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Obama Asks Congress To Delay Vote On Syria
The debate over whether to attack Syria is extremely fluid right now. President Barack Obama, in a national address Tuesday night, called on Congress to delay a vote authorizing the use of force. Alaska's delegation has all weighed in against that action.
New Agreement Bolsters Alaska's LNG Commercialization Efforts
The State has committed to a formal working relationship with a major Japanese financial institution that wants to develop natural gas projects.
Natural Resources Commissioner Dan Sullivan signed the memorandum of understanding with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation on Wednesday during a trip to Tokyo.
The deal is basically an act of financial diplomacy. It establishes that both parties have a mutual interest in getting Alaska natural gas to Japanese markets, and that there's a potential for the two to work together on financing a gas pipeline or an export facility.
In a phone call from Japan, Sullivan said the agreement is about more than just this one bank. It's also a good signal to other investors about the viability of Alaska projects.
"It is a big deal," Sullivan said. "It boosts the credibility of Alaska's gas commercialization efforts."
Alaska has pursued a major natural gas project for years, but development has regularly stalled out for cost reasons and disagreements between major stakeholders.
State To Review Old Statutes Delaying Renewable Energy Projects
It may become easier for independent energy producers to provide power to the grid. The Regulatory Commission of Alaska has agreed to review out-of-date statutes that some say are holding up renewable energy projects.
UAA Names Keith Hackett New Athletic Director
The University of Alaska Anchorage has a new athletic director, naming Keith Hackett to lead the department.
After a tumultuous past several months, Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services Bill Spindle believes Hackett is the right person to help heal the program.
"Keith is a guy that has a tremendous reputation in the athletic world for being a relationship builder, someone who knows the business; who works well with people both inside the university and outside," Spindle said. "And that's what we're looking for."
Hackett replaces Steve Cobb, who was fired in May after questions arose about his handling of a 2011 incident where former hockey coach Dave Shyiak struck a player with a stick during practice.
Hackett comes to UAA with 36 years of higher-education experience, serving the last nine years as the senior associate athletic director for internal affairs at the University of Nevada.
He is expected to start work on Oct. 1.
Weidner Program For Property Management And Real Estate Launches At UAA
The demand for rental housing is on the rise, but because of a lack of university-level programs, there aren't many people prepared to manage properties.
To help remedy that problem, the University of Alaska Anchorage is putting the final touches on the new undergraduate Weidner Program for Property Management and Real Estate.
As the size of rental properties grow, so does the demand for a pool of college graduates who have the necessary education and experience to manage them.
Unfortunately, according to Dean Weidner, the head of Weidner Apartment Homes – which manages a number of properties in Alaska and around the U.S., there aren't many people who fit that description, so his company, and others like it, have had to make due.
"What we wound up with was maybe taking a restaurant waitress or somebody freshly out of school who we thought might be doing a good job at leasing and sort of throw it on the wall and hoped that it worked out for both parties," Weidner said.
But, he says the rate of failure was high.
"As we grew, particularly, and we started having properties 100, 200 and 300 units, the business changes from about a $200,000 business a year to a many millions per year," Weidner said. "So, all of a sudden you've got a large, sophisticated business that requires some sophisticated thinking, and analysis and action – and that's where the college graduate really comes in."
So, 10 years ago Weidner donated $1 million to UAA's College of Business and Public Policy to begin developing a real estate and property management program.
Then in 2009, Weidner made an additional contribution of $3 million to really get the ball rolling.
Much of that money went toward the endowment of the Weidner Chair, which, according to the Dean of the College of Business and Public Policy Rashmi Prasad, will play a crucial role in the development of the program and its students.
"The Weidner Chair's role really is to help, almost to be an architect for the program; to make sure it's connected to industry very well; to make sure that students are inspired and appreciate the opportunities in this field to counteract any preconceptions they may have or misconceptions they may have," Prasad said.
At a recent event in UAA's Rasmusen Hall – where the Business college is housed – Prasad announced lifelong Alaskan Andrew Romerdahl as the first-ever Weidner Chair.
Part of Romerdahl's duties will be to attract new students and keep them there. He says the job placement statistics for recent graduates of similar programs around the U.S. are impressive, and should make the program an easy sell to prospective students.
"You're talking 95, 97, 98 percent; almost every student that is passing through there is landing a job directly out of the program," Romerdahl said. "So, that's the part that's really exciting for me."
This new program may look similar to a previous program that was housed within the College of Business and Public Policy's finance department, but according to Professor Terry Fields, there are a number of differences.
"You're gonna see a brand new curriculum and it's been switched under a management degree, which was felt to be a more appropriate degree to house it under," Fields said. "The largest thing you're gonna see is the designation attainment now and the new curriculum that's developed under that program."
The department hopes to graduate between 25 and 30 students per year; and the first ones could receive their degrees as soon as 2015.
Denali Loses A Few Feet, Remains North America's Tallest Peak
The tallest peak in North America is not as tall as previously thought. That's according to new data from a federal and state effort to provide more detailed topographical maps of Alaska. Denali was measured at 20,237 feet – 83 feet shorter than maps indicate today.
Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell made the announcement at a meeting of map collectors gathered in Fairbanks this week. In a media release, Treadwell says "The good news is: Denali is still the tallest peak in North America."
Denali's updated height was recorded with radar technology which also revealed that an entire ridgeline of Mt. Dickey in Denali National Park was missing from previous maps.
Epic Horse Pack Trip Ends In Denali
Denali National Park is the end point of an epic horse pack trip. Gunter Wamser of Germany and Sonja Endlweber of Austria recently spent a week riding through Denali, the last leg of a horse packing journey Wamser began two decades ago in Argentina.
Southeast Leaders Consider Region's Maritime Industry
About 250 Panhandle business, government and nonprofit leaders will gather in Sitka Sept. 17-19. It's the annual meeting of the Southeast Conference, one of the region's larger organizations.
This year's meeting will look toward the sea.
That's according to Shelly Wright, executive director of the Southeast Conference, which is headquartered in Juneau.
"We're really focusing on the maritime industry in Southeast Alaska, the seafood industry, some of the transportation industry pieces (and) workforce development," she says. "(We're) trying to get back to the small business and how we can grow as a region by growing our businesses."
The organization has been in the middle of a number of efforts to reinvigorate the region's logging and wood-processing industry.
They include the many-membered Tongass Futures Roundtable and Gov. Sean Parnell's Alaska Timber Task Force.
Wright says the conference will announce plans at the meeting for its own effort.
"To try to manage the Tongass in the way that's going to create a universal strategy for habitat as well as resource development."
Q: "And isn't that something that the Forest Service is already doing?"
A: "We would like to show them a better way."
The Southeast Conference meeting will include the release of their annual economic roundup at the meeting. (Click to read the conference agenda.)
And a variety of speakers and panelists will talk about mining, transportation and vocational training.
"It really is a one-stop shopping event where you have access to leadership throughout the region and state," says Robert Venables of Haines, the organization's energy coordinator.
"We have agency participation and the communities all have an opportunity just to do lessons learned and share experiences of what they've been accomplishing, what they hope to accomplish and how we're doing," he says.
Yakutat, for example, is trying to be the first Alaska community to use wave power to generate electricity. The conference will get an update from Columbia Power Technologies, a Lower-48 company working on the project.
Venables says a variety of speakers will provide updates on hydropower, biomass and other energy projects throughout the region.
(We have so much surrounding us with wave, water, wood and wind. Those are the technologies that we really need to tap into," he says.
Conference attendees will tour the Blue Lake Dam expansion project, Sitka's brewery and the shipbuilding company Allen Marine.
Wright says a panel will also showcase locals.
"We've got some entrepreneurs in Sitka that are going to be presenting their business, how they started and how they succeeded in Sitka," Wright says.
The Southeast Conference will also hold its annual board election. Six of 13 seats are up for grabs.
Reward Offered For Stolen Artwork
A 14-foot-long dinosaur sculpture affectionately called Bertie is missing from the Matanuska Valley museum The artwork was stolen from the museum during a break-in this summer and it's owners want it back. No questions asked.
Proposed Initiative Targets Union Dues
Members of the Anchorage Tea Party and Libertarian groups have filed an application to put a ballot measure before voters that would prevent the municipality from deducting union dues directly from employee paychecks.
Glen Biegel is a conservative am radio talk show show host in Anchorage who who signed onto the application for the ballot measure.
"The essence of the proposal is that the city should not be responsible for collecting the unions' dues," Biegel said. "That if people want to pay their union dues that that should be done through them writing their own checks."
Biegel says he's a Tea Party member and he supports recent labor relations changes in states like Wisconsin.
The ballot measure, Beigal says, would serve as an alternative for voters to another proposed ballot measure concerning Ordinance 37. The controversial ordinance, which was passed by the Assembly in March, limits performance pay, benefits, and strikes and allows some municipal jobs to be contracted out.
Russ Millette, who has been involved with the Alaska Republican Party and nearly became it's chairman last year, also signed onto the initiative application. He says he doesn't like, what he calls, "forced unionism."
"If people want to joint a union, they totally have a right to do that under our legal system; and I support that right," Millette said. "What they don't have the right to do is require them to pay union dues and take that as an automatic deduction for the right to work."
"I'm against forced unionism."
