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If $\pi_k(n)$ is the cardinality of numbers with k prime factors (repetitions included) less than or equal n, the generalized Prime Number Theorem (GPNT) is:
$$\pi_k(n)\sim \frac{n}{\ln n} \frac{(\ln \ln n)^{k-1}}{(k-1)!}.$$
The qualitative appearance of the actual distribution of $\pi_k(n)$ for k = 1,2,3,..., agrees very well with the GPNT, for numbers $n$ within reach of my laptop. But I noticed that as $n$ and $k$ get large, "most" of the numbers less than $n$ seem to have relatively few factors.
Writing $n = 2^m$ and replacing $k$ by $x$ we can graph
$$f(x) =\frac{2^m (\ln\ln 2^m)^{x-1}}{\ln 2^m (x-1)!}$$
from $x = 1$ to $m$ (since no number will have more than m factors) and see that for relatively small fixed $m$, most of the area under the curve f is is contained in a steep bell-shaped curve on the far left of the image.
I take this to suggest that as we consider very large sets, $S_m = \{ 1,2,3,...,2^m\},$ almost all elements of these sets have a "very small" number of factors (including repetitions).
Can this idea be (or has it been) quantified? The phrase "very small" is frustrating, and I think we might be able to say something more concrete about, for example, concentration of the proportion of area as a function of x and m...? Thanks for any suggestions.
Edit: the answer Eric Naslund gave below is splendid and I won't neglect to accept it. In response to the answer, I wonder if there is any reason not to be able to get something like that answer from the expression $f(x)$?
After all, $f(x)$ appears to be a Poisson-like curve with a mean near the average number of prime factors. If I let m = 100 and then 500 (i.e., we're using $2^{100},2^{500}$), $f'(x) = 0$ at $x \approx 4.73, 6.34$, respectively, while $\ln\ln 2^m$ is respectively 4.23, 5.84. If f is a valid expression for the asymptotic behavior of $\pi_k(n)$, wouldn't we expect it to give us this additional information? Can we not prove it?


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Top 14
Sexton set to top France pay league
ESPN Staff
April 9, 2013
Jonathan Sexton is poised to swap Leinster colours for those of Racing Metro next season © Getty Images
Racing Metro-bound fly-half Jonathan Sexton will reportedly be the highest paid player in France Top 14 next season.
Top 14's Highest Earners (2013-14)*
The Ireland international is set to confirm a switch from PRO12 side Leinster to Paris-based Racing Metro having announced earlier this season that he would be quitting Ireland at the end of the current domestic campaign.
Earlier reports suggested the 27-year-old had turned down a new contract from the Irish Rugby Football Union valued at €450,000 a year in favour of a two-year deal worth €750,000 a season - bankrolled by Racing's deep-pocketed owner Jacky Lorenzetti.
But respected French rugby newspaper Midi Olympique is now reporting that he will earn €55,000 (£47,000) a month that equates to €660,000 (£562,000) a year - a figure that, according to them, will still make him the best paid player in France's top flight.
His basic earnings, the figures do not account for tax or bonuses, will eclipse those of Jonny Wilkinson, who recently agreed to extend his playing career with Toulon with the former England international set to net a reported €47,000 (£40,000) a month (€564,000/£480,200 a year) - less than what is understood to have been an €800,000-a-year deal signed in 2009.
Completing the top five are South Africa winger Bryan Habana who will join the glittering array of stars at Toulon next season on a deal worth €42,000 (£35,800) a month, Montpellier prop Nicolas Mas (€38,000/£32,000) and Wales international James Hook who will earn €35,000 (£30,000) a month at Perpignan.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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subset: commoncrawl


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kpm53 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 126 diseños de 38 diseñadores freelance.
Triple Play Solar
I'm a proven successful project manager for commercial solar installations - larger scale projects for businesses. I have just left a big company to work on my own. My connection to solar power is via a long, varied career in environmental protection and personal commitment to sustainability. Solar power and other renewable energy options will be a key asset to mitigating the effects of global warming. I'll need that to convince businesses to make the initial investment into their energy independence, environmental integrity and long-term economic savings.
I live in Vermont and intend to market the business throughout the northeast.
I'll focus on businesses initially - that's who I've worked with before. From stadiums to energy utilities, schools to stores, transit hubs to housing developments, many businesses can benefit from going solar. They need to think longterm. They have to commit to the initial costs before they can get the tax credits, government incentives and cost savings. Businesses make the decision to go solar, based primarily on economic concerns - it needs to make sense on the bottom line. However, more and more, decision makers are also seeking to portray their firms as being commited to environmental stewardship, and energy sustainability.
I need a catchy, scalable logo that can be used on business cards and letterhead. Ideally, I need the logo to signify the 3 benefits of the "solar triple play" -- environmental conservation, economic benefits, and energy independence; or stated another way, by going solar, a company can save money, help improve the environment, and provide for some of its own energy needs.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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The Evolution of the Web
The Evolution of the Web is a cool, interactive visualization from the Google Chrome team (along with Hyperakt and Vizzuality) that explores the evolution of web browsers over the last 20 years.
Over time web technologies have evolved to give web developers the ability to create new generations of useful and immersive web experiences. Today's web is a result of the ongoing efforts of an open web community that helps define these web technologies, like HTML5, CSS3 and WebGL and ensure that they're supported in all web browsers.
The color bands in this visualization represent the interaction between web technologies and browsers, which brings to life the many powerful web apps that we use daily.
Clicking on any of the browser icons brings up a cool visual history of the window design for each version.
Although there is a lot of data showning the version releases along the timeline, part of this design is just pretty. The flowing colored bands seems to grow bigger over time implying increased usage of each technology, but their placement behind the broser lines doesn't actual show which technologies were used by each browser.
In fact, there's a subtle marketing spin that has all of the lines converging behind the Google Chrome logo in 2008 and then exploding into the future. And the HTML5 line seems to imply that it will take over the Internet in 2012.
Found on Flowing Data.


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A master complaint combining dozens of existing lawsuits accusing the NFL of failing to provide information linking football-related head trauma to irreparable memory loss, brain damage, and other debilitating long-term health issues was filed in federal court in Philadelphia on Thursday.
The lawsuit names more than 3,000 plaintiffs, according to a legal source with direct knowledge of the situation, with approximately 2,500 players among that total, and the remainder being made up chiefly of players' wives filing for loss of spousal support.
There were 86 lawsuits filed by more than 2,300 players in the last year, according to a league source, and a judge in Philadelphia was assigned to come up with one complaint.
The master complaint is not a class-action lawsuit, but rather is a standard part of multi-district litigation. Multidistrict litigation allows for the consolidation of lawsuits that have common factual issues, and allows for more efficient handling of pretrial issues, such as discovery requests and pre-trial motions.
The multidistrict litigation allows for separate trials and settlements for the plaintiffs in the different lawsuits, while a class-action lawsuit binds all members of the class to the result of a single trial or settlement. This would allow ex-players suffering to get different rulings or settlements than those who are asymptomatic, and give leeway for the legal system to treat each group of plaintiffs separately.
The court's schedule provides the league with the opportunity to raise issues with the master complaint by June 19 and set August 19 as the date for the league to file a motion to dismiss the case.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement: "Our legal team will review today's filing that is intended to consolidate plaintiffs' existing claims into one 'master' complaint. Any allegation that the NFL has sought to mislead players has no merit. It stands in contrast to the league's many actions to protect players and advance the science and medical understanding of the management and treatment of concussions."
NFLPA spokesman George Atallah said the union is keeping track of the lawsuit, but declined comment on the matter because it is not a party to the case.
Follow Albert Breer on Twitter @AlbertBreer


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Ahhh, the weekend. The perfect time to build up ones poison resistance, fight flying fire-breathing spiders and climb down the rickety architecture of Blighttown. I am, of course, talking about playing more Dark Souls this weekend. What else?
How about the Xbox 360 version of Dark Souls? Seriously, almost nothing—not even the Diablo III beta—will likely tear me away from playing From Software's game for the entire weekend. I'm determined to make it through this exceedingly unpleasant area that I've found myself in.
What about yourself? Got any good gaming plans scheduled for the weekend? Let us know in the comments what's on your plate.
You can contact Michael McWhertor, the author of this post, at email@example.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.


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Secrets of a Savvy Gardener
Learn how this Oklahoma City garden designer and mom created a space full of flowers, herbs, vegetables—and great ideas
Linda Vater's own potager, or "soup garden," as she calls it, is her favorite spot. "I love the word 'potager,' " this self-taught garden designer says with a smile. (A potager is a traditional kitchen garden and is pronounced PO-tuh-zhay.) "I love the notion that no matter what, you always have something fresh to cook with. It supplies my family of four with something fresh every day, whether it's peppers, herbs, greens, or cut flowers." Here are some of her secrets. Use them to create your own dream garden.
Find Your Inspiration
Every garden, Linda believes, starts with a point of inspiration. For her, it was a visit to famed garden designer Rosemary Verey's elaborate spread at Barnsley House in England. "The thing I liked most about her potager was how she created very defined areas by using boxwood hedges, and within those boxwood compartments she had little areas for growing vegetables, fruit, herbs, and cut flowers," Linda remembers. "I wanted to translate her impressive kitchen garden to my small plot [about 30 x 30 feet] in the middle of the city."
Your house and garden are related, and Linda believes that outdoor areas should be extensions of the home. She explains, "Because I have an asymmetrical house that has rounded, soft features, I'm using those same lines in my garden. "
Define with Structure
To create the illusion of an outdoor room for her potager, Linda flanked it with two lattice pergolas and framed it with fencing. French doors opening onto the garden from her office blur the lines between indoors and out. Brick walkways and stone paths complete the framework and give her easy access for pruning and harvesting. Building your garden around great structure makes it a lot easier to maintain, Linda says.
Bring Order to Your Border
The centerpiece of Linda's potager is a vegetable, herb, and cutting garden divided into four quadrants and framed by a 'Wintergreen' boxwood hedge. The beauty of the hedge is that it brings order to garden chaos. "If you had only all the flowering stuff," she says, "that could look messy, but once you impose the contrast of something very structured against it, you increase the beauty of both."
Build a Focal Point
Linda designed her boxwood hedge with a circle in the middle to create a focal point—in her case, a vertical one because she doesn't like a garden in which everything is flat. "It's a perfect spot for a bamboo tepee, where I can have miniature pumpkins, scarlet runner beans, or climbing nasturtiums growing up the supports. If I don't want to grow anything in there, I can put up a scarecrow or just the bamboo tepee, and it will still look good."
Pick a Palette
Linda likes to choose a color palette for each season. Her summer palette came from a little yellow school chair that she plopped down in her garden one day. Summer, she decided, was all about bright golds, rusts, and ambers. Not all garden color comes from plants. Structures, containers, and accessories painted to match your palette will "ante up the sophistication and the beauty by making everything look cohesive," Linda says.
Enjoy the Moment
This avid gardener's best advice is also the simplest: Gardening is an adventure. "There are certain 'aha!' moments in gardening when you realize the obvious has escaped you," she says. One is that pots can be moved. Got a bare spot in your border? Drop in a colorful container. Planted a pot that's not happy? See if it perks up in different light. Whether it's in your backyard or a basic soup garden, apply Linda's secrets, and enjoy the adventure.


