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- December 2009 - GHG Update: EPA Determines that Greenhouse Gases Threaten Public Health and WelfareOn December 7, 2009, the United States (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that greenhouse gases (GHGs), including those released from on-road vehicles, threaten public health and welfare.
EPA Administrator, Lisa Jackson, signed two distinct findings regarding GHGs under section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act (CAA):
- Endangerment Finding: The current and projected concentrations of the six key well-mixed greenhouse gases in the atmosphere threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations.
- carbon dioxide (CO2)
- methane (CH4)
- nitrous oxide (N2O)
- hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
- perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
- sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)
- Cause or Contribute Finding: The combined emissions of these well-mixed greenhouse gases from new motor vehicles and new motor vehicle engines contribute to the greenhouse gas pollution which threatens public health and welfare.
The EPA finding has no immediate regulatory effect, but it paves the way for proposed regulation on car and truck emissions. The findings will initially affect the automotive industry through increased improvement of efficiency. This action does not trigger Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) or Title V permitting; however, the finalization of GHG emission standards for motor vehicles will trigger these programs. Additionally, EPA proposed a PSD and Title V GHG Tailoring Rule on September 30, 2009, to address large facilities that emit over 25,000 tons of GHGs per year.
Continue to track legislation and regulatory developments, and watch for EHS Support's alerts to keep informed on updates. EHS Support will continue to follow regulation or legislation resulting from the EPA endangerment finding and keep you updated on important changes.
As a reminder, on October 30, 2009, EPA published the GHG Mandatory Reporting Rule, which becomes effective on December 29, 2009. Affected facilities must begin collecting GHG emission data on January 1, 2010, with a report to be generated by March 31, 2011, for reporting year 2010. Companies can take a proactive approach and have EHS Support conduct a high level evaluation of your facility's GHG emissions to determine if your company may be subject to permitting and reporting rules.
For more information about the EPA's GHG findings or to request a high level evaluation of your facility's GHG emissions, please contact Amy Bauer at 251-533-6949 or firstname.lastname@example.com or Jessica Tierney at 412-779-1094 or email@example.com.
Background Information
EPA's findings are in response to the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision that GHGs are part of the CAA definition of air pollutants. Administrator Jackson proposed the so-called GHG endangerment finding on April 17, 2009, and after receiving hundreds of thousands of public comments, issued the final findings. EPA's endangerment finding was a result of determining that GHG concentrations in the atmosphere have increased due to human activities thus contributing to an increase in the earth's temperature over the last 100 years (i.e., global warming).
EPA's findings are a prerequisite to finalizing the EPA and Department of Transportation's National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) jointly proposed GHG emission standards for light-duty vehicles on September 15, 2009. It was found that all on-road vehicles account for 4 percent of the total global GHG emissions compared to just over 23 percent of total U.S. GHG emissions. The agencies plan to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy for new cars and trucks sold in the U.S. The combined EPA and NHTSA standards that make up this proposed National Program would apply to passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles, covering model years 2012 through 2016. They require these vehicles to meet an estimated combined average emissions level of 250 grams of carbon dioxide per mile, equivalent to 35.5 miles per gallon (MPG) if the automobile industry were to meet this CO2 level solely through fuel economy improvements.
President Obama, along with Administrator Jackson, has publicly stated that they support a legislative solution to the problem of climate change and Congress' efforts to pass comprehensive climate legislation. However, it was critical that EPA fulfilled its obligation to respond to the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that determined that GHGs fit within the CAA definition of air pollutants.
- November 2009 - Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Effective 12/29/09: Where to Begin?Following our September 29, 2009, client alert entitled "Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Now a Reality", EHS Support has received several requests from our clients for more information and assistance with meeting the requirements of the new rule. Two major developments have occurred since our September 2009 client alert was issued:
- On October 30, 2009, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the final rule in the Federal Register, "Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases; Final Rule" (GHG Mandatory Reporting Rule) (Volume 74, Number 209). The final rule becomes effective on December 29, 2009. Affected facilities must begin collecting greenhouse gas (GHG) emission data on January 1, 2010, with a report to be generated by March 31, 2011 for reporting year 2010.
- EHS Support has conducted several high-level reviews of the potential GHG emissions from companies with stationary fuel combustion sources to determine if their facilities were subject to reporting under the GHG Mandatory Reporting Rule. We completed these reviews utilizing facility-specific information about fuel consumption and GHG emission sources.
A high-level review, such as the one described above, is a cost-effective way to get a jump start on the GHG Mandatory Reporting Rule. It provides a company with a means to estimate both capital and environmental budgets for 2010/2011 by determining if they are potentially subject to the GHG Mandatory Reporting Rule. The high-level review also gives companies the peace of mind that they are prepared for the rule's forthcoming implementation.
There are five general categories of industries (also known as "source categories") that are required to report GHGs for calendar year 2010. One of the categories includes 17 industries that EPA identified as large GHG emitters, which will report without regard to meeting threshold emission levels. Other categories of industries, such as stationary combustion sources, are only required to report if the facilities annually emit 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) or more in combined emissions from their sources. Therefore, it is advantageous for facilities that may be subject to the GHG Mandatory Reporting Rule to identify any applicable source categories and then, if required, determine if they have emitted more than 25,000 metric tons of CO2e.
The product of our high-level review includes identification of applicable source categories, documentation of the rule's background based on which source categories apply, calculation of emissions using methods provided in the GHG Mandatory Reporting Rule (if applicable), a final conclusion regarding applicability of the rule, and a detailed description of the process we used to reach our conclusion. You will be given the documentation from the high-level review to maintain on file, if reporting is not required. If reporting is required, you can use can use the information as the basis for a GHG compliance plan at your facility.
If you would like more information about how we can conduct a high-level review of potential GHG emissions and the applicability of the GHG Mandatory Reporting Rule to your company, please contact Jessica Tierney at 412-779-1094 and email@example.com or Amy Bauer at 251-533-5949 and firstname.lastname@example.com
- October 2009 - EPA Proposes First Greenhouse Gas Permitting RequirementsThe permitting of greenhouse gases (GHGs) appears to be inevitable. On April 17, 2009, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) submitted an endangerment finding for carbon dioxide (CO2) and is currently reviewing public comments and developing the final rule. On September 15, 2009, EPA, in coordination with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), proposed new standards for light-duty vehicles that will reduce GHG emissions and improve fuel economy covering model years 2012 through 2016 by an equivalent of 35.5 miles per gallon. If the proposed fuel-economy rule to regulate GHGs from cars and trucks is finalized and takes effect in the spring of 2010, legal and policy drivers would be activated that could lead to the regulation (permitting) of stationary sources emitting GHGs.
On September 30, 2009, EPA issued a proposal that focuses these permitting requirements on the largest facilities, those emitting over 25,000 tons of GHGs per year and responsible for nearly 70 percent of U.S. stationary source GHG emissions.
- When facilities are constructed or significantly modified they would be required to obtain permits that demonstrate they are using the best available control technologies and energy efficiency to minimize GHG emissions.
- The proposed GHG thresholds would define when Clean Air Act (CAA) permitting requirements for New Source Review (NSR) and Title V operating permits apply.
- Large new or existing industrial facilities (stationary sources) emitting more than 25,000 tons of GHG emissions per year may be subject to permitting under the proposed rule. Large facilities may include, but are not limited to, power plants, refineries, and factories.
- The groups of six GHGs that may be covered include CO2, methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF5). Emissions of GHGs are typically expressed in a common metric and the international standard practice is to express GHGs in CO2e.
EPA estimates that 400 new sources and modifications to existing sources would be subject to Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) review each year for GHG emissions. Less than 100 of these would be newly subject to PSD. Under the PSD portion of NSR—which is a permit program designed to minimize emissions from new sources and existing sources making major modifications—EPA is proposing a:
- Major stationary source threshold of 25,000 tons per year (tpy) CO2e. This threshold level would be used to determine if a new facility or a major modification at an existing facility would trigger PSD permitting requirements.
- Significance level between 10,000 and 25,000 tpy CO2e. Existing major sources making modifications that result in an increase of emissions above the significance level would be required to obtain a PSD permit. EPA is requesting comment on a range of values in this proposal, with the intent of selecting a single value for the GHG significance level.
In total, approximately 14,000 large sources would need to obtain operating permits that include GHG emissions. Most of these sources are already subject to CAA permitting requirements because they emit other pollutants; however, the rule may impact about 3,000 facilities that are new to the operating permitting program and is also expected to bring new sources into the construction permitting program. EPA will accept comment on the proposed rule for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. The fact sheet for the proposed rule can be viewed at http://www.epa.gov/nsr/fs20090930action.html
The final emissions thresholds for GHG emissions under the federal PSD and operating permits programs will take effect immediately upon promulgation of the final rule. At that time, EPA will put the new thresholds into effect in state, local and tribal agency programs that run PSD and Title V operating programs under EPA approval.
- Track legislation and regulatory developments, and watch for EHS Support Alerts to keep informed on updates
- Take a proactive approach and conduct a high level evaluation of your facility's GHG emissions to determine if your company may be subject to these rules.
EHS Support can help you conduct an evaluation of your facility's GHG emissions. For more information, contact Amy Bauer at 251-533-6949 and firstname.lastname@example.com or Jessica Tierney at 412-779-1094 and email@example.com
EHS Support will continue to follow the proposed GHG permitting rule closely and keep you updated on important changes, and will thoroughly evaluate the final rule when issued.
- October 2009 - EHS Support Corporation is Proud to Announce the Addition of Nigel Goulding
Mr. Goulding comes to EHS Support as a Senior Consultant. In this role, he will manage investigation and remediation operations including technical and engineering direction, as well as, project coordination of multi-disciplinary teams.
Over the past 16 years, Mr. Goulding has worked on the environmental site assessments and remediation of over 400 sites. These sites have included petroleum hydrocarbon, solvent, metal, and radionucleide contaminated sites throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia Pacific.
Mr. Goulding is active in many industry regulatory advocacy and technology development groups and has been involved in the remediation and closure of many high profile sites.
- September 2009 - Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Now a RealityBeginning on January 1, 2010, large sources and suppliers of greenhouse gases (GHGs) will be required to begin collecting data and annually reporting GHG emissions as required by the Final Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Rule, which was signed by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson on September 22, 2009. The threshold for reporting is 25,000 metric tons or more of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2) per year. Reporting will be required at the facility level for most facilities, except for certain fossil fuel and greenhouse gas suppliers and vehicle and engine manufacturers who will be required to report at the corporate level. EPA estimates that the rule will cover approximately 85 percent of the GHGs emitted in the U.S. from approximately 10,000 facilities. The first mandatory reports will be due March 31, 2011, for emissions during 2010.EPA issued the proposed rule on March 10, 2009, and received close to 17,000 comments. In response, EPA made several key changes in the final rule, including:
- Reduced the number of covered source and supply categories
- Provided a mechanism for exiting the program by reducing GHG emissions
- Reduced record retention requirements from 5 years to 3 years
- Added a provision to allow use of best available monitoring methods in lieu of the required monitoring methods for January – March 2010
EPA describes these changes and other key changes in a Fact Sheet available at: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/downloads09/majorchanges.pdf
According to EPA, the rule "…is intended to collect accurate and timely emissions data to inform future policy decisions." EPA estimates the average cost of reporting for the private sector under this rule will be approximately $115 million in the first year of reporting and $72 million in subsequent years.
To assist the regulated community, EPA has developed information and training resources, including an online applicability tool, a series of webinars, and information sheets on reporting requirements for each of the covered sectors, which are available at: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgrulemaking.html
How can EHS Support assist you in complying with the new rule?
We can assist you with determining applicability of the rule to your operations, estimating GHG emissions, and preparing the mandatory annual report.
For more information or for assistance with meeting the requirements of the new rule, please contact Jessica Tierney at 412-779-1094 and email@example.com or Amy Bauer at 251-533-5949 and firstname.lastname@example.com.
- September 2009 - Push for Disclosure of Environmental Risks Expected to Lead to New SEC RequirementsThe pending Climate Change regulations and government initiatives have encouraged the Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC) to consider requiring additional disclosure of environmental risks.
- The SEC is being petitioned to issue interpretative guidance that specifically stipulates that climate change has an opportunity to be classified as a material risk under existing SEC Regulation S-K.
- This change would require companies to report environmental risks through regular filings just as other types of material risks are regularly reported
- Traditionally, the SEC has defined "material risk" as an item that represents an uncertainty that could affect a company's earnings by 5-10 percent or more
