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On 10 April, President Barack Obama submitted to Congress his spending plan for the 2014 fiscal year that begins on 1 October. The document can be found at www.fdsys.gov. The stories below detail requests for specific agencies, programs, or initiatives and offer some insight into the Obama administration's vision for science. Plus, reactions from the research community and around the web.
- United States to Cap ITER Spending; Domestic Fusion Research Would Still Suffer
- Laser Fusion Facility Faces Dimmer Spending
- At CDC, Budget Drops and Priorities Shift
- NSF Basks in Double-Digit Increase
- NIST Manufactures Some Big Spending Dreams
- Smithsonian Outreach Gets a Boost
- Rock On! Asteroid Spending Hot Item for NASA
- More Love for USDA's Competitive Research
- NIH Gets Slight Relief From Sequester Pain
- USGS Sees Budget Boost as Vote for Expanding Mission
- A Fundamental Shift at the Pentagon
- EPA Loses Out in R&D Budget
- Nanotechnology Initiative Would Get Smaller
- Climate Change Research Gets a Warm Reception
- Big Bump-Up for Department of Energy Research
- Homeland Security Would Move Ahead With Controversial Agrosecurity Laboratory
- NASA Budget Includes Money to Send New Rover to Mars, Capture Asteroid
- Most Civilian Agencies Get a Boost
United States to Cap ITER Spending; Domestic Fusion Research Would Still Suffer
Adrian Cho, 2:20 p.m. on 12 April
To preserve fusion research at home, the United States will limit its annual contributions to the international fusion experiment ITER, now under construction in Cadarache, France, according to the budget proposed by the Obama administration for fiscal year 2014. That spending cap should prevent the ITER contributions from consuming the Department of Energy's (DOE's) entire budget for fusion research. But that tactic also means that the United States would pay more in the long run to build its parts for ITER. And the request still calls for closing one of three U.S.-based fusion projects.
The rejiggering of the United States's ITER payments comes in response to a budgetary train wreck that occurred last year. In its proposed budget for 2013, DOE reduced funding for its fusion energy science program by a mere 1.2%, from $401 million to $398 million. But that budget also called for ramping up spending on ITER from $105 million to $150 million, requiring a cut of $48 million, or 16%, from the domestic research program. That cut would require shutting down one of three fusion experiments, or tokamaks, in the United States—the Alcator C-MOD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge. The precise 2013 budget for fusion remains in flux, however, as last month Congress simply extended the 2012 budget through the rest of the current fiscal year, which ends 30 September.
The proposed 2014 budget throws fusion researchers a lifeline. The total fusion budget would go up from the current level by 14%, to $458 million. Spending on ITER would climb to $225 million per year. However, instead of rising further as previously planned, in future years ITER funding would remain fixed at the 2014 level, according to a budget briefing given by Edmund Synakowski, DOE's associate director for fusion energy sciences in Germantown, Maryland.
To contain ITER costs, the United States will delay the delivery of certain parts from the time ITER is supposed to turn on, around 2020, to the time it attempts to achieve fusion between tritium and deuterium and realize a net gain in energy, around 2028, says Thom Mason, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. (Oak Ridge is home to the U.S. ITER project office.) The original plan would have seen the U.S. ITER contribution top out at $400 million per year, Mason says. "That's the optimal way to fund the project," he says, "but given the current budget situation, it's very difficult to see how that happens."
But even with the additional funding and the cap on ITER spending, the new budget wouldn't undo the cuts proposed a year ago. In fact, in the new budget, domestic spending falls another $15 million, or 6%, from the level proposed in 2013. So the new budget would not only pull the plug on C-MOD, it would also require a cut of between 100 and 120 of the 170 researchers and staff members at MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center, says Martin Greenwald, associate director at the center. "The first thing the director of the program will have to do is send out 100 to 120 layoff notices," Greenwald says. Given the lead time for such layoffs, the cuts may come well before Congress does (or does not) approve the budget. The notices could come "within weeks, I would think," Greenwald says.
The proposed budget also does not guarantee that spending on ITER won't climb in future years. Unlike an ordinary project at a similar stage of development, the U.S. ITER project has no official "baseline," a document that lays out the schedule, costs, and yearly funding profile. Instead, DOE officials will manage the U.S. ITER program as it goes, focusing on a 2-year time horizon, according to Synakowski's briefing. That lack of a concrete plan makes some researchers nervous. "There's nowhere you can go to get an official timeline for the project," Greenwald says. "That's appalling to me and other researchers."
Laser Fusion Facility Faces Dimmer Spending
David Malakoff, 4:00 p.m. on 11 April
A controversial and perpetually troubled laser fusion project would get a hefty funding reduction under the president's 2014 budget request for the Department of Energy (DOE). The cuts to the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California appear to be a direct consequence of the project's failure to create a burning fusion plasma by its 2012 goal.
NIF has long had critics, who contended even before the multibillion-dollar machine was built that it would never work. After numerous delays and cost overruns, NIF finally began operations in 2009, and managers set a 30 September 2012 goal of achieving "ignition" by using its 192 lasers to crush a tiny capsule of hydrogen fuel. But the device fell substantially short of that goal, and late last year officials told Congress that they weren't sure NIF would ever be able create a burning plasma.
NIF advocates have argued that the project, even if it didn't achieve ignition, is useful for conducting experiments that would help engineers understand and maintain the nation's stockpile of nuclear weapons. That is now NIF's focus, although some outside experts and members of Congress are skeptical of that use. They also question the wisdom of giving NIF any more time or money to achieve ignition.
The budget request appears to reflect some of that skepticism. To help pay for maintaining the nuclear stockpile during a time of austerity, "the Budget proposes to achieve savings by reducing investments in the National Ignition Facility, which failed to achieve ignition in 2012 as scheduled, and by implementing several management efficiencies," it states. In particular, the budget calls for ending NIF accounting practices that allowed Livermore officials to charge some of the project's costs to other programs—a practice that critics said effectively obscured NIF's true cost.
It's not clear exactly how big the proposed NIF cuts are, because the project receives funding from several programs within DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the nation's nuclear weapons program. A Livermore spokesperson tells ScienceInsider that NIF's operating budget request is $329 million for 2014, down 20% from 2012.
Other NIF-affiliated budget lines also appear to take a hit, but it's hard to calculate exact numbers, says Marylia Kelley, executive director of Tri-Valley CAREs, a watchdog group in Livermore that has been critical of the laser project. But NIF "is taking a smaller hit that I had anticipated; these are very modest cuts considering NIF's abject failure to achieve ignition," she says. Her group wants NIF to be managed by DOE's Office of Science for civilian research. "We should run it as an unclassified user facility for 5 years, and then do an analysis of what kind of science the nation is getting for its money, and then decide whether to pull the plug," she says.
At CDC, Budget Drops and Priorities Shift
Jennifer Couzin-Frankel, 3:25 p.m. on 11 April
For the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the 2014 budget request offers a mixed picture. CDC's budget continues to trend downward, as it has over the last several years. President Barack Obama is requesting $6.6 billion for CDC, a drop of $270 million from 2012. But not every program will suffer: In particular, the administration touted extra money for emerging and zoonotic infectious disease initiatives, with a respectable increase of $70 million to $432 million. Forty million dollars would go to an "Advanced Molecular Detection Initiative," which aims to do a better and quicker job of detecting and responding to threatening pathogens.
An increase of $35 million for injury prevention and control includes money for gun violence prevention research, which was touted by Obama in January.
None of these dollars are new, however. "If you're putting additional money into one category, you're taking it from the other," says Richard Hamburg, deputy director of the Trust for America's Health, an advocacy group in Washington, D.C., that focuses on public health. Losers in CDC's budget include chronic disease prevention efforts and public health preparedness and response. The preparedness cuts would reduce funding to local and state health departments.
In a sense, the mix of increases and cuts suggests tension in how best to allocate resources when it comes to new infectious diseases, such as a novel coronavirus or worrying avian influenza cases in China. On the one hand, says Laura Kahn, an internist at Princeton University who works in public health, we need to quickly be able to identify new viruses and develop vaccines against them. She welcomes CDC's proposed additional funding for emerging infectious diseases, although wonders how exactly the funds will be allocated.
"Now on the other hand, of course," Kahn writes to Science in an e-mail, "is how to disseminate a new vaccine to a public without a well-funded public health infrastructure. That's the downside to the budget cuts."