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What's happened in the business of video games this past week ...
QUOTE | "Project Shield is a melange of too many ideas and gimmicks." — Dan Pearson, GamesIndustry International journalist, talking with others about the flood of new gaming hardware being introduced and why few will likely succeed.
QUOTE | "It was just miserable. I don't blame indies for not jumping on WiiWare." — Mike Roush of Gaijin Games, talking about their experience with Nintendo's online offering before the new eShop.
QUOTE | "That's hugely, hugely encouraging, because this is our sweet-spot." — Nick Earl, SVP and general manager of EA's All Play label, talking about how dollars are going towards core games on mobile platforms.
STAT | 22 per cent — Amount that video game hardware, software and accessories sales dropped from 2011 to 2012 at retail; hardware sales were down 27 per cent, the fourth straight year of declines.
QUOTE | "2013 will see more launches for dedicated games consoles than any previous year on record." — Rob Fahey, former editor of GamesIndustry.biz, talking about why consoles aren't dead, but the business won't be the same.
QUOTE | "We're in the world of Metacritic, and we do know there's compensation that is being withheld from developers based on these reviews. It really starts to corrupt that process." — Adam Sessler, former host of the X-Play TV show, talking about where game journalism is heading.
STAT | $US500 million — Amount that Skylanders has earned for Activision in the US market through 2012; that includes the software and the toys/figures, and $US195 million of that is from Skylanders Giants.
QUOTE | "The tipping point for cloud gaming is definitely going to be this year." — Makarand Dharmapurikar, CTO and Co-Founder of CiiNOW, talking about how cloud gaming is finally going to become broadly available.
STAT | 15 million — Number of copies of Minecraft that sold through the end of 2012; the most popular version was on the Xbox 360, selling over 5 million units.
STAT | 890,000 — Number of Wii Us sold in the US in 2012, resulting in $US300 million in revenue compared to the Wii's $US270 million in its first months; but the Wii was only $US249 compared to $US299 or $US349 for the Wii U.
STAT | $US9.7 billion — Amount of revenue for games in China for 2012; 90 per cent of that revenue came from online games.
This Week in the Business courtesy of GamesIndustry International.
Image from Shutterstock


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The first of the 2014 summer Artist-in-Resident Program presentations will take place at 7:30 tonight at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center.
It is free and open to the public.
Wildlife painter Dustin Van Wechel from Gilbert, Arizona, will kick off this year's Art in the Park Program with programs tonight and June 25.
He is one of six artists that have been selected for the Artist-in-Residence Program at Rocky Mountain National Park.
Artists are provided with a creative, contemplative environment in which to generate artistic works and share their works with the public. During their stay at the park, artists share their vision in two public presentations. These presentations are held on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center.
Van Wechel believes national parks have been his greatest teacher and inspiration for the arts. For his residency project at Rocky, Van Wechel will use plein air (open air) sketches to create a body of studio work that will reveal relationships between the park's landscape and its wild residents.
Van Wechel was a recipient of the Grand Teton Lodge Company and Wildlife Award for the 2006 Arts for the Parks contest. He was featured artist in the 2012 Southwestern Wildlife Exposition and exhibits in galleries in Jackson, Wyoming and Scottsdale, Arizona.
In addition to Van Wechel, other artists who were selected for this year's program along with their art medium are: Trine Bumiller, visual artist from Denver; John Stansfield, storyteller and writer from Monument; Michael Lang, photographer from Lakewood; Jessica Bryant, painter and art teacher from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; James and Jenny Tarpley, photographers from Marion, North Carolina.
Artistic diversity, new ideas and creative uses of media were encouraged in the application process. Artists are given two-week residencies at the William Allen White cabin from June through September.
For a specific schedule and to learn more about these artists go to: nps.gov/romo/supportyourpark/meet-our-2014-artists-in-residence.htm
Rocky Mountain National Park's Artist-In-Residence program provides artists the opportunity to become a part of a long established tradition of artists in our national parks.
For more information about Rocky Mountain National Park, contact the park's Information Office at 586-1206.


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Immaculate 4-level townhome with stunning ocean views & private pool. Enjoy this completely remodeled 3 bedroom home worry free, new hurricane impact windows & doors, 3 new AC units, new private elevator, upgraded appliances & furnishings. This home is being sold fully furnished and is move-in ready. All 3 bedrooms have ensuite upgraded bathrooms. The master bedroom has his & her walk-in closets, his & her bathrooms, large sitting area and a private ocean view balcony. Completely remodeled ocean view roof top terrace is ideal for entertaining or relaxing. Situated in a gated community east of A1A with private beach access this home also has additional upgraded security system that includes entryway cameras & alarms. Conveniently located between Boca Raton & Fort Lauderdale. Easy to Show.
- List Price
- $2,470,000
- Property Type
- Condo / Townhouse
- Bedrooms
- 3
- Total Square Feet
- 5,549
- AC Square Feet
- 4,735
- Garage Spaces
- 2
- Year Built
- 2000
- Taxes
- $35,863
- Tax Year
- 2017
- New Construction
- No
Interior Features
- First Floor Entry
- Second Floor Entry
- Cooking Island
- Elevator
- Fireplace
- Foyer Entry
- Walk-In Closets
- Marble Floors
- High Impact Windows
- Impact Glass
- Solar Film/Tinted
Dining Area
- Breakfast Area
- Formal Dining
Master Bedroom / Bathroom
- Dual Sinks
- Separate Tub & Shower
- Pets Allowed
- Yes
Here is the estimated breakdown for this property's mortgage and tax payments. Feel free to adjust any of the values.
Results received from this calculator are designed for comparative purposes only, and accuracy is not guaranteed.
No properties found
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Listing courtesy of One Sotheby's International Realty
DISCLAIMER: The written and verbal information provided including but not limited to prices, measurements, square footages, lot sizes, calculations and statistics have been obtained and conveyed from third parties such as the applicable Multiple Listing Service, public records as well as other sources. All prices are either list price, sold price, and/or last asking price. Premier Estate Properties participates in the Multiple Listing Service and IDX, and the properties listed above are not necessarily exclusive to Premier Estate Properties and may be presently listed with other members of the Multiple Listing Service. The transactions representing both buyers and sellers are calculated twice. Premier Estate Properties' marketplace is all of the following: Vero Beach, Town of Orchid, Indian River Shores, Town of Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Manalapan Beach, Point Manalapan, Hypoluxo Island, Ocean Ridge, Gulf Stream, Delray Beach, Highland Beach, Boca Raton, East Deerfield Beach, Hillsboro Beach, Hillsboro Shores, East Pompano Beach, Lighthouse Point, Sea Ranch Lakes and Fort Lauderdale. All written and verbal information including that produced by the Sellers or Premier Estate Properties are subject to errors, omissions or changes without notice and should be independently verified by any prospective purchaser of a Property. The Sellers and Premier Estate Properties Inc. expressly disclaim any warranty or representation regarding all information. Prospective Purchasers' use of any written and verbal information is acknowledgement of this disclaimer and that the prospective purchaser shall perform their own due diligence. In the event a Buyer defaults, no commission will be paid to either Broker on the Deposits retained by the Seller. "No Commissions Paid until Title Passes." Prospective purchasers shall not rely on this information when entering into a contract for sale and purchase. Some affiliations may not be applicable to certain geographic areas. If your property is currently listed with another agent, please do not consider this a solicitation for the listing. Copyright 2019 Premier Estate Properties Inc. All Rights Reserved.


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SUNDAY YOGA every week starting at 10:45am with the fabulous Jessica Collette!
If you are interested in increasing your flexibility, strength, physical fitness, stress relief, or self-love, this is the class for you!! No online purchases necessary, walk in and pay your bartender upon arrival (10:30am)!
$12 for a class and it includes a Cider or Cidermosa - Don't forget to tip your bartenders & give high-fives to your yoga instructor :)


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China Corruption Blotter (May 29, 2014)
Huang Xiaohu, former party secretary and chairman of China's Anhui Military Industry Group, has been expelled from the party for corruption. Huang was accused of accepting $328,857 in bribes, embezzling $1.5 million in public funds, offering bribes of more than $2 million to government officials. He also had extramarital affairs with several women. http://politics.people.com.cn


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No good deed goes unpunished, especially with the Miami Police Department.
Actor and R&B heart throb Tyrese Gibson has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident on public or private property with injury after a car crash that left a vehicle overturned on Biscayne Boulevard earlier this month.
No one was hurt in the accident, but TMZ.com is reporting Miami police cited Tyrese and the woman he hit, Sheena McCleary, because of a tweet Tyrese posted about taking the woman to a spa afterward. The felony charge could land Tyrese in prison for a year.
Police claim Tyrese left the scene, but paparazzi pictures clearly show Tyrese talking with policemen near his smashed up Dodge Charger. His attorneys entered a plea of not guilty in court Thursday.
On Jan. 4, Tyrese drove his Charger into McCleary's SUV with such force it turned over on its side. The mother of five walked away from the crash, but Tyrese was so broken up about the accident, he took the woman to get a massage and some other body work at a local spa - his treat.
"Mother of five left without 1 scratch and we ended up hangin at the spa for a massage," Tyrese posted on his Twitter account.
Here's another case of be careful what you tweet.


