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CONSOL Energy
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CONSOL Energy is a Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania-based coal and gas company.
CONSOL is one of the biggest producers of coal in the U.S., with the majority of mines located in West Virginia. (Detailed information about its coal production can be found below at the CONSOL Coal Production section.) It is also involved in the controversial practice of fracking for methane gas in the Northeastern U.S. in the Marcellus Shale region.
An ABC News report noted that 2012 Presidential candidate Rick Santorum was a lobbyist for Consol.[1]
- 1 Executive Summary
- 2 Political Activity
- 3 Revenue and Profits
- 4 Executives and Annual Compensation
- 5 Executives
- 6 Coal exports
- 7 CONSOL Coal Mines
- 8 Proposed coal mines
- 9 Legal and regulatory issues
- 10 Citizen action on CONSOL
- 11 Other controversies
- 12 Methane Gas Drilling (Fracking)
- 13 Coal Plants Sponsored by CONSOL
- 14 Industry affiliations
- 15 Contact Information
- 16 Articles & Sources
- 17 References
Executive Summary
CONSOL Energy is one of the biggest coal producers in the U.S. and also one of the fastest growing fracking companies in the Marcellus Shale region of the U.S. since it began drilling there in 2008. It owns 760,000 acres in the Marcellus area, concentrating on drilling in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
It has been reporting annual revenues of between $3.7 billion and $5.4 billion a year over the past four years. Its CEO has an annual compensation of $12.87 million. CONSOL/CNX and its executives have also been very active in making partisan political donations, predominantly in favor of Republicans. This company, headquartered in Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania, has invested significant funds in elections in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, states with large shale deposits, and its PAC was a major spender in the election of the new governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett.
CONSOL/CNX has a notorious safety record and has been accused of numerous safety violations, including polluting rivers and spoiling drinking water by contaminating it with methane gas.
Noble Energy Buys 50% Stake in Consol's Marcellus Shale Venture
In Aug. 2011, Noble Energy bought a $3.4 billion stake in Consol's Marcellus Shale drilling venture. Reported the New York Times: "Noble with team up with Consol on its 663,350-acre project in...West Virginia and Pennsylvania, and will pay $2.13 billion to Consol in drilling costs....Noble and Consol plan to quadruple the number of drilling rigs in the Marcellus formation to 16 horizontal rigs by 2015. Nobel will also pay $160 million for Consol's existing wells and $59 million for half of Consol's gathering assets."[2]
Type | Methane gas drilling and coal |
Founded | 1864 |
Headquarters | Canonsburg, Pennsylvania |
Number of locations | Pittsburgh, PA; Baltimore, MD; Monessen, PA; Paoli, PA |
Revenue | $5.24 billion |
Focusing on natural gas and coal exports
On October 28, 2013, Consol Energy said it was selling five of its longwall coal mines — about half of its production capacity — to focus instead on natural gas and on mines that produce coal for export. The five mines are being sold to the privately held Murray Energy, and are worth $3.5 billion to $4.4 billion. Consol said it would receive $850 million in cash and $184 million in value from future payments, and Murray would take on $2.4 billion in liabilities, including worker pensions. Consol is planning to increase its natural gas production by 30 percent a year for the next three years, and in the next 10 years will invest $14 billion in developing the Marcellus Shale field in West Virginia and nearly $8 billion in the Marcellus Shale field in Pennsylvania, along with $2.5 billion in Pennsylvania coal mines that it is retaining.[3]
Political Activity
Coal Execs Invite Presidential Hopeful Jeb Bush to Closed-Door Weekend Retreat (2015)
Consol and other coal companies invited former Florida Governor and likely presidential candidate Jeb Bush to be the keynote speaker at the 2015 Coal and Investment Leadership Forum, an invitation-only retreat that brings together coal industry executives, Republican donors, and other "stakeholders," according to an invitation obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy and reported on by The Guardian. Bush "evidently signalled his willingness to meet with industry leaders as early as February when the hosts of the coal forum – all owners and executives of coalmining companies – emailed out the first save-the-date notices," The Guardian reported.[4]
- "It is a great opportunity to meet with stakeholders in the state," Kristy Campbell, a spokeswoman for Bush, said. "He will be talking about a variety of topics."[4]
Bush had not yet officially declared his candidacy and was not disclosing fundraising information. "I think the major question is what promises is Jeb Bush making to the coal chief executives in that room. We assume Bush is there to raise money for his campaign [...] it is pretty clear why Jeb Bush was invited there. If Jeb Bush is elected they want him to protect their industry," Nick Surgey, research director of CMD, told The Guardian.[4]
Others named in the 2015 invitation included Tennessee Valley Authority president Bill Johns, Christopher C. Horner of the Competitive Enterprise Institute and Energy & Environment Legal Institute, and "the owners and chief executives of coalmining and energy companies" including Alliance Resource Partners, Alpha Natural Resources, Drummond Company, Arch Coal, and United Coal Company.[4]
According to The Guardian,
- The invitations to the three-day forum promise access to influential figures – including a potential future occupant of the White House – in a relaxed setting, with time for cocktails, golf lessons, and fishing. The $7,500 fee does not include lodging.
- "Once again, significant time will also be available for golf, fly fishing, one-on-one meetings and small VIP discussion groups, which is the hallmark of this conference," the invitation reads.[4]
The forum was likely to touch on rules limiting carbon pollution from power plants that were announced by the EPA in 2014. Jim McGlothlin, CEO of United Coal Company, "said the executives were eager to hear what Bush said about energy – but the hour-long encounter would not be restricted to the EPA rules. 'It would be our hope that he would touch upon his general energy policies,' McGlothlin said in an email." McGlothlin also noted that the forum planned to invite additional presidential candidates in 2016.[4]
Majority of Contributions Made to Republicans
Although CONSOL Energy has donated to campaigns on both sides of the aisle since it began drilling in the Marcellus Shale area in 2008, the majority of its political donations has gone to pro-fracking Republicans. 2010 was the biggest year in gas and oil political contributions by corporations hoping to encourage lawmakers to continue with the lax restrictions surrounding methane gas drilling. Nowhere is this seen more than in Pennsylvania, where the majority of the Macellus Shale area lies.
According to Common Cause of Pennsylvania's May 2010 report, "Deep Drilling, Deep Pockets," CONSOL doled out $270,800 in campaign contributions from Jan. 1, 2001 through Mar. 2010.[5] .
During the 2010 elections, CONSOL's political action committee and employees together gave $340,435.31 to political candidates. $46,000 of that money went to Governor Tom Corbett - a known ally of fracking companies in Pennsylvania who supported a no-tax stance for methane drilling corporations - while $36,800 went to Democratic candidate Dan Onorato.[6]
"Senate candidate Joe Scarnati, (R-Brockway, PA), had his ticket, plane ride and hotel bill paid for by Consol Energy Inc., according to Mr. Scarnati's top aide. Scarnati and other top Senate Republicans were frequently singled out by former Gov. Ed Rendell and environmental advocates for blocking an extraction tax on shale drilling."[7]
CONSOL also, along with other big Marcellus Shale players like Range Resources, Cabot Oil and Gas and Chesapeake Energy, each paid $25,000-$50,000 for Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Corbett's two-day inaugural party.[8]
Corporate Political Action Committee
The CONSOL PAC raised $373,710 and spent $282,324 in 2010. The top three House candidates who benefited from CONSOL's PAC where: Jason Altmire (D-PA) received $7,000; Rick Boucher (D-VA) received $7,000; Tim Murphy (R-PA) received $7,000. Altmire is on the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials and the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. Boucher, who was defeated in 2011, was on the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment. Murphy is on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is was named Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on the Environment and Economy.[9]
The top three Senate candidates were: Arlen Specter (D-PA) received $8,000; Pat Toomey (R-PA) received $10,000; James Webb (D-VA) received $5,000. Specter, who was defeated in 2011 by Pat Toomey, served on the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development,Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies and the Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health among others. Webb is on the Joint Economic Committee.
The 2008 election year was another big year in CONSOL PAC donations. The PAC raised $50,057 and $136,993 was given to candidates and other PACs. House candidate Mike Doyle (D-PA) received $6,000. Charlie Wilson (D-OH) received $4,000. Doyle, from Pittsburgh, serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Energy and Power Subcommittee. Wilson, who lost his bid in 2010, served on the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises.
Senate candidate Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) received $5,000 and Mark Warner (D-VA) received $3,000. Chambliss serves on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry among others. Warner has a big interest in energy and bringing more energy jobs to Virginia.
Political Donations by Company Execs
Board members and senior management have donated large amounts of money to CONSOL & CNX Energy PAC and candidates. State records show that CONSOL Energy employees have donated $62,202 to candidates and the company's PAC.[10]
Here is a breakdown of company executives and the money they have donated:
- J. Brett Harvey - CEO, President and Chairman - $1.23 million (biggest donations were to John McCain and Sarah Palin, the Republican National Committee and the National Mining Association's PAC)
- William Lyons - Executive Vice President and CFO of the CONSOL and CNX Gas - $33,149
- P. Jerome Richey - Secretary, Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Chief Legal Officer of Company and CNX - $20,117
- Robert and Karie King - Executive Vice President of Business Advancements, Support Services of CONSOL and CNX - $17,548
- Nicholas Deiuliis - Director, President and COO of CNX Gas and Executive Vice President and COO of CONSOL - $12,212
Marcellus Money shows that CONSOL Energy and CNX have given $340,435.31 to Pennsylvania politicians since 2001.
An ABC News report noted that 2012 Presidential candidate Rick Santorum was a lobbyist for Consol.[11]
Open Secrets reported that CONSOL spent $3.1 million on lobbying in 2010, and $870,000 in 2011, as of July. Tommy Johnson is the principle lobbyist for CONSOL.