NSF Basks in Double-Digit Increase
Jeffrey Mervis, 11:15 a.m. on 11 April
With enough money, many things are possible.
That's the happy position in which the National Science Foundation (NSF) finds itself after the president proposed giving the agency an increase of $741 million in 2014, to $7.62 billion. That amount is 10.8% more than NSF's current budget of $6.88 billion, although the administration describes it as an 8.4% boost over NSF's 2012 budget. No matter how it's painted, the request sets NSF apart from most federal agencies that are being asked to make do with level or reduced funding.
The double-digit increase, if endorsed by Congress, would allow NSF to expand activities across the foundation. The request would provide a 9.2% boost over 2012 levels for NSF's core disciplinary research activities, to $6.21 billion. That includes a doubling of its investment in cyberinfrastructure, to $155 million, reflecting NSF's lead role in a joint program on Big Data with the National Institutes of Health.
The 2014 request would also increase funding for several initiatives begun by Subra Suresh, who stepped down last month as NSF director to become president of Carnegie Mellon University. In particular, the Innovation Corps program to train would-be entrepreneurs would grow in size and geographic scope, and the INSPIRE program would be able to fund more unorthodox approaches to multidisciplinary research questions. A bigger budget would also let NSF start construction of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, a $665 million facility in Cerro Pachon, Chile, to which the Department of Energy has committed $160 million. And it would allow NSF to grow its prestigious graduate research fellowship program by one-third, boosting the next class to 2700.
In addition to having friends in the White House, NSF received strong support this year from Capitol Hill to lessen the blow of the mandatory, across-the-board 5% sequester that took effect in March at every civilian agency. (National security funding was cut by 7.2%.) Last-minute increases from a Senate funding panel left NSF's 2013 budget only 2.1%, or $150 million, below its 2012 funding levels.
NSF's operating plan for 2013, which spells out how much money each activity will receive, isn't due to the White House until 22 April. So NSF officials aren't able to predict how the sequester would affect the number of grants to be awarded in 2013 and the overall success rate of proposals. But, given the additional funding it has received, the agency's original projection of 1000 fewer grants and a 3% dip in success rates is almost certainly too pessimistic.
NIST Manufactures Some Big Spending Dreams
David Malakoff, 6:20 p.m. on 10 April
The Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was one of the big research winners in today's 2014 budget request rollout, with the White House requesting a 23%, $177.5 million increase over its 2012 spending, to $928.3 million.
Within that total, NIST's intramural laboratories would get a 21% hike to $754 million.
The increases are in line with a 2010 law that endorsed a doubling of NIST's budget over a decade, but Congress hasn't always come up with the money to stay on track with that goal.
"The FY 2014 budget increases will allow NIST to address high-priority scientific and technical issues that are critical to U.S. economic competitiveness and innovative capacity," said NIST Director Patrick Gallagher in a statement. In all, he said, the proposal includes some $127 million in new research funding.
The administration is also proposing that NIST help coordinate a one-time $1 billion initiative to create a network of up to 15 manufacturing innovation institutes around the country. The National Network of Manufacturing Innovation would join companies, academic institutions, and government agencies in efforts to develop cutting-edge manufacturing technologies. The Obama administration has already set up one pilot center in an effort to demonstrate the value of the idea.
Smithsonian Outreach Gets a Boost
Elizabeth Pennisi, 6:15 p.m. on 10 April
President Barack Obama wants to tap the Smithsonian Institution's expertise in informal science education as part of his plan to streamline STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. As part of his 2014 budget request, Obama is proposing a $25 million boost to the institution's education efforts. "From Day 1, I knew that we could play a much bigger role in science education," says Wayne Clough, secretary of the Smithsonian. "We have attributes and resources that other agencies don't have."
The Smithsonian, which is home to 19 museums, a zoo, and six science research centers, would receive $869 million from the federal government under the 2014 request, a $93 million, 12% increase over $776 million in 2013.
For 2013, the continuing resolution that Congress approved in March added $5 million dollars to staff the African American museum that is under construction and $2 million for roof repairs from Hurricane Sandy to its 2012 allocation of $810 million. But as part of the sequester, the Smithsonian had to come up with $41 million in cuts to that amount.
Those belt-tightening measures included taking all new major science instrumentation projects off the table. But the proposed 2014 budget includes $500,000 to begin to modify a 12-meter radio antenna telescope and move it from Arizona to Greenland. The telescope, which is expected to be operational in 2017, will be used in conjunction with Smithsonian telescopes in Chile and Hawaii to study black holes.
Otherwise, any increases for science programs are primarily for covering salary, rent, and other expenses, such as providing parity in salaries for Panamanians working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, says Smithsonian senior budget analyst George Thomas.
Thus, the big win for Smithsonian science is for STEM education. President Obama's plan would shift $180 million from 90 STEM programs at 11 agencies to the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and the Smithsonian. The first two agencies would work to improve K-12 and undergraduate and graduate education. With its $25 million, the Smithsonian would improve informal education as it relates to the classroom. "The boundary between informal and formal education is breaking down," Clough says.
The newly named Center for Learning and Digital Access will be expanding its efforts to provide teachers easy access to Smithsonian materials that are geared toward meeting education standards requirements. Already it has a database of 2000 documents, photos, podcasts, videos, and other material, says Michelle Smith, editorial director of the center.
Eventually that database will be expanded to include material from all over the federal government. "We would serve as the agent for other agencies," Clough says. When Clough first came to the Smithsonian in 2008, the Smithsonian was just starting to reach out to students and teachers online and there was not much coordination among its 250 educators. Now the education effort is much more coordinated, Clough says, and he expects that a similar transformation can happen across the federal government. "We can deliver education to anybody in any place at any time," he says.
Rock On! Asteroid Spending Hot Item for NASA
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, 5:50 p.m. on 10 April
Asteroids are hot in the president's 2014 budget for NASA. He wants the space agency to find them, move them, excavate them, and eventually dispatch astronauts to walk on them.
If NASA's budget proposal for the next fiscal year contains one shiny new initiative, it is the science fiction-y plan to capture an approximately 454-tonne asteroid with a giant bag and drag it close to the moon where it can be studied in detail. After it has accomplished that feat, the agency will send astronauts to visit the rock, traveling in an Orion space capsule that is now under development. If the plan succeeds by an anticipated date of 2021, President Barack Obama may be able to tweet out a humble brag that might read thus: #Woohoo! Realized promise made at #KennedySpaceCenter.
The promise—made in a speech in April 2010, in which Obama laid out his vision for space—was to land humans on an asteroid by 2025. For 2 years, lawmakers questioned NASA officials on the specifics of how it would be done. Lawmakers have slammed the agency for not having a clear sense of direction. Finally, the agency seems to have come up with an answer that kills both birds with one stone.
"This mission raises the bar for human exploration and discovery," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said this afternoon in a media telecon about the budget. The idea, which will be kicked off in 2014 with a total funding of $105 million divided between NASA's exploration, aeronautics, and science directorates, appears to have gained traction after the crash-landing of a meteorite over Russia in February. That event set off frenzied calls from lawmakers that asteroid detection and deflection should be a high priority for NASA.
The first step in the proposed capture and maneuver mission would be to find the right-sized asteroid. That's why the administration wants to double the current level of funding for asteroid detection to $40 million. This piece of the new initiative will likely please lawmakers who have already conducted hearings on what NASA and private companies should be doing to tackle the asteroid threat.
The second step of the mission would involve developing new technologies to achieve the task, which dovetails with NASA's stated goal of inspiring technological breakthroughs. And the final step would involve sending astronauts to the asteroid aboard the Orion space capsule, the development of which is another high priority. In other words, the mission helps tie together several disparate items on NASA's agenda.
The agency has a number of other programs that have to do with asteroids. One is a mission to return a sample from a known carbonaceous asteroid by 2023. That mission, called OSIRIS-REx, is planned for a 2016 launch.
More Love for USDA's Competitive Research
Erik Stokstad, 5:30 p.m. on 10 April
It's no secret that the White House likes competitively awarded, peer-reviewed funding for research. For 2013, the administration asked for a 23% boost to the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) while keeping its requests for other research funding levels at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) relatively flat. But Congress didn't deliver, instead keeping AFRI's budget nearly constant at $266 million.
This year, the White House has doubled down and asked for a 44% boost to AFRI over 2013 levels, to $383 million.