- The proposed rule by the EPA to require fossil fuel suppliers, industrial gas suppliers, and direct greenhouse gas emitters that emit more than 25,000 tons of carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide-equivalent greenhouse gases annually to report their greenhouse gas emission combined with the carbon cap and trade language of H.R. 2454 would increase the necessity of environmental disclosures on SEC filings because the emissions could then be quantitatively judged to be a material risk
- Under SEC Regulation S-K, companies may need to reference environmental trends, uncertainties, and financial conditions that may affect operations on certain SEC filings to inform the investing public of issues facing the company.
- The requirements that are expected to be issued will provide guidance on current disclosure requirements relating to the materiality of risks posed by climate change including:
- Enforcing existing disclosure requirements for material environmental risks;
- Permitting shareholders to submit resolutions at corporate meetings related to climate change; and
- Requiring disclosure of material environmental risks based on the Global Reporting Initiative, an existing standard used by more than 1,000 companies to measure and report their economic, environmental, and social performances, including measurements of greenhouse gas emissions, labor standards, and human rights.
- Create a task force within your organization to track legislation and regulatory developments; Watch for EHS Support Alerts to keep informed on updates
- Although the framework and measurement criteria for reporting have not been finalized, EHS Support recommends you take a proactive approach to these probable regulatory requirements including notification of senior management and a structured approach to defining these liabilities in- side your company that supports consistent, comparable, and reliable assessment, measurement, and reporting.
For more information about SEC requirements or determining how the pending Climate Change regulations may impact your business or accrual process, contact Andy Patz at email@example.com or 412-215-7703.
- September 2009 - Greenhouse Gas Emission ReportingThe Facts:The United States (U.S.) EPA has proposed a rule that requires mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from large sources in the U.S. In general, EPA proposes that suppliers of fossil fuels or industrial greenhouse gases, manufacturers of vehicles and engines, and facilities that emit 25,000 metric tons or more per year of GHG emissions submit annual reports to EPA. The gases covered by the proposed rule are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFC), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and other fluorinated gases include nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and hydrofluorinated ethers (HFE). EPA issued a Proposed Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule Fact Sheet at, which can be found at http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/downloads/ProposedRule-FactSheet.pdf According to the fact sheet, 85 to 90 percent of total U.S. GHG emissions from approximately 13,000 facilities would be covered by the proposed rule. Most small businesses would fall below the 25,000 metric ton threshold and would not be required to report GHG emissions to EPA.How will my company be affected?EPA is proposing that reporters would be required to submit their first GHG emissions report to EPA in early 2011. This report would provide data on emissions from the year 2010. EPA is proposing that reporting requirements for vehicle and engine manufacturers apply beginning with the 2011 model year. EPA would be responsible for verification of data. Mandatory third party verification was considered in the development of the proposed rule, but is not included in the proposed rule. The GHG emissions inventories are likely to become the basis for regulation, pollution controls, and new emissions limits.The Proposed Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule public comment period ended June 9, 2009. Late comments may be submitted on the proposed rule; however, the EPA is not required to consider comments submitted past the end of the official comment period when developing the final rule. EHS Support will follow the issuance of the final rule, which is expected to occur in November 2009.There are states that are taking initiative on GHG reporting as well. On December 6, 2007, the California Air Resources Board (ARB) approved Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions regulation. Facilities had to submit data by June 1, 2009. One difference from the proposed federal requirement is that the California regulation requires the mandatory reporting and verification of GHG emissions. Facilities subject to reporting will be required to have their GHG emissions verified beginning in 2010 for their 2009 reported emissions. Verification is optional for 2009 and 2008 reporting emissions. More information can be found at http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/reporting/ghg-ver/ghg-ver.htmThe EPA tracks state planning and measurement efforts at http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/stateandlocalgov/state_planning.html#threeFor more information regarding GHG updates, please contact Amy Bauer of EHS Support at 251-533-5949 or firstname.lastname@example.com
- May 2009 - EPA Determines Greenhouse Gases Pose a Threat to Public Health and Welfare
EPA issued a proposed finding today that a mixture of six key greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) – contribute to air pollution that may endanger public health and welfare. The proposed finding was issued following completion of a scientific review ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2007.
Although EPA has indicated that the proposed finding issued today, as well as a final action in the future, does not impose any requirements on industry or other entities, and that an endangerment finding under one provision of the Clean Air Act would not by itself automatically trigger regulation under the entire Act, the Wall Street Journal indicates that:
Unless superseded by congressional action, the EPA finding potentially could lead to a wave of new regulations, putting stricter emissions limits on a wide range of enterprises from power plants and oil refineries to automobiles and cement makers.
Current draft legislation under review by the U.S. House Energy and Environment Subcommittee (The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009) proposes a cap and trade system for CO2 and directs EPA to set emission standards on sources that are not covered by the cap and trade system. However, the draft provides that CO2 and other greenhouse gases may not be regulated as criteria pollutants or hazardous air pollutants on the basis of their effect on global warming. The draft also provides that new source review does not apply to these global warming pollutants. The Wall Street Journal reports that "Reps. Edward J. Markey (D. Mass)…and Jay Inslee (D. Wash) have said the endangerment finding provides the administration a regulatory backstop in the event that a tough climate change bill cannot get past a Senate filibuster."
According to the Energy and Commerce Committee website, committee consideration of the legislation will be completed by Memorial Day. (energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1560&Itemid=1)
The public comment on EPA's proposed endangerment finding is open for 60 days following publication in the Federal Register. EPA also will be holding two public hearings on May 18, 2009 in Arlington, VA, and May 21, 2009, in Seattle, Washington. Advanced registration will be necessary.
EHS Support will continue to monitor the proposed endangerment finding and update you on any changes that will affect your business.
Questions about the proposed endangerment finding can be discussed with Jessica Tierney at 412-779-1094 or email@example.com
Click here to read about EPA's Proposed Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for Greenhouse Gases under the Clean Air Act.
- May 2009 - North Carolina Groundwater Standards to Become More Stringent for 15 analytes
North Carolina is currently reviewing its groundwater water quality standards and interim maximum allowable concentrations and has indicated that allowable concentrations associated with 15 groundwater standards will decrease. This could have a significant impact on any investigation or remediation projects your company is currently undertaking.
Every three years the State is required, by 15A NCAC 02L .0202, to review its groundwater water quality standards and interim maximum allowable concentrations to determine if changes are needed and, if necessary, to make those changes. Revision of these standards is needed to ensure that they contain the most recent health and toxicological information.
Summary of Proposed Rules
Based on review of the most current and relevant toxicological information available, the proposed changes to groundwater standards include:
- a decrease in the allowable concentration for fifteen standards
- an increase in the allowable concentration for twelve standards
- the addition of a standard for formaldehyde
- the removal of twelve standards and/or interim maximum allowable concentrations (note that these contaminants are still regulated under this rule and that concentrations exceeding the practical quantification limit (PQL) would constitute a violation of the standard)
- the reduction of significant figures to one
- a change in the units of measure from mg/L (parts per million) to µg/L (parts per billion), except where noted
- an update of ten chemical names
- the substitution of the language "at or above the practical quantitation limit" for the term "detectable."
Copies of the proposed rules can be found at the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Water Quality web page at http://www.ncwaterquality.org/admin/pubinfo/DWQPubInfoCalendar.htm
Possible Effects
An increase or decrease of a current North Carolina groundwater quality standard affects which constituents of concern for a given site are violating these standards. If the maximum allowable concentration is lowered, chemical concentrations that were previously acceptable now may require additional action.
The earliest these changes would become effective would be November of 2009, but it is estimated that any changes will go into effect between January and June 2010.
How EHS Support can help?
- We can assist you in understanding the impact of the proposed changes on your facility, investigation, or remediation project
- Determine the potential financial and technical impact the changes in these standards may cause
- Support your staff in submitting public comments
- Facilitate communication and advocate your interests to the NC DENR
If you require further assistance or would like to discuss how these changes will impact your company, please contact Rick Henterly at 412-855-3727 or email@example.com.
- May 2009 - Possible Reinstatement of Superfund Tax
The Facts:
The EPA's budget proposal that was submitted by the Obama administration reveals plans to reinstate the Superfund taxes which expired in 1995.
Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ) introduced the Superfund Polluter Pays Act of 2009 (H.R.) 832) in the House of Representatives on February 3. The act would impose the following taxes:
- a chemical feedstock excise tax on 42 chemicals ranging from $0.22 – $4.87 per ton
- a corporate "environmental income tax" of 0.12% on taxable income in excess of $2 million
- a tax of $0.97 cents per barrel on petroleum
President Obama expects the tax to generate more than $1 billion for cleanups. Companies would not begin paying until 2011 when the economy is expected to be recovered.
How will my company be affected?
While there have been no projections published to indicate the cost this tax will have on individual companies, the tables below outline the amount of tax generated by each industry in 1993. Costs have been calculated to 2009 prices to account for inflation.
Superfund Corporate Environmental Income
Table 1. Taxes in 1993 by Industrial Sector
Source: Prepared by CRS with data from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Internal Revenue Service. Source Book, Statistics of Income, 1993: Corporation Income Tax Returns with Accounting Periods ended July 1993 – June 1994. Publication 1053 (Revised March 1996). 511 p.
Table 2. Taxes in 1993 by Industrial Industry
Source: Prepared by CRS with data from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Internal Revenue Service. Source Book, Statistics of Income, 1993: Corporation Income Tax Returns with Accounting Periods ended July 1993 – June 1994. Publication 1053 (Revised March 1996). 511 p.
What can I do to be prepared for this reinstatement?
- familiarize yourself with the taxes and calculate how they could financially impact your company
- begin to think about other ways your company may be impacted
- formulize a plan on how you will manage this reinstated expense
- be prepared to answer questions from your superiors or board membersEHS Support is monitoring developments of this tax reinstatement and will keep you updated on advancements.Questions about how these tax increases may affect your company can be discussed with Andy Patz at 412-215-7703 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
- May 2009 - EPA 2010 Budget Proposal Testimony to US Senate
On May 12, 2009 Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), addressed the US Senate proposing the EPA's 2010 budget requesting $10.5 billion.
This 37% increase over the 2009 budget includes increases to priorities such as investments in water infrastructure, Great Lakes restoration, a comprehensive approach to slow global warming, strengthening environmental enforcement, reinstating superfund, continuation of the Brownfields program, and increased funding to clean up leaking underground storage tanks.
To read the prepared testimony in its entirety click here.
- April 2009 - EPA's Ongoing Regulatory Review May Impact Fly Ash Disposal Requirement
On March 31, 2009, NAEM, the national Association of EHS Management Team (a non-profit, non-partisan educational association) hosted a webinar entitled "60 Days into the Obama Administration: The Likely Impacts on EHS, Energy and Sustainability Policy".
The webinar featured a panel discussion with Charlie Grizzle, Chairman of The Grizzle Company; Steve Brown, Executive Director of the Environmental Council of the States; and John Walke, Clean Air Director/Senior Attorney of the Natural Resources Defense Council. The webinar was intended to provide insight into the priorities and workings of the new Obama administration, and discuss topics such as the top priorities of 2009 and beyond.
The presenters indicated that a rulemaking will emerge in the near future concerning the regulation of fossil fuel (coal) combustion waste (e.g., coal fly ash). According to the presenters, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will address coal fly ash and have a statement ready for comment by the end of 2009. Specifically, if it is to continue to be regulated under Subtitle D (non-hazardous solid waste) of RCRA, or if the risk associated with fly ash will cause it to be regulated under Subtitle C of RCRA as a hazardous waste, and is it safe for reuse.
The EPA previously determined that coal combustion waste was not to be regulated as a hazardous waste. Further studies were later conducted like the "Human and Ecological Risk Assessment of Coal Combustion Waste" prepared for the EPA by RTI International in 2007 [1]. The EPA is currently analyzing the 2007 risk assessment and other available data as described in the "Notice of Data Availability on the Disposal of Coal Combustion Wastes in Landfills and Surface Impoundments; Reopening of Comment Period", published in the Federal Register on February 5, 2008 [2]. There have been a few major recent releases regarding fly ash, which is driving the evaluation and additional scrutiny. The presenter's indicated the EPA will continue to review the recent risk assessment and prepare an updated statement on their position concerning the risks associated with fly ash by the end of 2009.
EHS Support will continue to monitor this situation and keep you updated as new information is released by the EPA concerning this evaluation. If you would like to discuss this regulatory change in more detail, please contact Amy Bauer at email@example.com or 251-533-6949.
[1] RTI International. Draft Human and Ecological Risk Assessment of Coal Combustion Waste. Prepared for the Environmental Protection Agency. August 6, 2007.
[2] Federal Register. Environmental Protection Agency. Notice of Data Availability on the Disposal of Coal Combustion Wastes in Landfills and Surface Impoundments; Reopening of Comment Period. Volume 73, Number 24 (February 5, 2008). Page 6723-6724.