The application for the ballot measure was submitted last week. City attorneys are reviewing it. The municipal election is scheduled for April 1.
Despite Fewer Small Plane Crashes, 2013 Yields More Fatalities
A rash of small plane crashes late this summer in Alaska has pushed the number of crash related fatalities past last year's total, according to National Transportation Safety Board Alaska Region chief Clint Johnson.
In comparing Thursday's date with Sept. 10 of last year, Johnson says the actual number of light plane crashes is down.
"In 2012, we had a total of 98 accidents; in 2013, on September 10, we had a total of 85," Johnson said. "However, that's where the similarities change."
"Last year, in September 2012, we had 10 fatalities and, unfortunately, this year, we have 32 fatalities, which is pretty surprising."
He says an investigation into the most recent crash, on Monday, continues.
The crash of an experimental home-built airplane took the life of Big Lake pilot Kenneth M. Whedbee, and seriously injured passenger Jason Scott.
Johnson says late summer and fall tends to have more fatal plane crashes.
"Obviously, during the latter part of August September, historically for our office has always been a busy season," he said. "However, this year, it seems to be a little busier in years past – no doubt about it."
He says it is too early to tell if there are determining factors related to all the crashes.
"Keep in mind that all of these investigations; these most recent accidents here are still very much in progress, whereas they're still in the very preliminary stages," Johnson said. "So, it's way too early to look and see if there are any similarities between any of the accidents."
NTSB keeps records on the number of crashes and fatalities on a calendar that runs Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.
Johnson says a crash in Soldotna in July took 10 lives, another at Merrill Field in Anchorage recently took two more, while a plane crash on Sept. 5 killed one man.
Other light plane accidents ended without fatalities.
Two men walked eight miles to safety after their plane went down near Nondalton earlier this month, and three men were rescued after their helicopter iced up and was weathered in on Mt. Mageik at Katmai National Park.
A pilot and passenger survived a crash into a lake near Talkeetna over the weekend.
Chukchi Polar Bear Population Remains Healthy As Ice Coverage Lessens
The Chukchi Sea has one of the highest rates of sea ice loss in the Arctic, but the polar bears there don't appear to be suffering as a result.
A new study from the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service shows the Chukchi Sea bears are just as healthy as they were 20 years ago. The bears still face a grim long term future, but the new research shows there will be a lot of nuance along the way in how climate change plays out for polar bears in the Arctic.
U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Biologist Eric Regehr has studied more than 250 polar bears on the Chukchi Sea ice since 2008, but some are more memorable than others. Like the massive male he captured this spring.
"There's always a sense of mystery when we weigh the bear, we have a tripod and a chain hoist and we start hoisting the bear up off the ground and everyone's watching the scale, especially if it's a big bear, watching it go up and up and up and you know this guy, the legs of the tripod are flexing and everybody's watching with bated breath," Regehr said.
The final number?
"1,390 pounds, which is a whole lot of bear, by any standard," Regehr said.
A new record, in fact, for a polar bear captured and released in Alaska.
The previous record was set in 2010, with another bear Regehr caught during his study. Regehr didn't know what to expect in 2008 when he began looking at the health of Chukchi polar bears.
But since then, Regehr has measured, weighed and taken samples from a lot of fat bears. His study shows bears in the region are doing as well- or even better-than they were 20 years ago.
"So, despite some significant sea ice loss in the Chukchi Sea region, bears have maintained their size, they've maintained their body condition, which means their fatness and their level of reproduction," Regehr said.
It's a different story for polar bears off Alaska's north coast, in the Southern Beaufort Sea. According to research from the U.S. Geological Survey, sea ice retreat is clearly making it harder for those bears to find food.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife study shows male bears in the Chukchi Sea weigh on average more than 100 pounds more than their counterparts in the Southern Beaufort Sea.
"Indeed at present time it is something of a tale of two populations," Regehr said. "Polar bears in Western Alaska appear to be doing well, despite large sea ice declines; polar bears north of Alaska, don't appear to be doing as well."
In the Southern Beaufort Sea there's a longer history of sea ice loss keeping bears away from their preferred hunting habitats, over the biologically productive waters of the continental shelf. And the Chukchi Sea is full of warm, nutrient rich water that produces a lot of food.
Regehr says bears in the Chukchi may have reduced access to seals, but if so, it's not affecting their size.
"These animals live in a very productive ecosystem," he said. "So yes, in the past 25 years, the sea ice has reduced, they have less time on sea ice, but we think they probably have enough time on the sea ice to catch as many seals as they need to survive."
There's some evidence the Chukchi Sea is even becoming even more productive as the sea ice retreats, allowing more sunlight in the water to produce a bigger algae bloom that pays dividends up the food chain. That may account for the record setting bears Regehr has encountered. But he says if the ice continues melting at the current rate, polar bears in the Chukchi will face a very different future.
"At some point, the sea ice will have declined far enough that polar bears aren't able to do what they do," Regehr said. "They don't have enough time to spend on the sea ice to catch enough seals to remain fat and healthy and have a lot of cubs."
Regehr doesn't know if that will happen in five years, or 50, or longer, but he says he hopes the new study helps tell a more complicated, and more interesting story, about the bears in the meantime.
"We've done a very good job getting the message out about polar bears," he said. "And the simple message that's gotten out has been as goes the sea ice, so go the polar bears."
The more complex truth about the species leaves a lot of room for future research on the subject. And that means Regehr and his colleagues will be out on the Chukchi Sea ice studying polar bears for many years to come.
Their research appears in the latest issue of Global Change Biology.
Former State Senator Bill Ray Dies
Former state senator Bill Ray has died. He was 91.
Ray represented Juneau in the Alaska Legislature for more than 20 years, during a time when a number of landmark projects were built in the capital city, including the State Office Building and Egan Drive. Ray helped secure a downtown facility for the University of Alaska Southeast, and the university named it in his honor.
A Democrat, Ray was elected to the House of Representatives in 1964. He was elected to the Senate in 1970 and served for 16 years.
Jim Duncan represented Juneau in the House at that time and when Ray retired he ran for his senate seat and won.
Duncan says he learned a lot from the guy who spent a number of years as the chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee.
"He had a great knowledge and understanding of the budget, spent a lot of time at it and knew it pretty much in detail. And that was what was important for Juneau at that time, because clearly Juneau survived on operating budgets," Duncan says. "It still does to some extent, and getting a good sound operating budget and keeping positions in Juneau was very critical and Bill played a very critical role in doing that."
Ray had a good sense of humor and those who knew him well also saw a real soft spot under an often gruff exterior.
That tough side helped him negotiate funding for Juneau projects and fight to keep the capital here.
According to his obituary, Ray and his parents moved to Juneau in 1938, when he was a teenager. He worked as a longshoreman, was in the U.S. Navy then returned to Juneau. He commercial fished, worked at his family's bar then opened several liquor stores.
He was appointed to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board for a two year term in 1959 by Gov. William Egan, and was later reappointed and elected chairman of the board.
Ray was defeated in his first campaign for the Alaska House in 1962, but the 22 years he served after that are chronicled in a book he wrote then published in 2003, entitled "Liquor, Legislation and Laughter."
As Duncan puts it, Bill Ray was among the legislators elected shortly after state
Ray died at his home in Sequim, Wash., where he and his wife Nancy moved a number of years ago.
No services are planned.
Alaska Airlines Showcases Q-400
Alaska Airlines is showing off an aircraft it plans to start using in the state next year. The Bombardier Q-400 is scheduled for use on Fairbanks-Anchorage and Kodiak- Anchorage routes, where the 76-seat twin prop plane will replace or augment current service with larger 737 jets.
Huna Totem May Build Own Dock Without City Grant
Hoonah's village Native corporation may build its own cruise-ship dock, bypassing a city effort funded by the Legislature.
Huna Totem Corp. executives say it won't use a berthing facility planned by the city, because cruise lines don't like the location.
It prefers a different spot, closer to its Icy Strait Point renovated cannery attraction, which brings the ships to town.
CEO Larry Gaffaney posted a letter to shareholders recently saying the corporation will pursue funding and construction of its own pier, without city involvement.
Gaffaney also wrote that the city's preferred site, called Shaman Point, should be protected for its cultural values. He could not be immediately reached for further comment.
The Legislature several years ago awarded the city a grant – now $15 million – to build a multipurpose dock. Lawmakers said cruise ships would be its main customers.
The state Division of Community and Regional Affairs recently suspended that grant, meaning none of it can be spent.
Director Scott Ruby says the state will take it away entirely, if the city proceeds with its plans.
"Regardless of what the state thinks about whether it's a good location or a bad location, if the cruise-ship industry is saying 'We will not use it,' then there's a problem there," Ruby says.
He met with Hoonah officials Thursday. He says there was a good discussion, but no resolution.
Hoonah Interim City Administrator Bob Prunella says his delegation gave the state new research backing its dock location.
"The city feels like it's (done) lots of study, geo-tech study and wind and waves on all three sites. And this one comes out looking like, by far, a preferred site for an operation like this," Prunella says.
He says a site preferred by Huna Totem and the cruise lines would face rough winter weather. That could prevent other uses, such as commercial fishing boats or barges.
Prunella remains optimistic, even though there have been no recent meetings with the corporation or the cruise lines.
"We will move forward and see how this pans out. Give it another try, make some more effort. I'd like to see effort on both sides to come to something that everyone can live with," he says.