"Great news!" extolled Karl Glasener, who directs science policy for the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America. Whether Congress will go along remains to be seen.
AFRI is part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA's extramural funding division. Existing programs at AFRI focus on food security, water and nutrient management, nutrition, food safety, biofuels, and climate change. They plan to add programs on agricultural education and outreach. While AFRI would see a big boost relative to its estimated FY 2013 budget, so-called formula funds, which are given to land-grant universities, would decline by 1% to $657 million.
As with previous years, the administration is asking for a small increase to R&D at the intramural Agricultural Research Service. As part of its request for a 1.6% increase over 2013 to $1.08 billion, USDA would boost efforts on food safety, human nutrition, and environmental stewardship while decreasing funding for agronomic research. In addition, USDA is asking for $155 million to fully renovate its Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory in Athens, Georgia. The aging facility has a biosafety level 2 lab and three agricultural labs and was identified as the top priority for modernization in a 2012 review of ARS labs.
*Correction, 11:30 a.m. on 11 April: The administration is asking for a small increase to R&D at the intramural Agricultural Research Service for a 1.6% increase over 2013, not a 15% increase as originally reported.
NIH Gets Slight Relief From Sequester Pain
Jocelyn Kaiser, 5:10 p.m. on 10 April
The president's fiscal year 2014 budget offers the National Institutes of Health (NIH) only a modest 1.5% increase, to $31.3 billion, over 2012 levels. But that small boost would provide welcome relief from the staggering 5% cut that the agency received this year because of the mandatory across-the-board cuts known as sequestration.
"Everything's relative," said NIH Director Francis Collins after a press briefing today. "Considering what we've been going through in FY '13, what's being proposed here is really gratifying." (Compared with NIH's final 2013 budget of $29.3 billion, the increase would be 6.8%.) NIH would fund 10,269 new and competing grants, an increase of 351 compared with 2012.
The $471 million in new funding includes $40 million for the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative, a brain mapping project that the administration rolled out last week. (Other agencies are contributing about $70 million.) NIH also wants to spend $41 million on a "Big Data" initiative to improve ways to use and share large datasets, Collins said. Another $32 million would go toward a new program that would to attempt to bring more diversity to the biomedical workforce by encouraging minorities to pursue biomedical research careers.
Another favored area is Alzheimer's research, which would receive $80 million in new grants for drug development at the National Institute on Aging—accounting for the entire increase that the institute is slated to receive.
The Cures Acceleration Network, a program aimed at supporting drug development within NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, would receive $50 million, a $40 million increase.
Biomedical research groups cautiously praised the increase for NIH. "We don't want to sound unappreciative, but this continues the pattern of failing to keep pace with inflation" for a decade at NIH, said Dave Moore of the Association of American Medical Colleges. The budget also assumes that Congress finds a way out of the sequestration cuts mandated for the next 10 years, he adds. "It's a little bit of good news, but I think it's still very worrisome as to where this is all headed," Moore said.
USGS Sees Budget Boost as Vote for Expanding Mission
Erik Stokstad, 5:05 p.m. on 10 April
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) patted itself on the back today for a proposed 8% increase in the president's budget request, compared with its FY 2012-enacted budget. The $98.8 million boost would lift the agency's budget to about $1.2 billion.
"This is a really significant increase," said acting Director Suzette Kimball in a teleconference. "It's largely due to USGS being recognized among the large science agencies as part of the larger R&D effort" and not just a mission agency to the Department of the Interior, in which it exists.
A request of an 8% increase is exceptional for USGS, which last year was slated for an overall 3% increase in the president's request. Typically, the agency has seen increases on the order of 1% to 2%. The proposed budget would include a $13 million boost for research on hydraulic fracking, to $18.6 million. It would also raise the funding for stream gages, which monitor water levels and collect other data, by $7.2 million. That would buy about 400 new gages to supplement the existing network of some 3130. USGS has said that the budget cuts known as the sequester threaten the operation of about 350 existing gages. Other proposed increases include a 22% increase for climate change science, to $72 million. A 3D-elevation mapping program would get started as well. Research into mineral deposits and the Water Resource Research Institutes would be cut, but details were not immediately available.
A Fundamental Shift at the Pentagon
Eliot Marshall, 4:35 p.m. on 10 April
To sustain an edge in military technology, the White House aims to spend more on key military research programs—particularly fundamental basic research—even as it trims the overall Pentagon budget next year.
The plan calls for a total of $526.6 billion in discretionary funding for the U.S. military in 2014, about 0.7% less than in 2012 and 2013. The administration foresees a sharp decline in the account that pays for weapons testing and evaluation, from $72 billion in 2012 to $68 billion next year. At the same time, it gives a boost to the blue-sky innovation agency known as DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency); its budget would increase by 1.8%, to $2.9 billion. Funding for basic science and technology accounts would remain steady at around $11.9 billion, with a shift of about $200 million inside this category to emphasize fundamental work—including the kind of research carried out at universities.
This is a good sign, says Matthew Owens, an analyst at the Association of American Universities, the lobby for major research institutions based in Washington, D.C. He believes the administration is sticking with a theme articulated by the previous two secretaries of defense—investing in research not just to acquire advanced technology but also to draw talented people into the field of national security.
EPA Loses Out in R&D Budget
Erik Stokstad, 4:25 p.m. on 10 April
If you don't have much nice to say, don't say much. That pretty much sums up the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) discussion of research when it rolled out its proposed budget for FY 2014, which includes a cut to the agency's science program.
The request "reflects the Obama Administration's commitment to drive strong economic growth by supporting innovative research" on pollution, climate change, and clean energy, the agency said in a statement. The agency's more detailed "EPA Budget in Brief," released today, stated that the R&D program "leverages expertise" to meet its challenges.
The agency overall would see a 4% whack from its funding under the 2013 continuing resolution to $8.2 billion, continuing its slide in recent years. The research program, which was funded at $568 million in FY 2012, would drop by 1.9% from that level in 2014. About $16 million would be taken from the popular STAR fellowships as part of an administration proposal to reorganize STEM programs across the government.
Research on drinking water would decline by $2.3 million, endocrine disruptors by $1.2 million, and four other programs by $1 million each. EPA would expand its cooperative research with the U.S. Geological Survey and DOE on the environmental impact of hydraulic fracking, and increase its funding on minimizing chemical hazards by $4.1 million and climate change by $3.2 million. Baseline funding for these programs was not immediately available.
Outside the science division, EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program would get a $2.4 million boost. And the Air, Climate, and Energy Research program would see a 7.9% increase to $105 million over FY 2012 levels for research on environmental and health impacts from air pollution, climate change, and biofuels.
Nanotechnology Initiative Would Get Smaller
David Malakoff, 4:05 p.m. on 10 April
A 13-year-old nanotechnology research initiative would take a cut of $159 million, or 8.5%, to $1.7 billion under the president's budget request to Congress.
The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), launched in 2001, coordinates an array of nanoscale science projects across about 15 federal departments and agencies. In 2013, the Obama administration requested a 4.1% increase for NNI, to $1.77 billion. This year's budget documents offer no explanation for the turnabout.
Historically, about two-thirds of NNI funding has gone to academic research, with the remainder supporting science at government and industry laboratories.
Climate Change Research Gets a Warm Reception
David Malakoff, 2:35 p.m. on 10 April
Spending on climate change research at 13 federal agencies would rise by a total of 6%, to $2.65 billion, over 2012 levels under the president's 2014 budget request to Congress.
The biggest winner would be NASA, which would get a $71 million, 5% increase to $1.49 billion. In contrast, the National Science Foundation would see a decrease of $7 million, or 2.1%, to $326 million.
The 13 agencies are part of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), an initiative that cuts across the U.S. government.
More details on the USGCRP request can be found on this White House fact sheet.
Big Bump-Up for Department of Energy Research
Adrian Cho, 2:10 p.m. on 10 April
The details have not yet been released, but the proposed 2014 budget for the Department of Energy (DOE) appears to be a researcher's dream. DOE's basic research arm, the Office of Science would get a 5.7% increase from the level enacted for fiscal 2012—the last budget that Congress passed—to $5.15 billion. (Last month, Congress essentially extended the 2012 budget through the rest of fiscal year 2013, which ends on 30 September.)
