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A short week after yesterday's MLK holiday, expected to be slowed by some winter storm activity and cold. After the polar vortex, I thought we might have been in the clear since college lacrosse teams are already starting practices. But no such luck I think looking at today's weather forecast/radar.
Our weekend was buoyed by a visit to see the new Panda cub at the National Zoo. It was crowded but pretty exciting. Here is the panda cam link should you want to check in on Bao Bao.
The Washington Auto show kicks off this week with some policy follow up to last week's NAIAS Detroit Show. All the muscle cars and the policy wonkness in one place. Sounds like dream for a kid from Detroit that has spent the second half of his life in DC's policy circles… Am I talking about Dave Shepardson or myself???
Also two events this week on Arctic issues including our friends at the Bipartisan Policy Commission, who are hosting a major forum on tight oil supply on Thursday and a CSIS/UN Environmental Program event on the future of the Arctic on Wednesday.
Perhaps though, the most important event of the week is Friday's environmental policy press forum at the Wilson Center hosted by our friends at the Society of Environmental Journalists. It features real environmental media experts like NYT report Coral Davenport, Douglas Fischer of The Daily Climate, The Guardian's Suzanne Goldenberg, C&EN's Cheryl Hogue and former NYT science expert Andy Revkin, among others. Bloomberg BNA Larry Pearl will moderate.
Finally on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., the Women's Council on Energy and Environmental (WCEE) will hosts its January Happy Hour at the Bar at the Mayflower Hotel. It is a good group that does a number of great events so I hope if you are interested you will join them.
Call with questions.
Frank Maisano
(202) 828-5864
c. (202) 997-5932
Ivanpah Featured in Solar Expansion Story – With all the discussion of solar in the media last week (remember, I focused on the glass half vs. glass half approaches in the LAT and CNBC), The Washington Post ran an excellent, balanced and significant A1 story on solar projects starting to come on in the West. The report featured a look at the BrightSource Energy Ivanpah project (where reported Lenny Bernstein visited) and not only had some cool pictures, but a nicely done info graphic (kudos to the Post's designers for that one.
SAFE Commission on Energy, Geopolitics Releases Oil Security 2025 – Securing America's Future Energy's Commission on Energy and Geopolitics released its inaugural report last week. Oil Security 2025: U.S. National Security Policy in an Era of Domestic Oil Abundance is the first product to be released in association with SAFE's new P.X. Kelley Center for Energy Security. We are proud to provide you with some of the top broadcast coverage of the Commission, including interviews on CNBC and MSNBC, as well as print articles covering the report's release by leading investigative reporters in oil and petroleum politics. We hope you enjoy the report and coverage, and thank you for your continued support of SAFE and our work to improve America's energy security.
Nebraska Files CCS, NSPS Lawsuit – The state of Nebraska is filing suit challenging the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) greenhouse gas standards for new power plants. "The impossible standards imposed by the EPA will ensure no new power plants are built in Nebraska," Attorney General Jon Bruning said. "This federal agency continues to overstep its authority at the detriment of Nebraska businesses." Bruning's challenge comes under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 which prohibits the EPA from considering federally-funded projects when determining the appropriate form of control technology. Contrary to the Act, the EPA proposed greenhouse gas standards based on three inoperable coal plants which have received more than $2.5 billion in federal subsidies. The EPA referenced the inoperable plants as evidence to support Carbon Capture and Storage technology should be the standard for all new coal plants. A copy of the complaint can be found here.
B&G Launches ShalePlay App – In response to the shale energy boom taking place in the United States and around the world, Bracewell & Giuliani has launched the ShalePlay app. Powered by the firm's energy law and environmental law attorneys and government relations professionals, the ShalePlay app is the first of its kind, offering a comprehensive resource on news and information related to shale gas and hydraulic fracturing, including the latest industry trends and updates. With oil and gas production near record levels as a result of hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"), a drilling technique that frees trapped hydrocarbons by injecting water, sand and chemicals into shale rock, this free app will prove vital to companies and individuals interested in keeping up to date with developments in the sector. The ShalePlay app includes 1) News aggregated from a variety of key sources' 2) Legislation/regulation
Shale studies, 3) Interactive map of shale plays, 4) Glossary of common terms, 5) Historical timeline of hydraulic fracturing, 6) Analysis from Bracewell & Giuliani attorneys. The app requires iOS 6.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5. An Android version will be available in the first half of 2014.
FOIA Documents Hit EPA, Sierra Club Over Coordination – A 2012 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by the Energy & Environment Legal Institute (E&E Legal), has produced several hundred documents affirming an uncomfortably close working relationship between the current EPA officials and environmental activists in their effort to undercut energy resources, particularly coal. Mostly e-mails between EPA top officials and the Sierra Club, the records illustrate how certain EPA employees with backgrounds working for green pressure groups serve as liaisons to those groups in advancing a shared agenda. Other documents affirm the close advisory role the pressure groups play in key EPA actions, like EPA's recently published New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for new coal-fired plants.
How Are They Working Together – The collaboration takes place in many forms: emails providing, e.g., a list of coal plants the green groups insist any EPA standards block from coming or staying on-line, meetings at EPA and at the green groups' offices where EPA comes to brief them, frequent conference calls, and at the Starbucks at Washington's J.W. Marriott, across the street from EPA. The latter is reminiscent of the Caribou Coffee revelations about this most transparent, White House, in history arranging off-site meetings with other lobbyists to avoid signing them in to the building. Numerous other emails show close collaboration on EPA public hearings to generate support for the rule.
Who's Mostly Involved – The e-mails show the central players to be two EPA officials who worked in the agency's policy office at the time of the e-mails, Michael Goo (former legislative director of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) who left EPA for a senior Department of Energy post), Alex Baron, and EPA senior counsel Joe Goffman (a former EDF lawyer). They all work closely with John Coequyt, who heads the Sierra Club's "Beyond Coal" campaign. In one e-mail Coequyt sent to Goo and Barron, he said, "Attached is a list of plants that companies said were shelved because of uncertainty around GHG [greenhouse gas] regulations. If a standard is set that these plants could meet, there is a small chance that they [sic] company could decide to revive the proposal." Coequyt is clearly signaling that that if the EPA sets achievable standards, proposed power plants on hold as the new standards are developed could ultimately be built, which is contrary to his group's agenda.
Who to Call for More Info, Copies of E-mails – The actions have been spearheaded by FOIA gadfly Chris Horner, Counsel to the Energy & Environment Legal Institute (E&E Legal), formerly the American Tradition Institute. Primarily through its petition litigation and transparency practice areas, E&E Legal seeks to correct onerous federal and state policies that hinder the economy, increase the cost of energy, eliminate jobs, and do little or nothing to improve the environment. For More info, you can call Craig Richardson at firstname.lastname@example.com; 703-981-5553.
BGov Holds Auto Policy Briefing – Bloomberg Government will held Its 2014 Auto Policy Briefing this morning. American auto sales last year were the highest since 2007, but 2014 will bring new challenges and opportunities, especially on the regulatory front. From fuel-economy standards and infrastructure spending to the prospect of improved export opportunities through new trade deals, policymakers in Washington will have a major impact on the course of the U.S. auto industry. BGov analysts will offer a detailed look at the policy and regulatory issues facing this important industry in 2014.
Ritter, Zichal, Esty to Discuss New Report on Energy – Colorado State's Center for the New Energy Economy led by former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter Tuesday will discuss a new report this morning at 9:30 a.m. at the National Press Club's Holeman Lounge. The report provides a guide to removing or restructuring legal, economic and regulatory barriers to clean energy and climate action. The plan is designed to unleash private capital and unshackle state governments and would require no action from Congress. Over the past few days, officials representing the executive branch have been briefed on a new plan to push climate and energy policy forward in the United States. Speakers will include Ritter, former White House Climate advisor Heather Zichal, Connecticut DEP head and former Yale Climate expert Dan Esty and former DOE official Sue Tierney.
Sen. Small Biz Field Hearing to Look at Impacts on Domestic Production – In one of her final hearings as chair, Mary Landrieu will hold a Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee field hearing today at 3:00 p.m. in Lafayette, LA to discuss empowering small businesses to impact domestic production. Witnesses will include API's Stephen Comstock, Gigi Lazenby of Bretagne, Southwestern Energy's Jennifer Stewart, Lee Jackson of Jackson Offshore Operators, PerPetro Energy's Joe LeBlanc, and Stephen Landry of Ernst & Young.
PA NatGas Public Hearings to Look at Court Ruling, Regs – On the heels of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's recent decision that struck down key portions of the state's oil and gas law, the PA Environmental Quality Board is holding public hearings throughout the state to accept public comment on proposed new regulations for oil and gas development in Pennsylvania. The new regulations will significantly shape PA DEP's actions on oil and gas activities. After four hearing last week, they continue in Washington County Wednesday, Indiana County on Thursday and Wyoming County next Monday. A complete listing of hearing dates and locations, as well as other information, can be found here.