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Active Shooter Training
Related Story
COLUMBIA - The Columbia Police Department responded to public demand last week and held its first Armed Shooter or Violent Intruder Saturday training session.
More than 100 people learned what to do if something happened at their school, work or public space.
School Resource Officer John Warner said most people have the same thought when it comes to a shooting tragedy: "It can't happen here."
But Warner said everyone needs to learn what to do in the situation.
"When seconds count, the police are only minutes away," Warner said.
Columbia Police Department Sergeant Joe Bernhard said people don't know the best way to handle this type of situation.
"They've been conditioned over the years to rely on the police to protect them or that the police will save them, which the police department and sheriff's department in general is reactive to what happened," Bernhard said. "I mean, you're there when it's happening so you're the first responder. The person that is there that it's happening to, they're the first responder."
Because of this, Warner said a "crisis rehearsal" is necessary to be familiar with the process.
Warner explained what the police are thinking in an armed shooter situation and what their safety priorities are:
- Hostages
- Innocent Persons
- Police
- Suspect
Warner said the police get in trouble when they reorder that list.
Warner said many people want SWAT to get involved, but the Columbia SWAT team has a goal of a one hour response time--too long for an emergency situation like an armed shooter.
Warner provided some statistics on armed shooter situations:
- 98% of armed shooters act alone
- 80% have long guns
- 75% have multiple weapons, with hundreds of rounds of ammunition
- the armed shooters have a less than 50% hit rate
- 90% commit suicide on site, typically when they hear police sirens
When trying to find the suspect, police use what Warner called the OODA Loop:
- Observation - Look at their surroundings
- Orientation - Take in everything and what they are being told
- Decision - Make a decision as to what to do
- Action - Follow through with that decision
Warner said every armed shooter has an OODA Loop and the objective is to change his or her OODA Loop in order to disrupt the process. When that happens, police say the shooter messes up.
Warner said three main things affect the shooter's accuracy and skill: distance, movement and distractions. Running either toward or away from the shooter while shouting would disrupt the shooter's OODA Loop and decrease his or her accuracy.
Warner also described the A.L.I.C.E. procedure as what a building should do in an armed shooter situation:
- Alert - Some type of notification system that something is happening.
- Lockdown - If you have your own space, make it so you can barricade yourself in. If the shooter can't open the door and get in, he or she is more like to move on.
- Inform - Give information about what is happening so everyone knows the details.
- Counter - Focus on self defense. Throw whatever you have because weight doesn't matter. As long as it disrupts the shooter.
- Evacuate - Run away from the building until you can't see the building anymore.
Attendee David Young was a Columbia reserve officer for 25 years and was trained on the police side of an armed shooter situation. He brought his wife to the session so they could both learn how to react as civilians. He said he thinks the information would be useful to citizens.
"I think a lot of people just freeze," Young said. "They don't do anything. And if they do anything, they run, they move, they holler at the person, anything like that, they're more likely to survive something like this than just sitting there and just doing nothing."
Bernhard said the police department will likely hold multiple Saturday training sessions in the future as the requests continue.


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Neil Miner Award
Neil Alden Miner: September 9, 1898 - September 16, 1947
To a person, Neil Alden Miner was remembered fondly for his devotion to his career, his family and friends, and his students.
Born at Saranac Lake, NY, Miner became an avid student of the outdoors at the knee of his taxidermist father. He began his studies at Syracuse University in 1917, where his association with Dr. Charles H. Richardson, Head of the Department of Mineralogy, led to a summer of field work with the Vermont Geological Survey and a lifetime commitment to geology.
Although family circumstances did not allow him to complete his bachelor's degree until 1932, he earned his master's at Syracuse in 1934 and his Ph.D. at the State University of Iowa in 1937. While doing field work for his dissertation on Pleistocene glaciation in areas of Yellowstone National Park, Miner worked as a ranger-naturalist. His unusually popular campfire talks on the geology and wildlife of Yellowstone were renowned for their clarity, scientific accuracy, and enthusiastic presentation.
Miner began his career as an educator at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, in 1937 as Chair of the Geology Department. His leadership in both college and community educational activities over the next 10 years attested to his strong respect and affection for students and earned him reciprocal respect and affection from the communities he served.
Aside from his contributions to geological science through the professional lives of his students, Miner's most important accomplishments included establishing Camp Norton, a summer geology field camp for students at Cornell College, Knox College, Syracuse University, and Miami University of Ohio in 1940, and organizing the Association of Geology Teachers in 1938, which has evolved into our National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT). From a seminal group of five geology teachers interested in getting better acquainted and exchanging teaching ideas, the NAGT has grown into a North American professional organization that fosters understanding of the importance of the earth sciences and encourages excellence in geoscience teaching.
Tragically, leukemia ended Neil Miner's life prematurely in 1947. Officers of the NAGT established the Neil Miner Award in 1952. The prestigious award is given in Miner's memory each year to honor him for his contagious enthusiasm for geology and unselfish dedication to his students and his profession.
The Award
Each year, the NAGT presents the Neil Miner Award to an individual for exceptional contributions to the stimulation of interest in the Earth sciences. The Award, presented each year since 1953, commemorates Neil Miner's concern for personal excellence and effective teaching. His ideals, his notably unselfish outlook on life, and his personal philosophy inspired his fellow teachers as well as his students. The Neil Miner Award is presented annually at the NAGT luncheon held during the national meeting of the Geological Society of America.
Award Recipients
2019 Award Recipient: J Bret Bennington, Hofstra University
Past Recipients
- 2018- Rachel Beane, Bowdoin College, Maine
- 2017 - Katherine Ellins, The University of Texas at Austin
- 2016 - Bud Wobus, Williams College
- 2015 - Bob Butler, University of Portland
- 2014 - Steve Mattox, Grand Valley State University
- 2013 - Michael Cummings, Portland State University
- 2012 - Stephen Marshak, University of Illinois: Urbana-Champaign
- 2011 - Marjorie J. McKinney and the late Dr. F. Kenneth McKinney
- 2010 - David A. McConnell, North Carolina State University
- 2009 - Heather Macdonald, College of William and Mary, VA
- 2008 - Yildirim Dilek, Miami University
- 2007 - Michael Gibson, University of Tennessee-Martin
- 2006 - William D. Romey, Professor Emeritus, St. Lawrence University
- 2005 - C.M. Ashbrook, Southwest Virginia Community College, Richlands, VA
- 2004 - H.L. Vacher, University of South Florida, FL
- 2003 - B.J. Tewksbury, Hamilton College, NY
- 2002 - J.S. Shelton, Pomona College, CA
- 2001 - J.B. Southard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA
- 2000 - K.B. Bork, Denison University, OH
- 1999 - D.W. Byerly, University of Tennessee, TN
- 1998 - J.R. Carpenter, University of South Carolina, SC
- 1997 - W.W. Craig, University of New Orleans, LA
- 1996 - T.J. Freeman, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
- 1995 - B.J. Skinner, Yale University, CT
- 1994 - T.E. Hendrix, Grand Valley State University, MI
- 1993 - R.C. Whisonant, Radford University, VA
- 1992 - R.C. Anderson, Augustana College, IL
- 1991 - W.B. Bull, University of Arizona, AZ
- 1990 - S.W. Bailey, University of Wisconsin, WI
- 1989 - R.L. Folk, University of Texas at Austin, TX
- 1988 - L.J. Suttner, Indiana University, IN
- 1987 - H.H. Woodard, Beloit, College, WI
- 1986 - L.R. Lawdon, University Wisconsin-Madison, WI
- 1985 - W.M. Furnish, University of Iowa, IA
- 1984 - Y.T. Mandra, San Francisco State University, CA
- 1983 - S.J. Gould, Harvard University, MA
- 1982 - D. Echols, Washington University, MO
- 1981 - R. Norris, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
- 1981 - R. Fryxell, Washington State University, WA
- 1980 - R.E. Boyer, University of Texas, Austin, TX
- 1979 - J. Mead, Indiana University, IN
- 1978 - K.G. Nelson, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
- 1977 - R.C. Gutschick, University of Notre Dame, IN
- 1976 - J.W. Skehan, Boston College, MA
- 1975 - J.E. Allen, Portland State University, OR
- 1974 - C.W. Wolfe, Boston University, MA
- 1973 - R.W. Webb, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
- 1972 - R.H. Durrell, University of Cincinnati, OH
- 1971 - H.S. Hill, Pasadena City College, CA
- 1970 - C.J. Roy, Iowa State University of Science & Technology, IA
- 1969 - R.L. Nicols, Tufts College, MA
- 1968 - K.E. Lowe, City College (CUNY), NY
- 1967 - W.D. Keller, University of Missouri, MO
- 1966 - C.S. Hurlbut, Jr., Harvard University, MA
- 1965 - R.H. Heller, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN
- 1964 - W.H. Matthews, Lamar State College, TX
- 1963 - E. Dorf, Princeton University, NJ
- 1962 - H.E. Wenden, Ohio State University, OH
- 1961 - P. Robertson, Principia College, IL
- 1960 - A.C. Trowbridge, University of Iowa, IA
- 1959 - J.H. Bretz, University of Chicago, IL
- 1958 - C.H. Behre, Jr., Columbia University, NY
- 1957 - G.A. Thiel, University of Minnesota, MN
- 1956 - A.K. Lobeck, Columbia University, NY
- 1955 - A.O. Woodford, Pomona College, CA
- 1954 - W.M. Shideler, Miami University, OH
- 1953 - F.M. Fryxell, Augustana College, IL
Make a Nomination
- a letter of nomination stating why the nominee is an outstanding geoscience teacher.
- up to a maximum of four letters of support no more than two pages in length. At least one letter each should come from a student, a colleague, and an administrator. All letters must be written specifically for the Neil Miner Award nomination.
- the nominee's curriculum vitae.
The award winner is chosen by a committee consisting of the President of the Association, who serves as Chair; the immediate Past-President; the Secretary/treasurer; and two members recommended by the Executive Committee. Nominations not selected for the award will be considered for two subsequent years.
Nomination Deadline is April 1.
You may submit all nomination materials through the online nomination form or send them all together in one package to the program contact person:
Dr. Karen Viskupic
Boise State University
Department of Geosciences
1910 University Drive
Boise, ID 83725-1535


