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KFC's Col. Sanders' Boy Scout plaque up for auction
KFC will auction a number of historical artifacts that founder Col. Harland Sanders collected throughout his career - although none of the items seem to have a connection with Utah, the birthplace of the fast-food franchise.
The auction items, which until recently were stored in an underground facility in Louisville, Ky., include a Senate proclamation given on Sanders' 90th birthday, the Colonel's personal Boy Scout plaque, a key to the city of St. Louis, an invitation from President Jimmy Carter to attend a 1979 White House reception, and a rare Colonel Sanders weathervane from the 1960s. To see footage of these artifacts, click here.
Bid will be accepted through Oct. 28. All proceeds will benefit Feeding America and the World Food Programme.
KFC has teamed up with Dallas-based Heritage Auctions, which notably sold one of Sanders' famous white suits last June for $21,510, to help curate and auction items. Potential bidders should visit this KFC site to bid on their favorite items and watch the action live.
In 1952, Sanders made a deal with Utah businessman Pete Harman, owner of the Do Drop Inn at 3900 S. State, South Salt Lake, that launched the famed franchise.


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We encourage you to take a few minutes to review the following fraud alerts (or scams). If you are approached in a similar manner, or suspect abuse of the Sun Life Financial name, logo or a variation of either, contact us.
If you have suffered a financial loss as a result of fraud, contact your local police. View a list of agencies that may be able to assist you.
Sun Life Financial investigates all reports of our brand, logo or corporate name being used for fraudulent activities. When we are aware of a scam, we will provide a description and preventive measures here.
- Current fraud alerts
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Current fraud alerts
Global Test Market / Western Union advance fee mystery shopper scam
Fraudsters are illegitimately using the name of Sun Life Financial in an advance fee mystery shopper scam. A letter is being sent, promoting a mystery shopper opportunity using the name of Global Test Market (a legitimate market research company). The letter states that Sun Life Financial and Global Test Market have been engaged by Western Union and contains a counterfeit Sun Life Financial cheque that recipients are asked to deposit into their personal bank accounts.
The victim withdraws a portion of the cheque amount and makes a payment through Western Union to the fraudsters. The original cheque deposited by the victim will not clear and the victim will lose the sum they transferred through Western Union.
View a sample copy of the correspondence and cheque (English only):
Do not cash the cheque and do not call the number on the letter. Do consider contacting the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, or contact us if you have any further questions.
Lottery or sweepstake scam
This scam involves informing unsuspecting individuals, through notices, that they have won an international lottery. In a similar scam, individuals are informed that they have been selected as winners of a sweepstakes or of unclaimed lottery funds. The notices, typically printed on fake Sun Life Financial letterhead, are accompanied by cheques to assist in paying international clearance fees or taxes. The cheques are counterfeit and drawn from closed or fictional accounts with absolutely no connection to Sun Life Financial. Respondents who remit such fees do not receive any lottery winnings and the cheques do not clear.
These lotteries and other types of publicized sweepstakes are fraudulent. The cheques received are not issued by Sun Life Financial or any of its affiliated companies. Sun Life Financial continues to work with various police and postal authorities to investigate such scams.
View a sample of the fraudulent correspondence and fake cheque:
If you have received a lottery or sweepstakes letter purported to be from Sun Life, you should destroy the document and the cheque. Do not present the cheque to be cashed. If you have lost funds by falling prey to a scam such as the one described in this alert, contact your local law enforcement agency. To inquire about this fraud alert please contact us.
Escrow fraud
Someone is misusing the name Sun Life Financial and a legitimate Sun Life Financial of Canada U.K. address to operate a fraudulent scheme targeting businesses and individuals. If you receive any communication referencing "SLOC Escrow division" or "Escrow accounts" offered by Sun Life Financial, please contact us immediately.
The scam artist uses the following U.K. phone number: (44) 01256 274028. This phone number is not an authorized Sun Life Financial business line.
View samples of the fraudulent documents used in this scam (English only):
Advance fee scam
Scam artists are misusing the name "SLFC Unit Managers (UK) Limited" to commit a type of advance fee fraud targeting individuals and companies in the United States and United Kingdom.
A phony contract or "Deed of Agreement" is sent in an effort to defraud unsuspecting investors by using Sun Life Financial's name or a variation of the company name. In some incidents, the scam artist uses a legitimate address of Sun Life Financial in fraudulent documentation to gain the trust of potential victims. These "agreements" or "deeds" are not from Sun Life Financial or any of its business entities.
Job scams
Sun Life is aware of ongoing attempts by unscrupulous individuals posing as Sun Life employees, who falsely offer jobs at Sun Life. The false jobs are advertised through various means, including newspapers, magazines, fake websites and legitimate recruitment websites. Some red flags to watch for include: poor spelling and grammar in the job advertisement; telephone numbers and email addresses not attributable to Sun Life; interviews using instant messenger; requests for personal and financial information; upfront fees.
We urge job applicants to carefully check and confirm the credentials of any person that represents themselves as being associated with Sun Life before divulging any personal and/or financial information. If in doubt, contact us.
Share or boiler room scams ("Sun Life Offshore" or "Sun Life Gold Market")
Report any communication referencing "Sun Life Offshore" or "Sun Life Gold Market." The scam artists email you, posing as Customer Service representatives. They target potential investors by using tactics such as sending research reports, calling and mailing brochures to persuade you to buy worthless shares. They are typically very persistent and extremely persuasive. Investors who fall victim by purchasing shares are out of pocket because the shares are worthless and the boiler room then vanishes.
For more information or to report a fraud, contact the following U.K. organizations or visit their websites:
- The City of London Police has information on their website about the latest frauds and how to report them.
Telephone: 020 7601 2222
City of London Police
- The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) lists boiler room scams and information on authorized U.K. stockbrokers.
Telephone: 0845 606 9966
Telemarketing scams
There are reports of telemarketing "operators" posing as Sun Life Financial representatives. The caller will typically try to get you to reveal your personal information either over the phone or get you to meet with a person, at your home or in a public place. They want you to disclose personal information such as your credit card numbers, your social insurance number or your Sun Life Financial insurance policy number, if they discover you have one. We are working with the appropriate authorities to help track down the people or organizations that may be involved in this scam.
If someone contacts you saying they are calling from Sun Life Financial (or a variation of our name), be on guard. Do not respond to unsolicited requests for your personal information over the phone or by Internet. Sun Life Financial keeps your policy and personal information in strictest confidence and does not disclose this information to telemarketers.
If you receive a call from the following phone number, 202-230-2363, please discontinue the call and do not provide any information to the caller. This phone number is not an authorized Sun Life Financial business line.
Sun Life Financial does not call or email customers requesting personal information such as passwords, bank account information or a credit card number, unless you initiate the inquiry and we are responding to you. Review Sun Life's privacy commitment for more information.
Forged cheque scam
We are investigating a fraud that targets U.K. financial institutions.
A letter appearing to be from "Sun Life Financial of Canada" arrives addressed to the Branch Manager. Printed on poor-quality, non-official Sun Life Financial letterhead, the letter requests that an enclosed cheque be deposited to a specified account. The manager is asked to contact the account holder when the funds are deposited.
The letter and the cheque enclosed are not from Sun Life Financial, nor does the account belong to the company. If you receive such a cheque or letter, do not deposit the cheque or respond to the request.
Common fraud examples
Loan scam
This scam promises you a loan if you send them an up front fee, which may range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. The fee must be wired before the loan proceeds will be provided. Once you send your money, you never receive the loan amount and there is no way to get your money back. Loan scams have been appearing as ads in the classified sections of local and national newspapers, magazines and tabloids. Legitimate loan companies will not take any fees off the original loan amount. In most jurisdictions, it is illegal for a company to request an up front fee from their Clients prior to obtaining a loan.
Cheque scam
This scam involves unauthorized individuals targeting people who have placed ads in websites or magazines to sell high value items such as vehicles and property. The scam artist, using an assumed name, calls the seller and says they're calling from a Sun Life Financial office. They offer to overpay for the item. The seller is sent a cheque for more than the purchase amount and is asked to forward the excess amount to an offshore location. The buyer's cheque is eventually declined, and the seller is out of funds.
Another variation of this scam involves a person who is owed money for goods sold through classified ads or on the Internet. The seller is sent a cheque for more than the amount of purchase and is asked to wire transfer the difference back to the purchaser. The cheque may be personal, a cashier's cheque or appear to come from a company. The scammers use a variety of excuses to explain the overpayment. If you receive a cheque from Sun Life Financial that you were not expecting, do not cash it without contacting us first.
These are not Sun Life Financial lines of business. You should always be suspicious of anyone wanting to pay you more than the agreed selling price and expecting you to reimburse the difference.
Consumer's reward program scam
Scam artists are misusing the name "Sun Life Financial Services" to commit a type of advance fee fraud on unsuspecting residents in Canada and the United States. Letters citing a "Consumer's Reward Program" are mailed to recipients, advising them they have won a lottery. These letters are not from Sun Life Financial or any of its business entities.
What to do if you suspect fraud
Contact us if you suspect fraud, believe you have been a target of a scam and/or receive a suspicious email or telephone call from someone that you suspect to be falsely representing Sun Life Financial or if you have shared personal information with a scammer.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Eight-month investigation reveals that the Texas State Legislature is more intent on protecting the industry than protecting residents' health.
KARNES CITY, Texas—When Lynn Buehring leaves her doctor's office in San Antonio she makes sure her inhaler is on the seat beside her, then steers her red GMC pickup truck southeast on U.S. 181, toward her home on the South Texas prairie.
About 40 miles down the road, between Poth and Falls City, drilling rigs, crude oil storage tanks and flares trailing black smoke appear amid the mesquite, live oak and pecan trees. Depending on the speed and direction of the wind, a yellow-brown haze might stretch across the horizon, filling the car with pungent odors. Sometimes Buehring's eyes burn, her chest tightens and pain stabs at her temples. On those days, she touches her inhaler for reassurance.