Detroit Auto Show Rolls On – The North American International Auto Show in Detroit launched last week in Detroit with a flood of public officials and parties. Vice President Biden, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, Commerce's Penny Pritzker and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy all attended last week. The public show runs through Sunday of this week. Now in its 26th year as an international event, the NAIAS is among the most prestigious auto shows in the world, providing unparalleled access to the automotive products, people and ideas that matter most – up close and in one place.
EPA Science Committee Meeting Set to Discuss GHG Concerns – EPA's Science Advisory Board will hold a teleconference today from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. to conclude its discussion about questions board members had about the science backing EPA's proposed greenhouse regulations for new power plants. Late last year, the SAB raised concerns about whether EPA appropriately reviewed the issue before deciding that carbon capture and sequestration is commercially available for new coal-fired power plants. House Science Chair Lamar Smith and other committee members highlighted the problems in a recent letter to EPA Administrator McCarthy. Specifically, the Committee members pointed out that any EPA rule requiring the capture of carbon must address where the carbon is stored.
Early Stage Tech Webinar Set – ARPA-E will hold a webinar today at 1:00 p.m. that will identify path to market for early-stage technologies. In early 2013, ARPA-E partnered with NSF for a pilot program that put several ARPA-E project teams through the rigorous I-Corps program curriculum. I-Corps guides applied research teams through an iterative customer and business model discovery process aimed at identifying a path to market for early-stage technologies. Join us for an informative discussion about the i-Corps process and its value to researchers. ARPA-E Program Director and Senior Commercialization Advisor Dr. Ilan Gur will moderate a session featuring first-hand accounts by Dr. Anita LaSalle, NSF I-Corps Program Officer, and Sri Narayan, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Southern California and recent I-Corps graduate.
Program to Look at Energy, Environment in Turkmenistan – The Central Asia Program at IERES will host a forum tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. at George Washington University's Voesar Conference Room, Suite 412 to discuss environment, human rights, and oil development in Turkmenistan. Kate Watters, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Crude Accountability will discuss the links between environmental and human rights violations and oil and gas development in Turkmenistan, one of the world's most opaque and authoritarian countries. She will focus on the various responses of international financial institutions, multi-national oil companies and western governments to Turkmenistan's official policies, and discuss the role of civil society in highlighting and uncovering environmental and human rights abuses.
CSIS to Host Arctic Forum – Center for Strategic and International Studies and the United Nations Environment Program will hold the second session of its Arctic Speaker Series forum on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. aimed at understanding the 21st Century Arctic. The series is designed to provide important information on critical political, environmental, economic, and governance developments in the Arctic. This particular session will gather leading environmental scientists and U.S. government officials to examine the dramatic environmental changes confronting the Arctic region and their implications for Arctic and non-Arctic states alike. The expert panel will address what the environmental, economic, and security consequences of the rapidly melting ice in the High North could be and how the phenomenon affect Arctic and non-Arctic actors. Speakers will be OSTP's Brendan Kelly, Oceanographer and Navigator of the Navy Rear Admiral Jonathan W. White and United States Arctic Research Commission advisor Martin Jeffries.
Policy Auto Show Locked In, Ford COO to Keynote – Following Detroit, the Washington Auto Show, the automotive industry's annual public policy show and the largest public show held in Washington, D.C., will be held on Wednesday through February 2nd. This year, Mark Fields, chief operating officer of Ford Motor Company, will deliver the keynote address at the Newsmaker Breakfast on Wednesday to launch the event. The Newsmaker Breakfast – co-sponsored by Washington Automotive Press Association (WAPA) and the International Motor Press Association (IMPA) – is part of the show's Public Policy Days. The breakfast follows the Policy Days' kickoff event on Capitol Hill. For more information about The Washington Auto Show, please visit www.washingtonautoshow.com
McCarthy to Head to World Economic Forum in Davos – The World Economic Forum will be held in Davos, Switzerland Wednesday through Saturday and why wide-ranging in its issues scope, it will likely touch on environmental and energy issues. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy will be there to highlight President Obama's Climate Action Plan and discuss the business and economic opportunities that come from addressing climate change.
DOE's Kenderdine Addresses ICF Breakfast Series – ICF International's Energy Breakfast Series continues on Thursday, January 23rd at 8:00 a.m. when it hosts DOE's Melanie A. Kenderdine as the keynote speaker at the University Club to address a wide range of topics pertinent to DOE's current and future roles, including energy policy and systems analysis office, quadrennial energy review and the President's climate action plan. Additional discussion topics include new energy technologies, the impact of expanded oil and gas production, and grid reliability.
Iowa to Hold Public Session on EPA Ethanol Regs – Gov. Terry Branstad is hosting a public hearing on Thursday in Des Moines to give Iowa citizens a chance to comment on the EPA proposal that would reduce the amount of ethanol in the nation's fuel supply. Wonder what they'll say?
BPC to Look at Arctic Oil Issues – The Bipartisan Policy Center will hold a forum on Thursday at the Washington Court Hotel focused on navigating the oil frontier that will focus on the implications of the tight oil boom on Arctic and ultra-deepwater oil development. The topics include disaster response and spill cleanup, Arctic climate change adaptation, and the specific challenges of the Arctic's unique geology and environment.
WRI to Look ay On-Grid Renewable Resources – The World Resources Institute will launch the first publication in the 10 Questions to Ask series on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. The "10 Questions to Ask About Scaling On-Grid Renewable Energy" is a framework designed to facilitate multi-stakeholder engagement for improving renewable energy policy. The authors will present the framework, and WRI partners from India, Brazil, South Africa and Kyrgyzstan will discuss its relevance to their respective countries. A wine reception will follow. By the end of 2012, 138 countries worldwide had introduced renewable energy (RE) targets, and investments in new RE capacity totaled US$244 billion that year. Globally, RE is gaining momentum, with over 480 gigawatts (GW) of installed renewable power capacity. RE is now at the forefront of many national energy development plans. The progress made in many countries has also highlighted the complexities of increasing the rate of RE deployment at the national level. Deploying renewable energy on an economy-wide scale requires solutions to a range of short- medium- and long-term challenges. These include resolving economic questions about how the costs of new RE generation will be distributed among electricity consumers, investors, taxpayers, and other stakeholders, and technological challenges such as accommodating intermittent supply, upgrading or adding transmission and distribution grids, and addressing knowledge gaps. Speakers will include report authors Davida Wood and Sarah Martin of WRI and Shantanu Dixit of Prayas Energy Group, India.
SEJ to Host Forum to Look at Year Ahead in Energy, Environment – The Society of Environmental Journalists, the Wilson Center and the Global Sustainability and Resilience Program will host a panel on Friday at 3:00 p.m. at the Wilson Center to look at the year ahead in environmental and energy issues. A panel of veteran journalists will offer their thoughts on what will be the biggest environment and energy stories in the U.S. and around the world. Bloomberg BNA's Larry Pearl will kick off the discussion with an overview of the key legislative, regulatory, and legal developments expected in 2014, followed by a roundtable with six top journalists covering local, national, and international environmental issues. Others panelists will include Douglas Fischer of The Daily Climate, NYT's Coral Davenport, Dennis Dimick of National Geographic Magazine, The Guardian's Suzanne Goldenberg, Cheryl Hogue of Chemical & Engineering News and Andy Revkin, New York Times Environmental Blogger (Dot Earth) and Pace University Journalism professor.
SEIA will Host "Shout Out" Day on Social Media – On Friday, the Solar Energy Industry Association will host its National "Shout Out For Solar" Day. Supported by both business and environmental groups, hundreds of thousands of people from across the United States and around the world are expected to take part in the event taking place on Facebook, Twitter and other social media venues. The event coincides with SEIA's 40th anniversary as a national trade association and the "voice" of solar energy in America. It will also mark the launch of a new "America Supports Solar" campaign, which will highlight solar energy's explosive growth across the United States, as well as its record-shattering year in 2013. It's estimated that the U.S. now has 13 gigawatts of installed solar capacity – enough to power more than 2 million American homes. What's more, when all of the numbers are in, solar is expected to account for more new electric capacity in the U.S. in 2013 than any other renewable energy source. To participate: 1. Take a picture with your sign 2. Upload your picture to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and use the hashtag #GoSolar. Today, there are nearly 120,000 Americans employed by the U.S. solar industry at more than 6,100 American companies. While 2013 was a record-breaking year, 2014 may be even better, with 30 percent growth being forecast. Part of this unprecedented growth is due to the fact that the average price of a solar system has dropped by more than 50 percent since 2010, benefitting consumers, businesses, schools and government entities.
