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Home / Articles / Chicago's Special Election is a Waste: Fill Vacancies in One Election, Not Two
Chicago's Special Election is a Waste: Fill Vacancies in One Election, Not Two
Dan Johnson-Weinberger // Published April 7, 2009 in Huffington Post
Former FairVote analyst Dan Johnson-Weinberger says Illinois should fill vacant house seats in a single election. Among his proposed solutions is instant runoff voting.
Today's special general election between Mike Quigley, Rosanna Pulido and Matt Reichel is a waste of time, money and resources. Taxpayers will shell out almost two million dollars to hold an election in the state's 5th Congressional District with only three names on the ballot. And the result of the election - the Democratic nominee is going to win - has been a foregone conclusion for a month.
The seat has been vacant since January. Meanwhile, during the debate on the federal stimulus and budget, the 600,000 people of the 5th CD have been without a voice in the House. That's not good, because we have literally lost our seat at the congressional table while federal policy is made. Our election laws should fill a vacancy as quickly as possible to minimize the loss of our political clout.
In this case, the people spoke clearly last month in the primary election: they want a Democrat to represent them in the House.
Look at the numbers from the March 3rd primary: Mike Quigley, Democrat, earned 12,118 votes. Rosanna Pulido, Republican, earned 1,006 while Matt Reichel, Green, earned 166. That's 91% for Quigley, 8% for Pulido and 1% for Reichel. That's a landslide. So why are we going through the motion of another election today between these three people when Quigley has already earned 91% of the vote last month? Why can't we give the people what they already voted for?
Illinois should fill a congressional vacancy in one election, not two, particularly when the results are so clear. There are several ways to do it. We could replicate Chicago's municipal elections where there is a runoff only if no candidate earns a majority of the vote. We could count a vote in the primary election as a straight ticket vote in the general election for whoever the nominee will be. Or we could use Irish-style instant runoff voting where voters rank all the candidates.
But whatever the method, we should absolutely not continue to waste two million dollars and minimize our own clout by waiting a month to finally elect a Representative in a second election when we could get the job done in one day.
Dan Johnson-Weinberger is an attorney. He lobbies for election reforms for FairVote.
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Alice Cooper, Slash, Joe Perry Appear in New ‘Rock Camp, The Movie’ Documentary
Alice Cooper – Story by Cat Badra, photo by Anne Erickson
“Rock Camp, The Movie” will tell the story of the longstanding Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp, which has brought fans together with their favorite rock stars since 1996
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp has been going strong since 1996, offering an interactive musical experience that brings together legendary musicians with budding players. Now, the camp is the focus of a new documentary, which looks at how the event has enabled fans to jam with some of the biggest names in rock and metal music, including Alice Cooper, Roger Daltrey, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS, Joe Perry of Aerosmith and more.
“Rock Camp, The Movie,” tells the story of how music producer David Fishof started Rock ‘n Roll Fantasy camp years ago and crafted it into a full-fledged enterprise. The storyline also follows four campers and their families as they experience the camp.
“Get a backstage pass into the inspiration behind Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp, follow four campers through their journey to shred with their heroes and see how they overcome their fears and transform their lives,” reads the show’s official description. “Rock stars remember their humble beginnings and reconnect with their love of music.”
The documentary features appearances from Daltrey, Cooper, Stanley, Simmons and Perry, as well as Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, Sammy Hagar, Slash of Guns N’ Roses, Jeff Beck, Nancy Wilson of Heart and Judas Priest, among others. Doug Blush directed and produced “Rock Camp, The Movie,” who worked on the award-winning “20 Feet from Stardom” documentary, chronicling the lives of background singers.
The movie is being screened in some unique ways, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and restrictions. To watch, movie-goers will be able to purchase a ticket at select movie theater websites starting Friday (Jan. 15) and partake in a “virtual cinema” experience, in which they’ll watch the show on that movie theater’s website. On Jan. 22, the show will be screened in a handful of actual theaters. On Feb. 16, “Rock Camp, The Movie,” will be available via streaming platforms, cable and other digital platforms.
Posted by Cat Badra | Music, Rock, Rock News
Alice Cooper, Winger, Great White and More Set for Operation Monster Beach Event
Alice Cooper Releases Velvet Underground Cover, ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll,’ Off Upcoming ‘Detroit Stories’ Album
Alice Cooper to Reunite with Original Band at Christmas Pudding Charity Concert
Halloween Songs: Rob Zombie, Judas Priest, Motley Crue + More Make Alice Cooper’s Playlist
Dirty Honey Guitarist John Notto on Touring with Slash, ‘When I’m Gone’ + More
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Animal Education Foundation
Membership – Animal Education Foundation
The Importance of Sponsors and Donors to Animal Education Foundations
No matter what the charity, financial donors and sponsors are essential for the many groups that exist today to help those in need. There never seems to be enough funding available to combat ongoing concerns, whether animal or human-related, so donations are critical. Even though some organizations have an easier time than others in generating donations, fundraising is never easy. With hundreds of different aid groups and charities that exist in support of everything from cancer research to autism, rainforest depletion to animal cruelty, it is no wonder how many times animal welfare organizations come up short as people’s charity dollars end up donated elsewhere.
Animal Welfare Causes – Who Are the Typical Donors?
Most animal lovers give to favorite animal welfare causes if and when they can (though this is becoming harder as economic factors worsen). It is these individual donations – whether $1 or $1000 – that add up to become the lifeblood that keep smaller organizations “in business”, so to speak, though there are no actual profits to be made. The only “profits” are monies raised above and beyond operational costs, which are then turned around and used to extend service elsewhere. It is a never-ending cycle of fundraising and donation depletion.
Animal Education Foundation Sponsors – Sponsorship on Two Levels
Though these smaller animal welfare groups – and even some research and animal medical organizations – cannot survive without the individual donations made by the average person, other means of funding is essential. These methods frequently include sponsorships, grants and charitable gifts from companies, families and individual philanthropists themselves. This is also the basis on which most animal foundations are built: large donations and sponsorships coming from larger wallets, which are then used to sponsor smaller, deserving efforts.
Most, if not all, animal foundations are started by philanthropists for one reason, and one reason only – to express a concern for animals, and a deep desire to help. Their love of a special pet, or their feelings about cruelty, euthanasia or even habitat destruction has inspired them to put their effort – and their money – toward bringing together other like-minded people to make a difference. For those who cannot get involved in other ways, giving money is the best way they can help, and it feels good, too. This is why many affluent people donate – to make a difference in a way that they can. It is even sometimes considered to increase status in certain social circles if someone makes a sizable contribution to a specific foundation. However, status symbol or no, it is these sponsors who help spread the notoriety of certain foundations, which in turn increases awareness, and secondary donations to both the foundation fund itself, and to its sponsored charities.
Corporate, Estate and Family Donors and Sponsors
It is generally beneficial for large companies and very wealthy families alike to be seen in the public eye as giving back to their community. For this reason it is common to see big brand names associated with some animal foundations, such as Hill’s pet food company and its support of the Morris Animal Foundation, and VISA’s support of the World Wildlife Fund. With these types of sponsorships, and even those from businesses which are not as big, companies and individuals of note are seen as caring about the causes at hand, and sharing some of their wealth to see a foundation achieve its goals. Many individual donations can follow, simply because of the association of a trusted name.
Other types of donors that animal foundations typically attract include family sponsors and estate donors. Family sponsorships involve a regular, timely donation of an agreed amount that is sent on behalf of a family, something that has become a popular way to donate. Many financial planners will suggest this to families as a way to donate to their worthy foundation of choice, while obtaining certain tax time benefits. Additionally, estate donations – in which a deceased person’s worth of estate has been willed for donation – is sent, providing a true meaning to “leaving an estate to the dogs”. For many though, this is where they feel their money will be most appreciated and best used.
Regardless of how donations are received, the important part is that people continue to support an animal education foundation that provides grants and funding to animal welfare. For a list of animal foundations to donate to, and the grants that they offer toward animal welfare, visit http://www.animalgrantmakers.org/
Celebrities Supporting Charities Dealing With Animals
Contain-A-Pet
Doris Day Animal Foundation
Wild Animal Photographs
World Animal Foundation
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Title: Through Ninety Years, 1826-1916: Life and Work Among the Maoris in New Zealand: Notes of the Lives of William and William Leonard Williams, First and Third Bishops of Waiapu
Author: Frederic Wanklyn Williams
Publication details: Whitcombe and Tombs Limited, Auckland
Through Ninety Years
Te Aute Trust Estate and College and Hukarere School
In the thirty-third Chapter mention has been made of the progress of the Te Aute College and Hukarere Maori Girls' School up to 1890. As these schools occupied Bishop Williams's attention during his later years, some further reference to them will not be out of place.
The trustees of the Te Aute School property had arranged with Archdeacon Samuel Williams to farm and develop it. As the place was gradually improved he paid page 348 them an agreed rent increasing from time to time. This rent was revised again in 1902 and based on expert valuation at a rent ten per cent higher.
The lease was granted for a term of years. The Archdeacon was thus enabled to carry on improvements to the property.
His continued liberality had enabled the trustees in the past to make several additions and improvements to the Hukarere School from time to time. It had already been arranged in 1892 that the Te Aute Trust property should from its income contribute to the maintenance of the Hukarere Maori Girls' School as well as the Te Aute College.
Miss Minton continued as matron for a number of years, and Miss Down as teacher was assisted for various periods by Misses Webb, Prentice and L. Down. In 1899 Miss J. Bulstrode from England was appointed principal. Two years later her sister, Miss E. M. Bulstrode, joined her as head teacher. These two ladies gave a splendid record of service to the school and its pupils.
The Hukarere School was mysteriously burned to the ground with all its contents early on October 21st, 1910, happily without any loss of life. The girls had, however, to be sent to their homes until after the Christmas holidays.
The trustees promptly decided that the school must be rebuilt on a more roomy site. For this they were able to secure the lease of suitable sections on Napier Terrace from the trustees of the Hawke's Bay Church Trust. They were also able to secure from the same trustees other premises on Burlington and Selwyn Roads as temporary quarters for the school use. These buildings were then adapted for the school and furnished. Here a school to accommodate fifty-five was reopened in February, 1911.
Plans were prepared and a contract let to build the new school in camerated concrete. This was to provide fifty per cent more room than its predecessor.
The old school site was leased to tenants as building sites, with a right of renewal on revaluation.
The amount recovered from the insurance of the old school was quite inadequate for the rebuilding. It was therefore decided to appeal for assistance from all friends and sympathisers, both Maori and European.
The Governor-General, Lord Islington, laid the foundation of the present Hukarere Maori Girls' School on September 30th, 1911. This was carried out with an appropriate ceremony, and gifts to a substantial sum were handed in.
After considerable delay the contract was finally completed. The Misses Bulstrode and their family of girls moved into their new quarters on July 18th, 1912. A formal opening ceremony was held on October 22nd.
During Mr. John Thornton's long term of thirty-four years as head master of Te Aute he had as assistants for varying periods Messrs. Winkleman, Jardine, Webb, Cato and others. Mr. Thornton had a breakdown and serious illness in June, 1912. He did not recover and sent in his resignation which was accepted. Mr. Thornton passed away on July 4th, 1914.
The Rev. J. A. McNickle was appointed head master of Te Aute College on October 21st, 1912. Mr. Cato who was second master under Mr. Thornton continued to fill the post for a time, but had to resign on account of ill health in June, 1915. A Mr. F. W. Christian had taken Mr. Cato's place temporarily. Mr. Brandon was also a teacher in 1915. Mr. O'Sullivan was appointed in 1915, and a Mr. Bannatyne in 1916. During the period of the Great War the trustees had great difficulty in maintaining their staff of assistants. This threw a great burden on Mr. McNickle.
After the death of Archdeacon S. Williams in 1907 his executors continued to work the Te Aute land and fulfil the terms of the lease until it expired. Anticipating this expiry the dispersal sale of the well-known stud herd of Shorthorn cattle was held in April, 1915.
As the development of the Te Aute land was then sufficiently complete, the trustees decided to form roads and subdivide the property into twenty-three farms, and page 350 offer them for lease by tender in January, 1916, with the right of renewal on revaluation.
A block of nearly eight hundred acres was not included in these farms, but provided the College Farm where the students could receive technical instruction and several residential sites to be let. These and the farms were all soon occupied and yielded a most satisfactory rental.
In October, 1877, the late Sir Douglas Maclean established the Te Makarini Trust and endowed it with £3,000 in memory of his late father, Sir Donald Maclean. The income from this has since provided annually a series of scholarships for many students at Te Aute College.
In 1908 a legacy of £1,000 from the late Sir Walter Buller was handed to the Te Aute Trustees for investment, the income from which was to provide for a scholarship for students at Te Aute College.
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Buffalo in the ’20s: YMCA branch was heart of black community
Between the world wars, there was no greater unifier of Buffalo’s growing black population than the Michigan Avenue YMCA.
As late as 1920, unique circumstances made gathering as a community in a single space difficult. Overt racism made many civic gathering places, and most private ones, off limits. In other marginalized and immigrant communities within Buffalo, a place of worship also acted as a place of assembly for non-religious activities – but unlike the Irish, Polish, Italian and Jewish populations, there wasn’t necessarily a unifying current among the many different churches of the larger African-American community.
The organization of a YMCA branch specifically for Buffalo’s black men and boys started in 1924. By 1927, $225,000 had been raised and plans were drawn up for the building by John Edmonston Brent. He was one of the founding members of the branch, as well as Buffalo’s first black architect. Brent would go on to work for the City of Buffalo, where his design work remains on display, most notably along the gates and fences of the Buffalo Zoo.
On April 15, 1928, the new building was dedicated in “devotion to the uplift and advancement” of the 10,000 members of the black community it served.
Aside from the 20-by-60-foot swimming pool and gymnasium, the building boasted a barber shop in the basement, a lounge for men fronting Michigan Avenue, and a lounge for boys on the side of the building. The second floor was filled with classrooms, club rooms, a cafeteria and a women’s area. The third and fourth floors were dormitories with room for 70 men.
More than just a club, the Michigan Avenue YMCA became the heart of the community. Famous speakers, performers and human rights activists such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Count Basie and a young Jim Brown all visited the building.
William “Pops” Jackson (left) began running a YMCA program for Buffalo’s black population in 1923. He oversaw the building of the Michigan Avenue building. When he retired in 1947, he was widely acclaimed as the driving force behind the YMCA and much of the good happening in Buffalo’s black community. (Buffalo Stories archives)
Perhaps more importantly, the building was home to fostering ideas and a sense of purpose from within the black community out to the rest of Western New York.
Following the appointment of the Rev. D Ormond Walker, pastor of Bethel AME Church, to Buffalo’s War Council in 1944, Michigan Avenue YMCA chapter president A.J. Smitherman felt that the YMCA had helping bring people together. He spoke about it at a Y gathering that included the fire commissioner, the Democratic Party chairman and the president of Western Savings Bank.
“It is gratifying that our people and other groups may mingle at ease on terms of human brotherhood and friendship. That’s the kind of unity and brotherhood the world is seeking and it is Buffalo’s answer to those bigots who would raise the red flag of race hatred.”
The Michigan Avenue YMCA building was torn down in 1977; the site remains a vacant lot just south of Sycamore.
Posted on January 16, 2017 March 24, 2017 Author Steve CichonCategories Buffalo Neighborhoods, Buffalo's Pop Culture HeritageTags African-American Buffalo, Michigan Ave, YMCA
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Cogent is one of the leading logistics providers of transportation management services in Singapore. From our humble beginnings operating a small fleet of trucks, we have since expanded our transport team tremendously to include over 100 prime movers and 400 trailers.
In 2012, Cogent successfully ventured into the property development and management business and became the master-tenant of the former Turf Club. Since then, Cogent has redeveloped and transformed this 1 million square foot state-property into a vibrant lifestyle hub named The Grandstand. Strategically located in the heart of Bukit Timah, with close proximity to the PIE, Dunearn Road and the upcoming Sixth Avenue MRT station, The Grandstand is the largest shopping and lifestyle hub at the heart of this prime district.
With over 3 million square feet of sporting facilities in and around its vicinity, The Grandstand (consisting 7-storey North Grandstand and 6-storey South Grandstand) offers an eclectic range of food and beverage concepts, a cluster of enrichment and activity centres for children, a host of retail outlets which includes a hypermarket, and Singapore's first farmers' market, comprising more than 35 independent gourmet grocers and specialty stores.
Another notable highlight within the compound is The Grandstand Car Mall. Covering a massive space of 450,000 square feet, it is one of the largest car marts in Singapore with over 150 car showrooms, 3,800 cars and 580 models!
Nestled within lush natural surroundings, The Grandstand aims to re-invent Singapore's shopping, dining and retail experience. It currently boasts a strong customer base made up of families and sports enthusiasts. It also offers pioneering brands a unique opportunity: direct access to a diverse mix of affluent local and expatriate residents within the surrounding locality.
It truly is the destination that's Out of Town In to Life.
For more information, please visit The Grandstand's website at www.thegrandstand.com.sg.
The Company's subsidiary, Harington Property Pte. Ltd. also owns office units in Suntec City, with a total floor area of 1,336 sqm.
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Aaron Hegert | Thayer's Concealing Coloration
Gerald H. Thayer (c1909), Male Ruffed Grouse in Forest
When the first edition of Concealing Coloration in the Animal Kingdom was published in 1909, the author of record was artist-naturalist Gerald H. Thayer. His father Abbott H. Thayer wrote the introduction, while also contributing heavily to every aspect of the book, which bore as its subtitle An Exposition of the Laws of Disguise Through Color and Pattern: Being a Summary of Abbott H. Thayer’s Discoveries.
Among the Thayers’ closest friends was the naturalist and wildlife artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes. In 1956, Fuertes’ daughter, Mary Fuertes Boynton•, recalled that Abbott Thayer “wanted people to see for themselves what he had discovered…He was constantly devising new means of persuasion: placing woodpecker skins upon photos of trees against sky, hanging papier-maché models of patterned oryx heads in trees, taking people into the wood to look for themselves at a mounted peacock concealed in bright sunlight” (p. 128).
Of the many persuasive images in Concealing Coloration, few are as accomplished as a small, intricate watercolor painting (reproduced facing p. 38) by the book’s author, the younger Thayer, of a Male Ruffed Grouse in the Forest. It epitomized what the Thayers believed was the only legitimate option for bird artists—the immersion of the subject in its natural setting, most easily accomplished by (in Abbott’s words) “making a background wholly out of the bird’s colors” (Boynton, p. 214). This led to painful letters between the Thayers and a distraught Fuertes, with the latter being pressured by publishers to paint clearly identifiable birds (in the subsequent handbook tradition), free of the clutter of backgrounds.
Gerald Thayer’s ruffed grouse painting, wrote Fuertes’ daughter, “is a wonderful work of art, perhaps greater than anything Louis ever did. He took six months to paint it (he painted very few pictures at all), and he never made that adjustment to the world that would insure a normal means of earning a living for his family. The advice he gave Louis was good, but Louis could not take it and live…[Abbott Thayer] made an Eden for his children that was not of the world, worldly, yet he left them ill equipped to live with that world, and without the financial means that would enable them to live without it” (p. 217).
Photos of mimetic holes (1909), Concealing Coloration
In a later section of Concealing Coloration, there is a wonderfully curious page [above] comprised of what the Thayers describe as “Bits of animals’ patterns, all representing holes… Among these are mingled reproductions of actual holes to show how close is the resemblance” (p. 159).
I was reminded of these pages from the Thayers' book when I was recently made aware of the work of Aaron Hegert, an American photographer who teaches at Whittier College in CA. Motivated in part by his interest in the Thayer demonstrations, Hegert has produced a camouflage-themed limited edition book (called Action, Time and Vision) of photographs and photographic experiments, some of which are “take-offs” on the images in Concealing Coloration. Of those, I was especially struck by a page spread [below] in which he has juxtaposed the two pages discussed in this blog post, the page of photographs of holes and his interesting revisionist look at Gerald Thayer’s ruffed grouse painting, in which the subject is even more greatly obscured by bringing in bits of the background.
Aaron Hegert (2014), spread from Action, Time and Vision
A selection of Hegert’s images are available online as is a preview of the book.
• See Mary Fuertes Boynton, Louis Agassiz Fuertes: His Life Briefly Told and His Correspondence (NY: Oxford University Press, 1956).
Labels: Abbott H. Thayer, animal camouflage, bird artists, blending, camo, camouflage, dazzle camouflage, disruptive coloration, embedded figure, photography, protective coloration, zoologists
Laura Levin on Camouflage & Performance Art
Above The dust jacket of a new important book: Laura Levin, Performing Ground: Space, Camouflage and the Art of Blending In. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. The following is an excerpt from its promotional text—
Performing Ground is the first book to explore camouflage as a performance practice, arguing that the act of blending into ones environment is central to the ways we negotiate our identities in and through space. Laura Levin tracks contemporary performances of camouflage through a variety of forms—performative photography; environmental, immersive, and site-specific performance; activist infiltration; and solo artworks—and rejects the conventional dismissal of blending in as an abdication of self. Instead, she contemplates the empowering political possibilities of "performing ground," of human bodies intermingling with the material world, while directly engaging with the reality that women and other marginalized persons are often relegated to the background and associated with the properties of space. Performing Ground engages these questions through the works of some of today's most exciting performance artists…
Labels: apparel, camo, camouflage, camouflage artists, camouflage clothing, costumes, dazzle camouflage, disguise, fashion, illusion, masquerade, metamorphosis, performance art, social camouflage, Women
Camouflage Skirts: A Sartorial Disaster
Rebecca Palmer (1884), Crazy Quilt
Above An example of a crazy quilt, made with silk and velvet by Rebecca Palmer (1884). Collection of the Brooklyn Museum. Image from Wikipedia Commons.
When Cubist artworks were first exhibited in the US at the Armory Show in New York (1913), followed by the wartime adoption of dazzle painting for ship camouflage (1917), the public compared them to the crazy quilts at county fairs.
Anon, in “Perth Prattle,” Sunday Times (Perth, Western AU), Sunday, June 2, 1918, p. 15—
The “camouflage” skirt is here, writes “Lady Kitty” in the Adelaide Observer. The cretonne skirt is a sartorial disaster. There is not an article in the whole of ones wardrobe that could possibly “go” with the skirt. It made its first appearance in Sydney, where six and eight guineas were asked—and given—for these camouflage skirts. They are of silk, but such silk! It is most suitably called “crazy.” This demented silk starts at being a wonderful pattern in colors which absolutely pale the gorgeousness of all Eastern color magnificence, when suddenly it is camouflaged with great patches of dullish background. Most weird. Camouflage, you know, is to make things appear other than what they really are—to disguise them, in fact, so that the crazy silk sets out to be a very striking fabric which it is suddenly camouflaged by broad strips of plain color which quite disguise its original identity, but really make it more striking still. Camouflage parties, at which people wear camouflaged fancy dress, have become quite a rage for funding-raising purposes; and if guests are ingenious enough the result is screamingly funny.
Anon, in The Week, The World’s News (Sydney NSW), Saturday, April 13, 1918, p. 14—
Dame Fashion is a fool, and that is putting it mildly. She decrees that women must adopt camouflage for their dress. What need is there for any such thing? Hasn’t woman camouflaged ever since Eve took Adam in over the apple? Of course she has, and will continue to do it just whenever it suits her ideas. If she wants to win a post that wheedling won’t accomplish, she camouflages her face with tears, and lo, she arrives at the desired end. And what she can do with rouge and powder passes all understanding. It is camouflage carried to a fine art. What man could tell that the short-frocked, finely-complexioned, sixteen-year-old hatted person at a distance was over forty and the mother of six? This is camouflage, and with a vengeance, and yet Fashion wants to add to it by use of dresses. If it means that plain cotton stuff at 1s 2d the yard, six yards for 6s 6d, can be so faked by the skillful dressmaker as to appear like a silk confection at a guinea a yard, by all means camouflage. But if it means turning a probable ten-guinea costume into a twenty-pounder, then camouflage is a miserable failure. Everything depends upon what that fickle jade, Fashion, is after. Usually she strives to deplete the purse of the hard-working husband or father, but if in this case, as in the case of ships, the object is to save—then camouflage for ever.
Labels: apparel, Australian camouflage, camo, camouflage, clothing, crazy quilts, fashion, misogyny, pop culture, social camouflage, stripes, swimsuits, Women, World War I, WWI
Was Credit Camouflaged? | Roosevelt Murals
William Andrew Mackay booklet on Roosevelt murals (1944)
Here's yet another post about American muralist William Andrew Mackay, who was an early contributor (some say the earliest) to World War I ship camouflage. In previous posts, his name has come up frequently, because of his own achievements but also because of the work that was done by other artists who had attended his NYC camouflage school. Aside from camouflage, at one time he was a widely known muralist, having created prominent works for the Library of Congress, 1939 World's Fair, Minnesota House of Representatives, and others.
As a muralist, perhaps his most famous achievement is a set of massive murals in the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Completed in 1935, the famous murals are 34 feet high and 62 feet wide, covering an area of 5,230 square feet. Mackay died on the street of a heart attack in 1939. In 1944, the museum published a posthumous booklet, written by Mackay and A.A. Canfield of the New York State Department of Public Works, titled The Murals in the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall (NYC: American Museum of Natural History, in which it is twice stated that the murals “were painted by William Andrew Mackay."
More recently, in a process requiring two years to complete, the Roosevelt Rotunda murals were restored and reopened to the public on Roosevelt's birthday, October 27, 2012. In various news reports, the public was reminded that the man who made them was Mackay, described as "a pioneer in the development of ship camouflage in World War I."
That said, we found it of interest to happen upon a long-forgotten news article titled “’T.R.’ Memorial Murals Painted by Pittsburgher,” published in The Pittsburgh Press, on October 30, 1936—
A former left handed trumpet player from Pittsburgh was the artist who actually painted the murals in the [Roosevelt Rotunda at the] New York State Theodore Roosevelt Memorial…
The man who created the murals, it was discovered today, was Cliff Young, who earned his way through the Art Institute of Pittsburgh by playing a trumpet. He is left handed.
It was not known that Mr. Young had done the work, as the booklets which carry a description of the memorial building have referred only to William Andrew Mackay, winner of the competition held between 25 nationally known artists who submitted sketches.
Responsible for the discovery of the part played by the left-handed trumpeter was Willis Shook, [founder and] director of the art school who stumbled upon his former pupil on a recent trip to New York.
Mr. Mackay directed the execution, employing Mr. Young to do the work, according to Mr. Shook.…
Mr. Young twice painted in his own portrait in the murals, although he hung a beard on his face in order to carry out the scheme of the original designs [as in his self-portrait as Vladimir near the bottom of the mural on Russian history].…
Cliff Young, Figure Drawing Without a Model (1945), p. 42.
With additional sleuthing, we found out that Cliff Young (1905-1985) was a painter and cartoonist who worked for DC Comics during World War II as an illustrator of Green Arrow [Wikipedia article includes one of Cliff Young's covers].
He also wrote two books about learning to draw, Figure Drawing Without a Model (NY: House of Little Books, 1946), and Drawing Drapery from Head to Toe (same publisher, 1947, later reprinted by Dover, 2007).
Originally from Pittsburgh, he studied at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Grand Central School of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, National Academy of Design, Carnegie Institute, and Art Students League of New York.
Labels: art history, artists, camo, camouflage, camouflage artists, camouflage school, drawing, murals, ship camouflage, William Andrew Mackay
Bittern Camouflage
Above An American Bittern in camouflage stance in the Myaka River State Park, Florida, as photographed by Sabine Rodens (2006), from Wikipedia Commons.
Frederick C. Gould, "Camouflage" in The Sydney Stock and Station Journal [quoted from The Westminster Gazette] on Friday, April 11, 1919, p. 2—
The Bittern took Camouflage lessons,
For he wanted to look like a stick,
And a Futurist artist in khaki
Taught him the vanishing trick;
He painted his feathers with markings,
And drilled him to stand like a log,
Till he looked not a bit like a Bittern
But just like a bit of the Bog.
Labels: animal camouflage, camo, camouflage, deception, disguise, Futurism, masquerade, mimicry, poetry, zoologists
Michael Torlen Remembers Hoyt L. Sherman
Photographs © Richard Koenig
Above We will never cease to be amazed by the illusionistic photographs (he calls them "photographic prevarications") of American artist Richard Koenig, who teaches in the Department of Art and Art History at Kalamazoo College in Michigan.
They are more than photographs; they are puzzling photographic views of dimensional constructions that were partly made from photographs. They are settings that have much to do with experiments in perception, not in a scientific sense, but more in keeping with the work that was done by artist and optical physiologist Adelbert Ames II in the 1930s-40s. Known collectively as the Ames Demonstrations, many of these were reconstructed in the late 1940s at Ohio State University by art professor Hoyt L. Sherman (see story below in this posting).
In one of Koenig's photographs (above top), a brick pavement (including a manhole) appears to levitate in the corner of a room. But in fact, the pavement pattern is comprised of smaller, precisely distorted photographs, some of which run up the wall. Nothing is actually floating. In the photograph below that one, we see what might at first appear to be two identical stepladders, side-by-side. The one on the right is indeed a stepladder, but the second one consists of smaller, photographic tiles that are entirely flat on the floor.
In the 1960s, among the graduate students who worked with Hoyt Sherman at Ohio State University was the artist Michael Torlen, who would later go on to become a Professor of Art at Purchase College, State University of New York. Now Professor Emeritus, Torlen recently published a paper about Sherman's ideas and Torlen's memories of him. The article is titled "Hit with a brick: The Teachings of Hoyt L. Sherman" in Visual Inquiry: Learning and Teaching Art. Vol 2 No 3 (2013), pp. 313-326. In the following, he recalls what happened at Sherman's first meeting with a group of graduate students at OSU in 1963 (p. 314)—
As we settled into our chairs, Sherman handed out a course outline and began his lecture. Then he turned and walked over to a table stacked with a variety of materials, include a pile of red bricks. Seemingly distracted, Sherman stopped discussing his syllabus and started searching for something beneath the brick pile. He stacked and re-shuffled the bricks, sorting and clinking them loudly against each other, until he suddenly turned and hurled a brick directly at our heads.
Certain he had aimed the brick at me, I scrambled to get out of the way, murmuring, "Is this guy crazy?" Sherman was laughing. The brick he threw was a piece of foam rubber, the same size as the other bricks, painted brick red. Sherman explained that we were unable to distinguish the foam rubber brick from the cluster of real bricks, because our past experience, our associations and our memory of bricks influenced us. Our reactions developed from the false assumption that similar things are identical.
Posted by Roy R. Behrens at 12:51 PM
Labels: Adelbert Ames II, ambiguity, anamorphosis, deception, distortion, forced perspective, Hoyt Sherman, OSU, Richard Koenig
Dazzle Camouflage | Deception & Illusion
On Monday, November 17, 2014, UNI Professor and Distinguished Scholar Roy R. Behrens will talk about World War I ship camouflage in a program titled Deception & Visual Illusion: World War I Ship Camouflage. He will share historic photographs of various disruptive schemes known at the time as "dazzle camouflage." Designed by artists, graphic designers, architects, theatre set designers, and vision scientists, these were intended to throw off the calculations of torpedo gunners on German U-boats (submarines). The event is free and open to the public.
Labels: architecture, artists, camo, camouflage artists, dazzle camouflage, forced perspective, graphic design, Rod Library, Roy R. Behrens, ship camouflage, UNI, WWI
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Davis Elementary » About Our School
Every student, everyday, is entitled to quality teaching instruction.
Differentiated instruction enhances the potential to learn.
An effective school is comprised of students, parents, faculty, staff, and administrators working as a team.
Character education is an integral part of the instructional program.
The school's environment should foster mutual respect.
ABOUT INSTRUCTION
The instructional day begins at 8:10 a.m. and ends at 3:10 p.m. daily. All kindergarten, first, and second classes are self-contained. Grades three through five are departmentalized. The instructional day is divided into subject areas in accordance with state and local guidelines. All instruction is provided by highly qualified personnel. Additionally, over the last five consecutive years, Davis Elementary has made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) according to the Alabama State Department of Education Accountability Criteria.
ABOUT FACILITY
Davis Elementary School was built in 1957 and named after Edward Thomas Davis who was Chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Education from 1935-1947. It is approximately 54 years old. The original two-story brick building had twenty-one regular classrooms. In 1980, a new wing was added. During the 2004-2005 school-term, a new media resource center/library was added, along with two classrooms, two restrooms, and a finance office. In the summer of 2005, the playground was rebuilt, and new equipment with a blacktop was added. Additionally, in the summer of 2011, a parking lot was added to accommodate the increase of personnel for the 2011-2012 school year.
ABOUT THE STUDENTS
E. T. Davis School has a homogeneous student population. The racial make-up of the students is consistently 99.5 percent African-American. Davis projected enrollment for the 2015-2016 school year is 641 students in kindergarten through fifth grade and 18 students in Pre-K program funded through Family Guidance. Davis has consistently maintained an attendance rate of 96 percent. Statistics indicate that some of Davis students are "at-risk". The socioeconomic level of the students is best indicated by the fact that 96 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced lunches, which makes the school eligible to receive Title One funding.
ABOUT STUDENT SERVICES
Students have access to a full-time school counselor. All students receive guidance and counseling services from the counselor through a structured, weekly classroom schedule. Individual counseling and group counseling services are available by referral.
The school is located on a four-acre site in a residential area in south Montgomery. It is a neighborhood school. Most students live within walking distance of the school. Davis has an active safety committee who regularly monitors the school.
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The 1894 Christian Kruse House -- 329 West 88th Street
Born in Hanover, Germany, Christian Kruse arrived in New York at the age of 14. In 1851 he ventured well north of the city to establish a grocery business on the Bloomingdale Road (later Broadway) around what would become 83rd Street. What many might have thought was a questionable undertaking paid off and he continued to purchase property along West 83rd.
As the neighborhood around him developed into a new suburb, he erected upscale homes on his properties in 1883 and moved his family into a mansion on the northwest corner of 83rd Street and West End Avenue that engulfed four building plots. On September 4, 1893 Kruse's wife, Maria, died in that residence at the age of 60.
Around the same time developer and builder James Livingston was erecting rows of fine homes in the district. In April 1894 he began construction on nine 20-foot wide houses on West 88th Street between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue. Designed by Thom & Wilson, they were completed just eight months later, in December.
Designed in the Renaissance Revival style, each cost $20,000 to construct, or about $613,000 today. Faced in beige ironspot Roman brick and trimmed in ashlar, they rose four stories above the English basement. Thom & Wilson arranged their three designs in a balanced A-A-B-C-B-C-B-A-A pattern.
No. 329 is at the right.
Among the first of the row to be sold was No. 329, bought by Christian Kruse on December 6. It may have been that following the death of his wife and with his six children grown he no longer needed the massive home he had occupied for years.
The double-doored entrance to Kruse's new home sat above a doglegged box stoop and beneath an elaborate stone hood. A striking female portrait on a shell background filled the tympanum. An angled, two-story bay at the second and third floors was flanked by engaged, swirled colunnettes which sat upon carved heads. The fourth floor windows were fronted by the brick and stone balustrade of the bay. They were framed in intricate engaged columns and decorations that might have been plucked from Verona or Venice.
Moving into the house with their father were Sophia and Charlotte, both still unmarried. As Christian he had done, Charlotte dabbled in real estate. And it appears that, also like he, the sisters spoke German as their primary language. An advertisement for a maid in the New York Herald on October 28, 1900 was vague in duties but specific regarding regional roots: "A North German girl to do general housework."
Christian Kruse was suffering a persistent illness at the time and he died in the house on March 11, 1901. In reporting his death the New York Herald called him "an old time resident of the west side" and "one of the pioneers of the neighborhood in which he lived." He left an estate valued at about $12.6 million today.
Kruse's will divided the estate in equal shares to his six children, with $2,000 each going to his two granddaughters, Mary Elizabeth and Laura Caroline Achenbach. Their inheritance was to be held in trust until they came of age "unless the interest was required for their maintenance and education." But their parents were apparently not satisfied with the girls' bequests--equal to about $62,000 each today.
On April 9, 1901 the New-York Tribune reported that Mary Elizabeth Achenbach was contesting her grandfather's will. Her filing, which no doubt caused upheaval among the Kruse siblings, hardly sounds like the product of a minor. "The contestant alleges that her grandfather was of unsound mind when he made the will, and that he was unduly influenced by persons whom she does not now know."
Charlotte and Sophia continued on in the house, Charlotte buying and selling properties. While they did not own a country home, each managed to get away. On March 27, 1902, for instance, in a column entitled "Along Society's Rose Trimmed Paths," the Evening Telegram noted "Miss Charlotte B. Kruse, of No. 329 West Eight-eighth street, is the guest of Miss Carolyn Kruger, at Lakewood, N. J."
Sophia was the last of the Kruse family in the 88th Street house. She died on January 2, 1917 at the age of 69. No. 329 became home to Frederick Grothe and his family, who remained into the 1940's.
The former Kruse home was converted to apartments and furnished rooms in 1951; and then in 1972 to a duplex in the basement and parlor floors, with two apartments per floor above.
Among the residents was physicist Eduardo S. Vera. He filled his apartment with a striking collection of tapestries. They were the works of the Bordadoras de Isla Negra, a women's sewing group in the coastal town of Isla Nega, Chile, founded by his mother, Leonor Sobrino de Vera in the 1960's.
In addition Vera operated the Isla Negra Foundation, established in 1981, from his apartment. Its immediate purpose was to document and preserve the work, and its eventual goal was to establish a museum for the foundation's collection.
From the sidewalk the Kruse house is, overall, little changed since 1894--a noteworthy presence among a handsome row.
Posted by Tom Miller at 1:40 AM
Labels: thom and wilson, upper west side, west 88th street
E. Sniffen's 1883 219-221 Grand Street
The Calhoun, Robbins & Co. Building - 895-899 Broa...
The Dr. F. W. Lilienthal House - 408 West 154th St...
The Cornelius H. Hedden House - 28 Bethune Street
Emery Roth & Sons' 1939 Normandy Apartments - 140 ...
The Lost Gonfarone's Restaurant - 181 MacDougal St...
Soon To Go--Dr. E. B. Foote's Murray Hill Publishi...
Blum & Blum's 1912 Tudor-Arts & Crafts Blend--17 E...
William Field & Son's 1870 134-140 Grand Street
From Apartments to Mega-Mansion, Wm. H. Bickmire's...
The 1894 Christian Kruse House -- 329 West 88th St...
The Lost Ingraham House - 504 Broome Street
Lyndon P Smith's 1898 76 Irving Place
The 1862 Hope Building - 131-135 Duane Street
Robert Maynicke's 1903 476 Broadway
The Cornelius Oakley House - 59 Morton Street
The Joel E. Fisher House - 34 West 76th Street
The Lost All Souls' Church Rectory - 104 East 20th...
The Former Caffe Cino - 31 Cornelia Street
Youngs & Outcolt's 1870 No. 84 Thomas Street
The Eliza Payne House - 499 Broome Street
The 1927 Beekman Campanile - 450 East 52nd Street
The Belvedere Garage - 250 West 80th Street
The Lost Beinhauer Farm -- Fifth Avenue and 51st S...
Nicholas Whyte's 1869 393 Broadway
The Capt. Jacob Miller House - 113 East 30th Street
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Investigation the effects of cigarette smoke on immunoglobulin levels in serum and saliva samples of smoker and non-Smoker subjects using antibody-microarray technology
Tarbiah, Nesrin (2017) Investigation the effects of cigarette smoke on immunoglobulin levels in serum and saliva samples of smoker and non-Smoker subjects using antibody-microarray technology. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.
PDF (The aim of this study was to optimise and develop a highly-advanced antibody microarray technique, applying new reagents that had never been used with this technique before. This array was then used to investigate the effects of CS on Ig class expression.) (Thesis - as examined) - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
Cigarette smoke (CS) has many damaging effects on the body, and the chronic inhalation of cigarette smoke can change immunological functions through impact on both innate and adaptive immunity. The incidences of many diseases are affected by the adverse effects of cigarette smoke on the immune system, and the induction of an inflammatory response, which affects several tissues and organs. On this basis, a comparison of smokers′ and non-smokers′ immunoglobulin levels could provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of smoking related diseases. Although the effects of cigarette smoking on humoral and cellular immunity have been investigated previously, the results have varied between the studies, and therefore more research is still required.
The aim of this study was to determine whether the levels of immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes are different in the serum and saliva of non-smoking individuals compared to smoking individuals. An examination of serum and saliva would provide information on the effects of cigarette smoke systemically and in the oral mucosa, respectively. The effects of cigarette smoke extract on B-cell secretions were also examined to establish whether cigarette smoke components can have direct effects on immunoglobulin production by B cells. In order to determine Ig isotype levels, antibody microarray techniques were established and calibrated for determining the sample concentrations of IgM, IgG, IgA and IgD. The results showed that smoking has different effects on systemic and salivary immunoglobulin levels. In the serum, smokers had decreased levels of IgG and IgD, but increased IgM and IgA levels compared to non-smokers. However, in the saliva smokers had decreased levels of IgG, IgD, and IgM, whereas there were increased levels of IgA in smokers’ saliva. As CS has been found to influence the serum and salivary levels of Ig isotypes ex-vivo, the mechanisms underlying these effects were investigated in vitro to determine whether the changes were as a result of a direct effect of the CS on B-cells. This study has shown that CS had deleterious effects on the production and the levels, of Ig isotypes. These results support the concept that CS is related to diseases, and more research is necessary in this field.
Todd, I.
Fairclough, L.
Tighe, P.J.
B cells, Smoking, Cigarette smoke extract,Immunoglobulin levels in serum and saliva samples, Microarray, Nicotine, In vitro effects of CSE on antibody secretion from stimulated B cells
Q Science > QP Physiology
QS-QZ Preclinical sciences (NLM Classification) > QV Pharmacology
Tarbiah, Nesrin
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Tag Archives: Georges Seurat
Seated Woman (Study for “La Grande Jatte”), c. 1884-1885, by Georges Seurat. Conte crayon on laid paper, Sheet: 11 13/16 × 6 1/2 inches. The Louis E. Stern Collection, 1963. Image courtesy of Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2019.
The Impressionist’s Eye
Philadelphia Museum of Art to present the most extensive exhibition of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism ever to be assembled from its collection
April 16 – August 18, 2019
This spring the Philadelphia Museum of Art will present a broad survey of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Drawn almost entirely from its renowned collection, this exhibition will bring together more than 80 works in a variety of media—painting, sculpture, prints, drawings, and pastels— to illuminate the achievements of some of history’s most beloved artists. The Impressionist’s Eye will feature many of the museum’s most celebrated paintings—among them Claude Monet’s Japanese Footbridge and the Water Lily Pool, Mary Cassatt’s In the Loge, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s At the Moulin Rouge: The Dance, and Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers—offering fresh insights into these works and placing them in conversation with other major examples by these artists and their contemporaries. For example, Renoir’s ambitious Great Bathers, newly conserved on the centenary of the artist’s death, will be shown alongside treatments of the same theme by Edgar Degas and Paul Cézanne.
The Impressionist’s Eye will include a number of important works on paper (shown in two rotations to avoid overexposing them to light) that have not been on view in the galleries for a decade or more, emphasizing the importance that the artists of these movements attached to working in a variety of media. Among these will be exquisite renderings in pen and ink by Van Gogh, sheets from Cézanne’s sketchbooks that were last exhibited at the museum in 1989, a drawing by Lautrec last shown at this museum in 1956, and one by Berthe Morisot that will be placed on view for the first time.
Timothy Rub, the George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer, said: “The Philadelphia Museum of Art contains one of the country’s most acclaimed collections of 19th century art, but rarely have we had the opportunity to show our Impressionist and Post-Impressionist holdings as comprehensively as we are able to do in this exhibition. Assembling them in The Impressionist’s Eye will enable us to convey the innovative and often boldly experimental character of the work of these artists as well as how fluidly they moved from one medium to another. The presentation of this exhibition in the Dorrance Special Exhibition Galleries is accompanied by a beautiful new publication devoted to the collection. It also comes as the consequence of the comprehensive renovation—the first in nearly 25 years—that we are undertaking this spring of the galleries in which we show our collection of later 19th-century European painting, sculpture, and the decorative arts. They will be closing temporarily as we proceed with much-needed improvements in tandem with the construction of the next phase—entitled the Core Project—of our facilities master plan designed by Frank Gehry.”
The development of Impressionism began in France in the 1870s in the work of artists such as Monet, Renoir, and Pissarro, and set the stage for the bold experiments with color, line, and form that would follow over the next several decades and radically alter the course of modern painting. The exhibition will include a number of works that were presented in the several Impressionist exhibitions held in the 1870s and 1880s, as well as informal sketches and studies that could be considered more experimental or personal in nature.
The Impressionist’s Eye will offer visitors new perspectives on the inventiveness and vision that the artists of this movement brought to their subjects. The choice of bold cropping and unusual points of view, their flattening of space and use of vibrant color and vigorous brushwork imbued their work with a bracing sense of modernity which startled contemporary audiences. Their radically way of painting also reflected a broad fascination with photography and with Japanese (Ukiyo-e) woodblock prints. Visitors will also see a significant number of works by many of the key figures of Post-Impressionism such as George Seurat, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, and Paul Cézanne, each of whom took the innovations of the Impressionists as their point of departure and then evolved in new and often dramatically different directions.
The exhibition has been organized around a series of themes that highlight the shared interest of these artists in certain subjects. Among these are Nature, The Modern City, Everyday Objects (or still life), People, and Bathers.
The introduction of commercially produced paint in tubes and the convenience of portable easels and paint sets, combined with the greater mobility afforded by the development of railroads, fostered the growing popularity of painting en plein air, or out-of-doors. The opening section of the exhibition demonstrates how firmly the artists associated with Impressionism were committed to recording their direct observations of nature and making the variability of light, color, and atmosphere a central element of their work. Among the highlights of this section are Camille Pissarro’s Railroad to Dieppe (1886), Monet’s Bend in the Epte River near Giverny (1888), Cézanne’s Mont Sainte-Victoire (1902-04), as well as a lively pen and ink drawing executed in 1888 by Van Gogh titled Haystacks, which is remarkable for its swirling lines, bold dashes, and lively dots.
Paris provides the main inspiration for the next section of the exhibition, The Modern City. Some artists concentrated on the architecture of the French capital, capturing scenes of its grand boulevards or popular urban entertainments such as cabaret, ballet, and the theater. Artists such as Renoir, Pissarro, Edgar Degas, and Mary Cassatt captured many different aspects of the urban experience—the kinetic energy of great crowds traveling to and fro or a single figure caught at a moment of quiet reverie. A Woman and Girl Driving, by Cassatt, shows a modern woman—the artists’ elder sister—boldly taking the reins of a horse-drawn carriage in Paris alongside the niece of Degas. Toulouse-Lautrec’s At the Moulin-Rouge (1889-90) captures the demi-monde at play, with a dancer kicking up her skirts as she performs the can-can amid a crowd of top-hatted men. At the Paris Opera, Degas’s The Ballet Class, conveys the rigor of young girls learning their craft as a stage mother slumps with fatigue into a chair. Among the group of conté crayon drawings by Georges Seurat included in the exhibition, is a rare rendition of a woman, seated on the bank of an island in the Seine, which served as a study for the artist’s masterpiece, La Grande Jatte.
Another section focuses upon the different ways in which artists such as Edouard Manet and Paul Cézanne reanimated the traditional theme of still life painting, imbuing it with a new spirit and sense of ambition, aptly characterized by the latter when he said, “I want to astonish Paris with an apple.” Flower-filled vases (Renoir), artisanal cakes (Caillebotte), or a woven basket (Manet) were convenient subjects for the artists’ experimentation. “A painter can say all he wants to with fruit and flowers,” observed Manet, who focused on this familiar genre in nearly a fifth of his canvases. In these works, visitors are invited to witness everyday objects transformed through color, texture, and line.
Many of these artists were also keen observers of people. As Van Gogh noted in 1885, “Painted portraits have a life of their own that comes from deep in the soul of the painter and where the machine [the camera] can’t go.” His treatment of the postman Roulin’s wife clutching her baby Marcelle, created in 1888, possesses a luminous, almost otherworldly glow. In this section of the exhibition, works in clay, graphite, pastel, and paint reveal just how thoroughly the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists up-ended longstanding traditions of rendering the human figure. Drawings such as Cézanne’s Peasant Girl Wearing a Fichu and such sculptures as Degas’s Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen, (modeled in wax, 1878-81 and cast in bronze, about 1922) reflect the unique qualities that different media offered to these artists to enable them to capture the unique character and vivacity of their subjects. Responding to the recent advent of photography, artists sought to convey the character of the sitter in ways that seem both direct and spontaneous, as demonstrated in Bethe Morisot’s Young Woman with Brown Hair, 1894.
The same observations can be made of their treatment of the timeless subject of the nude, a theme that especially fascinated Renoir, Degas, and Cézanne. Renoir’s Great Bathers, (1884-87) will be seen in The Impressionist’s Eye for the first time since the completion of a year-long conservation treatment and cleaning, a project generously supported by the Bank of America Art Conservation Project. The artist labored over this canvas, seeking to establish a new direction for his work and to create an image that would be both contemporary in spirit and rival the great masters of the Renaissance. The installation will enable visitors to appreciate it in a state that now more closely resembles how it looked when the artist completed it, and in the company of some of the greatest works of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
“For three years Renoir wrestled with this work,” notes Jennifer Thompson, the museum’s Gloria and Jack Drosdick Curator of European Painting & Sculpture & Curator of the John G. Johnson Collection, who organized the exhibition. “Just howexhaustively, we knew from notes left by Berthe Morisot, but seeing the cross-sections and x-rays taken by our specialists in Conservation has reaffirmed precisely how much he questioned himself and started over, again and again.”
The Impressionists Eye, as an exhibition drawn from the collection, also offers a record of collecting, tastes, and insight into the cultural life of Philadelphia in the 19th and 20th centuries, beginning with Mary Cassatt, the American in Paris who early on persuaded her family members in this city and others around the country to purchase the work of the Impressionists, touching off a new vogue in collecting. “Philadelphia was a vibrant center for collecting in the during this period,” Thompson notes, “and the museum’s Impressionist holdings were indelibly shaped by the taste and civic spirit of those individuals, much as today’s collectors of contemporary art collectors enrich the cultural life of our city.”
The Impressionist’s Eye has been made possible by Presenting Sponsor Bank of America.
Contributions to this exhibition have been made by The Robert Montgomery Scott Endowment for Exhibitions, The Laura and William C. Buck Endowment for Exhibitions, The Gloria and Jack Drosdick Fund for Special Exhibitions, The Harriet and Ronald Lassin Fund for Special Exhibitions, Lyn M. Ross, Joan F. Thalheimer, The Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Fund for Exhibitions, and an anonymous donor.
Support for both The Impressionist’s Eye exhibition and the reinstallation of the galleries of nineteenth-century European painting has been generously provided by Lois G. and Julian A. Brodsky.
Support for the reinstallation of the galleries of nineteenth-century European painting has been generously provided by Barbara B. and Theodore R. Aronson, Harriet and Ron Lassin, Martha McGeary Snider, and other donors.
Credits as of February 28, 2019
The exhibition is accompanied by Impressionism and Post-Impressionism: Highlights from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the first publication from the museum to focus on its internationally renowned Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collections ($35). Written by Jennifer A. Thompson with contributions by Joseph J. Rishel and Eileen Owens, and co-published by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Yale University Press (240 pages; 224 color, 8 black-and-white illustrations), it focuses upon one of the most significant collections of Impressionism and Post Impressionism in the country, with two hundred Cézannes, twenty-three Monets, and more than fifty Renoirs.
Thompson’s introductory essay examines the circumstances and individuals—including Mary Cassatt’s brother, the Philadelphia railroad executive Alexander J. Cassatt, depicted in a painting by his sister—that led to the formation of the collection. It provides entries on ninety highlights, including Cézanne’s The Large Bathers, Degas’s Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen, Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, Monet’s Japanese Bridge and Waterlily Pond, Toulouse-Lautrec’s Moulin Rouge, and Renoir’s Great Bathers. Paintings, sculpture, and drawings by figures such as Cassatt, Seurat, Manet, Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Morisot, and Auguste Rodin are presented together, providing a rich and encompassing view of these artists and the innovative works they created across mediums.
The entries explore the artists’ aims and challenges, discuss conservation discoveries, and consider the works within the contexts of the art market, social history, fashion, and politics. Comparative illustrations, such as related works from Philadelphia and other collections, preparatory drawings, X-rays demonstrating substantial alterations, and period photographs, add to an understanding of each work.
Changes in the Nineteenth Century Galleries
Beginning March 25, 2019, seven rooms dedicated to nineteenth century paintings on the first floor of the main building will close for renovation, including galleries 151, 152, 159, 156, 157, 160, 161. Several of these will reopen in July, and the full suite will be reopened following the conclusion of The Impressionist’s Eye. Currently closed for renovation are galleries 150 and 153. On March 25, these galleries reopen with works by Couture, Courbet, Corot, and Millet, a new installation focusing on the rejection of idealism, the treatment of “ordinary” subjects, and technical innovations in painting outdoors and in the use of bold, gestural brushwork.
Jennifer Thompson, The Gloria and Jack Drosdick Curator of European Painting & Sculpture & Curator of the John G. Johnson Collection
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Dorrance Special Exhibition Galleries, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19130
215-763-8100 Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Wednesday & Friday: Main building open until 8:45 p.m.
Closed Monday except for some holidays
Thank you to the Social Media team at The Philadelphia Museum of Art for the content of this post.
DoNArTNeWs – celebrating eleven years reporting on Philadelphia artists and art.
This entry was posted in Abstract Expressionism, Art, Art Galleries, Art History, Art in Philadelphia, Art Museums, Drawings, Experience Design, Fine Art Philadelphia, Mixed Media Art, Oil Paint, PA Art, Paintings, Paintings Philadelphia, Pastels, Philadelphia, Philadelphia Abstract Art, Philadelphia Art, Philadelphia Art Galleries, Philadelphia Art Installations, Philadelphia Art Museums, Philadelphia Art Shows, Philadelphia Artists, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Plein Air Painting, Uncategorized, Watercolors, Works on Paper and tagged Aged Fourteen, Art, Cézanne’s Peasant Girl Wearing a Fichu, Cézanne’s The Large Bathers, Corot, Courbet, Couture, Degas’s Little Dancer, DoNArTNeWs Philadelphia Art News Blog, Everyday Objects, Georges Seurat, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, Mary Cassatt, Millet, modern art, Monet’s Japanese Bridge, Nature, paintings, Philadelphia Art, Philadelphia Fine Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Spring 2019, The Impressionist’s Eye, The Modern City, Van Gogh’s Sunflowers on March 21, 2019 by admin1.
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Online dating effects
Accept. interesting aka dating history for
Posted on 27.03.2020 27.03.2020 by Faura
He was born on Thursday, January 28, Is Aka married or single, and who is he dating now? AKA is a drama film, the first by director and writer Duncan Roy. The film is set in the late s in Britain and deals with the story of Dean, an year-old boy who assumes another identity in order to enter high society. Dean then meets David, an older gay man who desires him and Benjamin, a young Texan hustler.
Is Aka married or single, and who is he dating now? AKA is a drama film, the first by director and writer Duncan Roy.
Want a full history search for PH-AKA dating back to ? Buy now. Get it within one hour. Nicole has denied dating AKA, while the rapper asked not to be bothered. Bonang's manager, Sylvester Chauke, said there wouldn't be any comments on the star's love life. Baby aka Birdman has been in relationships with Keyshia Cole , Grace Chavez ( - ), Kimora Lee Simmons ( - ), Trina and Mia Dumas ( - ). About Baby aka Birdman is a 51 year old American butterfishny.com place: New Orleans.
The film is set in the late s in Britain and deals with the story of Dean, an year-old boy who assumes another identity in order to enter high society. Dean then meets David, an older gay man who desires him and Benjamin, a young Texan hustler.
He burst on to the scene in after being nominated for a Kora Award while performing with the hip hop group Entity. Aka is single.
He is not dating anyone currently. Aka had at least 1 relationship in the past.
Aka has not been previously engaged. He has a daughter named Kairo with DJ Zinhle.
Aka dating history
According to our records, he has no children. Like many celebrities and famous people, Aka keeps his personal and love life private.
Check back often as we will continue to ate this page with new relationship details. Aquarians are extroverted, friendly, and great listeners and friendship is the key component of a romantic relationship with an Aquarian.
The most compatible signs with Aquarius are generally considered to be Aries, Gemini, Libra, and Sagittarius.
Check back often as we will continue to ate this page with new relationship details. Aggressively fun, this sign usually moves full speed ahead once they have their love target 'locked'. They enjoy a challenge and especially are attracted to confident outgoing partners.
The most compatible signs with Sagittarius are generally considered to be Aries, Leo, Libra, and Aquarius. The least compatible signs with Sagittarius are generally considered to be Virgo and Pisces.
JAY Z - 6 DEGREES OF SLEEPING AROUND ( DATING HISTORY )
AKA Roxxie also has a ruling planet of Jupiter. She has not been previously engaged. We are currently in process of looking up more information on the previous dates and hookups.
The first generation to reach adulthood in the new millennium, Millennials are the young technology gurus who thrive on new innovations, startups, and working out of coffee shops. They were the kids of the s who were born roughly between and These somethings to early year-olds have redefined the workplace. They are known as confident, entitled, and depressed. She has gained popularity there for her hair, makeup, and beauty tips and tutorials.
Mar 01, � Yep, we all know that Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's dating history is full of way older guys. In fact, some of them are so much older that their romantic dates look more like a Author: Chelsea Duff. Feb 06, � AKA Roxxie's Boyfriend. AKA Roxxie is single. She is not dating anyone currently. AKA had at least 1 relationship in the past. AKA Roxxie has not been previously engaged. She was originally born and raised in Florida. According to our records, she has no children. Like many celebrities and famous people, AKA keeps her personal and love life Nationality: American.
The education details are not available at this time. Watch the video below to see their dating history - and all the enormous age gaps.
Back in high school, they were both dating guys who were basically age-appropriate. The guys were all three years older, which was maybe a little scandalous since the twins were in school and the guys were in college, but it was still pretty normal. So what happened after that? Though MK is better known for her famously older husban it seems like it was actually Ashley who started the trend.
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My Dating History *ALL THE DETAILS*
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2016 Book List~Part 1
Last year my theme was the Civil Rights Movement. This year's theme is First Ladies, as I continue my study of them and writing their profiles on my blog. I am reading a book on each first lady and each president, then I watch the C-span profiles on both, and then I find other information on them.
Right now, I am reading Louisa Catherine: The Other Mrs. Adams by Margery Heffron.
Here are the books I've read so far:
1) Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter--Kate Clifford Larson
2) Elizabeth Kortright Monroe--James Wootten
3) Ronald Reagan (The American Presidents #40)--Jacob Weisberg
4) First Ladies--National Public Radio
5) James Monroe: America's 5th President--Andrew Santella
6) Yes, My Accent is Real: and Some Other Things I Haven't Told You--Kunal Nayyar
7) Why Not Me?--Mindy Kaling
8) Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes, and Politics--Charles Krauthammer
9) Gateway to Freedom:The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad--Eric Foner
10) For Laci: A Mother's Story of Love, Loss, and Justice--Sharon Rocha
11) Promises to Keep: Memorable Writings and Statements--Robert F. Kennedy
12) Hitler's Furies: German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields--Wendy Lower
13) My Story--Elizabeth Smart
14) Alexander Hamilton--Charles A. Conant
15) Wife No. 19--Ann Eliza Young
16) Rising to the Challenge: My Leadership Journey--Carly Fiorina
17) In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom--Yeonmi Park
18) Churchill--J. Rufus Fears (The Teaching Company)
19) The Wright Brothers--David McCullough
20) Where the Light Gets In--Kimberly Williams-Paisley
21) An American Son: A Memoir--Marco Rubio
22) Don't Give Up, Don't Give In: Lessons from an Extraordinary Life--Louis Zamperini
Labels: Book List, Carly Fiorina, Charles Krauthammer, David McCullough, First Ladies, Marco Rubio
First Lady Profile #10~Elizabeth Monroe
Mrs. Monroe is an elegant, accomplished woman. She possesses a charming mind and dignity of manners.~A Washington Paper in 1817
One of the guests, Auguste Levasseur, was taken by the First lady's charm, wit and beauty, despite her fifty-six years.~James E. Wootton
-I couldn't find any books written specifically about Elizabeth Monroe, the closest I got was a pamphlet written by a curator at the Ash Lawn home, James E. Wootton. The reason:
Little is known of her personal insights into the remarkable life that she led as, according to family tradition, she burned her correspondence prior to her death.~The Papers of James Monroe
-Elizabeth was born on June 30, 1768 in New York City to a wealthy family. She married James Monroe when she was 17 and he was 27, on February 16, 1786.
-They had 3 children, a boy named James Spence who died at age 2, and two girls--Eliza Hey and Maria Hester. Maria would later get married in the White House.
-In 1794, President George Washington sent James Monroe to Paris to be U.S. Minister to France. During their time there, both James and Elizabeth learned French and adopted many French customs.
-Elizabeth became a heroine when she helped get Madame de Lafayette released from a French prison. The french gave her the name, La Belle Americaine (The American Beauty).
-In 1817, James Monroe was elected the 5th President of the United States. His presidency was described as the "era of good feelings".
-Dolley Madison had just finished being the White House hostess for 16 years, she had been very popular and it would've been hard for anyone to follow her.
-Elizabeth refused to make excessive social calls and didn't attend public functions due to her health issues (headaches and possible epilepsy). She also was "fiercely independent and seemingly unconcerned with conforming to public expectations."
-The public didn't know about her health issues and judged her as cold and aloof. They were also critical of her and the President purchasing most of the White House furniture from France. They nicknamed her "Queen Elizabeth".
It is a remark, which it would be unpardonable to withhold, that it was improbable for any female to have fulfilled all the duties of the partner of such cares, and of a wife and parent, with more attention, delicacy and propriety than she has done.~James Monroe
-Yet, Daniel Preston says, "if she were to be compared to any contemporary first lady it would be Jackie Kennedy. She brought a sense of style and elegance to the White House".
-Her husband valued her highly and said that she was his "partner in all things". She was very literate and articulate and an advisor to him.
-She died in 1830 at their Oak Hill home in Virginia.
First Lady Links:
-National First Ladies Library
-C-Span Series on First Ladies
My Elizabeth Monroe Books:
-First Ladies: Presidential Historians on the Lives of 45 Iconic American Women--Susan Swain C-Span
-America's First Ladies--Diana Dixon Healy
-First Ladies--Betty Boyd Caroli
-First Ladies of the White House--Nancy J. Skarmeas
-Elizabeth Kortright Monroe--James E. Wootton
Reference Material that I checked out from the library:
-First Ladies: A Biographical Dictionary--Dorothy Schneider
-NPR American Chronicles: First Ladies--Cokie Roberts
-Faith of the First Ladies--Jerry MacGregor
Previous Profiles:
-Martha Washington
-Abigail Adams
-Dolley Madison
-Louisa Adams
-Julia Grant
-Lucretia Garfield
-Frances Cleveland
-Edith Roosevelt
-Eleanor Roosevelt
Labels: Elizabeth Monroe, First Ladies, First Ladies Series, Inspirational Women, President James Monroe
A Review of An American Son
This wasn't about the Senate. It wasn't about politics. God didn't endorse candidates. He wanted me to trust Him, to rely on Him, to lean on Him. He didn't want me to believe He would make me a senator. He wanted me to believe that whatever happened He loved me and would give me the strength and peace of mind to endure it.~pg. 200
My Review in Quotes~~
His Grandfather's Influence...
I had an invaluable living research guide in my home, who encouraged my amateur scholarship. My grandfather loved history and politics as much as I did, and was far more knowledgeable about them. He became my tutor, my companion and close friend and one of the great influences in my life. But for his encouragement, I think my life would have turned out very differently than it has.~pg. 41
He taught me many things, but none more important than the conviction that I must not waste the opportunities my parents had sacrificed to give us and our country made available to us. I've always believed, even when I was an inattentive and undisciplined student, that the time would arrive for me to become serious and do something important with my life, and I would be ready for it. I believed it because Papa taught me to believe it. And that, more than the wealth of knowledge he shared with me, more than the epics of history he evoked so powerfully for me, more than his opinions and passions and eccentricities, has made all the difference in the world to me.~pg. 47
Who truly deserves the credit...
I would receive public acclaim for my success, but I knew who truly deserved the credit. I am the son of immigrants, exiles from a troubled country. They gave me everything it was in their power to give. And I am proof their lives mattered, their existence had a purpose.
In the last night of a long campaign, I remembered where my journey began. It began long ago, in the hardships and struggles of ordinary people with extraordinary strength and courage and love, on an island I have never seen.~pg. 283
Reagan...
Reagan's election and my grandfather's allegiance to him were defining influences on me politically. I've been a Republican ever since. More than just help me develop a political identity, my grandfather instilled in me the importance of strong leadership and conviction. He urged me to study and learn but, more important, to do something useful with the knowledge I acquired.~pg. 45
Jeb Bush...
The story included several flattering quotes from Jeb Bush. "He's got all the right tools," Jeb said. "He's charismatic and has the 'right principles.'"~pg. 205
I had rarely discussed my faith in public. I hadn't hidden it, but I hadn't emphasized it, either. But, time and again, throughout my thirty-six years, God had made His visible in my life. I had had opportunities to do things that the people who loved me had never had...I had been blessed with parents who encouraged me to dream and a wife who helped me achieve my dreams. I had been blessed to be born an American.
I should have given the speech (his farewell address to the Florida House) long before, but I had been conditioned by political correctness, by the prevailing notion that a discussion of one's faith didn't belong in the public realm. No matter how hard we try, though, we cannot keep God out of our lives, out of every moment, every aspiration, every failure and every success. Whether we acknowledge it or not, He inhabits our lives completely. It had taken me too long, but I was determined not to leave the house without paying public tribute to God, for the blessings He had bestowed on me and on our country.~pg.160
So Much More...
But the campaign had become so much more to me than that--so much more than politics. I had discovered so much about myself, about the people I loved and who loved me, about the community I was raised in, about my country and my faith. I didn't have the words or time to give voice to all the thoughts that filled my heart and mind that night as I struggled to express my gratitude.~pg. 8
Not politics, not power, but people...
I wanted to use the story to achieve two objectives. The first was to remind the members we had an obligation to use our time in public office to make a positive difference in the lives of the people we served. The second was to emphasize the importance of empowerment and upward mobility, and make that the purpose of our work.
We hung up pictures in my office of Florida's "Unsung Heroes", ordinary people throughout our state who were making positive differences in others' lives. They were a reminder to us, and to anyone who entered our office, that our obligation was to the people of Florida-not to politics, not to power, but to people.~pg. 143
Why I admire him...
After every speech, people would tell me they had been waiting to hear someone articulate a conservative message without apology or obfuscation. They told me they were tired of settling for the least bad alternative, tired of being told to vote for less conservative candidates because they were more electable. They wanted to vote for someone who wasn't embarrassed to think and talk like a conservative, and they hoped it would be me.~pg. 178
--I have never been as excited about a candidate for president as I was about Marco Rubio. Even though he didn't win the nomination this time around, I am convinced he will in the near future.
--This book confirmed everything I had already seen in him: his strong, conservative convictions and principles, his love for family, his love for this country, his strong Christian faith, and his humility and charisma that would enable him to be an amazing president.
Labels: Book review, Marco Rubio, Political Memoir
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Aurelian Explained
Aurelian should not be confused with Marcus Aurelius.
Full Name: Lucius Domitius Aurelianus
Regnal Name: Imperator Caesar Lucius Domitius Aurelianus Augustus
Legend: IMP. L. DOM. AVRELIANVS P. F. AVG.
Succession: Emperor of the Roman Empire
Reign: September 270September or October 275
Predecessor: Quintillus
Successor: Tacitus
Spouse: Ulpia Severina
Mother: Freedwoman of the clan Aurelius and Priestess of Sol Invictus in her native village.
Birth Date: 9 September 214 or 215
Birth Place: Unclear location.[1] Possibly Serdica (present-day Sofia, Bulgaria) or Sirmium (present-day Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia)
Death Date: 25 September or October 275 (aged 60-61)
Death Place: Caenophrurium, Thrace (present-day Turkey)
Aurelian (Latin: Lucius Domitius Aurelianus Augustus; 9 September 214 or 215September or October 275) was Roman Emperor from 270 to 275. Born in humble circumstances, he rose through the military ranks to become emperor. During his reign, he defeated the Alamanni after a devastating war. He also defeated the Goths, Vandals, Juthungi, Sarmatians, and Carpi. Aurelian restored the Empire's eastern provinces after his conquest of the Palmyrene Empire in 273. The following year he conquered the Gallic Empire in the west, reuniting the Empire in its entirety. He was also responsible for the construction of the Aurelian Walls in Rome, and the abandonment of the province of Dacia.
His successes were instrumental in ending the Roman Empire's Crisis of the Third Century, earning him the title Restitutor Orbis or "Restorer of the World". Although Domitian was the first emperor who had demanded to be officially hailed as dominus et deus (master and god), these titles never occurred in written form on official documents until the reign of Aurelian.[2]
Aurelian was born on 9 September, most likely in 214 AD, although 215 AD is also possible. The ancient sources do not agree on his place of birth, although he was generally accepted as being a native of Illyricum but, another common belief was that he was born in Greece. According to the author of the Historia Augusta, "Aurelian was born of a humble family, at Sirmium according to most writers, but in Dacia Ripensis according to some. I remember, moreover, having read one author who declared that he was born in Moesia".[3] [4] The province of Dacia Ripensis was actually created in Moesia by Aurelian as Emperor when he abandoned the old trans-Danubian territory of Dacia. The Roman historian Eutropius also opts for the area that later became Dacia Ripensis.[5] The academic consensus is that he was of humble birth and that his father was a peasant-farmer who took his Roman nomen from his landlord, a senator of the clan Aurelius. Saunders suggests that his family might in fact have been of Roman settler origin and of much higher social status; however, his suggestion has not been taken up by his more recent academic colleagues such as Southern and Watson.
Using the evidence of the ancient sources, it was at one time suggested that Aurelian's mother was a freedwoman of a member of the clan Aurelius and that she herself was a priestess of the Sun-God in her native village. These two propositions, together with the tradition that the clan Aurelius had been entrusted with the maintenance of that deity's cult in Rome, inspired the notion that this could explain the devotion to the sun-god that Aurelian was to manifest as Emperor - see below. However, it seems that this pleasant extrapolation of dubious facts is now generally accepted as being no more than just that.
It is commonly accepted that Aurelian probably joined the army in 235 AD at around age twenty. It is also generally assumed that, as a member of the lowest rank of societyalbeit a citizenhe would have enlisted in the ranks of the legions. Saunders suggests that his career is more easily understood if it is assumed that his family was of Roman settler origins with a tradition of military service and that he enlisted as an equestrian. This would have opened up for him the tres militiathe three steps of the equestrian military careerone of the routes to higher equestrian office in the Imperial Service. This could be a more expeditious route to senior military and procuratorial offices than that pursued by ex-rankers, although not necessarily less laborious. However, Saunders's conjecture as to Aurelian's early career is not supported by any evidence other than his nomen which could indicate Italian settler ancestry—although even this is contested—and his rise to the highest ranks which is more easily understood if he did not have to start from the bottom. His suggestion has not been taken up by other academic authorities.
Whatever his origins, Aurelian certainly must have built up a very solid reputation for military competence during the tumultuous mid-decades of the century. To be sure, the exploits detailed in the Historia Augusta vita Divi Aureliani, while not always impossible, are not supported by any independent evidence and one at least is demonstrably an invention typical of that author.[6] However, he was probably associated with Gallienus's cavalry army and shone as an officer of that elite unit because, when he finally emerged in a historically reliable context in the early part of the reign of Claudius II, he seems to have been its commander.
Service under Gallienus
His successes as a cavalry commander ultimately made him a member of Emperor Gallienus' entourage. In 268, Aurelian and his cavalry participated in general Claudius' victory over the Goths at the Battle of Naissus. Later that year Gallienus traveled to Italy and fought Aureolus, his former general and now usurper for the throne. Driving Aureolus back into Mediolanum, Gallienus promptly besieged his adversary in the city. However, while the siege was ongoing the Emperor was assassinated. One source says Aurelian, who was present at the siege, participated and supported general Claudius for the purple—which is plausible.[7]
Aurelian was married to Ulpia Severina, about whom little is known. Like Aurelian she was from Dacia. They are known to have had a daughter together.[8]
Service under Claudius
Claudius was acclaimed Emperor by the soldiers outside Mediolanum. The new Emperor immediately ordered the senate to deify Gallienus. Next, he began to distance himself from those responsible for his predecessor's assassination, ordering the execution of those directly involved. Aureolus was still besieged in Mediolanum and sought reconciliation with the new emperor, but Claudius had no sympathy for a potential rival. The emperor had Aureolus killed and one source implicates Aurelian in the deed, perhaps even signing the warrant for his death himself.
During the reign of Claudius, Aurelian was promoted rapidly: he was given command of the elite Dalmatian cavalry and soon promoted to overall Magister equitum, what was effectively the head of the army after the Emperor and what had been Emperor Claudius' own position before his acclamation. The war against Aureolus and the concentration of forces in Italy allowed the Alamanni to break through the Rhaetian limes along the upper Danube. Marching through Raetia and the Alps unhindered, they entered northern Italy and began pillaging the area. In early 269, emperor Claudius and Aurelian marched north to meet the Alamanni, defeating them decisively at the Battle of Lake Benacus.
While still dealing with the defeated enemy, news came from the Balkans reporting large-scale attacks from the Heruli, Goths, Gepids, and Bastarnae. Claudius immediately dispatched Aurelian to the Balkans to contain the invasion as best he could until Claudius could arrive with his main army. The Goths were besieging Thessalonica when they heard of emperor Claudius' approach, causing them to abandon the siege and pillage north-eastern Macedonia. Aurelian intercepted the Goths with his Dalmatian cavalry and defeated them in a series of minor skirmishes, killing as many as three thousand of the enemy. Aurelian continued to harass the enemy, driving them northward into Upper Moesia where emperor Claudius had assembled his main army. The ensuing battle was indecisive: the northward advance of the Goths was halted but Roman losses were heavy.
Claudius could not afford another pitched battle, so he instead laid a successful ambush, killing thousands. However, the majority of the Goths escaped and began retreating south the way they had come. For the rest of year, Aurelian harassed the enemy with his Dalmatian cavalry.
Now stranded in Roman territory, the Goths' lack of provisions began to take its toll. Aurelian, sensing his enemies' desperation, attacked them with the full force of his cavalry, killing many and driving the remainder westward into Thrace. As winter set in, the Goths retreated into the Haemus Mountains, only to find themselves trapped and surrounded. The harsh conditions now exacerbated their shortage of food. However, the Romans underestimated the Goths and let their guard down, allowing the enemy to break through their lines and escape. Apparently emperor Claudius ignored advice, perhaps from Aurelian, and withheld the cavalry and sent in only the infantry to stop their break-out.
The determined Goths killed many of the oncoming infantry and were only prevented from slaughtering them all when Aurelian finally charged in with his Dalmatian cavalry. The Goths still managed to escape and continued their march through Thrace. The Roman army continued to follow the Goths during the spring and summer of 270. Meanwhile, a devastating plague swept through the Balkans, killing many soldiers in both armies.
Emperor Claudius fell ill on the march to the battle and returned to his regional headquarters in Sirmium, leaving Aurelian in charge of operations against the Goths. Aurelian used his cavalry to great effect, breaking the Goths into smaller groups which were easier to deal with. By late summer the Goths were defeated: any survivors were stripped of their animals and booty and were levied into the army or settled as farmers in frontier regions. Aurelian had no time to relish his victories; in late August news arrived from Sirmium that Emperor Claudius was dead.
Opposition to Quintillus
When Claudius died, his brother Quintillus seized power with support of the Senate. With an act typical of the Crisis of the Third Century, the army refused to recognize the new Emperor, preferring to support one of its own commanders: Aurelian was proclaimed emperor in September 270 by the legions in Sirmium. Aurelian defeated Quintillus' troops, and was recognized as Emperor by the Senate after Quintillus' death. The claim that Aurelian was chosen by Claudius on his death bed can be dismissed as propaganda; later, probably in 272, Aurelian put his own dies imperii the day of Claudius' death, thus implicitly considering Quintillus a usurper.[9]
With his base of power secure, he now turned his attention to Rome's greatest problems—recovering the vast territories lost over the previous two decades, and reforming the res publica.
The Roman Empire in the 270s
In 248, Emperor Philip the Arab had celebrated the millennium of the city of Rome with great and expensive ceremonies and games, and the Empire had given a tremendous proof of self-confidence. In the following years, however, the Empire had to face a huge pressure from external enemies, while, at the same time, dangerous civil wars threatened the empire from within, with usurpers weakening the strength of the state. Also, the economic substrate of the state, agriculture and commerce, suffered from the disruption caused by the instability. On top of this an epidemic swept through the Empire around 250, greatly diminishing manpower[10] both for the army and for agriculture.
The end result was that the Empire could not endure the blow of the capture of Emperor Valerian in 260 by the Sassanids. The eastern provinces found their protectors in the rulers of the city of Palmyra, in Syria, whose autonomy grew until the formation of the Palmyrene Empire, which was successful in defending against the Sassanid threat. The western provinces, those facing the limes of the Rhine, seceded to form a third, autonomous state within the territories of the Roman Empire, which is now known as the Gallic Empire.
In Rome, the Emperor was occupied with internal menaces to his power and with the defense of Italia and the Balkans.
Reunification of the empire
The first actions of the new Emperor were aimed at strengthening his own position in his territories. Late in 270, Aurelian campaigned in northern Italia against the Vandals, Juthungi, and Sarmatians, expelling them from Roman territory. To celebrate these victories, Aurelian was granted the title of Germanicus Maximus.[11] The authority of the Emperor was challenged by several usurpers—Septimius, Urbanus, Domitianus, and the rebellion of Felicissimus—who tried to exploit the sense of insecurity of the empire and the overwhelming influence of the armies in Roman politics. Aurelian, being an experienced commander, was aware of the importance of the army, and his propaganda, known through his coinage, shows he wanted the support of the legions.
Defending Italy against the Iuthungi
The burden of the northern barbarians was not yet over, however. In 271, the Alamanni moved towards Italia, entering the Po plain and sacking the villages; they passed the Po River, occupied Placentia and moved towards Fano. Aurelian, who was in Pannonia to control the Vandals' withdrawal, quickly entered Italia, but his army was defeated in an ambush near Placentia (January 271). When the news of the defeat arrived in Rome, it caused great fear for the arrival of the barbarians. But Aurelian attacked the Alamanni camping near the Metaurus River, defeating them in the Battle of Fano, and forcing them to re-cross the Po river; Aurelian finally routed them at Pavia. For this, he received the title Germanicus Maximus. However, the menace of the Germanic people and a Germanic invasion was still perceived by the Romans as likely, so Aurelian resolved to build a new system of walls around Rome that became known as the Aurelian Walls.
Defeat of the Goths and abandonment of Dacia
The emperor led his legions to the Balkans, where he defeated and routed the Goths beyond the Danube, killing the Gothic leader Cannabaudes, and assuming the title of Gothicus Maximus. However, he decided to abandon the province of Dacia, on the exposed north bank of the Danube, as too difficult and expensive to defend. He reorganized a new province of Dacia south of the Danube, inside the former Moesia, called Dacia Aureliana, with Serdica as the capital.
Conquest of the Palmyrene Empire
In 272, Aurelian turned his attention to the lost eastern provinces of the empire, the Palmyrene Empire, ruled by Queen Zenobia from the city of Palmyra.[12] Zenobia had carved out her own empire, encompassing Syria, Palestine, Egypt and large parts of Asia Minor. The Syrian queen cut off Rome's shipments of grain, and in a matter of weeks, the Romans started running low on bread. In the beginning, Aurelian had been recognized as Emperor, while Vaballathus, the son of Zenobia, held the title of rex and imperator ("king" and "supreme military commander"), but Aurelian decided to invade the eastern provinces as soon as he felt his army to be strong enough.
Asia Minor was recovered easily; every city but Byzantium and Tyana surrendered to him with little resistance. The fall of Tyana lent itself to a legend: Aurelian to that point had destroyed every city that resisted him, but he spared Tyana after having a vision of the great 1st-century philosopher Apollonius of Tyana, whom he respected greatly, in a dream.
Apollonius implored him, stating, "Aurelian, if you desire to rule, abstain from the blood of the innocent! Aurelian, if you will conquer, be merciful!" Whatever the reason, Aurelian spared Tyana. It paid off; many more cities submitted to him upon seeing that the Emperor would not exact revenge upon them. Within six months, his armies stood at the gates of Palmyra, which surrendered when Zenobia tried to flee to the Sassanid Empire. The Palmyrene Empire was no more.
Eventually Zenobia and her son were captured and made to walk on the streets of Rome in his triumph, the woman in golden chains. With the grain stores once again shipped to Rome, Aurelian's soldiers handed out free bread to the citizens of the city, and the Emperor was hailed a hero by his subjects. After a brief clash with the Persians and another in Egypt against the usurper Firmus, Aurelian was obliged to return to Palmyra in 273 when that city rebelled once more. This time, Aurelian allowed his soldiers to sack the city, and Palmyra never recovered. More honors came his way; he was now known as Parthicus Maximus and Restitutor Orientis ("Restorer of the East").
The rich province of Egypt was also recovered by Aurelian. The Brucheion (Royal Quarter) in Alexandria was burned to the ground. This section of the city once contained the Library of Alexandria, although the extent of the surviving Library in Aurelian's time is uncertain.
Conquest of the Gallic Empire
In 274, the victorious emperor turned his attention to the west, and the Gallic Empire which had already been reduced in size by Claudius II. Aurelian won this campaign largely through diplomacy; the "Gallic Emperor" Tetricus was willing to abandon his throne and allow Gaul and Britain to return to the Empire, but could not openly submit to Aurelian. Instead, the two seem to have conspired so that when the armies met at Châlons-en-Champagne that autumn, Tetricus simply deserted to the Roman camp and Aurelian easily defeated the Gallic army facing him. Tetricus was rewarded for his part in the conspiracy with a high-ranking position in Italy itself.Aurelian returned to Rome and won his last honorific from the Senate – Restitutor Orbis ("Restorer of the World"). This title was first assumed by Aurelian in late summer of 272, and had been carried previously by both Valerian and Gallienus. In four years, Aurelian had secured the frontiers of the Empire and reunified it, effectively giving the Empire a new lease on life that lasted 200 years.
Aurelian was a reformer, and settled many important functions of the imperial apparatus, dealing with the economy and religion. He restored many public buildings, re-organized the management of the food reserves, set fixed prices for the most important goods, and prosecuted misconduct by the public officers.[13]
Religious reform
Aurelian strengthened the position of the Sun god Sol Invictus as the main divinity of the Roman pantheon. His intention was to give to all the peoples of the Empire, civilian or soldiers, easterners or westerners, a single god they could believe in without betraying their own gods. The center of the cult was a new temple, built in 274 and dedicated on December 25[14] of that year in the Campus Agrippae in Rome, with great decorations financed by the spoils of the Palmyrene Empire.
During his short rule, Aurelian seemed to follow the principle of "one faith, one empire", which would not be made official until the Edict of Thessalonica. He appears with the title deus et dominus natus ("God and born ruler") on some of his coins, a style also later adopted by Diocletian. Lactantius argued that Aurelian would have outlawed all the other gods if he had had enough time. He was recorded by Christian historians as having organized persecutions.[15]
Felicissimus' rebellion and coinage reform
Aurelian's reign records the only uprising of mint workers. The rationalis Felicissimus, a senior public financial official whose responsibilities included supervision of the mint at Rome, revolted against Aurelian. The revolt seems to have been caused by the fact that the mint workers, and Felicissimus first, were accustomed to stealing the silver for the coins and producing coins of inferior quality. Aurelian wanted to eliminate this, and put Felicissimus on trial. The rationalis incited the mintworkers to revolt: the rebellion spread in the streets, even if it seems that Felicissimus was killed immediately, presumably executed.
The Palmyrene rebellion in Egypt had probably reduced the grain supply to Rome, thus disaffecting the population to the emperor. This rebellion also had the support of some senators, probably those who had supported the election of Quintillus, and thus had something to fear from Aurelian.
Aurelian ordered the urban cohorts, reinforced by some regular troops of the imperial army, to attack the rebelling mob: the resulting battle, fought on the Caelian hill, marked the end of the revolt, even if at a high price (some sources give the figure, probably exaggerated, of 7,000 casualties).[13] Many of the rebels were executed; also some of the supporting senators were put to death. The mint of Rome was closed temporarily, and the institution of several other mints caused the main mint of the empire to lose its hegemony.
His monetary reformation included the introduction of antoniniani containing 5% silver. They bore the mark XXI (or its Greek numerals form KA), which meant that twenty of such coins would contain the same silver quantity of an old silver denarius. Considering that this was an improvement over the previous situation gives an idea of the severity of the economic situation Aurelian faced. The Emperor struggled to introduce the new "good" coin by recalling all the old "bad" coins prior to their introduction.
A very large number of rare gold coins of Aurelian have been discovered as part of the Lava Treasure in Corsica, France, in the 1980s.[16]
In 275, Aurelian marched towards Asia Minor, preparing another campaign against the Sassanids: the deaths of Kings Shapur I (272) and Hormizd I (273) in quick succession, and the rise to power of a weakened ruler (Bahram I), presented the opportunity to attack the Sassanid Empire.
On his way, the Emperor suppressed a revolt in Gaul—possibly against Faustinus, an officer or usurper of Tetricus—and defeated barbarian marauders in Vindelicia (Germany).
However, Aurelian never reached Persia, as he was murdered while waiting in Thrace to cross into Asia Minor. As an administrator, Aurelian had been very strict and handed out severe punishments to corrupt officials or soldiers. A secretary of Aurelian (called Eros by Zosimus) had told a lie on a minor issue. In fear of what the Emperor might do, he forged a document listing the names of high officials marked by the emperor for execution and showed it to collaborators. The notarius Mucapor and other high-ranking officers of the Praetorian Guard, fearing punishment from the Emperor, murdered him in September 275, in Caenophrurium, Thrace (modern Turkey).
Aurelian's enemies in the Senate briefly succeeded in passing damnatio memoriae on the Emperor, but this was reversed before the end of the year and Aurelian, like his predecessor Claudius II, was deified as Divus Aurelianus.
There is substantial evidence that Aurelian's wife Ulpia Severina, who had been declared Augusta in 274, may have ruled the Empire by her own power for some time after his death.[8] The sources indicate that there was an interregnum between Aurelian's death and the election of Marcus Claudius Tacitus as his successor. Additionally, some of Ulpia's coins appear to have been minted after Aurelian's death.[8]
Aurelian's short reign reunited a fragmented Empire while saving Rome from barbarian invasions that had reached Italy itself. His death prevented a full restoration of political stability and a lasting dynasty that could end the cycle of assassination of emperors and civil war that marked this period. Even so, he brought the Empire through a very critical period in its history and, without Aurelian, it might never have survived the invasions and fragmentation of the decade in which he reigned. Moreover, the Western half of the Empire would survive another two hundred years, while the East would last another millennium, and for that Aurelian must be allowed much of the credit.
The city of Orléans in France is named after Aurelian. Originally named Cenabum, Aurelian rebuilt and renamed it Aurelianum or Aureliana Civitas ("city of Aurelian", cité d'Aurélien), which evolved into Orléans.
Aurelius Victor Epitome de Caesaribus, xxxv "Epitome de Caesaribus" (4th century)
Eutropius, Breviarium historiae Romanae, IX. 13–15 (4th century)
Historia Augusta Aurelianus Life of Aurelian Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Zosimus, Historia Nova Translation of the Historia Nova (published in 1814), book 1, (5th–6th century)
Joannes Zonaras, Compendium of History Compendium excerpt: Claudius to Diocletian 268–284 (12th century)
Körner, Christian . 2001-07-20 . Aurelian . De Imperatoribus Romanis . 2006-11-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061020202036/http://www.roman-emperors.org/aurelian.htm. 20 October 2006 . live. (Korner:2001)
Book: Saunders, Randall Titus. A biography of the Emperor Aurelian (AD 270-275). 1992. UMI Dissertation Services. Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Book: Southern, Pat . The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine . 2001 . Routledge . 0-415-23944-3 . 125. (Southern:2001);
Book: Watson, Alaric . Aurelian and the Third Century . 1999 . Routledge . 0-415-07248-4.
Book: White, John . The Roman Emperor Aurelian : Restorer of the World . Casemate Publishers and Book Distributors, LLC . 2015 . 978-1-4738-4569-5 .
Aurelian coinage, at Wildwinds.com
On coins of Aurelian with the title dominus et deus (Section 1.9)
Book: Aurelian and the Third Century. 9781134908158. Watson. Alaric. 2004-01-14.
Book: Halsberghe, G.H. . The Cult of Sol Invictus . Brill . Etudes préliminaires aux religions orientales dans l'Empire romain . 1972 . harv . 2018-04-13 . 152.
[Historia Augusta]
Milošević(2010:pp 106-7)
https://books.google.it/books?id=2p9hCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA201&dq=Aurelian+Eutropius+Dacia+Ripensis&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiZ88zMoY_jAhVEYlAKHclxDNUQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=Aurelian%20Eutropius%20Dacia%20Ripensis&f=false Eutropius, Breviarum, 9.13.1
For instance, vita Divi Aureliani paras 5.5–6, 6.3–5, and 7.1–2. If he ever was a tribune of a legion as suggested in 7.1–2 it could not have been with Legio VII Gallicana as that unit never existed.
[Aurelius Victor]
Web site: Aurelian (A.D. 270–275). Körner. Christian. 23 December 2008 . De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and Their Families. 6 January 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20101202042214/http://www.roman-emperors.org/aurelian.htm. 2 December 2010 . live.
Korner.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/11/solving-the-mystery-of-an-ancient-roman-plague/543528/
Zosimus, 1,48f.; Eutropius; Dexippus, FGrH IIA 460 F7; Historia Augusta – Aurelianus xxi,1–3 and xviii,2.
The war against the Palmyrene Empire is described in Zosimus, 1,50,1–1,61,1, and Historia Augusta, Aurelianus, 22–31.
Aurelian. 2. 923–924.
Book: Clauss, Manfred. Die römischen Kaiser : 55 historische Portraits von Caesar bis Iustinian. Beck. 2001. 978-3-406-47288-6. München. 250. de.
For example, in the Annales Cambriae, B & C Texts.
Sylvianne Estiot, The Lava Treasure of Roman Gold. Also in Trésors monétaires, volume XXIV, BNF, 2011
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Aurelian".
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HoleintheClouds
Bird's Eye Views
Hard Copies
Posted by Ellen
Back in March 1866, Greymouth was a rough little gold rush town on New Zealand's wild west coast, crowded with young men scheming to get rich quick, many of them immigrants from Ireland. While most of the town celebrated St. Patrick's Day that year, a man named Synder Browne huddled in a tent near the muddy outskirts of town, setting type by hand for the first edition of Greymouth's second newspaper, the Evening Star.
Greymouth's first paper, already a year old by then, was the Grey River Argus, which would become a Socialist tabloid. For the next century, the left-wing Argus and the right-wing Star would duke it out in the local marketplace of public opinion; their editors, it was said, took opposing positions on absolutely every public issue. Only once a year, on Christmas Eve, would the two editors get together for a holiday drink and some collegial conversation. Every other day of the year they spat and fussed in the competition for readers and for influence over Greymouth's affairs.
The town survived the gold rush, thanks to another mineral that had actually been discovered earlier but was initially ignored because it didn't glitter like you-know-what: coal. There was plenty of coal in the hillsides around Greymouth, though all the customers for coal, and all the ports suitable for coal shipping, were hundreds or thousands of kilometers away on the other side of the Southern Alps. Greymouth was a seaside town but without a decent harbor; it sat rough and damp in the nearly uninhabited rainforest along the west coast of New Zealand's South Island. To make a go of coal mining thereabouts, somebody was going to have to build a railroad over the mountains.
The Argus and the Star had different ideas about Greymouth's economic development. They argued for different people to pay for, and benefit from, the railroad project. When coal mining became established, the two papers argued even more fiercely over mine safety and environmental issues. The mines there have been productive but quite dangerous, with high concentrations of coalbed methane. Many miners have died over the years in mine fires and explosions, and several mine projects have been abandoned after methane levels proved uncontrollable. The Argus and the Star told different stories about the tragedies.
Most mines are closed now, and the town survives on forestry work and tourism; it is a portal to the glacier and fjord country further south. The population has leveled off at about 5,000, and there's only one newspaper left, the Greymouth Star. The Argus folded in the 1960s.
Today, the Star is owned by a publishing conglomerate based in Dunedin. And even though print media is in big trouble all over the world, the Star is hanging on, with subscribers all along the west coast and a workforce of more than 60 fulltime employees.
The Star is available online as well as on paper. In the latest edition, you can read about Charles Edward Miller Pearce, a New Zealand–born mathematician who taught at Adelaide University in Australia. He came home for a visit, rented a car at the Hokitika airport, just south of Greymouth, then drove south on the coastal highway until he apparently lost consciousness. His car landed upside down in shallow water, with only his head submerged.
"If he had been conscious, all he would have had to do was turn his head towards the middle of the car," a witness told the coroner, according to the Star's report, "and his face would have been out of the water."
"I observed that he had a peaceful expression on his face," noted a second witness. "My guess was that he fell asleep at the wheel and never woke up."
(Image credit: Little Fuji),
Greymouth,
printing press,
Recent Good Mornings
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Imagery on this site is available for re-use under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial license. Please credit and/or link to Hole in the Clouds.
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Dashboard of Nutritional Status of Children in India
Geo-visualising Diet, Anthropometric and Clinical Indicators for Children in India
Using the disaggregated data from the fourth National Family Health Survey (NFHS 2015-16), researchers from Geographic Insights Lab at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies and the Institute of Economic Growth present a dashboard and atlas for 31 nutritional indicators that include diet, anthropometry, clinical and service utilization measures of child nutrition for the districts of India. The geo-visualisations are presented with a motivation to help various stakeholders prioritise indicators and districts for interventions.
Notwithstanding the value of utilising the summary data for select indicators made available by the fifth NFHS (2019-20) for 17 states and 5 union territories, it is important to note that a truly all-India picture covering all districts of India will not be available at least until the later part of 2021. Even as we await the availability of disaggregated data for a full range of indicators, there remains much to be investigated and learned from a more detailed examination of the fourth round of the NFHS.
© Authors: Akhil Kumar, Weixing Zhang, S V Subramanian. Dashboard on Geo-visualising Diet, Anthropometric and Clinical Indicators for Children in India. December 2020, Cambridge MA, Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies. For further details and related publications, see https://geographicinsights.iq.harvard.edu/IndiaNutritionDistrict
NOTE: The legend and rank show the Prevalence-Headcount Metric (PHM) which was calculated by adding the normalized values of prevalence and headcount together. Blank areas with unavailable data.
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Honored Guests
History of the Forum
IFTE Committees
Among the participants, there are editors and editorial board members of the following journals indexed in Scopus and Web of Science.
Nick Rushby has been a journal editor for 37 years, firstly for Programmed Learning and Educational Technology, then for Interactive Learning International and, for the past 22 years, for the British Journal of Educational Technology – a post which he held until December 2015.
Deputy Editor of the Journal «Education and Self Development (E&SD)» (Kazan, Russia), which has been accepted for inclusion in Scopus and is applying for inclusion in Web of Science. https://en.eandsdjournal.org/
«Education and Self Development (E&SD)» is a peer-reviewed journal established in June 2006, published by Kazan Federal University and founded by Valentin Andreev, member of the Russian Academy of Education, DSc, Professor at KFU. The Journal publishes contribution in both Russian and English.
Andreja Istenic Starcic
Professor of University of Primorska (Koper, Slovenia) and University of Ljubljana (Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Member of International Advisory Board of the journal «British Journal of Educational technology (BJET)» (UK). https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/british-journal-of-education-technology
BJET is a primary source for academics and professionals in the fields of digital educational and training technology throughout the world. The Journal is published by Wiley on behalf of The British Educational Research Association (BERA). https://www.bera.ac.uk/
Member of the Editorial Board of the journal «The Turkish Online Journal of Education Technology (TOJET)» (Turkey). http://www.tojet.net/
«The Turkish Online Journal of Education Technology (TOJET)» is an open access online international electronic journal. The content of TOJET relates to educational technology. The journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
Member of the Editorial Board of the journal «International journal: emerging technologies in learning (iJET)» (Vienna, Austria). https://online-journals.org/index.php/i-jet/index
«International journal: emerging technologies in learning (iJET)» is an interdisciplinary journal, which focuses on the exchange of relevant trends and research results as well as the presentation of practical experiences gained while developing and testing elements of technology enhanced learning. It aims to bridge the gap between pure academic research journals and more practical publications. It covers the full range from research, application development to experience reports and product descriptions.
Lyubomir Penev
Managing Director and Founder of «Pensoft Publishers» (Sofia, Bulgaria), Professor of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (Sofia, Bulgaria)
«Pensoft Publishers» is a leading publisher of innovative open access journals. https://pensoft.net/ Among them is ARPHA Proceedings. https://ap.pensoft.net/
ARPHA Proceedings is a novel, open access, human- and machine-readable platform designed to assist conference organisers in authoring, submission, peer review, editorial management, publication and dissemination of conference proceedings in any field of science.
Dina Birman
Professor of Educational and Psychological Studies, University of Miami (Miami, USA)
Fellow of the International Academy for Intercultural Research (IAIR) (Ohio, USA). https://www.intercultural-academy.net/
Academy for Intercultural Research (IAIR) is a professional interdisciplinary organization dedicated to the understanding and improvement of intercultural relations through world-class social science research.
Editor of the IAIR’s «International Journal of Intercultural Relations (IJIR)». https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/international-journal-of-intercultural-relations
«International Journal of Intercultural Relations (IJIR)» is dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding of theory, research and practice in the field of intercultural relations. The journal publishes quantitative and qualitative empirical research and reviews of research literature.
Member of the Editorial Board of the «American Journal of Community Psychology (AJCP)» (USA). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15732770
«American Journal of Community Psychology (AJCP)» publishes research, theory, and descriptions of innovative interventions on a wide range of topics in community psychology. It is the official publication of the Society for Community Research and Action: The Division of Community Psychology of the American Psychological Association.
Cheryl Craig
Professor of Texas A&M University (Texas, USA)
President of International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching (ISATT). https://www.isatt.net/
International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching (ISATT) aims to enhance the quality of teaching at all levels of education and to act as a forum to promote, present, discuss and disseminate research findings which contribute to knowledge and the formation of theory in this field.
Executive Editor of the journal «Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice». https://www.isatt.net/
«Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice» is the ISATT journal, which provides an international focal point for the publication of research on teachers and teaching, in particular on teacher thinking. It includes theoretical reflections on the connections between theory and practice in teachers’ work and other research of professional interest. Indexed in Scopus and Web of Science.
Maria Flores
Professor of Institute of Education, University of Minho (Braga, Portugal)
President of the Board of Estreiadiálogos (The Collaborative Action Research Network for the Portuguese speaking countries (CARN)) (Braga, Portugal). https://www.estreiadialogos.com/
Editor of the journal «The European Journal of Teacher Education (EJTE)» (Brussels, Belgium). https://atee.education/knowledge-center/ejte/
«The European Journal of Teacher Education (EJTE) is the official journal of the Association for Teacher Education in Europe (ATEE). Its audience includes all those who have a professional concern with or interest in the education of teachers for all age groups. Indexed in Scopus.
Juan Jose Mena Marcos
Associate professor of University of Salamanca (Salamanca, Spain)
Treasurer and National Spain Representative of the International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching (ISATT). https://www.isatt.net/
Associate Editor of the journal «Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice».
Member of the Editorial Board of the journal «The European Journal of Teacher Education (EJTE)» (Brussels, Belgium). https://atee.education/knowledge-center/ejte/
Member of the Editorial Board of the journal «Studying Teacher Education». https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cste20/current
«Studying Teacher Education» invites submissions from authors who have a strong interest in improving the quality of teaching generally and of teacher education in particular. The central purpose of the journal is to disseminate high-quality research and dialogue in self-study of teacher education practices. Indexed in Scopus and Web of Science.
John Schulz
Principal Teaching Fellow of University of Southampton (Southampton, UK)
Director and founder of the SEds Video & Digital Media Studio.
https://www.southampton.ac.uk/education/about/staff/jbs.page
SEds Video & Digital Media Studio was established in 2010 to allow explore the use of digital video technology in education settings. Today it is a well-equipped studio, complete with lighting, 4K cameras and professional video editing facilities, producing learning resources.
Iva Kostadinova
PR-Officer of «Pensoft Publishers» (Sofia, Bulgaria). https://pensoft.net/
«Pensoft Publishers» is an independent academic publishing company, well known worldwide. Founded in 1992 “by scientists, for the scientists” and initially focusing on book publishing.
Pam Vitu
Manager of «bePress» (Berkeley, California, USA). https://www.bepress.com/
«bePress» is the organization, which provides web-based solutions for the academic and scholarly community.
Pippa Smart
An independent research communication and publishing consultant, working under the business name «PSP Consulting» (Oxford, UK). https://www.pspconsulting.org/home/about-pippa-smart/
«PSP Consulting» provides services to the scholarly publishing community around the world.
Roza A. Valeeva
Doctor of Education and Head of the Pedagogy Department at the Institute of Psychology and Education in Kazan Federal University.
Editor-in-Chief of the Journal «Education and Self Development (E&SD)» (Kazan, Russia), which has been accepted for inclusion in Scopus and is applying for inclusion in Web of Science. https://en.eandsdjournal.org/
Alfiya R. Masalimova
Doctor of Education, Professor of the Institute of Psychology and Education of Kazan Federal University. She is Head of the Department of Higher School Pedagogy at the Institute of Psychology and Education and Head of the Center for Publication Activity at the Institute.
Member of Editorial Council of the Journal «Education and Self Development (E&SD)» (Kazan, Russia), which has been accepted for inclusion in Scopus and is applying for inclusion in Web of Science. https://en.eandsdjournal.org/
Сo-editor of the journal Eurasian Journal of Pedagogical Research (Ankara, Turkey), indexed in Scopus and Web of Science. www.ejer.com.tr/?git=5
Eurasian Journal of Educational Research (EJER) is a peer-reviewed, international and interdisciplinary journal publishing original research articles and significant contributions to education and educational sciences.
Member of Editorial Board of the journal Slavonic Pedagogical Studies Journal (Nitra, Slovakia). www.pegasjournal.eu/editorial-board.html
Slavonic Pedagogical Studies Journal is the scientific educational double-blind peer-reviewed journal covering science in education, educational research, pedagogy, methodology field.
Olga Kirillova
Editor-in-Chief of the journal Science Editor and Publisher, Editorial Board member of the journal European Science Editing, member of the Editorial Council of the Korean journal — Science Editing, President of the Association of Science Editors and Publishers (Moscow, Russia).
Submit your abstract to take part in IFTE 2021
The IFTE 2021 Program Chair and Planning Committee welcomes you to the 7th International Forum on Teacher Education. The IFTE 2021 general theme is Teacher Education: New Challenges and Goals with three sub-themes “Teachers for Children with Special Educational Needs”, “Education Trajectories in the Time of Extremes”, “Training Teachers as Moral Agents in the 21st Century”. Proceedings of the Forum are published in the Web of Science indexed scientific journal.
The IFTE 2021 online submission system opened on December 1, 2020 and will close on March 1, 2021. The link to the submission portal https://event.kpfu.ru/rus/event/6531/. Please check the conference website and attached information letters for more information or contact us at ipe-dfa@yandex.ru for queries.
information letters
Vice President of Kyrgyz Academy of Education took part in IFTE
Brest State Technical University took part in IFTE
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Web keywen.com
Composition Article History Tree Map
Encyclopedia of Keywords > Society > Culture > Arts > Music > Composition Michael Charnine
Keywords and Sections
COMPOSITION LESSONS
VARYING COMPOSITION
EACUTE
COMPOSITION STUDIES
Review of Short Phrases and Links
This Review contains major "Composition"- related terms, short phrases and links grouped together in the form of Encyclopedia article.
The composition was realized in Radio Belgrade's Electronic Studio. Vladan Radovanovic was born in Belgrade in 1932.
The composition is used as an example of basic proponents of music theory, such as harmonies and chord composition.
Composition is a rewarding division of the music major. (Web site)
Composition is a type of Fallacy of Ambiguity.
Composition is the art of arranging in a decorative manner the various elements at the painter's disposal for the expression of his feelings.
Mineralogy and petrology investigate the composition and origin of minerals and rocks, respectively.
There he studied piano and music theory, including composition, harmony, and counterpoint, for three years, and he began to compose music. (Web site)
Mineralogy: The study of minerals - their composition, structure, formation, uses, properties, occurrence and geographic distribution. (Web site)
What is important in understanding the composition of a piece is singling out its elements. (Web site)
We connect you with of art composition analytical information including of art composition search and user behavior.
In a minimalist style, the composition brings a new view of music through lessons which focus on musical stories and instrumental families of the orchestra.
Learn songwriting and composition in the New Age style with these online lessons for beginning adults.
Composition will include narrative, descriptive, expository, and argumentative essays. (Web site)
We have left unsaid what the concept of sound-based composition is. (Web site)
Algo-Comp is a listserv dedicated to algorithmic composition.
A painting which purpose is to achieve composition of enclosure. (Web site)
He is in the jury of international competitions of composition. (Web site)
In addition to essays and seminars, it is possible for students to include performance or composition elements relevant to each module's overall topics.
Master of Arts Master of Music with majors in music literature, composition, performance, and conducting.
Everywhere in the world, musicology is everything musical except performance and composition. (Web site)
In music, a nonet is a composition which requires nine musicians for a performance.
Continuing his exploration of composition and performance with "virtual" piano, Seattle-based composer Steve Layton (b. (Web site)
Master of Music in Composition Prerequisite-applicants must hold a bachelor of music degree with a major in composition or theory.
The application of mathematical models to composition determinates a more abstract music. (Web site)
Halevy was a Professor of music at the Paris Conservatoire where he taught harmony and accompaniment, counterpoint and fugue, and composition. (Web site)
QJ studied music composition and theory with Nadia Boulanger and Olivier Messiaen in Paris.
A detailed study of the many aspects of electronic music composition. (Web site)
Theory-Composition majors are generally reviewed for continuance at the end of the third semester in the program. (Web site)
Percussion Instruments is a survey course designed for music education and music composition majors.
It provides the composer traditional composition tools and enables to explore advanced fractal mathematics while composing music.
MMus in Musical Composition. This is a one-year (two years part-time) programme designed primarily, though not exclusively, for active composers seeking a.
Degrees Offered: M.A.; Ph.D. in ethnomusicology. Masters students may elect a concentration in composition. (Web site)
Also available, through the Music Department, is a Ph.D. in Composition with an Ethnomusicology cognate.
Services include composition, editing, orchestration, arranging and publishing.
These subjects included piano, composition,harmony and counterpoint, orchestration, organ and score-reading. (Web site)
Studied composition and percussion at the Academy of Music in Wurzburg.
Dett went to Oberlin [College, in Ohio] and there he studied piano, and composition.
By studying the radio waves originating from these sources, astronomers can learn about their composition, structure, and motion. (Web site)
Careful study of these spectral lines permits astronomers to determine the chemical composition of nebulae. (Web site)
Its shape, age and chemical composition will allow astronomers to better understand the violent ways in which stars end their lives.
As new planets are discovered, astronomers will investigate the temperature and chemical composition of each. (Web site)
Planetary Science, study of the forces and influences that determine the composition, structure, and evolution of planets and planetary systems.
The two planets are similar in size, mass and composition, and both reside in the inner part of the Solar System. (Web site)
Gneiss can be classified on the basis of minerals that are present, process of formation, chemical composition, or probable parent material.
A utility patent may be granted for any useful, new and non-obvious process, machine, manufactured article, or chemical composition.
The absorbing composition employed in the process of the present invention is a composition consisting essentially of zinc, titanium and a promoter. (Web site)
In order to be patentable, an invention must be a process, machine, and article of manufacture or composition of matter.
A utility patent protects a new, useful, nonobvious and adequately discussed machine, manufacture, composition of matter, process, or improvement thereof. (Web site)
A utility patent may be granted for the invention or discovery of any new and useful process, machine, manufactured article, or chemical composition. (Web site)
Stratovolcanoes are composed of volcanic rock types that vary from basalt to rhyolite, but their composition is generally andesite.
If we partially melt a peridotite (3-8%) the magma we generate has the composition of a basalt. (Web site)
Basalt, on the other hand, is mafic in composition -- meaning it is rich in pyroxene and, in some cases, olivine, both of which are Mg-Fe rich minerals.
The behaviour of magmas, and hence the type of volcanic edifice that they form, is dependent upon their composition and the volume of lava erupted.
Composite cones, as the name suggests, are composed of alternating layers of lava (usually andesitic or rhyolitic in composition) and pyroclastic debris.
Lava flows are basaltic to basanitic in composition, and the Holocene flows are alkali olivine basalts. (Web site)
The lander probe carried instruments to study the characteristics and composition of the atmosphere of Venus. (Web site)
These large plants changed the atmosphere and altered the composition of the soil by increasing the amount of organic carbon.
Composition of the Air.--The air of the atmosphere is principally made up of a mixture of two invisible gases called oxygen and nitrogen. (Web site)
In classical music, a septet is either a composition for performance by seven musicians, or a group of seven musicians who perform such a work.
Work on the quartet interrupted the composition of the Double Concerto, to which it is closely related in technique. (Web site)
Messiaen chose Pierre Henry for his assistant, and picked out a dozen or so sounds to work with for his composition. (Web site)
The composition of this poem was interrupted by Ovid's exile,[b] and it is thought that Ovid abandoned work on the piece in Tomis. (Web site)
The method entails building a piece using a series of the 12 notes of the scale, permuting it and superimposing it on itself to create the composition.
This differs greatly from the approach of Americans such as John Cage, who used elements of chance in the composition as well as the performance of a piece.
The exact composition and length of the insulator partly determines the heat range of the plug.
The composition of andesite is classified as " intermediate " among igneous rocks, implying that its silica content is in the range of 52-63 percent.
They range from intermediate to felsic in composition, and include diorites, monzonites, granodiorites, granites, and tonalites.
At the age of 14 he entered the Curtis Institute, where he studied voice, piano, and composition. (Web site)
At the age of 11 he entered the Paris Conservatoire, studying organ and improvisation with Marcel Dupré and composition with Paul Dukas.
At the age of seventeen Peter moved to London to study piano, conducting and composition as the youngest ever post-graduate at the Royal College of Music.
He took piano lessons with Alfred Cortot, composition lessons with Arthur Honegger and musical analysis with Olivier Messiaen. (Web site)
With Schoenberg he studied counterpoint, music theory, and harmony.[ 1] By 1906, he was studying music full-time; by 1907, he began composition lessons. (Web site)
He was born in Vienna in February 1885, and began composition lessons with Schoenberg in 1904.
Shortly thereafter he moved with his family to Vienna, where he began his studies in piano with Carl Czerny and in composition with Antonio Salieri. (Web site)
He went to Vienna at once and studied the piano with Czerny, besides taking lessons in composition from Salieri and Randhartinger. (Web site)
He was born in 1811 at Raiding in Hungary and moved as a child to Vienna, where he took piano lessons from Czerny and composition lessons from Salieri.
His first teaching job was at a college in Virginia, before he became professor of piano and composition at the University of Colorado in 1958. (Web site)
In 1927 he began his studies at the Leipzig Conservatory (organ, composition) and at University, (philosophy, music history, and German studies).
Parallel interests in new and pre-romantic music led him to take a degree in composition at University and to study the lute and harpsichord.
In 1909 he moved to Berlin to study composition at the Music Academy with Max Bruch who subsequently retired. (Web site)
But her mother sent her to Berlin to study composition and she studied with Urban, who had been the teacher of Paderewski. (Web site)
In 1930 Reizenstein went to the State Academy of Music in Berlin, where he studied composition with Hindemith, piano with Leonid Kreutzer. (Web site)
Consider, for instance, the differences in population, size, income, ethnic composition, and political status among the various islands. (Web site)
Differences in the species composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in spore, root and soil communities in a grassland ecosystem. (Web site)
The vibrational spectra of minerals are different, in line with differences in crystal structure and composition. (Web site)
Composition of minuet and trio, set of variations, or other homophonic piece is the final project.
Thème et variations (Theme and Variations) is a composition by Olivier Messiaen for solo violin and piano, and lasts around ten minutes. (Web site)
For a meteorologist, the composition of the atmosphere determines the climate and its variations. (Web site)
Geologists examine the composition, processes and history of the Earth to learn how rocks were formed and what has happened since formation.
Life forms on Earth have modified the composition of the atmosphere since their evolution. (Web site)
A magma source rising from deep within the Earth has a different chemical composition than magma that forms just below Earth's crust. (Web site)
Composition of morphisms corresponds to multiplication of elements of the monoid.
Chemical composition of magma is controlled by the abundance of elements in the Earth.
The isotopic composition of elements is different on different planets, making it possible to determine the origin of meteorites.
The objects are the automorphisms of x, with multiplication given by composition, and the morphisms are the invertible 2-morphisms between these.
The abstraction mechanisms include support for identification of objects, classification, and composition.
In such cases the inverse image operation is often compatible with composition of these maps between objects, or in more technical terms is a functor.
A category with a single object is equivalent to a monoid whose elements are morphisms and whose operation is composition. (Web site)
The composition of two morphisms is again a morphism, and we obtain the category of vector bundles. (Web site)
Just as the essence of a monoid is multiplication, the essence of a category is composition.
Kimberlites contain, in addition to diamond xenocrysts, fragments of lherzolites of varying composition. (Web site)
Because lapis is a rock of varying composition, its physical properties are variable. (Web site)
There are also some mixed members, such as rhodolite garnet, which is a mixture of pyrope and almandite by composition.
Limonite is an ore consisting of a mixture of hydrated Iron Oxide-Hydroxide of varying composition of minerals such as Goethite, Lepidocrocite, or Jarosite.
Curry powder is a mixture of spice s of widely varying composition based on South Asian cuisine.
Philip Sheppard trained in Cello and Composition at the Royal Academy of Music, during which time he specialised in contemporary music.
At the same time, it expressed a "moment" form of composition, without any emphasis on progression. (Web site)
Performing jazz means a musician must create a work of art on the spot, composition in real time.
He studied violin with Martin Pierre Marsick, harmony with André Gédalge, and composition with Jules Massenet and Gabriel Fauré.
Koechlin studied composition with Massenet and Fauré. (Web site)
Halévy studied with the Italian composer Luigi Cherubini at the Paris Conservatoire, where he later became professor of harmony and of composition.
Ferrari was born in Paris and studied the piano under Alfred Cortot, musical analysis under Olivier Messiaen and composition under Arthur Honegger. (Web site)
He then studied composition under Fromental Halévy at the Conservatoire de Paris. (Web site)
Finally ready to pursue a musical career in piano and composition, Franz Liszt went to Paris at the age of 16.
Geochemistry is the study of the chemistry of the Earth, dealing with its composition and chemical change. (Web site)
You will also note that the chemistry of the rock changes, becoming more intermediate in composition, and ultimately becoming mafic.
In chemistry, mole fraction x is a way of expressing the composition of a mixture. (Web site)
From 1907 he worked in Leipzig, where he was music director of the university until 1908 and professor of composition at the conservatory until his death. (Web site)
Messiaen taught at the Paris Conservatory for many years, being appointed professor of harmony there in 1941, and professor of composition in 1966.
Sullivan became organist at St. Michael's, London, in 1861 and professor of composition at the Royal Academy of Music in 1866. (Web site)
Each amino acid consists of an amino functional group, and a carboxyl acid group, and differs from other amino acids by the composition of an R group. (Web site)
The method was used to infer the amino acid composition of a large protein set in the Last Universal Ancestor (LUA) of all extant species.
Practically all proteins we consume contain some amount of glutamine, usually in the order of 4% to 8% of their total amino acid composition.
The automorphisms of leaving the elements of fixed form a group with respect to composition, called the Galois group of the extension.
The group was so named by Haüy in allusion to the protean variety, in composition and appearance, assumed by its minerals. (Web site)
This group can be given the structure of a complex manifold in such a way that composition and inversion are holomorphic maps. (Web site)
During puberty, major differences of size, shape, composition, and function develop in many body structures and systems.
Because of its size and distance from Earth, astronomers had no idea of its composition or other characteristics at the time. (Web site)
They are small in size and similar to Earth in composition.
Most coins cost less to make than their face value; when it becomes too expensive to make a certain coin, size, weight and composition are often changed.
Methyl iodide may suitably be present in the liquid reaction composition in an amount in the range from 2 to 20%, preferably from 4 to 16% by weight. (Web site)
Preferably, the concentration of methyl in the liquid reaction composition is in the range 1 to 50% by weight, preferably 2 to 30% by weight. (Web site)
Following on from her doctoral studies with Larry Sitsky, Judith continued her composition studies with Emmanuel Nunes in Paris during 2005. (Web site)
He took up composition studies with Martin Wegelius and violin with Mitrofan Wasiliev, then Hermann Csillag.
He had early piano and composition studies, numbering among his teachers Friedrich Wieck and Louis Plaidy, and consulted with Liszt. (Web site)
In 1889 he went to Berlin to continue his composition studies with Becker, then after a year to Vienna under Goldmark and Fuchs. (Web site)
Her composition studies there with Alan Bush and Eric Fenby were later supplemented by lessons from Hans Keller.
Society > Culture > Arts > Music
Arts > Music > Musical Instruments > Piano
Nature > Matter > Materials > Rocks
Encyclopedia of Keywords > Nature > Natural Resources > Minerals
Arts > Music > Composition /
* Addition * Change * Changes * Chemical Composition * Composer * Composition Similar * Composition Teacher * Composition Written * Different Composition * Embodiment * Form * Fugue * Function * Functions * Function Composition * Granite * Hawker * Hawker Centre * Igneous Rocks * Intermediate * Intermediate Composition * Invention * Liquid * Magma * Matter * Method * Mineral * Minerals * Musical Composition * Music Composition * Orchestra * Origin * Pharmaceutical Composition * Piano * Present Invention * Properties * Rock * Rocks * Set * Similar * Similar Composition * Structure * Study * Studying * Studying Composition * Teacher * Teachers * Technique * Temperature * Terms * Theory * Toothpaste Composition * Uniform Polyhedron Compound
Books about "Composition" in Amazon.com
Short phrases about "Composition"
Originally created: June 16, 2006.
Links checked: March 09, 2013.
Please click on to move good phrases up.
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Suns, Nuggets to play outdoor NBA game
InsideHoops.com | Feb. 19, 2008
The NBA’s first outdoor game of the modern era will take place when the Phoenix Suns host the Denver Nuggets in a preseason game on Saturday, October 11 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, CA. The 16,000-seat stadium is an NBA-style arena with no roof located in a spectacular desert setting. The venue annually plays host to one of the world’s major tennis tournaments, the Pacific Life Open.
“The Suns and the Nuggets are truly excited to bring NBA basketball to Indian Wells in what promises to be the most picturesque setting for an NBA game in league history – outdoors in one of the most beautiful locations imaginable,” said Suns’ President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts. “It will be unique, fun and memorable for fans and the teams alike.”
The game will be televised nationally, exclusively on TNT.
“When something special happens in the NBA, fans know that TNT will be there to cover the event like no other network,” said David Levy, President of Turner Sports. “We are looking forward to providing a national television audience with a front row seat to this unique and historic game."
While the event will be historic, it will not be the first time an NBA game has been played outdoors. Over 35 years ago, the Phoenix Suns, played the only other NBA game to be played outdoors in Puerto Rico against the Milwaukee Bucks. Led by Connie Hawkins, Dick Van Arsdale and Neal Walk, the Suns defeated Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson and the Bucks, 116-103, in a preseason game on September 24, 1972 at a baseball stadium in San Juan.
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Fair technology
Authors: Juan Hourcade
Posted: Fri, April 27, 2018 - 11:10:30
The means of destruction have developed pari passu with the technology of production, while creative imagination has not kept pace with either. The creative imagination I am talking of works on two levels. The first is the level of social engineering, the second is the level of vision. In my view both have lagged behind technology, especially in the highly advanced Western countries, and both constitute dangers.
The future cannot be predicted, but futures can be invented. It was man's ability to invent which has made human society what it is.
—Dennis Gabor, Inventing the Future, 1963
In his book Inventing the Future, Denis Gabor captured his impression of the impact of technology mostly based on his experience living in the 20th century. Technological changes were as radically productive as destructive, but generally lacked direction from the perspective of constructing more fair and just societies, or having a vision other than that related to the insatiable longing for wealth, status, or power of a few.
Fast forward to 2018 and we are facing a similar situation with information and communication technologies (ICTs). We have had unprecedented production, with large amounts of information quickly available to most people in high-income countries, and increasingly throughout the world. ICT companies have focused primarily on growth, with little attention paid to the destructive uses of their technology, which now appear to have at least caught up with productive uses. Just as in Gabor’s 1963, the problem is still the lack of a serious vision for the use of technology for a more just and fair world, a vision that translates into action on the part of the major players, and that has at least equal standing with the goals of growth and profit.
Back in 2011, together with Natasha Bullock-Rest, I presented a vision for technologies to reduce armed conflict around the world through a more just and fair world with the following goals: reducing social distance between enemies, exposing war and celebrating peace, de-incentivizing private motivation for conflict, preventing failures of the social contract, promoting democracy and education, and aiding operational prevention of conflicts. It is difficult to think of any major ICT company that has taken any of the goals above seriously, at the same level at which they pay attention to growth and profit.
Perhaps the most disappointing development is the negative effect ICTs have had on democracy, arguably providing the greatest challenge to democratic institutions in decades. These challenges have come in at least two related forms: increasing political radicalization, and diminished trust in facts and expertise. A third challenge is the massive accumulation of personal data that could be used in very damaging ways by authoritarian governments.
James Madison, in Federalist Paper #10, warned of the dangers of factions on the well-being of countries and democracies, saying “A zeal for different opinions concerning religion, concerning government, and many other points, as well of speculation as of practice; an attachment to different leaders ambitiously contending for pre-eminence and power; or to persons of other descriptions whose fortunes have been interesting to the human passions, have, in turn, divided mankind into parties, inflamed them with mutual animosity, and rendered them much more disposed to vex and oppress each other than to co-operate for their common good.” Yet, ICTs have every incentive to provide us with information and views that conform to our own inclinations, failing to provide counterpoints to undemocratic ideas, thus helping polarize society, and making responsible venues that provide balanced views less popular. In addition, increased automation is making it less necessary to interact with people who may be from a different walk of life and could provide an alternative point of view.
Factionalization has come hand-in-hand with diminished trust in facts and expertise. This is another threat to democracy as it leads to ignorance. As Thomas Jefferson stated in an 1816 letter to Charles Yancey,“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilisation, it expects what never was and never will be.” It is difficult to have a truly democratic society if groups of people have widely different understandings of reality.
The challenge of the massive collection of personal data becomes weaponized once democratic protections are lifted. The rich data that companies like Facebook and Google have on billions of people, in combination with widespread cameras and face-recognition technology, would have been beyond the wildest imagination of most secret police bosses in 20th-century authoritarian regimes. The ability to go after political enemies would be unprecedented.
I am thankful that within the HCI community we have researchers exposing the dangers I outlined above and presenting visions of the future that include Gabor’s creative imagination. However, our generation of ideas and projects that may impact political topics such as supporting democracy or preventing armed conflict have arguably not had an eager audience at the top levels of large ICT companies.
The challenge is significant and the stakes are high. I think it’s time to discuss creative ideas and I am happy to propose one so we can begin the discussion. My sense is that our challenge is in some ways similar to that of the food industry, where unhealthy food, environmentally unsustainable practices, and worker exploitation are beginning to be addressed, in part, through organic and fair trade certifications. These have been far from perfect solutions and are mostly available to people who are well-off, but we don’t even have an equivalent in the ICT world for uses that involve large amounts of data (e.g., social media). The closest we have is free, libre, and open source software and services provided by groups such as the Mozilla Foundation and the Open Source Initiative. Having widely recognizable certification for ICTs could provide a way forward, but the certification should be concerned not only with cost or source code, but with the ethical track record of an organization/product. What would it likely involve? Periodic assessments of societal outcomes, with a focus on user empowerment, individual and community well-being, and basic democratic principles.
What do you think? What solution do you propose?
Posted in: on Fri, April 27, 2018 - 11:10:30
Juan Hourcade
Juan Pablo Hourcade is an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Iowa, focusing on human-computer interaction.
View All Juan Hourcade's Posts
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http://interactions.acm.org/blog/view/fair-technology
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Lusofonias
Portuguese School, Edinburgh
Timetable and Fees
Aline Siekierski
Aline Siekierski is originally from São Paulo, Brazil. She has lived in Scotland for about eight years and has a degree in journalism. While in S. Paulo she used to do voluntary work in disadvantaged neighbourhoods where she taught English and Art to pre-school-age children. She is currently studying Business Management and is the pre-school teacher at Lusofonias-OP.
Portuguese, from Castanheira de Pera, Sandra has been living in Bridge of Allan since 2015. She has a degree in Portuguese and English (Faculdade de Letras, University of Lisbon) and a Masters in Portuguese as a Foreign Language from Universidade Aberta, where she also worked on a PhD in Portuguese Studies. Sandra was a teacher of Portuguese and English in various schools in Portugal and also worked as an editor at Santillana; subsequently, she taught Portuguese as a Foreign Language in Tampere.
Ana Maria Sousa Costa Saraiva
Ana was born in Angola and has lived in Edinburgh since 2016. She has a degree in Modern Languages and Literatures (Portuguese Studies), from Nova University (Lisbon). She taught Portuguese and Latin in various Portuguese schools, was coordinator for vocational courses, and acted as teacher-librarian, amongst other roles. In 2017 (April) she gained the General Teaching Council for Scotland provisional registration.
Adriana Dance
A Brazilian, native of São Paulo, Adriana has a degree in Portuguese/English Language and Literature followed by years of language teaching experience. She loves the Portuguese language as well as the vast and rich culture, history and literature of all the Portuguese-speaking countries. She has lived in Scotland since 2016 and is the mother of two bilingual, school-age children.
Mural de trabalhos
Professora Adriana Dance A1.1
Professora Ana Saraiva B1
Professora Aline Siekierski (pré-escolar): 11:15 – 11:30; 15 mins offline para realização de trabalhos; 11:45 – 12:05/12:10
Professora Sandra Ferreira A1
01/09/2021 @ 12:15 pm - 12:45 pm
Professora Ana Saraiva C1
01/09/2021 @ 12:40 pm - 1:10 pm
• • • • • • • •
View Lusofonias-Oficinas-de-Português-696799023744307’s profile on Facebook
Leith Academy, 20 Academy Park, Edinburgh EH6 8JQ | 11am - 1pm on Saturdays
Email: lusofonias-op@outlook.com
Christmas through the eyes of our students
Students Showcase
Lusofonias – Oficinas de Português, registered Scottish Charity (SC046096)
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Story by Mercia Hobson
At its first work session of 2021, the Town Council of the Town of Herndon approved a resolution in a vote of 6-0 to elect second term Councilmember Cesar del Aguila the Vice Mayor for a two-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2021. Del Aguila abstained. Tradition held that the person who received the highest number of votes during the general election is named vice mayor.
During discussion of the motion to approve the resolution, Councilmember Pradip Dhakal said he wanted to call out del Aguila ”for his openness, integrity and always ready to discuss the different views or ideas in order to move the Town forward.”
Del Aguila thanked the voters of the Town. “I shall endeavor to persevere,” he said.
Mayor Sheila Olem congratulated Vice Mayor del Aguila, adding, “I look forward to working with you over the next two years and let’s touch base this week.”
Del Aguila chaired the town’s Pedestrian & Bicycle Committee and its Interview Subcommittee, He served as the town’s representative to the Dulles Area Transportation Association and the Phase II Dulles Rail Transportation Improvement District Commission Board. A resident of Herndon since 2007, Vice Mayor del Aguila is an active volunteer with the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office, serving as a certified reserve deputy sheriff.
The day after the work session, Vice Mayor del Aguila shared his immediate and long term goals. “Working on immediate: best transparency practices and town process, and organizational reform. Long term: housing and five-year budget reform.”
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HomeNews / DocumentsUNSC ResolutionsUNSC Resolutions 2016Resolution 2263 (2016) - Cyprus
Resolution 2263 (2016) - Cyprus
Resolution 2263 (2016) Adopted by the Security Council at its 7613th meeting, on 28 January 2016
The Security Council,
Welcoming the report of the Secretary-General of 6 January 2016 (S/2016/11) on the United Nations operation in Cyprus,
Noting that the Government of Cyprus is agreed that in view of the prevailing conditions on the island it is necessary to keep the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) beyond 31 January 2016,
Noting the intention of the Secretary-General to report on his Good Offices in the next reporting period, echoing the Secretary-General’s firm belief that the responsibility for finding a solution lies first and foremost with the Cypriots themselves, and reaffirming the primary role of the United Nations in assisting the parties to bring the Cyprus conflict and division of the island to a comprehensive and durable settlement,
Welcoming the good progress of negotiations, the positive momentum and the commitment expressed by the leaders to work tirelessly to reach a comprehensive settlement as soon as possible, in a results-oriented manner as agreed to in the Joint Declaration adopted by the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders on
11 February 2014, and the support provided by the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide,
Recalling the importance attached by the international community to all parties engaging fully, flexibly and constructively in the negotiations and, noting that the negotiations have not yet resulted in an enduring, comprehensive and just settlement based on a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as set out in the relevant Security Council resolutions, encouraging the sides to intensify the substantive negotiations on the unresolved core issues interdependently, and stressing that the status quo is unsustainable,
Noting the need to advance the consideration of and discussions on military confidence-building measures, calling for renewed efforts to implement all remaining confidence-building measures, and for agreement on and implementation of further steps to build trust between the communities,
Reaffirming the importance of continued crossings of the Green Line by Cypriots, and encouraging the opening by mutual agreement of other crossing points,
Convinced of the many important benefits, including economic benefits for all Cypriots that would flow from a comprehensive and durable Cyprus settlement, urging the two sides and their leaders to foster positive public rhetoric, and encouraging them clearly to explain the benefits of the settlement, as well as the need for increased flexibility and compromise in order to secure it, to both communities well in advance of any referenda,
Highlighting the importance, both political and financial, of the supporting role of the international community, and in particular that of all parties concerned in taking practical steps towards helping the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders to exploit fully the current opportunity,
Taking note of the assessment of the Secretary-General that the security situation on the island and along the Green Line remains stable, and urging all sides to avoid any action, including violations of the military status quo, which could lead to an increase in tension, undermine the progress achieved so far, or damage the goodwill on the island,
Recalling the Secretary-General’s firm belief that the situation in the buffer zone would be improved if both sides accepted the 1989 aide-memoire used by the United Nations,
Noting with regret that the sides are withholding access to the remaining minefields in the buffer zone, and that demining in Cyprus must continue, noting the continued danger posed by mines in Cyprus, noting also proposals and discussions as well as positive initiatives on demining, and urging rapid agreement on facilitating the recommencement of demining operations and clearance of the remaining minefields,
Commending the work of the Committee on Missing Persons, highlighting the importance of intensifying its activities, and therefore the need to provide all information required, noting that nearly half of all missing persons have yet to be located and around 69% have yet to be identified, welcoming moves to allow the Committee access to 30 additional suspected burial sites in military areas in north Cyprus, urging the opening up of access to all areas expeditiously to allow the Committee to carry out its work, and trusting that this process will promote reconciliation between the communities,
Agreeing that active participation of civil society groups, including women’s groups, is essential to the political process and can contribute to making any future settlement sustainable, recalling that women play a critically important role in peace processes, welcoming all efforts to promote bicommunal contacts and events including, inter alia, on the part of all United Nations bodies on the island, and urging the two sides to promote the active engagement of civil society and the encouragement of cooperation between economic and commercial bodies and to remove all obstacles to such contacts,
Stressing the need for the Council to pursue a rigorous, strategic approach to peacekeeping deployments,
Welcoming the intention of the Secretary-General to keep all peacekeeping operations under close review to ensure efficiency and effectiveness, including a review of UNFICYP when appropriate, and noting the importance of transition planning in relation to the settlement, including recommendations as appropriate for further adjustments to UNFICYP’s mandate, force levels and other resources and concept of operations, taking into account developments on the ground and the views of the parties,
Noting with appreciation the efforts of Lisa Buttenheim as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Force Commander Major General Kristin Lund, and the Secretary-General’s appointment of Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide,
Echoing the Secretary-General’s gratitude to the Government of Cyprus and the Government of Greece for their voluntary contributions to the funding of UNFICYP, and his request for further voluntary contributions from other countries and organizations, and expressing appreciation to Member States that contribute personnel to UNFICYP,
Welcoming and encouraging efforts by the United Nations to sensitize peacekeeping personnel in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases in all its peacekeeping operations,
1. Welcomes the progress of the leaders-led negotiations so far and the ongoing efforts of the leaders and their negotiators to reach a comprehensive and durable settlement, and encourages the sides to grasp the current opportunity with determination to secure a comprehensive settlement;
2. Takes note of the reports of the Secretary-General (S/2016/11) and (S/2016/15);
3. Recalls Security Council resolution 2026 (2011), and calls upon the two leaders to:
(a) Put their efforts behind further work on reaching convergences on the core issues;
(b) Continue to work with the Technical Committees with the objective of improving the daily lives of the Cypriots;
(c) Improve the public atmosphere for the negotiations, including by focusing public messages on convergences and the way ahead, and delivering more constructive and harmonised messages; and
(d) Increase the participation of civil society in the process as appropriate;
4. Urges the implementation of confidence-building measures, and looks forward to agreement on and implementation of further such mutually-acceptable steps, including military confidence-building measures and the opening of crossing points already agreed upon and others, that can contribute to a conducive environment for a settlement;
5. Welcomes all efforts to accommodate the Committee on Missing Persons exhumation requirements as well as the joint appeal for information issued by the two leaders on 28 May 2015, and calls upon all parties to provide more expeditious, full access to all areas, given the need to intensify the Committee’s work;
6. Reaffirms all its relevant resolutions on Cyprus, in particular resolution 1251 (1999) of 29 June 1999 and subsequent resolutions;
7. Expresses its full support for UNFICYP and decides to extend its mandate for a further period ending 31 July 2016; and to increase force levels to 888;
8. Calls on both sides to continue to engage, as a matter of urgency and while respecting UNFICYP’s mandate, in consultations with UNFICYP on the demarcation of the buffer zone, and on the United Nations 1989 aide-memoire, with a view to reaching early agreement on outstanding issues;
9. Calls on the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkish forces to restore in Strovilia the military status quo which existed there prior to 30 June 2000;
10. Calls on both sides to allow access to deminers and to facilitate the removal of the remaining mines in Cyprus within the buffer zone, and urges both sides to extend demining operations outside the buffer zone;
11. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report on implementation of this resolution, including on contingency planning in relation to the settlement, by
8 July 2016 and to keep the Security Council updated on events as necessary;
12. Welcomes the efforts being undertaken by UNFICYP to implement the Secretary-General’s zero tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse and to ensure full compliance of its personnel with the United Nations code of conduct, requests the Secretary-General to continue to take all necessary action in this regard and to keep the Security Council informed, and urges troop-contributing countries to take appropriate preventive action including the conduct of pre-deployment awareness training, and to take disciplinary action and other action to ensure full accountability in cases of such conduct involving their personnel;
13. Decides to remain seized of the matter.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia
Wisma Putra
No. 1, Jalan Wisma Putra, Precinct 2
Disclaimer: The Government of Malaysia shall not be liable for any loss or damage caused by the usage of any information obtained from this portal.