In another five miles Buehring, 58, passes into Karnes County, where she was born and once figured on living out her retirement, surrounded by a calm broken only by an occasional thunderstorm.
Today, however, the ranch-style house she shares with her 66-year-old husband, Shelby, is at the epicenter of one of the nation's biggest and least-publicized oil and gas booms. With more than 50 wells drilled within 2.5 miles of their home, the days when the Buehrings could sit on the deck that Shelby built and lull away an afternoon are long gone. The fumes won't let them.
Known as the Eagle Ford Shale play, this 400-mile-long, 50-mile-wide bacchanal of oil and gas extraction stretches from Leon County, Texas, in the northeast to the Mexico border in the southwest.
Since 2008, more than 7,000 oil and gas wells have been sunk into the brittle, sedimentary rock. Another 5,500 have been approved by state regulators, making the Eagle Ford one of the most active drilling sites in America.
Energy companies, cheered on by state officials, envision thousands more wells scattered across the plains. It is, an industry spokesman says, an "absolute game-changer" for a long-depressed region of about 1.1 million people, some of whom suddenly find themselves with enough money to ensure their grandchildren's future.
From the porch of their little white house, the Buehrings can see, and often smell, evidence of the hell-bent rush to tap Texas oil.
In addition to the wells near their home, there are at least nine oil and gas production facilities. Little is known about six of the facilities, because they don't have to file their emissions data with the state. Air permits for the remaining three sites show they house 25 compressor engines, 10 heater treaters, 6 flares, 4 glycol dehydrators and 65 storage tanks for oil, wastewater and condensate. Combined, those sites have the state's permission to release 189 tons of volatile organic compounds, a class of toxic chemicals that includes benzene and formaldehyde, into the air each year. That's about 12 percent more than Valero's Houston Oil Refinery disgorged in 2012.
Those three facilities also are allowed to release 142 tons of nitrogen oxides, 95 tons of carbon monoxide, 19 tons of sulfur dioxide, 8 tons of particulate matter and 0.31 tons of hydrogen sulfide per year. Sometimes the emissions soar high into the sky and are carried by the wind until they drop to the ground miles away. Sometimes they blow straight toward the Buehrings' or their neighbors' homes.
The regulation of oil and gas extraction falls primarily to the states, whose rules vary dramatically. States are also responsible for enforcing the federal Clean Air Act, an arrangement that is problematic in Texas, which has sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 18 times in the last decade.
For the past eight months, the Center for Public Integrity, InsideClimate News and The Weather Channel have examined what Texas, the nation's biggest oil producer, has done to protect people in the Eagle Ford from the industry's pollutants. What's happening in the Eagle Ford is important not only for Texas, but also for Pennsylvania, Colorado, North Dakota and other states where horizontal drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, have made it profitable to extract oil and gas from deeply buried shale.
Our investigation and records obtained from Texas regulatory agencies reveal a system that does more to protect the industry than the public. Among the findings:
Texas' air monitoring system is so flawed that the state knows almost nothing about the extent of the pollution in the Eagle Ford. Only five permanent air monitors are installed in the 20,000-square-mile region, and all are at the fringes of the shale play, far from the heavy drilling areas where emissions are highest.
Thousands of oil and gas facilities, including six of the nine production sites near the Buehrings' house, are allowed to self-audit their emissions without reporting them to the state. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), which regulates most air emissions, doesn't even know some of these facilities exist. An internal agency document acknowledges that the rule allowing this practice "[c]annot be proven to be protective."
Companies that break the law are rarely fined. Of the 284 oil and gas industry-related complaints filed with the TCEQ by Eagle Ford residents between Jan. 1, 2010, and Nov. 19, 2013, only two resulted in fines despite 164 documented violations. The largest was just $14,250. (Pending enforcement actions could lead to six more fines).
The Texas legislature has cut the TCEQ's budget by a third since the Eagle Ford boom began, from $555 million in 2008 to $372 million in 2014. At the same time, the amount allocated for air monitoring equipment dropped from $1.2 million to $579,000.
The Eagle Ford boom is feeding an ominous trend: A 100 percent statewide increase in unplanned, toxic air releases associated with oil and gas production since 2009. Known as emission events, these releases are usually caused by human error or faulty equipment.
Residents of the mostly rural Eagle Ford counties are at a disadvantage even in Texas, because they haven't been given air quality protections, such as more permanent monitors, provided to the wealthier, more suburban Barnett Shale region near Dallas-Fort Worth.
Texas officials tasked with overseeing the industry are often its strongest defenders, leaving the Buehrings and other families interviewed for this story to mostly fend for themselves. Oil money is so thoroughly ingrained in the Texas culture and economy that there is little interest in or sympathy for those who have become collateral damage in the drive for riches.
The TCEQ is led by three commissioners appointed by Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican who favors dismantling the EPA and voices doubt about climate change. TCEQ officials often go on to jobs as lobbyists for the energy industry they once regulated.
The Texas Railroad Commission, which issues drilling permits and regulates all other aspects of oil and gas production, is controlled by three elected commissioners who accepted more than $2 million in campaign contributions from the industry during the 2012 election cycle, according to data from the National Institute on Money in State Politics.
State legislators who enact the laws that regulate the industry are often tied to it. Nearly one in four state legislators, or his or her spouse, has a financial interest in at least one energy company active in the Eagle Ford, a Center for Public Integrity analysis of personal financial disclosure forms shows.
"I believe if you're anti-oil and gas, you're anti-Texas," state Rep. Harvey Hilderbran, a Republican from Central Texas, said during a media panel discussion in September.
The TCEQ declined to make any of its commissioners, officials or investigators available for interviews. In a prepared statement, it said air pollution isn't a problem in the Eagle Ford.
"The air monitoring data evaluated to date indicate that air pollutants in the Eagle Ford Shale area have not been a concern either from a long-term or short-term perspective," the statement said. "Therefore, we would not expect adverse health effects, adverse vegetative effects, or nuisance odors in this area."
But an interoffice memorandum obtained through the Texas Public Information Act indicates the TCEQ knows its statewide air monitoring system is flawed.
"The executive director has extensive records of underestimated or previously undetected emissions from oil and gas sites. These are not isolated instances but have occurred statewide and indicate a pattern," Richard A. Hyde, then deputy director of the TCEQ's Office of Permitting and Registration, wrote in the Jan. 7, 2011, memo. Hyde, now the TCEQ's executive director, through an agency spokeswoman declined to comment.
Since drilling came to Karnes County, Lynn Buehring's asthma has worsened. Instead of using a breathing machine once or twice a month, she now needs it several times a week, and sometimes twice a day. She has also developed migraine headaches so intense that they've induced temporary blindness and brought her to the brink of unconsciousness.
The Buehrings complained to the TCEQ in 2012, prompting investigators to check out several Marathon Oil facilities near their home. At one point the emissions were so high, the investigators wrote in their report, that they "evacuated the area quickly to prevent exposure." Marathon, a Houston-based company worth nearly $25 billion at the end of 2013, reported that it fixed the problem and was not fined.
Last summer, the air around the Buehrings' house was so bad—Lynn described a rancid chicken stench—that she couldn't sit outside with Shelby and watch the sunset, a nighttime ritual since they bought their house in 1995.
"There's nothing we can do," Shelby said. "Nobody is listening to us. They're not going to stop, so we have to live with it or leave. ...This is my home, and I hate it here."
The health issues faced by people who live in drilling areas—not just in Texas but throughout the United States—simply don't carry enough weight to counterbalance the financial benefits derived from oil and gas development, said Robert Forbis Jr., an assistant professor of political science at Texas Tech University.
"Energy wins practically every time," Forbis said. "It seems cynical to say that, but that's how states see it—promote economic development and minimize risk factors."
'Help Us ... Before We All Die.'
The energy industry's impact on Americans living near drilling areas has been fiercely debated in the last decade, as the shale boom brought drilling to vast stretches of the United States. Much of the concern has centered on how methane and fracking chemicals can contaminate drinking water. But scientists say air pollution is an equally serious problem that receives less attention, in part because it's so difficult to track.
Plumes of contaminated air move with the wind. Some of the chemicals break down in sunlight or react with other pollutants to form new compounds. The evidence disappears quickly, while health effects may linger.
People who live close to oil and gas development—whether in Texas' Eagle Ford, Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale or Wyoming's Green River Basin—tend to report the same symptoms: nausea, nosebleeds, headaches, body rashes and respiratory problems. Public health experts say these shared experiences point to a pressing need for improved air monitoring.
"If you have pockets of communities with the same symptoms downwind of similar sources, then there is a body of evidence," said Isobel Simpson, an atmospheric scientist at the University of California, Irvine, who studies air pollution around the world.
Chemicals released during oil and gas extraction include hydrogen sulfide, a deadly gas found in abundance in Eagle Ford wells; volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like benzene, a known carcinogen; sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, which irritate the lungs; and other harmful substances such as carbon monoxide and carbon disulfide. VOCs also mix with nitrogen oxides emitted from field equipment to create ozone, a major respiratory hazard.
Studies show that, depending on the concentration and length of exposure, these chemicals can cause a range of ailments, from minor headaches to neurological damage and cancer. People in the Eagle Ford face an added layer of risk: hydrogen sulfide, also known as H2S or sour gas, a naturally occurring component of crude oil and natural gas that lurks underground.
Like asbestos entombed in a 50-year-old ceiling, H2S usually isn't a problem if left undisturbed. Once liberated, however, it becomes a formidable threat, capable in even minuscule doses—a few parts per million or less—of aggravating asthma and causing nausea, headaches and eye irritation. It gives off a rotten-egg odor in lower concentrations but at around 100 parts per million the chemical knocks out the sense of smell and begins to act as an asphyxiant. At 1,000 ppm it kills within minutes.