In 2010, CONSOL lobbied against the proposed House and Senate climate change bills, which did not pass, and against a provision in the financial reform bill that compels publicly traded coal companies to report safety violations issued by the Mine Safety and Health Administration in their quarterly filings with the SEC, which did pass.[12]
CNX also uses Stanley Rapp with Greenlee Partners, who also represents Range Resources-Appalachia.[13]
At a 2012 debate, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said he helped a local company fight government regulations on greenhouse gas emissions: "My grandfather was a coal miner. So I contacted a local coal company from my area. I said, look, I want to join you in that fight." The local company, according to Mother Jones, was Consol Energy, and Santorum was paid $142,500 from 2010 to August 2011 for his counseling work. Before that, Consol donated more than $73,800 to Santorum during his time as a legislator. In 2006, Santorum authored a provision for a tax bill that would have created a tax credit for synfuel, which included coalbed methane, of which Consol is a "leading producer" of the product. Former Santorum staffers Tommy Johnson and Kevin Roy became lobbyists for Consol after he lost his Senate seat.[14]
Revenue and Profits
Revenue: $5.36 billion
Gross Profit: $1.69 billion
Revenue: $4.62 billion
Gross Profit: $1.56 billion
Revenue: $4.65 billion
Gross Profit: $1.4 billion
Revenue: $3.76 billion
Gross Profit: $955 million
Revenue: $3.7 billion
Gross Profit: $1.05 billion
Executives and Annual Compensation
- CEO, President and Chairman J. Brett Harvey: $12.87 million[20]
- COO and Executive Vice President Nicholas J. DeIuliis, J.D.: $1.4 million
- Executive Vice President of Business Advancements, Support Services of CONSOL and CNX Robert P. King: $1.5 million
- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the CONSOL and CNX Gas William J. Lyons: $5.6 million[21]
- Secretary, Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Chief Legal Officer of Company and CNX P. Jerome Richey: $1.7 million
- J. Brett Harvey: CEO, President and Chairman - Forbes says that Harvey has been the "Director of CNX Gas since June 30, 2005, the date of its formation, and has served as Chairman of the Board and CEO since January 16, 2009. He has also served as President, CEO and a Director of CONSOL Energy since January 1998. Harvey is a member of the board of directors of the Bituminous Coal Operators Association and a member of the executive committee and the board of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Mining Association. In December 2005, he was elected to the board of directors of Barrick Gold Corporation, the world's largest gold producer. He serves on the Barrick compensation and environmental, health and safety committees. In December of 2007, Harvey was also elected to the board of directors of Allegheny Technologies Incorporated, a specialty metals producer, and serves on its nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees.
- Nicholas J. Deluliis: COO and Executive Vice President - "DeIuliis was a Director, President and CEO of CNX Gas Corporation from June 30, 2005 to January 16, 2009, when he became President and COO of CNX Gas and Executive Vice President and COO of CONSOL Energy. From November 2004 until August 2005 he was the Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning of CONSOL Energy. Prior to that, DeIuliis served as Vice President of Strategic Planning from April 2002 until November 2004. On May 28, 2010, pursuant to the documents effecting the Merger, the directors of the company were removed and replaced with a new board of directors, consisting of Nicholas J. DeIuliis, the Company's President and COO.[22]
- Robert P. King: Executive Vice President of Business Advancements, Support Services of CONSOL and CNX - "King became Executive Vice President of Business Advancement and Support Services of CONSOL Energy and CNX Gas Corporation on January 16, 2009. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President of Administration since February 2, 2007 and he served as Vice President of Land from August 2006 to February 2007. Prior to joining CONSOL Energy, King was Vice President of Interwest Mining Company (a subsidiary of PacifiCorp).[23]
- William J. Lyons: Executive Vice President and CFO of the CONSOL and CNX Gas - "Lyons has been Chief Financial Officer of CONSOL Energy since February 2001 and Chief Financial Officer of CNX Gas Corporation since April 28, 2008. He added the title of Executive Vice President of CONSOL Energy on May 2, 2005 and of CNX Gas Corporation on January 16, 2009. From January 1995 until February 2001, Lyons held the position of Vice President of Controller for CONSOL Energy. Lyons joined CONSOL Energy in 1976. He was a Director of CNX Gas Corporation from October 17, 2005 to January 16, 2009. Lyons is also a director of Calgon Carbon Corporation, a supplier of products and services for purifying water and air.
- P. Jerome Richey: Secretary, Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Chief Legal Officer of Company and CNX - "Richey became Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Chief Legal Officer of CONSOL Energy and CNX Gas Corporation on January 16, 2009. He was Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of CONSOL Energy since March 2005, and on June 20, 2007, he added the title of Senior Vice President. Prior to joining CONSOL Energy, Richey, for more than five years, was a shareholder in the Pittsburgh office for the law firm of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC.[24]
In March 2009, William Bruno, a retired 30-year veteran of CONSOL energy, released his book, "The King Rat and His Court: Lessons in Corporate Greed.
Coal exports
In September 2011 Consol Energy Inc. stated that its coal exports will rise more than their previous estimates for 2011. The company said exports could range between 10 million and 10.5 million for 2011.[25]
CONSOL Coal Mines
By year-end 2010, CONSOL had coal reserves of 4.4 billion tons, sold 63.9 million tons, and dug up 62.4 million tons. Half is used for electricity, and 94% is underground mines.[26] In 2010, 2.5 million of the coal CONSOL mined was from strip mining.[27] As of 2011, CONSOL operates 11 active mining complexes across five states:[28]
- AMVEST-Fola Complex
- AMVEST-Terry Eagle
- Bailey Mine
- Blacksville 2 Mine
- Buchanan Mine 1
- Emery Mine
- Enlow Fork Mine
- Harrison Resources
- Loveridge 22 Mine
- McElroy Mine
- Miller Creek Complex
- Robinson Run 95 Mine
- Shoemaker Mine
- Southern West Virginia Resources
Click on the locations shown on the map for mine details:
CONSOL cuts back on coal production
In March 2009, CONSOL placed its Mine 84 in Washington on what it terms "long term idle" status, laying off about 275 employees. The company also reduced the hours worked at its Buchanan mine in northern West Virginia and has lowered a 2009 production target to 3.1 million tons for the mine, about three-fourths of its total capacity, as the demand and pricing for coal collapsed in the last quarter of 2008 during the economic downturn.[29] CONSOL lowered its expected production levels for 2009 to 58 million tons.[30]
On October 1, 2010, Consol said it will close its Pennsylvania Mine 84 and idle its Utah Emery Mine by December 2010 because of the operating costs. The moves come as Consol has been diversifying away from coal, acquiring the 17% of CNX Gas it didn't already own in June 2010, and earlier buying Dominion Resources' natural gas business. Pearce Hammond, director of institutional research with Simmons & Co. International, said there's no need for excess coal in the market, especially when prices for the thermal coal used in power plants are under pressure.[31]
2011: Increase in coal production
In April 2011, CONSOL Energy said production at its Coal Division had reached 17.2 million tons for the quarter, the highest since 2008. The company expected its 2011 coal production to be about 60-62 million tons.[32]
Longwall mining
Consol Energy is the largest producer of underground coal mining in the United States. The company's 17 mines are mostly longwall mining operations in Appalachia.[33]
In December 2012, Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) sent a letter to Consol Energy stating its longwall mining operations in the state had irreparably damaged six streams. The DEP called further remediation attempts "futile," and demanded the company compensate "for the loss of Commonwealth resources." All six of the streams had suffered "flow loss" from Consol's Bailey Mine, and In 2005, the Ryerson State Park lost its 62-acre Duke Lake when its dam cracked after a longwall machine had moved beneath the park. In April 2013, the DEP announced a multi-million-dollar settlement with Consol to repair the dam and re-open the lake.[34]
Mountaintop removal mining
Consol mined 2.5 million tons of coal from mountaintop removal in 2010. Over 30% of its Central Appalachian coal is mined from mountaintop removal.[35]
Proposed coal mines
- Buffalo Mountain Mine is a proposed 2,308 acre mountaintop removal mine by CONSOL Energy between Belo and Delbarton in Mingo County, West Virginia. In 2009, Governor Manchin asked the EPA to approve a permit for the mine. The mine is considered another step towards completion of the King Coal Highway, designed to be 95 miles from Bluefield to Williamson, eventually joining a new interstate highway connecting Michigan to Myrtle Beach. The EPA has signaled it has concerns with the project: On the day President Obama was inaugurated, the EPA sent a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers, stating that the EPA believes that the "proposal will contribute to a violation of the State's water quality standards downstream and that the direct and cumulative impacts from this and future mines and possible development associated with the King Coal Highway will be persistent and permanent."[36]
- Mason Dixon Mining Complex is a proposed 3,200 acre longwall mine by CONSOL Energy subsidiary Wolfpen Knob Development Company. The complex would be just west of Wadestown in Monongalia County, West Virginia. As of January 2012, CONSOL Energy is seeking permits for the complex, which would be connected to CONSOL's nearby Blacksville 2 Mine, Loveridge 22 Mine, and Robinson Run 95 Mine.[37]
- Spring Branch 3 Mine is a proposed surface coal mine by CONSOL Energy for Mingo County, West Virginia.[38] In February 2011, CONSOL Energy reached a deal with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a Clean Water Act Section 404 permit covering the company's proposed mine.[39]
Legal and regulatory issues
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2011: Consol to pay over $200 million in Clean Water violations
In December 2009, CONSOL announced it was idling two mines in West Virginia - the Little Eagle Coal Co. mine and the Fola Coal Co. mine. In a lawsuit brought by the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC), a federal judge suspended CONSOL's Clean Water Act permit for part of the operations. Without these operations, CONSOL said it was unable to meet the requirements of its coal sales contracts.[40] On December 28, 2009, U.S. District Judge Robert Chambers changed his ruling to allow CONSOL to continue mining at the sites while the legal dispute over the company's fill permits continued..[41]
On March 14, 2011, Consol Energy announced it will spend $200 million on a treatment system for wastewater from three West Virginia coal mines, and pay the state and federal governments a total of $6 million to settle hundreds of alleged violations of the Clean Water Act. The federal fines, which will be split between the EPA and the state, totaled $5.5 million. Consol also agreed to pay the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources $500,000 for the damage to Dunkard Creek, a Monongahela River tributary that runs for 43 miles along the Pennsylvania-West Virginia border.[42]
Though it denies its operations were responsible for the fish kill, Consol stopped discharging wastewater from its Blacksville 2 Mine after a September 2009 bloom of toxic golden algae killed countless fish, mussels, salamanders and other aquatic life. Investigators concluded that pollutants called total dissolved solids created conditions that helped that algae bloom flourish, choking off oxygen to the aquatic creatures. Although high levels of TDS have not been labeled a threat to human health, they can affect the taste and smell and drinking water.[42]
EPA Region 3 Administrator Shawn Garvin said Consol's new network of pipelines and the reverse osmosis treatment plant it is building near Mannington will keep nearly 100 million pounds of TDS, including salts, out of the watershed each year. The system will treat water from the Blacksville 2 Mine, Loveridge 22 Mine and Robinson Run 95 Mine, and improve the overall health of rivers and streams. Consol's treatment plant must be online by May 2013 under the agreement. When finished, the plant should be able to treat 3,500 gallons of mine water per minute, eliminating an anticipated 95 percent of the pollutants. Consol is also planning to build a similar $100 million treatment facility for its Buchanan Mine 1 in Virginia.[42]
The settlement covers alleged violations at six Consol operations over the past four years. The government cited chronic problems with chloride discharges into the Monongahela watershed from the Blacksville, Loveridge, Robinson Run and Four States mines, and into the Ohio River from the Shoemaker and Windsor mines.[42]
"Legal claims were filed in June in U.S. District Court in Abingdon, Virginia on behalf of two landowners by attorneys seeking class action status to represent thousands of property holders in six southwest counties" in 2010. [43] EQT Corp. and Consol Energy are being sued for allegedly drilling thousands of wells in southwest Virginia's coalbed to remove methane gas without obtaining legal claim to the resource from the landowners, contending the mineral rights were held by the coal companies. "An attorney for the landowners estimated the companies realized billions of dollars from southwest Virginia drilling while the escrow account totals about $26 million from 800 individual accounts. In Buchanan County alone one year, Consol's gas subsidiary, CNX Gas Co., realized $1 billion in revenues from natural gas drilling."[44] Landowners are asking for billions in back royalty payments.