Community and Regional Affairs Director Ruby also hopes the parties can come to an agreement. But that has to be soon.
His boss, Commerce Commissioner Susan Bell, recently gave the city of Hoonah notice that it would lose the dock grant if no compromise was reached. The deadline is in a week or so.
Hoonah is 40 air miles west of Juneau. It has around 800 residents, including many Huna Totem shareholders.
Talkeetna's Feline Mayor Returns Home
Talkeetna's honorary mayor is recovering in his hometown after a dog attack on Labor Day weekend sent him to the hospital. The attack left Mayor Stubbs, a 16-year-old yellow tabby, with a punctured lung, broken sternum, and a four inch gash in his side, as well as other injuries.
Pilot Killed In Big Lake-Area Crash
A home-built airplane crashed Monday north of Big Lake. The pilot of the plane was killed; he's identified as Kenneth Whedbee, 66, of Big Lake.
Helicopters had to be used to get to the site.
A passenger, Jason Scott, 37, survived. The plane's locator beacon went off Monday and a Life Med helicopter was first to arrive, then an Army National Guard helicopter that had been standing by for a training mission was used to lift the victims out.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Clint Johnson says the plane was an experimental home-built Zenith 701.
Search Continues For Missing Plane Near Yakutat
The Air Force and the Coast Guard continue looking for a plane that went missing Monday on a flight from Yakutat to Anchorage.
The pilot is reported to be Alan Foster, 47, of Eagle River.
A Coast Guard H-60 with an Air Force para-rescue jumper on board did four shoreline searches between Icy Bay and Yakutat yesterday.
An Air Force C-130 is expected to join the search Tuesday.
Weather in the area was described as raining, 40 knot winds, three-quarter mile visibility, and ceiling of only about 300feet.
Anchorage School Board Approves Teacher Contract
The Anchorage School Board unanimously approved a new contract for teachers on Monday night.
The district saved money in two ways, by not providing benefits for some part-time teachers and by issuing bonuses that do not count toward benefits for other teachers instead of increasing their salaries.
The new contract impacts about 3,500 teachers who are members of the Anchorage Education Association.
It was negotiated over the past six months.
It gives teachers a 1 percent salary increase for the next three years along with $1,500 bonuses in the first and third year.
About 150 part-time teachers will lose benefits. Salaries for all the other teachers will not keep up with inflation and the bonuses will not count toward benefit programs.
For several years now, the district has been wrestling how to deal with the ballooning cost of benefits.
The district's CFO encouraged the board to approve the contract and school board members expressed overall satisfaction with it.
Board Member Natasha Von Imhoff, although she voted yes, said she had worries about how the district would pay for the additional $24 million the new contract would cost them and noted that that the district can't afford it without additional funding from the state legislature.
Schools Struggle With Heating Bills, But No Takers For Loan Program
Every year, the state spends $100 million on school districts' utility bills. Back in 2010, the legislature established a loan program to help bring down those costs. The loans would cover energy upgrades to public buildings, and they would be paid back with the money saved on heating fuel. But even though rising energy costs continue to be a problem for districts, APRN's Alexandra Gutierrez reports that schools haven't used the funds as a fix.
The Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) is in charge of managing what's called the "energy efficiency revolving loan fund." They can issue up to $250 million dollars in loans to school districts, boroughs, municipalities, and the university system. Given what a big problem energy costs are across the state, you might expect Eric Havelock, who administers the program, to be swamped with applications.
You would be wrong.
"We've had a lot of calls and some basic questions," says Havelock. "But we've actually only received two applications."
Those came from the Cities of Kenai and Seward, and neither one of them ended up going through with the loan. Meanwhile, there's been no shortage of private property owners turning to AHFC for financing.
"The idea was to bring the same benefits to public buildings that we had brought to residential buildings," says CEO Bryan Butcher.
Here's how the program is supposed to work: A public entity decides they want to get an energy upgrade, so they get a building audit where a contractor guarantees a certain percentage of energy savings. AHFC then provides a loan to cover the cost of the audit and any retrofitting that happens. After the upgrades are made, the building owner pays off the loan using the money that would have otherwise gone to heat and electricity. After the loan is paid off, the energy savings can be put toward another part of the budget.
And what happens if those promised savings don't materialize? Butcher says the contractor is on the hook for the difference.
"You don't want to borrow money on the assumption that you're going to be getting a 25 percent energy reduction, find out it's only five percent, and then say, 'Uh oh. What are we going to do now?'"
Butcher only took the reins at AHFC this year, after serving as the state's revenue commissioner. But back in 2010, he handled government relations for AHFC and helped shuttle the loan program through the legislature.
Originally, the loan fund was going to be started with seed money from the federal government as part of the stimulus package. It was a controversial fight, with the $18 million in funding initially being rejected by then-Gov. Sarah Palin and then being re-approved by the legislature. In the end, lawmakers decided to just use the stimulus money for energy audits, and they separately gave AHFC the authority to bond for $250 million whenever they started getting applications in. Because no loans have been made, no bonds have been issued so far.
Given that the state has 5,000 public buildings, Butcher is surprised by the lack of loan applications.
"Okay, we have a program. We feel like it's set up to work. We know that reducing energy costs by 15 to 30 percent is going to be beneficial for any community. Why isn't it happening?"
Butcher says it's not for lack of trying. He says AHFC has done outreach, and they've been looking at why school districts aren't biting.
"We can't obviously do this program alone," says Butcher. "We can set the program up, and we can laud the benefits of it, but it takes a lot of different state and municipal agencies working together."
Bruce Johnson is the head of the Alaska Council of School Administrators, and he says that Butcher is right — that it's not unfamiliarity with the program that's kept districts from applying. It's a question of who can make long-term commitments about a school district's budget.
"I think that everyone was aware that this was available," says Johnson. "But I think we looked at who owns the facilities in the State of Alaska, the two entities are local municipalities, where they have a tax base and are either an organized borough or city, and the state owns the rest."
Because school districts budget only one year ahead, committing to a five-, ten-, or fifteen-year loan isn't something they can do easily. The decision to get an energy efficiency loan is really up to the state and local governments that own the school buildings.
Johnson says there's another big reason AHFC hasn't seen any takers for their loans. In the past, school districts have had success getting state grants to cover energy upgrades. It's money they don't have to pay back or worry about affecting their budget a decade out.
But with oil revenues declining and Gov. Sean Parnell implementing a cap on general fund spending, Johnson thinks there may be more interest from districts in the loan program. Johnson says energy upgrades will be a major point of discussion at the Alaska Council of School Administrators' September conference. Lawmakers have also had regular meetings on the education budget this summer and have identified energy as an area where spending could be reduced.
"It's a new era in Alaska," says Johnson. "This next decade is going to be challenging financially. It's going to impact public education, and as a result we want dollars in the classroom."
Better that, he thinks, than paying the heat.


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Home • Neo Gateway PODSUBGV6
Neo Gateway PODSUBGV6
The Neo Gateway PODSUBGV6 is the ultimate integration kit for your vehicle. This adapter allows you to connect your iPod/iPhone to your vehicle, charges your iPod/iPhone, gives you HD Quality sound from your car speakers AND allows you to add 1 of 4 add-ons to your factory radio. Using your vehicles radio or steering wheel controls, you will be able to control tracks and volume - all while still being able to control everything from your iPod/iPhone. Switch to advanced mode to also control Playlists, Artists and Albums from the radio.
AUX - Included
ADD HD Radio HDRTV6
ADD Blue Tooth BLUISBT21V6
All of this, plus it's a Universal kit - which means it works with many other vehicles by simply changing the radio harness.
30-pin iPod / iPhone Car Kit
Designed specifically to connect Apple products with a 30 pin dock connector seamlessly to your factory radio for music playback.
HD Quality Sound
Get the best possible sound from your device with HD Audio. This product provides a direct link from your vehicle's radio to your iPod/iPhone/Other Device, so you can experience excellent sound quality. FM Transmitters are unable to provide full quality sound because they transmit over the radio - the PODSUBGV6 connects directly to your vehicle for a full quality audio connection.
All new iPod/iPhones require 5v charging for power. Many accessories do not offer 5v charging and will only charge first generation iPhones and very old iPods. Our product allows you to jam out while driving and then arrive at your destination with a fully charged device.
Simple Control From Radio
Control your audio device using the buttons on your radio. Next track, previous track, and volume control are all basic features we take for granted. This adapter integrates these important car stereo features with your device allowing the car to have control. If you have steering wheel radio controls they will work for your iPod and iPhone.
Advanced Control From Radio
In addition to basic track controls you will be able to fully control your iPod/iPhone from the car stereo. Exact features and integration depends on your vehicle, but most of the time you will be able to browse songs, playlists, artists, albums, and genres with the buttons on your car stereo.
Unlock Mode
Unlock mode is important for drivers with passengers often in the car. When unlocked the iPod/iPhone controls and display are fully functional and work like normal. Watch out, because many adapters from popular vehicle manufacturers simply display the vehicle's logo on the screen and do not allow use of the iPhones controls.
Text Display(on supported radios)
This adapter will clearly display artist and song information on your factory radio's digital display. Radio must be capable of displaying text information. This allows a safer driving experience as the radio display is designed to be safely viewed by the driver.