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Delays and discussions
As you may have noticed, I've been lax in posting for a few days. A host of reasons exist, some of which I'll mention in this post. Yep, it's a QQ post (grin).
First is I'm somewhat dreading the macro/script post. Truth is I'm reaching my limits of competency and so losing confidence that I'm going to steer right. I've decided I'm going to continue, but remind folk of this fact every so often. And as a consequence the series may get a little disjointed — and even take some blind turns as I discover I can't do what I thought I could do THAT way. So for those dreading the next Writing Macros series, your dread has not been in vain.
Second, though no less important, have been the holidays and other off-WoW life. It was not a holly jolly Christmas for many, many reasons, most of which I'm not going to share. Illness and injuries – not only among my immediate family, but among the ones who had been going to come out to where I am and so were stopped – were only a part of the reason. My feeling of being a stranger in a strange land (from Colorado/Kansas, and am in Georgia) doesn't help, and it's exacerbated by a persistent attitude displayed toward my wife by the locals. (You're not from 'round here…) Enough – there were many, many other reasons, and you don't need all the details.
Third, I've not been playing Zingiber much recently. It wasn't fun. Now, I still like playing priestie – and I've been having some fun with the hunter – but the reason was guild related. As in — as of a couple of days ago, Sunfury – of almost 200 members three months ago, farming Gruul, working on SSC – no longer exists. Disbanded. The guild still exists on paper, but it's some admin stuff to get it all closed down cleanly (distribution of loots, making sure the people who weren't on when the disband happened aren't left in the dark, nice things like that.) To be honest I feared it was coming, and wasn't in a position (time in the guild OR rank in the guild) to sway things intelligently. A digression – I've learned the hard way that trying to sway things without knowledge, time, and/or authority is a good way to make things worse. I've done it, and seen it done, both in and outside games. There is a tiny chance I'd have persuaded the guild to stay together by doing something a bit differently. There's a much larger chance I'd have created MORE dissension.
Now that the guild is officially disbanded, I've discovered how much good will I've earned – or maybe it's desperation for a healer. I got on last night (after three nights not playing Zingiber) and had several whispers asking me to join a guild – different guilds. I told them all I needed to think about it, and helped an old friend with an early Kara run (that is, mostly new to and barely geared for it players) — it was an amazing experience to wipe on Moroes after seeing him drop so easily in the past.
I will have to think on it, of course. I have no desire to spend 30 or 40 hours a week on WoW "just" raiding. I want to do more with my hunter, for one thing. And spend time with my wife, and do some things around the house, and finish writing my book, and… But at my skill and gear, I'm mostly getting requests from Raiding Guilds. Ah well – it beats having NOBODY wanting me.
So, I will be getting more posts done — getting back to a more regular rate. Sorry for the wait.


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City of Carrollton, TXHome Menu
Hours of Operation: Mon-Thurs 7:30a-5:30p Fridays 7:30a-11:30a
The Municipal Court hours of operation are Monday – Thursday 7:30AM – 5:30PM and Friday 7:30AM – 11:30AM.
NOTICE: Court will be closed from 1pm to 5:30pm on Tuesday, November 7, 2017, for staff training. If your appearance due date is Nov. 7th, you may appear the next day on the 8th and no late penalty will be added.
Class C misdemeanor criminal cases, including traffic violations for which the maximum fine upon conviction does not exceed $500, and for which no jail term may be assessed, are tried in Municipal Court. Cases involving violations of City ordinances are also tried in the Municipal Court. The Municipal Court judge is appointed by the City Council.
Persons receiving traffic citations may be eligible to take a Driving Safety Course and/or Deferred Disposition (probation) to have the charge dismissed. This request must be made in writing on or before the appearance date on the citation.
Fines may be paid by cash, credit card or money order at the municipal court clerk's office unless the citation is in warrant status, at which time only cash will be accepted*. There is a 2% service fee added to credit/debit card payments. In addition, fines may be paid online.
Payment of Fine.
Request a 10 Day Extension for a citation.
Warrant lookup system.
Courtroom Attire: Shorts, very short dresses or skirts, halter tops, tank tops, sleeveless tops, shirts that reveal excessive cleavage, muscle shirts, undershirts, t-shirts with indecent, profane, obscene words, language, graphics or illustrations, "sagging" pants, or gang related clothing are PROHIBITED and WILL NOT BE ALLOWED in the courtroom. Defendants who appear in prohibited attire will be turned away and will be required to post a bond for a new court date. For more information regarding rules for proper conduct, dress, and procedures of our court see Carrollton Municipal Court Local Rules.
The City of Carrollton Municipal Court has issued a notice that anyone with an outstanding warrant who is stopped by a City Marshal, or Police Officer may, at the Marshal's or Officer's discretion, be given the option to immediately pay the fine associated with that warrant.
During the traffic stop, the Marshal or Officer may provide a toll free number for the individual to call and conduct a telephone payment transaction with the City's credit card vendor. This payment process has been initiated by the Municipal Court as a way to possibly bypass the necessity of arresting individuals with outstanding warrants. This option will only be offered by Carrollton City Marshals and Carrollton Police Officers on warrants issued by Carrollton Municipal Court.
Have You Received A Collection Letter or Telephone Call Regarding a Warrant? - Verify It With Your Court Before You Pay.
Recently, sham telephone calls have been made to residents by imposters claiming to represent the Dallas County Sheriff's office or other law enforcement agencies in an attempt to collect payments from unsuspecting residents often by asking for their credit card information over the telephone.
The City of Carrollton is dedicated to communicating as clearly as possible and wants residents to know that your Municipal Court does generate warrant collection calls and letters. These calls and letters are valid and legitimate. The calls and letters explain your options for resolving the warrant, but do not request any credit card information. One of the options given to pay for a warrant is to call the City's credit card partner GovPayNet using their toll-free telephone number to pay the warrant/fine. If anyone has a suspicion about a telephone call or collection letter from the Carrollton Municipal Court, it can be verified by calling the Carrollton Municipal Court at 972-466-3348 or by visiting cityofcarrollton.com/courts.
For more information on this payment option, contact the Carrollton Municipal Court at 972-466-3348. .
Nothing contained on this website is intended to be construed as legal advice.