Karnes County, in particular, is rich with H2S. According to data that operators have submitted to the Railroad Commission, the county's Person field has an average concentration of 16,399 ppm—16 times the lethal dose—with a maximum concentration of 71,550 ppm. The Panna Maria field has an average concentration of 24,408 ppm and a maximum of 39,000 ppm.
H2S and some other chemicals emitted during oil and gas production are so dangerous that the federal government has developed safety standards for workers who encounter them on a regular basis.
But there are no clear federal standards to protect people living near drilling sites—including children, the sick and the elderly—who intermittently breathe varying amounts of toxic emissions for years on end.
Scientists "really haven't the foggiest idea" how oil and gas development affects public health, said Aaron Bernstein, associate director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard University. Bernstein blames the information gap on a lack of monitoring and research, particularly in the rural, less affluent communities where most of the drilling occurs.
"It's not as though there isn't reason to be concerned," he said. "These are industrial activities with known emissions that are known to affect people's health."
Complaints lodged with the TCEQ hint at the scope of air problems in the Eagle Ford.
On Dec. 7, 2011, a woman in Frio County smelled "an oil and rotten egg odor" around 2 a.m. and woke up "with an upset stomach and horrible headaches."
On April 10, 2012, a family in Atascosa County reported an odor "so bad that their lungs feel as if they will burst."
"Help us residents of South Texas before we all die," a Gonzales County resident pleaded the same day. The complaint alleged that an operator had dug a hole in the ground and buried "oily drilling waste...sometimes with diesel fuel, chemicals and oil floating on it."
Nearly 300 complaints have been filed by Eagle Ford residents since 2010. But for every person who bothers to call the TCEQ, untold others suffer in silence. Among them: Mary Alice Longoria, an X-ray technician at a state prison who lives with her husband in a mobile home near Kenedy, in Karnes County. The Longorias have owned their 2½-acre plot for more than three decades. Until a year ago, Mary Alice could sit on her deck and see only rolling pasture, occupied by horses, cows, deer and the occasional dove hunter.
Now, oil rigs and storage tanks mar her view and send foul odors, noise and blinding lights into her home. A flare ebbs and flows in the distance. She no longer allows her 2-year-old grandson, Gabriel, to play in the backyard because "I'm afraid for his health." Family barbecues, a staple of South Texas life, have been discontinued.
If the flare burns through the night, Longoria said, she often finds a sticky deposit on the windshield of her pickup truck when she rises before dawn to go to work. Lynn Buehring, who lives about five miles away, described a "greasy, yellow substance" on her windshield.
Longoria hasn't confronted the operator of the drilling site, having concluded it would do no good. Nor has she tried to contact the state. She wasn't sure which agency would even field a complaint, she told a reporter; she'd never heard of the TCEQ.
The TCEQ maintains that people like Longoria have nothing to fear.
"[M]onitoring data provides evidence that overall, shale-play activity does not significantly impact air quality or pose a threat to human health," agency spokeswoman Andrea Morrow wrote in an email. "While improperly operated facilities can result in temporary, local, unauthorized emissions, there are no indications that these emissions are of sufficient concentration or duration to harm residents of the Eagle Ford or Barnett shales."
Omar Garcia, president of the South Texas Energy & Economic Roundtable—STEER— the communications arm of the 11 biggest Eagle Ford operators, predicts a "huge reduction in flaring" as more pipelines are installed to capture pollutants.
"The oil and gas industry places a premium on safety and the environment," Garcia said. "All the operators follow strict guidelines."
Patchy Monitoring
Experts interviewed for this story say Texas doesn't have enough data to be able to claim, with any assurance, that the air is safe.
The TCEQ relies primarily on field canister samples, on-the-ground investigations and aerial surveys with infrared cameras to detect emissions. Last summer, the agency used the cameras during two flyovers to capture hundreds of images of the Eagle Ford. A contractor then surveyed 16,015 oil and gas storage tanks and found 800 with leaks, TCEQ spokesman Terry Clawson said.
Asked how the agency dealt with the polluters, Clawson did not respond.
Scientists say that while these spot checks are important, they are no substitute for strategically placed, stationary monitors that continuously measure how air quality changes over time.
The TCEQ has only five permanent monitors in the Eagle Ford, all positioned far from the most heavily drilled areas. The Barnett Shale in North Texas, by contrast, has 35 permanent monitors, even though that field covers only about 5,000 square miles—a quarter of the area of the Eagle Ford.
"The biggest challenge with air monitoring is having the measurements in place so you can catch the times when concentrations are high," said Rob Jackson, a Duke University scientist who studies pollution from shale extraction.
The monitor closest to the Buehrings' house is in Floresville, 25 miles away, so it's hard to know how the couple might be affected by the plants and wells that surround them, Jackson said. Their daily exposures would vary dramatically based on wind direction, weather patterns and the rate of emissions from each well and plant.
Oil and Gas Wells in Karnes County, Texas — Interactive Map
The TCEQ has no plans to add air monitors in the Eagle Ford, but Clawson said it has contracted with the University of Texas "to conduct mobile monitoring upwind and downwind of the Eagle Ford Shale area."
The goal of that study, however, isn't to measure air emissions in the Eagle Ford. Instead, it aims to figure out how Eagle Ford pollution may be affecting cities like San Antonio, just beyond the shale play.
The study's director said the data will be gathered from the monitor in Floresville. With no wells nearby, "our sampling wouldn't be overcome by immediate emissions," said David Sullivan, a research associate with the University of Texas' Center for Energy and Environmental Resources.
San Antonio's ozone levels have violated federal standards dozens of times since the drilling began. Ozone is also one of several greenhouse gases, including methane, released or created through drilling operations. Experts are particularly concerned about methane because it's a powerful greenhouse gas and large-scale leakage could undermine natural gas' reputation as a cleaner alternative to coal.
Even the EPA doesn't know much about methane emissions or the other pollutants from oil and gas production. An inspector general's report last year concluded that the agency's air emissions database is incomplete and "likely underestimates" those emissions. The lack of reliable data, the report said, "hampers EPA's ability to accurately assess risks and air quality impacts from oil and gas production activities."
Environmental groups have tried to collect their own air-quality data in the Eagle Ford, but the process is so expensive and time-consuming that they've had little success.
Last March, Wilma Subra, an environmental consultant from Louisiana, and Sharon Wilson of the advocacy group Earthworks, accompanied Calvin Tillman, who runs a nonprofit called ShaleTest, as he took air samples near Mike and Myra Cerny's one-acre tract, about a half-mile from the Buehrings.
There are at least 17 oil wells within a mile of the Cernys' small house. Their teenage son, Cameron, gets frequent nosebleeds, and the fumes make his parents dizzy, irritable and nauseous. "This crap is killing me and my family," said Mike, a former oil company truck driver. "We went from nice, easy country living to living in a Petri dish."
Myra complained to the TCEQ in 2012, and the agency cited Marathon Oil for operating a broken flare and failing to report thousands of pounds of unauthorized emissions at its Sugarhorn Central gas processing plant. But Marathon paid no penalty. "I feel like we're expendable," Myra said.
The Cernys have sued Marathon, hoping to get enough money to move away from the drilling.
Marathon spokeswoman Lee Warren said in an email that the company "took corrective actions" after receiving the state citation and engaged in "good faith discussions with [the Cernys] to listen to and address their concerns."
Marathon had monitoring done around the family's house in 2012, prior to the filing of the lawsuit, and found "no levels of air contaminants in excess of regulatory limits," Warren wrote. "The TCEQ conducted further visits to the Sugarhorn site in 2013 and has closed out that case."
The air samples the environmental groups took near the Cerny home detected 14 VOCs, including benzene, toluene and xylene, but none in concentrations the TCEQ considers immediately dangerous. Subra said that doesn't mean the air is safe, because the data came from a "grab sample" that represented only a snapshot in time.
She and other scientists say there's another factor that state and federal health guidelines don't consider: the added risks of breathing many chemicals at once.
Guidelines are set for one compound at a time without considering what happens when people are simultaneously exposed to multiple chemicals. To add to the confusion, scientists don't know much about some of the chemicals emitted, and certain proprietary compounds are hidden from public scrutiny.
Neil Carman, who spent 12 years as an investigator with a predecessor to the TCEQ and now works for the Sierra Club, said any of the chemicals could cause illness but they become more pernicious when combined. "What you get is a toxic soup," he said. "I would be very concerned about people living there day after day and getting a semi-continuous toxic exposure."
One way to reduce emissions is to identify and crack down on the worst offenders, said Jackson, the Duke scientist. His research in parts of Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale has shown that while most of the gas wells have relatively low emissions, a small group—1 percent, 5 percent, or even a tenth of a percent—release an enormous amount of pollutants.
In Texas, however, the fast pace of drilling and the TCEQ's shrinking budget make it difficult to find the culprits.
"If I have just a couple of wells to look at, it's kind of easy to identify the good actors from the bad actors," said David Sterling, chair of the University of North Texas Health Science Center. But that becomes much harder when thousands of wells are being drilled. "As much as I would like to believe that industry can police itself, history has shown that that has not worked without sufficient oversight."
The number of employees in the TCEQ's Office of Compliance and Enforcement, which conducts investigations and performs air monitoring and other health-related duties, has fallen 13 percent since 2010, when drilling in the Eagle Ford began picking up. Over the same period, the agency's overall budget dropped 34 percent.
"State agencies don't have the resources—and in a lot of cases they don't have the political will—to implement regulations, monitoring and enforcement to keep pace with what's going on in the field," Subra said. "Yet they continue to grant [drilling] permits."
Indeed, the Texas Railroad Commission rarely denies a drilling permit. From January 2003 through September 2013, it issued nearly 200,000 statewide. Only 650—or 0.3 percent—were rejected.