When you turn off the radio, answer a phone call, or disconnect from your vehicle, the song playing will automatically pause. Turning the radio back on, hanging up the call, or connecting your iPod back to the radio, will cause the song to resume playback right where it left off. This feature is especially good for audio books and long DJ mixes.
Flash Upgradable
Vehicles are always changing, Apple is always updating the iPod/iPhone features, and new technologies continue to push forward. Having an adapter that is USB upgradable allows for more possibilities when connecting to new devices and vehicles.
This feature allows you to play songs over and over again or on random. From your radio buttons, you can control and change how the music is organized with just a single press.
Auxiliary Input (3.5mm)
Auxiliary input allows you to connect any device that has audio output. Once connected the devices audio will output on your car's stereo system, with the best sound quality available. This is a great feature for connecting laptops, mp3 players, DVD players, music phones, Bluetooth kits, hands-free systems, and more.
Auxiliary Input (RCA)
Auxiliary input allows you to connect any device that has audio output. Once connected the devices audio will output on your car's stereo system, with the best sound quality available. This is a great feature for connecting laptops, mp3 players, DVD players, music phones, Bluetooth kits, hands-free systems, and more.
Online Audio Streaming
No restrictions on how you can use your iPhone/Android means online streaming music sources will still be able to play through this adapter. Pandora and many other applications support adapters with track control features (remote, steering wheel or radio).
Universal Adapter
Universal adapters are not vehicle specific and can be used in many makes and models. When you get a new compatible vehicle, just move the adapter over. If this is a wired adapter you may just need to purchase a new vehicle harness ($14.99+) if your vehicle is compatible.
HD Radio Upgradable
With HD radio, you can listen to local stations with enhanced HD sound quality. The PODSUBGV6 has the ability to add on a tuner module to support HD radio. Additional hardware is required but HD radio does not require any subscription fees.
Bluetooth Upgrade
Go handsfree with your iPhone or Android! Add a Bluetooth adapter to the PODSUBGV6 and eliminate extra cables. When synced with Bluetooth your iPhone or Android Phone can be used to communicate with the radio to make and receive phone calls as well as listen to your music library with no wires or cables attached. If you are using your adapter to listen to music and a phone call comes in, the music will pause and your conversation will be heard through the vehicles speakers.
Works with All iPods and iPhones
Guaranteed compatible with all models of iPod and iPhone except shuffle.
1-Year Warranty
Full one year warranty. If this product has any problems you can send it in for repair or replacement
Satisfaction Guarantee
This product has our 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are unhappy in any way send it back to us. See our policies for full details.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Archives Search
Search only: Library, Archives Advanced Search, Ancestors, Images, Search All
To submit a comment, contact email@example.com
Online MIKAN no. 3194784 (1 item)
A machine gun emplacement on the crest of Vimy Ridge and the men who drove the Germans from it during the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
- Date modified:


text:
In the coming epic battle, who will stand victorious when the dust has settled?
In one corner we have User Generated Content (UGC) and in the opposite corner we have Editorial Content. Both are fighters in their prime with many positive things going for them; UGC has speed and variety on its side, but Editorial Content has the weight of experience and expertise.
What will decide the outcome of this match-up?
Only you can decide who wins and who walks away defeated.
User Generated Content – The Rising Star
User Generated Content is a hot topic in SEO and content marketing circles; with more and more emphasis being placed on user engagement and social signals it is easy to see why so many eyes are turning towards UGC. Website owners are seriously considering how it can add value to their websites, while at the same time users are trying figure out where they stand. The rules of UGC are changing rapidly from a free-for-all to a more orderly moderation; some communities self-regulate, while others have outside influences who maintain the peace and help keep discussions on the right track.
UGC has a lot of good qualities including:
- It is fresh and updates / appears in new forms often
- It counts (in many cases) as a 'social signal', something search engines are going wild for
- It is a great way to optimize for hard-to-capture long-tail traffic and secondary keywords
- It has the potential for endless variety through each individual user interaction
- It follows a cycle that begins with spontaneous creation, or creation due to an outside event and progresses to publishing and/or moderation before reaching the public
- It has the advantage of volume; UGC derives much of its influence from the strength of numbers.
How can the apparent majority be wrong?
Apart from the speed with which UGC is published and multiplies, it carries great strength by virtue of popularity / volume. Users who are searching for information give a lot of weight to UGC because it was created by people like them, for people like them. There is (supposedly) no ulterior motivation beyond sharing an opinion or an experience, and this makes it very valuable to potential customers browsing a website with its own UGC (i.e. product reviews or testimonials) available. Unfortunately some User Generated Content is manipulated by third parties; some UGC is purchased outright, and some is put forth by people in exchange for something other than money, i.e. a favor for a favor. This has led to a slight disillusionment with UGC, but it nevertheless remains very popular and a go-to information source for many web users.
Video: Virginia Heffernan: User-Generated Content
Spotlight on User Generated Content:
- User generated content causes CNN layoffs : Opportunity for lawyer blogs? - by Kevin O'Keefe
- The User-Generated Content Myth – by Scott Karp
- What is User Generated Content? – by Paul Bradshaw
- 6 benefits of crowdsourced content – by Rob O'Regan
- Welcome to the Jungle: Shaping User-Generated Content - by Erin Kissane
Editorial Content – The Heavy-weight Contender
If User Generated Content is the scrappy young fighter rising through the ranks, Editorial Content is the seasoned professional who has been around the block a time or two. Though it may move more slowly, there is a certain momentum behind Editorial Content that cannot easily be interrupted. Editorial Content has been the staple diet of content marketers and SEO professionals for quite some time now; this is especially true of "recent" developments like blogs which have given rise to different classes of Editorial Content. Blue-blood Editorial Content will always be that which can be found in most newspapers and magazines. This is content that has been extensively researched, validated, and prepared with a loving hand by a professional journalist whose job it is to bring the news to the table. This is not to say that any content found on a blog cannot have been subjected to the same rigorous quality standards, because it can, but it is never going to be quite the same.
Editorial Content has the weight of experience on its side, true, but what else is good about it?
- It is written and / or validated by subject matter experts
- It is controlled from creation to publication
- It has an "official" feel
- It is ideal for optimizing for short-tail or primary keywords
- It is typically of higher quality than User Generated Content
Editorial Content is (for the most part) respected and seen as more of a reliable resource than purely User Generated Content; the reasons behind this vary from person to person, but many opinions center around Editorial Content's ability to be verified independently.
Going Head to Head – Comparing User Generated & Editorial Content
Comparing these two giants would be like comparing Wikipedia with the Encyclopedia Britannica; each has its merits but it is clear still which one would be the favored resource chosen by academics and which would be the resource of choice for the average web user. They are as apples and oranges; their similarity lies in the fact that they are both fruits, but beyond that their differences unfold and separate them that much more.
Comparing User Generated Content and Editorial Content – Other Bloggers Weigh In:
- Online community SEO: User-generated versus editorial content – by Kevin
- User-generated content: what went wrong and why it still matters – by Jani Patokallio
- 12 Best Practices For Content Marketing – by Benjamin Spiegel
Infographic Special: Slideshare, a quiet giant of User Generated Content
Click for a larger version
What do you think?
Which type of content should win the fight?


text:
(CNN) -- President Barack Obama said Friday in Chicago that violence in America's cities is "not just a gun issue, it's also an issue of the kind of communities we're building."
URGENT - obama guns violence
POSTED: 01:44 PM PST Feb 15, 2013
Copyright 2013 by CNN NewSource. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The views expressed are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms Of Service and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms.
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text:
PG-13 movies have more violence than R movies
A new study says movies aimed at teens have more violence than movies for adults.
The number one thing teens want for the holidays
Remember when all it took was a new Barbie or Hot Wheels to make your kid happy?
Yelling is just as harmful as hitting when it comes to disciplining teens
When a teen acts out, a dose of harsh verbal discipline may seem like the best way to get his [...]
Teen drivers getting in fewer accidents in Massachusetts
The number of accidents involving newly-licensed, teenage drivers in Massachusetts is dropping.
Two teens face charges in Wilmington park rapes
The teens knew their victims and specifically targeted them for that reason, according to police.
Teens checking out attractive woman realize she is being kidnapped
When two teens from Texas glanced over to scope out the young woman in the neighboring car, they quickly realized it was no ordinary joy ride.
Revere man faces charges after online chats, texts with young girls
The 41-year-old Revere man allegedly had sex with one of the girls, then took nude pictures of her, authorities said.
Job-seeking for teens is futile
Re: 'How to get your child off the couch and into a summer job' (Metro, July 30) Your article was [...]
Bensalem teens' bodies pulled from Neshaminy Creek
Authorities have confirmed that both Dan Tadrzynski, 18, and Perry Krewson, 19, died in the water.
Teens go missing in Neshaminy Creek
The teens were swimming in the rain-swollen creek with a friend near the Neshaminy Falls Train Station when they were swept away by the current.


text:
TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE: "American Experience," 9-11 p.m., PBS;
concludes Tuesday.
As others focus on John Kennedy's death, "Experience" looks
at his life.
There were medical crises, as he deteriorated to a skeletal
120 pounds. There was his casual approach to school, women and work; he agreed
to chair a committee on the grounds that it would never meet.