Even more impressive, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) would see its budget climb 38% from the 2012 level to $379 million. ARPA-E aims to cherry-pick the most promising ideas from energy-related basic research and quickly develop them into commercially viable technologies.
Within the Office of Science, the biggest winner by far is the fusion energy science program, which would see its budget soar 14% to $458 million. Such a boost is desperately needed, researchers say, as the U.S. contributions to the international fusion experiment ITER, under construction in Cadarache, France, threaten to consume much of the United States' domestic fusion research.
Otherwise, the trend toward research that is more applicable to clean energy continues. Funding would increase by 10.3% from the 2012 level to $1.862 billion for the basic energy science program—which funds materials science, condensed matter physics, chemistry, and related fields and runs many of DOE's x-ray sources and other "user facilities." Advanced scientific computing research would jump 5.7% to $466 million. Biological and environmental research would edge up 2.6% to $625 million. And nuclear physics would climb 4.2%, to $570 million.
In contrast, DOE's high-energy physics program, which funds work in elementary particle physics, would see its budget fall 1.7% from the 2012 level to $777 million.
All of this ignores the effects of the automatic budget cuts known as sequestration, which are required by the Budget Control Act of 2011. Unless it is reversed, sequestration would knock DOE budget levels for 2014 down 7.2%, leaving the Office of Science a net loser instead of a winner.
Homeland Security Would Move Ahead With Controversial Agrosecurity Laboratory
David Malakoff, 1:45 p.m. on 10 April
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) science and technology directorate would see its current budget roughly double, to $1.4 billion, if the president's request is enacted. Essentially all of the increase, $714 million, would go to building the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), a controversial high-security laboratory slated for Manhattan, Kansas, that would study diseases that threaten humans and livestock. NBAF is supposed to replace the Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York, which the budget request says "will soon reach the end of its useful life."
Last year, the White House surprised many by omitting funding for NBAF in its 2013 request. Officials said that they needed to take a fresh look at the project in light of safety and budget concerns, as well as opposition from some well-placed members of Congress. Several generally positive outside reviews conducted by the U.S. National Academies, however, appear to have helped persuade the White House to fully back the effort.
There is certain to be congressional opposition to building NBAF. Representatives Tim Bishop (D-NY) and Joe Courtney (D-CT) have vowed to block NBAF funding, saying the money would be better spent upgrading Plum Island in New York. Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) has also expressed concern about NBAF, reflecting fears among the livestock industry that disease could escape from the facility and threaten U.S. livestock herds.
The new budget requests $467 million for the directorate's primary research account, extending the program's recent rebound. In 2012, Congress slashed that account by 52%, to $265 million, as a result of an unrelated battle over disaster assistance spending and concerns about the program's effectiveness. If Congress approves the 2014 request, the account would return to 2011 levels. But that number would be more than $130 million below where spending stood in 2010.
NASA Budget Includes Money to Send New Rover to Mars, Capture Asteroid
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, 12:55 p.m. on 10 April
The administration wants to hold NASA's overall budget line for 2014 at nearly the same level as what the agency is getting this year. But it wants to make some key changes in how some of that $17.7 billion would be spent.
It wants the agency to launch a robotic mission to capture a small asteroid in space and drag it close to the moon. "Astronauts would later visit the asteroid and return samples to Earth," according to NASA budget highlights posted on the White House's Web site this morning. The budget provides $78 million to develop technologies for the mission.
The budget also provides money for "multiple missions focused on Mars exploration, including a new large rover to be launched in 2020." NASA has been considering various ideas for exploring Mars after last year's pullout from the European-led ExoMars program, and sending another rover to the Red Planet seems to be what the administration has settled on.
Another key change that the administration wants to make is to shrink the agency's budget for education and outreach by $47.5 million, which would be redirected to other agencies. "NASA's assets will be used more effectively through coordination with the National Science Foundation, the Department of Education and the Smithsonian Institution to achieve the Administration's wider STEM [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics] education goals," according to the White House's summary of highlights.
Most Civilian Agencies Get a Boost
Jeffrey Mervis, 12:40 p.m. on 10 April
President Obama today proposed a significant increase in federal spending on civilian research for 2014. His support for science comes as part of an otherwise flat budget that aims to shrink the federal deficit through clamping down on entitlement programs and raising money by altering the tax code.
The president has requested a total of $143 billion in 2014 for research and development. That's level with current spending and up 1% from 2012. But within that total, civilian research spending would jump by 9% over 2012.
The increases for research, if approved by Congress, would allow most research agencies to recover from the cuts to their current budgets under the across-the-board sequester that went into effect last month. But that's a huge if. And there are also some caveats in what the president has proposed.
As in past years, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy's Office of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology would receive hefty boosts in line with a 2010 law that endorses a doubling of their budgets over a decade. NSF's budget would jump by 8.4%, for example, to $7.6 billion, and the Office of Science would rise by 5.7%, to $5.1 billion. In contrast, the budget for the National Institutes of Health would inch up by 1.6%, to $31.3 billion.
All of those numbers are based on a comparison with 2012 spending levels. That's because Congress didn't complete work on the 2013 spending bill until 21 March, too late to be included in the president's request. The proposed increases would be considerably larger if compared with 2013, because sequestration sliced 5% off every civilian agency's budget.
The president's budget also fails to take into account how much agencies would lose in 2014 under sequestration, the 2011 budget law that requires across-the-board cuts to lower the federal deficit over the next decade. For 2014, civilian agencies would suffer a cut of 7.9%. But the White House maintains that sequestration is bad policy and has urged Congress to repeal the law. Hence, it is not a factor in the president's request.
As the day goes on, we'll bring you more details on the president's science budget.


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On this page
The Department for Energy and Mining makes a comprehensive range of data for industry use.
Data includes:
- workstation datasets (by basin);
- depth, time and isopach maps;
- other reference maps;
- field data, and
- processed seismic data.
Available basic seismic data is considered to be all data required for the reprocessing of existing seismic lines or processed data that could facilitate the reinterpretation of any prospect or area. Key datasets have been catalogued and entered into PEPS-SA. Some key datasets with a GIS component are available for viewing in South Australia Resources Information Geoserver (SARIG)
New checkshot database for onshore petroleum provinces in South Australia
The Geoscience and Exploration branch of the Energy Resources Division is in the process of compiling a checkshot database for the whole of onshore South Australia. Phase One has now been completed, covering all of the wells in the Otway Basin. Additionally, a software tool has been developed in-house to allow viewing, analysis and validation of these data. Checkshot surveys from the other petroleum provinces in South Australia will be added incrementally as the next stages of the project are completed.
The database is available as a free download:
N.B. See disclaimer below
Onshore seismic data
In South Australia onshore seismic exploration activities are controlled by the South Australian Petroleum & Geothermal Energy Act 2000. Under this Act, all 'Basic data', including field data tapes and supporting documentation are made open file and available for third party use 2 years from the date of completion of the survey.
As a service to the petroleum exploration industry, field data tapes for all recently (1974+) digitally recorded onshore seismic surveys (2D and 3D) have been transcribed to a de-multiplexed SEG-Y format and are now for purchase.
All associated field support data necessary for reprocessing the field data are also available upon request.
Sample data screen illustrating the type of information stored in the PEPS-SA Exabyte Tapes Database.
Offshore seismic data
Since 2012 all offshore exploration activities are managed by two Commonwealth agencies, NOPSEMA and NOPTA, who administer the Offshore Petroleum & Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (OPGGSA). All data submitted under this Act are administered by the Federal Government agency, Geoscience Australia (GA).
All requests for offshore data should be made through the Geoscience Australia Repository.
This is a comprehensive digital data set of shotpoint locations and associated attribute data from over 880 seismic surveys carried out as part of petroleum exploration in South Australia and adjacent waters to latitude 40°S since 1955.
The index to these data and summary information are also available in PEPS-SA.
Line location data is available for purchase in various formats (ESRI shapefile, ASCII) and can be supplied on a variety of media types.
Ancillary Data
The entire collection of seismic support documents for all post 1975 onshore seismic lines has been collated, indexed and scanned and is now available as digital, multi-page tiff image files on an individual line basis.
Originally contained in some 750 archive boxes the data set is now stored on hard disk. This data when combined with the digital data submissions for current data (post 2000) makes for an extremely fast and efficient data provision service for reprocessing projects.