The Railroad Commission's enforcement record, like the TCEQ's, has come under criticism. In fiscal year 2012, it referred for enforcement action only 2 percent of the 55,000 violations its field staff found statewide, according to the state Sunset Advisory Commission, whose mission is to eliminate "waste, duplication, and inefficiency in government agencies." Of the 217 fines levied, the average was less than $9,000.
Railroad Commissioner David Porter said fines don't tell the whole story. "We're more concerned about bringing people into compliance than we are in punishment after the fact," he said in an interview. One way to do this, he said, is through a process called severance: The commission can order companies to halt production if they don't adhere to the rules; production can resume only after the problems have been fixed.
The commission has sent out about a quarter-million severance notices over the past 10 years. In 62 percent of the cases, the mere threat of a crippled well was enough to prod the operator into compliance, spokeswoman Ramona Nye wrote in an email. Another 32 percent were resolved after a severance order was issued. The rest required fines or closure.
Asked how many wells were closed by the commission last year, Nye wrote that such information was "not readily available."
On Their Honor
Texas' regulatory efforts are also hamstrung by a law that allows thousands of oil and gas facilities—including wells, storage tanks and compressor stations—to operate on an honor system, without reporting their emissions to the state.
Operators can take advantage of this privilege—called a permit by rule, or PBR—if their facilities emit no more than 25 tons of VOCs per year and handle natural gas that is low in hydrogen sulfide. Two employees in the TCEQ's air permits office—Anne Inman and John Gott—estimate these PBRs could account for at least half of the hundreds of thousands of air permits the agency has issued for new or modified oil and gas facilities since the 1970s.
"It's probably not even fair to call them permits," said Ilan Levin, an Austin-based lawyer with the Environmental Integrity Project, a research and advocacy organization. "The regulators don't have a clue as to what's really coming out of some of these facilities. They're just ever-so-gently regulated; that's exactly what the state of Texas has intended."
Operators with this type of permit aren't required to file paperwork backing up their self-determined status, so the TCEQ has no record of most of the facilities' locations or emissions. A chart generated in 2011 by the office of then-TCEQ deputy executive director Zak Covar says the permits "Cannot be proven to be protective. Unclear requirements for records to demonstrate compliance with rules."
Levin said there's some justification for PBRs—"it would overwhelm the [TCEQ] if you had every mom-and-pop oil and gas operator out there filling out applications that had to be reviewed by regulators."
But Levin said the system is open to abuse.
Big operators sometimes get a PBR for each component of a facility. Each might be under the 25-ton-per-year threshold that would require a more rigorous permit, but the facility as a whole could emit more than that.
The TCEQ refers to the practice as the "stacking of multiple authorizations," and the memo from Covar's office said its use "means that protectiveness and compliance with the rules cannot be demonstrated."
The TCEQ also has trouble dealing with "emission events"—unplanned releases above and beyond what operators are allowed to discharge during standard maintenance, startup and shutdown activities. Emission events are usually caused by human error or faulty equipment.
The number of emission events associated with oil and gas development doubled between fiscal years 2009 and 2013, from 1,012 to 2,023. The amount of air pollutants released into the Texas air during these events increased 39 percent.
A gas processing plant in McMullen County, in the southwestern portion of the Eagle Ford, reported 166 emission events last year, almost one every other day. From 2007 through 2011, the Tilden plant, owned by Regency Energy Partners of Dallas, discharged 1,348 tons of sulfur dioxide during such episodes. That's more than 30 times the amount it was legally allowed to release during "normal" operations.
Companies are required to report emission events within 24 hours. But they don't always comply.
Marathon waited three months to report a 2012 incident at its Sugarhorn plant near the Cernys and Buehrings. It released 26,000 pounds of VOCs in 12 hours, 1,000 times more than allowed under its air permit.
Many Violations, Few Fines
Eagle Ford operators that violate state regulations face few, if any, repercussions.
In an email, the TCEQ's Morrow said the agency has cited Regency's Tilden plant for five air violations over the past decade and that Regency has paid a single, $3,000 fine.
Even then, Regency—which had a net income of $48 million in 2012, the last full year for which data are available—wasn't punished for allowing chemicals to taint the air. Instead, it was fined for not reporting a Nov. 30, 2012, leak within 24 hours.
Morrow said fines are based on a facility's compliance history. Each facility receives a score and is rated high, satisfactory or unsatisfactory. The TCEQ considers the Tilden plant to be satisfactory, she said.
A spokeswoman for Regency, Vicki Anderson Granado, said in an email that the plant has been "modernized and improved throughout its history" and "was among the industry leaders" in adopting an acid gas injection technology that sends what would otherwise be air emissions deep underground.
Granado did not respond when asked why the plant had so many emission events last year.
Larry Soward, a former TCEQ commissioner with a reputation for being tough on industry, said the agency's enforcement strategy is shaped by its top-down management style. Its upper ranks consist of people who share Gov. Perry's business-friendly point of view, he said. Its middle managers and investigators "know the parameters very well in which they can operate. It's not unclear, especially to the field staff, who they can go after and who they can't.
"You have a regulatory system that says, 'Well, even if you did something bad, we're just going to say don't do it again, or slap you on the wrist,' and companies in industry know that," Soward said.
He said his greatest regulatory success came after he left the TCEQ in 2009 and joined Air Alliance Houston, an environmental group, as a consultant in 2011. That year the group successfully helped lobby the legislature to increase the maximum TCEQ fine from $10,000 per violation per day to $25,000.
But the agency rarely imposes the maximum penalty.
Between January 2012 and October 2013, the TCEQ issued 117 fines statewide for violations related to oil and gas production. Operators paid less than $25,000 in more than three-quarters of those cases, records show. The two fines that arose from complaints in the Eagle Ford were both lower than that.
Houston psychiatrist Charles Covert, who owns a cattle ranch in La Salle County, filed a sworn affidavit with the TCEQ in April 2013 saying he had been "poisoned by [hydrogen sulfide] inhalation in his own ranch home compound and was seriously injured." He said he required "intensive medical treatment by 5 doctors for the past seven months."
Covert blamed his illness on discharges from the nearby Alderman Ranch Tank Battery, where Houston-based Swift Energy Co. has a well and stores crude oil and natural gas condensate, a mixture of hydrocarbon liquids. Swift, he alleged, operated the site for months without acknowledging the well was sour—a term that refers to high levels of hydrogen sulfide. Covert did not respond to interview requests.
After Covert complained, TCEQ investigators went to the site four times. "The staff detected moderate to strong odors and experienced irritation of the eyes and a burning sensation in the throat during odor surveys," the agency said in a statement.
Swift, which had a net income of $20.9 million in 2012, was cited for discharging air contaminants "in such concentration and of such duration" that they could harm human health or property or impair quality of life. It was fined $14,250.
In an emailed statement, Paul Vincent, Swift's director of finance and investor relations, said the TCEQ citation "did not state that Swift Energy was causing adverse health effects, only that a potential for such effects was possible." He said Swift paid the fine "without any admission of any violation alleged."
More often than not, residents' complaints lead nowhere, as Fred and Amber Lyssy discovered in April 2013.
The Lyssys raise pigs, goats and cattle on a 564-acre organic farm in Wilson County outside Floresville. The land is owned by Fred's mother, Agnes Ramos, who for years has refused offers to lease the mineral rights for drilling. Some neighboring landowners have accepted, however, and the Lyssys' land is now surrounded by wells, flares and holding tanks.
When foul odors swept across the farm, the Lyssys suspected a gas processing plant less than a mile away. Fred stopped letting his livestock graze on the pasture next to the facility and moved his and Amber's bedroom to the opposite side of the house. They worry about how their three children—ages seven months, 3½ and 6—will be affected by the pollution. They fear it will jeopardize their pledge to provide organic food to their customers.
"We are about liberty and freedom," Amber said, "but they are trespassing with their emissions."
The Lyssys' anxiety mounted when six of their dogs—Anatolian Pyrenees that they use to work the farm—suffered mysterious, agonizing deaths. Five died within a few days of one another in February 2013. Amber said they began vomiting, scratching their heads bloody and whining for no apparent reason. Their veterinarian ruled out common substances like antifreeze and rat poison but could provide no explanation. The cost of a necropsy barred any more definitive answers.
After the Lyssys complained to the TCEQ, inspectors made two visits to the area. Using an infrared camera and handheld gas monitors, they detected hydrogen sulfide and other unspecified emissions coming from a Hunt Oil complex with 12 crude oil tanks and a flare.
A Hunt executive told the TCEQ he had no idea there were leaks and promised to repair the vents and oil tank hatches responsible for the emissions. The agency was satisfied and did not cite the company for any violations.
Three weeks later, the investigators returned for a third visit and again found hydrogen sulfide leaks, according to a TCEQ report. Again, Hunt—a private company with $4 billion in revenue last year, according to Forbes—promised to get things fixed.
The investigation was closed in August with a notation that there were "no violations." The Lyssys' sixth Pyrenees, Big Boy, died in November after showing the same symptoms as their other dogs.
Paul Licata, Hunt's vice president of environmental, health and safety, blamed the leaks found during the TCEQ's follow-up visit on contractors who had done the initial repairs. When the inspectors discovered the site was still leaking, Licata said, Hunt responded immediately.
Jeanne Phillips, a Hunt spokeswoman, said the company "is pleased that the TCEQ found no fault with Hunt and we are proud of our longstanding policy of working closely with communities ... where we have operations."
Oil companies are still pressuring Ramos to lease her mineral rights. They want the land so badly, she said, that company representatives have trespassed, lied, badgered and turned four of her six daughters against her.
"My daughters say, 'But Mom, God put the oil on the land to be used, so you are going against God,'" Ramos said.