JHU Forum to Discuss GHGs from Cars – The Johns Hopkins University's African Studies program hosts an event on Friday at 4:30 p.m. featuring Antonio Bento, associate professor with the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University. Bento will discuss "Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Passenger Vehicles: Evidence from Programs around the World".
Energy Summit Set – The 2014 American Energy Summit will be held on January 27 – 28, 2014 in Arlington, Virginia and will focus on the hundreds of billions of dollars being spent on new energy projects by the federal government, state and local governments, and by private industry.
STATE OF THE UNION, January 28th – President Obama will deliver his State of the Union Address to Congress on Tuesday, January 28th. While healthcare and job creation are expected to get top billing, Energy is expected to play a prominent role.
Alt Fuels Workshops Set for Next Week at DC Auto Show – The Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition and the Washington Auto Show are partnering Tuesday-Thursday, January 28-30 to provide alternative fuels training, workshops, and panels during this year's show. This represents the first time that the Coalition is partnering with the Auto Show in this way, and we will be providing alternative fuels training, panels, and workshops relevant to the needs of fleets and organizations in our region.
The agenda is available here.
Conference to Look at Science, Climate Solutions – The 14th National Conference & Global Forum on Science, Policy & the Environment will be held on Tuesday-Thursday, January 28-30th at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport. Over 1,200 key individuals from many fields of sciences and engineering, government and policy, business and civil society to advance solutions to climate change. The conference will be organized around two areas: [1] The Built Environment; and, [2] Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Forum to Look at 2014 Energy Choices – The American Security Project will host a forum on Tuesday, January 28th at 8:30 a.m. to look at America's Energy Choices for 2014. The way America uses and produces energy remains a hotly debated issue in Washington and around the country. We will discuss the various energy choices available to the United States currently and in the years to come. A range of speakers from across multiple energy producing industries will be announced shortly.
Krosnick, Sharp to Discuss Climate Public Attitudes – The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing Tuesday, January 28th at 3:00 p.m. in 2325 Rayburn discussing American perceptions of climate change following a new in-depth survey conducted in December by Resources for the Future, Stanford University, and USA Today. For the first time, the survey explored in detail the public's attitudes toward generating electricity from various sources and its attitude toward fracking in particular. Speakers will include Stanford's Jon Krosnick and RFF President Phil Sharp. Initial results from the survey were featured in the December 20 issue of USA Today, but Dr. Krosnick will present a wide array of additional results, including whether the public believes climate change has been happening, what should and should not be done about it, whether the public supports or opposes specific government policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and more. RFF President Phil Sharp will discuss the poll results in the context of the current U.S. climate and energy policy landscape.
SNL Conference On Energy M&A Set for NYC – SNL Energy's 27th Annual Exnet Power and Gas M&A Symposium – an national energy conference will be held on January 28th and 29th at the Ritz-Carlton in New York. The Symposium is the annual go-to event for industry executives, as well as financial and legal advisors who are concerned with strategic planning, business development and the economics of the sector. The speakers and audience are comprised of industry decision-makers, plus heads of power and utility practices at leading investment banks, law firms and consultancies.
Energy Happy Hour Set – The Leaders in Energy LinkedIn and CSRinDC (Corporate Social Responsibility) Meetup group will be co-hosting their professional networking Happy Hour on Tuesday, January 28th at 6:00 p.m. at the Banana Cafe & Piano Bar. The mission of the Leaders in Energy group is to gather people together who delight in thinking about, discussing, and collaborating on energy, environmental and sustainability topics.
IEA Coal Report to be Released at CSIS – The CSIS Energy and National Security Program will release the IAE's Medium-Term Coal Market Report from 2013 in Wednesday January 29th. The event will feature Keisuke Sadamori, Director for Energy Markets and Security at the International Energy Agency (IEA), to present IEA's Report. The report, part of the IEA's Medium-Term Reports series, provides IEA forecasts on coal markets for the coming five years as well as an in-depth analysis of recent developments in global coal demand, supply, and trade. This third annual report shows that while coal continues to be a growing source of primary energy worldwide, its future is increasingly tied to developments in non-OECD countries, led by China. The current low prices for coal add a new challenge to the sector, which is facing uncertainty due to increasing environmental legislation and competition from other fuels, like US shale gas or European renewables. The report addresses significant questions including whether depressed prices for coal will boost the fuel's consumption; if other developing countries will follow in China's footsteps by increasingly relying on coal to fuel economic growth; and, above all, whether the strong growth of coal in China will continue between now and 2018. Jane Nakano, Fellow with the CSIS Energy and National Security Program, will moderate.
Fusion Power to Be Focus of Forum – The American Security Project will host a forum on Wednesday, January 29th at Noon in 2325 Rayburn (House Energy/Commerce) focused on fusion power. Sustainable and controlled fusion power has been a dream for the scientific community for decades. However, recent advances in research and technology have raised hopes that fusion could become a new source of electricity. U.S. ITER Project Office Director Ned Sauthoff will discuss the topic with a panel.
RFF Event to Look at Forest, GHG Management – Resources for the Future will host an event on Wednesday, January 29th 12:30 p.m. in its First Floor Conference Center on the contributions of forest on GHG management. Responsible management of temperate forests in the United States can play an important and ongoing role in climate change mitigation at a national and international scale. This RFF Seminar, co-sponsored by Resources for the Future and the Society of American Foresters, will delve into some of the questions that surround carbon accounting and forest management. The event, moderated by RFF Senior Fellow Roger Sedjo, will feature presentations by David Cleaves, explaining the integral role of the US Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis Program in determining carbon stocks; William Stewart, describing the results of new research comparing best practices and regulators' assumptions about the carbon profiles of managed forests and the harvested products from such forests in northern California; and Robert Malmsheimer, discussing the recent work of the SAF's Carbon Accounting Team to dissect the latest science underlying these discussions.
Forum, Report to Look at Arctic Energy – The Canada Institute, the Kennan Institute, and the Wilson Center's Environmental Change and Security Program will launch of "In Search of Arctic Energy" on Wednesday, January 29th at 1:00 p.m. The program will discuss the findings of the new paper and delve into the implications that arctic energy exploration will have for the region and the globe's energy economy. Speakers will include Mikkal Herberg of the National Bureau of Asian Research, Chevron's Bill Scott, RFF's Joel Darmstadter and State of Alaska State-Federal Relations Director Kip Knudson, among others.
Forum to Discuss Energy Security Book – Georgetown University will host a book launch Wednesday, January 29th at 6:00 p.m. in the Mortara Building Boardroom to celebrate the recent publication of Energy and Security: Strategies for a World in Transition (co-editors Jan Kalicki and David Goldwyn) by Wilson Center Press and Johns Hopkins University Press. Goldwyn, Kalicki, Dr. Raad Alkadiri and Dr. Brenda Shaffer will also join in a panel discussion.
USDA Industry Day to Focus on Biofuels – The USDA will host an industry day on Thursday, January 30th for the newly established Farm to Fleet program. Under the Navy Biofuels program established through the Defense Production Act Title III, the USDA is required to support one-third of the total $510 million program. Through the Farm to Fleet program, the USDA will commit Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds to purchase 70 million gallons of JP-5 or F-76 fuel for the Navy from biofuel blends ranging up to 50 percent. If biofuels meeting these specifications have a higher cost than the bulk fuel purchase made by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), CCC funds will be used to offset this price difference and result in an overall price-equivalent biofuel portion of the total 700 million gallons of JP-5 and F-76 to be purchased in this round of contracts. The Industry Day will include discussions on which feedstocks are eligible or preferred, as well as partnerships between experienced biofuel developers who have worked with the Navy, Air Force, or DLA and traditional suppliers of bulk fuel contracts. Sample contracts may become available as soon as this month.
EEI, ELI to Host GHG Emissions Conference – The Edison Electric Institute and the Environmental Law Institute will hold a day-long conference on Thursday, January 30th to look at GHG regulations. As you know, the President aims at reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 by using Section 111 of the Clean Air Act to reduce both new and existing power plant greenhouse gas emissions with a goal of implementing regulations before the end of his term in office. The legal issues inherent in undertaking this task are extremely complex with significant economic, environmental, and social implications. And the timetable laid out by the President is extremely ambitious. This conference brings together top experts in the field of energy and environmental law to discuss the legal hurdles and possibilities as well as the real-world ramifications of using Section 111 to address power plant greenhouse gas emissions. Discussion leaders will focus on the legal uncertainties EPA and power producers will face as well as the day-to-day implications these regulations and the regulatory uncertainty will have for power producers, users, and state regulators as this new regulatory regime is constructed. In a wrap up session, panelists will discuss relevant legislative history and review likely legal arguments to be made in response to and in support of proposed GHG rules for the power sector.