But then there was his remarkable ability to grow at the
right times -- from a Pacific Ocean rescue to the Cuban missile crisis to a
(very) belated stance on civil rights. It's a dramatic story, told in rich
TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE II: Movies, 8 p.m., cable.
Great filmmakers collide. There's Steven Spielberg with
"Jaws" (1975) on Turner Classic Movies and Francis Coppola with his expanded
cut of "Apocalypse Now" (1979) on AMC.
These are classics, ranked No. 56 and No. 30 on the American
Film Institute's all-time list. Still, neither won an Academy Award for best
picture; for that, you have two more choices: Robert Zemeckis' "Forrest Gump"
(1994), on ABC Family, and Ben Affleck's "Argo" (2012), at 7 p.m. on HBO,
manage to be thoroughly entertaining while going from occasional humor to
strong emotion.
TONIGHT'S ALTERNATIVE: "Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1," 9
p.m., HBO.
For American military veterans, we're told, the suicide rate
is 20 times the national average. There's almost one suicide per hour; the
Veterans Crisis Line – (800) 273-8255 -- averages 700 calls a day.
This moving Veterans Day documentary watches hotline people
react calmly and quietly. The film has that same quality; lives are saved,
tragedies averted, bringing only slight smiles and sighs of relief.
Other choices include:
"Dancing With the Stars," 8-10:01 p.m., ABC. Brant Daugherty
was sent home last week, leaving only six people – Jack Osbourne, Bill Engvall,
Corbin Bleu, Leah Remini, Amber Riley and Elizabeth Barkley Lauren. Tonight,
they do a duet with their pro partners … and a trio number, adding an ousted
"The Voice," 8-10:01 p.m., NBC. The top 12 people sing and
viewers vote. Two will be ousted Tuesday.
"The Bible," 8-10 p.m., History. Sprawling, ambitious and
(we thought) rather heavy-handed, this mini-series was a huge ratings hit. Now
it will rerun over five Mondays, sweeping us into Christmastime.
"Mike & Molly," 9 p.m., CBS. In its effort to focus on
Melissa McCarthy, the show has transformed Molly into an airhead. Tonight, she
decides to be a novelist, with no notion of what to write. She also goes on a
ride-along in Mike's police car, promptly acting even more ditzy.
"Mom," 9:30 p.m., CBS. Christy had decided her early dates
with Adam should be chaste -- a concept unfamiliar to her, her mother or her teen
daughter. That may change during a weekend getaway.
"The Blacklist," 10:01 p.m., NBC. Just as she learns of a
plan to destroy the U.S. financial system, Liz hears that a family member is
"Castle," 10:01 p.m., ABC. A relationship expert, with
access to valuable secrets, has been killed.


text:
"Much like the Cairo speech, we are hoping the Accra speech will signal a new era of engagement, respect and partnership with Africa," said Raymond C. Offenheiser, President of Oxfam America. "This historic visit, so early in his presidency and on the heels of important commitments at the G8 in Italy, signals the importance President Obama places on African development."
Millions of Africans live in extreme poverty, and are now hit hard by the global economic and climate crisis. Sub-Saharan Africa alone is expecting losses of up to $245 billion this year as a result of the global slump, which is almost seven times the amount it receives in global aid. In Ghana, a resource-rich country, the life expectancy is a mere 58 years and 70% of people in the poor northern regions live on less than $1 a day. Despite the economic crisis, Africa continues to attract large investments to extract the riches that lie below ground, producing billions in government revenues. By 2015, oil revenues in African oil-exporting countries will exceed the amount needed to meet key social development goals by $35 billion annually—but investing this money wisely is not a sure thing.
"Africa is rich in natural resources like gold, diamonds and oil, but, too often, these resources have contributed to corruption, conflict, and human rights abuses," said Offenheiser. "But important progress can be made to turn this around. President Obama can help by supporting increased transparency and the disclosure of payments from US and other companies to African governments to help ensure responsible use of billions of dollars of government revenues per year."
Oxfam praised Ghana's recent commitment to transparency in the country's nascent oil sector and urged President Obama to encourage the government to follow through on these commitments and encourage other African governments to follow the positive steps the Ghanaian government has taken to date.
Oxfam also noted that key reforms are needed to make the US foreign aid system as effective as possible in reducing poverty and creating prosperous communities throughout the developing world. The US currently lacks a coherent assistance strategy for many of the countries it is trying to help. Oxfam is calling on the US to keep recipient country governments and their public informed on the nature and amount of American aid, help the recipient country to manage its own development, and ultimately, let each recipient country lead its own development agenda.
"American generosity is undermined by a reactive approach that prioritizes relief efforts—like food aid—that saves lives, but doesn't address underlying causes of poverty and hunger," said Offenheiser. "If the US wants to use its aid consistently help the poor in countries such as Ghana, it needs a global development strategy to guide the US government's efforts to fight poverty."
Climate change is already impacting the lives and livelihoods of millions of poor people in Africa, as a recent Oxfam report details. Tackling these impacts is essential to addressing food security and broader development objectives. President Obama must commit to help bring about a comprehensive global climate strategy that will help poor communities cope with the impacts of global warming, from failed crops to dwindling reserves of clean water and displacement caused by extreme weather events.
"Global hunger and poverty is a human tragedy exacerbated by faltering investments in agricultural production and the growing impacts of climate change," said Offenheiser. "We are pleased to see President Obama follow through on his commitments to reassert US leadership and address the challenges facing the billion people around the world without enough food."
]]>West African countries produce millions of ounces of gold each year, but the region is one of the poorest in the world. Provisions set forth in a directive issued by the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) create a basis for helping communities ensure that mining revenues will be used in ways that will reduce poverty, and that they enjoy some of the benefits of wealth produced by mining—instead of simply enduring the costs in terms of pollution, and loss of farm lands. Uniform standards across the region will help prevent destructive competition for foreign investment that force governments to relax environmental and financial standards.
Richard Ellimah, from Obuasi, Ghana, says the new mining directive is "probably the most audacious attempt by the sub regional body to address concerns of mining-affected communities... We are looking forward to using the directive to demand respect for human rights, and freedom of information."
Campaign activities during the week of action will take place in Ghana, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Nigeria, and Mali, and will include debates and information workshops to teach people in communities affected by mining about the principles in the ECOWAS mining directive. Top among those principles is free, prior, and informed consent, which will give people the right to say whether—and under what terms—mining can be carried out in their community. Civil society organizations will reach out to the press, holding information workshops for the media and interested environmental and social organizations. Organizations also plan to contact their legislatures and mining ministries to ask them to change their regulations to comply with the ECOWAS directive on mining.
Six allied organizations held a press conference following the workshop and released a statement calling on the government to revoke permits it granted Newmont Mining of Denver to explore for gold in the Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserve. "When government revokes the Environmental Permit to mine in Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserve it would demonstrate its preparedness to define forest reserves as 'No Go Zones' for mining," the statement says.
"This campaign is the next phase of the movement towards an increased citizens' participation in public policy making and better governance and regulation in the mining sector in West Africa," says Ibrahima Aidara, Oxfam America's lead expert on extractive industries in West Africa.
]]>Last month, Newmont released the results of an independent review, which provides information about the company's community relationships and important recommendations for improving operations on the ground. The review, the first of its kind by a major mining company, came at the request of shareholders, led by New York-based Christian Brothers Investment Services, concerned about protests and environmental problems at Newmont's mining projects around the world. The company will formally present the results of the report to shareholders at the annual meeting.
"We commend Newmont for conducting a critical assessment of their community relationships. As shareholders gather this week, plans for urgent action to improve relations with the communities living near its operations should be at the top of the agenda," said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America.
Recommendations from the report include handling community conflicts at an earlier stage, holding management accountable for community relations, and establishing effective grievance processes at all sites. The report indentifies problems with Newmont's community interaction at several locations, including sites in Ghana and Peru.
Nearly 10,000 villagers, mainly poor farmers, were displaced by the Newmont's Ahafo mine in Ghana. The report identified the long-term success of the resettlement as one of the greatest risks confronting the project and called on Newmont to actively monitor the implementation of resettlement. Newmont and the World Bank (IFC) will be conducting an audit of the resettlement program this year. Oxfam urges Newmont to make the audit process transparent and participatory.
Newmont's Yanacocha mine in Peru has been the site of repeated protests and violence in recent years. In 2007, local mining activists were the targets of harassments and death threats.
"The report identified an atmosphere of fear and intimidation among local residents at the Yanacocha mine, who worry about speaking out against the company out of fear of harassment by the mine's security forces," said Offenheiser. "It is very troubling that people are afraid to peacefully express their concerns. Newmont must address this situation immediately."
Communities affected by mining projects should have a role in decision-making about how the project will affect their lands and livelihoods. The report recommends an action plan that includes clarification of Newmont's commitment to the principle of free, prior and informed consent for communities.
"Newmont's endorsement of the principle of free, prior and informed consent for communities would be an important step forward," said Offenheiser. "The key now is to engage with local communities and apply this principle to company practice. We are pleased that Newmont's board of directors has accepted the report's analysis and recommendations and directed management to engage with affected communities on the report's findings."
The Newmont report also highlighted community concern about lack of access to information about the revenues the company pays to local and national governments, leaving communities unable to hold their governments accountable for how mining revenues are used.