Copyright © 2015 MALAYSIA : United Nations Security Council (UNSC) 2015-2016
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Rebalancing the UK Justice System
Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke announced budget cuts asserting that his department will not spend on criminals but only for victims and the law-abiding public – a remark that smacks of punitive populism. Moreover, he proposes tougher prison reforms where inmates will have to work hard to earn their keep and to pay their victims and where prison should be confined to serious and violent offenders. The rest are to be imposed tougher community sentences to minimize government expenses. This bifurcated approach towards crime and sentencing are not, however, dissimilar to the Home Office Report published the Blair administration in 2006, where the proposed reforms were said to be geared to rebalance the scales of justice towards the victims and the public and away from the offenders. The only exception was that whilst the Labour government was ready to spend billions to ensure the success of their proposed reforms, the present dispensation would rather save its money. Moreover, the present proposals are not new. These were the same approaches of the Conservatives in 1987, approaches that had to be watered down because of their unfavorable outcome and later totally dropped because of public pressure. More importantly, the proposals are sweeping and do not take into account the theory of social exclusion, which considers factors that influence re-offending. The proposal to cut the budget especially for prisoners entails halting programmes, which studies have identified as important in reducing reoffending.
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North Carolina Speculative Fiction Foundation
The Manly Wade Wellman Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy
The 2020 Manly Wade Wellman Award for North Carolina Science Fiction and Fantasy
Eligibility List for the 2020 Manly Wade Wellman Award
Longlist for the 2020 Manly Wade Wellman Award
Shortlist for the 2020 Manly Wade Wellman Award
Winner of the 2020 Manly Wade Wellman Award
Preliminary Eligibility List for the 2014 Manly Wade Wellman Award
Prospective Eligibility List for the 2014 Manly Wade Wellman Award
Final Eligibility List for the 2014 Manly Wade Wellman Award
Nominations for the 2014 Manly Wade Wellman Award
Nominees for the 2014 Manly Wade Wellman Award
Finalists for the 2019 Manly Wade Wellman Award
The Manly Wade Wellman Award
Announcing the shortlist for the 2020 Manly Wade Wellman Award
Monday, June 29, 2020, Durham, NC: The North Carolina Speculative Fiction Foundation is proud to announce the shortlist of 6 titles for the 2020 Manly Wade Wellman Award for North Carolina Science Fiction and Fantasy. These titles are the result of a juried selection from the 18-title longlist, itself the result of a juried selection from the 83-title eligibility list, presented in alphabetical order by author last name:
Where Oblivion Lives by T. Frohock (Harper Voyager)
The Women’s War by Jenna Glass (Del Rey)
The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher (Saga Press)
Breaking Gods by D. J. Molles
To the Bones by Valerie Nieman (West Virginia University Press)
A Fall in Autumn by Michael G. Williams (Falstaff Books)
The winner(s) will be announced at ConGregate on Friday, July 17, 2020. However, as ConGregate will not be held in person this year, location and manner of the announcement is subject to change at this time.
The Manly Wade Wellman Award was founded in 2013 to recognize outstanding achievement in science fiction and fantasy novels written by North Carolina authors. The 2020 award covers novels published in 2019.
The award is named for long-time North Carolina author Manly Wade Wellman with the permission of his estate.
Bookshop.org list: https://bookshop.org/lists/wellman-award-finalists-2020
Previous PostAnnouncing the longlist for the 2020 Manly Wade Wellman AwardNext PostAnnouncing the winner of the 2020 Manly Wade Wellman Award
To promote the writing and reading of speculative fiction in North Carolina and to recognize outstanding achievements in North Carolina science fiction and fantasy.
Announcing the winner of the 2020 Manly Wade Wellman Award
Announcing the longlist for the 2020 Manly Wade Wellman Award
Announcing the preliminary eligibility list for the 2020 Manly Wade Wellman Award
KC Freeman on About
January Newsletter: Robin Kirk, Holly Black, illogiCon with Annalee Newitz, and more | Bull Spec on Announcing the winner of the 2018 Manly Wade Wellman Award
Announcing the winner of the 2018 Manly Wade Wellman Award | North Carolina Speculative Fiction Foundation on The Manly Wade Wellman Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy
Announcing the winner of the 2018 Manly Wade Wellman Award | North Carolina Speculative Fiction Foundation on Announcing the nominees for the 2018 Manly Wade Wellman Award
Announcing the nominees for the 2018 Manly Wade Wellman Award | North Carolina Speculative Fiction Foundation on The Manly Wade Wellman Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy
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Section 508: What can we infer from a lack of complaints?
Question: "How's 508 working out for your customers?"
Response: "We haven't had any complaints, so I think we're doing really well."
A lack of complaints is often cited in Section 508 circles as an indicator that we are all doing a great job for our customers. But are we? Research on consumer complaints suggests that people in general don't complain. They either go elsewhere, or just stop using that type of product or service.
Think about your latest bad restaurant experience. Did you complain to the management or just not go back? If you were to complain to the manager about your food, would you expect to receive a prompt, courteous response with a sincere attempt to resolve the problem? You bet! Section 508 departments put plans and procedures in place to quickly respond to complaints as they arise. Indeed I've heard this as a point of pride on two fronts: (1) "When we get a complaint, we jump on it and fix it right away!" and (2) "We get very few complaints, so that obviously means we're providing a good service!"
The truth is we generally don't complain at restaurants because we'd rather not make a scene. In practice we just choose not to go back. But think about technology for a moment from the perspective of a person with a sensory or physical disability. Those of us working in the disability field know that there is much left to do. A significant amount of the technology in everyday life (both in and outside of government) is still inaccessible. People with disabilities could spend their whole lives complaining, because it isn't just the odd inconvenience of lukewarm soup; it's the continual inconvenience of inaccessible web sites, security systems, telephone systems, photocopiers and so forth.
Add to this the consideration that people with disabilities are the most marginalized cohort in society when it comes to employment, and then consider whether you would complain because your work system has accessibility problems? There isn't the choice of another restaurant in this situation, so would you hold your complaints and instead find a way to work around the problem? Would you try to rely on kind co-workers to tell you what's on the screen because the form fields aren't labeled properly? Would you work later than your co-workers because what they do a hundred times a day with one mouse click takes you ten keyboard strokes each time? Most likely. Of course, there is a minority of people with disabilities who complain, but even the most prolific would tell you that they can only complain so much. No one likes a complainer, right?
A lack of complaints cannot be viewed as an endorsement of our products and services, but unfortunately we reside within a (largely) complaints-based legislative framework. So in the absence of complaints, how do we find out how we are really doing? My first suggestion is to get out there and proactively find out how things are working for customers. Use questions to try to draw out how well (or how badly) systems are working for users, and compare the results to the same questions given to co-workers who do not have disabilities. A word of caution: do this in such a way that participants remain anonymous, otherwise the response will likely be, "Sure, everything's fine—do I get to keep my job?"
Once we know how we’re doing, then we can start to address any problems we find. While there's always a place for good complaint procedures, there's usually a big gaping hole when it comes to long-term proactive measures to ensure customers are actually getting equitable access.
Further reading: "A complaint is a gift: recovering customer loyalty when things go wrong" (2nd edition, Barlow & Møller, 2008).
Assistive Technology and Accessibility (31)
Community Living (28)
International Development (4)
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GRAND CHIEF Alvin Fiddler ACCEPTS CANADIAN SCREEN AWARD ON BEHALF OF SECRET PATH PROJECT
#LSN_News #LSN_Arts
TORONTO, ONTARIO - March 12, 2018 (LSN) "I am honoured to accept the Donald Brittan Award for Secret Path here at Canadian Screen Awards18 with Patrick Downie, Justin Stephenson & Harriet Visitor ( niece of Chanie Wenjack)" Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler
Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler accepted the ‘Donald Brittain Award for Best Social/Political Documentary Program’ for Gord Downie’s Secret Path on behalf of producers Mike Downie and Stuart Coxe during the Canadian Screen Awards gala this evening.
“I am honoured to accept this award on behalf of the producers who’s vision and creativity helped my dear friend Gord shine much-needed light on this dark chapter of our shared history. Secret Path is a milestone on the path to reconciliation, and I thank the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television for recognizing the significance of this project,” said Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler who accepted the award with Patrick Downie, Harriet Visitor and Justin Stephenson. “Gord’s artistry was matched by his determination to tell the story of Charlie Wenjack and all the youth who never made it home. Gord and Chanie’s lives are forever entwined, and we must honour their legacies by completing the journey they so bravely began.”
The Secret Path multi-media project was launched by Gord Downie in 2016 around the 50th anniversary of the death of 12-year-old Chanie “Charlie” Wenjack, who died on October 22, 1966 after fleeing Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School in northwestern Ontario.
Secret Path includes an album, graphic novel and animated film depicting Chanie’s short life. Proceeds will be donated to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba. The Wenjack family also helped launch the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund supporting reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples.
The Secret Path album also won for ‘Best Original Music, Non-Fiction’ earlier this week.
NAN’s education institute was renamed ‘Oshki-Pimache-O-Win: The Wenjack Education Institute’ this winter to honour Chanie Wenjack and all those who were lost during the Indian Residential School era.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation
Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) is a political territorial organization representing 49 First Nation communities in James Bay Treaty No. 9 and Ontario portions of Treaty No. 5 – an area covering two thirds of the province of Ontario in Canada.
#LSN_News Tweets
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Use file > print in the menu bar to print this page.
The Empire needs Men! (...) Enlist Now, 1914-18
1914-1918, 20th century
M24608.34
Keys to History:
When the British government's ultimatum to Berlin expired at midnight Greenwich Mean Time, on August 4, 1914, the worldwide British Empire was automatically at war with Germany. However, self-governing Dominions could decide whether to help. Only South Africa even hesitated - long enough to be left out of Arthur Wardle's famous cartoon. A Dominion like the others, South Africa was torn by civil war as a faction remembered the 1899-1902 war and rallied to the nearby German colony of South-West Africa. They were crushed, and South Africa fought in Africa and sent troops to France. Including India along with the so-called "white Dominions" as a "young lion" was potentially more controversial. India had a large, British-trained professional army that was more significant in the British war effort than all the self-governing Dominions combined in the war's opening years. However, Dominion support was emotionally significant in Britain .
"Canadien" was the common self-description of French-speaking people in Canada. Certainly, many Canadians identified themselves with their Dominion, but in 1914 most English-speaking Canadians would have described themselves as "British" and understood that this British-designed and British-printed poster applied to them.
The symbolic British lion and four of its cubs defy Germany in a 1914 patriotic cartoon
that becomes a recruiting poster by 1915.
Posters were displayed on hoardings and on the sides of buildings as part of an untidy urban environment.
The absence of South Africa dates the cartoon from 1914, but it was published and used for recruiting in Britain in 1915 and included in stocks of posters sent to Canada.
The Empire provided Britain with a large reserve of manpower which it had tried to organize and train before the war. India, which was not a Dominion but was governed from Britain, had a large, professional army that fought in France during the first winter of the war, suffering terribly from the cold. Later, Indian troops fought for the British against Turkey.
© Musée McCord Museum
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A Historic House through the Years: El Alisal
December 14, 2019 December 4, 2015 by Eleanor Boba
Renaissance man Charles Fletcher Lummis (1859 – 1928) designed and built his Highland Park home over a period of some 13 years beginning in 1897, doing much of the labor himself. The name he gave his homestead was El Alisal, place of the alders — or sycamores — or California sycamores. The actual meaning is a bit lost in translation, but the important thing is it was a Spanish name and Lummis loved the Spanish influence in California. He also loved Native American culture and dedicated a portion of his very active life to preserving both.
Much has been written about Lummis the man. We’ll confine ourselves to describing him as a collector, writer, preservationist, founder of the Southwest Museum, advocate for Native American rights, and booster for all things Old California.
One of Lummis’ day jobs was Los Angeles City Librarian. Despite lack of any formal training, Lummis was appointed to the position in 1905 based on his reputation as a “noted scholar and practical leader” (Blitz). In five years Lummis worked to build the library’s collection of rare books and manuscripts, particularly, of course, those reflecting the city’s Spanish heritage. He also found himself embroiled in a boatload of office politics which led to his resignation in 1910. He left behind him the well-established and respected Department of Western History Material.
In addition to collecting books, terra cotta pots and Indian blankets, Lummis collected friends….local and national luminaries from the worlds of art, letters, music, and politics. And he held court at El Alisal.
Security Pacific National Bank, Image #00062061
A Man’s Home
The Los Angeles Public Library’s digital photographic collection contains a number of images of El Alisal over a century of life. Most of the photos are from the Security Pacific Bank Collection and the Los Angeles Herald Examiner Collection. The image above, dated February 5, 1905, taken while the house was still under construction, shows the castle-like embellishments Lummis craved: towers, crenellations, slit windows.
Lummis’ taste for romantic and vernacular architecture is apparent. His design for El Alisal was part medieval castle, part California rancho, part Native American pueblo. Much of his building materials were locally-sourced, including river rock taken from the nearby Arroyo Seco and discarded railroad telegraph poles used as ceiling support beams. The nomination form that successfully placed El Alisal on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 described it as “a rambling 2-story random rubble stone, masonry and concrete structure,” and noted that the building did not “meet present day requirements of the Los Angeles City Building Code.”
Security Pacific Bank Collection, Image #00062064
The dining room at El Alisal, 1910, displays an eclectic assortment of china and artwork, as well as a pair of muskets mounted on the wall. Many of the pictures and objects displayed in the house were created for Lummis by his coterie of artist friends. Others Lummis collected on his travels throughout the Southwest.
Security Pacific National Bank Collection, Image #00062066
This 1905 photograph shows the backyard courtyard of the home, including a large sycamore and the central lily pond traditional to California rancho style. The kitchen wing is on the right.
Security Pacific National Bank Collection, Image # 00062058
An undated photo of the front room at El Alisal, plentifully adorned with photos, artwork, mission style furniture, and Indian rugs. A portrait of Lummis by Gerald Cassidy, now at the Autry National Center, hangs on the far wall. Lummis was very much a part of the Arts and Crafts movement in California which championed rusticity, natural materials, and folk art.
Los Angeles Herald Examiner Collection, Image # 00047541
This 1949 photograph is an excellent study of the fenestration at El Alisal. Lummis enjoyed designing windows; some windows were placed at child’s-eye level. The same year the Southern California Historical Society took up the idea of turning the derelict building into a museum. Although things did not pan out that way at first, in 1965 the society finally was able to acquire use of the house as their headquarters, in an arrangement with the city that lasted 50 years. SCHS offered docent-led tours of the home’s exterior and a few interior rooms. Safety concerns and the need to use some rooms for offices made a full tour impossible.
Herald-Examiner Collection, Image #00050164
In the 1980s the exterior of the Lummis Home took on a different look as the group Friends of the Lummis Home and Garden took on responsibility for landscaping and maintaining the surrounding acreage. Lummis’ rough two plus acres were transformed into a demonstration garden of drought tolerant plants. The image above shows an editor’s crop marks indicating that the photo was destined for publication, probably in the Herald-Examiner.
An undated interior shot of the ground floor tower niche shows Lummis’ own glass photographs used as small window panes. The photographs in this set of windows are now gone; however, others exist in the main room of the house and make fascinating viewing (below).
The King in his Castle
Lummis in his “Lion’s Den”: the framed photo of him with Teddy Roosevelt taken during the president’s visit to Los Angeles in 1912. This image was probably captured toward the end of Lummis life; he died in 1928 at the age of 69. His home survives in the care of the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks and is open for public tours. There have been changes since the City of Los Angeles took over direct management of this cultural treasure and the Historical Society of Southern California moved out early in 2015. To check it out, see https://www.laparks.org/historic/lummis-home-and-gardens .
Select sources
Daniel Frederick Blitz, Charles Fletcher Lummis: Los Angeles City Librarian, Thesis, UCLA Library and Information Science, 2013.
“Happy Birthday to Charles F. Lummis, founder of the Southwest Museum,” The Autry Blog, http://blog.theautry.org/2012/03/happy-birthday-to-charles-f-lummis-founder-of-the-southwest-museum/.
Bob Pool, “Historic Lummis House faces an uncertain future, Los Angeles Times online, November 11, 2014, http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lummis-house-20141111-story.html.
Hadley Meares, “Lummis House: Where Highland Park’s Herald of the Southwest Reigned over his Kingdom,” KCET.org, November 17, 2015, http://www.kcet.org/socal/departures/columns/lost-landmarks/lummis-house-where-highland-parks-herald-of-the-southwest-reigned-over-his-kingdom.html.
Jane Apostol, El Alisal:Where History Lingers, Historical Society of Southern California, 1994.
Special thanks to the welcoming and friendly Saturday docents who gave us a wonderful tour January 23, 2016!
Categories Local History Tags charles fletcher lummis, el alisal, highland park, library, lummis
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Lake Ontario Waterkeeper Critical of MNR Policies
Joanna Bull & Krystyn Tully, Waterkeeper.ca Weekly
Earlier this year, Ontario introduced new legislation known as the Green Energy Act. The Act is intended to support the development of the renewable energy industry in Ontario. In so doing, it changes the government approvals process for “green energy” projects by changing a variety of statutes, regulations, policies, and procedures.
In light of the new Act, the Ministry of Natural Resources recently announced that it will need to review the policies that govern wind projects (including turbines slated for the Great Lakes) and waterpower projects on Crown land. The Ministry has also placed a moratorium on new applications for these kinds of projects on Crown land until the review is completed.
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper submitted our first comment on this policy review earlier this week. In general, we expressed concerns that some of the same procedural and public interest challenges that permeate the Green Energy Act reappear in the proposed policies.
For example, the Ministry’s recently published approvals policy on permitting requirements for renewable energy projects allows developers to change their plans without consulting the public. It promotes a new government office (Renewable Energy Facilitation Office) that uses government powers and resources to protect and pursue private, for-profit interests with no public accountability or oversight. Perhaps most worrying of all, the Ministry of Natural Resources policy does not require off-shore wind developers to consider impacts on recreational fisheries.
To counteract such concerns about bias, transparency, and impacts on Lake Ontario’s vulnerable fisheries, Waterkeeper offered a number of recommendations to the Ministry of Natural Resources:
The Ministry of Natural Resources should strive to be a source of environmental protection in the face of the rollbacks to environmental protection introduced through the Green Energy Act.
The Ministry must consider its Statement of Environmental Values, including the obligation to work for ecological sustainability, in any decision regarding a change to its policies and procedures.
The Windpower Policy and Procedures should be expanded to include limits on the density of energy project development in a given area.
The Ministry should increase requirements for public notification and consultation at each stage of a project application, especially before meeting with the proponent behind closed doors.
The Ministry’s policies and procedures should clearly state that Ministry advice to proponents shall be restricted to procedural instructions and formatting requirements. Outside of these bounds, advice given by the Ministry to proponents on substantive aspects of an application must be subject to public scrutiny and review.
The public should be notified and consulted at every stage of the proposed changes to the Ministry’s site release policies. Pursuant to the Environmental Bill of Rights, the draft documents containing the proposed changes must be posted to the Environmental Registry. All further changes proposed as part of the review should also be posted for public review and comment through the Registry.
To access our complete comment, please visit our website or click here to read the .pdf version.
This entry was posted in Fish and Wildlife, Ministry of Natural Resources, Offshore, Ontario government and tagged corporate welfare, corruption, due diligence, Offshore, Ontario government by wind resist. Bookmark the permalink.
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No Easy Answers
Interrogation, Geneva Convention, and the Negotiated Statute
Source = http://natseclaw.typepad.com/natseclaw/files/Admin.SASC.Agreement.pdf
The September 21 negotiated Agreement betwen the White House and some Republican Senators. At a glance, the "bottom line" language is the White House's.
AGREEMENT UPON COMMON ARTICLE 3
SEC. 7. TREATY OBLIGATIONS NOT ESTABLISHING GROUNDS FOR
CERTAIN CLAIMS.
(a) IN GENERAL.--No person may invoke the Geneva Conventions or any
protocols thereto in any habeas or civil action or proceeding to which the United States,
or a current or former officer, employee, member of the Armed Forces, or other agent of
the United States, is a party as a source of rights, in any court of the United States or its
States or territories.
(b) GENEVA CONVENTIONS DEFINED.--In this section, the term "Geneva
Conventions" means--
(1) the Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and
Sick in Armed Forces in the Field, done at Geneva August 12, 1949 (6 UST 3217);
(2) the Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded, Sick,
and Shipwrecked Members of the Armed Forces at Sea, done at Geneva August 12, 1949
(6 UST 3217);
(3) the Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, done at Geneva
August 12, 1949 (6 UST 3316); and
(4) the Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War,
done at Geneva August 12, 1949 (6 UST 3516).
SEC. 8. IMPLEMENTATION OF TREATY OBLIGATIONS.
(a)(1) IN GENERAL.--The acts enumerated in subsection 2441(d) of title 18,
United States Code, as amended by subsection (b) of this section, and in subsection (c) of
this section, constitute violations of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions
prohibited by United States law.
(2) PROHIBITION ON GRAVE BREACHES.--The provisions in section 2441 of title
18, United States Code, as amended by this section, fully satisfy the obligation under
Article 129 of the Third Geneva Convention for the United States to provide effective
penal sanctions for grave breaches which are encompassed in Common Article 3 in the
context of an armed conflict not of an international character. No foreign or international
sources of law shall supply a basis for a rule of decision in the courts of the United States
in interpreting the prohibitions enumerated in subsection 2441(d).
(3) INTERPRETATION BY THE PRESIDENT.--(A) As provided by the Constitution
and by this section, the President has the authority for the United States to interpret the
meaning and application of the Geneva Conventions and to promulgate higher standards
and administrative regulations for violations of treaty obligations which are not grave
breaches of the Geneva Conventions.
(B) The President shall issue such interpretations by Executive Order published in
the Federal Register, and such orders shall be authoritative (as to non-grave breach
provisions) as a matter of United States law, in the same manner as other administrative
(C) Nothing in this section shall affect the constitutional functions and
responsibilities of Congress and the judicial branch of the United States.
(b) REVISION TO WAR CRIMES OFFENSE UNDER FEDERAL CRIMINAL CODE.--(1)
Section 2441 of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
(A) in subsection (c), by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following
new paragraph (3):
"(3) which constitutes a grave breach of Common Article 3 as defined in
subsection (d) when committed in the context of and in association with an armed
conflict not of an international character; or";
(B) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
"(d) COMMON ARTICLE 3 VIOLATIONS.--
"(1) PROHIBITED CONDUCT.--In subsection (c)(3), the term `grave breach
of Common Article 3' means any conduct (such conduct constituting a grave
breach of common Article 3 of the international conventions does at Geneva
August 12, 1949), as follows:
"(A) TORTURE.--The act of a person who commits, or conspires or
attempts to commit, an act specifically intended to inflict severe physical
or mental pain or suffering (other than pain or suffering incidental to
lawful sanctions) upon another person within his custody or physical
control for the purpose of obtaining information or a confession,
punishment, intimidation, coercion, or any reason based on discrimination
of any kind.
"(B) CRUEL OR INHUMAN TREATMENT.--The act of a person who
commits, or conspires or attempts to commit, an act intended to inflict
severe or serious physical or mental pain or suffering (other than pain or
suffering incidental to lawful sanctions), including serious physical abuse,
upon another within his custody or control.
"(C) PERFORMING BIOLOGICAL EXPERIMENTS.--The act of a
person who subjects, or conspires or attempts to subject, one or more
persons within his custody or physical control to biological experiments
without a legitimate medical or dental purpose and in so doing endangers
the body or health of such person or persons.
"(D) MURDER.--The act of a person who intentionally kills, or
conspires or attempts to kill, or kills whether intentionally or
unintentionally in the course of committing any other offense under this
section, one or more persons taking no active part in the hostilities,
including those placed out of combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or
any other cause.
"(E) MUTILATION OR MAIMING.--The act of a person who
intentionally injures, or conspires or attempts to injure, or injures whether
intentionally or unintentionally in the course of committing any other
offense under this section, one or more persons taking no active part in the
hostilities, including those placed out of combat by sickness, wounds,
detention, or any other cause, by disfiguring the person or persons by any
mutilation thereof or by permanently disabling any member, limb, or
organ of his body, without any legitimate medical or dental purpose.
"(F) INTENTIONALLY CAUSING SERIOUS BODILY INJURY.--The act
of a person who intentionally causes, or conspires or attempts to cause,
serious bodily injury to one or more persons, including lawful combatants,
in violation of the law of war.
"(G) RAPE.--The act of a person who forcibly or with coercion or
threat of force wrongfully invades, or conspires or attempts to invade, the
body of a person by penetrating, however slightly, the anal or genital
opening of the victim with any part of the body of the accused, or with any
foreign object.
"(H) SEXUAL ASSAULT OR ABUSE.--The act of a person who
forcibly or with coercion or threat of force engages, or conspires or
attempts to engage, in sexual contact with one or more persons, or causes,
or conspires or attempts to cause, one or more persons to engage in sexual
"(I) TAKING HOSTAGES.--The act of a person who, having
knowingly seized or detained one or more persons, threatens to kill, injure,
or continue to detain such person or persons with the intent of compelling
any nation, person other than the hostage, or group of persons to act or
refrain from acting as an explicit or implicit condition for the safety or
release of such person or persons.
"(2) DEFINITIONS.--In the case of an offense under subsection (a) by
reason of subsection (c)(3)--
"(A) the term `severe mental pain or suffering' shall be applied for
purposes of paragraphs (1)(A) and (1)(B) in accordance with the meaning
given that term in section 2340(2) of this title.
"(B) the term `serious bodily injury' shall be applied for purposes
of paragraph (1)(F) in accordance with the meaning given that term in
section 113(b)(2) of this title.
"(C) the term `sexual contact' shall be applied for purposes of
paragraph (1)(G) in accordance with the meaning given that term in
section 2246(3) of this title.
"(D) the term `serious physical pain or suffering' means bodily
injury that involves--
(1) a substantial risk of death;
(2) extreme physical pain;
(3) a burn or physical disfigurement of a serious nature, not
to include cuts, abrasions, or bruises; or
(4) significant loss or impairment of the function of a
bodily member, organ, or mental faculty.
"(E) the term `serious mental pain or suffering' shall have the
same meaning as `severe mental pain or suffering' as such term is defined
in 18 U.S.C. § 2340(2), except that the term `serious' shall replace the
term `severe' where it appears in such definition, and except that, as to
conduct occurring following the date of enactment of the Military
Commission Act of 2006, the term `serious and non-transitory mental
harm (which need not be prolonged)' shall replace the term `prolonged
mental harm' in such definition."
"(3) INAPPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS WITH RESPECT TO
COLLATERAL DAMAGE OR INCIDENT OF LAWFUL ATTACK.--The intent specified
for the conduct stated in subparagraphs (D), (E), and (F) or paragraph (1)
precludes the applicability of those subparagraphs to an offense under subsection
(a) by reasons of subsection (c)(3) with respect to--
"(A) collateral damage; or
"(B) death, damage, or injury incident to a lawful attack.
"(4) INAPPLICABILITY OF TAKING HOSTAGES TO PRISONER EXCHANGE.--
Paragraph (1)(I) does not apply to an offense under subsection (a) by reason of
subsection (c)(3) in the case of a prisoner exchange during wartime.".
(2) RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY.--The amendments made by this section, except
as specified in paragraph 2441(d)(2)(E) of title 10, United States Code, shall take effect
as of November 26, 1997, as if enacted immediately after the amendments made by
section 583 of Public Law 105-118 (as amended by section 4002 of Public Law 107-
(c) ADDITIONAL PROHIBITION ON CRUEL, INHUMAN, OR DEGRADING TREATMENT
OR PUNISHMENT.
(1) IN GENERAL.--No individual in the custody or under the physical control of
the United States Government, regardless of nationality or physical location, shall be
subject to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.
(2) CRUEL, INHUMAN, OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT DEFINED.--
The term `cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment' in this subsection shall
mean the cruel, unusual, and inhumane treatment or punishment prohibited by the Fifth,
Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, as defined
in the United States Reservations, Declarations and Understandings to the United Nations
Convention Against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment
or Punishment done at New York, December 10, 1984.
(3) The President shall take action to ensure compliance with this subsection,
including through the establishment of administrative rules and procedures.
posted by cboldt # 9/22/2006 02:28:00 PM
March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 March 2009 April 2009
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Still Searching...
Tags, Berrebi
What Remains of the Photographic beyond Photography
5. The Production of Documents
Von Sophie Berrebi
“In history everything begins with the gesture of setting aside, of putting together, of transforming certain classified objects into ‘documents.’ This new cultural distribution is the first task. In reality it consists in producing such documents by dint of copying, transcribing, or photographing these objects, simultaneously changing their locus and their status.” 1
In The Writing of History (1975), Michel de Certeau criticized the perception of documents and archives as dormant sources waiting to be collected and interpreted by historians. mehr
4. Another Threshold
Edouard Manet’s Portrait of Emile Zola, from 1868, currently on view at the Royal Academy in London in the Manet: Portraying Life exhibition is usually interpreted as a testimony of the friendship between the artist and a writer who was one of his strongest supporters in those years. The painting shows Zola seated sideways at his work table, surrounded by papers, objects, and pictures that point to this relationship, and, it has been noted, to Manet’s own tastes: a decorated screen on the left, a pamphlet bearing Manet’s name on the desk, and above, in the top right corner of the picture, a Japanese print and a lithograph of Velasquez partly concealed by a reproduction of Manet’s own Olympia. It is to these last three objects I would like to direct my attention, in order to think about a technological and aesthetic threshold a century-and-a-half back that may or may not serve as a model for the relationship between analogue and digital photography today. mehr
3. The Opacity of Photography
One of my students recently declared she believed there was nothing to learn from Flusser’s writings on photography. For her, digital technology expanded the possibilities of photography well beyond what Flusser described as the pre-defined program contained within the camera apparatus. The same went for the idea of the impenetrability of the “black box,” which seemed ludicrous in today’s context of widely shared technical astuteness and the infinite possibilities offered by photo-editing software. If Flusser’s work certainly appears dated in some ways, as Walead Beshty suggested in one of his posts on this blog, discussing the 1986 essay “The Photograph as Post-Industrial Object,” other texts, notably the lectures given in Arles in 1984 that were later re-worked into the book Towards a Philosophy of Photography, are still well worth reading. mehr
2. Welsh Water
One of the pictures that I always come back to when thinking about object photography is a black and white image by the artist Jean-Luc Moulène entitled Bi-Fixe, 7 September 2003. It shows two PET bottles of mineral water from Wales sold under the brand Ty Nant, which have been laid flat onto a medium-colored background and photographed directly from above so as to avoid distortion. mehr
1. Platinum Blondes and a Bearded Lady
“The grammar of cinema is a grammar uniquely its own.”
I remember once being fascinated at the discovery that the silky, almost-white, blond hair of many Hollywood stars from the Golden Age was only an illusion, – a contraption developed for the silver screen. The ability of platinum blond to reflect light endowed actresses clad in shimmering gowns with a radiant halo, bestowing upon them an enticing inaccessibility. mehr
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10 things to know about Golden Globes host Seth Meyers
By: Meaghan Wray
Awards season is finally here, and with that comes many exciting announcements of award nominees, presenters and hosts of the year’s biggest shows! The first event to kick off the New Year is the highly-anticipated Golden Globes, and it was recently announced that Seth Meyers would be the host. But who is he?
Here are 10 things you should know about the 44-year-old comedian.
1. He grew up in a few different cities
Seth was born in Evanston, Illinois but was raised in Okemos, Michigan from the ages of four to 10. He then moved to Bedford, New Hampshire, where he broke into the comedy scene.
2. He saw his big break on Saturday Night Live
Though Seth had some film and improv experiencebefore landing a role on the popular comedy show, Saturday Night Live is where he saw his big break. He joined the cast in 2001 and, only four years later, was promoted to writing supervisor and then co-head writer with big names like Tina Fey and Andrew Steele.
3. He’s the host of Late Night
After Jimmy Fallon left to host The Tonight Show, Seth took on the role of host for Late Night in 2014. His first guest happened to be his SNL co-star Amy Poehler! On the show, Seth touches on many controversial and political topics, keeping a comedic tone throughout.
Seth and his wife Ashe saw Meteor Shower on broadway in November 2017.
4. He’s a competitive poker player
Back in 2009, Seth took home the winning prize on the third season of Bravo’s Celebrity Poker Showdown . Out of the kindness of his heart, he donated the $100,000 prize to a Boston based charity called the Jimmy Fund. The organization raises money to support adult and pediatric cancer care and research.
5. He’s a huge fan of Barack Obama
The comedian and writer donated $4,000 to Barack’s presidential campaign back in 2008. Seth was also the keynote speaker at the White House Correspondents’ Association in 2011 – a huge honour!
6. He’s expecting his second child this year
Since marrying his human rights lawyer girlfriend Alexi Ashe in 2013, the two have welcomed one child into the world – a baby boy named Ashe Olson. During his annual Thanksgiving show, Seth announced that he and his wife are expecting their second child in 2018.
Ashe is very laid back about this game. In his lifetime @numensbball has never MISSED the tournament.
A post shared by @ sethmeyers on Mar 18, 2017 at 2:35pm PDT
7. He’s bilingual
His mother Hilary Claire was a French teacher and taught Seth the language when he was in middle school, making him fluent in both French and English! The star once revealed, “I didn’t mind having my mom as a teacher. It was really fun. I just wish I could have been a better French student.”
8. He was first introduced to comedy in university
Seth attended Northwestern University – where he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity – and saw his start in comedy improv. He joined the sketch group Mee-Ow Show, and continued on with ImprovOlympic with his group Preponderate. Seth even went abroad to pursue his passion with Boom Chicago, a troupe based in Amsterdamn.
9. He loves comic books
A self-proclaimed comic book fanatic, the comedian has revealed in the past that Batman, Justice League, Hawkeye and Locke & Key are among his favourites. Taking his passion one step further than admiration, Seth and his SNL co-worker Mike Shoemaker produced their own Hulu show in the genre called The Awesomes.
Seth spoke on a panel at Comic Con in 2015.
10. His Golden Globes commentary promises to be political
Speaking to People, Seth opened up about what his opening monologue is set to look like. It will definitely be politically-charged, “With the monologue, as far as talking about anything in the news right now, it seems like this year more than ever Hollywood has its own internal politics that obviously deserve to be talked about,” he explained, alluding to the sexual harassment allegations in the industry. “Going into it, our focus is far more on the worlds that make these films and less on anything that’s happening in Washington.”
The reason this year’s Golden Globes red carpet will look different
Halle Berry, Sarah Jessica Parker, Neil Patrick Harris and more to present at 2018 Golden Globes
Golden Globes 2018: The complete list of nominees
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Rob Redding releases tell-all ‘Out Loud’ on Nov. 6th
Posted by admin on October 16, 2017 11:24 am
NEW YORK, Oct. 16, 2017, 7 a.m. – Talk show host and journalist Rob Redding has announced that he will release on Nov. 6th a biography on Amazon.com chronicling the first 40 years of his life.
Redding, who is known as America’s Independent Voice, tells all his secrets in an all audio format that he is calling a Brook – half broadcast and book.
As a Brook, “Out Loud” deals with the first four decades before he came out as bisexual to his listeners on his talk show Redding News Review Unrestricted in April.
He talks about being surrounded by death. His most traumatic death of his mother at age 18, his producer in his mid-20s and his boyfriend at the age of 39.
Recorded while living in Huntington, WV, Redding tells listeners of the Brook no subject is left off the table.
He gets deeply personal about his marriage and divorce, which occurred after he found out his daughter was not his. He talks about how he later slept with more than 50 white men and overcoming many of his prejudices from and about white men.
The story builds on his first experiences of racism growing up south of Atlanta in Fayette County as an artist, the son of a Baptist minister and teacher.
He also discusses how he started the award-winning Redding News Review in Atlanta, his to ousting from Sirius XM’s “The Power” and move to Europe.
Out Loud is a deep look at the man known to many as America’s Independent Voice who speaks directly to his audience without requiring them to read a word.
< Redding News Review - Black News home
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Richard I of England
Title: Richard I of England
Subject: Henry II of England, 1190s, John, King of England, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Robin Hood
Collection: 1157 Births, 1199 Deaths, 12Th-Century Monarchs in Europe, British Monarchs Buried Abroad, Burials at Fontevraud Abbey, Burials at Rouen Cathedral, Christians of the Third Crusade, Counts of Anjou, Deaths by Arrow Wounds, Dukes of Aquitaine, Dukes of Normandy, English Folklore, English Military Personnel Killed in Action, English Monarchs, English People of French Descent, English Roman Catholics, House of Anjou, House of Plantagenet, Medieval Cyprus, Medieval Legends, Monarchs Killed in Action, Occitan People, People from Oxford, Richard I of England, Robin Hood Characters, Roman Catholic Monarchs, Trouvères
Effigy (c. 1199) of Richard I at Fontevraud Abbey, Anjou
King of England (more..)
6 July 1189 – 6 April 1199
Eleanor of Aquitaine; William Longchamp (Third Crusade)
(1157-09-08)8 September 1157
Beaumont Palace, Oxford, England
6 April 1199(1199-04-06) (aged 41)
Châlus, Duchy of Aquitaine
(now in Limousin, France)
Fontevraud Abbey, Anjou, France
Berengaria of Navarre
Philip of Cognac (illegitimate)
House of Plantagenet / Angevin[nb 1]
Henry II of England
Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy (as Richard IV), Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Poitiers, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period. He was the third of five sons of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He was known as Richard Cœur de Lion or Richard the Lionheart because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior.[1] He was also known in Occitan as Oc e No (Yes and No), because of his reputation for terseness.[2]
By the age of 16, Richard had taken command of his own army, putting down rebellions in Poitou against his father.[1] Richard was a central Christian commander during the Third Crusade, leading the campaign after the departure of Philip II of France and scoring considerable victories against his Muslim counterpart, Saladin, although he did not retake Jerusalem from Saladin.[3]
Richard spoke langue d'oïl, a French dialect, and Occitan, a Romance language spoken in southern France and nearby regions.[4] Born in England, where he spent his childhood, he lived for most of his adult life before becoming king in his Duchy of Aquitaine in the southwest of France. Following his accession he spent very little time, perhaps as little as six months, in England, preferring to use his kingdom as a source of revenue to support his armies.[5] Nevertheless, he was seen as a pious hero by his subjects.[6] He remains one of the few kings of England remembered by his epithet, rather than regnal number, and is an enduring iconic figure both in England and in France.[7]
Early life and accession in Aquitaine 1
Childhood 1.1
Revolt against Henry II 1.2
Final years of Henry II's reign 1.3
King and Crusader 2
Coronation and anti-Jewish violence 2.1
Crusade plans 2.2
Occupation of Sicily 2.3
Conquest of Cyprus 2.4
Marriage 2.5
In the Holy Land 2.6
Captivity, ransom and return 2.7
Later years and death 2.8
Medieval folklore 3.1
Sexuality 3.2
Modern fiction 3.3
Other media 3.5
Ancestors 4
Notes 7.1
Bibliography 7.2
Early life and accession in Aquitaine
King Richard I's Great Seal of 1189
Richard was born on 8 September 1157, [8] probably at Beaumont Palace,[9] in Oxford, England, son of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He was a younger brother of Count William IX of Poitiers, Henry the Young King and Duchess Matilda of Saxony.[10] As the third legitimate son of King Henry II, he was not expected to ascend the throne.[11] He was also an elder brother of Duke Geoffrey II of Brittany; Queen Eleanor of Castile; Queen Joan of Sicily; and Count John of Mortain, who succeeded him as king. Richard was the younger maternal half-brother of Countess Marie of Champagne and Countess Alix of Blois.[10] The eldest son of Henry II and Eleanor, William, died in 1156, before Richard's birth.[10] Richard is often depicted as having been the favourite son of his mother.[12] His father was Norman-Angevin and great-grandson of William the Conqueror. Contemporary historian Ralph of Diceto traced his family's lineage through Matilda of Scotland to the Anglo-Saxon kings of England and Alfred the Great, and from there linked them to Noah and Woden. According to Angevin legend, there was even infernal blood in the family.[9]
While his father visited his lands from Scotland to France, Richard probably spent his childhood in England. His first recorded visit to the European continent was in May 1165, when his mother took him to Normandy.[13] He was wet-nursed by a woman called Hodierna, and when he became king he gave her a generous pension.[14] Little is known about Richard's education.[15] Although he was born in Oxford and brought up in England up to his eighth year, it is not known to what extent he used or understood English; he was an educated man who composed poetry and wrote in Limousin (lenga d'òc) and also in French.[16] During his captivity, English prejudice against foreigners was used in a calculated way by his brother John to help destroy the authority of Richard's chancellor, William Longchamp, who was a Norman. One of the specific charges laid against Longchamp, by John's supporter Hugh, Bishop of Coventry, was that he could not speak English. This indicates that by the late 12th century a knowledge of English was expected of those in positions of authority in England.[17][18]
Richard was said to be very attractive; his hair was between red and blond, and he was light-eyed with a pale complexion. He was apparently of above average height: according to Clifford Brewer he was 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m).[19] As with his supposed lack of English, the question of his stature is one made from a lack of evidence as his remains have been lost since at least the French Revolution, and his exact height is unknown. John, his youngest brother (by the same father and mother), was known to be only 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m). The Itinerarium peregrinorum et gesta regis Ricardi, a Latin prose narrative of the Third Crusade, states that: "He was tall, of elegant build; the colour of his hair was between red and gold; his limbs were supple and straight. He had long arms suited to wielding a sword. His long legs matched the rest of his body."[20]
From an early age he showed significant political and military ability, becoming noted for his chivalry and courage as he fought to control the rebellious nobles of his own territory. His elder brother Henry the Young King was crowned king of England during his father's lifetime.
Marriage alliances were common among medieval royalty: they led to political alliances and peace treaties, and allowed families to stake claims of succession on each other's lands. In March 1159 it was arranged that Richard would marry one of the daughters of Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona; however, these arrangements failed, and the marriage never took place. Henry the Young King was married to Marguerite, daughter of Louis VII of France, on 2 November 1160.[21] Despite this alliance between the Plantagenets and the Capetians, the dynasty on the French throne, the two houses were sometimes in conflict. In 1168, the intercession of Pope Alexander III was necessary to secure a truce between them. Henry II had conquered Brittany and taken control of Gisors and the Vexin, which had been part of Marguerite's dowry.[22]
Early in the 1160s there had been suggestions Richard should marry Alys, Countess of the Vexin (Alice), fourth daughter of Louis VII; because of the rivalry between the kings of England and France, Louis obstructed the marriage. A peace treaty was secured in January 1169 and Richard's betrothal to Alais was confirmed.[23] Henry II planned to divide his and Queen Eleanor's territories among their three eldest surviving sons: Henry would become King of England and have control of Anjou, Maine, and Normandy; Richard would inherit Aquitaine from his mother and become Count of Poitiers; and Geoffrey would become Duke of Brittany through marriage alliance with Constance, heiress apparent to the region as the daughter, and only child, of Conan IV, Duke of Brittany. At the ceremony where Richard's betrothal was confirmed, he paid homage to the King of France for Aquitaine, thus securing ties of vassalage between the two.[24]
After Henry II fell seriously ill in 1170, he put in place his plan to divide his kingdom, although he would retain overall authority over his sons and their territories. In 1171 Richard left for Aquitaine with his mother, and Henry II gave him the duchy of Aquitaine at the request of Eleanor.[25] Richard and his mother embarked on a tour of Aquitaine in 1171 in an attempt to pacify the locals.[26] Together they laid the foundation stone of St Augustine's Monastery in Limoges. In June 1172 Richard was formally recognised as the Duke of Aquitaine when he was granted the lance and banner emblems of his office; the ceremony took place in Poitiers and was repeated in Limoges, where he wore the ring of St Valerie, who was the personification of Aquitaine.[27]
Revolt against Henry II
According to Ralph of Coggeshall, Henry the Young King instigated rebellion against Henry II; he wanted to reign independently over at least part of the territory his father had promised him, and to break away from his dependence on Henry II, who controlled the purse strings.[28] Jean Flori, a historian who specialises in the medieval period, believes that Eleanor manipulated her sons to revolt against their father.[29]
Henry the Young King abandoned his father and left for the French court, seeking the protection of Louis VII; his younger brothers, Richard and Geoffrey, soon followed him, while the five-year-old John remained in England. Louis gave his support to the three sons and even knighted Richard, tying them together through vassalage.[30] Jordan Fantosme, a contemporary poet, described the rebellion as a "war without love".[31]
Geoffrey de Rancon's Château de Taillebourg, the castle Richard retreated to after Henry II's forces captured 60 knights and 400 archers who fought for Richard when Saintes was captured.[32]
The three brothers made an oath at the French court that they would not make terms with Henry II without the consent of Louis VII and the French barons.[33] With the support of Louis, Henry the Young King attracted many barons to his cause through promises of land and money; one such baron was Philip, Count of Flanders, who was promised £1,000 and several castles. The brothers also had supporters ready to rise up in England. Robert de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester, joined forces with Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk, Hugh de Kevelioc, 5th Earl of Chester, and William I of Scotland for a rebellion in Suffolk. The alliance with Louis was initially successful, and by July 1173 the rebels were besieging Aumale, Neuf-Marché, and Verneuil, and Hugh de Kevelioc had captured Dol in Brittany.[34] Richard went to Poitou and raised the barons who were loyal to himself and his mother in rebellion against his father. Eleanor was captured, so Richard was left to lead his campaign against Henry II's supporters in Aquitaine on his own. He marched to take La Rochelle but was rejected by the inhabitants; he withdrew to the city of Saintes, which he established as a base of operations.[35][36]
In the meantime Henry II had raised a very expensive army of more than 20,000 mercenaries with which to face the rebellion.[34] He marched on Verneuil, and Louis retreated from his forces. The army proceeded to recapture Dol and subdued Brittany. At this point Henry II made an offer of peace to his sons; on the advice of Louis the offer was refused.[37] Henry II's forces took Saintes by surprise and captured much of its garrison, although Richard was able to escape with a small group of soldiers. He took refuge in Château de Taillebourg for the rest of the war.[35] Henry the Young King and the Count of Flanders planned to land in England to assist the rebellion led by the Earl of Leicester. Anticipating this, Henry II returned to England with 500 soldiers and his prisoners (including Eleanor and his sons' wives and fiancées),[38] but on his arrival found out that the rebellion had already collapsed. William I of Scotland and Hugh Bigod were captured on 13 and 25 July respectively. Henry II returned to France and raised the siege of Rouen, where Louis VII had been joined by Henry the Young King after abandoning his plan to invade England. Louis was defeated and a peace treaty was signed in September 1174,[37] the Treaty of Montlouis.[39]
When Henry II and Louis VII made a truce on 8 September 1174, its terms specifically excluded Richard.[38][40] Abandoned by Louis and wary of facing his father's army in battle, Richard went to Henry II's court at Poitiers on 23 September and begged for forgiveness, weeping and falling at the feet of Henry, who gave Richard the kiss of peace.[38][40] Several days later, Richard's brothers joined him in seeking reconciliation with their father.[38] The terms the three brothers accepted were less generous than those they had been offered earlier in the conflict (when Richard was offered four castles in Aquitaine and half of the income from the duchy):[33] Richard was given control of two castles in Poitou and half the income of Aquitaine; Henry the Young King was given two castles in Normandy; and Geoffrey was permitted half of Brittany. Eleanor remained Henry II's prisoner until his death, partly as insurance for Richard's good behaviour.[41]
Final years of Henry II's reign
A silver denier of Richard, struck in his capacity as the Count of Poitiers
After the conclusion of the war, the process of pacifying the provinces that had rebelled against Henry II began. The King travelled to Anjou for this purpose, and Geoffrey dealt with Brittany. In January 1175 Richard was dispatched to Aquitaine to punish the barons who had fought for him. The historian John Gillingham notes that the chronicle of Roger of Howden is the main source for Richard's activities in this period.[42] According to the chronicle, most of the castles belonging to rebels were to be returned to the state they were in 15 days before the outbreak of war, while others were to be razed.[42] Given that by this time it was common for castles to be built in stone, and that many barons had expanded or refortified their castles, this was not an easy task.[43] Roger of Howden records the two-month siege of Castillon-sur-Agen; while the castle was "notoriously strong", Richard's siege engines battered the defenders into submission.[44] On this campaign Richard acquired the name "Richard the Lionheart".[43]
Henry seemed unwilling to entrust any of his sons with resources that could be used against him. It was suspected that Henry had appropriated Princess Alys, Richard's betrothed, the daughter of Louis VII of France by his second wife, as his mistress. This made a marriage between Richard and Alys technically impossible in the eyes of the Church, but Henry prevaricated: he regarded Alys's dowry, Vexin in the Île-de-France, as valuable. Richard was discouraged from renouncing Alys because she was the sister of King Philip II of France, a close ally.
After his failure to overthrow his father, Richard concentrated on putting down internal revolts by the nobles of Aquitaine, especially in the territory of Gascony. The increasing cruelty of his rule led to a major revolt there in 1179. Hoping to dethrone Richard, the rebels sought the help of his brothers Henry and Geoffrey. The turning point came in the Charente Valley in the spring of 1179. The well-defended fortress of Taillebourg seemed impregnable. The castle was surrounded by a cliff on three sides and a town on the fourth side with a three-layer wall. Richard first destroyed and looted the farms and lands surrounding the fortress, leaving its defenders no reinforcements or lines of retreat. The garrison sallied out of the castle and attacked Richard; he was able to subdue the army and then followed the defenders inside the open gates, where he easily took over the castle in two days. Richard the Lionheart's victory at Taillebourg deterred many barons from thinking of rebelling and forced them to declare their loyalty to him. It also won Richard a reputation as a skilled military commander.
In 1181–1182 Richard faced a revolt over the succession to the county of Angoulême. His opponents turned to Philip II of France for support, and the fighting spread through the Limousin and Périgord. Richard was accused of numerous cruelties against his subjects, including rape.[45] However, with support from his father and from the Young King, Richard the Lionheart succeeded in bringing the Viscount Aimar V of Limoges and Count Elie of Périgord to terms.
After Richard had subdued his rebellious barons he again challenged his father. From 1180 to 1183 the tension between Henry and Richard grew, as King Henry commanded Richard to pay homage to Henry the Young King, but Richard refused. Finally, in 1183 Henry the Young King and Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, invaded Aquitaine in an attempt to subdue Richard. Richard's barons joined in the fray and turned against their duke. However, Richard and his army succeeded in holding back the invading armies, and they executed any prisoners. The conflict paused briefly in June 1183 when the Young King died. With the death of Henry the Young King, Richard became the eldest surviving son and therefore heir to the English crown. King Henry demanded that Richard give up Aquitaine (which he planned to give to his youngest son John as his inheritance). Richard refused, and conflict continued between them. Henry II soon gave John permission to invade Aquitaine.
To strengthen his position, in 1187, Richard allied himself with 22-year-old Philip II, the son of Eleanor's ex-husband Louis VII by Adele of Champagne. Roger of Howden wrote:
The King of England was struck with great astonishment, and wondered what [this alliance] could mean, and, taking precautions for the future, frequently sent messengers into France for the purpose of recalling his son Richard; who, pretending that he was peaceably inclined and ready to come to his father, made his way to Chinon, and, in spite of the person who had the custody thereof, carried off the greater part of his father's treasures, and fortified his castles in Poitou with the same, refusing to go to his father.[46]
Overall, Howden is chiefly concerned with the politics of the relationship between Richard and King Philip. Gillingham has addressed theories suggesting that this political relationship was also sexually intimate, which he posits probably stemmed from an official record announcing that, as a symbol of unity between the two countries, the kings of England and France had slept overnight in the same bed. Gillingham has characterized this as "an accepted political act, nothing sexual about it;... a bit like a modern-day photo opportunity."[47]
In exchange for Philip's help against his father, Richard promised to concede to him his rights to both Normandy and Anjou. Richard paid homage to Philip in November 1187. With news arriving of the Battle of Hattin, he took the cross at Tours in the company of other French nobles.
In 1188 Henry II planned to concede Aquitaine to his youngest son John. The following year, Richard attempted to take the throne of England for himself by joining Philip's expedition against his father. On 4 July 1189, the forces of Richard and Philip defeated Henry's army at Ballans. Henry, with John's consent, agreed to name Richard his heir apparent. Two days later Henry II died in Chinon, and Richard the Lionheart succeeded him as King of England, Duke of Normandy, and Count of Anjou. Roger of Howden claimed that Henry's corpse bled from the nose in Richard's presence, which was taken as a sign that Richard had caused his death.
King and Crusader
Coronation and anti-Jewish violence
Richard I being anointed during his coronation in Westminster Abbey, from a 13th-century chronicle
Richard I was officially invested as Duke of Normandy on 20 July 1189 and was crowned king in Westminster Abbey on 3 September 1189.[48] Richard barred all Jews and women from the investiture, but some Jewish leaders arrived to present gifts for the new king.[49] According to Ralph of Diceto, Richard's courtiers stripped and flogged the Jews, then flung them out of court.[50]
When a rumour spread that Richard had ordered all Jews to be killed, the people of London attacked the Jewish population.[50] Many Jewish homes were burned down, and several Jews were forcibly baptised.[50] Some sought sanctuary in the Tower of London, and others managed to escape. Among those killed was Jacob of Orléans, a respected Jewish scholar.[51] Roger of Howden, in his Gesta Regis Ricardi, claimed that the rioting was started by the jealous and bigoted citizens, and that Richard punished the perpetrators, allowing a forcibly converted Jew to return to his native religion. Baldwin of Forde, Archbishop of Canterbury, reacted by remarking, "If the King is not God's man, he had better be the devil's".[52]
Realising that the assaults could destabilise his realm on the eve of his departure on crusade, Richard ordered the execution of those responsible for the most egregious murders and persecutions, including rioters who had accidentally burned down Christian homes.[53] He distributed a royal writ demanding that the Jews be left alone. The edict was loosely enforced, however, and the following March there was further violence including a massacre at York.
Crusade plans
Richard had already taken the cross as Count of Poitou in 1187. His father and Philip II had done so at Gisors on 21 January 1188 after receiving news of the fall of Jerusalem to Saladin. After Richard became king, he and Philip agreed to go on the Third Crusade, since each feared that during his absence the other might usurp his territories.[54]
Richard swore an oath to renounce his past wickedness in order to show himself worthy to take the cross. He started to raise and equip a new crusader army. He spent most of his father's treasury (filled with money raised by the Saladin tithe), raised taxes, and even agreed to free King William I of Scotland from his oath of subservience to Richard in exchange for 10,000 marks. To raise still more revenue he sold the right to hold official positions, lands, and other privileges to those interested in them.[55] Those already appointed were forced to pay huge sums to retain their posts. William Longchamp, Bishop of Ely and the King's Chancellor, made a show of bidding £3,000 to remain as Chancellor. He was apparently outbid by a certain Reginald the Italian, but that bid was refused.
Richard made some final arrangements on the continent.[56] He reconfirmed his father's appointment of William Fitz Ralph to the important post of seneschal of Normandy. In Anjou, Stephen of Tours was replaced as seneschal and temporarily imprisoned for fiscal mismanagement. Payn de Rochefort, an Angevin knight, was elevated to the post of seneschal of Anjou. In Poitou the ex-provost of Benon, Peter Bertin, was made seneschal, and finally in Gascony the household official Helie de La Celle was picked for the seneschalship there. After repositioning the part of his army he left behind to guard his French possessions, Richard finally set out on the crusade in summer 1190.[56] (His delay was criticised by troubadours such as Bertran de Born.) He appointed as regents Hugh de Puiset, Bishop of Durham, and William de Mandeville, 3rd Earl of Essex—who soon died and was replaced by Richard's chancellor William Longchamp.[57] Richard's brother John was not satisfied by this decision and started scheming against William. When Richard was raising funds for his crusade, he was said to declare, "I would have sold London if I could find a buyer."[58]
Occupation of Sicily
In September 1190 Richard and Philip arrived in Sicily.[59] After the death of King William II of Sicily his cousin Tancred had seized power and had been crowned early in 1190 as King Tancred I of Sicily, although the legal heir was William's aunt Constance, wife of the new Emperor Henry VI. Tancred had imprisoned William's widow, Queen Joan, who was Richard's sister, and did not give her the money she had inherited in William's will. When Richard arrived he demanded that his sister be released and given her inheritance; she was freed on 28 September, but without the inheritance.[60] The presence of foreign troops also caused unrest: in October, the people of Messina revolted, demanding that the foreigners leave.[61] Richard attacked Messina, capturing it on 4 October 1190.[61] After looting and burning the city Richard established his base there, but this created tension between Richard and Philip Augustus. He remained there until Tancred finally agreed to sign a treaty on 4 March 1191. The treaty was signed by Richard, Philip and Tancred.[62] Its main terms were:
Joan was to receive 20,000 ounces (570 kg) of gold as compensation for her inheritance, which Tancred kept.
Richard officially proclaimed his nephew, Arthur of Brittany, son of Geoffrey, as his heir, and Tancred promised to marry one of his daughters to Arthur when he came of age, giving a further 20,000 ounces (570 kg) of gold that would be returned by Richard if Arthur did not marry Tancred's daughter.
The two kings stayed on in Sicily for a while, but this resulted in increasing tensions between them and their men, with Philip Augustus plotting with Tancred against Richard.[63] The two kings finally met to clear the air and reached an agreement, including the end of Richard's betrothal to Philip's sister Alys (who had supposedly been the mistress of Richard's father Henry II).[64]
Conquest of Cyprus
The Near East in 1190 (Cyprus in purple)
In April 1191 Richard left Messina for Acre, but a storm dispersed his large fleet.[65] After some searching, it was discovered that the ship carrying his sister Joan and his new fiancée Berengaria was anchored on the south coast of Cyprus, along with the wrecks of several other vessels, including the treasure ship. Survivors of the wrecks had been taken prisoner by the island's ruler, Isaac Komnenos.[66]
On 1 May 1191 Richard's fleet arrived in the port of Lemesos (Limassol) on Cyprus.[66] He ordered Isaac to release the prisoners and treasure.[66] Isaac refused, so Richard landed his troops and took Limassol.[67] Various princes of the Holy Land arrived in Limassol at the same time, in particular Guy of Lusignan. All declared their support for Richard provided that he support Guy against his rival, Conrad of Montferrat.[68]
The local magnates abandoned Isaac, who considered making peace with Richard, joining him on the crusade, and offering his daughter in marriage to the person named by Richard.[69] Isaac changed his mind, however, and tried to escape. Richard's troops, led by Guy de Lusignan, conquered the whole island by 1 June. Isaac surrendered and was confined with silver chains because Richard had promised that he would not place him in irons. Richard named Richard de Camville and Robert of Thornham as governors. He later sold the island to the Knights Templar, and it was subsequently acquired, in 1192, by Guy of Lusignan and became a stable feudal kingdom.[70]
The rapid conquest of the island by Richard is more important than it may seem. The island occupies a key strategic position on the maritime lanes to the Holy Land, whose occupation by the Christians could not continue without support from the sea.[70] Cyprus remained a Christian stronghold until the battle of Lepanto (1571).[71] Richard's exploit was well publicised and contributed to his reputation, and he also derived significant financial gains from the conquest of the island.[71]
Richard left Cyprus for Acre on 5 June with his allies.[71]
Before leaving Cyprus on crusade, Richard married Kingdom of Navarre as a fief, as Aquitaine had been for his father. Further, Eleanor championed the match, as Navarre bordered Aquitaine, thereby securing the southern border of her ancestral lands. Richard took his new wife on crusade with him briefly, though they returned separately. Berengaria had almost as much difficulty in making the journey home as her husband did, and she did not see England until after his death. After his release from German captivity Richard showed some regret for his earlier conduct, but he was not reunited with his wife.[73] The marriage remained childless.
In the Holy Land
Depiction of Richard (l) and Saladin (r), c. 1250–60
King Richard landed at Acre on 8 June 1191. He gave his support to his Poitevin vassal Guy of Lusignan, who had brought troops to help him in Cyprus. Guy was the widower of his father's cousin Sibylla of Jerusalem and was trying to retain the kingship of Jerusalem, despite his wife's death during the Siege of Acre the previous year. Guy's claim was challenged by Conrad of Montferrat, second husband of Sibylla's half-sister, Isabella: Conrad, whose defence of Tyre had saved the kingdom in 1187, was supported by Philip of France, son of his first cousin Louis VII of France, and by another cousin, Duke Leopold V of Austria. Richard also allied with Humphrey IV of Toron, Isabella's first husband, from whom she had been forcibly divorced in 1190. Humphrey was loyal to Guy and spoke Arabic fluently, so Richard used him as a translator and negotiator.
Richard and his forces aided in the capture of Acre, despite the king's serious illness. At one point, while sick from scurvy, Richard is said to have picked off guards on the walls with a crossbow, while being carried on a stretcher. Eventually Conrad of Montferrat concluded the surrender negotiations with Saladin's forces inside Acre and raised the banners of the kings in the city. Richard quarrelled with Leopold V of Austria over the deposition of Isaac Komnenos (related to Leopold's Byzantine mother) and his position within the crusade. Leopold's banner had been raised alongside the English and French standards. This was interpreted as arrogance by both Richard and Philip, as Leopold was a vassal of the Holy Roman Emperor (although he was the highest-ranking surviving leader of the imperial forces). Richard's men tore the flag down and threw it in the moat of Acre. Leopold left the crusade immediately. Philip also left soon afterwards, in poor health and after further disputes with Richard over the status of Cyprus (Philip demanded half the island) and the kingship of Jerusalem. Richard, suddenly, found himself without allies.
Richard had kept 2,700 Muslim prisoners as hostages against Saladin fulfilling all the terms of the surrender of the lands around Acre. Philip, before leaving, had entrusted his prisoners to Conrad, but Richard forced him to hand them over to him. Richard feared his forces being bottled up in Acre as he believed his campaign could not advance with the prisoners in train. He therefore ordered all the prisoners executed. He then moved south, defeating Saladin's forces at the Battle of Arsuf 30 miles (50 km) north of Jaffa on 7 September 1191. Saladin attempted to harass Richard's army into breaking its formation in order to defeat it in detail. Richard maintained his army's defensive formation, however, until the Hospitallers broke ranks to charge the right wing of Saladin's forces. Richard then ordered a general counterattack, which won the battle. Arsuf was an important victory. The Muslim army was not destroyed, despite the considerable casualties it suffered, but it did rout; this was considered shameful by the Muslims and boosted the morale of the Crusaders. In November of 1191, following the fall of Jaffa, the Crusader army advanced inland towards Jerusalem. The army then marched to Beit Nuba, only 12 miles from Jerusalem. Muslim morale in Jerusalem was so low that the arrival of the Crusaders would probably have caused the city to fall quickly. However, the weather was appallingly bad, cold with heavy rain and hailstorms; this, combined with the fear that the Crusader army, if it besieged Jerusalem, might be trapped by a relieving force, led to the decision to retreat back to the coast.[74] Richard attempted to negotiate with Saladin, but this was unsuccessful. In the first half of 1192 he and his troops refortified Ascalon.
An election forced Richard to accept Conrad of Montferrat as King of Jerusalem, and he sold Cyprus to his defeated protégé, Guy. Only days later, on 28 April 1192, Conrad was stabbed to death by Hashshashin (Assassins) before he could be crowned. Eight days later Richard's own nephew Henry II of Champagne was married to the widowed Isabella, although she was carrying Conrad's child. The murder has never been conclusively solved, and Richard's contemporaries widely suspected his involvement.
The Crusader army made another advance on Jerusalem, and in June 1192 it came within sight of the city before being forced to retreat once again, this time because of dissension amongst its leaders. In particular, Richard and the majority of the army council wanted to force Saladin to relinquish Jerusalem by attacking the basis of his power through an invasion of Egypt. The leader of the French contingent, the Duke of Burgundy, however, was adamant that a direct attack on Jerusalem should be made. This split the Crusader army into two factions, and neither was strong enough to achieve its objective. Richard stated that he would accompany any attack on Jerusalem but only as a simple soldier; he refused to lead the army. Without a united command the army had little choice but to retreat back to the coast.[75]
There commenced a period of minor skirmishes with Saladin's forces, punctuated by another defeat in the field for the Ayyubid army at the Battle of Jaffa, while Richard and Saladin negotiated a settlement to the conflict. Both sides realised that their respective positions were growing untenable. Richard knew that both Philip and his own brother John were starting to plot against him, and the morale of Saladin's army had been badly eroded by repeated defeats. However, Saladin insisted on the razing of Ascalon's fortifications, which Richard's men had rebuilt, and a few other points. Richard made one last attempt to strengthen his bargaining position by attempting to invade Egypt—Saladin's chief supply-base—but failed. In the end, time ran out for Richard. He realised that his return could be postponed no longer since both Philip and John were taking advantage of his absence. He and Saladin finally came to a settlement on 2 September 1192. The terms provided for the destruction of Ascalon's fortifications, allowed Christian pilgrims and merchants access to Jerusalem, and initiated a three-year truce.[76]
Captivity, ransom and return
Depiction of Richard being pardoned by Emperor Henry VI, c. 1196
Bad weather forced Richard's ship to put in at Corfu, in the lands of the Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos, who objected to Richard's annexation of Cyprus, formerly Byzantine territory. Disguised as a Knight Templar, Richard sailed from Corfu with four attendants, but his ship was wrecked near Aquileia, forcing Richard and his party into a dangerous land route through central Europe. On his way to the territory of his brother-in-law Henry the Lion, Richard was captured shortly before Christmas 1192 near Vienna by Leopold V, Duke of Austria, who accused Richard of arranging the murder of his cousin Conrad of Montferrat. Moreover, Richard had personally offended Leopold by casting down his standard from the walls of Acre.
Duke Leopold kept him prisoner at Dürnstein Castle under the care of Leopold's ministerialis Hadmar of Kuenring.[77] His mishap was soon known to England, but the regents were for some weeks uncertain of his whereabouts. While in prison, Richard wrote Ja nus hons pris or Ja nuls om pres ("No man who is imprisoned"), which is addressed to his half-sister Marie de Champagne. He wrote the song, in French and Occitan versions, to express his feelings of abandonment by his people and his sister. The detention of a crusader was contrary to public law,[78][79] and on these grounds Pope Celestine III excommunicated Duke Leopold.
Ruins of Dürnstein Castle, where Richard was kept captive
On 28 March 1193 Richard was brought to Speyer and handed over to Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor, who imprisoned him in Trifels Castle. Henry VI was aggrieved by the support the Plantagenets had given to the family of Henry the Lion and by Richard's recognition of Tancred in Sicily.[78] Henry VI needed money to raise an army and assert his rights over southern Italy and continued to hold Richard for ransom. In response Pope Celestine III excommunicated Henry VI, as he had Duke Leopold, for the continued wrongful imprisonment of Richard. Richard famously refused to show deference to the emperor and declared to him, "I am born of a rank which recognises no superior but God".[80] Despite his complaints, the conditions of his captivity were not severe.
The emperor demanded that 150,000 marks (100,000 pounds of silver) be delivered to him before he would release the king, the same amount raised by the Saladin tithe only a few years earlier,[81] and 2–3 times the annual income for the English Crown under Richard. Eleanor of Aquitaine worked to raise the ransom. Both clergy and laymen were taxed for a quarter of the value of their property, the gold and silver treasures of the churches were confiscated, and money was raised from the scutage and the carucage taxes. At the same time, John, Richard's brother, and King Philip of France offered 80,000 marks for the Emperor to hold Richard prisoner until Michaelmas 1194. The emperor turned down the offer. The money to rescue the King was transferred to Germany by the emperor's ambassadors, but "at the king's peril" (had it been lost along the way, Richard would have been held responsible), and finally, on 4 February 1194 Richard was released. Philip sent a message to John: "Look to yourself; the devil is loose".[82]
Richard and Philip of France, French manuscript of 1261
In Richard's absence, his brother John revolted with the aid of Philip; amongst Philip's conquests in the period of Richard's imprisonment was Normandy.[83] Richard forgave John when they met again and named him as his heir in place of their nephew, Arthur.
Richard began his reconquest of Normandy. The fall of the Château de Gisors to the French in 1196 opened a gap in the Norman defences. The search began for a fresh site for a new castle to defend the duchy of Normandy and act as a base from which Richard could launch his campaign to take back the Vexin from French control.[84] A naturally defensible position was identified perched high above the River Seine, an important transport route, in the manor of Andeli. Under the terms of the Treaty of Louviers (December 1195) between Richard and Philip II, neither king was allowed to fortify the site; despite this, Richard intended to build the vast Château Gaillard.[85] Richard tried to obtain the manor through negotiation. Walter de Coutances, Archbishop of Rouen, was reluctant to sell the manor as it was one of the diocese's most profitable, and other lands belonging to the diocese had recently been damaged by war.[85] When Philip besieged Aumale in Normandy, Richard grew tired of waiting and seized the manor,[85][86] although the act was opposed by the Church.[87] Walter de Coutances issued an interdict against the duchy of Normandy prohibiting church services from being performed in the region. Roger of Howden detailed "the unburied bodies of the dead lying in the streets and square of the cities of Normandy". Construction began with the interdict hanging over Normandy, but it was later repealed in April 1197 by Pope Celestine III, after Richard made gifts of land to Walter de Coutances and the diocese of Rouen, including two manors and the prosperous port of Dieppe.[88][89]
Royal expenditure on castles declined from the levels spent under Henry II, attributed to a concentration of resources on Richard's war with the king of France.[90] However, the work at Château Gaillard was some of the most expensive of its time and cost an estimated £15,000 to £20,000 between 1196 and 1198.[91] This was more than double Richard's spending on castles in England, an estimated £7,000.[92] Unprecedented in its speed of construction, the castle was mostly complete in just two years, when most construction on such a scale would have taken the best part of a decade.[91] According to William of Newburgh, in May 1198 Richard and the labourers working on the castle were drenched in a "rain of blood". While some of his advisers thought the rain was an evil omen, Richard was undeterred.[93]
As no master-mason is mentioned in the otherwise detailed records of the castle's construction, military historian Allen Brown has suggested that Richard himself was the overall architect; this is supported by the interest Richard showed in the work through his frequent presence.[94] In his final years, the castle became Richard's favourite residence, and writs and charters were written at Château Gaillard bearing "apud Bellum Castrum de Rupe" (at the Fair Castle of the Rock).[95] Château Gaillard was ahead of its time, featuring innovations that would be adopted in castle architecture nearly a century later.[95] Richard later boasted that he could hold the castle "were the walls made of butter".[96] Allen Brown described Château Gaillard as "one of the finest castles in Europe",[95] and military historian Sir Charles Oman wrote that:
Château Gaillard ... was considered the masterpiece of its time. The reputation of its builder, Coeur de Lion, as a great military engineer might stand firm on this single structure. He was no mere copyist of the models he had seen in the East, but introduced many original details of his own invention into the stronghold.
— Oman 1924[97]
The ruins of Château Gaillard. Even a rain of blood – considered a bad omen – did not dissuade Richard from building his vast and expensive fortress in Normandy.
Determined to resist Philip's designs on contested Angevin lands such as the Vexin and Berry, Richard poured all his military expertise and vast resources into war on the French King. He organised an alliance against Philip, including Baldwin IX of Flanders, Renaud, Count of Boulogne, and his father-in-law King Sancho VI of Navarre, who raided Philip's lands from the south. Most importantly, he managed to secure the Welf inheritance in Saxony for his nephew, Henry the Lion's son Otto of Poitou, who was elected Otto IV of Germany in 1198.
Partly as a result of these and other intrigues, Richard won several victories over Philip. At Fréteval in 1194, just after Richard's return to France from captivity and money-raising in England, Philip fled, leaving his entire archive of financial audits and documents to be captured by Richard. At the Battle of Gisors (sometimes called Courcelles) in 1198, Richard took "Dieu et mon Droit"—"God and my Right"—as his motto (still used by the British monarchy today), echoing his earlier boast to the Emperor Henry that his rank acknowledged no superior but God.
In March 1199, Richard was in the Limousin suppressing a revolt by Viscount Aimar V of Limoges. Although it was Lent, he "devastated the Viscount's land with fire and sword".[98] He besieged the puny, virtually unarmed castle of Châlus-Chabrol. Some chroniclers claimed that this was because a local peasant had uncovered a treasure trove of Roman gold,[99] which Richard claimed from Aimar in his position as feudal overlord.
Tomb containing the heart of King Richard at Rouen Cathedral
In the early evening of 25 March 1199, Richard was walking around the castle perimeter without his chainmail, investigating the progress of shillings.[102] Richard then set his affairs in order, bequeathing all his territory to his brother John and his jewels to his nephew Otto.
Richard died on 6 April 1199 in the arms of his mother; it was later said that "As the day was closing, he ended his earthly day." Because of the nature of Richard's death, he was later referred to as "the Lion (that) by the Ant was slain". According to one chronicler, Richard's last act of chivalry proved fruitless when the infamous mercenary captain Mercadier had the crossbowman flayed alive and hanged as soon as Richard died.[103]
Richard's heart was buried at Rouen in Normandy, his entrails in Châlus (where he died), and the rest of his body at the feet of his father at Fontevraud Abbey in Anjou.[104] In 2012, scientists analysed the remains of Richard's heart and found that it had been embalmed with various substances, including frankincense, a symbolically important substance because it had been present both at the birth and embalming of the Christ.[105]
A 13th century Bishop of Rochester wrote that Richard spent 33 years in purgatory as expiation for his sins, eventually ascending to Heaven in March 1232.[106]
Richard Coeur de Lion, Carlo Marochetti's statue of Richard I outside the Palace of Westminster, London
Richard's reputation over the years has "fluctuated wildly", according to historian John Gillingham.[107] Richard's contemporaneous image was that of a king who was also a knight, and that was apparently the first such instance of this combination.[108] He was known as a valiant and competent military leader and individual fighter, courageous and generous. That reputation has come down through the ages and defines the popular image of Richard.[108] He left an indelible imprint on the imagination extending to the present, in large part because of his military exploits. This is reflected in Steven Runciman's final verdict of Richard I: "he was a bad son, a bad husband, and a bad king, but a gallant and splendid soldier." ("History of the Crusades" Vol. III) Meanwhile, Muslim writers[109] during the Crusades period and after wrote of him: "Never have we had to face a bolder or more subtle opponent."[109]
Richard, however, also received negative portrayals. During his life, he was criticised by chroniclers for having taxed the clergy both for the Crusade and for his ransom, whereas the church and the clergy were usually exempt from taxes.[110] Victorian England was divided on Richard: many admired him as a crusader and man of God, erecting an heroic statue to him outside the Houses of Parliament. The late-Victorian scholar William Stubbs, on the other hand, thought him "a bad son, a bad husband, a selfish ruler, and a vicious man". During his ten years' reign, he was in England for no more than six months, and was totally absent for the last five years.[107] Stubbs argued that:
He was a bad king: his great exploits, his military skill, his splendour and extravagance, his poetical tastes, his adventurous spirit, do not serve to cloak his entire want of sympathy, or even consideration, for his people. He was no Englishman, but it does not follow that he gave to Normandy, Anjou, or Aquitaine the love or care that he denied to his kingdom. His ambition was that of a mere warrior: he would fight for anything whatever, but he would sell everything that was worth fighting for. The glory that he sought was that of victory rather than conquest.[111]
Richard produced no legitimate heirs and acknowledged only one illegitimate son, Philip of Cognac. As a result, he was succeeded by his brother John as King of England.[112] However, his French territories initially rejected John as a successor, preferring his nephew Arthur of Brittany, the son of their late brother Geoffrey, whose claim was by modern standards better than John's. The lack of any direct heirs from Richard was the first step in the dissolution of the Angevin Empire.[112]
In World War I, when British troops commanded by General Edmund Allenby captured Jerusalem, the British press printed cartoons of Richard the Lionheart looking down from the heavens with the caption reading, "At last my dream has come true."[113][114] General Allenby protested against his campaign being presented as a latter day Crusade, however, stating "The importance of Jerusalem lay in its strategic importance, there was no religious impulse in this campaign."[115]
Medieval folklore
Richard marrying Robin Hood and Maid Marian on a plaque outside Nottingham Castle
Around the middle of the 13th century, various legends developed that, after Richard's capture, his minstrel Blondel travelled Europe from castle to castle, loudly singing a song known only to the two of them (they had composed it together).[116] Eventually, he came to the place where Richard was being held, and Richard heard the song and answered with the appropriate refrain, thus revealing where the king was incarcerated. The story was the basis of André Ernest Modeste Grétry's opera Richard Coeur-de-Lion and seems to be the inspiration for the opening to Richard Thorpe's film version of Ivanhoe. It seems unconnected to the real Jean 'Blondel' de Nesle, an aristocratic trouvère. It also does not correspond to the historical reality, since the king's jailers did not hide the fact; on the contrary, they publicised it.[117]
At some time around the 16th century, tales of Robin Hood started to mention him as a contemporary and supporter of King Richard the Lionheart, Robin being driven to outlawry, during the misrule of Richard's evil brother John, while Richard was away at the Third Crusade.[118]
Since the 1950s Richard's sexuality has become an issue of wider interest and controversy. Victorian and Edwardian historians had rarely addressed this question, but in 1948 historian John Harvey challenged what he perceived as "the conspiracy of silence" surrounding Richard's homosexuality.[119] This argument drew primarily on available chronicler accounts of Richard's behaviour, chronicler records of Richard's two public confessions and penitences, and Richard's childless marriage.[120] Roger of Howden tells of a hermit who warned, "Be thou mindful of the destruction of Sodom, and abstain from what is unlawful", and Richard thus "receiving absolution, took back his wife, whom for a long time he had not known, and putting away all illicit intercourse, he remained constant to his wife and the two become one flesh."[121] This material is complicated by accounts of Richard having had at least one illegitimate child (Philip of Cognac), and by allegations that Richard had sexual relations with local women during his campaigns.[122]
Leading historians remain divided on the question of Richard's sexuality.[123] Harvey's argument has gained support[124] but has been disputed by other historians, most notably John Gillingham.[125] Drawing on other chronicler accounts, he argues that Richard was probably heterosexual.[125] Historian Jean Flori claims that contemporary historians generally accept that Richard was predominantly homosexual.[124][126] Flori also analysed contemporaneous accounts; he refuted Gillingham's arguments and concluded that Richard's two public confessions and penitences (in 1191 and 1195) must have referred to the "sin of sodomy".[127] Flori cites contemporaneous accounts of Richard taking women by force[128] and concludes that Richard probably had sexual relations with both men and women at different stages.[129] Flori and Gillingham nevertheless agree that contemporaneous accounts do not support the suggestion that Richard had a sexual relationship with King Philip II, as suggested by some modern authors.[130]
Richard appears as a major or minor character in many works of fiction, both written and audio-visual. As noted above, Richard appears in connection with James Goldman's The Lion in Winter, which references the alleged homosexual affair between Richard and Philip II of France. The Lord Darcy stories by science fiction writer Randall Garrett depict an alternate history in which Richard survived Chaluz and went on to defeat and dethrone the Capetians, make himself and his successors Kings of France as well as of England, and establish a Plantagenet Empire enduring into the 20th century.
19th century portrait of Richard the Lionheart by Merry-Joseph Blondel
Richard was played by King Richard and the Crusaders (1954), by Dermot Walsh in the Richard the Lionheart (TV series) (1962-1963), by Julian Glover in the Doctor Who serial The Crusade (1965), by Richard Harris in Richard Lester's Robin and Marian (1976), by Sean Connery in Kevin Reynolds's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), and by Patrick Stewart in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), Mel Brooks' spoof of both earlier films. Richard was played by Sir Anthony Hopkins in Anthony Harvey's The Lion in Winter and Andrew Howard played him in the 2003 remake directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, which also starred Patrick Stewart as his father Henry II. Richard is portrayed in a brief scene at the end of the film Kingdom of Heaven directed by Ridley Scott, Richard I is portrayed by actor Iain Glen, and is seen hoping to recruit the recently returned to France Balian of Ibelin to join him in what would become the Third Crusade. In the 2010 epic film Robin Hood also directed by Scott, actor Danny Huston portrayed Richard, the film depicts the king's death as during the siege of Chalus Castle. In the 2013 film Richard The Lionheart directed by Stefano Milla, actor Chandler Maness portrayed Richard as a young and petulant prince. In the sequel, Richard the Lionheart: Rebellion, Chandler Maness reprises his role as Richard, to lead a rebellion against his father.
Richard is a character in video games such as Stainless Steel Studios' Empire Earth (2001), Firefly Studios' Stronghold: Crusader (2002) Empires: Dawn of the Modern World (2003), Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed (2007) and Paradox Interactive's Crusader Kings II (2012). He is also a playable character in the video game Arena of Fate.
Ancestors of Richard I of England
16. Fulk IV of Anjou
8. Fulk V of Anjou
17. Bertrade de Montfort
4. Geoffrey V of Anjou
18. Elias I of Maine
9. Ermengarde of Maine
19. Matilda of Château-du-Loir
2. Henry II of England
20. William the Conqueror
10. Henry I of England
21. Matilda of Flanders
5. Empress Matilda
22. Malcolm III of Scotland
11. Matilda of Scotland
23. Margaret of Scotland
1. Richard I of England
24. William VIII of Aquitaine
12. William IX of Aquitaine
25. Hildegarde of Burgundy
6. William X of Aquitaine
26. William IV of Toulouse
13. Philippa of Toulouse
27. Emma of Mortain
3. Eleanor of Aquitaine
28. Boson II of Châtellerault
14. Aimery I of Châttellerault
29. Alienor de Thouars
7. Aenor de Châtellerault
30. Barthelemy de L'Isle Bouchard
15. Dangerose de l'Isle Bouchard
31. Gerberge de Blaison
^ Historians are divided in their use of the terms "Plantagenet" and "Angevin" in regards to Henry II and his sons. Some class Henry II to be the first Plantagenet King of England; others refer to Henry, Richard and John as the Angevin dynasty, and consider Henry III to be the first Plantagenet ruler.
Cultural depictions of Richard I of England
List of English monarchs
The Crusade and Death of Richard I
^ a b Turner & Heiser 2000, p. 71
^ Gillingham, John, 'Richard the Lionheart', p.243, Weidenfeld and Nicolson 1978.
^ Addison 1842, pp. 141–149.
^ Flori 1999 (French), p. 20.
^ Harvey 1948, pp. 62–64
^ Turner & Heiser
^ Harvey 1948, p. 58.
^ Flori 1999, p. 1.
^ a b Gillingham 2002, p. 24.
^ a b c Flori 1999, p. ix.
^ Flori 1999, p. 28.
^ Gillingham, John (1979), p 32.
^ Gillingham 2002, p. 28.
^ Leese 1996, p. 57.
^ Prestwich, J.O., p, 76.
^ Stafford, P. et al. pp. 168–169.
^ Brewer 2000, p. 41
^ Frank McLynn (2012). "Lionheart and Lackland: King Richard, King John and the Wars of Conquest". p. 24. Random House,
^ Flori 1999, pp. 23–25.
^ Flori 1999, pp. 25, 28.
^ Gillingham 2002, pp. 49–50.
^ a b Flori 1999, p. 33.
^ a b Flori 1999, pp. 34–35.
^ a b c d Flori 1999, p. 35.
^ a b Flori, p. 41.
^ Flori, pp. 41–42.
^ Roger of Hoveden, Gesta Henrici II Benedicti Abbatis, vol. 1, p. 292
^ Roger of Hoveden & Riley 1853, p. 64
^ Martin 18 March 2008
^ Gillingham 2002, p. 107.
^ Flori 1999 (French), pp. 94–95.
^ a b c Flori 1999 (French), p. 95.
^ Graetz (1902)
^ Flori 1999 (French), pp. 465–466. As cited by Flori, the chronicler Giraud le Cambrien reports that Richard was fond of telling a tale according to which he was a descendant of a countess of Anjou who was in fact the fairy Melusine, concluding that his whole family "came from the devil and would return to the devil".
^ Flori 1999 (French), pp. 319–320.
^ Flori 1999 (French), p. 100.
^ Flori 1999 (French), pp. 97–101
^ a b Flori 1999 (French), p. 101
^ Flori 1999 (French), p. 99
^ Flori 1999 (French), p. 111
^ Flori 1999 (French), pp. 124–126
^ a b c Flori 1999 (French), p. 132.
^ a b Flori 1999 (French), p. 137.
^ Abbott, Jacob, History of King Richard the First of England, Harper & Brothers 1877
^ Richard I. by Jacob Abbot, New York and London Harper & Brothers 1902
^ Gillingham (1979), pp. 198–200.
^ Gillingham (1979), pp. 209–212
^ Richard I. by Jacob Abbott, New York and London Harper & Brothers 1902
^ Arnold, p. 128
^ Longford 1989, p. 85.
^ Madden 2005, p. 96
^ Purser 2004, p. 161.
^ Gillingham 2004.
^ Gillingham 2002, pp. 303–305.
^ a b c Gillingham 2002, p. 301.
^ Turner 1997, p. 10.
^ Packard 1922, p. 20.
^ Gillingham 2002, pp. 302–304
^ Allen Brown 2004, p. 112.
^ Allen Brown 1955, pp. 355–356.
^ a b McNeill 1992, p. 42.
^ a b c Allen Brown 1976, p. 62.
^ Oman 1991, p. 32.
^ Ralph of Coggeshall, Chronicon Anglicanum, p. 94
^ Although there are numerous variations of the story's details, it is not disputed that Richard did pardon the person who shot the bolt, see Flori 1999 (French), p. 234.
^ Gillingham 1979, p. 8.
^ a b John Gillingham, Kings and Queens of Britain: Richard I; Cannon (2001),
^ a b Flori 1999 (French), pp. 484–485.
^ Stubbs, William, The Constitutional History of England, vol. 1, pp.550–551
^ a b Peter Saccio Leon D. Black (2000). "Shakespeare's English Kings : History, Chronicle, and Drama". (Chapter VIII, John, The Legitimacy of the King; The Angevin Empire). Oxford University Press
^ Andrew Curry, "The First Holy War", U.S. News and World Report, 8 April 2002.
^ Jonathan Phillips, Holy Warriors: a modern History of the Crusades (London, 2009), pp. 327–331.
^ Holt, J. C. (1982). "Robin Hood". p. 170. Thames & Hudson
^ Harvey, pp.33–4. This question is mentioned, however, in Richard, A., Histoire des comtes de Poitout, 778–1204, vol. I–II, Paris, 1903, t. II, p. 130, cited Flori 1999 (French), p. 448.
^ Summarised in McLynn, pp.92–3.
^ Roger of Hoveden, The Annals, trans. Henry T. Riley, 2. Vols. (London: H.G. Bohn, 1853; repr. New York: AMS Press, 1968)
^ McLynn, p.93; see also Gillingham 1994, pp. 119–139.
^ Burgwinkle, pp.73–4.
^ a b As cited in Flori 1999 (French), p. 448 see for example Brundage, Richard Lion Heart, New York, 1974, pp. 38, 88, 202, 212, 257; Runciman, S., A History of the Crusades, Cambridge, 1951–194, t. III, pp. 41ff.; and Boswell, J., Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality, Chicago, 1980, p. 231ff.
^ a b Gillingham 1994, pp. 119–139.
^ Flori 1999 (French), p. 448. According to Flori, this change is due to greater social acceptance of homosexuality.
^ Flori 1999 (French), pp. 454–456. Contemporaneous accounts refer to various signs of friendship between the two when Richard was at Philip's court in 1187 during his rebellion against his father Henry II, including sleeping in the same bed. But, according to Flori and Gillingham, such signs of friendship were part of the customs of the time and cannot be interpreted as indicating homosexuality of either man.
Cannon, John & Hargreaves, Anne (eds). Kings and Queens of Britain, Oxford University Press 2001, 2004, ISBN 0-19-860956-6. Richard I, by John Gillingham
Prestwich, J.O. (2004) The Place of War in English History, 1066–1214. Boydell Press.
Ralph of Coggeshall, Chronicon Anglicanum
Roger of Hoveden, Gesta Regis Henrici II & Gesta Regis Ricardi Benedicti Abbatis, ed. William Stubbs, 2 vols, (London, 1867), available at Gallica.
Roger of Hoveden, Chronica Magistri Rogeri de Houedene, ed. William Stubbs, 4 vols, (London, 1868–71), available at Gallica.
Stafford, P., Nelson, J.L and Martindale, J. (2002) Law, Laity and Solidarities. Manchester University Press.
Ambroise, The History of the Holy War, translated by Marianne Ailes. Boydell Press, 2003.
Ralph of Diceto, Radulfi de Diceto Decani Lundoniensis Opera Historica, ed. William Stubbs, 2 vols (London, 1876)
Berg, Dieter. Richard Löwenherz. Darmstadt, 2007.
Edbury, Peter W. The Conquest of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade: Sources in Translation. Ashgate, 1996. [Includes letters by Richard reporting events of the Third Crusade (pp. 178–182).] ISBN 1-84014-676-1
Gabrieli, Francesco. (ed.) Arab Historians of the Crusades, English translation 1969, ISBN 0-520-05224-2
Gillingham, John, Richard Coeur de Lion: Kingship, Chivalry and War in the Twelfth Century, 1994, ISBN 1-85285-084-1
Nelson, Janet L. (ed.) Richard Coeur de Lion in History and Myth, 1992, ISBN 0-9513085-6-4
Nicholson, Helen J. (ed.) The Chronicle of the Third Crusade: The Itinerarium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi, 1997, ISBN 0-7546-0581-7
Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades, 1951–54, vols. 2–3.
Stubbs, William (ed.), Itinerarium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi (London, 1864), available at Gallica. (PDF of anon. translation, Itinerary of Richard I and others to the Holy Land (Cambridge, Ontario, 2001))
Historia rerum in partibus transmarinis gestarumWilliam of Tyre, French continuation of. (external link to text in medieval French).
Reston, James Jr. "Warriors of God", 2001, ISBN 0-385-49562-5
Roger of Hoveden on Richard the Lion-Hearted and King Philip II of France
Richard I, Ja nuls om pres non dira sa razon (Occitan version of lyric)
Richard I, Ja nus hons pris ne dira sa reson (French version of lyric, with English translation by James H. Donalson)
King Richard a Middle English metrical romance from the Auchinleck manuscript (edited by David Burnley and Alison Wiggins) at the National Library of Scotland
The Itinerarium peregrinorum et gesta regis Ricardi a 13th-century crusade chronicle by Geoffrey of Vinsauf in Cambridge Digital Library
House of Plantagenet
Born: 1157 8 September Died: 1199 6 April
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8: Willie and Earl Richard's Daughter
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123: Robin Hood and the Curtal Friar
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127: Robin Hood and the Tinker
128: Robin Hood Newly Revived
129: Robin Hood and the Prince of Aragon
130: Robin Hood and the Scotchman
131: Robin Hood and the Ranger
132: The Bold Pedlar and Robin Hood
136: Robin Hood's Delight
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140: Robin Hood Rescuing Three Squires
141: Robin Hood Rescuing Will Stutly
142: Little John a Begging
143: Robin Hood and the Bishop
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145: Robin Hood and Queen Katherine
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My Bills
My Committees
Education Resource Card Program
Frequently Requested Services
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O'Hare Noise
Thank you for visiting my legislative website. I am proud to serve as the State Senator from Illinois' 28th District, and hope you will find this site a useful resource in keeping up-to-date with what is happening in our district and in Springfield. Please contact either of my offices with questions or ways I can better serve you.
It is my honor to represent you in Springfield.
Laura Murphy
State Senator, 28th District
Upcoming Constituent Service Opportunities
Lawmakers Announce Bipartisan Effort to Help Families Impacted by Expansion of O’Hare
Published: Tuesday, February 23, 2016 04:55 PM
Chicago - On Tuesday, a group of legislators from Chicago and the suburbs announced their bipartisan effort to help bring relief to the more than one million residents impacted by adverse noise from O’Hare International Airport.
According to Rep. Christine Winger (R-Wood Dale) many constituents have suffered the endless noise from O’Hare for many years. Others are experiencing the excruciating ill effects of aircraft noise for the very first time with the addition of the newest runway that opened last October. Still more can expect to join the ranks of those enduring aircraft noise when future runways become operational.
“Our constituents are discouraged by the seeming lack of concern by the Chicago Department of Aviation and the FAA,” said Winger. “Their daily lives are in the hands of these two entities whose missions, quite frankly, do not include protecting the health and quality of life of area residents. That’s why we need to get involved.”
State Representative Michael McAuliffe (R-Chicago) and Senators Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) and John Mulroe (D-Chicago) joined Rep. Winger in outlining their legislative plan that would reduce the noise level from O’Hare, help constituents soundproof their homes and identify the ill effects of O’Hare on the people living in the communities impacted by noise.
"Every day I hear from my constituents about the difficulty of living near O'Hare because of recent moves being made beyond their control, said Rep. Michael McAuliffe. “We're calling on our friends in the legislature to help us fight on their behalf.”
Read more: Lawmakers Announce Bipartisan Effort to Help Families Impacted by Expansion of O’Hare
Sen. Murphy reacts to Gov. Rauner’s MAP grant veto
Published: Friday, February 19, 2016 05:20 PM
SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) issued the statement below following Gov. Rauner’s veto of MAP grant funds.
“It’s disappointing that two days after the governor identified education as his top priority, he vetoed funds that give 120,000 students an opportunity to go to college. We have to fund these grants to give Illinois students a chance at a better future.”
Sen. Murphy reacts to Governor Rauner’s budget address
Published: Wednesday, February 17, 2016 05:59 PM
SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) issued the statement below following Gov. Rauner’s second annual Budget Address.
“While I do appreciate the governor’s call to live within our means, Democrats and Republicans must come together to invest in our neediest populations,” Murphy said.
“Last year, the governor drastically slashed programs for people with autism on World Autism Day and proposed cutting services to women with breast and cervical cancer. Giving him total control of the budget could have drastic consequences for our state’s most vulnerable citizens.”
Sen. Murphy joins students to deliver MAP grant funding to governor
SPRINGFIELD – Nearly 100 students from Illinois colleges joined State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) and other legislators today to deliver Senate Bill 2043 to Governor Rauner. The legislation, which recently passed the Senate and House with large majorities, provides funding for Monetary Award Program grants, or MAP grants.
“Today, I stand with the 1,900 students in the 28th district who have so far been abandoned this year because of the lack of funding for MAP grants,” said Murphy. “Eliminating these funds is short-sighted and will have a long term impact on our state economy.”
The grants are given to low and middle-income students to allow them to pay for the growing cost of higher education. Due to a veto last spring by Governor Rauner, nearly 120,000 students face uncertainty about their future.
While many colleges and four-year universities have been able to continue to provide funding for students during the fall semester, nearly 1,000 students were unable to return to school this year as many schools ran out of funds.
Previously, the governor had committed to vetoing the funds for the students. However, the governor and his staff did not comment on the bill when it was delivered.
“The governor has already shown a commitment to funding education. I strongly encourage him to continue to invest in our future workforce by funding MAP grants,” said Murphy.
Murphy votes to provide stability for students
Sen. Murphy reacts to State of the State
Sen. Murphy reacts to Des Plaines mental health cuts
Sen. Murphy tours O’Hare Airport
108E Capitol Building
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Copyright - Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus - 2021
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SuperGreen Cement – The Role Of Ancient Civilizations In Shaping Modern Technologies
In all human civilizations building and constructions were central components in human life with continuous struggle for sustainable comfort living in harmony with nature. As the concept of sustainability did not exist in the same way as we know it today, ancient solutions were based on practical use of naturally available materials in combination with the sun as source of heat and thermal energy. Climate/weather conditions played major rules in building and construction and people adapted living to their environment.
The Egyptian Pyramids, temples and living rooms were built more than 4500 years ago with zero energy consumption, zero carbon dioxide emissions and no toxic waste. How the Pyramids and those buildings were built is still matter of speculation and debate. According to historical data ancient Egyptians built the Giza Pyramids; Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure in a span of 85 years in the 26th century BC. How such sustainable technology was mastered is still a mystery what regards saving energy, water and environment.
Most of current problems today are related to implementation and use of technologies whether or not suitable for the environments. Because of this, the conform of modern technology comes with very high price in terms of economy, environment and above all an enormous loss of cultural and locally based building codes that developed throughout several generations. Only, in few cases where enough resources and investments exist there are successful examples, however it remains to see how such solution can be expanded on larger scales. The “world’s first carbon neutral zero-waste city” is slowly becoming a reality of epic proportions. The prototypical sustainable city, Masdar, is currently under construction twenty miles outside of Abu Dhabi. When finished, the city will be powered entirely by renewable energy, making it one of the world’s most sustainable urban developments. The city has its own sustainability-driven research center, which is devoted to the development of alternative energy (http://youtu.be/FyghLnbp20U).
Among most recent advances in building material is a new type of cement that is based on Pozzolan, which can be found in nature from volcanic deposits. Also, industrial waste from iron and power plans can be recycled and used in producing green cement. Green cements, as compared to OPC “ordinary Portland cement”, are very energy and water saving, environmentally much more friendly with no waste remains and no emissions of GHG. Also, have enormous advantages especially what regards production cost, mechanical properties, duration and maintainance. Modern technology can produce sustainable building materials, green cement, for erection of complicated structures that have excellent durability but in much much faster time as compared to ancient civilizations. Currently, the best possible sustainable building materials can bring about energy saving of more that 90% with very near zero carbon dioxide emission and zero waste remains.
To understand the importance of Pozzolan in modern technologies for production of green cement one has to back 2000 years ago. The Romans at that time started making concrete but it wasn’t quite like today’s concrete. They had a different formula that resulted in not as strong as our modern concrete. Yet structures like the Pantheon and the Colosseum have survived for centuries, often with little to no maintenance. Geologists, archaeologists and engineers have arrived a key component in the Roman’s concrete: volcanic ash. Usually, three parts volcanic ash were mixed to one part lime, according to Vitruvius, first-century B.C. architect and engineer. Modern research shows that the very secret of durability of the buildings of the Roman Empire was due to the chemical composition of concretes made with Pozzolan, i.e. the ash’s unique mix of minerals appears to have helped concrete to withstand chemical decay and damage. For information (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-secrets-of-ancient-romes-buildings-234992/).
This entry was posted in Agriculture & Farming, Economy & Investment, Education & Research, Energy Resources, Environment & Climate, Forestry & Land-use, Health & Fitness, Human Resources, Other Natural Resources, Politics & Infrastructure, Protection Instruments, Public Awareness, Sanitation & Hygiene, Technology & Industry, Tourism, Transport & ICT, Uncategorized, Urbanization & Household, Water Resources on May 28, 2015 by farideldaoushy.
← Lessons Learnt – Sustainable Building & Construction Through Cultures and Civilizations Would 3D Printing Revolutionize Global Constructions and Building? →
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All games in category "Action"
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on Read more
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Most species are known as willow, but some narrow-leaved shrub species are called osier, and some broader-leaved species are referred to as sallow (from Old English sealh, related to the Latin word salix, willow). Some willows (particularly arctic and alpine species) are low-growing or creeping shrubs; for example, the dwarf willow (Salix herbacea) rarely exceeds 6 cm (2 in) in height, though it spreads widely across the ground.
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Wing of Madoola, The
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Wit's
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Wizardry - Knight Of...
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Wizards & Warriors 2
The wolverine /ˈwʊlvəriːn/, Gulo gulo (Gulo is Latin for "glutton"), also referred to as glutton, carcajou, skunk beRead more
The wolverine /ˈwʊlvəriːn/, Gulo gulo (Gulo is Latin for "glutton"), also referred to as glutton, carcajou, skunk bear, or quickhatch, is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae (weasels). It is a stocky and muscular carnivore, more closely resembling a small bear than other mustelids. The wolverine, a solitary animal, has a reputation for ferocity and strength out of proportion to its size, with the documented ability to kill prey many times larger than itself. The wolverine can be found primarily in remote reaches of the Northern boreal forests and subarctic and alpine tundra of the Northern Hemisphere, with the greatest numbers in northern Canada, the U.S. state of Alaska, the Nordic countries of Europe, and throughout western Russia and Siberia. Their populations have experienced a steady decline since the 19th century in the face of trapping, range reduction and habitat fragmentation, such that they are essentially absent in the southern end of their European range. Large populations are thought to remain in North America and northern Asia. In February 2013, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service proposed giving Endangered Species Act protections to the wolverine largely because climate change is whittling away its wintry habitat in the northern Rockies.
The World Games, first held in 1981, are an international multi-sport event, meant for sports, or disciplines or events Read more
The World Games, first held in 1981, are an international multi-sport event, meant for sports, or disciplines or events within a sport, that are not contested in the Olympic Games. The World Games are organised and governed by the International World Games Association (IWGA), under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). A number of the sports that were on the program of the World Games are now included in the programme of the Olympic Games. (Badminton, Beach Volleyball, Gymnastics-Trampoline, Rugby sevens, Taekwondo, Triathlon and Weightlifting-Women) Other sports have been Olympic sports in the past (like tug of war). With the current position of the IOC to limit the volume of participants in the Olympic Games to 10,500 participants, it is unlikely that many of the World Games sports will be elevated to Olympic sports. Some of the sports that are currently held at the World Games are acrobatic gymnastics, ultimate, orienteering, body building, powerlifting, finswimming, squash, netball, water skiing, and casting. The sports that are included in the World Games are limited by the facilities available in the host city; no new facilities may be constructed for the games. Up to now between 25 and 35 sports were included in the programme of The World Games. The IWGA, in coordination with the host city, can invite some sport to participate in the "invitational" programme. No World Games medals are awarded to invitational sports.
Wrath of the Black M...
Wrath of the Black Manta, originally released in Japan as Ninja Cop Saizou (忍者コップサイゾウ, Ninja Koppu SaiRead more
Wrath of the Black Manta, originally released in Japan as Ninja Cop Saizou (忍者コップサイゾウ, Ninja Koppu Saizō), is a 1989 action platform game for the Family Computer/Nintendo Entertainment System developed by AI and published by Kyugo in 1989 in Japan and later by Taito in North America in 1990 and in Europe in 1991. This side scrolling action game has the player control a ninja who has to save the kidnapped children.
Wrath of the Black Manta
WWF - Wrestlemania
WWF may refer to: World Wide Fund for Nature, a nature conservation organization previously named World Wildlife Fund (Read more
WWF may refer to: World Wide Fund for Nature, a nature conservation organization previously named World Wildlife Fund (and still using the former name in some markets) World Wrestling Federation, the name used from 1979 to 2002 by the professional wrestling company now known as WWE Welded wire fabric, a reinforcing material typically used in poured concrete slabs Working Women's Forum, an organisation in India World Water Forum, an international forum for water issues Windows Workflow Foundation, Microsoft's workflow management framework Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway, a former 2 foot gauge railroad in Maine, United States WWF (file format), a campaign to produce PDF electronic documents that forbid printing Words with Friends, a game for Apple and Android platforms Waterside Workers' Federation, a former Australian trade union, now the Maritime Union of Australia
WWF - Wrestlemania C...
WWF - Wrestlemania Chall...
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G. 0
8bits n peacez 0
hollywoodzombay 0
Natedagreat Adler 0
Thomas Jones 0
Melissa Jordan 0
Kirby Gamers 0
Corrupt dog 0
Brian D Harper 0
Aimee Call 0
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New Intensity Benefits Team
Highlander Staff Reports
Swim team members are embracing new head coach Matt VanDerMeid as they prepare for the 2012-2013 season.
Junior Doug Ranson said the team was hesitant at first because they didn’t know what to expect from VanDerMeid after working with previous coach Jason Morini.
“As the weeks have gone on it becomes more apparent that he knows what he’s doing,” Ranson said.
VanDerMeid looks forward to working with the men’s and women’s teams this season and said he has something new to offer as a coach. He wants to work with the team on yardage by increasing the swimmers practice time in the pool.
“We’re just getting into some of the more intense practices and those will ramp up throughout the rest of the season,” VanDerMeid said.
Ranson and other swimmers agree that even though these practices are more intense than they expected it will help them in the long run.
“Even though we are more tired now, it’s going to be beneficial. It’s just about the amount of time that we put into the pool now and what we get out of it in the end,” Ranson said. “Right now, since it’s technically the beginning of the season everyone is just getting the endurance back up to where they need to be.”
Senior Michelle Bruno said it is hard not to compare VanDerMeid and Morini. She feels VanDerMeid has a different perspective but may help them succeed in the end. Bruno looks to improve on her times in individual meets as well as get to MAC’s at the end of the season.
“It’s definitely a different program,” she said. “We swim a lot more than we used to so hopefully that will give us an advantage.”
VanDerMeid hopes to avoid injuries this season and is already working heavily with injuries sustained from last season, such as junior Megan DiPalo’s shoulder injury. DiPalo has not been able to compete in any of the team’s early season meets. Coach VanDerMeid is in hopes of a strong recovery and has given her advice for improving her events without re-injuring herself.
“I really like that he definitely tries to talk to everyone and I’m hoping that the whole team can come together and improve this season,” she said.
VanDerMeid set a goal to win the Mid-American Conference Championship which he doesn’t think is out of the question. He credits the strong freshman squad and returning upperclassmen to his MAC Championship goal.
Ranson though, set a bigger goal up for himself as he hopes to qualify for National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA’s) in the 200 meter and 400 meter medley relay’s.
“We do have a handful of high end swimmers who had very good races so far,” he said.
The teams have upcoming meets against King’s College and Lycoming College before the Diamond City Invitational at the end of the month.
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This Month in Sports History: Football Team’s First Win
Senior Cross Country Runner May Continue to Compete
Senior Soccer Player Already Achieved Dream
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I met Ronnie Cox, and you didn't
Published: Tuesday, 18 September 2012 22:33
You might not know his name, but you know his face and the movies he's in...if you're a real man. Let me break it down for you.
Ronnie Cox, or Ron as he referred to himself when he shook my hand, has been in 132 movies and television shows, according to IMDb.com, with more to come I'm sure.
He's been in shows like Law and Order SVU, Dexter, Desperate House Wives, Stargate SG1 and Star Trek (TNG).
But if you're real man, you know what movies you should recognize him from, Robocop, Total Recall and Beverly Hills Cop. That's right, I shook hands, asked a few questions, embarrassed myself, and got a picture with Dick Jones himself.
"But how could a suave, even keel, layed back kind of guy like you embarrass yourself with such a man's man like Ronnie Cox?" you might ask. Surprising, I know, but a real man like Mr. Cox admits when he's made a mistake, so, I must follow suit.
But first, I'll tell you how the heck I was able to meet such an icon of movies for guys who like movies. You see, Ron (yeah, we're on a first name basis, he introduced himself as Ron, I freekin' shook his hand, so, yes, I can refer to him as Ron now, so there). Where was I. Oh, yeah, Ron is not only an awesome villain in sweet sci fi flicks like Robocop or Total Recall, or hard ass cops like Beverly Hills cop, but he's also a fantastic singer song writer. Take a look at his site (http://www.ronnycox.com/). Looks like you can download some of his music for free there too, but if you like it, you should buy it. Not because you should should obay the law, but because, if you recal, he controlled Robocop.
Anyway, I digress. He had a show booked in West Duluth, Minnesota, where I was having coffee with a friend. I had seen the posters there, recognized him, and thought "hey, wouldn't it be cool if I came here and saw him play and met him?" but I never wrote down the date. So, it was purely coincidence when I was standing in line to get my iced mocha with chia when Ron walked in with his guitar and a few other odds and ends, and his fellow musicians, and walked right up to me and said "Hi, I'm Ron." I tried to think of something really awesome to say, something like "Hi, I thought you got a bad rap when Robocop shot you dead". But no, I couldn't think of anything, so, I followed suit and, acting normal like he was, just said, "Hi, I'm Nate, come on in." As if I was in charge, which I wasn't.
Later, after he and his other musician buddies ran a sound check and jammed on his guitar, I got the courage to ask if it would be rude to ask for a picture. He said no, not at all and I handed my iphone to my buddy. (who surreptitiously recorded video of me asking the following questions).
(Note: I'd like to point out that I asked him if it was ok if I quoted him on these questions, he said it was fine. I did not, however, get permission to use the video as I was not aware of it until my friend told me he was recording. I'll ask if it's ok first and then perhaps I'll post it, so, stay tuned)
I asked him what he thought about the new remake of Total Recall, and if he had been asked to do a cameo, or if he was interested in being in it. He said, and I quote: "Oh, they'd love to have me, but why would I put on a wet bathing suit?" At first I didn't really know what he meant, perhaps his verbal imagery is just that much better since he writes his own music. But he explained it by asking it again, "I mean, why would I want to put on a wet bathing suit?" For whatever reason, this actually did clarify it for me. Not only is it weird and uncomfortable to put on a recently used bathing suit, but you just went for a swim, it's time for a shower...I guess?
He later clarified that although he "loves Collin Firth", saying that he was in American Outlaws with him, but said he didn't think the remake of Total Recall was all that great.
He also mentioned that they were also planning to remake Robocop. Now, if you're a friend of mine, you might know that for the last few years I have been saying that it would be a good idea to remake that movie. Because of this, I blurted out, "Oh, that's a great idea!" To this, Ron turned to me and glared. Trying to be funny, I changed my mind, saying, "Oh, I mean, that's a horrible idea." Hoping to mediate any damage to our budding friendship. Trying to explain my feelings, I added, "You know, because of the new CG technology, it could be good." He still didn't agree.
However, he still graciously put his arm around me and let my friend take my picture with my iphone. And, after talking a bit more, agreed to let me quote him for this article. If you read this, Ronny Cox, thank you so much. You seem like a down to earth, polite, multi talented and charming guy. I wish you the best.
And for the rest of you, suck it, I met Ronny Cox.
Painkiller: Part 1 +
Guardians of the Galaxy: 2 Review +
I am Groot. I am Groot, I am Groot! I am Groot. I am Groot? I am groot.… Read More
The Accountant +
Short Review: Does it suck? Nope. Is it awesome? Yep! What’s it like? Rainman + John Wick. No, seriously. Long… Read More
Crimson Peak: A beautiful film, not that scary +
Short Review: Pretty good. Probably don’t need to see it in the theater, but worth a rental. Long review: This… Read More
The Martian: a hero movie we need +
Short Review: It’s good, go see it. Long review: In the tradition of Moon, 2001: A Space Odyssey,Gravity and Space… Read More
Terminator Genisys & Terminator rundown +
Short Review: Not as bad as everyone says it is. Set your expectations low, and it won’t suck quite… Read More
Chappie +
Short Review: It’s very good, go see it. If you’re like my best friend, that’s all you need, stop reading… Read More
Into the Woods +
Short Review: Eh, it’s ok. Some good songs, but overall wasn’t that impressed. Long Review: I am not one of… Read More
A Walk Among the Tombstones +
Short Review: A classic detective story set way back in in the good old days of 1999. Liam Neeson is… Read More
Dracula Untold +
Short Review: It’s fun, but ok, don’t ‘need to see it in the theater. Wait for rental. If you’re a… Read More
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Indianapolis Elects a New Bishop
On the second ballot the diocesan convention in Indianapolis elected the Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows as their next bishop. Assuming she receives approval of a majority of diocesan bishops and Standing Committees, she will be consecrated in April. It is the first time in The Episcopal Church that one woman will follow another as diocesan bishop. While women of color have been elected as suffragan bishops in the TEC, she is also the first to be elected a diocesan bishop. There have been eight elections for diocesan bishops in 2016. Women were elected in three. The year has also been a good one for racial and ethnic diversity. Including Indianapolis, five of the eight elections resulted in a person with Afro-American, Hispanic, or Asian ancestry being elected. Baskerville-Burroughs has been serving as Director of networking for the Diocese of Chicago and in that role has been working with churches on partnerships and connections for revitalization and restructuring. She serves as faculty in the spirituality track of the CREDO program for Episcopal clergy, and has a strong background in family faith formation, college and youth ministries.
Bishop Bruno Heads to Trial in March
On October 26 the Hearing Panel under Title IV met to rule on motions submitted by both sides in the procedings against Bishop Jon Bruno of Los Angeles. A formal complaint for conduct unbecoming a bishop was filed by parishioners and supporters after Bishop Bruno locked the members out of St. James the Great in Newport Beach. A sale of the property to developers fell through. The panel ruled against Bruno's motion to dismiss all charges, but also denied the request of the parishioners who wanted Bruno ordered to let them back in the building. The Church Attorney appointed to represent the Episcopal Church supported the parishioners motion, but the panel was not sure it had the authority to issue such an order. The trial is scheduled for March 28-30, 2017. You can begin looking at previous Update coverage of this controversy here.
Clergy to Gather in Support of Standing Rock
The Rev. John Floberg, priest at St. James Parish in Canonball, ND issued a call for clergy to come to Standing Rock and witness on November 2-3 with those trying to stop the Dakota Pipeline which threatens the water and sacred grounds of the Sioux reservation (and all living downstream on the Missouri River). So far he has 360 clergy from 16 faith traditions, including 10 different Christian ones. For the last week the "water protecters" have faced increased violence from the militarized law enforcement groups breaking up their camps and responding to non-violent protests. The Episcopal Church has been supporting the protests with the full support of the diocese, Presiding Bishop and Executive Council. The Update has covered this with a number of stories. The most recent is here.
Cleveland Episcopalians Organize Early Voting March
Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland helped organize and served as the beginning point for a march on Sunday of several hundred people that ended with them voting early at the Board of Election Office. The march was both a demonstration in favor of exercising rights as a citizen and a protest. Early voting in Ohio must be done in person, and the state has limited the number of access points. There is exactly one for the entire Cuyahoga County, which includes the city of Cleveland and many suburbs.
Courts Enforce Ruling Against Egyptian Anglicans
The Diocese of Egypt got as rude shock last week when Egyptian courts began enforcing a decision that they were really part of a local presbyterian denomination. Courts ruled last spring that the the Episcopal/Anglican Diocese of Egypt was not an independent denomination or a foreign church, but part of the Evangelical Church Association, which is presbyterian. Archbishop Mouneer Anis, who is both the primate for the Anglican Province of which the Diocese of Egypt is a part, and Bishop of Egypt, has asked for prayers from the Anglican Communion as the diocese returns to court to fight the ruling. Last week the courts required the ECA to sign off on a request for a visa for one of the people working for the diocese. A hearing was to be held on November 1, but the court adjourned and rescheduled the hearing for December 13. The ECA wants the ruling to stand because it would give them access to all the property of the Diocese.
posted by Joan R. Gundersen @ 10:21 PM
Week Ending 9/5/16
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Variety Read Next: Leslie Jones to Host 2020 Emmy Awards Nominations
Jun 25, 2020 2:42pm PT
Listen: Zo? Kravitz on Robert Pattinson’s ‘Perfect’ Batman and Why She Wants ‘High Fidelity’ Season 2
By Marc Malkin
Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor
marcmalkin
Joey King Explains Why Her ‘Kissing Booth’ Movies Are Critic-Proof (Watch) 4 hours ago
‘Welcome to Chechnya’ Director Reacts to U.S. Sanctions Against Chechen Leader 22 hours ago
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Clint Spaulding/Shutterstock
Zoë Kravtiz wasn’t exactly jumping at the chance to star in Hulu’s “High Fidelity” reboot.
“’Oh no, please don’t,’” she recalls about her first reaction to the pitch. “Genuinely, that was the first thing that went through my mind. It’s funny because I had this whole thought about like, ‘Should I be lying about that?’ But I think it’s okay. I think it’s like, ‘No, I’m wary of the reboot and I’m wary of the gender flip.’”
Fast forward to today, and Kravitz has been in the awards conversation for her starring role as Rob, a Los Angeles record store owner in the TV adaptation of “High Fidelity.” It’s a gender swap from the 2000 movie, in which John Cusack played an employee at a Chicago store.
“I went back and read the book again, which I hadn’t read in seven years or something, and I just fell in love with the world all over again,” Kravitz, 31, says on Thursday’s episode of the Variety and iHeart podcast “The Big Ticket.” “And then I felt really protective. I thought, what if I don’t do this and they f— it up? I thought, I have this opportunity to be involved in a project with source material that I love, before the season’s written, before the cast has been cast.”
Variety caught up with Kravitz from London, where she’s been living since production of “The Batman” — she’s playing Catwoman opposite Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader — was halted due to the pandemic.
What do you like about playing Rob?
When I watched this movie and read this book years ago, I always identified with the Rob character, but I romanticized him. And then, of course, looking back you’re like, this guy’s an asshole. He’s a misogynist asshole. Why would I think that was cool, and why did I think that was sexy, and why did I think that was interesting? To come back and play his character from a different point of view, it wasn’t like, “Oh, I’m playing this really cool, sad, f—ed up person who just can’t get it together. And we love that about her.” It was more, “I think I was this person at one point in my life. I’d like to think that I’m past that now. It’s these really uncomfortable growing pains when you have to figure out who you want to be.
How uncomfortable and messy did it get for you to figure out who you were?
Oh man, one of my best friends the other day started sending me all these old photos from 2005. It really sent me into this crazy spiral because I thought we looked really cool at the time, and looking at these photos, I was just like, “Dude, what? What?” My friend said, “I think we were playing a game where we would get dressed in the dark with no mirror. And then anytime we caught our reflection anywhere, we would take a shot.” It just looked so messy.
And now you’re 31 and married.
I’m married, and less bad choices — I would like to think. You know, life is an ongoing struggle, so of course, there’s always work to be done. But there’s that first step where it’s like, I’m an adult. Oh wait, I have so much more work to do.
Is there going to be a second season of “High Fidelity”?
We haven’t been told. I would love to. I think the show has a lot of potential. I think there’s a lot more growing to do for everybody and a lot more trouble to get into. There’s a lot of places we could go and I would love to go there.
So what was it like seeing yourself for the first time as Catwoman?
It’s cool, man. It’s cool. I can’t say it wasn’t cool, but I’ve been really trying to not think too much about just what that character means to everybody else. Just because it can be distracting in the wrong way, especially when you’re trying to become someone else. When the announcement came out that I had gotten this role, my phone rang more than it has ever. More than my birthday, more than my wedding, more than anything. So I felt that immediate pressure. The script is phenomenal. The story’s really strong. I feel very clear on who Selena is and what she wants, and I’m trying to stay more focused on that.
Have you spoken to Michelle Pfeiffer or Halle Berry?
I spoke to Michelle. We sat at the same table at the Golden Globes, and I’ve met her a bunch over the years because of David E. Kelley. She’d always been so nice. I had just gotten cast so I was really nervous to be around her, and she was so sweet. She just gave me a big hug and said, “You’re going to be great.” That was really just amazing. Both Halle and Anne [Hathaway] were really sweet on Instagram and Twitter. [They] sent really sweet, encouraging messages when that was announced. So I feel supported by my girls.
Why is Robert Pattinson perfect to play Batman?
Good question. First of all, he’s just a really good actor. He started out as this kind of teen pop sensation, and then I think we all kind of saw through his work that there was a lot more going on. He’s a really interesting artist, and that is very much Batman in a way. We have the illusion of Bruce Wayne, and then we have Batman in the shadows that has a lot more complicated things going on. So just in that, I think he’s perfect for this role. He can relate in that way, and he looks good in the suit, man. He looks good in the suit. That’s a good jaw line. But he’s just a great actor and he brings so much to everything he does. I think that it’s a really hard role because people are expecting a lot. Also it’s restricting in a lot of ways. You’re wearing the suit, and you can’t see their eyes, and you can only move in a certain way. So you have to get really creative in terms of how can you portray a multidimensional character? He’s way up for the challenge and has really interesting ideas already. I think he’s perfect, perfect casting.
Now I have to ask you about your Britney Spears fandom. [Kravitz sent social media into a tizzy last year when she posted a photo on Instagram of when she met Spears at age 12.]
She was the biggest star in the world when I was a kid, and I got to meet her. There’s no one bigger than Britney Spears in a lot of ways. That was long ago, but ‘NSync is still a big deal to me. Britney Spears is still a big deal to me.
Tell me about meeting her.
My dad surprised me. He was gone a lot on tour and all of that. So he was really sweet about when he would come into town to try and do something fun and surprise me, take me to Disneyland or whatever. Looking back it’s like, I really just probably wanted to spend time with him and that’s all I wanted. But [photographer] Mark Seliger, who’s a dear family friend, was shooting Britney’s [“Oops, I Did It Again” album] cover that day. I remember my dad taking me somewhere, not telling me where we were going, and then getting out of the car and going into this dark studio, and then looking and seeing this weird little set in the distance. As I got closer I was like, “Oh my God, it’s Britney. It’s Britney Spears. She’s right there.” And then got to take this picture. And then also at the time, didn’t even realize that it was her album cover shoot and that it would, of course, become this iconic cover shoot. And yeah, it was very cool. It was very, very cool.
This interview has been edited and condensed. Hear the full interview above. You can also listen to “The Big Ticket” at iHeartRadio or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
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APCAC
Join AmCham
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AmCham Mongolia organizes its largest-ever Trade Mission to the U.S.
Washington, D.C., United States – The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Mongolia successfully organized its fourth annual U.S. Trade Mission to Washington, D.C., from June 12-14, 2017, under the leadership of the Honorable Jennifer Zimdahl Galt, United States Ambassador to Mongolia. The Trade Mission, AmCham’s largest yet, was also attended by senior Mongolian government delegates including Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia His Excellency Ts. Munkh-Orgil, Mongolian Ambassador to the United States His Excellency B. Altangerel, and over 20 AmCham Mongolia delegates.
The delegates met with prominent public and private sector representatives, such as representatives from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, U.S. Department of Treasury, U.S. Export-Import Bank, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the Mongolian Embassy in the U.S., and businesses interested in investing in Mongolia.
AmCham’s U.S. Trade Mission began with an orientation meeting for the delegation at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Headquarters. Senior Vice President for Asia of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Ms. Tami Overby noted in her opening remarks, “The Chamber recognizes Mongolia as an important political ally and commercial partner for the United States. We stand ready to work together to deepen engagement and stronger bilateral ties with Mongolia. With unparalleled access and policy expertise, AmCham Mongolia is the Chamber’s critical partner in country.”
The Trade Mission’s roundtable discussion “Celebrating 30 years of U.S.-Mongolia diplomatic relations and the current economic, business and legal environment in Mongolia” was attended by nearly 60 private and public sector representatives. During the roundtable, Ambassador Galt said, “This trade mission is a highlight of our activities this year to celebrate our anniversary and expand our bilateral economic and commercial relationship. AmCham has been an invaluable partner in our efforts to bring together U.S. companies, Mongolian businesses, and the Mongolian government to improve the business environment.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Ts. Munkh-Orgil delivered a keynote presentation during the roundtable discussion and noted, “The United States of America is an important third neighbor for Mongolia and we welcome American investments, know-how, technology, and management practices to Mongolia.”
AmCham Mongolia’s membership delegation included 20 executive level representatives from 18 leading companies in Mongolia and beyond, including Altai Holding, Asia Pacific Investment Partners, APU, BTF LLC, Cashmere Holding Company, Caterpillar Inc., Golomt Bank, Khan Bank, Mongolian Artisan Cheesemakers Union, MahoneyLiotta LLP, MSM Group, Oyu Tolgoi, Trade and Development Bank, Tuushin Group, Virtus Asset Management LLC, Wagner Equipment Co., Woodmont International, and Xac Bank.
Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce (APCAC) Mr. Jackson Cox participated in the Trade Mission and remarked, “AmCham Mongolia’s recent trade mission to the United States was a huge success and will result in more commerce between the United States and Mongolia.”
Mr. Jay Liotta, Chairman of AmCham Mongolia, concluded the Trade Mission by saying, “There has never been a larger private sector trade delegation from Mongolia to the United States that I can recall, and it gives me confidence that Mongolia maintains the potential to move in the right direction to become a more secure, prosperous, and open nation led by a free market and private sector driven economy.”
The Trade Mission was made possible with generous contributions from Mongolia’s premier beverage company, APU, and internationally known biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, and with support from the U.S. Embassy in Ulaanbaatar and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia.
About AmCham Mongolia
AmCham Mongolia is an independent membership-driven organization that seeks to build, strengthen, and protect business between the United States and Mongolia, and to actively promote Mongolia as a destination for American investment. AmCham Mongolia is the official local affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the largest business federation in the world with over 3 million member companies. AmCham Mongolia is also a member of the Asia-Pacific Council of the American Chamber of Commerce, consisting of 29 American Chambers of Commerce in the Asia-Pacific region.
AmCham Mongolia has been hosting the annual U.S. Trade Mission since 2014, in an effort to strengthen the commercial relationship between Mongolia and the United States. The Trade Mission provides a rare opportunity for U.S. and Mongolian businesses and investors to develop strong networks, attend special events with influential policy makers and businesses, identify financing opportunities, and to advocate for Mongolia as a destination for American investment.
AmCham Trade Mission_Press Release_EN
AmCham Trade Mission_Press Release_MN
Contact AmCham Mongolia
Address: 8F, Naiman Zovkhis ("Eznis") Building 21 Seoul Street
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Email: info@amcham.mn
© 2021 American Chamber of Commerce in Mongolia
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This article is about the British ship. For her sinking, see Sinking of the RMS Lusitania.
For other ships with the same name, see List of ships named Lusitania.
Lusitania arriving in port
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Name: Lusitania
Namesake: Lusitania
Owner: Cunard Line
Operator: Cunard Line
Port of registry: Rosslare Harbour
Route: Liverpool to New York City via Cherbourg, France and Cork, Ireland
Builder: John Brown & Co, Clydebank, Scotland
Laid down: 17 August 1904
Launched: 7 June 1906[1]
Christened: Mary, Lady Inverclyde
Acquired: 26 August 1907
Maiden voyage: 7 September 1907
In service: 1907–1915
Fate: Torpedoed by German U-boat U-20 on Friday 7 May 1915. Wreck lies approximately 11 mi (18 km) off the Old Head of Kinsale Lighthouse in 305 ft (93 m) of water at 51°25′N 8°33′W / 51.417°N 8.550°W / 51.417; -8.550Coordinates: 51°25′N 8°33′W / 51.417°N 8.550°W / 51.417; -8.550
Status: Partially collapsed wreck
Type: Ocean liner
Tonnage: 31,550 GRT
Displacement: 44,060 long tons (44,767.0 t)
Length: 787 ft (239.9 m)[a]
Beam: 87 ft (26.5 m)
Height: 60 ft (18.3 m) to boat deck, 165 ft (50.3 m) to aerials
Draught: 33.6 ft (10.2 m)
Decks: 9 passenger decks
Installed power: 25 Fire-tube boilers; four direct-acting Parsons steam turbines producing 76,000 hp (57 MW)
Propulsion: Four triple blade propellers. (Quadruple blade propellers installed in 1909.)
Capacity: 552 first class, 460 second class, 1,186 third class; 2,198 total.
Crew: 850
Notes: First ship of Cunard's four-funnelled grand trio, along with RMS Mauretania and RMS Aquitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner that was sunk on 7 May 1915 by a German U-boat 11 miles (18 km) off the southern coast of Ireland, killing 1,198 passengers and crew. The sinking occurred about two years before the United States declaration of war on Germany. Although the Lusitania sinking was a major factor in building support for a war, war was eventually declared only after the Imperial German Government resumed the use of unrestricted submarine warfare against American shipping in an attempt to break the transatlantic supply chain from the USA to Britain, and after the Zimmermann Telegram.
Lusitania held the Blue Riband appellation for the fastest Atlantic crossing and was briefly the world's largest passenger ship until the completion of the Mauretania three months later. The Cunard Line launched her in 1906 at a time of fierce competition for the North Atlantic trade. She was sunk on her 202nd trans-Atlantic crossing.[2]
German shipping lines were aggressive competitors for the custom of transatlantic passengers in the early 20th century, and Cunard responded by trying to outdo them in speed, capacity, and luxury. Cunard used assistance from the British Admiralty to build Lusitania, on the understanding that the ship would be available as a light merchant cruiser in time of war. She had gun mounts for deck cannons, but no guns were ever installed.
Both Lusitania and Mauretania were fitted with turbine engines that enabled them to maintain a service speed of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph). They were equipped with lifts, wireless telegraph, and electric light, and provided 50 percent more passenger space than any other ship; the first-class decks were known for their sumptuous furnishings.[3]
The Royal Navy had blockaded Germany at the start of the First World War; the UK had declared the North Sea a war zone in the autumn of 1914 and mined the approaches. In the spring of 1915, all food imports for Germany were declared contraband.[4] RMS Lusitania left New York for Britain on 1 May 1915 when German submarine warfare was intensifying in the Atlantic. Germany had declared the seas around the United Kingdom a war zone, and the German embassy in the United States had placed fifty newspaper advertisements warning people of the dangers of sailing on Lusitania. Objections were made by the British that threatening to torpedo all ships indiscriminately was wrong, whether it was announced in advance or not.[5]
On the afternoon of 7 May, a German U-boat torpedoed Lusitania 11 miles (18 km) off the southern coast of Ireland inside the declared war zone. A second internal explosion sank her in 18 minutes, killing 1,198 passengers and crew.[6]
The Germans justified treating Lusitania as a naval vessel because she was carrying hundreds of tons of war munitions and ammunition, making her a legitimate military target, and they argued that British merchant ships had violated the cruiser rules from the very beginning of the war.[7][8][9][10][11] The internationally recognized cruiser rules were obsolete by 1915; it had become more dangerous for submarines to surface and give warning with the introduction of Q-ships in 1915 by the Royal Navy, which were armed with concealed deck guns. The Germans argued that Lusitania was regularly transporting "war munitions"; she operated under the control of the Admiralty; she could be converted into an armed auxiliary cruiser to join the war; her identity had been disguised; and she flew no flags. They claimed that she was a non-neutral vessel in a declared war zone, with orders to evade capture and ram challenging submarines.[12]
However, the ship was not armed for battle and was carrying thousands of civilian passengers, and the British government accused the Germans of breaching the cruiser rules. The sinking caused a storm of protest in the United States because 128 American citizens were among the dead. The sinking shifted public opinion in the United States against Germany and was one of the factors in the declaration of war nearly two years later. After the First World War, successive British governments maintained that there were no munitions on board Lusitania, and the Germans were not justified in treating the ship as a naval vessel. In 1982, the head of the Foreign Office's American department finally admitted that, although no weapons were shipped, there is a large amount of ammunition in the wreck, some of which is highly dangerous and poses a safety risk to salvage teams.[13][14]
1 Development and construction
1.2 Interiors
1.3 Construction and trials
1.4 Comparison with the Olympic class
2.1 Hudson Fulton Celebration
3 A brush with fate
4 Outbreak of the First World War
6 Sinking
7.1 100th Anniversary
8 Conspiracy theories
8.1 British Government deliberately putting Lusitania at risk
8.2 Undeclared war munitions
8.3 Bombardment / destruction of the wreck
9 Wreck
9.1 Simon Lake's attempt to salvage in the 1930s
9.2 Argonaut Expedition, 1935
9.3 Gregg Bemis' salvage efforts
9.4 Diving Accidents
9.5 1984 British legal action
10 Cultural significance
12.2 Citations
12.3 Bibliography
12.4 Books
12.5 Newspapers, journals and other media
12.6 Online
13 Further reading
Lusitania, shortly before her launch.
Lusitania and Mauretania were commissioned by Cunard, responding to increasing competition from rival transatlantic passenger companies, particularly the German Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL) and Hamburg America Line (HAPAG). They had larger, faster, more modern and more luxurious ships than Cunard, and were better placed, starting from German ports, to capture the lucrative trade in emigrants leaving Europe for North America. The NDL liner Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse captured the Blue Riband from Cunard's Campania in 1897, before the prize was taken in 1900 by the HAPAG ship Deutschland. NDL soon wrested the prize back in 1903 with the new Kaiser Wilhelm II and Kronprinz Wilhelm. Cunard saw its passenger numbers affected as a result of the so-called "Kaiser-class ocean liners".[15]
American millionaire businessman J. P. Morgan had decided to invest in transatlantic shipping by creating a new company, International Mercantile Marine (IMM), and, in 1901, purchased the British freight shipper Frederick Leyland & Co. and a controlling interest in the British passenger White Star Line and folded them into IMM. In 1902, IMM, NDL and HAPAG entered into a "Community of Interest" to fix prices and divide among them the transatlantic trade. The partners also acquired a 51% stake in the Dutch Holland America Line. IMM made offers to purchase Cunard which, along with the French CGT, was now its principal rival.[16]
Cunard chairman Lord Inverclyde thus approached the British government for assistance. Faced with the impending collapse of the British liner fleet and the consequent loss of national prestige, as well as the reserve of shipping for war purposes which it represented, they agreed to help. By an agreement signed in June 1903, Cunard was given a loan of £2.6 million to finance two ships, repayable over 20 years at a favourable interest rate of 2.75%. The ships would receive an annual operating subsidy of £75,000 each plus a mail contract worth £68,000. In return, the ships would be built to Admiralty specifications so that they could be used as auxiliary cruisers in wartime.[17]
Lusitania unloading Christmas mail to a post office boat
Cunard established a committee to decide upon the design for the new ships, of which James Bain, Cunard's Marine Superintendent was the chairman. Other members included Rear Admiral H. J. Oram, who had been involved in designs for steam turbine-powered ships for the Royal Navy, and Charles Parsons, whose company Parsons Marine was now producing turbine engines.
Parsons maintained that he could design engines capable of maintaining a speed of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph), which would require 68,000 shaft horsepower (51,000 kW). The largest turbine sets built thus far had been of 23,000 shp (17,000 kW) for the Dreadnought-class battleships, and 41,000 shp (31,000 kW) for Invincible-class battlecruisers, which meant the engines would be of a new, untested design. Turbines offered the advantages of generating less vibration than the reciprocating engines and greater reliability in operation at high speeds, combined with lower fuel consumption. It was agreed that a trial would be made by fitting turbines to Carmania, which was already under construction. The result was a ship 1.5 knots (2.8 km/h; 1.7 mph) faster than her conventionally powered sister Caronia with the expected improvements in passenger comfort and operating economy.[18]
The ship was designed by Leonard Peskett[19] and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship's name was taken from Lusitania, an ancient Roman province on the west of the Iberian Peninsula—the region that is now southern Portugal and Extremadura (Spain). The name had also been used by a previous ship built in 1871 and wrecked in 1901, making the name available from Lloyds for Cunard's giant.[20][21]
Peskett had built a large model of the proposed ship in 1902 showing a three-funnel design. A fourth funnel was implemented into the design in 1904 as it was necessary to vent the exhaust from additional boilers fitted after steam turbines had been settled on as the power plant. The original plan called for three propellers, but this was altered to four because it was felt the necessary power could not be transmitted through just three. Four turbines would drive four separate propellers, with additional reversing turbines to drive the two inboard shafts only. To improve efficiency, the two inboard propellers rotated inward, while those outboard rotated outward. The outboard turbines operated at high pressure; the exhaust steam then passing to those inboard at relatively low pressure.
The propellers were driven directly by the turbines, for sufficiently robust gearboxes had not yet been developed, and became available in only 1916. Instead, the turbines had to be designed to run at a much lower speed than those normally accepted as being optimum. Thus, the efficiency of the turbines installed was less at low speeds than a conventional reciprocating (piston-in-cylinder) steam engine, but significantly better when the engines were run at high speed, as was usually the case for an express liner. The ship was fitted with 23 double-ended and two single-ended boilers (which fitted the forward space where the ship narrowed), operating at a maximum 195 psi and containing 192 individual furnaces.[22]
Deck plans of Lusitania. Modifications were made both during, and after the ship's construction. By 1915 the lifeboat arrangement had been changed to 11 fixed boats either side, plus collapsible boats stored under each lifeboat and on the poop deck.
Work to refine the hull shape was conducted in the Admiralty experimental tank at Haslar, Gosport. As a result of experiments, the beam of the ship was increased by 10 feet (3.0 m) over that initially intended to improve stability. The hull immediately in front of the rudder and the balanced rudder itself followed naval design practice to improve the vessel's turning response. The Admiralty contract required that all machinery be below the waterline, where it was considered to be better protected from gunfire, and the aft third of the ship below water was used to house the turbines, the steering motors and four 375-kilowatt (503 hp) steam driven turbo-generators. The central half contained four boiler rooms, with the remaining space at the forward end of the ship being reserved for cargo and other storage.
Coal bunkers were placed along the length of the ship outboard of the boiler rooms, with a large transverse bunker immediately in front of that most forward (number 1) boiler room. Apart from convenience ready for use, the coal was considered to provide added protection for the central spaces against attack. At the very front were the chain lockers for the huge anchor chains and ballast tanks to adjust the ship's trim.