Senate to Tackle Crude Exports – The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources will hold an oversight hearing on Thursday, January 30th to examine opportunities and challenges associated with lifting the ban on United States crude oil exports. Already, Senator Murkowski has made several important speeches on the topic, which is fast becoming an issue of importance.
Forum to Look at Energy in Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania – The George Washington University's IERES Petrach Program on Ukraine will hold a forum on Thursday, January 30th at 4:00 p.m. to look at the politics of energy in Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania. Recent events in Ukraine again bring up the question of countries' energy policy choices and the role of powerful domestic groups in relation to Russia and the EU. The Politics of Energy Dependency looks at these issues from the perspective of post-independence energy politics in three post-Soviet states: Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania. It compares these three states' reactions to the serious external shock of their sudden transformation from constituents of a single energy-rich state to separate energy-poor entities heavily dependent on Russia, as well as politically-independent transit states. Using extensive field research and until now untapped local sources in Ukrainian, Belarusian, Russian, and Lithuanian, the book analyzes how these states' unique location, powerful domestic economic actors often making a profit of their situation of energy dependency (oligarchs), and Russian power, has affected Russia's ability to use energy as a foreign policy tool in the region, and these states' own political development. Seton Hall University's Margarita M. Balmaceda will address the topic.
Green BRT to Look at Forestry – The January Green Business Roundtable will be held on Friday, January 31st at 11:30 a.m. at the National Wildlife Federation National Advocacy Center to look at sustaining forests and improving supply chains via credible certifications. Forest products for industrial and personal consumption are some of the most freely traded commodities in today's global marketplace. But the trade in these products have also been implicated in the increasingly historic loss of forest cover worldwide, contributing 15-20 % of the CO2 emissions attributed to the global climate change challenge. Forestry economics expert Bruce Cabarle will speak to his efforts during his 20 year tenure with the World Wildlife Fund and the Forest Stewardship Council to promote sustainable supply chains via public-private partnerships to promote environmentally, socially and economically sound solutions to this challenge.
Forum to Look at Energy in Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania – The George Washington University's IERES Petrach Program on Ukraine will hold a forum on Thursday, January 30th at 4:00 p.m. to look at the politics of energy in Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania. Recent events in Ukraine again bring up the question of countries' energy policy choices and the role of powerful domestic groups in relation to Russia and the EU. The Politics of Energy Dependency looks at these issues from the perspective of post-independence energy politics in three post-Soviet states: Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania. It compares these three states' reactions to the serious external shock of their sudden transformation from constituents of a single energy-rich state to separate energy-poor entities heavily dependent on Russia, as well as politically-independent transit states. Using extensive field research and until now untapped local sources in Ukrainian, Belarusian, Russian, and Lithuanian, the book analyzes how these states' unique location, powerful domestic economic actors often making a profit of their situation of energy dependency (oligarchs), and Russian power, has affected Russia's ability to use energy as a foreign policy tool in the region, and these states' own political development. Seton Hall University's Margarita M. Balmaceda will address the topic.
Green BRT to Look at Forestry – The January Green Business Roundtable will be held on Friday, January 31st at 11:30 a.m. at the National Wildlife Federation National Advocacy Center to look at sustaining forests and improving supply chains via credible certifications. Forest products for industrial and personal consumption are some of the most freely traded commodities in today's global marketplace. But the trade in these products have also been implicated in the increasingly historic loss of forest cover worldwide, contributing 15-20 % of the CO2 emissions attributed to the global climate change challenge. Forestry economics expert Bruce Cabarle will speak to his efforts during his 20 year tenure with the World Wildlife Fund and the Forest Stewardship Council to promote sustainable supply chains via public-private partnerships to promote environmentally, socially and economically sound solutions to this challenge.
Maisano to Headline Media Seminar – For those of you focused on media relations and policy communications, I will be participating in a webinar on February 4th focused on creating a successful media strategies for the policy environment. We will look at the nexus between policy communications and government affairs, as well as crisis management. Finally, we will offer some of the tools of the trade. We can also help you with a discount if you want to join in.
ELI Panel to Look at 2014 Enviro Agenda – The Environmental Law Institute will hold an ELI Research Seminar on February 5th to discuss of what effects the next Obama Administration will have on environmental law, policy, and practice in 2014. Four expert practitioners will have an "inside-baseball" discussion about upcoming policies and regulatory agendas at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Justice, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Department of Interior, among other regulatory agencies. Panelists will include former EPA GC Scott Fulton, former White House CEQ expert Gary Guzy, former FERC enforcement expert Sheila Slocum Hollis and Bill Meadows of the Wilderness Society.
NASEO Policy Outlook Conference Set for DC – The National Assn of state Energy Officials will hold its 2014 Energy Policy Outlook Conference at the Fairmont on February 4th through 7th. The conference will focus on the energy and economic opportunity in modernizing the nation's energy infrastructure—electric grid, pipelines, buildings, and transportation—to achieve a more resilient, sustainable, and energy efficient future. The need to modernize our aging energy infrastructure is among the most important global competitive challenges facing the United States. Our energy system is being stressed in order to meet complex operational demands, such as grid integration, shifts in resources and energy flows, cybersecurity, and an infusion of digital technologies across every sector of the economy.
NARUC Winter Meetings Set – The National Assn of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) will host its Winter Meetings on February 9th through 12th at the Renaissance Washington Hotel. Speakers will Include Sens. Lamar Alexander, Mary Landrieu, Joe Manchin, Lisa Murkowski and Mark Pryor, as well as EPRI CEO Mike Howard, among others.
Bracewell to Host Environmental Symposium in Houston – On February 11th, Bracewell & Giuliani will host a forum on environment issues in Houston. More on this in the upcoming weeks. While it will not be open to the media, it will feature B&G experts in a series of briefings and discussions about the most challenging environmental legal issues facing the energy and heavy industries today.
Chamber Sets Transpo Summit – On February 20th, the U.S. Chamber will gather leaders and experts from all sectors of transportation for the second annual Let's Rebuild America Transportation Summit-Infrastructure Intersection-to examine the important role transportation infrastructure plays across major sectors of America's economy. At the summit, presenters will explore five key infrastructure intersections-Energy, Manufacturing, Agriculture, Technology, and Healthcare-and how each sector requires well-functioning transportation infrastructure systems to realize its full potential.
Vilsack, Ag Economist Glauber, Trade Rep Froman to Headline USDA Forum – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will hold the 2014 Agricultural Outlook Forum on February 20th and 21st at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel, Arlington, Va. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will moderate two general session panels on the Future of Agriculture. Speaking in the first panel will be Administrator of the U. S. Agency for International Development Rajiv Shah; President of the Produce Marketing Association Cathy Burns; and Kellee James, founder and CEO of Mercaris, a market trading platform for organic agricultural commodities. The second panel focuses on young farmers and includes Executive Director of the Farmer Veteran Coalition Michael O'Gorman; Joanna Carraway, a young Kentucky farmer who won the 2013 Top Producer Horizon Award; Greg Wegis, who operates a 17,600-acre vegetable and nut farm in California; and the Interim Director of the National Young Farmers Coalition, Emily Oakley. USDA's Chief Economist Joseph Glauber will deliver the 2014 Agricultural & Foreign Trade Outlooks. The Forum's dinner speaker will be U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman.
Interior Sects, former WY Gov Headline CO Law Forum – The University of Colorado Law School will host the inaugural Martz Winter Symposium on February 27th and 28th in Boulder. People from different disciplines and backgrounds will discuss the specific challenges confronting efforts to operationalize sustainability in the context of natural resource industries. The symposium will discuss the idea of sustainability and how it is taking shape in particular places and sectors; rigorously explore current efforts to re-organize certain business practices under the rubric of sustainability; and endeavor to identify practical, meaningful actions to deepen ongoing efforts to make sustainability a central tenet of our economic, social, and environmental future. Speakers will include Jeff Bingaman, former Chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and U.S. Senator from New Mexico, Deputy Secretary of the Interior Designate Michael Connor, former Governor of Wyoming Dave Freudenthal, former Interior Secretaries Gale Norton and Ken Salazar.
Methanol Forum Set – The Methanol Institute, the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security and the U.S. Energy Security Council will host the 2014 Methanol Policy Forum in Washington, D.C. on March 18th at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. The event will bring together industry leaders, energy policy experts, executive branch officials, Members of Congress, academics and the media to share information about methanol's potential as a liquid transportation fuel. Against the backdrop of the shale gas revolution and a resurgence of domestic methanol production. The event will kick-off with a panel of CEO's representing the growing number of methanol producers opening plants in Louisiana, Texas and beyond. It will provide the most up-to-date information on methanol fuel blending around the globe, with experts from China, Israel, Australia and Europe. Officials from the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency will join with technology innovators to discuss how to unlock our vehicles to methanol. Plus, there will be a special luncheon discussion with members of the U.S. Energy Security Council — a "who's who" of Washington policy leaders – on fuel choices.