"Newmont has been a leader in committing to greater transparency and can help address community concerns about revenue sharing by recommitting to disclose all payments made to host governments," said Offenheiser. "Endorsing mandatory public disclosure policies like the Extractive Industries Transparency Disclosure Act would be an important first step."
Oxfam advocated passage of the Extractive Industries Transparency Disclosure Act, legislation that would require all mining, oil, and gas companies registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission to disclose the payments made to foreign governments. The bill, which was introduced by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) in the 110th Congress, is expected to be reintroduced shortly.
]]>"Adopting a regional mining policy directive is an important first step toward strengthening regional protections for the basic rights and livelihoods of mining-affected communities in West Africa and ensuring that these countries' mineral resources contribute to their sustainable development," said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America.
Ministers from 11 West African countries met on April 17 in Abuja, Nigeria to review a draft mining directive that covers a broad range of financial, social and environmental issues relating to the industry. The draft was developed by the ECOWAS Commission with input from government officials, civil society organizations, and communities affected by mining.
Revenues from the mining industry form an important part of the economies of many West African countries. However, these revenues do not always translate into benefits for citizens. For example, Ghana is the second-largest gold producer in Africa—producing 2.5 million ounces of gold in 2007—but nearly 80 percent of Ghanaians are living on less than $2 per day.
The ECOWAS member countries currently have individual mining policies, but the need for foreign investment often leads to competition by offering tax reductions and exemptions, which deprives countries of sustainable benefits. A strong common policy is needed to ensure that the mining industry respects the rights of local communities and the environment and contributes to sustainable development.
"Oxfam is particularly encouraged by the mining directive's clear provisions for the protection of the human rights of local communities. This includes their right to free, prior and informed consent, which gives communities a meaningful role in decision-making about mining projects that would affect them," said Offenheiser. "We also applaud the directive's support for the disclosure of financial and environmental information relating to the mining sector."
Too often, mining industry contracts and revenues are kept secret. This lack of accountability facilitates embezzlement, corruption and revenue misappropriation leading to the industry's failure to alleviate poverty in West African countries. Measures to improve transparency in the directive will go a long way to inform the public about mining revenues. This will enable communities to hold governments accountable for using revenues to support vital services like healthcare and education.
However, the directive does not cover all the critical issues relating to the impacts of mining on affected communities. In particular, Oxfam believes the environmental protections can and should be further strengthened.
"Oxfam calls on the ECOWAS member states to engage with relevant stakeholders, particularly civil society and affected communities, to work to implement the directive and further strengthen legal provisions to increase transparency and protection of human rights and the environment," said Offenheiser.
Back in 2007, ECOWAS requested Oxfam America's involvement based on the organization's experience and expertise in the mining sector. Throughout the process, Oxfam worked to facilitate civil society's participation in the formation of the mining directive. More than 50 West African civil society organizations from 11 countries joined and participated in the formulation process.
]]>This decision, reported by the Ghana News Agency, comes a week after the release of a report by Oxfam America and its local partner, the Integrated Social Development Center (ISODEC), on the challenges posed by Ghana's coming oil boom. The report, Ghana's Big Test: Oil's Challenge to Democratic Development, recommends, among other things: transparency of payments from oil companies to governments as well as disclosure of all petroleum agreements; open and competitive licensing procedures for oil and gas blocks; the active participation of civil society; and the establishment of an appropriate legal and institutional framework for the industry.
"This commitment by the government should be commended. In too many countries, petroleum agreements governing the sale of public resources have been kept secret. The new administration should build on this step to increase openness for more citizen participation in the formulation of public policy. In the case of oil, participation on the part of the people and of civil society has thus far been limited," said Ibrahima Aïdara, coordinator of the Extractive Industries Program in Oxfam's West Africa Regional Office based in Dakar, Senegal. "In addition to ensuring full transparency and public participation in the oil and gas sector, the government should also take steps to improve the management of the gold mining sector."
Steve Manteaw, media and campaigns coordinator for ISODEC, said: "President Mills has taken an important step to preserve Ghana's record of good governance and stability by preparing Ghana to support accountable and efficient development of the oil industry and the billions in government revenue it will generate."
The International Monetary Fund has predicted that government revenues from oil (producing approximately 120,000 barrels a day by 2011) and gas could reach a cumulative $20 billion over a production period of 2012-2030 in Jubilee field alone. The field gets its name from the discovery of oil there at the time of Ghana's 50th anniversary as a nation.
The Ghanaian president's commitment is in line with the objectives of Oxfam America's Right to Know, Right to Decide campaign focusing on greater transparency and the right of communities to have a say over how and whether oil, gas, and mining projects go forward. The emphasis on transparency and public participation is also a cornerstone of Oxfam America's efforts to increase public and civil society participation in the development of a regional mining convention being developed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Since last year, ECOWAS has been in the process of developing a mining convention that would promote common social, environmental, and transparency standards in the mining region across West Africa. Civil society is participating actively in the process and is ensuring that the concerns of the citizens, especially communities near mining projects, are taken into account.
"The new government in Ghana has a chance to take a fresh look both at preparations for the oil boom as well as the historical legacy of increased conflict and social and environmental impacts from gold mining production. The agenda for reform is both broad and deep, but the commitments by the new president are an important step in the right direction," said Aidara.
]]>The independent review, released today, is the first of its kind by a major mining company and provides information about community relationships and important recommendations for improving the company's operations on the ground. The review, carried out over a two-year period, came at the request of shareholders, led by New York-based Christian Brothers Investment Services, concerned about protests and environmental problems at Newmont's mining projects around the world.
"The review is important for two reasons. First, it was driven by shareholders concerned about social impacts of Newmont's mining activities. And, second, the review confirmed that Newmont needs to take urgent action to improve relations with the communities living near its operations," said Raymond C. Offenheiser, President of Oxfam America. Oxfam will advocate for other companies to build on this experience in undertaking their own independent reviews.
The report indentifies problems with Newmont's community interaction at several locations, including sites in Peru and Ghana. Recommendations from the report include handling community conflicts at an earlier stage, holding management accountable for community relations, and establishing effective grievance processes at all sites.
Oxfam stresses the critical importance of community consent, meaning communities affected by mining projects should have a role in decision-making about how the project will affect their lands and livelihoods. According to the report, Newmont has endorsed this principle but has not fully implemented it.
"Newmont's endorsement of the principle of free, prior and informed consent for communities is an important step forward," said Offenheiser. "The key now is to engage with local communities and apply this principle to company practice. We are pleased that Newmont's board of directors has accepted the report's analysis and recommendations and directed management to engage with affected communities on the report's findings."
"The breadth of issues covered and the role of the advisory panel were encouraging aspects of this review," said Offenheiser. "However, the panel did express concerns about the company's resistance at times to providing requested information and laid out important suggestions for taking similar reviews forward."
Oxfam has particular concerns about the findings related to Newmont's Yanaocha mine in Peru—the site of repeated protests and violence in recent years. In 2007, local mining activists were the targets of harassments and death threats.
"The report identified an atmosphere of fear and intimidation among local residents at the Yanacocha mine, who worry about speaking out against the company out of fear of harassment by the mine's security forces," said Offenheiser. "It is very troubling that people are afraid to peacefully express their concerns. Newmont must address this situation immediately."
The Newmont report also highlighted community concern about lack of access to information about the revenues the company pays to local and national governments, leaving communities unable to hold their governments accountable for how mining revenues are used.
"Newmont has been a leader in committing to greater transparency and can help address community concerns about revenue sharing by recommitting to disclose all payments made to host governments," said Offenheiser. "Endorsing mandatory public disclosure policies like the Extractive Industries Transparency Disclosure Act would be an important first step."
Oxfam advocated passage of the Extractive Industries Transparency Disclosure Act, legislation that would require all mining, oil, and gas companies registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission to disclose the payments made to foreign governments. The bill, which was introduced by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) in the 110th Congress, is expected to be reintroduced shortly.
]]>Ghana's recent discovery the major offshore "Jubilee" oil field has generated enormous interest in the country's oil production potential. While this would seem to be good news for Ghana, historically, the exploitation of natural resources in Africa has far too often led to increased poverty and conflict, a phenomenon often referred to as "resource curse."
"In too many countries, oil booms have bred corruption, underdevelopment, social conflict and environmental damage. Ghana's challenge as an 'oil hot spot' will be to ensure the right institutions and transparent policies are in place before production even begins," said Ian Gary, Senior Policy Advisor for Extractive Industries at Oxfam America and author of the report Ghana's Big Test: Oil's Challenge to Democratic Development, which will be introduced today at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London.
The report identifies critical steps for the Ghanaian government, donors, oil companies, civil society and journalists to take in order to move quickly but deliberately in the face of the coming oil boom. These include transparent revenue and payment practices, open and competitive contract bidding, and active monitoring and participation by civil society. The report also recommends that the government enact a moratorium on signing new licenses, so they can organize an open bidding round and allow the country's legal and institutional framework to "catch up" to the pace of oil development.
"While these steps are not, by themselves, a simple recipe for overcoming the threats posed by the coming oil boom, it is difficult to see Ghana succeeding without them," said Gary.
Last year, Africa produced 12.5 percent of the world's oil with great investment and exploration throughout the continent, but this has yet to translate into tangible benefits for Africa's poor. In fact, resource-rich countries in Africa have actually experienced lower growth rates than countries with scarce resources.