The hull space was divided into twelve watertight compartments, any two of which could be flooded without risk of the ship sinking, connected by 35 hydraulically operated watertight doors. A critical flaw in the arrangement of the watertight compartments was that sliding doors to the coal bunkers needed to be open to provide a constant feed of coal whilst the ship was operating, and closing these in emergency conditions could be problematic. The ship had a double bottom with the space between divided into separate watertight cells. The ship's exceptional height was due to the six decks of passenger accommodation above the waterline, compared to the customary four decks in existing liners.[23]
High-tensile steel was used for the ship's plating, as opposed to the more conventional mild steel. This allowed a reduction in plate thickness, reducing weight but still providing 26 percent greater strength than otherwise. Plates were held together by triple rows of rivets. The ship was heated and cooled throughout by a thermo-tank ventilation system, which used steam driven heat exchangers to warm air to a constant 65 °F (18.3 °C), while steam was injected into the airflow to maintain steady humidity.
Forty-nine separate units driven by electric fans provided seven complete changes of air per hour throughout the ship, through an interconnected system, so that individual units could be switched off for maintenance. A separate system of exhaust fans removed air from galleys and bathrooms. As built, the ship conformed fully with Board of Trade safety regulations which required sixteen lifeboats with a capacity of approximately 1,000 people.[24]
At the time of her completion, Lusitania was briefly the largest ship ever built, but was soon eclipsed by the slightly larger Mauretania which entered service shortly afterwards. She was 3 feet (0.91 m) longer, a full 2 knots (3.7 km/h; 2.3 mph) faster, and had a capacity of 10,000 gross tons over and above that of the most modern German liner, Kronprinzessin Cecilie. Passenger accommodation was 50% larger than any of her competitors, providing for 552 saloon class, 460 cabin class and 1,186 in third class. Her crew comprised 69 on deck, 369 operating engines and boilers and 389 to attend to passengers. Both she and Mauretania had a wireless telegraph, electric lighting, electric lifts, sumptuous interiors and an early form of air-conditioning.[25]
Painting of Lusitania by Norman Wilkinson
At the time of their introduction onto the North Atlantic, both Lusitania and Mauretania possessed among the most luxurious, spacious and comfortable interiors afloat. The Scottish architect James Miller was chosen to design Lusitania's interiors, while Harold Peto was chosen to design Mauretania. Miller chose to use plasterwork to create interiors whereas Peto made extensive use of wooden panelling, with the result that the overall impression given by Lusitania was brighter than Mauretania.
The ship's passenger accommodation was spread across six decks; from the top deck down to the waterline they were Boat Deck (A Deck), the Promenade Deck (B Deck), the Shelter Deck (C Deck), the Upper Deck (D Deck), the Main Deck (E Deck) and the Lower Deck (F Deck), with each of the three passenger classes being allotted their own space on the ship. As seen aboard all passenger liners of the era, first-, second- and third-class passengers were strictly segregated from one another. According to her original configuration in 1907, she was designed to carry 2,198 passengers and 827 crew members. The Cunard Line prided itself with a record for passenger satisfaction.
Lounge and music room
Verandah cafe
Lusitania's first-class accommodation was in the centre section of the ship on the five uppermost decks, mostly concentrated between the first and fourth funnels. When fully booked, Lusitania could cater to 552 first-class passengers. In common with all major liners of the period, Lusitania's first-class interiors were decorated with a mélange of historical styles. The first-class dining saloon was the grandest of the ship's public rooms; arranged over two decks with an open circular well at its centre and crowned by an elaborate dome measuring 29 feet (8.8 m), decorated with frescos in the style of François Boucher, it was elegantly realised throughout in the neoclassical Louis XVI style. The lower floor measuring 85 feet (26 m) could seat 323, with a further 147 on the 65-foot (20 m) upper floor. The walls were finished with white and gilt carved mahogany panels, with Corinthian decorated columns which were required to support the floor above. The one concession to seaborne life was that furniture was bolted to the floor, meaning passengers could not rearrange their seating for their personal convenience.[26]
Promotional material showing the first-class dining room
Finished first-class dining room
All other first-class public rooms were situated on the boat deck and comprised a lounge, reading and writing room, smoking room and veranda café. The last was an innovation on a Cunard liner and, in warm weather, one side of the café could be opened up to give the impression of sitting outdoors. This would have been a rarely used feature given the often inclement weather of the North Atlantic.[27]
The first-class lounge was decorated in Georgian style with inlaid mahogany panels surrounding a jade green carpet with a yellow floral pattern, measuring overall 68 feet (21 m). It had a barrel vaulted skylight rising to 20 feet (6.1 m) with stained glass windows each representing one month of the year.
First-class smoking room
First-class reading and writing room
Each end of the lounge had a 14-foot (4.3 m) high green marble fireplace incorporating enamelled panels by Alexander Fisher. The design was linked overall with decorative plasterwork. The library walls were decorated with carved pilasters and mouldings marking out panels of grey and cream silk brocade. The carpet was rose, with Rose du Barry silk curtains and upholstery. The chairs and writing desks were mahogany, and the windows featured etched glass. The smoking room was Queen Anne style, with Italian walnut panelling and Italian red furnishings. The grand stairway linked all six decks of the passenger accommodation with wide hallways on each level and two lifts. First-class cabins ranged from one shared room through various ensuite arrangements in a choice of decorative styles culminating in the two regal suites which each had two bedrooms, dining room, parlour and bathroom. The port suite decoration was modelled on the Petit Trianon.[28]
Lusitania's second-class accommodation was confined to the stern, behind the aft mast, where quarters for 460 second-class passengers were located. The second-class public rooms were situated on partitioned sections of boat and promenade decks housed in a separate section of the superstructure aft of the first-class passenger quarters. Design work was deputised to Robert Whyte, who was the architect employed by John Brown. Although smaller and plainer, the design of the dining room reflected that of first class, with just one floor of diners under a ceiling with a smaller dome and balcony. Walls were panelled and carved with decorated pillars, all in white. As seen in first class, the dining room was situated lower down in the ship on the saloon deck. The smoking and ladies' rooms occupied the accommodation space of the second-class promenade deck, with the lounge on the boat deck.
Cunard had not previously provided a separate lounge for second class; the 42-foot (13 m) room had mahogany tables, chairs and settees set on a rose carpet. The smoking room was 52 feet (16 m) with mahogany panelling, white plaster work ceiling and dome. One wall had a mosaic of a river scene in Brittany, while the sliding windows were blue tinted. Second-class passengers were allotted shared, yet comfortable two and four berth cabins arranged on the shelter, upper and main decks.[29]
Noted as being the prime breadwinner for trans-Atlantic shipping lines, third class aboard Lusitania was praised for the improvement in travel conditions it provided to emigrant passengers, and Lusitania proved to be a quite popular ship for immigrants.[30] In the days before Lusitania and even still during the years in which Lusitania was in service, third-class accommodation consisted of large open spaces where hundreds of people would share open berths and hastily constructed public spaces, often consisting of no more than a small portion of open deck space and a few tables constructed within their sleeping quarters. In an attempt to break that mould, the Cunard Line began designing ships such as Lusitania with more comfortable third-class accommodation.
As on all Cunard passenger liners, third-class accommodation aboard Lusitania was located at the forward end of the ship on the shelter, upper, main and lower decks, and in comparison to other ships of the period, it was comfortable and spacious. The 79-foot (24 m) dining room was at the bow of the ship on the saloon deck, finished in polished pine as were the other two third-class public rooms, being the smoke room and ladies room on the shelter deck.
When Lusitania was fully booked in third class, the smoking and ladies room could easily be converted into overflow dining rooms for added convenience. Meals were eaten at long tables with swivel chairs and there were two sittings for meals. A piano was provided for passenger use. What greatly appealed to immigrants and lower class travelers was that instead of being confined to open berth dormitories, aboard Lusitania was a honeycomb of two, four, six and eight berth cabins allotted to third-class passengers on the main and lower decks.[31]
The Bromsgrove Guild had designed and constructed most of the trim on Lusitania.[32] Waring and Gillow tendered for the contract to furnish the whole ship, but failing to obtain this still supplied a number of the furnishings.
Construction and trials
Lusitania's launch, 7 June 1906
Lusitania's keel was laid at John Brown on Clydebank as yard no. 367 on 17 August 1904, Lord Inverclyde hammering home the first rivet. Cunard nicknamed her 'the Scottish ship' in contrast to Mauretania whose contract went to Swan Hunter in England and who started building three months later. Final details of the two ships were left to designers at the two yards so that the ships differed in details of hull design and finished structure. The ships may most readily be distinguished in photographs through the flat topped ventilators used on Lusitania, whereas those on Mauretania used a more conventional rounded top. Mauretania was designed a little longer, wider, heavier and with an extra power stage fitted to the turbines.
The shipyard at John Brown had to be reorganised because of her size so that she could be launched diagonally across the widest available part of the river Clyde where it met a tributary, the ordinary width of the river being only 610 feet (190 m) compared to the 786-foot (240 m) long ship. The new slipway took up the space of two existing ones and was built on reinforcing piles driven deeply into the ground to ensure it could take the temporary concentrated weight of the whole ship as it slid into the water. In addition the company spent £8,000 to dredge the Clyde, £6,500 on new gas plant, £6,500 on a new electrical plant, £18,000 to extend the dock and £19,000 for a new crane capable of lifting 150 tons as well as £20,000 on additional machinery and equipment.[33] Construction commenced at the bow working backwards, rather than the traditional approach of building both ends towards the middle. This was because designs for the stern and engine layout were not finalised when construction commenced. Railway tracks were laid alongside the ship and across deck plating to bring materials as required. The hull, completed to the level of the main deck but not fitted with equipment weighed approximately 16,000 tons.[34]
The ship's stockless bower anchors weighed 101⁄4 tons, attached to 125 ton, 330 fathom chains all manufactured by N. Hingley & Sons Ltd. The steam capstans to raise them were constructed by Napier Brothers Ltd, of Glasgow. The turbines were 25 feet (7.6 m) long with 12 ft (3.7 m) diameter rotors, the large diameter necessary because of the relatively low speeds at which they operated. The rotors were constructed on site, while the casings and shafting was constructed in John Brown's Atlas works in Sheffield. The machinery to drive the 56 ton rudder was constructed by Brown Brothers of Edinburgh. A main steering engine drove the rudder through worm gear and clutch operating on a toothed quadrant rack, with a reserve engine operating separately on the rack via a chain drive for emergency use. The 17 ft (5.2 m) three bladed propellers were fitted and then cased in wood to protect them during the launch.[35]
The ship was launched on 7 June 1906, eight weeks later than planned due to labour strikes and eight months after Lord Inverclyde's death. Princess Louise was invited to name the ship but could not attend, so the honour fell to Inverclyde's widow Mary.[36][1] The launch was attended by 600 invited guests and thousands of spectators.[37] One thousand tons of drag chains were attached to the hull by temporary rings to slow it once it entered the water. On launch the propellers were fitted, but on later launches propellers would be fitted in dry dock as they could be damaged by colliding with another object on launch.[38] The wooden supporting structure was held back by cables so that once the ship entered the water it would slip forward out of its support. Six tugs were on hand to capture the hull and move it to the fitting out berth.[39]
Lusitania (left) and Mauretania (right) photographed together at Liverpool harbour, ca.1911.
Testing of the ship's engines took place in June 1907 prior to full trials scheduled for July. A preliminary cruise, or Builder's Trial, was arranged for 27 July with representatives of Cunard, the Admiralty, the Board of Trade, and John Brown aboard. The ship achieved speeds of 25.6 knots (47.4 km/h; 29.5 mph) over a measured 1 mile (1.6 km) at Skelmorlie with turbines running at 194 revolutions per minute producing 76,000 shp. At high speeds the ship was found to suffer such vibration at the stern as to render the second-class accommodation uninhabitable. VIP invited guests now came on board for a two-day shakedown cruise during which the ship was tested under continuous running at speeds of 15, 18 and 21 knots but not her maximum speed. On 29 July, the guests departed and three days of full trials commenced. The ship travelled four times between the Corsewall Light off Scotland to the Longship Light off Cornwall at 23 and 25 knots, between the Corsewall Light and the Isle of Man, and the Isle of Arran and Ailsa Craig. Over 300 miles (480 km) an average speed of 25.4 knots was achieved, comfortably greater than the 24 knots required under the admiralty contract. The ship could stop in 4 minutes in 3/4 of a mile starting from 23 knots at 166 rpm and then applying full reverse. She achieved a speed of 26 knots over a measured mile loaded to a draught of 33 feet (10 m), and managed 26.5 knots over a 60-mile (97 km) course drawing 31.5 feet (9.6 m). At 180 revolutions a turning test was conducted and the ship performed a complete circle of diameter 1000 yards in 50 seconds. The rudder required 20 seconds to be turned hard to 35 degrees.[40][41]
The vibration was determined to be caused by interference between the wake of the outer propellers and inner and became worse when turning. At high speeds the vibration frequency resonated with the ship's stern making the matter worse. The solution was to add internal stiffening to the stern of the ship but this necessitated gutting the second-class areas and then rebuilding them. This required the addition of a number of pillars and arches to the decorative scheme. The ship was finally delivered to Cunard on 26 August although the problem of vibration was never entirely solved and further remedial work went on through her life.[42]
Comparison with the Olympic class
The White Star Line's Olympic-class vessels were almost 100 ft (30 m) longer and slightly wider than Lusitania and Mauretania. This made the White Star vessels about 15,000 tons larger than the Cunard vessels. Both Lusitania and Mauretania were launched and had been in service for several years before Olympic, Titanic and Britannic were ready for the North Atlantic run. Although significantly faster than the Olympic class would be, the speed of Cunard's vessels was not sufficient to allow the line to run a weekly two-ship transatlantic service from each side of the Atlantic. A third ship was needed for a weekly service, and in response to White Star's announced plan to build the three Olympic-class ships, Cunard ordered a third ship: Aquitania. Like Olympic, Cunard's Aquitania had a lower service speed, but was a larger and more luxurious vessel.
Due to their increased size the Olympic-class liners could offer many more amenities than Lusitania and Mauretania. Both Olympic and Titanic offered swimming pools, Turkish baths, a gymnasium, a squash court, large reception rooms, À la Carte restaurants separate from the dining saloons, and many more staterooms with private bathroom facilities than their two Cunard rivals.
Heavy vibrations as a by-product of the four steam turbines on Lusitania and Mauretania would plague both ships throughout their voyages. When Lusitania sailed at top speed the resultant vibrations were so severe that second- and third-class sections of the ship could become uninhabitable.[43] In contrast, the Olympic-class liners utilised two traditional reciprocating engines and only one turbine for the central propeller, which greatly reduced vibration. Because of their greater tonnage and wider beam, the Olympic-class liners were also more stable at sea and less prone to rolling. Lusitania and Mauretania both featured straight prows in contrast to the angled prows of the Olympic-class. Designed so that the ships could plunge through a wave rather than crest it, the unforeseen consequence was that the Cunard liners would pitch forward alarmingly, even in calm weather, allowing huge waves to splash the bow and forward part of the superstructure.[44] This would be a major factor in damage that Lusitania suffered at the hands of a rogue wave in January 1910.
Olympic arriving at port on maiden voyage June 1911, with Lusitania departing in the background
The vessels of the Olympic class also differed from Lusitania and Mauretania in the way in which they were compartmented below the waterline. The White Star vessels were divided by transverse watertight bulkheads. While Lusitania also had transverse bulkheads, it also had longitudinal bulkheads running along the ship on each side, between the boiler and engine rooms and the coal bunkers on the outside of the vessel. The British commission that had investigated the sinking of Titanic in 1912 heard testimony on the flooding of coal bunkers lying outside longitudinal bulkheads. Being of considerable length, when flooded, these could increase the ship's list and "make the lowering of the boats on the other side impracticable"[45] — and this was precisely what later happened with Lusitania. The ship's stability was insufficient for the bulkhead arrangement used: flooding of only three coal bunkers on one side could result in negative metacentric height.[46] On the other hand, Titanic was given ample stability and sank with only a few degrees list, the design being such that there was very little risk of unequal flooding and possible capsize.[47]
Lusitania did not carry enough lifeboats for all her passengers, officers and crew on board at the time of her maiden voyage (carrying four lifeboats fewer than Titanic would carry in 1912). This was a common practice for large passenger ships at the time, since the belief was that in busy shipping lanes help would always be nearby and the few boats available would be adequate to ferry all aboard to rescue ships before a sinking. After the Titanic sank, Lusitania and Mauretania were equipped with an additional six clinker-built wooden boats under davits, making for a total of 22 boats rigged in davits. The rest of their lifeboat accommodations were supplemented with 26 collapsible lifeboats, 18 stored directly beneath the regular lifeboats and eight on the after deck. The collapsibles were built with hollow wooden bottoms and canvas sides, and needed assembly in the event they had to be used.[48]
This contrasted with Olympic and Britannic which received a full complement of lifeboats all rigged under davits. This difference would have been a major contributor to the high loss of life involved with Lusitania's sinking, since there was not sufficient time to assemble collapsible boats or life-rafts, had it not been for the fact that the ship's severe listing made it impossible for lifeboats on the port side of the vessel to be lowered, and the rapidity of the sinking did not allow the remaining lifeboats that could be directly lowered (as these were rigged under davits) to be filled and launched with passengers. When Britannic, working as a hospital ship during World War I, sank in 1916 after hitting a mine in the Kea channel the already davited boats were swiftly lowered saving nearly all on board, but the ship took nearly three times as long to sink as Lusitania and thus the crew had more time to evacuate passengers.
Lusitania arriving in New York on her maiden voyage
Lusitania, commanded by Commodore James Watt, moored at the Liverpool landing stage for her maiden voyage at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday 7 September 1907 as the onetime Blue Riband holder RMS Lucania vacated the pier. At the time Lusitania was the largest ocean liner in service and would continue to be until the introduction of Mauretania in November that year. A crowd of 200,000 people gathered to see her departure at 9:00 p.m. for Queenstown (renamed Cobh in 1920), where she was to take on more passengers. She anchored again at Roche's Point, off Queenstown, at 9:20 a.m. the following morning, where she was shortly joined by Lucania, which she had passed in the night, and 120 passengers were brought out to the ship by tender bringing her total of passengers to 2,320.
At 12:10 p.m. on Sunday Lusitania was again under way and passing the Daunt Rock Lightship. In the first 24 hours she achieved 561 miles (903 km), with further daily totals of 575, 570, 593 and 493 miles (793 km) before arriving at Sandy Hook at 9:05 a.m. Friday 13 September, taking in total 5 days and 54 minutes, 30 minutes outside the record time held by Kaiser Wilhelm II of the North German Lloyd line. Fog had delayed the ship on two days, and her engines were not yet run in. In New York hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the bank of the Hudson River from Battery Park to pier 56. All New York's police had been called out to control the crowd. From the start of the day, 100 horse drawn cabs had been queuing, ready to take away passengers. During the week's stay the ship was made available for guided tours. At 3 p.m. on Saturday 21 September, the ship departed on the return journey, arriving Queenstown 4 a.m. 27 September and Liverpool 12 hours later. The return journey was 5 days 4 hours and 19 minutes, again delayed by fog.[49]
On her second voyage in better weather, Lusitania arrived at Sandy Hook on 11 October 1907 in the Blue Riband record time of 4 days, 19 hours and 53 minutes. She had to wait for the tide to enter harbour where news had preceded her and she was met by a fleet of small craft, whistles blaring. Lusitania averaged 23.99 knots (44.43 km/h) westbound and 23.61 knots (43.73 km/h) eastbound. In December 1907, Mauretania entered service and took the record for the fastest eastbound crossing. Lusitania made her fastest westbound crossing in 1909 after her propellers were changed, averaging 25.85 knots (47.87 km/h). She briefly recovered the record in July of that year, but Mauretania recaptured the Blue Riband the same month, retaining it until 1929, when it was taken by SS Bremen.[50] During her eight-year service, she made a total of 201 crossings on the Cunard Line's Liverpool-New York Route, carrying a total of 155,795 passengers westbound[51] and another 106,180 eastbound.[52]
Lusitania at the end of the first leg of her maiden voyage, New York City, September 1907. (The photo was taken with a panoramic camera.)
Hudson Fulton Celebration
Stereo picture of Wright Flyer, Lusitania (Europe-bound), and the Statue of Liberty, during Hudson Fulton Celebration. In a generation the airplane would replace ocean queens like Lusitania as the mainstay of trans-atlantic travel.
Lusitania and other ships participated in the Hudson-Fulton Celebration in New York City from the end of September to early October 1909. The celebration was also a display of the different modes of transportation then in existence, Lusitania representing the newest advancement in steamship technology. A newer mode of travel was the aeroplane. Wilbur Wright had brought a Flyer to Governors Island and made demonstration flights before millions of New Yorkers who had never seen an aircraft. Some of Wright's trips were directly over Lusitania; several photographs of Lusitania from that week still exist.[53][54][55]
A brush with fate
On 10 January 1910, Lusitania was on a voyage from Liverpool to New York,[56] when, two days into the trip, she encountered a rogue wave that was 23-metres (75 ft) high. The design of the ship's bow allowed for her to break-through waves instead of riding on top of them. This, however came with a cost, as the wave rolled over Lusitania's bow and slammed into the bridge.[57] As a result, the forecastle deck was damaged, the bridge windows were smashed, the bridge was shifted a couple inches aft, and both the deck and the bridge were given a permanent depression of a few inches.[citation needed] No one was injured, and the Lusitania continued on as normal, albeit arriving a few hours late in New York with some shaken up passengers.
Outbreak of the First World War
When Lusitania was built, her construction and operating expenses were subsidised by the British government, with the proviso that she could be converted to an armed merchant cruiser (AMC) if need be. A secret compartment was designed in for the purpose of carrying arms and ammunition.[58] When war was declared she was requisitioned by the British Admiralty as an armed merchant cruiser, and she was put on the official list of AMCs. Lusitania remained on the official AMC list and was listed as an auxiliary cruiser in the 1914 edition of Jane's All the World's Fighting Ships, along with Mauretania.[7][59][60][61]
The Declaration of Paris codified the rules for naval engagements involving civilian vessels. The so-called Cruiser Rules required that the crew and passengers of civilian ships be safeguarded in the event that the ship is to be confiscated or sunk. These rules also placed some onus on the ship itself, in that the merchant ship had to be flying its own flag, and not pretending to be of a different nationality. Also, it had to stop when confronted and allow itself to be boarded and searched, and it was not allowed to be armed or to take any hostile or evasive actions.[62] When war was declared, British merchant ships were given orders to ram submarines that surfaced to issue the warnings required by the Cruiser Rules.[7][8][9][10][63]
At the outbreak of hostilities, fears for the safety of Lusitania and other great liners ran high. During the ship's first east-bound crossing after the war started, she was painted in a grey colour scheme in an attempt to mask her identity and make her more difficult to detect visually.
Germany's declared exclusion zone of February 1915. Ships within this area were liable to search and attack.
Many of the large liners were laid up in 1914–1915, in part due to falling demand for passenger travel across the Atlantic, and in part to protect them from damage due to mines or other dangers. Among the most recognisable of these liners, some were eventually used as troop transports, while others became hospital ships. Lusitania remained in commercial service; although bookings aboard her were by no means strong during that autumn and winter, demand was strong enough to keep her in civilian service. Economising measures were taken. One of these was the shutting down of her No. 4 boiler room to conserve coal and crew costs; this reduced her maximum speed from over 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) to 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph). With apparent dangers evaporating, the ship's disguised paint scheme was also dropped and she was returned to civilian colours. Her name was picked out in gilt, her funnels were repainted in their normal Cunard livery, and her superstructure was painted white again. One alteration was the addition of a bronze/gold coloured band around the base of the superstructure just above the black paint.[64]
Captain Daniel Dow, Lusitania's penultimate captain
Captain William Thomas Turner, photographed on 11 March 1915.
The official warning issued by the Imperial German Embassy about travelling on Lusitania
By early 1915, a new threat began to materialise: submarines. At first, they were used by the Germans only to attack naval vessels, something they achieved only occasionally but sometimes with spectacular success. Then the U-boats began to attack merchant vessels at times, although almost always in accordance with the old Cruiser Rules. Desperate to gain an advantage on the Atlantic, the German government decided to step up their submarine campaign, as a result of the British declaring the North Sea a war zone in November 1914. On 4 February 1915, Germany declared the seas around the British Isles a war zone: from 18 February Allied ships in the area would be sunk without warning. This was not wholly unrestricted submarine warfare as efforts would be taken to avoid sinking neutral ships.[b]
Lusitania was scheduled to arrive in Liverpool on 6 March 1915. The Admiralty issued her specific instructions on how to avoid submarines. Admiral Henry Oliver ordered HMS Louis and HMS Laverock to escort Lusitania, and took the further precaution of sending the Q-ship HMS Lyons to patrol Liverpool Bay.[c] The destroyer commander attempted to discover the whereabouts of Lusitania by telephoning Cunard, who refused to give out any information and referred him to the Admiralty. At sea, the ships contacted Lusitania by radio but did not have the codes used to communicate with merchant ships. Captain Dow of Lusitania refused to give his own position except in code, and since he was, in any case, some distance from the positions they gave, continued to Liverpool unescorted.[65][66][67]
In response to this new submarine threat, some alterations were made to the ship's protocols. In contravention to the Cruiser Rules she was ordered not to fly any flags in the war zone. Some messages were sent to the ship's commander to help him decide how to best protect his ship against the new threat, and it also seems that her funnels were most likely painted dark grey to help make her less visible to enemy submarines. Clearly, there was no hope of disguising her identity, as her profile was so well known, and no attempt was made to paint out the ship's name at the bow.[d]
Captain Dow, apparently suffering from stress from operating his ship in the war zone, and after a significant "false flag" controversy, left the ship; Cunard later explained that he was "tired and really ill".[e] He was replaced by Captain William Thomas Turner, who had previously commanded Lusitania, Mauretania, and Aquitania in the years before the war.[citation needed]
On 17 April 1915, Lusitania left Liverpool on her 201st transatlantic voyage, arriving in New York on 24 April. A group of German-Americans, hoping to avoid controversy if Lusitania was attacked by a U-boat, discussed their concerns with a representative of the German Embassy. The embassy decided to warn passengers before her next crossing not to sail aboard Lusitania. The Imperial German Embassy placed a warning advertisement in 50 American newspapers, including those in New York:
Travellers intending to embark on the Atlantic voyage are reminded that a state of war exists between Germany and her allies and Great Britain and her allies; that the zone of war includes the waters adjacent to the British Isles; that, in accordance with formal notice given by the Imperial German Government, vessels flying the flag of Great Britain, or any of her allies, are liable to destruction in those waters and that travellers sailing in the war zone on the ships of Great Britain or her allies do so at their own risk.
Imperial German Embassy
Washington, D.C., 22 April 1915.
This warning was printed adjacent to an advertisement for Lusitania's return voyage which led to many interpreting this as a direct message to the Lusitania.[68] The ship departed Pier 54 in New York, on 1 May 1915 at 12:20 p.m.[69][70] A few hours after the vessel's departure, the Saturday evening edition of The Washington Times published two articles on its front page, both referring to those warnings.[71]
Main article: Sinking of the RMS Lusitania
Sinking site
Sinking of RMS Lusitania on a map of Ireland
On May 7, 1915, Lusitania was nearing the end of her 202nd crossing, bound for Liverpool from New York, and was scheduled to dock at the Prince's Landing Stage later that afternoon. Aboard her were 1,266 passengers and a crew of 696, which combined totaled to 1,962 people. She was running parallel to the south coast of Ireland, and was roughly 11 miles (18 km) off the Old Head of Kinsale when the liner crossed in front of U-20 at 2:10 pm. Due to the liner's great speed, some believe the intersection of the German U-boat and the liner to be coincidence, as U-20 could hardly have caught the fast vessel otherwise. There are discrepancies concerning the speed of Lusitania, as it had been reported traveling not near its full speed. Walther Schwieger, the commanding officer of the U-boat, gave the order to fire one torpedo, which struck Lusitania on the starboard bow, just beneath the wheelhouse. Moments later, a second explosion erupted from within Lusitania's hull where the torpedo had struck, and the ship began to founder much more rapidly, with a prominent list to starboard.[72][f]
Almost immediately, the crew scrambled to launch the lifeboats but the conditions of the sinking made their usage extremely difficult, and in some cases impossible due to the ship's severe list. In all, only six out of 48 lifeboats were launched successfully, with several more overturning and breaking apart. Eighteen minutes after the torpedo struck, the ship's trim levelled out and she went under, with the funnels and masts the last to disappear.[73] Of the 1,962 passengers and crew aboard Lusitania at the time of the sinking, 1,198 lost their lives. In the hours after the sinking, acts of heroism amongst both the survivors of the sinking and the Irish rescuers who had heard word of Lusitania's distress signals brought the survivor count to 764, three of whom later died from injuries sustained during the sinking.
A British cruiser HMS Juno, which had heard of the sinking only a short time after Lusitania was struck, left her anchorage in Cork Harbour to render assistance. Just south of Roche's Point at the mouth of the harbour only an hour from the site of the sinking she turned and returned to her mooring as a result, it is believed, of orders issued from Admiralty House in Cobh (HQ Haulbowline naval base), then known as Queenstown. By the following morning, news of the disaster had spread around the world. While most of those lost in the sinking were British or Canadians, the loss of 128 Americans in the disaster, including writer and publisher Elbert Hubbard, theatrical producer Charles Frohman, multi-millionaire businessman Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, and the president of Newport News Shipbuilding, Albert L. Hopkins, outraged many in the United States.[74]
The New York Times article expressed the immediate recognition of the serious implications of the sinking, this lead story on May 8 having a section (below what is pictured here) titled "Nation's Course in Doubt".[75]
The sinking caused an international outcry, especially in Britain and across the British Empire, as well as in the United States, since 128 out of 139 U.S. citizens aboard the ship lost their lives.[76] On 8 May, Bernhard Dernburg, a German spokesman and a former German Colonial Secretary, published a statement in which he said that because Lusitania "carried contraband of war" and also because she "was classed as an auxiliary cruiser," Germany had a right to destroy her regardless of any passengers aboard. Dernburg claimed warnings given by the German Embassy before the sailing plus the 18 February note declaring the existence of "war zones" relieved Germany of any responsibility for the deaths of American citizens aboard. He referred to the ammunition and military goods declared on Lusitania's manifest and said that "vessels of that kind" could be seized and destroyed under the Hague rules.[g][77]
Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz stated it was sad that many Americans "in wanton recklessness, and in spite of the warnings of our Ambassador, had embarked in this armed cruiser, heavily laden with munitions" and had died, but that Germany had been within her rights to sink the ship.[78]
Lusitania was indeed officially listed as an auxiliary war ship,[79] and her cargo had included an estimated 4,200,000 rounds of rifle cartridges, 1,250 empty shell cases, and 18 cases of non-explosive fuzes, which was openly listed as such in her cargo manifest.[80][81] The day after the sinking, The New York Times published full details of the ship's military cargo.[82] Assistant Manager of the Cunard Line, Herman Winter, denied the charge that she carried munitions, but admitted that she was carrying small-arms ammunition, and that she had been carrying such ammunition for years.[80] The fact that Lusitania had been carrying shells and cartridges was not made known to the British public at the time.[83]
In the 27-page additional manifest, delivered to U.S. customs 4–5 days after Lusitania sailed from New York, and in the Bethlehem Steels papers, it is stated that the "empty shells" were in fact 1,248 boxes of filled 3" shell, 4 shells to the box, totaling 103,000 pounds or 50 tonnes.[84]
In the United States public opinion was outraged; war talk was rife and pro-German elements kept quiet. The key issue was the savagery in the German failure to allow passengers to escape on life boats as required by international law.[85] President Woodrow Wilson refused to immediately declare war—his main goal was to negotiate an end to the war.[86] During the weeks after the sinking, the issue was hotly debated within the U.S. government, and correspondence was exchanged between the U.S. and German governments. German Foreign Minister Von Jagow continued to argue that Lusitania was a legitimate military target, as she was listed as an armed merchant cruiser, she was using neutral flags and she had been ordered to ram submarines – in blatant contravention of the Cruiser Rules.[87][88][89]
Von Jagow further argued that Lusitania had on previous voyages carried munitions and Allied troops.[90] Wilson continued to insist the German government apologise for the sinking, compensate U.S. victims, and promise to avoid any similar occurrence in the future.[91] The British were disappointed with Wilson over his failure to pursue more drastic actions. Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan advised President Wilson that "ships carrying contraband should be prohibited from carrying passengers ... [I]t would be like putting women and children in front of an army."[92] Bryan later resigned because he felt the Wilson administration was being biased in ignoring British contraventions of international law, and that Wilson was leading the U.S. into the war.[93]
A German decision on 9 September 1915 stated that attacks were only allowed on ships that were definitely British, while neutral ships were to be treated under the Prize Law rules, and no attacks on passenger liners were to be permitted at all.[93][94] A fabricated story was circulated that in some regions of Germany, schoolchildren were given a holiday to celebrate the sinking of Lusitania. This claim was so effective that James W. Gerard, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, recounted it in his memoir of his time in Germany, Face to Face with Kaiserism (1918), though without substantiating its validity.[95]
Almost two years later, in January 1917, the German Government announced it would again conduct full unrestricted submarine warfare. This together with the Zimmermann Telegram pushed U.S. public opinion over the tipping point, and on 6 April 1917 the United States Congress followed President Wilson's request to declare war on Germany.[96]
In 2014 a release of papers revealed that in 1982 the British government warned divers of the presence of explosives on board:
Successive British governments have always maintained that there was no munitions on board the Lusitania (and that the Germans were therefore in the wrong to claim to the contrary as an excuse for sinking the ship) ... The facts are that there is a large amount of ammunition in the wreck, some of which is highly dangerous. The Treasury has decided that it must inform the salvage company of this fact in the interests of the safety of all concerned.[97][98]
On 3 May 2015, a flotilla set sail from the Isle of Man to mark the anniversary. Seven Manx fishermen in The Wanderer had rescued 150 people from the sinking ship. Two of the bravery medals awarded to the crew members are held at the Leece Museum in Peel.[99]
7 May 2015 was the 100th anniversary of the sinking of Lusitania. To commemorate the occasion, Cunard's MS Queen Victoria undertook a voyage to Cork, Ireland.[100]
There are a number of conspiracy theories relating to the last days of Lusitania.
British Government deliberately putting Lusitania at risk
There has long been a theory, expressed by historian and former British naval intelligence officer Patrick Beesly and authors Colin Simpson and Donald E. Schmidt among others, that Lusitania was deliberately placed in danger by the British authorities, so as to entice a U-boat attack and thereby drag the US into the war on the side of Britain.[101] [102] A week before the sinking of Lusitania, Winston Churchill wrote to Walter Runciman, the President of the Board of Trade, stating that it is "most important to attract neutral shipping to our shores, in the hope especially of embroiling the United States with Germany."[103][102]
Beesly concludes: "unless and until fresh information comes to light, I am reluctantly driven to the conclusion that there was a conspiracy deliberately to put Lusitania at risk in the hope that even an abortive attack on her would bring the United States into the war. Such a conspiracy could not have been put into effect without Winston Churchill's express permission and approval."[101]
At the post-sinking inquiry Captain Turner refused to answer certain questions on the grounds of war-time secrecy imperatives. The British government continues to keep secret certain documents relating to the final days of the voyage, including certain of the signals passed between the Admiralty and Lusitania. The records that are available are often missing critical pages, and lingering questions include the following: [104][105][106][107]
Were the British authorities aware (thanks to the secret decryption activities of Room 40) that a German submarine was in the path of Lusitania, but failed to divert the ship to a safer route?
Did they also fail to provide a destroyer escort, although destroyers were available in a nearby port?
Was the ship ordered to reduce speed in the war zone, for reasons that have been kept secret ever since?
How did such a big ship sink so quickly from a single torpedo strike?
Undeclared war munitions
Lusitania was officially carrying among her cargo 750 tons of rifle/machine-gun ammunition, 1250 cases of shrapnel artillery shells with the explosive burster charges loaded but no fuses or propellant charges, and the artillery fuses for those shells stored separately.[108][63][80][109][110][84] In September 2008, .303 cartridges of a type known to be used by the British military were recovered from the wreck by diver Eoin McGarry.[111] Beesly has stated that the cargo also included 46 tons of aluminium powder, which was used in the manufacture of explosives and which was being shipped to the Woolwich Arsenal,[112][105] while Erik Larson has stated that the cargo included 50 barrels and 94 cases of aluminium powder, as well as 50 cases of bronze powder.[84] Author Steven L. Danver states that Lusitania was also secretly carrying a large quantity of nitrocellulose (gun cotton), although this was not listed on the cargo manifest either.[113]
Furthermore, there was a large consignment of fur, sent from Dupont de Nemours, an explosives manufacturer, and 90 tons of butter and lard destined for the Royal Navy Weapons Testing Establishment in Essex. Although it was May, this lard and butter was not refrigerated; it was insured by the special government rate but the insurance was never claimed.[114]
Bombardment / destruction of the wreck
The wreck was depth-charged or attacked with Hedgehog mortars by the Royal Navy during World War II.[115] A Dublin-based technical diver, Des Quigley, who dived on the wreck in the 1990s, reported that the wreck is "like Swiss cheese" and the seabed around her "is littered with unexploded hedgehog mines".[116] These attacks may have been accidental as the wreck would have registered on World War Two active sonar (then known as ASDIC) as a possible U-boat. WW2 systems were not as discriminating as modern sonar. The wreck would have presented a good return signal and, thus, a tempting target. U-boats were so active in the Southern Irish Sea in WW2 that Britain eventually placed several deep minefields in the area - at depths where only submarines would have been liable to detonate them.
In February 2009, the Discovery Channel television series Treasure Quest aired an episode titled "Lusitania Revealed", in which Gregg Bemis, a retired venture capitalist who owns the rights to the wreck, and a team of shipwreck experts explore the wreck via a remote control unmanned submersible. At one point in the documentary an unexploded depth charge was found in the wreckage.[117][118]
Professor William Kingston of Trinity College, Dublin claimed, "There's no doubt at all about it that the Royal Navy and the British government have taken very considerable steps over the years to try to prevent whatever can be found out about the Lusitania".[116]
The wreck of Lusitania was located on 6 October 1935, 11 miles (18 km) south of the lighthouse at Kinsale. It lies on its starboard side at an approximately 30-degree angle, in roughly 305 feet (93 m) of water. The wreck is badly collapsed onto its starboard side, due to the force with which it struck the bottom coupled with the forces of winter tides and corrosion in the decades since the sinking. The keel has an "unusual curvature" which may be related to a lack of strength from the loss of its superstructure. The beam is reduced with the funnels missing - presumably due to deterioration.[119]
The bow is the most prominent portion of the wreck with the stern damaged by depth charges. Three of the four propellers were removed by Oceaneering International in 1982 for display. Expeditions to Lusitania have shown that the ship has deteriorated much faster than Titanic has, being in a depth of 305 feet (93 m) of water. When contrasted with her contemporary, Titanic (resting at a depth of 12,000 feet (3,700 m)), Lusitania appears in a much more deteriorated state due to the presence of fishing nets lying on the wreckage, the blasting of the wreck with depth charges and multiple salvage operations. As a result, the wreck is unstable and may at some point completely collapse.[119] There has been recent academic commentary exploring the possibility of listing the wreck site as a World Heritage Site under the World Heritage Convention, although challenges remain in terms of ownership and preventing further deterioration of the wreck.[120]
Simon Lake's attempt to salvage in the 1930s
Between 1931 and 1935, an American syndicate comprising Simon Lake, one of the chief inventors of the modern submarine, and a US Navy officer, Captain H.H. Railey, negotiated a contract with the British Admiralty and other British authorities to partially salvage Lusitania.[121] The means of salvage was unique in that a 200-foot (61 m) steel tube, five feet in diameter, which enclosed stairs, and a dive chamber at the bottom would be floated out over the Lusitania wreck and then sunk upright, with the dive chamber resting on the main deck of Lusitania. Divers would then take the stairs down to the dive chamber and then go out of the chamber to the deck of Lusitania. Lake's primary business goals were to salvage the purser's safe and any items of historical value.[122] It was not to be though, and in Simon Lake's own words, "... but my hands were too full"—i.e. Lake's company was having financial difficulties at the time—and the contract with British authorities expired 31 December 1935 without any salvage work being done, even though his unique salvage tunnel had been built and tested.[123]
Argonaut Expedition, 1935
Jim Jarrett wearing the Tritonia diving suit, preparing to explore the wreck of RMS Lusitania, 1935.
In 1935 a Glasgow-based expedition was launched to try and find the wreck of Lusitania. The Argonaut Corporation Ltd was founded and the salvage ship Orphir used to search for the ship.[124] After three months of searching the wreck was discovered on 6 October 1935. Diver Jim Jarrett wore a Tritonia diving suit to explore the wreck at a depth of 93 metres.[125]
Gregg Bemis' salvage efforts
In 1967, the wreck of Lusitania was sold by the Liverpool & London War Risks Insurance Association to former US Navy diver John Light for £1,000. Gregg Bemis (1928–2020) became a co-owner of the wreck in 1968, and by 1982 had bought out his partners to become sole owner. He subsequently went to court in Britain in 1986, the US in 1995 and Ireland in 1996 to ensure that his ownership was legally in force.[126][127]
None of the jurisdictions involved objected to his ownership of the vessel but in 1995 the Irish Government declared it a heritage site under the National Monuments Act, which prohibited him from in any way interfering with her or her contents. After a protracted legal wrangle, the Supreme Court in Dublin overturned the Arts and Heritage Ministry's previous refusal to issue Bemis with a five-year exploration license in 2007, ruling that the then minister for Arts and Heritage had misconstrued the law when he refused Bemis's 2001 application. Bemis planned to dive and recover and analyse whatever artefacts and evidence could help piece together the story of what happened to the ship. He said that any items found would be given to museums following analysis. Any fine art recovered, such as the paintings by Rubens, Rembrandt and Monet among other artists believed to have been in the possession of Sir Hugh Lane, who was believed to be carrying them in lead tubes, would remain in the ownership of the Irish Government.[116]
In late July 2008, Bemis was granted an "imaging" licence by the Department of the Environment, which allowed him to photograph and film the entire wreck, and was to allow him to produce the first high-resolution pictures of her. Bemis planned to use the data gathered to assess how fast the wreck was deteriorating and to plan a strategy for a forensic examination of the ship, which he estimated would cost $5m. Florida-based Odyssey Marine Exploration (OME) was contracted by Bemis to conduct the survey. The Department of the Environment's Underwater Archaeology Unit was to join the survey team to ensure that research would be carried out in a non-invasive manner, and a film crew from the Discovery Channel was also to be on hand.[128]
A dive team from Cork Sub Aqua Club, diving under licence, discovered 15,000 rounds of the .303 (7.7×56mmR) calibre rifle ammunition transported on Lusitania in boxes in the bow section of the ship. The find was photographed but left in situ under the terms of the licence.[129] In December 2008, Bemis's dive team estimated a further four million rounds of .303 ammunition were on the ship at the time of its sinking. Bemis announced plans to commission further dives in 2009 for a full-scale forensic examination of the wreck.[130]
A salvage dive in July 2016 recovered, then lost, a telegraph machine from the ship. This caused controversy, because the dive was unsupervised by anyone with archaeological expertise and because the telegraph was thought to have clues to the ship's sinking.[131][132]
The joint American-German TV production, Sinking of the Lusitania: Terror at Sea premiered on the Discovery Channel on 13 May 2007, and on BBC One in the UK on 27 May 2007.[citation needed] In November 2018, Bemis was interviewed for one hour on live radio about the Lusitania, revealing previously unknown information about her sinking, including inter alia that many depth charges have been found at the wreckage site, that at least one has been brought to the surface, that some of the original art presumed to be lost in wreckage may not have been, and that additional evidence Churchill may have acted to provoke Germany into attacking the Lusitania has been overlooked. He also talked about some of the logistical complications in conducting a maritime archaeological expedition to penetrate the hull.[133]
A number of technical divers attempting to dive at the Lusitania wreckage site have been seriously injured.[134] Mixed gases must be used to reach the wreckage which purportedly is littered with British depth charges and hedgehog mines, covered in fishing nets, stocked with WWI munitions, and where sediment limits visibility.
1984 British legal action
In 1982, various items were recovered from the wreck and brought ashore in the United Kingdom from the cargo of Lusitania. Complex litigation ensued, with all parties settling their differences apart from the salvors and the British Government, which asserted "droits of admiralty" over the recovered items. The judge eventually ruled in The Lusitania, [1986] QB 384, [1986] 1 All ER 1011, that the Crown has no rights over wrecks outside British territorial waters, even if the recovered items are subsequently brought into the United Kingdom.[h] As of 1998, the case remained the leading authority on this point of law today.[135][needs update]
Cultural significance
Main article: Sinking of the RMS Lusitania § Cultural significance
World War I portal
United Kingdom portal
Avis Dolphin, a survivor
Ian Holbourn, a survivor
Charles T. Jeffery, a survivor
Theodate Pope Riddle, a survivor
List by death toll of ships sunk by submarines
The Carpet from Bagdad, a mostly lost 1915 film, one reel was recovered from the wreck in 1982
Patrick Beesly, an author and historian
^ The ship's overall length is often misquoted at either 785 or 790 feet.[1]
^ Germany's second submarine campaign against the Allies during the First World War was unrestricted in scope, as was submarine warfare during the Second World War.
^ Referred to in Lusitania, by Preston (2002a), and Lusitania: An Illustrated Biography by Layton (2010).
^ New photographic evidence presented in Lusitania: An Illustrated Biography.Layton (2010)
^ Testimony of A.A. Booth at the Mersey Inquiry.
^ From Beesly (1982, pp. 84–85): U-20 log entry transcript. Log first published in L'illustration in 1920
^ From NY Times & 9 May 1915, p. 4); "Justification of the sinking of the liner Lusitania by German submarines as a man of war was advanced today by Dr Bernhard Dernburg, former German Colonial Secretary and regarded as the Kaiser's official mouthpiece in the United States. Dernburg gave out a statement at the Hollenden Hotel following his arrival in Cleveland to address the City Club at noon on Germany's attitude in the present war."
^ Section 518 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894 had originally applied to wrecks found or taken possession of within UK territorial limits, but section 72 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1906 extended that provision to wrecks later brought into those limits; the court held that as there was no duty on the salvors to bring the wreck into UK waters, the Crown had no rights to wreck, or under the ancient Royal Prerogative relating to "wreck of the sea throughout the realm, whales and great sturgeons taken in the sea or elsewhere within the realm" (Statute of 17 Edw II, c. 11).
^ a b c Atlantic Liners.
^ The Lusitania Resource. "The Lusitania Resource: Lusitania Passengers & Crew, Facts & History". Rmslusitania.info. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
^ Archibald, Rick & Ballard, Robert. The Lost Ships of Robert Ballard. Thunder Bay Press: 2005; p. 45.
^ King, Greg and Wilson, Penny (2015). Lusitania: Triumph, Tragedy and the End of the Edwardian Age. p. 28.
^ King, Greg and Wilson, Penny (2015). Lusitania: Triumph, Tragedy and the End of the Edwardian Age. pp. 6-7.
^ a b c Davidson 1997, p. 89.
^ a b Butler 2003, p. 215.
^ a b Carlisle 2009, p. 73.
^ a b Tucker & Roberts 2005, p. 1146.
^ Simpson & 13 October 1972, p. 60.
^ King, Greg and Wilson, Penny (2015). Lusitania: Triumph, Tragedy and the End of the Edwardian Age. p. 273
^ "Lusitania divers warned of danger from war munitions in 1982, papers reveal", The Guardian, 1 May 2014.
^ "Government papers released in 2014 confirmed the ship was carrying war material", BBC History Magazine via History Extra; accessed 23 February 2017.
^ Ramsay 2001, pp. 6–10.
^ J.P. Morgan and the Transportation Kings: The Titanic and Other Disasters ISBN 978-6-613-65675-9 p. 200
^ Ramsay 2001, pp. 12–17.
^ Venzon & Miles 1995, p. 357.
^ Maritime Quest; entry Lusitania 1871 retrieved 1 October 2015
^ New York Times, 27 June 1901: "LUSITANIA WRECKED OFF NEWFOUNDLAND COAST; Passengers Numbering More than 350 Escape in Lifeboats", Wrecksite.eu; retrieved 1 October 2015.
^ Peeke, Jones & Walsh-Johnson 2002, p. 5.
^ Peeke, Jones & Walsh-Johnson 2002, pp. 5–8.
^ Peeke, Jones & Walsh-Johnson 2002, pp. 22–24.
^ Ramsay 2001, p. 25.
^ Ballard & Dunmore 1995, p. 45.
^ Maxtone-Graham 1978, p. 33.
^ Keeling 2013.
^ Watt.
^ Fox 2004, p. 403.
^ Peeke, Jones & Walsh-Johnson 2002, pp. 10–11,14.
^ Peeke, Jones & Walsh-Johnson 2002, p. 13.
^ Layton, J.Kent (2015). Lusitania An Illustrated Biography.
^ Peeke, Jones & Walsh-Johnson 2002.
^ Archibald, Rick & Ballard, Robert. The Lost Ships of Robert Ballard, Thunder Bay Press: 2005; p. 46.
^ Archibald, Rick & Ballard, Robert."The Lost Ships of Robert Ballard," Thunder Bay Press: 2005; pp. 51-52.
^ Titanic Inquiry.
^ Layton 2010, p. 55.
^ Hackett & Bedford 1996, p. 171.
^ Simpson 1972, p. 159.
^ New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
^ UK, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960
^ Full text of "The Hudson-Fulton celebration, 1909, the fourth annual report of the Hudson-Fulton celebration commission to the Legislature of the state of New York. Transmitted to the Legislature, May twentieth, nineteen ten".
^ Sep 28th, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM The First Aerial Canoe: Wilbur Wright and the Hudson-Fulton Flights, by John Sanford, Core Scholar Libraries, Wright State University
^ The Half Moon passing the great steamship Lusitania, Hudson-Fulton Celebration, New York, U.S.A. The J. Paul Getty Museum, at
^ https://www.nytimes.com/1910/01/16/archives/lusitania-battered-by-80foot-wave-wheel-house-of-giant-cunarder.html
^ http://thegreatoceanliners.com/articles/lusitania/
^ Denson 2006, p. 135.
^ Watson 2006, p. 9.
^ Craughwell & Kiester 2010, p. 133.
^ NY Times & 9 May 1915.
^ ICRC & 22 April 1930.
^ a b Simpson 1972, p. 60.
^ Layton 2010.
^ Beesly 1982, p. 95.
^ Preston 2002a, pp. 76–77.
^ Preston 2002b, pp. 91–92.
^ Larson, Erik (2015). Dead Wake. New York: Crown Publishing. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-307-40886-0.
^ Butler 2003, p. 213.
^ "Articles referring to the German embassy warnings". The Washington Times. 1 May 1915. p. Front page.
^ Preston 2002b, pp. 216–217.
^ "Testimony of Charles Lauriat Jr". Military History Now.
^ Kemp, Bill (3 May 2015). "PFOP: Lusitania sinking claimed life of famed local Elbert Hubbard". The Pantagraph. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
^ "Lusitania Sunk by a Submarine, Probably 1,260 Dead". The New York Times. 8 May 1915. p. 1.
^ Jones 2001, p. 78.
^ Halsey 1919, p. 255.
^ King, Greg and Wilson, Penny Lusitania: Triumph, Tragedy and the End of the Edwardian Age (2015) p. 255
^ Watson 2006.
^ a b c NY Times & 10 May 1915.
^ Doswald-Beck & 31 December 1995, p. 124.
^ Ciment & Russell 2007, p. 379.
^ Rea & Wright 1997, p. 196.
^ a b c Larson, Erik (2015). Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. Transworld. ISBN 9781448167838 – via Google Books.
^ Frank Trommler, "The Lusitania Effect: America's Mobilization against Germany in World War I" German Studies Review 32#2 (2009), pp. 241-266 online
^ Tucker & Roberts 2005, p. 1413.
^ Brune 2003, p. 265.
^ Sondhaus 2011, p. 276.
^ Zieger 1972, pp. 24–25.
^ Paterson et al 2009, p. 73.
^ a b Brune 2003, p. 366.
^ Gardiner, Gray & Budzbon 1985, p. 137.
^ Quinn 2001, pp. 54–55.
^ Protasio 2011, pp. 200-201.
^ The Guardian & 1 May 2014.
^ "RMS Lusitania: Manx flotilla marks centenary of sinking". BBC News. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
^ Cunard Line.
^ a b Beesly 1982, p. 90.
^ a b Schmidt 2005, p.��71.
^ Denson 2006.
^ Beesly 1982, Chapter 7.
^ a b Steiger & Steiger 2006.
^ Doenecke 2011.
^ Preston 2002a, p. 384.
^ Douglas Carl Peifer (1 June 2016). Choosing War: Presidential Decisions in the Maine, Lusitania, and Panay Incidents. Oxford University Press. p. 269. The Lusitania, therefore, carried over 4 million rounds of small-arms ammunition (.303 caliber), almost 5,000 shrapnel shell casings, and 3,240 brass percussion fuses.
^ Gittelman & Gittelman 2013, p. 199.
^ Hoehling 1996, p. 27.
^ Archaeology.org.
^ Beesly 1982.
^ Danver 2010, p. 114.
^ Lusitania.net.
^ a b c Sides & Goodwin Sides 2009.
^ Treasure Quest.
^ Discovery.com.
^ a b Bishop 2003.
^ Martin, J.B., (2018), "Protecting Outstanding Underwater Cultural Heritage through the World Heritage Convention: The Titanic and Lusitania as World Heritage Sites", 33(1) International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law 161.
^ Evening Post & 15 January 1932.
^ Popular Mechanics & February 1932.
^ Corey 1938, p. 295.
^ CRAIG, CAPT JOHN D. "Finding the Lusitania | Esquire | DECEMBER 1936". Esquire | The Complete Archive. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
^ Robinson, Ann (6 October 2020). "Man of Steel - The first brave diver to the RMS Lusitania". Coast Monkey. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
^ Rogers & March–April 2005.
^ Sharrock 2007.
^ Shortall & 20 July 2008.
^ Goodwin Sides & 22 November 2008.
^ Greenhill & 20 December 2008. sfn error: no target: CITEREFGreenhill20_December_2008 (help)
^ "Lusitania telegraph machine 'lost during unsupervised dive'". Independent.ie.
^ "Lusitania telegraph machine 'lost during unsupervised dive'" – via www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk.
^ "Sinking of RMS Lusitania - 2018 Radio Interview with Gregg Bemis on Lusitania" – via www.youtube.com.
^ Roche, Barry. "Man airlifted to hospital after diving on Lusitania wreck". The Irish Times.
^ Palmer & McKendrick 1998, p. 379.
Ballard, Robert D.; Dunmore, Spencer (1995). Exploring the Lusitania: Probing the Mysteries of the Sinking that Changed History. New York, NY: Warner Books. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-4465-1851-2. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
Beesly, Patrick (1982). Room 40: British Naval Intelligence, 1914–1918. London: Hamish Hamilton. ISBN 0-19281468-0.
Bishop, Leigh (2003). "Return to Lusitania". Advanced Diver Magazine (13).
Brune, Lester H. (2003). Chronological History of U.S. Foreign Relations: 1607-1932 (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge. p. 365. ISBN 978-0-4159-3915-7. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
Butler, Daniel Allen (2003). The Age of Cunard: A Transatlantic History; 1839–2003. ProStar Publications. ISBN 978-1-57785-348-0.
Ciment, James D.; Russell, Thadeus, eds. (2007). The Home Front Encyclopedia: United States, Britain, and Canada in World Wars I and II. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. p. 379. ISBN 978-1-5760-7849-5. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
Carlisle, Rodney P. (2009). World War I. Infobase Publishing. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-4381-0889-6.
Corey, Herbert (1938). Submarine – The Autobiography of Simon Lake (PDF). London: D. Appleton-Century Company. p. 295. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
Craughwell, Thomas J.; Kiester, Edwin, Jr (2010). The Buck Stops Here: The 28 Toughest Presidential Decisions and How They Changed History. Fair Winds. p. 133. ISBN 978-1-61673-848-8.
Danver, Steven L. (2010). Popular Controversies in World History: Investigating History's Intriguing Questions. ABC-CLIO. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-59884-078-0.
Davidson, Eugene (1997). The Making of Adolf Hitler: The Birth and Rise of Nazism. University of Missouri Press. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-8262-1117-0.
Denson, John V. (2006). A Century of War: Lincoln, Wilson, and Roosevelt. Ludwig von Mises Institute. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-61016-508-2.
Doenecke, Justus D. (2011). Nothing Less Than War: A New History of America's Entry Into World War I. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-3002-6.
Fox, Stephen (2004). The Ocean Railway: Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Samuel Cunard and the Revolutionary World of the Great Atlantic Steamships. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-0073-7386-4.
Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal; Budzbon, Przemysław (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1906–1921. Conway. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-85177-245-5.
Gittelman, Steven H.; Gittelman, Emily (2013). Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt: The Unlikely Hero of the Lusitania. Hamilton Books. p. 199. ISBN 978-0-7618-5507-1.
Hackett, C.; Bedford, J.G. (1996). The sinking of S.S. Titanic: Investigated by Modern Techniques. Royal Institution of Naval Architects. p. 171.
Halsey, Francis Whiting (1919). The Literary Digest History of the World War. Funk & Wagnalls. p. 255.
Hoehling, A.A. (1996). Last Voyage of the Lusitania. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-56833-078-5.
Jones, Howard (2001). Crucible of Power: A History of U.S. Foreign Relations Since 1897. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-8420-2918-6.
Layton, J. Kent (2010). Lusitania: An Illustrated Biography. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Amberley. ISBN 978-1-84868-834-6.
Larson, Erik (2015). Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania.
Maxtone-Graham, John (1978). The Only Way to Cross. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-0258-2350-1. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
Mersey, Bigham, 1st Viscount, John (1915). Report of a formal investigation into the circumstances attending the foundering on 7th May, 1915, of the British S.S. 'Lusitania', of Liverpool, being torpedoed off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland. Command papers. Cd.8022 (Session 1914-16, Vol. XXVII, p. 451). London: HMSO. CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Mersey, Bigham, 1st Viscount, John (1915). Proceedings in camera on 15th and 18th June, 1915, at the formal investigation into the circumstances attending the foundering, on 7 May, 1915, of the 'Lusitania', after being torpedoed off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland. Command papers. Cd.381 (Session 1919, Vol. XXV, p. 469). London, UK: HMSO. CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Osborne, Richard; Spong, Harry & Grover, Tom (2007). Armed Merchant Cruisers 1878–1945. Windsor, UK: World Warship Society. ISBN 978-0-9543310-8-5.
Palmer, N. E.; McKendrick, Ewan (1998). Interests in goods. LLP. p. 379. ISBN 978-1-85978-177-7.
Paterson, Thomas; Clifford, J. Garry; Maddock, Shane J.; Kisatsky, Deborah; Hagan, Kenneth J. (2009). American Foreign Relations: A History, Volume 2: Since 1895. Cengage Learning. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-547-22569-2.
Peeke, Mitch; Jones, Steven & Walsh-Johnson, Kevin (2002). The Lusitania story. Barnsley, Yorkshire, UK: Leo Cooper. ISBN 978-0-85052-902-9.
Preston, Diana (2002a). Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy. Waterville: Thorndike Press. ISBN 0-80271375-0. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
Preston, Diana (2002b). Wilful Murder: the Sinking of the Lusitania. London: Transworld Publishers Limited. ISBN 0-55299886-9.
Protasio, John (2011). The Day the World Was Shocked: The Lusitania Disaster and Its Influence on the Course of World War I. Havertown, PA: Casemate. pp. 200–201. ISBN 978-1-9351-4945-3.
Quinn, Patrick J. (2001). The Conning of America: The Great War and American Popular Literature. Rodopi. pp. 54–55. ISBN 978-90-420-1475-6.
Ramsay, David (2001). Lusitania: Saga and Myth. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-170-5. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
Rea, Tony; Wright, John (1997). International Relations 1914–1995. Oxford University Press. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-19-917167-5.
Schmidt, Donald E. (2005). The Folly of War: American Foreign Policy, 1898–2005. Algora Publishing. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-87586-383-2.
Sides, Hampton; Goodwin Sides, Anne (January 2009). "Lusitania Rising". Men's Vogue. Archived from the original on 31 May 2009.
Simpson, Colin (1972). Lusitania. Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-00-3793-4. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
Sondhaus, Lawrence (2011). World War One: The Global Revolution. Cambridge University Press. p. 276. ISBN 978-0-521-51648-8.
Steiger, Brad; Steiger, Sherry Hansen (2006). Conspiracies and Secret Societies: The Complete Dossier. OMNIGRAPHICS. ISBN 978-0-7808-0921-5.
Tucker, Spencer; Roberts, Priscilla Mary (2005). World War One. ABC-CLIO. p. 1146. ISBN 978-1-85109-879-8.
Venzon, Anne Cipriano; Miles, Paul L. (1995). The United States in the First World War: An Encyclopedia. Garland Pub. p. 357. ISBN 978-0-8153-3353-1.
Watson, Bruce (2006). Atlantic convoys and Nazi raiders. Greenwood. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-275-98827-2.
Watt, Quintin (ed.). An Illustrated History. [dead link]
Zieger, Robert H. (1972). America's Great War. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 24–25. ISBN 978-0-8476-9645-1.
Newspapers, journals and other media
Goodwin Sides, Anne (22 November 2008). New Clues in Lusitania's Sinking. National Public Radio.
Mullally, Erin (January–February 2009). "Lusitania's Secret Cargo". Archaeology. Archaeological Institute of America. 62 (1).
Rogers, Paul (March–April 2005). "How Deep Is His Love". Stanford Magazine. Stanford Alumni Association. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2007.
Sharrock, David (2 April 2007). "Millionaire diver wins right to explore wreck of the Lusitania". The Times.
Simpson, Colin (13 October 1972). "Lusitania". Life Magazine. p. 68. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
Shortall, Eithne (20 July 2008). "Riddle of Lusitania sinking may finally be solved". The Times. [needs update]
"The Lusitania – A Salvage Project". Evening Post. Wellington, New Zealand. 15 January 1932. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
"Lusitania divers warned of danger from war munitions in 1982, papers reveal". The Guardian. 1 May 2014.
"Lusitania Treasure to be Raised". Popular Mechanics. Hearst Magazines. 57 (2): 177. February 1932. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
"Sinking justified, says Dr. Dernburg" (PDF). New York Times. 9 May 1915. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
"Lusitania was unarmed" (PDF). New York Times. 10 May 1915.
"A Deadly Cargo and the Falsifed Manifests". Lusitania Online: The Home Port of RMS Lusitania. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
"Terror at Sea – Sinking of the Lusitania". Discovery Channel. Archived from the original on 24 March 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2009.
"175 Anniversary cruise - Lusitania Remembered with Martin Bell - 7 nights, May 2015". Cunard Line. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
Doswald-Beck, Louise (31 December 1995). "San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflict at Sea". International Committee of the Red Cross. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
"Treaty for the Limitation and Reduction of Naval Armaments, (Part IV, Art. 22)" (PDF). International Committee of the Red Cross. 22 April 1930. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
Keeling, Drew (2013). "Mass Migration as a Travel Business". business-of-migration.com. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
Layton, J. Kent. "Lusitania Home". Atlantic Liners. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
|location=Ngaio, Wellington, New Zealand|date=17 March 2015}}
"Testimony of Edward Wilding, Recalled". British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry. 7 June 1912. Archived from the original on 5 February 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2017. CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
"Treasure Quest – Lusitania Revealed". Tv.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 18 May 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
Bailey, Thomas A. (October 1935). "The Sinking of the Lusitania". The American Historical Review. Oxford University Press. 41 (1): 54–73. doi:10.2307/1839355. JSTOR 1839355. S2CID 161458561.
Bailey, Thomas A. (September 1936). "German Documents Relating to the Lusitania". The Journal of Modern History. The University of Chicago Press. 8 (3): 320–337. doi:10.1086/468453. JSTOR 1881539. S2CID 144918061.
Bailey, Thomas A.; Ryan, Paul B. (1975). The Lusitania Disaster: An Episode in Modern Warfare and Diplomacy. Free Press. ISBN 978-0029012406.
Bernier, Michelle (2010). Did these Stories Really Happen?. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 9781450585361.
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Burns, Greg. "www.lusitaniamedal.com". Retrieved 19 March 2015.
Doubleday, F.N. (January 1908). "A Trip on the Two Largest Ships". The World's Work: A History of Our Time. XV: 9803–9810. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
Droste, C.L.; Tantum, W.H., eds. (1972). The Lusitania Case. Riverside, Connecticut: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-0-85059-097-5.
Larson, Erik (2015). Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. New York: Crown Publishing. ISBN 978-0-307-40886-0.
Layton, J. Kent (June 2013). The Edwardian Superliners: a Trio of Trios. Amberley publishing. ISBN 978-1445614380.
Ljungström, Henrik. "The Great Ocean Liners: Lusitania". Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
Molony, Senan (2004). Lusitania, an Irish Tragedy. Mercier. ISBN 978-1-8563-5452-3.
O'Sullivan, Patrick (2000). The Lusitania: Unravelling the Mysteries. New York: Sheridan House.
Sauder, Eric (1 October 2009). RMS Lusitania: The Ship and Her Record. London: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7524-5203-6.
Sauder, Eric; Marschall, Ken (1991). RMS Lusitania: Triumph of the Edwardian Age. Redondo Beach, CA: Trans-Atlantic Designs. ISBN 978-0-9633946-0-6.
Trommler, Frank. "The Lusitania Effect: America's Mobilization against Germany in World War I" German Studies Review 32#2 (2009), pp. 241–266 online
"Lusitania Timeline". The Lusitania Resource. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
"Lusitania Specification". The Lusitania Resource. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
Media related to Lusitania (ship, 1907) at Wikimedia Commons
Wikisource has the text of the 1921 Collier's Encyclopedia article Lusitania.
Lest We Forget: The Lusitania – from Encyclopedia Titanica
RMS Lusitania, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
Lusitania pictures: Construction, engine, and interior photos; disaster and wreck illustrations' – BigBadBattleships.com
Deutschland Holder of the Blue Riband (Westbound record)
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The bacterium Escherichia coli or E. coli is an ideal organism for the molecular geneticist to manipulate and has been used extensively in recombinant DNA research. It is a common inhabitant of the human colon and can easily be grown in suspension culture in a nutrient medium such as Luria broth, or in a petri dish of Luria broth mixed with agar (LB agar) or nutrient agar.
The single circular chromosome of E. coli contains about five million DNA base pairs, only 1/600th the haploid amount of DNA in a human cell. In addition, the E.coli cell may contain small circular DNA molecules (1,000 to 200,000 base pairs) called plasmids, which also carry genetic information. The plasmids are extra chromosomal; they exist separately from the chromosome. Some plasmids replicate only when the bacterial chromosome replicates, and usually exists only as single copies within the bacterial cell. Others replicate autonomously and often occur in as many as 10 to 200 copies within a single bacterial cell. Certain plasmids, called R plasmids, carry genes for resistance to antibiotics such as ampicillin, kanamycin, or tetracycline.
In nature, genes can be transferred between bacteria in three ways: conjugation, transduction, and transformation. Conjugation is a mating process during which genetic material is transferred from one bacterium to another of a different mating type. Transduction requires the presence of a virus to act as a vector to transfer small pieces of DNA from one bacterium to another. Bacterial transformation involves transfer of genetic information into a cell by direct uptake of the DNA. During gene transfer, the uptake and expression of foreign DNA by recipient bacterium can result in the conferring a particular trait to a recipient lacking the trait.
Plasmids can transfer genes that occur naturally within them, or plasmids can act as carriers for introducing foreign DNA from other bacteria, plasmids, or even eukaryotes into recipient bacterial cells. Restriction endonucleases can be used to cut and insert pieces of foreign DNA into the plasmid vectors (figure 6.1).
Figure 6.1 Bacterial Transformation using a Restriction Endonuclease
Exercise 6A: Bacterial Transformation-Ampicillin Resistance*
You will insert a plasmid that contains a gene for the resistance to ampicillin , an antibiotic that is lethal to many bacteria, into competent E.coli cells. Transformed bacteria can be selected based on their resistance to ampicillin by spreading the transformed cells on nutrient medium containing ampicillin. Any cell that grown on this mediums has been transformed.
1. Mark one 15 mL tube “+”; this tube will have the plasmid added to it. Mark another tube “-” ; this tube will have no plasmid added.
2. Use a sterile pipette to add 250 micro liters (uL) of ice cold 0.05M CaCl2 to each tube.
3. Transfer a large (3 mm) colony of E.coli from a starter plate to each of the tubes using a sterile inoculating loop. Try and get the same amount of bacteria into each tube. Be careful not to transfer any agar.
4. Vigorously tap the loop against the wall of the tube to dislodge the cell mass.
5. Mix the suspension by repeatedly drawing in and emptying a sterile micro pipette with the suspension.
6. Add 10 uL of pAMP solution (0.005 ug/uL) directly into the cell suspension in tube “+”. Mix by tapping the tube with your finger. This solution contains the antibiotic resistance plasmid.
7. Keep both tubes on ice for 15 minutes.
8. While the tubes are on ice, obtain two LB agar plates and two LB/Amp agar(LB agar containing ampicillin) plates. Label each plate on the bottom as follows: one LB agar plate “LB+” and the other “LB-“. Label one LB/Amp plate “LB/Amp+” and the other “LB/Amp-.”
9. A brief pulse of heat facilitates entry of foreign DNA into the E. coli cells. Heat shock cells in both the “+” and “-” tubes by holding the tubes in a 42 degree C water bath for 90 seconds. It is essential that cells be given a sharp and distinct shock, so take the tubes directly from the ice to the 42 degree C water bath.
10. Immediately return cells to ice for two minutes.
11. Use sterile micro pipette to add 250 uL of Luria broth to each tube. Mix by tapping with your finger and set at room temperature. Any transformed cells are now resistant to ampicillin because they possess the gene whose product renders the antibiotic ineffective.
12. Place 100 uL of “+” cells on the “LB+” plate and on the “LB/Amp+” plate. Place 100 uL of “-” cells on the “LB-” plate and on the “LB/Amp-” plate.
13. Immediately spread the cells using a sterile spreading rod. ( Remove the spreading rod from alcohol and briefly pass it through a flame. Cool by touching it to the agar on a part of the dish away from the bacteria. Spread the cells and once again immerse the rod in alcohol and flame it.) Repeat the procedure for each plate.
14. Allow plates to set for several minutes. Tape your plates together and incubate inverted overnight at 37 degrees C.
* Exercise 6A is adapted with permission from DNA Science: A First Course in Recombinant-DNA Technology by David A Micklos, DNA Learning center of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory , and Greg A. Freyer, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Copyright 1990 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press and Carolina Biological Supply Company. It is based on a protocol published by Douglas Hanahan, University of California, San Francisco
Analysis of Results:
1. Observe the colonies through the bottom of the culture plate. Do not open the plates. Count the number of individual colonies; use a permanent marker to mark each colony as it is counted. If cell growth is too dense to count individual colonies, record “lawn.”
LB + ( Positive Control ) ___________________ LB – ( Positive Control ) ______________________
LB/Amp + ( Experimental ) _________________ LB/Amp – ( Negative Control ) _________________
2. Compare and contrast the number of colonies on each of the following pairs of plates. What does each pair of results tell you about the experiment/
a. LB+ and LB- _______________________________________________
b. LB/Amp- and LB/Amp+ ____________________________________________________________
c. LB/Amp + and LB+ _____________________________________________________________
3. Transformation efficiency is expressed as the number of antibiotic-resistant colonies per microgram of pAMP. Because transformation is limited to only those cells that are competent, increasing the amount of plasmid used does not necessarily increase the probability that a cell will be transformed. A sample of competent cells is usually saturated with small amounts of plasmid and excess DNA may actually interfere with the transformation process.
a. Determine the total mass of pAMP used. _____________________
( you used 10 uL of pAMP at a concentration of 0.005ug/uL.)
Total Mass = volume x concentration.
b. Calculate the total volume of cell suspension prepared. _______________________
c. Now calculate the fraction of the total cell suspension that was spread on the plate.
( Number of uL spread/total volume) _____________________________________
d. Determine the mass of pAMP in cell suspension. __________________________
(Total mass of pAMP X fraction spread.)
e. Determine the number of colonies per ug of plasmid. Express in scientific notation.
( Number of colonies observed/mass pAMP spread ( from calculation in step (d) = transformation efficiency.)
4. This is the transformation efficiency. What factors might influence transformation efficiency? Explain the effect of each you mention.
Exercise 6B: Restriction Enzyme Cleavage of DNA and Electrophoresis
Restriction enzymes or restriction endonucleases are essential tools in recombinant DNA methodology. Several hundred have been isolated from a variety of prokaryotic organisms. Restriction endonucleases are named according to a specific system of nomenclature. The letters refer to the organism from which the enzyme was isolated. The first letter of the name stands for the genus name of the organism. The next two letters represent the second word or the species name. The fourth letter (if there is one) represents the strain of the organism. Roman numerals indicate whether the particular enzyme was the first isolated, the second, or so on.
EcoRI E = genus Escherichia
co= species coli
R = strain RY13
I = first endonuclease isolated
HaeII H = genus Haemophilus
ae= species aegyptus
I I = second endonuclease isolated
Restriction endonucleases recognize specific DNA sequences in double stranded DNA (usually a four to six base pair sequence of nucleotides) and digest the DNA at these sites. The result is the production of fragments of DNA of DNA of various lengths. Some restriction enzymes cut cleanly through helix at the same position on both strands to produce fragments with blunt ends ( figure 6.2a ). Other endonucleases cleave each strand off center at specific nucleotides to produce fragments with “overhangs” or sticky ends (figure 6.2b). By using the same restriction enzyme to “cut” DNA from two different organisms, complementary “overhangs” or sticky ends will be produced and allow the DNA from two sources to be “recombined.”
Figure 6.2a
Hae III
Cleavage by HaeIII produces blunt ends
5’…GGCC…3′
3’…CCGG…5′
Figure 6.2b
EcoR I
Cleavage by EcoRI produces sticky ends
5’…GAATTC…3′
3’…CTTAAG…5′
In this exercise, samples of DNA obtained from the bacteriophage lambda have been incubated with different restriction enzymes. The resulting fragments of DNA will be separated by using gel electrophoresis. One sample has been digested with the restriction endonuclease EcoRI, one with the restriction endonuclease HindIII, and the third sample is uncut. The DNA samples will be loaded into wells of an agarose gel and separated by the process of electrophoresis. After migration of the DNA through an electrical field, the gel will be stained with methylene blue, a dye which binds to DNA.
When any molecule enters an electric field, the mobility or speed at which it will move is influenced by the charge of the molecule, the strength of the electrical field, the size and shape of the molecule, and the density of the medium (gel) through which it is migrating. When all molecules are positioned at a uniform starting site on a gel and a gel is placed in a chamber containing a buffer solution and electricity is applied, the molecules will migrate and appear as bands. Nucleic acids, like DNA and RNA, move because of the charged phosphate group in the backbone of the DNA molecule. Because the phosphates are negatively charged at neutral pH, the DNA will migrate through the gel toward the positive electrode.
In this exercise, we will use an agarose gel. In agarose, the migration rate of linear fragments of DNA is inversely proportional to their size; the smaller the DNA molecules, the faster it migrates through the gel.
General Procedure:
A: Preparing the Gel
1. Prepare the agarose gel for electrophoresis according to the directions given by you teacher or in the kit.
2. Obtain the phage lambda DNA digested with EcoRI endonuclease. The DNA is mixed with a gel-loading solution containing a tracking dye, bromophenol blue, that will make it possible to “track” the processes of its migration in the agarose gel.
3. Obtain the phage lambda DNA digested with HindIII endonuclease. The DNA fragments are of a known size and will serve as a “standard” for measuring the size of the EcoRI fragments from step 2. It also contains the tracking dye.
4. Obtain the undigested phage lambda DNA to use as a control. It also contains the tracking dye.
B: Loading the Gel
Helpful Hints for Loading Gel
1. Put a small amount of gel-loading solution into the end of a micropipette. Do not allow the solution to move up into the pipette, or bubbles will be introduced into the well of the agarose gel during loading. loading.
2. Hold the tip of the pipette above the gel and gently dispense the solution. The loading dye is denser than the buffer and will move into the well. ( Do not place the tip of the pipette into the well or you might puncture the gel).
1. Pour enough buffer gently over the gel to cover it.
2. Load 5-10 uL of undigested lambda phage DNA (control) into a well.
3. Load 5-10 uL of the HindIII digest into a second cell.
4. Load 5-10 uL of the EcoRI digest into a third well.
See the figure below for a side view of a typical gel box.
Figure 6.3 Gel Box.
C: Electrophoresis:
1. Place the top on the electrophoresis chamber and carefully connect the electrical leads to an approved power supply (black to black and red to red). Set the voltage to the appropriate level for your apparatus. When the current is flowing, you should see bubbles on the electrodes.
2. Allow electrophoresis to proceed until the tracking dye has moved nearly to the end of the gel.
3. After electrophoresis is complete, turn off the power, disconnect the leads, and remove the cover of the electrophoresis chamber.
D: Staining and Visualization:
Note: Wear Gloves!
1. Carefully remove the gel bed from the chamber and gently transfer the gel to a staining tray for staining. Use the metal spatula under the gel during the transfer. Do not stain in the electrophoresis chamber.
E: Determining Fragment Size:
1. After observing the gel, carefully wrap it in plastic wrap and smooth out all the wrinkles.
2. Using a marking pen, trace the outlines of the sample wells and the location of the bands.
3. Remove the plastic wrap and flatten it out on a white piece of paper on the laboratory bench. Save the gel in a zip lock bag. Add several drops of buffer, store at 4degrees C. You can make your measurements directly from the marks on the plastic wrap.
Analysis and Results:
The size of the fragments produced by a specific endonuclease can be determined by using standard fragments of known size. When you plot the data on semilog graph paper, the size of the fragments is expressed in the log of the number of base pairs they contain. This allows data to be plotted on a straight line. The migration distance of the unknown fragments, plotted on the x-axis, will allow their size to be determined on the standard curve.
Graphing:
A. Standard Curve for HindIII
1. Measure the migration distance in cm) for each HindIII band on your gel. Measure from the bottom of the sample well to the bottom of the band. Measurement of the longest standard fragment does not need to be measured (23,120 base pairs). Record these measurements on table 6.1.
2. Plot the measured migration distance for each band of the standard HindIII digest against the actual base pair (bp) fragment sizes given in Table 6.1 using the semilog graph paper. Draw the best fit line to your points. This will serve as a standard curve.
B. Interpolated Calculations for EcoRI:
From your standard curve for HindIII, made from known fragment sizes, you can calculate fragment sizes resulting from a digest with EcoRI. The procedure is as follows:
1. Measure the migration distance in cm for each EcoRI band. Record the data in Table 6.1
2. Determine the sizes of fragments of lambda phage DNA digested with EcoRI. Locate on the x axis the distance migrated by the first EcoRI fragment. Using a ruler, draw a vertical line from this point to its intersection with a best fit data line. Now extend a horizontal line from intersection point to the Y axis. This point gives the base pair size for this EcoRI fragment. Repeat this procedure and determine the remaining EcoRI fragments. Enter your interpolated data in Table 6.1, in the interpolated bp column.
3. Your teacher will provide you with the actual bp data. Compare your results to these actual sizes. Note: This interpolation technique is not exact. You should expect as much as 10% to 15% error.
Table 6.1: Distance HindIII produced fragments migrate in agarose gel (cm)
HindIII
Actual bp Measured Distance (cm)
2,322 +
570 *+
+ may form a single band * may not be detected
Table 6.2: Distance EcoRI produced fragments migrate in agarose gel (cm)
EcoRI
Measured Distance (cm) Interpolated bp Actual bp
4. For which fragment size was your graph most accurate? For which fragment size was it least accurate/ What does this tell you about the resolving ability of agarose-gel electrophoresis?
1. Discuss how each of the following factors would affect the results of electrophoresis:
a. Voltage used _____________________________________________________________________
b. Running time_________________________________________________________________
c. Amount of DNA used_________________________________________________________________
d. Reversal of polarity______________________________________________________________
2. Two small restriction fragments of nearly the same base-pair size appear as a single band, even when the sample is run to the very end of the gel. What could be DNA to resolve the fragments? Why would it work?
1. What is a plasmid? How are plasmids used in genetic engineering?
2. What are restriction enzymes? How do they work? What are recognition sites?
3. What is the source of restriction enzymes? What is there function in nature?
4. Describe the function of electricity and agarose gel in electrophoresis.
5. If restriction enzyme digest resulted in DNA fragments of the following sizes: 4, 000 base pairs, 2,500 base pairs, 2,000 base pairs, 400 base pairs, sketch the resulting separation by electrophoresis. Show starting point, positive and negative electrodes, and the resulting bands.
6. What are the functions of loading dye in electrophoresis? How can DNA be prepared for visualization?
7. Use the graph you will prepared from your lab data to predict how far in centimeters a fragment of 8,000 bp would migrate.
8. How can a mutation that alters a recognition site be detected by gel electrophoresis?
Graph paper:
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Get Interview by Hélène Cixous with Verena Andermatt Conley from Amazon.com
Hélène Cixous | Criticism
This literature criticism consists of approximately 42 pages of analysis & critique of Hélène Cixous.
This section contains 12,428 words
(approx. 42 pages at 300 words per page)
SOURCE: An interview in Hélène Cixous: Writing the Feminine, University of Nebraska Press, 1984, pp. 129-61.
Conley is a Swiss-born critic and educator. In the interview below, which was conducted in January 1982, Cixous discusses such topics as her concept of écriture féminine (or feminine writing), the role of women in society, the use of myths and dreams in her works, and her development as a writer.
[Cixous]: The preliminary question is that of a "feminine writing," itself a dangerous and stylish expression full of traps, which leads to all kinds of confusions. True, it is simple to say "feminine writing." The use of the word "feminine"—I believe I have discussed it at length elsewhere—is one of the curses of our times. First of all, words like "masculine" and "feminine" that circulate everywhere and that are completely distorted by everyday usage,—words which refer, of...
More summaries and resources for teaching or studying Hlne Cixous.
Interview by Hélène Cixous with Verena Andermatt Conley from Gale. ©2005-2006 Thomson Gale, a part of the Thomson Corporation. All rights reserved.
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Braves fall to UNI, exit MVC Tournament
By Scout on March 8, 2009
ST. LOUIS – After a competitive first half, the men’s basketball team was unable to keep up with Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinals on Saturday afternoon, falling 76-62.
The game was tied at 32 after the first half, but UNI got a quick start to the second period and the Braves were never able to catch up.
“I thought Northern Iowa played very well and they were the better team tonight,” coach Jim Les said. “We didn’t play very well.
The game was a tale of two halves.
In the first half, the Braves’ defense didn’t allow the Panthers to connect from long range, and UNI was just 8-for-13 from the charity stripe.
Meanwhile, Bradley shot a perfect 11-of-11 from the line and knocked down the 3-pointers.
In the second half, Northern Iowa hit four 3-point shots and went 16-for-17 from the free-throw line, not allowing the Braves to mount a comeback.
“In the first, we were able to withstand their runs by answering with some of our own,” junior Chris Roberts said. “In the second half, we let them build momentum, hit some threes and we were not able to answer. The ball was not falling for us during the second half.”
Senior Theron Wilson, who may have played his final game in a Bradley uniform, said it was difficult to stop the UNI runs once they started.
“I mean in the second half they just kind of came out and had that look in their eye that they wanted it, and they got it going,” he said.
One positive that came out of the weekend was the free-throw shooting of sophomore Sam Maniscalco.
His 18-for-18 shooting from the line is a new MVC Tournament record for free-throws shot without a miss.
Although the hopes of making the NCAA Tournament have all but ended, there is still a chance the Braves can play in a post-season tournament.
Coach Jim Les said he is hopeful that Bradley can participate in post-season play.
“I would like for David [Collins] and for Theron [Wilson] and for B-Lav [Brian Lavin] to be able to put the jersey on,” he said. “I know when you get to this point in the season, it’s an abrupt end, unfortunately, and I think those guys are hungry and want to fulfill their desire to play in the post-season.”
Rapid Recap: Bradley 96, Evansville 53
Braves beat Panthers, faulty clock to earn series split
Rapid Recap: Bradley falls in MVC opener at Northern Iowa
Rounded effort allows Bradley to sweep SIU
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10 Ways that Racism Killed Michael Brown and Eric Garner
A New York City police officer put his arm around Eric Garner’s neck and choked out his life as he screamed “I can’t breathe!”
A police officer in Ferguson, MO aimed his gun at Michael Brown, an unarmed African-American teenager and shot him multiple times while he reportedly pleaded, “I don't have a gun. Stop shooting!”
Michael Brown lay dead in the street for hours. The police treated his body like common street refuse.
While the police ended the lives of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, it was white racism that actually killed them.
American society is organized around the maintenance and protection of white privilege.
Racism is not an opinion. Racism is a fact.
The reality of the color line, how whiteness is a type of material and psychological privilege, and that people of color are disadvantaged in American society, are among the most repeated findings in all of the Social Sciences.
Critics of white supremacy and white racism work from the reasonable and informed belief—given the mountains of empirical data in support of the claim—that racism is one of the most powerful social forces in the United States. White racism deniers, and those others who have perverted the notion of “colorblindness” in order to advance and protect white supremacy as one of the United States' dominant ideologies, proceed from the opposite assumption.
Gravity is a fact. It does not need an extraordinary proof. Likewise, the fact of how racism continues to structure life chances in the post civil rights era should be a given for any fair-minded and intelligent person.
Colorblind racism and the white racial frame invert and distort reality: reasonable and sensible claims are rejected in favor of extraordinary proofs for the well documented social reality that is white racism. As such, for white racism deniers and their allies, the standards of evidence are made so absurdly high as to be virtually impossible to satisfy or meet with any degree of confidence or certitude.
Events such as the police killings of Eric Garner and Michael Brown are a nexus where white racial resentment and white supremacy are made to confront black pain, reasonable hurt and righteous anger.
From the American lynching tree of the 19th and early 20th centuries, to the police harassment and racial profiling of the present, white racial logic deems black humanity to be a type of perpetual threat and poison in the white body politic. The black body must be controlled and terrorized in order to create a sense of safety (and community) for the white public.
Consequently, white racial paranoia twists the murder of two unarmed black people by the police into “justifiable” acts, where the victims of gross and unjust violence are somehow made responsible for their own deaths.
Colorblind racism, white racism denying, and police brutality do the work of white supremacy. They are also micro-aggressions, the goal of which is to exhaust and confuse black and brown people by invalidating their life experiences and assaulting (quite literally in the case of police violence) their personhood.
Colorblind racism, and the related claims that racism does not influence how police and the broader criminal justice system interact with black and brown people, are also assaults on empirical reality and the truth.
Justice for Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and the many hundreds and thousands of innocent black and brown people who have been killed by the police requires a clear and direct engagement with the twin facts of American racism and white supremacy.
Eric Garner and Michael Brown were killed by white racism.
What is my evidence for this claim?
1. The United States, from its founding to the present, is structured around maintaining the dominant power position of those people who are categorized as “white”.
America, as a society structured around racial inequality and hierarchy, will reflect that dynamic in its politics, culture, and social institutions. Thus, the legal system and the police will reflect America’s dominant ideologies. America is a racist society; it logically follows that its social and political institutions will channel those values.
2. In his essential book, Discipline and Punish, preeminent social theorist and philosopher Michel Foucault detailed how a society’s legal system and approach to punishment and incarceration reflect the values and norms of its elites and dominant group.
The law is a social construction. It is not a “natural” arrangement. Elites make the law in order to serve their own interests. For example, the distinction between “white collar” and other crimes are but one way that those individuals who make the law can insulate themselves from its full consequences.
The class and racial disparities in American law and punishment are not accidents or a coincident: they are how the dominant and in-group protect their own interests to the disadvantage of the Other.
3. Police in America can trace their origins to the slave patrollers and “paddy rollers” of the antebellum South. Their goal was to support and protect the Southern Slaveocracy by terrorizing black people. The violence, terror, and harassment of black and brown communities, and the violation of the civil liberties of black and brown people, are not aberrations or outliers. They are part of a long cultural habit and tradition of racist behavior by American police departments and other law enforcement agencies.
4. As Michelle Alexander and others have extensively documented, there is racial bias against black people at every level of the criminal justice system. The cumulative effect of institutional and interpersonal racism by police and other law enforcement agencies is that black people are disproportionately incarcerated, receive longer sentences for the same crimes as white people, and are subjected to supervision and harassment by the legal system throughout their lives. The United States is a two-tier racially ordered society where the color line extends to the criminal justice system.
5. A new report from the Vera Institute of Justice details how police and other elements of the criminal justice system have a remarkable amount of discretion in how they choose to punish or otherwise interact with citizens. Those agents use their discretionary powers to disproportionately and unfairly harass, arrest, and punish blacks and Latinos as compared to white people.
6. Police mirror the broader racial biases of white Americans towards African-Americans. The association between black people and criminality has been reinforced by a racially biased media, educational system, entertainment industry, and other agents of political socialization for centuries in the United States, specifically, and the West, more generally. In fact, researchers at Stanford University have recently demonstrated that white people have been so deeply taught to associate black people with crime that they continue to support racially biased sentencing even when shown that it is unfair.
7. While white people were found to be more likely to have drugs or weapons on their persons, African-Americans and Latinos are disproportionately targeted for “stop and frisk” police searches in major cities such as New York. “Quality of life crimes” and “broken windows” police tactics are disproportionately used in black and brown communities. The systematic harassment of innocent black and brown people by the police creates a space for negative encounters which may end in incarceration or even police violence.
8. Communities of color, both because of race and class inequalities, suffer under aggressive and hostile police tactics. The militarization of the United States’ police departments is a national problem. This dynamic is amplified in black and brown communities, where for decades, American police departments have viewed them as territories to be “conquered” and its citizens as “enemy insurgents” or “combatants”. Because police see black and brown communities—and their residents—as threats, they are much more likely to use violence and draconian tactics against them.
9. Recent work by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, a think tank and social justice research and advocacy organization, reveals how police, street vigilantes, or security guards have killed one black person every 28 hours.
A common scenario involves the police shooting and killing unarmed black people who are holding harmless objects in their hands—with the former claiming that they thought that a wallet, house keys, or even a telephone were “guns” or other “dangerous” objects.
Psychologists have conducted research which suggests that implicit racial bias influences how white people (and others) may actually “see” non-whites in a negative manner. Thus, the subconscious thinking processes of white people may actually be transforming black people into threats where none actually exist.
Other research complements this disturbing finding: researchers at the University of Chicago and elsewhere have reported that white police officers (and others) are influenced by racial bias in their decision-making processes regarding when and if to shoot (unarmed) black people. The research on implicit bias and racial attitudes indicates that white racial animus and subconscious racism influences how police interact with black people—often with deadly results.
10. As Assistant Professor Vesla Weaver of Yale University deftly argued in an excellent piece for the Boston Review, black and brown Americans who live in low income and working class communities are denied the full rights of citizenship by an expansive, punitive, and intrusive state bureaucracy and legal system. Consequently, police are much more likely to come in contact with innocent black people than they are whites who are involved in criminal behavior.
As a result, white criminals are more likely to be ignored by police; innocent black people are harassed and often arrested by the police.
Blackness is judged by the White Gaze as de facto criminality. Whiteness is judged by the White Gaze as innocent and harmless.
This racist logic creates a type of path dependency that justifies the disproportionate incarceration, harassment, and killing of black people by the police. In a perverse twist, the over-policing of innocent black people also offers protection for the white criminals who prey on the white community.
The police reportedly have a saying that, “I'd rather be judged by 12, than carried by 6”. The governing logic is simple: if in doubt, shoot and kill someone because you would rather be alive and put on trial, than be dead and in the ground. That logic is increasingly applied in an unrestrained manner by police who see the black body as a primordial and imminent threat, and consequently do not hesitate to use lethal, and very often, unjustified force against it.
The police channeled this racism to kill Eric Garner and Michael Brown.
The killing of unarmed black people by American police is a human rights issue. It should also be a concern for all people, on all sides of the color line, who care about civil liberties, rights, and freedom. Why? The terrorizing of black and brown communities is a preview of what a militarized and fully unleashed police department, enlisted in the service of the surveillance society and a culture of cruelty, can (and will) do to white Americans in the future.
Posted by chaunceydevega at 2:44 AM
Tags: Academics, America, armchair sociologist, Chauncey DeVega says, Tricknology, white pathology
Myshkin the Idiot said...
I don't think it will turn on white Americans en masse. This is something in particular to black people and other people of color living in a white supremacist state.
joe manning said...
If nazism is any indication things will escalate to a war on anybody and everybody.
White supremacy produces a climate of sadism, brutality, and demoralization throughout society. The sacrificial caste are scapegoats for the in-group and getting poorer whites to vent their aggression. Specific acts of murder and violence by police symbolically and vicariously reassure the in-group and demonstrate to marginals that they could have it a lot worse. The police state puts everyone on notice that "we're the badest, most lethal gang in town because we act with impunity and immunity." Its a system of social control that ossifies and magnifies class divisions by institutionalizing ideocracy.
BobbyV said...
Did the media's obsessive focus on the looting that followed the shooting of Michael Brown undermine the people's fight for justice in Furguson MO? Did the image of young black men clutching bottles of looted whiskey strengthen the negative stereotypes tentatively held by the white majority?
"Obsessive coverage of urban crime by local television stations is one of the engines driving lingering racism in the United States."
Jerry Kang, UCLA law professor in Harvard Law Review, Spring 2005
I saw that. Very powerful regarding media framing and bias.
There is lots of great work on media bias. One of the repeated findings is how black people are extremely over-represented on the news as criminals while people who commit crimes are grossly under-represented relative to the real percentages. Given that the masses are asses this creates a misperception of reality.
Wild Cat said...
Check this out (via Louis Proyect):
http://louisproyect.org/2014/08/12/ferguson-missouris-top-cop-has-confederacy-flag-on-his-wall/
James Estrada-Scaminaci III said...
Chauncey has just nailed this argument. There were reports from KMOV, based on police source(s), that police faced gunfire, including firing at a police helicopter. That is single source reporting that may or may not be accurate and reliable.
But, the overall heavy military presence regarding the NAACP meeting and peaceful protests is not accidental. It is a mindset that has most likely been absorbed from the military.
The first time I deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in Sarajevo at SFOR headquarters was 1996 as a military analyst. Due to my job and hours, I was basically confined to the base, though I got out a little for duties. The war had been over one year. I returned for a nearly two-year deployment in 1998 as a civilian analyst.
As a civilian analyst, I was given free roam to move about the country. The Multi-National Division North (MND-N) was the American zone. Every morning they would report their situation via secure radio with the greeting, "Good morning from Danger Forward." Now, that is not to say that there were zero dangers in the northern zone, but the city of Tusla where MND-N was headquartered was a Muslim-dominated city, with some Croats and Serbs, and had been the focal point of Bosnian Serb attacks during the war. It was the city where the victims of Srbrenica fled after the massacre. The Muslims in the city, in other words, were extraordinarily friendly with Americans and grateful for having finally ended the war with an air bombardment of the Bosnian Serb military, as well ground attacks from Croat and Muslim forces. There was no "danger zone" in Tusla. To be sure, whenever the Bosnian Serbs wanted to make a ruckus in Brcko over the return of Bosnian Muslims there was danger.
The first time I went up to Tuzla I had no idea what to expect. I had a reservation in a local hotel where I stayed for a couple of nights. On the drive up (me in SUV), I kept seeing American Humvees with mounted M-60 machine guns and soldiers in full battle rattle. That was outside the city in the rolling countryside of farms and rural villages. They drove that way in Tuzla. American soldiers were not allowed to go into Tuzla. They remained walled-off not only from the local residents, but from reality. They had an exaggerated sense of threat and danger that had no basis in reality.
A visit to Banja Luka, the headquarters of the British-led Multi-National Division West was completely different. British troops patrolled in softcap berry's with no mounted machine guns. They interacted with local Bosnian Serbs. To be sure, there were tense and dangerous times. But even then, British troops did not get into full battle rattle but showed they were fearless and in control of the situation. The same was true of the French-led division headquartered in Mostar, a bitterly divided city between Catholic Croats and Muslim Bosnians. When the French division's forces faced extremely hostile Croats who threatened violence, the French were adequately prepared almost all of the time.
The militarization of the police--with their tanks or armored personnel carriers and mine-sweeping vehicles, kevlar vests and kevlar helmets, and assault training--has infected American police forces with a battlefield mentality derived from the U.S. military. They have an exaggerated sense of threat and danger.
Mind you, my direct, first-hand experience with the U.S. Army on deployment was in 1998--three years before 9/11 and before Afghanistan and Iraq. This is a mentality that was not only fatal to Afghans and Iraqis (see Blackwater for example), but is also fatal to Americans--black, brown and white. These militarized police forces are a standing army.
To serve and protect who?
Since you had experience. Who decides the tactical and force orientation for a "mission" such as the one being conducted in Ferguson? It seems to be contrary, based on my semi-layperson's knowledge and passing grognard interest--in how riot control is supposed to be conducted. Seems very old school and amateurish; kids with big toys who don't know how to use them.
With increased resource scarcity and the neoliberal order, I have to disagree. The former white middle class, now poor and working classes will be rolled up by this machine. Then they will cry in shock, aghast at what is happening. Again, the masses are asses.
If you do not think race has anything to do with the police killing young, unarmed black men, consider this. A white "sovereign citizen" in Dallas opens fire on firefighters called out to a fire in a dumpster in a fancy neighborhood. Obviously, an ambush. No firefighters are hit. Man continues to fire at Dallas SWAT and police officers. White man plants explosive devices. Eventually, a police negotiator talks the man out. No police hurt. White man with a gun not hurt. Ferguson, Missouri: black kid killed while hands in the air with no gun, shot several times by police. See http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2014/08/12/17556/
I have no expertise on police operations in general or SWAT operations in particular.
kokanee said...
We all have implicit bias which is formed by the time we are six and stays with us for life. Source. Usually, our explicit bias goes away by adulthood. Our implicit biases are learned at an early age. Source. My daughter had a horrifying preference for white faces even though we're a mixed family and there were many black and brown skinned people in her life from the very beginning. Still, she has many friends of all different ethnicities but that implicit bias never goes away.
When I was in kindergarten, I went up to a blonde kid with curly hair and said matter of factly, "You're ugly." I recall not liking the curly hair. He rightly retorted, "No I'm not. You're ugly." I was dumbfounded. It was a significant teaching moment for myself and I was better for it ever since.
When the Department of Homeland Security gives local police forces military equipment, what's the police going to do with the equipment but use it?
Microaggression: Haven't seen that word in a while. Important topic!
http://www.buzzfeed.com/hnigatu/racial-microagressions-you-hear-on-a-daily-basis
So what's the solution? The US is a speeding train wreck. So there's racism coming from the bottom up and there's racism coming from the top down. We're losing ground on racism and sexism. We're losing ground on human rights, democracy, free speech, free media and even free thought (cognitive liberty). What to do?
Mary Burrell said...
Another young black man in L.A. was gunned down while laying on the ground. 25 year old Ezell Ford. is dead shot in the back by the cops.
In the United States, liberty and freedom are defined as the right to terrorize and kill non white people with government sanction and no accountability. It is the poisoned bedrock on which this republic is built.
Interesting article by James Baldwin (quoted in the NewYorker):
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/militarized-night-ferguson
Baldwin wrote it in 1966, but his account of police brutality is relevant today (minus the starship troopers weaponry)
I'm not surprised at all. As a matter of fact, some join the force ,specifically, to act out their racism.
Got you. That is why you have credibility--you are willing to say "I don't know". Can't wait for our convo on the podcast.
I watched videos yesterday and last night from Ferguson, as well as looking at Antonio French's tweets. Here is some preliminary analysis on last night.
First, every deployment--whether it be military or police--is based on an intelligence assessment of the threat. Based on that, it is possible to reverse-engineer the police/SWAT deployment in Ferguson, MO.
Their position throughout the day and into evening was unchanged. Police in full battle rattle--assault rifles, tear gas masks, bullet proof vests, kevlar helmets like those worn by Special Ops operators--was apparently based on an intelligence assessment that they faced no threat of violence. Lined up in front of their vehicles, weapons slung down, indicated a relaxed posture. Had they faced a threat that was posed by the militia at Bundy's ranch, they would have been behind their vehicles and their machine gun on top of the vehicle less exposed. It is unclear whether or not they had snipers on the rooftop. No one in the media apparently trained their cameras upward. But, certainly the police had no fear of snipers or counter-snipers aimed at them.
Thus, the deployment strongly suggests that the police perceived no threat from Ferguson's residences who had gathered to protest during the day and into the night.
What was the purpose of the deployment and its tactical formation? In my professional judgment, it was a "show of force" and meant to "intimidate." Others may disagree, but if a military/police force faces no violent threat from firearms or Molotov cocktails, then the police's display of weaponry is meant to intimidate. Having stood out in the sun all day, they were probably itching for a chance to inflict pain on Ferguson's residents.
What happened at night, in my view, was a police riot. The police caused the disturbances by lobbing stun grenades, smoke, and tear gas. The smoke grenades caused initial panic while the stun grenades produce disorientation, deafness, and panic since the explosion could be a bomb or a grenade.
This is an occupation army, not a domestic police force. I've seen that in Bosnia-Herzegovina with military forces.
Last night, also, the police demonstrated a mindset that they were relying upon intimidation and brute force when they arrested two journalists, one white and one black, from the Huffington Post and the Washington Post, respectively. As the white reporter told MSNBC's The Last Word, if the SWAT in broad daylight were willing to assault him in a McDonald's with the media watching, what were they doing to Ferguson's black residents when the cameras were not rolling. He acknowledged that his white privilege helped uncover the underlying racism of the local police.
That the police do not care if they assault and falsely imprison journalists is more proof of their mindset of intimidation.
Before anyone else is murdered by the police, the Governor of Missouri, a Democrat, must get the police out of their riot gear and have a less intimidating presence on the street. The police are on the verge of going completely out of control. Hopefully, cooler and saner heads will prevail.
From The Onion:
FORT WAYNE, IN—Explaining that his sole concern is serving and protecting his community, Fort Wayne police officer Vincent Turner told reporters Wednesday that he does not see any difference between black and light-skinned black suspects. “As an officer of the law, I am committed to administering justice swiftly and even-handedly, regardless of whether the suspect has dark skin or really dark skin,” said Turner, adding that he has no problem giving a full pat-down to any potential criminal or hauling them down to precinct headquarters in the back of his patrol car, even if they are more of a light mocha color. “When you’re responding to reports of gunshots fired, or sprinting down an alleyway, you’re not thinking about where the suspect falls on the spectrum of African-American skin tones—you’re thinking about doing your job. Heck, the guy could be a very dark-looking Latino, for all I care—I treat every one of them the same. He’s still just a suspect to me.” Turner added that his dedication to upholding the law stems from a belief that all local residents should be able to walk their streets without fear, whether they come from an affluent white neighborhood or a working-class white neighborhood
Lkeke said...
On this, you and I are in full, wholehearted agreement.
I've long been an advocate of the belief that ALL of the worse things happening in Black neighborhoods will soon be visiting a working /middle class suburb nearby. Drugs, crime and now this.
In my mind, what's happening in Ferguson is just opening salvo for the Police State that EVERYBODY will be living in in 10 or 20 years.
Give it a few more years. This is how the police will be handling everyone regardless of color.
Have you seen "Little Big Man" the 1970 Dustin Hoffman film? It tells the story of a white male child raised by the Cheyenne nation during the 19th century. The united states cavalry are depicted as villains. General Custer is portrayed as an ignorant, egotistical fop. I remember sitting in the movie theatre being blown away by this film, because it turned all the racist "cowboy movie" conventions upside down. There are scenes that would bring you to tears. Chief Dan George was nominated for a supporting actor oscar.
I have said before that racist "cowboys & indians" movies did a lot to contribute to the attitudes of cops and the white right. They see themselves as noble settlers surrounded by violent savages. Not a coincidence the title "Fort Apache The Bronx"
Anyway, I recommend "Little Big Man" to anyone who wants to see The Big Lie exposed. It is a powerful film, way ahead of its time.
balitwilight said...
We don't even have to go as far afield as New York's apartheid stop-and-frisk laws. Right there in Missouri where Michael Brown was murdered, the state's attorney general published statewide traffic stop statistics. According to Missouri's own statistics, "blacks" were 66 percent more likely to be stopped (a number increasing for the 11th time in the 14 years of data collection). Also according to Missouri Attorney General, so-called "blacks" and "hispanics" are almost TWICE as likely to be searched than "whites" - although police found contraband MORE OFTEN when searching "white" drivers(!) (This was a similar result to New York stop-and-frisk).
Remember these statistics when some crypto-nazi racist moron justifies these continuing murders by claiming that "blacks" are the ones committing more crimes. Also, next time you watch any American movie set (unquestioningly) in a prison filled with "authentic black bodies" in the background, remember these statistics and remind others that American-Apartheid-sorting is how the prison gets it's skin tones - and not that prison is just the natural habitat of "black" people.
August 3rd: Steve Lohner, 18, stopped by the police for walking with a loaded shotgun on the streets of Aurora, Colorado (where in 2012 James Holmes killed 12 and wounded 70 in a mass shooting). Lohner claims he is doing it to make public "more comfortable” around guns.
Lohner was stopped by police responding to 911 calls. When asked to provide ID proving his age, Lohner refused and then argues with the officers, refusing to show them ID or hand over the shotgun. Steve Lohner walks away on a misdemeanour, home to his family, without any bullet holes in him, his neck unbroken by choke holds, and without a felony record. Steve Lohner is "white". (That was the important part).
Its a dress rehearsal for what they have planned for the rest of us.
Execution isn't enough, they feel compelled to mutilate and dismember to exhibit in-group hatred.
The two best Westerns are Little Big Man and Blazing Saddles. Richard Mulligan's portrayal of General Custer is uncannily accurate in my opinion. Soldier Blue is spot on too.
We are becoming a police state the horror taking place in Ferguson Missouri and the murder of Eric Garner is like something in Nazi Germany.
Powkat said...
SteveBiko said...
I'll watch that movie, thanks for recommending it.
Mission complete. Great movie! It reminded me of the Nazi's Lebensraum (living space) which was no different than America's Manefest Destiny. Just like South African Apartheid was modeled after Jim and Jane Crow and segregation in the US.
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Home > Current Affairs > News >
An extraordinary photograph of a double asteroid
publicado a la(s) 3 jun 2019 9:13 por Plataforma Sites Dgac [ actualizado el 21 ago 2020 12:23 ]
From Chile, the unique capabilities of the SPHERE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope enabled it to obtain the sharpest images of the asteroid 1999 KW4 as it flew by Earth, reaching a minimum distance of 5.2 million kilometers on 25 May 2019.
The asteroid 1999 KW4
Earth’s most recent encounter with an asteroid took place on 15 February 2013, when a previously unknown asteroid 18 metres across exploded as it entered Earth's atmosphere over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk.
A few days ago, through the European Southern Observatory’s VLT (Very Large Telescope) located in Paranal, about 130 kilometers to the South of Antofagasta and 12 kilometers from Antofagasta’s shoreline, in Chile, it was obtained an extremely clear photograph of the asteroid that flew by at about 5.2 millions of kilometers from our planet.
According to scientists, the asteroid never presented a threat of collision with Earth. In facto, the researchers were able to predict its fly-by and prepare the observing campaign of the rocky mass that has a small natural satellite.
ESO’s astronomers took advantage of the opportunity to test actions to a possible dangerous NEO (Near Earth Object), proving that ESO’s state of the art technology could be critical in planetary defense.
The International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) coordinated a cross-organisational observing campaign of the asteroid 1999 KW4 as it flew by Earth, reaching a minimum distance of 5.2 million kilometers on 25 May 2019.
One kilometer wide
The asteroid, called 1999 KW4, is about 1.3 kilometers wide and does not pose any risk to Earth.
SPHERE, one of the very few instruments in the world capable of obtaining images sharp enough to distinguish the two components of the asteroid, is part of the VLT and has allowed to calculate that both rocks are separated by around 2,6 kilometers.
SPHERE was designed to observe exoplanets; its state-of-the-art adaptive optics (AO) system corrects for the turbulence of the atmosphere, delivering images as sharp as if the telescope were in space.
It is also equipped with coronagraphs to dim the glare of bright stars, exposing faint orbiting exoplanets.
70,000 kilometers per hour
SPHERE data helped astronomers characterise the double asteroid. In particular, it is now possible to measure whether the smaller satellite has the same composition as the larger object.
“These data, combined with all those that are obtained on other telescopes through the IAWN campaign, will be essential for evaluating effective deflection strategies in the event that an asteroid was found to be on a collision course with Earth,” explained ESO astronomer Olivier Hainaut.
“In the worst possible case, this knowledge is also essential to predict how an asteroid could interact with the atmosphere and Earth’s surface, allowing us to mitigate damage in the event of a collision,” he added.
“The double asteroid was hurtling by the Earth at more than 70 000 km/h, making observing it with the VLT challenging,” said Diego Parraguez, who was piloting the telescope.
(Source: ESO)
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Posted on July 28, 2018 October 18, 2019
This is a version of a paper I presented at the International Medieval Congress at Leeds on July 3, 2018, in the session “The Origins, Effects, and Memory of Caroline Minuscule, II” sponsored by the Network for the Study of Caroline Minuscule.
Today I’m going to tell you about UPenn LJS 101, which is the oldest codex we have in the University of Pennsylvania Libraries by at least 150 years and which is one of only two codices in our collection which is written in Caroline minuscule (the other one being UPenn Ms. Codex 1058, dated to ca. 1100 and located to Laon) – we also have one leaf written in Caroline minuscule.
The bulk of the manuscript, folios five through 44 (Quires two through six), are dated to the mid-9th century, but in the early 12th century replacement leaves were added for the first four leaves and for the last 20 leaves. LJS 101 reflects the educational program set up in the Carolingian court by Alcuin, featuring a copy of Boethius’s translation of Aristotle’s De Institutiatione (which was commonly called Periermenias, the name also used in this text) and a short commentary on that text (also called Periermenias), along with a few other shorter texts.
I want to admit up front that I don’t have a serious scholarly interest in LJS 101. I’m not a Carolingianist, I don’t study Alcuin, or Bede, or Aristotle. I’m a librarian, and the focus of my work is manuscript digitization and visualization, so I spend a lot of time thinking about manuscripts, how they’re put together, how to digitize them, and how to visualize them in ways that reveal truths about the physical object, ideally without fetishizing them.
But I also love manuscripts. I wouldn’t be doing what I do if I didn’t. I love the way they look, especially books that have been well-used: the imperfect edges, worn ink, and the many and varied signs that people have had their hands on these manuscripts, that they were well-used and well-loved. And there’s no book I love more than LJS 101.
So what I want to do today is tell you about LJS 101, but I want to put my discussion within the context of that love, specifically I want to talk about LJS 101 within the frame of Transformative works.
A transformative work is a concept that comes out of fandom: that is, the fans of a particular person, team, fictional series, etc. regarded collectively as a community or subculture. We typically talk about fandom in relation to sports, movies, or TV shows, but people can be fans of many things (including manuscripts). As defined on the Fanlore wiki:
Transformative works are creative works about characters or settings created by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creators. Transformative works include but are not limited to fanfiction, real person fiction, fan vids, and graphics. A transformative use is one that, in the words of the U.S. Supreme Court, adds something new, with a further purpose or different character, altering the [source] with new expression, meaning, or message.
In some fandom communities, transformative works play a major role in how the members of that fandom communicate with each other and how they interact with the canon material (“canon” being the term fans use to refer the original work). Transformative works start with canon but then transform it in various ways to create new work – new stories, new art, new ideas, possible directions for canon to take in the future, directions canon would never take but which are fun or interesting to consider.
Although it’s still quite niche there is a small but growing academic movement to apply the concept of transformative work to historical texts. Some of this work is happening through the Organization for Transformative Works, which among other things hosts Archive of our Own, a major site for fans to public their fanworks, and provides legal advocacy for creators of fanworks.
The Organization for Transformative Works also publishes a journal, Transformative Works and Cultures, and in 2016 they published an issue “The Classical Canon and/as Transformative Work,” which focused on relating ancient historical and literary texts to the concept of fan fiction (that is, stories that fans write that feature characters and situations from canon). There is also a call for papers currently open for an upcoming special journal issue on “Fan Fiction and Ancient Scribal Culture,” which will “explore the potential of fan fiction as an interpretative model to study ancient religious texts.” This special issue is being edited by a group of scholars who lead the “Fan Fiction and Ancient Scribal Cultures” working group in the European Association of Biblical Studies, which organized a conference on the topic in 2016. Closer to home, Dr. Juliana Dresvina at Oxford University is organizing a colloquium later this month on “Fanfiction and the Pre-Modern World,” and I understand she is planning to organize a larger conference next year.
You will note that the academic work on transformative works I’ve cited focus specifically on fan fiction’s relationship with classical and medieval texts, which makes a fair amount of sense. In her article “The Role of Affect in Fan Fiction ,” published in the Transformative Works and Cultures special issue of 2016, Dr. Anna Wilson places fan fiction within the category of textual reception, wherein texts from previous times are received by and reworked by future authors. In particular, Dr. Wilson points to the epic poetry of classical literature, medieval romance poetry, and Biblical exegesis, but she notes that comparisons between fan fiction and these past examples of textual reception are under-theorized, and leave out a major aspect of fan fiction that is typically not found, or even looked for, in the past examples. She says, “To define fan fiction only by its transformative relationship to other texts runs the risk of missing the fan in fan fiction—the loving reader to whom fan fiction seeks to give pleasure. Fan fiction is an example of affective reception. While classical reception designates the content being received, affective reception designates the kind of reading and transformation that is taking place. It is a form of reception that is organized around feeling.” (Wilson, 1.2)
Back to LJS 101. What I want to do here is look at LJS 101, not as a piece of data to be mined for its texts, but both as a transformative work in itself, and as an object for the transformative work of others, particularly digital versions, and I want to center this looking at the manuscript using a language of care. I’m not comfortable applying the concept of affective reception to the people who created and worked with LJS 101 over the past 1100 or so years – I don’t want to suggest that the person who took the manuscript from its original form to its 12th century form loved the manuscript the same way that I do – but I do want to explore the idea that this person or people cared about it, and that other people have cared about this manuscript over time enough that it survives to live now in the library at the University of Pennsylvania. Their interests may have been scholarly, or based on pride of ownership, or even based on curiosity, but whatever their reasons for caring for the manuscript, they did care, and we know they cared because of the physical marks that they have left on this book. The manuscript as it survives also shows some examples of lack of care, and I want to address those as well.
Binding: 19th-century English diced Russia leather, bound for Sir Thomas Phillips.
The first obvious mark of care on LJS 101 is the binding, which is a lovely 19th century leather binding done for book collector Sir Thomas Phillips, who purchased the book in or around 1826, and which was sold out of his estate in 1945, sold again in 1978 and 1979, and finally sold to Lawrence J. Schoenberg in 1997.
Formerly owned by Sir Thomas Phillips, ms. 2179 (stamped crest inside upper cover). LJS collection bookplate. Gift of Barbara Brizdle Schoenberg in honor of Amy Gutmann, President, University of Pennsylvania, 2014.
Phillips also left two owners marks on the inside front cover, a stamped crest in the upper part of the inside cover, and a second ownership stamp with his library’s number for the manuscript (ms. 2179). Another ownership mark is the Penn Libraries bookplate, showing that the manuscript belongs with the Lawrence J. Schoenberg collection. Phillips and Schoenberg both cared: Phillips cared enough to bind the book, they both marked it as their own, and Schoenberg gifted it to Penn in 2014 for long-term institutional care.
1r: Conclusion of a grammatical work, 7-line verse by Eugene II of Toledo, Isidore’s definition of rhetoric (12th c.)
The first quire – four leaves – is a 12th century replacement. Fol. 1r begins with the ending of a grammatical text on declensions, including some words in Greek and references to the Aeneid and the Thebais of Statius. This folio also contains a 7-line poem by Eugenius II of Toledo, “Primus in orbe dies
,” a poem on the seven days of Biblical creation (MGH, Auct. Antiq. XIV; Migne, PL LXXXVII:365-6) [1]. This implies that the first quire has not always been the first quire, and at some point there was at least one more quire before Quire 1. As we’ll see in a moment, the text on the last leaf of Quire 1 leads directly into the text on the first leaf of Quire 2, which makes it clear that the 12th century work was created in response to the 9th century piece, and it was not the case that two existing pieces were placed together without regard for the other. (Note that the first leaf in the manuscript also includes another ownership mark from Sir Thomas Phillips, noting the number of the manuscript in his collection, and the number it had in a catalog – yet another sign of care from Phillips.)
1v: Boethius’ translation of Aristotle’s De Institutione (Periermenias Aristotelis) 12th c. switching to 9th c. on fol. 5, back to 12th c. on fol. 45
The main text of the manuscript, the Latin translation of Aristotle’s De Institutione (called Periermenias Aristotelis generally and in the text), begins on fol. 1v. Boethius’s translation of De Institutione, along with his translation of the Categories and Porphyry’s introduction to Aristotelian logic, the Isagoge, formed the core of Alcuin of York’s logic textbook, De dialectica. These three works—as translated by Boethius—would become known as the logica vetus, and would dominate the study of logic until the twelfth century. This explains the why of this manuscript – this was an important text. The inclusion of the now-missing grammatical text also implies that this book was designed with care to be a sort of textbook. Note the striking illuminated initial P that begins the text – a visual sign of care taken in the design of this manuscript.
Folio 4v-5r, with the 12th century script on the left and the 9th century script on the right.
As noted above, the 12th century text from Quire 1, folio 4v, continues directly to the 9th century portion of the manuscript on Quire 2, folio 5r.
UPenn LJS 101, folio 27r, showing interlinear and marginal corrections and glosses.
The same hand that wrote out the 12th century full text here and from folio 45 through the end of the manuscript also went through the 9th century text and made many corrections, both deleting and adding text. As far as I know there hasn’t been a full textual analysis of the text in this manuscript, but it’s possible, if not likely, that the 12th century scribe had a more recent copy of the text and corrected the older version in comparison with it. For whatever reason the scribe, or someone supervising the scribe, cared enough to take the existing 9th century copy of Boethius, to complete it, and to bring it up to date with an improved version of the text.
36v: Diagram from 9th c. with color added in the 12th century
Also in the 12th century program of care, the scribe or someone alongside the scribe added green and yellow highlighting to the 9th century diagrams and to some of the headwords.
As we move on though the manuscript, note that the number of corrections drops precipitously after folio 45, when we are back with the 12th century scribe.
LJS 101, folio 44v and 45r, with the 9th century script on the left and the 12th century script on the right
LJS 101, folios 52v-53r; there are several leaves missing here.
There are several quires’ worth of leaves missing between Quire six (ending with folio 44) and Quire seven (beginning with folio 45, where the manuscript switches again from 9th century to 12th century) – 49 pages worth of edited text, from Prima Editio, I c. 9, p. 111 line 20 to Prima Editio, II c. 11, p. 160 line 15– and there are at least two quires missing between Quire seven (folio 52) and Quire eight ( folio 53), from Prima Editio, II c. 13, p. 188, line 5 to Prima Editio, II c. 14, p. 224, line 13, representing 36 pages of edited text. It’s unclear when, how, and why these pages were removed, although the folio numbering appears to be from the time of Thomas Phillips, so we can safely assume that they were removed at some point before he had the manuscript bound in its lovely leather binding.
53v: The last six lines of the unidentified text; Periermeniae (12th c.)
In Quire eight, the Boethius translation ends naturally on folio 53r, line 16, at the end of Prima Editio, II c. 14 (page 225 in the edition). There is another text between the end of that and the beginning of the next commentary that has yet to be identified. This unidentified text is the last six lines of 53r and the first six lines of 53v. The next text begins on line seven of 53v. This text is a short commentary on Aristotle’s De Institutione, the Periermeniae attributed to Apuleius, the second-century AD Platonist philosopher and Latin-language prose writer. (Emma Kathleen Ramsey, “A commentary on the Peri Hermeneias ascribed to Apuleius of Madaura“)
Commentary is a kind of transformative work, in which a writer expands on the thoughts of the original writer, expanding and explaining in order to create something new, but (hopefully) illuminating. In LJS 101, then, we have a physical expression of a canon work followed by a transformation, an order that was planned by someone who cared enough to organize them that way.
Fol. 59v: Ending of Periermeniae, beginning of commentary by Haymo of Auxerre.
After the commentary by Apuleius there is brief section of a commentary on Isaiah by Haymo of Auxerre (formerly attributed to Haymo of Halberstadt)[2] that is followed by “Versus de singulis mensibus” (a poem by Decimus Magnus Ausonius on the seven days of Creation). The poem itself has been laid out with care, the columns blind-ruled to keep them straight, and the large initials alternating between lighter and darker ink. Given the topic of the poem one could say this is yet another example of a transformative work – a poetic retelling of the Christian creation story originally told in the Bible. It also ties in with the poem by Eugenius II of Toledo, “Primus in orbe dies
,” from folio 1r – which is also on the topic of the seven days of Creation.
60v: Sample letter of a monk to an abbot
The next text in Quire eight is a sample letter of a monk to an abbot, on folio 60v. I want to thank Brother Thomas Sullivan from Conception Abbey for helping me with this text, which hasn’t been otherwise studied. This is the only section of the 12th century portion of the manuscript that is heavily annotated, the original letter being expanded by both interlinear and marginal glosses. The interlinear glosses expand the primary text into more intense or elaborate language, e.g., l. 8 inserts the Latin word valde (very). The marginal glosses are signaled by a system of thirteen different interpolative marks in the left margin and one in the right. The addressee appears to be one “Domno Luculemus,” and it is not clear if this is the name of an actual abbot, or an imagined character. The letter fits in with the medieval tradition of model letters and letter-writing guides, which is traditionally dated to the work of Alberic of Monte Cassino in the late 11th century and is well documented in the 12th century.[3] Is this model letter another example of a transformative work? Because this particularly letter hasn’t been studied we can’t tell if it’s a version of an existing letter, or written with “characters” featured in other letters. If not, going back to our language of care, we can venture that since it appears on the verso side of a bifolium it was placed here for some reason understood by the scribe or scribes planning the layout.
61r: Boethius’ translation of Aristotle’s De Institutione (Periermenias Aristotelis), 12th century
The Boethius text continues on Quire nine, folio 61r, and cuts off at the end of 62v.
63r: Continuation of sample letter of a monk to an abbot
We finish up with folio 63r-64r, containing miscellaneous verses, definitions, and biblical commentary. Oddly, folio 63v is a continuation of the sample letter on folio 60v. We’ll return to Quires eight and nine below, where I’ll say more about signs of lack of care in LJS 101, and describe how these two quires are currently misbound.
Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Cod. 250, fol. 10v (9th c.)
Although LJS 101 is unique to Penn, it is not the only 9th century manuscript showing 12th century care. Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Cod. 250, begins with a 9th century section (folios 1-11) describing a meeting between Einhard and Lupus of Ferrières, at the time that Einhard gave Lupus a book of arithmetic by Victorius of Aquitaine along with a now widely known model alphabet for Ancient Capitals.
Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Cod. 250, fol. 12r (12th c.)
This is followed by a 12th century section, folios 12-18, including a commentary by Abbo of Fleury on the ‘computus’ (reckoning the date for Easter). Note the green highlighting, which is similar to the green highlighting added to the diagrams in LJS 101. As in LJS 101, the 12th century scribe did not just add to the existing manuscript. They marked the 9th century text to bring it up to date, and to incorporate it into what is essentially a new object, and, arguably, a transformative work.
Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Cod. 250, fol. 1r (11th c.)
They added an abacus table to folio 1r, which was presumably left blank in the 9th century, and, as with LJS 101, they also added interlinear glosses and corrections. As with the transformation of LJS 101, these modifications show a certain amount of care, both for the older sections of the manuscript and for the new object.
Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Cod. 250, fol. 10v: 9th c. text with 11th c. interlinear gloss
So we’ve walked through LJS 101 and looked at the transformative nature of the texts in the manuscript, and the physical object itself. I’d like to spend the last portion of my talk looking at another transformative physical aspect of the manuscript and how this aspect may illustrate a lack of care, while at the same time exploring LJS 101’s digitization as another potential for transformative work around the manuscript.
In addition to the missing quires between Quires six and seven and seven and eight, there are two quires in LJS 101 that have been misbound. In both cases it is clear that somehow bifolia were mixed up, likely during rebinding (whether during the last rebinding, under the ownership of Sir Thomas Phillips, or earlier, we don’t know) and care was not taken to ensure that the bifolia were put back together correctly with regard to the text contained on them. I can’t see any aesthetic reason for the quires to be rearranged as they are; antiquarians such as Matthew Parker frequently transformed the manuscripts in his ownership in ways that made them more attractive in his eyes, in various ways, but the changes made in LJS 101 appear to be accidental rather than purposeful.[4]
A study of the text in Quires two and three (the first eight leaves of the 12th century portion of the translation) makes it clear that the leaves were bound out of order.[5] Here is the current order, along with the text beginning and ending each folio (all are Prima Editio I c. 2, page and line numbers are from the edition)
Folio 5: ends with p. 38 line 2 [the text continues on folio 9]
Folio 6: begins with p. 41 line 5, [text continues on folio 7]
Folio 7: ends with p. 44 line 2 [the text continues on folio 11]
Folio 8: begins with p. 46 line 30, ends with p. 48 line 15 [the text continues on folio 13]
Folio 9: begins with p. 38 line 2, [text continues on folio 10]
Folio 10: ends with p. 41 line 4 [the text continues on folio 6]
Folio 11: begins with p. 44 line 2, [text continues onto folio 12]
Folio 12: ends with p. 46 line 30 [the text continues on folio 8]
Folio 13 (the first leaf of Quire four): begins with p. 48 line 15
Beginning with folio 5 and following the text through these eight leaves, we can find the original order: 5, 9, 10, 6, 7, 11, 12, 8 [13…
What was originally a quire of eight leaves was made into two quires of four leaves. The current Quire two consists of the the innermost bifolia of the original quire nested in the outermost bifolia, and the two internal bifolia from the original quire form the current Quire three. This is our first example of a lack of care. How did this happen, and why wasn’t this error, assuming it was an error, discovered before it was bound?
It might be hard to picture in your mind exactly what has happened here, so it might help to look at some transformative digital work using a project designed specifically to visualize the physical construction of manuscripts, VisColl. A couple of years ago a student in my Rare Book School class used VisColl to model both the current and previous structures of these leaves and generated diagrams to help us understand what exactly is happening here.
Correct arrangement of fols. 5-12. Jesse McDowell, “An Ideal Collation of LJS 101”
Here is a diagram and bifolia visualization of the original structure of what are now folios 5 through 12. Using current numbering, the order of leaves should be 5-9-10-6-7-11-12-8. You can see in this diagram that 5 and 8 are conjoin and the outer bifolio, followed by 9-12, then 10-11, then 6-7. Looking at the numbering here you can see already how they were rearranged.
Current (out of order) arrangement of fols. 5-12. Jesse McDowell, “An Ideal Collation of LJS 101”
But the next diagram shows the current structure, two four-leaf quires, with the middle bifolia grouped together and the outer and inner ones likewise. Viscoll, with its focus on modeling the physical construction of manuscripts and visualizing them in various ways, is a really good example of a system for building transformative works based on a medieval manuscript: It takes an existing character, expands on it, illuminates it, and in the process makes something new.
As I was preparing this paper for the blog, I discovered a second example of a misbound quire in LJS 101, illustrating another example of a lack of care in this book’s long history. As I mentioned above, the sample letter on fol. 60v actually continues on fol. 63r. Fagin-Davis notes this in her description of LJS 101, but until now no-one has investigated why this might be – it doesn’t make sense for a text to start on one leaf and end two leaves later. So why does this happen? While taking a closer look at this section – Quires eight and nine, from folio 52 (the end of Quire seven) through folio 64 – I discovered that, as mentioned earlier, there are at least a few quires of the Boethius text missing between Quires seven and eight. Quire eight, eight leaves, begins with folio 53, and the text starts with Prima Editio, II c. 14, p. 224, line 13. The text then ends naturally in the middle of 53r. But Quire nine (four leaves, starting with folio 61) picks up Boethius again, and when I checked the citation it begins with page 216, line 25 in the edition – this text comes before the text on fol. 53. Folio 62 ends with the text from the edition page 224, line 13, which is exactly where the text picks up on fol. 53r:
Folio 53: begins with p. 224, line 13, continues through Folio 60
Folio 60: ends with the sample letter [text continues on Folio 63r]
Folio 61: begins with page 216, line 25, continues through Folio 62
Folio 62: ends with page 224, line 13 [text continues on Folio 53]
Folio 63: contains the rest of the sample letter, continues through Folio 64
Beginning with folio 61 (having the earlier text) and following through these 12 leaves, we can find the original order: 61, 62, 53-60, 63, 64
The manuscript originally had a quire of 12 leaves. The innermost eight leaves were removed and placed before the outermost four leaves, giving us two new quires. As with the example of Quires two and three, there’s no clear explanation of why, and I am assuming this was an error.
Transformative work in fandom is created by fans who take characters and situations from existing works and make new things with them. Transformative work differs from traditional scholarly work in that the focus is on affection. To quote Anna Wilson again, “It is a form of reception that is organized around feeling.” I don’t want to claim that 12th century scribes or Thomas Phillips loved the manuscript that we call LJS 101, but I do think it’s reasonable to suggest a language of care, and I think it’s a useful exercise to think about this manuscript and others within the theoretical frame of the transformative work. Doing this pushes the boundaries of current research in this area, which tends to focus on the relationship between fan fiction and earlier forms of textual reception. Moving beyond this, to consider a language of care when talking about manuscripts – bearers of text as well as physical expressions of their own history – and to the visualization of digitized manuscripts using new methods pushes traditional scholarship in new and exciting directions that also normalizes the affection we hold for the objects of our study.
[1] Identification of the texts on Folio 1r are from Lisa Fagin-Davis, Catalog record for LJS 101, March 2001
[2] Haymo Halberstatensis: HAYMONIS HALBERSTATENSIS EPISCOPI COMMENTARIORUM IN ISAIAM LIBRI TRES Ab eodem auctore dum viveret, multorum additione, quae in aliis plerisque exemplaribus desiderantur, passim locupletati et recognitione postrema ad unguem ubique recogniti. (Coloniae, per honestum civem Petrum Quentell, anno 1531 Liber Secundus, Caput LIII (from Patrologia Latina, Vol. 116, Col.0991C-Col.0991D)
[3] Malcolm Richardson, “The Ars dictaminis, the Formulary, and Medieval Epistolary Practice, Letter-Writing Manuals and Instruction from Antiquity to the Present, edited by Carol Poster and Linda C. Mitchell (University of South Carolina Press, 2007), pp. 52-66.
[4] Timothy Graham, ‘Matthew Parker’s manuscripts: an Elizabethan library and its use‘, in The Cambridge History of Libraries in Britain and Ireland, Volume 1: To 1640, ed. E. Leedham-Green and T. Webber (Cambridge, 2006), pp. 322-41
[5] The misbinding of Quires 2 and 3 has been noted by Fagin-Davis in her catalog record, and also by Jesse McDowell in his blog post An Ideal Collation of LJS 101
This is a version of a paper I presented as a Rare Book School Lecture at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on June 12, 2018, originally entitled “Is this your book? What digitization does to manuscripts and what we can do about it.”
Good afternoon and thank you for coming to my talk today. The title of my talk is “Is this your book? What digitization does to manuscripts and what we can do about it.” However I want to make a small change to my title. I’m not entirely sure if there’s anything we can do about what digitization does manuscripts but I do think we can think about it, so that’s what I want to do a bit today. I want us to think about digitized books – specifically about digitized manuscripts, since that’s what I’m particularly interested in.
So, like any self-respecting book history scholar, I’m going to start our discussion of digitized manuscripts by talking about memes.
Definition of the word “meme” from the Oxford English Dictionary.
The word meme was coined in 1976 by Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene. In the Oxford English Dictionary, meme is defined as “a cultural element or behavioral trait whose transmission and consequent persistence in a population, although occurring by non-genetic means (especially imitation), is considered as analogous to the inheritance of a gene.” Dawkins was looking for a term to describe something that had existed for millennia – as long as humans have existed – and the examples he gave include tunes, ideas, catchphrases, clothes fashions, ways of making pots or building arches. These are all things that are picked up by a community, ideas and concepts that move among members of that community, are imitated and modified, and which are frequently moved on to new communities as well where the process of imitation and modification continues. More recently the term meme has been applied specifically to images or text shared, often with modification, on the Internet, particularly through social media: If you’ve ever been RickRolled, you have been on the receiving end of a particularly popular and virulent meme.
This is all very interesting, Dot (I hear you say), but what do memes have to do with digitized manuscripts? This is an excellent question. What I want to do now is look at a couple of specific examples of memes and think a bit in detail about how they work, and what it looks like to push the same idea through memes that are similar but that have slightly different connotations. Then I want to look at some different terms that scholars have used to refer to digitized manuscripts and think a bit about how those terms influence the way we think about digitized manuscripts (if they do). My proposition is that these terms, while they may not exactly be memes, function like memes in the way they are adapted and used within the library and medieval studies scholarly communities. So let’s see how this goes.
In the film The Black Panther, which was released back in February of this year, there’s a scene where a character has come to the country of Wakanda to challenge the king for the throne. This character, N’Jadaka (also named Erik Stevens, but better known by his nickname Killmonger), is a cousin of the king, T’Challa, but was unknown to pretty much everyone in Wakanda until just before he arrives to make his challenge. At the climax of this scene, during which Killmonger and T’Challa fight hand-to-hand in six inches of water, Killmonger – who is clearly winning – turns to the small audience of Wakandans gathered to witness the battle and exclaims, “IS THIS YOUR KING?” If you haven’t seen the film I’m about the spoil it for your: it turns out the answer to that question is NO.
This is a phrase that was born to be a meme, and within a month that’s exactly what happened.
According to the Know Your Meme website the first instance of the “Is this your king” meme appeared on March 20 on Twitter when @TheyWant_Nolan tweeted a screen shot of the scene with the caption “is this your spring”. If you think back to March, the weather was pretty terrible everywhere around the country. It was long and tedious going back and forth between snow and heat then back to snow. Is this your Spring? NOPE.
This type of meme is a snowclone, defined as “a type of phrasal templates in which certain words may be replaced with another to produce new variations with altered meanings, similar to the “fill-in-the-blank” game of Mad Libs.” I would like to note here that this term, snowclone, was coined in 2004 by American linguists Geoffrey K. Pullum and Glen Whitman specifically to describe this phenomenon. The concept of a snowclone has been around for much longer than the term – think of “I’m not an X but I play one on TV” which was the most hilarious phrase when I was a kid – and the “Is this your king” meme works the same way, where we replace king with some other word to make a phrase that is understood to elicit a negative response.
Here are some other examples of this meme featured on its Know Your Meme page. These all supply the identity of the question asker, they vary widely by topic, and one of them makes a slight modification to the image, but they all imply a negative response to the question.
I made one myself. My meme features a screen shot of my favorite manuscript, UPenn LJS 101, as seen through the Penn in Hand manuscript interface. In my meme, the question asked is, is this your book? As we know from the context of the original meme, the answer to the question is no. This is not my book. Or: It’s not my real book.
I’ve made a few other memes and for some reason most of them play with the relationship that a digitized version of a manuscript has with the physical object.
Memes such as “Is this your king” and this next one, the “Is this a pigeon” meme, enable us to ask questions with assumed answers. In this meme, the original scene is from an anime where a human-like android sees a butterfly and asks, “Is this a pigeon?” This is another snowclone, where the question asker, the object of the question, and the question itself can be replaced with almost literally anything else. I find these snowclone memes work well for my needs, though I find the differences between the emotions that these two memes elicit fascinating.
As before, I’ve replaced the object of the question with digital images of LJS 101 and specifically identified myself as the question asker. As with the previous meme, we know the answer to the question posed is no, although the context is different: while the king meme is used to express aggressive negativity, the pigeon meme is used to express mild but total confusion. The same idea can be pushed through both memes – is this digital thing a manuscript? – and while the answer is the same – no it’s not – the negative response of the pigeon meme is “oh you silly thing, thinking the digitized manuscript is the same as the manuscript” while the negative response of the king meme is “that thing is NOT the same as the manuscript, I’m offended you think so, and I’m going to throw it off a cliff so you don’t try it again.”
