military matters, must remain a forum for finding ways to sort out competing claims peacefully.
At the peak of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to ban military activity on the other end of the Earth, in Antarctica. And today, despite all the hostility over Ukraine, the United States and Russia have continued to work together in outer space, showing that cooperation is possible. In the Arctic, it's essential.
Putin puts his feet on the Arctic ice and on the resources rich bottoms. The US tries for now only to regulate the freed Arctic Waterways.
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on March 30th, 2015
There will be two Russian North Pole bases of operation this summer — one a set of floating camps to be used by scientists, and the other a site for Russian soldiers to train on ice.
Putin's government, dissatisfied with the pace of work performed by state-owned Rosneft and Gazprom, is considering changing policy to open up the Arctic shelf to private companies. If that happens, Lukoil — Russia's top private oil producer — would benefit.
The Arctic Waterways Safety Committee, formed to develop the best practices for managing Arctic waterways, held its first formal meeting this month in Juneau, electing officers and meeting with the governor and Alaska's state committee on the Arctic.
Obama will ask Congress to give Wilderness Protection to that part of Alaska's ANWR that Reagan allowed for drilling – but Melting Arctic Seas Ice Could Mean More Drilling, More Controversy. A Shell spokesman defended the industry by saying: "Of the total volume of oil, less than 1 percent ends up in the oceans, he said."
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on January 27th, 2015
While on his way to Saudi Arabia, Obama released his opposition to drilling in a sensitive area of he Alaska Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Could this allay some Saudi worries?
Obama's Arctic Refuge Drill Ban Won't Change Much, For Now
by John Ydstie of NPR
President Obama says he will ask Congress to give wilderness status to protect more than 12 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The president announced his intention Sunday in a video, describing the area as a pristine habitat with abundant wildlife:
"It's very fragile. That's why I'm very proud that my Department of Interior has put forward a comprehensive plan to make sure that we're protecting the refuge and that we're designating new areas, including coastal plains, for preservation," he said.
But Obama's action could put billions of barrels of oil beneath the wilderness out of reach of energy companies. Industry representatives are criticizing the decision, but also say Obama's request will have little immediate effect.
Obama's request for wilderness status reverses a recommendation by the Reagan administration in 1987 to allow drilling in a small area of the ANWR. In the intervening quarter of a century Democrats and Republicans have continuously sparred over the issue and no drilling has taken place.
"If you look at Department of Energy forecasts, we're gonna need oil and natural gas to fuel this economy for decades to come," Milito says. "So, we gotta plan well ahead so we have the ability to fuel this economy for future generations."
He points to a U.S. Geological Survey estimate that projects ANWR contains between 5 billion and 16 billion barrels of oil. He says the industry would likely find even more once it begins drilling.
Fadel Gheit, a managing director and oil expert at Oppenheimer & Co., says he believes the president's decision does not change the outlook for developing the ANWR reserves significantly.
"It will make life more difficult for the industry; it will put another hurdle — but technology will always bring the hurdle down," Gheit says.
He says the shale revolution reduces the urgency of tapping the ANWR oil.
"There's really no need to take a chance on ANWR, since ANWR is still a very sensitive area," he adds.
Gheit says the shale oil glut gives the oil industry five to 10 years to develop the technology it needs to convince the public that it can drill safely in such an environmentally sensitive place.
It's virtually certain the new Republican-controlled Congress will reject the president's recommendation. But Obama's request does effectively block drilling for the next two years and he could veto a congressional bill to allow it.
But if Republicans keep control of Congress and the country elects a Republican president, Obama's effort to protect ANWR from drilling could be swept aside.
by Elizabeth Arnold of NPR
Melting ice in the Arctic may not be good for species that live there, but it does mean those icy waters are much more accessible and cost-effective places to drill for oil and gas.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar was in Alaska this week as part of an "information gathering" tour to help craft a new Outer Continental Shelf drilling policy. After two days of public testimony from those for and against offshore drilling, Salazar pronounced Alaskans passionate and divided.
Just over a year ago, the oil and gas industry bid $2.6 billion for drilling rights in the Chukchi Sea, located in the Arctic between Alaska and Russia. It's the largest oil and gas lease sale in history, and it's staggering when compared with the $7 million that the same leases went for in 1991.
Though rapidly retreating sea ice makes it easier and more cost-effective to drill in the Chukchi Sea, it also means the area is more fragile. Just about every marine mammal and seabird in the Chukchi Sea is already endangered or a candidate for listing. And, the opposition from native villages that rely on fish, walrus, seals and whales for subsistence dwarfs the fight over the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The biggest lease of the most recent sale went to Shell Gulf of Mexico, which spent $105 million for rights in the Chukchi Sea. Shell already had bought leases even further north and was ready with rigs when then-President George W. Bush lifted the ban on drilling along the Outer Continental Shelf.
"We are drill-bit ready to move in the Arctic right now, and this is stuff that can happen right now, and with a few things going our way, we will be ready to go in 2010," says Pete Slaiby, Shell's Alaska general manager.
But those few things are now largely in the hands of Salazar, who went to Alaska this week as part of the process of developing this administration's offshore energy plan. He has called a time out on new leasing, for more public input, and he got plenty Tuesday.
Whaling captain and mayor of the North Slope Borough Edward Itta advised slowing down: "Mr. Secretary, like all Alaskans, the people of the North Slope depend on the economic engine of oil and gas development. We have supported onshore for well over 30 years now. But, Mr. Secretary, offshore is a different matter."