The key data is available as multi-page tiff image files and includes images of Observers Logs, Elevation and Coordinate Listings, Uphole Plots, Intersection Diagrams and Chainage Notes.
Sample data screen illustrating the type of information stored in the PEPS-SA Ancillary Database.
Uphole data
Uphole Data recorded in South Australia has been successfully captured and is available through PEPS_SA.
In all there are some 48000 upholes from 7000 seismic lines recorded for 240 surveys during the period 1975–2012. These upholes are located in all main prospective areas of the state but are concentrated primarily in the: Cooper-Eromanga Basin, Otway Basin, Officer Basin and Pedirka Basin.
Attribute data captured for each uphole includes Seismic Line and Shot Point reference, Date, Elevation and Coordinates in both original form and in GDA94 datum.
Time versus Depth pairs have been entered to enable screen validation of the resultant time vs depth curves.
ASCII files of these data are available upon request.
Sample data screen illustrating the type of information stored in the PEPS-SA uphole database.
All 2D and 3D seismic surveys recorded in South Australia are indexed with a 'survey code plus key attribute data. The survey code incorporates the year of recording, the geological province plus the survey sequence number within that province for that particular year. When referencing these surveys you should always incorporate the survey code.
Attribute data is available from the "Surveys and Lines" module in PEPS-SA.
Sample data screen illustrating the type of information stored in the PEPS-SA surveys and lines database.
Most of these surveys were recorded by petroleum exploration companies holding exploration permits. There are however references to surveys which were either site surveys, engineering, mineral or that of an academic nature. Reference is also made to interstate surveys which either cross or come near to the SA border.
The Department for Energy and Mining has an extensive collection of processed archive 2D and 3D data in a SEG Y format. This collection is considered complete for all company exploration activities post 1975. All available attribute data has been captured into PEPS-SA as a lot of original data lacks the standard information necessary to facilitate correct data loading into workstation platforms.
Due to the complexity of versions created during reprocessing, and general poor data standards of data presentation, DEM has prepared a series of "workstation ready" SEG Y datasets for 2D seismic data. For more information see the section on Workstation Datasets.
A limited number of files and volumes have been selected for both 2D and 3D seismic surveys and these are now downloadable for free through SARIG. These files have been selected on the basis of longest, most complete, best version and most recent data.
Archive processed data in a seg-y format are available for most seismic lines recorded post 1975. Some earlier "analogue data" lines are available but this is the result of reprocessing and Analogue to Digital transcription of early analogue data.
Data is generally made available in a form "as supplied" to DEM and all available attribute data has been captured in PEPS-SA.
Due to the complexity of versions, reprocessing and poor standards of early data, DEM has prepared a series of Workstation Ready seg-y data sets based on a province basis. These data sets have been tied, adjusted and key attribute data added to assist the explorer with the complexities of data loading. For more information on these data sets see Workstation Datasets.
Archive processed seg-y data for all open file 3D seismic surveys are available for purchase. Onshore 3D surveys have been recorded in South Australia since 1981 and over 100 surveys have now been recorded. The majority of these have been in the Cooper-Eromanga basin area.
Many of these surveys have an extensive list of processed data volumes and requests for these volumes are generally only provided on portable USB drives/sticks due to large volumes. As a service to industry a single version of processed data for each open file survey is available for download through SARIG.
As at November 2016 processed data from over 70 of these open file surveys in the Cooper Basin area have been merged (stitched) together to form a series of geo-referenced time slices through the sedimentary section. These time slices have been prepared at 100msec intervals from 1 second to 2.9 seconds and are available for download through SARIG.
The entire collection of over 39,500 hardcopy seismic sections held by DEM are fully indexed and catalogued in the PEPS-SA database.
Key attributes which have been captured include:
* Line name
* Shot point range
* Display scales
* Form of processing
* Date of processing
* Processing contractor
* Length of display material
Access to this catalogue is available through PEPS-SA which now facilitates a fast turn around on data orders and customer queries. Digital scanning of these hard copy section commenced in October 1999 under the TEISA initiative and was completed in July 2002. Data is now available as .TIF images upon request.
Since approximately 1996 displays of processed seismic data have been submitted in a CGM+ format by exploration companies. This includes 2D subsets of 3D seismic surveys. These files have been converted to .TIF files to facilitate easy viewing on PCs. The open file data is available for purchase at A$5 per file.
The Department for Energy and Mining has prepared a range of seismic mapping products on a regional basis for major South Australian basins available for viewing and/or purchase.
Products are available for the following prospective petroleum basins:
* Cooper and Eromanga Basin
* Otway Basin
* Officer Basin
Input data for these projects has been derived from a range of sources, including, Well tops, water bore information, processed seismic data and open file company interpretations.
Petrosys mapping and interpretation software were utilized in all gridding, contouring and data presentation. In general output products comprise Time, Depth and Isopach data for key seismic marker horizons.
Georeferenced tif images of many of these horizons are promoted for viewing through SARIG to highlight extent of coverage and detail. These can be downloaded as georeferenced tif images.
Grids, contours, polygon and fault files and other format files are available on request.
Copyright in the database (Resources) is vested in the Government of South Australia pursuant to the Australian Copyright Act 1968 © Government of South Australia. The Resources have been developed by the Energy Resources Division of the Government of South Australia. The Resources are provided for free, and whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the Resources are free from error or omission neither the Government of South Australia nor or any of its respective employees or agents, shall accept responsibility for the accuracy of the Resources, for the use of any Resources or for injury, loss or damage occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action as a result of reliance on the Resources whether or not such injury, loss or damage may be in any way caused as a result of any negligent act or omission, breach of any duty or default by the Government of South Australia or any of its respective employees or agents. User should rely upon their own independent enquiries when making any decisions affecting their own interests, including seeking expert advice where appropriate.
For more information, contact:
Chief Geophysicist
Phone: + 61 8 8429 2465
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


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Morgan County, Tennessee History & Genealogy
* * * *
Preserving the History and Heritage of Morgan County
WELCOME to Morgan County!
We are located in East Tennessee in one of the "Three Grand Divisions".
Established in 1817 from Anderson and Roane counties,
in memory of the late
Revolutionary War hero Daniel Morgan (1736-1802)
who commanded the troops that defeated
the British at Cowpens, and a U.S. congressman from Virginia
Visit our neighboring Counties or other Counties in Tennessee
- Anderson County
- Campbell County
- Cumberland County
- Fentress County
- Fentress Co – another site
- Oliver Springs Historical Society
- Overton County
- Roane County
- Roane County Heritage Commission
- Scott County
TNGenWeb 2014: Celebrating almost 18 years as the single best resource for
Tennessee genealogy and history on the Web!


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Edited by aloha_spirit, 30 September 2009 - 12:07 AM.
Aloha to Joven76 and Freyjasdottir
Started by aloha_spirit , Sep 30 2009 12:06 AM
1 reply to this topic
Posted 30 September 2009 - 12:06 AM
Please welcome Joven and Frey as the new moderators for the Ghost Investigation Equipment Board
Posted 30 September 2009 - 07:54 AM
Congratulations to one of our newest moderators, Joven76. You'll do a great job, I"m certain. And congratulations to you and to Freyjasdottir for your new spots here. You two will make a great team.
"Never wrestle with a pig. All you get is dirty and the pig has all the fun." ~ Anon.
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Winter Cube Theme 4 Apex Launcher which is also compatible with the Nova Launcher now is now available! Designed by White Eye Design! Over 600 Winter Cube Style icons, over 400 of them change automatically, 6 new wallpaper, new folder interface. Download this theme and have a completely new style for your android phone.
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Let your dog enjoy the first treat dispensing toy that also squeaks! As your dog plays with the toy, treats or food randomly pop out. The built-in reward keeps dogs actively engaged, redirecting potentially destructive chewing behaviour. The squeak adds to the excitement. Trim the patented Treat Meter™ prongs to increase the rate at which the treats come out. Once the prongs are cut, there's no going back, so we recommend trimming only a little at a time and testing the result.
My Rottweiler adores this treat toy, we have tried other strong chew toys that have been demolished after a few hours. We have used Kong extreme previously and been disappointed with how quickly she looses interest as the the treats can either come out too quickly or go off & mouldy.
This is an ideal toy as you can adjust the flow off the treat release to suit your dog. It is very tough so perfect for a big strong playful chewer. Love the squeak it makes this the most exciting toy ever. Will definitely be getting more from this range.