Although both of these memes can be used as a kind of mirror for us to view the relationship between a manuscript and its digitized version, they expect different responses and elicit different emotions, much as different words used to refer to the same situation or person might invoke different emotions. The memes are, in effect, acting as a kind of terminology, so now I want to pivot and talk about how terminology might act as memes.
I would like to take it as a given that that how we talk about things influences how we think about them; therefore, the terms we use to describe things matter. The terms we use to describe other people matter; the terms that we choose to refer to digitized manuscripts matter. I would also like to reiterate the proposition I made a few minutes ago that our terminology, while perhaps not memes themselves, are meme-like. In his 2016 article “’ut legi”: Sir John Mandeville’s Audience and Three Late Medieval English Travelers to Italy and Jerusalem,” Anthony Bale discusses Jerusalem as a meme in medieval English travel writings, but I find that his description of meme fits well with what I would like to do here. He says, “the meme proposes a model of cultural transmission based on audiences’ ongoing use and appropriation of the source, as opposed to the scholarly desire to return to the source as the “best” or “original” iteration.” (for a term, this would mean common usage points not to the original meaning of the word, but to the word as it is being used. That’s a bit of a circular argument but I think it makes sense) He continues, “Memes have not one stable author, no unitary point of origins, and are not retrospective, but rather change with their audiences, causing people to do things; stimulating actions and changing behaviors; leading people to take a particular route, see a particular site, notice one thing but not another, find new meanings in an old source.” (Bale, p. 210)
Following this theory, terms work like this:
A term begins with a specific meaning (e.g., outlined in the OED, citing earlier usage),
A scholar adopts the term because we need some way to describe this new thing that we’ve created. So we appropriate this term, with its existing meaning, and we use it to describe our new thing.
The new thing takes on the old meaning of the term,
The term itself becomes imbued with meaning from what we are now using it to describe.
The next time someone uses that term, it carries along with it the new meaning.
Some scholars take time to define their terms, but some scholars choose not to, instead depending on their audience to recognize the existing definitions and connotations of the terms they use. For example, in her 2013 article “Fleshing out the text: The transcendent manuscript in the digital age,” Elaine Treharne (coming out of a description of how medieval people would have always interacted with a physical book) says: “for the greater proportion of a modern audience on any given day, one has necessarily to rely on the digital replication: the world of the ironically disembodied and defleshed simulacrum, avatar, surrogate.” (Treharne, p. 470) [emphasis mine] Here Treharne uses the terms simulacrum, avatar, and surrogate without defining them, and she groups them together, in that order, placing simulacrum first in that list. More than the other two, simulacrum has a negative connotation – as we can see from its entry in the OED, a simulacrum is a “mere image”; it looks like a thing without possessing its substance or proper qualities; it is a “specious imitation”. Although it is near identical in meaning and from related Latin roots as the term facsimile, which I’ll discuss in a moment, facsimile lacks the negative connotations that simulacrum has. Although the terms are undefined by the author, it seems that this was a purposeful word choice intended to elicit a negative response.
Compare this with Bill Endres, who in his 2012 article “More than Meets the Eye: Going 3D with an Early Medieval Manuscript” spends several paragraphs defining his terms and arguing for why he chooses to use some terms and not others. Endres says, “I will refer to 3D and 2D images as digital artifacts or digital versions, although not totally satisfied with either term as it relates to epistemology. I am tempted to refer to them as digital offspring, the results of a marriage between digital and manuscript technologies, with digital versions having unique qualities and a life of their own. This term is problematic but it speaks to the excesses, commonalities, and deficits when digital versions are measured against their physical antecedent.” (Endres, p. 4) Endres then discusses some other terms, including two of the ones I will consider in a moment, so we’ll return to his thoughts later. The point here is that Endres defines his terms and explains why he is using them, while Treharne relies on us to understand her meaning through the known definition of her terms.
For each term I will discuss pre-digital definitions of the term, using the Oxford English Dictionary as the source.[1] I’ll also include a few quotes where scholars refer to digitized manuscripts using that term, although these quotes are meant to be representative and not exhaustive (that is, I couldn’t tell you the first time that the term was used by someone to refer to a digitized manuscript, but I can give you an impression of how the term has been used or is being used currently).
Let’s begin with the term facsimile.
It is from the Latin meaning literally make similar. The earliest attestation of the term is from 1661, and refers to a transcribed copy of a text, and not necessarily something that looks just like the text it is being copied from. About 30 years later, facsimile is being used to mean an exact copy or likeness; an exact counterpart or representation, and the citations refer to written texts or drawings. The term continues to be used according to this definition into the later 19th century, by the time photography of books and manuscripts has become well-represented in the scholarly landscape. (David McKitterick, Old Books, New Technologies, pp. 117-118)
By the late 19th century, facsimile has been adapted to refer to the communication of images through radio, wire, or similar methods – the modern day “fax” machine, for example. This meaning maintains the previous definitions focusing on a facsimile as some kind of copy, but adds the meaning of communicating over distance, and I expect these combined uses of the terms – print facsimiles plus the sharing of images over distance – are why digital facsimile became an obvious term to use to describe these new representations of old objects.
The use of facsimile to refer to textual materials clearly varies over time and from individual to individual. In his 1926 article ‘Facsimile’ Reprints of Old Books, A. W. Pollard seems to use the term according to its 1661 attestation, not according to its 1691 attestation. He says “It is intended to cover any reprint the form of which has been influenced to any considerable extent by the form of the edition reproduced.” (Pollard, p. 305) Pollard’s ‘Facsimile’ reprints include “1) Photographic facsimiles, 2) Type-facsimiles, i.e. editions in which types of similar founts to those used in the original are set to follow the original setting as closely as possible; 3) more or less luxurious reprints which seek to reproduce the general effect of the original with such concessions to modern usage as the producer may think desirable.” (Pollard, p. 306)
Facsimile or digital facsimile has been, for as long as I can remember, the default term that libraries use to refer to their own digital copies, and that scholars use to refer to the digital images they incorporate into their online projects. In November 1993, Kevin Kiernan gave a presentation at a symposium of the Association of Research Libraries [Kiernan, “Digital Preservation, Restoration, and Dissemination of Medieval Manuscripts”] in which he says that the Electronic Beowulf “will in its first manifestation make available in early 1994 a full-color electronic facsimile of Cotton Vitellius A. xv to readers in the British Library and at other selected sites.” He continues, “As this electronic archive grows, it will incorporate facsimiles of many other documents that help us restore parts of the manuscript that were lost or damaged by fire in the early eighteenth century.” Kiernan is referring not only to straightforward digital images, but also to images taken under ultraviolet light that were included in the edition. As he says later in the presentation, because of the UV images “Readers of the electronic facsimile will thus acquire a reproduction of the manuscript that reveals more than the manuscript itself does under ordinary circumstances.”
The use of the term facsimile makes it possible for scholars to consider how digital facsimiles relate to older ways of making similar. In “The Ghost in the Machine: Digital Avatars and Medieval Manuscripts“, Sian Echard discussion of the restoration of manuscripts by Matthew Parker and his circle, which she interprets as a kind of facsimile. Dr. Echard says “Today, digital technologies continue to recreate medieval books for a variety of audiences, and the digital facsimiles, like the hand and machine produced examples … both reproduce and relocate their medieval objects. But our current attitudes toward facsimile differ from Parker’s and Dibdin’s, and may in fact inhibit our ability to see the extent to which we too are recreating medieval text objects according to our own tastes. As technology has enabled ever more exact reproduction, the cheerful refashioning proposed by Parker has been replaced by an emphasis on the photographic, on the exact, with at times an accompanying confidence that perfect reproduction can approach the revelation of an object’s truth.” (Echard p. 201)
The term surrogate is interesting because, unlike facsimile – which is a fairly straightforward synonym for a copy – the term refers to something standing in for, or perhaps replacing, something else.
It was first used in the 16th century to describe the act of appointing someone as a delegate or a substitute. In the 17th century the term is adopted to be a noun – to refer to a person who is thus delegated. Other uses of the term, meaning more or less similar things, are attested through through the 17th century,
until 1644 we have a general meaning substitute.
Since the 1970s the term has been used in a more intimate way, to refer to sexual surrogates and surrogate mothers. As my colleague Bridget Whearty pointed out to me while we were discussing the word surrogate, the term is almost always used to describe bodies – either a person having power delegated to them, or a body acting as a substitute for another body. So the implication is that using this term to refer to digitized manuscripts doesn’t only mean the digital is standing in for the physical, but it also – by virtue of previous uses of the term – may imply some sort of embodiment or materiality of the digital object that is acting as the surrogate.
Paul Conway has an extensive discussion of the digital surrogate in his 2014 article “Digital transformations and the archival nature of surrogates”, and although he is referring to archival materials and not medieval manuscripts, I would expect that the use of the term comes from the same place, so I will quote him here. He reflects my own thoughts about a surrogate being more than a copy, saying “The creation of digital surrogates from archival sources is fundamentally a process of representation, far more interesting and complex than merely copying from one medium to another. Theories of representation – and the vast literature derived from them – are at the heart of many disciplines’ scholarship and of particular relevance for scholars who work primarily or exclusively in the digital domain.” (Conway pp. 2-3) He then continues to cite several other scholars – Mitchell, Scruton, Geoffrey Yeo, Matthew Kirschenbaum, Michael Taussig, and Johanna Drucker – who discuss the relationship that digital copies continue to have with their sources well after they have been created, even as they have their own materialities.
Bill Endres, who I quoted above, continues his thoughtfulness in the same piece as he considers surrogate as a term for his own use in describing 3D images of manuscripts. He says, “a term that has gained some commonality in 3D is digital surrogate. Bernard Fischer uses the term for 3D renderings of archaeological sites, like the impressive Rome Reborn. Fischer’s interest in 3D is to construct digital cityscapes and large spaces, thus his use of surrogate, the virtual environment functioning as a substitute or proxy, a stand in for the likes of a dig site or what once was, like ancient Rome, as a means to generate and test hypotheses, fulfilling a specific epistemic function. Surrogate fits Fischer’s needs but does not speak as readily to the full range of epistemic considerations that I want to explore for a manuscript, particularly the excesses of a digital artifact that add to our knowledge in other ways and its effect on looking and knowing.” (Endres, p. 4) The excesses that Endres is referring to here are things like special lighting and the affordances of 3D imaging, and he feels that the term surrogate isn’t sufficient to include these things, although Endres’s excesses and are very similar to those things that Kiernan was thinking of in 1993 when he used the term electronic facsimile. However Kiernan did not use the term surrogate in 1993 – it would be interesting to see when the term surrogate was first used to refer to digital objects, and if it would have been available to Kiernan in 1993.
The third term, avatar, is relatively new to me, although Sian Echard used it in the chapter quoted above, and the term was also used by classicist Ségolène M. Tarte, in her 2011 presentation “Interpreting Ancient Documents: Of Avatars, Uncertainty and Knowledge Creation,” and is also mentioned by Endres and very recently by Michelle Warren, in a just-published article “Remix the Medieval Manuscript: Experiments with Digital Infrastructure.” This term is not yet common, but it may be gaining purchase because of its inherent complexity.
I really like avatar because of the connotations brought along with its original definition. According to Hindu mythology, an avatar is the incarnate, human manifestation of a deity. It is thus the avatar that is embodied, not the thing that the avatar represents. This can be contrasted with the term surrogate, which is also embodied, but the surrogate embodiment is in replacement of something else, while the embodiment of the avatar is the same thing, but in different form. And compare both of these again with facsimile, which again is a copy – these are three very different terms, and yet we have the desire to apply these terms to… if not the exact same things, than at least to the same kind of things.
The term avatar has also been used to mean more generally a manifestation, and I actually think that this is the usage of the term that is closest to its application to digitized manuscripts, although there is another recent usage that is relevant: avatar as a term to describe a character in a computer game on environment, a character that represents a person or a player within that virtual environment (think of Second Life, or, to use a more current example, Minecraft).
(There was also a popular movie by this name that came out in 2009, right around the same time Second Life was reaching peak popularity, and I can’t give short shrift to Avatar: The Last Airbender, an animated show that ran from 2003-2008.)
So what is an avatar when it comes to medieval manuscripts? Echard uses the term to refer both to physical objects and to digital ones, first describing the digital avatars of the Sherborne Missal included in the British Library exhibit celebrating its purchase. These include large-screen installations in the Library gallery, a CD-Rom available for purchase, an online version, and a 3D animation sequence that plays as an introduction to the CD-ROM. However as Echard says, “The avatars for these rare objects have … been books themselves- manipulable, tangible, physical … the physicality of the book is part of its cultural role, whether as public object or private delight. The digital facsimiles I have discussed here all attempt in one way or another to offer these medieval and early modem books to the fulfilling of both roles, and yet I would argue that they are ultimately stymied by the requirement to disembody the objects they display. The resulting tension, between access and absence, creates the ghosts that haunt the digital realm.” (Echard, p. 214) I’ve always loved this description of the tension of digitized manuscripts, and I am tickled to notice only now that the term avatar as attached to it.
I know that I keep quoting Endres, but I find here that again his thoughtfulness in exploring the terminology is really refreshing and I wish more scholars did this kind of intellectual work. He says, “I find Ségolène Tarte’s impulse to call digital versions avatars most consistent with my needs, the digital version as an incarnation, the physical artifact crossing over and into a digital form. Since I am working on a gospel book, I cannot help but to think about this issue’s echo in early Christian prohibitions against depictions of Christ in the flesh, the prohibition motivated by the belief that physical matter is mundane, not divine, and therefore a painting or statue could not portray Christ’s divine nature, thus could not portray Christ and was blasphemous. In a similar vein, without the blasphemy, a digital version cannot portray all of the features of a physical artifact, but as mentioned, it also includes excesses. I appreciate Tarte’s choice of the word avatars, its recognition that digital artifacts have excesses and exist in a different reality and with different rules and potentials, offering unique advantages and experiences, a recognition that I want to carry forward in my sense of digital artifact or version.” (Endres, p. 4)
Before I conclude, I would like to remark on our apparent desire as a community to apply meaning to digital version of manuscripts by using existing terms, rather than by inventing new terms. After all, we coin new words all the time – just in this paper, I’ve mentioned snowclone and meme, so it would be understandable if we decided to make up a new term rather than reusing old ones. But as far as I know we haven’t , and if anyone has it hasn’t caught up enough to be reused widely in the scholarly community. I expect this comes from a desire to describe a new thing in terms that are understandable, as well as to define the new thing according to what came before. After all, both snowclone and meme are terms for things that have existed long before there were words for them, while digital versions of manuscripts are new things that have a close relationship with things that existed before, so while we want to differentiate them we also want to be able to acknowledge their similarities, and one way to do that is through the terms we call them.
Although we use these three terms – facsimile, surrogate, and avatar – to refer to digitized manuscripts, it is clear that these terms don’t mean the same thing, and that by choosing a specific term to refer to digitized manuscripts we are drawing attention to particular aspects of them. If I call a digitized manuscript a facsimile, I draw attention to its status as a copy. If I call it a surrogate, I draw attention to its status as a stand-in for the physical object. And if I call it an avatar, I draw attention to its status as a representation of the physical object in a digital world. Not a copy, not a replacement, but another version of that thing. Like pushing an idea through different memes, pushing the concept of a digitized manuscript through different terms give us flexibility in how we consider them and how we explain them, and our feelings about them, to our audiences. That we can so easily apply terms with vastly different meanings to the digital versions of manuscripts says something about the complexity of these objects and their digital counterparts.
Sincere thanks to Bridget Whearty, Keri Thomas, Johanna Green, and Anna Levine, for their help getting this paper ready for the public eye.
[1] In the paper presented at the Rare Book School (which was recorded; I will add a link here when it becomes available) I used the Historical Thesaurus of English as the source for the term definitions, but I found during further editing that the Thesaurus timelines weren’t doing what I needed them to. If I continue this work, I expect to bring the timelines back in again.
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Our History: 1990s Onwards
A further building programme began in 1994 (under the Eden-Epsom Development Initiative, set up by the Ministry of Education) due to tremendous roll growth once again in the area. The new administration block, including a Music Room was completed in 1995 and officially opened in July 1996. An additional two prefabricated classrooms were initially brought on site, quickly followed by another five. Subsequently, two classrooms were built adjoining the front of the hall, and the north wall of the hall was also upgraded. The Administration Block was a finalist in the Building of the Year, 1996 – one of the top five projects under $500,000. Balmoral Intermediate School also opened primary classrooms to help cater for the large number of pre-school and primary school aged children coming into the area.
In 1997, approval of a library and staffroom up-grade as well as two additional upstairs class spaces was gained, and building began once again. Building was completed providing the school with an up-to date Library facility, an ICT Suite and an Art -Technology Room. Today, the ICT suite is a classroom and the Art-Technology Room is a teaching kitchen for Edendale's Garden to Table Programme.
The library block, prefabs and administration area were designated as ‘leaky buildings’ with major issues in 2008. The Board of Trustees was delighted when remediation projects for the Library area and subsequently for other buildings was approved by MOE and work began in 2009. However, repayment to the Board of outstanding funds from MOE for some accounts paid in relation to these projects was extremely slow despite two independent audits of accounts showing approximately $190,000 owing. The Principal and Board Chair first sought advice from the Auditor General as well as local MPs and finally asked for a ministerial inquiry. In February 2012 it was confirmed, after further auditing, that the Board of Trustees was owed $185,000. The funds were repaid mid-February 2013.
In March 2010 the school zone was re-instated at the request of MOE and only ‘home zone’ students are able to be enrolled. The Board decided to not accept any out-of-zone enrolments due to space constraints. This will continue iuntil further notice.
Late in 2013, a further building project was initiated; planning and design is underway for a ten-classroom two-storeyed classroom block to replace the current classroom block housing Year Three and Four students. Once this project is completed (late 2015) further classroom blocks will also be replaced; these will cater for expected future roll growth. These students are now located in prefabricated classrooms on the field adjacent to Sandringham Rd known as "The Village".
Today, Edendale continues to be a multi-cultural school with a very diverse and changing community. The roll was 632 in December 2014, predominant cultures being European, Indian and Pacific families.
KINZ
A KINZ Sandringham facility is located on the Edendale site previously occupied by the Kohanga Reo. The National Association of Kohanga wound up the programme at Edendale and sold the building to AKA in 2005. AKA up-graded the facility as a model, multi-cultural facility and opened for the community on 19 February 2007. Pre-school children use our school facilities from time to time.
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Show Info Stratford 2020
Register Stratford 2020
Exhibitors Stratford 2020
Seminars Stratford 2020
Location Stratford 2020
Seminars by industry professionals will be running throughout the day
Sarah has been Financial Services Director for Your Move for 11 years; prior to that she was head of Business Development for Aviva for three years.
Sarah also worked for three years at Bradford and Bingley and was Regional Sales Manager for GA Life in the estate agency business.
Simon Cox
Simon is approaching 30 years’ experience in the property and mortgage market. He is currently employed in the role of Company Director to Your Move – the UKs largest single branded estate agent, with overall responsibility for the Financial Services Business.
Simon has recently brought an 18th century alehouse in Kent
with his partner Jaynee and he spends most of his spare time renovating it.
Kate Faulkner (BSc (Econ), CIM, MBA, DipM) is one of the UK’s leading property analysts, commentators and advisors. Kate’s consultancy helps businesses and organisations communicate better with people carrying out property projects and helps introduce new property products and services. Kate was a commissioner on the RIBA Future of Homes report. She invests in consumer property education, via free seminars and sites such as Propertychecklists.co.uk – which gives people independent, up-to-date, and accurate property project help. Kate is the author of the Which? property books and appears weekly on BBC, ITV and C4, in the national press and on radio. She is regularly called upon to commentate on housing policy, the housing market and to give quality advice to anyone carrying out a property project.
Lucy Chitty
Lucy has worked at L&Q for over five years. In her current role as Sales Assistant Director, she is responsible for the organisation’s regional sales programme, which includes shared ownership, intermediate market rent (IMR) and a large private sale portfolio. Lucy has over 17 years of experience in the newbuild sales market, 11 years in senior management and has developed various affordable home ownership processes. She is well known within the sector and is a member of the London Home Ownership Group. After Lucy’s seminar, please feel free to talk to
her about your concerns regarding buying your first home. She will be able to answer your queries in detail.
Nick Masheder
Over the 15 years Nick Masheder has been specialising in residential conveyancing, he
has helped thousands of people move into their first home. He has also been at the forefront
of developing Beaumont Legal into one of the most successful conveyancing firms in the UK,
and winners of First Time Buyer magazine’s Best Law Firm for Conveyancing award for the past two years.
Having seen many times how stressful moving home can be – especially for those who haven’t done it before, Nick has tailored his firm’s conveyancing services to be personal and to guide home movers through the process, as well as using the latest systems available to make the process as straightforward as possible.
Joanne Leahy
Joanne Leahy leads the communications team with Experian’s Consumer Services business, which includes Experian’s credit monitoring services. Since joining Experian over two years ago, Joanne has lead a comprehensive credit education campaign to help people really understand and recognise the ways in which they use and manage credit. She aims to teach people how to identify the little changes they can make and to take greater control of their credit rating and finances, in order to achieve the things they want in life. Working with the media, financial education groups and lenders, Joanne wants to help demystify the black box of credit ratings and credit scores. Joanne is originally from Ireland and has worked in public relations and communications for 10 years, across a variety of sectors, including technology, corporate and retail.
Sam May
Sam has been working for Aldwyck Housing Group for just over two and half years, where he started as a HomeBuy Advisor. After a successful bid for Help to Buy London, he became the Equity Loan Manager, where he oversees the administration of the Help to Buy scheme for London.
Nicki Chapman
Nicki Chapman is one of television’s most versatile lifestyle presenters, with a career covering music, homes, gardens and now moving abroad! Having worked in the music and entertainment industry for many years, alongside some of the biggest names in the business, she first hit our TV screens when she appeared as a judge on Popstars and Pop Idol in
2001. Since then, Nicki has hosted
a wide range of programmes for the BBC, including Escape to the Country, BBC Breakfast News, Escape to the Sun, Holiday, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Wanted Down Under, as well as being a regular contributor on LBC
and Sunrise on Sky News. You may
also hear Nicki on BBC Radio 2, where she regularly sits in for presenters throughout the year.
Nicki has a great deal of knowledge about the property industry, both on and off screen. She is currently filming Escape to the Country and Escape to the Continent for BBC2, which sees her not only helping couples find their dream home in this country and abroad, but also giving them a realistic taste of what that life might be like in their new home.
Nicki bought her first apartment in her early twenties and since then, she hasn’t looked back.
Nicki’s last property project
was buying a London townhouse that had been converted into two flats and restoring it back to its former glory – with a modern twist, of course.
EXPERT SPEAKERS OCT 2014
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Dharma Nation
Instantiating Natural Law in Modern Government
Reaction, Revolution and Dharma Renaissance
By Dharma-Nation
Reaction, Revolution and Dharma Renaissance:
The Case of “Hindu” Nationalism
By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The following article is from chapter 2 of the groundbreaking new political work “The Dharma Manifesto”, by Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya.
“Every major question in history is a religious question. It has more effect in molding life than nationalism or a common language.”
– Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953)
The following paper will examine the Indian social movement known variously as “Hindu” Nationalism, or “Hindutva”[1].
The overtly political aspects of the ongoing Hindu renaissance that has been haphazardly developing for the last approximately 135 years, along with its repeated failure to secure its self-stated aim of instantiating Rama-rajya (Dharmic rule) on the political scene, are crucial topics that very few Hindu intellectuals have addressed in an ideologically cogent and politically mature manner. Some of the few intellectual leaders who have, in fact, addressed this issue in a truly systematic and well-formulated ideological way include Dr. David Frawley (Sri Vedacharya Vamadeva Shastri), Sitaram Goel, Ram Swarup and Dr. Koenraad Elst. I have also written about this topic very extensively, but have only begun releasing a limited number of my writings on this matter to the general public starting in early 2011, The Dharma Manifesto being the ideological dénouement of these writings. The following are a few thoughts on the current state of contemporary Dharma politics on the South Asian subcontinent, with an emphasis on the specific case of what is often termed “Hindu” Nationalism.
As we will see, the primary stumbling block that has relegated the greater Hindutva movement to near irrelevancy in the dual realms of both ideological development and engaged political action has been:
1) Its preponderance of reactionary thinking and action, rather than proactive cultivation of a more revolutionary outlook and practical strategy to both a.)gain political power and to b.) consequently govern the Indian nation-state along purely Dharmic principles.
2) The lack of the divinely-bestowed spiritual empowerment that is necessary for any self-described religious-based movement to secure meaningful success.
By the time the British and other European powers began the incremental process of colonial domination in India and the rest of South Asia in 1757, much of the Hindu community in north India specifically had already experienced hundreds of years of genocidal religious cleansing at the hands of the Mughals and other Islamic invaders before them. Without doubt, the establishment of European rule over India directly saved Hinduism (and, arguably, much of Vedic spiritual culture that served as the ancient basis of the later phenomenon of “Hinduism”) from inexorable extinction at the hands of Islam. If the British had not assumed the administration of India when they did, Hinduism would most likely not exist today, and all of present day India would be an Islamic state. All followers of Dharma must be eternally grateful to the British for this inadvertent rescue of the non-Islamic elements of Indian culture.
During the more liberal atmosphere of the British Raj period (1857-1947), history witnessed the beginning stages of a budding, if often very confused, and ultimately self-abnegating, Hindu renaissance with the emergence of such neo-Hindu movements as the Arya Samaj, Ramakrishna Mission and Hindu Mahasabha, as well as such Hindu leaders as Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), Bhaktivinode Thakura (1838-1914), Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856-1920), Arumuga Navalar (1822-1879), Gedong Bagus Oka (1921-2002), Sister Nivedita (1867-1911)[2], Annie Besant (1847-1933)[3], and many others. As a result of the rediscovery of their Vedic heritage on the part of many 19th century and early 20th century Hindu intellectual leaders, a new sense of political activism in the name of a rediscovered “Hinduism” cautiously developed with the nascent political theories of such people as Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (1883-1966) and Keshav Baliram Hedgewar (1889-1940).
The culmination of this new movement, which was decidedly devoted to a Hindu identity politics, has resulted in the overwhelmingly dominant role of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (founded in 1925) and its greater Sangh Pariwar family of front organizations over the realm of Hindu politics in India for the last 85 years. The overtly political manifestation of the Sangh Pariwar movement was eventually manifest in the later Jana Sangh political party. The party operated under this name from 1951-1980. It was founded by Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee (1901-1953), who was subsequently murdered by the Congress Party regime in 1953. Since 1980, the party has been known by the name Bharatiya Janata Party.[4]
There has been a clear, multi-stage trajectory in which pro-Hindu political ideology and activism have progressed in the last 135 or so years. Before I discuss the nature of that trajectory in any significant depth, first I need to lay out the three general morphologies that most political formulations have historically taken. There are three general forms of political activity observable in the modern political realm: 1) Utopian, 2) Reactionary, 3) Revolutionary.
Utopian designates a primarily futuristic-oriented politics that tends to be very unrealistic and fantasy-fueled. In many cases utopian-based ideologies tend to be eschatologically-driven and millennial in outlook, with the never-achieved (or achievable) promise of a perfect paradise on earth that can only be delivered by the particular political movement making the given promise. Such disastrously failed movements as Marxism, Leninism, Maoism, Anarchism and the political Left in general are Utopian in nature.
Reactionary, on the contrary, is primarily past-oriented[5] and looks toward a “better, more ordered time”, that is historically usually no more than several generations previous to the present era, as the archetypal hallmark and model for present-day cultural renewal. As Nicolás Gómez Dávila explains the mindset of the reactionary: “The reactionary is, nevertheless, the fool who takes up the vanity of condemning history and the immorality of resigning himself to it.” American reactionaries, for example, tend to see the 1950s as the apex of American civilization. As is clear from the term itself, reactionaries are capable only of reacting to assaults on tradition that they detect around them, and are usually incapable of proffering pro-active and positive ideas for how to foundationally transform society for the better in the face of modernity’s degenerate encroachment upon traditional values and culture. Reactionaries are especially known for timidity, intellectual incuriosity, lack of vision, as well as narrow parochialism and immaturely expressed xenophobia. Republicans, Tories, and the conservative Right in general fall under this general heading. Utopian and Reactionary represent the two furthest opposing extremes of the political spectrum.
Revolutionary, on the other hand, describes a political stance that is proactive and constructive in nature, rather than merely utopian or reactionary. Rather than supporting either unrealistic utopian goals, or merely reacting in an ineffectively knee-jerk fashion to the incessant attacks of its opponents, the revolutionary perspective proffers positive systemic change designed to transform the basic characteristics of a presently-given social reality in a wholly original and fundamental way. Revolutionaries seek to alter society, not merely peripherally and incrementally, but foundationally and swiftly.
In the very specifically Hindu/Vedic context, the revolutionary perspective looks at the ancient past (and not merely two or three generations back, but millennia back) as the source from which to derive eternal principles that are designed to be used in the present day to create a radically better future. The Dharmic revolutionary subscribes to an archeofuturism, to use Guillaume Faye’s instructive terminology.[6] Rather than merely dreaming about an unobtainable future based upon blind faith and wishful thinking, or conversely, merely reacting in a frustrated manner to the negative occurrences happening around them, revolutionaries seek systemic (and not merely cosmetic) change in the here and now.
The term “Revolutionary” tends to carry with it the stereotyped, and wholly inaccurate, notion of political violence, which is not at all the technical denotation of this word in political science terminology. Rather, by “Revolutionary” is meant a concept, ideology or movement whose aim is to affect fundamental systemic changes (i.e., a change of the prevailing system itself), rather than merely cosmetic or surface change alone (i.e., minutial changes and readjustments within the confines of the system). With this proper understanding of the terminology, the term “Revolutionary” does not in any way denote violence.
In brief, a Revolutionary movement must have the following features:
A) It is predicated upon a grand, but rationally achievable, vision.
B) It is led by a professional vanguard of elite leaders dedicated to achieving the vision, (b.i) who are capable of intellectually formulating that vision into ideological form, (b.ii) who know how to organize the masses in both the largest and most effective ways necessary to achieve the vision, and (b.iii) who themselves wholly personify the vision of the movement in their own personal character and lifestyle; i.e., the leader is the movement.
C) It has a clearly and systematically formulated ideology that encompasses the totality of political concern, including a comprehensive and defensible internal ideological structure, the minutia of economics, a philosophy of governance, social relations, geopolitical formulations, etc.
D) It has the ability to both formulate constructive alliances with like-motivated movements/organizations, and has a keen understanding of all aspects of the opposing forces.
E) Most importantly of all: a revolutionary has the resolute will to win.
As we look at the last 135 or so years of modern Hinduism, we see that Hindu forms of political expression have progressed roughly and sequentially, though certainly with significant overlaps, through the above three stages of Utopian, Reactionary, and Revolutionary.
“We Are One” – Utopian Stage (1875-1925)
Beginning in the Colonial era, and continuing down to today, such historical trends as the 19th century neo-Hindu movements and Radical Universalism, as well as such historic figures as Swami Vivekananda, Gandhi, and many of the earlier gurus who came to the West, clearly represented an early Utopian stage of Hindu political expression. The concerns of such Hindu Utopians included such unrealistic liberal Western notions as radical egalitarianism, universalism, evolutionary and historico-progressive world-views, temporal-centrism,[7] and such emotionally-driven eschatological visions as the future establishment of a pan-ecumenical world political order – what today would be more accurately termed the New World Order. Such intellectually puerile sentiments, however, did not (and could not) lead to the type of strong Vedic restoration movement necessary to revive Dharma globally.
Such a Vedic restoration is necessarily radically traditionalist in nature, and is thoroughly opposed to all the key corrosive elements that have rendered modernity non-viable. The German intellectual Edgar Julius Jung (1894-1934) presciently describes a similar vision of such a restoration in the following way.
“Restoration of all those elementary laws and values without which man loses his ties with nature and God and without which he is incapable of building up a true order. In the place of equality there will be inherent standards, in the place of social consciousness a just integration into the hierarchical society, in the place of mechanical election an organic elite, in the place of bureaucratic leveling the inner responsibility of genuine self-government, in the place of mass prosperity the rights of a proud people.”[8]
For Sanatana Dharma to both survive and thrive in the coming decades and centuries, a thorough Vedic Restoration along the lines of Jung’s words above must be brought about – a reaffirmation of Sanatana Dharma’s most ancient and orthodox cultural and spiritual expression in direct contradistinction to the values of both Western materialist modernity and shortsighted Indian nationalism (i.e., “Hindu” Nationalism).
Most of the formulators and present-day thinkers of the “Hindu Nationalist” movement represent, to one degree or another, a rather sharp historical and conceptual disconnect from the traditional Sanatana Dharma that had been taught by the Vedic Acharyas and that had been practiced by the common Hindu people for thousands of years. After 1000 years of genocidal battering on the part of Islamic invaders, modern Hinduism was definitely not at the height of its intellectual, cultural, spiritual and political/military glory by the time the British arrived on the scene. By the time the British had saved Vedic culture from extinction, a radically traditional Sanatana Dharma, in its unapologetic, pristine, and consciously Vedic-centric form, needed desperately to be reconstructed by her intellectuals and spiritual leaders. Unfortunately, a serious process of tradition-oriented reconstruction was not seriously attempted at that time.
Instead of seeing the dire problems with Hinduism that were present by the 18th and 19th centuries as something that needed to be addressed and cured from within the confines of Sanatana Dharma, the neo-Hindus instead turned to external, non-Vedic, sources for their guiding inspiration. As a result, rather than attempting a true reconstruction of authentic Sanatana Dharma, which would have made Sanatana Dharma strong and pure once again, they instead attempted an unnecessary “reform” of Sanatana Dharma along the lines of Christian norms and ideals.
Thus we saw the Christian-inspired, neo-Hindu obsessions with eliminating “caste”, eliminating sati, eliminating murti worship, Christian style monotheism, “social reform” at the expense of intellectual/spiritual development, Hegelian historicism, and Radical Universalism. Attendant upon these superfluous “reforms”, we now witness the sad legacy of a Hindu world confused about what it believes, about what even constitutes a “Hindu”, about its future, as well as Hindu children who are not interested in Hinduism, and a Hindu community of almost one billion people many of whom suffer from inferiority complexes and the psychological scars of a people disconnected from their true spiritual heritage. What Sanatana Dharma really needed was never “reform” along these neo-Hindu lines, but rather a positive tradition-based reconstruction of its eternal ideals. “Hinduism” needed to re-embrace its true essence as Sanatana Dharma – the Eternal Natural Way.
What Sanatana Dharma needed – and still needs! – were two interdependent developments.
A) A reclamation of Vedic-based, traditional Sanatana Dharma, with a highly orthodox, Vedic-centric understanding of the unitive and integral Vedic culture that had sustained Sanatana Dharma for 5000 years. It needed a purely Vedic understanding of pramana (valid means of knowledge and derivation of authority), of the nature of Dharma (in the strictest of philosophical senses, not just the popular sense), of what constitutes Vaidika (Vedic) vs. Avaidika (non-Vedic), etc.
B) Once the pure Tradition of Sanatana Dharma was reconstructed, the next organic development needed to be a strictly Vedic-based strategy for both juxtaposing, but also actively interfacing, traditional Sanatana Dharma with the modern world.
The latter project of fostering dialogue between Sanatana Dharma and modernity needed to be done, not by falsely denying the differences between the two (as almost all of the 19th century proto-Hindutva figures attempted via Radical Universalism), but in the same manner that every other ancient culture had met the challenge of modernity: recognition of most modern religions/ideologies as purva-pakshas – opposing ideological constructs; friendly and open debate with these purva-pakshas; unapologetic assurance in the exceptional status of Sanatana Dharma, and a concomitant refusal to concede to the forced imposition of an inferior status.
Unfortunately, because the unneeded distraction of “Hindu reform” became the more easily accomplished dominant paradigm of the hour, to this very day the real project of Vedic reconstruction outlined above has barely gotten off the ground. It is now time to begin the process.
Many of the “Hindu reformers” were well-motivated and sincere persons who truly felt that they were acting in the interests of Sanatana Dharma. Many of Ramakrishna’s words are very inspiring and wise. Swami Vivekananda was a truly courageous and talented leader who the Hindu people can and should take immense pride in. More, many of these personalities did accomplish some good in providing at least some modicum of a vehicle for interfacing Sanatana Dharma and modernity, however self-destructive this particular vehicle has ending up being in the long-run. In formulating a Christian-inspired paradigm for Vedic survival with only short-term successes in mind, however, they did not have the long-term implications of their syncretism in mind.
“We Are Different” – Reactionary Stage (1925-1945)
Beginning roughly in the Interwar period (the 1920s and 1930s), we then see the formulation of a strictly Reactionary form of Hindu politics with the emergence of Savarkar, Savitri Devi (the European Pagan writer Maximiani Portas, 1905-1982),[9] the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, etc. The uniformed paramilitary formations, martial aesthetic, stress on character development, egalitarian ethos combined with a rigid hierarchical structure, and much of the generic patriotic rhetoric of the RSS was directly appropriated from the newly immerging, parallel nationalist movements that were sweeping the European continent during the 1920s.
Unlike their much more successful European counterparts, however, this new reactionary Hindu movement had very few innovative ideas, did not know how to successfully engage in politics either electorally (not till the 1980s at the earliest) or in terms of mass mobilization (other than borrowing heavily from the paramilitary structure earlier developed by their much more successful counterparts in the various nationalist organizations of contemporary Europe), were wholly disconnected from the traditionalist and orthodox Vedic understanding and practice of the Yoga tradition, had no clear understanding of Dharmic political theory, and most importantly, did not know how to construct an elite political vanguard capable of leading the people by their own spiritual example.
The RSS and Sangh Pariwar defined itself, both historically and to this very day, exclusively in negative juxtaposition to what they were not: they were not Muslims; they were not Christians; they were not Marxists; thus, if only by necessary default, they were “Hindus”. However, to this very day, the RSS has found itself incapable of defining in positive identitarian terms what it actually means to be a Hindu in the spiritual sense of this term. Savarkar’s blind imitation of then-fashionable European racialist theory in the formulation of his interpretation of “Hindutva”, or “Hinduness”, as designating a specifically racial group was doomed to failure from the outset. For Savarkar and all those who followed in his footsteps, being Hindu meant being Indian; being Indian meant being Hindu. Thus, Hinduism for the Hindu Nationalists was merely another term for the Indian race![10] Being a politician, and not a Vedic philosopher, Savarkar did not understand that Sanatana Dharma does not equate to the Indian race. Sanatana Dharma is a world-view and spiritual tradition. It is the sacred heritage, not merely of those people who happen to possess an Indian passport, but of the entirety of the Indo-European peoples.
To this day, rather than facilitating the radical, systemic change necessary to bring about a new Dharma civilization (which is clearly not at all the aim of these Hindutva movements, and never has been), the Reactionary tendency in pro-Hindu politics has shown itself to be an un-visionary, anti-intellectual, philosophically impotent and currently irrelevant political force. It finds itself dedicated more to a rather light version of Indian Nationalist conservatism than Vedic nation building.
The deepest extent of their political program essentially consists of a return to an era more within the comfort zone of the octogenarian men who lead this reactionary movement – possibly a return to India circa 1855 for Savarkar and Hedgewar, or an India circa 1955 for an Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani. A Dharma Nation will never be achieved by the feckless Reactionaries, if only because such a goal is not even within the scope of their actual aims or intellectual understanding.
Sadly, the vast bulk of so-called “Hindu activism” that takes place today still falls under the category of Reactionary, and is more a reflection of amorphous Indian Nationalism, and general pride of place and ethnicity than any serious attempt to reorder society (either Indian, American, or global) in such a manner as to reflect Dharmic principles instantiated in concrete political form.
Many of the attempts at polemical and ideological writing that we have seen arising from “Hindu Nationalists” make it all too apparent that they are not yet politically mature enough to either vie for power or to govern a working nation-state. When, and only when, it comes to the point that self-described “Hindu Nationalists” develop the philosophical maturity to engage in the nuanced ideological struggle necessary to win power, and only when they learn how to develop temporary and practical alliances with others while also keeping the greater goal of political power in mind, will they be ready to govern the current nation-state of India. Only then will “India” become Vedic Bharat once again! Contemporary “Hindu Nationalism” needs to move away from the fantasy-rhetoric level that they have wallowed in for so many decades, and begin the hard work of engaging in real politics in the real world.
“We are Vedic!” – Transforming the RSS into a Revolutionary Movement
Without doubt, the current attempt at Vedic restoration is seen as almost being synonymous with the vision, leadership, organizational structures and ideological pronouncements of the RSS movement. With approximately six million dedicated activists, the RSS is officially the largest volunteer organization on the Earth today. Unfortunately, the RSS has served as a sadly flawed and ideologically challenged vehicle for Vedic restoration. The RSS will need to address the following problems if it is going to transform itself from a Reactionary movement to a Revolutionary one:
A) Distinguishing between Indian Nationalism versus Vedic Restorationism. Many difficulties arise when these two separate concerns become indistinguishable, as they very clearly have in the minds of almost all “Hindu Nationalists”. Indian Nationalism is an ethnicity/national/racial movement. Vedic Restoration, on the other hand, is a religious/cultural/philosophical one. The RSS has, in my opinion, been more of an Indian Nationalist movement than a Vedic Restorationist movement. More, this is the primary reason why the BJP so badly lost the Indian national election of 2004 – because they tried to appeal to Muslims, Christians, pseudo-secularists, and other non-Hindu Indians merely as patriotic Indians, rather than appealing exclusively to the majority community as follower of Sanatana Dharma[11]. The RSS’s main concern has become Indian Nationalism rather than Sanatana Dharma…and this has only set the movement back.
B) Within the current day Vedic Restorationist movement, we must clarify the difference between Hindu Revival (a political/social/cultural phenomenon), which the RSS is predominantly engaged in, versus Vedic Reconstruction, (an intellectual/academic/philosophical/spiritual matrix of projects), which is precisely what such individuals as David Frawley, Swami Dayananda Sarasvati, Shrikant Talageri, Subhash Kak and myself, as well as other, more traditionalist, Vedic thinkers are engaged in. Both are projects of seemingly rival significance, and the different natures, goals and methods of these two separate projects need to be understood.
C) Within the parallel projects of Hindu Revival and Vedic Reconstruction, we need to distinguish between a Neo-Hindu versus a Traditionalist world-view, which has been addressed to a much greater extent in the book Radical Universalism: Are All Religions the Same?, by Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya.
The RSS is currently a neo-Hindu, revivalist, Indian Nationalist movement. What it needs to become is a Traditionalist Vedic Reconstructionist movement. Like some of the 19th century neo-Hindus of the past, the RSS has done much good for the Indian nation-state historically. The RSS has been on the front-lines of defending Hindu India from foreign aggression, both military and missionary.[12] The sacrifices of countless individual RSS members are too numerous to mention. Today, however, both India and Sanatana Dharma need radically more. The RSS needs to change quite radically if it is going to maintain itself as an effective organization in the future.
The following is a ten point program that Hindu Nationalists should implement if they truly wish to transform their nation of India for the better.
1) Annihilate the immediate existential threat from the Communist terrorists, Islamic Jihadists and Christian missionaries who have enslaved your country.
2) Stop graduating countless engineers, “IT professionals” and medical personnel, and instead begin to once again encourage your children to become philosophers, sadhus (sages), artists, thinkers, warriors and leaders.
3) Revive the Kshatriya warrior spirit of your ancestors and no longer revel in weakness in the name of ahimsa.
4) Re-Aryanize, re-Vedicize and re-spiritualize the entirety of your present-day culture.
5) Eliminate the Dalit problem once and for all by allowing those many individuals who are eligible among this community to enter the varna system in accordance with their inherent individual psycho-physical nature. If a Dalit behaves like a brahmana, then he is a brahmana. Period!
6) Learn to interact with modernity in a successful manner. That means, without excuses, rededicating yourselves to excellence and perfection in everything you do and communicate.
7) Build your own economy instead of depending upon the West for economic success via immigration and outsourcing of jobs. To do this, you will need to completely exorcise your economy of even the slightest taint of socialism and collectivism. Once and for all – Socialism simply does not work!
8) Start to carry yourselves with courage and pride in your Vedic heritage, rather than viewing this heritage as an embarrassing burden from the past. If you do not reclaim your immense Vedic heritage, someone else will reclaim it from you.
9) Make spoken Sanskrit the sole recognized language of your nation.
10) To successfully achieve all of the above, stop reaching for any and all excuses for why you have not yet been able to achieve these goals. Victory belongs only to those who reject excuses. Then, and only then, will Bharat regain the respect of the world.
Dharma Nationalism: A New Revolutionary Approach
The new stage that Hindu activism needs to take is undoubtedly the Revolutionary approach. It is clear that Indian Hindus now need to enter the Post-RSS phase of Hindu activism. As a starting point, 21st century Hindu activism needs to make a sharp break from its more paranoid and pessimistic past, and begin to start thinking in much more realistic, concrete, strategic and winning terms.
The enemies of Dharma have had the gift of being able to think and strategize on a long-term basis. Their end goal has always been the end of Dharmic civilization and the creation of their own dystopic vision of reality ranging centuries into the future! Contemporary Hindu activism, on the other hand, has only seemed able to operate reactively, only thinking about some immediate injustices that have just occurred in the news today – and even then only rarely reacting effectively, if at all. The contemporary Indian Hindu activist movement needs to stop looking for excuses, and beat the enemy at their own game.
A truly Revolutionary Dharma activist movement has not existed on the world scene until 2012. The seeds of its birth have now come to fruition in the form of the Dharma Nationalist movement.
Indeed, the Indian nationalist fueled “Hindu” activism of the past will now quickly take a back seat to the spiritually fueled Dharma Nationalist activism of the future. Unlike parochial “Hindu Nationalism”, Dharma Nationalist activism is, indeed, comprehensively total in its application. It is based primarily upon spiritual/philosophical concern, and only secondarily on ethnic/national concern. It is motivated by the spiritual insight and compassion gifted to us by the eternal Truth of Sanatana Dharma, and not merely on an empty pride residing in the relative and temporal, ever-changing geographical boundaries of the nation-state of India. It fosters a true selfless action akin with that of the rishis, and not merely a series of political calculations based upon the personal need for power and aggrandizement.
More crucial than any other juxtaposing comparison to the failed Hindu activist endeavors of the past: Dharma Nationalism presents a clear, realistic, and achievable strategic diagram revealing exactly how society should be best structured in order to ensure the maximal amount of happiness and prosperity, to the fullest degree of qualitative and spiritual depth, for the greatest number of living beings. This fact will be abundantly evident upon an attentive reading of The Dharma Manifesto.
[1] Tentatively translated as “Hinduness”.
[2] Born as Margaret Elizabeth Noble, an Irish social worker who abandoned Christianity and became a follower of Sanatana Dharma.
[3] The second leader of the Theosophical Society after Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891).
[4] “Indian People’s Party”.
[5] Reactionaries do not look to ancient or Classical antecedents for guidance for the present, but tend to only look back a few generations at most.
[6] See Guillaume Faye’s Archeofuturism: European Visions of the Post-Catastrophic Age for more on this innovative concept.
[7] My term for the deceivingly comforting psychological phenomenon exhibited by any given generation that convinces them that the particular era in which they find themselves represents the most important and advanced era in history. A much more healthy approach in reconciling one’s subjective perception with the particular times in which one finds oneself was nicely stated by the German philosopher Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) in the following manner: “Live with your century, but do not be its creature.” (On the Aesthetic Education of Man)
[8] Edgar J. Jung, Deutsche uber Deutschland (Munich, 1932), p. 380.
[9] Savitri Devi and Savarkar were in agreement on several basic issues of Hindu Nationalism. Babarao G.D. Savarkar, brother of V.D. Savarkar, even wrote the Forward to Savitri Devi’s book “A Warning to the Hindus“.
[10] “India is dear to us because it has been and is the home of our Hindu Race, the land which has been the cradle of our prophets, and heroes and Gods and godmen …. The real meaning of Swarajya then, is not merely the geographical independence of the bit of earth called India. To the Hindus independence of Hindusthan can only be worth having if that ensures their Hindutva – their religious, racial and cultural identity.” (Vinayak Damodar Savarkar Hindu Rashtra Darshan, vol. 4, pp. 218-9)
[11] Approximately 83% of the Indian population are followers of Sanatana Dharma – a clear majority.
[12] Balraj Madhok, the president of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh party in the late 1960s, is a living example of the patriotic fervour of Hindu Nationalism. He wrote the following in 1970: “Western countries also have been exerting to exploit India’s illiteracy and poverty by using their economic aid measures, their cheap and provocative literature, and, above all, their missionaries as instruments for a campaign of mass conversion. We want to warn these foreign powers not to indulge in activities that violate India’s sovereignty and independence and demand that the Government of India take stern measures to curb them.” (Indianisation? What, Why and How. New Delhi: S. Chand, 1970, p. 103)
This article is from chapter 2 of the groundbreaking new political work “The Dharma Manifesto”, by Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya.
The Dharma Manifesto serves as the first ever systematic revolutionary blueprint for the nascent global Vedic movement that will, in the very near future, arise to change the course of world history for the betterment of all living beings. The Dharma Manifesto signals the beginning of a wholly new era in humanity’s eternal yearning for meaningful freedom and happiness.
Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya has been acknowledged by many Hindu leaders throughout the world to be one of the most revolutionary and visionary Vedic spiritual masters on the Earth today.
With a forty year history of intensely practicing the spiritual disciplines of Yoga, and with a Ph.D. in Religious Studies, Sri Acharyaji is one of the most eminently qualified authorities on Vedic philosophy, culture and spirituality. He is the Director of the Center for the Study of Dharma and Civilization.
His most historically groundbreaking politico-philosophical work, “The Dharma Manifesto”, is now offered to the world at a time when its people are most desperately crying out for fundamental change.
Leave a comment | tags: hindu, hindutva, india, sanatana dharma, savarkar, sri dharma pravartaka acharya, the dharma manifesto, vedic | posted in Articles
Principles of Dharmic Governance – Video
Acharya – Dharma, Natural Law: A Remedy to the Spiritual Crisis in the West?
Interview with a Vedic Guru
Declare Social Media a Public Utility
2016 – A Pivotal Year
Alex Jones & Acharya
About Sanatana Dharma
DharmaCentral.com
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therefore, any such analysis is rather conventional. Nevertheless, these dynamics may indirectly indicate not only growing expansion of Russian companies abroad, but also the trend towards repatriation of previously exported capitals, which became noticeable in the 2000s. From the point of view of international expansion, This analysis, basing on the materials presented by the KPMG corporate finance department for mergers and takeovers (see “Analiz obschei situatsii na mirovom rynke sliyaniy i pogloscheniy,” 2004), was supplemented and adjusted by the author’s calculations in accordance with the data presented by Dealogic.
the bulk of Russian investment was traditionally directed to CIS member countries and countries of Central and East Europe (42 per cent and 21 per cent, respectively, of the total amount of external investment registered in 2002).
Completed transactions involving mergers and takeovers registered in Russia in 1999 through 2003* 1999 2000 2001 2002 Amoun Num- Amoun Num- Amoun Num- Amoun Num- Amoun Numt, US $ ber of t, US $ ber of t, US $ ber of t, US $ ber of t, US $ ber of mil. transac- mil. transac- mil. transac- mil. transac- mil. transactions tions tions tions tions Mergers and take- 1203,8 75 508,3 134 1899,3 199 2578,9 217 6668 overs in Russia Russian companies 167,2 33 2111,9 60 1318,6 43 1825,8 41 2455 taken over by foreign companies Foreign companies 6,9 11 105,7 17 463,6 25 504,4 33 975 taken over by Russian companies Total mergers and 1377,9 119 2725,9 211 3681,5 267 4909,1 291 10098 takeovers * Transactions completed by December 2, 2003, with the exception of privatization deals. As concerns 2003 – without the TNK – BP and YUKOS – Sibneft transactions. Taking into account the BP – TNK deal, the amount of transactions in 2003 should be adjusted by US $ 7.7 billion (or the amount of cash – US $ 2.6 billion). This methodology is the most proper and comprehensive as concerns the assessment of the dynamics on the market of mergers and takeovers. Other studies do not exclude privatization transactions and equity swaps in the course of evaluation of the amounts of the market (Thomson Financial). According to evaluations published by Ernst&Young (only cash money, including the TNK – BP and YUKOS – Sibneft transactions), the amount of deals made US $ billion in year 2000, US $ 5 billion in 2001, US $ 9 billion in 2002, US $ 12 billion in 2003 (first 9 months). After the exclusion of US $ 3 billion (the “contribution” of the canceled YUKOS – Sibneft transaction), the results registered in 2003 coincide with the data presented by Dealogic, although in preceding years the differences in evaluations were significant.
Source: Dealogic 2002-2003; KPMG As concerns the sectoral structure, the share of transactions involving enterprises engaged in extraction of oil, natural gas, and other mineral resources made 63 per cent of the total amount of merger and takeover transactions in 2003, although the world significance of the extracting sector is less than 5 per cent (see Table 2). Nevertheless, in absolute terms the amounts of transactions increased by 40 per cent as concerns the industrial production and by over 100 per cent in the sectors of telecommunications, transport, and public utilities. In Russia, the sectors of finances and insurance, real estate, chemistry and pharmaceuticals, which are highly developed on the world scale, retain a low attractiveness for investors. The share of merger and takeover transactions in these sectors in Russia makes about 3 per cent, while in the world at large this share constitutes about 42 per cent of the total amount of such deals. According to the RF Ministry of Antimonopoly Policy, in 2003 the most intensive activity was also observed in the block of industries related to the fuel and energy complex, transport, communications, and housing and public utilities, as well as on traditionally attractive markets of oil, oil products, and coal.
In 2003, the most noticeable transactions were the merger of assets owned by the TNK and BP, and the transaction between the Interros group and OMZ, as well as attempt of the Alpha group to establish its control over the Megaphone company. The merger (friendly takeover) of Sibneft and YUKOS announced to take place in 2003, could have been the largest deal in the history of the Russia’s economy, however the financial and economic analysis of a cancelled is not feasible. In February of 2004, the signing of the cancellation protocol, it seems, brought to the end the period of uncertainty as concerns the relations between the largest shareholders of these two companies. For the future, it may be of practical importance to analyze the “divorce” techniques applied to the in fact completed takeover.
As Table 3 demonstrates, in quantitative terms horizontal transaction continued to dominated in 2003. On the contrary, conglomerate mergers and takeovers made about 10 per cent to 15 per cent in the aggregate amount of respective deals and about 20 per cent to 25 per cent in the total number of transactions. Nevertheless, according to the data presented by the RF Ministry of Antimonopoly Policy, in the beginning of on the commodity markets on the largest scale occurred processes of creation of ramified structures and vertical integration, including the formation of large vertically integrated companies striving for control over enterprises ensuring the whole cycle of production, as well as the consequent sale of the products. These processes determine the growth in the aggregate economic concentration.
Sectoral structure of transactions involving mergers and takeovers registered in 1999 through 2003, %* Sectors Russia World 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Extracting sector 53 4 49 25 63 Industrial production 1 55 6 34 14 Telecommunications 2 14 9 7 11 Transport 0 0 4 1 4 Public utilities 27 1 0 3 2 Food and light industries, wood working 4 15 2 10 2 Finances and insurance 0 0 2 4 2 Chemistry and pharmaceutical industry 4 5 20 1 1 Mass media and program products 0 2 0 14 0 Other 9 5 8 1 2 TOTAL 100 100 100 100 100 * Transactions completed by December 2, 2003, without privatization deals. As concerns the data for 2003, there was excluded the YUKOS – Sibneft transaction.
Source: Dealogic 2002-2003; KPMG Table 3.
Mergers and takeovers as broken down by type in January through September of 2003, % Conglomerate Vertical Horizontal Share in the total 10-15 20-25 65-amount of transactions, without the oil sector Share in the total num- 20-25 25-30 50-ber of transactions Source: M&A Appraisal As concerns the assessment of the quantitative dynamics of mergers and takeovers in the environment existing in modern Russia notwithstanding the stages of economic growth, the most important factors to be taken into account remain such as post-privatization redistribution of property and expansion of large groups.
Nevertheless, the latter factor became less significant. The “contribution” of the largest groups in the intensification of processes of mergers and takeovers taking place in Russia in 2003 became more important not only due to the intensification of reorganization processes in the groups and enhancement of their expansion abroad. The major factor behind these developments is the more active behavior of economic agents of the second echelon, large and medium sized companies disposing of sufficient resources to expand their businesses at the expense of taking over smaller companies.
The general trends in the dynamics of mergers and takeovers are confirmed by the data on the dynamics of applications submitted to the RF Ministry of Antimonopoly Policy (see Table 4). In the last few years, there was observed a growth in the aggregate number of applications submitted in compliance with articles 17 and 18 of the RSFSR law No. 948-1 of March 22, 1991, “On competition and restriction of monopolistic activity on commodity markets.” It should be noted that the majority of applications are submitted in relation to article 18.
In 2002, the number of notifications submitted in accordance to article 18 (9461) was comparable with the number of applications relating to the same article (10198). At the same time, according to the data presented by the RF Ministry of Antimonopoly Policy, about half of transactions (in accordance with article 18) conducted in 2002 through 2003 were related to purchase of shares in the authorized capitals of economic agents operating on different commodity markets and therefore not competing with each other. Therefore, article is “tuned” to the excessive rigidity as concerns the necessity to comply with permission procedures. As a result, a considerable part of economic agents attempts to avoid the approval procedures required by articles 17 and 18 – the number of violations found out by the RF Ministry of Antimonopoly Policy made 4000 in 2000 and more than 5 thousand in 2001 (their actual number is much more considerable), and it should be noted that the increment in the number of violations of exactly these articles of the law “On competition…” was most significant15. At the same time, the problem of “bureaucratization of violations” (as defined by I.
Yuzhakov, the former MAP Minister, in the course of a press conference held on December 25, 2003), in the realm of antimonopoly legislation, i.e. the growing involvement of officials in anti-competition arrangements, is of equal importance.
Dynamics of the number of examined notifications and applications submitted in accordance with the stipulations of articles 17 and 18 of the law “On competition…” * Number of notifications and applications Specific weight in the number of applications submitted in accordance with articles 17 and 18, % Article 17 Article 18 Article 17 Article 1998 2485 4417 36,0 64,1999 2936 7315 28,6 71,2000 3882 12092 24,3 75,2001 4827 16165 23,0 77,2002 4371 19659 18,2 81,* The RSFSR law No. 948-1 of March 22, 1991, “On competition and restriction of monopolistic activity on commodity markets” established state control over the creation, reorganization, and liquidation of commercial organizations and associations thereof (article 17) and over the compliance with antimonopoly legislation in the course of purchase of shares in the authorized capital of commercial organizations (article 18).
Source: the data presented by the RF Ministry of Antimonopoly Policy In the case there is analyzed only the structure of applications (without notifications), the major trends retain their importance (see Table 5). In 2002 through 2003, in the structure of applications examined by the RF Ministry of Antimonopoly Policy more than 70 per cent constitute applications for purchase of shares (article 18), while the share of applications relating to mergers and affiliation does not exceed 5 per cent. It apparently does not mean that the data collected by the RF Ministry of Antimonopoly Policy contradict to the statistics of mergers and takeovers in Russia presented above. On the contrary, the MAP statistics, although not permitting to single out takeovers (this term is lacking in the Russian legislation), indicate growing scale of this process, especially taking into account the large amounts of respective blocks of shares (over 20 per cent).
Structure of applications examined by the RF Ministry of Antimonopoly Policy in 2002 through Types of applications 2002 Number Share, % Number Share, % Purchase of shares 7813 71,1 8880 71,Procurement of fixed means of 1901 17,3 2144 17,production or intangible assets Mergers and affiliations of com- 500 4,6 539 4,mercial organizations Other 763 7 951 7,Total 10 977 100 12 514 Source: the data presented by the RF Ministry of Antimonopoly Policy, authors’ calculations The problem is that the term “reorganization” defined in the RF Civil Code (article 57) relates only to the legal aspects of enterprises’ operations as concerns the regulation of possible intermediate transformations of legal entities between their creation and liquidation (although with respect to substantive aspects it includes the latter, since reorganization is also a way of both termination and creation of new legal entities). At the same time, the typical Russian practice is to register transactions, which in fact are mergers (affiliations), in accordance with the requirements pertaining not to “reorganization,” but to purchase of shares and assets.
Simachev Yu. O sovershenstvovanii antimonopolnogo regulirovaniya primenitelno k integratsionnym protsessam v promyshlennosti. Mimeo, 2003.
This situation results from, first, the wish of contracting parties to circumvent the procedures applicable to reorganization (the reorganization agreement, procedure of conversion, transfer deed, calling of the general meeting of shareholders, approval on the part of the RF Ministry of Antimonopoly Policy, etc.), and, second, to deprive the creditors of the right to request the fulfillment of obligations ahead of the schedule16. The latter norm seems to be excessive, however the fact that it is retained in the legislation is an important incentive to look for possible bypasses.
Yet another objective motive is to preserve the former company in the case it has the stock, credit, and “report” (especially answering international standards) history in the cases the merger requires to create a new company. As Table 5 demonstrates, the number of application for purchase of shares and assets almost 20 times exceeds the number of applications for merger and affiliation. It should be also noted that applications for reorganization (merger, affiliation, etc.) are most often submitted in the cases of enlargement of SUEs in the framework of the reform of this sector implemented over the few last years.
In 2003, there emerged a number of optimistic evaluations of the existing procedures governing mergers and takeovers, according to which “managers more and more often review the idea of merger with other enterprises as a type of business restructuring, a tool from the arsenal of instruments permitting to achieve the qualitative improvement of the business structure and a way to attract investment.”17 From our point of view, the realities are yet very far from such assessments. Although positive shifts take place, they are rather unique.
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Pickens (Talk | contribs)
(→April 30, 2018: Marathon Buys Andeavor in Biggest Oil Refining Deal in History Passing Phillip 66 as Largest Independent Oil Refiner)
(→April 21, 2018: Phillips 66 Working to Provide Fuel for Lubbock, Amarillo After Maintenance Issue at Borger Refinery)
The combination, which will use the name Marathon, would overtake Valero Energy Corp. as the biggest in U.S.-based oil refiner by capacity, generating about 16 percent of the nation’s total, according to Bloomberg calculations. The combined company would pass Phillips 66, valued at $51.9 billion, as the largest U.S. independent refiner by market capitalization. The combined entity expects to be well-positioned to capitalize from upcoming regulations to reduce pollution from ships. Andeavor’s port assets in California, coupled with Marathon’s in the U.S. Gulf Coast, will give the combined company the ability to sell lower-sulfur ship fuel.<ref>[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-30/marathon-to-buy-andeavor-in-23-3-billion-u-s-oil-refining-deal Bloomberg. "Marathon Petroleum to Buy Andeavor in Biggest Oil Refining Deal" by Laura Blewitt. April 30, 2018.]</ref>
===April 25, 2018: Gas Leak at Phillips 66 Borger Refinery===
The Borger News-Herald reported on April 25, 2018 that people in the downwind area around Borgermay notice a pungent or irritating smell from the Phillips 66 Refinery but that there is no cause for concern with the public. "The smell alone is not a cause for concern," says an official source. "If anything rises to a level to become an issue to the public, we will post updates. During these types of incidents it is not uncommon for rumors and speculation to begin. This will be the official source for information regarding this situation. Please monitor our page for any updates."<ref>[http://www.borgernewsherald.com/content/phillips-66-gas-leak Borger News-Herald. "Phillips 66 Gas Leak" April 25, 2018.]</ref>
===April 21, 2018: Phillips 66 Working to Provide Fuel for Lubbock, Amarillo After Maintenance Issue at Borger Refinery===
Conoco and Phillips 66 announced on November 18, 2001 that their boards of directors had unanimously approved a definitive agreement for a "merger of equals". The merged company, ConocoPhillips, became the third-largest integrated U.S. energy company based on market capitalization and oil and gas reserves and production. On November 11, 2011 ConocoPhillips announced that Phillips 66 would be the name of a new independent oil and gasoline refining and marketing firm, created as ConocoPhillips split into two companies. ConocoPhillips kept the current name of the company and concentrated on oil exploration and production side while Phillips 66 included refining, marketing, midstream, and chemical portions of the company. Photo: Hugh Pickens all rights reserved.
by Hugh Pickens, Ponca City Oklahoma
The purpose of this report is to provide a comprehensive overview of Phillips 66 that documents and explains the company's business strategy and execution of that strategy.
Major Sections of this report on Phillips 66 include:
Safety, Environment, Legal
Safety and Environment - Deaths and Injuries
Litigation and Legal Issues with Phillips 66
Labor Relations and Human Resources
Media Relations and Public Relations
Philanthropic and Community Benefits
Creation of Phillips 66
Governance of Phillips 66
CEO Greg Garland - Jim Mulva
Phillips 66 Board of Directors
Strategic and Financial
Strategic Vision for Phillips 66
Phillips 66 Capital Programs
Phillips' Divestiture of Non-Core Assets
Construction, Acquisitions, and Purchases
Refining Business Segment
Marketing and Special Products - Latest News
Chemical Business Segment - Latest News
Midstream Business Segment - Latest News
The Stock Market and Investor Relations
Phillips 66 Stock Performance
Phillips 66 Dividends and Stock Repurchases
Stockholder's Meetings
Phillips 66 Earnings Conferences
Phillips 66 Investor Conferences
What Financial Analysts Say About Phillips 66
Master Index of Phillips 66 Articles
Phillips 66 Worldwide Refineries
Increasing Profitability in Refining Business Segment
Process More Advantaged Crudes
Expand Export Capability
Increase Clean Product Yields
Optimize Portfolio
Detailed Look at Ponca City Refinery
Ponca City and its Century-Old Oil Legacy and History
How Much Money Does Ponca City Earn for Phillips?
Ponca City and the "Merger of Equals" in 2001
Ponca City and the Spinoff of Phillips 66 in 2012
Latest News from the Refinery in Ponca City
Phillips' Plans for the North and South Towers
Other Phillips Refineries
Alliance Refinery (AL)
Bayway Refinery (BW)
Billings Refinery (BI)
Borger Refinery (BG)
Ferndale Refinery (FN)
Humber Refinery (HU)
Lake Charles Refinery (Westlake) (LC)
Los Angeles (Wilmington) Refinery (LA)
Melaka Refinery in Malaysia (ME)
Ponca City Refinery (PC)
San Francisco Refinery (SF) Rodeo Santa Maria (Nipomo)
Sweeny Refinery (SW)
Whitegate Refinery in Ireland (WG)
Wood River Refinery (WR)
New Houston Headquarters
Houston Chemical Complex
Bartlesville Technology Hub
Port Arthur Chemical Plant
Cedar Bayou Chemical Plant (Baytown)
Sweeny Petrochemical Complex
Trainer Refinery (sold in 2012)
Phillips Refinery (Closed in 1986)
1 Master Index of Articles about Phillips 66
2 Introduction and Purpose
3 Ponca City and its Century-Old Oil Refining History
3.1 1911: Marland finds Oil near Ponca City
3.2 1917: Marland Oil Founded
3.3 1918: Marland Refinery Constructed
3.4 1928: Marland Loses Control of His Company
3.5 1928 - 1947: The Dan Moran Years- "You need a tough man to survive hard times."
3.5.1 Dan Moran, Bulldog Manager
3.5.2 Moran Purges the Company of Marland's Influence
3.5.3 Moran Merges Marland Oil with Continental Creating Conoco
3.6 1947 1967: New President Leonard McCollum Transforms Conoco, Moves Company HQ From Ponca City to Houston
3.7 1950 to 1980: High Water Mark for Conoco in Ponca City
3.8 1966: Cities Service Sells Refinery to Sequoia
3.9 1978: North Tower Completed
3.10 1978: Construction Begins on Research West
3.11 1981: Dupont Acquires Conoco
3.12 1984: Conoco Modifies Air Cleaner at Ponca City Refinery to Help Produce Liquid Fertilizer
3.13 1985: Conoco Upgrades Ponca City Refinery
3.14 1985: Ponca City Refinery Fights for its Life
3.15 1990: Fire Damages Refinery Unit at Ponca City Refinery
3.16 1990: Conoco reaches Environmental Settlement with Ponca City
3.17 1993: Major Downsizing at Conoco
3.18 1996: Phillips and Conoco End Merger Talks
3.19 1996: Fire at Ponca City Refinery
3.20 1998: DuPont Divests Conoco
4 Ponca City and the "Merger of Equals" with Phillips in 2001
4.1 Other Stories About the Ponca City Refinery:
4.2 2001: The Creation of ConocoPhillips
4.3 2001: Impact of Merger of Conoco and Phillips on Oklahoma Communities
4.4 2002: Fire at Ponca City Refinery
4.5 2003: Archie Dunham Paid $25 Million Bonus for Merging Conoco with Phillips 66
4.6 2003: Worker Dies in Accident at Ponca City Refinery
4.7 2005: ConocoPhillips Closes Demonstration Plant in Ponca City Eliminating Up to 120 Jobs
4.8 2009: ConocoPhillips Moves 700 Jobs Out of Ponca City
4.8.1 Effect of ConocoPhillips' Downsizing on the Community of Ponca City
4.9 2010: Possible Sale of Ponca City Refinery
4.10 "Ponca City Still a Competitive Refinery"
5 Ponca City and the Spinoff of Phillips 66 in 2012
5.2 Implementation of the ConocoPhillips Split
5.2.1 Garland Says the Spin-off of Phillips 66 Was Executed Flawlessly
5.3 How the Spinoff Affects Ponca City and Bartlesville
5.4 Visit of Phillips 66 Leaders to Ponca City
5.5 Proposal to Rename Phillips 66's Refinery to the "Marland Refinery in Ponca City"
5.6 Archie Dunham Says That He Disagrees with the Decision to Split Off Phillips 66 from ConocoPhillips
6 News and Views from the Ponca City Refinery
6.2 Other Stories About the Ponca Refinery:
6.3 News from the Ponca City Refinery
6.4 Latest News about Phillips 66 and the Ponca Refinery
6.5 April 30, 2018: Marathon Buys Andeavor in Biggest Oil Refining Deal in History Passing Phillip 66 as Largest Independent Oil Refiner
6.6 April 25, 2018: Gas Leak at Phillips 66 Borger Refinery
6.7 April 21, 2018: Phillips 66 Working to Provide Fuel for Lubbock, Amarillo After Maintenance Issue at Borger Refinery
6.8 April 17, 2018: Towering Flareup from Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery Seen from Miles Around
6.9 April 10, 2018: Phillips 66 Funds Stem Summer Camps for 100 Bartlesville Middle School Students
6.10 April 9, 2018: Phillips 66 Borger Refinery Restarting Units after Two Month Turnaround
6.11 April 5, 2018: Phillips 66 CEO Greg Garland is 16th Highest Paid CEO in US
6.12 April 5, 2018: Protesters Block Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Construction Supply Site
6.13 April 4, 2018: Phillips 66 Could Suffer from Trump Tariffs Against China
6.14 April 4, 2018: Phillips 66 Westlake Refinery Donates $30,000 to Southwest Louisiana Alliance Foundation
6.15 March 29, 2018: Equipment on Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Vandalized
6.16 March 25, 2018: Phillips 66 Research Center Really Contributes to the Culture of Bartlesville
6.17 March 22, 2018: Chevron Phillips Underestimated the Costs of Training Construction Crews in Safety and Productivity
6.18 March 19, 2018: Environmentalists Protest Phillips 66 Permit They Say Increases Processing of Tar Sands Oil at Rodeo Refinery
6.19 March 19, 2018: Phillips 66 Proposes 94-mile Pipeline from St. James to its Alliance Refinery
6.20 March 15, 2018: Appeals Court Allows Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Construction to Proceed
6.21 March 9, 2018: As Gasoline Demand Declines, Chevron Phillips Looks to Petrochemicals
6.22 March 7, 2018: A New Generation of Activists Organize in the Shadow of Phillips 66's Wilmington Refinery
6.23 March 1, 2018: Judge Explains Why She Stopped Construction Through Atchafalaya Swamp of Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline
6.24 February 26, 2018: Lawsuits Filed Over Contractor's Death in Explosion at Phillips 66 Partners Paradis Pipeline Station
6.25 February 26, 2018: Appeals Begin to Halt Work Stoppage on Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline, Say Cost is Almost $1 M Per Day
6.26 February 23, 2018: Federal Judges Stops Construction of Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline
6.27 February 16, 2018: California Bill Would Triple Fines for Refinery Violations
6.28 February 16, 2018: Chevron and Phillips 66 May Build Second Ethane Cracker at Baytown
6.29 February 8, 2018: Opponents of Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Clear Legal Hurdle to Stop Construction
6.30 February 7, 2018: Phillips 66 Announces Quarterly Dividend
6.31 February 7, 2018: Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Rerouted Around Resistance Camp
6.32 February 6, 2018: Seventeen Tons of Highly Toxic Chemicals Escaped from Chevron Phillips' Chemical Plant in Baytown During Hurricane Harvey
6.33 February 5, 2018: Phillips 66 Benefits from $2.7 Billion Federal Tax Break from Donald Trump
6.34 January 31, 2018: Phillips 66 Community Outreach Representative Diane Anderson is Ponca City 'Citizen of the Year'
6.35 January 30, 2018: New Pipeline Will Serve Phillips 66's Santa Maria Refinery
6.36 January 25, 2018: Judge Rules Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline LLC Can Keep Land-Grab Records Secret
6.37 January 24, 2018: Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Begins Construction In Louisiana Amid Protests, Legal Challenges
6.38 January 11, 2018: Groups Sue To Stop Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline, Which Received Permit For Greater Capacity Than Publicized
6.39 January 8, 2018: Former ConocoPhillips CEO Jim Mulva Concerned About Maintaining Riverfront Views For His Proposed Mulva Cultural Center in De Pere
6.40 January 3, 2018: Winter Storm Affects Phillips 66's Wood River Refinery, Could Affect Bayway Refinery
6.41 December 28, 2017: Runaway Barge Contracted by Phillips 66 Leaves Costly Mess Near Sweeny Refinery
6.42 December 21, 2017: Chevron Phillips Completes $6 Billion Petrochemical Expansion at Cedar Bayou Complex in Baytown
6.43 December 10, 2017: 472 Plaintiffs Join Lawsuit Against Phillips 66 over Sweeny Flooding
6.44 December 8, 2017: Phillips 66 Announces 2018 Capital Program
6.45 December 6, 2017: Oil Refiners like Phillips 66 Will Be Big Winners Under Trump's Tax Reform Plan
6.46 December 6, 2017: Worker Burned by Sulphuric Acid at Phillips 66's Alliance Refinery
6.47 November 21, 2017: Phillips 66 Cuts Rates at Wood River Refinery After 210,000 Gallon Keystone Pipeline Spill
6.48 November 15, 2017: Tax Break Granted to Phillips 66 Billings Refinery
6.49 November 10, 2017: Chevron Phillips Inaugurates Two New Polyethylene (PE) Units at Old Ocean, Texas
6.50 November 6, 2017: Approval of Phillips 66 Pipeline's 60,000-gallon Butane Tank has Jenks City Councilor Concerned
6.51 November 6, 2017: A $6 Billion Windfall for Oil Refiners like Phillips 66 Has Small Hurdle: the IRS
6.52 October 31, 2017: Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery Donates $25,000 to Arroyo Grande High
6.53 October 27, 2017: Phillips 66 Reports Third-Quarter Earnings of $823 Million or $1.60 Per Share
6.54 October 27, 2017: Phillips 66 to Begin Diesel Recovery Project at Ponca Refinery in 4th Quarter
6.55 October 22, 2017: Ponca Nation and Movement Right Organizes Prayer Walk to Ponca Refinery to Protest Fracking
6.56 October 21, 2017: Ponca City Mourns the Passing of Dr. S. J. Pickens
6.56.1 The Rules of the Shields Family
6.56.2 Education
6.56.3 Life Story
6.56.4 Survivors
6.56.5 Invictus
6.56.6 Reference
6.57 October 20, 2017: Will Warren Buffett Acquire Phillips 66?
6.58 October 18, 2017: Opponents of Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Push for Study Request
6.59 October 12, 2017: Phillips 66 Retirees Sue Phillips 66 Retirement Plan Investment Committee for Failing to Provide a Wider Array of Investment Offerings in the Company's 401(K) Retirement Plan
6.60 October 10, 2017: OU Dedicates Dunham College Funded by Gift From Archie Dunham
6.61 October 8, 2017: Phillips 66's Alliance Refinery Undamaged After Hurricane Nate
6.62 October 7, 2017: Phillips 66 shuts Alliance Refinery Ahead of Hurricane Nate
6.63 October 2, 2017: Phillips 66 Oil-by-Train Plan to Santa Maria Refinery is Dead Say Environmental Groups
6.64 September 29, 2017: Homeowners Near Sweeny Refinery File Lawsuit, Say Phillips 66 and Chevron Phillips Knowingly Forced Floodwaters into their Neighborhood
6.65 September 22, 2017: Phillips 66 Unloads Stake in Controversial Dakota Access Pipeline to its MLP
6.66 September 20, 2017: Ponca Refinery Begins Biggest Turnaround Since 2011
6.67 September 20, 2017: Hurricane Harvey Delays Large Part of $6 billion Chevron Phillips Expansion at Sweeny Complex
6.68 September 20, 2017: Phillips 66 is Selling Their StorageTek Campus in Louisville Colorado
6.69 September 19, 2017: Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery Donates $30,000 grant to the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL)
6.70 September 14, 2017: Texas Homeowners Sue Phillips 66 over Flooded Homes near Sweeny Refinery
6.71 September 14, 2017: Chevron Phillips Chemical Anticipates a Delay in Startup of its New 1.5 million tonne-per-year Ethane Cracker in Cedar Bayou
6.72 September 12, 2017: Sweeny Refinery Has Restarted
6.73 September 6, 2017: Sweeny Refinery to Return to Full Production by Mid-September
6.74 September 6, 2017: 25-50 Gallons Of Oil Spilled In Leak Near Phillips 66 Rodeo Refinery
6.75 September 5, 2017: Phillips 66 Donates $4 million to Harvey Relief Efforts
6.76 September 3, 2017: Phillips 66 Assesses Damage at Sweeny Refinery After Tropical Storm Harvey
6.77 September 3, 2017: Phillips 66 Requests Jones Act Waiver to Supply Alliance Refinery
6.78 September 2, 2017: Workers Repair Levee Breach Near Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery
6.79 September 1, 2017: Phillips 66 Lake Charles Refinery Stays Open After Harvey by Tapping Into US Strategic Petroleum Reserves
6.80 August 27, 2017: Phillips 66 Shuts Down Sweeny Refinery after Tropical Storm Harvey
6.81 August 15, 2017: Hancock College Receives $25,000 donation from Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery
6.82 August 13, 2017: Frank Phillips Historic Home Saved by Bartlesville, Phillips Foundation
6.83 August 12, 2017: Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Upends Oil Transport
6.84 August 12, 2017: New Web Site Allows Citizens to Monitor Air Quality Near Phillips 66 Rodeo Refinery
6.85 August 5, 2017: Solano County Supervisor Opposes Increased Oil Tanker Traffic to Rodeo Refinery
6.86 August 2, 2017: Phillips 66 Rejects Venezuelan Crude Oil that Doesn't Meet Specs
6.87 August 1, 2017: Phillips 66 Beats Quarterly Earnings Estimates with Increased Profits from Refineries
6.88 July 27, 2017: EPA Director Scott Pruitt Visits Phillips 66 Research Facility in Bartlesville
6.89 July 27, 2017: Phillips 66 Seeks to Double Oil Tanker Traffic to Rodeo Refinery
6.90 July 22, 2017: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Says Phillips 66 Borger Refinery Leads Texas in Particulate Emissions
6.91 July 19, 2017: US Considers Sanctions Against Venezuelan Crude That Could Affect Phillips 66
6.92 July 8, 2017: Fire Fighters Contain Blaze Near Phillips 66 Rodeo Refinery
6.93 July 8, 2017: Fake News Story Says Phillips 66 Will Close Bartlesville Research Center
6.94 July 7, 2017: Phillips 66 Blames Contractor for Hydrofluoric Acid Leak at Ferndale Refinery That Sent 7 Workers to the Hospital
6.95 July 7, 2017: Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery Donates Boston Whaler to Whatcom County Fire Department
6.96 July 5, 2017: Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery Donates $25,000 to Dunes Center
6.97 July 4, 2017: Flaring Create Dark Smoke Plume over Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery
6.98 July 1, 2017: Two Oil Tanker Crashes Raise Concerns About Safety of Oil Trucks Going to Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery
6.99 June 30, 2017: Phillips 66 Donates $39,000 to Wyandotte High School to Put a Laptop in the Hands of Every Student
6.100 June 28, 2017: Firm That Provided Security on Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Did Not Have Permit to Operate in North Dakota
6.101 June 28, 2017: 330-ton Reactor Makes Journey to Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery
6.102 June 23, 2017: Opponents of Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline File Lawsuit in Louisiana
6.103 June 21 , 2017: Tickets Go on Sale for "Lydie Marland in the Afterlife" at Ponca Playhouse
6.104 June 19, 2017: James Cullin Says Moving Away from the Ponca City Refinery Improved His Health
6.105 June 16, 2017: Phillips 66 Slapped With Two "Public Nuisance" Violations for Oil Sheen Incident at Rodeo Refinery Marine Terminal that Resulted in 1,500 Odor Complaints and 120 Hospital Visits
6.106 June 15, 2017: Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery Sponsors Engineering Camp for Sixty High School Students
6.107 June 13, 2017: Phillips 66 Celebrates 100th Anniversary on June 13
6.108 June 12, 2017: Bay Area Residents Asked to Comment on Proposal to Expand Phillips 66 Rodeo Refinery Marine Terminal
6.108.1 Phillips 66 Responsible for Oil Sheens on San Pablo Bay from Rodeo Refinery Oil Terminal in October 2016
6.109 June 8, 2017: Why Phillips 66 Continues to Invest in Refinery Modernization
6.110 June 5, 2017: Chevron Phillips Announces Expansion at Cedar Bayou Plant
6.111 June 2, 2017: Strange Odor Said to Be From Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery Sends Students Home Early
6.112 June 2, 2017: Phillips 66 Awards Scholarship to Ponca City Senior
6.113 May 26, 2017: Nine Bartlesville Area Seniors Win Phillips 66 Awards Scholarships
6.114 June 2, 2017: Phillip 66 Sweeny Refinery Reports Power Blip
6.115 May 31, 2017: San Francisco Pollution Board Moves Closer to Capping Greenhouse Gas Emissions at Phillips 66 and Other Refineries
6.116 May 28, 2017: Fugitive Causes $1 million in Damage to Phillips 66 Borger Refinery During High Speed Car Chase
6.117 May 27, 2017: Military-Style Tactics Used Against Protesters of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.118 May 26, 2017: Phillips 66 Gets Go-Ahead to Sue San Luis Obispo County Supervisors Over Santa Maria Refinery Oil Train Terminal
6.119 May 25, 2017: Phillips 66 Pays New Jersey $39 million Settlement Over Ground Water Contamination
6.120 May 23, 2017: Oklahoma Legislature In Turmoil over Taxing Oilmen to Fill the $878 million Budget Gap
6.121 May 17, 2017: Five Years After the Split Phillips 66 Stock Price Increased 150% While ConocoPhillips Declined
6.122 May 16, 2017: ConocoPhillips Stockholders Reject Executive Compensation Plan
6.123 May 15, 2017: Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline is Ready to go in Louisiana Despite Protests
6.124 May 12, 2017: Phillips 66 Donates $1 million to Oklahoma University Learning Space
6.125 May 10, 2017: Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Leaked 84 Gallons in April
6.126 May 9, 2017: Phillips 66 Makes Forbes List of Top 500 Employers with 5,000 or More Workers
6.127 May 9, 2017: Book Published on John Joseph Matthews, Biographer of E. W. Marland
6.128 May 9, 2017: Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery Donates $25,000 for Flood Relief Efforts
6.129 May 3, 2017: Phillips Increases Dividend to $0.70 per share
6.130 May 3, 2017: Phillips 66 Doesn't See its Future in Refineries but in Chemicals and Pipelines
6.131 May 3, 2017: Phillips 66 CEO Garland Predicts Future Mergers and Acquisitions in the Refining Industry
6.132 May 2, 2017: Five Reasons Why Phillips 66 Had a Strong Quarter
6.133 April 29, 2017: Ponca Playhouse Announces Auditions for "Lydie Marland in the Afterlife"
6.134 April 28, 2017: Phillips 66 is Pursuing High-Return Quick-Payout Projects in Refining
6.135 April 28, 2017: Phillips 66 Reports First Quarter Gain After Disappointing Year
6.136 April 28, 2017: Phillips 66 Refineries Only Ran at 84 Percent Capacity in Q1 2017
6.137 April 28, 2017: Phillips 66 Gives $30,000 to Ponca City Public Schools for Stem Education
6.138 April 27, 2017: Phillips 66 to Shut Down Billings Refinery for 56 Days in Major Turnaround
6.139 April 26, 2017: Phillips 66 Pays $61,000 Fine for Environmental Violations at Borger Refinery
6.140 April 26, 2017: Ponca Playhouse to Present "Lydie Marland in the Afterlife"
6.141 April 20, 2017: Phillips 66 Reports Sulfur Dioxide Emissions at Borger Refinery
6.142 April 17, 2017: Phillips 66 Won't Appeal Decision to Stop Oil Trains Coming to Santa Maria Refinery But the Fight is Not Over
6.143 April 13, 2017: Controversial Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline to Start Interstate Service May 14
6.144 April 13, 2017: Phillips 66 Borger Refinery to Donate $100,000 to Area Fire Departments
6.145 April 5, 2017: Small California Towns Are Facing Off Against Oil Companies Like Phillips 66 and Winning
6.146 April 5, 2017: Controversial Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Gets Approval from Louisiana Department of Natural Resources
6.147 April 5, 2017: How Trump's Border Tax Would Hit U.S. Refiners Like Phillips 66
6.148 April 4, 2017: Phillips 66 Proposes to Close Warwick Office in UK Eliminating 59 Positions
6.149 April 4, 2017: Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Is Complete
6.150 April 3, 2017: Deadline Looms for Phillips 66 to Appeal Rejection of Santa Maria Refinery Rail Project
6.151 April 2, 2017: Protests Against Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Provide Blueprint for Actions Against Other Pipelines
6.152 April 2, 2017: Work Moves Ahead at Ponca Refinery to Modernize No. 1 Crude Unit
6.153 March 31, 2017: Proposal to Limit Greenhouse Gases Could Affect Phillips 66's Rodeo Refinery
6.154 March 31, 2017: Protesters of Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Plan More Resistance
6.155 March 28, 2017: After Oil Train Rejection, Phillips 66 May Increase Number of Oil Trucks into Santa Maria Refinery
6.156 March 26, 2017: Residents near the Santa Maria Refinery Built a Successful Movement to Keep Phillips 66's Oil Trains Out of Their Town
6.157 March 24, 2017: Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery to Sponsor Union County Falcon Cam
6.158 March 22, 2017: Greg Garland's Salary Increases from $22.9 million in 2015 to $25.1 million in 2016
6.159 March 17, 2017: Phillips 66 Announces 130-mile Long Rodeo Pipeline in West Texas
6.160 March 13, 2017: San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors Chambers Packed for Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery Rail Spur Appeal Hearing
6.161 March 13, 2017: Phillips 66 Hires Carmichael Lynch to Handle Creative, Brand Strategy, Media Planning and Buying, Analytics, Digital and Cause Marketing
6.162 March 10, 2017: Thousands March in Washington DC to Protest Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.163 March 10, 2017: Judge Rules Against Phillips 66's Legal Appeal over Planning Commission’s Decision to Reject Santa Maria Refinery Rail Spur Project
6.164 March 7, 2017: Judge Rules Against Native American Tribes Seeking to Stop Phillip 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.165 March 2, 2017: Brazoria County Commissioners Approve 10-year, 100 percent Property Tax Abatement for Proposed $1.3 billion Complex at Phillips 66 Sweeny Site
6.166 February 24, 2017: Phillips 66 Billings Refinery Makes $20,000 Grant to Billings Public Library Foundation
6.167 February 23, 2017: Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline is 99 Percent Complete
6.168 February 22, 2017: Victim of Hydrofluoric Acid Leak at Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery Released from Hospital
6.169 February 17, 2017: Remains of Missing Worker Recovered After Phillip 66 Pipeline Explosion
6.170 February 17, 2017: San Jose Residents Rally To Derail Plan That Would Send Phillips 66 Oil Tankers Through Their City to Phillips' Santa Maria Refinery
6.171 February 16, 2017: Fluid Catalytic Cracker at Ponca Refinery Rumored to be Shut
6.172 February 13, 2017: Dead Phillips 66 Contractor Has Been Identified, Pipeline Fire Extinguished After Three Days
6.173 February 13, 2017: Federal Judge Rejects Request to Block Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.174 February 12, 2017: Missing Worker Believed Dead in Phillips 66 Pipeline Blast in Louisiana
6.175 February 12, 2017: One Worker Remains Hospitalized After HydroFluoric Acid Leak at Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery
6.175.1 Dangers of Hydrofluoric Acid
6.175.2 Hydrofluoric Acid Used at Ponca City Refinery
6.175.3 Hydrofluric Acid Unit Injured Three Workers at Phillips 66's Borger Refinery in 2014
6.176 February 11, 2017: Phillips 66 Pipeline Worker Still Missing As Fire Continues to Blaze in Paradis
6.177 February 11, 2017: Hydroflouric Acid Leak at Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery Injures Seven Workers
6.178 February 10, 2017: Sixty Homes Evacuated, Two Workers Taken to Hospital, One Worker Missing in Phillips 66 Pipeline Fire in Paradis Louisiana
6.179 February 9, 2017: Construction Resumes on Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline After Government Grants Final Easement
6.180 February 9. 2017: Environmental Lawsuit Against Phillips 66 Borger Refinery Benefits Students
6.181 February 8, 2017: Phillips 66 Warns of Employment Scam at Humber Refinery
6.182 February 3, 2017: Why Phillips 66 Earnings Were Such a Disappointment This Quarter
6.183 February 3, 2017: Garland Says Dakota Access Pipeline Will Start Operations in the Second Quarter
6.184 February 3, 2017: Garland Says Donald Trump's Proposed Border Tax Could Spike Fuel Costs by 40 Cents a Gallon
6.185 February 1, 2017: Phillips 66 Loses Court Battle Over Paid Leave
6.186 January 31, 2017: Trump Administration Orders Army Corps of Engineers to Issue Final Permit for Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.187 January 30, 2017: Phillips 66 Plans To Remediate Former Oil Refinery near Duncan, Oklahoma
6.188 January 28, 2017: An Unexpected Delay Emerges in Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.189 January 24, 2017: Trump Gives New Life to Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.190 January 23, 2017: White House Press Secretary Strongly Suggests Trump Will Push Through Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.191 January 23, 2017: Comment Period Extended for Construction of Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Until February 13
6.192 January 23, 2017: Phillips 66 to Buy Crude from U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve
6.193 January 20, 2017: Employees Allege Phillips 66 Violated California Labor Codes
6.194 January 18, 2017: Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline is Shaping Up to Be Another Dakota Access Pipeline
6.195 January 18, 2017: Federal Study on Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline to Move Forward
6.196 January 17, 2017: Environmental Groups Gear Up for Second Hearing Against Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline
6.197 January 17, 2017: Builders of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline File Motion to Bar Environmental Study by US Corps of Engineers
6.198 January 16, 2017: Basinkeepers Release Policy Statement on Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline
6.199 January 15, 2017: 400 Activists Protest Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline at Public Hearing
6.200 January 15, 2017: Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery Donates $30,000 for Nature Outpost
6.201 January 13, 2017: Phillips 66 Pays Multi-Million Dollar Settlement for Alleged "Double-Dipping" into Oklahoma's Petroleum Storage Tank Cleanup Fund
6.202 January 12, 2017: Showdown Looms Over Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline
6.203 January 12, 2017: Six Environmental Groups Join Against Phillips 66 Lawsuit Regarding Santa Maria Rail Project
6.204 January 10, 2017: Darren Cunningham Replaces Julian Stoll as New Refinery Manager at Phillips 66's Humber Refinery
6.205 January 4, 2017: DCP Midstream And DCP Midstream Partners Merge
6.206 December 29, 2016: Seven Rail Cars Overturn at Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery
6.207 December 29, 2016: Standing Rock Activists Target Profits of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.208 December 29, 2016: U.S. Refiners Face Severe Labor Shortage For Deferred Maintenance
6.209 December 23, 2016: Enbridge Stalls on Purchase of Stake in Phillips Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.210 December 23, 2016: Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery Donates $65,000 to Sorrento Fire Department
6.211 December 20, 2016: Phillips 66 Donates $35,000 to Amarillo Police for Training
6.212 December 19, 2016: Vallejo Mayor Wants Phillips 66 and Other Refiners to Pay for Air Monitoring Equipment After Oil Spill in San Pablo Bay
6.213 December 18, 2016: Pickens Sponsor First Formal Dinner in E. W. Marland's Private Dining Room at the Mansion in 75 Years
6.214 December 16, 2016: Phillips 66 Awards Three Grants to City of Ponca City for $120,000
6.215 December 16, 2016: Phillips 66's Freeport LPG Export Terminal is Now Fully Operational
6.216 December 15, 2016: Osage Nation Wants to Increase Oil and Gas Production
6.217 December 13, 2016: Protesters of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Say 176,000 Barrel Oil Spill in western North Dakota 'Validates Struggle'
6.218 December 12, 2016: Donald Trump Says He'll Solve the Dakota Access Pipeline Question
6.219 December 9, 2016: Phillips 66 Cuts Capital Spending by 25 Percent in 2017
6.220 December 9, 2016: Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery Donates $125,000 to Playground Project
6.221 December 7, 2016: Court Orders Further Review of Phillips 66 Propane Project at Rodeo Refinery
6.222 December 7, 2016: First Dinner to be Served in Marland's Formal Dining Room at Marland Mansion in 75 Years
6.223 December 5, 2016: Trump Team Pledges Support for Completing Blocked Dakota Access Pipeline
6.224 December 5, 2016: Could Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Lose Its Contracts with Oil Companies on January 1?
6.225 December 4, 2016: Corps of Engineers Blocks Drilling of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Oil Pipeline
6.226 December 1, 2016: Phillips 66 presents check for $57,000 for Flint Hills Maps in Butler County, Kansas
6.227 November 30, 2016: Ponca Refinery Begins Largest Turnaround Since 2011
6.228 November 30, 2016: Ponca Refinery Will Start Revamp of their Largest Crude Fractionation Unit in 2017
6.229 November 30, 2016: Ponca Refinery Has Hired Fifty New Operators and Maintenance Personnel in Last Two Years
6.230 November 30, 2016: Two Thousand Veterans to Protect Protesters of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.231 November 23, 2016: Phillips 66 Donates $25,000 To Help Cushing Recovery From Earthquake
6.232 November 21, 2016: Police, Citing ‘Ongoing Riot,’ Use Water Cannons in Freezing Weather on Protesters Against Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.233 November 21, 2016: Phillips 66 to Host Chamber of Commerce at Ponca Refinery
6.234 November 16, 2016: Scores Arrested in Nationwide Protests Against Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.235 November 14, 2016: Phillips 66 Loads First Cargo From Billion Dollar Freeport LPG Terminal
6.236 November 14, 2016: Garland Sells $6.4 Million in Phillips 66 Stock
6.237 November 12, 2016: What Will the Trump Presidency Mean for Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline?
6.238 November 5, 2016: Iowa Landowners Criticize Work on Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline: 'They Show No Respect'
6.239 November 3, 2016: Chevron Phillips Chemical’s Ethane Cracker at Baytown Likely Will Cost Another $250 million to $500 million
6.240 November 3, 2016: Fluor takes $154 million Hit on Delayed Chevron Phillips Petrochemical Expansion in Baytown
6.241 November 2, 2016: Obama Says Army Corps is Weighing Whether to ‘Reroute’ Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.242 October 31, 2016: Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery Pays Civil Penalty to Settle Wastewater Pollution Case
6.243 October 28, 2016: Garland Expects Permit "in Relatively Short Order" to Complete Dakota Access Pipeline
6.244 October 28, 2016: Phillips 66 Quarterly Profit Plunges Prompting Cuts in 2016 Capital Expenditures
6.245 October 26, 2016: Analyst Says Phillips May Bid on ExxonMobile Refinery in Billings
6.246 October 22, 2016: Eighty-three Arrested at Protest Against Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.247 October 21, 2016: Phillips 66 Disputes Coast Guard Finding They’re Responsible for Oil Spill at Rodeo Refinery Marine Terminal
6.248 October 20, 2016: US Coast Guard Says Phillips 66 Responsible for Oil Sheens on San Pablo Bay from Rodeo Refinery Oil Terminal
6.249 October 20, 2016: Phillips 66 Replaces Crude Distillation Tower at Ferndale Refinery
6.250 October 20, 2016: Phillips 66 Appeals Santa Maria Rail Project to San Luis Obispo County Supervisors
6.251 October 18, 2016: Equipment Fire Called Arson on Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.252 October 17, 2016: Phillips 66 Donates $600,000 to Ponca City Public Schools for Spatial Temporal Math
6.253 October 16, 2016: Ponca Tribe Members Protest at Phillips 66 Ponca Refinery
6.254 October 13, 2016: United States Senators Call for a Halt to Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.255 October 13, 2016: Phillips 66 Donates $250,000 to Bartlesville Girls and Boys Club
6.256 October 12, 2016: Phillips 66 Makes Multi-Million Dollar Investment in Bartlesville Research Center
6.257 October 10, 2016: Chevron Phillips' $6 Billion Houston Expansion at Baytown Nears Completion
6.258 October 5, 2016: San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission Votes to Deny Phillips 66 Santa Maria Rail Spur Project
6.259 September 28, 2016: Archie Dunham Says that He Disagrees with Splitting Off Phillips 66 from ConocoPhillips
6.260 September 28, 2016: Health Official Says Phillips 66 Rodeo Refinery Needs to Notify Local Agencies Faster Next Time it Learns of an Oil Spill Near its Facility
6.261 September 23, 2016: Future Operator of Phillips Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Tops U.S. Crude Spill Charts
6.262 September 21, 2016: Officials Investigate Whether Phillips 66's Rodeo Refinery Is Tied to San Pablo Bay Oil Spill
6.263 September 19, 2016: Federal Regulators Investigate Phillips Funded Sacagawea Pipeline
6.264 September 19, 2016: Garland to Speak in Bartlesville on October 11
6.265 September 16, 2016: Delay in Phillip 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Could Cause $1.4 Billion in Losses in a Year
6.266 September 16, 2016: Washington State to Limit Carbon Pollution from Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery
6.267 September 16, 2016: Judge Strikes Down Restraining Order Against Phillips Funded Sacagawea Pipeline Under Lake Sakakawea
6.268 September 14, 2016: Phillip 66's Yellowstone Pipeline Has Had Several Serious Oil Spills on the Flathead Reservation
6.269 September 14, 2016: ConocoPhillips Chief Says Bartlesville Remains Vital for the Company's Success
6.270 September 12, 2016: ConocoPhillips Lays Off Another 90 Employees in Bartlesville After Previously Laying Off 170 in 2015
6.271 September 10, 2016: Future of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Is Uncertain
6.272 September 9, 2016: US Suspends Work on Part of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.273 September 9, 2016: Phillips 66 Finalizes Sale of Whitegate Refinery to Irving Oil
6.274 September 7, 2016: Judge Extends Restraining Order on Phillips Partners Sacagawea Pipeline
6.275 September 4, 2016: Protests Turn Violent at Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline As Tribe Accuses Company of Desecrating Sacred Sites
6.276 September 2, 2016: Osage Nation Sends Support to Standing Rock Sioux Protesting Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.277 September 2, 2016: Phillips 66 Donates $11,000 Towards Walking Track at Redbud Creek
6.278 September 2, 2016: Court to Rule if Phillips 66 Funded Sacagawea Pipeline Needs Tribal Consent to Drill Under Lake Sakakawea
6.279 September 1, 2016: Thirty Arrested in Iowa in Bid to Disrupt Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.280 August 31, 2016: Tyler Crowe Says Phillips 66 is One of the Best-Run Companies in the Oil and Gas Sector
6.281 August 30, 2016: Judge Rejects Motion to Restrict Protesters of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.282 August 30, 2016: Phillips 66 Cuts Production at Bayway Refinery
6.283 August 29, 2016: Phillips 66 Senior Vice President for Health, Safety and Environment to Retire
6.284 August 27, 2016: Worker Killed in Accident on Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.285 August 27, 2016: Court Battle Brews over Phillips Funded Sacagawea Pipeline Under Lake Sakakawea
6.286 August 27, 2016: Plaquemines Parish Tries to Close Breach in Levee That Protects Phillips 66's Alliance Refinery
6.287 August 26, 2016: Phillips 66 Partners to buy Chevron’s South Louisiana NGL Logistics Assets
6.288 August 24, 2016: Native Americans Wait on Court Decision on Controversial Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.289 August 24, 2016: Iowa Farmers Complain that Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Wrecks Their Soil
6.290 August 24, 2016: Phillips 66 Shuts Gasoline-Producing Unit at Lake Charles Refinery
6.291 August 23, 2016: Refinery Vessel Arrives at Ponca Refinery
6.292 August 23, 2016: Hundreds of Native Americans Continue Months-Long Protest Against Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
6.293 August 23, 2016: Aging Phillips 66 Pipeline Under Rattlesnake Creek Replaced in Montana
6.294 August 18, 2016: Phillips Celebrates 66 Years of Splash Club Tradition in Bartlesville
6.295 August 19, 2016: Can Phillips 66 Survive with Low Refining Margins?
6.296 August 17, 2016: Phillips 66 Seeks 6 Months Delay in Hearing for Santa Maria Refinery Rail Spur Project
6.297 August 15, 2016: No Injuries From Fire at Phillips 66's Lake Charles Refinery
6.298 August 11, 2016: ConocoPhillips Announces More Layoffs
6.299 August 10, 2016: Retirees to Breakfast with Ponca Refinery Manager Tim Seidel
6.300 August 8, 2016: Phillips 66 Donates $20,000 to New Emergency Resource Agency in Ponca City
6.301 August 5, 2016: Former Worker Says Phillips Funded Sacagawea Pipeline at Risk for Oil Leak
6.302 August 3, 2016: Phillips 66 to Pay Nearly $800,000 for Pollution Violations at Rodeo Refinery
6.303 August 3, 2016: Phillips 66 Finds Buyer for Whitegate Refinery
6.304 July 29, 2016: Phillips 66's Profit Halved in Second Quarter as Earnings from Refining Plunge 75.3 percent
6.305 July 28, 2016: ConocoPhillips Losses Increase as Oil Prices Stay Low
6.306 July 29, 2016: Debottlenecking and Yield Improvement Projects Near Completion at Wood River Refinery
6.307 July 29, 2016: Billings Refinery Is Increasing its Heavy Canadian Crude Run Ability to 100 percent
6.308 July 29, 2016: Bayway Refinery is Undergoing an FCC Modernization to Increase Gasoline Yield
6.309 July 29, 2016: Phillips is Still in the Process of Selling the Whitegate Refinery
6.310 July 29, 2016: After the Whitegate Sale, Phillips Doesn't Plan to Sell Any Other Refineries in 2016
6.311 July 29, 2016: Freeport LPG Export Terminal is Nearing Completion
6.312 July 29, 2016: Phillips 66 Continues to Invest in its Beaumont Terminal
6.313 July 29, 2016: The Sweeny Hub is Nearing Completion
6.314 July 29, 2016: The Cracker Project at Sweeny and Baytown Looks to Be Complete in the Second Half of 2017
6.315 July 29, 2016: The LPG Terminal at the Freeport Export Facility is 97% Complete
6.316 July 28, 2016: Chevron Phillips Dedicates New Polyethylene Pilot Plant In Bartlesville
6.317 July 22, 2016: Phillips' Santa Maria Rail Spur Project May Be in Jeopardy
6.318 July 21, 2016: ConocoPhillips to Lay Off Another 1,000 Employees
6.319 July 14, 2016: A Catastrophic Oil Train Derailment in Oregon Raises Californian's Fears of Phillips 66's Santa Maria Rail Spur Project
6.320 July 14, 2016: Greg Garland Says Recruiting and Retaining Millennials Was a Significant Motivator for Phillips 66's New Campus in Houston
6.321 July 9, 2016: Activists Rally Against Phillips 66's Santa Maria Rail Spur Proposal
6.322 July 9, 2016: DCP Midstream Shuts Tulsa Office Affecting 100 Employees
6.323 July 8, 2016: Opponents of Phillips 66 Santa Maria Rail Spur to Stage Protest Rally in San Luis Obispo
6.324 July 7, 2016: H.J. Reed Speaks to Ponca City ConocoPhillips Retiree Association
6.325 July 7, 2016: Margins Tank for US Refiners This Summer, Especially on the East Coast
6.326 June 29, 2016: Boilermaker Sues Phillips 66 for Negligence at Wood River Refinery
6.327 June 25, 2016: Lake Charles Refinery Celebrates 75 Years of Operation
6.328 June 22, 2016: California Refineries Brace for Potential Disruptions Ahead of Possible Blackouts This Summer
6.329 June 20, 2016: Phillips 66 Gives $100,000 to University of Arkansas
6.330 June 19, 2016: Lewis & Clark Community College has a Two-Year Associate’s Degree Program in “Process Operations” to Train People for the Phillips 66 Refinery in Wood River
6.331 June 14, 2016: American Gods TV Series Is Filming in Ponca City
6.332 June 11, 2016: Phillips 66 Donates $25,000 to Sweeny Petrochemical Academy
6.333 June 10, 2016: Profit Margins Shrink for US Refiners like Phillips 66 because of Oversupply of Gasoline
6.334 June 10, 2016: Phillips 66 to Help Fund $746 Million Superfund Cleanup of Portland Harbor
6.335 June 6, 2016: Phillips 66 to Move Into New Houston Headquarters in July
6.336 June 6, 2016: Greg Garland Sells Almost $5 Million of Phillips Stock
6.337 June 3, 2016: Western States Petroleum Association Sues State of California Over Emission Standards at Rodeo Refinery
6.338 June 1, 2016: Proposed Carbon Cap Plan Would Affect Phillips 66's Ferndale Refinery
6.339 May 31, 2016: Phillips Does Maintenance Work on FCCU at Borger Refinery
6.340 May 26, 2016: Phillips Reports Equipment Problems at Sweeny Refinery
6.341 May 21, 2016: Phillips 66 Moves Closer to Sale of Whitegate Refinery in Ireland
6.342 May 18, 2016: Opponents Vow to Stay in Fight Against Phillips 66 Santa Maria Rail Project
6.343 May 16, 2016: San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission Agrees to Move Forward with Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery Rail Project
6.344 May 11, 2016: Petroleum Engineer Explains "Rockets and Feathers" in the Refining Business
6.345 May 11, 2016: Chevron Phillips Chemical Contract Worker Dies Weeks After Construction Site Injury
6.346 May 10, 2016: Mid-Continent Refineries Including Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery Brace for Prolonged Shutdown of Canadian Oil After Wildfires
6.347 May 6, 2016: Documentary "High Stakes" Premieres with the 'Real Story' of E. W. Marland, Preempting Hollywood's Inaccuracies
6.348 May 4, 2016: Philips 66 Transfers Ownership of Ponca Refinery's Standish Pipeline to Phillips 66 Partners LP
6.349 May 3, 2016: Rancher Files Lawsuit Against Phillips 66 for Pollution from Pipeline from Santa Maria Refinery
6.350 April 29, 2016: Ponca Refinery Earns $33.8 Million in Annualized Profit for Phillips 66 in Q1 2016
6.351 April 29, 2016: Phillips 66 Net Earnings Fall 61 percent as Refining Margins Plummet
6.352 April 29, 2016: Garland Says Efforts Are Underway to Increase Heavy Canadian Crude at Billings Refinery to 100%
6.353 April 29, 2016: Crack Spreads in the Central Corridor including Ponca Refinery Were 24% Lower This Quarter
6.354 April 29, 2016: Santa Maria Refinery Continues to Be Affected by Plains Pipeline Outage
6.355 April 29, 2016: Sweeny Hub is Nearing Completion
6.356 April 29, 2016: Phillips Expects to Conclude the Divestiture Process with Whitegate Refinery This Year
6.357 April 29, 2016: Phillips Is Not Actively Seeking to Divest Santa Maria, Wilmington, and Rodeo Refineries in California
6.358 April 29, 2016: Wood River Refinery is On Schedule for Debottlenecking Project This Quarter
6.359 April 29, 2016: FCC Modernization is on Schedule at Cedar Bayou
6.360 April 29, 2016: How Educational Attainment of Students in Ponca City Schools Compares to Other Districts in Northern Oklahoma
6.361 April 28, 2016: U.S. Refiners' Years-Long Windfall from Cheap Crude Has Come to an End
6.362 April 27, 2016: Phillips Idles Part of Wood River Refinery After Heavy Storms Knock Out Power
6.363 April 27, 2016: Winds Tear Off Part of Roof at Phillips 66 Research Center Campus in Bartlesville
6.364 April 22, 2016: Phillips 66 says Planned Work is Underway at Sweeny Refinery after a Power Malfunction
6.365 April 21, 2016: Phillips 66 Donates $500,000 to Disaster Fund After Houston Flooding
6.366 April 20, 2016: Air Board Approves Rule Requiring Sulfur Dioxide Pollution Reductions from Phillips 66 Rodeo Refinery
6.367 April 15, 2016: Malfunction at Sweeny Refinery
6.368 April 10, 2016: Keystone Pipeline Restarts at Reduced Pressure
6.369 April 5, 2016: Phillips 66 Midstream Joint Venture Cuts 300 Jobs
6.370 April 4, 2016: Keystone Pipeline Closure Affects Operations at Phillips 66's Wood River Refinery
6.371 March 29, 2016: Chevron Phillips Expands Polyalphaolefins Capacity at Cedar Bayou Plant
6.372 March 25, 2016: Phillips 66 to Pay for Damaged Roads from Pipeline Construction Near Sweeny Refinery
6.373 March 16, 2016: Matthew DiLallo Says the Biggest Problem with ConocoPhillips is its Tarnished Reputation
6.374 March 15, 2016: Phillips Sends Its First US Crude Cargo to Singapore
6.375 March 11, 2016: Public Comment Closes on Phillips 66's Santa Maria Rail Project
6.376 March 9, 2016: Greg Garland in Ponca City for Town Hall Meeting with Employees at Ponca Refinery
6.377 March 7, 2016: Phillips 66 to Pay Penalty for Undisclosed Mailers, Misleading Voters in California
6.378 March 4, 2016: Phillips Reports Emission, Repairs at Borger Refinery
6.379 March 3, 2016: Phillips Took 20% of Their Nationwide Refining Capacity Offline at One Point in February
6.380 March 3, 2016: Phillips Funds $200 Million Project at Wood River Refinery to Run More Heavy Crude
6.381 March 3, 2016: Phillips Funds $150 Million Project at Bayway Refinery to Upgrade FCC
6.382 March 3, 2016: Phillips Funds $300 Million Project at Billings Refinery to Move to 100% Heavy
6.383 March 3, 2016: Warren Buffett Files with SEC to Purchase Up to 25% of Phillips 66 Stock
6.384 March 2, 2016: Don Nickles Reacts to Death of Aubrey McClendon
6.385 February 25, 2016: Comments Are Evenly Split at Second Hearing for Phillips 66's Santa Maria Rail Project
6.386 February 19, 2016: 'High Stakes' to Premier at Poncan Theatre on May 6
6.387 February 12, 2016: Is Warren Buffett Planning to Buy Phillips 66?
6.388 February 10, 2016: Phillips May Cut Production at Ponca Refinery as Phillips Dumps Crude at Cushing Below Cost
6.389 February 10, 2016: ValueWalk Analyzes the Relation Between ConocoPhillips' Stock Buybacks and the Dividend Cut
6.390 February 9, 2015: Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. Continues to Grow in Bartlesville
6.391 February 4, 2016: Hundreds Condemn Phillips 66's Santa Maria Rail Project in Public Hearings
6.392 February 3, 2016: ConocoPhillips Posts Big Loss, Slashes Dividend
6.393 February 3, 2016: Ponca City ConocoPhillips Retired Employees to Meet At Pioneer Technology Center
6.394 January 29, 2016: Ponca Refinery Earns $42 Million for Phillips 66 in Q4, Continues in Top Slot as Phillips' Most Profitable Refinery
6.395 January 29, 2016: After 40 Year Ban, US Starts Exporting Crude Oil
6.396 January 26, 2016: Phillips 66 Helps City of Wood River Pump Water After Flooding at Illinois 143
6.397 January 25, 2016: Phillips Reports Excess Emissions at Ponca City Refinery
6.398 January 25, 2016: San Luis Obispo County Department of Planning Recommends Denial of Phillips 66 Rail Project at Santa Maria Refinery
6.399 January 24, 2016: Borger Refinery to Produce Above Average Emissions Over the Next Month
6.400 January 15, 2016: Phillips 66 Fined $324,000 for Safety Violations at Ferndale Refinery
6.401 January 14, 2016: Analysts Say ConocoPhillips Ain't What It Used To Be
6.402 January 8, 2016: Phillips 66 Makes a Difference in STEM Education in Ponca City Classrooms
6.403 January 6, 2016: Ferndale Refinery to Reduce Emissions Five Percent Annually Under New State Rules
6.404 January 6, 2016: Borger Refinery to Emit Excess Gases Above Permit Level
6.405 December 30, 2015: Spectra Energy Shuts Platte Pipeline to Wood River Refinery because of Flooding
6.406 December 28, 2015: Power Outage at Refined Products Distribution Rack at Ponca Refinery
6.407 December 28, 2015: Phillips Reports Excess Carbon Monoxide at Ponca Refinery
6.408 December 28, 2015: Phillips Reports Emissions at Ponca City Refinery
6.409 December 25, 2015: Phillips Donates $15,000 to Northern Oklahoma College, $1.7 Million to Bartlesville Public Schools
6.410 December 21, 2015: Emergency Responders Extinguish Fire at Ferndale Refinery
6.411 December 16, 2015: Phillips Donates $30,000 to Billings Museum
6.412 December 16, 2015: Phillips Billings Refinery Donates $80,000 to Billings Park
6.413 December 15, 2015: Ferndale Refinery Donates $700,000 for Phillips 66 Soccer Park
6.414 December 15, 2015: Phillips Makes Major Upgrade to Billings Refinery
6.415 December 11, 2015: Deal to End Oil Export Ban in Sight
6.416 December 8, 2015: Sweeny Fractionator One Is Now Operational
6.417 December 4, 2015: T. Boone Pickens Says He Could Have Taken Over Phillips 66 in 1984
6.418 November 18, 2015: Phillips 66 Annually Spends $9 Million with Ponca City Diversity Suppliers
6.419 November 16, 2015: Bartlesville High School Holds Open House for $1.7 Million Phillips 66 Innovation Labs
6.420 November 13, 2015: Phillips 66 and National Energy Education Development Host Energy Education Workshop in Ponca City
6.421 November 9, 2015: Garland Elected Chair of the Finance Committee at American Petroleum Institute
6.422 November 4, 2015: Ponca City Knows How to Survive Oil Booms and Busts
6.423 October 30, 2015: Ponca Refinery Earns $137 million, Continues in Top Slot as Phillips' Most Profitable Refinery
7 How Much Money Does the Ponca City Refinery Earn for Phillips 66?
7.2 Executive Summary
7.3.1 How Oil Prices are Set
7.3.2 Benchmarks
7.3.3 Advantaged Oil
7.3.4 Mid-Continent Oil
7.3.5 Phillips to Run More Mississippi Lime Shale Crude through the Ponca City Refinery
7.4 Methodology for Determining the Profitability of the Ponca City Refinery
7.5 Profitability of the Ponca City Refinery
7.5.1 Scenario 1: Total R&M Earnings Divided by Worldwide Refineries
7.5.2 Scenario 2: Total Domestic R&M Earnings Divided by Domestic Refineries
7.5.3 Scenario 3: Portion of the Net Earnings Attributable to TI-Related Crude
7.5.3.1 Incidental Use of Non-TI Related Crude
7.5.4 Scenario 4: Portion of the Net Earnings Not Attributable to TI-Related Crude
7.5.5 Scenario 5: Total Net Income for Domestic Refineries
7.5.6 Scenario 6: Estimates for 2012 based on Phillips 2nd Quarter Earnings and Realized Crack Spreads
7.5.7 Scenario 7: Estimates for 2012 based on Phillips 3rd Quarter Earnings and Realized Crack Spreads
7.5.8 Variations in the Realized Crack Spread Among Phillips' Four Mid-Continent Refineries
7.5.9 Phillips to Run 60,000 bbl of Shale Crude Through Ponca City
7.6 How Much Does Phillips 66 Contribute to Ponca City?
7.6.1 Wages Paid to Ponca City Residents
7.6.1.1 Comparison with Borger Refinery
7.6.2 Phillips 66 Property Tax Paid to Kay County
7.6.2.1 Tax Assessment of the Refinery
7.6.2.2 Tax Assessment for Real Estate
7.6.3 Phillips 66 Charitable Contributions to Ponca City
8 Appendices: Profitability of Ponca City Refinery
8.1 Appendix 1: Profitability of Ponca City Refinery in Q3 2014
8.5 Profitability of Ponca Refinery in Q3 2015
11 Master Index of Articles about Phillips 66
12.1 Personal Statement
12.2 Pickens' Publishing
12.3 History and Biography
12.4 Science and Technology
12.5 Business and Investing
12.6 Ponca City, Oklahoma
12.7 Pickens Museum
12.8 Art
12.9 Peace Corps Writing
12.10 Personal
12.11 Phillips 66
Master Index of Articles about Phillips 66
The 587 foot tall Mammoet PTC 140 crane, seen here from North First Street, towers over the Refinery Complex in Ponca City. The supercrane was used to move two new 232 ton coker reactor units within the refinery on September 29, 2013. Phillips was willing to invest $70 million in the two new coker reactor units because the Ponca City Refinery is one of the best run, safest, and most profitable of Phillips' fifteen worldwide refineries and Garland wants the refinery in Ponca City to continue to run smoothly and profitably. This photograph of the supercrane in Ponca City was taken from almost two miles away from the crane. Photo: Hugh Pickens All Rights Reserved.
Hugh Pickens, an analyst who closely follows Phillips 66, speaks with Phillips CEO Greg Garland (right) about the disposition of the North Tower, South Tower, and Research West at Phillips' Ponca City Refinery after Garland's speech to the Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce on August 13, 2014.
Introduction and Purpose
The purpose of this report is to provide a comprehensive overview of the Ponca City refinery and Ponca City's century old history as an oil refining center. The report is divided into five major sections that cover the refinery's history since its inception down to the present and discusses issues facing the refinery today under the tenure of Phillips 66:
Ponca City and its Century-Old Oil Refining History
Ponca City and the "Merger of Equals" with Phillips in 2001
Latest News from the Ponca City Refinery
How Much Money Does the Ponca City Refinery Earn for Phillips 66?
In 1911 E.W. Marland Drilled "Willie Cries," his First Successful Oil Well in Oklahoma. Photo: Wikipedia
Prospectus for the 101 Ranch Oil Company. Marland founded the 101 Ranch Oil Company, located on the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch, and drilled his first successful oil well at Willie Cries on land which he leased in 1911 from the Tribe. Click to enlarge. Photo: Wikipedia
In 1918 E. W. Marland Built the Marland Refinery in Ponca City, Oklahoma. An article from Petroleum Age in 1922 said that Marland Refinery in Ponca City had a production of 10,000-barrel per day and Marland Refinery included nearly two million barrels of steel storage for crude and finished products. An article from Petroleum Age in 1928 said "Marland refinery at Ponca City is one of the largest complete plants in the Mid-Continent field with a crude capacity of 35,000 barrels per day of which approximately half can be run down to wax. The plant is equipped with four large Dubbs units, two Cross units, and 18 Fleming stills." Derivative Photo: Hugh Pickens original photo taken in 1919
A photo of Marland Refinery in Ponca City in 1921. By 1921 EW Marland had consolidated all of his oil operations under the auspices of the Marland Oil Company. Headquartered in Ponca City the firm continued its phenomenal growth pattern by absorbing numerous small oil companies including the Comar Oil Company, Tom Jones Oil Company, Kenney-Cleary Oil Company, Francoma Oil Company, John S. Alcorn Oil Company, and many others whose highly competent executives Marland's company usually retained. Photo: Oklahoma Historical Society
The Marland Refinery in 1921 from the Marland Oil Company Quarterly Report. There are multitude of oil derricks in the upper left had corner of the graphic, part of the Ponca Field. At the time the photo was taken the Marland Refinery had the largest oil tank storage facility in the world. Click on photo to enlarge.
An Advertisement for Marland Oil in the Saturday Evening Post about 1927. Photo: Saturday Evening Post
In 1928 J. P. Morgan Recruited Dan Moran to Replace E. W. Marland. E. W. Marland's successor as President of Marland Oil was Dan Moran. Known as a bulldog manager, Moran had an explosive temper. Moran's first management decision after taking over was to purge the company of the Marland influence, discharging most of Marland's operating executives, superintendents and managers who had grown up with the company alongside E. W. Marland.
The Marland Refinery in 1930. Photo: Unknown
An Advertisement for Conoco in the Saturday Evening Post in 1946. Photo: Saturday Evening Post
Conoco headquarters at Ponca City in 1950. Ponca City was a thriving community after it became the headquarters for Continental Oil Company (Conoco). Conoco was by far Ponca City's biggest employer with over 800 employees at the refinery and about 3,800 employees working in support services including financial, research, engineering, and service organizations. Photo: Unknown
New President Leonard McCollum Transforms Conoco, Moves Company HQ From Ponca City to Houston. In 1949, McCollum, moved Conoco's headquarters from Ponca City to Houston - the center of the US petroleum industry. Although Ponca City lost its role as headquarters, Ponca City was the beneficiary of McCollum's decision to build Conoco's central research center in Ponca in 1952 and double the R&D center in size by 1962. When McCollum joined Continental Oil when it was a medium-sized company with $209 million in assets. When he retired as chairman, the company, renamed Conoco, was a multinational energy conglomerate with assets of $2.3 billion.
The Conoco Oil Refinery in Ponca City, Oklahoma the 1960's. The Park Building, shown in this photo directly north of the Continental Building, was built in the early 1960s, possibly completed in 1962. Derivative Photo: Hugh Pickens
The Conoco Oil Refinery in Ponca City, Oklahoma in the 1980's. The North Tower was completed in 1978. The South Tower was completed in 1982. Derivative Photo: Hugh Pickens
Dupont Acquires Conoco in 1981, Divests in 1999. In 1981, in what was called the largest acquisition in US history at that time, Conoco was purchased by DuPont Company. DuPont Chairman Edward Jefferson (shown above) came to Ponca City in 1982 and assured local residents that major Conoco accounting functions located in Ponca City would remain there. "I see no basis for wanting to move them." Major downsizings followed, especially in the early to mid-1990s. Employee numbers in Ponca City fell from a high of 4,500 to a low of 1,800 - huge losses that left the city of 25,000 reeling, economically and psychologically.
Fire at Ponca City Refinery in 1999. Two workers were burned when fuel ignited in an 80,000-barrel storage tank. An estimated 50,000 barrels of fuel were consumed in the fire and damage was estimated at $1.5 million. In July 1996, the plant experienced a fire in a hydro heater, which removes sulfur from the hydrocarbon feed stock for the manufacture of oil and gas products.
1911: Marland finds Oil near Ponca City
Over the past 100 years, Ponca City's history has been shaped for the most part by the ebb and flow of the petroleum industry. EW Marland decided to come to Ponca City after his wife's cousin, stationed at Fort Sill, introduced him to the Miller brothers whose famous 101 Ranch lay near Ponca City, Oklahoma. In 1908 E. W. journeyed to Ponca City and immediately decided that the surface geology indicated oil. Marland raised capital from financiers back in Pennsylvania and began drilling. Marland originally founded the 101 Ranch Oil Company, located on the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch, and after drilling seven dry holes, drilled his first successful oil well, called Willie Cries, in 1911 on land which he leased from the Ponca Tribe.[1][2]
E. W. Marland's life ran to legendary proportions. The Pennsylvania native won and lost an oil fortune in West Virginia, a much larger one in Oklahoma, was a high-stakes gambler, lived lavishly, spent great amounts on his community and his workers, was a businessman with a strong social conscience, an enthusiastic conservationist and gardener. He had boom-and-bust times in politics as well as oil. After losing his independent Marland Oil Co. to financial sharks led by the younger J.P. Morgan, Marland a Democratic convert and ardent New Dealer won a term in Congress and one as Oklahoma's governor. Two bids for the U.S. Senate were unsuccessful. After his first wife died in 1926, he created controversy by having the legal status of their adopted daughter, Lydie, changed so he could marry her. He drilled for and found oil from the Appalachians to California, over much of the West and into Mexico. He pioneered in drilling the rich Three Sands and Burbank fields of Oklahoma this by a man trained as a lawyer, an early-day coal prospector self-taught in geology.[3]
E. W. Marland loved playing poker. A first rate player, Marland learned poker as a fraternity member at the Sigma Chi fraternity house at the Univeristy of Michigan in 1891. He loved gambling intensely and was a fair loser and a modest winner. At Ann Arbor he never gave the impression of excitability while playing and was alart though silent. John Joseph Mathews recounts in his book "Life and Death of an Oilman: The Career of E.W. Marland" that one time a sharpshooter from another part of town came to the Sigma Chi house to play. Very soon he had chips piled before him on the table. Then suddenly he stood up, beamed on the others and said, "I guess I'll check out." As he raked in the money from the banker in exchange for his chips, he said with a smug smile, "the fact is, boys, I need the money." Marland showed shocked surprise on his usually unreadable face. The expression of incredulity impressed the others when the sharpshooter had gone with all the money, they bantered Marland. At each game thereafter someone at some time usually after winning a large pot would say, "The fact is, boys, I need the money."[4]
After Marland struck oil in Ponca City and had begun to build his oil empire, many a night E. W. and his lieutenants and friends would sit until daybreak playing poker. There were hundreds of private poker parties during a year. Sometimes there were lavish affairs at the Arcade Hotel, or at some private home. Marland continued to love playing poker and played with deep concentration, except that now he could afford to lose of to win as much as seventy-five thousand dollars.[5]
1917: Marland Oil Founded
Marland Oil Company was founded in 1917, when Marland assembled his various holdings including the 101 Ranch Oil Company into one unit, forming Marland Oil Company. Later, on January 3, 1921 Marland incorporated the Marland Oil Company in Delaware to acquire through an exchange of stock control of the Marland Refining Corp. and Kay County Gas Co. By 1920 it is estimated that Marland and his partners controlled 10% of the worlds oil production (the equivalent of Saudi Arabia in 2006) and that Marland was worth $85 million (over $1.0 Billion in 2015 dollars).[6]
From the outset Marland realized that to sustain long-range corporate growth he must form an integrated company encompassing drilling and production, storage and transportation, and refining, and retailing, similar to the very successful model used by the Standard Oil Company. The first step in this process was to dissolve the 101 Ranch Oil Company and replace it with the Marland Refining Company. Over the next several years Marland expanded his empire to include production in neighboring states, and by 1919 he had even started large-scale drilling operations in Mexico. The next step in bringing the feverish rate of growth under a more centralized and integrated operation came in early 1921 when Marland consolidated all of his oil operations under the auspices of the Marland Oil Company. Headquartered in Ponca City, where its major refining facility was located, the firm continued its phenomenal growth pattern by absorbing numerous small oil companies such as Comar Oil Company, Tom Jones Oil Company, Kenney-Cleary Oil Company, Francoma Oil Company, John S. Alcorn Oil Company, and many others whose highly competent executives Marland's company usually retained. Additionally, the company opened its first retail gasoline "filling station" in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, in 1920, and that aspect of the business began to experience rapid growth. Marland took a strong, paternal interest in his company and in his employees and provided numerous benefits not normally offered in that era. He furnished company housing at a nominal fee, provided free insurance to all employees, paid wages above the norm for the time, and is generally acknowledged to have provided the best employee benefits and working conditions in the state. Additionally, his donations to local charities and civic projects were enormous, and he sponsored legendary entertainment spectacles for both employees and the general public.[7]
1918: Marland Refinery Constructed
In 1918 Marland began construction of the Marland Refinery and the population of Ponca City doubled then trebled in a few months.[8] According to an article appearing in Petroleum Age in 1922, the refinery in Ponca City was already one of the largest refineries in the world by 1920:
Located in the heart of the Mid-Continent oil field, the greatest known light oil field in the world, by 1920 the company controlled, with its subsidiaries, over 200,000 acres of proven and valuable oil land within a radius of 100 miles from Ponca City, the headquarters of the company. A study of the map of Marland properties in Northern Oklahoma proves easily the strong strategic position the company holds through its oil resources and large reserves in some of the best pools of this district. Marland oil opened in 1920 the famous Hickman, or now better known as Burbank pool, in the Western Osage; in 1921 the Tonkawa pool in Noble County, within fifteen miles of Ponca City, which promises to produce large quantities of high-gravity crude. It controls almost entirely the Ponca field, one of the oldest and best producing fields in the Mid-Continent, with five producing sands; holds large parcels of oil and gas lands in the Eastern and Western Osage fields, in the Garber, Noble, Newkirk, Deer-Creek and in the Pawnee Payne district. Marland draws its crude from eighteen producing fields with 244 wells and produces, with its affiliated companies, the Comar and Alcorn Oil Companies, over 12.000 barrels per day, sufficient crude for its own refinery demand. Pipe lines extending 271 miles, with thirteen modern equipped pumping stations, radiate in three directions from Ponca City and connect Marland's two refineries with oil fields which have ample unmined production to supply sufficient crude oil for many years to come. The company operates in Ponca City a 10,000-barrel complete refinery, and at Covington a 1,000-barrel skimming plant producing a well-known brand of high grade gasoline and lubricating oils. Nearly two million barrels of steel storage for crude and finished products give the company a strong position in the market, and enabled Marland to begin the storage of gasoline when the refinery price was as low as 12-1/2 cents. The recent raise, totaling so far 3 cents per gallon has greatly increased the value of the 250,000 to 300,000 barrels gasoline the company keeps i» storage against the coming summer demand.[9]
"E. W. Marland's dreams were about to come true when I arrived in Ponca City. That was in 1919 and there were no buildings south of Grand Avenue on the east side of the railroad tracks," says Charles D. Hull, later to become Refinery Manager in 1952 and mayor of Ponca City. "Only a wheatfield occupied the area. Mr. Marland already had the nucleus of a refinery operating where today's Ponca City refinery stands, but it was a mere shadow of the present-day facility. Evidence of the many Marland philanthropies was already beginning to show up throughout the City.[10]
W. H. Shorty Rogers, a refinery supervisor, arrived in Ponca City just after World War I and was sent by the Henry Volk Machine Company to assemble the wax plant for Marland Refining Company. "One day I was offered a position with Marland at the then-fabulous salary of $175 a month and moving expenses from Louisville. The offer came in December, 1919 and was the most unique Christmas present I ever received. We moved to Ponca City the following month. Marland and McFadden would make daily inspections of the refinery. One of the first units in operation were the shell stills, and one one particular day following a flash fire, Mr. Marland showed up on horseback with a lighted cigar in his mouth. I stopped him and asked him if he didn't think the cigar was a safety hazard in the refinery. With a startled look on his face, he grabbed the cigar and slammed it into the ground, then thanked me for reminding him of it.[11]
By 1922 nearly 600 Marland stations were found in 11 mid-continent states, from North Dakota to Oklahoma and as far east as Indiana. Growth required capital, however, and Marland was continually strapped. Turning to investment banker J.P. Morgan and Company, Marland was able to secure financial backing for continued expansion, but with expansion came a hefty price. By 1928 Marland had been forced out by Morgan interests who placed former Texaco executive Dan Moran in charge. With orders from Morgan and Company to put Marland Oil back in the black, Moran set out to acquire key assets that would round out the Marland operation, allowing for increased financial stability. With this in mind, Marland management began to look around for a partner, a company with complementary assets, an operation that would perhaps consider a merger.[12]
Marland's exploitation of oil reserves generated growth and wealth that were previously unimaginable on the Oklahoma prairie, and his company virtually built the city from the ground up. Mansions—including the Marland Mansion and Grand Home—were built by Marland and his associates. The "Roaring 20s" came to an end for Ponca City shortly before the Great Depression. After the takeover bid by J.P. Morgan Jr., son of financier J.P. Morgan, Marland Oil Co. merged with Continental Oil Co. (Conoco) in the late 1920s.[13] It was known as Conoco for more than 70 years. The company maintained its headquarters in Ponca City until the 1950s and continued to grow into a global corporation.[14] Marland was later elected the governor of Oklahoma and as a U.S. congressman.
1928: Marland Loses Control of His Company
While in New York City in 1923 Marland received a phone call that would change his life and lead to the downfall of the oil empire he had created. J. P. Morgan, the financier and banker, wanted to talk to Marland. "I had a very pleasant meeting with Mr. Morgan and his associates," Marland later wrote. They asked me if they could be of any help to me by establishing a line of credit for me in their bank amd suggested they could close my lines of credit in Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City. This suggestion, besides being very flattering, was very agreeable to me." Marland needed $12 million to expand the Ponca City Refinery and get into the producing business in Texas, California, and New Mexico. Rather than borrow such a large amount, Marland agreed to let Morgan buy $12 million of stock in Marland Oil in return for representation on Marland Oil's board of directors. At first allowing Morgan to name three members to the company's other twelve board members seemed like a prudent move. Marland used the money to expand pipeline facilities, enlarge his fleet of tank cars to 3,100, and build 500 service stations. "He was walking the earth like a king in the company of bankers and brokers, wearing his crown with the ease of hereditary royalty, and viewing the nation's prosperity with personal pride," writes Ruth Sheldon Knowles.[15][16][17]
John Joseph Matthews recounts the story of Marland's fall in his book Life and Death of an Oilman.
One day in the autumn of 1923, E. W. received a telephone call in his hotel room in New York City. Mr. Charles Sabin of the Guaranty Trust Company of New York was on the telephone. He wondered if Mr. Marland would be coming downtown that day. E. W. assured him that he had business downtown that day. Why? Mr. Sabin said that he would like to have Mr. Marland stop in at his office and see him if Mr. Marland found it convenient to do so. E. W. called at the office of Mr. Sabin, who said that he had been talking with Mr. Morgan of Morgan and Company just the day before, and that Mr. Morgan had expressed a desire to meet Mr. Marland—as a matter of fact he had asked if he, Sabin, could arrange the meeting. Mr. Morgan had expressed a desire, said Mr. Sabin, to talk over the general situation of the oil business with Mr. Marland, adding that Mr. Morgan had told him that he was especially interested in talking over the business with Mr. Marland because he understood through a mutual friend, Mr. A. C. Bedford, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Standard Oil Company, that Mr. Marland was really well in-formed about the conditions in the Mid-Continent oil field.
Then he asked E. W. if he might arrange a meeting with Mr. Morgan. E. W. replied that he would be very glad to meet Mr. Morgan at any time. Thereupon Mr. Sabin telephoned to Mr. Morgan, then took E. W. over to the Morgan and Company offices, where he was introduced to the son of one of the great little gods of his boyhood and youth. Mr. Morgan and his partners gathered around Mr. Marland. They later had lunch together in the bank, and as they lunched there was the usual friendly chat and a show of great interest in this famed Oklahoman who had honored them. They told E. W. that they had taken very little interest in the oil business, but the business was of such great importance to the country that they felt they must take a more active interest in it and learn something about it; that their sole financial concern with oil up to that time had been as bankers and underwriters of an issue of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey; that they had no affiliation with any oil company; that they had expressed a desire to Mr. A. C. Bedford to inform themselves about the oil business and that Mr. Bedford had recommended Mr. Marland as a man of high character—"one who was a student of the business and who had developed a very important unit in the industry. Mr. Morgan sat forward in his chair. He wondered if his firm could not possibly be of some help to Mr. Marland by establishing a line of credit for him in their bank and in the Guaranty Trust Company of New York to, one might suggest, take care of his current needs. Why not let them, the Morgans,
It would be more convenient for him. He wouldn't be compelled to worry about visiting the banks in Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City to keep his lines of credit open. In other words, the Morgan partners implied that it was all very well to have regional loyalty, but a man splashing a big canvas with vivid colors and bold lines shouldn't be disturbed with details like borrowing accounts of five million dollars scattered over the Middle West and Southwest, which he personally had to visit periodically in order to keep open. The offices where he sat were really the ganglion of the financial world, especially since the war of 1914-18. London might be dying hard, but facts were facts. He felt that he was a part of the affairs of the world as he sat there. Certainly the masters of the world were around him, seeking, deferring, pushing the cigarette ash tray closer to him so that he would not have to reach, giving over-the-shoulder nods and curt orders so that they could give complete attention to Mr. Marland, who was telling them the fascinating story of oil in the Mid-Continent field. He talked and the international bankers listened. And as he talked he saw himself as a world power, too. The arrangements were made whereby Morgan and Company would become the bankers of the Marland Oil Company of Ponca City, Oklahoma. Then the Morgan partners seemed to read his thoughts and suggested that he would certainly want to expand. E. W. said that he had, as a matter of fact, been very anxious to get into the producing business in Texas, California, and New Mexico, and to make further extensions of the refinery at Ponca City. He said that he would like to have five million dollars to invest (open up new fields) in California, five million dollars to invest in Texas, and two million dollars to make extensions to the refinery in Ponca City and to start in New Mexico. But, he said, he would not really feel safe in borrowing such a large amount for permanent investment, because it might take him two or three years to realize on such an investment.