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Catherine was most recently in residence at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center from late December 2015 until mid August 2016. During her time there she led the year end retreat, gave two classes (Writing As A Wisdom Project, and "But I Have Eyes," a study of the Heart Sutra), and served as Tenzo.
"Finding Stillness in the Midst of the Hurly Burly" and "Faith As Practice and Vow" are talks Catherine gave in 2016 at Green Gulch. During an earlier stay, she was recorded for this Audiograph segment on the sounds of the temple.
Having returned to the northeast, after short stays in Massachusetts and Virginia, Catherine has settled again in Pittsburgh, where she leads a small sitting group in the Greenfield neighborhood. (For further information please email liberationheart @ gmail.)
In recent years, Catherine has spent time with various sanghas in the northeast, practicing with Chuck Hotchkiss at oldpondmind zendo in North Truro, Massachusetts, giving two series at the Insight Meditation Circle in Harwich, visiting Empty Hand Zen Center in New Rochelle, New York, for two weeks of teaching and leading practice, and Zen Center North Shore, in Beverly, Massachusetts, where she has offered dharma talks and led Writing As A Wisdom project retreats. In 2013 for six months, Catherine served as Ino at the Brooklyn Zen Center, also offering two eight-week classes there, one on the Four Noble Truths and one on the Four Foundations of Mindfulnesss. During her time at BZC she also led Writing As a Wisdom Project retreats.
In 2010, 2012, and 2015, Catherine made wonderful long visits to the Dancing Mountains Sangha in the U.K. Here, and here, in two parts, is a talk she gave at the Dancing Mountains Rohatsu Sesshin in 2012. During her third visit, her talks focused on the koan story Ling's Question. Here is one of those talks, offered in the context of a Writing as a Wisdom Project retreat.
Writing as a Wisdom Project
A workshop/retreat for writers and Zen students is offered occasionally at various locations and Zen Centers. Further information can be found at Writing As A Wisdom Project.
In 2011 and 2012 Catherine joined with Pittsburgh-area practitioners from various Buddhist traditions to form the Stillworkers, a fellowship dedicated to bringing dharma practice into activity for social and environmental justice. The prison program begun at that time continues and is flourishing, and Catherine again practices with inmates at the Allegheny County Jail.
Bio Note
Catherine Gammon is a Soto Zen priest in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, ordained in 2005 by Tenshin Reb Anderson. She began formal practice with Stillpoint Zen Community in Pittsburgh in 1997 and received precepts as a layperson from Rev. Shohaku Okumura in 1998. She was in residential training at San Francisco Zen Center from 2000 to 2010, and served as Shuso, or head monk, for the Spring 2010 practice period at Green Dragon Temple/Green Gulch Farm. She has returned to Green Gulch for various periods of residence since that time. Before leaving Pittsburgh to begin residential training, Catherine taught creative writing in the Master of Fine Arts program of the University of Pittsburgh. Her novel Sorrow, published in 2013 by Braddock Avenue Books, was a finalist for the Northern California Book Award. Her novel Isabel Out of the Rain was published in 1991 by Mercury House. Her shorter fiction has appeared in many literary journals. In 2012 she published Beauty and the Beast: Stories from the 1970s.

subset: commoncrawl


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Startups Need Education On CFIUS Triggers, House Panel Told
Startups, particularly those in the tech sector, seeking venture financing may not always be aware of the potential implications of sizable investments from foreign companies with regard to oversight from the CFIUS, WilmerHale's Robert Kimmitt, who served as...
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PIA's 2004 Issues of Focus
Financial Services Modernization Tops Agenda
Financial services modernization tops a list of issues of focus for PIA in 2004.
Other issues of importance to agents that may see movement this year include reauthorization and reform of the federal flood insurance program, renewal of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA), insurance scoring and producer licensing reform.
"At the start of each year, PIA looks at the issues we may be called upon to engage," said PIA Senior Vice President Patricia A. Borowski. "Experience teaches us that sometimes the best assessment of the political landscape is subject to change by unexpected developments. That said, our best assessment is that pressure from Congress to speed up reforms to insurance regulation will remain the top issue in 2004, with several other issues gaining prominence."
What follows is an overview of the legislative and regulatory landscape at the beginning of 2004. PIA National staff assigned to track these issues provide snapshots of what is in the works and how each issue affects PIA members.
Federal Legislative Outlook
By Pete Bizzozero
Assistant Vice President, Federal Affairs
PIA National
Action in Congress during 2004 with potential effects on PIA members can be divided into two broad categories: what lawmakers are likely to do and what some are threatening to do.
As always, warding off possible threats takes precedence. Pressure is building for Congress to pass legislation on insurance regulation. In 2003, the idea of moving to a system based on an optional federal charter for insurance carriers appeared to gain ground. Both the Senate Commerce and House Financial Services committees held hearings on this issue.
These hearings were more an introduction to future discussions on this issue than anything else. Most of the discussion in both sessions focused on the concepts of an optional federal charter versus national standards.
PIA opposes an optional federal charter and supports the concept of national standards.
Proponents of the optional federal charter approach, primarily large insurers, made their standard argument: that the current system is inefficient and hinders insurers from bringing new products to market. Those of us who support national standards countered with our argument that there is no need to create another federal bureaucracy; rather, we should use federal legislative tools to achieve the goal of uniformity.
PIA has always supported state-based functional regulation of insurance that balances the need for national uniformity in standards and the demands of emerging multi-state markets, within the framework of functional state regulation. PIA is opposed to a federalized insurance oversight system, optional federal charters as part of a dual regulatory system, or an exclusive state-only regulatory system.
Consumer groups, like the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), were very active and vocal during the hearings. These groups have taken a somewhat different approach. CFA, which has traditionally supported state regulation, indicated it is considering changing its position. The group expressed an interest in an approach similar to legislation introduced by Senator Ernest "Fritz" Hollings (D-South Carolina).
S. 1373, the Insurance Consumer Protection Act, would establish a commission within the Department of Commerce that would regulate insurance. The commission would be responsible for licensing and setting standards for life, property and casualty lines of insurance. It would also have the power to hold hearings, receive evidence and compile information concerning the business practices of any person, partnership or corporation in the interstate life, property and casualty insurance industries.
Similar proposals introduced over the years, including one by then-Sen. Edward Brooke (R-Massachusetts) in 1976, have been starting points for the kind of discussion now underway. This most recent legislation is opposed by the insurance industry and is unlikely to move - however, it serves as a reminder that Congress is losing patience with the pace of progress in reforming insurance regulation.
We expect that there will be more hearings held on this matter. Representative Richard Baker (R-Louisiana) has indicated a great interest in this issue. It is very likely that we will see some kind of legislation introduced by the end of the year.
Flood Insurance
Reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) will be our first priority in 2004, because Congress has given itself a short deadline.
Last November, Congress extended authority for the National Flood Insurance Program through March 31, 2004. This three-month extension provides additional time for Congress to attempt to agree on reforms to the program. The House has already passed H.R. 253, the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2003. The Senate did not have time to act. H.R. 253 reforms the current flood insurance program in an effort to prevent abuses of homeowners making repeat claims. It also provides for a five-year reauthorization.
PIA's biggest concern with this issue is a rule proposed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in combination with a federal venue provision that may be included in flood legislation. The FEMA rule would convert all insurance producers - either contracted or employed by Write-Your-Own (WYO) insurers - into "agents acting for the insured."
Partly as a result of our filing of formal complaints, FEMA has postponed these proposed rule changes until May 1, 2004. Since the NFIP authorization expires on March 31, 2004, the rule changes and the reauthorization will have to be coordinated.
At this time, PIA members should not see any changes in their WYO programs. PIA will continue to oppose this aspect of the proposed rule changes by working the FEMA process, proposing legislative clarity in the NFIP reauthorization bill, and working out a solution directly with WYOs.
PIA members may get the call to participate in rapid grassroots campaigns on this issue, as warranted. We'll let you know.
Other Issues
In addition to these two issues, PIA will be working on a number of other issues that could see action in 2004, including association health plans (AHPs), natural disaster legislation, FCC do not fax regulations and the amortization of intangible assets.
One issue that Congress would be well advised to address during 2004, instead of waiting until 2005, is renewal of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA). While TRIA does not expire until the end of 2005, the insurance business cycle is the driving factor for timing a final decision on TRIA's fate, if we wish to avoid market disruptions.