text:
Top Items:
Justin Sink / The Hill:
Obama: Dems 'get clobbered' in midterms — President Obama complained Thursday that Democrats "get clobbered" in midterm elections, blaming a "toxic" atmosphere in Washington for suppressing key Democratic constituencies. — "The challenge is that our politics in Washington have become …
Discussion: Washington Monthly, Ed Driscoll, The Daily Caller, Primary Colors, Hullabaloo, Mediaite, Booman Tribune and Balloon Juice
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: Kos and Third Way's "Big Tent" Tussle
Jim Treacher / The Daily Caller: Democrats 'get clobbered' in midterms, whines Obama
Ryan O'Donnell / Primary Colors: What Kinds of Democrats Can Win in Conservative Seats?
Thereisnospoon / Hullabaloo: Alternatively, Democrats could give midterm voters something to believe in. by @DavidOAtkins
Josh Feldman / Mediaite: Obama: Dems Always 'Get Clobbered' in Midterms
John Cole / Balloon Juice: Third Way Wankers Write In Villager Rag Bemoaning the Influence of Dirty Hippies.
Tal Kopan / Politico:
President Obama: 'In midterms, we get clobbered' — President Barack Obama told Democratic donors that Democrats tend to "get clobbered" in midterm elections, and in order to win in November they need to turn out the vote. — Speaking at the suburban Miami home of basketball legend Alonzo Mourning …
Discussion: The Daily Caller, Washington Monthly and The Week
Matt K. Lewis / The Daily Caller: Obama gets history wrong: Says Dems tend to 'get clobbered' in midterms
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: Obama Talks Midterm Falloff
USA Today:
RNC Chairman: Obamacare still stinks
RNC Chairman: Obamacare still stinks
Discussion: Talking Points Memo
Frank Newport / Gallup:
Clinton's Top Selling Point in 2016: First Female President — Top negatives are not being qualified; continuing Obama's agenda — PRINCETON, NJ — Americans say the best or most positive thing about a possible Hillary Clinton presidency — if she were to run and be elected in 2016 …
Discussion: Mediaite, Real Clear Politics, The Daily Caller and Politico
Jose R. Gonzalez / Real Clear Politics: Poll: "First Female President" Is Top Reason to Elect Hillary
Caroline May / The Daily Caller: Poll: Clinton's gender is her top 2016 selling point
Tal Kopan / Politico: Poll: Gender top reason for Hillary Clinton bid
Maggie Haberman / Politico:
Hillary Clinton's delay: Frozen field or human shield? — The claim has hardened into accepted fact among many Democratic operatives: Hillary Clinton is freezing the Democratic 2016 field as she waits until possibly late this year to decide on another presidential run.
Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Shakesville, Taylor Marsh, WJLA-TV and Althouse
Prairie Weather / The Moderate Voice: What's the matter with Democrats? (The answer isn't very comforting.)
Melissa McEwan / Shakesville: In the News — Here is some stuff in in the news today...
Wall Street Journal:
Leaders Seek to Rescue New York's Bike-Share Program — Leaders of Citi Bike are moving quickly to raise tens of millions of dollars to rescue the popular bike-share program as it loses money, according to people familiar with the matter. — Citi Bike's bright blue bicycles have become …
Discussion: The Daily Caller, Politicker, The Week and National Review
Scott Meslow / The Week: Citi Bike needs 'tens of millions of dollars' to survive
Jillian Melchior / National Review: Hard Times for NYC's Bike-Share Program
McKay Coppins / BuzzFeed:
Killing Conservative Books: The Shocking End Of A Publishing Gold Rush — A decade ago, mainstream publishers became convinced they could make millions by churning out books for the right — and now the bubble may be bursting. From Allan Bloom to Ann Coulter. — The conservative book business has seen better days.
Discussion: American Prospect, Liberaland and Washington Monthly
Paul Waldman / American Prospect: The Decline of Conservative Publishing
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: Conservative Book Bonanaza Over?
Kristina Wong / The Hill:
Putin's quiet Latin America play — Away from the conflict in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is quietly seeking a foothold in Latin America, military officials warn. — To the alarm of lawmakers and Pentagon officials, Putin has begun sending navy ships and long-range bombers to the region for the first time in years.
Discussion: Prairie Weather and Hot Air
Bruce McQuain / Hot Air: Is Putin making moves in Latin America too?
Roger Cohen / New York Times: Cold Man in the Kremlin
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
Obama's pathetic response to Putin's invasion of Crimea
Obama's pathetic response to Putin's invasion of Crimea
Discussion: Fox News, Betsy's Page, The Daily Caller, Post Politics and Hot Air
Betsy Newmark / Betsy's Page: Cruising the Web
Wesley Lowery / Post Politics: Reacting to sanctions, Russians ban Reid, Boehner and four other lawmakers
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air: Video: Obama announces new sanctions after Crimea annexation
Scott Kaufman / The Raw Story:
Dept. of Education: Black preschoolers far more likely to be suspended than white counterparts — Although black children only represent about 18 percent of the students enrolled in preschool, according to a study released on Friday by the Department of Education's Civil Rights division …
Discussion: Hinterland Gazette, Liberaland and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Janet Shan / Hinterland Gazette: Black Students More Likely to Be Suspended From US Public Schools, Even as Preschoolers
SEK / Lawyers, Guns & Money: Of course black preschoolers are suspended far more often than their white counterparts
Motoko Rich / New York Times:
School Data Finds Pattern of Inequality Along Racial Lines
School Data Finds Pattern of Inequality Along Racial Lines
Discussion: Politico, susiemadrak.com and American Power
Susie / susiemadrak.com: Post-racial America
Donald Douglas / American Power: Patterns of Education Inequality Along Racial Lines
Willy Staley / New York Times:
Vice's Shane Smith: 'Have We Unleashed a Monster?' — You recently began something called Vice News. How is it different from what Vice already does? Through YouTube, we learned that our audience wants more news. So news is going to be its own offering.
Discussion: Grist and Talking Points Memo, more at Mediagazer »
Talvarezgrist / Grist: VICE chases melting ice in Greenland
Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress:
Bill Forces People Going Through Divorce To Get A Judge's Permission Before Having Sex In Own Home — There's nothing that sets the mood for a romantic evening like petitioning a judge for permission to have sex at the end of the night. — If Massachusetts State Sen. Richard J. Ross (R) …
Discussion: Joe. My. God.
Joe Jervis / Joe. My. God.: Today In GOP Crackpottery
Lindsay Toler / Daily RFT:
Chase Martinson Loses College Acceptance After Coming Out as Gay on Facebook — When Chase Martinson took a break from his studies at Hannibal-LaGrange University to manage his health issues, he expected it to be temporary hiccup on his path to becoming a nurse.
Discussion: Advocate, Towleroad News #gay, The Raw Story and LGBTQ Nation
Sunnivie Brydum / Advocate: Mo. Baptist College Rejects Gay Student's Readmission Application
Andy Towle / Towleroad News #gay: Missouri College Refuses to Re-enroll Student Who Came Out as Gay Since He 'Misused God's Gift'
Scott Kaufman / The Raw Story: Christian university revokes admission to honor student after learning he's gay
Megan R. Wilson / The Hill:
Adelson casino hires Blanche Lincoln — Former Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) will be lobbying for Las Vegas Sands at her firm Lincoln Policy Group, according to new disclosure records. — The casino, which is owned by billionaire and major GOP donor Sheldon Adelson, is pushing Congress to enact a ban on Internet gambling.
Discussion: Politico
Byron Tau / Politico: Adelson hires Lincoln
John Hinderaker / Power Line:
Washington Post Falls For Left-Wing Fraud, Embarrasses Itself — Today's Washington Post features an article by Steven Mufson and Juliet Eilperin headlined, "The biggest lease holder in Canada's oil sands isn't Exxon Mobil or Chevron. It's the Koch brothers."
Discussion: Politico, Wonkblog, Grist, National Review, Sky Dancing, ThinkProgress, Koch Cash, KochFacts.com, Washington Post and Daily Kos
Alex Guillén / Politico: Sanctions on Russia could be disruptive - Exxon will disclose climate risks to assets
Steven Mufson / Wonkblog: Why we wrote about the Koch Industries and its leases in Canada's oil sands
Anjulie Palta / Koch Cash: 1.1 Million Acres in Canada and Counting: Koch Interest in Keystone XL Pipeline Confirmed
KochFacts.com: Washington Post Misleads Readers about Koch and Hides Reporter's Ties to Political Attack Group …
Washington Post: The biggest lease holder in Canada's oil sands isn't Exxon Mobil or Chevron. It's the Koch brothers.
Constanze Letsch / Guardian:
Turkey Twitter users flout Erdogan ban on micro-blogging site — Twitter use breaks new record in country as Turks defy purge of social media platform by Ankara — Turkish users of Twitter - including the country's president - have flouted a block on the social media platform …
Discussion: Gigaom and Pew Research Center's …, more at Mediagazer »
Widespread Twitter outages in Turkey after PM threatens ban
Widespread Twitter outages in Turkey after PM threatens ban
Discussion: WorldViews, National Review and Washington Post
Kathryn Lopez / National Review: TwitterisblockedinTurkey Trends — The Turkish government has declared war on Twitter.
Terrence McCoy / Washington Post: Turkey bans Twitter — and Twitter explodes
Dylan Scott / Talking Points Memo:
Matt Drudge Is (Probably) Lying About Paying A Huge Obamacare 'Liberty Tax' — It seems conservative monolith Matt Drudge is taking some pride in paying the penalty for not purchasing insurance under Obamacare. He's even got a name for it. … There's just one problem …
Discussion: irs.gov and Joe. My. God.
Joe Jervis / Joe. My. God.: Homocon Matt Drudge Busted Lying
Andy Fox / WAVY-TV:
Record cleared for student involved in razor incident — VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A Virginia Beach sixth grader who came to the aid of a classmate who was cutting his arm returned to school Friday with a clean record after initially facing expulsion for her actions.
Discussion: ThinkProgress, VICE, Joanne Jacobs, CBS DC, Red Alert Politics, Moonbattery, The Daily Caller, Gawker and Hit & Run
Jamie Lee Curtis Taete / VICE: Cry-Baby of the Week — It's time, once again, to marvel …
Digitaleddiecbs / CBS DC: Girl Suspended From School Over Razor Incident Allowed To Return
Morgan Murtaugh / Red Alert Politics: Sixth-grader suspended for taking a razor from her classmate
Dave Blount / Moonbattery: Student Suspended for Preventing Self-Mutilation
Robby Soave / The Daily Caller: Sixth grader suspended for taking razor blade away from suicidal student, throwing it away
Elizabeth Nolan Brown / Hit & Run: Virginia Student Gets Suspended for Taking Razor From Kid Who Was Cutting
Mark Flatten / Washington Examiner:
Navy database tracks civilians' parking tickets, fender-benders, raising fears of domestic spying — CRIME WATCHDOG THE PENTAGON FBI BIG GOVERNMENT NATIONAL SECURITY TERRORISM ACCOUNTABILITY NAVY CIVIL RIGHTS ACLU FOURTH AMENDMENT — A parking ticket, traffic citation or involvement …
Discussion: The Gateway Pundit
Sam Eifling / Associated Press:
Honolulu police officers have urged lawmakers to keep an exemption in state law that allows undercover officers to have sex with prostitutes during investigations, touching off a heated debate. — Authorities say they need the legal protection to catch lawbreakers in the act.
Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Raw Story, Boston Globe and National Review
Robby Soave / The Daily Caller: Should undercover cops be allowed to have sex with prostitutes? Cops say yes
Scott Kaufman / The Raw Story: Hawaii lets on-duty cops have sex with prostitutes, and police want to keep it that way
Chris Caesar / Boston Globe: State law gives Hawaii cops right to have sex with prostitutes on the job
Eight Year Old Reportedly Committed Suicide After Deportation — Children of immigrant parents sing the "Happy Birthday" song to Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) in front of a Capitol Hill office building. — CREDIT: ThinkProgress/ Esther Y. Lee — An eight year old reportedly committed suicide …
Discussion: The Raw Story
New York Times:
Kingmaker's Death Lays Bare Erosion of Parties' Authority — WASHINGTON — When Robert S. Strauss headed the Democratic Party in the early 1970s, he was a man of unusual sway. A phone call could change a presidential campaign, or at times, even the presidency itself.
Discussion: Bloomberg View and The Monkey Cage
Jonathan Bernstein / Bloomberg View: Catch of the Day: Where's the Party?