Ghana is one of the most peaceful and relatively prosperous countries in West Africa but remains poor with almost 80 percent of Ghanaians living on less than $2 a day. After democratic elections and a successful transition of power last month, Ghana's new National Democratic Congress government hopes that oil revenues will help accelerate the country's effort to meet UN Development Goals by 2015.
By 2011, estimates are that Ghana will be producing approximately 120,000 barrels of oil per day, along with significant quantities of gas. (The Jubilee field has 600 million barrels of proven reserves and 1.2 billion barrels of probable reserves.) The International Monetary Fund has predicted that government revenues from oil and gas could reach a cumulative $20 billion over a production period of 2012-2030 in Jubilee field alone. On Feb. 19, The World Bank board will consider $215 million in financing to Kosmos Energy and Tullow Oil in support of the development of the Jubilee field.
"Ghana's enviable record of good governance and stability makes this test even more urgent. Oil wealth threatens the growing democratic accountability that has been built in our country's recent history," said Steve Manteaw, media and campaigns coordinator for ISODEC. "The history of natural resource exploitation in West Africa has shown us just how vulnerable the people of Ghana will be without sufficient systems to properly manage oil wealth."
Ghana is no stranger to the natural resource industry. During the British colonial era, Ghana was known as the "Gold Coast" for its prolific gold deposits. With mining law reforms and changes to investment rules in the last 20 years, Ghana has recently experienced a boom in mining investment. But gold mining has led to small government revenues, increased conflict between companies and local communities, the removal of families from their lands, and increased environmental degradation. Coastal communities have seen how this industry has left mining communities, and they fear the same fate.
The problems of resource-rich countries combating the "resource curse" have recently risen to the top of the international development agenda with efforts to increase revenue transparency across the oil, gas, and mining industries. The report is being released on the eve of the fourth global conference of the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) taking place in Doha from February 16-18. EITI is a voluntary initiative designed to increase transparency of payments by companies to governments. While some progress has been made, the EITI has had limited reach. Ghana has published reports under this initiative, but has not been fully committed to extend this work to the petroleum sector. In the United States, the Extractive Industry Transparency Disclosure (EITD) bill was introduced in the House and Senate in 2008. This legislation, expected for reintroduction in 2009, would require all oil, gas, and mining companies registered with the SEC to disclose their payments to host countries and extend transparency as a truly global standard for company operations.
"While some progress has been made to increase transparency in resource-rich states, secrecy around revenues is just one part of the resource curse, and much more work remains to be done to prepare Ghana for the coming oil boom," said Gary.
]]>Photographer Ed Kashi captured images like this as part of his new book, "Curse of the Black Gold: 50 Years of Oil in the Niger Delta." His photos were on display last week at John Hopkins University as part of a panel discussion of a new report assessing US and international efforts to overcome the "resource curse." The report, which is based on months of research in the field by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations committee staff, explores the paradox where countries rich is natural resources become poorer once they are extracted.
Oxfam's Ian Gary, Senior Policy Advisor for Extractive Industries, spoke as part of the panel, describing how African countries like Chad have been unable to translate their oil reserves into revenue that reduces poverty by building health clinics, schools, roads, and other infrastructure.
"Despite the promises, little money has trickled down to villagers near the oil field in southern Chad and fighting in February between rebels and the government decimated the capital, forcing tens of thousands to flee, including many civil society activists who had sought to hold the government accountable in the spending of oil wealth," Gary said.
So, what's the solution? Panelist Michael V. Phelan, a professional staff member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said that he believes it is important for citizens to know their rights and responsibilities and to exercise those to hold their government's accountable. During the course of their research, the Senate staff members found problems in many countries where Oxfam America is working, including Peru, Ghana and Cambodia, and consulted Oxfam field staff and partners in these and other countries.
Oxfam is working to require oil, gas, and mining companies to consult with local communities, and share information with them about their revenues and operations. One vehicle for this is the Extractive Industries Transparency Disclosure Act, legislation that is expected to be introduced in the next session of Congress that requires oil, gas, and mining companies to publicly disclose how much they pay governments to use their natural resources.
Full disclosure is important because companies and governments often keep their revenues a secret, which leads to financial mismanagement and corruption. When local people know more about the oil, gas and mining projects taking place in their backyards, they can claim their fair share for community needs—like education, health care, and jobs.
]]>Amankwaa, 48, is a serious, no-nonsense business woman who rarely cracks a smile, but is patiently answering questions about her farm. She is gracious to visitors because she wants them to know she will not willingly sell her six small farms to an American mining company intent on exploiting the gold under the land in her Ghanaian village, Mehame, which means "don't bother me" in the local Twi dialect.
Amankwaa looks around the cocoa pods and all the trees. "This land was given to me by my grandmother; it had old cocoa trees on it and I cut them down and planted new ones," she says. "Now they are growing very well. This is what I depend on for everything, to keep my children in school and all the money we use for food we eat, the house we built, everything is from the cocoa farms."
"This farm is my life," she says finally, "My life is this farm."
The farmers here are industrious. One stood up in an informal meeting back in town to say "If you grow cocoa and don't make money, then you are not working hard." And the farmers in Mehame do make money: Amankwaa earns about $3,200 per year, which is roughly six times the national average income in Ghana. She and her husband have three children. The oldest is finished with school and growing cocoa himself, and the other two are in high school, a boy and a girl. They have a large concrete house with a proper roof, electricity, and clean water from a well.
Given everything they have achieved in Mehame, some of the farmers are skeptical about the proposal to expand the nearby Ahafo mine into their village, swallowing up their cocoa farms and homes. In exchange they would get compensation for their land and be given new homes somewhere else, but this is not an attractive option to Amankwaa and some others. "We don't want to be resettled somewhere, to be sent to another place, to another person's land," Amankwaa says. "We just want to be at peace with our farms and our children."
The American company looking to expand its mine into the area near Mehame seems to have the support of the government, and there is little opportunity for the local farmers to express their opposition to the mine expansion.
At first there were just rumors, then the villagers heard chainsaws in the forest, and found crews exploring for minerals without their permission. The company, Newmont Mining of Denver, arrived for formal visits with the chief, along with representatives from the Brong-Ahafo regional government, and a member of parliament. "Later on we heard the company found people and pushed them to say they wanted mining here, and used them to prove the community approved," Amankwaa says. She says this compelled opponents of mining to call on Oxfam America's partner WACAM to teach them how to defend their rights.
Working with WACAM, the farmers attended workshops in communities already affected by mining to learn about the potential social and environmental costs like pollution to the many streams that feed their farms. And they are learning to organize themselves, Amankwaa says. "With their advice, we have been able to unite and advocate for our position."
When a group of farmers convene to discuss their concerns about mining, the talk inevitably turns to ways they can defend their farms. Hannah Owusu-Koranteng of WACAM cautions the group against violence: "Protect your property, but don't sacrifice your life," she tells them. "Not all struggles should be violent. You can struggle by jaw-jaw, [talking], use your wisdom and language to win your struggle."
Abdullah Selifa, a 28-year-old employee of WACAM in Brong-Ahafo, says their first task it to ensure farmers like the ones in Mehame understand their rights in Ghana's constitution.
"We are fortunate to live in a democratic country," he says, and goes on to describe the articles in Ghana's constitution that protect the right to private property.
Nevertheless, the farmers are sure to have concerns about confronting powerful forces. "The people here have courage, but they are concerned about intimidation," Selifa says. "So we try to show them that they do not have to be afraid of struggling for their rights in the constitution—and that the government is there to protect their rights."
The community's latest move is to write their political representatives to ask for help. If they get a negative response, Selifa says they will take legal action to protect their farms.
]]>"That is it," he says finally, "that is it."
The nearby Ajenua Bepo Forest reserve near Akyem supports a rich ecosystem. The tall trees are impressive as they reach up to the sky. Around them is a warm climate, with ample rain, and rich soils. The farmers near the forest take advantage of it to grow plantains, cocoa, kola nuts, and vegetables. It is not an easy life. Everyone works hard. The more successful farmers may not be wealthy in western terms, but they do not see themselves as poor. They are proud of what they do.
The farmers in Akyem say it is not as tranquil as it used to be. The American company Newmont Mining has bought a concession to explore for gold in this area, and is negotiating with the villagers to get the land they farm, compensate them for their crops, and relocate them to another place to make way for a mining pit 1.5 miles long and half a mile wide.
The company even wants to mine in the forest reserve, and the government seems willing to allow it. In April 2008, 215 members of the Concerned Farmers Association in Akyem Adausina signed a petition against mining in the forest.
In 2005 there was a demonstration against the mining proposal, and one person was shot and killed. Oxfam America's partner WACAM came to investigate the killing, and called for an investigation into the death.
Samuel Fosuhene, 65, a village councilor at that time, became wary of the prospect of mining in the town. He resigned from the council and started supporting WACAM's efforts to organize people in the village to learn about and represent their rights in negotiations with Newmont.
Fosuhene and Kwabena say there are three main issues in Akyem:
Fosuhene's main concern is responsible stewardship of the land. "Land is bequeathed from generation to generation," he says. "So if by allowing surface mining we will deprive...the generation yet unborn, then you have to be very careful."