- April 2009 - FASB to Relax the Fair Value Reporting Requirements Enacted in SFAS 141(R)
The stock market reacted positively on April 2nd, boosted by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) decision to ease rules associated with the SFAS 141 (R) fair market accounting standards. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 279 points, or 3.6%, at 8040.77 — topping the 8000 mark for the first time since February 10, 2009.
On December 15, 2008 SFAS 141(R) was enacted to extend the fair-value reporting requirements to new areas; including mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. The most controversial, was the required reporting of the value of acquired contingencies (e.g. environmental issues, litigation, warranty payouts) be estimated on the acquisition date (Day 1). To obtain more information on this topic read EHS Support's initial Alert and FAQ's issued in August 2008. Click Here read the Alert.
On April 1, 2009 the FASB announced amendments to the SFAS 141(R). The SFAS 141 (R)-1 will no longer require subsequent measurement at fair value, which would result in different measurements of assets and liabilities.
The FASB has withdrawn from its position to apply fair value measurement to contingencies. As amended, SFAS 141(R) represents no meaningful change from the contingency provisions in the original SFAS 141. The initial SFAS 141 required contingencies assumed in a business combination be recognized at fair value if the acquisition-date fair value of the contingency can be "determined" during the measurement period. The current amendments do not provide guidance on when the fair value of a contingency can be "determined". The amendments significantly reduce the risk associated with reporting environmental and litigation liabilities acquired during mergers and acquisitions.
EHS Support will continue to monitor the FASB decisions and guidance to provide direction on how to properly handle environmental and litigation liabilities during mergers and acquisitions
For more information or if you have questions or comments please contact Andy Patz at 412.215.7703 or firstname.lastname@example.com
- April 2009 - Could a Proposed Finding on Carbon Dioxide Emission Impact Your Company?
On Friday, March 20, 2009 a proposed rule finding that carbon dioxide (CO2) is a danger to public health was submitted to the White House. Approval could allow the EPA to use the Clean Air Act (CAA) to control emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases believed to contribute to climate change. Carbon dioxide will be treated as a pollutant and, therefore, be regulated as such by the government.
The Obama Administration has proposed a cap-and-trade system that could raise $646 billion by 2019 through government auctions of emission allowances. The proposed finding will pressure Congress to enact a system that caps greenhouse gases, which are believed to trap the sun's heat in the earth's atmosphere, and creates a market for business to buy and sell the right to emit them.
What is the Impact?
Some key facilities that could be impacted include coal-fired power plants, oil refineries and domestic industries, such as energy-intensive paper, cement, fertilizer, steel, and glass manufacturers. These industries, along with others, may see an increased cost burden imposed by climate-change laws. Unless international laws take effect, this additional monetary burden could impact competition between U.S. companies and their international counterparts that are not bound by similar environmental rules.
Greenhouse gas emission regulation during this Administration is on the horizon for many facilities. Companies should stay on top of this issue to determine if it will impact their operations. EHS Support will continue to monitor the developments and keep you informed on updates to these regulations. For more information or for an analysis on how this regulation could impact your company, please contact Amy Bauer at 251-533-6949 or email@example.com.
- April 2009 - SPCC Regulations Effective Date Delayed
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) delayed the effective date for the December 2008 final rule that amends the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations. The amendments will now become effective on January 14, 2010. The December 2008 amendments to the SPCC rule clarified regulatory requirements, tailored requirements to particular industry sectors, and streamlined certain requirements for facility owners or operators subject to the rule. The EPA is also requesting public comment on whether the delay of the effective date may be warranted. More information on SPCC rule can be obtained from http://www.epa.gov/emergencies/content/spcc/index.htm.
- February 2009 - FASB To Announce Changes to SFAS 5
The SFAS5 was originally issued in March 1975 to account for loss contingencies including potential losses from pending or threatened litigation. In September 2007 the FASB began to address concerns that SFAS 5 does not provide significant guidance and transparency as to the likelihood, timing, and amounts of cash flows associated with loss contingencies.
By June 2008 the FASB issued an Exposure Draft titled "Disclosure of Certain Loss Contingencies" with proposed amendments to SFAS 5 and 141(R). The changes would be primarily related to disclosures in company financial statements including potential losses from pending and threatened litigation.
After over 250 comments on the Exposure Draft, the FASB issued the following statement:
"The Board decided on a plan for redeliberations of its Exposure Draft, Disclosure of Certain Loss Contingencies. The Board directed the staff to prepare an alternative model that will attempt to address the concerns that certain constituents raised about the Exposure Draft. This alternative model will be field tested along with the model in the Exposure Draft. The Board also decided that any final Statement on this topic will be effective no sooner than for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2009."
The redeliberations the FASB is considering are unknown, however examination of the Exposure Draft gives some indication of the areas of concern that will be addressed are related to disclosures of loss contingencies that do not meet the criteria necessary for accrual of the loss.
The new Exposure Draft is scheduled to be released in April or May 2009. Please be aware that changes may be issued by the end of the year. EHS Support will continue to monitor the FASB communication and update you on any changes that will affect your business.
Questions about the current and proposed SFAS 5 regulations can be discussed with Andy Patz at 412-215-7703 or email@example.com.
Click here to read about changes made to SFAS141(R) in December 2008.
- January 2009 - DECISION: National Cotton Council of America v. EPA
You may be interested in the attached decision out of the Sixth Circuit, National Cotton Council v. EPA, 2009 WL 30292 (6th Cir. Jan. 7, 2009), which held that NPDES permits are required for applications of aquatic pesticides in and around rivers, lakes, and other waterbodies. This decision affects, among others, farmers, land managers, and developers who routinely use the pesticides to protect their land.
On November 27, 2006, the EPA issued a final rule exempting the application of aquatic pesticides in compliance with FIFRA from the CWA. Environmental and industry groups subsequently challenged EPA's final rule in eleven circuit courts throughout the United States — the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and D.C. Circuits. The petitions for review in each such circuit were consolidated in the Sixth Circuit by an order of the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. A number of industry groups also intervened in support of the final rule.
In National Cotton Council, the Court held that EPA's final rule was not a reasonable interpretation of the CWA since the plain language of the terms "chemical waste" and "biological materials" unambiguously include aquatic pesticides. Accordingly, the Court vacated EPA's final rule. The Court did not analyze arguments addressing the relationship between the CWA and FIFRA.
Because the multidistrict challenges were consolidated in this one action, the Sixth Circuit's decision affects states in eleven circuits, including the Ninth Circuit. Applicators will need an NPDES permit to apply aquatic pesticides into, around, and over water in most instances. NPDES permits will not be required, however, for applications of chemical pesticides that leave no residue in receiving waters. States are expected to review their current NPDES permitting requirements for aquatic pesticide use in light of the court's decision.
If you require assistance or have further questions, please contact
Amy Bauer
- January 2009 - Lisa P. Jackson Appointed EPA Director
Lisa P. Jackson Appointed Administrator of EPA
Lisa P. Jackson has been appointed by President Obama as the Director of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. She has set her agenda and as her first official act, she sent out the following letter:
DATE: January 23, 2009
TO: All EPA Employees
FROM: Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator-designate
I can think of no higher calling or privilege than rejoining EPA as your Administrator. I am grateful and humbled that President Obama has given me this honor. With his election and with my appointment, President Obama has dramatically changed the face of American environmentalism. With your help, we can now change the face of the environment as well.
During my 21 years in public service, I have witnessed firsthand the dedication and professionalism of EPA's workforce. Thousands of committed, hard-working and talented employees for whom protecting the environment is a calling, not just a job, have made EPA a driving force in environmental protection since 1970.
EPA can meet the nation's environmental challenges only if our employees are fully engaged partners in our shared mission. That's why I will make respect for the EPA workforce a bedrock principle of my tenure. I will look to you every day for ideas, advice and expertise. EPA should once again be the workplace of choice for veteran public servants and also talented young people beginning careers in environmental protection – just as it was for me when I first joined EPA shortly after graduate school.
In outlining his agenda for the environment, President Obama has articulated three values that he expects EPA to uphold. These values will shape everything I do.
Science must be the backbone for EPA programs. The public health and environmental laws that Congress has enacted depend on rigorous adherence to the best available science. The President believes that when EPA addresses scientific issues, it should rely on the expert judgment of the Agency's career scientists and independent advisors. When scientific judgments are suppressed, misrepresented or distorted by political agendas, Americans can lose faith in their government to provide strong public health and environmental protection.
The laws that Congress has written and directed EPA to implement leave room for policy judgments. However, policy decisions should not be disguised as scientific findings. I pledge that I will not compromise the integrity of EPA's experts in order to advance a preference for a particular regulatory outcome.
EPA must follow the rule of law. The President recognizes that respect for Congressional mandates and judicial decisions is the hallmark of a principled regulatory agency. Under our environmental laws, EPA has room to exercise discretion, and Congress has often looked to EPA to fill in the details of general policies. However, EPA needs to exercise policy discretion in good faith and in keeping with the directives of Congress and the courts. When Congress has been explicit, EPA cannot misinterpret or ignore the language Congress has used. When a court has determined EPA's responsibilities under our governing statutes, EPA cannot turn a blind eye to the court's decision or procrastinate in complying.
EPA's actions must be transparent. In 1983, EPA Administrator Ruckelshaus promised that EPA would operate "in a fishbowl" and "will attempt to communicate with everyone from the environmentalists to those we regulate, and we will do so as openly as possible."
I embrace this philosophy. Public trust in the Agency demands that we reach out to all stakeholders fairly and impartially, that we consider the views and data presented carefully and objectively, and that we fully disclose the information that forms the bases for our decisions. I pledge that we will carry out the work of the Agency in public view so that the door is open to all interested parties and that there is no doubt why we are acting and how we arrived at our decisions.
We must take special pains to connect with those who have been historically underrepresented in EPA decision making, including the disenfranchised in our cities and rural areas, communities of color, native Americans, people disproportionately impacted by pollution, and small businesses, cities and towns working to meet their environmental responsibilities. Like all Americans, they deserve an EPA with an open mind, a big heart and a willingness to listen.
As your Administrator, I will uphold the values of scientific integrity, rule of law and transparency every day. If ever you feel I am not meeting this commitment, I expect you to let me know.
Many vital tasks lie before us in every aspect of EPA's programs. As I develop my agenda, I will be seeking your guidance on the tasks that are most urgent in protecting public health and the environment and on the strategies that EPA can adopt to maximize our effectiveness and the expertise of our talented employees. At the outset, I would like to highlight five priorities that will receive my personal attention:
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The President has pledged to make responding to the threat of climate change a high priority of his administration. He is confident that we can transition to a low-carbon economy while creating jobs and making the investment we need to emerge from the current recession and create a strong foundation for future growth. I share this vision. EPA will stand ready to help Congress craft strong, science-based climate legislation that fulfills the vision of the President. As Congress does its work, we will move ahead to comply with the Supreme Court's decision recognizing EPA's obligation to address climate change under the Clean Air Act.
Improving air quality. The nation continues to face serious air pollution challenges, with large areas of the country out of attainment with air-quality standards and many communities facing the threat of toxic air pollution. Science shows that people's health is at stake. We will plug the gaps in our regulatory system as science and the law demand.
Managing chemical risks. More than 30 years after Congress enacted the Toxic Substances Control Act, it is clear that we are not doing an adequate job of assessing and managing the risks of chemicals in consumer products, the workplace and the environment. It is now time to revise and strengthen EPA's chemicals management and risk assessment programs.
Cleaning up hazardous-waste sites. EPA will strive to accelerate the pace of cleanup at the hundreds of contaminated sites across the country. Turning these blighted properties into productive parcels and reducing threats to human health and the environment means jobs and an investment in our land, our communities and our people.
Protecting America's water. EPA will intensify our work to restore and protect the quality of the nation's streams, rivers, lakes, bays, oceans and aquifers. The Agency will make robust use of our authority to restore threatened treasures such as the Great Lakes and the Chesapeake Bay, to address our neglected urban rivers, to strengthen drinking-water safety programs, and to reduce pollution from non-point and industrial dischargers.
As we meet these challenges, we must be sensitive to the burdens pollution has placed on vulnerable subpopulations, including children, the elderly, the poor and all others who are at particular risk to threats to health and the environment. We must seek their full partnership in the greater aim of identifying and eliminating the sources of pollution in their neighborhoods, schools and homes.
EPA's strength has always been our ability to adapt to the constantly changing face of environmental protection as our economy and society evolve and science teaches us more about how humans interact with and affect the natural world. Now, more than ever, EPA must be innovative and forward looking because the environmental challenges faced by Americans all across our country are unprecedented.
These challenges are indeed immense in scale and urgency. But, as President Obama said Tuesday, they will be met. I look forward to joining you at work on Monday to begin tackling these challenges together.