PIA supports renewal of TRIA.
Regulatory Outlook
By Ellen Sanders
Assistant Vice President, Regulatory Affairs
PIA National
Two major issues of interest to PIA members that state legislators and insurance regulators are expected to focus on in 2004 are: regulatory reform and modernization; and insurance scores and CLUE reports.
Regulatory reform and modernization is at the top of regulators' and legislators' agendas. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL), National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the Council of State Governments (CSG) have jointly adopted a resolution in support of states remaining the sole regulators of the business of insurance. The resolution also stipulates that the four organizations continue to support efforts to streamline, simplify and modernize insurance regulation and oppose any federal initiatives that could undermine state authority.
These organizations are asking the state legislatures to adopt similar resolutions during their upcoming sessions and forward them to Members of Congress as a show of support for state regulation and opposition to federalization of insurance regulation.
In addition, the NAIC is promoting ASSURE, The Alliance for Sound State Uniform Regulatory Efficiency, non-profit coalitions made up of consumers, legislators, and industry and business leaders who believe that state governments are better equipped to regulate the insurance industry and protect America's consumers. Thus far, ASSURE coalitions have been formed in eleven states.
How to Get There?
While there is widespread agreement on the goals, there are disagreements on how to achieve those goals. Some parties urge starting with rate and form modernization, while others promote market conduct reform as a starting point. Some parties want the legislators to legislate the reform measures, while others want the legislators to grant regulators broad authority to devise and implement the necessary modernization measures. And of course there are those legislators and regulators who think that their respective states have the best insurance regulatory schemes and that all the other states should modernize and change to be like them.
In September 2003, NAIC adopted a Regulatory Modernization Plan that is based on seven principles:
- Consumer Protection
- Market Regulation
- Speed to Market for Insurance Products
- Producer Licensing Uniformity
- Insurance Company Licensing Standardization
- Solvency Regulation
- Streamline Approval Processes for Change in Insurance Company Control.
NAIC's accompanying work plan details projects and projected completion dates through 2008.
The states will not stand idle while NAIC implements its modernization work plan. Some states plan to tweak existing laws, such as adopting amendments to their recently enacted producer licensing laws so that these laws are more closely aligned with other states. Other states are considering reforming and streamlining the insurance product approval process. A few may consider a wholesale reform of their insurance regulatory scheme.
Insurance Scoring
Other areas of probable widespread legislative and regulatory reform are insurance scores and CLUE reports. There has been much public out-cry and concern about the use of both reports and the impact on the availability and costs of insurance. Some of the outcry is based on misunderstandings or misinformation. But policymakers have heard many horror stories from their constituents and will be looking at ways to address their concerns. Insurance industry representatives will be keeping close tabs on this area to make sure that any new laws or amendments do not negate their perceived benefits.
The coming year is likely to see debate and possible solutions in other hot areas, such medical malpractice, regional or national insurance compacts for approval of certain insurance products, and auto insurance reform.
The existing insurance regulation scheme will continue to be under scrutiny from the Congress and others who seek to federalize oversight of insurance regulation.
Therefore, states will continue to study and initiate reforms that streamline and modernize insurance regulation at the state level, with NAIC, NCOIL and NCSL making major pushes for states to adopt the needed changes.
In addition, states will endeavor to address hot issues as they arise - such as considering proposals to address the concerns raised by constituents regarding insurance scores and CLUE reports - so as to reduce the spotlight on hot button issues that Congress may feel they can better address at the federal level.
This article originally appeared in the January 2004 PIA Connection.


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text: I thought this would make a somewhat interesting topics As all of us in Education/Work know, there's always an added joyous occasion called "Assignment Deadlines" around this time of the year. So, what are you guys doing right now at work/school? Anything you're interested in? Anything you find unbearably boring? Right now, I'm working on two projects (yes, only two!). I'm working on my Contextual Review for my Final Year Dissertation of my BSc Computer Games Development Degree. You don't really realise the sheer importance of the project until you write up your front page and it's like "Woah... this write up will have my name on it forever, this dissertation will be a big moment in my life", and it's a scary and exciting thought all at the same time. A lot of your prospective emloyers, quite possibly for the rest of your life, will look at this and judge you on it. Quite possibly in years to come, people will look at this and actually use it for their own research project. Anyway, the actual project is the creation of a level editor. The contextual review is basically a 20 (give or take a few) page report that details the general idea of the project, examples of other work in your field, how you're going to learn from your research and how your work will take into account what others have done, and then a plan of action (aka a gantt chart) from the time you start making the actual artefact to the time you wrap up the dissertation itself. There's also the other project which is making a "game" using OGRE, where you control an animated model around a virtual world. There's the pre-requisits such as making the model and controlling it in game but in order to do really well you pretty much have to come up with your own inventive ideas. If you're into programming, do something inventive with your coding, make platforming elements, add in a complex camera, you could even go as far as to make a gun and make it shoot (although I doubt many people will do this, we're too swamped getting the minimum requirements done for this and doing the contextual review!). The sky is the limit, really. I'm hoping to add in some platforming elements, like jumping and running, and possibly even add in a classic feature like jumping on stuff to kill it So, what are you working on?


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We are a MUST feature on Lakeshore Boulevard.......MAJOR RENOVATIONS from the exterior of the community to the interior of our apartment homes. Your experience at our community will go beyond Value, Comfort and Convenience. We are just across the street from Lake Erie and minutes to Downtown Cleveland. Our lovely garden style community features all new interiors, an enjoyable and peaceful neighborhood and major upgrades to each apartment home. Make sure you take the time to visit our professional leasing team so they can provide you the experience you are looking for in a new home. Come see Ellen and she will show all the new finishes we have added to our community. As was featured on the Plain Dealer on May 4, 2014, the Euclid Recreation Department maintains recreational programs available throughout the year, as well as 13 neighborhood parks, with facilities including several playgrounds, baseball diamonds and basketball courts; five public pools; and an ice arena. Sims Park: one of two city parks that sit along Lake Erie: is the gem of the park system. The 30-acre site features a beach and lake access. It is also home to a playground, a bird sanctuary, a disc golf course and the picturesque Henn Mansion. The community is currently in the midst of an ambitious multi-phase development plan designed to extend its lakefront with additional beach area and a marina. The first phase, a $1.1- million fishing pier that extends from the shore at Sims Park, was christened last fall. The next phase will install a boardwalk and trails that will stretch east from the pier.
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- Overall, funders acknowledged that funding in conflict and post-conflict settings is inherently risky. Funders must be willing to assume some degree of risk when engaging in these settings. Tweet
- To minimize the potential for failure, or worse, the potential to inflict harm, an in-depth knowledge of the context is fundamental. Tweet
- More resources need to be devoted to conflict prevention. Tweet
- There was a great emphasis on supporting locally-led initiatives. Tweet
- Establishing relationships and partnerships with grantees and other key stakeholders is also important. Tweet
- Peacebuilding work is long-term and requires a long-term commitment; flexbility is also critical. Tweet
Published By
- Copyright 2014 Peace and Security Funders Group.
Document Type
This web page is marked up with Schema.org microdata. Much of the necessary microdata is embedded within the HTML that creates the display you see above. The data that shows below is formatted for machine-reading and rounds out the complete descriptive set for this resource. Want more info about all of this? Go here. You can also view the complete dataset for this resource the way a machine sees it here .Title: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: The Role of Funders in Conflict
Publication date 2014-11-10
Publication Year 2014
Copyright holder(s) Peace and Security Funders Group
Keywords conflict , post conflict , peacebuilding , grantees , conflict prevention
Document type Report/Whitepaper
Language English
URL: https://www.issuelab.org/resource/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-the-role-of-funders-in-conflict.html
Resource provided by IssueLab


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Challenge for Children's Charity Paintball Tournament
Every year hundreds of players participate in a mission-based Big Game at MN Pro Paintball to raise money for Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. Ronny rallied with the teams this year for a cause near and dear to his heart — fostering greater care and medical breakthroughs for children with heart trouble. The Charity was started by Matt Ames, a fellow surviver of several open heart surgeries. Matt was born with levo-transposition of the greater arteries a a single ventricle. Six years ago, he received his second pacemaker he decided he wanted to give back. As the owner of MN Pro Paintball, he created this Charity Paintball tournament which, to date, has raised over $270,000 for the Cardiac Unit at Children's Hospital.


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ISS 24/7 announced on Friday that its web-based system ISS 24/7 Command Post received designation under the Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technology Act of 2002 (SAFETY Act) from the DHS.