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin advised speeding up: "Delays or major restrictions in accessing our needed resources for environmentally responsible development are not in the nation's or our state's best interest."
Passionate Protests From Both Sides
From laborers in hard hats chanting "jobs, jobs, jobs" to environmentalists dressed as polar bears and puffins, division and emotion over offshore drilling was apparent.
But concern over offshore drilling in Arctic waters doesn't just center on spills. The Interior Department is also responsible for endangered species. An increasing number of marine mammals and seabirds in the arctic are in decline, and the fear is that the impacts of a warming climate will be compounded by new development.
Species At Risk
Traveling on an icebreaker in the northern Bering Sea, University of Wyoming researcher Jim Lovvorn studies seabirds that breed in the Arctic, including the spectacled eider. On both hands, he counts off other species in danger: Steller's eiders, king eiders, common eiders, red-throated loons, yellow-billed loons, four species of ice seal, walruses and bowhead whales.
"You could not find a more sensitive habitat," Lovvorn says.
On the same ship, USGS research ecologist Chad Jay is tracking the Pacific walrus, which is also under consideration for listing as a threatened or endangered species. Reductions in the extent of ice over the past few years have forced walruses onto small pieces of remnant ice.
In 2007, there was no ice at all near the shelf.
"As a result of [ice shelf melting] we saw upwards of 6,000 walruses hauling out along the shore of northwest Alaska, which is the first ever," Jay says. "It means that a greater number of animals are using a smaller space to forage in and to haul out on — probably not a good thing."
But the very thing that is cause for concern with regard to walrus and other species in the Arctic is what's made drilling in these waters more attractive to industry: less sea ice.
Whether and how to balance development of a what is a fragile ecosystem — and what some believe is the next best answer to America's thirst for oil — poses a major policy decision for the new Department of Interior. Salazar says he doesn't expect to make everybody happy.
The Brookings Institution Think Tank is looking for a new Energy Security and Climate Initiative Director (Foreign Policy).
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on January 25th, 2015
from: Martin Indyk <email@example.com>
Please share this job posting with qualified candidates. We appreciate your help in getting the word out to qualified candidates in the energy security and climate policy communities.
Best Regards,
Martin Indyk
The Arctic is warming up, and the US needs a Special State Department appointee to interact with the governments that claim a right to exploit its resources. Dr. Charles Ebinger's team at the Brookings Institution has put together a report on Oil and Gas present in the Arctic and exploitation could spell disaster for the planet's climate stability. He is asking for establishment of policy on the subject.
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on March 26th, 2014
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on February 22nd, 2014
from the goals of the assembly -
"The Arctic Circle is nonprofit and nonpartisan. Organizations, forums, think tanks, corporations and public associations around the world are invited to hold meetings within the Arctic Circle platform to advance their own missions and the broader goal of increasing collaborative decision-making without surrendering their institutional independence.
The Arctic Circle is designed to increase participation in Arctic dialogue and strengthen the international focus on the future of the Arctic. Participating organizations will maintain their full institutional independence, identity and decision-making abilities. To this end, the Arctic Circle aims to create opportunities for everyone to attend different meetings, conduct their own networking and engage in one-on-one informal discussions. Organizations will be able to decide their own agendas and convene their own meetings."
"Following the meeting, participating organizations will be invited to a brainstorming session to contribute ideas for the 2014 Arctic Circle assembly."
it said – Eventually – date and location – will be posted on - www.arcus.org/events/arctic-calen…
As someone who attended the inaugural Arctic Circle Assembly, held October 12-14, 2013, in Reykjavík, Iceland, you might like to see our latest brief, which summarizes the event and describes the mission and structure of the Arctic Circle.
The Assembly attracted more than 1,200 attendees from more than 40 countries and proved to be the most diverse international gathering of its kind.
You can download the brief at ArcticCircle.org. We encourage you to share it with interested colleagues and with other individuals and organizations in your network to promote participation at the second annual Assembly.
Thank you for participating in the Arctic Circle
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on December 1st, 2013
The Old Story – With Oil Comes Crime. Development of Oil Resources in Montana and North Dakota Destroys Communities and Environment. Just try to Foresee what the Development of Oil Resources Could do to The Arctic – a region that is even more out of site then above mentioned US States.
"It just feels like the modern-day Wild West."
SGT. KYLAN KLAUZER, an investigator in Dickinson, N.D., on an increase in crime during an oil boom.
As Oil Floods Plains Towns, Crime Pours In
By JACK HEALY
With the new prosperity, soaring crime rates have come to places in Montana and North Dakota, straining law enforcement resources and shattering the sense of safety.
SIDNEY, Mont. — One cold morning last year, a math teacher jogging through her hometown in eastern Montana was abducted, strangled and buried in a shallow grave. Charged in her death were two drifters from Colorado, drawn to the region by the allure of easy money in the oil fields.
One hundred fifty miles away, in a bustling oil town in North Dakota, a 30-year-old man disappeared one afternoon from the street where he had been putting in water and sewer pipes, leaving behind a lunchbox with his paycheck inside and a family grasping for answers. After months of searching, his mother said she now believes her son is gone, buried somewhere on the high plain.
Stories like these, once rare, have become as common as drilling rigs in rural towns at the heart of one of the nation's richest oil booms. Crime has soared as thousands of workers and rivers of cash have flowed into towns, straining police departments and shattering residents' sense of safety.
etc. … etc.