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Vitamin C has become an increasingly popular ingredient in cosmetic skin care products. In 1992, Dr. Sheldon Pinnell of Duke University published the results of a study that proved the vitamin-C form of L-ascorbic acid reduced sun damage. Now, in the cosmetics world, vitamin C is a star ingredient in facial serums. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Vitamin C Serum
Benefits of Vitamin C Serum for Your Skin13 Mar
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subset: commoncrawl


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When my friend Robert wrote Diamond Lights for the football duo Hoddle and Waddle he probably had no idea that it would go on to be recorded by a host of celebrities over the next couple of decades. The latest incantation is by two TalkSPORT presenters, Andy Goldstein and Jason Cundy, and aims to raise a whole load of dosh for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).
Now, not being a sports fan I hadn't heard of the radio station's dynamic duo, but I definitely know GOSH, having stayed there for a few weeks with my son following his stroke. So I'm very pleased to help promote this fantastic single! You can watch it here on TalkSport's website or go straight to iTunes to download it. It's fab!!!
Robert and I met on Twitter. We tweeted, we chatted, we facebooked, we linked in on Linkedin and finally, we met – and we've been friends ever since. Long standing friends and family though I'd gone bonkers when I announced that a stranger I'd met on twitter was coming to my home for dinner, but he turned out to be not an axe murderer at all.
There is obviously a clear line that you shouldn't cross on social media though. After all, we're constantly fed horror stories of dating disasters, professional-appearing businesses that turn out to be as dodgy as Del and terrifying stories from around the globe. But, with a little common sense, it's perfectly possible to create solid relationships on-line. Just please stay aware…
Whether Robert thinks I'm completely nuts is another story. He came over once to give Ben a masterclass in songwriting and I gave a rendition of Fleetwood Mac in my dreadful tone-deaf voice; it's enough to make anyone retreat quickly into the relatively safer world of online chat.
This week brings four parties – three for Christmas and one for Geoff, who is leaving his job after about 30 years. We met in 1988 when I worked in recruitment and supplied staff for his enormous team at the local council. He later employed me as the Plain English Consultant to train local government staff to write clearly, without jargon and in a way ordinary people could understand. That contract set me on the road to starting my own business, so I have a lot to thank Geoff for! (Thank you Geoff!)
As I'm typing this I'm remembering a Christmas party where Geoff was recovering from knee surgery. Forgetting about that, I dragged him onto the dance floor and, being too much of a gentleman to complain, he limp danced in agony. (Sorry Geoff!) Someone mentioned yesterday that my whole working life seems to have been one big party… can't complain about that!
That particular party was many moons ago, but my delightful voice was on show there too, as I sang back-up for Carol in front of 150 bemused clients. And I do still remember the song!! "They say our love won't pay the rent, before it's earned our money's all been spent…"
If your love's not paying the rent and you'd like a business boost in 2015 to increase your visibility across the web, call me today for a chat. We can talk about running a sparkling social media management campaign for the new year. My number is 020 8551 7077, or you can tweet me: @WeekendWitch.