"A CXG investor filed a lawsuit in Delaware State Court on behalf of current investors in CNX Gas Corporation who purchased their CXG shares before March 21, 2010 over an alleged breach of their fiduciary duties by CONSOL Energy, Inc. According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that CONSOL Energy, as the controlling shareholder of CNX Gas Corp, seeks to take over the remaining outstanding CXG shares through an unfair process and for an unfair price."[45]
A Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania family filed a lawsuit against Consol Energy for underpayment of methane gas royalties. They are seeking class-action status, which could include more than 1,000 plaintiffs. "The plaintiffs said they entered into separate lease agreements with the company under which they would receive royalties based on the amount of gas collected each month from their land. The company is accused of breaching the leases by taking "volumetric deductions" and calculating royalties using a price that was less than the price paid to the companies."[46] The family leased oil and gas rights to Dominion Exploration & Production Inc. for property in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. Consol acquired Dominion's rights to the lease in 2010.
Consol has paid $29,428,489 in coal mining fines between 2000 - 2009. 20,899 violations and 23 deaths have also taken place in CONSOL mines since 2000, tying its fatality record with that of Massey Energy.[47]
Consol Energy was cited for a violation by the Mine Safety and Health Administration that contributed to the death of a West Virginia coal miner in 2010. The MSHA report stated "Consol failed to adequately support a section of a rock wall that fell on miner Jesse Adkins at its Loveridge No. 22 mine July 29. The accident occurred while Consol was mining outside the coal seam through an area of solid rock. Consol didn't install bolts to strengthen rock walls in the area. Adkins, 39, was pinned between a piece of heavy equipment and a 23-foot-long, 4-foot wide chunk of rock at the Marion County mine."[48] MSHA hasn't assessed a fine for the violation yet.
In September 2010, several thousand fish washed up along the banks of Dunkard Creek in Monongalia County, West Virginia. "Environmental officials in Pennsylvania and at the federal Environmental Protection Agency say mining discharges from Consol Energy's Blacksville No. 2 mine created the conditions for the algae to bloom."[49]
In fracking violations, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Web site shows that CONSOL/CNX Energy has 9 violations since 2008. Many were health and environmental safety violations. Here is a list of the most frequent ones: "Polluting waters by allowing discharge into waters of the Commonwealth"; "Failure to properly control or dispose of industrial or residual waste to prevent pollution of waters"; "Potential for polluting substances reaching waters".
"The Environmental Protection Agency fined CNX $157,500 in 2010 for violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act stemming from improper use and faulty reporting at an underground injection well in Greene County facility for fracking fluids in Greene County. Consol uses the well to dispose of wastewater from its methane well drilling operations. CNX also accepted at least 100 truckloads of wastewater with total dissolved solids levels "significantly higher" than its federal permit allowed. The move also requires CNX to close down that disposal well."[50][51]
Water pollution at Blacksville Mine
In September 2010, several thousand fish washed up along the banks of Dunkard Creek in Monongalia County, West Virginia. "Environmental officials in Pennsylvania and at the federal Environmental Protection Agency say mining discharges from Consol Energy's Blacksville 2 Mine created the conditions for the algae to bloom."[52]
Pennsylvania sues Consol over discharges
On September 7, 2011, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission filed a complaint against Consol Energy over discharges from two coal mines in West Virginia - Blacksville 2 Mine and Loveridge 22 Mine - saying the discharges killed thousands of fish, mussels, salamanders, and other wildlife along a 30-mile stretch of the tributary, Dunkard Creek, in 2009. The commission is seeking compensatory damages for lost aquatic life and angling opportunities as well as punitive damages to deter future pollution.
Dead fish began surfacing on Sept. 8, 2009, after illegally high levels of total dissolved solids and chlorides turned Dunkard Creek brackish and fostered a toxic golden algae bloom that is more common to southern coastal waters. About 42,997 fish representing 40 species, from black bass to muskellunge, were killed along with 15,382 freshwater mussels, including the rare snuffbox variety, and 6,447 mudpuppies, the complaint states. People who lived along the creek recounted watching fish bleed to death from their gills and mussel shells pop open. Because so many adult fish were killed, it will take years for aquatic populations to recover, according to the claim.
In March 2011, the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the state of West Virginia reached a $5.5 million settlement with Consol that covered violations at six of the company's mines, including those relating to the fish kill in Dunkard Creek. Although most of the damage occurred in Pennsylvania's portion of Dunkard, the state was not party to the federal suit because Consol's discharge permits were issued in West Virginia.[53]
Court finds Army Corps of Engineers violated Clean Water Act in MTR permitting case
On November 24, 2009, U.S. District Judge Chuck Chambers ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated federal environmental laws by issuing permits for two mountaintop removal coal mines in West Virginia without allowing sufficient public involvement. Chambers found that the Corps violated the Clean Water Act and National Environmental Policy Act when it issued permits for CONSOL's Ike Fork mines and Penn Virginia's Nellis mine. Chambers ordered the Corps to rectify the problem with the permits, while also allowing "limited" mining to continue at the sites for 60 days. The case may have implications for other surface mines already permitted and in operation. According to Oliver Bernstein of the Sierra Club, "Most of the pending permits in West Virginia may need to go back through the public process."[54]
Water conductivity violation settlement
In November 2011, Fola Coal parent company CONSOL Energy signed on to a legal settlement agreeing to clean up conductivity pollution associated with a valley fill at the Fola Surface Mine No. 3 in Clay and Nicholas counties, West Virginia. The settlement, which requires approval from U.S. District Judge John T. Copenhaver, resolves a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club and the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy in October 2010. Both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state Environmental Quality Board have cited conductivity increases downstream from mining operations as a key problem the state Department of Environmental Protection isn't doing enough about. Under the settlement, CONSOL will first be able to try its own version of a stream restoration project, involving creation of floodplain and sulfate-reducing wetlands, to clean up about 3,000 feet of Boardtree Branch. Biological samples will be taken after the project and an independent biologist will decide if aquatic life has improved. If the CONSOL project doesn't work, the company must build a more expensive treatment system at the site, the settlement says. The agreement also requires Fola to pay $200,000 to the West Virginia Land Trust to help fund the West Virginia University College of Law's new Land Use and Sustainable Development Clinic. The company must also pay a $25,000 fine to the federal government.[55]
Citizen action on CONSOL
March 26, 2009: DC Rising Tide disrupts CTL conference in Washington, DC
Activists with DC Rising Tide interrupted an industry conference to denounce coal-to-liquids technologies. The protesters stood in the audience and gave loud speeches refuting the statements of executives from Chevron, CONSOL Energy, World Coal Institute, and World Petroleum Council. Displaying banners including "Coal kills" and "Renewable energy now," the activists called for an end to fossil fuels and for adoption of clean, renewable energy sources.[56]
Other controversies
On March 19, 2009, William Bruno, a retired 30-year veteran of CONSOL energy,[57] released a book entitled, "The King Rat and His Court: Lessons in Corporate Greed."