> PetSafe Response: Hello Sarah, oh my goodness what a wonderful review. We are so pleased to hear the giant jaws of your love Rottweiler could not demolish the Booya! That is brilliant, and exactly - the treat meter is the best and you got the the outcome we hoped you would with the flow of the treats. Isn't the squeak the best thing ever! I think my dog is hilarious with it, he has it like a child dummy and all you hear is squeak, squeak, squeak as he looks up totally content, sounds like your lovely Rottweiler is having an equally happy time. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, happy dog and happy Fur Mum, fantastic :)
We received the Busy buddy toy in this month's barkbox and my Terrier mix absolutely loves it! We don't even have to put treats in it and he still carries it around with him all day. He loves to play fetch with it or sit and chew on it. He is a monster when it comes to chewing and usually destroys his toys within the first 24 hrs but not the Busy buddy, it's putting up a good fight. Thank you PetSafe for an awesome toy!
> PetSafe Response: Melissa that's great to hear, we're pleased you love the Squeak 'n Treat Booya just as much as we do! Thanks for the feedback.
My dog loves this toy and I love its durability. She's been playing hard with it for a few days since it arrived in our Barkbox and it's still in perfect condition. She's a big chewer and most of her toys don't last long at all, with the exception of boring ones like Kong. This one is exciting with the squeaker (the longest a squeaker has ever lasted in one of her toys) and the treats. Perfect for my high energy girl!
> PetSafe Response: Ciara that's great to hear, thanks for letting us know how great this product is for your girl. Sounds like she's really enjoying it!


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> As I stated the other day, relievers could be hard to come by this offseason, largely in part to the multi-year deals that Jeremy Affeldt and Brandon League have already signed with the Giants and Dodgers, respectively. But the Brewers are certainly going to need at least one relatively-known name in the bullpen by the end of the offseason in order to shore up what proved to be the anchor of the team in 2012.
Here's a list of potential closers who are on the market this offseason. Some of them are far out of the Brewers' reach because they won't fit financially, some are middle-of-the-pack (the most likely for the Brewers to sign), and some should be stayed away from for other reasons.
Jonathan Broxton
Matt Capps
Francisco Cordero
Kyle Farnsworth
Ryan Madson
Juan Carlos Oviedo
J.J. Putz
Mariano Rivera
Francisco Rodriguez
Joakim Soria
Jose Valverde
You can probably immediately tell who the Brewers are interested in and who they aren't. In my opinion, the Brewers' best bet would be Farnsworth, because he'd come relatively cheap and showed huge potential as the Rays' closer in 2011. It's doubtful that he'd close for the Brewers, since they seem pretty intent on keeping John Axford in the role, but Farnsworth could fill a gaping hole in the eighth inning if the Brewers fail to sign another setup man (which I'll get to later). Oviedo- or Leo Nunez, who most probably still know him as- might not be a bad option for that role either, but he hasn't pitched in the Majors since 2011 because of identity issues and injuries. Soria and Madson also haven't pitched in a big league game since 2011. Capps, Valverde, Cordero, and obviously K-Rod were all flat-out ineffective in 2012. I suppose I wouldn't mind Broxton after the 2012 he had, but I have to wonder where his asking price would be.
So, of that group, Farnsworth would be the most logical signing for the Brewers. I'll admit my confidence in him wavered after his 2012, but what more do the Brewers have to lose?
Next is a list of free agent right-handed pitchers, ranging from guys with previous closing experience to near no-names. There are far more names on this list that I wouldn't mind the Brewers bringing aboard.
Jeremy Accardo
Mike Adams
Luis Ayala
Miguel Batista
Todd Coffey
Jose Contreras
Juan Cruz
Chad Durbin
Jason Frasor
Kevin Gregg
LaTroy Hawkins
Clay Hensley
Bobby Jenks
Brad Lidge
Matt Lindstrom
Mark Lowe
Brandon Lyon
Mike MacDougal
Guillermo Mota
Micah Owings
Vicente Padilla
Chad Qualls
Ramon Ramirez
Jon Rauch
Fernando Rodney
Takashi Saito
Rafael Soriano
Yoshinori Tateyama
Carlos Villanueva
Dan Wheeler
Jamey Wright
Jason Grilli
My wish list from this series of names (while trying to stay within the Brewers' budget) would be Adams, Frasor, Lindstrom, Grilli, and/0r Padilla. Adams, a former Brewer, has become a different pitcher since he left, featuring a nice cutter to go along with nasty breaking stuff. He would slot perfectly into the eighth inning role. Grilli, Frasor, Lindstrom, and Padilla are all power arms, which is what the Brewers are looking for this offseason.
Anyway, Rodney is by far the best name on the list, but he's going to draw far too many suitors for the Brewers to compete with; same goes for Soriano. I wouldn't be completely opposed to bringing Hawkins or Saito back on one-year deals, but health is obviously an issue for both of them at this point in their careers. I also wouldn't mind seeing Villanueva in a Brewers uniform again, but he's reportedly looking for a job as a full-time starter.
If it weren't already obvious, the guys the Brewers need to stay away from include Durbin, Jenks, and Qualls.
Lastly, here is the list of lefty relievers on the market. Seeing as Manny Parra might not be back next year (and he wasn't effective as the only lefty in the bullpen anyway), I'd like to see the Brewers pick up at least one of these guys.
Sean Burnett
Tim Byrdak
Randy Choate
Pedro Feliciano
J.P. Howell
Will Ohman
J.C. Romero
Hisanori Takahashi
Two of these lefties- Burnett and Choate- would be nice additions for the Brewers, but both are more than likely going to re-sign with their current teams. I'd love for the Brewers to sign Howell- which they are probably capable of doing- but the market for him is reportedly at least eight teams. Feliciano, however, could be a very interesting option. He hasn't pitched in the Majors since 2010 with the Mets due to injuries. But, before that, he was one of the best lefty specialists in the game, and led the league in appearances from 2008-2010. Even though there are some question marks surrounding him, he might be the best option for the Brewers.
The bottom line is the Brewers need to add at least one or two of these relievers, but there are certainly more than enough to choose from.
(Note: these free agent lists are courtesy of SportsCity)
> Minor moves:
Indians: Signed Nate Spears and Jose Flores to minor league deals.


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Indigenous Communities Say Authorities Collude With Loggers
Indigenous villagers in Mondolkiri province say relevant authorities that are supposed to crack down on forestry crimes instead collude with logging companies and powerful businessmen and let them cut down trees. That has put their forest tribal traditions and livelihoods, which are dependent on forests, in jeopardy. (Say Mony, Mondolkiri)


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For the past 2 months I've been involved in an exciting new project called Project We Do (I actually came up with the name that the committee ended up choosing as the one!) What we're doing is bringing the community together to throw a wedding for very deserving couple who couldn't otherwise afford to have one. The Rabbi says that it's the biggest mitzvah (good deed) you could do, helping to bring a couple to the chuppah (wedding canopy).
For the site I illustrated a bride, groom, and chuppah which the website designer applied to the page as an animated element using flash. I also drew these fun little icons to be used on each page of the site. It's been a really successful collaboration working on designing this website and from the way things are going, and all the donations rolling in, it looks as if this wedding will be a memorable one.
We're still working on the site and will be adding to it daily. Just this past thursday we shot the first "webisode" to document our planning. As one of the head planners I'm co-writing the Planner Blog, so you can check in to read about our progress (here) and even weigh in by voting on different elements of the wedding. As I'm single, and haven't actually planned a wedding for myself yet, I'm really enjoying this project!


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While the sailing world continues to gab about the on-water Greenpeace protest of the Gazprom-sponsored 100 foot Reichel-Pugh Esimit Europa in last weekend's Barcolana, facts continue to roll in. Most interestingly, the Jochen Schumann-skippered enviro-disaster just broke the top 5 meters of her rig off during at attempt on the Trieste-Malta record (apparently, someone keeps track of this shit). As of this morning they still were unable to get the mainsail released, and they have now pulled out of next week's Rolex Middle Sea Race, where they took line honors for the last three years.
Is karma catching up to the boat sponsored by one of today's great enviro-villains? The more we look, the nastier Gazprom appears, and not just for their part in the Russian special ops-team arrest of 30 protestors in the Arctic.