Last year, a study by officials in Montana and North Dakota found that crime had risen by 32 percent since 2005 in communities at the center of the boom. In Watford City, N.D., where mile-long chains of tractor-trailers stack up at the town's main traffic light, arrests increased 565 percent during that time. In Roosevelt County in Montana, arrests were up 855 percent, and the sheriff, Freedom Crawford, said his jail was so full that he was ticketing and releasing offenders for minor crimes like disorderly conduct.
"I don't have nowhere to put them," Sheriff Crawford said.
Officials say that most of the new arrivals are hard workers who are simply looking for better lives, and that much of the increase in crime has resulted from population growth: Waves of new residents inevitably mean more traffic crashes and calls to 911.
Police and sheriff's departments are responding by hiring more officers, in part with new tax revenue but often not fast enough to keep pace with their booming populations. In Dickinson, for example, the population has surged to an estimated 25,000 from 16,000 in 2000, with new hotels, condominiums and extended-stay inns being built every week. The city's police department has 38 officers, but Sergeant Klauzer said it would need to add 12 more to keep up with the growth. Each detective's caseload has doubled. Federal prosecutors say the boom's riches have attracted opportunists and criminals. Mexican cartels and regional methamphetamine and heroin traffickers have proliferated, hoping to tap the same sources of wealth that have turned farmers into millionaires and shaved unemployment rates to as low as 0.7 percent.
"It's following the money," said Michael W. Cotter, the United States attorney for Montana. "I hate to call the cartels entrepreneurs, but they're in the business to make money. There's a lot of money flying around that part of Montana and North Dakota."
Federal prosecutors say the boom's riches have attracted opportunists and criminals. Mexican cartels and regional methamphetamine and heroin traffickers have proliferated, hoping to tap the same sources of wealth that have turned farmers into millionaires and shaved unemployment rates to as low as 0.7 percent.
"It's following the money," said Michael W. Cotter, the United States attorney for Montana. "I hate to call the cartels entrepreneurs, but they're in the business to make money. There's a lot of money flying around that part of Montana and North Dakota."
The New Game In Town is Called Creating Climate Wealth – or is this the new Economics Religion? You better take a look at this, or you might be left behind clutching on to old ideas, technologies, and management systems. (also posting #3 in our Arctic series)
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on October 19th, 2013
The following I learned, Thursday October 10, 2013, coincidentally at a breakfast meeting of the new series at he Green Tech Investors Forum run by Dr. Gelvin Stevenson and hosted by the New York Offices of the International law Firm Crowell & Moring.
I said coincidentally because that day I was traveling to Reykjavik, Iceland, for the First International Conference of the Arctic Circle Nations, October 11-14, 2013. This Conference, as it turned out, was mainly concerned in the creation of wealth in the old way, but viewing now on how it will be possible to using the access to the newly un-covered-of-ice waters and lands of the Arctic.
There could not have been a more contrasting set of visions then those exposed at the Manhattan event and the general spirit that drove the organizers of the Harpa Conference Center at the Reykjavik event. These two events will bring me back to post about pure SUSTAINABILITY after having lately been focused rather on the melt-down of the United States that to me was a much more frightening perspective then the climate change induced melting of the ice-caps at the three poles.
we already posted:
(1) Iceland organizes International Cooperation of The Arctic Circle – October 12-14, 2013 in Reykjavik.
- See more at: www.sustainabilitank.info/2013/04…
and the full program of the Conference/meeting as provided several days before the event and which we posted October 10th so I could provide the link to the people present at the Manhattan event:
(2) The inaugural Arctic Circle assembly, October 11-14, 2013, in Reykjavík, Iceland. Global Warming melting the Three Poles and The Potential Economic Winners.
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on October 10th, 2013
- See more at: www.sustainabilitank.info/2013/10…
The Manhattan meeting was about a new company that has new proprietary technology or billing purpose – "Simply Grid" – it provides a solution for on-demand access to electricity.
The company's proprietary technology includes a custom engineered controller which is deployed either within industry standard electric charging stations or as an augmentation to standard in-wall electrical outlets, and an Internet based management and billing system which allows for the automated initiation/termination of electric service via mobile app or text message, monitoring of usage, and billing.
Simply Grid focuses on three markets: the mobile food industry, marinas and RV parks, and personal electronics in cafes and other public spaces.
There are over 25,000 food carts and food trucks in the US, and they are expanding rapidly. Their legacy source of energy, gas or diesel powered generators, is expensive, polluting and noisy. Simply Grid's solution – usually a four-foot high pedestal – enables private lot managers and municipalities to provide electricity to these vendors at a significant cost savings while providing a more pleasant environment for their customers.
Simply Grid has a pilot in Union Square, midtown Manhattan, – with a food-cart vendor – Rafiqi's – on the north side of the Square – in conjunction with the Mayor's Office, ConEd, and NYC Department of Transportation. Additionally, the company has already deployments at food truck parks in Austin, TX and Atlanta, GA.
Food carts' portable generators—used by about 60% of all food carts—emit twenty times more particulate matter and other asthma-causing pollutants than NYC's electric supply.
Simply Grid's technology allows lot owners and municipalities to provide grid electricity to them, which makes them cleaner, quieter, and more profitable.