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Simply Elegant Photo
Wedding Save the Date Cards
Simply Elegant Photo, Item# SDWIPH9948
Note: Sparkles are simulated and will not light up.
Simply Elegant Photo, Item# SDWIPH9948
Note: Sparkles are simulated and will not light up.
Your Custom Wedding Photo Postage Stamps
Our photo Save the Date card, "Simply Elegant Photo", features your personal photo as the star of the design. Your custom text is printed on the back. Multiple color options available to complement your custom photo.
*Matching items available upon request.*
You will be able to select the typestyle and ink colors to use for your personalized text during the design process. Start by clicking on the green 'Personalize and Continue' button. We recommend using the default typestyle and ink colors.
|Estimated Postage Required:
|$0.55 stamp - if other items are not added into the Envelope. Click here for additional postage information.
|Item Type:
|Flat Card
|Card Dimensions:
|7.5" x 5.25" (W x H)
|Printing Process:
|Digital Press
|Paper Weight:
|Multiple Stock Options
|Typestyle Shown:
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|Your choice of White or Cream Envelopes included. Printed return address and/or Calligraphy is available for an additional cost.
|Inner Lined Envelopes:
|Inner Lined Envelopes available for an Additional $.40 each. Choose from 20 different colors.


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News \
Coldplay Slate New EP, Discuss Next Album
Despite an already full plate, the mopey Brit rockers get back to work.
As if this summer's chart-topping success Viva La Vida and its supporting tour weren't enough, Brit mainstay and SPIN cover subject Coldplay have unveiled details for a forthcoming EP and hinted at their next full-length record.
According to frontman Chris Martin, who stopped by BBC Radio's 6 Music to chat with host Steve Lamacq and R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe [via Pitchfork], an EP composed of Vida scraps — including "Luna," a Kylie Minogue collaboration — will arrive before year's end and a new full-length is on the horizon. "We're going to put an EP out at Christmas called Prospects March, and we're going to release an album next December," said Martin. Hooray!
But wait: "Is it [the EP] called Prospects Songs or Prospects March?" Martin questioned drummer Will Champion. Stipe's preference? Prospects March. Done and done.
Catch Coldplay this fall, when the quartet return for the second leg of their U.S. tour. Check out the complete dates here.


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January 1997 is the subject of the latest Magazine Archive, set during the peak years of Britpop, and featuring Oasis on the cover, focusing on the Q Awards, which had just been recently staged.
It was a period when Q was mourning one of their main writers, John Bauldie, who was a passenger in the helicopter crash which killed then Chelsea Chairman Matthew Harding, which is commemorated in the obituaries section.
A whopping fifteen pages are dedicated to the Q Awards, with the first page of the feature having a double paged photo of various guests on stage, engaging in small talk.
Eagle eyed readers will have noticed Dermot Morgan and Ruud Gullit in conversation. It is worth clarifying that Ruud Gullit wasn't sat on a shed, possibly because it wasn't Christmas.
1996 was the year that saw Q celebrate it's 10th anniversary, and the awards ceremony saw various celebrities record video messages of congratulations.
Amongst them, was Tony Blair, then Leader Of The Opposition, recorded one saying "Ten years in power with no opposition – Sounds good to me". It was almost prophetic.
Ian Brodie was riding on the crest of a wave in 1996 on the back of "Three Lions" and gets five pages looking at his career to date, with minimal mentions of Baddiel and Skinner.
That month, Lightning Seeds were 11 in the Album Chart, being kept out of the Top Ten by Robson and Jerome, Spice Girls, East 17, Simply Red, The Smurfs, Boyzone and Rod Stewart.
Sometimes, history is better off being rewritten.


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NuShoe.com reviews
Nushoe.com was founded in 1994 and is now the largest shoe repair company in the world. There are a number of reviews online for us and some are good and some are bad. In this post we want to address the bad reviews or complaints that are online. Each year we repair and renew over 100,000 individual pairs of boots, shoes and sandals, and repair over a million pairs a year when you include work we do for shoe brands. We have a complaint rate of less than 1%. This is why many famous brands trust us as their "factory authorized" repair service. These brands trust us to support their customers...Read More


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Ratings agency Fitch downgraded Spain's debt Friday due to Spain's austerity measures which are seen as a threat to the country's economic growth.
"The downgrade reflects Fitch's assessment that the process of adjustment to a lower level of private sector and external indebtedness will materially reduce the rate of growth of the Spanish economy over the medium-term," said Brian Coulton, Fitch's Head of EMEA Sovereign Ratings.
Private debt includes household debt, company debt as well as bank debts.
The ratings agency slashed Spain's triple A rating to AA+
Fitch warned in a statement that "the inflexibility of the labour market and the restructuring of regional and local savings banks will … hinder the pace of adjustment, particularly in the aftermath of the real estate boom.
"Consequently, and despite a strong commitment to reducing the budget deficit … government debt will likely reach 78 percent of GDP by 2013 compared to under 40 percent prior to the onset of the global financial crisis in 2007 and the subsequent recession."
Fitch said it believes the economic recovery "will be more muted than that forecast by the government."
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is now down 1%, or 97 points to 10,162 and the S&P 500 is off 10 points to 1,093. The downgrade also pushed the euro lower, t0 $1.2270 from $1.2362.
The ratings outlook is stable, on Fitch's expectations that the country's credit profile will remain strong.
Spain is suffering from a collapsed housing market and currently holds an unemployment rate of 20 per cent.