NRA anti-Obama ad
Consol Energy provided the National Rifle Association access to its Blacksville 2 Mine in West Virginia to film a television advertisement with an anti-Barack Obama message.[58] The National Rifle Association intended to ask miners the question "How do you feel about having your Second Amendment rights taken away if Obama becomes president?" Word spread among pro-Obama miners who contacted their union, the United Mine Workers of America, resulting in 440 miners taking the day off in a contract-sanctioned protest, and halted production at CONSOL's Blacksville 2 coal mine.[59]
Coal slurry dam collapse
The waste from the mine goes to the the Nolan Run impoundment near Lumberport, which stretches a half-mile across and holds about 2 billion gallons of water and slurry. On Nov 30, 2012, a worker on a bulldozer fell into the embankment when part of the saddle dike collapsed, which CONSOL was building to help raise the overall height of the facility to accommodate more slurry. A week later the worker had not been found and was presumed dead. Federal and state records showed previous questions about stability and leaks at the Nolan Run impoundment, and outlined company concerns that construction to enlarge the dump had not been moving fast enough to keep up with slurry waste generated by the nearby Robinson Run Mine.[60]
Methane Gas Drilling (Fracking)
"CONSOL's Gas Division was formed in the first half of 2010 when it acquired the remaining 16.7% outstanding shares held by outside stockholders of CNX Gas Corporation, a former CONSOL spin-off company, as well as all of the exploration and production business of Dominion Resources Inc., located in the Appalachian Basin."[61] In June, 2010, Consol Energy completed its acquisition of CNX Gas shares as part of Consol's plan to expand its fracking business.[62] CNX is run as the methane gas subsidiary of CONSOL Energy. CNX has over 230,000 acres in the Marcellus Shale area.[63] On March 15, 2010, CONSOL announced the purchase of Dominion's Exploration and Production business for $3.475 billion.[64] The sale included 193 employees currently working for Dominion.[65] CONSOL is looking for $4 billion to fund the purchase and further develop the operations. Bank of America, Merrill Lynch and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company were financial advisors for CONSOL, while Barclays Capital Inc. advised Dominion. Legal counsel for CONSOL came from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Field LLP. Baker Botts LLP served as Dominion's legal adviser.
Though lauded as an environmentally-friendly alternative to coal, fracking for gas has been linked to depleting drinking water resources of local communities and polluting the wells of the people living around drill sites. According to a 2010 article in Vanity Fair, "as use of the technique (fracking) has spread, it has been followed by incidents of water contamination and environmental degradation, and even devastating health problems." [66] And according to data released to the EPA, Halliburton, a major supplier of fracking fluid, admitted using 807,000 gallons of diesel-based chemicals in its fluids, in violation of an agreement drillers had with the EPA.[67]
Front Groups
Consul Energy is a supporter of several special interest groups that push for expanded drilling rights and limited or no regulation of fracking.
Consol is involved in the following front groups, who donate to pro-fracking candidates and lobbyists: Marcellus Shale Coalition,[68] Energy In Depth,[69] Nicholas DeIuliis of CNX is on the Board of Directors for the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA),[70] Gary Slagel, a Chairman for CNX Gas is on the Executive Committee for The Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association (PIOGA),[71] Gary Slagel and VP of Legal Kevin West are both on the Board of Directors for the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association[72] and the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia.[73]
Coal Plants Sponsored by CONSOL
- Benwood Project (West Virginia)
- First Energy/Consol IGCC (Ohio)
- FutureGen (Illinois]
Industry affiliations
The CONSOL Coal Group is a member of the:
- National Mining Association[74]
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Nicholas J. DeIuliis, the President of CONSOL Energy, is a member of the Board of Directors.[75]
Contact Information
General Office
CONSOL Energy Inc.
CNX Center
1000 Consol Energy Drive
Canonsburg, PA 15317-6506
Phone: 724-485-4000
CNX Gas
CNX Center
1000 Consol Energy Drive
Canonsburg, PA 15317-6506
Phone: 724-485-4000
CNX Land Resources Inc.
CONSOL Energy Inc.
CNX Center
1000 Consol Energy Drive
Canonsburg, PA 15317-6506
Phone: 724-485-4518
CONSOL Energy Inc.
CNX Center
1000 Consol Energy Drive
Canonsburg, PA 15317-6506
1500 Lancaster Ave.
Suite 205
Paoli, PA 19301
Website: http://www.consolenergy.com/
Articles & Sources
Related SourceWatch Articles
Source Watch has a special clearinghouse on fracking, Fracking for Gas
- Existing U.S. Coal Plants
- West Virginia and coal
- United States and coal
- Global warming
- CNX Marine Terminal
- ↑ Matthew Rosk and Brian Moss, "Rick Santorum, 'Stealth Lobbyist'" ABC News, January 5, 2012.
- ↑ "Noble Energy Buys Consol Shale Stake for $3.4 Billion." Roose, Kevin. New York Times Dealbook. Dealbook.NYTimes.Com. Aug. 18, 2011. Accessed Aug. 19, 2011.
- ↑ Matthew Wald, "Consol to Sell 5 Coal Mines To Murray," NY Times, Oct 28, 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Suzanne Goldenberg, "Jeb Bush cozies up to coal industry barons at closed-door meeting," The Guardian, May 29, 2015.
- ↑ "Common Cause of PA "Deep Drilling, Deep Pockets", COmmon Cause, May 2010
- ↑ "MarcellusMoney.org"
- ↑ "Pa. senator's Super Bowl trip courtesy of Consol", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.com
- ↑ "Big donors paid for Corbett's inaugural bash", Seeking Philadelphia.com, 2010
- ↑ "Open Secrets CONSOL Energy"
- ↑ "Public Records Lookup"
- ↑ Matthew Rosk and Brian Moss, "Rick Santorum, 'Stealth Lobbyist'" ABC News, January 5, 2012.
- ↑ Anya Litvak, "CONSOL lobbying wins and losses" Pittsburgh Business Times, March 25, 2011.
- ↑ "Hydraulic Fracturing Lobbyists Advise Incoming Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett", News Inferno.com
- ↑ Kate Sheppard and Adam Serwer, "Rick Santorum's Big Coal Buddies" Mother Jones, January 11, 2012.
- ↑ "MSN Money CNX Financials"
- ↑ "MSN Money CNX Financials"
- ↑ "MSN Money CNX Financials"
- ↑ "MSN Money CNX Financials"
- ↑ "MSN Money CNX Financials"
- ↑ "Forbes.com. Top Paid CEOs List."
- ↑ "MSN Money CNX/CONSOL Information"
- ↑ "Forbes CNX/CONSOL Information"
- ↑ "Forbes CNX/CONSOL Information"
- ↑ "Forbes CNX/CONSOL Information"
- ↑ "Consol Energy says exports to rise in 2011" Bloomberg Business Week, September 22, 2011.
- ↑ "Company Statistics" CONSOL Website, year-end 2010.
- ↑ "Datafinder" Open Source coal, accessed July 2011.
- ↑ "Map of Mines" CONSOL Energy, accessed July 2011.
- ↑ Elwin Green, "Burning out: Coal prices come back to earth," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, February 18, 2009.
- ↑ "CONSOL CEO Says Coal Industry Needs to Slow Production," WVNS, August 9, 2009.
- ↑ Tess Stynes and Matt Whittaker, "UPDATE: Consol To Close Pennsylvania Mine, Idle One In Utah" WSJ, Oct. 1, 2010.
- ↑ "CONSOL's Coal Output to Rise" Zack's, April 15, 2011.
- ↑ "The Hidden Costs of Clean Coal" The Center for Public Integrity, accessed July 2011.
- ↑ Kristen Lombardi, "New scrutiny of 'longwall' mining finds damage in Pennsylvania streams," CPI, June 21, 2013.
- ↑ Rainforest Action Network and the Sierra Club, "Policy and Practice: 2011 Report Card on Banks and Mountaintop Removal," 2011 Report Card.
- ↑ Kan Ward Jr., "Obama EPA pushes state, company to reduce impacts of CONSOL's huge Buffalo Mountain strip mine" January 26, 2012.
- ↑ Pam Casey, "Mon County residents have questions about proposed CONSOL mine," West Virginia State Journal, Jan. 18, 2012.
- ↑ "Surface Coal Mining Activities Enhanced Coordination Procedures - LRH-2009-00428" EPA, accessed February 2011.
- ↑ Ken Ward Jr., "CONSOL makes deal, gets EPA permit approval" Coal Tattoo, March 1, 2011.
- ↑ "Consol idling two mines, blames environmentalists," Reuters, December 8, 2009.
- ↑ "Fed. Judge Allows Coal Company to Continue Mining," Associated Press, December 30, 2009.
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 42.3 "Consol to pay $6M settlement in W.Va. water case" The Times Leader. March 14, 2011.
- ↑ "Pittsburgh Tribune, Lawsuit against EQT, Consol seeks billions for Virginia gas drilling", Pittsburgh Tribune.com 2010
- ↑ "Pittsburgh Tribune, Lawsuit against EQT, Consol seeks billions for Virginia gas drilling", Pittsburgh Tribune.com 2010
- ↑ "CNX Gas Corporation investors file lawsuit against CONSOL Energy, Inc", PR Log.com
- ↑ "Pittsburgh Tribune, Mt. Pleasant couple sue Consol over gas royalties", Pittsburgh Tribune.com 2010
- ↑ Jacob Fenton, Giovanni Russonello, "Coal mine deaths, fines and significant violations for the 10 largest coal mine controllers, 2000-2009.", Nov. 22, 2010. InvestigativeReportingWorkshop.org
- ↑ "Feds cite Consol over fatal W.Va. mine accident", Nexis Search
- ↑ "Dunkard Creek fish kill topic at Monongahela River Summit", West Virginia News Cast.org
- ↑ "Is the Morris Run Injection Wastewater Well at Fault for Dunkard Creek Fish Kill?", Do the Mountain Blog
- ↑ Ben Adducchio, "Dunkard Creek fish kill topic at Monongahela River Summit", West Virginia News Cast.org, April 20, 2010.
- ↑ Deborah Weisberg, "Pennsylvania Sues Over Coal-Mine Discharges" NY Times, Sep. 8, 2011.
- ↑ Jim Thuber, "Judge sides with environmental groups in coal case," Associated Press, November 25, 2009.
- ↑ Ken Ward Jr., "CONSOL agrees to stream cleanup settlement" Charleston Gazette, November 30, 2011.
- ↑ "DC Rising Tide Disrupts Coal-to-Liquids Conference," It's Getting Hot in Here, March 26, 2009.