They would learn, through E. W., about production, refining, and the working in general of an oil company. In exchange for this tutoring in oil, they could certainly be of use to E. W. with their advice on financial matters. The Morgan members of the board of directors of E. W.'s company pointed efficient fingers at an obviously inconvenient by-product of the Morgan-Mar-land arrangement. Why should all the fifteen Marland members be compelled to leave their work and make expensive trips to New York for meetings? Why not form an executive commit-tee, which would have the powers of the board of directors, and they could meet in New York. Then only E. W. himself and two others to be appointed to the executive committee from the Marland Company need come to New York. An executive committee was elected consisting of the three Morgan representatives and W. H. McFadden, Vernon F. Taylor, and E. W., of the original Marland board members and stockholders. From this time on Morgan and Company dominated from New York City the Marland Oil Company of the Cherokee Outlet of Oklahoma. "The influence of Morgan and Company upon my executive committee was, of course, dominant," said E. W. "The other members of the board of directors, men who had grown up with me in the oil business and who had theretofore been active in formulating and directing the policies of the company with me, attended directors' meetings thereafter only when necessary, and they voted 'aye' to every suggestion of the executive committee. In this manner the Morgan influence became supreme—and the builders of the company lost control of policy direction."[18]
On May 14, 1924 E. W. Marland reported at the annual meeting of stockholders in Wilmington, Delaware that the company had eaned $2.09 per share on 1,382,987 outstanding shares in the company.[19] On August 1, 1925 J. P. Morgan officially notified E. W. Marland that he was exercising an option to purchase an additional 150,000 shares of Marland common stock at $40 per share. This brought the Morgan total to 635,000 shares of stock for an aggregate price of $22,400,000.[20]
By the end of 1926, Marland Oil's books showed current liabilities of over $8 million, an increase of $5 million from 1925. Marland gradually lost control of his company. One of the first decisions of the new board of directors was to form an executive committee that would meet in New York City with three Morgan members and three Marland members. "Every plan of major importance I suggested for the development of the company was vetoed, wrote Marland. "[Morgan] said I took too much 'human' interest in my employees and that Morgan and Company felt that I need under me a President of the Company...who would be hard-boiled and two-fisted." After Marland Oil recorded losses in 1926 and 1927, the executive committee met and decided in 1928 that Marland relinquish the president's title. Marland had no choice but to agree. The committee asked Marland to help find a new president but Morgan had already secretly chosen Marland's replacement - Dan Moran.[21][22][23]
Ruth Sheldon Knowles wrote about Marland's final expulsion from the company he founded in The Greatest Gamblers: The Epic of American Oil Exploration:
When his company showed another loss in 1928, Marland realized the situation was serious, but had no doubt as to his ability to weather whatever financial storm might be brewing. The price of oil fell from $2 a barrel to $1. The West Texas and Greater Seminole fields flowed more oil than refineries could handle. Storage of crude and products reached alarming proportions. Everyone in the industry sensed trouble. The overproduction situation would become worse at the end of the year when the great Oklahoma City field was discovered. When Marland met with his executive committee in New York in May, 1928, he was shocked to find that the bankers had turned against him. They told him the company needed a firmer hand, a president who would not be influenced by his friendship for the men who had helped him build the company. They offered him the board chairmanship. When Marland dazedly made recommendations for the presidency, he learned the bankers had already selected a Texas Com-pany vice-president, Dan Moran, a hard-boiled operating executive who was the antithesis of the generous, grandeur-minded, polo-playing dreamer and prospector. The bankers made it clear that the offer of the board chairmanship with salary was a pension. Marland would not be permitted any voice in the company affairs. Furthermore, he was told he could not live in Ponca City as his presence there would interfere with Dan Moran's reorganization. Marland angrily resigned, asking his officers and old friends, who wished to resign also, to stay. It was a futile expression of love for what he had built. Dan Moran fired them all anyway.[24]
On September 28, 1928 the NY Times reported that reports were circulating in the financial district that E. W. Marland would retire within a few weeks. It was said that he no longer desired an active role in his corporation and that it was expected that J. P. Morgan and Co would increase their representation. Three men were mentioned to succeed Marland: Colonel Franklyn R. Kenny and C. C. Brown, Vice Presidents at Marland Oil, and F. V. Taylor from outside the company.[25] On October 30, 1928 the NY Times reported that Marland had resigned as President of Marland Oil effective November 1, 1928 but that he would remain a director and member of the Executive committee. At the same time Marland Oil announced that Daniel J. Moran, Vice-President and director of the Texas Corporation had been elected President of Marland Oil.[26]
According to W. H. "Shorty" Rogers who later became a refinery supervisor, employee reaction to the Conoco-Marland merger was generally philosophical. "Most felt it meant more job security since we would be working for a bigger company. The program of reorganization went from the top down and most employees felt it was good."[27] However, J. P. "Jack" Barrett, who went to work for Marland in 1917 and later became supervisor of bulk plant auditor says that when the Conoco-Marland merger occurred a general feeling of unrest swept through the work force and many employees were terminated. "We simply lived from day to day, doing our best and hoping we would not be among those cut loose. Those of us who survived the merger with our jobs intact became a close knit group and cooperation was splendid. We worked six days a week and on Sunday, our day off, we frequently got together for any excursion to the 101 Ranch to see Tony, the trained bear, the ostriches, and other exotic animals.[28]
1928 - 1947: The Dan Moran Years- "You need a tough man to survive hard times."
Dan Moran, Bulldog Manager
E. W. Marland's successor as President of Marland Oil was Dan Moran. Known as a bulldog manager, Moran had an explosive temper. "Moran liked to brandish the machete lopping off people's jobs whenever he felt like it," says Keely Marshall. "Back in the 1940s, I was loading scrap iron into a gondola car with another kid. It was August and the temperature was well over 100 degrees. My partner told me his safety boots were killing him and he sat in the shad to pull them off. At precisely that moment, who but Mr. Moran pulls up in his car. 'Nobody sits down on company time,' he says. The kid was fired on the spot."[29]
L. W. Vickery, later to become Manager of the Engineering Center, arrived in Ponca City in 1929 and still remembers the Dan Moran period in Conoco history. "I was personally involved in his nocturnal visits to the refinery and many stories are still told of incidents that occurred during those visits. Most of them are true, too. Moran wanted everything done RIGHT NOW! He was ruthless and demanding, but in the words of an executive under him, 'he got more done in the wrong way than any man I ever knew.' In the 1930's, he stressed the need for research and engineering and got them. Look at us now."[30]
Cecil Hewitt went to work in the transportation department at Conoco in 1930 after previously working for Marland Oil at its Walters, Oklahoma bulk plant. "My second year in the Garage, Mr. Moran decided the annual inspection tour staff would camp out, so I was chosen to go along to pitch tents and make camp," says Hewitt. "Mr. Moran ran the tour with the precision of a railroad timetable. A minute late for departure and you were left behind. How you caught up was your business. Knowing the man personally, I can say with all candor that I never met a nicer or fairer person anywhere. He never accepted excuses for inefficiency, but the employee who did his job properly received Moran's praise and support."[31]
J. P. "Jack Barrett" said he first met Dan Moran while waiting on the elevator in the Main Office Building. "After introducing myself to him, I asked how his brother Bill, was. Surprised, he asked me how I came to know Bill. I told him that he was in my outfit in World War I. This was to put me in good stead with Mr. Moran for the rest of his time with Conoco. Although we were never close friends, he was always civil to me."[32]
Moran Purges the Company of Marland's Influence
Moran's first management decision after taking over was to purge the company of the Marland influence, discharging most of Marland's operating executives, superintendents and managers who had grown up with the company alongside E. W. Marland. "The pink slips just kept coming," says Keeley Marshall. Marland himself fared no better. In May 1928 when J. P. Morgan took over Marland Oil, they requested that E. W. Marland relinquish the job of President to become the Chairman of the Board. The Chairman's job was "ornamental, at best. "The bankers made it clear Marland would not be permitted any voice in company affairs," wrote Ruth Sheldon Knowle. Later it got worse when J. P. Morgan's executive committee told Marland that Dan Moran couldn't run the company efficiently while Marland remained in Ponca City. Marland resigned from the company he had founded. Marland later became a successful politician, elected to the House of Representatibves in 1932 and Governor of Oklahoma in 1934.[33][34]
Moran Merges Marland Oil with Continental Creating Conoco
But behind the personal failings of Moran is the story of a man who reshaped and guided Conoco through the great depression and World War II. "When Moran took the wheel in 1928, the company was bleeding red ink, facing debt of $6.5 million ($90 million in 2015 dollars)," writes Russ Banham. "Prospects in the oil industry were poor, given the twin evils of overproduction and soft prices. Moran made it clear that the only way the company could survive was through iron-fisted control of every penny spent." Moran fired workers, gutted their salaries, and abandoned oil-producing property he felt was marginally profitable. "I assure you the decisions which have been executed were impelled by stern necessity," said Moran. "While necessarily painful to some, [they have] had the most salutary effect upon the organization."[35]
According to Banham, Moran set his sites on expanding Marland Oil's modest refinery capacity and marketing depth. Three months after taking over Marland Oil, on April 30, 1929, Moran merged Marland Oil with Continental Oil. "Continental needed a steady, inexpensive supply of crude oil, which Marland had aplenty. Meanwhile, Marland needed more marketing outlets for its refined products - Continental's strength." Rumor has it that the merger also satisfied the personal interest of J. P. Morgan. "J. P. Morgan wanted the merger simply because he was looking for any way to do away with the Marland name," says John Morrow, who retired as Conoco's group senior vice president of finance in the 1980s.[36]
Conoco Inc. was an American oil company founded in 1875 as the Continental Oil and Transportation Company. Based in Ogden, Utah, the company was a coal, oil, kerosene, grease and candles distributor in the West. Marland Oil Company (founded by exploration pioneer E. W. Marland) later acquired the assets (subject to liabilities) of Continental Oil Company, for a consideration of 2,317,266 shares of stock. On June 26, 1929, Marland Oil changed its name to Continental Oil Company and moved its headquarters to Ponca City, Oklahoma. The acquisition gave Conoco the red bar-and-triangle logo previously used by Marland. Conoco used the logo between 1930 and 1970, when the current red capsule logo was adopted. Ponca City remained the world headquarters of Conoco until the 1950s when the headquarters moved to Houston.
The merger worked. By 1937, Moran had eliminated the company's $43 million debt. To celebrate the company's propsperity during the great depression, Moran distributed 5,000 Christmas bonus checks to employees worth $770,000, one of the largest bonuses bestowed by a US company that year. "What Moran sought to build was not a great national company, but a tightly knit regional company, on the fringe of greatness playing its own special game," wrote Fortune Magazine in 1961. " And in this he succeeded admirably, [despite] is tyrannical one-man show." According to Banham, although Moran's legacy is forever wedded to his explosive temper and gruff demeanor, his extreme ways did successfully navigate the shoals of the great depression and kept the company alive. As one Conocoan recalled "You need a tough man to survive hard times."[37][38]
1947 1967: New President Leonard McCollum Transforms Conoco, Moves Company HQ From Ponca City to Houston
Leonard McCollum became President of Conoco in 1947 and led the company into innovative fields of foreign exploration, natural gas processing, fertilizers, detergents and plastics. When McCollum -- known as Mr. Mc -- came to Conoco in 1947, he found a medium-sized oil company operating mainly in the Middle West and the Rocky Mountain states. It was known for its conservatism and had assets of $209 million and a net income of $31 million. Twenty-one years later, in 1968, he was chairman and Conoco's assets stood at $2.3 billion, net income was $203 million and its payroll totaled 32,000. He retired as chairman in 1972. "He had dynamic ideas in business and was a pioneer in many areas," recalled his wife Eleanor. "He once bought a coal company for Conoco. They said he was crazy. It became their most lucrative investment."
Daniel Yergin wrote in The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power about McCollum's transformation of Conoco from a regional oil company to a multinational energy conglomerate:
In 1947, [Conoco's] board brought in a new president. Leonard McCollum, who had been Standard Oil of New Jersey's worldwide production coordinator. McCollum wanted to focus on building up the company's North American production. But he soon found that Continental was at a competitive disadvantage. Lower-cost foreign oil was pouring into the United States in the late 1940s, winning the incremental demand, while Continental's domestic production was being restricted by prorationing in Texas, Oklahoma, and else-where. Continental, McCollum decided, would have to go overseas.
The company spent a good deal of money drilling dry holes in Egypt and elsewhere in Africa over the next decade. Yet, despite the headaches and disappointments, McCollum was convinced that it was better, when it came to crude oil, to be a "have" than to be a "have-not" company. "If you set out to be a 'have.' "he said. "you must have the audacity to acquire as much acreage as possible—to take a big bite. Though a small piece may look like a sure thing, you better take as much as you can so you don't miss:' In the mid-1950s, Continental took a considerable bite in Libya, in a partnership with Marathon and Amerada that was called the Oasis Group. At the end of the 1950s, Oasis began to strike it very big in Libya. But, just at that moment. the rules were being drastically changed in Washington, completely undercutting McCollum's original strategic rationale. The new import quotas pretty much precluded Continental at the time from bringing its cheaper Libyan oil into the U.S. market, as it had planned. That meant the oil had to go elsewhere, and "elsewhere," of course, meant Western Europe. the most competitive oil market in the world. At first, Continental sold its surging Libyan output to the established majors and independent refiners in Europe. "We were brand new, and we had to go out and beat the bushes." recalled one Continental executive. But the company had little flexibility, and it also had to offer considerable price concessions to its buyers. Thus, it faced the classic dilemma—dependence on others.
At the turn of the twentieth century. William Mellon had turned Gulf into an integrated company, with its own refining and distribution, so that he would not have to say "by your leave" to Standard Oil or anyone else. Now, sixty years later. McCollum would do the same. So. in three years, beginning in 1960, the company established its own downstream refining and distribution system in Western Europe and Britain. acquiring where it could, starting from scratch where it could not. Its higher-quality Libyan oil, which was particularly suited to making gasoline, pushed Continental to develop its own networks of gasoline stations. In addition, Continental negotiated long-term contracts with strategically placed independent refiners. It built a very efficient refinery in Britain, where it sold low-cost gasoline under the "Jet" name. By 1964, sixteen years after McCollum had initiated the foreign oil search, Continental was producing more overseas than in the United States. It had become a significant integrated international oil company, which had never been in McCollum's original plan. The multiplication of such companies, each organized as more-or-less autonomous chains, increased the competitive pressures in the marketplace and gave further push to the falling oil price. Their success would also stir up nationalist sentiment in the countries that supplied their oil. In short, the companies were most vulnerable at the extreme ends of the production chain, the wellhead and the pump.'[39]
Between 1947, when he first entered the boardroom of Conoco, and 1967, when he retired as CEO, McCollum constantly strove for improvement in his company and the oil industry. McCollum established new divisions of research and development, market research, and a planning and coordinating department. He possessed an extraordinary ability to delegate authority, inspire others and to see success where others saw failure. According to his wife, "He was a visionary who understood the oil industry."[40][41]
"The hottest brand going" became Conoco's gasoline trademark during McCollum's twenty year tenure. McCollum was a "go-getter" who joked about his fast pace: "I kept four company planes at my disposal to go north, south, east, and west. I couldn't waste time turning around."[42]
In 1949, McCollum, moved Conoco's headquarters from Ponca City to Houston - the center of the US petroleum industry. New offices were opened at the Sterling Building on Texas and Fannin Streets.[43] Although Ponca City lost its role as headquarters, Ponca City was the beneficiary of McCollum's decision to build Conoco's central research center 1952 and double the R&D center in size by 1962.[44]
Leonard McCollum (1902-1993) gained a reputation as a skilled oil industry leader during his early career with Standard Oil. He joined Continental Oil when it was a medium-sized company with $209 million in assets. When he retired as chairman, the company, renamed Conoco, was a multinational energy conglomerate with assets of $2.3 billion.
1950 to 1980: High Water Mark for Conoco in Ponca City
Many consider the 1950s and 1960s as the high water mark for Conoco in Ponca City. "Your new job puts you right in the middle of Conoco's worldwide diversified operations," read a Conoco employee handbook published in 1967. "More Conocoans - 3,300 of the oil company's employees -work here than in any other single location. Ponca City is the 'Service Center of the Conoco World.' This is the center for our research, engineering, accounting, computer, pipe line, purchasing, and transportation activities. The oil industry is perhaps the most stable in the country. And the many companies of the Conoco family are right at the top of the industry."[45]
"Since 1950, Conoco's growth has been notably dynamic, moving from a position as a domestic regional company to the full rank of major international," continues the handbook. "Almost 'overnight,' Conoco established a fully integrated petroleum operation in Africa and Europe. Conoco is a now company. Enjoying the best overall growth rate among the world's largest oil firms, Conoco is a billion-dollar corporation and interational in scope and operations. Its diversification activities include plastics, coal, plant foods, petrochemical, electronics, nuclear research, and cryogenics applied to worldwide transport of natural gas in liquid form."[46]
"Conoco spends about $10 million annually on research and engineering through the efforts of more than 500 scientists and technicians at the company's multimillion dollar research center at Ponca City."[47]
1966: Cities Service Sells Refinery to Sequoia
Cities Service Sells Units to Gulf Oil
Conoco Time
1978: North Tower Completed
The Ponocoan reported on August 8, 1980 that a new ten story office building would be build at the Conoco Complex. "the need for this structure reflects our historic growth and existing office space demands," said Warren L. Jensen, vice President and regional coordinator, Midwest area. "It also reaffirms Conoco's commitment to Ponca City. The new South Tower was designed to house 1,000 employees with construction slated to be completed late in 1982. The South Tower was designed to be almost identical in size and design to the existing North Tower, completed in January, 1978. The main difference is that the South Tower has two additional floors, the addition of more elevators, and a central stairway. A one story office area connects the North and South Towers. Architects for the project were Frankfurt, Short, and Bruza of Oklahoma City.[48]
1978: Construction Begins on Research West
The Ponocoan reported on January 30, 1978 that construction had begun on the $13 million addition to Conoco's Research and Development Department with a 230,000 square foot building that will house 310 people. Research West would take approximately two years to complete and would house the Exploration Research Division and portions of Chemicals Research and Petroleum Products Divisions.[49]
1981: Dupont Acquires Conoco
In 1981, in what was called the largest acquisition in US history at that time, Conoco was purchased by DuPont Company, headquartered in Wilmington Deleware, over the July 4 weekend for $9.7 billion. At the time of the acquisition, DuPont announced that $2 billion in Conoco assets would be sold to reduce Conoco's debt. Dupont began by selling a west coast refinery for $100 million and a group of domestic properties were sold to Petro-Lewis for $750 million. [50]
WallStreet was sceptical of the acquisition as the NY Times reported that:
"Nobody on earth could figure out why Du Pont wanted them," said Thom R. Brown, an analyst at Butcher & Singer in Philadelphia. Shenandoah seemed to offer few resources, limited expertise, and scant protection from the profit-squeezing impact of the rising cost of the petrochemicals that Du Pont uses to make most of its products. Yesterday Du Pont, the nation's largest chemical company, announced that it planned to acquire Conoco Inc., the nation's ninth-largest oil company and second-largest coal miner. Once again, the analysts are surprised, but this time the relevance of the acquisition to Du Pont's feedstock concerns has nothing to do with it.
The problem, analysts said, is that Conoco is so large that they are groping to figure out how its acquisition would fit into Du Pont's overall strategic plans. A Du Pont spokesman said yesterday that the company could not comment on questions about its strategy pending filing of legal papers related to the acquisition offer. "As a result of this acquisition, Du Pont can forget about its image as a specialized company diversifying downstream into high technology," said John Henry, an analyst at E.F. Hutton. "It will become just a big commodities giant."
"I am a little concerned that it will divert management attention from the direction it should be going," Mr. Miles said. If the Conoco acquisition threatens to dwarf some of the expected developments on Du Pont's balance sheet that had attracted analysts, it nonetheless has a great deal of charm. "It is a conservative step," Mr. Henry said, "in that it makes the company bigger, stronger, less cyclical, and slower growing in the next few years. But it has got to be the most dramatic thing the company has ever done."[51]
The acquisition did little to benefit Ponca City. At the time of the acquisition, Conoco was by far Ponca City's biggest employer with 828 employees at the refinery and an additional 3,805 employees working in support services including financial, research, engineering, and service organizations.[52] Thirty years later only the refinery employees remain.
1984: Conoco Modifies Air Cleaner at Ponca City Refinery to Help Produce Liquid Fertilizer
In January, 1984 Conoco completed a $2 million refinery modification that made the air from Ponca City Refinery 30 percent cleaner and brought the city a commercial venture the fertilizer plant operated by Kerley Industries Inc. of Phoenix, Ariz. The changes cut refinery operating costs at the same time. In an innovative approach, Conoco engineers figured a way to capture waste gases previously lost in the atmosphere and put them to use. Old sulfur-recovery equipment was replaced by more efficient units and piping was erected to capture gaseous wastes produced during the refining process. The one-time wastes are piped to the nearby Kerley plant, which removes ammonia and sulfur compounds for use in liquid fertilizer. Conoco said its new equipment reduced sulfur dioxide emissions by 30 percent. It is the first system of its kind in Oklahoma and for Conoco.[53]
1985: Conoco Upgrades Ponca City Refinery
NewsOK reported on July 14, 1985 that Conoco Inc. is upgrading Ponca City Refinery with a new processing unit that is expected to improve production and profits. The equipment includes a hydrotreater reactor and an amine contractor that together adds hydrogen to the crude oil stock flowing to one of two catalytic crackers at the plant. The hydrogen improves quality of the stock, increasing light oil production. "This new equipment will allow us to increase production of higher-value, light oil products, including gasolines and diesel fuels," said refinery manager J.L. Dimond. Besides raising production and quality, the equipment will remove sulfur from the feedstock stream, resulting in cleaner air. The sulfur will be sold to a fertilizer company that opened its doors in Ponca City earlier this year. The newest equipment additions to the 134,000-barrel-per-day refinery will be finished about Oct. 1, Dimond said. This is the third upgrade in three years.[54]
1985: Ponca City Refinery Fights for its Life
News OK reported on July 21, 1985 that the Ponca City Refinery was facing a do-or-die situation. "An in-depth study of Conoco's refining operations by an executive management team has recently determined that the Ponca City refinery is the weakest link in Conoco refining operations," said plant manager John L. Dimond. "Unless the Ponca City refinery meets corporate profit objectives in a relatively short but unspecified time period, the refinery will be closed." That warning was passed along to the refinery's roughly 700 employees recently during meetings led by top Conoco officials including the firm's executive vice president and vice president of North American refinery. "The purpose of the meeting was to tell employees we're in a fight for our life," Dimond said. Since January, the refinery work force has been trimmed by 13 percent or 114 employees as a result of enhanced early retirement offerings to all eligible Conoco personnel systemwide, Dimond said. Overall, Conoco employed at its Ponca City complex more than 4,000 people, about 3,000 of whom work in the firm's major research, development and engineering departments.[55]
Through 1984, the Ponca City refinery "didn't make very much money, not enough to satisfy the corporation (Conoco's parent, Du Pont)," Dimond said. The refinery lost money during a 1985 first quarter that was "terrible," he said. During the second quarter, though, economic conditions were "reasonable," he said. His projections are that financial situation for the third and fourth quarters "will be somewhere in between the first and second." How long Du Pont would be satisfied with only marginal profits or even losses from the Ponca City plant "depends upon the attractiveness of alternate means for the disposition of assets," Dimond said. Also, competition among remaining refiners has become "intense," he said. "This competition is occuring in spite of the fact 111 U.S. refineries have shut down since January 1981 ... Survival is the prize awarded those refineries that are the most efficient."[56]
The keys to the "survival plan" are cost cutting and improved efficiency. Toward that end, Ponca City employees were asked recently for their ideas. The result was 470 suggestions, Dimond said. "Although the exact figures are closely guarded, I am at liberty to state that annual production (operating) costs in Ponca City must be reduced by about $10 million," he said. "I should emphasize that Conoco's management, the Ponca City refinery employees and support staff are committed to surviving this present crisis. Nonetheless, the crisis is very real and any projected increases in operating cost clouds the horizon."[57]
1990: Fire Damages Refinery Unit at Ponca City Refinery
NewsOK reported on May 23, 1990 that a spectacular fire that whipped orange fireballs 100 feet into the air and emitted a massive cloud of black smoke that was visible for miles across Kay County forced partial evacuation of the Conoco refinery complex. The inferno started about 6:15 p.m., after most of the 3,800 employees of the 1,300-acre complex were off duty, Hohensee said. "At this point the situation is stable, the fire is under control," Hohensee said at 7:45 p.m. "All emloyees have been accounted for." Nearby neighborhoods in south Ponca City were not evacuated. Ponca City police officer Bruce Piel said the blaze prompted authorities to evacuate children from a baseball field across the street. One member of the company's 16-man fire brigade was taken to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center and another was treated at the plant clinic after they showed signs of exhaustion, company spokesman Lynn Hohensee said. A hospital spokeswoman said the worker taken there was expected to be released Tuesday night. Retired Ponca City fire chief James R. Bates described the fire as a disaster. "They have flames everywhere," Bates said as he watched from his house two miles from the plant.
Hohensee said the fire was fueled by a propane supply. He said fire brigade workers, using a screen of water, made their way to the propane supply and cut it off. Refinery manager Dennis Parker said the fire was out at 9:35 p.m. Hohensee said the cause of the fire was unknown, and a damage estimate was not immediately available. Parker said damage would probably be in the millions. The fire began in the plant's dewaxing unit, where 12 workers were on duty, Hohensee said. He said the unit "dewaxes motor oil that is made into lubricants and then sold." The unit was built in 1941 and refurbished in 1970, Hohensee said. Officials said they originally thought the fire was contained to the dewaxing unit. But at 7:15 p.m. the fire spread to a nearby filtration building, Hohensee said. That building contains four large rotary filters that help separate wax from motor oil. The last major fire at the refinery was in 1973, Hohensee said. "I have never seen anything like this happen," said one 10-year employee, who did not want to be identified.[58]
1990: Conoco reaches Environmental Settlement with Ponca City
The NY Times reported in on April 5, 1990 that Conoco had reached one of the largest settlements ever recorded at that time in a lawsuit over environmental contamination offering 400 families that are neighbors to the Conoco refinery a package of measures worth from $23 million to $27 million, according to various estimates that will allow them to move away "from the acrid odors that have come to signify sickness and death in many households." Conoco executives said the settlement would permit them to create an uninhabited buffer zone around the plant. "We didn't do this for the money, and people are not going to have a good time spending it," said Anna Sue Rafferty, a leader of Ponca City Toxic Concerned Citizens, a community group that helped organize the suit against Conoco. "This has been my home for 34 years. I raised four children here. I love this house, but all I want to do now is get out of it." In response to years of complaints, Federal and state officials along with Conoco executives repeatedly told the plant's neighbors that no toxic substances were evident and that they faced no health risk. But recent tests performed by Conoco on samples of water found underground showed traces of benzene, a known carcinogen, according to Dennis Parker, the refinery manager. Adrienne Anderson, Western regional director of the National Toxics Campaign, which provided technical assistance to people in the area, said privately commissioned tests on water that had seeped into basements regularly showed dangerous levels of benzene, arsenic and about 20 other potentially harmful chemicals. Conoco, a fully owned subsidiary of E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, did not acknowledge any wrongdoing in the settlement. In a statement Monday, Mr. Parker noted that the agreement says, "No party admits any fault, liability or responsibility for any claims, injuries or damages claimed by any adverse party." Grace Klinger, who learned the chemistry of hydrocarbons to find out what was happening in her neighborhood, said: "When I was growing up, everyone just figured the stink was just refinery stink and if the company said it was O.K. then it was O.K. Now we know better, and it doesn't matter what Conoco says because the truth is out."[59][60]
1993: Major Downsizing at Conoco
Ponca City was hit by major downsizing at Conoco in 1993 when approximately 1,400 jobs were cut, resulting in an annual payroll reduction of $40 million. This precipitated an economic slowdown in the city and county in 1993 and 1994. The unemployment rate, which had always been well below the national average of six percent, jumped to 12 percent and unemployment compensation claims more than doubled from the previous year. While Conoco once accounted for 50 percent of the jobs in Ponca City, after the downsizing Conoco accounted for just seven percent, or 1,400 jobs. According to a study by the International Economic Development Council, "the town’s psychology and identity was rocked by the downsizing of its one major employer."[61]
1996: Phillips and Conoco End Merger Talks
On May 14, 1996 Phillips 66 and Conoco confirmed that they had been engaged in exclusive discussions to form such a joint-venture company which would, among other things, "market gasoline and other petroleum products under both the Phillips 66 and Conoco brands." However Bartlesville-based Phillips Petroleum Co. and Conoco Inc., Houston, agreed to end discussion of combining their U.S. refining, marketing, supply and transportation assets into a joint venture. Phillips Chairman and Chief Executive Wayne Allen and Conoco President and Chief Executive Archie Dunham said jointly Tuesday, "Both parties negotiated constructively and in good faith, but we were unable to reach agreement on significant commercial issues."
Allen said, "While we're disappointed that we could not reach an agreement, Phillips remains committed to improving the profitability of its RM&T (refining, marketing and transportation) operations." Dunham said, "Conoco and Phillips are both very successful and strong companies. We approached the negotiations on the basis that we would agree to create a joint venture only if it could be demonstrated that such a move would improve both companies' financial performance and be in the best interests of our shareholders. While it is disappointing that we could not reach agreement, Conoco is well positioned to compete in this market, and remains committed to providing quality products and service to its customers," Dunham added.[62]
1996: Fire at Ponca City Refinery
In July 1996, the plant experienced a fire in a hydro heater, which removes sulfur from the hydrocarbon feed stock for the manufacture of oil and gas products. No one was injured and production was not interrupted. A major fire occurred in May 1990 when a spectacular, propane-fed blaze swept through a dewaxing unit, causing more than $1 million in damage. [63]
1998: DuPont Divests Conoco
In a move that many investors believed was long overdue, E. I. du Pont de Nemours announced in 1989 that it would divest itself of 20 percent of its $22 billion Conoco oil subsidiary in a tax-free stock offering that could bring in as much as $5 billion. Charles O. Holliday Jr., DuPont's chief executive, said he would dispose of the rest of Conoco "as soon as practical." The Conoco divestiture was certainly not unexpected. DuPont bought the oil company in 1981 as insurance against the pricing and supply tactics of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. But oil prices have been far less volatile than it had feared, and DuPont continues to de-emphasize the petrochemical side of its business, so having Conoco as a captive source of raw material is of less strategic importance.[64]
The decision by DuPont's board struck much of Wall Street as a safe solution to the question of how best to divest itself of Conoco in a depressed oil market. Some investors feared DuPont would sell Conoco at a cheap price just to get rid of it. Others -- especially after British Petroleum PLC's $48 billion acquisition of Amoco Corp. -- hoped for a quick sale that would provide the same clean break but at a rich price.[65] Analysts were not surprised by the announcement that DuPont intends to sell its stake in Conoco. In fact, some wondered what took the company so long. "That's something they've [talked about] for a long time and they're finally acting on that," said Carol Freedenthal of Houston-based Jofree Corp. "I guess they've just got better places they can put their money than the oil and gas business." Edward Jones chemical analyst Bill Fiala said the move seemed imminent about a month ago after restructuring within DuPont did not include Conoco. "I think the writing was on the wall at that point," he said. "I think it's good for Conoco and good for DuPont. I think if Conoco's ever going to thrive, it needs to be a little more independent and a little more agile."[66]
Conoco's acquisition by DuPont cast a big shadow over Ponca City. According to the Daily Oklahoman, "when Conoco turned out to be the winner's prize in last summer's corporate takeover and bidding war involving Du Pont, Mobil Oil and Canada's Seagram, people here watched with more than idle curiosity. In fact, many were downright nervous."
But people's nerves have since calmed down. Delaware-based Du Pont, which emerged victorious in the fight for Conoco, completed its acquisition of that locally born oil company last Oct. 1. Du Pont has since demonstrated that life in Ponca City can go on as before even with Conoco, which most people had generally assumed was too big to be bought out, now reduced to the status of a Du Pont subsidiary. But local residents, many of whom not only get their paycheck from Conoco but were also long-time Conoco stockholders as were thousands of other Oklahomans, still had a lot of unanswered questions about Du Pont.
Many questions were answered last week when Du Pont board chairman Edward G. Jefferson came to town, accepting an invitation to address the annual meeting of the Ponca City Chamber of Commerce. Turning to Conoco, he told people that the Du Pont-Conoco merger, which turned out to be the most expensive in business history at $7.4 billion, offers long-term benefits for those connected with either firm.
While his own company is one of the nation's top research firms, Jefferson said he is impressed with Conoco's major Ponca City research facilities. He added that the combination of one company with a history of expertise in chemicals and chemical research and another with vast energy reserves and energy research should make both firms stronger and lead to development of many new products. He cited particularly the potential in tertiary oil recovery, an area Conoco plans to emphasize more in the future. Such recovery methods often employ the injection of chemicals into the ground, chemicals which Du Pont can provide. Jefferson also noted that the merger widens promotion possibilities for employees of both companies. He assured local residents that major Conoco accounting functions now located in Ponca City will remain there. "I see no basis for wanting to move them."[67]
Major downsizings followed, especially in the early to mid-1990s. Employee numbers in Ponca City fell from a high of 4,500 to a low of 1,800 - huge losses that left the city of 25,000 reeling, economically and psychologically.[68]
In October 1999, an oil tank at the state's largest refinery burst into flames, injuring two workers and sending school children scurrying off playgrounds to safety. An estimated 50,000 barrels of fuel were consumed in the fire and damage was estimated at $1.5 million. A plume of thick black smoke rose over the city, scattering charred chunks of foam-like debris up to 5 miles from the Conoco refinery. Kenneth Ray, director of external affairs for Conoco, said the smoke was non-toxic but warned people with respiratory problems to stay indoors. Ray said the fire probably would be left to burn out and posed no danger of spreading. He said he didn't know what caused the 80,000-gallon tank to explode. A spokesman for Intergris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City said both injured workers, who had been on a lift inspecting insulation around the tank, had burns to the face, back and arms, and one had a fractured hip. Their conditions and the extent of their burns wasn't immediately available.[69]
Conoco Inc. and Phillips Petroleum Co. announced on November 18, 2001 that their boards of directors have unanimously approved a merger of equals and signed a definitive merger agreement. The merged company became the third-largest integrated U.S. energy company based on market capitalization and oil and gas reserves and production. Worldwide, it became the sixth-largest energy company based on hydrocarbon reserves and the fifth-largest global refiner. Graphic Created by: Granger Meador Used with permission
Other Stories About the Ponca City Refinery:
What Are Phillips' Plans for the North and South Towers?
News, Issues, and Status at Other Phillips 66 Refineries
2001: The Creation of ConocoPhillips
Conoco Inc. and Phillips Petroleum Co. announced on November 18, 2001 that their boards of directors have unanimously approved a merger of equals and signed a definitive merger agreement. The merged company became the third-largest integrated U.S. energy company based on market capitalization and oil and gas reserves and production. Worldwide, it became the sixth-largest energy company based on hydrocarbon reserves and the fifth-largest global refiner. Upon completion of the merger, Archie W. Dunham, Conoco chairman and chief executive officer, would serve as chairman of ConocoPhillips and delay his scheduled retirement to 2004. James J. Mulva, Phillips chairman and chief executive officer, would become president and chief executive officer of the combined company, and also become chairman upon Dunham's retirement.[70][71]
The Associated Press reported that analysts described the combination as a deal done to survive. If Phillips and Conoco hadn't decided to join forces, analysts said they risked losing market share to competitors in an unhealthy business climate for all but the largest petroleum companies reported Alan Clenndenning. "This is absolutely a matter of survival - survival nor necessarily to thrive, but to guarantee they will survive, said Fadel Gheit, an analyst at Fahnestock & Co. In a conference callwith analysts, top Phillips and Conoco officials said the merger would allow them to save at least $750 million annually in part through the elimination of an unspecified number of jobs from the company's combined roster of 58,000 employees. "You cannot say you are cutting cost if you cut less than 5 percent, said Gheit. "And if you want to be aggressive with a sharp knife you can cut 15 to 20 percent, which I see as unlikely." Officials took pains to describe the deal as a merger of equals, tough under its terms, Phillips shareholders wil end up with a 56.6 percent stake in the new company.[72]
Businessweek reported in 2005 chief executive officer Mulva had conceived the bold $16 billion deal that created ConocoPhillips in 2002 that vaulted it into the league of energy giants so large they're called supermajors and was an aggressive risk-taker willing to place multibillion-dollar bets in the most volatile places on earth. All of the industry's big players are swimming in cash, reported Businessweek but Mulva is plowing some 70% of the company's expected cash flow back into the business, compared with 60% at Chevron Corp. and 35% at Exxon Mobil Corp.. "We're aggressive about where we want to be five years from now," said Mulva. "Even with the benefit of hindsight, Mulva has done a lot right," wrote Mark Morrison. "His aptly timed Conoco acquisition put the company in a position to benefit from a new global dynamic of rising energy demand that could last into the next decade. And his bold plans may ultimately prove that he adjusted more wisely and quickly to the changing world of energy than the other majors. Right or wrong, no one will accuse Mulva of being shy."[73]
According to Jim Mulva's presentation to financial analysts on July 14, 2011, ConocoPhillips' view was that the company needed to go up in size. That is one of the reasons for the merger -- to compete around the world. "We also felt, looking back 10 years ago, that there is going to be consolidation in the industry. And that made a lot of sense that we were pretty bullish about oil prices and we feltthe supply and demand situation of oil would get tighter with time."[74][75][76]
2001: Impact of Merger of Conoco and Phillips on Oklahoma Communities
KOCO reported on November 19, 2001 that merger of Conoco and Phillips in 2001 stunned residents in both Bartlesville and Ponca City. "This could be a bad deal for Bartlesville," said an unnerved Bartlesville resident Chuck Tate, who realizes how the economic fortunes of his town are tied to the huge oil company based. "I hope not, but I'm expecting the worst." Bartlesville's fortune has long mirrored the ups and downs of the company founded in 1917 by brothers Frank and L.E. Phillips. There was downsizing after the 1980s oil bust. Bartlesville embarked on a sustained effort to diversify its economy, luring new businesses and factories but nothing to compare to Phillips. During the oil boom 20 years ago, Phillips employed 9,000 locally, half the city's workforce. "Phillips has obviously been a huge part of this town, in my lifetime anyway," said local travel agency executive Gary Spears. "It's scary." Spears said all of his business is directly related to arrangements with Phillips or tied indirectly to travel by Phillips' employees or townspeople who benefit from the company. "When they say the Phillips' headquarters is not going to be here, it's a huge announcement," Spears said. "I don't know what that means at this point. Nobody does."[77]
ConocoPhillips will based in Houston, home to Conoco. It will keep a reduced presence in Bartlesville, Okla., where Phillips employs 2,400 at its headquarters and research facility. "This is really a growth story for Conoco and Phillips," said Conoco CEO Archie Dunham who is delaying a planned retirement to serve as chairman of the combined company. Phillips chairman James Mulva will be chief executive of the company, and become chairman when Dunham retires in 2004. Gov. Frank Keating said the merger was "unavoidable to ensure the survival in Oklahoma of both companies." "While some job reductions will result, I have assurances from the leaders of the new company that it will maintain an even stronger Oklahoma presence," he said.[78]
Also affected is Ponca City, 70 miles due west, where Conoco's refinery and offices employ 1,900 of the town's 26,000 people. "One of the great fears we've had in Ponca City was that Conoco might be the victim of a hostile takeover," said Ponca City Mayor Tom Leonard. "Now that they have created the third largest oil and gas company in the United States, that pretty much eliminates that risk."[79]
A fire occurred at Ponca City Refinery in June 2002, when severe lightning and storms hit the Ponca City area. The plant's fire brigade quickly doused a small blaze thought to be related to a power surge from a lightning strike.[80]
2003: Archie Dunham Paid $25 Million Bonus for Merging Conoco with Phillips 66
Archie Dunham Was Paid a $25 Million Bonus for Merging Conoco with Phillips 66. A financial sweetener triggered by the merger of Conoco Inc. and Phillips Petroleum Co. allowed ConocoPhillips Chairman Archie Dunham to pull in more than $31 million in 2002. Archie Dunham, CEO of Conoco in 2000, received a $25 million "change of control" bonus payment made "in connection with the merger" of Houston's Conoco and Bartlesville, Oklahoma-based Phillips 66. The combined change of control payments for top Conoco Executives amounted to $64.8 million. “Integrity and ethics are among the responsibilities of all our corporate leadership, especially myself,” says Dunham. “Integrity and ethics must be evident in not only our personal lives, but also in our professional conduct before they can be instilled in our employees.” "Those guys are getting rich," said one energy stock analyst. Photo: Wikipedia
Houston Business Journal reported on April 27, 2003 that a financial sweetener triggered by the merger of Conoco and Phillips 66 allowed ConocoPhillips Chairman Archie Dunham to pull in more than $31 million in 2002. Archie Dunham, CEO of Conoco in 2000, received a $25 million "change of control" payment and a corresponding "tax gross-up payment" which together surpassed $26.6 million. Dunham's bonus was made "in connection with the merger" of Houston's Conoco and Bartlesville, Okla.-based Phillips, according to Securities and Exchange documents filed by Houston-based ConocoPhillips.
ConocoPhillips Executive Vice President Jim Nokes received change of control payments exceeding $19.6 million. Nokes oversees refining, marketing, supply and transportation operations. His total compensation last year was more than $21.4 million. At the same time, the company's Rob McKee floated into retirement with golden parachute bonuses that totaled $22.9 million, a vast majority of which was a change of control payment. On March 31, McKee retired as the ConocoPhillips executive vice president over exploration and production. His total compensation of more than $24 million last year likely would have been hard to fathom when he joined Conoco Inc. in New Orleans as a junior engineer in 1967. The combined change of control payments for former Conoco Executives Dunham, McKee and Nokes amounted to approximately $64.8 million. "Those guys are getting rich," says one energy stock analyst.[81]
“Integrity and ethics are among the responsibilities of all our corporate leadership, especially myself,” said Dunham in 2012. “Integrity and ethics must be evident in not only our personal lives, but also in our professional conduct before they can be instilled in our employees.”[82]
Jim Mulva, Phillips CEO and president, missed out on a change of control payment, but still managed to earn more than $18 million in 2002. A majority of Mulva's money in 2002 came via a "long-term incentive payout" of more than $14.9 million. Mulva was chairman and CEO of Phillips before the merger, but now he shares top billing with former Conoco Inc. Chairman, CEO and President Dunham.[83]
2003: Worker Dies in Accident at Ponca City Refinery
On July 21, 2003 Tim Crank, 39 and another employee were removing a vertical pump and motor inside a gas plant. For some reason, a hydrocarbon was released inside the plant, triggering an explosion and fire. Crank died 10 days later.[84] A a preliminary investigation showed a hydrocarbon leak reached an ignition source. Crank had been with ConocoPhillips since 1996. At the time of the fire, he was a unit operator in the west plant. Company spokeswoman Shanley Wells said the company is much like a family and at 11 a.m. employees observed a moment of silence for Crank. "This is devastating news here for us, for all of us. We offer the family all the sympathy we have," she said. This was the first fatality resulting from an accident at the Ponca City refinery since 1946, Wells said.[85]
The explosion and fire on July 21, 2003 shut down several units at the Ponca City Refinery. ConocoPhillips CEO Jim Mulva said that ConocoPhillips planned to run its Ponca City refinery at about 62 percent of capacity in the third quarter. The plant has the capacity to produce about 105,000 barrels of gasoline a day and 74,000 barrels a day of distillate fuels, which include heating oil and diesel. "We think the lost profit opportunity impact on net income in the third quarter is about $30 million," Mulva said.[86]
Two employees and a contract worker were injured when the fire on the Ponca City refinery's west side started about 11 am. Plumes of black smoke filled the sky, but by evening, the smoke had decreased. Plant manager Ron Armstrong said he had no estimate of how long the fire would burn, but that it didn't seem to threaten other parts of the refinery. "The fire is contained. We're just letting it burn itself out," he said. Temperatures topped 100 degrees as 60 firefighters from several departments fought to contain the blaze.[87]
The last known fire at the plant was June 2002, when severe lightning and storms hit the Ponca City area. The plant's fire brigade quickly doused a small blaze thought to be related to a power surge from a lightning strike. In October 1999, two workers were burned when fuel ignited in an 80,000-barrel storage tank. An estimated 50,000 barrels of fuel were consumed in the fire and damage was estimated at $1.5 million. In July 1996, the plant experienced a fire in a hydro heater, which removes sulfur from the hydrocarbon feed stock for the manufacture of oil and gas products. No one was injured and production was not interrupted. A major fire occurred in May 1990 when a spectacular, propane-fed blaze swept through a dewaxing unit, causing more than $1 million in damage. On New Year's Eve 1990, fire damaged one of the Ponca City plant's three crude oil processing units. The unit refines crude oil into such products as gasoline, propane, kerosene and diesel fuels, and was processing 56,000 barrels a day before the fire. No one was injured.[88]
According to Conoco, rebuilding the damaged parts of the refinery and investigating the fire that erupted there will be a substantial undertaking. The cause of the fire, the extent of the damage and the cost of that damage remain unclear, but the company's management may receive a report on what sparked the fire as early as this week, said ConocoPhillips spokeswoman Shanley Wells adding that the majority of the refinery's operations weren't damaged by the fire. The company has convened at least four teams: a short-term team to help restart the operations that weren't damaged, a long-term team to focus on the refinery's rebuilding efforts, a team to investigate the incident and a team to conduct a damage assessment, the spokeswoman said. Additional personnel from other refineries also are assisting in the recovery effort, she said. "This is a huge undertaking," Wells said. "Within those various teams are subteams. We have a lot of personnel and resources focused on this."[89]
2005: ConocoPhillips Closes Demonstration Plant in Ponca City Eliminating Up to 120 Jobs
On October 21, 2004 ConocoPhillips announced that it would shut down its demonstration plant eliminating up to 120 jobs. The plant was built to test technology designed to convert natural gas into liquid fuels. "It is never easy to make this kind of announcement," said George Paczkowski, ConocoPhillips vice-president of downstream technology in Ponca City, "but we've known this demonstration plant was temporary since we built it. The plant was scheduled to close in July, 2005 eliminating 80 full-time positions and 40 contract jobs. Paczkowski said many of the full-time workers would be reassigned to other positions at the company.[90] "We started the plant to prove our technology to turn natural gas into diesel, and then to provide data for the design of a commercial plant," said ConocoPhillips spokeswoman Shanley Wells-Rau. "In 2005, we said that we successfully developed and proved the technologies. But the company never has moved on to build one commercially. It was never meant to be a long-term, commercial plant."[91]
The Daily Oklahoman reported on December 20, 2008 that ConocoPhillips had sold the company’s natural gas-to-liquids demonstration plant along with the technology behind it for an undisclosed amount of money. The plant was a demonstration project that opened in 2003 and closed in 2005 and had the capability of producing 400 barrels a day of liquid fuels from natural gas. The buyer was Industrial Properties, based in Kansas City who plan to dismantle the plant to resell its steel and equipment.[92]
2009: ConocoPhillips Moves 700 Jobs Out of Ponca City
Two huge office buildings site almost empty at Phillips 66's Refinery Complex after the company moves 700 Jobs out of Ponca City. On February 17, 2009 ConocoPhillips announced they had decided to relocate all of its 750 non-refinery positions out of Ponca City within two years and that first 250 jobs would be moved in 2009 with 180 jobs going to Houston and 70 jobs to Bartlesville. The positions moving first included jobs in technical services, research and development, engineering and support, human resources and Internet technology, among others. Management met with hundreds of Ponca City employees to tell them the news. "It’s a difficult time in general for all ConocoPhillips employees," said ConocoPhillips spokesman Tracy Harlow. "We made the strategic decision to consolidate locations for the most effective corporate operations."[93] Photo: Hugh Pickens
On November 7, 2008 ConocoPhillips announced that the company was planning to downsize their operation in Ponca City and that all 700 office worker positions in Ponca City were being for relocated to Bartlesville or Houson. On November 8, 2008 ConocoPhillips first announced that all 700 office worker positions in Ponca City are being considered for consolidation or relocation. "Consolidation and relocation are options we're looking at," said company spokesman Tracy Harlow. "Any and all options are still on the board right now." Most of ConocoPhillips' nonrefinery jobs in Ponca City werefocused in the credit card, information technology, facilities and other support operations, she noted. A steering committee, including ConocoPhillips managers, was looking at options. The review started November 2008 and had not narrowed into specifics so far, Harlow said. The 750 people employed in refinery operations would not be affected by the review.[94]
The Tulsa World reported on February 17, 2009 that ConocoPhillips had decided to relocate all of its 750 non-refinery positions out of Ponca City within two years and that first 250 jobs will be moved in 2009 with 180 jobs going to Houston and 70 jobs to Bartlesville. The positions moving first include jobs in technical services, research and development, engineering and support, human resources and Internet technology, among others. Management met with hundreds of Ponca City employees to tell them the news. "It’s a difficult time in general for all ConocoPhillips employees," said ConocPhillips spokesman Tracy Harlow. ConocoPhillips originally planned the Ponca City relocation study as a standalone effort in 2008 but falling energy and credit markets forced ConocoPhillips to consider layoffs and include Ponca City into its overall business efficiency study. "We made the strategic decision to consolidate locations for the most effective corporate operations,” Harlow said. “Obviously we are conserving cash right now, so cash will limit relocations in 2009.”[95]
Business Week reported that Ponca City took a hit from ConocoPhillips in February 2009, when the company said it planned to move 750 non-refinery jobs out of the city of about 26,000 to Bartlesville and Houston. But the refinery has remained a key part of ConocoPhillips' operations, said ConocoPhillips spokesman John Roper. Rich Cantillon, president and CEO of the Ponca City Chamber of Commerce, said ConocoPhillips upgraded the refinery last year and is performing another upgrade this year. No new oil refineries have been built in the U.S. since 1976, which is another positive sign for the Ponca City facility's future. "It's not going anywhere," Cantillon said. "We are good to go. Ponca City is a happy, good community. ... It's fascinating to see how (the split) will all play out, but we'll always have the refinery. There won't be any more job loss for Ponca City when it comes to (ConocoPhillips). There could be job growth."[96]
City officials were disappointed in ConocoPhillips' announcement that 750 jobs will be relocated from Ponca City, but expect the community to bounce back. "We would have liked to have seen them expand here. We have plenty of office room for them and had hoped they would grow their operation here," said City Manager Craig Stephenson. "We also understand it's a corporate decision." Mayor Homer Nicholson said Conoco has been a good corporate citizen and he is glad ConocoPhillips has decided to leave Oklahoma's largest refinery in Ponca City. "We are thankful," he said. "We were hoping the business optimization study would give them a reason to expand their business in Ponca City. Unfortunately, that did not happen," Nicholson said. "We have weathered larger reductions in force than this one," the mayor said.[97]
Effect of ConocoPhillips' Downsizing on the Community of Ponca City
The Tulsa World reported in 2009 that Conoco employed more than 5,000 people in Ponca City before the oil bust of 1985, the year Dave Myers, executive director of the Ponca City Development Authority, pinpoints as "the beginning of the end for us being a company town." The end itself came in 2002, when Conoco merged into ConocoPhillips and began transferring departments en masse to the Phillips campus in Bartlesville. In November 2009, the company announced it would probably transfer the final 700 office jobs out of Ponca, leaving only 750 jobs in the refinery.[98]
Until a few months ago, Fred Holmes worked in research and development with more than 100 other technicians. Then he and his wife had to choose between early retirement or transferring to Bartlesville, an hour and 20 minutes east of Ponca. "It was a 12-hour day any way you look at it," Holmes says. "She couldn't put up with it then, and I didn't want to do it now." After a few weeks, his wife quit the company and invested in a downtown bridal shop, Affairs to Remember. Now Holmes works there, too — recently moving the shop to a larger storefront and adding a catering service. But Homes still resents the company for, as he puts it, "abandoning Ponca City." While he had a small business to fall back on, Holmes has watched friends and co-workers move away to look for jobs elsewhere. "You used to be able to wake up in the morning and know you had a job and know that your family would be provided for," he says. "Now, nobody knows what's going to happen next."[99]
Mike Dove took early retirement when the company moved his entire department to Bartlesville. When he grew up during the '60s, a job with the company seemed like "the ultimate prize," Dove says. Like many of his classmates, Dove went off to college not to escape Ponca City, but so he could come back and stay. "You could pretty much count on a job for life, and it gave you a sense of security and stability. "By the '90s, that wasn't the case at all." For his own two children, both now adults, staying in Ponca City was never an option. "Finding a job," Dove says, "pretty much means going somewhere else."[100]
KOCO reported on November 7, 2008 that City development executive director David Myers said the diversity of the economy would lessen the effect of possible job losses. "The impact of this economically is not nearly as severe as the impact emotionally," said Myers adding that city leaders didn't want to depend on a single employer that could make or break the community and that other employers also make up a big portion of the economy. "Sensor testing is a $6 billion worldwide industry, and we're the only place in the world where you come and have your sensor tested by a neutral third party," Myers said. "Our real concern is with the individual families that might be impacted by this, and we want to make sure that there are some viable alternatives for them to stay here in Ponca City because most of them do want to stay here," Myers said. Barber Barney Barnwell said he has been in this situation before and so has the community. "We can survive," he said. "Ponca can survive."[101]
2010: Possible Sale of Ponca City Refinery
In May 2010, there was a lot of discussion in Ponca City about the possibility that ConocoPhillips was interested in selling its Ponca refinery to another oil company and getting out of Ponca City especially after ConocoPhillips Chairman and CEO Jim Mulva met with corporate analysts in October 2009 for the ConocoPhillips Q3 2009 Earnings Call and announced that the company's capital budget would decrease by about 12 percent in 2010 and that ConocoPhillips planned to divest $10 billion in refining, exploration, and production assets in a bid to improve its financial position.[102]
At the earnings call on October 29, 2009 Mulva was asked specifically about the possibility that ConocoPhillips might divest itself of some of its refineries and Mulva said that the company was "going through a more strategic assessment [of its refineries] because there are some that are less sophisticated. We will think long-term when the market gets a little bit better about selling some refineries. We think that is going to be subsequent to the next two years for 2012, 2013 and we have in mind a number of facilities that we think might have some value to someone else."[103]
The Tulsa World and the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise report that Mulva appeared before a packed house at the Bartlesville Community Center on May 21, 2010 to present the annual company update, talk about ConocoPhillips' plans for the future, and clarify the company's plans for Bartlesville and for the Ponca City refinery.[104]
Mulva told his audience that employees in Bartlesville and Ponca City have little to fear. Although ConocoPhillips announced last year that it was tranferring or eliminating all 700 non-refinery jobs in Ponca City, ConocoPhillips plans to keep the Ponca City refinery with it's 750 employees. "We will retain only the largest and most sophisticated refineries," Mulva said. "Ponca City is a large and sophisticated refinery that is important to our refinery portfolio."[105]
Mulva added that he didn't forsee any change in the 3,100 ConocoPhillips employees in Bartlesville, and that there was actually room to accommodate an additional 800 to 1,000 more employees in Bartlesville. "There's no change in our long-term plans for Bartlesville," Mulva said. "It's a very important global support center for ConocoPhillips."[106]
"Ponca City Still a Competitive Refinery"
The announcement reinforced a statement made in February 2009 at the time that the announcement was made that ConocoPhillips non-refinery employees in Ponca City would be relocated over the next three years. "The refinery in Ponca City continues to be a competitive refinery," said John A Carrig, President and Chief Operating Officer of ConocoPhillips, when he talked to students as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series at the Michael F. Price College of Business at Oklahoma University. "Like all of our facilities, we are continuing to make investments to enable it to thrive. I don't see any particular change in the outlook for it."[107]
Jim Mulva reiterated in his conference call to financial analysts on July 14, 2011 that in answering a question by Ed Westlake of Credit Suisse that "if we have an alternative to sell one of the less sophisticated refineries in a way, we are not going to delay until this is done accomplishing and doing that."[108][109][110]
In 1908 E. W. Marland came to Oklahoma after losing his fortune in the Pennsylvania oil fields in the panic of 1907 and by 1920 had reestablished himself and started the Marland Oil Company and building the Marland Refinery in Ponca City. Marland was a visionary and not only pioneered the use of geophysical techniques in the oil industry but was years ahead of his time as an employer providing housing, loans, medical care, and other benefits for the thousands of employees who worked at his refineries and pipelines. The refinery EW Marland built in Ponca City in 1918 has provided employment, opportunities, and benefits to tens of thousands of citizens of Northern Oklahoma in the almost 100 years since the Marland Refinery in Ponca City was built. Photo: Hugh Pickens
Beginning May 1, 2012, the day Phillips 66 was spun off as a separate downstream company, newspaper ads have appeared daily in the "The Ponca City News" asking that Phillips 66 rename its Ponca City refinery the "Marland Refinery in Ponca City" as a symbol going forward of the partnership between the oil industry and the citizens of North Central Oklahoma that honors the legacy of two great oil pioneers who brought advancement and prosperity to Northern Oklahoma, Frank Phillips and EW Marland.[111][112] Full Disclosure
Archie Dunham Says He Disagrees with Splitting Off Phillips 66 from ConocoPhillips. In 2012, ConocoPhillips split, spinning off its refining, retail, and marketing operations to form Phillips 66, while ConocoPhillips focused on oil exploration and production. Jim Mulva, CEO of ConocoPhillips and architect of the split, said that two independent companies focused on their respective industries would be more competitive. He insisted both were big enough to compete and generated enough cash to invest in their futures. Dunham stayed out of the fray, he said recently. He wrote letters to the board, arguing that an integrated company can use cash from its refining business to fund oil exploration - but he never sent them. According to Hunn, the separation is a decision with which Dunham disagrees, even now. Photo: Wikipedia
Implementation of the ConocoPhillips Split
On May 1, 2012 Phillips 66 issued a press release announcing that Phillips 66 had emerged as an independent downstream energy company with industry-leading businesses in refining and marketing, midstream, and chemicals. Created through a spin-off of these assets from ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66 begins regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange this morning under the ticker symbol PSX. "Our strategic approach combines one of the world's most competitive refining and marketing operations with rapidly growing midstream and chemicals businesses," said CEO Greg Garland. "Phillips 66 will be clearly differentiated from pure-play refining companies with specific plans for enhancing returns and growing shareholder distributions. We have an exciting future ahead of us."[113]
On November 11, 2011 the Tulsa World reported that Phillips 66 would be the name for the new independent oil and gasoline refining and marketing firm, created as ConocoPhillips splits into two companies. ConocoPhillips will keep the current name of the company and will concentrate on the exploration and production side while Phillips 66 will include refining and marketing portions of the company. Each company will be run independently and will have different tocker names in the stock market. The refinery in Ponca City employs about 700 people while Bartlesville will be the global center for the Phillips 66 technology organization as well as the transaction services organizations for both companies.[114] ConocoPhillips CEO Jim Mulva will resign once the split is complete and Greg Garland will be the new CEO of Phillips 66.[115] The decision to name the new entity for Phillips 66 is because of name recognition and branding. "Phillips 66 has strong brand recognition and value, and it provides a link between our rich history and our exciting future," Garland said Thursday in a news release. "Our name reflects an independent spirit and drive."[116]
On April 4, 2012 ConocoPhillips' board of directors gave its final approval for the spin-off of its downstream businesses into Phillips 66.[117] ConocoPhillips executive vice president and CFO Jeffrey Sheets announced on April 23, 2012 that ConocoPhillips is putting its final touches on its spinoff of Phillips 66 this week, and the transaction will take place as scheduled on May 1, 2012.[118]
Garland Says the Spin-off of Phillips 66 Was Executed Flawlessly
Greg Garland told investors and securities analysts at the 2012 Barclays CEO Energy-Power Conference in New York on September 5, 2012 that spin-off of Phillips 66 was executed flawlessly. "I think it's a real tribute to the dedication and the capability of the Phillips 66 employees. They did a great job of getting our feet underneath this. The Company has stood up. We're ready to go. The systems are operating well. We've been running well and capturing good opportunities in the market.[119]
How the Spinoff Affects Ponca City and Bartlesville
Rod Walton writes in the Tulsa World on April 28, 2012 that with the spinoff, Ponca City may not be affected as dramatically by the split as Bartlesville. Going back to the 2002 merger shows that Bartlesville and Ponca City were affected differently leaving the two cities in different situations today."[120]
Conoco employed nearly 1,900 people in Ponca City at the end of 2001, while Phillips had a workforce of 2,500 in Bartlesville. The ConocoPhillips numbers shrunk to only 750 refinery workers in Ponca City but swelled to 3,500 at the shared services center in Bartlesville. Ponca City is now purely a refining town, with Ponca City having lost all 750 non-refinery jobs during the three-year repositioning plan. "Today, we're a refinery town," said David Myers, executive director for the Ponca City Development Authority. "No doubt about it: the merger was not kind to Ponca City." "The dark humorists in that city used to joke that Ponca City got the first name in the merger but little else," writes Walton. "ConocoPhillips opted to shut down a carbon fibers plant early on and eliminated the rest of the 750 non-refinery jobs beginning in 2009.""[121]
The Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise editorialized on April 29, 2012 that Jim Mulva has "proven to be a true friend to the City of Bartlesville."[122] According to Rod Walton, Bartlesville was a big beneficiary of the ConocoPhillips merger and seems to have lived a charmed life economically over the past ten years. Although the home of Frank Phillips doesn't employ 9,000 company workers as it did in the early days, the 1,000 employees added since 2002 have kept downtown buildings such as Plaza and Adams full of mid-level computer, credit and other support personnel. But now Bartlesville operations are in flux and there is much uncertainty about the future. "All employees are being moved to one of the two companies, with co-workers who once sat side to side now literally shifted to separate buildings," writes Walton. ConocoPhillips will employ about 1,700 people in the downtown Plaza and Frank Phillips Tower Center buildings and in the Adams warehouse. Phillips 66's Bartlesville workforce will number 1,900 people, housed in the main Adams and Phillips buildings and the Research and Development Center on the west edge of the city.[123] The Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise reported on April 29, 2012 that the "split or 'repositioning' as it has been called by company officials, has required many existing local employees to shift jobs and even physically move from one building to another within the extensive downtown Bartlesville office complex" adding that "while no one can predict the future with perfect clarity, Bartlesville appears no worse for the wear during this complex process."[124]
ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance and Phillips 66 CEO Greg Garland reassured its employees in Oklahoma in an op-ed they wrote for the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise titled "ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66 have deep roots in Bartlesville" that "ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66 together employ nearly 4,500 people in Oklahoma, an increase in recent years. Going forward, we will both maintain Global Services Centers in Bartlesville providing essential finance, information technology and other vital support to our personnel around the world. Elsewhere, Phillips 66 will continue operating the Ponca City Refinery, by far Oklahoma’s largest, and will remain the leading gasoline marketer. ConocoPhillips will continue producing oil and natural gas from the Anadarko Basin and the Panhandle area." Lance and Garland added that "we continue encouraging both current and incoming employees to maintain our proud tradition of community service. Bartlesville is a special place to work, live and raise a family, and we want to help keep it that way. This is an exciting time for ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66. All of our Oklahoma communities are great homes to our people and businesses, and we both look forward to long and bright futures here."[125]
"The Phillips and Conoco merger has taught everyone, Poncans and Bartians alike, to simply expect the unexpected," writes Walton. "In other words, who knows what ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66 will look like 10 years down the road?" "We do have a strong Conoco retiree group that lives here," says Dave Myers. "There's still talk in the community, still those who'd like to go back to the old days. I think most people have moved on."[126][127]
The Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise reported on September 12, 2012 that Greg Garland visited Bartlesville on September 11, 2012 to speak to the Chamber of Commerce and told members of the chamber that Bartlesville is of strategic importance to Phillips 66. “As we were approaching the repositioning and spinning Phillips 66 out of ConocoPhillips, there was never any question that Bartlesville would continue to be a strategic and important part of our company, in the support of our company operations, for a very long time,” Garland said. Garland added that Phillips is “pretty much at capacity” in Bartlesville. “I don’t see us moving a lot of people into Bartlesville,” he said, adding that Bartlesville will always be a core asset for the company. “There’s not big plans to move in a big section of the workforce. We just don’t have the capacity or the space here today to do that.”[128]
Visit of Phillips 66 Leaders to Ponca City
On March 27, 2012, the Ponca City News reported that leaders from Phillips 66 visited Ponca City and were met by community leaders.
On the Phillips 66 side were Bob Herman, Future Lead of Health, Safety and Environment; Pete Stynes, Ponca City Refinery Manager; Larry Ziemba, future Lead of Refining, including Projects and Procurement, and President, Global Refining; Chantal Veevaete, future Human Resources; and Tim Taylor, future Commercial, Marketing, Transportation and Business Development.
On the Ponca City side were City Manager Craig Stephenson; Lee Evans, Chair of the Ponca City Area Chamber of Commerce; David Myers, Ponca City Development Authority; Rich Cantillon, Chamber of Commerce/Tourism Bureau; Carl Renfro, community leader; and Larry Murphy, Chair of the Ponca City Development Authority.[129]
Phillips 66 CEO Greg Garland, although originally scheduled to visit Ponca City with his management team, was not able to attend. Ponca City Mayor Homer Nicholson, retired from ConocoPhillips after 38 years service, was also unable to attend.
Proposal to Rename Phillips 66's Refinery to the "Marland Refinery in Ponca City"
On March 12, 2012 a web site was created asking the management of Phillips 66 to consider honoring EW Marland, the oil pioneer who built the refinery in 1919 and developed the oil industry in North Central Oklahoma by restoring the name of the Phillips 66 refinery in Ponca to its original name, "Marland Refinery in Ponca City," as a gesture of goodwill to the community of Ponca City.
"The Ponca City News" recently announced that with the split of ConocoPhillips into two companies, the ConocoPhillips operation in Ponca City, Oklahoma will soon be renamed Phillips 66.
Frank Phillips, the founder of the Phillips 66 Oil company, was a man who knew how to use his courage and initiative and great administrative ability to create industry and wealth in Oklahoma leaving a legacy in the oil company that bears his name that will always be a monument to his memory.
But there is another Oklahoma oil pioneer who was equally important in developing the oil industry and bringing prosperity and advancement to Northern Oklahoma and that man was EW Marland.
EW Marland pioneered the use of geological techniques in the oil industry and was years ahead of his time as an employer providing housing, loans, medical care, and other benefits for thousands of employees who worked at his refineries and pipelines but Marland lost everything to the powerful JP Morgan banking interests - even losing his name on the oil company that he founded in Ponca City.
It is altogether fitting and proper that Phillips 66 honor the heritage of oil development in Northern Oklahoma by recognizing Frank Phillips and EW Marland.
The executives of Phillip 66 have honored the memory of Frank Phillips by choosing to name their new company for Phillips. We think Phillips 66 should honor the legacy of oil pioneer EW Marland by naming their refinery in Ponca City for Marland, the man who started the refinery and brought advancement and development to North Central Oklahoma.[130]
It would mean a great deal to the residents of Ponca City for Phillips 66 to acknowledge the history and heritage of the oil industry in Oklahoma by honoring these two great oil pioneers, Frank Phillips and EW Marland.
Renaming the refinery the "Marland Refinery in Ponca City" will serve as a symbol going forward of the partnership between the oil industry and the citizens of North Central Oklahoma that honors the legacy of these two great oil pioneers.[131]
A full page advertisement by Phillips 66 announcing its "intent on continually earning the trust of the communities we serve and operating with the highest levels of integrity" appeared in the Ponca City News on May 1, 2012.[132] A quarter-page advertisement congratulating Phillips 66 on its creation and asking Phillips 66 to honor the legacy of EW Marland appeared in the Ponca City News on May 1, 2012.[133][134]
Archie Dunham Says That He Disagrees with the Decision to Split Off Phillips 66 from ConocoPhillips
David Hunn wrote in the Houston Chronicle on September 28, 2016 that sixteen years ago, on his way to a black-tie fundraiser in Oklahoma City, Archie Dunham, then chief executive of the Houston oil company Conoco, stepped out of hotel elevator just as Jim Mulva, his counterpart at Phillips Petroleum of Oklahoma, emerged from another nearby. "Low prices and rising costs were driving a wave of mergers in the industry, including the blockbuster combination of Exxon and Mobil, and leaving smaller companies like Conoco and Phillips vulnerable to takeover," writes Hunn. "Dunham didn't like the idea of getting gobbled by a major oil company; he took the opportunity to broach the idea of a merger - a merger of equals - with Mulva." Big oil companies had been circling Conoco for some time when Dunham found himself in a hotel lobby with Mulva, the Phillips CEO. Dunham, in a recent interview, said Phillips seemed like a good partner to him. They had strengths in different parts of the world that complemented each other, he said, but they also came from essentially the same place. "We felt like our cultures, values, were very similar," Dunham said.
After running into each other at the Renaissance Waterford on that evening in 2000, Dunham and Mulva quickly parted, wary of being spotted together and tipping anyone off to their discussion. But they soon met again, secretly, in Colorado. Alone in a room in the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, they talked for four hours about business, family and values. A few months later, on a stormy day in November 2001, the two men met in Tulsa, Okla. to announce the merger that would create world's sixth biggest integrated oil company. The new firm would have $50 billion in revenues, $60 billion in assets, 8.7 billion barrels in oil reserves and 58,000 employees worldwide. Dunham persuaded Mulva to name the new company ConocoPhillips, and keep it headquartered in Houston. The city's easy access to international flights made the decision practical. "Besides, I was a Houstonian," Dunham said. "I wanted Houston to have the headquarters." In exchange, Dunham took the chairman slot; Mulva became chief executive.
Dunham retired in 2004. In 2012, the company split again, spinning off its refining, retail, and marketing operations to form Phillips 66, while ConocoPhillips focused on oil exploration and production. Mulva, still CEO then, said that two independent companies focused on their respective industries would be more competitive. He insisted both were big enough to compete and generated enough cash to invest in their futures. Dunham stayed out of the fray, he said recently. He wrote letters to the board, arguing that an integrated company can use cash from its refining business to fund oil exploration - but he never sent them. According to Hunn, the separation is a decision with which Dunham disagrees, even now.[135]
News and Views from the Ponca City Refinery
This Month's Top Story: Phillips 66 Benefits from $2.7 Billion Federal Tax Break from Donald Trump. Phillips 66 reported fourth-quarter 2017 earnings of $3.2 billion, benefiting from $2.7 billion in federal tax changes. Excluding that tax change, adjusted earnings in Q4 were $548 million, compared with $858 million in Q3, the company said. Phillips 66 had been expecting, and listing on its balance sheet, future tax liability that it will no longer have to deal with because of President Donald Trumps' recent tax reform bill. Read the Story Photo: Gage Skidmore Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)
In 1908 E. W. Marland came to Oklahoma after losing his fortune in the Pennsylvania oil fields in the panic of 1907 and by 1920 had reestablished himself and started the Marland Oil Company building the Marland Refinery in Ponca City, Oklahoma. Marland was a visionary and not only pioneered the use of geophysical techniques in the oil industry but was years ahead of his time as an employer providing housing, loans, medical care, and other benefits for the thousands of employees who worked at his refineries and pipelines. The refinery EW Marland built in Ponca City in 1918 has provided employment, opportunities, and benefits to tens of thousands of citizens of Northern Oklahoma in the almost 100 years since the Marland Refinery in Ponca City was built.
This report contains news and commentary about Ponca City, the Ponca Refinery, E. W. Marland and his legacy, Phillips 66 and other Phillips 66 refineries around the world, ConocoPhillips, and the petroleum industry in Oklahoma.
Other Stories About the Ponca Refinery:
How Much Money Does the Ponca Refinery Earn for Phillips 66?
News from the Ponca City Refinery
Latest News about Phillips 66 and the Ponca Refinery
April 30, 2018: Marathon Buys Andeavor in Biggest Oil Refining Deal in History Passing Phillip 66 as Largest Independent Oil Refiner
Marathon Buys Andeavor in Biggest Oil Refining Deal in History Passing Phillip 66 as Largest Independent Oil Refiner. The combination, which will use the name Marathon, would overtake Valero Energy Corp. as the biggest in U.S.-based oil refiner by capacity, generating about 16 percent of the nation’s total, according to Bloomberg calculations. The combined company would pass Phillips 66, valued at $51.9 billion, as the largest U.S. independent refiner by market capitalization
Bloomberg reported on April 30, 2018 that Marathon Petroleum has agreed to buy rival Andeavor for $23.3 billion in the biggest-ever deal for an oil refiner creating the largest independent fuel maker in the U.S. “Why wouldn’t you do this deal?” said Greg Goff, Andeavor’s chief executive officer. “The time is right now, because for this industry, the wind is behind our backs.” Marathon is focused in the Midwest and Gulf Coast, while Andeavor concentrates on the western U.S., including refineries and pipelines it acquired in last year’s merger with Western Refining Inc.
The combination, which will use the name Marathon, would overtake Valero Energy Corp. as the biggest in U.S.-based oil refiner by capacity, generating about 16 percent of the nation’s total, according to Bloomberg calculations. The combined company would pass Phillips 66, valued at $51.9 billion, as the largest U.S. independent refiner by market capitalization. The combined entity expects to be well-positioned to capitalize from upcoming regulations to reduce pollution from ships. Andeavor’s port assets in California, coupled with Marathon’s in the U.S. Gulf Coast, will give the combined company the ability to sell lower-sulfur ship fuel.[136]
April 25, 2018: Gas Leak at Phillips 66 Borger Refinery
The Borger News-Herald reported on April 25, 2018 that people in the downwind area around Borgermay notice a pungent or irritating smell from the Phillips 66 Refinery but that there is no cause for concern with the public. "The smell alone is not a cause for concern," says an official source. "If anything rises to a level to become an issue to the public, we will post updates. During these types of incidents it is not uncommon for rumors and speculation to begin. This will be the official source for information regarding this situation. Please monitor our page for any updates."[137]
April 21, 2018: Phillips 66 Working to Provide Fuel for Lubbock, Amarillo After Maintenance Issue at Borger Refinery
Lubbock Online reported on April 21, 2018 that Phillips 66 is working to provide alternate fuel supplies to the Lubbock and Amarillo areas in response to possible shortages caused by a “maintenance” issue at its Borger Refinery in the Panhandle. “Due to maintenance at the Borger Refinery, fuels production from the refinery is currently less than during ordinary operations,” spokesman Joe Gannon said in a statement. “Phillips 66 is working diligently to provide gasoline and diesel fuel in the Amarillo, Lubbock and Albuquerque areas. To address any shortages in our fuel supply, we are working with our contracted customers to provide alternate supply via other Phillips 66 refineries, exchanges, and third-party purchases and by utilizing backup terminal locations where possible. Gannon declined to elaborate on the nature of the maintenance issue experienced at the Borger refinery, but said any possible shortages from the issue should be “short term” and “isolated.” “It should be resolved fairly quickly,” he said, but added “we don’t have a timeline.”[138]
April 17, 2018: Towering Flareup from Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery Seen from Miles Around
KGMI reported on April 17, 2018 that a flaring event at the Phillips 66 Refinery in Ferndale had some neighbors concerned as a power disruption caused the facility’s safety system to activate to place all refinery units in a safe state causing the flare-up and loud noises that accompanied it. The refinery's Public Affairs Director, Josh Summers says there were no injuries or shelter in place calls and air monitoring found no off-site impacts.[139]
April 10, 2018: Phillips 66 Funds Stem Summer Camps for 100 Bartlesville Middle School Students
Bartlesville Radio reported on April 10, 2018 that thanks to a grant from Phillips 66, Rogers State University's summer STEM and Career Exploring Opportunities Camp will provide a five-day camp for 100 Bartlesville area students who will be starting 9th grade this fall with indoor and outdoor interactive activities designed to teach new STEM competencies and explore STEM career opportunities. Technology Vice-President for Phillips 66, Ann Oglesby says the company hopes the camp will encourage local students to pursue further education and careers in STEM disciplines. She goes on to say the ultimate goal is to inspire the students to one day generate solutions to new challenges and technological innovations in business.[140]
April 9, 2018: Phillips 66 Borger Refinery Restarting Units after Two Month Turnaround
The BOE Report reported on April 9, 2018 that Phillips 66 is continuing to restart units at its Borger Refinery as it wraps up a planned two-month, plantwide turnaround, said sources familiar with plant operations. The refinery restarted a coking unit and a reformer over the weekend, the sources said. All units shut during the plantwide overhaul begun inmid-February were expected to be back to normal operations thisweek, the sources said. Phillips 66 spokesman Dennis Nuss confirmed that planned maintenance was under way at the refinery, but declined to say which units were involved or when the work would be completed.[141]
April 5, 2018: Phillips 66 CEO Greg Garland is 16th Highest Paid CEO in US
24/7 Wall Strteet reported on April 5, 2018 that Phillips 66 CEO Greg Garland is the 16th highest paid CEO in the US. Garland received 23.7 million in total compensation in 2017. To identify the highest paid CEOs at America’s 100 largest companies, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed total CEO compensation at each of the 100 public companies with the highest reported revenue in fiscal 2016. All compensation figures are as of the last published proxy statement.[142]
April 5, 2018: Protesters Block Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Construction Supply Site
The Advocate reported on April 5, 2018 that two women from New Orleans dressed up as crawfish and chained themselves inside barrels parked in front of an industrial yard supporting the Bayou Bridge Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, while about 20 protesters blocked access to the industrial yard for more than three hours starting at 6 a.m. About five trucks were trapped inside until the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office arrived about 9 a.m. All but two — Heurich and Prevost, the crawfish-festooned teachers in the barrels — complied with an order to disperse, said Anne Rolfes, founding director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, which organized the protest. The protesters remained at the site but moved a distance away.[143]
April 4, 2018: Phillips 66 Could Suffer from Trump Tariffs Against China
Seeking Alpha reported on April 4, 2018 that according to analysts some 40% of the 106 U.S. products goods under threat of tariffs from China are plastics, petrochemicals, petroleum products and specialty chemicals at a time when the industry is investing heavily in new production. One targeted U.S. export is propane; Phillips 66 is involved in the U.S. propane export business and could be affected. China has been investing in plants that turn propane into propylene, and those facilities have been counting on a steady supply of pure U.S. propane. [144]
According to the NY Times, President Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum has also prompted a stampede by companies pressing for exemptions and exclusions that could be worth billions of dollars in trade. The American Petroleum Institute sent 12 top executives from energy companies including Phillips 66 to lobby Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. The assembled group explained that free trade has been a boon to the industry and stressed the importance of steel to its operations, according to a person briefed on the meeting. The trade group issued a statement saying that its executives “highlighted a host of the industry’s priority issues, including the importance of trade policies that recognize the integrated nature of North American and global markets.”[145]
April 4, 2018: Phillips 66 Westlake Refinery Donates $30,000 to Southwest Louisiana Alliance Foundation
American Press reported on April 4, 2018 that Phillips 66 Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex donated $30,000 to the Southwest Louisiana Alliance Foundation Inc. to be used for a new science, technology, engineering and mathematics program at the College Street Career and Technical Center and the Westlake High School Career and Technical Center to equip 72 Calcasieu students with the skills necessary to be successful in working with computer coding and robotics. “We don’t want to be all one thing in Southwest Louisiana,” said Richard B. Smith, vice president of business and workforce development. Over time and working with even young children, the alliance hopes to create a STEM educational career path that includes computer programming, app and game design and “all the things kids are already doing but aren’t actively being trained in.”[146]
March 29, 2018: Equipment on Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Vandalized
The Advocate reported on March 29, 2018 that vandals cut hydraulic hoses and electrical lines, broke windows and spray painted messages on backhoes and bulldozers on Bayou Bridge construction equipment in Assumption Parish causing estimated damage of at least $50,000 but possibly much more. Deputies are still investigating, though the company has blamed environmental extremists based on some of the spray painting. Company officials declined to say what was spray painted on the construction equipment. "We understand there will always be varying opinions about critical infrastructure projects like the Bayou Bridge Pipeline and we respect the rights of all to peacefully protest, however destruction of equipment is not peaceful," the company wrote in a statement on its social media accounts.
Anne Rolfes, founder of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade and one of the familiar faces at previous demonstrations said vandalism is not a tactic her coalition employs. "I don't know who would've done that. We don't condone that type of damage," she said. At the same time, "I'm not surprised," Rolfes added. Both sides have accused the other of hypocrisy. Pipeline builders argued that damage to equipment or infrastructure can actually harm the environment, though they did not delve into whether that was at issue in the recent case. Rolfes fired back that if Energy Transfer Partners, which owns Bayou Bridge, cares so much about the environment it should bring down the number of spills the company reports.[147]
March 25, 2018: Phillips 66 Research Center Really Contributes to the Culture of Bartlesville
Phillips 66 Research Center Really Contributes to the Culture of Bartlesville. Phillips 66 Research Center sits on a sprawling 440-acre campus that is home to Ph.D.-level researchers and other employees of the company’s Technology organization.
The Pawhuska Journal reported on March 25, 2018 that the Phillips 66 Research Center sits on a sprawling 440-acre campus that is home to Ph.D.-level researchers and other employees of the company’s Technology organization. “It’s striking to me how the presence of the Phillips 66 Research Center really contributes to the culture of Bartlesville. Here we have a strong community of world-class researchers and engineers doing cutting-edge work, and they help foster an emphasis on curiosity and learning that feeds into the wonderful schools and community resources here,” says Ann Oglesby, vice president, Technology. Phillips 66 is one of the only downstream energy companies to have a full-scale research and development program. Dedicating the time and resources to better understand, monitor and manage the environmental impact of energy manufacturing is one of the ways Phillips 66 fulfills its vision to provide energy and improve lives. “We’re focusing our technology program to help our operations run better by using less energy and less water. We’re investing in sustainable technologies and renewable energies,” said Greg Garland, Phillips 66 chairman and CEO. “All of this has the combined effect of making us a better business that runs smarter and takes care of the communities where we live and work.” vv
In the fuel cell program, researchers are developing a device that converts the chemical energy contained in natural gas directly into electrical power. Because of this direct conversion, which doesn’t involve combustion, the process has very low emissions and generates electricity with approximately two times the efficiency of a natural gas power plant. One of the most high-profile successes to come out of the research center involves flexible solar cells. Working with these solar cells, Phillips 66 researchers have broken a number of world records for power conversion efficiency, bringing the technology closer to the possibility of commercialization. Phillips 66 solar cell technology is based on proprietary conductive polymers. They can be manufactured with low-cost printing technology, and will enable the development of flexible, lightweight and transparent solar power modules. “Their unique features open the doors to many interesting applications such as building materials with integrated solar cells,” Heald said. “They’re environmentally friendly, and we’re getting closer to making them viable for real-world applications.”
For Phillips 66, technology’s role for the next 66 years is certain to be significant, as researchers make progress on energy production that’s cleaner, more efficient, and more sustainable. It’s a great example of the real-world meaning of Phillips 66′s values of safety, honor and commitment.[148]
March 22, 2018: Chevron Phillips Underestimated the Costs of Training Construction Crews in Safety and Productivity
The Midland Report reported on March 22, 2018 that Mark Lashier, Chief Executive of Chevron Phillips, a joint venture between Chevron and Phillips 66 that recently completed a new ethane cracker at its Cedar Bayou complex at Baytown that has the capacity to produce 1.5 million tons of ethlyene a year, says that the company had no problem finding labor to construct the cracker, but underestimated the cost of training construction crews to adhere to a high level of safety and productivity. Lashier added that reducing the cost to complete a new wave of petrochemicals projects will be critical to remain competitive as the industry expands along the Gulf Coast to meet burgeoning demand for plastics and consumer goods in emerging markets in China, India and elsewhere. “Shale is here to stay,” he said. “The key issue is to addess is rising capital costs.”[149]
March 19, 2018: Environmentalists Protest Phillips 66 Permit They Say Increases Processing of Tar Sands Oil at Rodeo Refinery
SF Gate reported on March 19, 2018 that environmental activists gathered outside the San Francisco offices of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to protest a permit adjustment they said significantly increased the Phillips 66 refinery in Rodeo's ability to process tar sands oil. Advocates with the Center for Biological Diversity said that a permit that was quietly approved by the district January 25, 2018 allows a significant increase in the operational capacity of a refinery "hydrocracking plant," which converts crude oils like those from the Canadian tar sands to more valuable petroleum products like fuel.
The district, however, disputes the claim saying that the permit was issued, and it allows the refinery to produce 65,000 barrels of oil per day, but according to deputy air pollution control officer Damian Breen that permit did not increase the amount of oil the facility can produce. Breen said the Center for Biological Diversity is responding to a clerical error, which has since been addressed, indicating that the old permit only allowed for 42,000 barrels per day. That document was inaccurate, according to Breen, and the hydrocracking plant in question has been permitted to produce 65,000 barrels a day for roughly 10 years.[150]
March 19, 2018: Phillips 66 Proposes 94-mile Pipeline from St. James to its Alliance Refinery
Phillips 66 Proposes 94-mile Pipeline from St. James to its Alliance Refinery. Phillips 66 wants to build another 94-mile crude oil pipeline from what it calls the St. James oil market hub to its Alliance Refinery in Plaquemines Parish. A significant part of the path of the proposed pipeline would cross through wetlands in the Barataria Basin and Breton Sound Basin, and across Lake Salvador within existing pipeline corridors. Map: Phillips 66 (The map was included in a summary document sent to public officials by the company)
The Times Picayune reported on March 19, 2018 that Phillips 66 wants to build another 94-mile crude oil pipeline from what it calls the St. James oil market hub to its Alliance Refinery in Plaquemines Parish. A significant part of the path of the proposed pipeline would cross through wetlands in the Barataria Basin and Breton Sound Basin, and across Lake Salvador, according to a map accompanying a brief summary provided to local officials by the company earlier this month. However, the proposed route would be within existing pipeline corridors. "The pipeline would provide Louisiana refineries with new access to U.S.-produced crude oil, reducing reliance on foreign crude and keeping them competitive in the global market for energy projects," says a one-page "Ace Pipeline Summary" that's been sent to a number of local government officials.
Anne Rolfes, founding director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, one of the organizations that has opposed Phillips 66 funded Bayou Bridge pipeline, raised questions about this latest proposal, including the failure to inform the public about the pipeline plans. "This is what corruption looks like: our government helping an out-of-state oil company to secretly expand," she said. "They have done this out of the public eye, with no input, and there's a reason for it: they are polluters, they should be ashamed, they should be banned from Louisiana. Instead our so-called leaders roll out the red carpet. "Nothing about the Bayou Bridge process has been honest - from the secret meeting our governor had with Bayou Bridge employee Mary Landrieu to the claims of providing jobs for locals," Rolfes said. "Up-and-down the pipeline route the license plates of the construction workers are from out of state. It will be the same with this additional section."[151]
March 15, 2018: Appeals Court Allows Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Construction to Proceed
The Times-Picayune reported on March 15, 2018 that by a two-to-one vote, judges in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal in New Orleans struck down a ruling by a federal judge in Baton Rouge that had halted the pipeline's construction through the environmentally-sensitive Atchafalaya Basin putting construction of the controversial Bayou Bridge oil pipeline back on track. Judge Edith Brown Clement wrote that the district court "abused its discretion in granting a preliminary injunction" halting the pipeline's construction. The district court should have allowed the case to proceed with the Army Corps of Engineers providing its reasons for permitting the pipeline, she wrote. Environmental groups opposed to the pipeline say they'll appeal Thursday's decision.
One of the three appeals court judges filed a dissenting opinion. Judge W. Eugene Davis agreed with Dick that the Corps had not explained how the company's mitigation plan would reduce the pipeline's impacts. The Corps "must explain how the out-of-kind mitigation measures replace the 'lost functions and services' of the bald-cypress/tupelo swamp," Davis wrote.[152]
March 9, 2018: As Gasoline Demand Declines, Chevron Phillips Looks to Petrochemicals
The Houston Chronicle reported on March 9, 2018 that in 2010 Ron Corn and his team at Chevron Phillips, intrigued by budding oil and gas production in the Eagle Ford basin south of San Antonio, anticipated a seismic shift in domestic energy output and convinced company executives to build a multi-billion-dollar processing plant in Baytown to produce ethylene, a natural gas-derived feedstock for plastics. "It was quite a radical concept,” said Corn, who now serves as the company’s senior vice president for petrochemicals. “There hadn’t been a whole lot of construction.” Eight years later, that early bet promises to pay off in spades for Chevron Phillips, a joint venture of the oil company Chevron and Houston refiner Phillips 66. The processing plant, known as a cracker, is near completion as petrochemicals emerge as a savior for an oil and gas industry facing a future of electric cars, renewable power and intensifying efforts to wean the global economy from fossil fuels.
The growth in petrochemicals is a key reason that oil industry executives and analysts are discounting predictions that peak oil demand — the point at which oil consumption begins a steady, long-term slide — is imminent. The International Energy Agency anticipates that petrochemicals will account for a quarter of the growth in global oil consumption during the next five years, replacing gasoline as the driver of crude demand. “Unlike refining, and ultimately unlike oil, which will see a moment when the growth will stop, we actually don’t anticipate that with petrochemicals,” says Andrew Brown, upstream director for Royal Dutch Shell.
Chevron Phillips’ Corn said that even during the oil bust, his team never doubted the potential of the massive Baytown cracker, the company’s only one in the United States so far. The facility, now undergoing the final steps before startup, will expand the company’s U.S. ethylene and polyethylene production capacity by 40 percent. “We believed we were building a very competitive asset,” Corn said. “It was a big step for us.”[153]
March 7, 2018: A New Generation of Activists Organize in the Shadow of Phillips 66's Wilmington Refinery
A New Generation of Activists Organize in the Shadow of Phillips 66's Wilmington Refinery A 10-square-mile South Los Angeles community in close proximity to three oil refineries including Phillips 66 Wilmington Refinery, has the dubious distinction of having some of the worst air quality in a city that already has the country’s worst ozone levels. Photo: Jesse N. Marquez
Jesse Hardman published an article in High Country News on March 7, 2018 about the 10-square-mile South Los Angeles community in close proximity to three oil refineries including Phillips 66 Wilmington Refinery, that has the dubious distinction of having some of the worst air quality in a city that already has the country’s worst ozone levels. A 2013 California state cap-and-trade law offered incentives for big polluters to become greener. But one study suggests that the program has inadvertently made air quality worse in places close to refineries and power plants, like Wilmington. Here’s how it works: Under the law, big polluters like oil refineries and power plants must buy permits that allow them to emit greenhouse gases. The number of permits available is reduced year by year, in an effort to gradually bring down the state’s overall carbon emissions. But rather than lower their emissions to meet the program’s targets, oil companies like Tesoro, which operates in Wilmington, choose to buy up other companies’ allowances, or pay to offset the damage they cause elsewhere, by planting trees in Alaska, for example. This gives them free license to continue polluting in their immediate areas.
In Wilmington, oil companies start their PR push early. Twenty-four-year-old activist Ashley Hernández remembers getting free backpacks and pencils with oil company logos as a kid. “You get popcorn from them every Halloween,” she said. For more than six decades, Phillips 66 has co-opted that holiday, painting one of its 3-million-gallon gas storage tanks orange to create an enormous grinning jack-o-lantern — “Smilin’Jack” — that towers over the community. Employees in bright yellow safety vests stand beneath chemical tanks and smokestacks, giving local families bags of caramel corn and plastic balls marked with the Phillips 66 logo. “They do community events, they’ll fund carnivals, they’ll do youth trips. They do it with an aim to silence them,” said Hernández, noting the hold that local industries have over her working-class parents, originally from El Salvador. After decades spent making a life in Wilmington, Hernández and her family would find it hard to just leave.
Sylvia Arredondo is at the helm of a growing movement made up mostly of women of color who grew up here but left to get an education, and then later returned to battle the industries that are poisoning their families. Their fight is a legal and political challenge to oil companies and local air-quality regulatory bodies. But it’s also an exercise in civic engagement, one that even Wilmington’s older generations have joined, despite their fear of being deported or losing their jobs at the local oil facilities. As a child, Arredondo attended classes in a wealthier district, but returned to Wilmington in time for high school. By then, she knew that her community’s poor air quality was something wealthier neighborhoods would never stand for. One of her college textbooks called her city a “toxic hotspot.” “Before that class, I didn’t know what environmental justice was,” Arredondo said. Now she fights for it as the civic engagement coordinator for the nonprofit Communities for a Better Environment, and as the president of Wilmington’s neighborhood council.[154]
March 1, 2018: Judge Explains Why She Stopped Construction Through Atchafalaya Swamp of Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline
Courthouse News service reported on March 1, 2018 that U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick said the Bayou Bridge Pipline, funded in part by Phillips 66, threatens the health and longevity of the Atchafalaya Basin, the largest river swamp in North America and agreed with environmentalists who filed the lawsuit that the centuries-old cypress and tupelo trees in the path of the pipeline are irreplaceable. “While an injunction could delay the schedule for this project, it is well established that temporary economic harm does not outweigh permanent environmental degradation such as loss of forests – especially ancient trees – or damage to wetlands,” Judge Dick wrote. Dick’s order halted all work in the Atchafalaya Basin until the case has been tried. Company attorneys said the Corps of Engineers’ permit requires Bayou Bridge Pipeline to restore the Basin’s “pre-existing wetland contours and conditions” when the project is done. However, Judge Dick said the Corps of Engineers did not show it took into consideration past and present cumulative environmental impacts. “The Corps’ and BBP’s [Bayou Bridge Pipeline’s] myopic view that they are only required to consider the impacts of this singular project is not consistent with the regulations or applicable jurisprudence,” Dick wrote.
Dick noted in her order that documents show the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality raised concerns that running the pipeline through the Atchafalaya “would add to the cumulative effect of ecologically detrimental hydrologic alteration, and the pipeline would obstruct planned efforts to restore hydrologic function.” Plaintiffs said the Corp’s plans to mitigate wetland losses did not measure up to what is lawfully required. Judge Dick agreed. Typically, environmental mitigation programs are undertaken in the same region as the project that caused the environmental destruction. Plaintiffs showed they had proposed that the Corps of Engineers require Bayou Bridge Pipeline to clean up spoil banks left in the wetlands from previous pipeline constructions that did not follow state and federal protocol. Instead, however, the Corps required Bayou Bridge to purchase environmental mitigation credits for projects far away from the Atchafalaya Basin, in violation of regulation, Dick found.[155]
February 26, 2018: Lawsuits Filed Over Contractor's Death in Explosion at Phillips 66 Partners Paradis Pipeline Station
Houma Today reported on February 26, 2018 that Phillips 66 and the widow of Josh Helms, killed on February 9, 2017 in a natural gas pipeline explosion at the Phillips 66 Partners Paradis Pipeline Station, have filed lawsuits in state District Court in Thibodaux against Blanchard Contractors and its insurers. Mandy Helms is suing individually and on behalf of her minor daughter. According to the lawsuits, a Blanchard employee opened or operated valves without making sure they were aligned. This caused the release of natural gas and, subsequently, an explosion, the lawsuits say. Phillips 66 says it lost everything at the station. The company is suing for unspecified damages, including emergency response, cleaning, building temporary re-routing facilities, and replacing and rebuilding structures and equipment. Mandy Helms is also suing for unspecified damages, including loss of income and medical and psychological services related to her husband’s death. Phillips 66 said six people were working at the site when the fire occurred: three of its employees and three contract workers from the Cut Off-based Blanchard Contractors. Two contract workers were taken to area hospitals.[156]
February 26, 2018: Appeals Begin to Halt Work Stoppage on Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline, Say Cost is Almost $1 M Per Day
Federal Judges Stops Construction of Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline U.S. District Court Judge Shelly Dick has issued an order prohibiting the companies building the Bayou Bridge pipeline from continuing construction. The judge's order has halted construction of the pipeline planned through the heart of the Atchafalaya Basin, granting the request of environmental groups opposed to the project. In the order issuing a preliminary injunction, Dick wrote that she was enjoining further work on the pipeline "in order to prevent further irreparable harm until this matter can be tried on the merits." Photo: Wikimedia - A home made stop sign replacement after Hurricane Katrina (New Orleans)
The Advocate reported on February 26, 2018 that according to ETP spokeman Alexis Daniel construction within the Atchafalaya Basin has stopped on Bayou Bridge Pipeline, a $700 million joint venture between Energy Transfer Partners and Phillips 66. Bayou Bridge lawyers have asked the judge to suspend her work stoppage order, saying the construction halt would cost the company almost $1 million daily. They have asked Judge Dick to resolve that request by Tuesday and want the suspension of the work stoppage while they pursue an appeal with the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. In Bayou Bridge’s motion, lawyers argued that Judge Dick could not have meant to stop work on the entire pipeline's length. They noted the environmental groups that sued last month over the line have only argued about the line’s potential effect on the Atchafalaya. The attorneys also noted that Dick's two-page order did not specify its breadth, saying it enjoined "in only the most general terms 'further action on this project.'" The lawyers added that if the order does extend to the entire project, the cost to Bayou Bridge Pipeline LLC would be as much as $1.675 million per day.
The plaintiffs in the suit and the protesters who gathered Monday in Belle Rose are both battling Bayou Bridge, but to different ends. Much of the testimony in the suit discussed the harm being done to the Atchafalaya Swamp. The plaintiffs urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to order the pipeline company to perform meaningful work to offset the damage locally, such as by repairing existing oil infrastructure. The protesters, meanwhile, viewed the pipeline as inherently unsafe and demanded its complete removal. Margaret Logue, 23, one of three protesters who refused to leave the Belle Rose-area construction site off La. 70 and was later arrested Monday, called on Bayou Bridge and the state government to respond to their demands. “We believe in the power of the people to stand up peacefully and prayerfully against a government and a company that have proven themselves unwilling to and incapable of protecting our greatest treasures: our water, our air, our land and our people,” she said.[157]
February 23, 2018: Federal Judges Stops Construction of Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline
The Advocate reported on February 23, 2018 that U.S. District Court Judge Shelly Dick has issued an order prohibiting the companies building the Bayou Bridge pipeline from continuing construction. The judge's order has halted construction of the pipeline planned through the heart of the Atchafalaya Basin, granting the request of environmental groups opposed to the project. In the order issuing a preliminary injunction, Dick wrote that she was enjoining further work on the pipeline "in order to prevent further irreparable harm until this matter can be tried on the merits." “The court’s ruling recognizes the serious threat this pipeline poses to the Atchafalaya Basin, one of our country’s ecological and cultural crown jewels,” Jan Hasselman, an Earthjustice attorney, said in a statement. “For now, at least, the Atchafalaya is safe from this company’s incompetence and greed.” Alexis Daniel, spokeman for Energy Transfer Partners, a joint owner of the pipeline project, declined comment. "The Judge did not issue any opinion explaining her order. Until such time as that is issued, and we can review, we will have no further comment."
Construction on the $175 million, 162-mile pipeline has already begun. The line would transport crude from Lake Charles, home to Phillips 66's Westlake Refinery, to St. James, Louisiana, connecting to an existing line that originates in Nederland, Texas. The project is 60 percent owned by Energy Transfer with the remainder owned by refiner Phillips 66. Once complete, the Bayou Bridge system will have capacity to transport up to 480,000 barrels of oil per day to refineries along the Mississippi River. It is projected to start service by the second half of 2018. The line also would move oil from Texas and as far as North Dakota, through connections with Energy Transfer’s Dakota Access, to Gulf Coast refiners. Louisiana is home to around 3.5 million barrels per day of refining capacity, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Energy Transfer’s 1,172-mile (1,885-km) Dakota Access crude pipeline was thrust into the spotlight following massive protests near its construction site in North Dakota. Although protesters were able to temporarily halt construction, it began service in mid-2017.[158][159]
Pipeline attorney William Scherman previously said in a story published Feburary 8, 2018 that Bayou Bridge is prepared to spend $20 million to perform offsetting environmental projects known as wetlands mitigation. However, Scott Eustis, community science director for the Gulf Restoration Network, testified the mitigation would take place 55 miles away. Clemson ecology professor William Conner said the project the Corps agreed to would replant bottomland hardwood forests, not swamps. "It's two different kinds of forest performing two different kinds of function. … I don't think the mitigation will replace what is going to be cut, simple as that," Conner said on the stand.[160]
February 16, 2018: California Bill Would Triple Fines for Refinery Violations
The Benicia Herald reported on Feburary 16, 2018 that Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa) has introduced a new bill to prevent harmful emissions from oil refineries by increasing fines for serious violations of emissions standards that lead to sickness in individuals or forcing sheltering-in-place orders. Dodd’s bill, Senate Bill 1144, aims to triple existing fines for refineries that violate emission standards if they cause health problems or impact more than 25 people.
Dodd represents Rodeo where in September, 2016, an oil sheen connected to a tanker at the Phillips 66 refinery in Rodeo spilled into the San Pablo Bay sending an odor that sickened people in nearby areas– including Vallejo. The state’s Office of Emergency Services reported that area hospitals and medical facilities treated 120 patients for headaches, nausea, dizziness, and burning of the eyes, nose and throat, according to the news release. The Phillips 66 refinery was subsequently issued a notice of violation by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.[161]
February 16, 2018: Chevron and Phillips 66 May Build Second Ethane Cracker at Baytown
The Houston Business Journal reported on February 16, 2018 that Chevron Phillips Chemical, a joint venture of Chevron and Phillips 66, may build a second ethane cracker at the company’s Cedar Bayou plant in Baytown within the next several years, now that it’s nearing completion on the first. Phillips CEO Greg Garland, speaking at Credit Suisse’s annual energy summit, said the global market for petrochemicals could support further investments like the Cedar Bayou facility. “Over the course of the next decade or couple decades, we’ve got billions of people coming into the middle class in India and China and throughout Asia, and they’re all going to be consumers,” Garland said. “So we think that bodes well long-term for demand for the customer-facing products like the polyethylene we produce at CP Chem.” The company is already doing initial work around a potential second cracker project today, Garland said, but he said he wouldn’t expect a final investment decision on that until 2019, which would put a lot of the heavy lifting for the project in the first couple years of the next decade.
Phillips 66 has a 2018 capital budget of $2.3 billion, $1.4 billion of which will go toward growth, excluding spending at the company’s joint ventures, Garland said. Long term, Garland thinks $2 billion to $3 billion is about right for the company’s annual spending, he said. “You don’t have to go back that far, and we’re spending $6 billion a year,” Garland said. “You’ve got to do projects that suit your cost of capital and create value for shareholders. Looking around that opportunity set out there, I just don’t see than many things I really want to invest in.” Garland said he thinks that, in 2018 and 2019, Phillips 66 will stay at the low end of the capital guidance range.[162]
February 8, 2018: Opponents of Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Clear Legal Hurdle to Stop Construction
The Advocate reported on February 8, 2018 that U.S. District Court Judge Shelly Dick has kept a fight alive to shut down construction of the Bayou Bridge pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, determining that allowing construction to continue would cause "irreparable harm" because construction crews would continue cutting down centuries-old cypress trees. Dick has yet to determine if the plaintiffs have a chance of winning the suit to pull the permit but indicated she would make a ruling Friday following more arguments. Opponents are asking U.S. District Court Judge Shelly Dick to block construction while the court considers rescinding a necessary U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit. Should the suit continue, the judge determined, there would be reason to halt construction while the full matter is argued. Having cleared that hurdle, the plaintiffs, represented by attorneys from the nonprofit Earthjustice, will now have to demonstrate that the Corps was wrong to issue the permit.
Pipeline attorney William Scherman said Bayou Bridge is prepared to spend $20 million to perform offsetting environmental projects known as wetlands mitigation. However, Scott Eustis, community science director for the Gulf Restoration Network, testified the mitigation would take place 55 miles away. Clemson ecology professor William Conner said the project the Corps agreed to would replant bottomland hardwood forests, not swamps. "It's two different kinds of forest performing two different kinds of function. … I don't think the mitigation will replace what is going to be cut, simple as that," Conner said on the stand.[163]
February 7, 2018: Phillips 66 Announces Quarterly Dividend
Businesswire reported on February 7, 2018 that the board of directors of Phillips 66 (PSX) has declared a quarterly dividend of 70 cents per share on Phillips 66 common stock. The dividend is payable on March 1, 2018, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Feb. 20, 2018.[164]
February 7, 2018: Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Rerouted Around Resistance Camp
Truth Out reported on February 7, 2018 that the controversial Bayou Bridge pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, has been rerouted to go around the L'eau Est La Vie resistance camp. Located southwest of Baton Rouge, the camp lies on land purchased in December by pipeline opponents, who call themselves water protectors. It is thought to be the first time that water protectors have purchased land that lies in the path of a proposed pipeline. Water protectors have been camping out at L'eau Est La Vie since December, protecting the land and preparing it to be used by the surrounding communities as a hub for environmental education and sustainable agriculture.
Energy Transfer Partners confirmed the pipeline will go around the camp. "In this case, we were able to adjust the route to increase our co-location with other utilities in the area," said Alexis Daniel, a spokesperson for Energy Transfer Partners.[165]
February 6, 2018: Seventeen Tons of Highly Toxic Chemicals Escaped from Chevron Phillips' Chemical Plant in Baytown During Hurricane Harvey
Seventeen Tons of Highly Toxic Chemicals Escaped from Chevron Phillips' Chemical Plant in Baytown During Hurricane Harvey. "By the time the murky flood waters had receded from the sprawling Chevron Phillips chemical plant in Baytown, 34,000 pounds of sodium hydroxide and 300 pounds of benzene — both highly toxic — had escaped through a damaged valve. The plant, a joint venture between Chevron and Phillips 66, is one of many that filled the region’s streets with a stew of chemicals, debris and waste in the days after Hurricane Harvey and its torrential rains." The photos shows Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard as they move through flooded Houston streets. Photo: Wikimedia.
The New York Times ran a major story on February 6, 2018 about the 2,500 sites that handle toxic chemicals in the United States, 1,400 of which are located in areas at high risk of flooding. The report highlighted the spill at Chevron Phillips' chemical facility in Baytown, Texas, operated jointly by Chevron and Phillips 66, where Hurricane Harvey swamped their chemicals plant, causing the release of 34,000 pounds of sodium hydroxide and 300 pounds of benzene — both highly toxic.
"By the time the murky flood waters had receded from the sprawling Chevron Phillips chemical plant in Baytown, 34,000 pounds of sodium hydroxide and 300 pounds of benzene — both highly toxic — had escaped through a damaged valve. The plant, a joint venture between Chevron and Phillips 66, is one of many that filled the region’s streets with a stew of chemicals, debris and waste in the days after Hurricane Harvey and its torrential rains.
Employees later pumped some of the tainted water into 80 steel tanks. But most of the product “was lost in the floodwater,” David Gray, an Environmental Protection Agency spokesman based in Dallas, said in an email. A Chevron Phillips spokesman, Bryce Hallowell, declined to give further details of the spill. He stressed that the plant “was at the center of this incredibly powerful storm.” The chemical site lies in a moderate-risk flood zone, defined by the government as having a 0.2 percent chance of flooding in any year. It was at least the third time in three years that the Chevron Phillips facility blamed heavy downpours for chemical leaks. The Chevron Phillips plant also reported one of the largest Harvey-related emissions of chemicals into the air.
But even as flooding risks increase, chemical companies continue to build in vulnerable areas. A boom in plastics manufacturing has brought billions of dollars of investment to the Gulf shoreline. The Chevron Phillips site had been in the midst of adding a new $6 billion ethane processor, one of the biggest investments in the Gulf’s fast-growing petrochemicals industry. Despite repeated flooding, the chemicals manufacturer still considered the site, at Cedar Bayou, to be “the optimal location” for its new ethane facility, Mr. Hallowell said. He declined to detail protections that have been considered or installed, or whether they were designed to withstand future floods.[166]
February 5, 2018: Phillips 66 Benefits from $2.7 Billion Federal Tax Break from Donald Trump
Kallanish Energy reported on February 5, 2018 that Phillips 66 reported fourth-quarter 2017 earnings of $3.2 billion, benefiting from $2.7 billion in federal tax changes. Excluding that tax change, adjusted earnings in Q4 were $548 million, compared with $858 million in Q3, the company said. The tax benefit comes from the re-evaluation — through the lens of U.S. tax reform — of certain deferred tax liabilities that Phillips 66 would have claimed on prior balance sheets. In other words, Phillips 66 had been expecting, and listing on its balance sheet, future tax liability that it will no longer have to deal with because of President Donald Trumps' recent tax reform bill.
For Phillips 66, Valero Energy Corp., Marathon Petroleum Corp. and Andeavor, the four biggest independent oil refiners, the U.S. tax code overhaul has been more profitable than their actual business. They posted one-time tax gains of $7 billion combined in the fourth quarter, matching their net incomes for all of 2016, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Marathon's board was so enthusiastic it approved a 15 percent dividend increase. Even without the tax gain, Phillips 66 beat earnings estimates by 19 cents. It's an extra boost to an industry already riding high from fat margins after from turning raw crude oil into fuels and strong worldwide demand for gasoline and diesel.
Phillips reported Q4 drops in earnings in refining and chemicals. The Q4 earnings for refining dropped from $550 million in Q3 2017 to $371 million in Q4 2017. Although the company’s refineries “ran at 100% capacity utilization,” shrinking profit margins led to a decline in refining earnings in Q4, compared to the third quarter. For chemicals, the earnings were $27 million in Q4, down from $121 million in Q3 2017. The company’s full-year 2017 midstream earnings were $464 million, up from $280 million in full-year 2016. That was due to higher pipeline and terminal volumes as well as an increase in the value of the company’s stake in DCP Midstream, a natural gas pipeline company.[167][168][169]
January 31, 2018: Phillips 66 Community Outreach Representative Diane Anderson is Ponca City 'Citizen of the Year'
Phillips 66 Community Outreach Representative Diane Anderson is Ponca City 'Citizen of the Year'. Anderson (left in photo with Dr. S. J. Pickens) is a founding member of the Attucks Community Alliance, a nonprofit organization that provides neighborhood resources, where resources are lacking or non-existent. If not for this group and for the center, the community would be without a valuable place for its children and without a meeting venue for the community as a whole.
The Ponca City News reported on January 31, 2018 that the Ponca City Area Chamber of Commerce has honored Phillips 66 community outreach representative Diane Anderson as the 'Citizen of the Year'. Anderson is a founding member of the Attucks Community Alliance, a nonprofit organization that provides neighborhood resources, where resources are lacking or non-existent. If not for this group and for the center, the community would be without a valuable place for its children and without a meeting venue for the community as a whole. It is a daily struggle to keep the doors open and the people involved. She is a current member of the University Center Foundation Board, the Ponca City Main Street Board, various Chamber of Commerce activities including Education & Workforce development, Business Council and Ambassadors. Anderson served 3 terms as City Commissioner with two of the three in the capacity as Vice-Mayor and has been instrumental in the organization of activities associated with the Martin Luther King, Jr. committee and the Juneteenth Celebration Committee.[170]
January 30, 2018: New Pipeline Will Serve Phillips 66's Santa Maria Refinery
The Santa Maria Times reported on January 30, 2018 that ERG Operating Co. has been authorized to install a petroleum pipeline system from Cat Canyon to the Sisquoc Pump Station and Pipeline is expected to eliminate 7,000 tanker truck trips along that route each year. Skip Grey, assistant director of County General Services, told supervisors the 2.9-mile pipeline system, consisting of two eight-inch pipes in a single trench, will have a capacity of 25,000 barrels of oil a day. Although there will be two pipelines, only one will carry crude oil at a time, officials said. The second would only carry oil if the first is shut down for maintenance or repair. If the line carrying oil had to be shut down due to an unforeseen problem, the second pipe would allow the “heavy crude” to be pumped back to the 10,000-barrel heating tanks so the temperature required by Phillips 66 could be maintained until the flow could be restarted. the pipeline will be equipped with a state-of-the-art supervisory control and data acquisition, or SCADA, system that will monitor the status of the line and crude oil movement and provide real-time data so company officials can shut down the line should a problem be detected.[171]
January 25, 2018: Judge Rules Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline LLC Can Keep Land-Grab Records Secret
Courthouse News reported on January 25, 2018 that Bayou Bridge Pipeline LLC, funded in part by Phillips 66, has no obligation under the state’s public-records law to hand over documents about its claim to easements across hundreds of residents’ private properties. “There is nothing that shows here that the records plaintiffs seek are public records,” East Baton Rouge District Court Judge Michael Caldwell said in his ruling from the bench. In a lawsuit filed last week on behalf of the groups by the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights, the environmentalists claimed 400 parcels of private property are being taken for the construction of the Bayou Bridge Pipeline. Three environmental groups – Atchafalaya Basin Keeper, Louisiana Bucket Brigade and 350 New Orleans – argued before Judge Caldwell that records about Bayou Bridge Pipeline LLC’s land grabs along the route of the proposed pipeline must be disclosed. Bayou Bridge Pipeline LLC has tried to seize even unwilling homeowners’ land on the pretext “it has legal authority to exercise eminent domain and take private property because it is a ‘common carrier’ under Louisiana law and that its proposed pipeline is ‘in the public interest and necessity,’” according to the complaint. Judge Caldwell ruled that because BBP is neither a nonprofit nor an entity of the state, it is under no obligation to turn over records about its eminent-domain requests. Before handing down his decision, Caldwell acknowledged the pipeline is a “hot topic” and a “matter of great public interest.” “But what is before me today does not address the merits – whether the pipeline is or is not a good idea,” the judge said. “It is only a public-records request.”[172]
January 24, 2018: Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Begins Construction In Louisiana Amid Protests, Legal Challenges
The Advocate reported on January 24, 2018 that coonstruction has begufn the Bayou Bridge pipeline has begun which will carry crude oil between a hub in Lake Charles and a terminal in St. James Parish but also cut through the environmentally sensitive Atchafalaya Basin, even as opponents pursue multiple legal challenges to block the 163-mile line across southern Louisiana and some have promised to stand in the way of the bulldozers and backhoes. "We are excited to be able to conclude the more than 2 year permitting and have begun construction activities," said Energy Transfer Partners spokeswoman Alexis Daniel. The company declined to identify where work had begun but environmental groups have spotted heavy equipment in areas like Bayou Lafourche that they believe are staging there to build the pipeline.[173]
The Bayou Bridge Pipeline is a joint venture between ETP and Phillips 66 Partners, LP, in which Energy Transfer has a 60% ownership interest and serves as the operator of the pipeline.[174]
January 11, 2018: Groups Sue To Stop Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline, Which Received Permit For Greater Capacity Than Publicized
Groups Sue To Stop Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline, Which Received Permit For Greater Capacity Than Publicize. Louisiana groups including the Louisiana Crawfish Producers Association, West; Gulf Restoration Network; Waterkeeper Alliance; and Sierra Club have sued the US Corps of Engineers to stop the Bayou Bridge pipeline project claiming claims that the Corps violated federal environmental laws in its approval of the project.
KATC reported on January 11, 2018 that several Louisiana groups including the Louisiana Crawfish Producers Association, West; Gulf Restoration Network; Waterkeeper Alliance; and Sierra Club have sued the US Corps of Engineers to stop the Bayou Bridge pipeline project claiming claims that the Corps violated federal environmental laws in its approval of the project. The National Environmental Policy Act requires agencies to prepare an environmental impact statement for "major Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment." The plaintiffs claim that the Corps disregarded a lot when it found the project would have no significant impact, like the pipeline company's spill record and the project's potential impacts on flooding and restoration projects, among other factors. The plaintiffs claim the Corps also failed to consider alternatives to the proposed project, as NEPA requires, like connecting to existing pipelines or a "restoration alternative" that would require the company to remove legacy spoil banks in the Basin.
“We have a right to a healthy environment. If the Cajun people of Louisiana had challenged the first pipeline when it came through Louisiana, we wouldn't be facing the environmental mess that we have in coastal Louisiana and the Atchafalaya Basin,” Jody Meche, a commercial crawfisherman with the Louisiana Crawfish Producer's Association, West, stated in the release. “It is the right thing to do to challenge the construction of a new pipeline by Energy Transfer Partners, which has a track record of flagrantly violating environmental laws.”
As proposed, Bayou Bridge was to carry up to 280,000 barrels of oil a day, but the final permit allows the project to carry up to 480,000 barrels of oil — another issue with which the plaintiffs take issue. "This dramatic increase in capacity within a fixed pipeline diameter has significant consequences for the risks of spills, and their impacts. However, these consequences were neither disclosed nor analyzed by the Corps in the permitting process," the suit claims, also adding that the existing pipeline system is operating under capacity — even as it was described as critical infrastructure.[175]
January 8, 2018: Former ConocoPhillips CEO Jim Mulva Concerned About Maintaining Riverfront Views For His Proposed Mulva Cultural Center in De Pere
The Green Bay Press-Gazette reported on January 8, 2018 that Jim Mulva and his wife want unobstructed river views to the northwest for a $7 million cultural facility they will personally pay for called the Mulva Cultural Center in De Pere. The proposed center, slated for a 1.5-acre site on vacant land near the Claude Allouez Bridge, would look directly west across the river toward St. Norbert College, which has benefited from tens of millions of dollars in contributions from the couple. The proposed two-story Mulva Cultural Center could be 30,000 to 40,000 square feet and include space for performances and art exhibits as well as a rooftop viewing area.
The city is exploring height limits on buildings to preserve river views. The city is in the process of hiring a consultant to study whether height restrictions would be economically viable, what kinds of businesses can succeed with height limits and how the proposed center can best align with the rest of downtown. Real estate broker Rich Susens said he’s skeptical that South Broadway will see much interest from developers if the city further limits the height of buildings. “I’ll tell you right now, I don’t think you’re going to see much development if you have restrictions on property,” said Susens.
In a written statement on Monday, Jim Mulva, a De Pere native and retired CEO of energy giant ConocoPhillips, said the planned study would help ensure that the cultural center becomes a world-class facility. "This work takes time," Mulva said. "We all want to make sure we get this right so to positively impact De Pere for generations."[176]
Mulva received the biggest package of any CEO in 2012 when he stepped down as CEO of ConocoPhillips. Mulva's total severance package was about $156 million and his exit sum is on top of salary, bonus and other compensation received while working for the company. "We calculated severance pay as the total of any amounts given in connection with end of service as C.E.O.,” said Aaron Boyd, director of governance research at Equilar. In Mulva’s case, much of the payout came from the market value of stock gains he received. But he also received payouts from a cash severance, a bonus and additional retirement distributions. ConocoPhillips said that the pay packages were fully disclosed to shareholders and that they were “the same pension and benefits programs as described in the proxy statement as any other retiring executive.” “The vast majority of Mulva’s compensation that he earned during his long and successful career as an executive remained in the form of company stock at his time of retirement,” Aftab Ahmed, a spokesman for ConocoPhillips, said in an e-mail.[177]
January 3, 2018: Winter Storm Affects Phillips 66's Wood River Refinery, Could Affect Bayway Refinery
Reuters reported on January 3, 2018 that Phillips 66 shut a crude and coking unit at its Wood River Refinery after a line froze followed by a brief fire, according to a source. Phillips 66 does not currently have a timeline for restarting the units at its Illinois plant, the source said.
Refiners along the U.S. East Coast were bracing for difficulties in the next few days. So far, the five refineries along the East Coast including Phillips 66's Bayway Refinery in New Jersey are dealing with frozen pipes and other challenges, but have not experienced any significant outages, according to sources at the plants. “We’ve had a lot of freeze-up but haven’t lost any units. This weekend will be bad,” said a source at Monroe Energy’s 185,000-barrel-per-day refinery outside Philadelphia. Although most refineries, particularly those in northern climates, are designed to operate throughout the winter, increasingly extreme weather conditions in recent years have tested their capabilities. In 2015, more than a third of the U.S. East Coast’s capacity was abruptly shut down due to glitches.[178]
December 28, 2017: Runaway Barge Contracted by Phillips 66 Leaves Costly Mess Near Sweeny Refinery
The Houston Chronicle reported on December 28, 2017 that a runaway barge contracted by Phillips 66 to dredge the bottom of the river around a Phillips 66 terminal near Sweeny Refinery was one of two barges and a tugboat that came unmoored on August 28, 2017 in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. The barge, 140 feet long, 45 feet wide and weighing 476 tons, went careening down the San Bernard River through Brazoria County demolishing at least 16 docks and boathouses during the rampage. Now, property owners are bracing for a fight over who will pay for the damage.
A spokesman for Phillips 66, Dennis Nuss, said the owner of the barge, GSD Companies, and the owner of the tugboat, M&C Oilfield Services, both based in Louisiana, claimed full responsibility for the damage. The Phillips spokesman declined to comment on the timeline of events, including whether the refinery gave the companies ample warning to get the barge and tugboat off the river ahead of the storm. The barge was contracted by Phillips to dredge the bottom of the river around the terminal. The spud barge was connected to a "pot barge," a smaller vessel used to dispose of the sand and silt dredged up from the river. The barges were still docked at the terminal when Harvey made landfall in Texas on August 25, 2017 At some point on August 28, the two barges and tugboat became unmoored from the docking terminal and floated down the river, the rising waters pushing the spuds up from the riverbed and setting it on a path of destruction.
More than three months after the runaway barge ran amok on the San Bernard River, the 16 property owners who sustained damage are still trying to pick up the pieces. The lack of a swift response from the parties responsible for the barge has sowed further confusion and frustration. Shelly Stubbs believes the breakdown in communication is a calculated play by the barge and tugboat company to force the affected river residents to take legal action. She wonders if the companies would rather take their chances in a lawsuit against a group of overextended property owners than pay to repair hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. Any potential lawsuit also could be subjected to a nuance of maritime law called the limitation of liabilities, which states that if a vessel causes damage without the knowledge or direct involvement of its owners, they are not liable for anything more than the vessel's post-incident value. Even for runaway barges, there is precedent for limited liability. In 2011, a district judge in Louisiana ruled in favor of a company that owned a 200-foot barge that came unmoored during Hurricane Katrina, exonerating the company for massive damage that included destruction of several houses and a school bus. "The owner of the barge may be able to escape liability altogether or limit his liabilities to the value of the barge itself," said Thomas Fitzhugh, a maritime law expert and partner at Schouest, Bamdas, Soshea & BenMaier in Houston. "It's been a feature of maritime law for a very long time."[179]
December 21, 2017: Chevron Phillips Completes $6 Billion Petrochemical Expansion at Cedar Bayou Complex in Baytown
Chevron Phillips Completes $6 Billion Petrochemical Expansion at Cedar Bayou Complex in Baytown. Chevron Phillips has completed heavy construction of the massive ethane cracker at its Cedar Bayou complex in Baytown. The ethane cracker - on a plot the size of 44 football fields - will separate a component of natural gas called ethane, which will provide the feedstock for some 1.5 million metric tons a year of ethylene, a common building block of plastics. Photo: Chevron Phillips Chemical
The Houston Chronicle reported on December 21, 2017 that Chevron Phillips has completed heavy construction of the massive ethane cracker at its Cedar Bayou complex in Baytown. The ethane cracker - on a plot the size of 44 football fields - will separate a component of natural gas called ethane, which will provide the feedstock for some 1.5 million metric tons a year of ethylene, a common building block of plastics. The Chevron Phillips cracker includes eight giant furnaces that essentially heat up the ethane and cook it into ethylene. "With the mechanical completion of Cedar Bayou's ethane cracker, we are now on the cusp of completing the most transformative project in our company's history, our U.S. Gulf Coast petrochemical project," said Mark Lashier, president and chief executive officer of Chevron Phillips Chemical.[180]
The unit is now undergoing a series of rigorous commissioning activities, system checks and final certifications to ensure a safe and reliable start-up, and consistent, on-spec production. Once operational, the unit is expected to produce at least 1.5 million metric tons of product annually. At peak construction, approximately 5,000 workers were employed on this project, helping to spawn additional economic activity across the region. The new ethane cracker will produce valuable product for the company's ethylene business and feedstock for its ethylene derivatives businesses. The polyethylene (PE) fleet now includes the two new PE units at Old Ocean, Texas, which were also part of the U.S. Gulf Coast petrochemical project (USGC PP). These units started up in September 2017 and play a critical role in Chevron Phillips Chemical's strategic expansion to meet the growing global demand for PE. These units can produce a wide variety of high quality Marlex® polyethylene resins ranging from metallocene LLDPE film to bi-modal film and pipe products, displaying the wide capability of Chevron Phillips chemical Company's proprietary MarTech® technology. In addition to the cracker and PE units, the company has purchased nearly 3,000 newly built rail cars and constructed a state-of-the-art storage-in-transition facility to ship polyethylene via rail to customers both domestically and to ports for export around the globe.[181]
December 10, 2017: 472 Plaintiffs Join Lawsuit Against Phillips 66 over Sweeny Flooding
472 Plaintiffs Join Lawsuit Against Phillips 66 over Sweeny Flooding. Plaintiffs have filed a new petition against Phillips 66 and Chevron Phillips Chemical claiming that the companies caused damage to persons and property in the Sweeny area when they blocked a bayou system, causing Hurricane Harvey’s floodwaters to rise rather than drain
The Brazapot Facts reported on December 10, 2017 that 472 plaintiffs have filed a new petition against Phillips 66 and Chevron Phillips Chemical claiming that the companies caused damage to persons and property in the Sweeny area when they blocked a bayou system, causing Hurricane Harvey’s floodwaters to rise rather than drain, up from 324 in the lawsuit in September. Josh Bowlin of the Houston firm Walston Bowlin said he is in contact with dozens more residents and business owners who may join the lawsuit at a later time. Because the litigation is a mass-action lawsuit, each of the plaintiff’s claims have to be assessed individually, and only people who have joined the suit will be eligible to receive compensation through a settlement or a court action, Bowlin said. “There are 500 plaintiffs with different damages, from pecan orchards to personal effects,” Bowlin said. Bowlin said he has hired hydrologists to assess whether the bayou blockages alleged in the petition could have caused the flooding that area residents experienced. “There is a huge watershed area in that area, and remarkably the Linville Bayou acts as a drainage source for that entire area,” he said. “We are looking into mapping the entire impact of what would happen in a rainfall event such as this and how the water would be dispersed.”
Plaintiffs’ stories about the flooding have been “remarkably consistent,” Bowlin said. “I have three teams of people down there and appraising homes, and they have probably been to 125 homes,” he said. “Everyone got a little water on their property, then everything started to recede, and then overnight everyone experienced a flash flood incident.” That flooding, Bowlin said, is “consistent with damming the Linville Bayou and its tributaries around there.”
Phillips 66 did not respond to requests for comment for this story, and Chevron Phillips Chemical declined to comment because the matter is still under litigation.[182]
December 8, 2017: Phillips 66 Announces 2018 Capital Program
Businesswire reported on December 8, 2017 that Phillips 66 has announced its 2018 capital budget of $2.3 billion, which includes $1.4 billion of growth capital and $0.9 billion of sustaining capital. Phillips 66 plans $827 million of capital spending in Refining, with $541 million for reliability, safety and environmental projects. Refining growth capital of $286 million is for small, high-return, quick payout projects primarily to increase clean product yields. Projects include completion of the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit modernization at the Bayway Refinery and FCC optimization at the Sweeny Refinery. The company’s expected share of WRB Refining's capital expenditures is $143 million, and includes completion of the Wood River Refinery FCC unit modernization to increase clean product yield.
In Midstream, Phillips 66 plans to invest $1.2 billion, including $1.0 billion of growth capital, in its Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) and Transportation businesses. The company is developing growth projects integrated with its existing assets and infrastructure, such as ongoing expansion of the Beaumont Terminal, additional Gulf Coast fractionation capacity, and investment in pipelines and other terminals. Phillips 66’s expected share of DCP Midstream’s 2018 capital spending is $405 million, with $350 million targeted for growth projects including the Sand Hills Pipeline expansion and two DJ Basin gas processing plants.
In Chemicals, Phillips 66’s share of CPChem’s 2018 capital expenditures is expected to be $398 million, a decrease of about 45 percent from 2017 due to completion of the U.S. Gulf Coast Petrochemicals Project. The new polyethylene units included in this project started up during the third quarter of 2017, while commissioning of the ethane cracker at the Cedar Bayou facility is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2018.[183]
December 6, 2017: Oil Refiners like Phillips 66 Will Be Big Winners Under Trump's Tax Reform Plan
Oil Refiners like Phillips 66 Will Be Big Winners Under Trump's Tax Reform Plan. Under Trump's new tax law, companies will be able to deduct their capital expenditures from taxable income immediately, as per the provisions of the tax reform bill. This aspect of the bill hugely favors the oil industry and if it materializes companies in the space would be huge gainers. Photo: Gage Skidmore Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Nasdaq reported on December 6, 2017 that the domestic oil and gas industry is one of the many beneficiaries of the sweeping tax reform. Under current tax law, capital expenditures cannot be tax-deducted in the year they are incurred. Consequently, U.S. companies need to plan judiciously regarding their capital expenditure. However under Trump's new tax law, companies will be able to deduct their capital expenditures from taxable income immediately, as per the provisions of the tax reform bill. This aspect of the bill hugely favors the oil industry and if it materializes companies in the space would be huge gainers.
Refiners like Phillips 66 seem to be the standout gainers from the overhaul of the nation's tax code. Should the plan go through and corporate income tax lowered from 35% to 20%, refiners are likely to experience a jump in their potential earnings.
This is because unlike crude producers and equipment makers who have been victims of the sustained period of stubborn low oil price environment and struggled to generate positive cash flows, refiners have been among the handful of energy subindustries that showed strength during the shaky period.
According to Nasdaq, the business of the downstream players is negatively correlated with crude prices. This is because the companies use oil as an input from which they derive refined petroleum products like gasoline, the prime transportation fuel in the U.S. Hence, lower the oil price, higher will be their profits. Therefore, the income from converting crude into gasoline and diesel - also known as refining margin or crack spread - has been going up over the past few quarters. Consequently, these companies - having generated positive income before taxes - are in a much better shape to take advantage of the lower corporate tax burden.[184]
December 6, 2017: Worker Burned by Sulphuric Acid at Phillips 66's Alliance Refinery
Reuters reported on December 6, 2017 that an operator was burned by sulfuric acid on Tuesday while performing maintenance on a boiler at Phillips 66’s Alliance Refinery. Phillips 66 spokeswoman Melissa Ory said a worker from the Alliance refinery was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and released.[185]
November 21, 2017: Phillips 66 Cuts Rates at Wood River Refinery After 210,000 Gallon Keystone Pipeline Spill
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on November 21, 2017 that Phillips 66 has cut run rates at its 336,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Wood River Refinery after TransCanada's Keystone pipeline was shut last week as refinery informed personnel to be prepared for the Keystone pipeline outage to last upwards of three to four weeks, according to preliminary indications. Preparations are underway to advance work to early December on its largest 170,000 bpd crude unit with the work holding the unit to about half capacity. The crude unit work likely will begin the week of Dec. 4 and finish in two to three weeks.[186]
According to CNN, a total of 210,000 gallons of oil leaked from the Keystone Pipeline in South Dakota, the pipeline's operator. Crews shut down the pipeline Thursday morning, and officials are investigating the cause of the leak, which occurred about three miles southeast of the town of Amherst. This is the largest Keystone oil spill to date in South Dakota, Walsh said. The leak comes just days before Nebraska officials announce a decision on whether the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline, a sister project, can move forward.[187]
November 15, 2017: Tax Break Granted to Phillips 66 Billings Refinery
NBC5 reported on November 15, 2017 that Yellowstone County commissioners in Montana have approved a tax break sought by the Phillips 66 oil refinery in Billings for a project that improved the refinery's crude oil processing and sulfur recovery. The project began in 2015 and was completed in June. The project cost close to $300 million. The project qualified for the tax reduction under a county program for qualifying new or expanding businesses. Commission Chairman John Ostlund said the county traditionally has honored requests for the tax incentive and noted the large investment by the refinery.[188]
November 10, 2017: Chevron Phillips Inaugurates Two New Polyethylene (PE) Units at Old Ocean, Texas
ICIS reported on November 10, 2017 that Chevron Phillips Chemical has inaugurated two new polyethylene (PE) units at its facility in Old Ocean, Texas, each with a capacity of 500,000 tonnes/year. They are part of CP Chem’s US Gulf Coast Petrochemical Project, a $6bn investment encompassing the two new PE plants in Old Ocean as well as a new ethane cracker at the company’s Cedar Bayou facility in Texas. “Congratulations to CPChem on a milestone that is helping Phillips 66 achieve its vision of providing energy and improving lives,” said Tim Taylor, president of Phillips 66. “The two new polyethylene units on the Texas Gulf Coast will have a global impact, providing the world with plastics for everything from automobile parts to smartphones." CP Chem’s new PE plants at Old Ocean will source much of their ethylene from the existing crackers at the Old Ocean site, while the company expects to remain a merchant seller of ethylene even with the new PE capacity. Company executives stated that much of the product from the new plant will be destined for export, although the percentages likely to be exported are not as high as many market participants had been anticipating for new US PE facilities. Exports will be shipped to whichever region of the world provides the best netback, with the company adding that the Old Ocean facility is among the most efficient and competitive PE plants currently operating in the global marketplace.[189]
November 6, 2017: Approval of Phillips 66 Pipeline's 60,000-gallon Butane Tank has Jenks City Councilor Concerned
The Tulsa World reported on November 6, 2017 that Jenks City Councilor Robert Lee can’t figure out how Phillips 66 Pipline Co putting a 60,000-gallon butane tank so close to soccer fields, an education facility and a major roadway makes sense but Jenk's City Council's 4-3 vote gave Phillips the permit it needed to add a butane-blending operation to its distribution terminal at 10600 S. Elwood Ave. “This decision truly does not benefit any one individual in the city of Jenks or the city of Jenks,” said Lee. “It just benefits (Phillips), and that is why I am so disappointed in their decision.” In a worst-case scenario, Lee said, the tank could blow up, creating a mile-wide “blast zone” that would engulf residential neighborhoods, the Titan Sports and Performance Center and Jenks Public Schools’ Agricultural Science Center.
Dennis Nuss, director of media and external relations for Phillips 66, said the company is upgrading several facilities around the country with butane-blending operations. “Adding butane to gasoline brings the mixture up to state and federal motor fuel volatility limits, which vary seasonally,” Nuss said. “Similar facilities have existed in the Tulsa area for years.” Jenks Assistant Fire Chief Greg Ostrum said Phillips 66’s new facility will be required to meet eight or nine national fire codes in addition to Jenks’ code. “We are not breaking ground here,” he said. “There are safety standards that have been established for this kind of project.”[190]
November 6, 2017: A $6 Billion Windfall for Oil Refiners like Phillips 66 Has Small Hurdle: the IRS
Bloomberg reported on November 6, 2017 that an obscure gasoline additive called butane -- a liquefied petroleum gas, could lead to a windfall of more than $6 billion for struggling U.S. oil refiners. Refiners like Phillips 66 are examining whether their occasional use of butane qualifies for a big tax credit under a now-expired law that was intended to promote the use of cleaner-burning fuels sold at the pump. Refiners usually add butane to gasoline during winter months to help comply with government limits on smog-causing emissions. “There’s a way to construct the argument that you’re entitled to this credit if you mix butane,” says Houston-based tax attorneys Shawn R. O’Brien. “And because that’s a common mixture, people in the industry are looking at it as a huge opportunity.”