The ISS 24/7 Command Post system is designed to enhance situational awareness, safety and security at sporting and entertainment events. The technology is meant to record, communicate, monitor and analyze incidents that occur during events, such as bomb threats, suspicious activity or other guest complaints. The DHS approved ISS 24/7, a software development company, as a Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology (QATT) provider.
"The review process performed by the SAFETY Act office requires months of preparation even before submittal for its in-depth technology evaluation,"Jacob Molz, the chief communications officer for ISS 24/7, said. "We are pleased that our clients will possess extra confidence in the protection and value of using ISS 24/7's system to improve situational awareness, safety, and security during their events."
The SAFETY Act ensures that the threat of liability does not deter manufacturers or sellers of anti-terrorism technologies from developing, commercializing and deploying technologies that could mitigate the effects or reduce the risks of large-scale terrorist events. The measure creates certain liability limitations for claims arising out of an act of terrorism where QATTs have been deployed.
ISS 24/7 provides software solutions for incident management, text messaging, maintenance management, credentialing, and lost and found.


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- New
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You want the hottest new look for women's boutique tops, and we have them. Want blouses, hoodies, or cardigans? We have them. Need a tee, tank, or even a kimono? We've got those too. We are constantly developing new styles that look great, compliment your style, and bring the adoration and envy of all with whom you interact. Buy your new women's boutique tops here today. You won't regret it.


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Sentences for arrivals. University students, teachers, and those taking online classes might especially benefit from this page. The lines of text below use arrivals in a sentence, and provide visitors a sentence for arrivals.
- He saw the new arrivals, June and her grandfather, enter. (8)
- Let us go and look at the arrivals. (4)
- My father, who was growing markedly restless, on the watch for letters and new arrivals, started to pay Chippenden a flying visit. (10)
Glad you visited this page with a sentence for arrivals. Perhaps also see a sentence for ability and ways to use art in a sentence. Now that you've seen how to use arrivals in a sentence hope you might explore the rest of this educational reference site Sentencefor.com to see many other example sentences which provide word usage information.People looking for: "new arrival sentence", visited this page.


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This Heal-Your-Headache Massage Oil recipe can help relax tense muscles at the back of the neck (a common source of headaches) or help loosen stiff shoulders. Use a favorite variety of scented geraniums, such as rose, lemon or peppermint, or substitute clary sage or more lavender.
• 4 tablespoons lavender flower buds
• 2 tablespoons marjoram flowers and leaves
• 2 tablespoons rose (or other scented) geranium leaves, chopped
• 1 cup almond oil
1. Place herbs in a jar and cover completely with oil.
2. Stir, close the jar and keep it warm for a couple of days.
3. Strain out the herbs and pour the oil into a pretty bottle. Store it in a cool place.
Kathi Keville is director of the American Herb Association and author of 12 books, including Aromatherapy for Dummies (IDG, 1999) and Herbs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia (Friedman/Fairfax Publishing, 1999).
Click here for the original article, Body & Soul: Recipe for Relaxation.
Where can I purchase the items needed o make this? Thanks.
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After 5 days in Pismo, we spent the next 6 days in Big Sur. Our time there was "cell phone free" due zero service at our campsite... with only one day trip into "civilization" (aka Monterey). Although its really hard not to have just basic ability to contact our friends and family, it was nice to not be on our phones all day checking emails, texts and social media.
My dad, who is semi-retired, was able to continue on to Big Sur with us, but sadly my mom had to head back home to work. We missed her a lot, but we were still thankful for my dad being able to join us and help with the kiddos.
Contax T2, Kodak Portra 400, Fuji Superia 400, Kodak TriX 400. Processed and scanned at home.
^^ Truck stopping for gas and lunch.
^^ Big Sur is pretty magical. Coastal air and redwood trees. Take me back!
^^ Our day trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
^^ McWay Falls. SO beautiful!
^^ Pfieffer State Beach. A little rocky. A lot windy. And the most beautiful beach I've been on in California.
^^ Getting gas. All day, err day when you're pulling a trailer.
^^ Heading into Bakersfield.
^^ Sometimes the only way I can get in a photo.
^^ A developing mistake, but a good photo nonetheless. :)


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Mississippi State 2017 recruiting update: Bulldogs' class still changing
The news has certainly been flowing out of Starkville over the past week.
Whether it's been good news or bad news, things have not been boring for Mississippi State's recruiting efforts with under two weeks to go before National Signing Day.
Let's take a look at where things stand on the recruiting trail as of Friday:
Where Mississippi State's 2017 recruiting class ranks
With Mississippi State gaining two commitments and losing two commitments over the past week, the Bulldogs dropped four spots to No. 25 in the national recruiting rankings this week. That ranking likely will continue to shift in both directions between now and National Signing Day on Feb. 1 as other teams add guys to their classes. Mississippi State's class also ranks 10th in the SEC.
Who are Mississippi State's top commitments?
- 4-star RB Kylin Hill (Columbus, Miss.)
- 4-star QB Keytaon Thompson (New Orleans)
- 4-star WDE Chauncey Rivers (Stone Mountain, Ga.)
- 3-star S Johnathan Abram (Columbia, Miss.)
- 3-star OLB Tyler Dunning (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Who committed to Mississippi State this week?
The Bulldogs' two pickups this week were 3-star offensive tackle Taekion Reed and 2-star punter Tucker Day. Those pickups are big needs for Mississippi State's class, which is a big priority for Dan Mullen and his staff.
Who de-committed from Mississippi State this week?
Although the Bulldogs picked up two commitments, Mississippi State also lost two of its higher-ranked pledges over the past week. The first player to de-commit was from 3-star outside linebacker Kaleb Oliver, who backed away from the Bulldogs on Monday. Then, 3-star defensive end Aaron Odom de-committed on Wednesday.
Who are Mississippi State's top uncommitted prospects?
- 4-star OLB Willie Gay (Starkville, Miss.)
- 3-star OT Toryque Bateman (Gadsden, Ala.)
- 3-star WR Racey McMath (New Orleans, La.)
- 3-star G Josh Cooper (Haughton, La.)
Class breakdown
- Quarterback (1): Keytaon Thompson
- Running back (1): Kylin Hill
- Wide receiver (1): Austin Williams
- Offensive line (5): Tommy Champion, Tyre Phillips, Cordavien Suggs, Montravious Richardson, Taekion Reed
- Defensive line (5): Deion Pope, Lee Autry, James Jackson, Montez Sweat, Chauncey Rivers
- Linebacker (1): Tyler Dunning
- Defensive back (5): Tyler Williams, Landon Guidry, Johnathan Abram, Brian Cole, Jaquarius Landrews
- Punter (1): Tucker Day
Geography of Mississippi State's recruiting class
Mississippi: 10
Georgia: 3
Florida: 2
Tennessee: 2
Louisiana: 1
Michigan: 1
North Carolina: 1
All rankings come from the 247Sports composite unless otherwise noted.


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I Took This Shift Because Of Her --- Politics - Justice - And Wrestling With The Angel
Friday, April 16, 2010
More Thoughts on The Future of the Patent System
This article, on the question of whether the patent system is out-of-date, made me think.
Here are some of my thoughts:
I know open source collaboration is spurning great innovation, and yet I had never considered the idea that the whole patent process is too slow and hierarchical to allow for the fast-paced open source-type innovations that we see today. I think what is going to have to happen is open source work will have to be done on the internet, in chat room-type situations which can be archived chronologically. Perhaps, patents will have to handed out based upon the relative value of the various contributions, as seen by some sort of Patent court. In my opinion, you can not do away with patenting. People need the profit motive of owning what they invent. I know that in songwriting there is a formula for how wrtiing credits are handed out. When a band writes a song, the guy who comes up with the melody and the lyrics gets 50% of the songwriting credit, when he is working in a band situation. The band gets the other 50% divided between however many band members were present. These credits are divided up on the honor system. For instance, my band wrote songs as a band and then years later applied for songwriiting credit right before we recorded an album. We credited everyone who had been present when we wrote the songs, though we could have easily not credited the guys who were no longer in the band. That would be the advantage of working on the internet, in some sort of chat forum type situation. There would be a chronological record of all contributions. More thoughts to come.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
What If The Very Theory That Underlies Why We Need Patents Is Wrong?
Interesting. I'll really have to think about this. There are a lot of issues involved here.From TechDirt:
Scott Walker points us to a fascinating paper by Carliss Y. Baldwin and Eric von Hippel, suggesting that some of the most basic theories on which the patent system is based are wrong, and because of that, the patent system might hinder innovation. Obviously, we've pointed to numerous other research papers and case studies that suggest that the patent system quite frequently hinders innovation, but this one approaches it from a different angle than ones we've seen before, and is actually quite convincing. It looks at the putative theory that innovation comes from a direct profit motive of a single corporation looking to sell the good in market, and for that to work, the company needs to take the initial invention and get temporary monopoly protection to keep out competitors in order to recoup the cost of research and development.