- ↑ http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=66439&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=534175&highlight=%20
- ↑ Huber, Tim (2008-09-22). "UMW plans stoppage over NRA filming", USA Today. Retrieved on 2010-04-30.
- ↑ Greenhouse, Steven (2008-10-02). "Mine Workers Protest Anti-Obama Ad", The New York Times. Retrieved on 2010-04-30.
- ↑ Ken Ward Jr., "Harrison County impoundment had previous problems, records show," Charleston Gazette, Dec 5, 2012.
- ↑ "WikiMarcellus CONSOL Information"
- ↑ "Bloomerg Business, Consol Energy completes acquisition of CNX Gas", Bloomberg Business Week 2010
- ↑ "CNX adds to Marcellus stash", UpStream Online.com
- ↑ "Dominion agrees to sell its Appalachian E&P business for $3.475 billion", Dominion press release, March 15, 2010.
- ↑ "CONSOL Energy to acquire Dominion's Appalachian E&P business for $3.475 billion in cash", CONSOL Energy press release, March 15, 2010.
- ↑ "A Colossal Fracking Mess", Vanity Fair 2010.
- ↑ "Fracking Halliburton", Mother Jones.
- ↑ "Natural gas exploration, development and production", ConsolEnergy.com
- ↑ "Energy In Depth Members"
- ↑ "IPAA Members"
- ↑ "PIOGA Member"
- ↑ "WVONGA Board Members"
- ↑ "Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia"
- ↑ National Mining Association, "NMA Membership", National Mining Association website, accessed July 2011.
- ↑ U.S. Chamber of Commerce, "Board of Directors", U.S. Chamber of Commerce website, accessed July 2011.
External Articles
- "CONSOL 2010 10K Report" EDGAR, Filed February 2011


text:
Recent Research
Question | Collaborating Lab | Host Museum | |
How does parental help change children's approach to problem solving?Parents and other adults often provide children with help while they are engaged in difficult tasks. However, little is known about what younger and older children do with that help (e.g. do they take the advice they are given by adults, or do they ignore it?). This study explored how young children solved a challenging puzzle when they work on it alone, and after they get help from a parent. |
Harvard Graduate School of Education | Museum of Science (Boston, MA) | |
How do object names affect children's expectations during play?This study asked: Do children explore more when the evidence they see conflicts with their assumptions about the physical properties suggested by an object's name? |
MIT - Early Childhood Cognition Lab | Museum of Science (Boston, MA) | |
Does imitating a teacher limit children's exploration during play?It is no surprise that children learn quickly by watching others, but previous research had shown that children are also good at spontaneously generating their own evidence during play. This study asked: How do children's desires to imitate a teacher affect their ability to learn on their own during play? |
MIT - Early Childhood Cognition Lab | Museum of Science (Boston, MA) | |
How do apologies affect children's feelings and behavior?Most parents want their children to learn to say "I'm sorry" – but many parents wonder what these words really mean to young children. This research considered whether children feel differently in the presence or absence of an apology, and whether children view prompted and spontaneous apologies differently. |
Harvard Graduate School of Education | Museum of Science (Boston, MA) | |
What do children understand about ownership?Children claim toys as soon as they can talk. Learning to share, and understanding when property can be given away, takes children a long time. This study examines how children (ages 2.5 to 5 years) learn the rules of ownership. |
Boston University - Social Development & Learning Lab | Museum of Science (Boston, MA) | |
Does it always feel good to get what you want?Researchers have been interested in how children make sense of emotions and desires in morally-charged situations. What happens when a person gets what they want, but does so by hurting someone else? What do young children expect this person too feel? Will they expect happiness, because a desire was satisfied, or will they expect sad/guilty feelings because a moral rule was broken and someone was hurt? |
University of Michigan | Hand-On Museum (Ann Arbor, MI) | |
Do children think that rewards and penalties should be distributed based on behavior?Research has shown that, when distributing resources such as rewards, even very young children are capable of considering concepts such as equality and deservingness. Additionally, young children have been shown to take into consideration concepts like motive and severity when distributing penalties. This study explores children's reasoning about allocating both rewards (distributive justice) and penalties (retributive justice) and asks if children think similarly about these two forms of justice when making allocation decisions. It's possible, for example, that children might prefer to see rewards divided equally, but penalties distributed based on deservingness. |
University of Michigan | Hand-On Museum (Ann Arbor, MI) | |
How do children decide to distribute a limited resource?Both children and adults face choices about how to share limited resources. Previous research has shown that adults share more with people who have been more generous in the past, and also tend to give more to family members and individuals who belong to their social in-groups. We wanted to find out: Do children consider similar types of information when sharing things? |
University of Wisconsin, Madison - Social Kids Lab | Madison Children's Museum (Madison, WI) | |
Can children read body language to figure out who is in charge?Body language can reveal a lot about the nature of relationships between people. For example, if we see two people sitting very close together, we might guess that those people are friends or close relations. If we see one person with her chin up and another person with her chin down, we might guess that the first person is more powerful than the second person. |
University of Wisconsin, Madison - Social Kids Lab | Madison Children's Museum (Madison, WI) | |
Can children perform intuitive algebra?Previous research had shown that children - and even infants - think about numbers long before entering school. For example, preschoolers know that when they see five objects, then see five more added (5 + 5), the outcome is more likely to be 10 than 6. This study investigated intuitive math abilities - in particular, whether young children can use their intuitive sense of number to figure out an unknown quantity, a skill that is the basis of algebra. |
Johns Hopkins University - Laboratory for Chid Development | Maryland Science Center (Baltimore, MD) |
Question | Collaborating Lab | Host Museum | |
How do children learn to share?It is widely believed that children are selfish and have difficulty learning how to share and be fair, but we were curious whether this is always true. In this study, we look at children's willingness to share with a child they have never met, in order to find out more about how children learn to be generous. |
Boston University - Social Development & Learning Lab | Museum of Science (Boston, MA) | |
Current Research Projects - Museum of Science, BostonCheck out all on-going research projects in Living Laboratory at the Museum of Science, Boston. |
Museum of Science (Boston, MA) |

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Polished Concrete Contractor Romulus Michigan
Concrete Polishing Contractor Romulus, Michigan
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text:
The Pier Names Fayuca's Barrio Sideshow Amongst Most Anticipated Releases of 2013
The Pier Magazine, America's leading reggae-rock news source, has once again named Fayuca's upcoming release a highly anticipated one.
Over a year in the making, Fayuca's fourth studio effort (and Fervor Records debut) was also cited on last year's January round-up as one to look out for.
The band has a tendency toward perfectionism, as may be evident from their highly polished live performances, and they have spent several intensive months striving to deliver the best possible album to new fans and old.
Well it has finally been given a release date and everyone is getting excited. Produced by platinum studio wizard Ralph Patlan, the aptly titled album Barrio Sideshow is scheduled to drop on May 7, 2013.
Follow the jump and scroll down to read more about the making of the album and what kind of new sounds listener's can expect in this blurb on ThePier.org…sandwiched between Rome and Mike Pinto.


text:
Good evening!
Wow what a day…a hot, hot, hot day in the bakery! I even had the A/C on and I was still hot and flustered all day long. The thermometer read 37C at the peak of the day today. I was like a worried mother watching over her child whenever I thought about my dear Basil plant in this sweltering heat. I made sure to water it at lunch! So far so good.
I want to give a huge shout-out to my early morning run for keeping me energized all day long! I think I am going to be hooked on AM workouts again. I felt so great today.
For tonight's dinner I dreamed up this fun veggie pie. I don't think I have ever made a veggie pie before so I thought it would be fun to combine two of my favourite things- In A Jiffy Spelt Veggie Burgers and my spelt pie crust.
This is just a first trial version and I am open to your ideas/modifications/suggestions below!
First things first, I have transitioned to Iced Green Tea during this heat wave!
I made a huge pot of green tea last night (when I prepped my VOO!) and then I chilled it in the fridge overnight. This morning I simply poured my green tea into a glass, added 1 Mighty Leaf Spring Jasmine tea bag, and ice, ice baby. So refreshing!
I added this tea bag to add more flavour because the ice waters the tea down and you know how strong I like my green tea!
This Mighty Leaf Organic Spring Jasmine tea is EXCELLENT! The jasmine flavour and aroma is truly relaxation in a cup. Mmmm.
In A Jiffy Spelt Veggie Pie
Spelt Crust:
- 1 cup spelt flour
- 1/4 cup ground flax
- 2 tbsp cold-pressed sunflower oil (or EVOO)
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried parsley
Directions: preheat oven to 400F. Grease a pie crust with oil. Whisk the spelt flour and ground flax in a large bowl. In a small bowl mix the oil, milk, salt, dried parsley, and tomato paste together. Add the wet to the dry and mix well, using hands if necessary. Roll into a ball and then roll out with a rolling pin or simply use your hands to flatten into a pie crust. Pinch the edges with your forefinger and thumb.
Roll into a ball…
Roll it out or simply press into pie pan with fingers.
Pinch edges with thumb and forefinger..
The tomato paste gave the crust a beautiful shade!
For the pie filling, I used the In A Jiffy Spelt Veggie Burgers. For the recipe, see here. I dumped the entire batch into the pie crust like so…
and I sprinkled it with paprika…LOL.
I also made an oat-based crust using 1 cup oats, 1/2 cup flax, 1/4 cup sunflower oil, and 1/2 tsp sea salt– processed in a blender until smooth.
I took a muffin pan and shaped little tarts with the crust (about 1 heaping tbsp per muffin) and then topped them with more veggie burger mixture.
I baked the veggie pie and tarts in the oven for 20 minutes at 400F.
I actually baked the pie for 30 minutes and it was way too long. I browned it a bit too much and it dried out as a result. Next time I will stick to 20 minutes and possibly incorporate some of the changes below…
Ways to make the pie more moist/less dry:
- Possibly adding oil/water/milk to the veggie burger mixture to thin it out a bit and give it some moisture
- For non-vegans you could try adding an egg
- Add chopped tomato to the veggie mixture
- Adding a layer of tomato sauce on top and a layer of hummus on bottom
- Any other ideas?