While the industry and even some IRS guidelines identify butane as an LPG, the agency has indicated that the definition shouldn’t apply under the alternative-fuel-mixture credit. The IRS is reviewing the matter and seeking public comment before issuing a final ruling. Applying for the credit is no guarantee of success. Sunoco Inc., a gasoline marketer and wholesaler that runs filling stations and convenience stories, tried to recover $300 million in refunds last year for mixing ethanol with its fuel. The U.S. Court of Federal Claims favored the government in a November 2016 order, saying Sunoco’s interpretation “would result in a windfall that Congress did not intend.”
Phillips 66, Marathon, Exxon Mobil, Valero, and Chevron declined to comment on the issue.[191]
October 31, 2017: Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery Donates $25,000 to Arroyo Grande High
KSBY reported on October 31, 2017 that Phillips 66 donated 25,000 to the Architecture and Engineering Program at Arroyo Grande High School. The money will be used for software, technology, equipment and to fund industry field trips, said Amy Jacobs, communications coordinator for the Lucia Mar Unified School District. After the check was presented, Phillips 66 offered students advice about careers in a STEM-related (science, technology, engineering and math) field.[192]
October 27, 2017: Phillips 66 Reports Third-Quarter Earnings of $823 Million or $1.60 Per Share
Businesswire reported on October 27, 2017 that Phillips 66 announced third-quarter 2017 earnings of $823 million, compared with $550 million in the second quarter of 2017. Excluding special items, adjusted earnings were $858 million, compared with second-quarter adjusted earnings of $569 million.
“We operated well during the quarter while facing the challenges associated with Hurricane Harvey,” said Greg Garland, chairman and CEO of Phillips 66. “While the storm impacted our Gulf Coast operations, we delivered strong financial results from our diverse business portfolio. We are proud of how our employees responded during the storm. They assisted families, friends and neighbors and worked tirelessly to safeguard our assets and communities. Through their efforts, we were able to ensure business continuity and supply critical energy products to first responders and consumers.”
“During the quarter, we funded $367 million of capital expenditures and returned $817 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases,” added Garland. “Earlier this month we also announced a new $3 billion share repurchase program, increasing total authorizations to $12 billion since 2012. Prudently managing capital allocation and delivering shareholder returns remain fundamental to Phillips 66.”[193]
October 27, 2017: Phillips 66 to Begin Diesel Recovery Project at Ponca Refinery in 4th Quarter
Greg Garland announced during the Q3 earnings conference on October 27, 2016 that a diesel recovery project in the Ponca City Refinery is on track to start up in the fourth quarter.[194]
October 22, 2017: Ponca Nation and Movement Right Organizes Prayer Walk to Ponca Refinery to Protest Fracking
Intercontinental Cry reported on October 22, 2017 that after suffering for years with poisoned water and serious health issues due to fracking and injection wells on and near their reservation the governing body of the Ponca Nation of Oklahoma voted to pass a statute recognizing the rights of nature on Friday, October 20, 2017. When enacted, the Ponca will be the first tribal nation to recognize the rights of nature into statutory law. "On Friday, October 20th the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma took the historic step of agreeing to add a statute to enact the Rights of Nature. We are proud to be moving into the future by honoring our original instructions to respect all life on our Mother Earth,” said Casey Camp-Horinek, a member of the Ponca Tribal Business Council.
According to Movement Rights, Ponca City, Oklahoma is the epicenter of earthquakes caused by fracking and injection wells. Tribal members have experienced diseases that have decimated their population since the fracking industry began in their area. Every single water well on the reservation is too toxic to drink, bathe in or allow pets and livestock to drink. There have been 448 earthquakes in and around the Ponca reservation this year, in a state that was essentially earthquake free before the fracking industry moved in to the area. The Ponca Nation is expected to enact the Rights of Nature Statute into law by the end of 2017. “We all know that water is life. The years of fish kills related to the fracking and injection wells amount to environmental genocide,” said Casey Camp-Horinek. “It is going to take all of us humans because we’re speaking for those without voices, for the deer, the cattle, those that fly. In our tribe we have a funeral a week now. We’re being fracked to death and It’s time to take a stand for our people and defend the earth.”
The Ponca Nation and Movement Rights also conducted two events which took place on Saturday, October 22nd called “Ponca Environmental Community Action Day”. The day included a prayer walk to the Phillips 66 refinery in the City of Ponca as well as a community meeting. "I feel like we are gaining strength, we had more tribal nations represented this time as well as non-natives,” said Ponca Tribal member, Suzaatah Williams. “We had elders and even a newborn on this walk and every age group in between. Even if only one of these people share the information they learned we have made a difference. Knowledge is power and we are only getting stronger!”[195]
October 21, 2017: Ponca City Mourns the Passing of Dr. S. J. Pickens
Dr. Pickens married Hugh Pickens on December 24, 1984 with whom she recently celebrated 32 years of marriage.
In 1963 Dr. Pickens traveled to Alabama with freedom riders to help register black residents to vote and to integrate lunch counters. Dr. Pickens marched with King in Alabama and attended Dr. King's March on Washington. She said that she never thought she would live to see a black President but forty-five years after the March on Washington Dr. Pickens traveled to Washington DC with her husband to attend Barack Obama's inauguration on the mall in Washington DC.
Dr. Pickens with her beloved older brother Sidney James Toombs II who pre-deceased her.
Dr. S. J. Pickens of 2301 Donner Ave in Ponca City passed away unexpectedly of natural causes at age 73 on October 21, 2017. Dr. Pickens was born in Philadelphia, PA on Sunday, June 11, 1944 to Mildred Lurene Shields and Sidney James Toombs Sr. Dr. Pickens grew up on the 2100 block of Diamond Street and the 2400 block of 29th Street in Philadelphia.
The Rules of the Shields Family
Dr. Pickens was proud of her family. In 1900 her grandfather Norwood Shields who she loved dearly was one of the first black men to graduate with an advanced degree from Cornell University. His first job was in Indian Territory at Langston College where Dr. Pickens' mother Mildred was born in 1907. Her grandfather later moved from Langston to Wilberforce, Ohio where he was a professor of agriculture at Central State College. Dr. Pickens and her beloved older brother Sidney loved to spend summers with their grandparents in Wilberforce, Ohio where they were taught the three cardinal rules of the Shields Family.
Rule 1. Accept whatever comes without complaint
Rule 2. Always exceed everyone's expectations including your own
Rule 3. Play the hand you are dealt - and play the hell out of it.
Dr. Pickens graduated from Germantown High School in Philadelphia and received her bachelor's degree from Temple University in 1965.
One of the proudest events of her life occurred in 1963 when Dr. Pickens traveled to Alabama with freedom riders to help register black residents to vote and to integrate lunch counters. Dr. Pickens marched with King in Alabama and attended Dr. King's March on Washington. She said that she never thought she would live to see a black President but forty-five years after the March on Washington Dr. Pickens traveled to Washington DC with her husband to attend Barack Obama's inauguration on the mall in Washington DC.
In 1979 Dr. Pickens entered Medical School at the University of Maryland and was the oldest member of her graduating class. She earned both her M.Ed. and M.D. degrees from the University of Maryland. While in residency at the University of Maryland's Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, she was selected as a Falk Fellow and is the recipient of the Brody Award.
Upon completion of her residency in psychiatry at University of Maryland Medical School, Dr. Pickens spent 10 years working in the Maryland State Health System as Clinical Director at Springfield Hospital and at Spring Grove Hospital.
Dr. Pickens married Hugh Pickens on December 24, 1984 with whom she recently celebrated 32 years of marriage. They lived in a 125 year old Victorian Mansion in Baltimore for 20 years.
In 1989 Dr. Pickens was president of Pickens Comprehensive Health Services, a health care company serving the inmate population of the Baltimore City Jail. Dr. Pickens spent the last years of her professional career as Vice President of physician services at Green Spring Health Services, Inc., where she supervised fifty physicians and nurses.
Dr. Pickens was a board member of Friends Psychiatric Research Associates; is the past president of the Black Psychiatrists of America, Maryland Chapter, past president of Maryland Black Faculty and Staff, an examiner for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and a member of the American Psychiatric Association and Southern Psychiatric Association. Dr. Pickens was inducted into the American College of Psychiatry in 1996, one of only three physicians in the state of Oklahoma who have been so honored.
In 1999 Dr. Pickens retired and in 2005 decided to make her home in Ponca City, her husband's home town. Dr. Pickens was active as a docent at the Marland Mansion, served on the board of directors of Ponca Playhouse, and with her husband sponsored and produced the annual "Oklahoma Pride" series at Ponca Playhouse producing "The Broken Statue" and "Lydie Marland in the Afterlife." Dr. Pickens was also active in Newcomers.
Dr. Pickens was one-quarter Cherokee and after moving to Oklahoma she took up collecting and designing Native American jewelry and artwork, putting together one of the finest collections of turquoise jewelry in the United States.
For thirty years in Baltimore, Dr. Pickens opened her home for Halloween when she invited children into her home to learn about crystal and fine art. The tradition continued in Ponca City where for the past twelve years she has distributed rolls of pennies to children and as she remembers their names from year to year and talks to them about their lives. In 2016 over 450 children visited her home during Halloween. The Pickens family will be continuing Dr. Pickens' Halloween tradition.
Dr. Pickens was especially proud to have sponsored the first formal dinner in the Marland Mansion in 70 years when she and her husband invited ten guests to share dinner at the mansion with her in 2016.
Dr. Pickens is survived by her husband Hugh Pickens, her stepdaughter Carolina Pickens Jachnke of Rohnert Park, CA, her stepson Daniel Pickens of Stockholm Sweden, and step-grandchildren Keanu Jachnke Pickens of Rohnert Park, and Lily Jane Pickens, and Rory James Pickens of Stockholm.
In addition she is survived by her nephew Sidney Jack Toombs III and his wife Lisa Toombs and two grandnieces Nia Nicole Toombs and Winter Joy Toombs, all of Philadelphia; by her niece Celeste Toombs of Durham, North Carolina; by her niece Stephanie Rose Jones and her husband Rahsaan Jones of Snellville, Georgia; by her cousin Strawberri Lucas of Newark, New Jersey; by her cousin Leonard Blake and his wife Barbara Blake of Columbus, Ohio; by her cousin Norwood Rainey, of Tuscon, Arizona; by her cousin, Sandra Fisher, of Los Angeles, California; and by numerous other relatives including Atreva and Clyde Vaughn Jr., Delena D. Johnson, Pamela Blake, Patricia Blake-Smith and Jonathon Smith, Lavern Williams, and Gwendolyn and Marcel Hollenger, and several other relatives.
Additionally she is survived by her sister-in-law Gail Pickens-Barger and her husband Steven Barger of Port Neches, Texas. Her nieces Amber Barger & her husband, Caveh Masem of Houston, Texas; Rachel Barger Turnley & her husband David C. Turnley of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Derek Barger of Houston, Texas; and Grace Barger of Port Neches, Texas. A great-niece, Dawson Elizabeth Turnley of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Dr. Pickens is survived by her mother-in-law, Deloris Pickens of Ponca City, Oklahoma.
Dr. Pickens was preceded in death by her mother Mildred Lurene Shields, father Sidney James Toombs, and older brother Sidney James Toombs II.
Before she went to Alabama in 1963, where she was assaulted for desegregating lunch counters, her father told her never to flinch when she was struck by segregationists and to turn the other cheek when she was beaten. Before she left for the South, her father made her commit to memory the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley which was her favorite poem and sums up her life.
Invictus by William Ernest Henley
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how straight the gate,
I am the master of my fate,
Facebook - "Ponca Playhouse Mourns the Loss of Dr. S. J. Pickens" October 22, 2017
Dr. Pickens sponsors first formal dinner at Maryland Mansion in 75 years December 18, 2016
Dr. Pickens sponsors and produces "Oklahoma Pride" series at Ponca Playhouse
Obituary in the Ponca City News October 24, 2017
October 20, 2017: Will Warren Buffett Acquire Phillips 66?
Will Warren Buffett Acquire Phillips 66?. Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway already has a significant 16% stake in Phillips 66, which it essentially started to build in 2015 and since the initiation of the stake, Berkshire has consistently increased it and Buffett has repeatedly praised the management of the company as exemplary. "While a 16% stake is far from a takeover, Berkshire has acquired in the past some companies in which it initially purchased only a stake," says Papadatos. Photo: Wikimedia.
Aristofanis Papadatos wrote an interesting essay at Seeking Alpha on October 20, 2017 whee he makes the case that Phillips 66 may become Warren Buffett's next takeover target. Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway already has a significant 16% stake in Phillips 66, which it essentially started to build in 2015 and since the initiation of the stake, Berkshire has consistently increased it and Buffett has repeatedly praised the management of the company as exemplary. "While a 16% stake is far from a takeover, Berkshire has acquired in the past some companies in which it initially purchased only a stake," says Papadatos. "For instance, this proved to be the case in 2010, when Berkshire acquired Burlington Northern Santa Fe for $26 billion. The same was witnessed in 2011, when the giant conglomerate acquired Lubrizol."
According to Papadatos, Phillips 66 has many features that Buffett looks for in his takeover scope. First of all, Buffett puts great emphasis on the quality of the management. Second, Phillips 66 has a great record of investing only in projects with attractive returns. Finally, the company has a strong balance sheet, which is of great importance to Buffett. "Phillips 66 has many attractive features, which fit the requirements of Buffett," concludes Papadatos. "It is reasonably valued while it also has an exemplary management, which always maintains a long-term horizon and ensures for great project execution. In addition, while the future path of the oil price is unknown, the company is well positioned for every price scenario, as each of its segments thrives under different oil prices. Therefore, the company has good chances of being acquired by Berkshire at some point in the future."[196]
See also Warren Buffett Files with SEC to Purchase Up to 25% of Phillips 66 Stock March 3, 2016
Is Warren Buffett Planning to Buy Phillips 66 February 12, 2016
October 18, 2017: Opponents of Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Push for Study Request
WRKF reported on October 18, 2017 that environmental groups in Louisiana, like the Louisiana Bucket Brigade and BOLD Louisiana, oppose the proposed 162-mile pipeline,funded in part by Phillips 66 and are spending their lunch hours demonstrating in front of the Governor's Mansion every Tuesday this month. They're asking the governor to request an environmental impact study from the Army Corps of Engineers before allowing the pipeline, which will cross 11 parishes and the Atchafalaya Basin, to proceed. Louisiana Governor Edwards says while he understands many are passionately opposed to this pipeline, it's not crossing virgin territory, so to speak. It will be constructed adjacent to other pipelines already in place across the Atchafalaya. “I believe pipelines can be built – if all of the regulations and permit requirements are followed – in a way where you don’t interfere with the flow of water and the movement of wildlife,” Gov. Edwards states.
But Cherri Foytlin, BOLD's state director, notes Energy Transfer Partners, responsible for this pipeline and the Dakota Access pipeline, has a dismal track record with rules and safety. “Florida Pipeline, which is already in the Basin, and owned by Energy Transfer Partners, is already out of compliance. The Dakota Access Pipeline leaked three times – three times already!” she says. “And Phillips 66, another partner in Bayou Bridge, had a pipeline fire just this past February, which injured two workers and killed a third.” Foytlin suggests the state could use the time they’re waiting on the environmental impact study to urge the companies involved to actually follow the rules. “We have actually really good laws on the books. It’s just this state doesn’t tend to hold companies accountable to do what they’re supposed to do,” Foytlin says.” I don’t think it’s too much to ask that this industry – but in particular this company – cleans up its mess in the first place before they’re allowed to do another project. I mean, I would make my kids clean up before they get more toys out, right?”[197]
October 12, 2017: Phillips 66 Retirees Sue Phillips 66 Retirement Plan Investment Committee for Failing to Provide a Wider Array of Investment Offerings in the Company's 401(K) Retirement Plan
Phillips 66 Retirees Sue Phillips 66 Retirement Plan Investment Committee For Failing To Provide Them A Wider Array Of Investment Offerings In The Company's 401(K) Retirement Plan. The retirees say the Phillips 66 investment committee should have but did not launch an independent review after ConocoPhillips spun off Phillips 66, a failure that cost the plan participants millions of dollars during the times when the price of ConocoPhillips' stock fell, according to the lawsuit. The retirees are seeking unspecified lost profits.
The Houston Chronicle reported on October 12, 2017 that three retirees who are seeking to represent about 12,000 other plan participants sued the retirement plan investment committee of Phillips 66 for failing to provide them a wider array of investment offerings in the company's 401(k) retirement plan. Plan sponsors have a fiduciary responsibility to provide a diversified mix of investment options. Plan participants have funneled more than $1 billion into ConocoPhillips stock, representing about 25 percent of the plan's total assets. Many more have invested their retirement savings in Phillips 66 stock. Taken together, plan participants have put more than half their retirement assets into the stock funds of the two energy companies. It's too risky to put so many assets into one industry, especially one as volatile as energy, said Connecticut commercial litigator Robert Izard whose three clients allege the Phillips 66 retirement plan breached its fiduciary duty by allowing the plan to hold massive amounts of ConocoPhillips stock. The Phillips 66 investment committee should have but did not launch an independent review after ConocoPhillips spun off Phillips 66, a failure that cost the plan participants millions of dollars during the times when the price of ConocoPhillips' stock fell, according to the lawsuit. The retirees are seeking unspecified lost profits.
Phillips 66 said it would not comment on the lawsuit.[198]
October 10, 2017: OU Dedicates Dunham College Funded by Gift From Archie Dunham
The Norman Transcipt reported on October 10, 2017 that the University of Oklahoma will dedicate the Residential Colleges, Dunham College and Headington College, which serve as living-learning communities and the cornerstone of the undergraduate experience, at a public ceremony scheduled for 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 1406 Asp Ave. Patterned after those at Harvard, Yale, Oxford and Cambridge, OU is the first university in the state and one of the first public universities in the nation to adopt the residential college model. The Residential Colleges provide an intimate and supportive community designed to promote the social, intellectual and personal growth of OU undergraduates.
Archie Dunham and his wife have been longtime friends of OU, often hosting student scholarship and alumni events. Dunham, who was born in Durant and raised in Ada, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geological engineering from OU in 1960 and a master of business administration degree from OU in 1966. Linda Dunham, who also grew up in Ada, attended East Central University. After graduating from OU, Dunham went to work for Conoco Inc., where he rose rapidly through the ranks and served in almost every area of the company. He was elected to the Conoco Board of Directors in 1985 and became president and CEO in 1996. He was elected chairman of the board in 1999. Dunham is the recipient of OU’s highest award, an honorary doctorate of humane letters.[199]
October 8, 2017: Phillips 66's Alliance Refinery Undamaged After Hurricane Nate
Reuters reported on October 8, 2017 that Phillips 66’s Alliance Refinery was undamaged by the passage of Hurricane Nate on Saturday night and may begin restarting some units on Sunday, sources familiar with plant operations said. It may be mid-week at the earliest before the refinery resumes production. There is limited crude oil availability following the shutdown of 92 percent of crude oil production in the Gulf of Mexico, the sources said.[200]
October 7, 2017: Phillips 66 shuts Alliance Refinery Ahead of Hurricane Nate
Reuters reported on October 7, 2017 that Phillips 66 shut its Alliance Refinery ahead of the approach of Hurricane Nate, sources familiar with plant operations said. Only the boilers and the wastewater treatment system are still in operation at the refinery, the sources said. Alliance Refinery was not affected by August’s Hurricane Harvey, which shut all Texas Gulf Coast refineries, accounting for about a quarter of U.S. capacity.[201]
October 2, 2017: Phillips 66 Oil-by-Train Plan to Santa Maria Refinery is Dead Say Environmental Groups
The San Luis Obispo Tribune reported on October 2, 2017 that Phillips 66's plan to transport crude oil by rail to its Santa Maria Refinery is dead, environmental groups say, after the company agreed to drop its lawsuit against San Luis Obispo County. If the settlement is approved by the court, the county’s denial of the project will stand, said county attorney Tim McNulty. “I can say with 99.9 percent certainty this is the end of the track for more oil trains in San Luis Obispo County,” said Andrew Christie with the Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club. “Projects never fail just because they’re ill-conceived, especially when they’re proposed by large, well-funded entities,” Christie said. “The only way those projects fail is thanks to grassroots organizing and local people saying loud and clear, ‘We don’t want this project.’ And that happened on a scale I’ve never seen before.” Phillips 66 officials declined to comment Monday on what McNulty called a settlement.[202]
September 29, 2017: Homeowners Near Sweeny Refinery File Lawsuit, Say Phillips 66 and Chevron Phillips Knowingly Forced Floodwaters into their Neighborhood
Sweeny Homeowners File Lawsuit, Say Phillips 66 and Chevron Phillips Knowingly Forced Floodwaters into their Neighborhood. The Army Corps of Engineers is investigating claims by residents of Sweeny, Texas, that floodwaters were knowingly forced into their neighborhoods when Phillips 66 and Chevron Phillips dammed up two bayous. A lawsuit filed by about 150 families claims that by damming two nearby bayous without warning, the companies knowingly pushed floodwater away from the plant and into neighborhoods.
CBS News reported on September 29, 2017 that the Army Corps of Engineers is investigating claims by residents of Sweeny, Texas, that floodwaters were knowingly forced into their neighborhoods when Phillips 66 and Chevron Phillips dammed up two bayous. A lawsuit filed by about 324 families claims that by damming two nearby bayous without warning, the companies knowingly pushed floodwater away from the plant and into neighborhoods. Video shows how the plant stayed dry – and left homes under water. "It was full. I mean, it was almost to the top of where we're standing right now," said lawyer Josh Bowlin. Bowlin represents the families now suing the Phillips 66 and Chevron Phillips. He showed one spot that was dammed and a video of the backhoe that was used to remove the blockage. "I've talked to so many people that if they just had a little bit of notice they could have saved so much," Bowlin said.
Chevron Phillips did not respond to repeated requests for comment. But in a statement, Phillips 66 said, "Our priorities during the flood were to protect people and the environment...we do not believe these actions on one side of our property impacted the ongoing flooding event adjacent to the refinery or in the community." "I apologize for the profanity but that's a bunch of bull**** straight up. They made a conscious decision to save their plant but those actions have consequences and they need to be held responsible for those actions," said David Harquist. Residents say disaster struck after the storm had moved on. Floodwaters stopped receding and began rising again -- this time, into the house. "I was shocked. I was like what in the world is going on and then all of the sudden the water came up and it started coming up quickly," Harquist said.[203]
According to the Brazaport Facts, the petition alleges Phillips 66, Chevron Phillips and Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. caused flooding in areas near Phillips 66’s Old Ocean refinery by erecting dams on the Linville Bayou and Little Linville Bayou “in the dark of night,” starting August 30, 2017. “These dams gave the water flowing downstream nowhere to flow, except to flood the land and its people surrounding the Sweeny Refinery,” the petition states. Refinery employees “never warned a single Sweeny resident of the imminent danger upon them,” the petition states. The petition also claims “multiple chemical and petroleum spills occurred in Sweeny Refinery and were threatening contamination in the flowing waters.” Bowlin said the contaminants included the carcinogen benzene and wastewater, though analyses of the contaminants still are ongoing. Bowlin said he witnessed the blocked bayous first-hand and is confident evidence will show the refinery’s managers to have been at fault. The dams constructed by refinery workers contributed to flooding in an area that stretched as far north as FM 1301 and as far south as FM 521, Bowlin said. More than 350 residents and businesses have joined in a lawsuit claiming the actions at a Sweeny-area industrial site caused their properties to flood, and that number likely will grow, said Bowlin .[204]
The plaintiffs claim Phillips 66 employees erected temporary dams at the Linnville and Little Linnville bayous to prevent petroleum and chemical leaks at its Sweeny refining and petrochemical complex. The lawsuit alleges the Houston-based energy giant knew the efforts would cause nearby homes to flood, but that they did so anyway without notifying local communities. The lawsuit alleges that Harvey passed through the Sweeny area without causing any significant flooding, leaving residents to believe their properties survived intact. "They were wrong," the suit asserts. Phillips 66 built dams "in the dark of night" on August 30 to protect its massive refining complex. The suit contends that, because of the dams, the water level in Sweeny kept rising and flooded many homes, trapping people inside of their houses. "Unforgivably, defendants never warned a single Sweeny resident of the imminent danger upon them," the lawsuit claims. "Instead, defendants sat quietly even though their hydrologists had told them the town was going to flood because of the dams."[205]
September 22, 2017: Phillips 66 Unloads Stake in Controversial Dakota Access Pipeline to its MLP
Phillips 66 Unloads Stake in Controversial Dakota Access Pipeline to its MLP. Phillips 66 has agreed to sell its 25% stake in the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), its stake in another company that holds a 25% stake in the Bakken Pipeline and 100% of its interest in a coking unit at its Sweeny refinery, to its midstream partner, Phillips 66 Partners L.P. for a total consideration of $2.4 billion. North Dakota was the focus of large Native American protests as the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe said the project threatens cultural sites and their drinking water source. Photo: Joe Brusky Flickr
24/7 Wall Street reported on September 22, 2017 that Phillips 66 has agreed to sell its 25% stake in the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), its stake in another company that holds a 25% stake in the Bakken Pipeline and 100% of its interest in a coking unit at its Sweeny refinery, to its midstream partner, Phillips 66 Partners L.P. for a total consideration of $2.4 billion. Phillips 66 Partners plans to fund the $1.7 billion cash portion of the transaction with a combination of debt, private placement of common units, and additional units valued at $240 million issued to Phillips 66. The master limited partnership (MLP) also will assume $625 million of Phillips 66 Bakken Pipeline debt and $100 million of Phillips 66 debt on the coking unit. "This is the largest acquisition PSXP has made to date," said Phillips 66 CEO Greg Garland. "This acquisition supports our EBITDA growth objective by adding solid fee-based assets to the Partnership and keeps us on track to deliver our 30 percent distribution growth target. To meet our $1.1 billion of annual run-rate adjusted EBITDA goal by the end of 2018, we do not anticipate accessing the equity market, other than through selective use of our at-the-market program."[206]
September 20, 2017: Ponca Refinery Begins Biggest Turnaround Since 2011
The Ponca City News reported on September 20, 2017 that Ponca Refinery's turnaround this fall will take approximately 42 days and three primary operating units are impacted in the largest event for the Ponca City Refinery since 2011. The 2017 turnaround will affect three major operating areas and has been in the planning stages for the past 6 years. Along with the maintenance work in the Turnaround, the final tie-ins associated with a major upgrade project to modernize one of the older areas in the refinery will be completed. Turnarounds require a greater work force and the cost of upgrades is estimated to be over $50,000,000. What makes this Turnaround “big” is the number and complexity of operating units impacted. Typically, one unit is shutdown at a time, and the number of additional employees needed to get the work done in the time allotted to do the projects is much less. In addition to the employees and contractors working routinely at Phillips 66 they will have just over 1,800 additional contract employees working in various capacities and it is estimated that contract employees coming into Ponca City for this turnaround will have an economic impact on the community of over five million dollars ($5,000,000).[207]
September 20, 2017: Hurricane Harvey Delays Large Part of $6 billion Chevron Phillips Expansion at Sweeny Complex
My San Antonio reported on September that a large portion of Chevron Phillips' $6 billion expansion at Sweeny Complex is being delayed until next year after Hurricane Harvey's floodwaters created additional problems. The larger Baytown portion of the expansion project, which was originally expected to be finished by now, won't be completed until next year, Chevron Phillips said. The project involves a massive ethane cracker - on a plot the size of 44 football fields - that will separate a component of natural gas called ethane, which will provide the feedstock for some 1.5 million metric tons a year of ethylene, a common building block of plastics. Chevron Phillips said it is now on track to be finished by the end of March with it achieving full production by mid-2018.[208]
September 20, 2017: Phillips 66 is Selling Their StorageTek Campus in Louisville Colorado
The Denver Post reported on September 20, 2017 that Phillips 66 is selling their 432 acre StorageTek campus in Louisville to California’s Bancroft Capital, which is using it to woo Amazon as the web retail giant hunts for a second headquarters. “We’ve been chasing this deal for a decade and a half,” said founder Doug McDonald. “Amazon is a great fit for Boulder County and could be a game-changer for public transportation and connectivity.” Conoco, then ConocoPhillips, bought the property in 2008 for $58.5 million, with plans to turn the former Storage Technology/SunMicrosystems campus into a world-class research and training campus focusing on sustainable energy.[209][210]
September 19, 2017: Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery Donates $30,000 grant to the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL)
The Plaquemines Gazette reported on September 19, 2017 that Phillips 66 has made a $30,000 grant to the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) to fund a major habitat restoration project in Plaquemines Parish. On Sept. 9, more than 30 Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery employees and volunteers from the local area took part in a planting event at the Bayou Dupont Terrace Project. The group planted 4,500 plugs of native marsh grass which will help redevelop part of our coastline and provide improved natural flood defense.[211]
September 14, 2017: Texas Homeowners Sue Phillips 66 over Flooded Homes near Sweeny Refinery
ABC Channel 13 reported on September 14, 2017 that homeowners in Brazoria County have filed a lawsuit against Phillips 66 alleging that Phillips intentionally dammed the area around Sweeny Refinery with concrete and boxcars, directing the flow of water into residential areas in Sweeny and nearby Magnolia during Harvey. Plaintiffs also claim the water was contaminated with chemicals from the refinery and are asking for cash damages.
Phillips 66 released the following statement to ABC13 regarding the lawsuit: "Phillips 66 is committed to protecting the health and safety of the people involved in our operations and in the communities where we operate. During severe weather events like Hurricane Harvey, we have plans in place to protect our employees, our facilities and our communities. We are aware of concerns from the community suggesting that our actions to protect the refinery contributed to additional flooding in the area. We do not believe that to be the case, however, we are investigating the issue and have been working with local authorities. Although we experienced significant flooding in the refinery, our actions minimized the potential for release of feedstocks and products that could have negatively impacted the community and the environment."[212]
September 14, 2017: Chevron Phillips Chemical Anticipates a Delay in Startup of its New 1.5 million tonne-per-year Ethane Cracker in Cedar Bayou
Chemistry World reported n September 14, 2017 that Chevron Phillips Chemical anticipates a delay in startup of its new 1.5 million tonne-per-year ethane cracker in Cedar Bayou because of damage by Harvey. The cracker was expected to be completed this year, but rains left parts of the facility under five to eight feet of water. "We’re just now getting back into the facility to evaluate the recovery efforts there, and I don’t have a forecast yet,’ Phillips 66 chairman Greg Garland told the Barclays conference. Garland said the cracker itself faced ‘very limited damage,’ but the contractors working on the project have been off for weeks since the storm."[213]
September 12, 2017: Sweeny Refinery Has Restarted
Phillips 66 announced at their Operations Information Center on September 12, 2017 that operations have resumed at the following sites that were impacted by Harvey:
Sweeny Refinery has restarted.
The Phillips 66-operated Pasadena refined products terminal and connecting pipelines.
Beaumont Terminal.
Freeport Terminal.
Gulf Coast Fractionators facility in Mt. Belvieu[214]
September 6, 2017: Sweeny Refinery to Return to Full Production by Mid-September
Reuters reported on September 6, 2017 that Phillips 66 says Sweeny Refinery will return to full production by mid-September.[215]
September 6, 2017: 25-50 Gallons Of Oil Spilled In Leak Near Phillips 66 Rodeo Refinery
CBS Channel 5 reported on September 6, 2017 that an estimated 25 to 50 gallons of oil apparently leaked from a pipeline, causing a spill into San Pablo Bay near the Phillips 66 refinery. Crews from the Coast Guard and the Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response searched the area but did not find any signs of an oil sheen or visibly oiled wildlife. The environmental group Center for Biological Diversity issued a statement about the spill and criticized a proposal being considered by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to allow the oil company to more than double the number of oil tankers allowed to make deliveries at the Rodeo refinery. “Harmful oil spills are becoming all too common for refineries in the Bay Area,” the center’s statement said. “Why would the air district allow Phillips 66 to double the number of oil tankers coming into the Bay? The next accident could be bigger and spill dirtier oil, which would spell disaster for our beautiful Bay and the communities around the refinery.”[216]
September 5, 2017: Phillips 66 Donates $4 million to Harvey Relief Efforts
Phillips 66 Donates $4 million to Harvey Relief Efforts. Phillips 66 will contribute $4 million to assist Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in southeast Texas. Phillips 66 shut down down its 247,000-barrel-a-day Sweeny refinery near Houston on August 27, 2017 due to possible flooding in the area and to keep employees safe. Phillips 66 was able to keep the Lake Charles and Alliance refineries open. Photo: SC National Guard Wikimedia Creative Commons Public Domain.
Bartlesville Radio reported on September 5, 2017 that Phillips 66 announced it will contribute an additional $3 million to assist Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in southeast Texas. The donation will be shared equally by the Rebuild Texas Fund, United Way of Greater Houston and the American Red Cross and will bring Phillips 66’s total contributions to $4 million since the storm. Phillips 66 CEO Greg Garland says officials thoughts and prayers continue to be with all those affected by the unprecedented disaster, including many employees, friends and neighbors across southeast Texas. Garland says we recognize the road to recovery will be long, but remain deeply committed to helping communities rebuild.[217]
September 3, 2017: Phillips 66 Assesses Damage at Sweeny Refinery After Tropical Storm Harvey
Reuters reported on September 3, 2017 that Phillips 66 says that 600 people are at Sweeny Refinery assessing and repairing damage from Tropical Storm Harvey in preparation for restarting the plant.[218]
September 3, 2017: Phillips 66 Requests Jones Act Waiver to Supply Alliance Refinery
Reuters reported on September 3, 2017 that Phillips 66 has requested a Jones Act waiver to allow it to use foreign vessels to move crude or products to and from its 260,000-barrel-per-day Alliance refinery in Louisiana after Hurricane Harvey. The Jones Act requires all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried on U.S.-flag ships, constructed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens. Waivers can only be granted based on interest of national defense such as national emergencies.[219]
September 2, 2017: Workers Repair Levee Breach Near Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery
WDSU reported on September 2, 2017 that Plaquemines Parish officials are working to repair a levee that breached near Phillips 66's Alliance Refinery during tidal surge caused by Hurricane Harvey. Parish officials said the breach does not pose a risk of flooding to homes or Louisiana Highway 23 near the refinery. Officials said the land is remote and not easily accessible. Parish and DOTD personnel spent the day filling Hesco Baskets and transporting them to the landing zone to stage for air operations while a barge arrived carrying rocks that will be used in the repair. Crews will begin placing the rocks into the breach throughout the night, officials said.
This is not the first time the levee has breached. In 2016, the Louisiana National Guard helped the parish place sandbags to repair the levee. Officials said the breach grew to about 70 feet wide when the levee broke last spring.[220]
September 1, 2017: Phillips 66 Lake Charles Refinery Stays Open After Harvey by Tapping Into US Strategic Petroleum Reserves
The Houston Chronicle reported on August 31, 2017 that Phillips 66 says their Lake Charles Refinery is still running, and that Phillips 66 is taking 500,000 barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve's West Hackberry site that's just south of Lake Charles in Louisiana to keep its crude supplies going while many of the pipelines from Texas are shuttered. "The SPR release will help ensure that we can maximize our refined product supply in order to provide reliable energy during a difficult time that includes supply and logistics challenges following Hurricane Harvey," Phillips 66 said. More than 20 percent of the nation's oil refining capacity is currently offline because of Harvey with Texas outages from Corpus Christi to Houston to Port Arthur. That includes Phillips 66's Sweeny refining campus and Citgo's Corpus Christi refinery.[221]
Platts reported on September 1, 2017 that Phillips 66's Lake Charles Refinery is no longer cut off from tanker deliveries now that the Calcasieu Ship Channel and Lake Charles port have reopened, eliminating the need for further SPR loans. Phillips 66 spokesman Dennis Nuss said the refinery decided it no longer needed to borrow the additional 300,000 barrels of sour crude allocated by DOE. "As certain things open back up, then that would obviously help our supply and we wouldn't need it all," Nuss said. The loaned government crude was already flowing by pipeline from the SPR's West Hackberry cavern to the nearby refinery Thursday. "That's happening pretty quickly. It's in progress," Nuss said.[222]
August 27, 2017: Phillips 66 Shuts Down Sweeny Refinery after Tropical Storm Harvey
Fox Business reported on August 27, 2017 that Phillips 66 is shutting down its 247,000-barrel-a-day Sweeny refinery near Houston due to possible flooding in the area and to keep employees safe."We are continuously monitoring the progress of Tropical Storm Harvey and preparing for potential flooding over the next several days," the company said in a statement on its website. "To ensure the safety of our employees and due to expected flooding in Brazoria County, we have initiated a shutdown of our Sweeny Refinery in Old Ocean, Texas."[223] Chevron Phillips has also shut down its massive Cedar Bayou petrochemical complex in Baytown as flooding overtook much of the Houston region.
The Lake Charles Refinery and Alliance Refinery and other refined product terminals in the Gulf Coast region continue to operate.
August 15, 2017: Hancock College Receives $25,000 donation from Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery
The Santa Maria Times reported on August 15, 2017 that Hancock College received a $25,000 donation from Phillips 66 to support students seeking degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Designed as a four-day orientation to introduce freshmen and their parents to STEM education, the program features hands-on activities and presentations focusing on topics such as applying for financial aid, transitioning from high school to college and highlighting student resources. As part of the program, students will tour the Phillips 66 refinery in Santa Maria.[224]
August 13, 2017: Frank Phillips Historic Home Saved by Bartlesville, Phillips Foundation
Saving the Frank Phillips Home in Bartlesville. Serious budget cuts have forced the Oklahoma Historical Society to give up operation of the Frank Phillips Home, one of the state’s most significant historic homes but the Frank Phillips Foundation, owner and operator of Woolaroc, is taking over a lease on the historical home in Bartlesville and is actively working to fund an operating endowment to preserve it for future generations of Oklahomans. Photo: Jerry Poppenhouse.
The Tulsa World reported on August 13, 2017 that serious budget cuts have forced the Oklahoma Historical Society to give up operation of the Frank Phillips Home, one of the state’s most significant historic homes but the Frank Phillips Foundation, owner and operator of Woolaroc, is taking over a lease on the historical home in Bartlesville and is actively working to fund an operating endowment to preserve it for future generations of Oklahomans.
Bob Blackburn, director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, told the Tulsa World earlier this year that the group’s state funding has been slashed by more than 40 percent in the past eight years. Bartlesville officials were notified over a year ago that the Frank Phillips Home was one of the facilities that would need additional funding and support or it would be closed. The city of Bartlesville and Woolaroc worked out an agreement whereby Woolaroc would take over the operation of the facility. “It was a natural for us,” said Bob Fraser, director of Woolaroc.. “But, there were still quite a few details to work out, legally and financially, to make it work.”
According to the deed, if the Oklahoma Historical Society could no longer operate the facility, ownership was to be transferred to the city of Bartlesville. If the city was unable to operate the museum, the deed called for the demolition of the significant historical site. “That was about 18 months ago, and after talking with officials with the city of Bartlesville we were not going to let that happen under any circumstance,” said Bob Fraser, CEO of Woolaroc. “If we let that happen to the house, Frank would have come down from heaven and kicked our tails.”[225]
Fraser said bringing the Frank Phillips Home and Woolaroc together under the Frank Phillips Foundation ownership is a perfect fit. “We are excited about the possibility of bringing the Frank Phillips Home under our wing,” he said. “We knew with the issues in state funding that the future of the Oklahoma Historical Society’s ability to own and operate the home was in question. The Foundation is the right fit to carry on the legacy of Frank and Jane Phillips with both Woolaroc and the Frank Phillips Home.” Once all of the paperwork and agreements are decided by the Oklahoma Historical Society, the city of Bartlesville, the Frank Phillips Foundation, the heirs of the Phillips family and the court system, Fraser said the Foundation will have endowment funds available to preserve the historic home for generations to come. “The Oklahoma Historical Society has done a great job and it’s not easy preserving a 100-year-old home,” Fraser said. “We also have a vision to not only maintain this integral part of Bartlesville history, but to bring new life to it too.”[226]
August 12, 2017: Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Upends Oil Transport
The Bismark Tribune reported on August 11, 2017 that for the first month of commercial service of the Dakota Access Pipeline, oil leaving the state by rail dropped 20 percent. At its peak, crude by rail transport was 800,000 barrels per day out of the state. In recent months, it has hung from 300,000 to 400,000 barrels per day. Justin Kringstad, director of the North Dakota Pipeline Authority, estimates 65,000 to 90,000 barrels per day left the region by rail in June. "For the first time, starting in June, we are now in an environment where we have adequate pipeline capacity,” said Kringstad. “There is technically enough pipeline to move all of the production.”
The question becomes how long will pipeline capacity stay ahead of production. Kringstad estimates current capacity will last until about the mid 2020s. This is based on calculations that assume either 65 new wells per year drilled over the next six years or 90 new wells per month over the next four years. According to Department of Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms, the department has permitted 100 wells for drilling in May, 109 in June and 146 in July. In May, 66 wells were completed and preliminary numbers show 63 were completed in June. Total production decreased slightly, by 1 percent, to 1.04 million barrels per day in June, with production expected to remain above the 1 million barrel mark through the summer months.[227]
According to Amy Sisk writing in 'Inside Energy' on August 14, 2017 Dakota Access Pipeline is rapidly upending the transportation sector of the oil industry, and it’s impact has only just begun. One big change has been that before Dakota Access came online this spring, trains were still carrying a significant amount, about 25 percent. But in just the line’s first month, that number dropped way off, down to just 7 percent.
Bigger changes could be yet to come. “When a new pipeline system typically goes into service, they do not operate at full capacity initially,” said Justin Kringstad, director of the North Dakota Pipeline Authority. So the numbers could change even more down the road as Dakota Access builds up to carry 500,000 barrels per day to Illinois, where that oil will be taken on additional pipelines to the Gulf Coast. “I don’t anticipate us being at full capacity with Dakota Access for quite some time, whether that’s 3 months, 6 months,” Kringstad said.
"Oil companies are breathing a sigh of relief that the pipeline’s operational," concludes Sisk, "as they absorb the ripple effects it’s sending throughout the industry."[228]
August 12, 2017: New Web Site Allows Citizens to Monitor Air Quality Near Phillips 66 Rodeo Refinery
New Web Site Allows Citizens to Monitor Air Quality Near Phillips 66 Rodeo Refinery. A new air monitoring website and app launched this week that allows residents who live near refineries in California to access real-time information about what’s concentrated in their air, report odors or upload pictures of unusual emissions, and get specific information about chemicals and pollutants and their effects.
The Vallejo Times Herald reported on August 12, 2017 that a new air monitoring website and app launched this week allows residents who live near refineries in California to access real-time information about what’s concentrated in their air, report odors or upload pictures of unusual emissions, and get specific information about chemicals and pollutants and their effects. This is the first time citizens can view activity as a whole all over the region, instead of going to each specific refinery or municipality. Air Watch Bay Area is a labor of love jump-started by academics from Drexel University and Carnegie Mellon, who teamed up with local air quality activists in hopes of creating a more transparent data center for residents.
For example when the Phillips 66 Rodoeo Refinery had a spill last September, and residents of Benicia and Vallejo reported strong gas odors with some people being hospitalized, the “mystery” around that spill dragged out for months and was only officially resolved in June of this year when the Air District confirmed the spill and slapped violations on the refinery. Had the Air Watch app been available, Constance Beutel said, people could’ve reported their symptoms and the odors, then seen all the other people with the same reports and where they were concentrated. Data from independent air monitors in Rodeo, Crockett, and elsewhere could be viewed to give folks some idea what they were smelling and more importantly, what could be making them sick, and why. “I could go to the Air Watch website, look for reports where I am or view other areas around refineries and start to see clusters,” Beutel said. “Then I could look at wind direction.”[229]
August 5, 2017: Solano County Supervisor Opposes Increased Oil Tanker Traffic to Rodeo Refinery
The Vallejo Times Herald reported on August 5, 2017 that Solano County Supervisor Monica Brown has penned a strongly-worded letter to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, opposing Phillips 66’s proposal to more than double its oil tanker fleet to Rodeo Refinery. Brown suggests holding community meetings in Benicia and Vallejo to discuss the proposal and get feedback from constituents on the D.E.I.R. She also said that the public should be informed of the meetings by every means possible, through newspapers, social media and websites. “My constituents were impacted by the last Phillips 66 spill and deserve to have a voice in something that has already so negatively impacted them,” she said.[230]
August 2, 2017: Phillips 66 Rejects Venezuelan Crude Oil that Doesn't Meet Specs
The NY Times reported on August 2, 2017 that Phillips 66 imports of heavy crude from Venezuela has dropped by more than two-thirds this year in part due to quality problems, and the company has cancelled at least one cargo in recent months. Venezuela's heavy crude supply to Phillips 66's Sweeny refinery in Texas fell to 33,500 barrels per day (bpd) in June from 105,000 bpd in January, according to Thomson Reuters Trade Flows data. The contract between Phillips and Venezuela's PDVSA allows a maximum supply of some 170,000 bpd. Phillips 66 has also asked for price discounts for other shipments of Venezuelan crude, according to sources from state-run oil company PDVSA.[231]
August 1, 2017: Phillips 66 Beats Quarterly Earnings Estimates with Increased Profits from Refineries
Reuters reported on August 1, 2017 that Phillips 66 reported a bigger-than-expected rise in quarterly profit helped by increased earnings from its refining business which rose more than 50 percent to $224 million in the second quarter due to higher volumes and lower costs. Phillips 66's earnings from its chemicals business rose to $196 million from $190 million helped by higher volumes and improved margins. On an adjusted basis, Phillips 66 earned $569 million or $1.09 per share. That was higher than analysts' expectation of $1.01 per share.[232]
“We delivered good operating performance, generated strong cash flow and made significant progress in several growth initiatives during the quarter,” said Greg Garland, chairman and CEO of Phillips 66. “The Bakken Pipeline and new storage capacity at the Beaumont Terminal were placed into service, and CPChem reached mechanical completion of two polyethylene units as part of its U.S. Gulf Coast Petrochemicals Project. Additionally, the Billings Refinery completed an advantaged crude project to enhance returns. The completion of these projects improves our future earnings and cash generation capability.”
The $235 million improvement in Refining from the prior quarter was largely driven by higher volumes and lower costs due to reduced turnaround activity. Realized margins for the quarter were $8.44 per barrel, compared with $8.55 per barrel in the first quarter. Phillips 66’s worldwide crude utilization rate was 98 percent, up from 84 percent in the prior quarter. Pre-tax turnaround costs for the second quarter were $154 million, compared with first-quarter costs of $299 million. Clean product yield was 85 percent in the second quarter, unchanged from the first quarter.[233]
July 27, 2017: EPA Director Scott Pruitt Visits Phillips 66 Research Facility in Bartlesville
Bartlesville Radio reported on July 27, 2017 that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt visited Phillips 66 Research Facility in Bartlesville this week and talked to leaders there as part of Pruitt 's Back to Basics Agenda -- an effort he implemented to take the EPA back to its core mission. Pruitt says he sees Phillips 66 as making an effort to do the right thing, not just to meet a government mandate.[234]
July 27, 2017: Phillips 66 Seeks to Double Oil Tanker Traffic to Rodeo Refinery
KQED reported on July 27, 2017 that Phillips 66 wants to more than double the number of oil tankers from 59 ships a year that travel through San Francisco Bay to unload crude at its refinery in Rodeo. Phillips 66 wants to increase that limit to 135 and to raise the daily average of oil unloaded at the terminal from about 51,000 barrels to 130,000. The company says the extra tanker deliveries would replace crude oil currently delivered by pipeline. It “poses an incredible new risk of oil spills to San Francisco Bay,” Sejal Choksi-Chugh, executive director for Baykeeper, said in an interview. “We’re really concerned about the increase in the number of tankers that the refinery is proposing to bring in.”
The refinery’s move toward an increase in shipping crude to its Rodeo facility and away from pipeline transfers comes after officials in San Luis Obispo County rejected the company’s proposal to transport more oil by train to its refinery there. Paul Adler, a Phillips 66 spokesman, confirmed in an email that the oil that would be brought by extra ships to the refinery would be different from the crude transported by pipeline from Central California. He declined to comment further on the proposal, adding that he would attend Thursday’s air district public scoping meeting in Vallejo where residents could ask questions about the project.[235]
July 22, 2017: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Says Phillips 66 Borger Refinery Leads Texas in Particulate Emissions
The Amarillo Globe News reported on July 22, 2017 that Phillips 66’s Borger Refinery emitted more particulate matter than any other oil refinery from 2012 to 2016, according to data from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The refinery exceeded its allowed particulate threshold 34 times over those five years, spewing more than 300 tons in total. Emission outbursts ranged from six minutes and 20 pounds to more than two weeks and 124,000 pounds. Quantifying the pollutants’ impact on Texas Panhandle residents is difficult without a detailed scientific study, according to Erick Butler, West Texas A&M University assistant professor of environmental engineering. Factors such as wind dispersion and proximity to the refinery magnify or shrink the risk of disease.
However in a written statement, Phillips 66 director of media and external relations Dennis Nuss challenged the TCEQ data, saying it was inaccurate based on faulty refinery reporting up until February 2016. “In 2016, the Borger Refinery identified it had been over-reporting emissions for Particulate Matter of 10 Microns or less (PM10) and met with TCEQ to inform them of the reporting error,” Nuss wrote. “We have recalculated PM10 emissions to meet TCEQ reporting requirements, however, the publicly available original emission reports will remain unchanged. Based on updated calculations, the Borger Refinery PM10 emissions are significantly less than reflected in this report.”[236]
July 19, 2017: US Considers Sanctions Against Venezuelan Crude That Could Affect Phillips 66
US Considers Sanctions Against Venezuelan Crude Which Could Affect Phillips 66. Phillips 66 bought 46.2 million barrels of crude oil from Venezuela in 2016 which is refined at Phillips 55 Sweeny Refinery. Photo by imelda Flicker Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
The NY Times reported on July 18, 2017 that the Trump administration is considering imposing sanctions on additional Venezuelan officials, one of several options under discussion as a rebuke to President Nicolás Maduro’s government and his efforts to consolidate authority. Bloomberg reported on July 11, 2017 that Valero, Phillips 66 and Chevron Corp. buy hundreds of thousands of barrels of the country’s heavy crude every day. The White House has weighed a petroleum embargo, a step a trade group representing refiners including Valero, Phillips and Chevron urged last week that it not take. “Today’s oil sales for Maduro may be tomorrow’s oil sales for the opposition,” said Kevin Book, head of the Washington-based research firm ClearView Energy Partners. “What does Venezuela need after Maduro? The answer is going to be oil sales to the United States.”
The U.S. has accused the Maduro government of human rights violations, and President Donald Trump called the turmoil there -- with at least 80 lives lost in street protests in the past two months -- “a disgrace to humanity.” According to Bloomberg, the White House began considering new sanctions after Maduro’s May announcement that he would try to rewrite the country’s constitution in a way that critics said would tighten his grip on power.
But if the Trump administration does impose new sanctions, those probably won’t include an ban on Venezuelan oil imports, according to people familiar with the matter. The argument made by the U.S. refiners resonates: An embargo would hurt both economies. In the U.S., it would squeeze margins for refineries that rely on Venezuelan crude, and potentially raise gasoline prices. Nearly 10 percent of U.S. oil imports come from the South American nation, much of that going to the Gulf Coast. Companies that run Gulf Coast refineries, including Valero and Chevron, have spent millions retooling their facilities to process the sour, tar-like crude for which Venezuela is famous. Chevron declined to comment for this story and Valero didn’t respond to requests for comment. Dennis Nuss, a spokesman for Phillips, said the company supports “the Trump administration acting in the best interests of the United States.”
According to Bloomberg, Gulf Coast refiners including Valero Energy, Chevron Corp. and Phillips 66 have spent millions tailoring their plants to use Venezuela’s unique brand of heavy, tar-like crude. "Disruptions are part of the game in the oil market, and refiners no doubt have backup plans. But the companies may see profit decline if they’re forced to reduce gasoline and diesel output or to find replacement supplies from the Middle East or other regions." Phillips 66, in a statement, said a U.S. ban wouldn’t prevent Venezuela from selling its crude elsewhere on the global market. Phillips 66 bought 46.2 million barrels of crude oil from Venezuela in 2016.[237] According to the US Energy Information Agency, crude oil bought by Phillips 66 from Venezuela is refined at Sweeny Refinery.[238][239]
July 8, 2017: Fire Fighters Contain Blaze Near Phillips 66 Rodeo Refinery
Fire Fighters Contain Blaze Near Phillips 66 Rodeo Refinery. A fast-moving brush fire in Rodeo has scorched at least 370 acres of dried grass and burned its way close a Phillips 66's Rodeo Refinery but firefighters were able to halt the flames from reaching the refinery.
NBA Bay Area reported on July 8, 2017 that a fast-moving brush fire in Rodeo has scorched at least 370 acres of dried grass and burned its way close a Phillips 66's Rodeo Refinery but firefighters were able to halt the flames from reaching the refinery. The blaze is 75 percent contained as of Saturday night, and crews will remain on scene overnight in order to reach full containment and battle any hot spots.[240]
July 8, 2017: Fake News Story Says Phillips 66 Will Close Bartlesville Research Center
The Bartlesville Examiner Enterprise reported on July 8, 2017 that Phillips 66 found itself in the center a fake news tsunami last week after a bogus story quoted the company’s CEO as saying the Bartlesville research center would be closed and demolished. The fake story looked real at first glance on Facebook. It looked like every other Facebook post. It included a photo, and was posted by channel45news.com. If you clicked on the link, the post takes you to channel45news.com and what appears to be a legitimate news story. The story announced plans to demolish the research center and build a new one in Dallas. “The newly vacant land will be used to research radioactive effects on crops grown for feeding livestock in local markets across Oklahoma and Southern Kansas. The research will provide valuable information on the effects of radioactivity and its effect on livestock used for food. When asked about the destination for the possibly radioactive fed animals the CEO could not at the time comment.”
Phillips 66 issued a statement refuting the hoax. “This story about demolishing the research center is a hoax. Phillips 66 only disseminates news throughout its owned media channels such as our website and social media accounts, and via press release distribution services and statements to legitimate news outlets.”[241]
July 7, 2017: Phillips 66 Blames Contractor for Hydrofluoric Acid Leak at Ferndale Refinery That Sent 7 Workers to the Hospital
Seven Worker Were Sent to the Hospital After a HydroFluoric Acid Leak at Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery. Seven contract workers were taken to St. Joseph hospital on February 11, 2017 after a toxic hydrofluoric acid leak at Phillips 66's Ferndale Refinery. The leak was from the refinery's alkylation unit, the Bellingham Herald said, citing a company statement. Alkylation units use hydrofluoric acid to convert refining byproducts into octane-boosting components of gasoline.
The Bellingham Herald reported on July 7, 2017 that Phillips 66 is appealing its $37,800 fine for a February hydrofluoric acid leak at its Ferndale Refinery that sent seven workers to the hospital. The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries deemed the incident as “serious" and found that Phillips “did not implement safe work practices for the control of hazards for the employees” and the company “did not inform the contract employer of the known potential fire, explosion or toxic release hazards related to the contractor’s work and the process.”
Phillips disagrees with the assessment of the fine, saying a contractor was at fault. “The incident in question occurred when a trained contractor improperly disconnected an enclosed rod out tool from an open drain valve in the alkylation unit,” Phillips stated in its appeal. “The incident was not caused by the failure to develop or implement safe work practices, but by a contractor’s failure to follow them." A hearings officer will decide the matter by Aug. 28, according to L&I spokeswoman Elaine Fischer.[242]
July 7, 2017: Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery Donates Boston Whaler to Whatcom County Fire Department
Discover Ferndale reported on July 7, 2017 that Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery has replaced a 21-foot Boston Whaler boat and donated it to Whatcom County Fire District 17 (Sandy Point). “The fire district is in need of a boat to assist with off-shore emergencies in the Sandy Point area, hence the in-kind donation,” said Josh Summers, Phillips 66 public affairs director. Whatcom County Fire District 17 Fire Chief Jim Petrie pointed to examples of how, in 2016, his responders could have used a waterborne vessel during their emergency response. “Last summer alone there were three incidents right off of the Sandy Point peninsula where boats were either sinking or caught fire,” said Petrie. “Firefighters were called but had to watch helplessly from the beach.”[243]
July 5, 2017: Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery Donates $25,000 to Dunes Center
The Santa Maria Sun reported on July 5, 2017 that Phillips 66 is donating $25,000 to Guadalupe's Dunes Center to go toward educational opportunities to underserved students in programs such as science, technology, engineering, and math. Education programs that will benefit from funding include guided student field trips to Oso Flaco Lake, classroom science presentations, and informal programs available through 10-week-long after-school programs held in partnership with local schools and community organizations. Recent topics include geology and botany; oceanography will be offered this summer.[244]
July 4, 2017: Flaring Create Dark Smoke Plume over Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery
Discover Ferndale reported on July 4, 2017 that flaring caused by activated safety system at the Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery at 3901 Unick Road sent up a plume of smoke over west Ferndale, alarming some nearby residents. According to Josh Summers, director of public affairs at Phillips 66, “All personnel are safe and the refinery is operating normally.” The plume subsided shortly after it began but the black cloud it created could be seen floating to the southeast as it dissipated.[245]
July 1, 2017: Two Oil Tanker Crashes Raise Concerns About Safety of Oil Trucks Going to Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery
Two Oil Tanker Crashes Raise Concerns About Safety of Oil Trucks Going to Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery. the recent crash of a tanker truck carrying 6,200 gallons of highly-flammable crude oil to Phillips 66's Santa Maria Refinery has raised concerns about the 52 trucks a day carrying thousands of gallons of crude that rumble through San Luis Obispo County to the Phillips 66 refinery on the Nipomo Mesa for at least another year. Another Phillips 66 oil tanker crash occurred last fall that ended in a driver’s death. Photo Cal Fire SLO
The Tribune reported on July 1, 2017 that the recent crash of a tanker truck carrying 6,200 gallons of highly-flammable crude oil to Phillips 66's Santa Maria Refinery has raised concerns about the 52 trucks a day carrying thousands of gallons of crude that rumble through San Luis Obispo County to the Phillips 66 refinery on the Nipomo Mesa for at least another year. The crash occurred 2.5 miles from its destination at the Phillips 66 refinery when the brakes went out and it rolled off the road to avoid a car. No one was injured, and less than a gallon of oil spilled. “It gives us concern that if that happened before, it will happen again. That’s just the inevitability of it,” said Laurance Shinderman, of Nipomo, who is active in the Mesa Refinery Watch Group. The intersection of Willow Road and Highway 1 where the semitruck crashed last week is frequented by tanker trucks and is a concern to local residents like Shinderman, who witness cars zooming by in low visibility sometimes caused by low-lying fog. They are especially concerned because of a sharp right turn near the intersection.
Another Phillips 66 oil tanker crash occurred last fall that ended in a driver’s death. According to the California Highway Patrol, Elias Garcia, 45, of Bakersfield had just unloaded his truck when his wife called to check on him about 2 a.m. Sept. 13, 2016. Garcia told her he was tired and on his way home. He never made it. Officers suspect he fell asleep at the wheel around 7:30 a.m. on Highway 166 near New Cuyama. The tanker swerved over the double-yellow lines and slammed into several oncoming trucks. He was ejected into a dirt field and pronounced dead at the scene.
Hundreds of tanker trucks have been delivering oil to Santa Maria Refinery, and to a pump station in Santa Maria to fill a supply gap created by the shutdown of the Plains All American Pipeline in Santa Barbara County in May 2015. The district last year issued a notice of violation to the company for violating Health and Safety Code and county rules by failing to inform the county about the refinery receiving oil trucks. Phillips 66 wracked up civil penalties for 61 days that could have been assessed at up to $610,000. It settled the violation with the county in May by agreeing to pay $15,914 to the district.[246]
June 30, 2017: Phillips 66 Donates $39,000 to Wyandotte High School to Put a Laptop in the Hands of Every Student
The Pawhuska Journal reported on June 30, 2017 that Phillips 66 made a grant of $39,000 to purchase more than 200 Chromebooks to be used starting this coming school year. Superintendent Troy Gray said the contribution by Phillips 66 will give Wyandotte High School students direct access to technology. “Dallas Gramm, a local pipeliner with Phillips, came to us and brought this to us. We’re looking at going one-to-one with our kids, which means that every high school student will have their own Chromebook and case,” Gray said. “They can take that from class to class and take it home with them. It’s impossible for us with budget cuts to make this happen without their help.”[247]
June 28, 2017: Firm That Provided Security on Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Did Not Have Permit to Operate in North Dakota
Firm That Provided Security on Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Did Not Have Permit to Operate in North Dakota. North Dakota's governor, top law officer and military leader all say they were unaware that a private security firm hired by the developer of the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, has been operating illegally in the state without a license. North Dakota's Private Investigative and Security Board first notified TigerSwan in September it was unlicensed, and in December rejected its application, citing the alleged criminal history of the company's president. Photo: Forum News Service
The Billings Gazette reported on June 28, 2017 that North Dakota's governor, top law officer and military leader all say they were unaware that a private security firm hired by the developer of the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, has been operating illegally in the state without a license. North Dakota's Private Investigative and Security Board first notified TigerSwan in September it was unlicensed, and in December rejected its application, citing the alleged criminal history of the company's president. Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, the state's top law enforcement officer, said he did not "recall being made aware" of TigerSwan's involvement or lack of a license. "Certainly, If I had known they were operating, I would have advised them to comply with the law," he said.
The regulatory board has asked a state judge to stop TigerSwan's armed workers from continuing to monitor the pipeline system and requested administrative fines be levied against the company and its president, James Reese, for operating without a license, a misdemeanor carrying a potential sentence of 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine. The regulatory board alleges in court documents that TigerSwan employees with semi-automatic rifles and handguns protected workers and equipment at construction sites, conducted intelligence on protesters including placing or trying to place undercover agents within the protest groups, and even monitored traffic on a state highway. The board also says TigerSwan is still providing round-the-clock security along the pipeline in the state.
Maj. Gen. Alan Dohrmann, the leader of the state's National Guard, said he did not know until Wednesday that TigerSwan was operating illegally. "The National Guard had absolutely no interaction with them," said Dohrmann, whose troops spent months monitoring the protest and helped law enforcement remove protesters from the site in south-central North Dakota in February. "If there was any interaction between our folks and them, it was only through casual conversation," Dohrmann said. "Through official Guard channels, there was no coordination."
TigerSwan was founded by retired military special forces members. Internal company documents indicate that employees conducted an aggressive, multifaceted operation against pipeline protesters that included maintaining a close working relationship with public law enforcement. "When you have an organization like TigerSwan come in and start to influence decisions by law enforcement and even leadership in the state, you have to step back and say, where is the safety, where is the justice?" Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault said.[248]
June 28, 2017: 330-ton Reactor Makes Journey to Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery
330-ton Reactor Makes Journey to Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery A 90 foot-long, 24 foot-wide, 330-ton reactor made its four-day journey from Luka, Mississippi on a barge via the Tennessee River to the Ohio River and finally to the Mississippi River for use in the process of controlling reactions in making gasoline.Photo: Joe Badman, The Telegraph
The Telegraph reported on June 28, 2017 that a 90 foot-long, 24 foot-wide, 330-ton reactor made its four-day journey from Luka, Mississippi on a barge via the Tennessee River to the Ohio River and finally to the Mississippi River for use in the process of controlling reactions in making gasoline. The reactor replaces an older operating unit, said Wood River Refinery spokesperson Melissa Erker. “Continued investment in the operating equipment to ensure safe and reliable operations is an important focus of the Wood River Refinery,” said Erker. Wood River Refinery’s project engineering team has overseen the project, to later be handed off to the operations team and other skilled crafts workers at the facility.[249]
June 23, 2017: Opponents of Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline File Lawsuit in Louisiana
The New Orleans Advocate reported on June 23, 2017 that opponents of the Bayou Bridge Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, have sued the state of Louisiana for granting a permit needed to allow construction claiming the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources violated the state constitution when it issued a Coastal use permit because officials neglected the negative impact of the pipeline. "The most urgent problem is how the pipeline will block evacuation from the Burton Lane Community in St. James. Residents complain that they are trapped without an escape route in the event of an emergency, spill or release," a coalition of environmental groups wrote in a news release. The plaintiffs, who will be represented by the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic, have pressured the state to produce a more thorough environmental impact statement.[250]
June 21 , 2017: Tickets Go on Sale for "Lydie Marland in the Afterlife" at Ponca Playhouse
Ponca Playhouse to Present "Lydie Marland in the Afterlife" Photo: Lowell Sargeant
Ponca Playhouse announced on June 21, 2017 that tickets have gone on sale for the play "Lydie Marland in the Afterlife" this summer as part of the "Oklahoma Pride" series, now in its sixth year. Ponca Playhouse's production will be the world premier of an expanded version of the original play originally presented at "The Festival of Independent Theatres" in Dallas, Texas in May, 2013. This expanded version was written especially for production in Ponca City by Ponca Playhouse by playwright by Isabella Russell-Ides. The play will be sponsored and produced by Hugh Pickens and Dr. S. J. Pickens.
Loosely based on the life of Lydie Marland, as told in the book “The Marland Tragedy,” Lydie was the niece and adopted daughter, then wife of oil magnate and Oklahoma governor, E.W. Marland. Her life was a fairy tale of riches turned Greek tragedy. From wife of one of the wealthiest men in the world to wayward bag lady, she was lost for twenty-two years in the landscape of America.
The play will run on July 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23. Tickets will go on sale in June and will be $20.
Tickets can be purchased online at Oklahoma Pride Annual Series by calling Ponca Playhouse at 580-765-5360 or at the Playhouse box office at 301 S. 1st Monday through Friday from 11am to 3 pm.
June 19, 2017: James Cullin Says Moving Away from the Ponca City Refinery Improved His Health
The Lehigh Valley Business reported on June 19, 2017 that James Cullin was born in Ponca City down the street from the Ponca City Refinery and that he experienced first hand the effects the facility had on his health as a child. When he was younger, Cullin said, his doctor strongly encouraged him to move. “Getting out of that neighborhood when I moved into the dorms my freshman year of college, my health improved. Go figure,” Cullin said. “My health improved again when I moved out of state. Again, go figure. All this only served to emphasize the importance to me of getting away from a fossil fuel-dominated energy industry.” Despite his personal and professional support for developing renewable energy sources, Cullin said there is no way fossil fuel demand can be eliminated from the energy sector, given the state of the country’s infrastructure. “It is neither feasible nor realistic to expect a complete changeover to renewables in a short time,” he said. “There will always likely be a need for small-scale use of fossil fuels, but long-term, big-picture, converting our energy infrastructure to utilize 100 percent renewable sources is the only viable option if we don’t want to irreversibly screw up the planet.”[251]
June 16, 2017: Phillips 66 Slapped With Two "Public Nuisance" Violations for Oil Sheen Incident at Rodeo Refinery Marine Terminal that Resulted in 1,500 Odor Complaints and 120 Hospital Visits
Phillips 66 Slapped With Two "Public Nuisance" Violations for for Oil Sheen Incident at Rodeo Refinery Marine Terminal that Resulted in 1,500 Odor Complaints and 120 Hospital Visits. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued two “public nuisance” violations to Phillips 66 stemming from a September 20, 2016, oil sheen incident on the San Pablo Bay that resulted in nearly 1,500 odor complaints and an estimated 120 visits to Solano County hospitals. “The air district thoroughly investigated this incident and determined the Phillips 66 Refinery and the Yamuna Spirit oil tanker operator played a role in this event and both parties will be held accountable,” said Jack Broadbent in a statement, executive officer at the district. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle
The Times Herald reported on June 16, 2017 that the Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued two “public nuisance” violations to Phillips 66 stemming from a September 20, 2016, oil sheen incident on the San Pablo Bay that resulted in nearly 1,500 odor complaints and an estimated 120 visits to Solano County hospitals. “The air district thoroughly investigated this incident and determined the Phillips 66 Refinery and the Yamuna Spirit oil tanker operator played a role in this event and both parties will be held accountable,” said Jack Broadbent in a statement, executive officer at the district. On the day of the event, a noxious smell blanketed the city of Vallejo. The fire department reported that over 800 residents called complaining of the strong smell of natural gas, gasoline, and “rotten eggs.” The odor was so strong that it could be detected as far away as Redwood and Broadway. A shelter-in-place order was given around 8 p.m. for south Vallejo and it was lifted the following morning. Vallejo Mayor Bob Sampayan applauded the air district’s decision. “I hope we can find these people accountable,” Sampayan said by phone on Friday afternoon. “There was no reason to have this happen.” Fines for these violations have yet to be assessed by the air district.[252]
June 15, 2017: Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery Sponsors Engineering Camp for Sixty High School Students
Riverbender.com reported on June 15, 2017 that sixty high school students attending Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Engineering Camp are learning how engineering impacts society thanks to sponsorship of the camp by Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery, with additional support from MiTek and the Illinois Professional Land Surveyors Association. Students participate in a variety of interactive experiments, design projects and field trips including building and programming robots, designing a water filtration system, mixing concrete, gliding on a hovercraft and more. Our campers bring incredible gusto and creativity to the camp, and we genuinely feed off that energy,” said Chris Gordon, PhD, associate dean in the SIUE School of Engineering. “Each camp is a unique, fun experience.” “The profession isn’t widely understood, so we’re trying to introduce young people to those concepts,” said Mark Grinter, PLS, associate professor and chair of the Department of Construction Management. “We’ve got this big campus with lots of different environments that allow us to do field exercises, including the prairie, lake, central core and woods.”[253]
June 13, 2017: Phillips 66 Celebrates 100th Anniversary on June 13
Phillips 66 Celebrates 100th Anniversary on June 13. Phillips Petroleum Company was incorporated 100 years ago on June 13th, 1917 by brothers Lee Eldas "L.E." (left) and Frank Phillips of Bartlesville. Photo: ConocoPhillips
Bartlesville Radio reported on June 13, 2017 that Phillips Petroleum Company was incorporated 100 years ago on June 13th, 1917 by brothers Lee Eldas "L.E." and Frank Phillips of Bartlesville. Brothers Frank and L. E. (Lee Eldas) Phillips consolidated their companies and began operating with leases throughout Oklahoma and Kansas and assets of $3 million. Assets grew to $103 million by 1924.
By 1927 Phillips Petroleum began selling gasoline in Wichita, Kansas, the first of more than 10,000 service stations across the country. Phillips Petroleum became heavily involved in the natural gas industry immediately after the discovery of the Panhandle gas field of Texas and the Hugoton field in Kansas. Eight years after incorporation, Phillips was the largest producer of natural gas liquids in the United States. In 1927, Phillips started up its first petroleum refinery in Borger, Texas, designed to produce gasoline as an automotive fuel. It opened its first service station, to sell gasoline in Wichita in November of 1927. In 1930, the company developed its "Phillips 66" trademark.[254][255]
During a stop in St. Louis while en route back to Creston from Chicago in 1903, Phillips encountered C. B. Larabee, an old friend from Iowa. He was serving as a Methodist missionary to the Osage Indians west of Bartlesville in Indian Territory. The area, which is now Osage County, Oklahoma, was rich in oil. What proved to be a decades-long boom was just getting under way. Later that year, after Phillips and Gibson made two trips to Bartlesville, Phillips and his younger brother L.E. Phillips organized the Anchor Oil & Gas Company with Gibson's assistance.
Anchor opened an office in Bartlesville in 1905, secured a driller and drilled its first wildcat well, the Holland No. 1. The men struck oil on June 23, 1905. The brothers' second and third wells were dry holes, and they had barely enough money left to drill a fourth well, the Anna Anderson Number One. The Anna Anderson, completed September 6, 1905, was a gusher, and the successful well enabled the brothers to raise $100,000 through the sale of stock. The Anna Anderson was the first of 80 consecutive producing wells drilled for the brothers' company
Phillips once said to employees, to whom he was known as "Uncle Frank": "Work hard and demonstrate loyalty, and I'm a great guy to work for. Do neither, and there is no one worse." On another occasion, he said, "I am egotistical. I exercise the 'privilege and prestige of the office.' I'm bombastic, hard to get along with, an easy touch, a farm boy at heart, and conveniently hard of hearing. I'm just a sentimental old man. I'm tough. and I know it. I'm the boss, and don't let anybody try to question it."[256]
June 12, 2017: Bay Area Residents Asked to Comment on Proposal to Expand Phillips 66 Rodeo Refinery Marine Terminal
Phillips 66 Responsible for Oil Sheens on San Pablo Bay from Rodeo Refinery Oil Terminal. The spill left two sheens on the bay, including one just over a mile long by 40 yards wide on the water in the northern San Pablo Bay area, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, the lead agency investigating the incident. A second sheen was later identified during a Coast Guard overflight near the Phillips 66 Rodeo refinery marine terminal. Photo: Michael Macor, The San Francisco Chronicle
The East Bay Times reported on June 12, 2017 that Phillips 66 wants to receive and process more crude and gas oil delivered by ship for their Rodeo Refinery while reducing the amounts of crude currently delivered to the refinery by pipeline. The revision would not affect the characteristics of the oils the refinery is able to process, the press release adds. The Bay Area air district will hold a community meeting in Hercules on June 22 about the scope and content of the upcoming environmental analysis of Phillips' marine terminal proposal. Air District staff members will make a presentation, and community members will get a chance to ask questions and make comments.[257]
Phillips 66 Responsible for Oil Sheens on San Pablo Bay from Rodeo Refinery Oil Terminal in October 2016
The East Bay Times reported on October 20, 2016 that the mysterious oil sheens that appeared on San Pablo Bay on September 20, 2016 were connected to a crude oil tanker or the Phillips 66 refinery, the U.S. Coast Guard announced. The spill left two sheens on the bay, including one just over a mile long by 40 yards wide on the water in the northern San Pablo Bay area, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, the lead agency investigating the incident. A second sheen was later identified during a Coast Guard overflight near the Phillips 66 Rodeo refinery marine terminal. Authorities were unable to determine if the sheen found in the bay originated from the Yumuna Spirit of the Phillips 66 facility. The U.S. Coast Guard said the vessel and the facility are responsible for recovering federal related response costs. The Coast Guard could not determine what caused the odor that sent dozens of people to hospitals in Vallejo with complaints of headaches, nausea and dizziness on September 20, 2016.[258]
KQED reported on October 18, 2016 that officials have revealed a clue that could help determine what caused the oil spill in San Pablo Bay a month ago and a sickening odor that sent dozens of people to the hospital in Vallejo around the same time. Results of tests taken of the substance found in the water in late September show that it was crude oil from the Middle East, according to an official with California’s lead agency for responding to oil spills. Randy Sawyer, chief environmental health and hazardous materials officer for Contra Costa County Health Services, says the crude must have come from an oil tanker at a marine terminal in Rodeo. “Based on the analysis and where the sheen was located, the oil sheen originated from the ship while it was unloading to Phillips 66,” Sawyer said. I’s unclear how the oil might have leaked from the vessel. “I know that Phillips did check their piping and there were no leaks,” Sawyer said. “There may have been a portion of the piping (that was) not tested.”
Phillips 66 declined to comment on the investigation and activity of the Yamuna Spirit at its marine terminal. “Phillips 66 generally does not comment on activity as it relates to our crude supply and transportation arrangements,” said Aimee Lohr, a refinery spokeswoman.
When the investigation is concluded, local environmentalists say whoever is responsible should be held accountable. “The perpetrators need to face stiff penalties for this absolutely unacceptable oil spill,” said Patrick Sullivan, an Oakland-based spokesman for the Center for Biological Diversity. “But even the steepest fines won’t undo the damage this oil has done to the bay,” Sullivan said. “That’s why we’ve got to move away from shipping dirty crude through California’s fragile coastal ecosystems.”[259]
See also Health Official Says Phillips 66 Rodeo Refinery Needs to Notify Local Agencies Faster Next Time it Learns of an Oil Spill Near its Facility September 28, 2016
See also Officials Investigate Whether Phillips 66's Rodeo Refinery Is Tied to San Pablo Bay Oil Spill September 16, 2016
June 8, 2017: Why Phillips 66 Continues to Invest in Refinery Modernization
Why Phillips 66 Continues to Invest in Refinery Modernization. At Bayway Refinery (shown above), Phillips replaced the existing older reactor with modern technology, which would enable it to turn the same 145,000 barrels of oil per day it currently processes into 4,000 additional barrels a day of higher-value gasoline and diesel. As a result, Phillips 66 can earn a higher-margin off the barrels it refines. Photo by William Hartz Flicker Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Phillips 66 CEO Greg Garland told analysts during the company's latest conference call that while he thinks "refining is a good business. It's just, long-term, I just don't see it growing." Now Matthew DiLallo has published an interesting article on Motley Fool on June 8, 2017 where he examines the seeming paradox that although Phillip 66 has no plans to invest in growing its refining capacity, the company still spent $384 million on growth-focused refining projects last year. The answer is that these projects aren't about increasing Phillips' processing capacity but instead will grow Phillips' ability to earn more money from its existing refining assets. "For example, one of the projects the company undertook was modernizing the Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCC) at its Bayway refinery in New Jersey," writes DiLallo . "It replaced the existing older reactor with modern technology, which would enable it to turn the same 145,000 barrels of oil per day it currently processes into 4,000 additional barrels a day of higher-value gasoline and diesel. As a result, Phillips 66 can earn a higher-margin off the barrels it refines."
Phillips has similar projects at Billings Refinery where the the Vacuum Improvement Project will enable it to process more Canadian crude and at Lake Charles Refinery in Louisiana where a new isomerization unit will increase production of higher-octane gasoline blend components. Phillips also plans to complete a diesel recovery project at its Ponca City refinery later this year and has a similar FCC modernization underway at its Wood River refinery in Illinois that should start up in 2018.
According to DiLallo, Phillips 66 has no plans to process any more oil per day than it currently refines. "That said, it wants to maximize the value of those barrels, which is why it's investing in smaller projects that can increase its ability to process lower-cost blends of oil and improve the percentage of higher-value refined products it produces. These investments should lower costs and improve margins, enabling the company to boost the profitability of its existing refineries."[260]
June 5, 2017: Chevron Phillips Announces Expansion at Cedar Bayou Plant
Businesswire reported on June 5, 2017 that Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP has successfully completed a low viscosity polyalphaolefins (PAO) capacity expansion at its Cedar Bayou plant in Baytown, Texas. The 20 percent capacity expansion enables the company to meet the increasing demand for high-performance lubricants in automotive and industrial applications. The project improves process safety and overall unit efficiencies while reducing waste generation for Cedar Bayou’s PAO unit. The feedstock for the new unit will be provided from Cedar Bayou’s recent 100,000-metric-tons-per-year expansion of its normal alpha olefins capacity. Construction began in April 2016 and supported up to 135 construction and engineering jobs.[261]
June 2, 2017: Strange Odor Said to Be From Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery Sends Students Home Early
Odor Said to Be From Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery Sends Students Home Early. Students at Horizon Middle and Cascadia, Skyline and Eagleridge elementary schools, all within a mile of each other near Thornton Road, reported a strange odor at about noon on June 1, according to the Ferndale School District. Staff and students also reported feeling sick, with symptoms of burning eyes and coughing. Students were sheltered in place while the cause of the odor was investigated. The Northwest Clean Air Agency responded to the reports of the strong odor after receiving phone calls from residents starting around 1:30 p.m. One caller said the source appeared to be the Phillips 66 refinery at 3901 Unick Rd., about two miles southwest of the schools.
The Lyden Tribune reported on June 2, 2017 that students at Horizon Middle and Cascadia, Skyline and Eagleridge elementary schools, all within a mile of each other near Thornton Road, reported a strange odor at about noon on June 1, according to the Ferndale School District. Staff and students also reported feeling sick, with symptoms of burning eyes and coughing. Students were sheltered in place while the cause of the odor was investigated. The Northwest Clean Air Agency responded to the reports of the strong odor after receiving phone calls from residents starting around 1:30 p.m. One caller said the source appeared to be the Phillips 66 refinery at 3901 Unick Rd., about two miles southwest of the schools. Officials from Phillips 66 told a NWCAA inspector that an “upset,” or operational problem, in the refining process caused a strong sulfur odor on site, and that it dissipated by mid-afternoon. “There could be any number of causes [for the upset] during the operation of large, complex industrial processes,” said Seth Preston, air agency representative. “In this case, we are working with Phillips 66 to determine what exactly happened and the cause of the problem.”
Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed that winds were blowing in the direction of the schools at the time of the Thursday refinery upset, he said. Although there is no direct link, Preston said the reactions of students and others in the area were consistent with the strong odors reported at the refinery. The NWCAA is working with Phillips to determine the cause, he said. Responding agencies on site, including a NWCAA inspector, could not locate or verify an exact source of the odor.[262]
However according to the Bellingham Herald by June 6, 2017 the Northwest Clean Air Agency said that they haven’t been able to verify the source. “The stumbling block for us is that by the time we got an inspector up there to investigate, there was no detectable odor,” said Seth Preston, a spokesman for the agency based in Mount Vernon. It’s possible the Phillips refinery was involved, said John Gargett, deputy director of emergency management with the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office. But he’s skeptical. The upset at the refinery occurred around 8:30 a.m., long before people started to smell something in Ferndale, according to Phillips’ report to local officials. “Were they related?” Gargett said. “Maybe, but that’s about as far we’ve gotten.” Officials have looked into many possible causes: local farms, or a pipeline leak, or even something unpleasant being shipped by rail, but so far they’ve come up with nothing. The other companies that refine or transport oil products along the shoreline of Whatcom County – BP and Kinder Morgan – also found no problems.[263]
June 2, 2017: Phillips 66 Awards Scholarship to Ponca City Senior
The Ponca City News reported on June 2, 2017 that Zachary Pando, son of Phillips 66 employee Maurilio Pando, will receive a $16,000 college scholarship from the Phillips 66 Dependent Scholarship Program. The competitive program awards outstanding college-bound students whose parents work for Phillips 66 or one of its subsidiaries. The Phillips 66 Dependent Scholarship Program will annually award as many as 66 four-year scholarships of $16,000 each for higher education at any accredited institution.[264]
Refinery Manager Pete Stynes told the Ponca City Lions Club on October 10, 2012 that about 800 employees and contractors work at the refinery with the direct employment of 625 Phillips employees.[265]
May 26, 2017: Nine Bartlesville Area Seniors Win Phillips 66 Awards Scholarships
Nine Bartlesville Area Seniors Win Phillips 66 Awards Scholarships. Photo: Bartlesville High School by Granger Meador Flickr Creative Commons
Bartlesville Radio reported on May 26, 2017 that nine Bartlesville area seniors received a $16,000 college scholarship from the Phillips 66 Dependent Scholarship Program: Samantha Coats, Kaitlyn Cole, Alexis Jergenson, Ashley Raatz, and Henry and Jack Williams who all attend Bartlesville High School plus three other students from the Bartlesville area: Katelynn Morgan from Oologah-Talala High School, Nathan Schaffner at Collinsville High School, and Kaleigh Townley of Barnsdall High School, won scholarships.[266][267]
Merl Lindstrom, vice president of technology for Phillips 66, told Bartlesville’s Daybreak Rotary Club on January 23, 2015 that approximately 1,750 Phillips 66 employees work out of the company’s offices in downtown Bartlesville and another 450 are based at the Research Center in west Bartlesville for a total of 2,200 Phillips 66 employees in Bartlesville.[268]
June 2, 2017: Phillip 66 Sweeny Refinery Reports Power Blip
Fox Business reported on June 2, 2017 that Phillips 66 Sweeny Reingery reported a power blip and emissions. "The deluge system activated at the Cogen Unit causing the GSU2 transformer to arc, resulting in a low voltage power dip," the refinery said in a statement to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. "This resulted in the tripping of three transformers on the Electrostatic Precipitator." The refinery said the transformer reset itself and power was restored. "The power blip lasted only seconds but was enough to cause the excess opacity," it said.[269]
May 31, 2017: San Francisco Pollution Board Moves Closer to Capping Greenhouse Gas Emissions at Phillips 66 and Other Refineries
The Times Herlad reported on May 31, 2017 that the San Francisco Bay Area’s air pollution board took a big step toward becoming the first in America to cap greenhouse gas emissions from oil refineries including the Phillips 66 Rodeo Refinery. Air district officials said the rule to limit greenhouse gases on the Bay Area’s five oil refineries is needed to prevent an increase in the pollution if oil refineries switch to using dirtier crude oil sources from places like the Canadian tar sands area. “This rule will be part of a larger effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. “This action is important in light of the anticipated withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement by President Trump.”
A divided audience of some 200 people attended a meeting about the rule. Oil refiners said the rule could end up having no impact on global climate change. Oil refining could shift from the Bay Area to states with more lenient environmental laws, providing no net reduction in greenhouse gases, oil industry representatives said. Oil refinery workers and petroleum company representatives were unhappy, saying the rule could limit production at the plants, cost jobs, and raise fuel prices.
Oil refineries are the largest single industrial source of greenhouse gases in the Bay Area. The Bay Area’s five refineries are Chevron in Richmond, Shell in Martinez, Valero in Benicia, Tesoro north of Concord, Phillips 66 in Rodeo.[270]
May 28, 2017: Fugitive Causes $1 million in Damage to Phillips 66 Borger Refinery During High Speed Car Chase
Amarillo.com reported on May 28, 2017 that Hutchinson County law enforcement caught a fugitive wanted in at least three counties after a chase that damaged the Chevron Phillips 66 refinery in Borger. Angel Vasquez allegedly crashed through several gates at the chemical plant, causing extensive damage. Hutchinson County Sheriff Kirk Coker said the estimated damages may be near $1 million. “He was doing 85 mph (in a 20 mph zone) when he broke the gate,” he said. The suspect totaled the pickup, which was stolen from Amarillo, while on the grounds of the plant and continued on foot. A civilian used his helicopter to assist, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice brought in canines. When the suspect was located, he’d changed clothes. Coker said he was in possession of $12,000 to $15,000 worth of radios from the chemical plant, “where he apparently broke in and found the clothes he changed into.”[271][272]
May 27, 2017: Military-Style Tactics Used Against Protesters of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
Police Use Water Cannons on Dakota Access Protesters in Freezing Weather. Police used water cannons to disperse a group of about 400 protesters against the Dakota Access Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, as they tried to move past a barricaded bridge toward construction sites for the project. As temperatures in Cannon Ball, N.D., dropped into the 20s, police in riot gear sprayed activists with a hose mounted atop an armored vehicle and formed a line to prevent them from advancing up the road.
The Des Moines Register reported on May 27, 2017 that TigerSwan, founded by retired members of the U.S. military's Delta Force unit, was employed by Energy Transfer Partners to target protesters opposed to the Phillips 66 funded Dakota Access Pipeline with military-style counter-terrorism measures and closely collaborated with law enforcement authorities in five states. The Intercept, a non-profit watchdog journalism organization, says it obtained internal TigerSwan documents that described the anti-pipeline movement as an "ideologically driven insurgency with a strong religious component" and compared the anti-pipeline activists to jihadist fighters. "While we can expect to see the continued spread of the anti-DAPL diaspora … aggressive intelligence preparation of the battlefield and active coordination between intelligence and security elements are now a proven method of defeating pipeline insurgencies," according to internal TigerSwan communications, the report said.
The leaked documents include situation reports prepared by TigerSwan operatives in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois and Texas between September 2016 and May 2017, and delivered to Energy Transfer Partners, the report said. "They offer a daily snapshot of the security firm’s activities, including detailed summaries of the previous day’s surveillance targeting pipeline opponents, intelligence on upcoming protests, and information harvested from social media. The documents also provide extensive evidence of aerial surveillance and radio eavesdropping, as well as infiltration of camps and activist circles," according to The Intercept. David Goodner, an Iowa activist who helped to plan anti-pipeline protests in southeast Iowa's Lee County last fall, told The Register Saturday he believes The Intercept's report is the tip of the iceberg.
Adam Mason, state policy director for Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, said The Intercept report confirms his belief that "big business and big ag" are pulling the levers of government in Iowa. "This is the perfect example where you see law enforcement and public safety officials working together for big corporations to the detriment of everyday people," Mason said.[273]
May 26, 2017: Phillips 66 Gets Go-Ahead to Sue San Luis Obispo County Supervisors Over Santa Maria Refinery Oil Train Terminal
The San Luis Obispo Tribune reported on May 26, 2017 that San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Barry T. LaBarbera said he will allow Phillips 66 to sue the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors in a lawsuit that includes new allegations based on what happened at hearings on the project March 13 and 14 when speakers from across California urged the board to reject the so-called bomb trains. Supervisors voted 3-1 to deny the company’s plan to extend railroad at its Santa Maria Refinery on the Nipomo Mesa to allow deliveries of crude by rail from across North America.
The judge has now ruled against the county and environmental groups with a decision to allow Phillips 66 to file a new civil complaint. Environmental groups had argued that the company’s litigation was an attempt “to undermine and circumvent local agency jurisdiction.” LaBarbera said he would not address that issue and cited case law that said, generally, a judge will not consider the validity of the proposed complaint when deciding whether it can be filed. In its lawsuit, the company will ask the court to direct the board to set aside its findings about environmentally sensitive habitat at the location of the proposed project. The case will return to court in August.[274]
May 25, 2017: Phillips 66 Pays New Jersey $39 million Settlement Over Ground Water Contamination
KRGV reported on May 25, 2017 that New Jersey officials say they reached a $39 million settlement with Phillips 66 over ground water contamination. Attorney General Christopher Porrino says Phillips 66 (then ConocoPhillips) was one of 50 oil and chemical firms sued in 2007 by the state over ground water contamination. The state argued that the defendants were responsible for contamination from a gasoline additive called MTBE. In 2012 ConocoPhillips transferred some assets and liabilities, including MTBE cases, to Phillips 66. Phillips 66 Spokesman Dennis Nuss says the case was settled on "mutually acceptable" terms.[275]
May 23, 2017: Oklahoma Legislature In Turmoil over Taxing Oilmen to Fill the $878 million Budget Gap
Oklahoma Legislature In Turmoil over Taxing Oilmen to Fill the $878 million Budget Gap. Lawmakers trying to fix Oklahoma's $878 million budget gap, the state's worst budget problem in decades, has sent the legislature spiraling into chaos focusing blame on the usually sacrosanct oil and natural gas industry because a sharp cut approved two years ago in oil and gas production taxes has led to severe budget problems for schools and social services. Photo: Oklahoma State Capital by duggarr11 Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
Associated Press reported on May 23, 2017 that lawmakers trying to fix Oklahoma's $878 million budget gap, the state's worst budget problem in decades, has sent the legislature spiraling into chaos focusing blame on the usually sacrosanct oil and natural gas industry because a sharp cut approved two years ago in oil and gas production taxes has led to severe budget problems for schools and social services. Oklahoma's tax rate on oil and gas production has been 7 percent, similar to other oil producing states. But with tax revenues flush during the recent oil boom, the Legislature agreed to lock in a 2 percent rate for the first three years when wells are most productive. The cut soon backfired when oil prices declined and tax revenues began to shrink.
Earlier this month, Tulsa oilman and banker George Kaiser, one of the state's wealthiest residents, wrote a stinging open letter published in newspapers calling his industry's justification for its low tax rate a "myth." "We drill where God put the hydrocarbons, not where the tax rate is lowest," Kaiser wrote. Dozens of smaller, independent producers formed a lobbying group to call for revoking the tax break during a well's first few, most profitable years and a recent study of effective tax rates, including property taxes, paid by the oil and gas industry in nine major energy states shows Oklahoma's rate of 3.2 percent is the lowest. Neighboring Texas, the largest producer, had an effective rate of 8.3 percent.
But other industry leaders, including oil barons Harold Hamm, the chairman and CEO of Continental Resources, and Larry Nichols, founder and chairman emeritus of Devon Energy are fighting back. Ads attacking lawmakers who would consider a rate hike have been running on television and in newspapers, and large pieces of oilfield equipment were parked outside the Capitol to protest any change. Democrats in the Legislature, who are leading the push for higher rates, say the industry is turning a blind eye to the damage the revenue loss is causing to communities, especially schools, where arts, sports and Friday classes are being cancelled. "They don't want to pay their fair share," said House Democratic leader Rep. Scott Inman, whose members wouldn't agree to a rate lower than 5 percent on any new wells drilled. "If the oil and gas industry wins the day ... the people who lose are the citizens."[276]
May 17, 2017: Five Years After the Split Phillips 66 Stock Price Increased 150% While ConocoPhillips Declined
Five Years After ConocoPhillips Split Phillips Flourishes While ConocoPhillips Stagnates. ConocoPhillips cut its workforce 30 percent during the oil bust in 2015 and 2016 and reduced capital spending 70 percent since 2014. In February 2016, when oil prices fell to a 12-year low of just over $26 a barrel, the company cut its shareholder dividend by two-thirds to 25 cents a share. ConocoPhillips, meanwhile, continues to get smaller. Photo: Hugh Pickens
Five years after the split ConocoPhillips stock has fallen 9% while Phillips 66 has increased 150%. ConocoPhillips cut its workforce 30 percent during the oil bust in 2015 and 2016 and reduced capital spending 70 percent since 2014. In February 2016, when oil prices fell to a 12-year low of just over $26 a barrel, the company cut its shareholder dividend by two-thirds to 25 cents a share. Meanwhile Phillips 66 began with an initial dividend of $0.20 and has recently increased their quarterly dividend to $0.70 per share.[278]
May 16, 2017: ConocoPhillips Stockholders Reject Executive Compensation Plan
The Houston Chronicle reported on May 16, 2017 that stockholders delivered a stern rebuke to ConocoPhillips rejecting its proposed compensation plan for top executives by a wide margin as more than two-thirds of ConocoPhillips' shareholders voted against or abstained in an advisory vote on its biggest paychecks, an unusually large upset for a Fortune 100 company. ConocoPhillips used Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp., Royal Dutch Shell and BP among its corporate benchmarks for executive compensation, according to regulatory filings but critics note that ConocoPhillips' stock price has slid by nearly half, to $47.13 a share $86 a share at the peak of the oil boom in 2014 leaving the company's stockmarket value at only half the size of its closest peer on the list, BP. "Conoco may see them as peers and competitors, but in today's world, it looks out of whack," said Chris Crawford, president of compensation consultancy Longnecker & Associates in Houston. While it appears ConocoPhillips has responded to shareholder concerns by reducing Lance's pay in recent years, it likely has not been quick enough for investors' tastes, he added.
ConocoPhillips cut its workforce 30 percent during the oil bust in 2015 and 2016 and reduced capital spending 70 percent since 2014. In February 2016, when oil prices fell to a 12-year low of just over $26 a barrel, the company cut its shareholder dividend by two-thirds to 25 cents a share. ConocoPhillips, meanwhile, continues to get smaller. This year it is on track to sell $16.3 billion in assets with the sale of natural gas holdings in the San Juan Basin that straddles New Mexico and Colorado and most of its Canadian oil sands assets.[279] Meanwhile Phillips 66 stock price has risen 150% since the company split from ConocoPhillips five years ago and their an initial dividend of $0.20 has increased to $0.70 per share.
May 15, 2017: Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline is Ready to go in Louisiana Despite Protests
400 Come Out to Protest Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline in January 2017. “This is like 50 times the amount of people we have at most of these meetings,” said Scott Eustis, adding that the proposed pipeline was “the biggest and baddest I’ve seen in my career”. Now Louisiana environmental groups are gearing up for a second hearing on February 8, 2017. "I expect we will have a bigger turnout, because people are fired up," said Anne Rolfes, director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade environmental group. "... This opposition is really unprecedented." Photo: Desmogblog
"The Baton Rouge Business Report reported on May 15, 2017 that s the second phase of the controversial Bayou Bridge pipeline awaits permit approval from state and federal agencies, Stupp Corp. has more than 117 miles of the custom-ordered pipe, equating to 30,000 pipe tons, sitting at its Baton Rouge facilities, ready to go once the project gets the green light. Bayou Bridge is jointly owned by subsidiaries of Phillips 66 Partners, Energy Transfer Partners and Sunoco Logistics Partners. “The pipe will be ready to go once they tell us to start doing the load-outs,” says Chip McAlpin, Stupp’s vice president-corporate strategy and development. “One of the benefits of some of the reduced capacity or utilization in the pipeline industry right now is that we’re not as full, from a yard standpoint, as we have been in previous years, so we have existing space to store the pipe.”
Until the regulatory permitting process is complete, ETP is unable to provide a timeline for construction. While the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources granted a coastal use permit in early April, go-aheads are still needed from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before construction can begin. Energy Transfer Partners spokesperson Vicki Anderson Granado says starting early with the pipe milling was necessary to keep the project on schedule. “I guess you could say that it’s a little bit of a risk, but your infrastructure projects in this country would lag greatly if you waited until all of the permits were done before you started the milling process.” Besides, she adds, the 24-inch-diameter pipe could be used on other projects in a worst-case scenario.[280]
According to opponents of Bayou Bridge Pipeline, "the installation of over 160 miles of pipe and supporting infrastructure across 11 parishes will impact more than 600 wetland acres and cross almost 700 bodies of water, including the drinking water for hundreds of thousands of Louisiana residents. Each of the three companies involved in this project have woeful safety records, with leaks, spills, and explosions as norms."
May 12, 2017: Phillips 66 Donates $1 million to Oklahoma University Learning Space
NewsOK reported on May 12, 2017 that Phillips 66 will donate $1 million to Oklahoma University to support construction of a new academic building and research laboratory on OU's Engineering Quadrangle. OU President David Boren recommended the regents name the Diversity and Inclusion Learning Space to honor Phillips 66 in appreciation of the gift. The new learning space will feature a 70-inch monitor for project viewing, student printers and two small study rooms. It will include movable furniture that will allow students to create the study environment best suited for their projects and will encourage student and faculty interaction and collaboration.[281]
May 10, 2017: Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Leaked 84 Gallons in April
AP reported on May 11, 2017 that Dakota Access pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, leaked 84 gallons of oil in South Dakota in April, which an American Indian tribe says bolsters its argument that the pipeline jeopardizes its water supply and deserves further environmental review. The April 4 spill was relatively small and was quickly cleaned up, and it didn’t threaten any waterways. The leak occurred at a rural pump station in the northeast of the state as crews worked to get the four-state pipeline fully operational. The oil was contained on site by a plastic liner and containment walls and quickly cleaned up. Some oil-contaminated gravel will be disposed of at an area landfill.
The Standing Rock Sioux tribe said the leak proves that the pipeline is a threat to its water and cultural sites. “These spills are going to be nonstop,” tribal Chairman Dave Archambault said. “With 1,200 miles of pipeline, spills are going to happen. Nobody listened to us. Nobody wants to listen, because they’re driven by money and greed.”[282]
May 9, 2017: Phillips 66 Makes Forbes List of Top 500 Employers with 5,000 or More Workers
Forbes reported on May 9, 2017 that Phillips 66 made their annual 2017 list of the 500 best large employers with 5,000 or more workers, placing #265 out of 500. Statista surveyed 30,000 American workers to gather their opinions of their employers. On a scale of zero to ten, it asked how likely they were to recommend their organization to friends or family. Those results were the most important factor in determining a company’s ranking on this list. Statista then asked employees to recommend other companies outside of their own. Those ratings also informed the ranking, but to a lesser degree. Among their category (Construction, oil and gas operations, mining and chemicals), Phillips 66 placed #11 out of 25 companies in that category.[283]
May 9, 2017: Book Published on John Joseph Matthews, Biographer of E. W. Marland
Book About Biographer of E. W. Marland to Be Released. A biography of Osage writer John Joseph Mathews, author of "The Life and Death of an Oilamn," the definitive biography of Ponca City oilman and Oklahoma governor E. W. Marland will be released on May 11, 2017. What Matthews achieved in Life and Death of an Oilman is revelation, in simple, beautiful language, of a complex personality in a world of many sides and many layers. Photo: Amazon
The Pawhuska Journal-Capital reported on May 9, 2017 that a biography of Osage writer John Joseph Mathews, author of "The Life and Death of an Oilman," the definitive biography of Ponca City oilman and Oklahoma governor E. W. Marland will be released on May 11, 2017. The book, “John Joseph Mathews: Life of an Osage Writer", is written by Michael Snyder, a teacher of English, humanities and Native American studies at Oklahoma City Community College. Snyder admitted to being fascinated with Mathews — a cerebral tribal leader who penned Osage historical works “Wah-Kon-Tah” and “The Osages: Children of the Middle Waters,” as well as the biography of E.W. Marland. “I hope all of my friends will read it, since it is an inherently fascinating story,” Snyder said, adding that writing the book “was a labor of love into which I invested years of my life.” The foreword to Snyder’s book was provided by Russ Tallchief, an Osage-descended administrator at Oklahoma City University.[284]
According to Edith Jamison Copeland, "what Matthews has achieved in Life and Death of an Oilman is revelation, in simple, beautiful language, of a complex personality in a world of many sides and many layers. Marland the lover of beauty, who longed to create a beautiful world for all those around him, whose every effort began in joy and enthusiasm and ended in frustration and defeat, is the central figure of every page. In the background, centering their careers upon Marland's or checkmating him to defeat, are many others; the bankers whom he feared; the "bright young men" who made up his organization; the Indians who watched his activities and commented sardonically "white men ack like tomorrow they ain't gonna be no more world' . The years of careful study and research which make the book authentic are well concealed beneath the smell of oil, the clink of dollars, and the writer's sense of brooding destiny which hangs over the pages. The result is worth more than a single reading."[285]
John Joseph Mathews (1894–1979) is one of Oklahoma’s most revered twentieth-century authors. An Osage Indian, he was also one of the first Indigenous authors to gain national renown. Yet fame did not come easily to Mathews, and his personality was full of contradictions. In this captivating biography, Michael Snyder provides the first book-length account of this fascinating figure. Born in the town of Pawhuska in Indian Territory, Mathews attended the University of Oklahoma before venturing abroad and earning a second degree from Oxford. He served as a flight instructor during World War I, traveled across Europe and northern Africa, and bought and sold land in California. A proud Osage who devoted himself to preserving Osage culture, Mathews also served as tribal councilman and cultural historian for the Osage Nation.[286]
May 9, 2017: Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery Donates $25,000 for Flood Relief Efforts
Riverbender reported on May 9, 2017 that Phillips 66 has made a $25,000 donation to the American Red Cross Greater St. Louis Chapter to help with flood relief efforts in the area communities that neighbor the Wood River Refinery and the company’s terminal and lubricants assets in the region. “Phillips 66’s generous gift of $25,000 provides for the critical needs of those that are impacted by the flooding in our region. Hundreds of local residents will receive comfort and care now and in the months to come thanks to the company’s commitment to the Red Cross,” said Cindy Erickson, Red Cross of Eastern Missouri CEO.[287]
May 3, 2017: Phillips Increases Dividend to $0.70 per share
Reuters reported on May 3, 2017 that Phillips 66 increased their quarterly dividend by 11 percent to $0.70 per share.[288]
May 3, 2017: Phillips 66 Doesn't See its Future in Refineries but in Chemicals and Pipelines
David Hunn wrote in the Houston Chronicle on May 3, 2017 that according to Phillips 66 CEO Greg Garland U.S. demand for gasoline is falling and that trend will continue so the company's future is not in refineries but in pipelines and chemicals. Garland says refining will begin to make up a smaller portion of its portfolio because gasoline demand is on a long slide downhill. An uptick in 2015, driven by cheap U.S. fuel and lots of driving, surprised the industry. But it didn't last. Millennials are driving less. They're using bikes, public transportation and ride-sharing companies like Uber more. Even the quintessential American truck, the Ford F-150, is getting better gas mileage. The new F-150 is 20 percent more fuel efficient than older models, Garland said. "In 10 years, if we're driving the same, we're going to see less need for transportation fuel," Garland said. "Given that as a backdrop, you don't want to invest in adding capacity in a declining market."
Phillips' long-term future lies in chemicals, executives said. Not only does the company have access to cheap natural gas as feedstock, Gulf ports also provide access to foreign markets, where expanding economies and rising middle classes are increasing demand for petrochemical products, particularly plastics. The U.S. shale revolution has opened vast underground reservoirs of inexpensive natural gas, a feedstock for chemicals and plastics. "The Middle East and U.S. Gulf Coast are going to be the two best places in the world to make petrochemicals, long-term," Garland said. Phillips has already begun expanding its pipelines and chemical facilities. Eighteen months ago, it opened a plant at its Old Ocean complex, southwest of Houston, to separate natural gas liquids into components such as ethane, butane and propane, which are used in making plastics and other petrochemicals. It built a massive ethane cracker at its Cedar Bayou plant in Baytown to break down natural gas and create ethylene, the most common building block of plastics.[289]
May 3, 2017: Phillips 66 CEO Garland Predicts Future Mergers and Acquisitions in the Refining Industry
Phillips 66 CEO Garland Predicts Future Mergers and Acquisitions in the Refining Industry. Phillips CEO Greg Garland thinks that declining U.S. demand for transportation fuels will create opportunities for refining industry consolidations through mergers and acquisitions. Photo: Scott Hess Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Reuters reported on May 3, 2017 that Phillips CEO Greg Garland thinks that declining U.S. demand for transportation fuels will create opportunities for refining industry consolidations through mergers and acquisitions in the long term. "I do think the fundamental demand shifts are going to make for opportunities to consolidate at some point in the industry," Garland told reporters following the independent refiner’s annual meeting of shareholders. However, Garland said he does not foresee large-scale consolidations in the near term. "I don’t think you’re going to see big consolidations in the near-term."[290]
May 2, 2017: Five Reasons Why Phillips 66 Had a Strong Quarter
According to Matthew DiLailo at Motley Fool Phillips 66 had a strong quarter, trouncing the consensus estimate by a whopping $0.51 per share, which was roughly 10 times higher than the $0.05 per share analysts expected. As Greg Garland highlighted in his remarks during the Q1 conference call there were five reasons to believe that Phillips 66 is in a strong position going forward.
Turnarounds are Complete: "During the quarter, we successfully completed several major turnarounds in Refining and Chemicals. This represents our highest level of turnaround activity in a quarter since the formation of our company," said Garland. "Our first quarter earnings largely reflect the impact of this downtime, but also highlight the benefit of our diversified and engraved portfolio." The successful completion of these projects and turnarounds in Refining and Chemicals should drive better results in future quarters.
Chemicals are Strong: Garland noted that the joint venture with Chevron "had solid results on strong demand and improved margins." The O&P business was particularly robust, delivering $161 million in adjusted earnings, up 53.3% versus the fourth quarter thanks to improved margins, higher volumes, and lower costs.
Midstream is Growing: Garland said that Phillips 66 "continue[s] to successfully execute our Midstream growth program," noting that several of its largest growth projects are either complete or nearing completion, including the Freeport LPG Terminal, which operated at capacity during the quarter, driving a significant improvement in NGL-related earnings.
Phillips 66 Partners continues to Execute to Plan: Garland reiterated that its MLP, Phillips 66 Partners, remains an important part of our midstream growth strategy." Garland reaffirmed the expectation that Phillips 66 Partners will "reach its growth goal of $1.1 billion in run-rate EBITDA by the end of 2018."
Dividends Should Continue Trending Higher: "[Phillips 66] continue[s] to maintain our commitment to our distributions to our shareholders," said Garland. "During the first quarter, we returned over $600 million to shareholders in the form of dividends and share buybacks. We remain committed to our strategy: executing our growth plans, enhancing returns and rewarding our shareholders. The projects we have coming online, they're well positioned to increase cash flow. We believe our integrated downstream portfolio remains a differentiating factor that provides upside in a rising U.S. production environment."[291]
April 29, 2017: Ponca Playhouse Announces Auditions for "Lydie Marland in the Afterlife"
Ponca Playhouse Announces Auditions for "Lydie Marland in the Afterlife" Photo: Lowell Sargeant
Ponca Playhouse announced on April 29, 2017 that auditions for the play "Lydie Marland in the Afterlife" will be on Monday, May 8 and Tuesday, May 9 at Ponca Playhouse at 301 S 1st St in Ponca City, Oklahoma, OK 74601-5237. Ponca Playhouse's production will be the world premier of an expanded version of the original play originally presented at "The Festival of Independent Theatres" in Dallas, Texas in May, 2013. This expanded version was written especially for production in Ponca City by Ponca Playhouse by playwright by Isabella Russell-Ides. The play will be sponsored and produced by Hugh Pickens and Dr. S. J. Pickens.
In a first for Ponca Playhouse, the play will have two directors, Sam Stuart and Ryan Brown, who will each direct their own separate cast of two actresses. Auditions will be coming up on Monday, May 8 and Tuesday, May 9 at 730 pm at the Playhouse. We will be looking for two women for each cast for a total of four women. "Young Lydie" will be an actress about 17 - 26 years old. "Old Lydie" will be an actress who will be made up to look 87 years old and then 50 years old. The Playhouse will present the separate casts on alternating days of performance. The play will run on July 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23. Tickets will go on sale in June and will be $20.
April 28, 2017: Phillips 66 is Pursuing High-Return Quick-Payout Projects in Refining
Greg Garland told analysts during the quarterly earnings conference call on April 28, 2017 pursuing high-return quick-payout projects in refining. "At the Billings Refinery, we're increasing heavy crude processing capability to 100%. This project is expected to be finished later this quarter. At Bayway and Wood River Refineries, we're modernizing SCC units to increase Phillips 66 is clean product yield. Both of these projects are expected to complete in the first half of 2018." Garland added that during the quarter, Phillips 66 had major turnarounds at the Ferndale, Bayway, Lake Charles and Wood River refineries. "So during the quarter, we successfully completed several major turnarounds in Refining and Chemicals. This represents our highest level of turnaround activity in a quarter since the formation of our company."[292]
April 28, 2017: Phillips 66 Reports First Quarter Gain After Disappointing Year
FueldFix reported on April 28, 2017 that Phillips 66 saw an improvement in its first quarter earnings in 2017, following a disappointing year in which the company’s profits fell 75 percent from 2015. Low to non-existent profit margins made 2016 a rough year for U.S. refiners, as oil prices rose and gasoline prices remained low. Companies can expect to see an improvement this year, as fuel prices are expected to increase for much of 2017. “We have successfully completed several major turnarounds in refining and chemicals,” said Greg Garland, chairman and CEO of Phillips 66. “First-quarter earnings reflect this downtime and also highlight the benefit of a diversified portfolio. Our Chemicals business had solid results on good demand and improved margins. The Freeport LPG Export Terminal is fully operational, and we have several Midstream and Chemicals projects nearing completion.”[293]
April 28, 2017: Phillips 66 Refineries Only Ran at 84 Percent Capacity in Q1 2017
Reuters reported on April 28, 2017 that Phillips 66's refineries ran at 84 percent of capacity in the first quarter, primarily due to overhauls at refineries in California, Illinois, Louisiana and New Jersey but expects its refineries to run in the mid-90 percent range of their combined capacity in the second quarter. Greg Garland thinks demand for motor fuels will decline in the United States over the next few years due to changes in automobile efficiency and does not expect to increase refining capacity. "To invest in refining to add capacity still doesn't make sense to us," Garland said. "I think to invest to reduce your cost structure, gain access advantage to crudes and some yield, those are all good investments that we should be making."[294]
April 28, 2017: Phillips 66 Gives $30,000 to Ponca City Public Schools for Stem Education
The Ponca City News reported on April 28, 2017 that Phillips 66 has given a $30,000 grant to Ponca City Public Schools to support the implementation of hands-on science kits in the elementary schools including kits on Exploring Forces in Motion-Kindergarten; Organisms-first grade; Floating and Sinking-second grade; Butterflies-third grade, Electric Circuits-fourth grade and Ecosystems-fifth grade. “I am a big believer in our hands-on science kits,” said Teri Vogele, Ponca City School Associate Director of Elementary Curriculum. “I believe these kits are highly beneficial to our students. Through these kits they receive an engaged, hands-on experience rather than a canned science curriculum from a textbook. They are actually working through the scientific process, making predictions, gathering and graphing data and developing engineering and technology skills.[295]
April 27, 2017: Phillips 66 to Shut Down Billings Refinery for 56 Days in Major Turnaround
The Billings Gazette reported on April 27, 2017 that Phillips 66's Billings Refinery is undergoing a complete shut down as it ramps up for major maintenance and improvements that include replacing the refinery's 68-year old fluid catalytic cracker and adding a process to enable it to process more heavy Canadian crude oil. The “turnaround,” which occurs every five years, will take almost two months to complete and cost several hundred million dollars with 2,500 employees and contractors working on site during its peak. The gradual plant shut down began on April 15, with a total shut down by the beginning of May, said Ryan Wegner, the refinery’s finance and public affairs manager. The refinery will go back online by June. The total turnaround will take about 56 days. One major maintenance item will be to replace the refinery’s fluid catalytic cracker, or FCC, which is a major processing unit that breaks heavy gas oil into other products like gasoline. The FCC is the original unit installed 68 years ago when the plant was built in 1949, Wegner said. Although regular maintenance has kept the unit running, the company decided it was time to replace it, he said. Also included in the turnaround will Phillips 66’s Vacuum Improvement Project, which will allow the refinery to to handle up to 100 percent heavy Canadian crude oil.[296]
April 26, 2017: Phillips 66 Pays $61,000 Fine for Environmental Violations at Borger Refinery
News Channel 10 reported on April 26, 2017 that Phillips 66 settled for almost $61,000 for the release of pollutants including hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide from its oil refinery near Borger in what the state of Texas has called "violations of environmental laws".[297]
April 26, 2017: Ponca Playhouse to Present "Lydie Marland in the Afterlife"
Ponca Playhouse announced on April 26, 2017 that they will be presenting the play "Lydie Marland in the Afterlife" this summer as part of the "Oklahoma Pride" series, now in its sixth year. Ponca Playhouse's production will be the world premier of an expanded version of the original play originally presented at "The Festival of Independent Theatres" in Dallas, Texas in May, 2013. This expanded version was written especially for production in Ponca City by Ponca Playhouse by playwright by Isabella Russell-Ides. The play will be sponsored and produced by Hugh Pickens and Dr. S. J. Pickens.
In the play the lights come up on the heroine returning to consciousness shortly after her death. Lydie had been a vagabond for decades after the economic downfall and death of her oil-baron husband. As she begins to recall her glorious early days, her younger self enters, an apparition in her marcelled hairdo and white frock. The playwright Russell-Ides takes a novel approach to the mystery of what awaits us on the other side and constructs a believable journey that leaves room for hope, redemption, and reflection on a life lived.
Playwright Russell-Ides makes clear that Lydie was no gold-digger. But from the time Lydie (and her teenage brother George) were adopted by their aunt and uncle, Mary Virginia and E. W. Marland, they were treated to extravagance beyond comprehension, after a life of struggle and impoverishment. It’s implied Lydie simply wanted her dazzling, blissful new existence to continue without interruption. Her doting uncle ushered her into a completely different milieu, filled with parties, travel, luxury and pleasure. “Lydie Marland in the Afterlife” makes it easy to understand why she was willing to wed her adoptive dad and uncle.
Russell-Ides’ play, in which the older, dead Lydie confronts her younger self, is a fascinating rumination on choices and tries to answer the question, “'If you could give yourself advice from years of experience, what would you say?” but really it answers, “What would your younger self say back?” And would you even trust old-you?
“Lydie Marland in the Afterlife” is an engrossing, amusing, richly depicted portrait of a woman who was flawed, and just as subject to the cruelties of fate as the rest of us. More than just creating a sympathetic case for Lydie Marland, Isabella Russell-Ides draws us into her exhilarating life, revealing a woman who jumped in headfirst, whether she was on a European spending spree, fox hunt, protest march or cleaning motel bedrooms. Whatever the outcome she embraced the world with sentience and verve.
Russell-Ides got the idea for “Lydie Marland in the Afterlife” eight years ago while she and her husband were returning to Dallas after visiting family in Kansas. “We saw a sign on I-35 advertising the Marland Mansion,” says the playwright. “We visited the mansion and fell in love with its beauty and its history.”
"Russell-Ides said it was the broken marble statue, one made in Lydie’s youth that had been supposedly destroyed before she disappeared, that made her fall in love with the story," says Mary L. Clark. “She called it 'a case of broken identity.'”
April 20, 2017: Phillips 66 Reports Sulfur Dioxide Emissions at Borger Refinery
Fox Business reported on April 20, 2017 that Phillips 66 reported above-normal gas emissions of Sulfur Dioxide at its Borger Refinery. "A release of SO2 [sulfur dioxide] to air at Unit 43 SRU [sulfur recovery unit] Incinerator Stack exceeded 500 pounds," the refinery said in a statement to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. "An investigation into the cause of the incident will be conducted." The emissions lasted less than two hours.[298]
April 17, 2017: Phillips 66 Won't Appeal Decision to Stop Oil Trains Coming to Santa Maria Refinery But the Fight is Not Over
The San Luis Obispo Tribune reported on April 17, 2017 that Phillips 66 won’t appeal San Luis Obispo County’s decision rejecting its oil-by-rail plan to the California Coastal Commission, but it will continue the fight in court. “The window is closed, and they did not file an appeal. The Board of Supervisors’ decision stands,” said Cassidy Teufel, a senior energy scientist with the Coastal Commission.
However in an amended petition filed against the county on March 22, 2017 in San Luis Obispo Superior Court, Phillips 66 contends the county missed a filing deadline over the issue of environmentally sensitive habitat and also that the zoning law is unconstitutional because it doesn’t allow Phillips an opportunity to be heard. If Judge Barry LaBarbera agrees with the company, the county Planning Department would have to revisit its findings, triggering a new land-use decision. His decision could be challenged to an appellate court. “They knew they were going into strong headwinds (if Phillips filed an appeal with the Coastal Commission). Now they’re going to try to make an end run around on a technicality,” said Laurance Shinderman, a volunteer with the rail spur-opposition group, Mesa Refinery Watch Group. “A good neighbor wouldn’t do that."[299]
April 13, 2017: Controversial Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline to Start Interstate Service May 14
Reuters reported on April 13, 2017 that the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, will begin interstate crude oil delivery on May 14, 2017. Thousands of protesters demonstrated in North Dakota and Washington, D.C., many staying to support the tribe in a makeshift camp near the pipeline's construction site last fall. Many opponents also said reliance on the pipeline and the petroleum it was intended to carry would exacerbate climate change. Among Trump's first acts in office was to sign an executive order that reversed a decision by the Obama administration to delay approval of the pipeline.[300]
April 13, 2017: Phillips 66 Borger Refinery to Donate $100,000 to Area Fire Departments
News Channel 10 reported on April 13, 2017 that Phillips 66 plans to donate $10,000 each to ten area volunteer fire departments near its Borger Refinery following devastating wildfires across the Texas Panhandle. Volunteer fire departments in Fritch, Whitedeer, Stinnett, Panhandle, Skellytown, Spearman, Wheeler, Lefors, Gruver, and Mobeetie will each receive $10,00 in a presentation at Frank Phillips College in Borger on April 18. "In March 2017, volunteer fire departments worked tirelessly to control the fire and protect the safety of neighbors. With safety as a top priority, Phillips 66 is committed to helping communities recover after natural disasters, and fire departments are a critical piece of community safety infrastructure," said the company in a news release.[301]
April 5, 2017: Small California Towns Are Facing Off Against Oil Companies Like Phillips 66 and Winning
Small California Towns Are Facing Off Against Oil Companies Like Phillips 66 and Winning. “[This] is a pretty new effort to work with leaders and community organizations to engage in local elections that are critical for climate and environmental justice issues,” said Whit Jones, the East Coast–based campaign director for Lead Locally. “We partnered with community organizations in California last year to make sure that voters’ demands to stop oil train terminals, or to stop fracking, were heard at the ballot box.” Photo: Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refiney project protest, July 11, 2015 by Stand.Earth Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Grist reported on April 5, 2017 that on March 14, 2017 the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors shut down a Phillips 66 crude-by-rail plan to bring oil into its Nipomo Mesa refinery. The 3-to-1 vote (with one recusal) against the proposal represented a huge change in a county that for years had supported refinery projects. “[This] is a pretty new effort to work with leaders and community organizations to engage in local elections that are critical for climate and environmental justice issues,” said Whit Jones, the East Coast–based campaign director for Lead Locally, a new project of the Advocacy Fund and which provided electoral support in Benicia, Oxnard, and Arvin. “We partnered with community organizations in California last year to make sure that voters’ demands to stop oil train terminals, or to stop fracking, were heard at the ballot box.” Another new group, Leadership for a Clean Economy, also worked in these communities, in partnership with many local environmental justice organizations.
With the U.S. Environmental Protection Administration now headed by Scott Pruitt, a climate change denier, environmentalists may attempt more victories at the local level. “They’re simpler, in a way,” Jones said of local policy campaigns. “The people in the community understand the issues because these things are proposed in their backyards. This isn’t some obscure, abstract conversation about the nation’s energy policy or climate change; this is about whether or not a polluting facility will be sited in their town.”
Other California towns have also successfully fought large oil companies. In the Kern County town of Arvin, which 10 years ago won the dubious distinction of having the smoggiest air of any U.S. city, a 23-year-old city councilman was elected mayor on a promise to regulate the oil industry and protect the city’s water and air — a huge task in California’s biggest oil-producing county. Benecia, a small refinery town in Northern California stood up against its biggest employer and taxpayer. Valero, the Texas-based petroleum giant, had sought routine approval for a huge crude-by-rail project. The city council of Benicia, however, decisively rejected Valero’s proposal. “We had a small, but extremely well-informed group of people who have been working on these issues for a long time,” said Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, “and I give all the credit to that group.” Patterson is a longtime environmentalist who has been mayor since 2007 and was reelected in November.[302]
April 5, 2017: Controversial Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Gets Approval from Louisiana Department of Natural Resources
The Advocate reported on April 5, 2017 that Louisiana's Department of Natural Resources has granted a coastal use permit for the controversial Bayou Bridge oil pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, though more approvals will needed before the project can break ground. Although Bayou Bridge has DNR's blessing, it still needs the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to sign off on the design before construction can start. DEQ is still going through hours of testimony and some 20,000 public comments submitted since a public hearing in January, said spokesman Greg Langley. Upon review, the department will determine whether to award a water quality certificate.
Conservationists have opposed the pipeline, saying it would damage south Louisiana wetlands and put wildlife and residents at risk of oil-contaminated water. Scott Eustis, of the Gulf Restoration Network, criticized the state's limited focus. His group called on DNR to require the pipeline company to dig deeper under Bayou Lafourche to safeguard the water supply against any leaks. "We don't understand how DNR can't consider — isn't considering — the safety of the drinking water for 300,000 people in Louisiana," he said. Proponents of the pipeline have said Bayou Bridge would be far safer than carting oil via trucks, trains and boats, and an industry-funded LSU study estimates it would generate $829 million in economic activity, mostly during construction.[303]
April 5, 2017: How Trump's Border Tax Would Hit U.S. Refiners Like Phillips 66
Nilanjan Choudhury wrote at Zacks on April 5, 2017 that the Republican-controlled House of Representatives’ plan for a Border Tax include trimming the corporate income tax from 35% to 20%, while imposing a 20% tax on all imports and exempting export revenue from taxable income. This will affect refining companies like Phillips 66 that use oil as an input from which they derive refined petroleum products like gasoline, the prime transportation fuel in the U.S. According to Choudhury, Phillips 66 imported 130 million barrels of crude last year. A proposed border tax adjustment would significantly increase the cost of that imported oil, which makes up about 40% of the refining industry’s daily input needs. "The ruling will almost certainly lead to refiners’ looking to increase their usage of untaxed domestic oil, ensuing a jump in U.S. crude demand and prices," writes Choudhury. "This will translate into higher input costs for all refiners almost immediately. With margins already narrow, the companies wouldn’t hesitate to offload a major part of the additional burden to end-users. As refiners pass on their higher feedstock cost to the consumers, American drivers will face higher retail gasoline prices – estimated between 30 cents a gallon to $1 a gallon."[304]
The Houston Chronicle reported on February 3, 2017 that Phillips 66 CEO Greg Garland said that a proposed border tax on imports would cause gasoline prices for American drivers to skyrocket as much as 40 cents a gallon. "It's going to get mostly passed through," Garland told analysts during an earnings call. Garland noted that the tax proposal has pros and cons for his company. It would mean higher taxes on refining, but also lower taxes on corporate profits and the company's petrochemical exports. The proposal also could cause oil prices to rise and boost profits for U.S. exploration and production companies.[305]
April 4, 2017: Phillips 66 Proposes to Close Warwick Office in UK Eliminating 59 Positions
Phillips 66 Proposes to Close Warwick Office in UK Eliminating 59 Positions. Phillips 66 confirmed that there are proposals to shut down its 120-employee office in Warwick in the UK. It is currently unknown what will happen to the 120 jobs people hold at the office. Phillips 66's logo was displayed on Warwick Castle during the Carols at the Castle event in December, where A warm-up of Christmas songs were also provided by the Phillips 66 choir, as part of the company's community involvement. Photo: Warwick Courier
The Warwick Courier reported on April 4, 2017 that Phillips 66 confirmed that there are proposals to shut down its 120-employee office in Warwick in the UK. It is currently unknown what will happen to the 120 jobs people hold at the office but it is believed the organisation will try and relocate some of the jobs to its other two sites in London or at its Humber Refinery in Lincolnshire.
“Phillips 66 is committed to its future in the UK, as demonstrated by continued investment," said a spokesman for Phillips 66. "The UK businesses recently initiated a review to ensure it was well-positioned for a sustainable future in a challenging and ever-evolving market. The review has resulted in a proposed repositioning of our business. The proposal streamlines our support functions and consolidates the business into two core locations: the Humber Refinery, the heart of our UK business, and London, the commercial and trading centre of the UK. As a result it is proposed that our Warwick office will be closing first quarter 2018. The proposed repositioning is subject to the completion of the necessary Information and Consultation processes. It is proposed that the majority of our Warwick-based Marketing roles, with some exceptions, will re-locate to our Aldersgate office in London. In total 116 Warwick-based employees are impacted by this proposed repositioning. Whilst we hope to be able to relocate a significant number of employees from Warwick and have them continue their roles from our London or Humber office, we do recognise the challenge of this proposed change. We expect that a number of employees will elect not to relocate, and we anticipate 59 roles (of which 12 of these are currently vacant) will be eliminated across the three locations as a result of the proposed repositioning."[306]
April 4, 2017: Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Is Complete
FuelFix reported on April 4, 2017 that construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, is complete and the pipeline is now being filled with crude to prepare it for service in mid-April. Energy Transfer Partners expects it to take a few more weeks to fill the line with oil. Then the company will fill the next line in the system. The company expects the full Bakken system to be in service by June 1.
Dakota Access was the focus of heated protests and sometimes violent clashes with authorities for months last year. Environmentalists saw it as a symbol of global warming and the proliferation of fossil fuel use. The Standing Rock Sioux, who tapped the Missouri River for tribal water, argued that the pipeline’s river crossing threatened the tribe’s main water source, and also traversed sacred burial grounds.[307]
April 3, 2017: Deadline Looms for Phillips 66 to Appeal Rejection of Santa Maria Refinery Rail Project
The San Luis Obispo Tribune reported on April 3, 2017 that Phillips 66 only has until April 14 to appeal San Luis Obispo County’s rejection of its proposed Santa Maria Refinery oil-by-rail project to the California Coastal Commission. The county issued a notice of final county action last week, announcing that Phillips 66 had exhausted its appeals at the county level and can now appeal the matter to the Coastal Commission, triggering a 10-business-day countdown to the filing deadline. The company has not announced whether it will appeal to the commission.[308]
April 2, 2017: Protests Against Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Provide Blueprint for Actions Against Other Pipelines
Associated Press reported on April 2, 2017 that although prolonged protests against the Dakota Access pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, have failed to stop the flow of oil through at least for now, they have provided inspiration and a blueprint for protests against pipelines in other states including the Bayou Bridge Pipeline in Louisiana, also funded in part by Phillips. Despite the setbacks, Dakota Access protest organizers don't view their efforts as wasted. They say the protests helped raise awareness nationwide about their broader push for cleaner energy and greater respect for the rights of indigenous people. "The opportunity to build awareness started at Standing Rock and it's spreading out to other areas of the United States," said Dave Archambault, the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, which has led the legal push to shut down the pipeline project. The tactics used in North Dakota — resistance camps, prominent use of social media, online fundraising — are now being used against several projects including the Sabal Trail pipeline that will move natural gas from Alabama to Florida; the Trans-Pecos natural gas pipeline in Texas; the Diamond pipeline that will carry oil from Oklahoma to Tennessee; and the Atlantic Sunrise pipeline that will move natural gas from Pennsylvania to Virginia. "A big part of our message was not just to nationalize the fight against Dakota Access, but to highlight regional issues that people are facing," said Dallas Goldtooth, an organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network. "To use our momentum."
Hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of Dakota Access opponents congregated at the main protest camp for half a year, often clashing with police to draw attention to their cause. More than 750 people were arrested between early August and late February, when the camp was closed in advance of spring flooding season. The prolonged protest garnered widespread and consistent attention on social media, and it has filtered down, to some degree, to the pipeline protests elsewhere. That has elevated activists' concerns from local demonstrations to a national stage, according to Brian Hosmer, an associate professor of Western American history at the University of Tulsa.
For now, the energy industry and its allies say they're unconcerned. The Dakota Access movement wrote the new playbook for pipeline opponents, but it might be less effective under Trump, said Craig Stevens, spokesman for the MAIN Coalition, a group of agriculture, business and labor entities that long spoke in favor of the pipeline. Trump approved its completion shortly after taking office and he has taken other steps favorable to the fossil fuel industry while rolling back Obama-era environmental protections.[309]
April 2, 2017: Work Moves Ahead at Ponca Refinery to Modernize No. 1 Crude Unit
Work Moves Ahead at Ponca Refinery to Modernize No. 1 Crude Unit. Phillips 66 is replacing two old furnaces with one high efficiency furnace. Workers at Ponca Refinery recently set the new 80-foot tall, 70,000 pound stack on top of the new furnace. Photo: Courtesy of Phillips 66
The Ponca City News reported on April 2, 2017 that work is moving ahead at Ponca Refinery in the project to modernize No. 1 Crude Unit by replacing two old furnaces with one high efficiency furnace. Workers at Ponca Refinery recently set the new 80-foot tall, 70,000 pound stack on top of the new furnace.[310]
The No. 1 Crude Topping Unit (CTU) is one of three crude units in the refinery that process raw crude oil in parallel. Crude topping units are the first major refinery processes that meet crude oil and fractionate it into several different boiling fractions. These streams are normally charged to downstream units for further processing. For simplification, the No. 1 CTU can be divided into five basic sections; preheat train and desalter, preflash drum, atmospheric crude tower, tar stripper, and vacuum tower. Raw crude oil is pumped with charge pumps through the raw crude preheat train, which is a series of heat exchangers that transfer heat from the CTU product, pumparound, and recycle streams to the raw crude oil, to the crude oil desalters. The desalters use temperature, pressure, injected water, emulsion breaker chemicals, electric field, and residence time to remove metallic salts, water, and other impurities, thereby preventing fouling of downstream heat exchangers, salt formation in furnaces, and equipment corrosion. The crude oil from the desalters is pumped by desalted crude pumps through two more preheat trains that operate in parallel. Hot crude from the two preheat trains combines and flows to crude flash drum, D-29. By the reduction of pressure, part of the hot crude oil is vaporized in the crude flash drum and flows to crude tower W-1. The hot liquid from the crude flash drum is pumped through additional heat exchangers and then crude charge furnace H-1 before entering W-1.
Crude Tower W-1 uses distillation to remove the lightest gravity products from the crude oil. The product streams from W-1 are wet gas overhead, light straight run gasoline (LSR), reforming naphtha, kerosene, heating oil distillate (HOD), atmospheric gas oil, and reduced crude tower bottoms. The crude tower bottoms stream is heated in furnace H-5 and then fed to tar stripper tower W-21. The tar stripper tower uses an atmospheric flash to remove light gas oil (LGO) and heavy gas oil (HGO) from the W-1 reduced crude. The tar stripper bottoms stream is heated in vacuum furnace H-16 and then fed to vacuum tower W-17. The No. 1 CTU vacuum tower uses sub-atmospheric pressures to separate the remaining heavy hydrocarbons into light vacuum gas oil (LVGO), heavy vacuum gas oil (HVGO) and a resid bottoms product stream.[311]
March 31, 2017: Proposal to Limit Greenhouse Gases Could Affect Phillips 66's Rodeo Refinery
The Mercury News reported on March 31, 2017 that 120 people attended the workshop that the Bay Area Air Quality Management District held about its two proposed rules aimed at limiting air pollution from five Bay Area oil refineries near San Francisco including Phillips 66's Rodeo Refinery. Environmentalists and some plant neighbors said a proposed numeral cap on greenhouse and other emissions is needed to prevent increased pollution if plants switch to dirtier crude oil sources such as from Canadian tar sands areas. “We think this cap is needed to prevent serious and irreversible effects,” said Greg Karras, a senior scientist with Communities for a Better Environment, a statewide environmental group with offices in Oakland. “The rule is designed to allow other measures to reduce emissions, but we have to stop increasing them first.”
Some oil industry workers attacked the cap. They said refineries have reduced their air emissions dramatically over the past four decades and yet the proposed cap could lead to production cuts and losses of high-paying jobs. “I am very concerned the cap would cost jobs,” said Mike Miller, president of the United Steelworkers Local 326 unit chair representing workers at the Phillips 66 refinery in Rodeo. While the push to reduce fossil fuel use will produce more solar industry jobs, Miller said, it would be difficult for refinery workers with homes and families to survive on $13-an-hour jobs as solar installers. Air pollution district managers do not support the cap. They said they fear the cap would be vulnerable to a legal challenge as unfairly singling out the oil industry. The cap also could interfere with the state’s cap-and-trade system in which industries can buy pollution credits to offset their greenhouse gas emissions.[312]
March 31, 2017: Protesters of Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Plan More Resistance
Protesters of Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Plan More Resistance. Dozens of protesters opposed to the Bayou Bridge Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, organized at a traffic circle near the University of New Orleans and marched to deliver a letter expressing their opposition to the nearby local office of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, an agency whose approval the project needs. Photo:Juley Dermansky for Desmog Blog
The New Orleans Times Picayunme reported on March 31, 2017 that dozens of protesters opposed to the Bayou Bridge Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, organized at a traffic circle near the University of New Orleans and marched to deliver a letter expressing their opposition to the nearby local office of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, an agency whose approval the project needs. "The installation of over 160 miles of pipe and supporting infrastructure across 11 parishes will impact more than 600 wetland acres and cross almost 700 bodies of water, including the drinking water for hundreds of thousands of Louisiana residents," the letter reads. "Each of the three companies involved in this project have woeful safety records, with leaks, spills, and explosions as norms." Anne Rolfes with the Louisiana Bucket Brigade indicated this would be just the first protest from the environmental group aimed at stopping the pipeline Energy Transfer Partners wants to stretch from Nederland, Texas, to St. James Parish. Phillips 66 and Sunoco have joint interests in the $670 million undertaking.
Advocates say the Bayou Bridge Pipeline offers a far safer alternative to shipping crude and natural gas by truck or train. Plus, it would give Louisiana its biggest share yet of resources that have largely been confined to neighboring facilities in Texas. "It's the safest and most economical way to transport crude," Gifford Briggs, vice president of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association, said last month. "People should be celebrating this project."[313]
March 28, 2017: After Oil Train Rejection, Phillips 66 May Increase Number of Oil Trucks into Santa Maria Refinery
The San Luis Obispo Tribune reported on March 28, 2017 that now that the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors has rejected the plan to import up to 6.6 million gallons of crude each week by train, Phillips 66 may increase the number of trucks bringing oil to the Santa Maria Refinery. It would take an average of 819 tanker truck deliveries a week to the refinery to match the supply that could have been delivered every week by three 80-car trains according to data available in an environmental impact report prepared for the rail project that the supervisors rejected. Hundreds of tanker trucks a week already deliver oil to the refinery and to a pump station in Santa Maria to fill a supply gap created by the shutdown of the Plains All American Pipeline in Santa Barbara County in May 2015. Phillips 66 has not said exactly how many oil tanker trucks are delivering to the refinery, but a current land-use permit limits all truck traffic — whether bringing in crude or moving out petroleum coke product — to an average of 367 trucks a week.