The problem is that while this is certainly true sometimes, in many, many, many other cases -- it's not the way it works at all. Instead, the paper goes through a whole bunch of studies suggesting that quite frequently innovation happens through a very different process: either individuals or companies directly trying to solve a problem they themselves have (i.e., the initial motive is not to profit directly from sales, but to help them in something they were doing) or through a much more collaborative process, whereby multiple parties all contribute to the process of innovation, somewhat openly, recognizing that as each contributes some, everyone benefits. As the report notes:This result hinges on the fact that the innovative design itself is a non-rival good: each participant in a collaborative effort gets the value of the whole design, but incurs only a fraction of the design cost.But, of course, patents are designed to make that sort of thing more difficult, because it assumes that the initial act of invention is the key point, rather than all the incremental innovations built on top of it that all parties can benefit from. In fact, the report points to numerous studies that show, when given the chance, many companies freely share their ideas with others, recognizing the direct benefit they get. This flies in the face of (unsubstantiated) claims by patent system supporters that the patent system is needed to disclose and share inventions. In fact, the evidence suggests that in many cases, firms will willingly share that information anyway (for a variety of reasons detailed in the report) without requiring the "prize" of a monopoly right to do so.
Even more importantly, the paper finds that due to technological advances and the ability to more rapidly and easily communicate and collaborate widely, these forms of innovation (innovation for direct use as well as collaborative innovation) are becoming more and more viable across a variety of industries, which in the past may have relied more on the old way of innovating (single company innovative for the profit of selling that product). And, in fact, because of the ease of communication and collaboration these days, there's tremendous incentive for those companies that innovate for their own use to collaborate with others, since the benefit from others improving as well help improve their own uses. Thus, the overall incentives are to move much more to a collaborative form of innovation in the market. That has huge implications for a patent system designed to help the "old model" of innovation (producer inventing for the market) and not the increasingly regular one (collaborative innovation for usage).
Of course, no one is saying that producer-based innovation (company inventing to sell on the market) doesn't occur or won't continue to occur. But it is an open policy question as to whether or not our innovation policies should favor that model over other models -- when evidence suggests that a significant amount of innovation occurs in these other ways -- and that amount is growing rapidly.
The paper points out that the "devil's bargain" of granting monopoly rights in order to create incentives for producer-driven innovation makes less and less sense:The work in this paper and that of many others, suggests that this traditionally-struck 'devil's bargain' may not be beneficial. First, there is increasing evidence that intellectual property protection does not increase innovation. As we saw in section 2.2, studies carried out over 40 years do not find that firm managers are inclined to increase their innovation investments due to the availability of patent grant protections. There are also many examples in which strong intellectual property rights may have impeded subsequent progress (Dosi, Marengo and Pasquali, 2006; Merges and Nelson, 1994). Indeed, recent empirical work has actually shown a negative relationship between patenting and subsequent progress in both biotechnology (Murray and Stern 2007) and software (Bessen and Meurer 2008). Second, the ascendent user and open collaborative innovation models that we have discussed in this paper mean that alternatives that are open by participants' free choice -- and to the economic benefit of those participants -- are now ascendent alternatives to the traditional, closed producer innovation model. And openness, as we noted above, increases social welfare, other things equal.The paper concludes with some policy recommendations, seeking to have the government look for ways to encourage more collaborative and open innovation, such as by supporting more open licensing programs directly (such as open source licenses), though I'm not sure what specific support the government really needs to do there. It also suggests that net neutrality actually plays into this as well -- as one of the reasons why there is greater collaboration is that a neutral network infrastructure made that possible. Removing network neutrality could limit the ability to collaborate, and because of that, the social benefit found from such collaborative projects. Again, I'm not convinced that any ISP would go so far as to restrict communication to that level, but it is an interesting note.
Either way, it's yet another study that suggests our patent system is tremendously obsolete in terms of actually promoting the progress, and is set up in a way that favors a concept of innovation and invention that may not be how the world actually works.
Just to start with, it seems to me that corporations, and individuals, ought to be allowed to apply for patents which allow them to pick who they will collaborate with. Perhaps, also, the length of monopolistic patents ought to be shortened.
But these are just my initial thoughts.


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The ribbon-cutting is scheduled for 10 am on Thursday (Nov 19) at the new Grocery Outlet store on 123 E Burke in Arlington — The grand opening is scheduled for Saturday (Nov 21) and it will include free groceries, frozen Turkey give-aways, and gift card offers.
The Arlington Grocery Outlet's hours will be from 8 am to 8 pm.
Arlington was in a bit of a pickle last year when Haggen's and Food Pavilion closed, leaving customers no choice but to travel to Smokey Point or Marysville to do their food shopping — With economics such as they are and money tight, the opening of the Grocery Outlet provides some welcome relief — Michael and Melonique Simpson, co-owners of the Grocery Outlet have lived here their entire lives, and are excited to bring affordable grocery shopping, plus about 40 new jobs, back to Arlington.


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WASHINGTON, D.C.– Last week, Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew announced that the ten-dollar bill is going to see some major changes– namely, that a woman will take Alexander Hamilton's place on the face of the bill.
In response to the proposed changes, there has been considerable outcry from the public. The YouTube video in which Lew announced the change has received nearly three times as many dislikes as likes. A WhiteHouse.gov petition to keep Hamilton has over 2,000 signatures.
A number of writers have published several brilliant pieces about why Hamilton ought to remain on the bill, including noted Hamilton historians Richard Brookhiser and Ron Chernow. Mostly, these writers have focused on Hamilton's meteoric rise to the heights of American politics, his financial stewardship of the early United States, and his contributions to American constitutionalism.
All of these are incredibly important reasons to honor Hamilton on our currency. But most of these authors have overlooked one of the most consequential ways in which Alexander Hamilton affected the future of the United States: establishing a secure basis for American foreign policy.
Shortly after the U.S. Constitution was adopted, revolution broke out in France. Radicals beheaded the French king and overthrew the existing political order. Following that, the revolutionaries declared war on Great Britain, seeing the United Kingdom as a threat to the new French Republic.
Some in the United States sympathized with the French and wanted to help their cause, most notably Thomas Jefferson, who was in France when the Revolution initially broke out.
In a letter to a friend, Jefferson wrote that "this ball of liberty [the French Revolution]… will roll 'round the world." He believed that it was the United States' role to help the French in their fight against Great Britain, and as such founded the Democratic-Republican Party, a predecessor to the modern-day Democrats.
Hamilton, however, knew that the United States was a small country with relatively little power on the global stage. If the United States helped France, Great Britain would surely declare war on the fledgling republic and destroy the independence they had fought so hard for only a decade ago.
In a series of public letters written under the pseudonym "Pacificus," Hamilton advised then-President George Washington to remain neutral in the Anglo-French conflict. "Foreign influence is truly the Grecian horse to a republic," he wrote in one of the letters. "We cannot be too careful to exclude its influence."
Washington read the letters, and eventually sided with Hamilton. In 1793, Washington issued a neutrality proclamation, officially saying that the United States would stay out of the conflict between Britain and France in order to preserve national independence. In addition, much to the chagrin of the Democratic-Republicans, the U.S. would continue trade with both warring nations.
However, this policy of neutrality was not an absolute ideology. The Pacificus letters are clear that whenever American interests are at stake, the United States ought to have the option to intervene. In this situation, Hamilton argued, American interests were not really at stake in any meaningful way, so long as trade continued freely and openly.
As both warring powers fought in Europe, Hamilton and his allies in the United States planned to build up our country's strength in order to enter the world stage as a major power player down the road.
In his "Report on Manufactures," given before Congress in his role of Treasury Secretary, Hamilton explained that in order to be a strong nation capable of exerting global influence, the United States needed a powerful economy.
Comparing the United States to Great Britain, Hamilton argued that our nation needed to appropriate technologies and policies which led to economic success overseas. Congress largely agreed with him, and much of his plan has been implemented.
Alexander Hamilton was an expert architect not only of financial policy, but also foreign policy. He understood the limits of American power, but always sought to expand those limits ever outwards.
Unlike the current President and his progressive administration, Hamilton always acted with American interests as the very first consideration.
"There is an elegant memorial in Washington to Jefferson, but none to Hamilton," George Will once wrote. "However, if you seek Hamilton's monument, look around. You're living in it… We live in Hamilton's country—a mighty, industrial nation."
Without Alexander Hamilton's foreign policy insights, it is unlikely our nation would have preserved independence and national security for very long.
We owe Alexander Hamilton a great debt.
The very least we could do to honor such an achievement would be to leave him on the ten.