Electricity is made available to these vendors via outlets in industry standard electricity pedestals which have been customized with proprietary metering controllers. The controllers connect wireless to Simply Grid's cloud-based platform which manages customer accounts, metering, and billing.
The system allows vendors on city streets and RV lots to initiate service with their mobile phones and connect to the electric grid with cables they already use with their generators.The food vendors will be able to sell electricity to electric vehicles – cars, bikes etc. This will help clean up the air in cities by making it more feasible to use electric vehicles. Obviously, the electricity supply is a separate topic – but the decreased dependence on diesel and gasoline is clear. In this respect it is a company that does not only owe its success to efforts to decrease effects that cause global warming i.e. the use of petroleum products, but it also provides new lines of income to vendors of other services, and economically thus creates "CLIMATE WEALTH."
The speakers at the meeting were SIMPLY GRID officials -Mike Dubrovsky; CEO, Jeffrey Hoffman, COO; Samuel Abbay, Co-Founder and Co-CEO. Present, and separate speaker, was partner and initiator of the "CREATING CLIMATE WEALTH" concept Jigar Shah who made already a lot of money when he created "SunEdison" – now a very successful company with billions in sales, and which he sold so he can go on creating new ideas and companies.
Creating Climate Wealth guru, Jigar Shah, is the real focus of this posting, and his just released manual – the book that is part autobiography and part blue-print for the future is:
Iceland organizes International Cooperation of The Arctic Circle – October 12-14, 2013 in Reykjavik.
- See more at: www.sustainabilitank.info/2013/04…
Iceland organizes International Cooperation of The Arctic Circle – October 12-14, 2013 in Reykjavik.
- See more at: www.sustainabilitank.info/2013/04…
"CREATING CLIMATE WEALTH: UNLOCKING THE IMPACT ECONOMY" caries ISBN: 978-0-9893531-0-6 – ICOSA publishing - www.icosamedia.com/publishing. It costs $21.95 and is a true manual.
Further information at www.creatingClimateWealth.com
Carl Pope, the former Executive Director of Sierra Club, writes among those that recommend this book – "Shah shows that a new massive wealth opportunity is at our fingertips, linking sustainability and economic development."
We completely subscribe to this and must remark that Jigar Shah was able to show that the innovative management ideas that he promotes are not dependent on new technologies but rather on the imagination that frees us to use beneficially existing technologies in novel ways – this without government subsidies and rather in a pure private enterprise way. Obviously, this can be made possible only if government does not insist in interfering by supporting existing interests opposed to change.
"Creating Climate Wealth" introduces the general idea that natural resources fail us if we do not start a development with the concept that we want to answer a need, rather then pushing the sale of an exhaustible stash of resources – i.e. found fossil fuels or minerals.
Following that, we get the example of the creation of the SunEdison Company that came about to answer the need for cheap locally produced electricity, and eventually leads to the creation of the new company, the subjet of the October 10th meeting – "SimplyGrid" – that will eventually sell Renewable Energy via a smart grid. All this to be done by private investors that all what they need is non-interference from the government.
The important thing is that Jigar Shah is an entrepreneur who grew up in a home where his parents were already steeped in the spirit of entrepreneurship. JIGAR IS OUT TO MAKE MONEY IN A CLEVER WAY – AS SAID BY INNOVATING MANAGEMENT SO HE ANSWERS A TRUE NEED EFFICIENTLY AND AT LOWER COSTS THEN THE COMPETITION. Further, he structures his business plan so that all what he needs is a good client and he does not involve the client in his building the company.
SunEdison takes advantage of the vast roof space of large companies and puts there photovoltaics built with -off-the-shelf parts.
The client does not invest a penny – only agrees to buy the electricity at a price well below what it costs him today. Jigar finds the investors outside the product buying company and totally without government help except that he must make sure that existing electricity production companies do not cause the government to grant them a monopoly that would not allow this upstart to sell electricity. This is not a theoretical comment – it is rather a description of the sick US economy.
To get the details of this innovative way of doing business. and to realize the deep thoughts that went into Jigar's choice of companies which he approached first, and the financial backers which he approached so that this will be a growing company with ever increasing revenues and financing, rather then a one time shot by a wise guy – please go to the sources which I presented here.
I read the book on the plane ride to Reykjavik, so it helped me be a little more critical of what I heard there.
The Koch Brothers fund the campaign to get Congress to oppose President Obama's Administration Effort to reduce Pollution that causes Global Warming, Melts the Ice Cover at the Poles, and Harms the Polar Bears. Fossil Fuels Billionaires have a lot of Slush-Money.
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on August 3rd, 2013
Polar Bears Going Hungry as Arctic Ice Diminishes.
Don't Let the Koch Brothers Win.
Dear Pincas,
High summer temperatures are melting away Arctic ice at alarming levels. And in response, Alaska's polar bears are going without food for longer and longer.
Meanwhile, a recent report by American University's Investigative Reporting Workshop has uncovered that billionaire fossil fuel tycoons, Charles and David Koch, have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to block climate change legislation. {David Koch also eliminated the New York City Opera from the Lincoln Center and bought the right to rename the building for himself. Lots of things you can do with Oil-Money. Just look at the Washington Post that allowed itself – for everybody to see – to be bought by the American Petroleum Institute. That is our own comment.}
The two brothers are creating a network of climate change-denier groups of unprecedented size and scope, and are even persuading many members of Congress to sign a pledge to vote against any meaningful bill to combat climate change.