The possibility that Phillips 66 could again increase oil trucking to the refinery was cited by Supervisor Debbie Arnold as one of the reasons she cast the sole vote on March 15 to allow Phillips 66 to build a 1.3-mile rail spur from its Nipomo Mesa refinery to the main rail line, opening up access to oil fields across North America. “My fear is the decision today puts more trucks hauling flammable materials on our roads, our already crumbling roads, with our many, many distracted drivers, creating a higher risk for accidents than train transport would,” Arnold said during that Board of Supervisors meeting.
Nipomo residents say the Phillips 66 trucks travel all hours of the day and night, from Highway 101 to Willow Road to the refinery off Highway 1. The drivers “drive safely and slow,” said Laurance Shinderman of the Mesa Refinery Watch Group, which opposed the oil-by-rail proposal because of the potential for a catastrophic derailment. “They’re not barreling down the road,” Shinderman said of the trucks. “They are professional drivers, you can tell.”[314]
March 26, 2017: Residents near the Santa Maria Refinery Built a Successful Movement to Keep Phillips 66's Oil Trains Out of Their Town
Residents near the Santa Maria Refinery Built a Successful Movement to Keep Phillips 66's Oil Trains Out of Their Town. “They said we aren’t going to bring in any oil that’s dangerous,” Akel said, “and we stood up at a meeting and said, ‘Are you bringing in Bakken crude from North Dakota?’ And they said, ‘We may.’ We went crazy on that. Bakken crude killed 47 people in Lac-Mégantic [Quebec].” “Obliterated a whole town,” said Laurance Shinderman. When Phillips said it would transport crude oil in “the absolute safest tankers that exist,” said Akel, the group did its homework. There are no fail-safe tankers. “Guess what? When they fall over, they rupture and everything goes boom.” Photo: Police helicopter view of Lac-Mégantic, the day of the derailment Wikipedia
The Los Angeles Times published a story on March 26, 2017 about how a group of 12 California citizens started a movement with one burning mission: to keep Phillips 66's oil trains out of their backyard in Nipomo, California near Phillips 66's Santa Maria Refinery.
In December 2013, a couple of neighbors from an upscale residential development on California's Central Coast attended a community meeting at a middle school in Arroyo Grande to learn about a new project proposed by oil giant Phillips 66 for its Santa Maria refinery, which sits near the ocean below the Nipomo Mesa, where they live. For more than two years, Martin Akel emailed a professional-caliber, monthly newsletter to about 2,000 supporters, 1,000 government officials and several hundred members of the media. At public hearings, the oil train opponents delivered lots of grim news about the dangers of crude oil trains, which they called “bomb trains,” but overall they were upbeat. Wearing referee shirts, they would set up tables adorned with bowls of candy. “We’d say, ‘Stop by the zebra table and we will orient you,” said Akel. “If they spoke, we would give them candy. I spent a lot of money on candy, and I didn’t put in for reimbursement.”
What the neighbors, mostly retired professionals who had moved here from places such as Irvine and New Jersey, loved most about the area was its bucolic splendor, lower cost of living, and slower pace. Phillips 66 had always shipped oil to and from the Santa Maria refinery by pipeline. Now it was proposing a new way to deliver the crude: by train. And it would have to build a new rail spur at its refinery to accommodate mile-long oil trains, coming in on Union Pacific’s main line, at the rate of three a week, each carrying 2.2 million gallons of crude.
Each time Phillips 66 or its proponents claimed that oil trains were safe, that the kind of oil it wanted to transport was safe, or that Union Pacific tracks are safe, the Mesa Refinery Watch Group was able to point and laugh. They researched every oil train derailment and explosion, the type of oil transported, the type of tankers used, and track conditions. “They said we aren’t going to bring in any oil that’s dangerous,” Akel said, “and we stood up at a meeting and said, ‘Are you bringing in Bakken crude from North Dakota?’ And they said, ‘We may.’ We went crazy on that. Bakken crude killed 47 people in Lac-Mégantic [Quebec].” “Obliterated a whole town,” said Laurance Shinderman. When Phillips said it would transport crude oil in “the absolute safest tankers that exist,” said Akel, the group did its homework. There are no fail-safe tankers. “Guess what? When they fall over, they rupture and everything goes boom.”
“Phillips 66 used to come to Trilogy every year and ply residents with shrimp and booze,” said Akel. “Around Christmas,” said Gary McKible. “It was a goodwill thing.” “They haven’t been for two years,” said Akel. “Maybe it was something we said.”[315]
October 23, 2015: LA Times Reports that California Retirees are Taking on Phillips 66 "More than a year ago, after I met with the Mesa Refinery Watch Group for the first time, I was impressed by their savvy, commitment, honesty and dedication. I predicted they would win this fight," wrote Robin Abcarian. "And so they have."
March 24, 2017: Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery to Sponsor Union County Falcon Cam
Tap into Union reported on March 24, 2017 that Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery will be sponsoring educational programming around the Union County Falcon Cam bringing no-cost wildlife education programs to administrators, teachers, and students throughout Union County, New Jersey. Thanks to this new partnership, students, scientists, and other wildlife enthusiasts all over the world will have more opportunities to study a pair of rare peregrine falcons that have made their nest on the roof of the historic 17-story Union County Courthouse Tower, located in the bustling center of midtown Elizabeth. “The Phillips 66 company vision is providing energy, improving lives. Our Phillips 66 sustainability efforts are built on four pillars: operational excellence, environmental commitment, social responsibility, and economic performance. Bayway Refinery is proud to demonstrate our social responsibility with the sponsorship of the Peregrine Falcon Educational Programs in Union County. We are excited to be part of a program that will help make learning fun and inspire children within our community,” said Mike Bukowski, Bayway Refinery Manager.[316]
March 22, 2017: Greg Garland's Salary Increases from $22.9 million in 2015 to $25.1 million in 2016
Reuters reported on March 22, 2017 that according to SEC filings Phillips 66 CEO Greg Garland's salary increased from $22.9 million in 2015 to $25.1 million in 2016.[317]
March 17, 2017: Phillips 66 Announces 130-mile Long Rodeo Pipeline in West Texas
Fuelfix reported on March 17, 2017 that Phillips 66 hopes to build a 130-mile Rodeo pipeline to the Midland area to transport oil from the surging Delaware Basin portion of the Permian that’s west of Midland to terminals in the Odessa-Midland area. The Reeves-Odessa Origination Project, nicknamed Rodeo, is slated for completion in the second half of 2018. Phillips 66 is not revealing project costs. The pipeline initially would transport 130,000 barrels of crude daily and eventually ramp up to 450,000 barrels a day. The pipeline would be 130 miles long, but that’s not counting various laterals built off of the mainline.[318]
March 13, 2017: San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors Chambers Packed for Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery Rail Spur Appeal Hearing
San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors Chambers Packed for Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery Rail Spur Appeal Hearing. Oil train opponents gathered at noontime outside the courthouse across the street from the government center for a "SLO Clean Energy Crossroads Rally," which featured a human train and chants of, "Hey, Phillips, what do we know?" "No, trains in S-L-O." Photo: David Middlecamp The Tribune
The Santa Maria Times reported on March 13, 2017 that the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors chambers were filled with 160 opponents of a controversial proposal by Phillips 66 to bring crude oil to its Santa Maria Refinery via trains. Half of those spoke during the daylong meeting and most speakers voiced opposition to the plans. "This is the first time in 15 years we have ever spoken outside Santa Barbara County," said Ken Hough, Santa Barbara County Action Network executive director. "We never had the need to ... until now." Hough told the supervisors that his organization stands with Santa Barbara County in its opposition to the proposed rail spur project. Oil train opponents gathered at noontime outside the courthouse across the street from the government center for a "SLO Clean Energy Crossroads Rally," which featured a human train and chants of, "Hey, Phillips, what do we know?" "No, trains in S-L-O."
Phillips 66 has argued the rail spur is necessary for the company to support plant operations because it doesn't own local crude oil production fields and must transport crude to the facility. Crude oil now is piped to the Phillips 66 facility that's located on the Nipomo Mesa, as well as trucked in to the plant. "I'm here to tell about a project that's crucial to the viability of the refinery," said Jim Anderson, Phillips 66 maintenance superintendent, noting that since the shutdown of the Plains All American pipeline, which spilled near Refugio State Beach in 2015, production at the refinery has been reduced by 50 percent.[319]
People from the Central Coast as well as from Northern California protested, some carrying signs that said “No Way in San Jose” and “Stop Oil Trains.” U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, San Luis Obispo Mayor Heidi Harmon, Northern Chumash Tribal Council spokesman Fred Collins and Northern Chumash Tribal Council member Violet Cavanaugh were among the speakers. Afterward, protesters marched from the County Government Center through downtown, led by a symbolic train formed by members of 350 Silicon Valley, a San Jose-based climate change group. “We came to speak out against the oil trains. It also affects us,” said Justin Massey, who traveled to San Luis Obispo with the Sacramento Climate Coalition. “It’s an immense risk for a very shortsighted profit for Phillips 66.”[320]
March 13, 2017: Phillips 66 Hires Carmichael Lynch to Handle Creative, Brand Strategy, Media Planning and Buying, Analytics, Digital and Cause Marketing
Adweek reported on March 13, 2017 that Phillips 66 has named Carmichael Lynch as its new agency of record to handle creative, brand strategy, media planning and buying, analytics, digital and cause marketing for the client’s Phillips 66, 76 and Conoco fuel brands. “Carmichael Lynch came to the table with an understanding of our business needs, our values and our company culture,” said Phillips 66 senior director of brands Sarah Bolding in a statement. “Their integrated resources produced an outstanding creative product and 360-degree plan.” According to Kantar Media, Phillips 66 spent approximately $8 million on measured media in 2015 and $6 million from January to November of 2016.[321]
March 10, 2017: Thousands March in Washington DC to Protest Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
Thousands March in Washington DC to Protest Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline. Thousands of indigenous nations and environmental activists descended on Washington, D.C. for what they called the Native Nations Rise march and rally. The 1.5 mile march from the US Army Corps of Engineers headquarters to the White House was the culmination of a week-long event that included cultural workshops and panels. Protesters wore traditional garb and danced, while speakers in the adjacent park rallied the audience by leading marchers in "We stand with Standing Rock" chants. The crowd of approximately 2,000 at Native Nations Rise was diverse and in high spirits despite the blustering wind and intermittent rain. Photo: NeverMindtheEnd Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Mother Jones reported on March 10, 2017 that thousands of indigenous nations and environmental activists descended on Washington, D.C. for what they called the Native Nations Rise march and rally. The 1.5 mile march from the US Army Corps of Engineers headquarters to the White House was the culmination of a week-long event that included cultural workshops and panels. Protesters wore traditional garb and danced, while speakers in the adjacent park rallied the audience by leading marchers in "We stand with Standing Rock" chants. The crowd of approximately 2,000 at Native Nations Rise was diverse and in high spirits despite the blustering wind and intermittent rain. Rachel, 19-years-old, drove to the rally from Columbus, Ohio. "Fast-tracking the pipeline was the final nail in the coffin for me," she says. Cody, who is 21 and drove east with Rachel, is still a Bernie Sanders supporter because "he was the only one who came out," in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. Signs declaring, "Water is Life" and "People Over Pipelines" peppered the crowd. It is unclear what will happen next and if the tribes have any more legal avenues to stop the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. As indigenous people sang tribal songs and chanted in their languages in front of the Trump White House, one visual message was clear: In the middle of the park where demonstrators gathered was a large, red, "Make America Great Again" hat—with an arrow through the middle.[322][323]
March 10, 2017: Judge Rules Against Phillips 66's Legal Appeal over Planning Commission’s Decision to Reject Santa Maria Refinery Rail Spur Project
Cal Coast News reported on March 10, 2017 that San Luis Obispo Judge Barry LaBarbera ruled against a legal appeal filed by Phillips 66 over the SLO County Planning Commission’s decision to reject the oil company’s Nipomo rail spur project paving the way for board of supervisors hearings on the project to begin next week. Phillips 66 sought to obtain a court order sending the case back to the planning commission on the grounds that the commission misapplied land use rules in designating an area to be an environmentally sensitive habit area (ESHA), and thus rending the location undevelopable. The planning commission made the designation after the rail spur project was already accepted, violating a land use ordinance deadline and wasting the company’s time and money, Phillips 66’s attorneys argued.
The judge sided with Phillips 66 on one point. The oil company had argued that the ordinance the planning commission used to reject the project was unconstitutional because it is vague. The California Constitution bars the county from ruling on that matter, LaBarbera said. According to LaBarbera’s ruling, Phillips 66 can file an amended complaint pertaining to the constitutionality issue alone. Special board of supervisors hearings on the Phillips 66 appeal are set to begin Monday and continue through the week.[324]
March 7, 2017: Judge Rules Against Native American Tribes Seeking to Stop Phillip 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
NPR reported on March 7, 2017 that U.S. District Judge James Boasberg has denied a request by the Standing Rock Sioux and Cheyenne River tribes to halt construction of the final piece of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Explaining he believed the tribes were unlikely to prevail in their lawsuit at this point, Boasberg denied their request to halt construction on the pipeline, or stop oil from flowing through it once it is complete. The pipeline company, Energy Transfer Partners, has been drilling under Lake Oahe for weeks, and said oil could start flowing through that section of the pipeline as early as next week.
In a statement after the decision was announced, Chase Iron Eyes, the lead counsel for the Lakota People's Law Project, which is supporting the legal challenges to the pipeline, wrote "Oil should never be allowed to flow through this pipeline until the legal process has played out in the courts."[325]
March 2, 2017: Brazoria County Commissioners Approve 10-year, 100 percent Property Tax Abatement for Proposed $1.3 billion Complex at Phillips 66 Sweeny Site
The Brazosport Facts reported on March 2, 2017 that Brazoria County commissioners unanimously approved a 10-year, 100 percent property tax abatement if a proposed $1.3 billion complex is placed at the Phillips 66 Sweeny site. The natural liquid gas fractionator will divide natural gas liquids into marketable purity products. Officials have begun preliminary economic and engineering analyses for at least one fractionation and associated pipelines to meet a growing domestic and international demand for natural gas liquids supplied by the United States, Phillips 66 spokesman Rich Johnson said in an emailed statement. Construction is projected to begin in February 2019 if the company selects the Brazoria County site, with a targeted completion date of April 2020, the application states. The project will create 1,300 jobs at peak construction, finishing with 300 construction jobs and 12 permanent jobs. “We’re really excited to be engaging in a project that’s going to be part of the community, employ people in the community, be an economic benefit to folks in the community in Brazoria County,” Phillips 66 Real Estate Services Senior Advisor Chris Cisneros said. “As other projects come along, we’re hoping to consider Brazoria County. We’re looking forward to potentially being right here in Brazoria County close to our refinery and close to people we know and people we care about.”[326]
February 24, 2017: Phillips 66 Billings Refinery Makes $20,000 Grant to Billings Public Library Foundation
The Billings Gazette reported on February 24, 2017 that the Phillips 66 Billings Refinery made a $20,000 grant to the Billings Public Library Foundation to purchase enough technology to fill six community crates that will each hold up to 60 educational activities for students of all ages. Teen librarian Cody Allen that each crate is packed with gadgets around a theme like astronomy, computer coding, robotics, engineering, science, and audio-visual, including movie-making. The astronomy tote, for example, contains a telescope, along with an electronic tablet so that several students at once can see the celestial body that the telescope is pointed at. Beginning this summer, teachers and others, including the employees of agencies that serve children, will be trained on using the crates. After that, the totes will be available for checkout. Parents of home-schooled students can also receive the training and check out the totes.[327]
February 23, 2017: Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline is 99 Percent Complete
Reuters reported on February 23, 2017 that according to Energy Transfer Partners 99 percent of its controversial Dakota Access Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, is complete after receiving all federal authorizations necessary earlier this month. The crude pipeline will begin or continue line fill in late March or early April, according to executives on its fourth-quarter earnings call. It will then begin "demand charges" on subscribed volumes by June 1. The company added that it had not yet launched its next open season for additional shippers, but expects to do so in the next 30 to 60 days. It said it remains in dialogue with potential shippers currently.[328]
February 22, 2017: Victim of Hydrofluoric Acid Leak at Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery Released from Hospital
The Bellingham Herald reported on February 22, 2017 that the Phillips 66 contractor who was hospitalized after a hydrofluoric acid leak at Phillips 66's Ferndale Refinery earlier this month has been released, Dennis Nuss, a company spokesman, said in an email. Six other workers – five contractors and a Phillips employee – were also taken to St. Joseph Hospital after hydrofluoric acid was released at the refinery and were released hours after being admitted. Phillips 66 has not released the man’s name or the nature of his injuries. The cause of the leak remains under investigation, Nuss said.[329]
Learn more about the Hydrofluoric Acid Leak at Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery
February 17, 2017: Remains of Missing Worker Recovered After Phillip 66 Pipeline Explosion
The Times-Picayune reported on February 17, 2017 that the remains of pipeline worker Josh Helms, who had been missing since the February 9 explosion at a Philips 66 pipeline in Paradis, have been recovered, according to Louisiana State Police Troop B spokeswoman Melissa Matey. Six workers, including Helms, were cleaning the pipeline when the fire erupted around 7 p.m. February 9. Two were taken to the hospital with injuries, including a contract worker who was later flown to a burn unit in Baton Rouge, according to St. Charles Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne said. The other worker was released from the hospital. "The Phillips 66 family is saddened by the loss of our colleague, Josh Helms," the company wrote on its Facebook page. "We extend our deepest sympathies to his family and friends."[330]
February 17, 2017: San Jose Residents Rally To Derail Plan That Would Send Phillips 66 Oil Tankers Through Their City to Phillips' Santa Maria Refinery
The Mercury News reported on February 17, 2017 that San Jose residents and local activists have organized a march Sunday and community meeting Thursday to remind the public that the fight to prevent flammable crude oil from being hauled on rail through Willow Glen and other neighborhoods up and down the state isn’t over. Although the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission last year denied Phillips 66’s request to expand its refinery in Santa Maria, the company appealed the decision to that county’s board of supervisors, which is expected to review the proposal next month. If the board approves the refinery expansion, Phillips 66 plans to send 80 tank cars carrying about 2.2 million total gallons of Bakken crude oil from Canada or North Dakota roughly 2,500 miles to the refinery, cutting through Diridon Station and northern Willow Glen along the way. “A lot of people in San Jose think this project is over with because the planning department in San Luis Obispo rejected it,” said Stew Plock, a member of 350 Silicon Valley. “The problem is the oil company can appeal it, which is what they’ve done. That’s why we’re trying to reawaken people to the fact that this is not over yet.”
District 6 Councilwoman Devora “Dev” Davis, who grew up in North Dakota where much of the crude oil would come from, is no stranger to the controversial project. A number of derailments and other disasters related to oil trains have been documented in her native state over the past several years, which is why she doesn’t want them coming through her district. “Running oil trains through residential areas is dangerous, and I am opposed to it,” Davis said in a statement. “Oil trains in other parts of the country have caused tragic disasters over the last few years. We must avoid the danger through our densely populated city.”
Representatives from Phillips 66 declined to comment.[331]
The Mercury News reported on February 22, 2017 that climate change group 350 Silicon Valley and several hundred Willow Glen residents had planned to march along Lincoln Avenue in downtown Willow Glen on February 19, 2017 until the torrential rainfall interfered.[332]
February 16, 2017: Fluid Catalytic Cracker at Ponca Refinery Rumored to be Shut
Catalytic Cracker at Ponca Refinery Rumored to be Shut. The fluid catalytic cracker was said to be shut at Phillips 66's Ponca Refinery. "Phillips 66 saying no impact to crude runs so I think this is a buy the rumor, sell the fact type of situation," a second US crude trader said Thursday. The trader did not clarify if he spoke with Phillips 66 or if that was hearsay. Photo: Part of the Catalytic Cracker
Platts reported on February 16, 2017 that West Texas Intermediate light sweet crude oil at Midland, Texas, fell Thursday by its largest amount since mid-December on market talk of reduced rates and/or unit outages at two regional refineries and a pipeline. March-delivered WTI at Midland ended the day at March cash WTI plus 10 cents/b, down 45 cents/b from Wednesday and the largest single-day decline since December 20, 2016. The decline came following several unrelated issues, each of which has the potential to cause an increase in supply in crude in the region. The fluid catalytic cracker was said to be shut at Phillips 66's 200,000 b/d Ponca City, Oklahoma, refinery. "Phillips 66 saying no impact to crude runs so I think this is a buy the rumor, sell the fact type of situation," a second US crude trader said Thursday. The trader did not clarify if he spoke with Phillips 66 or if that was hearsay.[333]
February 13, 2017: Dead Phillips 66 Contractor Has Been Identified, Pipeline Fire Extinguished After Three Days
Fox 8 reported on February 13, 2017 that the fire at a Phillips 66 pipeline in Paradis is out, according to St. Charles Parish officials. As of 7:15 a.m. Monday the fire is out but crews are still purging the line to make sure the area is "gas safe." Tristan Babin, Public Information Officer for St. Charles Parish said the purging will take a few hours. No one has been up close to the pipe as of now. Over the weekend, the worker who died in the accident was identified as Josh Helms of Thibodaux. The dousing of the fire was expected to allow the St. Charles Parish Coroner's Office to begin its investigation into Helms' death, officials said. A message left with the Coroner's Office was not returned.[334][335]
February 13, 2017: Federal Judge Rejects Request to Block Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
The Washington Post reported on February 13, 2017 that U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg turned down a request to temporarily block construction on the Dakota Access pipeline, saying there would not be any risk of immediate harm until oil starts flowing. Boasberg denied a request by two Native American Lakota tribes for a temporary restraining order, ordered the pipeline company to provide weekly updates about when it expected oil to begin flowing, leaving open the possibility of further court intervention. He set a date of Feb. 27 for a hearing on whether to issue a preliminary injunction at that time. “Because there is no immediate harm because oil is not going to flow immediately, I deny the” temporary restraining order, Boasberg said from the bench after an hour-long hearing. The case is an early test of the power of President Trump’s executive orders. The president has been trying to speed up the pipeline’s completion, while the tribes and environmental groups have argued that the administration’s actions violate administrative procedure and treaty obligations. Jan Hasselman, an attorney for the environmental group Earthjustice and an adviser to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, said the tribes expect to file a new, broader motion in the next couple of day seeking partial summary judgment under the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Water Act and Administrative Process Act. The motion Boasberg rejected Monday was based solely on religious freedom grounds, with the Standing Rock Sioux and the Cheyenne River Sioux arguing that the Missouri River and Lake Oahe are integral parts of their sacred rights and beliefs. The pipeline, they said, would “desecrate the Tribe’s sacred waters” and pose “plain irreparable harm.”
“We’re disappointed with today’s ruling denying a temporary restraining order against the Dakota Access pipeline, but we are not surprised. We know this fight is far from over,” said Chase Iron Eyes, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and lead counsel in a group defending Lakota rights. Iron Eyes said the tribes would continue to pursue legal remedies and push for the completion of a full environmental impact statement. “It tells you they’re overlooking our role as a tribal government, as a sovereign nation,” said Frank White Bull, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council. “Of course it’s disappointing, but it is not the end of the fight. Our fight is perpetual as long as the Lakota people are in existence.”[336]
February 12, 2017: Missing Worker Believed Dead in Phillips 66 Pipeline Blast in Louisiana
Reuters reported that Josh Helms, of Thibodaux, Louisiana, missing since a Thursday night explosion at a Phillips 66 natural gas liquids pipeline station in Louisiana is believed dead, the company said. The body of the missing worker is thought to be near the site of the fire, which continued to burn on Saturday, Phillips 66 said in a statement. The blaze, though reduced in size, still prevented searchers from reaching the site on Saturday. Helms joined Phillips 66 when the company acquired the River Parish pipeline system in November. Helms has worked on pipelines for eight years.[337]
February 12, 2017: One Worker Remains Hospitalized After HydroFluoric Acid Leak at Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery
One Worker Remains Hospitalized After HydroFluoric Acid Leak at Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery. According to a report from the Center for Public Integrity, Hydrofluoric acid, known for its ability to race long distances in a cloud, is extremely toxic. It causes lung congestion, inflammation and severe burns of the skin and digestive tract. It attacks the eyes and bones. Experiments in 1986 detected the acid at potentially deadly levels almost two miles from the point of release. The Phillips 66 refinery in Ponca City is one of three refineries in Oklahoma that use Hydrofluoric acid. The HF Alkylation Unit (Alky) at Ponca City Refinery uses hydrofluoric (HF) acid as a catalyst to promote the reaction of olefin with isobutane to form high-octane gasoline blending components. A few companies, under pressure from advocacy groups and regulators, have switched to a modified form of the acid, which still poses significant risks to workers and communities but is less likely to travel as far.
Reuters reported that one contract worker remained hospitalized on Saturday after a hydrofluoric acid leak at Phillips 66's Ferndale, Washington, refinery on Friday, the company said in a statement. The leak was from the refinery's alkylation unit according to a report on the Bellingham Herald newspaper website. Alkylation units are considered the most dangerous in a refinery because a release of hydrofluoric acid from an explosion or fire could spread a possibly lethal vapor cloud across surrounding communities.[338]
Dangers of Hydrofluoric Acid
According to a report from the Center for Public Integrity, Hydrofluoric acid, known for its ability to race long distances in a cloud, is extremely toxic. It causes lung congestion, inflammation and severe burns of the skin and digestive tract. It attacks the eyes and bones. Experiments in 1986 detected the acid at potentially deadly levels almost two miles from the point of release. Despite decades-old warnings that the compound, commonly called HF, could cause mass casualties — and despite the availability of a safer alternative — 50 of the nation’s 148 refineries continue to rely on it. At least 16 million Americans, many of them unaware of the threat, live in the potential path of HF if it were to be released in an accident or a terrorist attack, a joint investigation by the Center for Public Integrity and ABC News has found. The government maintains closely controlled reports outlining worst-case scenarios involving highly hazardous chemicals. The Center reviewed reports for the 50 refineries that use HF. The reports describe the most extreme accidents anticipated by the plants’ owners. The information is not published and is not easily accessible by the public.
According to a report from the Center for Public Integrity, the refining industry plays down the risks of Hydrofluoric acid, saying it has adequate safeguards in place and the chances of a catastrophic accident at any one location are slim. “There hasn’t been any HF release that has impacted the communities,” said Charles Drevna, president of the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association. “We’ve controlled them.” The industry should take the threat more seriously, said Paul Orum, a chemical safety consultant who works with public-interest groups. “These are low-probability, high-consequence events, which is why any individual company is not, by itself, motivated to make potentially expensive changes to a safer technology,” Orum said. Refiners use HF as a catalyst to make high-octane gasoline. A few companies, under pressure from advocacy groups and regulators, have switched to a modified form of the acid, which still poses significant risks to workers and communities but is less likely to travel as far. No refinery owner has embraced a product known as solid acid catalyst, which union officials and chemical safety experts say is far safer than HF. The industry says that making a switch would prove too complicated and expensive. The cost of shifting from HF to alternatives is somewhere between $50 million and $150 million per refinery.[339]
Learn More about the Dangers of Hydrofluoric Acid Used in Oil Refineries
Hydrofluoric Acid Used at Ponca City Refinery
According to a report by KOCO News in 2011, the Phillips 66 refinery in Ponca City is one of three refineries in Oklahoma that use Hydrofluoric acid. The other Oklahoma refineries that use Hydrofluoric acid are the Valero Refinery in Ardmore and the Gary Williams Corporation Refinery in Wynnewood.[340] According to a memorandum from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality Air Quality Division dated June 8, 2010, the HF Alkylation Unit (Alky) at Ponca City Refinery uses hydrofluoric (HF) acid as a catalyst to promote the reaction of olefin with isobutane to form high-octane gasoline blending components. The olefin feed stream to the unit is produced in the fluid catalytic cracking and delayed coking processes. As mentioned in the No. 5 FCCU process description, the olefin feed is split into a propane-propylene stream (PP) and a butane-butylene stream (BB). The BB stream is treated for H2S removal in the Alky Unit BB Merox Treater prior to feeding the SHP (Selective Hydrogenation Process) unit to remove butadiene and isomerize 1-butene. On the way to the Alky, the PP stream can be processed through the Catalytic Polymerization Unit. Isobutane makeup feed is either produced in the Butamer Unit or purchased from outside the Refinery.[341]
Learn More about the Hydrofluoric acid Alkylation Unit (Alky) at Ponca City Refinery
Hydrofluric Acid Unit Injured Three Workers at Phillips 66's Borger Refinery in 2014
Channel 7 Amarillo reported on March 18, 2014 that two Phillips employees and a contractor were injured in an accident at Borger refinery that took place at about 5 pm on March 18, 2014. The injured were taken to Golden Plains Community Hospital to receive medical treatment and the condition of the individuals is not life threatening. One employee is at Golden Plains Community Hospital, the second has been transported to the Lubbock Burn Center, and the contract worker is under observation at Golden Plains Community Hospital. Scanner traffic indicated the injured had been exposed to hydrogen sulfide. Phillips is investigating the incident.[342]
According to the Borger News-Herald the incident occurred during turnaround at the unit that handles hydrofluric (HF) acid. The hydrofluric acid unit was shut down at the time the accident occurred. Phillips did not confirm the exact nature of the incident. Phillips is investigating the cause and implications of the incident and details are still being clarified as the influx of turnaround workers has increased traffic inside the plant. "We want to figure out exactly what happened," said Dennis Nuss, a Senior Advisor for Phillips 66 who works with Project Communications. "We want to make sure that something similar will not happen again." When asked if the incident was due to either a chemical exposure or a fire, Nuss said, "There was no fire." The Borger News-Herald is reaching out to contract companies and contractors for more information and will update the story as more information is released.[343]
February 11, 2017: Phillips 66 Pipeline Worker Still Missing As Fire Continues to Blaze in Paradis
The Advocate reported on February 11, 2017 that one worker is missing and another recuperating in a hospital burn unit as a Phillips 66 natural gas pipeline in St. Charles Parish was still ablaze almost a full day later. Officials and plant workers could do little Friday but seal off the section of pipe that caught fire and wait for the gas inside to burn off. Authorities warned it could be hours or days more before the flames were entirely extinguished, although the fire had shrunk considerably by early evening. Todd Denton, general manager of midstream operations for Phillips 66, the company that owns the pipeline, said Friday it was the most serious industrial accident of his career. “I can’t express strongly enough the concern I have and that the Phillips 66 family has for those impacted,” he said. The missing worker and those who were injured have yet to be identified by company officials. One worker received treatment at a nearby hospital and was released, while another was listed in fair condition after being airlifted to the regional burn unit at Baton Rouge General Hospital.
The fire began in a fenced-off, 800-square-foot area around which six workers — three employed by Phillips 66 and three by Blanchard Contractors — were trying to clean out a section of the pipeline, officials said. Oil and gas companies routinely send pieces of equipment called “pigs” down the line to clear debris from the inside of a pipe. To launch a pig, crews typically burn off the fuel in the pipe, then seal off the section so it can be depressurized. Then they load the pig, seal the pipe back up and open the valve, allowing the liquefied natural gas to push the equipment through. “We were receiving that pig,” Denton said. “We don’t know what happened after that.” Between depressurizing and pressurizing the pipeline and burning off gas, running the equipment can be dangerous, experts said, especially if all the gas doesn’t burn off or if there’s a leak in the line or some other problem.
Environmental groups seized on the fire as an example of the dangers posed by pipelines carrying fossil fuels. Those groups hope to halt the construction of another line, the Bayou Bridge Pipeline, in which Phillips 66 is a partner. Conservationists are planning to rally outside the state Department of Environmental Quality at 10:30 a.m. Monday to keep up the opposition. “As the Phillips 66 pipeline fire continues to burn, can we really trust their assurances that another pipeline would be safe?” Cyn Sarthou, executive director of the Gulf Restoration Network, asked in a statement. “Clearly, if the Bayou Bridge pipeline is built, it will place our communities and our workers at risk.” Regulators argued that the comparison doesn’t hold water. The Venice-Paradis line that caught fire Thursday transports liquid natural gas, while Bayou Bridge would carry crude oil. "In terms of the regulatory community, (the fire) doesn't have any bearing on” the Bayou Bridge debate, said DEQ spokesman Greg Langley.[344]
February 11, 2017: Hydroflouric Acid Leak at Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery Injures Seven Workers
Reuters reported on February 11, 2017 that seven contract workers were taken to St. Joseph hospital after a toxic hydrofluoric acid leak at Phillips 66's Ferndale Refinery. The leak was from the refinery's alkylation unit, the Bellingham Herald said, citing a company statement. Alkylation units use hydrofluoric acid to convert refining byproducts into octane-boosting components of gasoline.[345] The gas leak occurred about 5 p.m. in the refinery at 3901 Unick Road. “Our internal response team immediately activated the emergency response plan and the leak was contained within the property,” Phillips 66 stated. “There was no threat to the public, to anybody in the area,” said Assistant Chief Larry Hoffman of Whatcom County Fire District 7, which serves the Ferndale area. Other workers “sheltered in place as a precaution,” Phillips 66 said. There also was a report of a precautionary evacuation. A horn was blown at 6:13 p.m., signaling the all-clear for people to resume normal work activity.[346]
February 10, 2017: Sixty Homes Evacuated, Two Workers Taken to Hospital, One Worker Missing in Phillips 66 Pipeline Fire in Paradis Louisiana
Sixty Homes Evacuated, Two Workers Taken to Hospital, One Worker Missing in Phillips 66 Pipeline Fire in Paradis Louisiana. Sixty homes in Paradis, Louisiana were evacuated, two workers were taken to a local hospital, and another is unaccounted for after an explosion and fire at a Phillips 66 pipeline station. Two of the workers were hospitalized — one taken to a burn center— and three had minor or no injuries, the sheriff said. The remaining worker was unaccounted for, and a helicopter was being brought in to help search for him. Workers are now attempting to shut a high pressure line, a spokesman for the parish said. Photo: Matthew Hinton/The Advocate via AP) (Associated Press)
Officials evacuated 60 homes within a couple of miles of the Phillips 66 pipeline in Paradis . Officials evacuated 60 homes within a couple of miles of the pipeline as officials let the fire burn off. That could take anywhere from a few hours to a few days, the sheriff said. The evacuation perimeter, which remained in effect as of 8 a.m. Friday, is Louisiana Highway 635 to 306 Bayou Gauche Road. Graphic: Carlie Kollath Wells, NOLA.com The Times-Picayune
Reuters reported on February 10, 2017 that sixty homes in Paradis, Louisiana were evacuated, two workers were taken to a local hospital, and another is unaccounted for after an explosion and fire at a Phillips 66 pipeline station. Two of the workers were hospitalized — one taken to a burn center— and three had minor or no injuries, the sheriff said. The remaining worker was unaccounted for, and a helicopter was being brought in to help search for him. Workers are now attempting to shut a high pressure line, a spokesman for the parish said. "It's a very high pressure, high intensity fire," Champagne said. "When you get close to it, it is really singeing." The source of the product in the pipeline has been shut off, but the fire could burn for hours or at least a day, Champagne said. "It is a loud and scary fire, but it is burning off." "Phillips 66 is in the process of accounting for all employees and contractors who were working at the site at the time," the spokesman said.[347]
Champagne said the source of the 20-inch pipeline had been shut off but the fire would have to burn off the rest of the liquid inside, which could take hours or even days. “They tell us the best thing that can happen right now is for the product to burn off,” he said. The pipeline was carrying a highly volatile byproduct of natural gas, which was burning cleanly and very hotly over a 30- to 40-foot area, the sheriff said. “It’s just a big blow torch,” he said.[348]
Officials evacuated 60 homes within a couple of miles of the pipeline as officials let the fire burn off. That could take anywhere from a few hours to a few days, the sheriff said. The evacuation perimeter, which remained in effect as of 8 a.m. Friday, is Louisiana Highway 635 to 306 Bayou Gauche Road. Those evacuated from the east side of Highway 635 were allowed to return home late Thursday. The west side of Highway 635 remains under an evacuation order. The Edward A. Dufresne Community Center at 274 Judge Edward Parkway in Luling is being used as a shelter for evacuees. Paradis is about 30 minutes west of New Orleans.[349]
February 9, 2017: Construction Resumes on Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline After Government Grants Final Easement
The LA Times reported on February 9, 2017 that despite months of protests led by tribal groups and an expanded environmental review ordered in the final days of the Obama administration, construction on the Dakota Access oil pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, resumed less than 24 hours after the government granted a final easement allowing for completion of the disputed project. Energy Transfer Partners said that it had “received all federal authorizations necessary to proceed expeditiously to complete construction of the pipeline.” The company, based in Texas, said it expects to have in hand $2.6 billion in loans for the project “within the next several days” and for the pipeline to be operational no later than June.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which has led protests against the pipeline, has said it will continue to oppose its completion in court and, if necessary, fight the operation of the pipeline if it is completed. The nearby Cheyenne River Sioux tribe, which has joined the Standing Rock Sioux in legal battles, filed a request in federal court in Washington on Thursday for a restraining order to stop construction. The Standing Rock Sioux have encouraged people who have been protesting the pipeline near its reservation for months to leave and focus instead on political and legal efforts across the country. Those efforts include divestment. On Tuesday, Seattle became the first city in the nation to end its relationship with a bank in protest of the pipeline. The Seattle City Council voted unanimously to sever ties with Wells Fargo, which manages about $3 billion for the city annually.[350]
February 9. 2017: Environmental Lawsuit Against Phillips 66 Borger Refinery Benefits Students
News Channel 10 reported on February 9, 2017 that after Phillips 66 Borger refinery failed to meet environmental requirements, they were fined by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and proceeds from the lawsuit are benefiting students in the Borger School District. Any time environmental lawsuits like this are settled, a portion of the financial penalty is paid to a Supplemental Environmental Project. Phillips 66 was penalized $13,688 for failing to meet environmental air standards. Approximately 40 percent of the penalty was paid to a SEP which, in this case, is Borger Independent School District (ISD). These funds will help pay for new school buses with reduced fuel emissions. "We have an older fleet of buses, so it's nice to add a newer bus to our fleet, especially if it has better emissions," said Rebecca Calder the communication coordinator for Borger ISD.[351]
February 8, 2017: Phillips 66 Warns of Employment Scam at Humber Refinery
The Grimsby Telegraph reported that Phillips 66 Humber Refinery is warning about a job offer scam it has been embroiled in. Would-be employees have been asked in a phishing email to provide application fees in the scam. In a statement, the company said: "These fraudulent communications have been sent to individuals through various channels and are typically distributed via email, social media or by phone solicitation in which individuals are encouraged to provide personal or financial information." Phillips 66 enjoys phenomenal responses to recruitment campaigns, often done in conjunction with the Grimsby Telegraph. The company's name and logo has been used in the elaborate phishing hoax, which looks to capitalise on the fact Phillips 66 is seen as a top employer. "Email communications from our company will never request sensitive financial or personal information such as social security number, passport information, date of birth, credit card numbers, banking information, etc."[352]
February 3, 2017: Why Phillips 66 Earnings Were Such a Disappointment This Quarter
Jordan Blum wrote at Fuel Fix that Phillips 66 saw its quarterly profit fall 75 percent from 2015 to close out a “disappointing” quarter with $163 million quarterly profit compared to $650 million in earnings at the end of 2015 and $1.56 billion profit for the year versus $4.23 billion in 2015. U.S. refiners struggled in 2016 with low or non-existent profit margins on fuel products as oil prices grew and low gasoline prices lagged behind. On a positive note, the fourth quarter saw Phillips 66 bring its new liquefied petroleum gas export terminal in Freeport online that allows the company to ship propane and butane worldwide. The company also touted major projects coming online this year, such as Chevron Phillips’ massive petrochemical expansion being finished later this year in Baytown and Old Ocean. In December, Phillips 66 said it will cut its capital spending by 25 percent this year, taking a conservative approach as the energy sector pulls out of the two-year oil bust.[353]
Matthew DiLallo wrote at Fox Business that Phillips 66 faced a tough operating environment in 2016 as rising costs, and other issues, squeezed margins but those problems grow worse during the fourth quarter, as a range of items across several of the company's other business segments caused its earnings to deteriorate even further. According to DiLallo, Phillips 66's refining segment turned in an atrocious quarter, reporting an adjusted loss of $95 million. "One of the reasons Phillips 66's refining segment dropped into the red was because it also had a major refinery turnaround during the quarter, which resulted in its utilization rate falling to 93%, causing volumes to slip. Add in some other company-specific pricing issues for volumes shipped on certain pipelines, and it seemed like everything that could go wrong during the quarter did."
Phillips' DCP Midstream joint venture seemed to be turning things around thanks to rising commodity prices. Unfortunately, that growth did not materialize during the quarter. Instead, adjusted earnings fell from $75 million last quarter to $33 million in the fourth quarter. Several of Phillips 66's other midstream businesses performed poorly during the quarter. Earnings in its transportation segment declined 14% to $69 million while NGL earnings slumped more than 50%, primarily due to start-up costs at its LPG export terminal.
DiLallo says that the final flaw for the quarter was the unexpectedly deep decline in earnings at Phillips 66's other two business segments: Chemicals and marketing and specialties. Phillips 66's chemicals joint venture with Chevron reported a 35% drop in adjusted earnings, which fell to $124 million due primarily to lower margins and turnaround activities while adjusted earnings in the marketing and specialties segment plunged 47.6% over the prior quarter to $140 million.
The investor takeaway is that broad themes drove the earnings underperformance across Phillips 66's segment results in this quarter. "First, the company faced higher input costs from rising oil prices, which squeezed margins across all its segments. On top of that, the company experienced several one-time issues associated with asset turnarounds, which impacted volumes. When combined, these formed a one-two punch that knocked down earnings rather quickly. Unfortunately, these problems are par for the course for energy manufacturing companies like Phillips 66."[354]
February 3, 2017: Garland Says Dakota Access Pipeline Will Start Operations in the Second Quarter
Reuters reported on February 3, 2017 that Phillips 66 CEO Greg Garland said he expects the Dakota Access Pipeline to start operations in the second quarter, even though the project - which has sparked protests by Native Americans and environmentalists - is still in the midst of legal battles and a U.S. regulatory review. "Commercial operations are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2017, pending the issuance of an easement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete work beneath the Missouri River on DAPL," Phillips 66 said in its earnings news release. On February 1, 2017, the U.S. Army said it had taken initial steps to "expeditiously review requests for approvals to construct and operate" the pipeline per an order issued by President Donald Trump, but the project's easement has not yet been approved. It is unclear whether the second-quarter timeline would be met unless the easement is granted soon. The comment period ends on Feb. 20, and even if the easement were granted immediately after, ETP has estimated a 90-to-120-day drilling period.[355]
February 3, 2017: Garland Says Donald Trump's Proposed Border Tax Could Spike Fuel Costs by 40 Cents a Gallon
The Houston Chronicle reported on February 3, 2017 that Phillips 66 CEO Greg Garland said a proposed border tax on imports would cause gasoline prices for American drivers to skyrocket as much as 40 cents a gallon. The U.S. still imports large amounts of crude from Canada, Latin America, the Middle East and other parts of world, all of which would be subject to the border taxes floated by House Republicans and President Donald Trump. With refining profit margins already tight, companies would unload as much of the additional tax burden on consumers as possible, said Greg Garland, CEO of Phillips 66 of Houston. "It's going to get mostly passed through," Garland told analysts during an earnings call. Garland noted that the tax proposal has pros and cons for his company. It would mean higher taxes on refining, but also lower taxes on corporate profits and the company's petrochemical exports. The proposal also could cause oil prices to rise and boost profits for U.S. exploration and production companies.[356]
February 1, 2017: Phillips 66 Loses Court Battle Over Paid Leave
Pension & Benefits Daily reported on February 1, 2017 that the Washington State Court of Appeals has agreed with two Phillips 66 workers that the company’s failure to offer specifically designated sick leave didn’t strip them of protections offered by state law, which forces employers offering paid leave to extend that leave to workers caring for sick family members. The dispute centers on a Washington statute forcing employers that offer paid leave to make that leave available for workers who care for sick family members. Two union-represented Phillips 66 workers filed a lawsuit in 2015 claiming that the company made them choose between using vacation days or taking unpaid leave to care for sick family members. According to the workers, they should have been able to take paid leave through Phillips’ short-term disability insurance policy. Phillips argued that it didn’t have to open up short-term disability benefits for workers’ family care needs, because it allowed workers to take vacation days in the event of their own illness or that of a family member. The court disagreed. In its view, the vacation days offered to Phillips employees didn’t qualify as paid leave “for illness” under the terms of the Washington law. This meant that Phillips’ disability plan—the only clear avenue for employees to take sick leave—could be liable for providing paid family leave, the court said.[357]
January 31, 2017: Trump Administration Orders Army Corps of Engineers to Issue Final Permit for Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
The Washington Post reported on January 31, 2017 that according to two North Dakota GOP lawmakers who support the project, the acting secretary of the Army has instructed the Army Corps of Engineers to provide the final permit needed to complete the Dakota Access pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66. “This will enable the company to complete the project,” said Sen. John Hoeven, “which can and will be built with the necessary safety features to protect the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and others downstream.”
A statement by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, provided by its policy adviser Jodi Gillette Tuesday night, said that while a final easement had not yet been granted, tribal members planned to challenge any such action in court. “The Army Corps lacks statutory authority to simply stop the [Environmental Impact Statement] and issue the easement. The Corps must review the Presidential Memorandum, notify Congress, and actually grant the easement. We have not received formal notice that the EIS has been suspended or withdrawn. To abandon the EIS would amount to a wholly unexplained and arbitrary change based on the president’s personal views and, potentially, personal investments,” the statement added. “We stand ready to fight this battle against corporate interest superseding government procedure and the health and well-being of millions of Americans.”
Given the likely court challenge, it is unclear when work on the pipeline would restart. The tribal council has asked the few hundred protesters who remain on site to leave, in part because of harsh weather conditions. Last fall, hundreds of law enforcement officers from different states and counties confronted protesters with water cannon, tear gas and pepper spray. Arrests reached a peak of more than 140 protesters. On Sunday, according to Hoeven, another 20 additional Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement officers arrived at Standing Rock to help local authorities.[358]
January 30, 2017: Phillips 66 Plans To Remediate Former Oil Refinery near Duncan, Oklahoma
Phillips 66 Plans To Remediate Former Oil Refinery near Duncan, Oklahoma. One concern on the property is for Claridy Creek, which runs along the east side of the property, as well as two or three portions of the parcel that were used as landfills and impoundments. Due to the size of the property, there will be some areas where dig and haul will be implemented. Photo: Phillips 66
SWOK News reported on January 30, 2017 that Phililps 66 plans to remediate 446 acres near Duncan, Oklahoma where a refinery was formerly located south of Duncan on Refinery Road and old U.S. 81. The property was in use as a refinery from the 1920s to 1983 and had several different owners during that time period. Stephens County purchased the property in 2003. Phillips 66 signed the agreement for the remediation process in 2003, according to Jeremy Anthon, who made a Power Point presentation for Phillips 66 to Stephens County Commissioners.
One concern on the property is for Claridy Creek, which runs along the east side of the property, as well as two or three portions of the parcel that were used as landfills and impoundments, according to the Anthon. Due to the size of the property, there will be some areas where dig and haul will be implemented.[359]
January 28, 2017: An Unexpected Delay Emerges in Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
NPR reported on January 28, 2017 that just as President Trump takes power promising to ramp up oil and gas production, a sudden resignation in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) threatens to delay projects like the Dakota Access Pipeline. Norman Bay, one of just three current members of the commission, said he would resign effective February 3, even though his term isn't up until next year. Bay's decision leaves FERC with just two members — not enough for the required quorum to make decisions. Some projects that have been through years of regulatory review and were nearing the finish line could now be in limbo for months.
It's unclear what impact the FERC delay might have on the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines, which Mr. Trump aimed to green light through executive actions this past week. Even if the president chooses someone quickly, the process will likely take several months — the appointment requires Senate confirmation. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, says she will make it a top priority. "After next week, FERC will need a full complement of commissioners as soon as possible so that it can tackle the important work on its busy docket," Murkowski said in a statement. "The senate's challenge will be to promptly consider, without undue delay, FERC nominations once they are received."[360]
The Washington Post reported on February 3, 2017 that although a least a half-dozen major pipeline projects totaling more than $10 billion hang in the balance as FERC seeks a third commissioner to allow the commission to resume normal operations, the turmoil at FERC would not affect the proposed Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines because FERC does not issue permits for oil pipelines. Without a quorum, pipeline approvals on projects including the $2 billion Nexus pipeline in Ohio and Michigan; the $1 billion PennEast pipeline in Pennsylvania and New Jersey; and the $450 million Northern Access pipeline in Pennsylvania and New York could be delayed by months or even a year if Democrats fight Trump’s nominations, said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club, adding that Trump’s appointment of a new acting chair precipitated the FERC crisis.[361]
January 24, 2017: Trump Gives New Life to Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
The Washington Post reported on January 24, 2017 that President Trump signed executive orders clearing the way for the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline to move forward. Trump also signed an executive order to expedite environmental reviews of other infrastructure projects, lamenting the existing procedures “incredibly cumbersome, long, horrible permitting process.” Trump said that both pipeline projects would be subject to renegotiation but it remained unclear how Trump’s order would restart the pipeline projects or expedite environmental reviews.
As news of the move surfaced Tuesday morning, oil industry officials hailed it as overdue. “Making American energy great again starts with infrastructure projects like these that move resources safely and efficiently,” said Stephen Brown, vice president of federal government affairs at Tesoro Companies.
The Standing Rock Sioux tribe and other Native American groups have been protesting the project, which they say would imperil their water supplies and disturb sacred burial and archaeological sites. The Army Corp of Engineers called a halt to the project in December to consider alternative routes. “We all saw the incredible strength and courage of the water protectors at Standing Rock, and the people around the world who stood with them in solidarity,” said Greenpeace Executive Director Annie Leonard. “We’ll stand with them again if Trump tries to bring the Dakota Access Pipeline, or any other fossil fuel infrastructure project, back to life.”[362]
January 23, 2017: White House Press Secretary Strongly Suggests Trump Will Push Through Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
Alternet reported on January 23, 2017 that White Press Secretary Sean Spicer heavily implied during a press conference on January 23, 2017 that President Trump would overturn the permit denial that is prohibiting the Dakota Access Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, from being built through the Standing Rock Reservation in the Dakotas. "I'm not going to get in front of the President's executive actions," said Spicer, "but I will tell you that areas like the Dakota and Keystone pipeline are areas that we can increase jobs, increase economic growth, and tap into America's energy supply. That's something that he's been very clear about." Trump has previously stated that he supports the completion of the pipeline. In December, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that it would not grant the final permit needed for the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline to be completed and that it would conduct an environmental impact review before continuing any part of the process. According to Alternet, while the permit denial was always perceived as temporary, it was a major win for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and the activists who supported its fight against the pipeline.[363]
January 23, 2017: Comment Period Extended for Construction of Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline Until February 13
KATC reported on January 23, 2017 that the The LDEQ, Office of Environmental Services, and USACE, CEMVN has extended the period to receive comments regarding a Water Quality Certification Application and Department of Army (DA) Permit Application prepared for Bayou Bridge Pipeline from January 16, 2017, to February 13, 2017.[364]
January 23, 2017: Phillips 66 to Buy Crude from U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve
Reuters reported on January 23, 2017 that Phillips 66 submitted a winning bid in an auction held earlier this month by the U.S. Department of Energy to buy crude from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The sale is part of a resolution to sell up to $375 million of crude in fiscal 2017 to fund operational improvements to the infrastructure that holds the reserves. The Department of Energy Strategic Petroleum Reserve plans to sell approximately 8 million barrels of sweet crude oil from the Big Hill, Bryan Mound, and West Hackberry SPR sites. Deliveries are anticipated to take place beginning in March, with the potential for early deliveries in February, the Department of Energy previously said.[365]
January 20, 2017: Employees Allege Phillips 66 Violated California Labor Codes
The Northern California Record reported on January 20, 2017 that three California residents, Kyndl Buzas, Raudel Covarrubias and Daniel Runions, allege that they were required to work 12-hour shifts, were never provided rest breaks and that Phillips failed to provide their employees accurate wage statements. The plaintiffs request a trial by jury and seek all unpaid wages, damages, statutory and civil penalties, restitution, enjoin the defendant, disgorgement, all legal fees plus interest and any other relief as the court deems just.[366]
January 18, 2017: Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline is Shaping Up to Be Another Dakota Access Pipeline
Nick Cunningham writes at Oil Price that Energy Transfer Partners has another potential controversy on its hands with the Bayou Bridge Pipeline that could turn into the sequel to the Keystone XL and Dakota Access sagas. Energy Transfer Partners, along with joint owners Phillips 66 Partners and Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P., are proposing the Bayou Bridge Pipeline (BBP), a 163-mile pipeline that will run from Lake Charles, Louisiana to a key oil hub just west of New Orleans in St. James Parish. The oil will end at a terminal owned by NuStar Energy L.P., from which the oil could reach any number of customers, such as refiners along the Gulf Coast or be sent abroad as exports.
"The problem with the Bayou Bridge Pipeline is that it runs across the Atchafalaya Basin, a national heritage area that also happens to be the world’s largest natural swamp. It is home to endangered wildlife and also has a successful crawfishing industry. The pipeline route through the world’s largest swamp will cross 600 acres of wetlands and 700 bodies of water, which provide drinking water to over 300,000 people. Because of this, there are signs that a popular resistance akin to the Dakota Access protests is starting to emerge. At a packed public hearing on January 12, a raucous crowd filled with pipeline critics from disparate backgrounds spoke out against the project. The crowd jeered and hissed at former Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu, who testified in favor of the Bayou Bridge Pipeline. She now lobbies on behalf of Energy Transfer Partners.
According to Cunningham this may seem like a local story, but so did the Dakota Access Pipeline until mid-2016. Protests that delay construction have a tendency of blowing up the issue into a national flashpoint. "Protest can be dismissed as mere sideshows, but they can have a concrete impact. When financial analysts warn investors to steer clear of companies like Energy Transfer Partners because of the political risk, the public backlash to large infrastructure projects should be taken seriously," concludes Cunningham. "Even as the protests in the frozen prairie of North Dakota could be in their final act, the spotlight could shift more than 1,000 miles to the south to the swampy wetlands of the bayou."[367]
Both the Bayou Bridge Pipeline and Dakota Access Pipeline are funded in part by Phillips 66.
January 18, 2017: Federal Study on Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline to Move Forward
ABC News reported on January 18, 2017 that U.S. District Judge James Boasberg denied Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners' request to stop the Corps from proceeding until he rules on whether the company already has the necessary permission to lay pipe under Lake Oahe, the water source for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. The Army published a notice Wednesday of its intent to prepare an environmental impact statement on the Lake Oahe crossing. ETP won't be able to lay pipe under the reservoir while the study is ongoing; it is currently blocked from doing so anyway. A study could take up to two years, but the study notice can be withdrawn if Boasberg were to eventually rule that ETP has permission for the crossing, Army attorneys said. The notice says public comments will be accepted until Feb. 20 on "potential issues, concerns and reasonable alternatives" that should be considered in a study.
The Standing Rock Sioux and its supporters believe the four-state pipeline threatens drinking water and cultural sites. The tribe issued a statement Wednesday saying the study is "yet another small victory on the path to justice."[368]
Phillips 66 owns a 25% stake in the $3.7B Dakota Access Pipeline that is being built by Energy Transfer Partners.
Learn More About Dakota Access Pipeline
January 17, 2017: Environmental Groups Gear Up for Second Hearing Against Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline
400 Come Out to Protest Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline. “This is like 50 times the amount of people we have at most of these meetings,” said Scott Eustis, adding that the proposed pipeline was “the biggest and baddest I’ve seen in my career”. Now Louisiana environmental groups are gearing up for a second hearing on February 8, 2017. "I expect we will have a bigger turnout, because people are fired up," said Anne Rolfes, director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade environmental group. "... This opposition is really unprecedented." Photo: Desmogblog
The Advocate reported on January 17, 2017 that Louisiana environmental groups are gearing up for round two in a battle against the proposed 163-mile Bayou Bridge Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, that they say they fear will foul the state's wetlands and water. A public hearing last week in Baton Rouge for a required U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit drew more than 400 people, but activists expect a bigger turnout on February 8, 2017, said Anne Rolfes, "because people are fired up." "... This opposition is really unprecedented."
The subject of next month's hearing is the state Department of Natural Resources permit needed for portions of the pipeline that would pass through state-designated Coastal Zones in St. James and Assumption parishes, said DNR Communications Director Patrick Courreges. DNR began reviewing the permit early last year and initially closed the public comment period in May, but Courreges said the agency decided to hold a public hearing based on the increasing amount of attention the project has received in recent months. "When this project was originally being looked at, there wasn't that much interest," he said. Rolfes said the pipeline company can expect continued protests to block the project, even if it receives the required approvals from regulators who she accused of generally doing "big oil's bidding." "They will not lay this pipeline," she vowed.[369]
January 17, 2017: Builders of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline File Motion to Bar Environmental Study by US Corps of Engineers
Yahoo News reported on January 17, 2017 that Energy Transfer Partners, builders of the Dakota Access Pipeline funded in part by Phillips 66, has filed a motion to bar the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from initiating an environmental study for its controversial Dakota Access pipeline crossing at Lake Oahe in North Dakota. ETP has requested that a U.S. District Court judge for the District of Columbia stop the Corps from initiating the environmental impact statement process until a ruling has been made on whether the company already has necessary approvals for the pipeline crossing. The Corps said it would publish a notice in the Federal Register on Wednesday stating its intent to prepare an environmental impact statement for the requested easement at Lake Oahe. The notice will invite interested parties to comment on potential issues and concerns, as well as alternatives to the proposed route, which should be considered in the study.[370]
January 16, 2017: Basinkeepers Release Policy Statement on Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline
The IND reported on January 16, 2017 that Atchafalaya Basinkeeper and the Louisiana Crawfish Producers Association-West released a policy statement Monday on the proposed Bayou Bridge Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66 that says in part that bfore granting any permits which will use an existing right-of-way (corridor), we ask the Corps of Engineers to:
1. Conduct a thorough analysis of all existing violations already on the proposed right-of-way.
2. Conduct an EIS to determine the effects that those violations, such as illegal dams and spoil banks, are having into the wetlands, including to navigation on waters of the U.S., fisheries, the ecology and aesthetics of the wetlands.
3. Conduct a study on the economic consequences that these violations are having on the fisheries, ecotourism and any other industry affected by them.
4. Put the right-of-way out of commission until it is brought back into compliance. Make violators accountable by mandating that they correct the problems which they created.
Before granting a permit to Bayou Bridge to build a new pipeline in the Atchafalaya Basin we want the Corps of Engineers to:
1. Review all existing pipeline permits by Energy Transfers and/or any of their subsidiaries. [(We know that Energy Transfer also owns Florida Gas, responsible for building the Florida pipeline across the Atchafalaya Basin, one of the most damaging pipelines ever built.)
2. Identify all lack of compliance issues related to those permits.
3. Make Energy Transfer bring those right-of-ways back into compliance, and fix all damages done to wetlands as a consequence of any and all violations.[371]
January 15, 2017: 400 Activists Protest Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline at Public Hearing
400 Come Out to Protest Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline. The Bayou Bridge Pipeline, if approved, would carry 480,000 barrels of oil per day a final 162 miles across the state to refineries and ports, through eight watersheds and long stretches of fragile wetlands. Graphic: Phillips 66 Investor Presentation, September 2015
The Guardian reported on January 15, 2017 that Scott Eustis, a coastal wetland specialist with the Gulf Restoration Network, was surprised to be joined by more than 400 others when he attended a public hearing in Baton Rouge about the Bayou Bridge Pipeline, a pipeline extension partially funded by Phillips 66 that would run directly through the Atchafalaya Basin, the world’s largest natural swamp. “This is like 50 times the amount of people we have at most of these meetings,” said Eustis, adding that the proposed pipeline was “the biggest and baddest I’ve seen in my career”. The Bayou Bridge Pipeline, if approved, would carry 480,000 barrels of oil per day a final 162 miles across the state to refineries and ports, through eight watersheds and long stretches of fragile wetlands.
At the public hearing in Baton Rouge on Thursday, the first speaker, Cory Farber, project manager of the Bayou Bridge pipeline, said it was expected to create 2,500 temporary jobs. When Farber then said the project would produce 12 permanent jobs, the crowd laughed heartily. “Those who have airboat companies and equipment companies that specialize in putting in equipment, they’re not opposed to pipelines because of the short-term jobs,” said Jody Meche, president of the state Crawfish Producers’ Association, one of dozens who spoke at the hearing. “But once that pipe is in there, the jobs are gone.”
Debate was fierce. Pro-pipeline speakers – oil industry reps, state representatives, a retired Louisiana State University professor – pointed out that many pipelines already run through the Atchafalaya Basin and said pipelines were in general the safest way to transport oil – in the case of the Bayou Bridge pipeline, 280,000 barrels per day of crude to the Gulf coast region, with the potential for 480,000. Where most in attendance worried about potential oil spills and their effect on drinking water, Meche was more concerned with ways existing pipelines have, he said, “crippled” the fishing industry. “They excavated the trench that they put the pipe in and then [they didn’t clean up] and it leaves a dam behind that blocks the water flow,” he said on the microphone, “until there’s not enough oxygen in the water for the crawfish, the fish, or anything.”
Native Americans dotted the crowd, many of them fresh from Standing Rock. “The Native Americans in North Dakota get a lot of credit for showing people their power,” Eustis said. Lifelong Iberia Parish resident Andrea Kilchrist, 71, described the violence she had witnessed at Standing Rock: peaceful protesters battered with sonic grenades, tear gas, mace, and cannons. “If you think this company is not going to do the same thing here — it’s going to do the same thing here,” she warned the room. “I hate pain. I’m afraid of pain and broken bones,” she continued, her voice shaking. “But on that first day, if y’all give that permit, I will be sitting in front of a bulldozer.”
As activists see it, Louisiana residents are starting to really care about environmental issues and, more importantly, to make themselves heard. “A lot of times we don’t get this opportunity to speak up,” said Eustis, still admiring the surprisingly large crowd. “[These oil companies] want to just roll over us. “But after Katrina, and the BP spill, and the Baton Rouge flood last year – 100,000 people displaced from their homes because of climate change – I guess we’re finally just sick of this.”[372][373]
January 15, 2017: Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery Donates $30,000 for Nature Outpost
Tapinto reported on January 15, 2017 that Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery has donated $30,000 to fund an outdoor pavilion and associated activities at Phil Rizzuto Park that will serve as a headquarters for learning about ecology and the need to preserve nature in urban communities. "Phillips 66 is proud to sponsor projects that protect and enhance the environment and add benefits to our local communities," said Nancy Sadlon, manager, Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery Public Affairs. “The County of Union is proud to partner with Groundwork and Phillips 66 to promote environmental education in one of the state’s most populated regions,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen.[374]
January 13, 2017: Phillips 66 Pays Multi-Million Dollar Settlement for Alleged "Double-Dipping" into Oklahoma's Petroleum Storage Tank Cleanup Fund
Details Emerge in Deal to End Multi-Million Dollar Lawsuit by State of Oklahoma against Phillips 66 for Alleged "Double-Dipping" into a Petroleum Storage Tank Cleanup Fund. The state of Oklahoma received $2.8 million and an outside law firm working on contingency for Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt received $942,000 from a little-publicized settlement with Phillips 66 over alleged "double-dipping" into a petroleum storage tank cleanup fund. Photo: Cleanup work on removing old underground storage tanks that held petroleum products. EcologyWA Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)
NewsOK reported on January 13, 2017 that the state of Oklahoma received $2.8 million and an outside law firm working on contingency for Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt received $942,000 from a little-publicized settlement with Philips 66 over alleged "double-dipping" into a petroleum storage tank cleanup fund. Pruitt's lawsuit alleged Phillips 66 had collected money from the indemnity fund even after it used private insurance proceeds for the environmental remediation. Pruitt, who typically issues news releases touting legal victories, didn't publicize the settlement award or issue a news release. The only public mention of it came in meeting minutes at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. The settlement agreement doesn't specify how much of the award went to the outside law firm, only that "the Oklahoma attorney general shall be responsible for paying any attorney fees." The Phillips 66 case and others like it have been touted by Pruitt supporters as an example of the attorney general being willing to go after energy companies. Related lawsuits against BP and Chevron over indemnity fund payments were filed by his predecessor in late 2010.[375]
Phillips 66 previously paid $2 million in 2014 to settle allegations it helped itself to Utah’s Petroleum Storage Tank Fund for cleaning up damage from leaking fuel storage tanks even though it had insurance to cover the cleanups. Phillips was said to have relied on the fund for cleanups at 82 service stations. "Consistently, these guys were saying, ‘No, we don’t have any insurance,'” said Therron Blatter, a branch manager for underground storage tanks at the Utah Division of Environmental Response and Remediation. “Clearly, they did have the insurance.”[376]
According to the Salt Lake City Tribune Phillips 66 was accused of defrauding the Utah’s Petroleum Storage Tank Fund to the tune of $25 million for cleanups associated with leaking underground tanks. In its lawsuit filed in 2012, the division alleged ConocoPhillips collected $25 million in payouts to cover cleanups at 82 service stations by falsely reporting that these sites were not covered by independent insurance. The suit sought to recover this money, plus punitive damages and fines totalling $10,000 for every day ConocoPhillips violated the law. But as lawyers gathered evidence it became apparent some of the claims were not that strong, said Brent Everett, director of the state Division of Environmental Response and Remediation. Officials said they are satisfied with the $2 million settlement, which amounts to less than 10 percent of what they originally claimed was misappropriated.[377][378]
January 12, 2017: Showdown Looms Over Phillips 66 Funded Bayou Bridge Pipeline
The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report reported on January 12, 2017 that the $750 million Bayou Bridge Pipeline project being jointly pursued by subsidiaries of Phillips 66, Sunoco Logistics and Energy Transfer Partners, will face off against environmentalists at a public hearing on January 12, 2017 over the proposed 162-mile Bayou Bridge pipeline, which, if approved, will run from Lake Charles through the Atchafalaya Basin to St. James Parish. Advocates of the project are expected to argue that pipelines are the safest, most environmentally friendly and cost effective way to transport oil, noting also that the proposed pipeline will join an existing network of pipelines crisscrossing the state. “This is not the first pipeline that will run through the Atchafalaya,” says Tommy Foltz, executive vice president of the Consumer Energy Alliance.
But environmentalists are expected to take issue with the claim that pipelines are safe. Anne Rolfes with the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, who will be among those attending tonight’s hearing, notes that Louisiana had 144 pipeline accidents in 2016. “Our pipelines are falling apart,” Rolfes says. “They are leaking. They have holes in them. They are rusty and corroded. Our state should be forcing industry to repair the current pipelines rather than permit a new one.” The state should also be exploring alternative fuel sources like solar and wind energy, which represent the economic development opportunities of the future, Rolfes says. “One of the fastest growing sectors of job growth is in renewable energy and we’re dealing with these guys who are stuck thinking about fossil fuels,” she says.[379]
January 12, 2017: Six Environmental Groups Join Against Phillips 66 Lawsuit Regarding Santa Maria Rail Project
Edhat Santa Barbara reported on January 12, 2017 that six environmental groups were granted permission to intervene in a lawsuit brought by Phillips 66, challenging the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission's denial of the company's proposal to construct a crude oil train terminal for the Santa Maria Refinery. Phillips 66's lawsuit challenges the Planning Commission's determination that the site for the proposed oil train terminal contains rare and valuable habitat that is protected under the California Coastal Act and the County's local policies and ordinances. In granting the motion to intervene, the court ruled that the groups have an interest in protecting the environment as well as an interest in participating in further hearings on the project. The court allowed the environmental groups to join the lawsuit so that they could "continue to participate in and protect the environmental review process" as it relates to the Phillips project and the determination that the project would impact environmentally sensitive habitat. Now that the environmental groups are parties to the lawsuit, they plan to file a motion asking the court to dismiss the case as premature. The hearing on that motion is scheduled for February 16, 2017.[380]
January 10, 2017: Darren Cunningham Replaces Julian Stoll as New Refinery Manager at Phillips 66's Humber Refinery
Phillips 66's Humber Refinery in North Lincolnshire. Darren Cunningham has been appointed as the new refinery manager at Phillip 66's Humber Refinery replacing Julian Stoll. Under Stoll's tenure, Humber Refinery completed a mega-turnaround, a feat unlikely to be seen again, as the largest shutdown in the site's near 50-year history was twinned with the replacement of the crude oil reception pipeline beneath the Tetney coastline. Photo Credit: Wikipedia David Wright Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike license 2.0
The Grimsby Telegraph reported on January 10, 2017 that Darren Cunningham has been appointed as the new refinery manager at Phillip 66's Humber Refinery replacing Julian Stoll. Cunningham has previously been the refinery manager at Bayway Refinery for the past four years and returns to Humber after previously serving as operations manager for Humber Refinery until 2008. Cunningham will be Humber's fourth refinery manager in little over four years, following Julian Stoll, Brian Coffman and Mike Wirkowski, who left in 2012.
Stoll has been promoted to regional vice president for refining and will be relocating to Phillips Headquarters in Houston, Texas. Under Stoll's tenure, Humber Refinery completed a mega-turnaround, a feat unlikely to be seen again, as the largest shutdown in the site's near 50-year history was twinned with the replacement of the crude oil reception pipeline beneath the Tetney coastline. Following the huge projects, timed to coincide, Humber was named number one business unit in the entire Phillips 66 portfolio, recognizing operational excellence. At the time of the award, Mr Stoll said: "It was a tremendous performance. We shut down the most complex UK refinery, repaired it, brought it back online and ran for the rest of the year without any serious process issue. I've never seen that before, it was really world class performance. It was very fulfilling."[381]
January 4, 2017: DCP Midstream And DCP Midstream Partners Merge
Nasdaq reported on January 4, 2017 that DCP Midstream, a 50/50 joint venture between Phillips 66 and Spectra Energy, and DCP Midstream Partners, announced that they have signed and closed a transaction combining all of the assets and debt of DCP Midstream with DPM, simplifying the corporate structure and creating the largest natural gas liquids or NGL producer and gas processor in the United States.
The new company (DPM) will construct a new 200 MMcf/d cryogenic natural gas processing plant (Mewbourn 3) in the DJ Basin, its tenth plant in the basin, projected to be in service by the end of 2018. Additionally, DCP collaborated with several key producers to form a cooperative development plan which provides a framework to add another 200 MMcf/d plant by mid-2019. Together, these projects will increase capacity by 50 percent to 1.2 billion cubic feet per day to support growing processing needs of producers. DPM will also complete the next phase of its Grand Parkway low pressure gathering project and associated compression expansions by the end of 2018.
DPM is in the process of constructing additional field compression and plant bypass infrastructure that will add approximately 40 MMcf/d of incremental capacity during the summer of 2017. The new plants will connect to the Front Range Pipeline, one-third owned by DPM, for NGL takeaway to Mont Belvieu, Texas. Total capital investment for the plant and associated gathering is expected to be up to $395 million.
DPM will expand NGL takeaway capacity on Sand Hills Pipeline by 30 percent, or 85,000 barrels per day (BPD) to 365,000 BPD, through the addition of four pump stations and a pipeline loop (Sand Hills expansion) to meet NGL production growth from owned and third party plants in the Delaware Basin.[382]
DCP Midstream previously announced in April, 2016 they were eliminating 300 positions nationwide. After the 300 cuts, DCP will still employ about 2,900 overall. In a prepared statement, DCP Chairman and CEO Wouter van Kempen said the joint venture reduced its 2016 capital budget down to $250 million. In comparison, Phillips 66’s contribution alone to DCP’s capital budget last year was $550 million. Van Kempen noted DCP completed most of its capital construction program last year. “This is a challenging environment that we are managing through and we continue to execute on our strategy to reset our break-even cost to ensure we are the most reliable, safe, low-cost midstream services provider sustainable in any environment,” van Kempen said in a prepared statement.[383]
In September, 2015 Spectra Energy and Phillips 66 announced they would attempt to prop up their troubled natural gas liquids joint venture with $1.5 billion in cash and a share of two pipelines. DCP Midstream has been in trouble since last year as prices for the fuels have fallen and Spectra and Phillips 66 pushed DCP Midstream into a corporate restructuring earlier this year. In February, DCP Midstream announced plans to cut about 20 percent of its corporate staff and consolidate much of its remaining workforce in Denver and Houston. The latest transaction is intended to shore up the company’s balance sheet and ease its access to credit, the two companies said in the announcement. “The contribution of the one-third interests in Sand Hills and Southern Hills will diversify DCP Midstream by enhancing the balance of fee-based assets while building on the re-contracting work already underway,” said Greg Ebel, chairman and CEO of Spectra Energy, in a written statement.[384]
December 29, 2016: Seven Rail Cars Overturn at Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery
The Belleville News-Democrat reported on December 29, 2016 that seven cars overturned at the Wood River Refinery in Roxana on Thursday morning, spilling about one gallon of acid that was quickly contained, according to officials. “We are monitoring the area, and there are no injuries or impacts to the community. Refinery operations are not impacted,” read a statement from Wood River Refinery. Norfolk Southern spokesman Dave Pigeon said the material that leaked was a waste product from the refining process known as spent sulfuric acid. It can eventually be recycled and reused, he said, but is transported as hazardous materials. There were seven cars derailed in the incident, Pigeon said, with five cars that came to rest on their sides while two remained upright. As of 3:30 p.m., Norfolk Southern workers had uprighted three of those five cars.[385]
December 29, 2016: Standing Rock Activists Target Profits of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
The Guardian reported on December 29, 2016 that Native American activists are targeting the Dakota Access pipeline’s finances in an effort to further strain the oil corporation and cause continuing delays that they hope could be disastrous for the project focusing on an approaching January 1, 2017 deadline that the operator, Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), has cited in court records. ETP wrote in a filing this year that the pipeline “committed to complete, test and have DAPL in service” by the start of 2017. And if the company did not meet its contract deadline, then its shipping partners had a “right to terminate their commitments”. But in emails to the Guardian, DAPL spokeswoman Vicki Granado claimed that January was just an “initial target” and not a “contractual date”, which is “much later”, though she refused to say when. Her statement, which contradicts the company’s official court testimony on multiple occasions, has prompted accusations that the corporation has either committed perjury or is lying to reporters. Regardless of the significance of the January date, opponents of the project argued that the continuing suspension of the project is already having a big impact on the ETP’s bottom line.
The financial challenges for Energy Transfer come at a time when the company is already in a precarious economic situation due to broader industry trends, analysts said. Global oil prices began to collapse in 2014 after shippers committed to DAPL, and production in the Bakken Shale oil field has fallen, which has created major hardships for drillers, according to the recent Ieefa report. That means the existing pipeline infrastructure may be adequate to handle regional oil production, and that if the contract deadline does expire, shippers could be eager to pull out or renegotiate favorable terms.
LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, a Standing Rock tribe member who owns land where one of the main camps remains in place, said the DAPL corporation was “panicking” about its finances and misleading the public. The company should not be trusted, she said, noting that the construction site was being monitored to ensure that DAPL workers do not start drilling under the Missouri river, which provides the tribe’s water supply. “We are preparing because we know we have a fight on our hands. We will be standing our ground no matter what.”[386]
December 29, 2016: U.S. Refiners Face Severe Labor Shortage For Deferred Maintenance
U.S. Refiners Face Severe Labor Shortage For Deferred Maintenance. A recent survey found that 74 percent of Texas contractors are having trouble filling hourly craft worker positions, and a majority of them believed they would continue to struggle over the next year. Photo: State Library of Victoria College Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Reuters reported on December 29, 2016 that refiners are now competing for pipe fitters and ironworkers with a host of billion-dollar energy projects, including Cheniere Energy's liquefied natural gas export terminals and a new petrochemical unit for Dow Chemical and without undertaking the work they need, refineries run the risk of more unscheduled outages at plants. "Putting off work definitely affects the safety of the refinery," said Ed Lee, an independent refinery safety consultant. U.S. refiners are expected to spend $1.26 billion on planned maintenance next year, up 38 percent from this year and the highest level since at least 2010 as a spate of unexpected outages have hit refineries nationwide, taking hundreds of thousands of barrels off the market and boosting gasoline prices and margins. "Refiners are going to have trouble finding even the lowest skilled workers, such as scaffold builders, and you can't do work at a refinery without a scaffold," said said Anthony Salemme, a vice president at IIR. "That's going to complicate scheduling and even extend outages." According to IIRC the coastal region from Brownsville, Texas to New Orleans - the largest U.S. refining region - will be short roughly 37,400 craftsman needed to complete all of the planned capital projects in 2017. "We are definitely feeling the labor shortages in skilled craft labor," said Paul Tooze, construction manager for the oil, gas and chemicals business at Bechtel.
A recent survey conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America found that 74 percent of Texas contractors are having trouble filling hourly craft worker positions, and a majority of them believed they would continue to struggle over the next year. More than 60 percent of the respondents said they bumped up salaries to attract more skilled craft workers. "These shortages have the potential to undermine broader economic growth by forcing contractors to slow scheduled work or choose not to bid on projects, thereby inflating the cost of construction," said Stephen Sandherr, head of the Associated General Contractors.[387]
Phillips 66 recently announced that the Ponca Refinery is beginning the largest turnaround since 2011 which at its peak will involve more than 1,000 contract laborers from approximately 35 different companies. The turnaround requires a large monetary investment from the company and there is a large outlay of dollars spent in the Ponca City community as contract laborers will fill hotel and motel rooms, RV parks, and rental properties and will spend money throughout the community. [388]
December 23, 2016: Enbridge Stalls on Purchase of Stake in Phillips Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
The Duluth News Tribune reported on December 23, 2016 that Enbridge Energy Partners L.P. and its joint venture partner Marathon Petroleum Corp. now have until March 31, 2017 to back out of a deal to purchase a stake in the Dakota Access Pipeline, according to a recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The previous deadline to terminate the sale was December 31, 2016. The Enbridge/Marathon purchase was announced August 2, 2016 just before pipeline protests erupted around a river crossing north of the Standing Rock Reservation. SEC filings show the joint venture is to pay $2 billion for a 49 percent interest in Bakken Holdings Co. LLC, a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners and Sunoco Logistics Partners that owns 75 percent of the Dakota Access pipeline. Phillips 66 owns the remaining 25 percent of the Dakota Access Pipeline. None of the companies involved cite a reason to push back the termination date in SEC filings, though uncertainty over the project’s future could play a part.[389] "If Enbridge and Marathon thought that completion of the pipeline was a done deal, the money would have been a done deal too," said Energy analyst Antonia Juhasz. "This means they are worried and are not feeling secure enough to turn over their cash, putting even more financial pressure on Energy Transfer Partners."[390]
December 23, 2016: Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery Donates $65,000 to Sorrento Fire Department
The Creole reported on December 23, 2016 that Phillips 66 recently donated $50,000 to the Sorrento Fire Department to help with both aging equipment and losses suffered during the August flood with some of the money used to replace a 20-year-old fire truck by matching a grant. Several assets in south Louisiana, including a Sorrento salt cavern in the McElroy Swamp, were acquired by Phillips 66 earlier this year.[391]
December 20, 2016: Phillips 66 Donates $35,000 to Amarillo Police for Training
Myhighplains reported on December 20, 2016 that Phillips 66 Amarillo Pipeline Division has made a grant of $35,000 to the Amarillo Police Department to provide updated supervisory and leadership training to police supervisors.[392]
December 19, 2016: Vallejo Mayor Wants Phillips 66 and Other Refiners to Pay for Air Monitoring Equipment After Oil Spill in San Pablo Bay
KQED reported on December 19, 2016 that incoming mayor of Vallejo is calling on Phillips 66, Valero, Shell, and Tesoro to foot the bill for new air monitors for five Bay Area cities that sit near local refineries after a mysterious odor sickened dozens of Vallejo residents around the same time an oil spill was discovered in San Pablo Bay in September. The U.S. Coast Guard’s investigation into the oil spill concluded that the spill came from either the marine terminal for Phillips 66 Rodeo refinery or an oil tanker that was unloading crude there. “I think as a good neighbor, Conoco Phillips 66 should be concerned about providing air quality monitors to the surrounding communities,” said Mayor-elect Bob Sampayan. “I want to see a more expanded role with the oil companies in providing information should we have this kind of incident occur again.” A spokesman for Phillips 66 did not respond to a request for comment, and a representative for the Western State Petroleum Association said the industry group has no comment.[393]
December 18, 2016: Pickens Sponsor First Formal Dinner in E. W. Marland's Private Dining Room at the Mansion in 75 Years
Pickens Sponsor First Dinner in Marland Estate Formal Dining Room in 75 Years. Guests at the First Dinner Served in E. W. Marland's Formal Dining Room in 75 Years included (from left to right) Mary Gierek, District Attorney Brian Hermanson, Ruslyn Hermanson, Deloris Pickens, Dr. S. J. Pickens, Joseph Gierek. Hugh Pickens, Marcia Keathly, David Keathly, Barbara Rozell, Ponca City Mayor Homer Nicholson, and Diane Anderson of Phillips 66. Photo: Leslie Schauviliege
The Ponca City News published a paid article on December 18, 2016 about a formal dinner that took place in E. W. Marland's private dining room at the Marland Mansion. A party of twelve guests were served dinner in the formal dining room on December 10, 2016 courtesy of Hugh Pickens and Dr. S. J. Pickens, the signature sponsors of this year's Gala at the Mansion supporting the Marland Mansion Estate Foundation. Dinner has not been served in the Marland's private dining room at the Mansion since Mr. Marland's passing in 1941. Although Marland lost his oil company to banking interests in the 1920's and closed the mansion, he would reopen the “Palace on the Prairie” to parties and formal dinners during his tenure as Governor of Oklahoma from 1935 to 1939. "We are honored to have the opportunity to sponsor the Marland Gala this year," said Pickens, "and especially honored to be the first guests to have dinner in E. W. Marland's formal dining room in over 75 years."
Terron Liles, Chairman of the 2016 Marland Gala, made every effort to create the ambiance of a formal dinner just as it would have been served in the 1920’s when Marland was building his vast oil empire. Marland was an Anglophile, so dinner was served Downton Abbey style just as it would have been served to Marland and his guests. Wait staff dressed as footman and maids in formal attire served the meal with grace and elegance. "We want to express our sincere gratitude to the Pickens for being our major sponsor for the 2016 Gala," said Terron Liles, Chairman of the Marland Foundation, “and we want to thank them for their generosity toward the Marland Gala, The Marland Estate Foundation and the Marland Mansion as a whole." “My husband and I would like to thank Terron Liles, the organizer of the Gala, David Keathly, Executive Director of the Marland Estate, our guests, and those who prepared and served the food throughout the night, and everyone else associated with the Gala,” said Dr. Pickens. “This has truly been a night to remember that we will treasure for the rest of our lives.”[394]
Learn more about the historic Dinner at the Marland Mansion
December 16, 2016: Phillips 66 Awards Three Grants to City of Ponca City for $120,000
The Ponca City News reported on December 16, 2016 that Phillips 66 has award three grants to the city of Ponca City for a total of $120,000 intended to enhance the environment and safety of the community. A $60,000 Pillar of Safety grant will be used to purchase and install musical-themed playground equipment at Garfield Park. A $30,000 Pillar of Safety grant will be used to purchase mobile repeaters for the City of Ponca City’s public safety communication radio system in order to enhance public safety and emergency operations. A $30,000 Pillar of Environmental grant will be used to purchase and distribute dual smoke and carbon monoxide battery operated detectors that will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis to income-qualifying homeowners.[395]
The Ponca City News reported on December 21, 2016 that in addition to the three grants already announced on December 16, 2016 Phillips 66 is contributing two additional grants for a total of $165,000. The grants include a pillar of Safety grant to McCord School for installation for protection to ensure safety for the children on the playground and a pillar of education and literacy a grant to Ponca City High School to help grow the robotics program, which will benefit from funding to help students with materials and components and help defray the cost of competitions.[396]
December 16, 2016: Phillips 66's Freeport LPG Export Terminal is Now Fully Operational
Businesswire reported on December 16, 2016 that Phillips 66's Freeport LPG Export Terminal located in Freeport, Texas, is fully operational. The company loaded its first contracted cargo on the Commander, a very large gas carrier that departed the terminal on December 16. “The startup of the Freeport LPG Export Terminal is the culmination of a four-year effort to develop a new U.S. Gulf Coast natural gas liquids (NGL) market hub that also includes Phillips 66 Partners’ 100,000 barrel-per-day Sweeny fractionator and 7.5 million barrel Clemens storage facility,” said Greg Garland, chairman and CEO of Phillips 66. “The new liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) export terminal gives customers the ability to place multi-grade LPG products directly into global markets through Port Freeport, which provides immediate blue water access with minimal congestion.”
The Freeport LPG Export Terminal can simultaneously load two ships with refrigerated propane and butane at a combined rate of 36,000 barrels per hour. Supply is sourced from the Phillips 66 Partners’ Sweeny fractionator and Clemens storage facility, which is connected by pipeline to the Mont Belvieu Hub.[397]
December 15, 2016: Osage Nation Wants to Increase Oil and Gas Production
The 'Million Dollar Elm' was in front of the County Courthouse in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Millions of dollars were bid for oil rights in Osage County beneath the tree in the 1920s, thus its designation as the "Million Dollar Elm." In 1970 the Oklahoma Petroleum Council and the Oklahoma Historical Society dedicated a monument to the elm. Although the tree died of Dutch elm disease during the early 1980s and was cut down, its memory remains. Photo: Rex Brown Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0)
Oil and Gas 360 published an article on December 15, 2016 about the history of mineral rights and oil and gas production in the Osage Nation since 1870 when the remainder of Osage land in Kansas was sold and the proceeds used to relocate the tribe to Indian Territory. According to the article the Osage Nation has a long history of smart deal making and being expert negotiators. “By their delays in agreeing to removal, the Osage benefited by the change in administration; they sold their lands to the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant, for which they received $1.25 an acre rather than the 19 cents previously offered to them by the US.” The Osage were one of the few American Indian nations to buy their own reservation, and they retained more rights to the land and sovereignty as a result. Unlike its arrangements with other Native American tribes, in 1906, the U.S. Congress reserved the entire Osage Minerals Estate for the benefit of all of the Osage members.
“Already rich from leases of their grazing lands, the Osage grew exponentially more wealthy after the discovery of oil on their lands. In 1895 Henry Foster of Kansas acquired a blanket lease that covered the entire Osage Reservation, more than 1.5 million acres—the ‘Foster lease’. Over the next two decades the Osages’ ‘underground reservation’ would produce more wealth than had all of the American gold rushes combined.” Unlike other landholders, the Osage were able to retain collective ownership of subsurface mineral rights, rather than having to accept allotments to individual owners. Instead, tribal members received ‘headrights’ that assured them an equal share of mineral rights.
The Osage Nation has been vocal about getting the U.S. government to speed up oil and gas permitting on its reservation. In March of 2016, a delegation of tribal councilmembers testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, chaired by Oklahoma Congressman Tom Cole. The Osage councilmembers testified as follows: “Congress called us Headright Owners. Each Headright Owner had one share of royalty from the production of oil and gas in the Osage Minerals Estate. The Osage Minerals Estate has been producing oil since 1896, making it one of the oldest fields in the United States. Our Minerals Estate contains proven reserves. In 2015, it was estimated that our Headright owners would receive about $13.6 billion in royalties from 2012 to 2027. That’s about $1 billion a year."
Everett Waller, chairman of the Osage Nation Minerals Council, is one Osage tribal member and a former Bureau of Indian Affairs employee who is doing everything in his power to remove the federal agency’s roadblocks to new drilling on Osage lands. "We’re going to use the new 3D technology just like they’re going to use on the old fields in Texas. The projections there are through the roof. I have some of the largest dome caps in the world here, and if we can find one out of the three they predict are here, we’re going to be in business. I’m going to have all workovers ready to go, and if we have to, we’ll go to court to get the permitting done. I believe the new technology is going to bring us new production, and that’s going to be the key to survival here."[398]
December 13, 2016: Protesters of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Say 176,000 Barrel Oil Spill in western North Dakota 'Validates Struggle'
176,000 gallons of crude oil spilled went into the Ash Coulee Creek, just 150 miles from the Dakota Access pipeline protest camp. North Dakota officials estimate that more than 176,000 gallons of crude oil has leaked from the Belle Fourche Pipeline over the past week into the Ash Coulee Creek in western North Dakota validating the concerns of those who spoke out against the project for months, activists said. "The spill gives further credence to our position that pipelines are not safe," said Tara Houska, a Native American environmental activist who has resided at the camp since August. "Oil companies' interest is on their profit margins, not public safety." Photo: Jennifer Skjod/North Dakota Department of Health
NBC News reported on December 13, 2016 that North Dakota officials estimate that more than 176,000 gallons of crude oil has leaked from the Belle Fourche Pipeline over the past week into the Ash Coulee Creek in western North Dakota validating the concerns of those who spoke out against the project for months, activists said. "The spill gives further credence to our position that pipelines are not safe," said Tara Houska, a Native American environmental activist who has resided at the camp since August. "Oil companies' interest is on their profit margins, not public safety." One of the protesters' central arguments for months has been that, despite assurances from Energy Transfer Partners — the Dallas-based company funding the $3.7 billion project — an oil spill would be inevitable. And the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe believes that a spill would devastate the Missouri River, which is the main water source for the tribe. In an interview last month, Energy Transfer Partners CEO Kelcy Warren told NBC News that he could not assure the tribe that an oil spill could not potentially occur. Warren would only say that the Dakota Access Pipeline was prepared to withstand such an event. "They can say they have all the latest technologies to safeguard against a leak," Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault II told NBC News. "But when that leak happens, and it will, all those safeguards will go out the window."[399]
The leaking segment of the pipeline was built in the 1980s. Since then, construction materials and pressure monitoring equipment have improved, and tighter regulations have been put in place. "It's hard to compare one company, especially one that has had a pipeline in the ground for maybe 40 or 50 years, to a brand new pipeline," says Carl Weimer, executive director of the nonprofit Pipeline Safety Trust. "It's not just the old ones that fail, new ones can fail also." Since 2010, according to data from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, operators have reported about 200 crude oil spills per year, on average. Most of them are comparatively small — think a few bathtubs full or less. The Belle Fourche pipeline leak is the largest in North Dakota since 2013. But the same company that owns and runs the pipeline was involved in another oil spill in Montana in 2015 that leaked 30,000 gallons of crude into the river. At one point, tests showed traces of oil in the local drinking water. Still, generally these incidents are low probability, high impact events, and John Stoody with the Association of Oil Pipelines says they remain the most efficient way to go. "They're also the safest way to move crude oil and petroleum around," says Stoody.[400]
December 12, 2016: Donald Trump Says He'll Solve the Dakota Access Pipeline Question
UPI reported on December 12, 2016 that President-elect Donald Trump promised quick action on the Dakota Access oil pipeline if it's not "solved" by the time he's scheduled to take office in January. "Let me not answer the Dakota [oil pipeline question] because perhaps that'll be solved by the time I get there, so I don't have to create enemies on one side or the other," Trump told Fox News. "But I will tell you when I get to office, if it's not solved, I'll have it solved very quickly." Trump did not elaborate on what "solved" implied.[401]
December 9, 2016: Phillips 66 Cuts Capital Spending by 25 Percent in 2017
Fuelfix reported on December 9, 2016 that Phillips 66 will cut its capital spending by 25 percent next year, spending $2.7 billion in capital spending in 2017 — not counting joint ventures — with nearly $1.5 billion going to pipeline and terminal projects, and more than $900 million toward refining improvements. “The reduction in capital spending from prior years reflects that fewer projects meet our return thresholds in the current business environment,” Phillips 66 Chairman and CEO Greg Garland said in a prepared statement, noting an ongoing emphasis on share buybacks and investor dividend growth. One of the big 2017 projects is completing the Bayou Bridge Pipeline from its Beaumont terminal to St. James, La. Only the Louisiana portion of construction remains. Phillips 66 also will spend another $1.1 billion next year on joint ventures like Chevron Phillips Chemical and DCP Midstream. Chevron Phillips next year will complete its U.S. Gulf Coast Petrochemicals Project near Houston to produce much more chemicals and plastics from Baytown and Sweeny.
Phillips 66 is also a 25 percent owner of Energy Transfer Partners’ Dakota Access project. According to the NY Times Energy Transfer Partners, the nation’s biggest pipeline operator, has lost $450 million dollars from delays in the completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline and its standoff with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe over a section running through tribal lands could mean an additional $80 million a month in losses. According to the Wall Street Journal U.S. District Judge James Boasberg has denied a request by Energy Transfer Partners LP to quickly force the federal government to approve the final link in its Dakota Access pipeline, but said he would take up the issue next year ordering lawyers for Energy Transfer Partners and the Justice Department to file motions by January 31, 2017.[402][403][404]
December 9, 2016: Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery Donates $125,000 to Playground Project
The Alton Daily News reported on December 9, 2016 that Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery has donated $125,000 toward Alton's Gordon Moore Park that will be a part of massive upgrades at the facility along Illinois Route 140.[405] “Phillips 66 is a company that believes in the importance of celebrating diversity and achieving inclusion within our community,” Phillips 66 spokesperson Megan Allen said. “This project is a perfect representation of the values we respect and abide by as a company. It was a natural connection for us to be involved in the development of this playground.”[406]
December 7, 2016: Court Orders Further Review of Phillips 66 Propane Project at Rodeo Refinery
The East Bay Times reported that Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Barry Goode has voided a land use permit and the certification of an environmental report for a propane project at the Phillips 66 petroleum refinery issuing an order voiding the land use permit and the Environmental Impact Statement's certification, pointing to shortcomings in the EIR’s analysis of emissions and air pollution. The Phillips 66 Propane Recovery Project calls for installing new equipment to recover and sell propane and butane instead of burning the fuel at the refinery or flaring off excesses. The refinery has said the project will reduce pollution while creating well-paying jobs and generating taxes. It would involve construction of new distillation columns and absorber towers, a hydrotreater, six propane storage vessels, a loading rack, two rail spurs, some additions and modifications to ancillary facilities, and perhaps a new steam boiler.
“Phillips 66 is pleased with the court’s conclusion that the county’s environmental analysis was performed correctly regarding almost every claim raised by the plaintiffs,” refinery spokesman Paul Adler said in an email this week. “With respect to the limited issues in the air impacts analysis that the Court found lacking, we are reviewing that portion of the Court’s decision.”[407]
December 7, 2016: First Dinner to be Served in Marland's Formal Dining Room at Marland Mansion in 75 Years
First Dinner Served in Marland's Formal Dining Room at Marland Mansion in 75 Years. A party of twelve guests will have dinner in the formal dining room courtesy of Hugh Pickens and Dr. S. J. Pickens, the signature sponsors of this year's Gala at the Mansion supporting the Marland Mansion Estate Foundation. Photo: Hugh Pickens
The Ponca City News reported on December 7, 2016 that something is happening in Ponca City that hasn't occurred for at least seventy-five years. On December 10 dinner will be served in E. W. Marland's private dining room at the Marland Mansion for the first time since 1941. A party of twelve guests will have dinner in the formal dining room courtesy of Hugh Pickens and Dr. S. J. Pickens, the signature sponsors of this year's Gala at the Mansion supporting the Marland Mansion Estate Foundation. The Marland Gala is a fundraiser for the Marland Estate Foundation whose mission is to restore and preserve the historic, architectural landmark and to educate people on the E.W. Marland story.
Dinner has not been served in the Marland's private dining room at the Mansion since Mr. Marland's passing in 1941. Although Marland lost his oil company to banking interests in 1929 and closed the mansion, he would reopen the mansion to parties and formal dinners during his tenure as Governor of Oklahoma from 1935 to 1939. "We are honored to have the opportunity to sponsor the Marland Gala this year," said Pickens, "and especially honored to be the first guests to have dinner in E. W. Marland's formal dining room in over 75 years."
The Pickens' invited guests include Ponca City Mayor Homer Nicholson, Barbara Rozell, Kay County District Attorney Brian Hermanson, Ruslyn Hermanson, Marland Estate Manager David Keathly, Marcia Keathly, Phillips 66 Community Affairs and Public Relations Head Diane Anderson, Deloris Pickens, and Joseph Gierek, owner of the Gierek Art Gallery in Tulsa and his wife Mary Gierek. "We want to express our sincere gratitude to the Pickens for being our major sponsor for the 2016 Gala," said Terron Liles, Chairman of the Marland Foundation, “and we want to thank them for their generosity toward the Marland Gala, The Marland Estate Foundation and the Marland Mansion as a whole."[408][409][410]
December 5, 2016: Trump Team Pledges Support for Completing Blocked Dakota Access Pipeline
The Wall Street Journal reported on December 5, 2016 that a spokesman for President-elect Donald Trump said the incoming administration supports completing the Dakota Access Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66. “With regard to the Dakota Access Pipeline, that’s something that we support construction of and we’ll review the full situation when we’re in the White House and make the appropriate determination at that time,” said Jason Miller, a spokesman for Mr. Trump. The statement by the Trump transition team, however, cast doubt on whether that decision would hold any sway after the new administration takes over in January. Pipeline experts said that Mr. Trump would have several options once he takes office to enable the $3.8 billion pipeline to proceed. That could include directing the Secretary of the Army to reinstate a previous permit for the reservoir crossing, or issuing an executive order approving the pipeline.[411]
However Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee and an early ally of Dakota Access opponents, praised Obama’s decision. He said this “big win for tribal rights, for environmental quality and for every American who has stood in solidarity with the water protectors” should survive after Obama leaves office. “It now falls to the Trump administration to follow the law, treat this entire process with the respect and seriousness it demands, and honor the sacrifices of the Americans who put themselves in harm’s way to demand justice at Standing Rock,” Grijalva said.[412]
December 5, 2016: Could Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Lose Its Contracts with Oil Companies on January 1?
Democracy Now reported on December 5, 2016 that according to Amy Goodman, a new report exposes "The Rickety Finances Behind the Dakota Access Pipeline," published by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis and the Sightline Institute that spotlights a potential economic weakness of the project: the January 1st deadline by which Energy Transfer Partners had promised oil companies it would have completed construction. Missing the January 1st deadline opens up the possibility the pipeline company may lose its contracts with oil companies.
"One of the fundamental findings of our report was that the oil market has changed dramatically since the pipeline was first proposed in early 2014," says Clark Williams-Derry. "Back then, oil prices were at $100 a barrel or more, and oil production in North Dakota was rising. It kept rising and rising. And all the forecasts said that oil prices were going to remain high and that oil production in North Dakota was going to remain robust. But almost as soon as the companies signed up its first set of shippers, the first commitments from oil companies to ship through the pipeline, you started to see oil markets collapse. You saw prices fall from $100 a barrel down to $50 a barrel. And as that happened, oil companies in North Dakota started to pull back. They stopped—they weren’t drilling as much. A lot of them were starting to lose money from some of their oil projects in the Bakken region in North Dakota. And so, what you started to see is a decline in production. You’ve already seen a 20 percent dip in production in the Bakken region since oil prices started to collapse. And it’s still collapsing. It’s still declining by a percent or two every month. And if those declines—that decline in production continues, well, it’s not clear that the pipeline’s capacity is going to be needed at all."
“Oil markets have changed radically since ETP first locked in its contracts,” Williams-Derry said. “Shippers have to be asking themselves if the contracts they signed in early 2014 still make sense. ETP boxed itself in with the January 1 deadline.”[413][414]
December 4, 2016: Corps of Engineers Blocks Drilling of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Oil Pipeline
The NY Times reported on December 3, 2016 that the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has won a major victory in its battle to block the Dakota Access Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, being built near its reservation when the Department of the Army announced that it would not allow the pipeline to be drilled under a dammed section of the Missouri River. The announcement set off whoops of joy inside the Oceti Sakowin camp. Tribal members paraded through the camp on horseback, jubilantly beating drums and gathering around a fire at the center of the camp. Tribal elders celebrated what they said was the validation of months of prayer and protest. “It’s wonderful,” Dave Archambault II, the Standing Rock tribal chairman, told cheering supporters who stood in the melting snow on a mild North Dakota afternoon. “You all did that. Your presence has brought the attention of the world.” The Standing Rock Sioux had objected to the pipeline’s path so close to the source of their drinking water, and said any spill could poison water supplies for them and other reservations and cities downstream. They also said the pipeline’s route through what are now privately owned ranches bordering the river crossed through sacred ancestral lands.
The Army said it would look for alternative routes for the $3.7 billion Dakota Access pipeline. “The best way to complete that work responsibly and expeditiously is to explore alternate routes for the pipeline crossing,” Jo-Ellen Darcy, the Army’s assistant secretary for civil works, said in a statement. The move could presage a lengthy environmental review that has the potential to block the pipeline’s construction for months or years.
Though the Army’s decision calls for an environmental study of alternative routes, the Trump administration could ultimately decide to allow the original, contested route. Representatives for Mr. Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to requests for comment. There was no immediate response from Energy Transfer Partners, but its chief executive, Kelcy Warren, has said that the company was unwilling to reroute the pipeline, which is intended to transport as much as 550,000 barrels of oil a day from the oil fields of western North Dakota to a terminal in Illinois.[415]
December 1, 2016: Phillips 66 presents check for $57,000 for Flint Hills Maps in Butler County, Kansas
The Butler County Times Gazette reported on December 1, 2016 that Phillip 66 presented a $57,000 check to all of the schools in Butler County, Kansas for the display of a new Flinthills map, showing students just where it is they live, and where the Tall Grass Prairie is located. “The idea is too many children who grow up in the Flint Hills, grow up believing they are from no where,” said Emily Connell, who is part of the program. The latest map was dedicated at Flinthills Primary School in Cassoday recently, at which time a major donor for the Butler County schools, Phillips 66, was recognized. The goal was to be in 150 schools in the Flint Hills and they are close to 170. When they get in the Oklahoma schools in the region they will be close to 180 schools. It is important to realize all of the Butler schools were funded through Phillips,” Connell said. “All of this is because of Phillips. It’s huge to have a corporation like Phillips step forward.”
The whole idea behind the map is place-based education. It includes not only a map of the Flint Hills but also the Tall Grass Prairie and information about the area on each of the maps, with different maps created for elementary, middle school and high school/college levels. This is the first time a map has shown the remaining native tall grass prairie. Ninety-six percent of it has been plowed and developed, making the tall grass prairie the most altered ecosystem there is.[416]
November 30, 2016: Ponca Refinery Begins Largest Turnaround Since 2011
Ponca Refinery Begins Largest Turnaround Since 2011. Ponca Refinery is beginning the largest turnaround since 2011 which at its peak will involve more than 1,000 contract laborers from approximately 35 different companies. Photo: Hugh Pickens
The Ponca City News reported on November 30, 2016 that the Ponca Refinery is beginning the largest turnaround since 2011 which at its peak will involve more than 1,000 contract laborers from approximately 35 different companies. The turnaround requires a large monetary investment from the company and there is a large outlay of dollars spent in the Ponca City community. Contract laborers will fill hotel and motel rooms, RV parks, and rental properties and will spend money throughout the community. The city of Ponca City will benefit from tax revenues that come from this project. “This investment is just another example of the company’s commitment to Ponca City and the area for the long term,” said Tim Seidel, manager of the Ponca City Refinery. “It shows our company’s support to the Ponca City Refinery. Our employees who call Ponca City home are committed to make our refinery the best in the industry.”[417]
A turnaround is a planned break in production so that maintenance may be performed. Most refineries go through a turnaround every three to five years. Each turnaround requires extensive planning and careful coordination of labor and materials. Most often, the shutdown happens when production is at its lowest and required skilled labor is readily available. Some turnarounds take a few weeks to complete. Others may need a few months. Turnarounds depend entirely on the extent of the project and any problems that occur or are found along the way. Most refineries go through an extensive inspection and testing process during a turnaround. If the inspection or testing identifies a problem, the time may be extended.[418]
November 30, 2016: Ponca Refinery Will Start Revamp of their Largest Crude Fractionation Unit in 2017
The Ponca City News reported on November 30, 2016 that the Ponca Refinery is in the early construction stages of revamp to its largest crude fractionation unit which will allow the refinery to convert a larger percentage of crude oil into motor fuel (specifically more diesel); replace older equipment with state of the art, energy efficient equipment; and will enable the refinery to run more local grades of Oklahoma crude. The project, which is in its early constructions stages now will start in 2017.[419]
November 30, 2016: Ponca Refinery Has Hired Fifty New Operators and Maintenance Personnel in Last Two Years
The Ponca City News reported that Ponca Refinery has hired close to 50 new operators and maintenance personnel in the last two years. “Over the past two years, Phillips 66 PCR has hired close to 50 new operators and maintenance personnel. We have a strong partnership with Northern Oklahoma College, which has the Process Technology (PTech) degree program that helps with having qualified operator candidates,” according to Tim Seidel, refinery manager. “Also Pioneer Tech, right here in Ponca City is a critical partner to provide educational and training programs for our mechanical craft workers for both employees and contractors. “New in 2016, the refinery started an instrumentation internship program, partnering with the Oklahoma State University-Information Technology’s (OSU-IT), four-year degree plan. In the same two year time period, we have hired nine engineers and scientists with the off-campus hires coming primarily from our core universities of OU, OSU and KSU.”[420]
The Ponca City News reported on October 14, 2012 that Refinery Manager Pete Stynes spoke to the Ponca City Lions Club on October 10, 2012 about Phillips 66's Refinery in Ponca City and said that 800 employees work at the refinery with the direct employment of 625 Phillips employees.[421]
November 30, 2016: Two Thousand Veterans to Protect Protesters of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
UPI reported on November 30, 2016 that the Veterans Stand For Standing Rock group says it plans to have up to 2,000 veterans help protect Dakota Access Pipeline protesters from what it describes as abusive and humiliating tactics committed by a "militarized police force." The group has called on veterans joining the protest to bring body armor, gas masks, earplugs and shooting mufflers, due to possible use of a sound cannon by police and asked veterans not to bring drugs, alcohol or weapons. "This event ... will not tolerate hate, violence or divisive behavior of any kind. We're doing this to support our country so let's do it with honor, working together," the group wrote on Facebook. "We can stop this savage injustice being committed right here at home. If not us, who? If not now, when?"
Police forces have been criticized for using tear gas and other non-lethal methods, such as rubber bullets and water cannons amid freezing temperatures, to disrupt the protests. "Are you going to treat us veterans who have served our country in the same way as you have those water protectors?" said Loreal Black Shawl, a Native American eight-year U.S. Army veteran. "We're not there to create chaos. We are there because we are tired of seeing the water protectors being treated as non-humans."
North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple this week signed an emergency evacuation order to clear Dakota Access Pipeline protesters from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers territory.[422] Phillips 66 owns a 25% stake in the $3.7B Dakota Access Pipeline that is being built by Energy Transfer Partners.
November 23, 2016: Phillips 66 Donates $25,000 To Help Cushing Recovery From Earthquake
The Ponca City News reported that Phillips 66 presented a $25,000 donation to the the American Red Cross to help to help people affected by the 5.0 earthquake in Cushing, Oklahoma on Nvember 6, 2016 as well as increase earthquake and disaster preparedness education throughout the Cushing area and Northwest Oklahoma. “It is Phillips 66’s pleasure to team up with an outstanding organization such as the Red Cross and be able to give back to the Cushing community,” said Rodger Lewis, manager, central pipeline division, Phillips 66. “Our employees who work in the community immediately recognized a need to help their fellow citizens affected by the recent earthquake. Supporting the communities where we operate aligns with our core values of safety, honor and commitment, and we hope our donation will help those in the Cushing community who are in need of assistance.”[423]
November 21, 2016: Police, Citing ‘Ongoing Riot,’ Use Water Cannons in Freezing Weather on Protesters Against Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
The Washington Post reported on November 21, 2016 that police used water cannons to disperse a group of about 400 protesters against the Dakota Access Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, as they tried to move past a barricaded bridge toward construction sites for the project. As temperatures in Cannon Ball, N.D., dropped into the 20s, police in riot gear sprayed activists with a hose mounted atop an armored vehicle and formed a line to prevent them from advancing up the road. Protesters also reported being pelted with rubber bullets, tear gas and concussion grenades during the standoff, which lasted until late Sunday night.
Protesters, who call themselves “water protectors,” have argued that the barricade prevents emergency services from reaching the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation and a nearby camp they have used as a staging ground for demonstrations. “Folks have a right to be on a public road,” said Dallas Goldtooth. “It’s absurd that people who’ve been trying to take down the barricade now have their lives at risk.” The sheriff’s department told the Tribune that the bridge has been closed since October because transportation officials were concerned about its structural integrity.[424]
November 21, 2016: Phillips 66 to Host Chamber of Commerce at Ponca Refinery
The Ponca City Chamber of Commerce reported on November 21, 2016 that Phillips 66 will be hosting an open house for chamber members on November 22, 2016 in E. W. Marland's board room and office at the Ponca Refinery.
November 16, 2016: Scores Arrested in Nationwide Protests Against Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
NBC News reported on November 16, 2016 that dozens of protesters against Dakota Access Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, were arrested in what organizers called a "National Day of Action" by self-proclaimed "water protectors" near Army Corps of Engineers offices from Los Angeles to New York City. The protests planned for more than 300 communities across the U.S. were an intended show of solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Indian tribe, which says its drinking water and way of life are threatened by the proposed pipeline. In Los Angeles, an estimated 1,500 protesters gathered peacefully in the financial district, while hundreds participated in a march at Daley plaza in Chicago. Sen. Bernie Sanders joined a crowd in front of the White House, and police in riot gear met protesters marching in Denver. In Mandan, North Dakota, about 40 miles from where the pipeline would cross on the border of the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation, 350 protesters blocked a railroad with a pickup truck and other debris. More than 25 were people were arrested, some on felony charges, according to the Morton County Sheriff Department.
Over 1,500 anti-Dakota Access Pipeline protesters marched in Lower Manhattan, many holding signs and placards decrying the pipeline, and others warning of a bleak future for their cause under a Trump administration. "It's important for us to show solidarity across the country for those of us who can't be there at Standing Rock," said Korina Emmerich, a Brooklyn resident and member of the Puyallup tribe. "It's so important to show that we are not stopping until they stop building the pipeline," said Emmerich, carrying a sign that read "Don't sign our Mother Earth over to pollution, war + greed."
The fate of the project lies with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. For weeks, the agency has been conducting a federal environmental review of the land in question. In its letter Monday, the Corps did not provide a timeline for its final decision.[425]
November 14, 2016: Phillips 66 Loads First Cargo From Billion Dollar Freeport LPG Terminal
Houston Business Journal reported on November 14, 2016 that the first cargo of propane and butane out of Phillips 66's new liquefied petroleum gas export terminal in Freeport, Texas, has been loaded and departed — ahead of the facility’s full-start in December. When it enters full operation in mid-December, the Freeport LPG terminal will have an export capacity of about 4.4 million barrels per month. The entire Gulf Coast region exported 20.34 million barrels of LPGs in August, according to the most recent data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Phillips 66 broke ground on the Freeport LPG terminal in August 2014, when it was expected to cost about $1 billion. The new LPG export terminal is at Phillips 66's existing marine terminal in Freeport, south of Houston. The company will get the fuel from its Sweeny complex in Old Ocean and its Gulf Coast Fractionators facility in Mont Belvieu.[426]
November 14, 2016: Garland Sells $6.4 Million in Phillips 66 Stock
Gurufocus reported on November 14, 2016 that Phillips 66 CEO Greg C. Garland sold 76,165 shares of Phillips on November 10, 2016 at an average price of $83.48 a share for a total sale of $6.4 million.[427]
November 12, 2016: What Will the Trump Presidency Mean for Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline?
NBC News reported on November 12, 2016 that according to Kelcy Warren, CEO of Energy Transfer Partners, the incoming Donald Trump administration will ensure the completion of the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota. "I'm 100 percent sure that the pipeline will be approved by a Trump administration," said Warren. "I believe we will have a government in place that believes in energy infrastructure." In June, Warren donated $100,000 to the Trump Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee for Trump's campaign, and a further $3,000 directly to the Trump campaign. For his part, Trump's campaign financial disclosure forms revealed the President-elect's investments totaling between $500,000 and $1 million in Energy Transfer Partners, suggesting a possible vested financial interest in the completion of the pipeline.
Warren, who has remained publicly silent on the pipeline for months as protests forced a halt in the pipeline's construction, labeled most of the protesters at Standing Rock as "violent mobs." He repeatedly praised the work of local law enforcement, despite reports of police brutality, unlawful arrests and mistreatment in jail. "It's unbelievable how they've conducted themselves," said Warren.
Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault II said that Warren's remarks reflected the mindset of a "Dallas-based billionaire" unconcerned with the well being of his tribe. "Energy Transfer Partners' assertion that there are no sacred sites affected is another example of how they ignore our voice and fail to listen to our serious concerns," Archambault said in the statement. "Once again, a Dallas-based billionaire and the state of North Dakota's archeologists continue to render our voice meaningless regarding our own understanding of our traditions, spirituality and culture."[428] Phillips 66 owns a 25% stake in the $3.7B Dakota Access Pipeline that is being built by Energy Transfer Partners.
November 5, 2016: Iowa Landowners Criticize Work on Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline: 'They Show No Respect'
Iowa Landowners Criticize Work on Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline: 'They Show No Respect.' Countless landowners across Iowa have petitioned county inspectors, supervisors and state regulators, claiming that questionable construction practices are worsening tensions between landowners and Dakota Access LLC, funded in part by Phillips 66. "It's evidence that even as the pipeline nears completion in Iowa, opposition to the pipeline and the way it has been built shows no signs of ebbing," writes Kim Hardy. "And some say the state has failed to do enough to protect landowners who now have pipeline running through their property. Dakota Access, however, maintains it has upheld its commitments to landowners. Photo: The DAPL (Dakota Access Pipeline) being installed between farms, as seen from 50th Avenue in New Salem, North Dakota. Tony Webster Flickr Creative Commons. Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The Des Moines Register reported on November 5, 2016 that countless landowners across Iowa have petitioned county inspectors, supervisors and state regulators, claiming that questionable construction practices are worsening tensions between landowners and Dakota Access LLC, funded in part by Phillips 66. "It's evidence that even as the pipeline nears completion in Iowa, opposition to the pipeline and the way it has been built shows no signs of ebbing," writes Kim Hardy. "And some say the state has failed to do enough to protect landowners who now have pipeline running through their property. Dakota Access, however, maintains it has upheld its commitments to landowners."
Cyndy Coppola said she and her nephew have found several 30-inch steel rings and other debris on their 80-acre family farm in Calhoun County. She was astonished to see that crews have no garbage bins on site to collect refuse as they go. "I guess our biggest complaint is they show no respect," said Coppola, 68, who lives in Des Moines and was arrested for trespassing while protesting construction on her land in October. Inspectors have assured Coppola that crews eventually will come back to clean up the site. But she's skeptical, even as she watches debris getting pushed underground by heavy construction equipment. She worries that buried debris will eventually end up wrecking a combine during harvest. "We don’t think they’re going to make any effort to unbury what's already been covered up," she said. "That's a joke, because they’ve just gotten by with it all along."
Dakota Access spokeswoman Vicki Granado said the company takes its construction commitments "very seriously." And she said no complaints concerning the 1,295 parcels under construction in Iowa have been determined to be founded by the Iowa Utilities Board or county supervisors. "It is our goal to maintain this record throughout the rest of construction," Granado said, "which is nearing completion in Iowa."[429] Phillips 66 owns a 25% stake in the $3.7B Dakota Access Pipeline that is being built by Energy Transfer Partners.
November 3, 2016: Chevron Phillips Chemical’s Ethane Cracker at Baytown Likely Will Cost Another $250 million to $500 million
Platts reported on November 3, 2016 that Chevron Phillips Chemical’s ethane cracker, a 50/50 JV of Phillips 66 and Chevron Corp., likely will cost another $250 million to $500 million because a months-long delay has pushed its target startup to the second half of 2017. Phillips 66 Chief Executive Greg Garland told analysts last week that the delay will probably raise the cost of the project in Baytown, Texas, by 5%-10% “just due to delays we are seeing in construction,” though two associated polyethylene plants 86 miles away in Sweeny, Texas, are expected to be mechanically complete in the second quarter and start up by mid-2017 as planned. About $5 billion of the combined $6 billion project is related to the cracker. Phillips 66 President Tim Taylor said the main push behind the delay is construction amid a tight craft labor squeeze.[430]
November 3, 2016: Fluor takes $154 million Hit on Delayed Chevron Phillips Petrochemical Expansion in Baytown
Fuelfix reported on November 3, 2016 that Fluor, which is building Chevron Phillips’ “U.S. Gulf Coast Petrochemicals Project” in a joint venture with Japan-based JGC, said it recorded a $154 million impairment charge for the project in the third quarter. “We are very disappointed in the construction progress on a fixed-price Gulf Coast project that led to a significant charge this quarter,” said David Seaton, Fluor chairman and CEO. Seaton confirmed Fluor will take a net loss on the entirety of the project. He cited weather delays, which were caused by Houston-area flooding in the spring, as well as problems with “piping performance” during the construction process. There was also one fatality in May when a Fluor contractor died after an on-site accident. Last month, Chevron Phillips acknowledged some minor delays caused by weather and additional retraining needed for some craft workers.[431]
November 2, 2016: Obama Says Army Corps is Weighing Whether to ‘Reroute’ Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
The Washington Post reported on November 2, 2016 that President Obama said Tuesday that his administration was considering ways to “reroute” the Dakota Access Pipeline after a week of violent clashes between authorities and activists protesting the controversial project. “We’re monitoring this closely,” Obama said. “My view is that there is a way for us to accommodate sacred lands of Native Americans. And I think that right now the Army Corps is examining whether there are ways to reroute this pipeline. We’re going to let it play out for several more weeks and determine whether or not this can be resolved in a way that I think is properly attentive to the traditions of First Americans." Even as Obama raised the possibility of rerouting the pipeline, he seemed to suggest that it would go forward.
But many climate activists have called on Obama to halt the project altogether, the way he blocked construction of the Keystone XL pipeline last year between Canada and the U.S. Gulf Coast. Jamie Henn, a spokesman for the environmental group 350.org, said in an email Wednesday that it would be hypocritical for Obama to allow the pipeline to be completed. “There’s no reroute that doesn’t involve the same risks to water and climate,” Henn said. “The president must submit Dakota Access to the same climate test as Keystone XL, a test it will surely fail.”[432]
October 31, 2016: Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery Pays Civil Penalty to Settle Wastewater Pollution Case
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on October 31, 2016 that Phillips 66, ConocoPhillips and WRB Refining — the past and present operators of the Wood River Refinery have agreed to pay a civil penalty of $125,000 and install new wastewater control systems at the refinery after alleged releases of wastewater contaminants that exceeded the facility’s permitted levels. Pollutants that exceeded allowable levels for the facility included mercury, fecal coliform, ammonia and other byproducts. Courts records show the exceedances were documented in monthly reports submitted by the refinery to the Illinois EPA from 2011 to 2016. Phillips 66 issued a statement saying the settlement “acknowledges the improvements the refinery has already made to improve the refinery’s wastewater treatment performance, as well as outlines additional investments the refinery is committed to implement.”[433]
October 28, 2016: Garland Expects Permit "in Relatively Short Order" to Complete Dakota Access Pipeline
Phillips 66 CEO Greg Garland Expects Permit "in Relatively Short Order" to Complete Dakota Access Pipeline. Greg Garland expects a permit will be granted to build a controversial oil pipeline under the Missouri River near Native American land in North Dakota. "There's not that much left to be finished once we get the easement to go underneath the Missouri River," Garland told analysts on a conference call. "So I think that can be wrapped up in relatively short order." Photo: #NoDAPL-Solidarity from Oakland, CA Peg Hunter Flickr Creative Commons. Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Yahoo reported on October 28, 2016 that Greg Garland expects a permit will be granted to build a controversial oil pipeline under the Missouri River near Native American land in North Dakota. "There's not that much left to be finished once we get the easement to go underneath the Missouri River," Garland told analysts on a conference call. "So I think that can be wrapped up in relatively short order." The U.S. Justice and Interior Departments along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers halted construction under the Missouri in September due to protests by Native American tribes who say the pipeline would disturb sacred land and pollute waterways supplying nearby homes. Construction is continuing on sections of the pipeline away from the Missouri River, Garland said. Phillips owns 25 percent of the project.[434]
October 28, 2016: Phillips 66 Quarterly Profit Plunges Prompting Cuts in 2016 Capital Expenditures
Reuters reported on October 28, 2016 that Phillips 66 reported a sharp fall in quarterly profit due to lower refining margins, and cut its full-year capital expenditure forecast to about $3 billion. The company's consolidated earnings fell to $511 million, or 96 cents per share, in the third quarter, from $1.58 billion, or $2.90 per share, a year earlier.Adjusted earnings fell to $1.05 per share from $3.02 per share.[435]
Still, Phillips 66 keeps profiting, while many oil and gas producers and services companies continue to report quarterly losses. “This year we are delivering record operational excellence results, managing costs, executing our major projects and maintaining disciplined capital allocation,” Phillips 66 Chairman and Chief Executive Greg Garland said in a prepared statement. Garland said its capital spending for the full year is decreased down to $3 billion from an initial budget of $3.9 billion. The 2017 capital budget is projected to come in below $3 billion.[436]
Refining's third-quarter earnings were $177 million, compared with $149 million in the second quarter of 2016. Refining's earnings in the third quarter of 2016 included a benefit of $43 million related to a legal award. Refining's second-quarter earnings included a net charge of $3 million related to a logistics commitment that was partially offset by a favorable U.K. tax settlement. Refining's adjusted earnings were $134 million in the third quarter, compared with $152 million in the second quarter of 2016. The decrease in adjusted earnings was largely driven by higher planned turnaround expenses, partially offset by lower routine maintenance costs. Realized margins were $7.23 per barrel, in line with the prior quarter's $7.13 per barrel. Phillips 66’s worldwide crude utilization rate was 97 percent and its clean product yield was 84 percent in the third quarter. Pretax turnaround costs for the third quarter were $117 million.[437]
October 26, 2016: Analyst Says Phillips May Bid on ExxonMobile Refinery in Billings
Toronto Metro reported on October 26, 2016 that Calgary oilsands analyst Michael Dunn of GMP FirstEnergy said Cenovus may be working with American refining partner Phillips 66 to bid on a Billings, Montana, refinery owned by Imperial's parent company, U.S.-based ExxonMobil.[438] The ExxonMobile refinery is one of the highest quality plants in the Rocky Mountains, with a fluidized coking unit for refining heavy oil. The plant primarily processes crude either imported from Canada or transported from nearby Wyoming. Industry sources quoted by Reuters said that major refiners, including Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil, are seeking to unload their smaller refineries that aren’t associated with petrochemical manufacturing, which can be more profitable. The Billings ExxonMobil refinery is the company’s smallest and it isn't associated with petrochemical manufacturing. Rumors that ExxonMobil is interested in selling its Billings refinery have surfaced in industry publications in past years, but so far have proven unfounded. Reuters speculated that the 60,000-barrel-per day plant would be worth between $500 million and $700 million.[439]
Greg Garland says that Phillips is not in a hunt for anyone that are for sale today. "So I think historical answer is still a good answer for us," said Garland. "Yes having said that if we could find the right assets for the right value certainly we would look at it, but none of the ones that are on the market today we are not in a hunt for those."[440]
October 22, 2016: Eighty-three Arrested at Protest Against Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
UPI reported on October 22, 2016 that police in North Dakota arrested 83 protesters after violent clashes at the construction site of the Dakota Access pipeline. The protest happened in rural Mandan, N.D., where workers are installing the 1,172-mile oil pipeline that will run from the oil fields in North Dakota south as far as Illinois. A group of protesters walked some three miles off the nearest road with a large all-terrain vehicle, slashed its tires and fastened themselves to the machine, according to the Bismarck Tribune. One individual chained herself to the steering wheel. Another man put his arm through a hole in the vehicle's door, than put his hand in a bucket of dried cement.
When police arrived on scene, a group of 300 or so protesters, Native Americans who view the construction as a violation of their sovereignty along with environmentalists, refused to leave. Police formed a line near the protesters and some tried to breach the line; officers responded with the use of pepper spray. Two officers were injured, though not seriously, in the confrontation. Police said they used the least amount of force possible to remove the protesters from private property. "We want to use the most nonlethal method possible," Morton County Sheriff's Department Rob Keller told the Bismarck Tribune. It took police about five hours to clear the scene of protesters so work in the area could resume. WDAZ-TV reported protesters were mostly charge with a combination of assault on a peace officer, reckless endangerment, criminal trespass, engaging in a riot, resisting arrest and fleeing an officer on foot.[441]
Phillips 66 owns a 25% stake in the $3.7B pipeline that is being built by Energy Transfer Partners.
October 21, 2016: Phillips 66 Disputes Coast Guard Finding They’re Responsible for Oil Spill at Rodeo Refinery Marine Terminal
Coast Guard says Phillips 66 is Responsible for Oil Sheens on San Pablo Bay from Rodeo Refinery Oil Terminal. The spill left two sheens on the bay, including one just over a mile long by 40 yards wide on the water in the northern San Pablo Bay area, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, the lead agency investigating the incident. A second sheen was later identified during a Coast Guard overflight near the Phillips 66 Rodeo refinery marine terminal. Photo: Michael Macor, The San Francisco Chronicle
KQED reported on October 21, 2016 that Phillips 66 is rejecting a finding by the Coast Guard that a marine terminal at its Rodeo facility played a role in an oil spill in San Pablo Bay last month. After the oil sheen was discovered, the refinery told the operators of the Yamuna Spirit to stop transfer operations, according to company spokesman Paul Adler. “Phillips 66 subsequently tested the refinery’s dock transfer piping,” Adler said. “The tests were observed by several federal, state and local government agencies and there was no evidence of leakage from Phillips 66 piping and connections.” Phillips 66 shut down its marine terminal at the beginning of the investigation. A week later, it reopened the facility and allowed the Yamuna Spirit to depart.
Local environmentalists say there should have been better oil transfer procedures in place at the refinery. “Whether or not the oil spill that took place during oil transfer operations at Phillips 66 was the fault of refinery staff or the shipping company hired to transport its oil is irrelevant,” said Ian Wren, a staff scientist at Baykeeper, an organization that works to stop pollution in San Francisco Bay. “Phillips 66 should be expected to take full responsibility for this spill and any others that take place under its authority."[442]
October 20, 2016: US Coast Guard Says Phillips 66 Responsible for Oil Sheens on San Pablo Bay from Rodeo Refinery Oil Terminal
October 20, 2016: Phillips 66 Replaces Crude Distillation Tower at Ferndale Refinery
Phillips 66 Replaces Crude Distillation Tower at Ferndale Refinery. The crude distillation tower moves along Mountain View Road earlier this month. The new 16-story tower is expected to be operating sometime in 2017. Photo: Courtesy of Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery
The Bellingham Herald reported on October 20, 2016 that Phillips 66 replacing a crude distillation tower that was installed at the Ferndale Refinery in late 1954. The 16-story tower was recently delivered to the refinery and should be in operation sometime in 2017. The tower takes heated crude oil and creates different components as it is recaptured at different temperatures. Those components include butane, gasoline, kerosene and diesel. Up to 120 contract workers will be on the project during installation and it will take about 70,000 contractor hours to complete.[445]
Learn more about the Ferndale Refinery
October 20, 2016: Phillips 66 Appeals Santa Maria Rail Project to San Luis Obispo County Supervisors
The San Luis Obispo Tribune reported on October 20, 2016 that Phillips 66. has appealed San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission’s rejection of its oil-by-rail plan to the county Board of Supervisors, setting the stage for lengthy and passionate hearings over a project that has drawn statewide attention. Phillips 66, in its appeal filed Wednesday afternoon, also is asking county supervisors to set aside the issue while it seeks an order from San Luis Obispo Superior Court that would direct the county planning department to correct what Phillips 66 says are misapplications of county land-use rules. The petition, filed Wednesday in Superior Court, also asks the court to direct the Planning Commission to set aside its findings for denial and reconsider Phillips 66’s application. A case management conference is set for Dec. 5. The Planning Commission voted 3-2 on Oct. 5 to reject the project, with Commissioners Don Campbell and Jim Harrison dissenting. Commissioner Jim Irving joined Commissioners Eric Meyer and Ken Topping on Wednesday to deny the plan.
In the meantime, environmental groups are gearing up for another fight. One such group, 350 Silicon Valley, is part of a statewide coalition of climate organizations focused on stopping the Phillips 66 project and plans to give county supervisors numerous reasons to reject the proposal, said Stew Plock, development manager for the group.[446]
Learn more about the Santa Maria Refinery
October 18, 2016: Equipment Fire Called Arson on Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
UPI reported on October 18, 2016 that authorities said arson is the likely cause of an Iowa fire that caused about $2 million in damage to construction equipment on Dakota Access oil pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66. A preliminary investigation that included the FBI and the Iowa Fire Marshal found that the fires were intentionally set. It was at the same location that equipment was damaged in an Aug. 1 fire, which police suspect was started by vandals. Dakota Access LLC, the company constructing the controversial, 1,172-mile pipeline across four states, offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in Saturday's incident.
A protest against the pipeline in North Dakota turned violent last month, and several of the approximately 800 demonstrators said they were attacked with mace or bitten by guard dogs. The rally was organized after it was noted the pipeline traverses Native American graves and sacred sites.[447]
October 17, 2016: Phillips 66 Donates $600,000 to Ponca City Public Schools for Spatial Temporal Math
Phillips 66 Donates $600,000 to Ponca City Public Schools for Spatial Temporal Math. Phillips 66 Chief Executive Officer, Greg Garland told attendees at a forum sponsored by the Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce on August 13, 2015 that Phillip 66's commitment to Bartlesville remains strong. After the forum Garland discussed Phillips 66 and Ponca City with Ponca City resident Hugh Pickens. Pickens asked Garland what it would take for Ponca City to qualify for a grant from Phillips 66 to promote science in the Ponca City School System, like the grant of $1.7 million that Phillips 66 gave to Bartlesville Public Schools in 2014 to create new innovative laboratories on three school campuses in Bartlesville to support science, technology, engineering and math. Garland responded that he would look into the matter. Photo: Dr. S. J. Pickens
Ponca Post reported on October 17, 2016 that the Ponca City Public School district received a grant in excess of $600,000 from Phillips 66 to purchase ST (Spatial Temporal) Math licenses for all students in prekindergarten through 7th grade. ST Math is a game-based software designed to help students and enhance student comprehension and proficiency through visual learning. Students are able to learn at their own pace and to incorporate problem solving into their math lessons. ST Math utilizes a game concept that is interactive and has graphic animations that according to Mind Research, “visually represents mathematical concepts to improve conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills.”
The grant also included 3D printers for schools, iPads for the pre-K center, professional development for employees, and other supporting hardware totaling over $185,000. “Ponca City is the only school district in Oklahoma fortunate enough to have ST Math,” said Dr. Pennington. “We appreciate Phillips 66 bringing the program to us and committing more than $450,000 towards the program and supporting technology. Additionally, Phillips 66 has agreed to help pay the license renewal fee for the next three years if needed. Our teachers and students will have access to a tool that we know will increase students’ math skills and make learning fun.”
Tim Seidel, Diane Anderson (PCR Community Relations), Dr. Pennington, and Barbara Cusick (Ponca City Schools Director of Curriculum) and Teri Vogele, Associate Director of Curriculum visited students at Lincoln Elementary and West Middle to view first-hand how the program was being received and how it is helping students be more engaged and teachers to be able to teach math at several different levels. “We are excited to bring our Ponca City teachers this new tool and program to teach our students math,” said Tim Seidel. “I believe that through the application of ST MATH, we will identify opportunities and provide immediate benefits that will help students on an individual basis. Moreover, it will give teachers and students more flexibility and allow students to advance their math skills at an accelerated rate. Through this program, we hope to instill a love of math and create tomorrow’s problem solvers.”[448]
October 16, 2016: Ponca Tribe Members Protest at Phillips 66 Ponca Refinery
Over 200 Indigenous Nations have descended upon Canon Ball, ND to take a stand against Phillips 66 funded Dakota Access Pipeline. Senators Bernie Sanders, Patrick Leahy, Dianne Feinstein, Ben Cardin, and Ed Markey sent a letter to President Barack Obama asking him to direct the US Army Corps of Engineers to require a full environmental impact statement for the Lake Oahe crossing of the Dakota Access Pipeline, funded im part by Phillips 66. The senators added that "the project's current permits should be suspended and all construction stopped until a complete environmental and cultural review has been completed for the entire project." Over 200 Indigenous Nations have descended upon Canon Ball, ND to take a stand against the Dakota Access Pipeline. "You can't drink oil and you can't eat money!" Photo: Peg Hunter Joe Brusky Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Frank Phillips Respected Native Americans' Rights and Traditions. Phillips 66 founder Frank Phillips was well known for the respect he showed towards Native Americans, a respect that was fully reciprocated. On March 28, 1931, Frank Phillips was adopted into the Osage Tribe in a ceremony held at Woolaroc. Following the ceremony, Frank - Eagle Chief - was dressed by the Osage Chiefs in an official costume and was presented with a split buffalo hide by Zack Miller of the 101 Ranch. The adoption resolution was etched in English and Osage on the hide. It marked the first time the Osage had ever adopted a white person into their tribe.
The Osage Nation Supports the Standing Rock Sioux. The Osage Nation is providing emergency supplies to the protesters at Standing Rock and has issued a proclamation supporting Standing Rock opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline. Phillips 66 owns a 25% stake in the $3.7B pipeline that is being built by Energy Transfer Partners. Photo: Woolaroc
Protests Turn Violent at Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline. Protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, owned in part by Phillips 66, turned violent as demonstrators supporting the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe faced off with private security officers from Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners and security officers threatened protesters with dogs. Tim Mentz Sr., who helped start the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Tribal Historic Preservation Office, said bulldozers had likely dug through burial grounds with little regard and without allowing members of the tribe a chance to look for human remains. Photo: Democracy Now
The Ponca City News reported in a front page story that dozens of members of the Ponca Tribe protested at Phillips 66's Ponca Refinery carrying signs decrying the pollution of water and air, a multitude of earthquakes and other negative results attributed to fracking. Tribal members also protested against oil pipelines across waterways, sacred lands and other tribal lands like the Phillips 66 funded Dakota Access Pipeline. Phillips 66 owns a 25% stake in the $3.7B pipeline that is being built by Energy Transfer Partners that has been the subject of months of protests by hundreds of members of the Standing Rock Sioux and supported by over 200 Indigenous Nations.[449]
See also Osage Nation Sends Support to Standing Rock Sioux Protesting Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline September 2, 2016
October 13, 2016: United States Senators Call for a Halt to Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
Senators Bernie Sanders, Patrick Leahy, Dianne Feinstein, Ben Cardin, and Ed Markey sent a letter to President Barack Obama this week asking him to direct the US Army Corps of Engineers to require a full environmental impact statement for the Lake Oahe crossing of the Dakota Access Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66. The senators added that "the project's current permits should be suspended and all construction stopped until a complete environmental and cultural review has been completed for the entire project."