Exhibit 1: After Belgian racing website ClubRacer ran an editorial wondering about the propriety of Gazprom's title sponsorship of the newly ISAF-ized Swan 60 Class, they were allegedly contacted by Europol and threatened by other parties to stop criticizing the gas giant. They also say multiple attempts to hack their website began the same week. We love ClubRacer's response to what is fairly typical thuggery from a major corporation; they write "We will not stop criticizing until a decapitated horse's head is found in our bed."
Exhibit 2: Somehow, the Gazprom Swan 60 Class held a World Championship this year, being named an ISAF International Class. That's a 5-boat World Championship, for those of you counting. Remember when ISAF actually required a Class to have a substantial international makeup before being granted the right to hold a World Championship? Apparently, they no longer give a shit about what that means, or maybe that gassy money is more than sufficient to keep them from caring? Does ISAF think the Gazprom Swan 60 World Championship fleet fulfills everything about a Worlds they've fought so hard to define? We don't know that, but we do know that something smells pretty awful, and it ain't natural gas.
Exhibit 3: Unlike the Esimit Europa project, which only races their maxi at events where she is guaranteed line honors,the aforementioned title sponsorship of the Gazprom Swan 60 Class puts the world's biggest natural gas producer in the limelight at some of Europe's biggest regattas. Given the nearly universal effort by sailing's stakeholders — events, teams, classes, manufacturers, National Associations, sponsorship seekers — to associate the sport with clean energy and green growth, this could force a huge step backwards for the sport's image. The logo is burning gas, for chrissakes! Does ISAF and the pile of major regattas they have scheduled really want to see all that work ruined by associating the top level of sailing with a company with this kind of enironmental and human rights record? Maybe if they get another big check…
Exhibit 4: Persistent rumors say Gazprom is on the verge of funding an America's Cup team. It would be a drop in the bucket for a company that supplies half the world with fuel, and sources say either Igor Simcic (the head of the Esimit program) or Vladimir Liubomirov (recently entered in the RC-44 circuit) would run the program. In either case, can you imagine the protests when the Gazprom foiler comes to San Francisco? While we appreciate irony as much as anyone, no one looking out for the Cup, the sponsors, or the sport wants to see the Gazprom flame logo flying right in front of the Sailors for the Sea banners.
While everyone hates to turn down real money from a new sponsor to the sport, we urge anyone considering a Gazprom deal to consider the long term damage to your brand, your association, and the sport. It's not like Greenpeace will forget, and whether you disagree with their politics or not, this sport can ill afford the kind of scandal that a Gazprom in the AC or any major event could bring.
What do you think? Share it here.


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That is fabulous news relax and enjoy your evening xxxx
Wombat Woo
Have a fab holiday you lucky lady getting away from this weather xxx
We are all in your pockets tomorrow xx
Hello fluffies
Well had my staples out this morning and the scar is looking good, going back fo check up on Tuesday.
It has been a very wet day here today so really good that I am indoors and not mithering about what I could do in the garden 🙂
Hope you are all well and enjoying whatever you are doing
Well fluffies
Day 4 started off in a lot of pain, but I now have my meds sorted hopefully that will not happen again because it was awful, expecially as the pain control they pump into you at the hospital has start to wear off which was a very big shock, got a sore coxics and numb bum into the bargin.
Just sitting doing nothing apart from moving around every hour as prescribed.
So happy you're back home Helena - but you're still not following docs orders!! xxx
Just popped in to check on Lady H. That's great news, all done and dusted. Now you just need to sit back and do nothing other than your tapestry, read and watch telly. You'll find it difficult being such a busy bee but at least you know the garden can look after itself now H, well, as a very new gardener, I think so anyway.
Will be looking in for updates on your recovery xx
Thanks so much for the update Janey, I dropped on here just to find out if she was 'done and dusted'. I guess no other update for now, but hoping she is doing well. x
As you would expect from a bowler, I am taking my rinkside bowls bag as it is nice and big 🙂 🙂 xxx
I see also that Janey is due more worries! Mate, I'm really sorry to read this (looked back at your post a page or so ago). I honestly can't believe you've got another horrible set of symptoms and tests to endure....things just aren't fair for some people. Keep us updated, and of course, so hoping that your results show nothing more than the most simple and treatable of annoyances. x
Thank you darling, that is really appreciated. Will be in touch when I am the other side of it all xxxxx
Hiyer all,
Dropping in to wish the lovely Lady H all the very very best for the long-awaited op. They'll take good care of you H, which is nothing more than you deserve. So so hoping that you have a quick recovery and that the results are exactly what you'd hope. Will be thinking of you x
I have a great big bag for you all to climb into xxx
They said 2/3 days so I am hoping that I will be out on Thursday but if not then Friday xxx
Wombat Woo
thank you so much for that xxxx
Thanks mate, I really need it to happen this time fed up of waiting around, I am getting cabin fever before I have even had the op now as I have not really been up to doing much until this week, so a lot of sitting around which is doing my head in.
Morning fluffies
It is a lovely autumn morning here today, we didnt have the forcast heavy rain which was forcast for yesterday so I think the oscillator will have to come out as the ground looks as dry as it was before.
Well only two sleeps now and I will be doing the journey to the hospital again, hopefully with the expected outcome of my having the op. Feeling scared, which I suppose is only natural, but trying to keep myself busy, harder as it gets closer.
Hope everyone is well and have a lovely Sunday xxxx
Lesley I hope you and yours have had a better week. Definitely watch Bodyguard on Catch up if you can. We are loving Killing Eve as well...anything to distract! Thank you for lovely words. No real update and still feeling very nauseous and pained. I had all appointments slightly out of sync last week. I met with my lovely surgeon for annual review last Monday. She was really supportive and suggested I should probably have scan on liver, but with bloods the next day couldn't advise further. She reassured me I wasn't being a hypochondriac and also asked about ovaries, as my symptoms also could indicated ovarian cancer. As I don't have any, that was at least one worry off the list! Anyway, I had the gastroscope on Thursday and results of blood tests. Both were normal. I had hoped they would find an ulcer or something to put my mind to rest, but nothing found. The pain and nausea feel so similar to those I had years ago with gallbladder, but I don't have one of those either (I seem to be missing quite a few organs!!). Back to the GP on Thursday and hoping some simple explanation can be found. Would be lying though if I said I wasn't worried. In my 53 years I don't think I've ever lost my appetite and every pound lost usually a real struggle - Also can't believe I'm worried by weight loss! Despite this, I'm enjoying a lovely day off with sunshine and a coffee with a friend planned for later on today. Sending love to all of you fluffies xx
Evening Willows,
Glad to hear you're feeling a bit better Lady H, the cough is always the worse and longest lasting bit, also pleased to hear you're taking it easy.
Oh Janey, what a worry, you seem to go from one thing to another. Will be keeping everything crossed for a good result. Himself had worrying liver results last week when in hospital. He had same test about 6weeks or so ago, and they were fine then so they were puzzled. Might be down the the stupid gp prescribing antibiotics with contra indications so they're going to re test in a month and hope they are back to normal then. In the meantime third lot of antibiotics still not having any effect on his infection.
im still limping, sore and bruised from my fall 3weeks ago, honestly, what a lot we are!
Everyone is talking about The Bodyguard, didn't watch it, hope they repeat it as everyone is raving over it.
Right, time for painkillers and bed, what an exciting life xx
Bodyguard OMG !!!
Oh I am being the model patient, if I do not feel up to doing something I will not do it, tomorrow is another day and I might well feel more up to it. I am going to make the most of the time off that I have now to get as much rest as possible, if the weather is good I will potter round the garden but I am certainly not going to do anything like I was before.
Sending you loads of hugs and love for your appointments my friend, we are all there by your side xxxx
thank you for that, yes I know exactly what you mean about the forum, I did find it later as I had had my op and results but I really do not know what I would have and would do without it and the wonderful ladies on here. It is so true, at the time you can not see a future and then all of a sudden we are there xxx
Oh my dear just catching up. So sorry to hear that your OH is having so many problems and I really hope he turns the corner very soon.
Feeling a lot better albeit that I have an annoying cough now but sooooo much better than I was 3 days ago xxx
I meant to say Happy Cancerversary Helena, I thought two years felt like a bit of a milestone, its not the recent past any more. I have to think now to remember which year it was. Funny how when you're in the middle of it, you can't imagine what afterwards will be like, but we all get there, piece by piece.