Ramos sees it differently. If she gave in to the oil companies, she said, "I would be going against God because he gave us this land to take care of."
Lessons From the Barnett Shale
Texas regulators and politicians had a clear idea of the problems that would arise in the Eagle Ford even before the drilling boom began.
Between 2003 and 2011, some 2,000 wells had been drilled within the city of Fort Worth, which lies atop the Barnett Shale formation, and six times that many were drilled in nearby communities. Tanker trucks rumbled past suburban lawns. Flares burned next to schools and playgrounds. An industry normally hidden in rural areas was suddenly visible to suburbanites, some of whom were frightened and incensed by the intrusion.
Under pressure from residents and the EPA, the TCEQ added more air monitors in the Barnett and agreed to respond to complaints in a timelier fashion. It also tightened its permit-by-rule regulations in the region.
The TCEQ was going to extend the new rules statewide, but in 2011 the legislature stepped in and passed a bill that effectively blocked the plan. The following year, the TCEQ itself limited the rules' use in the Barnett, restricting them to 15 of its 24 counties.
A 2012 agency memo shows the TCEQ was fully aware that drilling companies needed more oversight. Titled "Findings and Lessons Learned from Barnett Shale Oil and Gas Activities," it said "nearly all of the issues documented [in the Barnett] arose from human or mechanical failure that were quickly remedied and could have been avoided through increase [sic] diligence on the part of the operator."
Soward said Barnett residents got at least a little protection because they "yelled and screamed" until the TCEQ responded. But yelling—and organizing—doesn't come naturally to most residents in the Eagle Ford, who tend to have fewer resources and less political power than people in North Texas.
The demographic differences may help explain why the city ofDallas recently passed one of the strictest setback rules in the country: No well can be drilled within 1,500 feet of homes, schools, churches and other sensitive locations. In Colorado, the equivalent rule is 500 to 1,000 feet depending on the type of building; it's 500 feet in Pennsylvania.
Texas has no statewide setbacks, aside from a 1,320-foot buffer zone for facilities with high levels of hydrogen sulfide. For all other oil and gas sites, it relies on communities to take the lead. Eagle Ford counties like Karnes, LaSalle and McMullen have no restrictions despite a glut of drilling.
No End in Sight
Every month, the Texas Railroad Commission updates an online map of drilling activity in the Eagle Ford, using green dots to represent oil wells and red dots to represent gas wells. Karnes County is almost entirely obscured by green and red; other counties aren't far behind.
"Karnes County is ground zero," said its chief administrative officer, County Judge Barbara Shaw. "We always have fears that the federal government is going to stop it."
Shaw, whose husband works in the oil industry, admits that the boom has brought about some unpleasant changes in the county of 15,000. Traffic deaths rose from two in 2010 to 25 in 2012, trucks are tearing up the roads, and monthly rents on houses have quadrupled, pricing out those with modest incomes.
Still, Shaw believes the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Land that once sold for $1,500 to $2,000 acre now brings 10 or 20 times as much. Oil, the judge said, is "a natural resource that's given by God to allow us to function ... I don't think there's anything wrong with that."
The tax base for Karnes County's industrial sector—which includes mineral rights, land and building values, and manufacturing—exploded from $217 million in 2008 to $6.2 billion in 2013, nearly a 28-fold increase.
"The Eagle Ford Shale is the biggest economic investment zone in the entire world. It may go down as the largest oil and gas field ever discovered in the United States," said Steve Everley, who works in Washington, D.C., for Energy in Depth, a research, education and public-relations arm of the Independent Petroleum Association of America. A former aide to Newt Gingrich, he's a polished, thoughtful evangelist for oil and gas extraction.
Asked how poorer residents of places like Karnes City could expect to benefit, Everley said they might be able to find jobs in restaurants, or as truck drivers. The latter can make "six figures," he said.
What about those whose lives have been disrupted, like the Buehrings and Mary Alice Longoria? Everley was not unsympathetic, saying they should complain to operators or the state if something is wrong, and that the industry "takes questions about air emissions or air pollution very seriously."
Still, Everley made it clear he believes most of the naysayers are simply anti-drilling.
"I mean, are we going to prevent people from having jobs? Are we going to relegate an entire section of the state to continued poverty or are we going to move forward with economic development?"
Mary and Nolan Jonas accept the industry's message—for now, at least. The couple, who were both born in Karnes County, began working the land soon after they were married 46 years ago. Nolan ran a farm and cattle ranch. Mary raised the children, two sons and a daughter, and taught math at Karnes City Junior High School for 20 years.
There were a few good years and a lot of bad ones, some really bad. Sometimes the land was so parched the crops withered, and the prairie grass dried so brittle the cattle had little to fill their stomachs.
But Nolan never gave up on his land. This was his home, his livelihood and his way of life.
Then came the Eagle Ford boom, and fortune was right underfoot. The Jonases sold their mineral rights to an oil development company. They won't say for how much, though Nolan said his grandchildren will never want.
"We had a lot of hard years on this land, but now it is giving back. It has made us prosperous," he said.
When the wind blows from the north, there's a piquant reminder of the bargain the Jonases have struck. A processing plant less than 150 yards from their property gives off an odor that Mary can't quite describe. Rotten eggs? Something oily? "It's an awful odor," she said. "I can't describe it because it's not like anything that I've ever smelled before."
Will it harm them or their grandchildren, who play on a swing set as a bright orange flare trails smoke in the background?
"I guess it's something to be concerned about, but I honestly hadn't thought about it," Mary said. "I've always just said we take the bad with the good."
To hear Everley tell it, the good will continue indefinitely. The Eagle Ford figures to produce for many years to come, and the industry is eyeing a new area—the Cline Shale in West Texas—for development.
"There is no end in sight," Everley said.
This story has been jointly reported by InsideClimate News, The Center for Public Integrity and The Weather Channel. Contributors to this report include Alex Cohen, Chris Zubak-Skees, Zahra Hirji, Sabrina Shankman and Marcus Stern.
Correction: An earlier version of this article identified Zak Covar as the executive director of TCEQ in 2011. Covar was the deputy executive director in 2011, and did not become executive director until 2012.


text:
disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links, which means Simplified Bee receives commission if you make a purchase using these links.
Keeping a calendar is an essential part of being organized. It's an important step in helping manage your daily activities and prioritize your time. It's also a great way to kick off a new school year and start 2015 off on the right foot (which will be here before we know it!). Did you know that you can reduce stress by simply logging appointments, events and assignments in a daily planner? When kept up-to-date, a planner allows you to find information quickly, prioritize effectively and schedule appointments on the spot.
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product links:
1. Metalic myAgenda Desktop // 2. Floral Date Book // 3. Groovy Agenda
4. Hot Pink Planner // 5. Green Ikat Agenda //6. Preppy Academic Planner
7. Turquoise Life Planner // 8. Striped Simplified Planner
(via Emily Ley)


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CFO Moves this week include:
|Lockheed Martin
|Myers Industries, Inc.
|Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
|Owens & Minor, Inc.
|Coeur Mining, Inc.
|Mr. Cooper Group Inc.
|Alder BioPharmaceuticals, Inc.
|Casa Systems, Inc.
|The Madison Square Garden Company
|Spirit AeroSystems
|Oil-Dri Corporation of America
|Visioneering Technologies
|Nkarta Therapeutics
|Summit Midstream Partners, LP
|Sonoma Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
|GlobalTranz Enterprises, Inc.
|Act-On Software
|Axalta Coating Systems Ltd.
|PAS Global LLC
|Westmoreland Coal Company
|Freed-Hardeman University
|Kenwal Steel Corp.
|Franklin Financial Network, Inc.
|Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc.
|Medallia, Inc.
|Cromedy Construction Corporation
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Should you have any CFO Moves to report, please email us.
NOTE: CFO Search Report available monthly to CFOs only. Read more here.
CFO Moves is published by Samuel Dergel (Executive Search Consultant and CFO & Financial Executive Search Specialist with Dergel Executive Search). Samuel can be reached by email at email@example.com or by phone at +1 (415) 738-2070.
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Avon [LONDON] (NYSE: AVP) announced that Gustavo Arnal has been appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective during Spring 2019. Jamie Wilson, Avon's current Chief Financial Officer, has chosen to step down. Gustavo joins from Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), where he has served as Senior Vice President, CFO of International Divisions and Global Functions. Prior to WBA, Mr. Arnal worked for over 20 years with Procter & Gamble (P&G). His responsibilities at P&G included Vice President, CFO India, Middle East and Africa. He was Vice President, CFO of Global Fabric & Home Care. Mr. Arnal was CFO of Global Personal Beauty Care. He was the Finance Director of P&G's worldwide Financial Planning & Analysis department. Earlier, Mr. Arnal was CFO for all of P&G's categories in Brazil and was Finance Manager in Mexico for Health and Beauty Care products.
Lockheed Martin [BETHESDA, Md.] appointed Kenneth R. Possenriede as executive vice president and chief financial officer, succeeding Bruce L. Tanner, who intends to retire in mid-2019. Possenriede's appointment is effective Feb. 11, 2019. Possenriede is currently vice president of Finance and Program Management at Aeronautics. Prior to his current role, Possenriede was vice president and treasurer for Lockheed Martin from 2011 to 2016. Previously, he served as vice president of Finance and Business Operations for the corporation's former Electronic Systems business area; vice president of Finance and Business Operations for Space; and vice president of Finance and Business Management for the prior Mission Systems and Solutions (MS2) line of business. He also served as chief financial officer for Lockheed Martin United Kingdom and from 2001 to 2003 Possenriede was seconded as Interim CEO and EVP CFO at Exostar.