But land management is difficult. "In our part of the world, no individual owns land," says Hannah Owusu-Koranteng of WACAM. "Even the chiefs, they do not own the land, they keep it in trust for the future of the community and its needs."
This system is at odds with the government's right to all mineral rights. It can lease the land to anyone for mining in the name of development, Owusu-Koranteng says.
The 2006 Minerals and Mining Act requires people be compensated for loss of land allocated to them by the chief, and sharecroppers need to be compensated for the crops they are growing on the land. At this point, WACAM says the company is offering eight US dollars for a cocoa tree, even though the trees produce $20 of cocoa a year for 40 years at least.
Kwabena and his siblings are concerned about losing their family home, a sprawling, 12-room concrete house that was the center of the community when his father was the chief.
In front lies the pacification stone, where errant community members confessing disrespect to authority would show remorse by slaughtering livestock. Inside the bright red walls are a series of rooms, the drums the chief would use to summon the community for meetings, the ceremonial stool and dais on which the chief sat to hold court, and the palanquin used to transport him on special occasions. Kwabena shows visitors the home, his arms outstretched as he moves through the rooms and courtyards, describing the activities of the royal household.
"This is a palace," he says next to the dais where his father dispensed wisdom to the village. "Even though it is such an old building, we are comfortable in it."
With such a nice house, with such a rich history, Kwabena and his 21 brothers and sisters, and all their children are concerned about being relocated to smaller quarters. "My father used to occupy a 16-foot by 14-foot room," Kwabena says, gesturing off to the other end of the courtyard. "You can't remove us and put us in a 9-foot by 9-foot room. That is uncomfortable and I seriously object to it."
Standing behind their house, Kwabena raises an even greater concern: "All the great chiefs who have reigned in this village are buried here," Kwabena says quietly standing under the tree planted for his father. "We can't look on and allow them to dump [mine] waste on them. It is a sacred place."
"That is it," Kwabena says, this time with conviction. "That is it."
]]>Serwaah, 65, and her husband, Kofi Agyei, 77, own two cocoa farms and three homes. Each farm produces enough food to sell at markets in Kumasi and Accra.
And the profits are enough to feed the entire family. So, when Newmont Mining Corporation talks about expanding the Ahafo Gold Mine in nearby Kenyase into Mehame—claiming that the one-time fee for their land will improve their quality of life and bring development to their community—Serwaah reacts with suspicion.
Having visited nearby Kenyase, where her sister-in-law once lived, she says she's witnessed firsthand what "development" can mean to a mining company.
"I get sick when I hear about the project. My heart races," she says. "I was so sad to see places that had been cocoa farms turned into rocks and pits. The farmers have no food because their land has been taken over. They use money for everything and can't live off the land anymore."
That's a stark difference from Serwaah's life right now. While still very poor by Western standards, she says she is wealthy in other ways. "The land is everything to us. It's worth more than gold. Even if a [cocoa] tree falls, we can eat the mushrooms that grow off of it."
Beyond the land itself, the village of Mehame is already lit up by electricity. And Serwaah's family need only walk a short distance to collect free, potable water. Many families, relocated from Kenyase and the surrounding villages, live in structures smaller than their old homes, and many are not connected to electricity lines. In Ntotroso, a resettled community filled with former residents of Kenyase, residents must now pay for their household water, and report taking turns with family members just to bathe.
"Newmont told us a lot of good stories. But we've seen that they've really disappointed us," says Kojo Zica, 28, a resident of the Ntotroso resettlement. "Since we came to this settlement, most of us are not working—even the youth. Even the water we have to pay for. It is difficult to feed our families."
For these reasons, people in Serwaah's community have been attending workshops by WACAM, a local organization supported by Oxfam. WACAM teaches the cocoa farmers to understand their rights under national and international law. In Serwaah's case, these rights include saying "no" to mining if she so chooses.
No amount of compensation from Newmont could replace the lifestyle her family has cultivated over the years, she says. And while right now she can count on her cocoa farms yielding a harvest twice a year, whatever payment she received from Newmont would peter out over time.
"For us, development is not about having big, big things, but having your peace of mind. For us, development is about working for oneself and leaving something for the next generation," she says.
]]>The agreement between ECOWAS and Oxfam America states that the new mining code's primary objective is "to facilitate the contribution of civil society in the process of forming a common mining policy that is favorable to the poor, respectful of the protection principles of the environment and of human rights, and that renders the government and the mining companies responsible through good governance practices."
"In its current form, mining activity has not made the lives of West Africans significantly better," said Mamadou Bitèye, Regional Director for Oxfam America in West Africa. "Even though gold mining has surpassed cotton and cocoa farming, Mali and Ghana still rank 173 and 135 respectively out of 177 countries, according to the UNDP Human Development Index," he said after signing the agreement with ECOWAS in Nigeria.
The regional mining project encompasses three specific objectives for the new code:
The creation of the ECOWAS mining code is part of Oxfam America's program in West Africa to promote citizen participation in decisions related to oil, gas, and mining projects, transparency of payments by international corporations to governments operating in this industry, and uniform laws and policies across the region that will forestall the "race to the bottom" as companies compete for foreign investment by compromising their social and environmental standards.
Oxfam America will oversee the participation of civil society representatives in the drafting of the new mining code. Mamadou Bitèye, and Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the President of ECOWAS, both expressed their satisfaction in signing the agreement at ECOWAS headquarters.
"We appreciate the political will of ECOWAS in working to harmonize mining policies," said Bitèye "A regional mining code will allow joint governance and better use of foreign direct investment by avoiding the current climate of competition among member countries."
]]>In 2002, Bogoso Gold Mines, a subsidiary of Golden Star Resources, acquired the mine concession and started to aggressively expand the mine pit towards the town. Use of explosives in the mine pit damaged homes in the Krutown neighborhood, and repairs effected by the company were not adequate, according to homeowners. In the neighboring village of Dumase there have been two cyanide spills in the Aprepre River in 2004 and 2006.
"In 2004 we could see the surface mine approaching the town, so we complained to the government but no one came to our aid," said Dominic Nyame, a burly 43-year-old former miner turned community organizer with the Concerned Citizens Association of Prestea. Community members said the encroaching mine pits brought blasting too close to nearby neighborhoods and houses were being damaged. "In 2005 we demonstrated against the company, and the military came to town and shot seven people—fortunately no one died." There has never been an independent investigation of this incident.
The communities of Prestea, as well as Himan, and Dumase that neighbor the Bogoso/Prestea mine, are requesting a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of the first phase of the Bogoso/Prestea project and for the company to respect their right to free, prior, and informed consent regarding the planned Prestea Southern Project.
The community of Dumase is also seeking damages in court from the 2004 and 2006 cyanide spills, and has formally requested that Golden Star Resources commission independent health investigations, but the company has not acted on this either.
Community members attended training sessions with Oxfam America's partner WACAM in 2005 to learn about their human rights, and how to teach others about their right to live in a safe environment and be consulted about the effects of the expanding mining operation. Community members went to Accra and met with reporters and got their grievances into the media, after which Bogoso Gold said they would reduce their blasting activity and form a joint committee to oversee future blasting.
But the issue of pit expansion is still a problem for people living in and near Prestea who fear being involuntarily relocated, or living too close to mine pits and blasting. The proposed pit expansion would also be within several hundred meters of a school, so many parents in this area are concerned about the safety of their children. In two prior incidents in 2006 security forces have moved people off of mine property by force, and the Concerned Citizens Association has had to use some of the training they received from WACAM to resolve these conflicts peacefully. "With WACAM we can calm the waters," Nyame said.
Bogoso Gold is currently suspending all mining activity and expansion while it negotiates with the citizens of Prestea, who are exerting their right to be consulted about how the mine operates, how it could possibly expand its operations into the southern part of Prestea, and the way it carries out any future blasting in the mine pits.


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- March 29, 2013
- 5:51 p.m.
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dlacrosse writes:
Your objection to a national registry (which, in a minor way, already exists) is?
Are you afraid that it be known that you own a weapon?
I own weapons; I couldn't care a whit less who knows that, the Government included.
I am also aware that I am not "the people". I am "a person".
There is a distinction in the terms. Those
who know the difference are called bad names.
As will I be.
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Southport Records presents Willie Pickens and Larry Gray
Southport Records presents…
Willie Pickens – piano
Larry Gray – acoustic bass
Saturday, December 7, 2013
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(Please call for reservations)
Willie Pickens – pianist
Not long after receiving his teacher's certificate from the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and his B.S. in Music Education at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, Willie Pickens moved to Chicago and began his career on a national hit record – Eddie Harris' 1961 Exodus. After a period of performing, recording and teaching in Chicago, Willie was invited to join the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine in 1990. Since then, Pickens has performed and recorded internationally (with four Southport CDs in his discography), continues to teach as part of the Ravinia/Chicago Public Schools Jazz Mentors Program, and is an adjunct faculty member at Northern Illinois University.
Chicago native Larry Gray is considered by many to be one of jazz music's finest double bassists. His impressive versatility and uncommon musical curiosity keep him in demand as both a leader and sideman.
Southport Records Presents an Ongoing Series at Katerina's The First Saturday of Every Month from 6:30 – 9:00 pm with Label Partners/Presenters, Bradley Parker-Sparrow – piano and vocalist Joanie Pallatto!
Poster by Chicago Studio Club 2013.
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