I'm so grateful for this forum, and everyone on here, I couldn't have done without you!


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And, no, it didn't have anything to do with Murphy being injured during the annual House versus Senate softball game last week.
Murphy was approached a month or so ago about taking the party job when the current chairman, Pat Brady, eventually resigns.
Brady has been under fire all year for publicly supporting a gay marriage bill, among other things. The Illinois Republican Party's platform specifically opposes gay marriage, so Brady was accused of being in flagrant conflict with the party's beliefs. Brady has said that he merely supported gay marriage as a private citizen, but the hard right in the GOP didn't buy that argument.
Murphy was initially open to the chairmanship idea and seemed to be leaning toward taking it. He wanted assurances, though, that Chairman Brady would be allowed to resign on his own timetable.
Republicans appeared to be going along with Sen. Murphy's program. Votes to oust Chairman Brady and to initiate a rules change to make it easier to get rid of a party chairmen never took place at the last state central committee meeting.
So, it began looking like the path was being cleared for Murphy. No such luck.
Murphy's withdrawal is a big setback to the state GOP's efforts to quell the controversy within its ranks and move forward. Murphy is a media friendly social conservative who talks like a moderate. He has friends in both conservative and moderate camps and would've been ideal for the job.
Sen. Murphy wouldn't comment other than to confirm that he had withdrawn his name from consideration. Others said he decided that the job just wasn't worth the hassle.
He's probably right. The GOP chairman's job is set up to fail in this state. It has only a tiny fraction of the power of the Democratic chairman's job, mainly because that chairman, Michael J. Madigan, is also the longest serving House Speaker in Illinois history.
Even so, the Republican Party's right wing has had a fixation on the "top" job for years, blaming it for the party's many failures while coveting it for themselves.
Moderates have frantically fought a rearguard action to prevent the far right from obtaining the position and have, therefore, kept control of the finances. The party serves as a cash pass-through for the national party, and the moderates don't trust the right wing with that dough.
And since the GOP hasn't had a governor in more than a decade, the position is also a somewhat high profile job requiring some basic media skills. Access to the media is a big reason behind the fight over this position.
The old guard doesn't want to give the hard right a public platform, especially at a time when it's trying to drag the party to the center in the wake of last year's devastating electoral defeats and what appears to be Americans' rapidly changing views on issues like gay rights and medical marijuana, not to mention a big surge in Latino voting.
During last week's annual House versus Senate softball game, Sen. Murphy walked to the plate with a determined look on his face. His team was trailing the House by several runs. The Senate has had a lousy record against the House in recent years, blowing their last game badly after building a surprising lead.
Murphy promptly fouled off a pitch and gritted his teeth hard, shook his bat and growled. He looked like a man who was going to will himself a hit no matter what.
He hit the very next pitch, charged down the first base line and then collapsed to the ground in a cloud of dust. He'd dislocated his knee cap, which ended up a few inches above his knee joint. Murphy didn't appear to be in any pain, but he couldn't move and had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
I have a feeling that Murphy would've suffered the same sort of ending if he'd taken the chairmanship job. It's best to just stay away from it.
Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.


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2013-2014 Ethiopia New Alliance Progress Report
Download Ethiopia's 2013-2014 New Alliance Progress Report. Under each Cooperation Framework, New Alliance countries commit to conducting an annual review of progress against New Alliance Country Cooperation Framework commitments.
An in-country lead group supporting implementation of the New Alliance in Ethiopia submitted this report to the African Union Commission. While much information was drawn from this report to inform the overall 2013-2014 New Alliance Progress Report, due to differing methodology some country-specific figures may differ between the country and overall reports. For example, the overall report included development partner funding disbursements and prorated funding intentions provided from the headquarters level in order to ensure comparable information across countries. However, information collected for country reports might have used different methodology, currency, or reporting timelines.


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Orange is to give up running its own broadband network, and will rebundle its service to leave BT Wholesale to compete with itself.
Orange will hand over its existing infrastructure to BT Wholesale, and will continue to operate as a bundled broadband provider in the same mould as Vodafone, Tesco and the dozen or so other ISPs that resell BT's connectivity.
For years the internet service providers fought with BT for access to the local exchanges so they could fit their own ADSL connections. Unlike the previous generation of modems, which could connect a customer directly from their home to the ISP's offices, ADSL can only connect the user to the local exchange, and as long as BT had the keys to that exchange no-one else could sell ADSL.
The process of permitting other ISPs into the exchange is known as "Local Loop Unbundling", and these days the keys to the exchanges are owned by BT OpenReach, and almost every exchange in the UK is now open to other ISPs. In fact many exchanges remain exclusive to BT Wholesale for economic reasons - only BT has the necessary scale.
Orange isn't the first company to decide that duplicating the kit isn't worthwhile. Most operators unbundle the more-popular exchanges then resell BT everywhere else.
Unbundling does give the ISP compete control of the connection which can be useful for premium services. TalkTalk, for example, only offers its TV service on unbundled exchanges, where it can guarantee the bandwidth, but that needs an economy of scale that Orange can't replicate.
Orange's UK broadband offering has been in decline for years, and the company told The Times that "We are not satisfied with where we stand with broadband, as our customer base is declining and our performance is poor. But we need to remain in fixed-line broadband so decided to fundamentally change what we are doing".
With Orange in the process of merging with T-Mobile it makes sense to clear up the peripheral operations - T-Mobile doesn't offer ADSL in the UK, so T-Orange (or whatever it decides to call itself) will be free to resell BT Wholesale's service under it's shiny new brand. ®


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Mossberg's Mailbox
Windows 7 Minimum Requirements
Microsoft has been disclosing only minimum system requirements for Windows 7. In the past, they offered both minimum and higher "recommended" system requirements. There was a big difference between the two. Are you aware of a set of recommended system requirements for Windows 7?
Microsoft tells me they don't plan to issue a "recommended" hardware configuration for Windows 7, because the company believes there are too many varied uses to cover, and that any such statement would be too complex. The company also claims its minimum requirements have proved "generous" enough to cover most cases during the year of widespread testing of pre-release versions.
The minimum required hardware for Windows 7 is as follows: a 1 gigahertz or faster 32-bit or 64-bit processor; 1 gigabyte of memory for the 32-bit version of Windows 7 or 2 GB for the 64-bit version; and 16 GB of available hard disk space for 32-bit or 20 GB for 64-bit. In addition, Windows 7 will require a graphics card or integrated graphics chip that is compatible with at least Microsoft's DirectX 9 graphics system and at least the 1.0 version of its graphics driver standard called WDDM (Windows Display Driver Model).
More details are at: windows.microsoft.com/systemrequirements. I would suggest at least doubling the memory Microsoft recommends, not because I believe the company is lying, but to give yourself some headroom as your needs and interests grow.
I have used Mac laptops for the past 15 years, and am in the market for a new machine. When it comes to computers, I'm not "the sharpest knife in the drawer," and I only use my laptop for very simple, basic tasks. What new laptop would you recommend? I do not desire or need exceptional file storage, graphic capability or any other esoteric spec.
You could get a cheap, small Windows laptop called a netbook, which would meet your simple needs. Acer, Asus, Lenovo and others make good ones. But I'm not sure that's the best choice for you, given your self-description. If you're a longtime Mac user, and you are used to the Mac, I'd suggest you consider sticking with it, because any netbook would require you to learn a new operating system and new software, even for simple tasks. Mac laptops are excellent machines, with a great operating system and built-in software. The only negative is cost, which you didn't mention as a criterion. Apple doesn't make bargain laptops. The cheapest Mac laptop, at $999, costs about triple what you could pay for a netbook.
I would like to change my Internet Service Provider (ISP), but fear doing so, since the task of informing all my email contacts of the new address seems grossly laborious. Are you aware of any utility available that will perform this task accurately?
The only one I ever tested is called TrueSwitch, and is available at trueswitch.com. It is a service that copies all your email, address books, calendar entries and bookmarks from the old ISP to the new one; notifies everyone in your address book of your new email address; and even forwards email from your old address to your new one for 30 days. It costs $20, but is free if you are switching to certain services, including Yahoo or Comcast.
One caveat: My test of TrueSwitch occurred five years ago, and, while it worked well then, I can't be certain that it still does.
You can find Mossberg's Mailbox, and my other columns, online for free at the All Things Digital Web site, http://walt.allthingsd.com.