text: If you're anything like me, coffee is one of the first things on your mind when you wake up (and after lunch to get past that 2:30 slump). I love coffee—and I love all the fun accessories that go along with drinking coffee. So, on one of the coldest days of […] Read More »


text:
As I mentioned in
my last entry, the two biggest, most enduring, and most credible "conspiracies"
in the financial world revolve around gold manipulation (See GATA's website (Gold Anti-Trust Action
Committee)) and naked short selling (See DeepCapture.com).
Although they are treated as distinct from and unrelated to each other, these
two conspiracies are in fact ONE.
Let's begin with a quick overview of gold manipulation and naked short selling in order to show how they are connected.
GATA provides a summary of the gold manipulation conspiracy.
A Summary of GATA's Work - Andrew Hepburn
Submitted by Administrator on Mon, 2004-01-12 08:00.
By Andrew Hepburn
The Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee (GATA) believes that central banks, acting through certain investment banks, have surreptitiously manipulated the price of gold. Such activity appears to have started in the mid-1990s and continues to this day. Prominent entities involved include J.P. Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, the Federal Reserve, the Bank of England, and the Bank for International Settlements. GATA specifically alleges that the U.S. Treasury's Exchange Stabilization Fund [ESF] has been used, contrary to official denials, for gold market interventions. Furthermore, GATA believes that the official sector intervened in the late 1990s to prevent an impending gold derivative crisis, the result of excessive short positions accumulated over many years.
These claims are based on analyses of publicly available government documents and statistics, trading abnormalities, and material presented in a GATA-backed lawsuit. Howe vs. Bank for International Settlements et al. accusing the BIS, Federal Reserve, U.S. Treasury, and four bullion banks of gold market manipulation. Though the suit was dismissed in 2002 on two technicalities, the evidence presented in it is recognized by many knowledgeable observers as having sufficiently proven the price-fixing allegations. …
Central banks lease gold either by making gold deposits with, or by making gold loans to, bullion banks, the largest of which are international banks or other financial institutions. In both cases, the gold is placed with a bullion bank usually at a very low rate of interest, often 2% or less. This so-called "leased" gold is then sold into the market and the currency proceeds delivered for investment or other use by the bullion bank and/or its customer. When the gold deposit is called or the gold loan comes due, the physical gold required for repayment must generally be repurchased in the market.
The benefit to the bullion banks lay in the difference between gold lease rates and prevailing interest rates. By borrowing gold cheaply, selling it into the spot market, and investing the proceeds in interest-bearing instruments, the gold borrowers realized substantial gains. …
the mechanics of the gold leasing (gold manipulation)
The Goldseek article below does a Forensic Examination of the Gold Carry Trade.
Forensic Examination of the Gold Carry Trade
-- Posted Wednesday, 13 May 2009
By: Rob Kirby
… Central Banks "swap" and "lease" gold is an undeniable matter of public record. …
… Central Banks claim to "officially" have somewhere in the neighborhood of 30,000 metric tonnes of gold bullion in their vaults. However, the reality is that Central Banks possess LESS physical gold than they officially report – how much less is a matter of speculation and a closely guarded secret.
The following formula explains the mechanics of the Gold Carry [lease] Trade:
** Do not confuse the Gold Forward Rate [GOFO] with the Gold futures price – they are not related.
What Happens When Gold Is Leased?
When Central Banks lease gold, it PHYSICALLY leaves the vault and the recipient / borrower sells the physical metal into the marketplace to raise cash – to invest or to finance capital expenditures. In this regard, we can say that "GOLD LEASING" is a means by which physical bullion is made available in the market place – thereby lowering the gold price. After the gold physically leaves the vault of the Central Bank, it is replaced with an I. O. U. and the Central Bank, for accounting purposes, "double counts" by continuing to claim that they still possess the same amount of physical bullion in the vault. It is notable that fraudulent accounting practices relating to gold is promoted by lawmakers the world over. This is contrary to generally accepted accounting practices and promotes market opacity instead of the much talked about need for transparency. Explicitly, it serves to promote the supremacy of the fiat U.S. Dollar as the world's reserve currency.
I've circled the 10 % spike in lease rates on the chart below:
Now, let's stop and consider WHO did the lending of metal in Sept. 1999 – expelling physical precious metal, intentionally at a loss, in the face of a RISING PRICE of GOLD. Remember folks, 3 month GOFO [the gold forward rate] is the return "earned" by the lender of bullion:
So ask yourself WHO would lend physical gold bullion to ANYONE with a guarantee that you would get LESS bullion back in 3 months????????????
to take away from the passage above is that the gold lease rate is an indicator of how much central
bank gold is being leased out. The higher the lease rate,
the more leased gold is being sold
It is also key to note that when leased gold is sold to investors around the world, the money collected is brought to the US and put into "interest-bearing instruments". This means more gold is leased out, the more demand is created for dollars and US treasuries.
Time Frame of the gold leasing fraud
The gold leasing that was rampant in the 1990s was ended by the "Washington Agreement". The gold sextant explains how this happened.
February 1, 2000. Two Bills: Scandal and Opportunity in Gold?
On September 26, 1999, 15 European central banks, led by the ECB, announce that they will limit their total combined gold sales over the next five years to 2000 tonnes, not to exceed 400 tonnes in any one year, and will not increase their gold lending or other gold derivatives activities. Besides the ECB and the 11 members of the EMU, Britain, Switzerland and Sweden are parties. The 2000 tonnes include the remaining 365 tonnes of British sales and 1300 tonnes of previously proposed Swiss sales, leaving only 335 tonnes of possible new sales. The announcement, made in Washington following the IMF/World Bank annual meeting, is ironically christened the "Washington Agreement" although the government in Washington played no role. However, the BIS, IMF, U.S. and Japan are all expected to abide by it, and the BIS is expected to monitor it.
…the agreement was hammered out secretly among the members of the EMU, the BIS and Switzerland, that the British were given a chance to sign on after the fact, and that the U.S. was not informed until just before the Sunday announcement. For references to European press commentary on the genesis of the agreement, see W. Smith, "Operation Dollar Storm," www.gold-eagle.com/editorials_99/wsmith111099.html.
The notion, shared by many, that the EMU would forever acquiesce in the trashing of its gold reserves by bullion banks operating in the largely paper gold markets of London, New York and Tokyo appears in retrospect to have been incredibly naive. … With the euro successfully launched, they quickly lost reason to continue capping the gold price…
… Currently the European central banks through the BIS and within the limits of the Washington Agreement are engaged in a tightly controlled feed of modest amounts of gold into the market. …
Verifying timing through gold lease rate data
The gold lease rate data going back to 1990 can be found by visiting the LBMA's website (LBMA = The London Bullion Market Association), as seen below.
By graphing this data, we see the gold leasing really took off in the 1990s. However, after the 1999 Washington agreement, the flow of leased gold started to die off until it ended completely in the 2001/2002 period.
(Remember: The gold lease rate is an indicator of how much central bank gold is being leased out. The higher the lease rate, the more leased gold is being sold.)
Full Resolution
Deedcapture explains that miscreants are selling billions of dollars of stock that simply does not exist (phantom stock).
The Story of Deep Capture
You can download a printable version of The Story of Deep Capture here.
By Mark Mitchell, with reporting by the Deep Capture Team
Introduction - by Mark Mitchell
August 12, 2005…the proudest day of Patrick Byrne's life. … Patrick is on a conference call with 500 blue chip investors and a few journalists. He tells his telephone audience that he's been talking to this fellow named Bob …, and … he's laid out this scheme, he's made some predictions… so everybody please download Patrick's computer generated slide show and follow along from home.
The first slide reads, "The Miscreants' Ball." Patrick says the miscreants are selling billions of dollars of stock that simply does not exist – phantom stock. They have destroyed hundreds of public companies for profit. Some journalists, meanwhile, are "crooked." They're "lickspittles." They are famous journalists and they cover up the miscreants' crimes. They attack all who oppose them. …
And that's not all, follow along please with the slides — they show how the miscreants and the journalists have ties to government agencies and private investigators, maybe the Mafia, and also an arms dealer, an undercover mole, a corrupt law firm, and Eliot Spitzer. …
The crimes are the work of Wall Street hedge fund managers and brokers who engage in a common trading strategy known as short-selling. A short sale is a way of making money when the price of a stock goes down. You borrow shares from someone else and immediately sell them off. If the price drops, you buy the shares back and return them to the original owner, pocketing the difference. If a company goes out of business, short-sellers hit the jackpot.
This is perfectly legal and unobjectionable. But some short-sellers do not play by the rules. A small group of powerful hedge fund managers stop at nothing to annihilate the companies they sell short. Their tactics include: blackmail, smear campaigns, espionage, fraud, harassment, extortion, bribery, rumor-mongering, sabotage, off-shore money laundering, political cronyism, frivolous lawsuits, witness tampering, biased financial research, false identities, bogus credit ratings, bribery, libelous blogs, bad science, forgery, wiretapping, counterfeiting, collusion, lying, cheating, threats and theft.
Their most egregious trick is to sell "phantom stock." By exploiting a glitch in Wall Street's computerized trading system, and a loophole in federal regulations, some hedge funds sell virtually unlimited amounts of stock that they have not yet borrowed or purchased. This is often referred to as "NAKED SHORT SELLING." Hedge funds use this tactic to flood the market with supply and drive down prices – which is blatantly illegal.