Both turned out great tasting, although they were dry and need some tweaks!
I tried ketchup and pasta sauce and they were both pretty good.
However, I added a thick layer of hummus on top and I liked the hummus the best by far! It made the whole veggie pie come alive. It could be really delicious to spread a layer of hummus on the bottom of the pie before baking! The possibilities are endless.
All I craved for dessert was dried fruit…
Did you know dried apricots are really high in iron? They are a great way for anyone, especially women, vegetarians, and vegans to get a boost!
Here is a handy iron guide that I found the other day:
I also devoured this dried fruit bar from Trader Joe's…
I think my body was telling me something!
Tonight's questions: Do you pay attention to what vitamins you need/obtain from food or do you just try to eat balanced and not worry much about it? Do you take vitamin supplements?
Generally, I don't worry much about tracking my vitamin intake, however I do supplement with B12 (once a week), calcium/magnesium (daily), and vitamin D (in the winter) just for peace of mind. I also believe that our bodies will crave certain foods based on what it needs. I have my vitamin levels assessed yearly at my doctor's office and I have yet to be told that I am low in anything, so I figure the variety of plant-based foods I am eating must be keeping me on track. My iron is actually higher now than when I was an occasional meat-eater (I used to be anemic for a while in university). My doctor always says, 'Keep doing whatever you are doing!'
I'm off to relax outdoors with Eric…Stay COOL out there! :cool:


text:
The Institute for Environmental Learning will be hosting
the 9th World Environmental Education Congress
September 9 – 15, 2017 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
With this letter, we would like to invite you to attend the 9th World Environmental Education Congress which takes place September 9-15, 2017 in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) is an international congress addressing education for environment and sustainability. WEEC 2017 is the 9th congress and will feature the theme of Culture/Environment: Weaving New Connections.
The congress is an international meeting point for everyone working with education for environment and sustainable future or who has an interest in the field. WEEC 2017 will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about the latest in environmental and sustainability education, to discuss with people from all over the world, to share your own work and to learn from others. We expect participants from a wide range of countries, and so invite you to add your ideas and energy to the mix. From the congress we aim to build a relevant network among environmental NGO's, civil society associations, universities, local authorities as well as institutions from any level. WEEC congresses have received UNESCO and UNEP patronage and in many cases the presence or a message of the General Secretaries.
Warm regards,
David Zandvliet |
Mario Salomone |


text:
Thanks to AI, Computers Can Now See Your Health Problems
Thanks to AI, Computers Can Now See Your Health Problems
PATIENT NUMBER TWO was born to first-time parents, late
20s, white. The pregnancy was normal and the birth uncomplicated. But after a
few months, it became clear something was wrong. The child had ear infection
after ear infection and trouble breathing at night. He was small for his age,
and by his fifth birthday, still hadn't spoken. He started having seizures.
Brain MRIs, molecular analyses, basic genetic testing, scores of doctors;
nothing turned up answers. With no further options, in 2015 his family decided
to sequence their exomes—the portion of the genome that codes for proteins—to
see if he had inherited a genetic disorder from his parents. A single variant
showed up: ARID1B.
The mutation suggested he had a disease called
Coffin-Siris syndrome. But Patient Number Two didn't have that disease's
typical symptoms, like sparse scalp hair and incomplete pinky fingers. So,
doctors, including Karen Gripp, who met with Two's family to discuss the exome
results, hadn't really considered it. Gripp was doubly surprised when she
uploaded a photo of Two's face to Face2Gene. The app, developed by the same
programmers who taught Facebook to find your face in your friend's photos,
conducted millions of tiny calculations in rapid succession—how much slant in
the eye? How narrow is that eyelid fissure? How low are the ears? Quantified,
computed, and ranked to suggest the most probable syndromes associated with the
facial phenotype. There's even a heat map overlay on the photo that shows which
the features are the most indicative match.
"In hindsight it was all clear to me," says Gripp, who is
chief of the Division of Medical Genetics at A.I. duPont Hospital for Children
in Delaware, and had been seeing the patient for years. "But it hadn't been
clear to anyone before." What had taken Patient Number Two's doctors 16 years
to find took Face2Gene just a few minutes.
Face2Gene takes advantage of the fact that so many
genetic conditions have a tell-tale "face"—a unique constellation of features
that can provide clues to a potential diagnosis. It is just one of several new
technologies taking advantage of how quickly modern computers can analyze,
sort, and find patterns across huge reams of data. They are built in fields of
artificial intelligence known as deep learning and neural nets—among the most
promising to deliver AI's 50-year old promise to revolutionize medicine by
recognizing and diagnosing disease.
Genetic syndromes aren't the only diagnoses that could
get help from machine learning. The RightEye GeoPref Autism Test can identify
the early stages of autism in infants as young as 12 months—the crucial stages
where early intervention can make a big difference. Unveiled January 2 at CES
in Las Vegas, the technology uses infrared sensors test the child's eye
movement as they watch a split-screen video: one side fills with people and
faces, the other with moving geometric shapes. Children at that age should be
much more attracted to faces than abstract objects, so the amount of time they
look at each screen can indicate where on the autism spectrum a child might
In validation studies done by the test's inventor, UC San
Diego researcher Karen Pierce, the test
correctly predicted autism spectrum disorder 86 percent of the time in more
than 400 toddlers. That said, it's still pretty new, and hasn't yet been
approved by the FDA as a diagnostic tool. "In terms of machine learning, it's
the simplest test we have," says RightEye's Chief Science Officer Melissa
Hunfalvay. "But before this, it was just physician or parent observations that
might lead to a diagnosis. And the problem with that is it hasn't been
A similar tool could help with early detection of
America's sixth leading cause of death: Alzheimer's disease. Often, doctors
don't recognize physical symptoms in time to try any of the disease's few
existing interventions. But machine learning hears what doctor's can't: Signs
of cognitive impairment in speech. This is how Toronto-based Winterlight Labs
is developing a tool to pick out hints of dementia in its very early stages.
Co-founder Frank Rudzicz calls these clues "jitters," and "shimmers:" high frequency
wavelets only computers, not humans, can hear.
Winterlight's tool is way more sensitive than the pencil
and paper-based tests doctor's currently use to assess Alzheimer's. Besides
being crude, data-wise, those tests can't be taken more than once every six
months. Rudzicz's tool can be used multiple times a week, which lets it track
good days, bad days, and measure a patient's cognitive functions over time. The
product is still in beta, but is currently being piloted by medical
professionals in Canada, the US, and France.
If this all feels a little scarily sci-fi to you, it's
useful to remember that doctors have been trusting computers with your
diagnoses for a long time. That's because machines are much more sensitive at
both detecting and analyzing the many subtle indications that our bodies are
misbehaving. For instance, without computers, Patient Number Two would never
have been able to compare his exome to thousands of others, and find the
genetic mutation marking him with Coffin-Siris syndrome.
But none of this makes doctors obsolete. Even
Face2Gene—which, according to its inventors, can diagnose up to half of the
8,000 known genetic syndromes using facial patterns gleaned from the hundreds
of thousands of images in its database—needs a doctor (like Karen Gripp) with
enough experience to verify the results. In that way, machines are an extension
of what medicine has always been: A science that grows more powerful with every
new data point.


text:
The last thing a lot of people want to do these days is get on a plane. But even a pandemic would not stop Victoria Gray. She jumped at the chance to head to the airport this summer.
"It was one of those things I was waiting to get a chance to do," says Gray.
She had never flown before because she was born with sickle cell disease. She feared the altitude change might trigger one of the worst complications of the devastating genetic disease — a sudden attack of excruciating pain.
But Gray is the first person in the United States to be successfully treated for a genetic disorder with the help of CRISPR, a revolutionary gene-editing technique that makes it much easier to make very precise changes in DNA.
About a year after getting the treatment, it was working so well that Gray felt comfortable flying for the first time. She went to Washington, D.C., to visit her husband, who has been away for months on deployment with the National Guard.
"It was exciting. I had a window. And I got to look out the window and see the clouds and everything," says Gray, 35, of Forest, Miss.
Gray wore a mask the whole time to protect herself against the coronavirus, kept her distance from other people at the airport, and arrived happily in Washington, D.C., even though she's afraid of heights.
"I didn't hyperventilate like I thought I would," Gray says, laughing as she recounts the adventure in an interview with NPR.
NPR has had exclusive access to follow Gray through her experience since she underwent the landmark treatment on July 2, 2019. Since the last time NPR checked in with Gray in June, she has continued to improve. Researchers have become increasingly confident that the approach is safe, working for her and will continue to work. Moreover, they are becoming far more encouraged that her case is far from a fluke.
At a recent meeting of the American Society for Hematology, researchers reported the latest results from the first 10 patients treated via the technique in a research study, including Gray, two other sickle cell patients and seven patients with a related blood disorder, beta thalassemia. The patients now have been followed for between three and 18 months.
All the patients appear to have responded well. The only side effects have been from the intense chemotherapy they've had to undergo before getting the billions of edited cells infused into their bodies.
The New England Journal of Medicine published online this month the first peer-reviewed research paperfrom the study, focusing on Gray and the first beta thalassemia patient who was treated.
"I'm very excited to see these results," says Jennifer Doudna of the University of California, Berkeley, who shared the Nobel Prize this year for her role in the development of CRISPR. "Patients appear to be cured of their disease, which is simply remarkable."
Another nine patients have also been treated, according to CRISPR Therapeutics in Cambridge, Mass., and Vertex Pharmaceuticals in Boston, two companies sponsoring the research. Those individuals haven't been followed long enough to report any results, officials say.
But the results from the first 10 patients "represent an important scientific and medical milestone," says Dr. David Altshuler, Vertex's chief scientific officer.