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Features and Options
- 3-15 PSI pneumatic or 4-20 mA electro-pneumatic options
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Unit of Measure
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Tag Archives: Living Beyond Breast Cancer
and the beat goes on
It's 2020. It's one month tomorrow since I had knee surgery on my left knee. The healing is happening but it feels slow. Part of the problem is my left side is where sentinel node was removed when I had … Continue reading
the waiting is the hardest part
Here I sit waiting for my oncologist. Six years have passed and the waiting is still the hardest part. This is the first post I have ever done from the oncologist's office. I hear the footsteps to and fro outside … Continue reading
milestone: five years is coming soon
Well in a few short weeks another high school reunion will be here. So much has happened in five years, so much. But what another Shipley reunion also means is I am creeping up on the five year anniversary of … Continue reading
pink is for roses.
Pinkification pukification here we come. Yes tomorrow marks the onslaught of putrid pink things because you know breast cancer is so pink and frothy and light, right? Like fuzzy bunnies, Barbie, and cotton candy,right? I hate #pinktober. The world gets … Continue reading
how to tell people you have breast cancer
I am asked fairly often how I told people I had breast cancer. The simple answer is I just told people. I just had the inquiry come to me from a breast cancer charity I really respect, Living Beyond Breast … Continue reading
in tears at the goodness of inspirational women
Yes, as I write, I am indeed in tears. I am fine, don't worry, I just have been touched by the amazing women being honored by Living Beyond Breast Cancer. It is women like this who inspire me, and women like … Continue reading
something fabulous: being part new breast cancer survivor book
A long while ago my friend (and amazing writer) Nicki Boscia Durlester told me she was writing another book. Only this one would be different. It would not just be her journey through breast cancer, it would be the stories of … Continue reading


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There's something about Labour weekend that always makes me feel it's time to get growing. After lots of garden composting and seed raising it is a busy time in the outside garden. Plants that have been hardening off can go outside with a very reduced risk of frosts. We're not totally out of the frost danger yet but we've replaced the frost cloth with bug netting on the raised beds. We've even had to use the irrigation system to water this week after a blessed break from the constant rain. Looking at the forecast I'm not getting excited – just quietly optimistic for spring. It's hard not to get optimistic when you watch the spring growth and listen to the birds dawn chorus.
England on a whirlwind
After an exciting time in England with family and friends we're now fully back into the swing of the shop and spring. England is in the middle of autumn and things are being harvested, cleared and dying down. I wasn't fully appreciative of how much everything grows in early spring but the yard has changed beyond belief and the contrast with the late autumn English gardens is quite marked. The hanging baskets look gorgeous and are a real credit to Heather's enthusiasm for all things green.
Heather has harvested the potatoes we planted on the 11th of July to make room for the tomatoes and we're running out of space to put everything. Zuccini are the plant of the month. We're harvesting these already and the triffids are overtaking the back of the greenhouse. Brett has been tasked with putting some new macracarpa beds into the yard to accomodate the masses of seedlings we've grown … amongst the other 101 things he needs to do.
Amongst the castles we managed to squeeze in visits to gardens and of course our suppliers Autopot and Garland. Autopot was very inspiring. What they can achieve in their grow room above the warehouse is truly inspiring. This has given Brett and I grand schemes for the shop for the future so we can show what you can achieve with the Autopot range. Jason and Dan were very generous with their time and we are now armed with more knowledge and new products arriving to show both hydroponic growers and the home gardener in the self-watering range.
By the end of the morning our brains were packed to capacity and then we were wowed by the grow room upstairs above the offices. I have never seen a quinoa plant before. In fact we had only just learnt to pronounce it correctly, Key-no-a but there Jason has 9 healthy plants in the new 9xl Autopot tray. They had been planted only 6 weeks before and were already shoulder height. They were growing in a soil/perlite mix and as you can see from the photo incredibly healthy.
There are about 6 different types of basil growing including my favorite the Thai basil and the scent of these were divine. Jason shared his favourite recipe for roasted tomato soup.
Gather tomatoes and basil. Tear the basil in a roasting dish and cover with the tomatoes. Roast until the tomatoes are soft then let it cool. Once cooked push through a sieve or moolie. Reheat and serve with a dash of sour cream or fresh cream fraiche – I think that was it. Sounds good to me!
Turning around in the grow room there were a dozen different type of tomatoes. From red and yellow cherry varieties, the black indigo rose and many standard beefsteak looking varieties. All climbing for the ceiling. I've often heard about dropping the stem of the tomato plant as it grows to give easier harvesting and longer life of the plant but this was the first time I have seen it in action. When I have tried this I generally end up breaking the stem. These stems were wound along side the base of the pot and the string was attached to a kind of fishing rod reel that could be lengthened easily. Definitely going to try that!
I had a serious case of grow room envy. The setup with the lights and misters for humidity were very impressive but has me thinking that anyone can turn an unused corner into an effective grow space. After spending $5 for a single red pepper this winter, let's see if we can achieve some independence from the supermarket, not just when our garden produces but also in the off season. Watch this space.
Garland were an incredible eyeopener and showed us exactly where / how the pots are manufactured. From the plastic pebbles that are melted through to the finished Autopot product. Of course, we saw more items that we just must order to complement our range of products – including their largest heated propagator yet and one-meter square trays that are idea for the grow tents.
The garden that inspired me the most was a working garden at a place called "Hampton Court". No not the royal Hampton court but a little manor just out of Ludlow. They claim they were the first of that name but as you look at a map of England there are quite a few "Hampton" villages around.
This garden had the most awesome compost bins that I am definitely copying in my garden at home. They had put together a square of tree branch trimmings from the winter pruning. During the year they then fill these with the layers of autumn leaves, weeding, manures and anything else that goes into compost until a year later they are full. They then leave these for the winter. When they need compost for the garden bed they finally take the branches away spread the lovely rich compost over the bed they created them in. The gardener there confided to me that she was a bit too keen and put two of these in one bed but now that bed is overflowing so she's going to have to barrow out one of the stacks. What a lovely position to be in – where you have too much compost! Definitely more on the gardens in the posts to come.
And the winner is …
Our Kings seed competition was won by Karen Adams of Otaki Beach. We had a fantastic response to this competition with entries overflowing the box. A big thank you to Kings Seed for their generous support of our little shop and our amazing gardeners.
October and November special
I was very pleased with the response to the September special of the Super Seven Propagator and free bag of seed raising mix.
Until the end of November, to help you get growing, we will be offering in store an Easy to Grow starter kit (Recommended retail $99) for $85.00. This is the basic Autopot module consisting of 2 x 8.5 Litre green pots in a twin watering tray with all the plumbing and a 47L reservoir. The starter kit comes with 15 L bag of coco fiber and a 1 litre bottle of general nutrient so all you need to add is a plant and you're away. The Autopot can be used with potting mix, coco fiber, clay balls or any growing medium you prefer. It can be used with or without nutrient salts. Autopot self-watering system takes the guesswork out of the plant watering.
Heathers corner
We all know a non-gardener, that person who says I can't grow anything except weeds! I recently met an old friend who promptly told me he never gardened, couldn't grow a thing. People who say that need to be convinced that gardening is good, good for their health and good for their soul. It can even be good for the budget when growing your own food. Send those non-gardeners along here to talk to us. We love convincing people they can do it and do it well. Gardening doesn't have to be a science, it doesn't have to be complicated, and in fact it can be really easy. I suggest start small and watch what success you have, it's really rewarding to have grown what goes on your plate.
We have many options for new gardeners to get growing for the first time and of course the rest of us who know how rewarding it is to grow. We have our trusted Autopots all planted and growing now. We are trialing different growing mediums and looking forward to the results. Have a look and talk to us about it when you are here. Autopots are so easy to use and they are very successful. Of course, we have all our tried and trusted composts and organic fertilizers for growing in a regular garden. Get a good base and you can grow more than weeds. Try it this weekend and reap the rewards.


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Release Date:
Feb. 21, 2018
Release Date:
June 1, 2020
Supported databases:
Our DBConvert for MS Excel and MSSQL is an application designed for converting
Microsoft Excel spreadsheets into Microsoft
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By: Joelle Charbonneau
The age of computers and the internet is a wonderful thing. Facebook and Twitter, blogs and e-mail allow us to keep in touch with friends and family in way that weren't possible before. I, for one, am thrilled because I'm pretty bad at writing letters. Well, actually the writing part I did pretty well. I sat down with stationary, got out my pink (or green or chartreuse) pen and started scribbling. Sadly, unless I'm being really careful, my penmanship looks a lot more like I went to school to be a doctor than a singer.
Still, I was great at putting pen to paper and writing line after line of chat. When I was done, I'd happily put the paper in the envelope, print the name of the lucky recipient on the front and put it to the side with the intention of digging out my friend's address and mailing it the next day. Only, the next day never seemed to come. At least, not for the letter. The poor thing would sit there like an abandoned toy. Waiting for someone to put it to use. When I finally did remember that I was supposed to send the letter, several weeks or months had passed which meant I needed to write the thing all over again because my news was outdated.
Yep. I was the person that e-mail was created for. Sit down. Type out a message. Hit send. No street address or stamp required. Hurrah! Let us all worship at the altar of technology.
Or not.
While I understand e-mail and mostly get how Facebook, Twitter and this blog work (I say mostly because much to my dismay the internet elves keeping changing the rules on those programs) there are certain pieces of technology that have me baffled. With the upcoming release of MURDER FOR CHOIR, I was encouraged by those who are smarter than I am to put some clips of my singing up on YouTube. They reasoned that since my amateur sleuth is a classically trained singer, it might be nice for the internet using public to see where I got some of my inspiration from. Since everyone I talked to said it would be easy to pull some clips off of a DVD and stick them up on YouTube, I agreed to take a whack at it.
And another whack at it.
And another.
So much for easy.
I guess one person's easy is another person's tension headache.
However, despite the headache, seven or eight hours of shaking my head at the computer screen and a bunch of reboots later – I am happy to report that perseverance and dumb luck won out.
Of course, now that I am sitting back basking in the glow of my accomplishment (which I am not sure I know how to repeat) I am wondering – what types of technology have you struggled with that everyone else claims is easy? Please share!
Oh – and in case you are interested…here is one of the videos I managed to upload. Here is hoping that it works!