Gentherm [NORTHVILLE, Mich.] (NASDAQ: THRM) announced that Matteo Anversa will join the Company's leadership team as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer on January 1, 2019. Anversa succeeds Barry Steele as Gentherm's CFO. Steele will step down as the Company's Vice-President of Finance, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer effective upon Anversa's start date. Steele will provide transition services through February 15, 2019. Anversa joins Gentherm from Myers Industries, Inc. where he was Executive Vice President, CFO since December 2016. Prior to Myers Industries, he was the Vice President, Group FP&A for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. since April 2015. He joined FCA in 2013 as the CFO for Ferrari SpA. Anversa began his career with General Electric Corporation where he held various leadership roles during his 16-year tenure, including CFO, GE Gas Engines; Global FP&A Manager, GE Transportation; and CFO, GE Consumer & Industrial, Asia Pacific.
Myers Industries, Inc. (NYSE: MYE) [AKRON, Ohio] announced that Kevin Brackman, former Chief Accounting Officer of the Company, has been promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Brackman succeeds Matteo Anversa, who is leaving the Company to accept another professional opportunity. Brackman began his career at Coopers & Lybrand LLP in its audit group before moving to Chiquita Brands International. While at Chiquita, Mr. Brackman held various finance and operational roles for more than 10 years. Prior to joining Myers, Mr. Brackman spent six years at Ingersoll Rand, where he oversaw the technical accounting and financial reporting group and later the financial planning and analysis division. Mr. Brackman joined Myers Industries as Vice President, Corporate Controller in 2015 and was promoted to Chief Accounting Officer in 2017.
Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. [HOUSTON] (NASDAQ: BLCM) announced the appointment of Atabak Mokari as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Mokari joins Bellicum from IRIDEX Corporation where he served as Chief Financial Officer and VP Corporate Development. Prior to that, Mr. Mokari served as a senior healthcare investment banker at Wells Fargo Securities from September 2013 to July 2016, at UBS from September 2009 to July 2013, and at Credit Suisse from July 2005 to February 2009. Earlier in his career, Mr. Mokari served as an analyst at private equity firm Olympus Partners, and investment banking firm Bowles Hollowell Conner & Co.
Owens & Minor, Inc. [RICHMOND, Va.] (NYSE: OMI) announced the appointment of Robert K. Snead as Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer. Snead has served as Interim Chief Financial Officer since June 2018. Snead joined Owens & Minor in 2010 as Vice President of Corporate Development. Snead also served as Treasurer of the company. Most recently, Snead served Owens & Minor as Group Vice President, Finance for the Global Solutions Strategic Business Unit. Before joining Owens & Minor, Snead served as a director in the mergers and acquisitions group of Barclays Capital in New York.
Coeur Mining, Inc. [CHICAGO] (NYSE: CDE) announced the appointment of Thomas S. Whelan as Senior Vice President ("SVP") and Chief Financial Officer ("CFO"), effective January 1, 2019. Mr. Whelan will succeed Peter C. Mitchell, who has served as SVP and CFO since 2013. Prior to joining Coeur, Mr. Whelan served as CFO of Arizona Mining Inc. from September 2017 to August 2018, when the company was acquired from South32 Limited. Previously, Mr. Whelan served as CFO for Nevsun Resources Ltd. from January 2014 to August 2017.
TeamSupport [DALLAS] announced that Corbin Baumel has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining TeamSupport, he served in key financial leadership positions at high-growth companies, most recently as Vice President of Finance at RealPage, Inc., where he served as Divisional CFO of the company's Asset Optimization business after engineering the acquisition of Axiometrics, where he served as CFO. Before that, Baumel held critical leadership roles at Platinum Training, Ecova, and LPB Energy Management.
Mr. Cooper Group Inc. [DALLAS] (NASDAQ: COOP) announced the appointment of Christopher Marshall as Vice Chairman, a newly created officer position, effective January 2, 2019 and as Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately following the filing of the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2018. Marshall most recently served as co-founder and CFO of Capital Bank Financial Corp. since 2009. Previously, Marshall served as Chief Restructuring Officer and Senior Advisor to the CEO at GMAC, Inc. and as CFO at Fifth Third Bancorp. Prior to that, Marshall was a member of the management operating committee at Bank of America and held key leadership roles including CFO of the Consumer Products Group and Chief Operating Officer of the Global Consumer and Small Business Bank. Marshall will succeed Amar Patel, who has been serving as interim CFO since March 2017.
Alder BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. [BOTHELL, Wash.] (NASDAQ: ALDR) announced the appointment of Carlos Campoy as Chief Financial Officer. Campoy served as Vice President of Finance, International at Allergan plc. Prior to joining Allergan, Campoy had an 18-year tenure at Eli Lilly and Company, where he held a number of senior financial leadership positions including Chief Financial Officer, Eli Lilly Japan K.K. He also served as U.S. Senior Director of Finance and Chief Financial Officer for the U.S. Specialty sales and marketing team. He most recently served as Partner of Think Forwards.
Casa Systems, Inc. [ANDOVER, Mass.] (NASDAQ: CASA) announced that it has appointed Maurizio Nicolelli as its Chief Financial Officer, beginning in January 2019. Before joining Casa Systems, Nicolelli served as Principal and Chief Financial Officer of FactSet Research Systems Inc. since October 2009. Nicolelli joined FactSet and its finance group in 1996 as the Senior Accountant and served as its Chief Accountant from 1999 to 2001. From 2002-2009, he served as Comptroller and Vice President. Prior to joining FactSet, he was employed at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
The Madison Square Garden Company [NEW YORK] (NYSE: MSG) announced that Victoria Mink, the Company's current Executive Vice President of Finance, will succeed Donna Coleman as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Coleman will retire as Chief Financial Officer as of January 1 and remain with the Company through March to assist with the transition. Before her appointment as Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Mink served briefly as MSG's Executive Vice President of Finance, where she worked closely with Ms. Coleman. Prior to this, Ms. Mink served as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer for seven years – first for Cablevision Systems Corporation, which was then bought by Altice USA in 2016, where Ms. Mink continued in her role until joining MSG in October 2018. Ms. Mink joined Cablevision in November 1997 and served in a variety of accounting and finance roles. Before joining Cablevision, Ms. Mink was an audit manager with KPMG LLP.
Spirit AeroSystems (NYSE: SPR) [WICHITA, Kan.] announced that Jose Ignacio Garcia will join the company as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer effective Jan. 9, 2019. Garcia will succeed Spirit's current Chief Financial Officer, Sanjay Kapoor, who announced previously his plans to retire in the first quarter of 2019, following a transition period. Garcia's experience includes CFO roles at GE Energy, GE Latin America, and most recently as VP and CFO of GE Renewable Energy, based in Paris.
Oil-Dri Corporation of America [CHICAGO] (NYSE: ODC) announced that Susan M. Kreh has been appointed Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Kreh was previously with Johnson Controls International plc, where she served as Chief Financial Officer and VP, Information Technology, of the Power Solutions business, from 2010 to 2017 and Corporate Controller from 2007 to 2010. Prior to Johnson Controls, Ms. Kreh served in finance and operational leadership roles at PPG Industries, Inc. from 1985 to 2007, including Treasurer, General Manager of the global optical materials business and Director, Financial Services and Support of the specialty chemicals business. Ms. Kreh serves on the Board of Directors of TAPCO, Inc.
Visioneering Technologies [ATLANTA] (ASX: VTI) announced that it has named Brian D. Lane as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Most recently he served as CFO with OnePath. Previously, he was Controller of PRGX. Lane began his career with Ernst & Young, LLP.
Nkarta Therapeutics [SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.] announced that Matthew Plunkett has joined as senior vice president and chief financial officer. Dr. Plunkett was most recently chief financial and business officer of Medeor Therapeutics. Prior to Medeor, from September 2012 to August 2017 he held positions as chief business officer and executive vice president, Corporate Development at CTI BioPharma. He was chief financial officer of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine from November 2011 to August 2012. Dr. Plunkett was the vice president and chief financial officer of iPierian, Inc. from July 2009 to April 2011. From December 2000 to July 2009, Dr. Plunkett held positions at Oppenheimer & Co. and its U.S. predecessor, CIBC World Markets Corp., including serving as managing director, head of West Coast Biotechnology from December 2008 to July 2009, and executive director, head of West Coast Biotechnology from January 2008 to December 2008.
Summit Midstream Partners, LP [THE WOODLANDS, Texas] announced that Matthew Harrison, the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Summit Midstream Partners, LLC and Summit Midstream GP, LLC will be departing the Company to pursue other interests. Mr. Harrison's employment with the Company will terminate effective January 4, 2019. Summit Investments announced that it is promoting Marc Stratton to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company. Mr. Stratton joined Summit Investments as a founding member in 2009 and has held various senior management roles at the Company including, since 2015, Senior Vice President of Finance, Treasurer and Head of Investor Relations.
Sonoma Pharmaceuticals, Inc. [PETALUMA, Calif.] (NASDAQ: SNOA) announced that Frederick (Bubba) Sandford as Sonoma's Chief Executive Officer and Interim Chief Financial Officer. Most recently, Mr. Sandford transformed Command Center, Inc. Sonoma also announced that Bob Miller resigned from his position as CFO.
GlobalTranz Enterprises, Inc. [PHOENIX] announced the promotion of Lara Stell to CFO. Stell joined GlobalTranz as VP of finance in October of 2014. Prior to GlobalTranz, she worked with Krug at Swift Transportation and Clear Channel Outdoor. Earlier in her career she was an audit professional at PwC.
Wizeline [SAN FRANCISCO] announced the appointment of Anthony Conte as Chief Financial Officer. Conte joins the Company from EPAM Systems, where he previously served as CFO, SVP, and Treasurer.
Act-On Software [PORTLAND, Ore.] announced Roger Rowe as its new Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Act-On, he served as Principal of RR CFO Services where he provided fractional CFO Services to multiple growth focused companies. Mr. Rowe previously worked as CEO and CFO for TigerLogic Corporation and held CFO positions with other companies such as Agilyx, as well as at technology companies including Merchandising Technologies, Inc., InFocus Corporation, and Preview Systems.
Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. [PHILADELPHIA] (NYSE: AXTA) announced that it has named Sean Lannon as Chief Financial Officer on a permanent basis. He had been serving as Vice President and Interim Chief Financial Officer since October 2018. Before that, he served as Vice President, Corporate Finance and Global Controller of Axalta since 2016, and was Vice President and Global Controller from 2013 until that promotion. He was previously Vice President, Global Controller of Trinseo. Before joining Trinseo in 2011, he was the Senior Manager, Financial Reporting at Endo Pharmaceuticals.
PAS Global LLC [HOUSTON] announced the appointment of Tim Taylor as Chief Financial Officer. Most recently, Tim was at Paradigm, an Emerson company, where he held various leadership roles including Vice President of Finance and Vice President of Sales Management.
Midas [CAPITAL HEIGHTS, Md.] announced the hiring of Pierre-Luc Chicoine as Chief Financial Officer. Chicoine assumed his role in early fall. Chicoine came to Midas from Canam Steel Corporation, where he was Controller for the Heavy Business Unit.
Westmoreland Coal Company [ENGLEWOOD, Colo.] (OTCMKTS: WLBAQ) announced that Gary Kohn has informed Westmoreland that, for personal reasons, he is resigning from his position as chief financial officer effective January 4, 2019.
Freed-Hardeman University [HENDERSON, TENN.] announced the hiring of Jeff Loyd as the university's chief financial officer. Loyd will begin his new role Jan. 14, 2019. Loyd has worked in financial leadership positions with American Axle Manufacturing, Coca-Cola, Hertz Corporation, Alcoa/Kawneer, Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Kenwal Steel Corp. [DEARBORN, Mich.] announced that Laura Kowalchik has been named CFO. Kowalchik replaces Frank Jerneycic, who retires from Kenwal at the end of this year after 10 years of service. Kowalchik most recently served as CFO of Urban Science. She previously served as vice president, corporate controller, and chief accounting officer of Kaydon Corp., and Dura Automotive Systems LLC, where she held the same title.
Franklin Financial Network, Inc. [FRANKLIN, Tenn.] (NYSE: FSB), the parent company of Franklin Synergy Bank, announced the promotion of Chris Black to Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Franklin Financial Network and Franklin Synergy Bank. Black joined the Company on November 16, 2018, as Executive Vice President, Strategy. The Company also announced that Sarah Meyerrose, who is stepping down as Chief Financial Officer, intends to retire from the Company on January 15th. Before joining Franklin Financial Network, Black most recently served as Senior Vice President and CFO, Banking, for Nashville-based FirstBank, having joined FirstBank in May 2016. Previously, Black worked in the investment management and investment research industries, specializing in the banking sector while at Merrill Lynch & Co. and ISI Group, both based in New York City. Prior to working in the private sector, Black served for over nine years as an Officer and pilot in the United States Air Force.
Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. [JERICHO, N.Y.] (NASDAQ: ESQ) announced that it has hired Michael Lacapria as its new Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President. Most recently, Mr. Lacapria served as the Chief Financial Officer of Deutsche Bank Trust Corporation. From 2014 to 2016, Mr. Lacapria served in various positions at Cantor Fitzgerald, including as a Director and head of the accounting and finance function for Cantor Commercial Real Estate. From 2000 to 2014, Mr. Lacapria served in various management capacities for KPMG's financial services group in New York.
Medallia, Inc. [SAN MATEO, Calif.] hired Roxanne Oulman as Chief Financial Officer. During her 25-year career in finance, Oulman served in leadership roles at CallidusCloud, Thoratec and Zomax. She currently serves on the Board of Directors at CalAmp as an Audit Committee member. Oulman replaces former CFO Mike Kourey.
Cromedy Construction Corporation [PHILADELPHIA] announced that Joseph T. Waninger has been appointed Chief Financial Officer. Waninger joined CCC on December 3rd, 2018.


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Aurora Hunting
Explore the the ethereal Northern Lights, discover how to predict them and where to go to see them.
Date & Time
|Monday 8th February, 2016
|8:30pm to 10:30pm
Age Suitability
Aurora hunters from 10 to 100 years old will enjoy this experience.
Equipment Needed
You'll get lots out of tonight's event if all you do is bring yourself and a sense of adventure.
Ticket Prices
|A family ticket is valid for a group of 2 adults & 2 children.
The Aurora Borealis (also known as Northern Lights) are magical and inspirational phenomena that grace the Northern night skies. What are they and how can you go hunting for them successfully?
Aurorae are now very well understood by physicists around the world but for thousands of years and for many communities, they played a part in religions, fairytales and folklore. Join us on a journey that begins with the history of the social and cultural impact of the Northern Lights through to our scientific understanding of the Aurora today.
At Battlesteads Observatory we aim to give our guests the knowledge and understanding you will need to hunt the Aurora Borealis for yourselves. You'll learn the basics of the science behind how they are created, how to find them, which apps to use and some hints and tips on how to photograph them. Questions are welcomed and our team will be on hand to help you with anything we are able to.
If the skies clear for us, we'll take a short tour of the universe in ever-increasing distances from our home the earth, including the moon, the planets, any comets that might be about and then further into the depths of the Milky Way to view star clusters, nebulae and any supernovae that happen to be about. You'll then be taken beyond the boundaries of the milky way and across the vast expanse of space to see other galaxies containing billions and billions of stars.
The Battlesteads Observatory is a gateway to the Northumberland Dark Sky Park and enjoys skies as dark as much of the park itself so later on, why not join our team in one of our many observing areas, where the twinkling stars of the milky way can be seen with the naked eye in all their glory, and perhaps an impromptu binocular tour from one of our team.
As of yet, we're unable to control the weather, so observing the skies can only go ahead if it's clear but you'll be pleased to know that all events go ahead in any weather conditions. The Northern Lights are a random natural occurrence, and our aurora hunting night is about preparing for the occasions when they are visible.
Other Dates & Times
This event type is also running on the following dates & times:
|Friday 6th November, 2020
|View Details
|Book Now
|Friday 13th November, 2020
|View Details
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|Friday 20th November, 2020
|View Details
|Friday 27th November, 2020
|View Details
|Book Now
|Friday 4th December, 2020
|View Details
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|Friday 11th December, 2020
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|Friday 18th December, 2020
|View Details
|Book Now
Get to Know Your Telescope
Bring your own telescope to get some advice and practical help from our expert astronomers.


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Posted on Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Westminster College will host "Bridges," the third annual workshop forging American-Israeli academic collaboration between faculties from Westminster and Western Galilee College in Akko, Israel, Sept. 19-23.
The workshop will provide opportunities for the partnership institutions' faculty members to engage in formal and informal discussions to enrich their teaching and research. More than 30 faculty and staff from Western Galilee and Westminster are expected to participate.
"It is our hope that this growing academic partnership between our two schools will result in new learning opportunities for our faculty and students," said Dr. Richard Dorman, president of Westminster College. "A central theme of the liberal arts college mission is to expose students to new ideas, cultures, and ways of viewing the world. Western Galilee College provides a very rich learning laboratory for our faculty and students in a variety of academic disciplines and we are excited about our new working relationship."
A highlight of the week will be the signing of an academic partnership agreement between the two schools Monday at 7 p.m. in the Witherspoon Rooms of the McKelvey Campus Center. More than a dozen Westminster students and faculty have conducted research in Israel in the past two years through the partnership.
"The Bridges Workshop is wonderful opportunity for Westminster College on many levels," said Dr. Bryan Rennie, chair of the Westminster steering committee. "Bringing faculty members from Western Galilee to our campus gives a chance for our faculty and students to hear from the members of another, very different, campus culture that nonetheless shares our commitment to education and service, despite their very different context. Beyond simply increasing exposure to cultural diversity on our campus, our additional hope is that the workshop will promote collaborative research projects between their faculty and our own. This will enable research projects that we may never have been able to accomplish alone, ranging from archeological work in the Galilee region to economic, sociological, and political projects based in the Middle East."
"Westminster College is particularly excited to involve students in such collaborations," Rennie continued. "Six Westminster students involved in three different projects have already done research in Israel as a direct result of our collaboration."
More highly developed proposals will be presented in a series of plenary sessions that are open to the public. All plenary sessions will take place in the Witherspoon Maple Room of the McKelvey Campus Center:
• Monday, Sept. 19:
o 9:20 a.m. Plenary address "Career Building in the Social Sciences" by Western Galilee College President Dr. Gideon Fishman with an introduction by Westminster College President Dr. Richard Dorman
o 10:30 a.m. "Multicultural Education in Korea and in Israel" presented by Dr. SoYoung Kang and Dr. Devorah Eden
o 12:50 p.m. "Using Kindles with Struggling Readers" presented by Dr. Amy Camardese, Dr. Eileen Morelli, and Dr. Yehuda Peled
• Tuesday, Sept. 20:
o 9:20 a.m. "Beliefs about Homeland Security and Terrorism" presented by Dr. Michael Aleprete, Dr. James Rhoads, and Dr. Ephraim Kahana
o 2 p.m. "Leadership Perceptions among Women Managers from Different Worlds" presented by Dr. Sherri Pataki and Dr. Randa Abbas
• Wednesday, Sept. 21:
o 9:20 a.m. "The Material Culture of Religion in the Early City" presented by Dr. Bryan Rennie and Dr. Nimrod Luz
• Thursday, Sept. 22:
o 9:20 a.m. "The Role and Impact of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Shaping National Environmental Policies and a Comparison of Cross-Boundary Pollution Issues at the Israeli/Palestinian and U.S./Mexican Borders" presented by Dr. Edward Cohen and Dr. Boaz Barak
o 2 p.m. "Implementation of Interactive White Boards in Four Western Pennsylvania School Districts" presented by Dr. Mandy Medvin, Dr. Linda Domanski, and Dr. Yehuda Peled
The final public session will be "Non-Violent Social Unrest in Israel," a panel discussion among faculty from both institutions on recent developments. This session will be held Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in the Witherspoon Lakeview Room of the McKelvey Campus Center.