The treatment boosted levels of a protein in the study subjects' blood known as fetal hemoglobin. The scientists believe that protein is compensating for defective adult hemoglobin that their bodies produce because of a genetic defect they were born with. Hemoglobin is necessary for red blood cells to carry oxygen.
Analyses of samples of bone marrow cells from Gray six months after getting the treatment, then again six months later, showed the gene-edited cells had persisted the full year — a promising indication that the approach has permanently altered her DNA and could last a lifetime.
"This gives us great confidence that this can be a one-time therapy that can be a cure for life," says Samarth Kulkarni, the CEO of CRISPR Therapeutics.
Gray and the two other sickle cell patients haven't had any complications from their disease since getting the treatment, including any pain attacks or hospitalizations. Gray has also been able to wean off the powerful pain medications she'd needed most of her life.
Prior to the treatment, Gray experienced an average of seven such episodes every year. Similarly, the beta thalassemia patients haven't needed the regular blood transfusions that had been required to keep them alive.
"It is a big deal because we we able to prove that we can edit human cells and we can infuse them safely into patients and it totally changed their life," says Dr. Haydar Frangoul at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville. Frangoul is Gray's doctor and is helping run the study.
For the treatment, doctors remove stem cells from the patients' bone marrow and use CRISPR to edit a gene in the cells, activating the production of fetal hemoglobin. That protein is produced by fetuses in the womb but usually shuts off shortly after birth.
The patients then undergo a grueling round of chemotherapy to destroy most of their bone marrow to make room for the gene-edited cells, billions of which are then infused into their bodies.
"It is opening the door for us to show that this therapy can not only be used in sickle cell and thalassemia but potentially can be used in other disorders," Frangoul says.
Doctors have already started trying to use CRISPR to treat cancer and to restore vision to people blinded by a genetic disease. They hope to try it for many other diseases as well, including heart disease and AIDS.
The researchers stress that they will have to follow Gray and many other patients for a lot longer to be sure the treatment is safe and that it keeps working. But they are optimistic it will.
Gray hopes so too.
"It's amazing," she says. "It's better than I could have imagined. I feel like I can do what I want now."
The last year hasn't always been easy for Gray, though. Like millions of other Americans, she has been sheltering at home with three of her children, worrying about keeping them safe and helping them learn from home much of the time.
"I'm trying to do the things I need to do while watch them at the same time to make sure they're doing the things they need to do," Gray says. "It's been a tough task."
But she has been able do other things she never got to do before, such as watch her oldest son's football games and see her daughter cheerleading.
"This is really a life-changer for me," she says. "It's magnificent."
She's now looking forward to going back to school herself, learning to swim, traveling more when the pandemic finally ends, and watching her children grow up without them worrying about their mother dying.
"I want to see them graduate high school and be able to take them to move into dorms in college. And I want to be there for their weddings — just everything that the normal people get to do in life. I want to be able to do those things with my kids," she says. "I can look forward now to having grandkids one day — being a grandmama."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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"I love playing soccer with my kids, even if it means always letting them win!"
Nico's wife also works at the factory, and he likes getting to see her during the day and eat lunch with her. He's a big soccer fan, and he was even wearing a jersey when I talked to him. He favorite sewing work is using the single needle machine, which he's especially fluent with.


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-Darren Leavitt, CFA
The holiday-shortened week ended with losses for both US equities and Treasuries. Apple shares tumbled on the news that the Chinese government would ban the use of the iPhone at government agencies at all levels of government. The news comes in front of Apple's new product release scheduled for September 12th. Shares of Apple fell 6% on the week and other large-cap technology issues fell in tandem. The ban on exporting technology to China may well have entered into a new phase with China taking similar measures against other multinational companies. The consequences of protectionism and on shoring were prominent themes for investors last week and will likely be another variable for investors to consider.
Oil prices advanced again on the news that Russia and Saudi would continue to curtail their production of Crude through at least the end of the year. The higher level of fuel costs has caused concern on the inflation front. The US Consumer Price Index will be released this week and it's widely expected that the headline number will tick higher from the prior reading due to elevated oil prices. ISM Services reported during the week also showed that the services sector of the economy expanded at a higher rate and the prices in services ticked higher as well. Sticky inflation data and an increase in the supply of debt coming to the market from the Treasury and Corporate America pushed yields higher across the curve. This week the Treasury will auction off nearly 100 Billion in 3-year, 10-year, and 30-year paper.
The S&P 500 lost 1.3%, the Dow gave up 0.7%, the NASDAQ fell 1.9%, and the Russell 2000 led declines with a loss of 3.6%. Of note, the S&P 500 fell below its 50-day moving average but was able to hold 4400 a key level that investors will continue to watch. The yield curve shifted higher across the curve. The 2-year yield increased by nine basis points to 4.97%, as the 10-year yield rose by the same amount to 4.26%. Oil prices increased by $1.92 or 2.2%, closing at $87.47 a barrel. Gold prices fell by $23.80 to close at $1943.30 an Oz. Copper prices fell 3.3% to 3.72 a Lb. The US Dollar continued to be strong despite intervention measures from the Bank of Japan and the People's Bank of China. The Dollar/Yen closed at 147.87, the Euro/Dollar closed the week below 1.07, and the Dollar/Yuan closed at 1.3667.
Investment advisory services offered through Foundations Investment Advisors, LLC ("FIA"), an SEC registered investment adviser. FIA's Darren Leavitt authors this commentary which may include information and statistical data obtained from and/or prepared by third party sources that FIA deems reliable but in no way does FIA guarantee the accuracy or completeness. All such third party information and statistical data contained herein is subject to change without notice. Nothing herein constitutes legal, tax or investment advice or any recommendation that any security, portfolio of securities, or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. Personal investment advice can only be rendered after the engagement of FIA for services, execution of required documentation, including receipt of required disclosures. All investments involve risk and past performance is no guarantee of future results. For registration information on FIA, please go to https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/ and search by our firm name or by our CRD #175083. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where FIA and its representatives are properly licensed or exempted.


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Informed consent is a concept at the core of both liberal democracy and the ethical practice of medicine. That is just one reason why a new report that, between 2006 and 2010, at least 148 women were sterilized illegally in California prisons should deeply disturb us.
The report found the inmates were given tubal ligations without the prison administrators bothering to get the case by case authorization for the procedures, required by law, from a state board. The point of this requirement is to have state officials outside of the prison review whether a proposed sterilization is genuinely consensual. (At least one woman has complained that she was coerced by prison officials into having the procedure).
Judging from the comments being made on even many liberal internet sites regarding this story, it seems a refresher course in one of the darker sides of American history is in order (A typical reaction: "So ridiculous making this procedure so difficult. Every woman who walks in the door of a prison should be encouraged with times cuts and subsidies to get sterilized.")
(MORE: Rachel Jeantel Explained, Linguistically)
For much of the 20th century, people –usually women – in American prisons and mental institutions were subjected to forced sterilization. In an infamous 1927 Supreme Court opinion, Oliver Wendell Holmes enthusiastically approved of this practice, saying of the coerced tubal ligation of a teenaged girl that "three generations of imbeciles are enough." (The evidence for the girl's "imbecility" consisted of the fact that she had had a child out of wedlock after being raped by a relative).
The practice of legal forced sterilization was an outgrowth of the eugenics movement – the idea that the genetic quality of human populations should be improved by selective breeding practices, whereby society's elites would curtail unnecessary reproduction by the "feeble-minded" (a term that in the early decades of the 20th century was used as a catch-all for what the elites deemed socially undesirable people).
The eugenics movement in the United States was largely discredited by the fact that eugenics was central to both the theory and practice of Nazism. Nevertheless, California in particular has a long and sordid history of forced sterilization: sterilizations were forced on prisoners as late as the mid-1960s, in part because California's long-time attorney general was a vociferous supporter of the practice, and it wasn't formally outlawed until 1979.
The law that was ignored in the case of the 148 prisoners over the past few years was designed in the shadow of that history. It is a product of the understanding that forcibly institutionalized people are especially vulnerable to having their "consent" extracted from them, in ways that would never work if they were free persons.
(MORE: We Love to Hate the Bad Teacher)
It's an unfortunate side effect of America's almost bottomless urge to lock people up that the legal rights of such people are so casually tossed aside. An incarcerated woman who is coerced, whether explicitly or in more subtle ways, into being sterilized, has had a crime committed against her, just as surely as this would be a crime if it were committed against a free woman.
This is obvious if we force ourselves to remember what the Nazis were at such pains to deny: that so-called "social undesirables"—in this case, prison inmates—are still human beings. To forget that is both a legal and a moral crime.


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Happy Halloween week guys and gals – we've got a special treat for you all! In our on-going quest to re-create as many of the best pinball tables of all time, we were able to get the licenses needed from Bally and the Mistress of the Dark herself, Elvira! This means Elvira and the Party Monsters will be released in Table Pack 6 tomorrow, and Scared Stiff will be released before too long in Table Pack 7.
Elvira has been super cool to work with. She invited us to part of her Macabre Museum at Comikaze Expo last month. We got to show off the Party Monsters table right along with a real machine. Some of the guys here on the pinball team got to meet her, and she even came over and played our game for a while. She's actually pretty good at pinball!
This is also pretty cool — X-Play just gave us the nod for two of their top five favorite video game pinball tables; Funhouse at #3 and Theatre of Magic at #1.
When they get a hold of the two Elvira tables, they might have to adjust their list.
So… check out Table Pack 6 when it's released on PSN for PS3 and PS Vita tomorrow. It's a great table. I find that the key is to earn an Extra Ball as soon as you can, and earn another one when you lose a ball – you always want to keep that Party Again light lit up. Then get multi-ball and start racking up the Jackpots by hitting the ramp shots.
In addition to Elvira and the Party Monsters, Table Pack 6 also includes No Good Gofers which has been re-tuned and is also a blast to play. As always, the purchase is available on PSN as a Cross Buy, so you'll just need to buy it once to own it on PS3 and PS Vita.