We're running out of time to make a critical difference for polar bears' future. Please speak up for starving polar bears today!
Despite obstacles created by the "Koch Brothers," who have made billions off of polluting our planet, this summer marked a turning point in the fight for polar bears' future.
In response to pressure from people like you, President Obama recently released a bold new plan to address climate change. The President's plan includes supporting Environmental Protection Agency limits to carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants—and it is not a minute too soon for polar bears.
But, the Koch Brothers' are using their influence in Congress to try to block limits on carbon pollution. That's why we must act quickly to tell our members of Congress to let the Environmental Protection Agency do its job.
Arctic ice hit a record low last summer—and it is looking bad again this year. Scientists expect polar bears will once again be forced to wait long into the fall before ice returns near Alaska, where the bears so desperately need ice platforms to hunt for food.
The lengthening wait for sea ice to freeze is dire for polar bear cubs and the polar bear moms who need more time on the ice to hunt for enough seals to sustain themselves and their young.
Unless Big Polluters and their allies in Congress stop attacking the Environmental Protection Agency, the President may not be able to put his new plan into action—and it could be too late for our polar bears.
About Reliance on Fossil Fuel – You can't hit 400 ppm CO2 and still think "all of the above" is a rational energy strategy. Where is the leadership? It is feared that Climate Inaction could be a real Obama Administration Scandal.
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on May 18th, 2013
A lot has happened in the last week. The Earth hit the 400 parts per million CO2 threshold for the first time in human history. Scientists tell us this is bad news if we want to prevent runaway climate change. "If we continue to burn fossil fuels at accelerating rates, if we continue with business as usual, we will cross the 450 parts per million limit in a matter of maybe a couple decades," scientist Michael Mann told Democracy Now! "We believe that with that amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, we commit to what can truly be described as dangerous and irreversible changes in our climate."
May 17, 2013 | from Tara Lohan on AlterNet
If you didn't know this already, we should be listening to Mann and to other scientists. I thought this was settled a long time ago, but someone keeps giving print space to climate deniers, so a new survey of 12,000 peer-reviewed studies on the climate was just completed and the not-so-shocking conclusion was this, as Mother Nature Network reports:
In light of this news, it makes it even more infuriating to see that the Obama administration has spent the week prostrating to the fossil fuel lobby. Here are four disturbing things the administration's been up to.
1. Moniz Hearts Fracking
Obama tapped nuclear physicist Ernest Moniz to head the Energy Department and the Senate gave a big thumbs-up to Moniz on Thursday. Many environmental groups had concerns that Moniz was too pro-fracking, and those concerns are clearly warranted. Moniz's first order of business Friday was to clear the way for 20 years of liquified natural gas exports via Freeport LNG Terminal on Quintana Island, Texas.
Of course, we've already been sold the story that we're suposed to frack the crap out of the country in the name of energy security, but we knew all along it was for industry profit, right? Brad Jacobson recently detailed for AlterNet about how Congress members are clamoring for export plans to be fast-tracked — although what Americans will get out of the deal
2. Thanks for Nothing, Sally
While the nomination of Moniz disappointed many environmentalists, some were cheered by REI exec Sally Jewell taking over the Interior Department. Those same folks might not be cheering after Jewell announced the Bureau of Land Management's newest regulations (or lack thereof) for fracking on our public lands.
As Sierra Club's Michael Brune reported Friday:
3. No Time for Farmers
The group Bold Nebraska reported this week that Obama turned down an invitation to hear from Nebraska farmers and ranchers about their concerns that the Keystone XL pipeline could destroy their livelihoods. Of course, the President is a busy guy, right? And besides, the White House said he was not "taking any meetings on the pipeline."
Or is he? The group writes:
4. Who Needs the Arctic? (Hint: We Do)
Subhankar Banerjee, a photographer and longtime Arctic activist, was recently appalled by a new report from the Obama administration on the future of the Arctic. And the rest of us should be, too. Banerjee writes about the report:
We know that Obama talks a good talk about climate protection, but his second term has proven thus far that he's completely out of touch with reality. You can't hit 400 ppm CO2 and still think "all of the above" is a rationale energy strategy.
Iceland organizes International Cooperation of The Arctic Circle – October 12-14, 2013 in Reykjavik. (First posting in our Arctic Series)
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on April 10th, 2013
Bristol Bay, Alaska, could provide the US with $215 Billion worth of fishery products or $7.7 Billion in oil and gas over the next 40 years says WWF about the insanity of allowing the threat to that region's wildlife go on.
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on December 30th, 2012
Protecting "America's Fish Basket."
Officially known as Bristol Bay, this area in Alaska–the epicenter of half of the U.S. production of seafood–is a target for oil and gas development.
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is working to stop the industrial development so that the bay's wildlife, including 15 species of whale and one of the world's largest concentrations of seabirds, can thrive. For many Native Americans living in Alaska, the bay's fish, wildlife and plants are a significant part of their culture and a primary source of sustenance.
It is estimated that the bay's fishery could generate almost $215 billion over 40 years–far more than the federal government's estimate of $7.7 billion in oil and gas revenue from the region that could be generated during the same time period.
If the Arctic Seas lose their ice cover the leaders of the world will express complete Joy. Conventional Economists Will See In Destrction the Potential for Growth with the Arctic Providing Resources for this Re-Birth.