In addition to the plenary sessions, participants will take part in roundtable sessions to discuss potential collaboration, to encourage further collaboration, and to seek advice from other faculty to develop nascent projects. Each of these sessions will involve about 10 faculty: two pairs of collaborators who will discuss their work with six other participants.
Financial support for the conference is provided by the Jewish Agency's Partnership with Israel Program, the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation, the Thomases Family Endowment Fund, and the Vira I. Heinz Foundation.
Click here or contact Rennie at (724) 946-7151 (email) for additional information.


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PSVITA Mandatory OFW 2.60 Now Live
Sony has just released PlayStation Vita Official Firmware 2.60 with a slew of changes including some security changes that you need to know about.
The new mandatory firmware that is now live implements a pretty hefty change-log with some security fixes that, as you could predict, blocks VHBL using the Gamocracy One: Legend of Robot exploit.
The full change-log for OFW 2.60 includes the following:
- There is a new option in settings, called "device" and the Bluetooth settings have been moved to this new option.
- The Content Manager and the Photo App got a new surrounding picture, when you are about to launch them.
- A new PC CMA version is necessary, but its still possible to apply OpenCMA r5 for this new CMA. Just update it (or delete the entire folder and start fresh) and then reapply the Open CMA patch.
- Toggles have been added to the screen, when you keep the PS-Button pressed.
- They've also added a settings tab for older games, which is exactly the same, as if you keep the screen pressed while playing an older game.
- Added a new "PS+ Icon" on top of some games, so you can easily manage your savedata with the online cloud (PS+ subscription necessary).
- You can now launch and listen to / watch content, that is on the devices, that are connected to the PS Vita. So you can listen to music / watch videos of a PS3/PC without transferring them.
In terms of security fixes, more analysis will be needed to see whats under the hood but so far we can confirm the following:
- Sony has fixed exploits (VHBL), fixed some tricks for the homebrew-community.
- Sony fixed the "rename the GAME folder and put content in it" trick, so its now impossible to put new non-PSN content into the /GAME/ folder.
- A new folder, e.g. /PSP/ECFW/ would be recommended for future kxploit usage, similar to the /PSP/VHBL/ folder for the VHBL homebrews.
- It is still possible to launch homebrews, but the Gamocracy exploit is fixed.
Good news is that VHBL can still run, as my private exploit and The Z's still work on 2.60, so at least Sony hasn't done anything too drastic. As you can see there is a lot to consider if you're wanting to update, but if you'd like to stay on a lower firmware you can, however you will not have access to PSN or other related Online features. Remember that you can use my guide if you are on a lower firmware to do a lot of things including getting VHBL for 2.12 if you have a PS3, when Gameocracy is put back on PSN.
Stay tuned for more information!


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The most amusing name to emerge as a possible replacement for Regis Philbin, who kicks off the final week of his 28-year morning TV reign Monday, is that of Dana Carvey.
The former "Saturday Night Live" player, of course, does the world's best Philbin impersonation, capturing the host's manic energy, his gift for benignly over-excited overstatement and his ability to be laughed at and with simultaneously.
But the reports only underscored what we'll be missing after Philbin signs off Friday at the end of his final "Live With Regis and Kelly": an inimitable entertainer who just might be the most telegenic figure in the medium's history.
Sure, the numbers show that Philbin holds the Guinness Book of World Records mark for most hours on TV. (He'd logged more than 15,000 hours when he earned the honor in 2004.) But that doesn't give the elusive answer to the question of why. After all, there have been plenty of better-looking, stronger singers and funnier folks who haven't scored an iota of the success Philbin's enjoyed during his 50-plus years in the tough TV game.
As for how to explain his success? Unlike Philbin's "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" catchphrase, there is no final answer.
Much of his enduring appeal would seem to rest in his likability and relatability – an ordinariness projected by a man with a deceivingly extraordinary talent for talking to the camera as if he were chatting with his best buddy.
He's managed to transcend the repetition and potential banality of the middle-of-the-road morning talk show – a format that might feel outdated at a time when the entertainment landscape is changing, amid shrinking TV audiences and the Internet explosion. He packs familiarity and unpredictability into one package, oozing with a winning, old school New York charm: You know he'll be there every morning, but you don't know what he'll do next.
Philbin's strongest gift might be his knack for striking instant chemistry – not only with audiences, but with thousands of guests and a diverse set of TV partners who range from his late 1960s late-night boss Joey Bishop to Kathie Lee Gifford to Kelly Ripa. Gifford is among the lineup of scheduled final "Live With Regis and Kelly" guests that spans the three generations of entertainers who are among his biggest fans: Don Rickles, David Letterman and Jimmy Fallon.
That speaks to the agelessness of the 80-year-old Philbin, everybody's TV friend, who, through sharing his wife Joy and his personal ups and downs with us over the years, might be closer to feeling like part of the family.
Philbin's post-"Live" life reportedly could include a reality TV show. But don't expect anything radically different: Perhaps the secret to Philbin's success is that we've been watching the Regis reality show all along.
Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multi-media NYCity News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is the former City Editor of the New York Daily News, where he started as a reporter in 1992. Follow him on Twitter.


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Office 3.15
HH Wills Physics Laboratory,
Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL
(See a map)
Tel. +44 (0) 117 928 8775
I work on the large-scale structure of the Universe and the properties of the massive objects contained within it, using both observation and theory. I am particularly known for making the first detections of the change in brightness of the microwave background radiation caused by inverse-Compton scattering in clusters of galaxies (the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect), and in demonstrating how this effect can be used to measure cosmological parameters.
I worked on NASA's Chandra satellite before launch, and use it and other space-based and ground-based telescopes from X-ray to optical to radio bands to study galaxies, especially those hosting massive ...
View complete publications list in the University of Bristol publications system
Edit this profile If you are Professor Mark Birkinshaw, you can edit this page. Login required.
All details on one page > for printing etc.


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FACETIME- Stylin': Taming horses to taming manes
How did two native Tibetans, one of whom lived a nomadic existence, wind up owning a fashionable hair salon on the Downtown Mall? The journey from the so-called "roof of the world" to the Virginia piedmont has been a long and winding road for Gyaltsen Sangpo Druknya and his wife, Tashi Dolkar.
Dolkar, 38, arrived first. Born and raised in Dharamsala, India– site of the exiled Tibetan government and home to the Dalai Lama, the Tibetans' spiritual leader– she came first to Santa Fe, New Mexico to join a large Tibetan resettlement community of 1,000 families. Even with very little English, she began working at the deli of Whole Foods in Santa Fe.
After hearing about Charlottesville from other refugees who had visited Virginia, Dolkar arrived in 1995. But although she enjoyed a strong support group, jobs at Bodo's and at UVA's Darden School, and an encouraging sponsor, her future was uncertain.
Hoping to learn a trade, she began researching apprenticeships, which is how she met John Carden, the musician, actor, and Segway-driving crime fighter whose distinctive voice makes waves around town– and plenty of waves in hair at his Carden Salon on the Downtown Mall. Carden had an active apprenticeship program at his business.
Following a similar track, Druknya, 33, arrived in Charlottesville in 2001 as a political refugee. Druknya grew up in a nomad family in the mountains of northwest Tibet, an area he calls "very similar to this area." There he lived among all sorts of animals– horses, sheep, and yaks– so it was an easy transition to work as a rider at the Braeburn Training Center in Crozet. Through the Tibetan community, he met Dolkar, and they were married shortly thereafter.
With the encouragement of Carden, Druknya also became an apprentice at the shop, and before long the two had become so integral to the operation that Carden hatched a novel plan: he would sell them the shop and continue to work as their employee.
"John came to our house to ask if we would like to take over the business," Dolkar says, still marveling, and soon– in August 2007– they will mark the second anniversary of the sale and role reversal. This spring, the new owners changed the name to Salon Druknya, but other than that, the business is the same. The two still offer the apprenticeship program that gave them their start, and they are seeing the business grow as word of their skills spreads.
"They're great bosses," Carden reports. "I love working for them!"
For Druknya, hard work and dedication to a job are second nature. "He's a great guy," says Pat Nuesch, general manager of Braeburn. "He's a kind and genuine person, wonderful with the horses."
While the uneasy political situation in Tibet means that the couple cannot return to the Himalayas, they still have many relatives there to whom they hope someday to be able to introduce their children, Namkhai, two, and Chuki, ten months.
Meanwhile, they're happy to be at home at the foot of a different chain of mountains, taming manes of a different sort.


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If you're looking to truly get away from it all, a cosy cabin or cute cottage may be your best port of call. From cheap and cheerful cabins to luxury cottage accommodation, you'll have loads of self-sufficient accommodation options for your next Queensland escape with your someone special, bunch of friends and family.
These delightful cabin rentals are dotted throughout the state – you just need to find them! Discover a spot to suit what you're after, from beach cabins to camping and caravan park cabins and even self-contained cabins if you're after a longer stay.
From country comfort to beachside escapes, holiday cottages are a great way to relax and unwind and the escape city life perched up high in the hinterland or overlooking our world-class beaches. Make the most of the extra privacy on a romantic getaway with a loved one, or officially switch off when you're in need of some serious r and r.


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Market Trends
A quick review of the most important market indicators for Northern Virginia, Loudoun County, Washington DC and Montgomery County.
Our MarketWatch Newsletter goes beyond the numbers to provide valuable insight. Published bi-monthly for four major area jurisdictions.
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