A huge thank you to Elvira for being a part of our pinball game, and also to Sid and the guys on PlayStation Blogcast for all of their support.


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History is more than the study of the past. It is the process of recording, reconstructing and interpreting the past through the investigation of a variety of sources. It is a discipline that gives people an understanding of themselves and others in relation to the world, both past and present.
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
History is an account, mostly false, of events, mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools.
A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.
Course Content
editWhichever route is selected the course provides both structure and flexibility, fostering an understanding of major historical events in a global context. It requires students to make comparisons between similar and dissimilar solutions to common human situations, whether they be political, economic or social. It invites comparisons between, but not judgments of, different cultures, political systems and national traditions.
Route 1 explores the main developments in the history of Europe and the Islamic world (from 500 to 1570).
History of Europe and the Islamic world — Prescribed Subjects
editThe Origins and Rise of Islam c500–661
The Kingdom of Sicily 1130–1302
History of Europe and the Islamic World — Topics
editIntellectual, Cultural, and Artistic Developments
Higher Level Options (3 of the following)
editMonarchies in England and France 1066-1223
Muslim, Christian and Jewish Interactions in Spain, 711-1492
Late Medieval Political Crises 1300-1485
14th Century Famine, Pestilence and Social Change
Renaissance Government and Society in Italy 1300-1500
New Horizons: Exploration 1400-1550
Route 2 encompasses the main developments in the 20th century world history.
20th Century World History — Prescribed Subjects
editPeacemaking, Peacekeeping—International Relations 1918–36
The Arab–Israeli Conflict 1945–79
20th Century World History — Topics
editCauses, Practices, and Effects of Wars
Causes and Effects of World War One (2020 Specification);
Causes and Effects of the Spanish Civil War (2020 Specification);
Democratic states—Challenges and Responses
Origins and Development of Authoritarian and Single-Party States
Higher Level Options (1 of the following)
editAspects of History of the Americas
Aspects of History of Asia and Oceania
Aspects of History of Europe and the Middle East
Useful Links
edit- History Guide (First Examinations 2010)
- IB History of the Americas (Not part of this book)
- IB European History (Not part of this book)
editFor those interested in contributing towards this book, Route 1 is very much unexplored and it is recommended. Sections under Route 2 are planned.


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Some rights reserved by nocklebeast
The other day Fred Wilson posted an opinion and some tips on Investor/Mentor Whiplash. He took the position that that is a big problem for accelerators as well as early stage and seed environments. Brad Feld took this as a bit of a misunderstanding on accelerators, he insists that TechStars creates an environment where early stage companies can learn to manage the whiplash. Brad Feld states:
I disagree with Fred. It's not a big problem. It's the essence of one of things an accelerator program is trying to teach the entrepreneurs going through it. Specifically, building muscle around processing data and feedback, and making your own decisions.
On the surface this seems correct. A problem (one of many) new founders face is the overwhelming barrage of mentorship (good and bad) and information mixed with the inability to filter. An accelerator should be able to provide the environment where a strong group of peers with some guidance can help to build the "muscle around processing data and feedback." In the last 6 years I have noticed that is a common problem founders face and their ability to manage it is important to their success. It wasn't until I experienced the whiplash myself a 2nd and 3rd time that I fully appreciated the damage it can do even if you are prepared for it.
Generally what I tell early stage founders:
- Only talk to customers once you have something to show them — but that shouldn't take you a long time, don't go heads down for months. Asking people what they want and not focusing on something specific they can touch/feel is a path to busy work and infinite sadness.
- Avoid the mentor parties/socialization. Find two (or three) good people with opposing views and bounce specific data off them but only when you have done something that requires fresh eyes to advise you how to interpret the results.
- Focus on what isn't working when getting feedback from mentors. Founders need to be positive but you need to focus on the bad things when talking to your close mentors that have been through it already. If they can't help you with the tough stuff why are you spending a lot of time with them?
- Don't expect a direct answer. Experienced mentors know you are the best person to run your company, not them, and they have developed a way of not telling you what or how to do things but instead challenge you to figure it out in a positive way.
Whiplash from mentors doesn't just happen in startups, it happens everywhere people are giving you advice or have something to gain by influencing the decisions you are about to make or the opinion you develop on something.
Being prepared and learning to manage the whiplash isn't just the essence of accelerator programs, it is the essence of education that culminates in the top level you can achieve to filter information – a phd program. At the phd level the filter muscle is almost too strong but that is a topic of a whole other blog post.
The scary thing for entrepreneurs is that accelerator programs are too often run by people that don't know how to effectively educate people and/or they have something to gain financially by the decisions founders make.
I think this *is* a big problem in accelerators. I wonder if the ability to teach that skill to founders (or select founders that already have that skill) is the difference between a successful accelerator (which is really only TechStars and YC) and one that isn't (pretty much everyone else)?
[Editor's note: This post was originally posted on Jesse Rodgers' Who You Calling a Jesse blog on July 31, 2013.]


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Asset Allocation: The Key to Long-Term Investment Returns
Watching the roller coaster ride of the stock market can make many investors queasy. Even though the stock market has, historically, always trended up, investors can't help but feel uneasy as they watch the values of their portfolios rise and fall with the market. That is, unless they also have a portion of their money in the bond market and the precious metals market, and in short term savings. When portfolios are limited to one type of asset, its value will reflect the volatility of that asset class. But, when portfolios are allocated among several different asset classes, the variable rates of volatility and the uncorrelated movements of each can have the effect of stabilizing the overall portfolio.
Asset allocation is a strategy involving the selection of a variety of asset classes to create a diversified and balanced portfolio to match your specific investment objective and risk tolerance. The principal behind it is that all asset classes don't move in concert, rather, they move in different directions at different times, influenced by different aspects of the economic cycles.
For example, stocks prices tend to go up, when bond prices go down. Gold prices will increase as inflation expectations rise, and while some types of stocks will react favorable, other s don't perform well when inflation strikes. No one can predict when price movements will change, so the best course is to have some exposure to multiple asset classes.
Asset allocation can reduce the overall volatility of a portfolio and reduce market risk. But, investors also need to be aware of other types of investment risk that can impact their portfolio. Portfolios that aren't protected against the risk of inflation, or interest rate risk, or tax risk can see their values adversely affected over a period of time. A well-balanced and properly diversified allocation of assets can address all of these risks.
Your Asset Allocation Strategy
Your own asset allocation strategy should reflect your personal investment objectives and your risk tolerance. There is no perfect mix of investments, except what works for you. When developing your asset allocation, you need to consider these key factors:
Investment Objectives: Are you seeking capital appreciation or income from your investments?
Risk Tolerance: Are you willing to lose any portion of your investment in return for a larger gain? If you invested $1000 and only received back $500, would that hurt your financially? What are your attitudes about inflation and the direction of interest rates?
Investment Preferences: Do you prefer one type of investment over another? Is there a particular type of investment you want to avoid?
Time Horizon: How long are you able to commit to your investment strategy?
Keeping it Current
Things change over time. Certainly your financial situation will evolve and your attitudes and outlook will change. Investors tend to become more conservative with their money as they approach retirement. And, the financial markets will change as will the economic outlook. Your asset allocation strategy needs to change to reflect your evolving situation and the prevailing conditions of the markets.
Additionally, your portfolio allocation will change as a result of market gains and losses which can have the effect of changing its balance. For instance, if it experience big gains in the stock market are reinvested into more stock investments, your portfolio weighting might begin to tilt to heavily to stocks over the other asset classes. Periodic reviews are necessary in order to rebalance your portfolio.
*This content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The information provided is not written or intended as tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for purposes of avoiding any Federal tax penalties. Individuals are encouraged to seek advice from their own tax or legal counsel. Individuals involved in the estate planning process should work with an estate planning team, including their own personal legal or tax counsel. Neither the information presented nor any opinion expressed constitutes a representation by us of a specific investment or the purchase or sale of any securities. Asset allocation and diversification do not ensure a profit or protect against loss in declining markets. This material was developed and produced by Advisor Websites to provide information on a topic that may be of interest. Copyright 2021 Advisor Websites.


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Can Off-Label Drugs Be Used to Treat Arthritis?
For a patient who has arthritis, a knowledgeable provider will treat with medication or minimally invasive procedures before considering surgery. These non-surgical options might include physical therapy, over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications or prescription drugs developed specifically for arthritis.
Sometimes, a provider may recommend an off-label prescription to treat arthritis. "Off-label" means a drug is being prescribed for a different condition than that which it has been approved for by the FDA. It is perfectly legal and somewhat common for providers to do this. According to a 2006 survey, 21 percent of prescriptions were off label, and it is estimated the percentage is now higher.
Off-Label Drug Prescription Examples
A provider might prescribe a medication off label for a variety of reasons. For example, prescriptions approved for the particular condition may cause side effects or allergic reactions or may not be effective for a particular patient. Off-label prescriptions for arthritis conditions include:
- Rheumatoid Arthritis: Minocycline (Minocin) is an anti-inflammatory antibiotic often used to treat respiratory, urinary tract or other bacterial infections. However, some providers prescribe it to help patients who have rheumatoid arthritis with inflammation.Bottom of Form
- Osteoarthritis: A drug called duloxetine hydrochloride (Cymbalta) was developed to treat depression. Providers found it was effective in treating osteoarthritis pain and began to prescribe it off label. In 2010, it was approved by the FDA for treating osteoarthritis.
- Fibromyalgia: Antidepressant medications, muscle relaxants or sleep aids often ease symptoms for patients with fibromyalgia and are at times prescribed off label for the condition.
Always Take Medications as Prescribed
If you have arthritis and your provider prescribes a medication off label, follow the provider's prescribing directions. Take the correct dosage at the right time of day, and check to see if you should take the medication with food or on an empty stomach.
Finally, if you have questions, always talk with your provider so you can receive the best benefit from your medication – on or off label.


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