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on November 22nd, 2012
World superpowers are about to get a brand new coast
The broad, open ocean of the brand new North Coast has lots of governments and companies already planning for the economic and strategic possibilities.
Read more. ————————–
The Effort to set back US Democracy continues: The US Supreme Court loaded with Conservative Republican Judges may now gut the the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which has been crucial in combating efforts to disenfranchise minority voters and helped in the Obama election.
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on November 10th, 2012
Justices to Revisit Voting Act in View of a Changing South
By ADAM LIPTAK
The New York Times – Published: November 9, 2012
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court announced on Friday that it would take a fresh look at the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the signature legacies of the civil rights movement.
Related in Opinion - Editorial: A Supreme Test on the Right to Vote (November 10, 2012)
Three years ago, the court signaled that part of the law may no longer be needed, and the law's challengers said the re-election of the nation's first black president is proof that the nation has moved beyond the racial divisions that gave rise to efforts to protect the integrity of elections in the South.
The law "is stuck in a Jim Crow-era time warp," said Edward P. Blum, director of the Project on Fair Representation, a small legal foundation that helped organize the suit.
Civil rights leaders, on the other hand, pointed to the role the law played in the recent election, with courts relying on it to block voter identification requirements and cutbacks on early voting.
"In the midst of the recent assault on voter access, the Voting Rights Act is playing a pivotal role beating back discriminatory voting measures," said Debo P. Adegbile, the acting president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
The Supreme Court's ruling on the law, expected by June, could reshape how elections are conducted.
The case concerns Section 5 of the law, which requires many state and local governments, mostly in the South, to obtain permission, or "preclearance," from the Justice Department or a federal court before making changes that affect voting. Critics of the law call the preclearance requirement a unique federal intrusion on state sovereignty and a badge of shame for the affected jurisdictions that is no longer justified.
The preclearance requirement, originally set to expire in five years, was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1966 as a rational response to the often flagrantly lawless conduct of some Southern officials then.
Congress has repeatedly extended the requirement: for 5 years in 1970, 7 years in 1975, and 25 years in 1982. Congress renewed the act in 2006 after holding extensive hearings on the persistence of racial discrimination at the polls, again extending the preclearance requirement for 25 years.
But it made no changes to the list of jurisdictions covered by Section 5, relying instead on a formula based on historical practices and voting data from elections held decades ago. It applies to nine states — Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia — and to scores of counties and municipalities in other states.
Should the court rule that Congress was not entitled to rely on outdated data to decide which jurisdictions should be covered, lawmakers could in theory go back to the drawing board and re-enact the law using fresher information. In practice, given the political realities, a decision striking down the coverage formula would probably amount to the end of Section 5.
In May, a divided three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia rejected a challenge to the law filed by Shelby County, Ala. Judge David S. Tatel, writing for the majority, acknowledged that "the extraordinary federalism costs imposed by Section 5 raise substantial constitutional concerns," and he added that the record compiled by Congress to justify the law's renewal was "by no means unambiguous."
"But Congress drew reasonable conclusions from the extensive evidence it gathered," he went on. The constitutional amendments ratified after the Civil War, he said, "entrust Congress with ensuring that the right to vote — surely among the most important guarantees of political liberty in the Constitution — is not abridged on account of race. In this context, we owe much deference to the considered judgment of the people's elected representatives."
The dissenting member of the panel, Judge Stephen F. Williams, surveyed recent evidence concerning registration and turnout, the election of black officials, the use of federal election observers and suits under another part of the law.
Some of that evidence, he said, "suggests that the coverage formula completely lacks any rational connection to current levels of voter discrimination," while other evidence indicates that the formula, "though not completely perverse, is a remarkably bad fit with Congress's concerns."
"Given the drastic remedy imposed on covered jurisdictions by Section 5," he wrote, "I do not believe that such equivocal evidence can sustain the scheme."
The Supreme Court has already once considered the constitutionality of the 2006 extension of the law in a 2009 decision, Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One v. Holder. But it avoided answering the central question, and it seemed to give Congress an opportunity to make adjustments. Congress did not respond.
At the argument of the 2009 case, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy questioned whether the distinctions drawn in the 2006 law reflect contemporary realities.
"Congress has made a finding that the sovereignty of Georgia is less than the sovereign dignity of Ohio," Justice Kennedy said. "The sovereignty of Alabama is less than the sovereign dignity of Michigan. And the governments in one are to be trusted less than the governments in the other."
"No one questions the validity, the urgency, the essentiality of the Voting Rights Act," he added. "The question is whether or not it should be continued with this differentiation between the states. And that is for Congress to show."
In the end, the court, in an 8-to-1 decision, ducked the central question and ruled instead on a narrow statutory ground, saying the utility district in Austin, Tex., that had challenged the constitutionality of the law might be eligible to "bail out" from being covered by it. Still, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing for the majority, was skeptical about the continued need for Section 5.
"The historic accomplishments of the Voting Rights Act are undeniable," he wrote. But "things have changed in the South.
"Voter turnout and registration rates now approach parity," he wrote. "Blatantly discriminatory evasions of federal decrees are rare. And minority candidates hold office at unprecedented levels.
"The statute's coverage formula is based on data that is now more than 35 years old," he added,"and there is considerable evidence that it fails to account for current political conditions."
Having said all of that, and acknowledging that the court's alternative ruling had stretched the text of the statute, Chief Justice Roberts said the court should avoid deciding hard constitutional questions when it could. "Whether conditions continue to justify such legislation is a difficult constitutional question we do not answer today," he wrote.