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Notts County are diverse football club, which fans across the world in most countries! We are fortunate to have so many fans, we even topped the EFL's "Stand Up & Be Counted" initiative which shows how much of a diverse club we are. It is fantastic to know, we have many fans!
Here is our list of connected branches across the world, we've discovered, this list is ever growing! To add your fan website to our list, please email [email protected]


text: Widowed people know how to party. After all, we are the same silly, wild, funny people who fell in love, got married, and started families. When we lost our spouses, with them went much of the fun we used to have. We have been sidelined by grief, but we are still very much alive inside. It was powerful to be with 150 people who have at one time cried like I cried, curled on the floor in desperation, and believed that we would never stand again. Yet we all still stood. What connected us was not death, but it was having had to consciously decide to live. Widow is a huge word, laden with awkward pauses and apologies. This weekend the tragedy of individual death-stories almost cancelled each other out. We were all equals in grief, and everyone, "got it." I felt… normal. I love these people now, because over these years we shared the most intimate and profound of life experiences. Because through it we found strength we didn't know we had. Because we have honored our partners in death as we did in life. And because we found a way to forget our troubles for a few hours, and just live. They must be so proud of us. Who would have guessed that it would take a widows conference to enable me to stop feeling like a widow?


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The Board of Directors of the Anglers of the Au Sable meet four times a year. All meetings are held in the Board Room at Gates Au Sable Lodge unless otherwise published. Start time is 10 am. Members are welcome, but please contact the Anglers secretary ahead of time to ensure room for all.
Next Meetings:
Feb 10, 2018
June 2, 2018
September 9, 2018
December 1, 2018


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download (right-click and Save as…)
The idiotplayers podcast is a caravanserai of conversations with important thinkers, be-ers and doers. The idiotplayers podcast aims to explore art, creativity and expression. If there is an elephant standing in the dark, as the Sufi story goes, we want to do more than grope and theorize. We invite conversations with people who aim from the heart to make practical, the far-reaching.
The idiotplayers welcome George Bennett to the conversation caravanserai. In our conversation George speaks about his years growing up at Coombe Springs. Coombe Springs was an experimental community started by his father John G. Bennett in Surrey, England. It was experimental in the sense that JG Bennett took a widely experimental approach to what a spiritual life might be in the post-nuclear age. He invited from all over the world people who had learned something of value about themselves, consciousness and love and could teach something of this to others.
He speaks practically about his experience as a teacher of the Movements, his work with children and adults and his professional life as a school teacher. It's an excellent visit together presented for the listener of the idiotplayers podcast. This is part 01 of the conversation recorded on Sunday, October 16, 2011.
George Bennett was born in 1951, and was raised at Coombe Springs, the experimental spiritual community led by his father, JG Bennett. The ideas and practices of GI Gurdjieff, Subud, the Shivapuri Baba and Idris Shah formed some of the background of his childhood. After gaining a bachelors degree in history, George attended the third basic course run by JG Bennett at Sherborne in Gloucestershire, England. These ten-month courses were designed to give people an experience of the reality of the spiritual life, establish practices and spiritual 'tools' that could be developed over a lifetime, and to impart a sense of the spiritual task that confronts every individual, and humanity as a whole.
After Sherborne, George completed a masters degree in US history and then spent seven years as an international truck driver, an occupation that took him to countries across Eastern and Western Europe, and the Middle East. In 1982, having given up his driving career, George spent some months in the USA, where a visit to George and Mary Cornelius, long-time students of JG Bennett, reconnected him to 'the Work' as expounded by Bennett and Gurdjieff. Subsequently, George attended several seminars at the Cornelius's institute in southern Oregon.
Working as a journalist in magazines specializing in trucks and transport, he learned the business of magazine publishing. He became editor of two magazines and, for a while, was responsible for the production of the market-leading 'Car' magazine in Britain. In 1990 George, with a business partner, bought the trucking titles he'd worked on from the Murdoch organization, and set up a small publishing company, which he co-owned for seven years before selling it in 1997. In 2001 George qualified as a school teacher and currently works as a 4th-6th grade teacher at The Village School, a small private elementary school set up twenty-two years ago by a group of Gurdjieff-Bennett students in Massachusetts, operating under the name Millers River Educational Cooperative (MREC).
Since the early 1990s, George has been involved in an international group running annual 'Work' seminars in the UK, and in 1994 he convened a conference at Claymont in West Virginia, on the twentieth anniversary of the death of JG Bennett. Some one hundred and fifty people attended the conference, mostly former students of Bennett who had taken his training as a point of departure, and had tried to develop their own understanding and methods of transmitting the ideas and practices of Bennett and Gurdjieff.
George currently helps to run a group in Boston, Massachusetts, but he remains convinced of the value of longer courses, to give people sustained experience of practical and spiritual work together. To that end he, with a small group including Elan Sicroff, the foremost specialist in the music of Gurdjieff and Thomas de Hartmann, initiated an experimental fourteen-week course in the fall of 2006 at Camp Caravan, a facility owned by MREC. This course was followed by a six-week 'Intensive' in the summer of 2010.
While it became clear that longer courses continue to have a real value, it is also apparent that people find it much harder than they did forty years ago to take a long period away from work or studies. As a result George, with a small group of collaborators, is currently experimenting with a series of shorter, 'modular' courses on specific aspects of the Work. The first of these two-week courses will be held at Camp Caravan in July of 2012. For further information, contact George on firstname.lastname@example.com.
Show Notes
jgbennett.net, Coombe Springs, Shivapuri Baba, Pak Subud, Sherborne House, the medium of hope, Millers River Educational Cooperative MREC http://www.campcaravan.org/, Claymont Court, the Gurdjieff Movements, Gurdjieff's ideas of objective art, Number 17 (Gurdjieff Movement), The Village School, experience with children learning the Gurdjieff Movements, jgbennett.net, Diane Cilento, Robert Fripp.
Music by the idiotplayers urgent carnival and advice to the drunk at heart.


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When I began this blog, a large part of my intention was to get some information about British pen brands out onto the Web. Our American colleagues have been much more successful in making brand information available online than we have on this side of the Atlantic. All the US major brands are very well covered and there are many sites devoted to lesser manufacturers. If you want to know about a Wearever, you can find quite a bit of information. If your interest is in a Nova, you can pretty well forget it. Sadly, for the Nova, I can't add a thing to the sum total of human knowledge; it's a total mystery to me, but I have managed to at least put together a few words about some of the other minor brands.
It is a sad fact that for British pens we only have two authoritative sites. For Conway Stewart there is the late lamented Jonathan Donahaye's superb list: http://jonathandonahaye.conwaystewart.info/
The Parker pens made at Newhaven are well covered in Tony Fischier's wonderful Parker site:
That's more or less it. If you want comprehensive web-based information on such industry giants as De La Rue, Mabie Todd, Burnham or Mentmore – never mind the host of smaller firms – you won't find it. Why should that be? Why are we so far behind in celebrating our great fountain pen industry online?
I'm sure there are many reasons. It's not that the information isn't available. It is, but it's locked up in an earlier paradigm of hobby activity: the magazine. I hesitate to be critical of The Writing Equipment Society, an estimable organisation much loved by a large and wide membership. The best British research and writing on pens goes into their magazine, and there it sits, in dead print. The only way to access the wealth of knowledge that the WES has accrued over the years would be to buy all the back issues, an impossibly expensive exercise. How much better served would we all be if that treasure-house of knowledge was web-based!
I cannot compete with the historical rigour of Donahaye or Fischier, nor with the breadth and depth of scholarship in the WES Journal, but I am not discouraged. I am no historian but I have maintained an interest in fountain pens for several decades. It would be nice if I could cite sound sources for every statement I make, but usually I can't. The snippets of information I string together about the various pen manufacturers come in part from my reading, but much more from the pens themselves and from discussions with other collectors and repairers. I try to be accurate but sometimes I have to speculate, though I try to do so responsibly. In the end, if what I have written here will give someone a clue about their recently-acquired old pen I am satisfied. If my statements give rise to discussion that furthers our knowledge, I will be delighted.