Patrick has written a blog explaining how this works in laymen's terms. An economist has written a detailed history of "FAILURES TO DELIVER" (i.e. stock sold and not delivered, because it is phantom stock) for Regulation magazine, published by the Cato Institute. A former SEC Chairman has spoken extensively against the problem. Many other researchers, several professors, a former SEC economist, and a former deputy secretary of commerce have also written papers on the subject. If you are interested in the mechanics of the crime, read some of those papers here, here, here, here, here, and here.
In addition to the 300-plus companies on the SEC's list, as many as 1,000 companies have already been wiped off the map by illegal short-selling, according to some experts.
the mechanics of stock "failures-to-deliver" (naked short selling)
Deedcapture describes the process through which naked short selling is used to destroy US companies.
It was in October 2004, and the
Easter Bunny [Patrick Byrne's anonymous Wall Street
informant] … made some predictions. He said that Gradient
would continue to publish outrageous information at Rocker's behest. He said the
same information that had ended up in The Wall Street Journal, would soon get
into the hands of specific reporters at Fortune, Forbes, MarketWatch.com,
Barron's magazine, and TheStreet.com – all of whom would
call in the coming weeks. And he said that Overstock
would soon become the target of a nonsensical federal investigation.
The Easter Bunny also laid out THE MECHANICS OF SOMETHING CALLED "NAKED SHORT SELLING." He predicted that OVERSTOCK WOULD SUDDENLY BE LISTED, WITHOUT ITS AUTHORIZATION, ON A BUNCH OF FOREIGN STOCK EXCHANGES—making it easier for hedge funds to sell phantom stock. And he predicted that Overstock would appear on the SEC's Reg SHO list of victim companies, scheduled to appear for the first time in January, 2005.
Over the next two weeks, Patrick received calls from precisely the predicted journalists at Forbes magazine, Barron's, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, and Fortune magazine – all of them reading the same list of questions supplied to them by Gradient. …
Within a few weeks, the Federal Trade Commission in San Francisco began a bizarre investigation into Overstock that went nowhere. Within a couple of months, OVERSTOCK HAD MYSTERIOUSLY APPEARED ON EXCHANGES IN STUTTGART, MUNICH, FRANKFURT, BERLIN, AND AUSTRALIA. And come January, the company was indeed on the SEC's victim list (along with three other companies that Rocker had just hammered in a column for Barron's magazine).
"The power of any theory is its ability to make predictions," Patrick later says in his "Miscreants' Ball" presentation. "It doesn't matter how wacky a theory sounds, if it makes predictions that are confirmed, you've got to pay attention to it."
There are two important points to note here about the naked
short selling crimes outlined above:
1) The targets of naked short sellers get listed on foreign exchanges
Before companies are attacked by naked short selling, they are listed on foreign exchanges without their knowledge. This 2005 Euromoney article offers confirmation of this process.
shorting: Stung by the German connection
April 2005
by Peter Koh
Thousands of US stocks are being traded on a little-known Berlin exchange, without the knowledge of many of the companies involved. …
A YEAR AGO Ted Noble, chief financial officer at Advanced ID Corporation, a Calgary-based microchip-tracking company, received some surprising news.
"We were congratulated by a third party who saw that our shares were trading on the Berlin Stock Exchange," he recalls. "That came as news to us because WE'D NOT DONE ANYTHING TO GET LISTED IN GERMANY. I talked to a few people and we couldn't figure out whether it was good or bad."
Noble soon found out when his company's shares started behaving oddly on the US OTC bulletin board. "April 29 [2004] was a slow day, and only about 10,000 of our shares had traded. Then 370,000 shares traded in the last 20 minutes before the close. It knocked our stock price down from 58 cents to 41 cents, before closing nearly 20% down at 48 cents. That was very unusual for our stock. I'd never seen anything...
2) The money from
selling "phantom shares" doesn't go to the naked short sellers
When stock IOUs are sold by naked short sellers, the money paid by the buyer goes into collateral (US treasuries) to backup the stock IOUs. This letter to the SEC confirms that "phantom shares" are collateralized.
Ms. Florence
Harmon Acting Secretary Securities and Exchange Commission 100 F. Street, NE
Washington, DC 20549-9303 Re: Release No. 34-58773; File No. 87-30-08 Amendment
to Regulation SHO Interim Final Temporary Rule
Dear Sirs,
The foundation for the DTCC-administered clearance and settlement system in use in the U.S. has been illegally converted to one based upon mere "collateralization versus payment" or "CVP" wherein the seller of securities is only asked to collateralize the monetary amount of the failed delivery obligation on a daily marked to market basis. This policy invites abusive naked short selling activity in that the failures to deliver shares results in the procreation of what are referred to as "securities entitlements" that are allowed to be readily sellable as if they were legitimate "shares" of a corporation due to the wording unfortunately incorporated into the text of UCC Article 8-501.
when "phantom shares" of US companies are sold "on exchanges in Stuttgart,
Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin, and Australia", the money collected from buyers is transferred
to the US and put into treasury securities. The more "phantom
shares" are sold abroad, the more demand is created for dollars and US treasuries.
Time Frame of the naked short selling fraud
Naked short selling wasn't a major problem during the 1990s. It was only more recently that companies started getting wiped out of existence by "phantom shares". To see exactly when, we need to look at the data.
While the DDTC only started releasing failures-to-deliver (naked short selling) data for stocks after 2006, it is possible to get an idea when naked short selling started to be a problem by looking at the failures-to-deliver data for treasury securities, agency debt, and MBS. This data is readily available on the Fed's website going back to 1990, as seen below.
By graphing this data, we see that naked short selling problem started in the 2001/2002 period.
Full Resolution
Comparing the gold lease rate and failure-to-deliver data
If we combine the gold lease rate and failure-to-deliver data into one graph, we get a pretty interesting result, as seen below.
Full Resolution
The graph above shows how naked short selling sprung up after the 1999 Washington agreement and became epidemic as gold leasing died out. The odds of this being a coincidence are astronomically low. Essential, the gold leasing fraud was replaced by the naked short selling fraud.
Motive behind gold manipulation and naked short selling
To find the connection between gold leasing and naked short selling, all you need to do is "follow the money".
Gold leasing: Investors around the world pay billions in foreign currencies to buy the thousands of tons of gold being leased out. These foreign currencies are than converted into dollars (helping keep the US currency strong) and used to buy US treasuries (helping the US treasury finance the federal deficit) to serves as collateral for the loaned gold.
Naked short selling: Investors around the world pay billions in foreign currencies to buy the millions of phantom stock in midsize companies listed on foreign exchanges. These foreign currencies are then converted into dollars (helping keep the US currency strong) and used to buy US treasuries (helping the US treasury finance the federal deficit) to serves as collateral for the phantom stock.
The naked short selling fraud, which began after the 1999 Washington Agreement, was meant to replace the enormous flow of money into the dollar and US treasury market that was about to be lost due to the end of gold leasing.
The party responsible for both frauds
Since gold leasing and naked short selling both support the dollar and the US treasury market, the obvious party responsible is the Treasury's Department's Exchange Stabilization Fund (ESF) which is officially in charge of defending the dollar. The ESF role in gold manipulation has long been recognized by GATA and others, as explained by the Golden Sextant.
February 1,
2000. Two Bills: Scandal
and Opportunity in Gold?
Evidence is accumulating that … the Clinton administration has effectively capped the gold price by using the ESF to backstop the selling of gold futures and other gold derivative products by politically well-connected bullion banks. …
The odd behavior of the gold price over the past five years, including massive gold leasing and heavy bouts of futures selling apparently timed to abort threatened rallies, has generated considerable speculation regarding intentional manipulation by governmental authorities. …
The Fed and the ESF are the only arms of the U.S. government with broad statutory authority "to deal in gold" and thus by reasonable extension in gold futures and derivatives. Were the Fed to engage in such activities, it would of necessity have to do so subject to all the institutional safeguards that govern its more important functions. Unlike the Fed, the ESF is virtually without institutional structure or safeguards. It is under the exclusive control of the Secretary of the Treasury, subject only to the approval of the President. Indeed, direct control and custody of the ESF must rest at all times with the President and the Secretary. The statute further provides (31 U.S.C. s. 5302(a)(2)): "Decisions of the Secretary are final and may not be reviewed by another officer or employee of the Government."
Originally funded out of the profits from the 1934 gold confiscation, the little known ESF is available for intervention in the foreign exchange markets. …
… the allegation that knowledgeable gold market participants and observers are making … is that the ESF -- by writing gold call options or otherwise -- is making sufficient gold cover available to certain bullion banks to allow them safely to take large short positions in gold, thereby putting downward pressure on the price and in the process making huge profits for themselves.
the ESF's role in gold manipulation is recognized, its role in naked short
selling, on the other hand, is not.
Patrick Byrne and Deep Capture unfortunately seem to believe that naked short selling is a wall street crime motivated by greed. That isn't right. It isn't the government regulators (SEC, etc...) that have been "deep captured" by Wall Street Interest. It is Wall Street (DTCC, primary dealers, hedge funds, etc) that has been corrupted by the treasury department (specifically the ESF).
Conclusion: It is all ONE conspiracy
The gold manipulation conspiracy alledged by GATA and the naked short selling conspiracy alledged by Deepcapture are one and the same, and the Treasury's Exchange Stabilization Fund (ESF) is the force behind gold leasing and "phantom stocks".
(for the more about the Treasury's ESF, see my entry *****What I have been afraid to blog about: THE ESF AND ITS HISTORY*****)