On Friday, in agreeing to hear the case, Shelby County v. Holder, No. 12-96, the court indicated that it is prepared to provide an answer to the question it left open three years ago.
The New York Times Editorial
A Supreme Test on the Right to Vote
Published: November 9, 2012
The Supreme Court decided on Friday to review Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which has been crucial in combating efforts to disenfranchise minority voters. The justices should uphold the validity of the section, which requires nine states and parts of several others with deep histories of racial discrimination to get permission from the Justice Department or a federal court before making any changes to their voting rules.
The case, Shelby County v. Holder, was brought by an Alabama county, which contends that Section 5 intrudes unconstitutionally on the sovereign authority of states and that federal review of proposed voting changes, once needed to end legal segregation, is no longer required.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Just this year, Republican efforts to block the votes of minorities and the poor — which were rejected again and again by federal judges relying on the Voting Rights Act, including Section 5 — have made that utterly clear.
Judge John Bates of Federal District Court in the District of Columbia, rejected Shelby County's challenge last year, noting that Congress, in renewing the section in 2006, found that "40 years has not been a sufficient amount of time to eliminate the vestiges of discrimination."
In May, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld his ruling, saying that discrimination in voting is "one of the gravest evils that Congress can seek to redress" and that Congress's painstaking research in its renewal of Section 5 (22 hearings and 15,000 pages of evidence) "deserves judicial deference."
In another voting rights case in 2009, the Supreme Court said there were "serious constitutional questions" about whether Section 5 meets a current need. That comment left some legal experts with the impression that the court came close to striking down the provision. But the justices did not do so in that case, and they have even less reason to in this case. Overt discrimination clearly persists and remains pernicious in places like Shelby County.
A record low Ice-Cover of the Arctic worries scientists while encouraging Resource and Transport interests. We are among the worriers.
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on September 20th, 2012
Ending Its Summer Melt, Arctic Sea Ice Sets a New Low That Leads to Warnings.
By JUSTIN GILLIS
Published by The New York Times on September 19, 2012
The drastic melting of Arctic sea ice has finally ended for the year, scientists announced Wednesday, but not before demolishing the previous record — and setting off new warnings about the rapid pace of change in the region.
A blog about energy and the environment.
A NASA image shows how the record-low Arctic sea ice extent compares with the average minimum extent over the past 30 years, in yellow.
The apparent low point for 2012 was reached Sunday, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, which said that sea ice that day covered about 1.32 million square miles, or 24 percent, of the surface of the Arctic Ocean. The previous low, set in 2007, was 29 percent.
When satellite tracking began in the late 1970s, sea ice at its lowest point in the summer typically covered about half the Arctic Ocean, but it has been declining in fits and starts over the decades.
"The Arctic is the earth's air-conditioner," said Walt Meier, a research scientist at the snow and ice center, an agency sponsored by the government. "We're losing that. It's not just that polar bears might go extinct, or that native communities might have to adapt, which we're already seeing — there are larger climate effects."
His agency waited a few days before announcing the low to be sure sea ice had started to refreeze, as it usually does at this time of year, when winter closes in rapidly in the high Arctic. A shell of ice will cover much of the Arctic Ocean in coming months, but it is likely to be thin and prone to melting when summer returns.
Scientists consider the rapid warming of the region to be a consequence of the human release of greenhouse gases, and they see the melting as an early warning of big changes to come in the rest of the world.
Some of them also think the collapse of Arctic sea ice has already started to alter atmospheric patterns in the Northern Hemisphere, contributing to greater extremes of weather in the United States and other countries, but that case is not considered proven.
The sea ice is declining much faster than had been predicted in the last big United Nations report on the state of the climate, published in 2007. The most sophisticated computer analyses for that report suggested that the ice would not disappear before the middle of this century, if then.
Now, some scientists think the Arctic Ocean could be largely free of summer ice as soon as 2020. But governments have not responded to the change with any greater urgency about limiting greenhouse emissions. To the contrary, their main response has been to plan for exploitation of newly accessible minerals in the Arctic, including drilling for more oil.
Scientists said Wednesday that the Arctic has become a prime example of the built-in conservatism of their climate forecasts. As dire as their warnings about the long-term consequences of heat-trapping emissions have been, many of them fear they may still be underestimating the speed and severity of the impending changes.
In a panel discussion on Wednesday in New York sponsored by Greenpeace, the environmental group, James E. Hansen, a prominent NASA climate scientist, said the Arctic melting should serve as a warning to the public of the risks that society is running by failing to limit emissions.
"The scientific community realizes that we have a planetary emergency," Dr. Hansen said. "It's hard for the public to recognize this because they stick their head out the window and don't see that much going on."
A prime concern is the potential for a large rise in the level of the world's oceans. The decline of Arctic sea ice does not contribute directly to that problem, since the ice is already floating and therefore displacing its weight in water.
But the disappearance of summer ice cover replaces a white, reflective surface with a much darker ocean surface, allowing the region to trap more of the sun's heat, which in turn melts more ice. The extra heat in the ocean appears to be contributing to an accelerating melt of the nearby Greenland ice sheet, which does contribute to the rise in sea level.
At one point this summer, surface melt was occurring across 97 percent of the Greenland ice sheet, a development not seen before in the era of satellite measurements, although geological research suggests that it has happened in the past.