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Just a quick note to say that the class of 2001 is having their 15-year reunion this May 20-22 in Natchitoches, LA. I wanted to update everyone about our Class of 2001 15-year reunion plans for this May – looking forward to seeing many of you in Natchitoches the weekend of May 20-22 to reconnect with old friends! Dates: May… Read more →
Category: Featured
New Director of Finance and Operations – John Allen
What were you doing professionally prior to joining the staff at LSMSA? Prior to joining LSMSA I was a senior budget analyst with the federal government for nearly eight years. I managed multi-million dollar public building budgets with the US General Services Administration in Chicago. In that role coordinated six budget analysts; trained other federal employees on governmental budget/finance; integrated… Read more →
LSMSA Gets Healthy
As you may have heard, the LSMSA Digital Media class has entered in to the Rapides Foundation's "Get Healthy Cenla" Video Challenge. Cenla area schools are competing for a $10,000 prize, and a chance to have their 30-second commercial air on TV to help promote healthy lifestyles. View LSMSA's commercial and cast your vote at http://bit.ly/LSMSAgethealthy. You can cast one… Read more →
LSMSA Reunion Weekend 2011
Registration is now open for LSMSA Reunion Weekend 2011! Class of 1986 25-Year Reunion tickets Class of 1991 20-Year Reunion ticket Class of 2001 10-Year Reunion tickets All Other Alumni tickets Read more →
Class of 2001 Polls
We have two polls that you should vote on (vote by viewing the full post) : [poll id="1″] Following the loss of our fellow classmate and dear friend George Rodriguez, our class gift will now be donated to the Foundation in George's name. The Foundation will contact the Rodriguez family, who will decide to where the money should go at… Read more →
Lodging Information
Book your hotel early! Hotel blocks are available at the following hotels. Hampton Inn – (318) 354-0010 Best Western – (318) 352-6655 Holiday Inn Express – (318) 354-9911 Mention "LA School Reunion" when booking. A full list of lodging options is available at Natchitoches.net. Read more →
This site is meant to be shared
In rare form, I will be writing this post in my own words. I created this site in hopes to unify the fractured way that information about LSMSA spreads (e.g. Facebook groups, fan pages, personal profiles, etc.). There are many ways to keep up to date (currently four, well five if you count the calendars). I will outline what those… Read more →
LSMSA 10-year Reunion
The Class of 2001 reunion is almost here, and we've got a great weekend planned for all. On Friday night, our class will be gathering at Merci Beaucoup near Front Street to kick off the weekend with a casual gathering. Food and cash bar will be provided. Saturday will be a busy day with a full-day of alumni events including… Read more →
LSMSA On The Road
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. When you came to LSMSA, you personalized Robert Frost's lines, and undoubtedly, there have been many more path choices. LSMSA alumni have traveled roads to every corner of our state, our nation, and our globe and now… Read more →


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About NLR
NLR is an international Non-Governmental Organisation that has been one of the major change-makers in the fight against leprosy in the past 50 years.
Until No Leprosy Remains
We are known as people who keep going until breakthroughs are ready to be implemented. A recent, major breakthrough provides hope: stopping leprosy is within reach. It takes joint effort for the next two decades but we have the ambition to continue until No Leprosy Remains.
What we have achieved last year
People received a single dose of rifampicin
People were trained on Leprosy
Self-care groups were supported
Disabled people Organisations (DPOs) received assistance
People were provided with assistive devices
New leprosy cases diagnosed and treated
Children received financial support for education
People were informed and educated on leprosy to raise awareness
The history of NLR
Our founders Mr Dick Leiker and Mrs Ciska Anten founded Netherlands Leprosy Relief on 30 March 1967. Ever since that day, we have been working towards a world free of leprosy and social exclusion due to disabilities. Read what inspired our founders back then, and what inspires us today.
Page links
News articles
An overview of NLR's most recent news articles
Annual Reports
What we have achieved on a year-by-year basis
Supervisory board
Learn more about the supervisory board that oversees NLR
Remuneration policy
How do we remunerate our Executive Director?
Can your competencies serve the fight against leprosy?
Our international partnerships
Collaboration is vital to keep the fight against leprosy high on the agenda. That's why we work closely with other organisations and team up in international networks. Find out how our partnerships add up to a single vision: a world free of leprosy and social exclusion due to disabilities.


text: In the last few decades, modern cars have come in two transmission options - namely manual and automatic. While deciding what type of car to get may seem like a simple decision, there are still various factors to consider.Here are the major differences you should keep in mind when deciding whether which option is best for you. Now that you know the difference between manual and automatic transmission, why not head over to AutoTrader and select your next car? AutoTrader South Africa has been the leading media market space for the past 25 years for buying and selling vehicles. Whether you are looking to buy a brand new car or are in the market for a pre-loved model, AutoTrader has over 71 000 cars to choose from! Find your ideal car on AutoTrader.


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Cold Weather is Hard on Pets Too!
Keep Your Pet Safe in Cold Weather!
It's as important to keep your pet safe in cold weather as it is during hot. Cold weather can be especially hard on pets with existing medical conditions, especially arthritis. Your pet should be examined by a veterinarian at least once a year. Winter may be a good time for the exam, making sure your pet is as healthy as possible during cold weather.
Your pets should be kept inside during cold weather. Many people believe long haired or thick coated dogs and cats are more tolerant of the cold. However, they are still susceptible to frostbite. If you're not sure how tolerant your pet is to low temperatures, contact your veterinarian.
Pets with diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, or hormonal imbalances (such as Cushing's) may have a difficult time adjusting to cold temperatures.
Ice and snow are hard on your dog's paws, so check them regularly. There are some over the counter treatments that help protect paws. You can also reduce the ice ball accumulation by clipping the hair between your dog's toes.
During the winter your pets are also exposed to deicers, antifreeze, and other chemicals. Be sure to wipe off (or wash) your pet's paws, legs, and belly after walks.
Pets often get lost during the winter as snow and ice can hide the scents they use to find their way home. Be sure to keep collar identification tags up to date. Microchips can provide a more permanent form of identification.
We all know that leaving pets in hot cars can be deadly. Cold cars can be just as bad.
Warm car engines often attract cold cats. Make some noise, check under the hood, or honk the horn before starting your engine. This will discourage feline hitchhikers and may save a pets life.
If you have any questions about cold weather care for your pets, call us at 800 204-8007.


text: On Wed, Jan 06, 1999 at 10:36:14AM -0500, Steve Dunham wrote: > > When you make these changes to dpkg, try to find a way to deal with > platforms that handle two different architectures. (e.g. UltraSparc > machines handle sparc and sparc64, intel machines handle i386 and the > proposed i586 distributions.) It would be nice to build and install > packages for both architectures on these machines. Wait a minute. I feel there are two different issues here. You mean maintaining a tree of allowed install-architectures for a package, right? For example: i386 < i486 < pentium-optimized sparc < ultrasparc This would require more changes than I would like to do, but I already localized the source line where the check is done. I don't think it would be too hard to parse a configuration file or a header file to do this, but: I just don't feel like hacking dpkg yet, it's too difficult for me (I am not very experienced in C programming, although in programming in general and I know the language). The dpkg has a lot of internal structures and procedures (for example for error recovery), which are far beyond my knowledge of it. I think we need to addresse this isues (especially because the hurd will have binary compatibility with Linux, and we will be able to use i386 packages!), but it goes beyond my changes for the Hurd architecture. Now to the building. Wouldn't building sparc packages on the ultrasparc be just "cross compiling"? Then my proposal would already cover that. You would make dpkg (or a wrapper) report the correct values for target and build architectures and os's, and you should be done. If I misunderstood you, let me know. > Also, I have a question about Debian HURD. What are you going to do > about filesystem layout? Most of our packages configure and install > files according the Linux Filesystem Standard, but it is my > understanding that the HURD proposes to use a vastly different > (flatter) filesystem layout. Is Debian HURD going to match Debian > Linux or other HURD systems? Will you have to change every package? Well, the Hurd will have the feature (or has it already, dunno), to mount several filesystems in the same place (while under Linux one mount target hides the underlying filesystem), so the conventional split in root and /usr is not necessary on the Hurd (you can split your data over multiple partitions without that). At least this is how I understood it. Therefore, we have a link /usr -> /. This is the only thing we changed. We try not to change the Debian packages. This way, we get the best of both worlds (until we get the first overrides problems :) Debian GNU/Hurd will look the same as Linux. Not 100%, but 95%. Later we can see if the Hurd's features can be exploited in a better way. Marcus -- "Rhubarb is no Egyptian god." Debian GNU/Linux finger brinkmd@ Marcus Brinkmann http://www.debian.org master.debian.org firstname.lastname@example.com for public PGP Key http://homepage.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/Marcus.Brinkmann/ PGP Key ID 36E7CD09


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DAIRON establishments are created by Mr Dairon in France. It's main purpose back then was to build farm machinery for harvesting.
–1960 to 1971–
Production expanded to include a new range of rotary hoes, which were the first machines to bear the name RotaDairon.
Creating the perfect seed bed in just one pass
Rotadairon offers their Soil Renovators for the perfect seed bed in one pass. With reverse rotation blades, screening rods, grader blade and packer roller they are able to perform several functions at once. With several sized machines capable of working depths from 5″ to over 12″, the Soil Renovators provide a firm, level and clean finish to the seed bed. The screening rods are the secret that allows the machine to sort and bury material. These rods bury about 30 tons of stoners per hour making them ideal for seed bed preparation.