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Monty's Beach Lodge
Stay, Play, Change the World
Welcome to Monty's Beach lodge
Come and experience Central America like never before! Monty's Beach Lodge invites you to unwind and reconnect on a rustic hideaway on Nicaragua's gorgeous north Pacific coast. Our palm thatch lodge and restaurant sit on a breathtaking sandy surf beach on the edge of the traditional fishing village of Jiquilillo. You can relax on our wide open beach, wander across the warm sand, and kick back with fresh food and good friends. At Monty's, stay and play, and experience all the warmth of Nicaragua. That experience extends to working with local charities and development groups to provide enriching opportunities for our guests. With a wide variety of activities based on your personal interests, guests at Monty's Beach Lodge connect with the local community. Whether you are a professional with specific skills in fields such as teaching, medicine, dentistry or business, or you are skilled in trades and are willing to roll up your sleeves and get a little dirty, we have options for you. We can prearrange volunteer activities, or it can be scheduled when you arrive.
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A highly controversial Muslim leader, banned from the US and Britain, will hold a five-day conference in Dublin on Islamic issues.
Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi is named by the Irish Examiner as the head of the European Council for Fatwah and Research (ECFR). He is based in Qatar and has an estimated 40 million followers. His advocates say he is a moderate.
The sheikh, aged 84, has publicly stated in public that Israeli women, even those pregnant are legitimate targets for suicide bombers."'Israeli women are not like our women. Israel is a militarised society, all young people do military service, therefore they are legitimate targets'." he has been quoted as saying.
He has also professed approval for Adolf Hitler and his treatment of Jews
Anti-Israeli mood rife in Ireland says new survey findings
Glenn Beck revealed as clearly anti Semitic -- names eight Jews out of nine on his most dangerous list
Catholic Church and Archbishop Dolan lose out badly in New York gay marriage defeat
Groups gather to oppose Peter Kign's anti-Muslim hearings
"Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the Jews people who would punish them for their corruption...The last punishment was carried out by [Adolf] Hitler. By means of all the things he did to them – even though they exaggerated this issue – he managed to put them in their place. This was divine punishment for them...Allah willing, the next time will be at the hand of the believers.
He is also violently anti-homosexual and has said it should be punishable by killing.
He has also made clear very controversial remarks on rape and domestic violence.
On wife beating he stated it was " not obligatory nor desirable" but that he "accepts it as a method of last resort – though only lightly"
Usama Hasan, an influential Imam in Britain where the Sheikh is banned stated Sheikh al-Qaradawi was "massively influential and probably the number one scholar in the Arab world".
he described him as a "very complex" character and described him as a "fundamentalist, but a progressive fundamentalist".
The Dublin conference is being heavily covered by the Arab press as it is considered a very influential body.
A recent Wikileaks document showed the US Embassy worried that the Sheikh had a major influence on Muslims in ireland


text:
Idaho Public Utilities Commission
Case Nos. AVU-E-08-01, AVU-G-08-01 (General electric and gas rate cases)
Case Nos. AVU-E-08-05, AVU-G-08-03 (Annual power cost and gas cost surcharges)
October 1, 2008
Contact: Gene Fadness (208) 334-0339, 890-2712
Avista rate increases and surcharges effective today
State regulators have approved a negotiated settlement that, effective today, increases base rates for Avista Utilities' electric and gas customers. Also authorized was an increase to two yearly surcharges to pay for increasing gas and electric supply costs.
In the base rate case, the Idaho Public Utilities Commission approved a settlement, negotiated by four major parties, that allows Avista to increase its annual revenue for electric service by $23.2 million, or 11.98 percent. For the average Avista residential customer who uses about 977 kilowatt-hours per month, the increase is $7.89 per month.
The settlement resulted in a $9.1 million reduction from the company's original request of $32.3 million in increased annual revenue, which would have meant an average 16.7 percent rate increase.
On the gas side, the commission approved the settlement's proposal of an annual increase of $3.9 million or 4.7 percent. For the average Avista residential customer who uses 65 therms per month, the increase to permanent base rates is about $4.03. Avista originally requested an increase of $4.7 million in annual revenue or 5.8 percent.
This is the first Avista general rate case since 2004. However, it comes on top of Avista's annual Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) and Purchased Gas Cost Adjustment (PGA), both adjusted annually on Oct. 1.
The PCA effective today is an increase from the current surcharge of 0.267 cents per kWh to 0.61 cents. For the average residential customer, that's a monthly increase of about $3.43.
The PGA is about a 4 percent increase, or $2.96 per month for the average residential customer. When Avista originally filed its gas cost surcharge on Aug. 18 it requested a 14.2 percent increase in the surcharge. But declining wholesale gas prices since then and the company's ability to purchase additional natural gas for the coming year resulted in the company adjusting its filing on Sept. 15 from 14.2 percent to 4 percent.
The commission noted the impact the permanent rate increase and the electric and gas surcharges have on all customers, particularly those on fixed and low incomes. "This commission is not oblivious to the consequences of its rate orders," the commission said. "The volatility in the energy markets, however, shows no sign of abating."
In response to rising gas and electric prices, which are occurring nationwide, the commission adopted the rate case settlement proposal to increase funding for low-income weatherization and authorized funding for low-income outreach and conservation education. It also ordered Avista, and other Idaho regulated utilities, to participate in upcoming energy affordability workshops. As part of this process, Avista has agreed to attempt creation of a low-income rate assistance program for its Idaho customers.
Unlike an increase to permanent base rates, the electric and gas cost adjustment surcharges are one-year adjustments that track the variable costs of energy and gas supply. The PCA and PGA are impacted primarily by wholesale market costs for electricity and for natural gas and, on the electric side, by reduced hydro generation due to less snowpack. During years when wholesale market prices are lower than normal and hydro conditions are normal, customers can get a credit rather than a surcharge. In 2006 and 2007, Avista customers received PGA reductions. Also, unlike a permanent base rate change, increased revenue from the PCA and PGA can not increase profits. They can be applied only toward meeting Avista's power and gas supply expenses.
Some Avista customers filed written comments protesting the surcharge increases as a means to enhance the company's profits or the salaries of executives.
"We assure customers that neither the company's corporate profits nor executive salaries are included in or increased" by the power and gas supply surcharges, the commission said. "It is not possible for us to just say 'no' to increases that have been shown to be necessary to maintain a utility's financial health. To do so would violate the law."
In both the permanent rate case and in the electric and gas cost adjustment cases, customers responded to a newspaper article that reported a 72 percent increase in profits for Avista from the second quarter of 2007 to the second quarter of 2008.
The commission said the figure is misleading. During the second quarter of 2007 the company recorded the sale of Avista Energy, an affiliate of Avista Utilities, at a loss of $12 million. Even though customers did not have to pay for that loss, Avista Energy, at the time, was part of Avista Corporation, thus the loss was included in the company's quarterly earnings report, reflecting an abnormally low second quarter of 2007. In 2008, earnings were closer to normal. During 2007, Avista still failed to realize the overall rate of return authorized by the commission. Avista, like many utilities nationwide, remains in a situation where costs are increasing more rapidly than revenues.
In this case, the commission established an allowed rate of return of 8.45 percent for Avista and a return on equity of 10.2 percent.
Customers also responded to a newspaper report that listed compensation for the top five Avista executives at about $3.6 million. While base salaries are included in rates, bonuses and other cash incentives for executives are paid by shareholders. In the settlement effective today, the annual rate compensation for the top five executives is $1.45 million. While still seemingly high, commission staff noted that if compensation for Avista's top 12 executives was entirely eliminated the reduction for customers would be 0.5 percent.
Some customers were critical of the settlement, alleging it precluded customer participation. The commission follows specified rules of procedure that establish the framework for settlements. The commission invites all interested parties to participate in the settlement process and then invites other customers not involved in the settlement to comment on a settlement before it is approved, modified or denied by the commission.
In this case, parties to the settlement included the commission staff, which is obligated to represent the interests of all customer classes. Other parties included Avista, Potlatch, and the Community Action Partnership Association of Idaho (CAPAI), which represents primarily low-income customers.
CAPAI was instrumental in securing an increase of $115,000 per year – from $350,000 to $465,000 – for weatherization projects for homes of low-income customers. Currently only 10 percent of homes receiving funds under the federal Low Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) are weatherized. In addition, the settlement allocates $25,000 for community action agency personnel to assist in low-income outreach and conservation education.
"Opportunity for near-term relief for customers … lies in their ability to enact energy efficiency and conservation measures and reduce their energy demand," the commission said.
The permanent rate increase is to meet significant increases in fuel costs as well as increased costs Avista incurred to purchase power it needs to meet growing customer demand. Avista also invested in upgrades to aging infrastructure to increase capacity and reliability. Those investments include upgrades to the Noxon Rapids and Cabinet Gorge hydroelectric projects and the Colstrip thermal project. The company spent more than $130 million to upgrade its electric transmission system.
On the gas side, $3 million of the $3.9 million increase in annual revenue will go toward the acquisition of the Jackson Prairie Natural Gas Storage Facility and the installation of automated meters. The additional storage is designed to allow Avista to purchase gas supply when costs are down and store it for use during heavy demand months when gas costs are higher. That should result in lower purchased gas costs adjustments in future years. The automated meters will provide savings in meter reading and customer service expense in addition to allowing for time-of-use pricing which can result in shifting use away from peak-use periods when prices are higher.
A full text of the commission's orders, along with other documents related to this case, is available on the commission's Web site at www.puc.idaho.gov. Click on "File Room" and then on "Electric Cases" or "Gas Cases." For the electric and gas permanent rate case, click on either AVU-E-08-01 or AVU-G-08-01. For the power cost surcharge, click on AVU-E-08-05 and for the gas cost surcharge, click on AVU-G-08-03.
Interested parties may petition the commission for reconsideration by no later than Oct. 21. Petitions for reconsideration must set forth specifically why the petitioner contends that the order is unreasonable, unlawful or erroneous. Petitions should include a statement of the nature and quantity of evidence the petitioner will offer if reconsideration is granted.
Petitions can be delivered to the commission at 472 W. Washington St. in Boise, mailed to P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID, 83720-0074, or faxed to 208-334-3762.