The sea is now rising at a rate of about a foot per century, but scientists like Dr. Hansen expect this rate to increase as the planet warms, putting coastal settlements at risk.
A scientist at the snow and ice center, Julienne C. Stroeve, took a ride on a Greenpeace ship recently to inspect the Arctic Ocean for herself. Interviewed this week after pulling into port at the island of Spitsbergen, she said one of her goals had been to debark on ice floes and measure them, but that it had been difficult to find any large enough to support her weight.
Ice floes were numerous in spots, she said, but "when we got further into the ice pack, there were just large expanses of open water."
A version of this article appeared in print on September 20, 2012, on page A8 of the New York edition with the headline: Ending Its Summer Melt, Arctic Sea Ice Sets a New Low That Leads to Warnings.
Shell Oil technology for an oil-spill containment dome failed at a Washington State location so they cancelled the start of drilling in Arctic waters.
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on September 17th, 2012
"Snow Dragon" (Xuelong) – an icebreaker – is the first Chinese ship to cross the Arctic Ocean – through the Bering Strait to Iceland. Helped by Climate Change the Chinese want part of this future trade route and the oil & gas resources.
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on August 20th, 2012
First Chinese ship crosses Arctic Ocean amid record melt.
An icebreaker has become the first ship from China to cross the Arctic Ocean, underscoring Beijing's growing interest in a remote region where a record thaw caused by climate change may open new trade routes.
The voyage highlights how China, the world's no.2 economy, is extending its reach to the Arctic which is rich in oil and gas and is a potential commercial shipping route between the north Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
The icebreaker Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, arrived in Iceland this week after sailing the Northern Route along the coast of Russia.
Expedition leader Huigen Yang, head of the Polar Research Institute of China, said he had expected a lot more ice along the route at this time of year than the vessel encountered.
"To our astonishment … most part of the Northern Sea Route is open," he told Reuters TV. The icebreaker would return to China by a route closer to the North Pole.
He said that Beijing was interested in the "monumental change" in the polar environment caused by global warming.
Sea ice floating on the Arctic Ocean is on track to beat a record low set in 2007, making the region more accessible but threatening the hunting lifestyles of indigenous peoples and wildlife such as polar bears and seals.
The thaw is slowly opening up the Arctic as a short-cut route – the German-based Beluga Group, for instance, sent a cargo vessel north from Korea to Rotterdam in 2009.
"The (Chinese) journey indicates a growing interest in the melting of the ice in the northern regions and how climate change is affecting the globe and the future of all nations," the office of Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson said.
Arctic sea ice extent on August 13 fell to 5.09 million square km (1.97 million square miles) – an area smaller than Brazil, according to the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center.
Sea ice reaches its smallest in September before expanding again as winter approaches. China has overtaken the United States as the top greenhouse gas emitter, mainly from burning fossil fuels, ahead of the European Union, India and Russia.
"China's interest is a mix of business, science and geo-politics," said Jan Gunnar Winther, director of the Norwegian Polar Institute.
For countries outside the region like China, there may be more opportunities to supply equipment to aid drilling, he said. South Korea's Hyundai, for instance, is building a floating production unit for the Goliat oilfield in Norway's Barents Sea.
Winther said that research into climate change in the Arctic was also relevant to China's understanding of weather patterns that could affect its farmers.
China has applied to become an observer at the Arctic Council, made up of the United States, Russia, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland.
"The application will be handled in May next year," said Nina Buvang Vaaja, head of the Arctic Council Secretariat.
Other applicants seeking to join the Council, which oversees management of the region, are Japan, South Korea, the European Union Commission and Italy. Germany, Britain, France, Poland, Spain and the Netherlands are already observers.
Date: 18-Aug-2012 - Reporting By Alister Doyle – Reuters.
the second Arctic Imperative Summit, August 24–27, 2012, in Anchorage and Girdwood, Alaska – SOME SEE THE CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE ARCTIC AS A CHALLENGE OF OPPORTUNITIES – THE REALISTS VERSUS OUR COMMON CRY – THIS IS A FOUL GAME!
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on August 8th, 2012
"Fracking" has the potential to turn the US into the World's largest LNG exporter. Will the US join officially OPEC in order to control the price of Natural Gas?
Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on August 2nd, 2012


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Long-Term Open-Label Tolerability and Effectiveness Study in Adolescents with ADHD
In this study, Daytrana participants were titrated to their optimal dose over five weeks and were then maintained on that dose for an additional five months. Participants from a previous double-blind, seven week study were able to enroll. In this seven week study, Daytrana was shown to significantly improve ADHD symptoms as rated by clinicians and parents compared with placebo. The frequency of adverse events was typical of these seen in studies of oral methylphenidate in adolescents, with the exception of dermal reactions. The long term extension study evaluated four doses of the Daytrana patch worn for nine hours at alternating hips and used for about six months. Most adverse events were mild to moderate in intensity. The most commonly reported treatment-emergent adverse events reported by 5 percent or more of participants that received Daytrana were decreased appetite (11.0 percent); headache (10.1 percent); upper respiratory tract infection (10.1 percent); nasopharyngitis (inflammation of the nasal passages and of the upper part of the pharynx) (9.2 percent); and irritability (5.5 percent). The majority (93.6 percent) of skin response scores were defined as no irritation or minimal to definite redness.
The primary effect
|SOURCE Shire plc
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