Protests over the 1,172-mile pipeline erupted again this week after Energy Transfer Partners, the company behind the project, resumed construction Monday morning. The pipeline, which would run from North Dakota to Illinois and cost $3.78 billion, has drawn criticism over its potential impact on the environment and the damage it could inflict to sacred grounds and water sources of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. In late July, the tribe filed a lawsuit against the US Army Corps of Engineers, alleging that the agency failed to properly consult the tribes before approving the pipeline. On Sunday, a federal appeals court denied the tribe's request to halt construction on the pipeline. The Obama administration repeated its request for Energy Transfer Partners to voluntarily suspend construction, but the company has disregarded that request.[450]
“In light of the decision of the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to reject the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's request for a temporary halt to construction, the project’s current permits should be suspended and all construction stopped until a complete environmental and cultural review has been completed for the entire project,” the senators wrote. “If there is one profound lesson that indigenous people have taught us, it is that all of us as human beings are part of nature. We will not survive if we continue to destroy nature.”[451]
October 13, 2016: Phillips 66 Donates $250,000 to Bartlesville Girls and Boys Club
The Bartlesville Examiner Enterprise reported on October 13, 2016 that Phillips 66 is making a $250,000 donation to the Bartlesville Girls and Boys Club to help build the new C.J. “Pete” Silas Boys & Girls Club, which will replace the aging structure. The club plans to begin construction this fall with hopes of startings operations in the 2017-2018 school year. The state of the art facility will include a dedicated teen center, learning centers, gymnasium, technology and STEM lab, arts and music spaces, outdoor sporting courts, and an expanded kitchen to better accommodate the nutrition program. The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation will partner with the Club construct the playing field. “It's giving back to the community, and the Boys and Girls Club is one of the great institutions and organizations (in Bartlesville),” said Phillips 66 CEO Greg Garland. “When you think back to Pete Silas, the former chairman of Phillips Petroleum, he was a great guy that was loved in the industry and a great leader for the company during some difficult times. No one ever questioned his ethics or integrity, and he's known for that.”[452]
October 12, 2016: Phillips 66 Makes Multi-Million Dollar Investment in Bartlesville Research Center
Bartlesville Radio reported on October 12, 2016 that Phillips 66 joined Public Service Company and Dallas-based contractor, Brandt Companies as they broke ground on a new electrical substation at the Research Center. The substation is a multi-year, multi-million dollar investment in the Phillips Research Center.[453] According to Phillips 66 Vice President of Technology Merl Lindstrom, the new substation is part of a Infrastructure Upgrade Program following a study of the Phillips 66 Research Center to increase viability for continued use and growth long into the future. Phillips 66 Chairman/CEO Greg Garland said the new substation and infrastructure upgrades at the Research Center indicates the company’s continued presence in Bartlesville, from today through the future.[454]
October 10, 2016: Chevron Phillips' $6 Billion Houston Expansion at Baytown Nears Completion
The Houston Chronicle reported on October 10, 2016 that Chevron Phillips Chemical, a joint venture between Chevron and Phillips 66, is nearing completion of their $6 billion expansion at Baytown. The project involves a massive ethane cracker - on a plot the size of 44 football fields - that will separate a component of natural gas called ethane, which will provide the feedstock for some 1.5 million metric tons a year of ethylene, a common building block of plastics. The project adds to a petrochemical boom primarily along the Gulf Coast, where chemical and plastic makers can take advantage of cheap and ample natural gas, the feedstock for their products. The growing demand for plastics is mostly coming from Asia, primarily China, but also India and Indonesia, where rising incomes are fueling appetites for consumer goods, said Ron Corn, a Chevron Phillips senior vice president. Chevron Phillips also built what is called a low-profile flare to release fewer emissions more discreetly - as opposed to the typical tall flare that looks a ball of fire in the sky."[455]
October 5, 2016: San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission Votes to Deny Phillips 66 Santa Maria Rail Spur Project
KCBX reported on October 5, 2016 that the proposal by Phillips 66 to increase the number of trains bringing crude oil to its Santa Maria refinery will not move forward with a recommendation by the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission with three out of five Commissioners voting to deny the request to build a rail spur at the facility. Mesa Refinery Watch Group Spokesperson Laurance Shinderman said that the issue is now likely headed to the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors, but believes the recent vote helps set a tone for future debate. "When you have the planning staff saying no to it, and now the planning commissioners saying not to it...the sentiment seems to be leaning our way," said Shinderman.
Phillips 66 Spokesperson Dennis Nuss sent a statement to KCBX via email: "We presented a strong proposal, and will review the concerns raised today and consider our options, including the right to appeal."[456]
September 28, 2016: Archie Dunham Says that He Disagrees with Splitting Off Phillips 66 from ConocoPhillips
September 28, 2016: Health Official Says Phillips 66 Rodeo Refinery Needs to Notify Local Agencies Faster Next Time it Learns of an Oil Spill Near its Facility
KQED News reported on September 28, 2016 that a top Bay Area health official said Phillips 66's Rodeo Refinery needs to notify local agencies faster next time it learns of an oil spill near its facility. Randy Sawyer, Contra Costa County’s chief environmental health and hazardous materials officer, said Phillips 66 took 10 hours to tell his agency about the spill, a delay that could have impacted the investigation. “Hours later the sheen was gone and there was no evidence of it at that location,” Sawyer said. “So we lost some valuable time in trying to determine where the oil came from.” Phillips 66 has not responded to requests for comment on its delay in contacting the county.
The refinery told the California State Warning Center shortly before 9 a.m., according to Shawn Boyd, a spokesman for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. The company told Contra Costa’s hazardous materials program at 11 a.m., Sawyer said. The lack of answers frustrates at least one Vallejo city official. Councilwoman Katy Miessner said the possibility that an oil spill may have sickened some of the city’s residents is cause for concern. “I think this is something we’re going to have to address,” Miessner said. “Personally, I had no idea that we were vulnerable to the refineries across the bay.”[458]
The Times Herald reported on September 27, 2016 that the City of Vallejo has released an official statement about the pungent and mysterious odor that hung heavy in Vallejo last week. Residents reported an “unknown odor” primarily centered in South Vallejo that smelled of gasoline or natural gas. After dozens of patients began arriving at local hospitals in connection with breathing problems after inhaling the odor, the city issued a shelter-in-place order and advised residents to avoid being outside if possible. After the smell was noticed, a one-mile-by-40-foot sheen in the waterways was discovered near the the Phillips 66 Rodeo Refinery Marine Terminal. The odor in Vallejo gradually dissipated throughout the night. Though the shelter-in-place warning in Vallejo was lifted at 6 a.m. Wednesday, some residents took to social media to report still being able to detect something in the air. As the second day progressed, an additional sheen was eventually detected in the surrounding waters and city officials were informed about a leak that was found across the waterway at the Phillips 66 refinery.
“To date, no entity has shared any information with city officials about a possible cause of the unknown odor,” according to the city’s statement. One Vallejo resident, Liz Harkness, is not satisfied with the city’s answers about the incident and has started a petition to the “decision makers” of Vallejo and Phillips 66 Refinery in Rodeo to release more definitive answers. “Is the air truly safe?” Harkness wrote in the petition. “People are still feeling ill today! Just what is the sheen made of? Is it effecting wildlife, the bay and rivers? How much is moving upstream with the tides? Are the wetlands in danger? Especially those along Highway 37 that were just restored. Too many questions. No answers in this age of science? I feel we’re being left out. They know more than they let on, and a lot of us in the city know it.”[459]
September 23, 2016: Future Operator of Phillips Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Tops U.S. Crude Spill Charts
Operator of Phillips Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Tops U.S. Crude Spill Charts. Sunoco Logistics, the future operator of Dakota Access Pipeline, partially owned by Phillips 66 and delayed this month after Native American protests in North Dakota, spills crude more often than any of its competitors with more than 200 leaks since 2010, according to a Reuters analysis of government data. Reuters analyzed data that companies are obliged to disclose to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) when they suffer spills and found that Sunoco leaked crude from onshore pipelines at least 203 times over the last six years. Photo: Koch pipeline spill Little Falls MPCA Photos Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Reuters reported on September 23, 2016 that Sunoco Logistics, the future operator of Dakota Access Pipeline, partially owned by Phillips 66 and delayed this month after Native American protests in North Dakota, spills crude more often than any of its competitors with more than 200 leaks since 2010, according to a Reuters analysis of government data. Reuters analyzed data that companies are obliged to disclose to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) when they suffer spills and found that Sunoco leaked crude from onshore pipelines at least 203 times over the last six years. PHMSA data became more detailed in 2010. In its examination, Reuters tallied leaks in the past six years along dedicated onshore crude oil lines and excluded systems that carry natural gas and refined products. The Sunoco data include two of its pipeline units, the West Texas Gulf and Mid-Valley Pipeline. That made it the operator with the highest number of crude leak incidents, ahead of at least 190 recorded by Enterprise Products Partners and 167 by Plains All American Pipeline, according to the spill data reported to PHMSA, which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Sunoco's spill rate shows protestors may have reason to be concerned about potential leaks. The main option that was considered for routing the line away from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation was previously discarded because it would involve crossing more water-sensitive areas north of the capital Bismarck, according to the project's environmental assessment.
The company has made previous efforts to improve safety, a former Sunoco employee who declined to be identified said. It overhauled safety culture after a spill in 2000, and did so again another in 2005 that dumped some 6,000 barrels of crude into the Kentucky River from its Mid-Valley Pipeline. Sunoco acknowledged the data and told Reuters it had taken measures to reduce its spill rate. "Since the current leadership team took over in 2012, Sunoco Pipeline has enhanced and improved our integrity management program," Sunoco spokesman Jeffrey Shields told Reuters by email. This significantly cut the amount of barrels lost during incidents, he said.[460]
September 21, 2016: Officials Investigate Whether Phillips 66's Rodeo Refinery Is Tied to San Pablo Bay Oil Spill
KQED reported on September 21, 2016 that the U.S. Coast Guard and state officials are investigating an oil spill in San Pablo Bay that may have produced an odor that sickened dozens of Vallejo residents Tuesday night. It’s possible the Phillips 66 Refinery in Rodeo could be connected to the incident. Vallejo city officials issued a shelter-in-place order after hundreds of residents complained of a gas-like odor, which sent dozens to the hospital. “We had over 800 calls to our dispatch center of complaints of the smell, questions about what the smell is,” Vallejo Fire Department spokesman Kevin Brown said. “Several dozen of them were medical complaints, so we took several dozen patients into local hospitals.” The U.S. Coast Guard, the California Office of Spill Prevention and Response and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District are investigating.
KQED Science Editor Craig Miller, who lives in Vallejo, described the odor as it first began wafting through the area. “The air up here first starting turning acrid around 7:00 or 7:30 last evening and gradually became more intense. I would describe the smell as some kind of heavy petroleum distill,” Miller said. “It’s similar to the smell you would get driving by an oil tank farm except much, much more intense to the point where the city finally issued a shelter in place alert around 8:30.”
A light oily sheen was discovered shortly after 8 a.m. today at the Phillips 66 Refinery Marine Terminal in Rodeo, company spokesman Paul Adler wrote in an email to KQED. "At the time, a tanker was berthed at the marine terminal," wrote Adler. "Our internal response team immediately responded to the incident and we notified the National Response Center (NRC) and the United States Coast Guard. Operations at the marine terminal have been temporarily shut down and we are working closely with the Coast Guard and other agencies regarding the response." The email indicates the exact amount of oil released is not known, and the cause of the incident is under investigation."[461]
Officials Investigate Whether Phillips 66's Rodeo Refinery Tied to San Pablo Bay Oil Spill. Tthe U.S. Coast Guard and state officials are investigating an oil spill in San Pablo Bay that may have produced an odor that sickened dozens of Vallejo residents and it's possible the Phillips 66 Refinery in Rodeo could be connected to the incident. Crews deploy a boom near a pier in San Pablo Bay at the Phillips 66 refinery in Rodeo, Calif., on September 21, 2016. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle
According to the Napa Valley Register a Coast Guard helicopter crew from Air Station San Francisco Wednesday morning discovered a sheen just over a mile long and 40 yards wide in northern San Pablo Bay, and the Coast Guard and California Office of Spill Prevention and Response's pollution investigators aboard a small boat took samples to determine the source. A second sheen was identified Wednesday afternoon during a Coast Guard flight near the Phillips 66 Refinery's Marine Terminal in Rodeo, according to the Coast Guard. Several vessels and skimmers conducted containment and cleanup operations, and 1,000 feet of boom was placed in the water surrounding the refinery, Coast Guard officials said. No oiled wildlife had been observed as of this afternoon, and Coast Guard pollution investigators have not determined the source of either sheen. The Phillips 66 energy company confirmed a light oily sheen was discovered at the Marine Terminal in Rodeo this morning. Neither Phillips 66 officials nor the Coast Guard said the oil sheens are suspected of causing a mysterious odor that sickened many Vallejo residents Tuesday night.[462]
Phillips 66 officials released a statement saying: "At 8:00 a.m., a light oily sheen was discovered at the Phillips 66 Rodeo Refinery Marine Terminal. At the time, a tanker was berthed at the marine terminal. Our internal response team immediately responded to the incident and we notified the National Response Center (NRC) and the United States Coast Guard. Operations at the marine terminal have been temporarily shut down and we are working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies regarding the response. The exact volume of material released is still being determined, and the cause of the incident is under investigation. At this time, there have been no injuries associated with the release and there is no anticipated health impact to the community. The safety of the community, the environment and our people are of utmost importance to our company and these priorities will guide our efforts as we work with the agencies on the response."
Officials said the sheen and smell were reported at the same time. "They do seem to be tied, in fact they happened at the same time. Again with the sheen being a mile long and 40 yards wide, it seems like it's more than just a coincidence that they occurred at the same time," Vallejo Fire Department spokesperson Kevin Brown said. Fire officials don't think the source of the smell is in Vallejo. Their gas detectors didn't pick up the trace of gas in the air and nothing was reported from the refineries. "We're continuing to check in with them, but so far they've reported there's been no burn offs and that there is nothing coming from them," Brown said.[463]
September 19, 2016: Federal Regulators Investigate Phillips Funded Sacagawea Pipeline
Infoforum reported on September 19, 2016 that federal pipeline regulators will be in North Dakota investigating claims from former crew members on the Sacagawea Pipeline that the coating of the pipe was not properly inspected before it was installed under Lake Sakakawea. The North Dakota Public Service Commission also has jurisdiction over the oil pipeline, but the safety allegations fall under the federal agency's area of authority, said PSC Chairwoman Julie Fedorchak. So far, the federal regulators have not notified state regulators that the Sacagawea Pipeline is out of compliance, said Fedorchak.[464] Sacagawea Pipeline Company is a joint venture owned 50 percent by Phillips 66 Partners.
See also Former Worker Says Phillips Funded Sacagawea Pipeline at Risk for Oil Leak August 5, 2016
September 19, 2016: Garland to Speak in Bartlesville on October 11
The Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce announced on September 19, 2016 that Phillips 66 CEO Greg Garland will speak to the chamber on October 11, 2016.
September 16, 2016: Delay in Phillip 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Could Cause $1.4 Billion in Losses in a Year
Delay in Phillip 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Could Cause $1.4 Billion in Losses in a Year. Builders of the Dakota Access Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, filed a brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit detailing its estimated economic losses and claiming it could lose $1.4 billion in a year if delays continue. The government has asked the company to voluntarily halt construction 20 miles east and west of Lake Oahe, located by the Missouri River it is set to cross. North Dakota has been the focus of large Native American protests as the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which is now suing the federal government for giving developers the right of way, says the project threatens cultural sites and their drinking water source. Photo: Joe Brusky Flickr
ThinkProgress reported on September 16, 2016 that builders of the Dakota Access Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, filed a brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit detailing its estimated economic losses and claiming it could lose $1.4 billion in a year if delays continue. “Even a temporary or limited injunction would have devastating long and short term impacts to the [Dakota Access Pipeline] project,” said the brief. In the brief, the company said customer contracts could be permanently lost if Dakota Access’ January 1, 2017 delivery schedule isn’t kept. In addition, 8,000 workers would be affected. Even a temporary delay would mean loses of over $430 million, according to Dakota Access. Just demobilizing the construction could cost $200 million. “These harms are irreparable,” Dakota Access, a company owned by Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, said. The staggering figures the company listed have not been independently verified.
The Dakota Access pipeline has secured from the Army Corps of Engineers and the four Midwestern states most permits it needs. However, the pipeline lacks a federal easement for Lake Oahe, located by the Missouri River it is set to cross. The government also asked the company to voluntarily halt construction 20 miles east and west of the lake. North Dakota has been the focus of large Native American protests as the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which is now suing the federal government for giving developers the right of way, says the project threatens cultural sites and their drinking water source.[465]
The Chicago Tribune reported on September 17, 2016 that a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said in a ruling late Friday that it needs more time to consider the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's request for an emergency injunction. It said it will issue another order setting a date for oral arguments on the motion. The order "should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits of that motion," the panel said. Vicki Granado, spokeswoman for Dakota Access LLC, said the company does not comment on pending litigation. Craig Stevens, spokesman for the MAIN Coalition, Midwest Alliance for Infrastructure Now, called the ruling disappointing but said his group respects the panel's decision. "Judge Boasberg, in his thoughtful and thorough opinion last week, confirmed that the Army Corps of Engineers did their jobs expertly and in accordance with the law," Stevens said in a statement. "We are confident that another fair review of the corps' work will render the same decision."
The corps also issued a ruling on Friday granting the tribes a temporary permit that allows demonstrators to legally protest on federal lands managed by the agency. In turn, the tribe assumes responsibility for maintenance, damage and restoration costs, the security and safety of protesters, and liability insurance. Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer, North Dakota's lone member of the U.S. House, called the special permit a good compromise. "It protects the protesters' right to assemble and free speech, while at the same time protecting legal commerce to go forward," Cramer said. "It sets up parameters and certainly puts liability where liability belongs, with the protesters and the leaders of the protest movement."[466]
Future of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Is Uncertain September 10, 2016
US Suspends Work on Part of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline September 9, 2016
Protests Turn Violent at Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline As Tribe Accuses Company of Desecrating Sacred Sites September 4, 2016
Osage Nation Sends Support to Standing Rock Sioux Protesting Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline September 2, 2016
Thirty Arrested in Iowa in Bid to Disrupt Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline September 1, 2016
Judge Rejects Motion to Restrict Protesters of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline August 30, 2016
Worker Killed in Accident on Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline August 27, 2016
Native Americans Wait on Court Decision on Controversial Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline August 24, 2016
Iowa Farmers Complain that Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Wrecks Their Soil August 24, 2016
Hundreds of Native Americans Continue Months-Long Protest Against Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline August 23, 2016
September 16, 2016: Washington State to Limit Carbon Pollution from Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery
KPUG reported on September 16, 2016 that Washington State environmental regulators have finalized a rule that will require large industrial emitters like the BP Cherry Point Refinery and Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery to gradually reduce carbon emissions by an average of 1.7% annually starting next year. Supporters say it’s needed to protect health and the environment. Republican Ferndale State Senator Doug Eriksen says the rule WON’T have a positive effect on the environment but WILL have a negative one on residents. “Families here in Washington state, they’re going to have to pay more to heat their homes. They’re going to have to pay more to drive their kids to school and to get to work, and really all for no reason,” says Eriksen.[467]
September 16, 2016: Judge Strikes Down Restraining Order Against Phillips Funded Sacagawea Pipeline Under Lake Sakakawea
KFYR reported on September 16, 2016 that Federal Judge Daniel Hovland has struck down a restraining order from the Three Affiliated Tribes and Chairman Mark Fox against Paradigm Energy Partners, LLC drilling two pipelines, one for natural gas and the other for oil, underneath Lake Sakakawea, allowing the project to continue. Paradigm Energy Partners is building the pipeline for Sacagawea Pipeline Company, a joint venture owned 50 percent by Phillips 66 Partners. Fox and the Three Affiliated Tribes filed for the restraining order against Paradigm Energy Partners, LLC, on August 19 for their construction of the Sacagawea Pipeline. Fox had argued that the Three Affiliated Tribes owned the mineral rights to the land, and Paradigm needed to get permission from both the United States government and the Tribes to build the line. In his ruling filed Sept. 13, Hovland decided that the United States held jurisdiction over the lake, and Paradigm properly obtained permits and easements with the Army Corps of Engineers for the project.[468]
See also Court to Rule if Phillips 66 Funded Sacagawea Pipeline Needs Tribal Consent to Drill Under Lake Sakakawea September 2, 2016
September 14, 2016: Phillip 66's Yellowstone Pipeline Has Had Several Serious Oil Spills on the Flathead Reservation
Phillip 66's Yellowstone Pipeline Has Had Several Serious Oil Spills on the Flathead Reservation Over its 40 Year History. Yellowstone Pipeline, originally owned by Conoco, Exxon, and Union Oil and now managed by Phillips 66, has had two major oil leaks on Native American Land since 1993. A 10,000-gallon gasoline leak at Camas Creek near Hot Springs in 1993 put Yellowstone Pipeline in a difficult negotiating position just as its 20-year permit to cross the Flathead Indian Reservation was up for renewal. In addition to the Camas Creek spill, a break at Magpie Creek released about 163,000 gallons of fuel. Both leaks were reported by passing motorists and not the pipeline company; Camas Creek’s break reportedly ran 45 days before discovery. Photo: Mark Smith Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)
The Missoulian reported on September 14, 2016 that the Yellowstone Pipeline, originally owned by Conoco, Exxon, and Union Oil and now managed by Phillips 66, has had two major oil leaks on Native American Land since 1993. A 10,000-gallon gasoline leak at Camas Creek near Hot Springs in 1993 put Yellowstone Pipeline in a difficult negotiating position just as its 20-year permit to cross the Flathead Indian Reservation was up for renewal. Then-Tribal Chairman Mickey Pablo said the Tribal Council “was being extra careful” about a new deal in light of at least three serious spills on the reservation from the 40-year-old pipeline.
In addition to the Camas Creek spill, a break at Magpie Creek released about 163,000 gallons of fuel. Both leaks were reported by passing motorists and not the pipeline company; Camas Creek’s break reportedly ran 45 days before discovery. “The belief among many tribal members is that the risk associated with this pipeline is too great, that enough is enough,” Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes environmental protection division manager Bill Swaney told the Missoulian in 1994. “To the tribes, it’s not a question of money, but a question of trying to protect the environment. Many in the tribal public don’t want to take this chance anymore. The pipeline’s track record has been fairly dismal.”
In 1995, Yellowstone Pipeline offered the tribe a deal paying between $25 million and $30 million over 20 years for a lease renewal across the reservation. Tribal officials said the previous 20-year deal only paid about $250,000 and was accompanied by the environmental disasters. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Council voted in early 1995 not to renew the lease. On April 20, 1995, pipeline managers turned off the flow at Missoula and started transferring the fuel to trucks and rail cars to Thompson Falls.[469]
September 14, 2016: ConocoPhillips Chief Says Bartlesville Remains Vital for the Company's Success
The Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise reported on September 14, 2016 that ConocoPhillips Chairman/CEO Ryan Lance was in Bartlesville on September 14, 2016 for a Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce forum at City Church and said that Bartlesville operations of the company remain vital for future success. “(Bartlesville) is really the center, heart and soul of our company as well,” said Lance. “It’s been that way for 100 years. It’s really an important place.” Lance said while the company is streamlining many of its operations through cost-cutting, finding new efficiencies and employee reductions, ConocoPhillips Bartlesville operations will continue through the foreseeable future. “This is a functional excellence center for our company,” Lance said. “This is the place where we do all of our back office accounting and our (informational technology). We do that for the whole company out of Bartlesville. When we looked at it, it continues to be a place that is important for the company, it’s low-cost for the company. So it fits in where we are at, where we are trying to take the company.”
Over the course of his 30-plus year career, Lance said he has seen six downturns and five uptakes. Right now, Lance said, supply and inventory of crude oil is high, while demand is still soft, but the disparity is starting to even out. As a result, ConocoPhillips has lowered it’s break-even point for oil prices to $50 per barrel, while other producers are still counting on $60-$70 per barrel.[470]
September 12, 2016: ConocoPhillips Lays Off Another 90 Employees in Bartlesville After Previously Laying Off 170 in 2015
News6 reported on September 12, 20016 that ConocoPhillips has begun to lay off 90 employees in Bartlesville. ConocoPhillips employs 15,600 people worldwide with 1,400 employees in Bartlesville. The companywide layoffs amount to 6 percent of its workforce. "We expect to have approximately 90 workforce reductions in Bartlesville, which has around 1,400 employees," a company spokesperson based in Bartlesville said. The spokesman said there are no new reductions to report, but employees will be leaving the organization over the coming weeks as necessitated by each individual staff or business unit need.[471] The latest round of layoffs in Bartlesville come nearly one year after more cuts were made to the local workforce. In October 2015, ConocoPhillips reduced 10 percent of its workforce, including approximately 170 employees in Bartlesville. The spokesman could not confirm what areas of Bartlesville employees would be most affected. The majority of Bartlesville employess work in information technology, accounting and human resources for ConocoPhillips’ worldwide operations.[472]
In 2008 ConocoPhillips downsized their operation in Ponca City as about 700 office worker positions in Ponca City were relocated to Bartlesville or Houston. Most of ConocoPhillips' nonrefinery jobs in Ponca City were focused in the credit card, information technology, facilities and other support operations.[473]
September 10, 2016: Future of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Is Uncertain
US Suspends Work on Part of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline. The federal government has temporarily blocked construction on part of Dakota Access Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, acknowledging complaints from the Standing Rock Sioux and other tribal nations that their concerns had not been fully heard before federal overseers approved a pipeline that the tribe said could damage their water supplies and ancestral cultural sites. Photo: Joe Brusky Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Meenal Vamburkar writes at Bloomberg that the Obama administration's halt on work on a stretch of land where Energy Transfer Partners, partly owned by Phillips 66, is building its controversial Dakota Access oil pipeline could threaten to thrust the fate of the project into the hands of the next president. The government's intervention leaves Energy Transfer officials in limbo, whereas "at least with the court they had some certainty on timelines and how things are moving forward. Here they have no idea yet when this review is going to be complete," said Brandon Barnes, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst. Though he said he sees no threat yet to completing the project on schedule by the end of the year, "we don't know how long this delay will last."
The question is whether "the prospect for future changes alleviates tension sufficiently so that things simmer down and the pipeline can go forward," said Christine Tezak, managing director at research firm ClearView Energy Partners in Washington. "If tensions don't diffuse, I don't know when we'll see it." The best-case scenario is a few months of delay, which could mean the project falls into the hands of the next administration, she said.
Last year, the Obama administration intervened to reject plans for Keystone. President Barack Obama said the project - which had been the subject of heated debate for seven years - wouldn't make a meaningful contribution to the U.S. economy, lower gasoline prices or increase the country's energy security. The Dakota Access case highlights "the need for a serious discussion on whether there should be nationwide reform with respect to considering tribes' views on these types of infrastructure projects," the Justice Department said, noting a plan to invite tribes to formal consultations this fall. "It was absolutely the right move," said Jane Kleeb, president of activist group Bold Alliance and, before the current battle, a prominent opponent of TransCanada Corp.'s Keystone XL pipeline. "They listened to the people on the ground and really looked at what's been happening."[474]
According to Reuters, should the pipeline be delayed for a substantial period, it would affect producers who had counted on demand for oil to be rapidly shipped to the U.S. Gulf, as well as shippers who could find themselves stuck with crude, putting them at risk of unloading it at a loss. It is unclear what the workaround will be if it is unable to build on the current route, though such reroutes can be costly. Other North American pipelines have in the past been rerouted in response to protests. Brigham McCown, the former head of the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration under George W. Bush, said that reroutes can be fairly expensive, particularly if it needs to be moved substantially away from the locale of a dispute. "It could delay a project by years. If you're moving the pipeline to an area that's far enough, you may need to go through the regulatory process gain and get permits like ones for water and endangered species. It takes time," McCown said.
The lack of pipeline infrastructure also creates a problem for shippers. There is little commercial storage available in North Dakota, so storing large volumes is not a possibility. Shippers may have no choice but to sell off the oil at a loss, transport it via more expensive rail routes, or move crude through already-crowded pipelines to the U.S. storage hub of Cushing, Oklahoma. That would hurt cash-strapped Bakken producers already dealing with the two-year global oil market rout, because of competitive prices from foreign imports. "In the absence of a new alternative, (Bakken) crude will have to use the existing infrastructure to move," said Sandy Fielden, the director of research for commodities and energy at Morningstar. "Producers will have to take lower prices to compete with imports."[475]
September 9, 2016: US Suspends Work on Part of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
The New York Times reported on September 9, 2016 that the federal government has temporarily blocked construction on part of Dakota Access Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, acknowledging complaints from the Standing Rock Sioux and other tribal nations that their concerns had not been fully heard before federal overseers approved a pipeline that the tribe said could damage their water supplies and ancestral cultural sites. The Justice Department and other agencies called for “serious discussion on whether there should be nationwide reform with respect to considering tribes’ views on these types of infrastructure projects.” The government’s move, announced minutes after a federal judge rejected efforts by the Standing Rock Sioux, appeared to seek to ease tensions and reset the terms of a passionate debate that has cast the 1,170-mile Dakota Access pipeline either as an economic boon for the Plains or a threat to Native American sovereignty, waters and lands.
In a joint statement from the Departments of Justice, the Interior and the Army, the government announced that the pause applied to the pipeline’s path across a sliver of federal lands and under a dammed section of the Missouri River known as Lake Oahe. The lake, created by government-built dams a half-century ago, is a water source for the Standing Rock Sioux and a focal point of the dispute. The Army Corps of Engineers intends to review its previous decisions under federal environmental and other laws that had given approval for the pipeline. The government also urged the company building the pipeline to “voluntarily pause” all construction for 40 miles around Lake Oahe. The rest of the pipeline construction would not be affected.
“Today’s news is a stunning development,” said Jan Hasselman, a lawyer with Earthjustice, an environmental legal group that is representing the Standing Rock Sioux. “It vindicates what the tribe has been saying form the beginning: The process was wrong, and the legal standards for projects like these need reform.”[476]
The Department of Justice, the Department of the Army and the Department of the Interior issued a statement regarding Standing Rock Sioux Tribe v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that included the following:
“We appreciate the District Court’s opinion on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act. However, important issues raised by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and other tribal nations and their members regarding the Dakota Access pipeline specifically, and pipeline-related decision-making generally, remain. Therefore, the Department of the Army, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior will take the following steps. The Army will not authorize constructing the Dakota Access pipeline on Corps land bordering or under Lake Oahe until it can determine whether it will need to reconsider any of its previous decisions regarding the Lake Oahe site under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or other federal laws. Therefore, construction of the pipeline on Army Corps land bordering or under Lake Oahe will not go forward at this time. The Army will move expeditiously to make this determination, as everyone involved — including the pipeline company and its workers — deserves a clear and timely resolution. In the interim, we request that the pipeline company voluntarily pause all construction activity within 20 miles east or west of Lake Oahe.[477]
September 9, 2016: Phillips 66 Finalizes Sale of Whitegate Refinery to Irving Oil
After almost four years of talking about selling Whitegate Refinery, PR Newswire reported on September 9, 2016 that Irving Oil has assumed full ownership of Whitegate Refinery and will continue full operation of the facility, including maintaining its existing workforce. "Whitegate is a great facility, and is a good fit for our company," says Arthur Irving, Chairman of Irving Oil. "We are happy to welcome the Whitegate team to Irving Oil and we are looking forward to working together."[478] Greg Garland first told reporters on December 13, 2012 that Phillips would likely look to sell its Whitegate refinery in Cork, Ireland.[479]
September 7, 2016: Judge Extends Restraining Order on Phillips Partners Sacagawea Pipeline
Wday reported on September 8, 2016 that U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland extended the order that was requested by Paradigm Energy Partners, which is constructing two pipelines under Lake Sakakawea to transport oil and natural gas. The Sacagawea Pipeline Company is a joint venture owned 50 percent by Phillips 66 Partners. The Three Affiliated Tribes issued a cease and desist order to halt construction under the lake, which tribal leaders say required permission from the tribe. Paradigm then sued Chairman Mark Fox and Tribal Police Chief Nelson Heart in federal court, arguing the tribe has no authority to halt construction. Hovland granted Paradigm’s request for a temporary restraining order on Aug. 23 and construction on the pipeline resumed. In extending the order through Sept. 19, Hovland wrote that he needs additional time to “fully consider the complex legal issues” that are under consideration.[480]
September 4, 2016: Protests Turn Violent at Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline As Tribe Accuses Company of Desecrating Sacred Sites
Protests Turn Violent at Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline. Protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, owned in part by Phillips 66, turned violent as demonstrators supporting the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe faced off with private security officers from Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners and security officers threatened protesters with dogs.
Tim Mentz Sr., who helped start the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Tribal Historic Preservation Office, said bulldozers had likely dug through burial grounds with little regard and without allowing members of the tribe a chance to look for human remains. Photo: Democracy Now
NPR reported on September 4, 2016 that protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, owned in part by Phillips 66, turned violent as demonstrators supporting the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe faced off with private security officers from Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners and security officers threatened protesters with dogs. The Morton County Sheriff's Department said protesters marched from their encampment onto private lands, where the pipeline is being constructed. "Once protestors arrived at the construction area, they broke down a wire fence by stepping and jumping on it," the sheriff's office said. "According to numerous witnesses within five minutes the crowd of protestors, estimated to be a few hundred people became violent. They stampeded into the construction area with horses, dogs and vehicles." the Morton County Sheriff's Department said protesters marched from their encampment onto private lands, where the pipeline is being constructed. "Once protestors arrived at the construction area, they broke down a wire fence by stepping and jumping on it," the sheriff's office said. "According to numerous witnesses within five minutes the crowd of protestors, estimated to be a few hundred people became violent. They stampeded into the construction area with horses, dogs and vehicles."[481]
According to KCTV, an estimated 500 protesters entered the construction zone. Pipeline security officers told authorities they were jabbed with fence posts and flag poles during the altercation. Witnesses report that attack dogs and tear gas were allegedly used on protesters. "They were able to stop the pipeline by giving them the run over the next ridge," said George Henry, a bystander. "But understand a few of the warriors received the gas." "I wasn't expecting them to mace, it came out of nowhere," one protester said. "They let the dogs loose on a horse, and they maced a woman in the face, this close range, that's what started it all." A spokesperson for Morton County Sheriff's Department said protestors did assault security officers working for Dakota Access.[482]
Protesters disputed the authorities' account, CNN affiliate KFYR said. Demonstrators said the guards sprayed many of the activists with pepper spray and tear gas, and some protesters were injured by the guards' dogs. "It was kind of scary," Lonnie Favel told KFYR. "A lot of people are out here with their children. Accidents happen all the time with dogs, and people could really get hurt."[483]
According to Indian Country Media, The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe filed an emergency motion Sunday for a temporary restraining order to prevent further destruction of the Tribe’s sacred sites by Dakota Access Pipeline. “On Saturday, Dakota Access Pipeline and Energy Transfer Partners brazenly used bulldozers to destroy our burial sites, prayer sites and culturally significant artifacts,” Tribal Chairman David Archambault II said. “They did this on a holiday weekend, one day after we filed court papers identifying these sacred sites. The desecration of these ancient places has already caused the Standing Rock Sioux irreparable harm. We’re asking the court to halt this path of destruction.”
“Destroying the Tribe’s sacred places over a holiday weekend, while the judge is considering whether to block the pipeline, shows a flagrant disregard for the legal process,” said Jan Hasselman, attorney for the Standing Rock Sioux. “The Tribe has been seeking to vindicate its rights peacefully through the courts. But Dakota Access Pipeline used evidence submitted to the Court as their roadmap for what to bulldoze. That’s just wrong.”[484]
NPR reported on September 6, 2016 that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it does not oppose the temporary halt of construction on the Dakota Access Pipeline, owned in part by Phillips 66. Over the weekend, the tribe filed an emergency motion asking the court to halt construction of the pipeline. In one filing, Tim Mentz Sr., who helped start the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Tribal Historic Preservation Office, said bulldozers had likely dug through burial grounds with little regard and without allowing members of the tribe a chance to look for human remains. "The Corps acknowledges that the public interest would be served by preserving peace near Lake Oahe until the Court can render its well-considered opinion on Plaintiff's Motion for Preliminary Injunction," the Corp said. "The Corps therefore does not oppose this short and discrete temporary restraining order."[485][486]
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on September 7, 2016 that U.S. District Judge James Boasberg issued an order that work will temporarily stop between North Dakota's State Highway 1806 and 20 miles east of Lake Oahe, but will continue west of the highway because he believes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lacks jurisdiction on private land. The judge said he will rule by the end of Friday on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's challenge of federal regulators' decision to grant permits to the Dallas, Texas-based operators of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which will cross North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois. Standing Rock Sioux tribal chairman Dave Archambault II issued a statement after the ruling, saying: "Today's denial of a temporary restraining order ... west of Lake Oahe puts my people's sacred places at further risk of ruin and desecration." Attorney Jan Hasselman with Earthjustice, who filed the broader lawsuit on behalf of the tribe, noted the tribe will "know more by the end of the week about where we're heading."
Over the weekend, workers allegedly bulldozed sites on private land that Hasselman said in court documents was "of great historic and cultural significance to the tribe." The tribe's cultural expert, Tim Mentz Sr., said in court documents that the tribe believes there are human remains in the area and that it wants "an opportunity to rebury our relatives." Lawyers for Energy Transfer Partners filed court documents Tuesday morning denying that workers have destroyed any cultural sites and asking the judge to reject the tribes' request for a temporary work stoppage. The company said it "has taken and continues to take every reasonable precaution" to protect cultural sites.[487]
September 2, 2016: Osage Nation Sends Support to Standing Rock Sioux Protesting Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
Osage Nation Sends Support to Standing Rock Sioux Protesting Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline. “The Osage Nation supports the people of Standing Rock who are protecting the land and waters,” said Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey M. Standing Bear of the situation. “People everywhere should think hard about the priorities of our society. Should the earth be used up by the human race or should we respect the limits of the earth?” Photo: Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey M. Standing Bear Osage Nation
Bartlesville Radio reported on September 2, 2016 that the Osage Nation has expressed their support for the Standing Rock Sioux as they continue to protest the development of the Dakota Access Pipeline, owned in part by Phillips 66. “The Osage Nation supports the people of Standing Rock who are protecting the land and waters,” said Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey M. Standing Bear of the situation. “People everywhere should think hard about the priorities of our society. Should the earth be used up by the human race or should we respect the limits of the earth?”
The Osage Nation is providing emergency supplies to the protesters at Standing Rock. Some of the items the Osages have shipped to those camped at Cannonball River include: 720 blankets, 72 all-weather heavy-duty flashlights and batteries, and 100 hand-held flashlights with batteries. More supplies will be coming from the Osage Nation and Osage Casinos. “Our Chief asked our casino staff last week to mobilize vendors and resources in support of our brothers and sisters at Standing Rock, after we heard the water supply had been cut off to the Cannonball River gathering,” said Byron Bighorse, CEO of Osage Casino. “After finding out that water was in route to them, we asked what other vital provisions they needed. It was determined that blankets, flashlights and batteries were a priority, so we immediately arranged for those items to be rush shipped to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe organizers. We are honored to help,” added Bighorse.
The Sioux Tribe website calls this “another chapter in the long history of the federal government granting the construction of potentially hazardous projects near or through tribal lands, waters, and cultural places without including the tribe.”[488][489]
September 2, 2016: Phillips 66 Donates $11,000 Towards Walking Track at Redbud Creek
The Ponca City News reported on September 2, 2016 that Phillips 66 donated $11,000 and the Woodlands Parent Teacher Association (PTA) donated another $5,000 for a one-quarter mile long walking track at Redbud Park near Woodlands School. In appreciation of the grant from Phillips 66, the track was named The Phillips 66 Walking Track at Redbud Park.
The school plans to require students to walk or run a lap around the track each day at the beginning of recess, with additional laps encouraged. In addition, the track will be used often for P.E. running activities. At other times, classes will take a “brain break” by running or walking a few laps before returning to class. The track is open for public use in the park.[490]
September 2, 2016: Court to Rule if Phillips 66 Funded Sacagawea Pipeline Needs Tribal Consent to Drill Under Lake Sakakawea
The Jamestown Sun reported on September 2, 2016 that a federal judge will issue what could be a precedent-setting decision after hearing arguments on whether Paradigm Energy Partners LLC, owned 50 percent by Phillips 66 Partners, needed consent from American Indian tribes to drill two pipelines through tribally owned minerals under North Dakota's largest body of water. After nearly five hours of testimony and legal arguments on September 1, 2016 in U.S. District Court in Bismarck, Judge Daniel Hovland took the matter under advisement, allowing drilling under Lake Sakakawea to continue until he issues his ruling while also lamenting the lack of legal opinions offered by attorneys and previous case law on the issue. "It sounds like I'm going to be left to interpret this with no guidance from anybody," Hovland said. Paradigm Energy Partners LLC has already completed a $125 million oil pipeline under the lake and is boring the hole for a companion $16.6 million natural gas pipeline over the objections of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, otherwise known as the Three Affiliated Tribes. The hearing on Paradigm's request for an injunction against the tribe ended without a firm timeline for Hovland's ruling, but the judge noted that the restraining order expires on Monday or Tuesday and he can extend it for 14 days for "good cause." "Certainly, in my view, good cause exists because I've got a multitude of issues to sort through," he said.
Tribal officials said Paradigm offered up to $2 million during a June 9 council meeting to resolve the right-of-way and other issues related to the pipelines. "And I believe they said they had a check there," Tribal Attorney Caleb Dog Eagle recalled. Paradigm CEO Troy Andrews said that while the company never believed it needed the tribes' legal consent, "I wanted to get a deal done."[491]
September 1, 2016: Thirty Arrested in Iowa in Bid to Disrupt Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
Thirty Arrested in Bid to Disrupt Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline. Thirty activists were arrested on the Farm Progress grounds in Boone, Iowa in an effort aimed at disrupting construction of the Dakota Access pipeline. Phillips 66 owns a 25% stake in the $3.7B pipeline that is being built by Energy Transfer Partners. Photo: Bryan Houlgrave
The Des Moines Register reported on September 1, 2016 that 30 activists were arrested on the Farm Progress grounds in Boone, Iowa in an effort aimed at disrupting construction of the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66. The protest represented one of the largest demonstrations yet in Iowa against the four-state pipeline project. It also was the first time a formal effort was made to encourage a large number of arrests in a bid to obstruct construction work in Iowa. Organizers vowed afterward that additional demonstrations will be forthcoming, along with more arrests. Crystal Defatte, 31, of Bettendorf, a stay-at-home mother with three children, was among those arrested as she stood with other protesters in solidarity against the pipeline project. "Every year you hear about oil spills. I don't want oil in the water that my children drink. This is a moral responsibility for me," Defatte said.
A representative of Precision Pipeline, a contractor for Dakota Access, told the protesters they were not welcome and asked them to leave after they tried to create human chains to block four entrances to the site. Authorities then repeatedly told the protesters they had the opportunity to leave without being taken into custody, but all of those arrested refused to move.
Business leaders and union construction workers have lined up in support of the pipeline project, citing positive economic benefits and a desire for U.S. energy security.[492]
There were no violent events during the protest, and law enforcement officials at the site expressed satisfaction with how it unfolded. Among the protesters was Dick Lamb, who owns land a few miles from the protest site through which the pipeline is passing. "They are tearing through (our property), separating the precious topsoil," Lamb said. "We feel betrayed by our state government, all three branches of it. They didn't stop (the pipeline). They enabled it."[493] Phillips 66 owns a 25% stake in the $3.7B pipeline that is being built by Energy Transfer Partners.
August 31, 2016: Tyler Crowe Says Phillips 66 is One of the Best-Run Companies in the Oil and Gas Sector
Phillips 66 is One of the Best-Run Companies in the Oil and Gas Sector. According to Tyler Crowe, Phillips 66 is one of the three best run companies in the oil and gas sector - largely because CEO Greg Garland (right in photo) has done an admirable job running the company -- and allocating capital wisely. Photo by Dr. S. J. Pickens
Tyler Crowe wrote at The Motley Fool on August 31, 2016 that he thinks Phillips 66 is one of the three best run companies in the oil and gas sector - largely because CEO Greg Garland has done an admirable job running the company -- and allocating capital wisely -- since it was spun out of ConocoPhillips in 2012. Crowe says that refining and marketing produces the lion's share of the company's cash flow and profits but the growth prospects in refining are minimal, and can eat up huge amounts of capital while taking a very long time to pay off. "But the refining business also gives the company a big advantage over its integrated and producer peers. They have felt the brunt of low oil and gas prices on their bottom lines, while Phillips 66 has continued to generate big cash flows. And it's how Garland and team treat those cash flows -- and what they don't do with them -- that emphasizes how well-run the company is," writes Crowe. "Garland has so far allocated capital to growth projects in the midstream and petrochemicals space, expanding the company's own capacity instead of making splashy acquisitions that often don't generate the promised returns. By staying focused on internal growth, the company avoids a lot of the pitfalls that come with big acquisitions."[494]
August 30, 2016: Judge Rejects Motion to Restrict Protesters of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
Judge Rejects Motion to Restrict Protesters of Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline. Federal udge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger has denied a request for a temporary restraining order to prevent activists from interfering with construction in Iowa of the Dakota Access Pipeline, owned in part by Phillips 66. Dakota Access similarly tried to block demonstrators in North Dakota, where an ongoing protest by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe against the pipeline has expanded to thousands of people. Photo: Protesters in San Francisco by Peg Hunter Flicker Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)
The Des Moines Register reported on August 30, 2016 that a federal judge in Des Moines has denied a request for a temporary restraining order to prevent activists from interfering with construction in Iowa of the Dakota Access Pipeline, owned in part by Phillips 66. The ruling by Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger means protests aimed at halting the $3.8 billion pipeline project will apparently proceed Wednesday in rural Boone County. Ed Fallon, a leader of Bold Iowa, one of the anti-pipeline groups, said he anticipates 50 to 100 people will participate in the protests in the Pilot Mound area, and about 20 activists will risk arrest in an effort to halt the pipeline project. The Dakota Access petition was aimed at restricting Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and Bold Iowa, both of which strongly oppose the pipeline project, as well as "unknown parties." CCI and Bold Iowa issued defiant statements after the judge's ruling, although both groups have pledged that any protests will be non-violent. However, some activists have said they will engage in civil disobedience in an effort to halt construction of the pipeline. “We have been in this pipeline fight for over two years, and have vowed to use all of the tools available to us in our fight,” said Adam Mason, state policy director at Iowa CCI. “We will not be deterred or bullied by Big Oil.”
Dakota Access, a unit of Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, had asked the court to keep protesters at least 25 feet away from the pipeline project, suggesting it would still allow protesters to exercise their First Amendment rights of free speech.[495] Phillips 66 owns a 25% stake in the $3.7B pipeline that is being built by Energy Transfer Partners.
Dakota Access similarly tried to block demonstrators in North Dakota, where an ongoing protest by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe against the pipeline has expanded to thousands of people. Standing Rock Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II wrote in an New York Times op-ed that the overblown reaction on the part of the oil giant, as well as North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple—who declared a state of emergency over the protests—violated civil and human rights and amounted to the local government "act[ing] as the armed enforcement for corporate interests."
Meanwhile, another federal judge is expected to issue a ruling by Sept. 9 as to whether or not the Army Corps of Engineers violated the Standing Rock Sioux's treaty rights in approving the pipeline.[496]
August 30, 2016: Phillips 66 Cuts Production at Bayway Refinery
Phillips 66 Cuts Production at Bayway Refinery. Phillips 66 has cut production by roughly 5 percent at Bayway Refinery amid weak refining margins, according to a source familiar with the refinery's operations. Photo: William Hartz Flicker Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Reuters reported on August 30, 2016 that Phillips 66 has cut production by roughly 5 percent at Bayway Refinery amid weak refining margins, according to a source familiar with the refinery's operations. The U.S. gasoline crack spread, an indicator of how much refiners make from converting a barrel of oil into a barrel of gasoline, remains at its lowest level in the past five years. The U.S. diesel crack spread also remains at five-year lows. U.S. and global refining margins have been hurt by historically high gasoline and diesel inventories. Refining executives and analysts across the globe are predicting refiners are going to be forced to scale back production to reduce inventories, balance the market and boost margins. East Coast refineries see some of the weakest margins due in part to their supply constraints, and experts predict they would be among the first to cut runs.[497]
August 29, 2016: Phillips 66 Senior Vice President for Health, Safety and Environment to Retire
Houston Business Journal reported on August 29, 2016 that Debbie Adams, Senior Vice President for Health, Safety and Environment, will retire Aug. 31 after 33 years at Phillips 66. “Debbie has had a tremendous impact on our organization throughout her entire career, and has been a great partner to me and the executive leadership team,” said Chairman and CEO Greg Garland. “Under her leadership, Phillips 66 has established itself as a safety leader, achieving first-quartile performance the past two years for both combined total recordable rate and lost workday case rate.” Adams will be succeeded by Jay Churchill who got his start at Conoco in 1979 as a plant process engineer at the Lake Charles Refinery in Louisiana.[498]
August 27, 2016: Worker Killed in Accident on Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
The Associated Press reported on August 27, 2016 that a man working on the four-state Dakota Access Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, was killed in an apparent accident in western North Dakota, said North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Brian Kalk. Kalk said the man was on a tractor Thursday, covering the underground pipeline with soil and grass seed. Kalk said the company reported Friday that the man suffered a serious head injury, apparently while working on equipment. He was taken to a Minot hospital, where he died.[499] Phillips 66 owns a 25% stake in the $3.7B pipeline that is being built by Energy Transfer Partners.
August 27, 2016: Court Battle Brews over Phillips Funded Sacagawea Pipeline Under Lake Sakakawea
Court Battle Brews over Phillips Funded Sacagawea Pipeline Under Lake Sakakawea. The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation asserts that Sacagawea Pipeline Company, a joint venture owned 50 percent by Phillips 66 Partners, was required but failed to get the tribe's permission to begin pipeline construction under Lake Sakakawea. The Tribal Business Council voted August 3, 2016 to issue a cease and desist order to halt all construction under Lake Sakakawea. Lake Sakakawea is the drinking water source for several western North Dakota cities, including communities on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. Photo of Lake Sakakawea. North Dakota Parks and Recreation Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
The West Fargo Pioneer reported on August 27, 2016 that the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation asserts that Sacagawea Pipeline Company, a joint venture owned 50 percent by Phillips 66 Partners, was required but failed to get the tribe's permission to begin pipeline construction under Lake Sakakawea. The Tribal Business Council voted August 3, 2016 to issue a cease and desist order to halt all construction under Lake Sakakawea. Lake Sakakawea is the drinking water source for several western North Dakota cities, including communities on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. "Paradigm was informed on several different occasions that the consent of the MHA Nation would not be granted unless there were adequate assurances that an oil pipeline under the lake posed no threat to the MHA Nation's water resources," Tribal Chairman Mark Fox wrote in an Aug. 8 letter. "To date, that assurance has not been provided to the MHA Nation's satisfaction." Paradigm filed a federal lawsuit on Aug. 19 against Fox and Tribal Police Chief Nelson Hart arguing they have no authority to halt construction. The company is constructing two 70-mile companion oil and natural gas pipelines that will travel from McKenzie to Mountrail counties.
The Sacagawea Pipeline is also under investigation by federal pipeline regulators after former contractors said the pipeline was installed under the lake without being properly inspected. The owner of Boyd & Co. told Forum News Service the pipeline was properly inspected and he says the claims are false accusations made by workers who were fired. About 8,980 feet of the pipeline system will pass under Lake Sakakawea via the installation of about 10,980 feet of welded steel pipeline, the Corps of Engineers said in its environmental assessment. The pipeline will be installed at least 100 feet below the lakebed through horizontal directional drilling with emergency shut-off valves on either side of the lake and around-the-clock pipeline monitoring to detect leaks.[500][501][502]
See also Former Worker Says Phillips Funded Sacagawea Pipeline at Risk for Oil Leak
August 27, 2016: Plaquemines Parish Tries to Close Breach in Levee That Protects Phillips 66's Alliance Refinery
Levee Breach Near Phillips 66's Alliance Refinery Raises Concerns. The above photo shows Phillips 66's Alliance Refinery after Hurricane Isaac struck Louisiana in September, 2012. Plaquemines Parish Emergency Management Officials are now on high alert after a breach along the bayou side levee near Alliance Refinery. Parish Council Chair Kirk Lepine wonders if aging infrastructure can weather a hurricane or bigger storm. Photo: Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper Flooding at the Alliance Refinery in Belle Chasse, Louisiana after Hurricane Isaac] Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Plaquemines Parish Tries to Close Breach in Levee Breach That Protects Phillips 66's Alliance Refinery. Two days after water began pouring through a levee in Plaquemines Parish, local officials working with the Louisiana National Guard successfully plugged the 70 foot breach with sandbags. Photo: Plaquemines Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
WWL Tv reported on August 27, 2016 that Plaquemines Parish Emergency Management Officials are on high alert after a breach along the bayou side levee near the Phillips 66's Alliance Refinery raised the alarm for parish leaders. The breach was discovered where a pipeline crosses the levee. Within six hours the breach had reached 20 feet wide, prompting swift response. Plaquemines Parish crews immediately reacted. Generators were on site providing light and started to work getting 2000 pound sandbags into the breach. Low lying areas along Louisiana Highway 23 in Plaquemines parish are at risk for flooding during hurricane season. Earthen levees on either side protect homeowners and industry there. “It is a grave concern of ours, and we are monitoring it every day with the resources that we have,” says Council Chair Kirk Lepine. Emergency management says the breach does not pose a flooding threat to homes or Highway 23 right now. The water is coming in from the Barataria Bay side and moving back into the drainage canal, and then moving back to Barataria Bay.
Lepine says a hurricane could change that and wonders if aging infrastructure can weather a bigger storm. Lepine says he hopes that the levee is inspected every week, but he was not sure. Lepine says with budget cutbacks, levee monitoring is now split between departments. It's something that needs to be addressed. “Before it was inspected every week. And if there were deficiencies in the levee we were notified. We tried to stay on top of it as much as we can."[503][504]
NOLA reported on August 29, 2016 that two days after water began pouring through a levee in Plaquemines Parish, local officials working with the Louisiana National Guard successfully plugged the breach with sandbags Sunday night (Aug. 28), authorities said. The breach had widened from 20 feet to more than 70 feet, but it never threatened local residences or Louisiana 23, said Plaquemines government admininstration spokesman Michael Powell.[505]
WWL reported on August 30, 2016 that a temporary patch appears to be holding, but with a tropical system churning and gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico, a construction crew is working around the clock to repair the gap that could threaten the only hurricane evacuation route in the lower end of the parish. Officials expect a permanent fix to be in place by Friday at the earliest. “We’re going to get it. We got it down to a trickle,” said Lonnie Davis, who owns Mega Industries, the company working on the levee repair project. “This was a raging river in here when we got here. I mean, it was really bad.” The damaged levee is part of a system of non-federal back levees designed to keep flood water off of Highway 23 – the lone route out of the lower end of the parish. “It’s protecting the residents of Myrtle Grove, Ironton, it’s protecting the Phillips 66 refinery, an entire Entergy substation that provides power to our lower end,” said Patrick Harvey, Plaquemines Parish’s emergency manager.[506]
August 26, 2016: Phillips 66 Partners to buy Chevron’s South Louisiana NGL Logistics Assets
Energy Business Review reported on August 26, 2016 that Phillips 66 Partners has entered into an agreement to acquire a natural gas liquids (NGL) logistics system in southeast Louisiana currently owned by Chevron. The system comprises nearly 500 miles of pipelines and a storage cavern connecting multiple fractionation facilities, refineries and a petrochemical facility. The acquisition includes an approximately 300-mile TENDS pipeline system, which is a bidirectional NGL pipeline system connected to third-party fractionators, refineries. Phillips 66 plans to finance the transaction with cash and borrowings under the Partnership’s revolving credit facility. “This acquisition will expand the Partnership’s NGL footprint into the Louisiana market," syas Phillips 66 Partners president. "The assets are strategically located and connect offshore production, local refineries and petrochemical facilities in south Louisiana while providing significant opportunities for fee-based growth.”[507]
August 24, 2016: Native Americans Wait on Court Decision on Controversial Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
Native Americans Wait on Court Decision on Controversial Phillip 66 Funded Pipeline. At least 300 people opposed to a controversial Dakota Access Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, waited anxiously outside a D.C. federal courthouse this afternoon for a decision on whether or not the project can to continue. And now they’ll have to wait just a little longer. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe filed a lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers on July 27 to stop the pipeline that would cross under the Missouri River, the reservation’s sole source of water. Photo: Sierra Club
PBS reported on August 24, 2016 that at least 300 people opposed to the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline, funded in part by Phillips 66, waited anxiously outside a D.C. federal courthouse this afternoon for a decision on whether or not the project can to continue. And now they’ll have to wait just a little longer. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe filed a lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers on July 27 to stop the pipeline that would cross under the Missouri River, the reservation’s sole source of water. The corps approved the pipeline last month, but the tribe argues they were not properly consulted, and that cultural and historical sites would be destroyed during construction. Judge James E. Boasberg from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia said he will make a decision about the $3.7 billion Dakota Access Pipeline on or before September 9. “We’re very concerned because construction is ongoing,” said Jan Hasselman, a lawyer with EarthJustice, an environmental advocacy organization representing the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. “In another couple of weeks or a month there won’t be anything left to protect.” The tribe, whose land is located a half-mile south of the pipeline, has resisted the project for months. People started gathering near the construction site in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, in April to stage demonstrations. In recent weeks, hundreds more arrived, and some sparked confrontations with police and construction workers. At least 28 people people were arrested for disorderly conduct and trespassing this month. The pipeline company says it halted work after some demonstrators attacked workers with rocks and bottles. With the legal ruling delayed until next month, it is uncertain what will happen at the site and to the several hundred protesters camped nearby. “We have to play by the rules the federal government has given us,” David Archambault II, chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, told PBS NewsHour. “We’re still going to pray and be in peace and ensure our strength in unity is powerful.”[508]
August 24, 2016: Iowa Farmers Complain that Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline Wrecks Their Soil
The Des Moines Register reported on August 24, 2016 that some Iowa farmers want builders of the 1,154-mile Dakota Access pipeline, owned in part by Phillips 66, to put their soil back the way they found it. Francis Goebel now has a scar running across his soybean fields where the dark, fertile topsoil is being stacked on top of several feet of hard clay mixed with clay loam and fear his soil will less suited for growing crops — and much less valuable. "Nature separated those soils for a reason, that's the way I feel," said Goebel, who runs a 164-acre century farm in Sioux County. "If nature put it there, they should put it back the way it was." Although Dakota Access is separating the rich topsoil from the soil beneath, it isn't being as careful with the next two layers, mixing the clay loam subsoil with the hard clay underneath. Goebel acknowledges he was well compensated by Dakota Access for the 12-acre easement the company obtained to cross his land. He received $21,000 per acre for the easement, plus payments for initial crop losses. But he's worried about his future corn and soybean yields. In some places, crews excavated 20 feet deep, meaning the hard clay at the bottom could end up just a couple feet from the ground. "To me, it's a scar."
Tom Konz acknowledges that it is too late for his and his neighbor's land — contractors buried the pipe last week. But he wants other Iowa landowners in the pipeline's path to remain vigilant about their soil as crews begin tearing into the ground. Konz received about $102,000 from Dakota Access, a figure that included payments for the easement, plus three years' worth of crop damage. But he said that's nothing compared with the ongoing costs of anticipated crop losses. "The rest of my life, I guarantee you will see that pipeline forever," Konz said. "It will come up as red (on a yield map). We'll fight it every year for yield loss."
But Dakota Access attorney Bret Dublinski noted that all the contested farms already had tile buried under crops to help drain fields. It is often removed, repaired and replaced, he said. "You cannot consistently argue both that Dakota Access is going to irreparably harm my soil because it hasn’t been changed in 1,000 years and then also say 'I'm concerned about my pattern tile that I put in by turning up the soil,'" Dublinski said. "… Those are arguments that simply cannot exist in the same space."[509]
August 24, 2016: Phillips 66 Shuts Gasoline-Producing Unit at Lake Charles Refinery
Reuters reported on August 24, 2016 that Phillips 66 shut a gasoline-making reformer unit at Lake Charles Refinery earlier this month, and advanced planned work on the unit, said two sources familiar with the work. The unit is slated to return to return to service in mid-September.[510]
August 23, 2016: Refinery Vessel Arrives at Ponca Refinery
The Ponca City News reported on August 23, 2016 that a 92 ton refinery vessel arrived at the Ponca Refinery on a 132 foot long trailer. The combined weight of the trailer and vessel was 180 tons.[511]
August 23, 2016: Hundreds of Native Americans Continue Months-Long Protest Against Phillips 66 Funded Dakota Access Pipeline
Native youth and supporters protest in New York against Dakota Access Pipeline. Sioux youth from the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota rallied with supporters in Union Square after running 2,000 miles across the United States to protest the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline. Phillips 66 owns a 25% stake in the $3.7B pipeline that is being built by Energy Transfer Partners. Photo by Joe Catron Flickr Creative Commons. Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Nasdaq reported on August 23, 2016 that construction will remain halted on the 1,154-mile Dakota Access pipeline, owned in part by Phillips 66, as a federal judge postponed a hearing to determine whether protesters should be prevented from accessing the site near the Missouri River. Tensions between the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, which opposes the pipeline, and local police have escalated in recent weeks. More than two dozen protesters have been arrested after they blocked entry to the site 34 miles south of Mandan, N.D. The pipeline's developer, Dakota Access LLP, has filed a lawsuit seeking to block protesters from the site. Phillips 66 owns a 25% stake in the $3.7B pipeline that is being built by Energy Transfer Partners.
A coalition of Native American groups that oppose the pipeline sent out an appeal to human rights groups to come to the North Dakota site, calling the situation a crisis. The Standing Rock Sioux argue that the pipeline threatens sacred sites and poses a risk to the tribe's drinking-water supply, since they say the pipeline would cross the Missouri River just upstream from the reservation. "We are committed to peaceful defense of our water and our territory," the groups said.[512]
According to Jack Healy writing in the NY Times, people have been gathering since April, but as hundreds more poured in over the past two weeks, confrontations began rising among protesters, sheriff’s officers and construction workers with the pipeline company. Local officials are struggling to handle hundreds of demonstrators filling the roads to protest and camp out in once-empty grassland about an hour south of Bismarck, the state capital. The pipeline company says it was forced to shut down construction this month after protesters threatened its workers and threw bottles and rocks at contractors’ vehicles. Leaders from the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, whose reservation lies just south of the pipeline’s path, say the protests are peaceful. Weapons, drugs and alcohol are prohibited from the protest camp. Children march in the daily demonstrations. The protesters sleep in tents and tepees, cook food in open-air kitchens and share stories and strategies around evening campfires. There is even a day care. At morning meetings, speakers warn parents to keep their children away from the Missouri River at sunset, and remind one another they are camped out in prayer. For many, the effort was about reclaiming a stake in ancestral lands that had been whittled down since the 1800s, treaty by broken treaty. “Lands were constantly getting reduced, shaken up,” said Dave Archambault II, the tribal chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux. “I could give you a list of every wrongdoing this government did to our people. All of that is frustration pent up, and it’s being recognized.”
Energy Transfer Partners says it has the necessary state and federal permits and hopes to finish construction by the end of the year. The pipeline’s route starts in the Bakken oil fields of western North Dakota and ends in Illinois. The United States Army Corps of Engineers says it consulted extensively with tribes, including the Standing Rock Sioux, and it says that tribe has failed to describe specific cultural sites that would be damaged by the pipeline.[513] Builders say the pipeline will enable domestically produced light sweet crude oil from North Dakota to reach major refining markets in a more direct, cost-effective, safer and environmentally responsible manner. The pipeline will also reduce the current use of rail and truck transportation to move Bakken crude oil to major U.S. markets to support domestic demand. Shippers will be able to access multiple markets, including Midwest and East Coast markets as well as the Gulf Coast via the Nederland, Texas crude oil terminal facility of Sunoco Logistics Partners. According to Energy Transfer, the company holds their pipelines to a standard that exceeds state and federal regulations performing routine ground and aerial leak inspections about every 10 days, when federal rules only require these inspections every 14 days.[514]
August 23, 2016: Aging Phillips 66 Pipeline Under Rattlesnake Creek Replaced in Montana
The Missoulian reported on August 23, 2016 that Yellowstone Pipeline and Phillips 66 replaced an aging fuel pipe under Rattlesnake Creek in Missoula County, Montana that is part of a 690-mile network moving liquid fuels like gasoline and diesel between Billings and Moses Lake, Washington. Yellowstone Pipeline manages the network for Phillips 66. “Their deferred maintenance was causing concerns. If there was a break-up, there would be a lot of ice and debris that could cause scour downstream. It’s just too big a risk to leave down here," said Missoula County Environmental Health Supervisor Peter Nielsen. “The old pipeline was less than 2 feet below the streambed. We’ve been very concerned about this. The new line will be 12 or 13 feet down. This will be a lot safer when we’re done.” Yellowstone Pipeline and Phillips 66 have been replacing several water crossings in recent years, including one on the Clark Fork near Turah three years ago and one on Deer Creek east of Missoula last year. Two more replacements are expected this year, near Clinton and Bearmouth on the Clark Fork River. “Once the new line is in service, we’ll thoroughly clean the old section under the creek and permanently seal it off,” said Phillips 66 spokesman Dennis Nuss. “Our ultimate goal is to preserve and protect the creek.”[515]
August 18, 2016: Phillips Celebrates 66 Years of Splash Club Tradition in Bartlesville
Phillips Celebrates 66 Years of Splash Club Tradition in Bartlesville. The Phillips 66 Splash Club in Bartlesville is celebrating its 66th year of tradition, of fun, or hard work, of a journey to national and international significance, and of helping to mold countless children into successful adults and of excellence.
The Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise reported on August 18, 2016 that the Phillips 66 Splash Club in Bartlesville is celebrating its 66th year of tradition, of fun, or hard work, of a journey to national and international significance, and of helping to mold countless children into successful adults and of excellence. "Who would have thought that a small deed of an idea in 1950 ... would have grown into the dream of the continuing dominance of United States swimming,” said Ken Treadway who was hired in 1950 by then Phillips Petroleum Director of Recreation Bud Browning as the first Splash Club coach. That decision put in motion an amateur organization — the longest of its kind in United States history — that has influenced the lives of thousands of Bartlesville area children. The urrent Splash Club head coach Chad Englehart feels proud to be able to help celebrate the 66th Anniversary of the founding of the club and is hoping his current swimmers participate in all the doings set for Labor Day Weekend including an alumni meet on Saturday, a gathering on Saturday evening and a picnic on Sunday at Woolaroc. “I want to show them off and show what a great crop of young people we have now in the program. I want them hear what the Splash Club has meant to USA Swimming, to Bartlesville and to the adults that will be there.”[516]
Kenneth Treadway founded the Phillips 66 Splash Club on December 6, 1950. Since then thousands of swimmers have participated, including second-generation Splash Club members. The Splash Club has developed Junior National Championship, National Championship, and Olympic Trials Qualifiers. In addition, U.S. National Team members, High School All-American Swimmers, and collegiate swimmers have been fostered by Splash Club. We are recognized as one of the finest programs in the nation including members holding state records. The team name was changed in September of 2002 to reflect the merger of Phillips Petroleum Company and Conoco to the ConocoPhillips Splash Club. In 2012 the team again changed names to Phillips 66 Splash Club to reflect the separation of Phillips 66 from ConocoPhillips.[517]
August 19, 2016: Can Phillips 66 Survive with Low Refining Margins?
Can Phillips 66 Survive with Low Refining Margins? For a company that depended on refining for over 60% of its earnings in the first half of 2015, Phillips' brutally low refining margins, which dropped 40% from a year ago, should strike any investor as an alarming development. "It's hard to look past the low refining margins and it is prudent to monitor the situation," writes David Lettis at the Motley Fool. "With strong cash flows, though, as well as multiple sources of revenue and continued investment focused on future growth, Phillips 66 remains a very strong pick for long-term investors." Photo: Photolibrarian Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
David Lettis wrote at the Motley Fool on August 19, 2016 that for a company that depended on refining for over 60% of its earnings in the first half of 2015, Phillips' brutally low refining margins, which dropped 40% from a year ago, should strike any investor as an alarming development. But according to Lettis, despite the sharp decrease in Phillips' refining margin, though, there are a couple of reasons why the company remains well positioned for future growth. First, in its refining business, yield improvement projects at the Wood River Refinery are scheduled for completion in the third quarter. Additionally, improvements to increase heavy Canadian crude utilization at its Billings Refinery should be complete in the first half of 2017, and modernization projects to increase gasoline yields at its Bayway Refinery will finish up in 2018. Second, Phillips 66's midstream business is on the right track with joint ventures to develop the Dakota Access and Energy Transfer Crude Oil pipelines remaining on schedule to come online by the end of 2016 and an expansion project at its Beaumont Terminal will add 3.2 million barrels of new storage capacity by mid-2017. Finally while low refining margins are hard to overcome, Phillips actually increased its marketing fuel margins and brought in higher adjusted marketing earnings than a year ago. "This is vitally important for its long-term profitablity as it shows how the company can work through hard times for a core business," says Lettis. "It's hard to look past the low refining margins and it is prudent to monitor the situation. With strong cash flows, though, as well as multiple sources of revenue and continued investment focused on future growth, Phillips 66 remains a very strong pick for long-term investors."[518]
Jason Hall added at the Motley Fool on September 1, 2016 that one of the big reasons Warren Buffett has been loading up on Phillips 66 is that capital allocation is one of a CEO's most important jobs and Greg Garland recognizes this and has focused Phillips' growth investments on the midstream and petrochemicals businesses -- only spending on the refining business to maintain it and improve operations, versus building more refining capacity at a lower rate of return.
Warren Buffett also says that the best long-term investments are often businesses that have strong competitive and economic advantages over their competitors, which they regularly work to strengthen. Phillips 66's refining business certainly has this characteristic. "Refineries, as long as they are well-maintained and run at a high capacity, can generate huge cash flows, which on the surface can make them very attractive businesses," writes Hall. "But at the same time, building a new refinery costs billions of dollars, and growth in demand for refined products is relatively low. In other words, it's just not worth the start-up costs to build a new refinery, based on the limited need. Combined, these two things make a relatively high barrier to entry in the refining business, helping protect Phillips 66 and its competitors from any new entrants into the market."[519]
August 17, 2016: Phillips 66 Seeks 6 Months Delay in Hearing for Santa Maria Refinery Rail Spur Project
The New Times reported on August 17, 2016 that after months of lengthy hearings on Phillips 66’s project, which would allow the company to bring in crude oil by train to its Santa Maria Refinery, Phillips 66 requested that a planned comission meeting on its proposed rail spur extension project scheduled for Sept. 22 be pushed back until March 2017. Phillips said it wanted to wait until the Federal Surface Transportation Board ruled on a petition involving an oil train-related project in Benicia. The company in charge of that project, Valero, is seeking declaratory relief from the three-person federal board after the oil company’s proposal to transport 50 trains per-day carrying crude oil through the city was denied by the Benicia Planning Commission and appealed to its City Council. At the heart of the Benicia case is the issue of pre-emption, or the extent of a local government’s authority over interstate rail transportation, which is the purview of federal government. The same issue is at play in San Luis Obispo. The hearings on the Phillips 66 project featured discussions over the county’s ability to set limits or conditions on the project. “In the interest of efficiency of the commission as well as the planning staff, we believe it would be prudent to further continue the hearing on Phillips 66’s Rail Spur Extension Project until March 2017, so that all parties can benefit from the direction expected from the Surface Transportation Board,” the letter from Phillips read.[520]
Local activists fiercely oppose the Phillips project. Opponents of Phillips 66's plan to bring oil trains to Santa Maria Refinery gathered for a "Stop the Oil Trains Rally" on July 9, 2016 at Mitchell Park in downtown San Luis Obispo. Guest speakers at the rally included Arlene Burns, mayor of Mosier, Oregon, who talked about her experiences being a part of a blast zone after a Union Pacific Railroad train, towing cars filled with crude oil, derailed and exploded near her community. Fourteen cars were involved in the June 4 Columbia River Gorge accident, causing the evacuation of schools in Mosier and the shutdown of Interstate 84 between Hood River and The Dalles.[521]
August 15, 2016: No Injuries From Fire at Phillips 66's Lake Charles Refinery
No Injuries From Fire at Phillips 66's Lake Charles Refinery No injuries have been reported in a fire that started in a processing unit at Phillips 66's Lake Charles Refinery. The fire started when a heater tube failed as a hydrogen unit was being shut down at the plant, according to sources familiar with operations. As a safety precaution, both Phillips 66 employees and contract workers were evacuated from the area, but allowed to return within the hour. Photo: KPLC
Reuters reported on August 15, 2016 that no injuries have been reported in a fire that started in a processing unit at Phillips 66's Lake Charles Refinery. The fire started when a heater tube failed as a hydrogen unit was being shut down at the plant, according to sources familiar with operations. A Phillips 66 representative did not immediately comment.[522] As a safety precaution, both Phillips 66 employees and contract workers were evacuated from the area, but allowed to return within the hour.
Calcasieu Emergency Director Dick Gremillion arrived at the scene soon after it started. "They were bringing a unit down and a fire occurred," Gremillion said. "It was quickly extinguished. It did make a lot of black smoke. A lot of people were concerned about it but there is no offsite impact. The workers were brought - this is a normal safety routine that they do - workers were brought out so they could do an accountability on them, make sure they had everyone accounted for. And they completed that and they've all gone back into the plant now." Westlake Police Chief Chris Wilrye says at no time were nearby residents in danger. "Our concern is for our citizens of the community of Westlake and to make sure there was no impact to the community and there was no evacuation that needed to be taken place outside of Phillips 66 property," he said. "From speaking with the people here at Phillips 66 there's no danger to the community."[523]
August 11, 2016: ConocoPhillips Announces More Layoffs
News on 6 reported on August 11, 2016 that ConocoPhillips has announced another round of layoffs, this time for 6 percent of its employees worldwide. The company employs 15,600 people worldwide including 1,400 employees who work in Bartlesville. ConocoPhillips has not announced how many employees will be laid off in Bartlesville, and a spokesman says the company is still sorting that out. “As far as what the impact will be to Bartlesville, since we’re still early in the process, that has yet to be determined. However, we will know more in the next several weeks as we work through our formal process,” said David Austin. Last year, ConocoPhillips laid off 10-percent of its workforce worldwide including about 170 employees laid off in Bartlesville.[524]
"In 2012 ConocoPhillips split into two companies - an upstream company focused on oil exploration, and a downstream company, called Phillips 66, that is focused on refineries, chemical plants, and midstream. The Ponca City refinery went with Phillips 66 which has not announced layoffs," says Hugh Pickens, an investor who closely follows Phillips 66. "The Ponca City Refinery, which employs about 700 Phillips 66 employees and contractors, is running at almost 100% capacity and is considered to be one of the best run and most profitable of Phillips 66's fifteen worldwide refineries."
However there are some Ponca City residents who work for ConocoPhillips and commute to Bartlesville who could be impacted by the ConocoPhillips layoffs. In April, 2015 a previous ConocoPhillips' reduction in force affected some employees commuting from Ponca City to Bartlesville for a number of years. A Ponca City woman employee, who did not want to be identified told The Ponca City News, she was terminated from ConocoPhillips and sent home with others from the Bartlesville operations by cab. The 28-year employee, who had car-pooled, was terminated April 1, 2015 and transported back to Ponca City in a cab paid for by the company. A spokesman for ConocoPhillips said, “Within Bartlesville, less than 4 percent of our employees will be impacted by these workforce reductions. Anytime you have to do these kinds of reductions, it’s always very difficult.”[525]
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Tag Archive: myths
No more psychopathology among BDSM-people
aranisiaOctober 11, 2015
There is no evidence that SM/fetish people have a higher degree of psychopathology than the rest of the population.
Wismeijer & van Assen (2013):
More heathy BDSMers
A Dutch study of 902 BDSM practitioners, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, suggests that the BDSMers had more favorable psychological characteristics than a control group of 434 respondants.
The BDSM practitioners were less neurotic, more extraverted and had higher subjective well-being than the control group.
The study, that was publised May 16, 2013, also suggests that the BDSM group was more conscientious and less rejection sensitive. BDSMers were however less agreeable than the control group. The doms scored lower than both the subs and the control group with respect to agreeableness. BDSM scores on health were generally more favorably for those with a dominant than a submissive role, with least favorable scores for controls.
Andreas A.J. Wismeijer PhD, Marcel A.L.M. van Assen PhD: Psychological Characteristics of BDSM Practitioners. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, Volume 10, Issue 8, pages 1943–1952, August 2013.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsm.12192/abstract
Psychological Characteristics of BDSM Practitioners
http://www.andreaswismeijer.nl/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/BDSM_JSM_Wismeijer_van-Assen.pdf
Brad Sagarin et al (2009):
The implication of two studies at the Northern Illinois University into hormonal changes associated with Sadomasochistic activities including spanking, bondage and flogging, suggest that it could bring consenting couples closer together. The increases in relationship closeness combined with the displays of caring and affection observed as part of the SM activities offer support for the modern view that SM, when performed consensually, has the potential to increase intimacy between participants. Sagarin, B. J. (picture), Cutler, B., Cutler, N., Lawler-Sagarin, K. A., & Matuszewich, L. (2009). Hormonal changes and couple bonding in consensual sadomasochistic activity. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 38, 186-200.
http://www.niu.edu/user/tj0bjs1/papers/scclm09.pdf
http://pubget.com/paper/18563549
Cross and Matheson (2006):
Cross and Matheson (2006) found no support for the traditional theories that sadomasochism is an illness.
The researchers found no evidence for the psychopathology/medical-model contention that masochists suffer from any kind of mental disorder and that SM-sadists are antisocial (Krafft-Ebing 1886/1965).
There was no support for the traditional psychoanalytic view of self-harming and guilt-ridden masochists or id-driven and psychopatic SM-sadists (Freud 1900/1906/1953/1954).
Cross and Matheson neither found any evidence for Baumeister’s contention that masochists were more inclined to engage in escapist behaviors such as drug-taking, day-dreaming, or fantasizing than the comparison group (Baumeister 1988, 1989).
Cross and Matheson did however find that SM participants were overall more likely than non-SM respondents to report bisexual/homosexual orientations.
No evidence was found suggesting that sadomasochists espoused anti-feminist, patriarchal values or traditional gender roles to a greater extent that the non-SM-group.
And the sadomasochists were relatively more likely to be in ongoing relationships than the comparison group.
Patricia A. Cross PhD and Kim Matheson PhD in the book “Sadomasochism: Powerful Pleasures” (2006), published simultaneously as the Journal of Homosexuality, Vol. 50, Nos. 2/3.)
Connolly et al (2006):
Results from a research project by Dr. Pamela Connolly (picture) et al, among a group with bondage and sadomasochistic interests (BDSM) showed that
“no evidence was found to support the notion that clinical disorders – including depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsion – are more prevalent among the sample of individuals with BDSM interests than among members of the general population. Moreover, this sample did not show evidence of widespread PTSD, trauma-related phenomena, personality disturbances, psychological sadism or psychological masochism”, disorders in which the sufferer either derives pleasure out of genuine cruelty (not the play-acting kind) or compulsively seeks out harmful levels of pain. ”Similarly, no prominent themes were found in a series of profile analyses.”
”There were, however, som exceptions to this general pattern, most notably the higher-than-average levels of nonspecific dissociative symptoms and narcissism in this sample. That said, this body of findings suggests that, contrary to longstanding assumptions in the psychoanalytic literature, there is very little support for the view that psychopathology underlies behavior.”
Connolly, P.H.; Haley, H.; Gendelman, J.; Miller, J. (2006). Psychological functioning of bondage/domination/sado-masochism practitioners. Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality, 18(1), 79-120.
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all?content=10.1300/J056v18n01_05
Richters et al 2005:
A survey using computer-assisted telephone interviews with 20,000 Australian men and women, showed that BDSM may actually make men happier. Men into BDSM scored significantly better on a scale of psychological wellbeing than other men.
BDSM’ers were no more likely to have suffered sexual difficulties, sexual abuse or coercion or anxiety than other Australians.
– This seems to imply that these men are actually happier as a result of their behaviour, though we’re not sure why, said Dr. Juliet Richters (picture), of the University of New South Wales. “It might just be that they’re more in harmony with themselves because they’re into something unusual and are comfortable with that. There’s a lot to be said for accepting who you are.”
Researchers said the study helps break down the reigning stereotype that people into bondage and discipline were damaged as children and were therefore “dysfunctional”.
Richters, J., & Rissel, C. (2005). Doing it down under: The sexual lives of Australians. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/kinky-you-cant-beat-it/2007/04/16/1176696736407.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,266344,00.html
Martins & Ceccarelli (2003):
A study, presented at the 16th World Congress of Sexology in Cuba 10-14 March, 2003, suggests that non-conventional sexual practices cannot be used as a diagnosed criteria of any kind, which means that the only aspect that distinguishes these individuals from others is their sexual practices.
Picture: Maria Cristina Martins, Clinical Psychologist and Specialist in Human Sexuality. Campinas, SP, Brazil and Paulo Roberto Ceccarelli, Psychologist, Psychoanalyst, PhD in Psycopathology and Psychoanalysis by Paris VII, Paris, France.
www.revisef65.org/cuba1.html
Earlier studies:
According to Moser (1999), limited earlier studies show no differences in psychopathology between the S/M group and the control group. Gosselin & Wilson (1980), Miale (1986), Moser (1979).
http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/BIB/SM.htm#S/M_PRACT
C. Moser C. (1999). The Psychology of Sadomasochism (S/M). S. Wright, ed., SM Classics, New York, Masquerade Books 1999, p. 47-61.
Gosselin, C, & Wilson, G. (1980). Sexual variations. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Miale, J. P. (1986). An initial study of nonclinical practitioners of sexual sadomasochism. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, the Professional School of Psychological Studies, San Diego.
Moser, C. (1979). An exploratory-descriptive study of a self-defined S/M (sadomasochistic) sample. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, San Francisco.
SM as a sexual orientation
Physicians and psychiatrists about SM as a valid expression of adult consensual sexuality and an important part of people’s sexual orientation.
http://members.aol.com/NOWSM/Psychiatrists.html
BDSM, health, myths, psychology
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Kim pays tribute to his late father
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un, center, pays tribute to his late father and former leader, Kim Jong-il, at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, in this image captured from the North’s Korean Central Television on Sunday. It was Kim Jong-un’s first reported public appearance since Jan. 25, when he attended a concert in Pyongyang celebrating Lunar New Year’s Day. [YONHAP]
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a mausoleum in Pyongyang to commemorate the birthday of his late father, state media reported Sunday, in his first reported public appearance in 22 days.
Kim paid tribute at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of his late father and former leader, Kim Jong-il, and his grandfather and founding leader, Kim Il Sung, are enshrined, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
Kim “visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on the occasion of the Day of the Shining Star, the greatest auspicious holiday of the nation,” KCNA said, referring to the late leader’s birthday by its official name in the communist nation.
Sunday marks the 78th birthday of the late leader.
KCNA did not say when the visit was made, but given that Kim usually pays such visits at midnight on the eve of the anniversary, it is likely he visited at midnight on Saturday night this year.
The mausoleum visit came 22 days after he was last seen in public at a concert in Pyongyang celebrating Lunar New Year’s Day on Jan. 25. Kim’s absence from state media reports had raised speculation it had something to do with concerns over the novel coronavirus.
Close aides accompanied Kim on his visit to the mausoleum - namely the North’s No. 2 leader, Choe Ryong-hae, and former North Korean Premier Pak Pong-ju, considered No. 3 in Pyongyang’s power hierarchy - according to KCNA.
The number of aides accompanying Kim appears to have been scaled down markedly, compared with previous years, in what could be seen as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus, though the communist nation has not reported any confirmed case yet. Kim has visited the mausoleum every year to pay tribute since he came to power after the death of his late father in late 2011.
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Czech Red Tape a Big Challenge for Entrepreneurs
Posted May 23, 2010 to Business by: jacy meyer.
Christopher Robertson, the British owner of Robertson International Delicatessen, a food wholesaler and retailer with three shops in the Czech Republic, recalls the time that an American came into one of his shops to ask about its uzena zebra, which means smoked pork ribs in Czech.
“The customer started asking the shop assistants, in quite good Czech, whether we really imported zebras from Africa and smoked them,” Mr. Robertson said.
Language skills can be useful for foreigners doing business in the Czech Republic, along with patience and a sense of humor.
The sense of humor can be called upon in all sorts of situations, says Nathan Brown, a Canadian businessman who owns Czech Point 101, a property investment and management company that specializes in helping foreigners buy Czech real estate.
While assisting one client with a reconstruction project, Mr. Brown needed to keep nine doors and their old-style keys straight. He diligently labeled each door and key, then sent his assistant to make copies, with strict instructions to keep everything in order.
The assistant returned, with the useful information that all the keys could open all the locks.
Whether the keys could have unlocked the creaking Czech bureaucracy is another question. Red tape is probably a potential business owner’s biggest obstacle.
“The bureaucracy in Czech Republic has always been a challenge, but it has gotten progressively better,” Mr. Brown said.
Both Mr. Robertson and Mr. Brown started their companies in 2003, just before the Czech Republic joined the European Union in 2004.
“Many regulations were changing at the time, and this caused quite a lot of confusion and frustration,” Mr. Robertson recalled.
“Things have improved over the years, but each government official can interpret rules and regulations in a different manner,” he said. “It comes down to people as much as anything else.”
The Ministry of Industry and Trade, responding to the resulting frustrations, has set up a Web portal, in Czech and English, to guide potential business owners through the maze. BusinessInfo.cz offers information on how to start a business; on legal responsibilities, trade, investment and business support; and how to wind it up at the end of the day.
“A huge problem with bureaucracy in Czech Republic is that different offices each have a jurisdiction and don’t communicate with each other,” said Mr. Brown. Still, he said, “one big progress has been that most official documents — land registry, company excerpts, criminal records, etc. — can now be collected from a central point, and there are over 3,700 of these places in the country.”
These one-stop shops have greatly reduced the time a business owner must spend in traipsing from one government office to another in pursuit of necessary forms, signatures and official stamps.
The Czech Republic is not yet in the euro zone — current expectations are that it might join by 2015 — so the current wave of speculative pressure against the euro has not directly affected the country. Mr. Robertson, who imports his produce from Britain or uses local suppliers, says he is more concerned with the koruna’s exchange rate against the pound.
“The euro does not directly affect us, but the present nervousness with the euro has implications for the Czech crown and British pound, so we are watching the situation and will make decisions accordingly,” he said. “I think it is inevitable that the Czech Republic will join the euro, but with the current budget deficit and problems in the euro zone, I imagine this will not be for another five to 10 years.”
The koruna-to-pound exchange rate is also a consideration for Mr. Brown, since many of his real estate clients are British.
With the weakness of the pound, the credit market freeze and the subsequent recession, “we noticed a marked downturn in interest from new buyers and inquiries from late 2008 to mid-2009,” Mr. Brown said. “It was as if a tap was turned off. It wasn’t even dripping.”
Still, since the middle of 2009, interest in Czech property has started to return, he added: “Especially in 2010, we are seeing a marked improvement.”
Mr. Robertson originally came to the Czech Republic in the mid-1990s to farm in western Bohemia. From farming, he branched into making his own sausages and bacon, and rising demand inspired him to open a butcher’s shop in 2003; his third opened just this year. The business mix includes wholesale deals with hotels and restaurants and retailing to the public. With a niche in importing classic favorites from Britain, the Robertson shops have become a mecca for Prague’s expatriate population.
Doing business almost inevitably at some point means taking on employees, an area in which Mr. Robertson and Mr. Brown say they have had mixed experiences. A fairly young and educated workforce is a plus, but training in certain areas, like customer service, may be necessary. Mr. Robertson said that he had had difficulty finding and keeping employees a few years ago, when the economy was strong.
“Unemployment was minimal in Prague, finding new employees was a bit of a problem, and people had the feeling that they could leave one job and move into another with no real problem,” he said. “This has recently changed with unemployment on the increase. People seem to value their jobs more.”
Recent news reports have listed Czech employees as among the most likely to take sick days in the European Union — 48.43 days per year on average in 2009, up from 39.5 in 2008. Mr. Brown said that could become a matter of concern.
“We haven’t had anything to this extent in our company, but it is a worry of mine now,” he said. “How could a company make money with four weeks’ holidays and then these sick days on top?”
Both Mr. Brown and Mr. Robertson say they have also had to confront poor customer service attitudes, both among employees and suppliers.
“Good customer service does not come naturally for most Czechs, and employees must be trained for it,” Mr. Brown said. Mr. Robertson added that, again, the economic uncertainty had been positive for him, this time in his dealings with suppliers.
“I am often surprised by some local suppliers’ taking a short-term attitude toward a working business relationship and trying to make a quick buck as opposed to taking a more long-term view,” he said. “The present challenging economic climate has motivated suppliers to respect the needs of their clients.”
For Mr. Brown, this short-term mind-set is one of the cultural challenges of doing business here.
Many Czech businesses “appear not interested in having a satisfied repeat customer,” he said. “They’d rather make maximum profit on the first transaction.”
Mr. Robertson believes that learning the language and getting to know the whole country are hugely important.
“Making an effort with the language is a major step toward understanding the country and people,” he said. “Prague is only one region of the country. Time spent outside of Prague is invaluable in learning about the people, culture and country.
“The biggest issues for any start-up are finding good local partners or employees at the beginning,” he added. “As a foreigner, the language is always going to be the first barrier.”
Yet, for all the challenges, both entrepreneurs are enthusiastic about the overall climate. Once the bureaucratic hassles have been dealt with, this is a good place to build a business, they say.
“As a foreigner, it is a challenging environment to work in,” Mr. Robertson said. “At the same time, the general spirit is, or was, more entrepreneurial than in Western Europe; there were many more opportunities available here over the past few years than in the U.K., for example.”
Mr. Brown said: “A foreign owner needs a sense of humor, and to realize that operating a business in a country other than your own is full of challenges.
“There will be plenty of mistakes made. However, the rewards are there also.”
Posted May 23, 2010 to Business by: jacy meyer.
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HOME CURRENT ISSUE News Marines’ policy deputy forced to resign over leaked video
Marines’ policy deputy forced to resign over leaked video
Date: March 21st, 2015
A video showing the arrest of Hiroji Yamashiro, the 62-year-old chairman of the Okinawa Heiwa Undo Center (Peace Movement Center), protesting the construction at Henoko in front of the gate to Camp Schwab was leaked and posted on YouTube video streaming service. The video of the Feb. 22nd incident showed the Japanese gate guards grabbing and arresting Yamashiro who had strayed a few feet into the base area.
Government officials revealed on Mar. 19th, that the source of leak was Robert Eldridge, deputy assistant chief of staff of government and external affairs of the U.S. Marine Corps on Okinawa. Eldridge was forced to resign from his position to take responsibility for leaking the video.
Although Marine Corps officials told Okinawa Times newspaper that the person who had leaked the video had been disciplined, they refused to reveal details including the name and rank of the person citing regulations of the Department of Defense.
According to a person familiar with the issue, Eldridge gave the footage of the incident to a 51-year-old man living on Okinawa. This person then posted the movie on YouTube on March 9th. However, he has reportedly not revealed anything about the video and where it came from.
« U.S. military truck knocks down wall, leaves scene
Nearly 4,000 protest at Henoko on Saturday »
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War is Hell
FYI, Flickr and Blogger aren't playing nice at the moment, so book covers should come later...
Before I get to the reviews, FYI, the new Georgia Nicholson book, Love Is a Many Trousered Thing, is slated to come out in May and available for pre-order now on Amazon. Woot!
Also, dear, dear Amazon. I have told you how much I am in lurve with Jasper Fforde , why then, did you fail to tell me back in August that he had a NEW Nursery Crime book out, The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime. I depend on you for such details!!!! And I didn't know! And I feel sad. Well, I was sad that you had betrayed my heart in such a way, but then I got a copy at the library (which was easy to do, given that, you know, I work there.)
Anyway, y'all don't want to hear me, you just want to dance.
First off, this August, my plan was to read Barbara Tuchmann's Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Guns of August, about the first month of WWI. Well, I started it in August but with all the other reading I've had to do for work and school, I didn't get to actually finish it until Saturday. Given that Saturday was Armistice Day, I find it appropriate. This book has been critically acclaimed a million times and I don't have much to add. It was well worth the read and an immensely fascinating look at how paranoid the Kaiser seemed and how steadfastly those in charge committed to a plan and refused to be swayed, despite the consequences.
Interestingly enough, when outlining the causes of war, the assasination of Archduke Ferdinand barely garned a sentence. To be fair, when outlining the scope of the book, Tuchmann states that she wasn't going to touch the Balkan question, as to address it fairly would be a whole book in and of itself.
This book was obviously written in a time when the average reader had a more extensive knowledge of European History. Now, I'm fairly well trained in history, but I've only had two college classes in European history (one was focused soley on England and the other was just general Europe) and I was constantly looking things up. (For instance, there were all these references to animousity between France and Germany in 1870, but never gave it a name, which made it hard to look up. It was the Franco-Prussian war. Luckily, I live with a British History scholar, and he knows a lot more about general European stuff than I do.) Also, the maps are very focused and it can be hard to see where the area of detail was in the greater European context. (At point I was looking at a map of airport routes in my inflight magazine trying to figure out what bit of German coast I was looking at.)
That said, this book is the perfect reason to buy yourself an Historical World Atlas.
Also, Tuchmann is very funny. She often slips in dry little comments, such as this one from p. 267
German soldiers, posted as informers, were found dressed as peasants, even peasant women. The latter were discovered, presumably in the course of non-military action, by their government-issued underwear.
But for now, let's talk about some YA war books, shall we?
By far, the hands-down best YA war book I've read recently is Kipling's Choice by Geert Spillebeen. A fiction account of John Kipling's (Rudyard Kipling's son) last moments, it tells the story of a young man desperate for the glory and honor of war.
Rudyard had always wanted to serve in his Majesty's service and was denied entry due to his poor eyesight. His hopes and dreams trasnfered to his only son, John. His grades weren't good enough to go to the best naval academies, but his gets into an acceptable army school. But John has his father's eyes and the lifestyle befitting the priviledged sons of Britian's elite...
When war breaks out in Europe in 1914, Rudyard Kiplin is one of the loudest voices calling for British involvement. WHen England joins, he leads the recruitment calls. It breaks his and his son's hearts that John cannot be in the first wave, especially as his friends keep going over. He still feels this way even as his friends start dying. Rudyard pulls every string he can to get his son a commission.
John's first battle is also his last. This heart-breaking tale is framed as his life flashes before him somewhere in Belgium.
Spillebeen grew up near Flanders and has written several YA novels about the oft-neglected WWI, but as far as I can tell, this is his first to appear in English. There are several aspects that set this book apart from the rest of the genre. The bulk of the story takes place before the war and before John deploys, but because of how the story is framed, it transports you to the battlefield horror on a regular basis. Because Kipling is killed so early in his army career he never loses that pre-war optimisim--life never gives him the chance to turn battle hardened and cynical--which is rare in war books.
Another difference between Kipling's Choice and most others lies in John's societal status. He is not a grunt. He's not escaping an impoverished background--even in boot camp he takes his friends partying in London's most exclusive clubs. His father's wealth and status and fame means John starts as an officer. He is not an everyman, but he'll still die like one. The book also follows the reaction of John's parents in greater detail than the standard epilogue. I highly recommend this book and hope that we'll see more translations of Spillebeen's work.
Another WWI book--also with interesting framing--is Michael Murpago's Private Peaceful. Thomas (Tommo) Peaceful grew up living on an estate (but the son of a worker, not fortune like Kipling) in England. His older brother Charlie has always looked out for him. The first half of the book deals with the day to day struggles of being poor and the estate owner is mean and Charlie and Tommo fall in love with the same girl... WWI breaks out and the brothers join up, Tommo lying about his age to be eligible.
The story then shifts to the general horros for war and the specific horros of trench warfare. The story is told as Tommo stays up all night (for a reason we find out at the end--he's not on watch, despite wahat the book jacket says!) The chapters are labeled with the time of night as he stays up and remembers.
Unlike Kipling's Choice, Private Peaceful follows the more common form of "bright-eyed poor boy becomes a hardened man by witnessing the horrors of war" but Peaceful is much better than most. My main complaint is the relationship between Charlie and Tommo. At it's worst, Tommo gets pissed off when he realizes that Charlie has one Molly's heart. But these emotions are fully explored and seem to quickly fade away. Generally, Tommo idolizes Charlie and Charlie can never ever ever ever do wrong. It just doesn't make sense, nor does it ring true and sours the rest of the story.
The other complaint, which is not my own by I'll pass it on anyway, comes from a fellow librarian, and that is that most of the pre-war plot is supposedly lifted directly from some classic mini-series. Now I haven't seen it and can't even remember the name, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
Final verdict? Good, but no Kipling's Choice.
Skipping ahead a generation, we land in WWII with B for Buster by Iain Lawrence.
The Kakabera Kid lies his way out of his small Canadian town and into the British Airforce. Instead of being the 16 year old son of an abusive drunk, he is now an 18 year old orphan. He loves to fly and one day dreams of being a pilot, not just the wireless operator. He also sees his adventure as parallels to his comic book character heroes.
He's desperately afraid of being found out as being too young and avoids hanging out with his crew, lest his actions give himself away. (Of course, his flight crew just thinks he doesn't like them.) Once they start flying missions, he befriends the pigeoner as the only person he can talk to about his extreme fear of being shot down and dying.
This book is meant to illuminate a long forgotten aspect of the warr--the role of pigeons in the BAF. Flights carried homing pigeons so if they got short down (and survived) or had to bail out, they could write a message about where they were and get rescued. The problem is that this is where Lawrence take sthe most historical liberaties. These are all countered in his ending historical note, but hte fact that he's writing this book to tell this story but messes with the story? It completely detracts from the story and a better story could have been told without these changes.
However, the best part was the descriptions of burning German cities. Just the sense of fire and destruction and the questions of how anyone could survive such a horror (and they didn't even go to Dresden) are questions that are treated very subtley and well. It really comes to a head when the flight crew goes down to London and gets caught in the Blitz... what makes this show well done (I think) is that it's not overly-dwelled upon.
Another book about a little known episode of WWII, and one that is done much better is Graham Salisbury's Eyes of the Emperor. Hawaii resident Eddy Okubo is sick of hearing about "The Japanese Problem"--if it comes to war, will those of Japanese descent be loyal to the US? Or to Japan? After his family is targeted, Eddy lies his was into the army to prove where his loyalties are-- the US.
After Pearl Harbor, when it does come to war, Eddy and the other Japanese-American soldiers aren't allowed to fight. At first, they're even held prisoner! Eventually Eddy and some of the other Japanese-American soldiers are taken to Mississippi (on the journey, they're not allowed to open the shades because people would freak out at seeing a "car full of Japs".) In Mississippi they're stuck on a desolate island as part of a dog training program. Japanese people, supposedly, smell differently than other people. Eddy and his friends are being used as bait--their service to their country was to be hunted down and attacked by dogs.
Strikingly told in Eddy's voice this is a well-done account of a true episode in American history. My one complaint is that Eddy's speaking voice/grammar/sentence construction doesn't match his inner, narrative voice at all, which can be a bit jarring, but he doesn't talk a lot, so it's a minor complaint.
Jumping back a few more wars, I recently read The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane for the first time.
Um... the coolest part about this book is that I read it through DailyLit, which is awesome. (Currently, I'm slogging through War and Peace.)
Crane paints well the bravado and fear of war as a young boy marchs off to war. It's not as introspective as the other ones I've discusses, and really, what can I say that generations of high school students haven't said already? I have nothing really to add nor profound to say.
Overall these books are all pretty good and I do recommend all of them. Kipling's Choice is by far and away the best, but these are all exemplary titles. ATTENTION TRANSLATORS! I WANT MORE GEERT SPILLEBEEN!
Labels: Adult, Barbara Tuchmann, Civil War, Classics, Fiction, Geert Spillebeen, Graham Salisbury, Iain Lawrence, Michael Murpago, Nonfiction, Rudyard Kipling, Stephen Crane, WWI, WWII
Hi Jennie, DEAR Jennie,
How nice of you to recommend my y.a.novel Kipling's choice. (It won 3 US awards. But I 'm not getting rich ;) See my website http://users.pandora.be/geert.spillebeen1 )
I do have some more WW1 books. My American publisher has read "Age 14", the story of WW1's youngest (Irish) casualty, a boy soldier. But I haven't heard any news from the publisher since spring. That novel is a modest success in Flanders, though. And a protest against all wars (like Kipling's choice is).
Maybe I should write an American story to get more attention?
Or is it that Americans don't like to be remembered that war is wrong? (Like Iraq... Nothing has changed since WW.1)
I went to Verdun (FR) last weekend. (= 4hrs drive from home)My God... the US Cemetery of Romagne, France. Endless rows of crosses. I believe 20,000 US men lie there. WW.1 was not just an intermezoo for the US...
see http://goeurope.about.com/od/france/ss/meuse_cemetery.htm
Greets!
GEERT SPILLEBEEN (radiojournalist, author, Belgium) geert.spillebeen@euronet.be
Coffee addict, torch singer, and librarian ninja.
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Monday, January 14, 2013 Contact: Bob Curran Jr. (212) 521-5326
Belmont Stakes Charity Celebration Moves to Bobby Flay's Bar Americain
The official Belmont Stakes Charity Celebration will be held at chef Bobby Flay’s highly acclaimed Bar Americain restaurant in New York City on Thursday, June 6, 2013.
The event, featuring “The Foods of Bobby Flay,” will be jointly hosted by and will benefit two prominent charities in the equine industry: the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF). It will also feature an auction of select stallion seasons and unique experiences. Terence Collier, director of marketing for Fasig-Tipton Inc., will conduct the auction.
Flay, the owner and executive chef of several restaurants as well as a television personality and author, operates a major racing stable and won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with More Than Real in 2010. As an equine welfare advocate, he has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation.
“We are delighted to host the Belmont Stakes Charity Celebration at Bar Americain,” said Flay. “I think every horse deserves a safe retirement when their racing career comes to an end, and the industry has an obligation to help provide that to them. I am immensely pleased to help both the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation as they strive to make horses healthier and safer during their lives.”
“Horse health should be a priority for anyone involved with the Thoroughbred industry, and this event brings well-deserved attention to our foundation as well as the third leg of the Triple Crown,” said Dell Hancock, chairman of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. “While Grayson-Jockey Club is closely associated with the Thoroughbred industry and we receive almost all of our support from it, a great majority of the research projects we fund are as helpful to a child’s pony or any other breed as they are to the Thoroughbred.”
“We are thrilled to be working closely with Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation on this event,” said TRF Chairman of the Board John Moore. “For 30 years now, TRF has been the industry leader in providing aftercare for retired Thoroughbreds, and this will be our first major event in New York City.”
The TRF’s annual fund raiser was traditionally held at Saratoga on the eve of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sales. The TRF will still hold a smaller fund raiser on that evening in a different format.
The 145th edition of the $1,000,000 Belmont Stakes, the oldest and longest of the Triple Crown events, will be held Saturday, June 8, and will be televised by NBC Sports (5 – 7 p.m. EDT).
Bar Americain is located at 152 W. 52nd Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in New York City.
Tickets for the charity celebration are priced at $400 per person.
Additional information about the event can be obtained by contacting Nancy Kelly of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation at (212) 521-5305 or nkelly@jockeyclub.com or Sue Finley at (732) 747-8060 or suefinley@aol.com.
Founded in 1983, the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation is the largest equine sanctuary in the world devoted to the rescue, retirement, rehabilitation and retraining of Thoroughbred horses no longer able to compete on the racetrack. More than 1,000 Thoroughbreds have been adopted out to loving homes. At eight correctional facilities, inmates build life skills while participating in a vocational training program as they provide supervised care to retired horses.
Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, a longtime beneficiary of the Belmont week charity event, is the nation’s leading private source of equine research funding, having individually contributed more than $19 million to 40 universities since 1983 to underwrite 287 specific projects aimed at enhancing the health and safety of horses. Additional information is available at grayson-jockeyclub.org.
Founded in 1955 and franchised to run thoroughbred racing at New York’s three major tracks (Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course) through 2033, NYRA boasts a lineage that actually stretches back almost 150 years. NYRA tracks are the cornerstone of the state’s Thoroughbred business, which contributes more than $2 billion annually to New York State’s urban, suburban and rural economy. In 2011, more than 1.8 million people attended the live races at NYRA tracks. Factoring in nationwide off-track wagering, the average daily betting handle on NYRA races totals more than $8.1 million. NYRA has a vast network of websites, including nyra.com, belmontstakes.com, and nyragroupsales.com. You can also follow NYRA on social media platforms Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube.
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Hvitmalt Gjerde
K Dahl Eftf/Warner Music Norway
Hvitmalt Gjerde (Eng: White Fence, or rather Fence Painted White) has been hyped as one of the most promising, up-coming young bands over the last year, and now they've launched their debut album, excluding their homemade, 'non-official' album Cowboy & Indianer (Toppen av Elvebakken Undergrunn) of last year. They're said to be a "...bunch of surf rockers who rather will 'play cowboys and indians'..." (indieans...?). Well, the mixture is said to be inspired by surf rock, 60s psyche-pop, and garage rock - lyrics sung in their native Bergen dialect (bergensk). All is done with/in DIY punk attitude and style.
Hvitmalt Gjerde's self-titled debut for has this 60s vibe. As in The Troggs, The Yardbirds, and such. Plus a tint of garage-surf. Especially the opener "Vil du holde min hånd?" (Do you want to hold my hand?) is for sure a 60s styled song. As is "Litt mer" (A little more). "Surfer med Jesus" (Surfing with Jesus) has got, surprise, a touch of surf guitar. "Skriker til meg" (Screaming to me) is one of the tougher songs, while "Villaren" is a nifty blend of "Pushin' to Hard" (The Seeds), "Till the End of the Day" (The Kinks), and "Still I'm Sad" (The Yardbirds). Cool. "Nordsjøen" (North Sea) is another cool track. Even though the entire album (10 songs) doesn't hold my attention, it's a proper album. And, yes, the lyrics are interesting and the Bergen dialect is indeed fitting their sound.
Hvitmalt Gjerde is not a typical Norwegian band to emerge from the last years. The youngster quartet (they're 18-19 years old) counting Johannes, Sturla, Jakob and Ørjan, show a fresh approach as they dive into the 60s. It's hard to believe they're all born in the early 90s. They must've entered some time-machine, for sure. Rock archivist (and rock legend) Lenny Kaye, one of the Nuggets curators (and of course guitar slinger of the Patti Smith Group) is said to be a fan, which is quite understandable. This is energetic teen spirit.
PS! I wonder if the band's name is inspired by Norwegian troubadour Ole Paus' album Sanger Fra et Hvitmalt Gjerde i sjelen (Songs From A White Painted Fence In Your Soul) (2005), produced by H.P. Gundersen (from Bergen), as a collaboration with The Real Ones (another band out of Bergen)...?
Copyright © 2013 Håvard Oppøyen
You may also want to check out our Hvitmalt Gjerde article/review: Ville venner.
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ORDER OF THE ARROW THE ORDER
ORDER OF THE ARROW THE ORDER of the Arrow is Scouting's national honor society. It sets out to recognize those youth and adult campers who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives, to develop and maintain camping traditions and spirit, to promote Scout camping, and to crystallize the Scout habit of helpfulness into a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service to others. The Order of the Arrow was founded in 1915 by Dr. E. Urner Goodman and Carroll A. Edson at Treasure Island, the summer camp of the BSA's Philadelphia Area Council. The Order of the Arrow became an official part of the Boy Scouts of American in 1948.
To gain membership in the Order of the Arrow, a registered Boy Scout or Varsity Scout must hold the First Class rank or higher. He must have taken part in a minimum of 15 days and nights of Scout camping in a 2-year period, including a 6-day and 5-night camping experience at a local or national council facility operated and accredited by the BSA. Eligible Scouts must then be elected to the Order by other members of their unit, following approval by their Scoutmaster or Varsity Scout team Coach.
The two membership levels of the Order of the Arrow are Ordeal and Brotherhood. During the Ordeal period, the first step toward full OA membership, a Scout is expected to strengthen his involvement in his Scout unit and encourage Scout camping. After 10 months of service and after fulfilling certain requirements, an Ordeal member may take part in the Brotherhood ceremony which places further emphasis on the ideals of Scouting and of the Order. Completing this ceremony signifies full membership in the Order of the Arrow.
Following 2 years of service as a Brotherhood member, and with the approval of the National Order of the Arrow Committee, a Scout or adult leader may be recognized with the Vigil Honor for outstanding service to Scouting, his OA lodge, and his community. The Vigil Honor is granted by special selection, and is limited to not more than one person for every fifty members registered each year with a lodge.
Among the OA's national activities are service projects, college scholarships. American Indian camperships, matching grants for council camp improvements, and national leadership seminars. OA trail crews completing conservation projects at Philmont Scout Ranch provide invaluable service as they care for the environment. The National Order of the Arrow conference (NOAC), held every two years at a major university, trains leaders of local lodges and allows Scouts from across the country to share in the fellowship of OA membership.
While it recognizes both boys and adults, the Order of the Arrow is a youth-led program. Youth members are elected to serve as the national chief, vice chief and chiefs of four national regions. Boys are also members of the National Order of the Arrow Committee to provide youth input on national OA policy, and they serve as the presiding officers for national regional OA events.
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MEGABYTE - Data Must flow Co., Ltd. > Privacy policy
This Privacy Policy document contains types of information that is collected and recorded by us and how we use it.
This Privacy Policy was last updated on May 20, 2016. If there will be any update, amendment, or changes to our Privacy Policy then these will be posted on this pagees
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Sahir Ludhianvi Conveyed Deep Philosophical Ideas In Simple Terms – Nasreen Munni Kabir
Posted by admin on Jan 10, 2021 in Breaking News | 0 comments
8 January, 2020, Kolkata: “Sahir Ludhianvi’s song from the golden era `Man re tu kahe na dhir dhare’ captures our life’s reality and spirit during the Covid times. Sahir had a mastery over Hindi and Urdu and conveyed deep philosophical ideas in simple terms,” said UK-based television producer, director and author, Nasreen Munni Kabir, in conversation with ace journalist and film critic, Namrata Joshi, at an online session of Tete-a-Tea series organised by Prabha Khaitan Foundation of Kolkata. The year 2021 marks the birth centenary of poet-songwriter Sahir Ludhianvi.
Film aficionados and booklovers logged in from across the country for an engaging and nostalgic session that focused on Bollywood’s iconic songwriter, lyricist and poet of yesteryears, Sahir Ludhianvi, who was born on 8 March,1921, in Ludhiana and came to Delhi from Lahore after Partition. Sahir’s Hindi film songs became immensely popular and even today, generations later, till echoes in our minds and has not lost its appeal.
Nasreen Munni Kabir has been promoting Indian films abroad for over five decades and has made over 100 programmes and docu-features on Bollywood legends. She has authored over 20 books on Bollywood icons and her latest book “In the Year of Sahir 2021 Diary” – conceived as a collectible diary – is a paean to the legendary songwriter-poet. Prabha Khaitan Foundation has gifted this unique Diary to all its Ehsaas Woman associates across 35 cities in India.
Responding to Namrata Joshi’s question – How did you discover Sahir? Nasreen said, “Honestly, to me, it was Pyaasa. The cinema was shown in London and it was the songs. The Urdu was difficult so I didn’t understand the whole meaning of his words. But I think he is amazingly romantic in one way, but underneath that there is a layer of melancholy which struck me. He described emotions in very simple and effective terms but there is a sad ending. They are not happy songs. I think the romantic songs that we remember are the sad ones. When we are sad, we listen to sad songs and not the disco songs. He really connects to people who are discerning and caring about the world but have a tinge of melancholy in the idea of romance.”
Commenting on what made Sahir’s lyrics stand out, Nasreen said, “Most of the Urdu poets of that era had to work in films in order to earn money because publishing was not paying money so much. Sahir worked with Arnold brothers and Chetan Anand. So from the very start, he was not working for C-grade films but with the top people of the era like Dev Anand and Sachin Dev Burman, who were very educated and sophisticated. He was moving in an educated milieu. He was not asked to lower the tone of his lyrics ever.”
“The most difficult thing was to appeal to everybody. One can only do that if he masters something and speaks in a very straightforward language. When one knows something, he or she will say it simply. Sahir knew how to use the language and in what context. He also knew the character and wrote poetry, lyrics and the song to suit the character of a particular film,” Nasreen said. Nasreen, however, believes that a film is made by a team and not just a director. It is more so in the Hindi cinema because there are various fragmentations in the creation of the film. But the director chooses the right person for each fragment and Sahir Ludhianvi always measured up to their expectations.
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Canada follows US and UK to take action China over Uyghur issue
By Pratyaksha Mitra on January 13, 2021 No Comment
Ottawa: – After the United States and the United Kingdom, Canada has targeted China over the atrocities carried out against the Uyghur people. Canadian Foreign Minister Francois Philippe and Industrial Trade Minister Mary Ng announced a ban on the products imported from the Xinjiang province in China. At this time, Canada expressed serious concerns regarding the atrocities meted out to the Uyghur people by the ruling Chinese communist government and stated that these events are a blatant violation of human rights. It is believed that the Chinese government is being cornered on the issue of the Uyghurs, as the leading countries of the world are targeting China over the human rights violation.
There is a large population of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang province of China. Forwarding the excuse that there is an increase in the terrorist and separatist activities in the region, China had made large military deployments in the province. But since the last few years, China has initiated a comprehensive campaign to oppress the Uyghur people, and they are being sent to torture camps. Hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs have been dumped into these torture camps, and they are being used as forced labour.
Many big companies in the Xinjiang province are using these Uyghur people as forced labour. In 2018, one of the United Nations reports made a shocking revelation that 1.1 million Uyghur people have been dumped in these torture camps. China has denied these accusations and has claimed that these camps are re-education camps. But the international community is not ready to believe the Chinese claims.
The United States has started presenting this issue very aggressively and has consistently targeted the Chinese communist rulers over the issue. Last year, the United States passed two laws pertaining to the Uyghurs issue and stopped importing cotton and other products from this region. The United States has also alerted the US companies and has instructed them to end all the ties with the Xinjiang province. Following the United States, even the United Kingdom has ordered its companies to sever all the ties with the companies from Xinjiang province. A warning has also been issued that the companies not complying with the government order will be heavily penalised. The Canadian announcement becomes the next phase of the international campaign. The Canadian government announced a ban on products originating from Xinjiang province. At the same time, the government announced that it was ready to cooperate in any manner on the issue. Meanwhile, Chinese reaction has been received over the British action, and spokesman Zhao Lijian has said that the Chinese government will take all the necessary steps to protect the Chinese companies.
Outsiders should not poke their nose in the South China Sea, Chinese Foreign Minister warns the United States UK will reply to the space threat from Russia and China, claims Defence Secretary Ben Wallace US Congress passes law to recognise rights of Tibetans; China criticises China is a culprit of Humanity; US Parliament report lambastes at China over the issue of Uyghur and Human Rights Strong anti-China protests in US and Canada CCP members have infiltrated big companies, banks, universities as also embassies of US, UK, Australia National Security Law to be used for crushing opposition from Hong Kong, salvo of criticism from US, UK and Canada Japan claimed to passed on intelligence on China’s action on Uyghurs to US, UK
Canada, China, United Kingdom, United States, Uyghurs
Canada follows US and UK to take action China over Uyghur issue added by Pratyaksha Mitra on January 13, 2021
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Rodney Report: It’s trickle-down economics time, folks.
Posted by NJ 11th For Change · November 13, 2017 5:18 PM
UPDATE 11/13/2017: According to The Hill, House Republicans say they have the votes they need to pass their tax package; a floor vote is expected in the House this week. Now is the time to tell Rodney Frelinghuysen what you think.
D.C. office: (202) 225-5034
Morristown office: (973) 984-0711
Morristown fax: (973) 292-1569
R.Frelinghuysen@mail.house.gov
This week, the Republicans unveiled the House and Senate versions of competing tax bills. They share the same vision of what’s good for America: a fat, juicy tax cut for corporations and the biggest investors, while waving away a loss of revenue so big it will rip a gaping hole in the budget and inevitably lead to cuts in programs, services, and institutions that benefit the rest of us. Rewards in the tax code for “good behavior” -- like going to college or getting a graduate degree, buying a house, taking care of your health, or giving your money away, are all eliminated as if these no longer interest the majority party.
In fact, a look at the tax cuts proposed across the next decade shows that they aren’t cuts at all for many Americans. By Year Ten, the evaluation of the House bill by the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan think tank, shows the bill for what it is: a $900 billion corporate cut, a $400 billion break for non-corporate business owners, a $127 billion estate tax break. What little is left over falls squarely in the pockets of the richest 1%.
2017 Get Out the Vote-NOW!
Posted by Charles Sprickman · November 03, 2017 9:33 PM
THERE’S NO 2018 WITHOUT 2017!
If you’re feeling fed-up with the state of things, think LOCAL! All across the district there are great local candidates looking to CHANGE the status quo. And they are all working up the ticket as well, including a tight local district 25 race. A sad fact is that turnout for midterms and off-year elections is very low. Want to change that? Want to get out and support some great candidates including some fellow NJ 11th For Change members? Here’s your chance.
From today through election day VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED. As a service for anyone looking to do some last-minute GOTV efforts, we’re allowing any candidate’s organization to post their contact info in this post. These are not NJ11th For Change sponsored events.
The Rodney Report: Budget from Hell
Posted by Elizabeth Juviler · October 08, 2017 11:15 PM
Supremacy Over Partnership: What Reconciliation Rules Mean
The Cold Hard Vagaries
Tax cuts for the rich, tax increases for 35% of NJ taxpayers: Effects of the proposed tax cuts on NJ
A Moment for Dickey
Readers of this week’s e-newsletter from the office of Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen may well have wished for a piece of paper to flip over in search of the real news. Absent from the litany of achievements was any mention of the massacre in Las Vegas that gripped so many of his constituents, let alone any fruitful conversation on how the federal government might work to reduce the frequency and death toll of such horror. He was able to discuss some policies protecting children on the internet but didn’t mention that he’d allowed ChIP, the federal health insurance program for children, to lapse, or say when he might get around to covering the 9 million current recipients.
Most telling, the newsletter also failed to mention that Rep. Frelinghuysen was one of only two New Jersey lawmakers to vote “yes” with a slim partisan majority on a budget resolution, a bill not only devastating in itself, but designed explicitly to soften the passage of a GOP tax plan that promises to cost more than a quarter of household in New Jersey an average of over $2,400. One wonders how he could stay silent on such a move.
Last week Congressional Republicans displayed an ironclad determination to pass the tax reform they want without a smidge of Democratic help (or even opinions). The cornerstone of this effort is a parliamentary maneuver called reconciliation.
What does that mean, exactly?
The Rodney Report: Dreams And Dignity
Posted by NJ 11th For Change · September 04, 2017 11:11 PM
Ending The Dream
An Ounce Of Prevention …
Labor Day And Labor Issues
On Tuesday, it appears that President Trump will end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Despite Trump’s pledge to treat DACA recipients with “great heart,” this move will place the future of 800,000 recipients in jeopardy, including 22,000 in New Jersey. Commonly referred to as “Dreamers,” DACA recipients were brought to the U.S. as young children and have proven themselves to be productive members of our community.
The program provided protection from deportation for immigrant youth brought to the U.S. as young children. Many DACA recipients have graduated at the top of their class to become doctors, lawyers, and teachers. Given the essential role Dreamers play in our economy, the Center for American Progress estimates that ending DACA would result in a loss of $460.3 billion from the national GDP over the next decade, with a $1.6 billion loss annually in New Jersey alone.
The Rodney Report: A 500 Year Flood
Posted by Elizabeth Juviler · August 28, 2017 9:29 PM
A 500-Year Flood. Now What?
Funding Harvey Recovery
What’s In That Bill (And Our Drinking Water)?
Unpardonable Pardon
One week before Harvey hit the Texas coast, pouring 40 inches of rain like a waterfall down on Houston and surrounding communities, President Trump signed an executive order rescinding requirements for flood protections for federally funded buildings and infrastructure. This order reverses an Obama executive order requiring that new public infrastructure projects—like subsidized housing, hospitals, and fire departments—be built a few feet above the “100-year floodplain,” or the height at which there is a 1 percent chance of experiencing an enormous flooding event.
The requirement accounts for future sea-level rise predicted by “the best-available and actionable science.” Obama’s order was the first time the federal government took sea-level rise projections into account, instead of relying only on historical data. As with many of his executive orders, Trump ignores the problems addressed and progress made by his predecessor in what seems to be an obsessive dismantling of Obama’s acts.
Flooding is already the nation’s most common and costly disaster. Officials have estimated that the United States suffered $260 billion in flood-related damages between 1980 and 2013.
Even many conservatives are dismayed by Trump’s action. Flood-policy expert Eli Lehrer, president of the libertarian R Street Institute, said revoking the flood-protection requirement will be costly to taxpayers. "The Trump administration is acting very rashly in part out of the desire to undo a climate measure under the Obama administration. This is an enormous mistake that is disastrous for taxpayers. The [Obama] rule would have saved billions of dollars over time.” There is evidence showing that for every $1 spent on disaster mitigation, $4 is saved in post-disaster recovery and rebuilding costs.
Treasurer's Report for the first half of 2017
Posted by Jonathan Bellack · August 28, 2017 7:15 AM
Hello from your friendly neighborhood Treasurer of NJ 11th for Change. We recently filed our first financial report with the Federal Election Commission. Because we are registered as a Federal Super PAC, we must submit our full financial details to the FEC on a regular basis. We file twice a year during off years like 2017, and quarterly during Federal election years like 2018. Everything we file is then shared publicly on the FEC Web site. The NJ 11th for Change page at the FEC is quite informative, but there are quite a few interesting details which I would like to share with you.
First, though, I would like to ask you to consider making another donation, or your first donation, to help us keep up our momentum through the November elections and beyond. Please take a moment to donate now. Then read on for the Treasurer's Report.
Part one - Receipts
Our receipts included $87,785.22 in donations, plus $1,619.56 worth of in-kind contributions (where someone paid for something and donated it to the organization).
1 - All of our donations were from individuals. We received no corporate or other organizational donations during this period.
2 - We are a local organization. The vast majority of donations came from District 11.
3 - We represent the whole district. Our donors came from every county of the district, with Morris leading the charge.
4 - We are powered by small donations. The majority of donations were under $50, and only 2% were over $500.
Part 2 - Disbursements and Debts
The FEC site reports the $53,942.28 that we paid to companies and organizations for goods and services. It does not reflect an additional $4,620.25 that we paid in reimbursements to volunteers who purchased items or services on behalf of NJ 11th for Change and were paid back. In addition, at the time of reporting we had $1,846.59 in debt, made up entirely of reimbursements due for purchases made before June 30 but which had not been paid back yet.
Start-up costs made up about 35% of our expenditures this cycle. We retained Genova Burns LLC, a NJ law firm with political expertise, to help us make sure our activities conform with FEC regulations. We also purchased the necessary insurance policies to allow us to book venues, which frequently require proof of insurance in advance.
Administrative costs made up another 15% of expenditures. A few percentage points of every donation go to financial processing fees. We also pay for several cloud software packages that power our Web site, member database, email system, project management, etc.
Program costs made up the other half of our expenditures. We hosted or co-hosted many events, including membership meetings, town halls, and the ongoing Fridays with Frelinghuysen and Wayne Wednesdays. Costs of these events included venue fees, audio-visual equipment rentals, and a large amount of printed matter including posters, brochures, flyers, and postcards. We also spent money on merchandise such as buttons, car magents, and hats, which we give out to volunteers and attendees to help carry the message further around the district.
Importantly, we spent less than $250 on advertising in the first half of the year. Virtually everything we have accomplished has been thanks to earned media -- social sharing and press coverage. This is the best possible proof of the profound impact that individual political action can have. You should all feel proud of your involvement in the first six months of NJ 11th for Change, and optimistic of what we can accomplish together between now and the election.
Part 3 - Where you come in
The defeat of TrumpCare proves the effectiveness of vocal resistance from informed, engaged citizens like you. And more recent news from the administration clearly show that we cannot afford to rest - there is much work to be done. NJ 11th for Change is a 100% volunteer organization, but we need the financial support of our members to optimize our success. Please consider making a donation now to help us keep up the momentum for the rest of 2017. Please take a moment to donate now. Thank you!
PS – You can do even more to help! Invite your friends and neighbors to join. Forward the link to this post to 11 of your contacts and ask them to join our email list. There are two ways to join: go to www.nj11thforchange.org/join and fill in the form, or just text the word “Yes” to 973-440-2643 and follow the prompts. We think everyone in the district should know what their Representative is doing in Congress. NJ 11th for Change is comprised of Independents, Democrats and Republicans who deeply care about the future of our country. All are welcome. Let’s spread the word!
The Rodney Report: On Doing the Right Thing
On Doing The Right Thing
Combat Domestic Hate Groups
Censure and More Firings
Endorse Anti-hate Policies and End Racist Policies and Programs
A week after American Nazis marched on the city of Charlottesville, Rodney Frelinghuysen’s newsletter contained a statement that was nearly all that could be wished: pointed, clear and uncompromising in its refusal to concede legitimacy of any sort to Donald Trump’s both-sides-now equivocating. In its articulateness and power to move, the Friday newsletter statement was a world away from Frelinghuysen’s initial response on Monday — an inert, two-sentence post to his website.
“To be clear, the President’s assertion that there were two legitimate “sides” in Charlottesville last weekend is flatly wrong,’’ he declared Friday. “There can be no comparison – no equivalency - between white supremacists, KKK members and other racist fringe groups and those who showed up to challenge their bigotry, racism and anti-semitism.”
Perhaps opinions on Friday’s words will include terms such as gutsy, or forceful. There is an even more fundamental description: The right thing.
We only wish he would have done the right thing sooner. Frelinghuysen waited two days after the violence in Charlottesville before releasing his first, tepid statement against white supremacy late Monday afternoon. On Tuesday, he added a single sentence (punctuated by an exclamation point) to announce that Charlottesville protesters weren’t to blame before elaborating further in his newsletter.
In the meantime, the president’s economic council collapsed after several CEO’s left in protest, the 16 members of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities resigned together, and several GOP lawmakers from Leonard Lance to Marco Rubio mentioned the President specifically in repudiating his comments. But perhaps more influential to Frelinghuysen were his constituents, who called his offices constantly, visited daily, tweeted by the hundreds and had multiple letters published in the opinion sections of local press, all calling for stronger action. There were also hundreds of vigils and rallies across the country. We wonder if Friday’s statement is responsive — at long last— to the opinions and beliefs of his constituents.
As 2017 marches into autumn, we will need, at every turn, elected officials to remain just as strong and clear in answer to anything that challenges what is fundamentally decent about our democracy. And we will need, as we do now, actions on the heels of such statements.
“Actions speak louder than words but not nearly as often.” - Mark Twain
Frelinghuysen on Immigration
Posted by Leoncio Estevez · August 16, 2017 10:52 AM
Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen & Immigration
Congressman Frelinghuysen enthusiastically echoes Donald Trump’s talking point about immigration coming from and through Mexico as being “out of control”. This is clearly articulated in his political communiqués, where he has made declarations such as: “The crisis on our Southern border underscores the inadequacy of our Federal Government’s efforts to secure that border…” The reality is that these are notions that all experts and serious sources have proven false. [1]
At the same time, Frelinghuysen likes to play the moderate card, tempering his assertions with comments like “We are blessed to be a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws.” The fact is that Frelinghuysen has a long record of voting in sync with the most extreme factions of the Republican Party [2], while portraying himself as a centrist.
Frelinghuysen and the Muslim Ban
3 days after Donald Trump issued an Executive Order prohibiting entry to the US by citizens of seven countries where a majority of the population practices Islam as their religion, Frelinghuysen declared: “As part of his strategy to make the safety and security of the American people his top priority, President Trump believes that a pause in immigration from unstable regions is warranted.” Frelinghuysen’s words conveyed the notion that the order was generic and driven to protect the Nation from dangerous actors. Unfortunately, Trump himself deprived the Congressman from this thinly veiled deception, by making clear that the intention was to prohibit entry of practitioners of the Muslim faith, even if they were legal residents in the US. The Courts addressed the unconstitutionality of the EO but Frelinghuysen never disavowed his agreement with Trump’s purpose.
Frelinghuysen has no words for Charlottesville, or us
As White Supremacists Kill, Frelinghuysen Says Nothing
Immigration: Slamming Shut The Golden Door?
Whack-a-mole Military Threat: North Korea? Wait, can you say Venezuela?
In the aftermath of Saturday’s terrorist attack at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, VA, Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen was the last of the NJ congressional delegation to address the events. Finally at 2 P.M. this afternoon, almost 48 hours after Heather Heyer’s murder, and after the President made an amended condemnation under pressure, Frelinghuysen issued a two sentence “statement” on his website, saying simply, “The hatred and violence by White Supremacists in Charlottesville must be condemned. Such views and actions have no place in America.” A reader, reviewing the statement multiple times in its entirety, could be forgiven for wondering, “Condemned by whom?”
By Sunday, all of New Jersey’s Congressional representatives but Frelinghuysen had condemned the white nationalists and neo-Nazis who convened a Unite the Right demonstration attended by 1,000 followers. Other NJ GOP delegates at least used the first person in their condemnations and Chris Smith from NJ-4 called the the white supremacist rally “deplorable.” As indeed it was. The event left one dead and 19 injured after a car plowed into a group of counter-protesters. The driver was a man who rallied with white supremacists earlier in the day. He has been charged with 2nd degree murder and malicious intent to wound, among other felonies, and was denied bail on Monday. Two police officers were also killed in a helicopter accident while monitoring the events.
Frelinghuysen must address the racist hatred in Charlotteville
Posted by Elizabeth Juviler · August 13, 2017 11:26 AM
To Representative Frelinghuysen:
We are disappointed with your silence following the disgraceful events in Charlottesville, VA. President Trump's response has been inadequate at best leaving Americans everywhere feeling frightened and uncertain. This includes your constituents here in New Jersey's 11th congressional district. In times like these we look to you to represent our values by using your voice to condemn hatred and protect the safety of all citizens. This is a matter of morality not politics --members of your party have already spoken out, including Speaker Ryan and Majority Leader McConnell. We ask that you clearly and unambiguously condemn white supremacy and all bigoted hatred. We ask that you condemn the domestic terrorists who took over the streets of Charlottesville this weekend. We must stand with and for each other in peace and acceptance.
-NJ 11th for Change
Monday afternoon, 2 days after the riots, more than a full day after this statement and hours after his office opened to constituents asking for him to speak out against Racism and White Supremacists, Representative Frelinghuysen issued a 2 sentence written statement about the events in Charlottesville and posted it on his website:
"The hatred and violence by White Supremacists in Charlottesville must be condemned. Such views and actions have no place in America."
Sometime Tuesday evening, after Trump once again gave cover to neo-nazi white supremacists in a press conference, Frelinghuysen added a sentence and an exclamation point to his original statement and tweeted it out. The new statement now reads in its entirety:
"The hatred and violence by white supremacists in Charlottesville must be condemned. There is no comparison between those on the side of bigotry and hate, and those who manned the barriers to protest them! The views and actions of white supremacists have no place in America."
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OFFE LATEST NEWS
BACK TO THE NEWS
Army Vet Billed $3,000 for War Wounds
Wounded soldier gets billed $3,000 for wounds suffered in Iraq
"I put my life on the line ... and they're not going to take care of my medical bills?"
Army Sgt. Erik Roberts was wounded in April 2006; he's had 13 surgeries on his leg
Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio urged the VA to act; VA agrees to pay bill
By Wayne Drash
(CNN) -- Erik Roberts, an Army sergeant who was wounded in Iraq, underwent his 13th surgery recently to save his right leg from amputation. Imagine his shock when he got a bill for $3,000 for his treatment.
"I just thought it was bull---- that I'm getting billed for being wounded in Iraq doing my job. I always put the mission first, and now that I was wounded in Iraq, they're sending me bills," he said.
"I put my life on the line and I was wounded in combat, and I came back and they're not going to take care of my medical bills?"
It's a level of outrage shared by his mother, as well as the doctor who performed the surgery.
"It's hard to understand why we're not taking care of guys like Erik whose injuries are clearly related to their service. They deserve the best care of anybody," said Dr. William Obremskey, an Air Force veteran and surgeon at Vanderbilt Orthopaedics in Nashville, Tennessee.
"For him to be responsible for $3,000, I think, is a little ridiculous or is uncalled for, particularly in this situation."
His mother, Robin Roberts, put it more succinctly: "Why should any soldier pay one penny of a medical bill from injuries that occurred while they were fighting in a war? That's what really frustrates me."
The Department of Veterans Affairs has now decided to pay his bill, but only after prodding from a U.S. senator who got involved after CNN brought it to his attention.
Roberts, of Warren, Ohio, is one of more than 31,100 U.S. troops to have been wounded in Iraq. An additional 4,262 have died in the war.
Roberts was wounded April 25, 2006, when roadside bombs tore through his Humvee in western Baghdad. Heat from the flames ignited the Humvee's ammunition, which popped off all around. See Roberts describe getting blown up »
Roberts and his buddies, A.J. Jefferson and Luke Murphy, were badly wounded and bleeding on the ground after jumping the from the burning vehicle. They were saved by comrades who rushed to help them.
"The truck automatically filled with smoke. There was fire coming from the middle of the truck. And I just feel my whole right side just like kind of explode," Roberts said. "I thought at that moment that my life was over, so I started praying."
All three soldiers survived the attack, but Murphy lost his leg. Days later, on his 23rd birthday, Roberts returned to the States. He underwent a series of life-saving surgeries, including 12 different ones to repair his fractured right leg. A metal rod was inserted in his upper leg to help the fracture heal.
He retired from the Army in October 2007, because of his war injuries, and enrolled in college last fall at Youngstown State University, majoring in finance and minoring in economics.
But in December, he says, a golf ball-sized lump appeared on his wounded leg. He says he went to a Veterans Affairs hospital and was told not to worry about it.
A few days later, he says, he went to the emergency room after the lump flared up more. A doctor there, he says, told him that the leg was badly infected and that it might have to be amputated.
Desperate for help, his mother contacted the Army surgeon who had saved her son's life two years earlier. That doctor referred him to Obremskey, the Vanderbilt surgeon.
The Robertses say the VA did not approve of them going outside the system. Erik Roberts says he had no choice -- it was have surgery or potentially lose his leg.
"I thought my leg was more important than the usual bureaucratic mess," he said.
His leg was saved. The $3,000 billed to Roberts wasn't for the surgery itself. It's a portion of the bill for six weeks of daily antibiotics to prevent the infection from coming back. His private insurance plan picked up the majority of the $90,000 in costs.
Roberts has been administering the drugs himself -- up to seven IVs a day, with a nurse coming to his home once a week to check on him. At one point, his mom says, the insurance company suggested the war veteran should be put in a nursing home to receive the round-the-clock antibiotics.
"Now why would you want to put an injured soldier who is 25 years old in a nursing home to get IVs?" Robin Roberts said. "He said, 'Send me home and teach me to do it myself.' "
Roberts has also paid for his travel expenses from Ohio to Tennessee for treatment. He fears how much of the $57,000 surgery bill he will owe and how much he might be billed for his emergency room visit in December.
His schooling has been put on hold because of his surgery and lengthy recovery.
"These soldiers and young men and women fight for our country and our freedom, only to come back to have to fight for their health and their life back in the United States," Robin Roberts said.
Dr. Obremskey said it's "frustrating" to hear about cases like Roberts'. He says the lesson from Roberts' story is "pretty obvious."
"If they're injured in the service to our country, we should continue to take care of them even if they are discharged from active duty because of their injuries. Some mechanism ought to be available for them to obtain whatever care they need," Obremskey said.
CNN on Wednesday contacted the office of Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Roberts' home state of Ohio who serves on the Senate's VA committee. Brown's office had not heard of Roberts' case, but immediately reached out to the soldier and alerted the VA about his situation.
In less than 24 hours, the VA got back to CNN. "The VA will be paying the bill," said VA spokesman Sean Nelson.
Roberts said he appreciates the help. Despite everything he's experienced, Roberts -- who went into the Army just after high school -- said he would never trade in being a member of the 101st Airborne.
"I will always be proud I served my country, and proud that I was able to wear that flag on my shoulder," he said. "I would defend this country against anyone, and I'm proud to wear that uniform."
CNN's Thom Patterson contributed to this story.
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versão On-line ISSN 2221-4062
versão impressa ISSN 0375-1589
S. Afr. j. anim. sci. vol.48 no.1 Pretoria 2018
http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/sajas.v48i1.14
Assessment of genetic variation among four populations of Small East African goats using microsatellite markers
A. S. NgulumaI, #; Y. HuangIV; Y. ZhaoIV; L. ChenIV; G. MsalyaII; C. LyimoIII; E. GuangxinIV; S. W. ChenyambugaII
ITanzania Livestock Research Institute, West Kilimanjaro, P O Box 147, Sanya Juu, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
IIDepartment of Animal, Aquaculture and Range Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), PO Box 3004, Morogoro, Tanzania
IIISolomon Mahlangu College of Science and Education, Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), PO Box 3284, Morogoro, Tanzania
IVCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Forage & Herbivore, Chongqing Engineering Research Centre for Herbivores Resource Protection and Utilization, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716, China
The majority of goats in Tanzania belong to the Small East African (SEA) breed, which exhibits large phenotypic variation. This study aimed to determine the genetic structure of, and relationships among four populations (Sukuma, Gogo, Sonjo, and Pare) of the SEA breed that have not been studied adequately. A total of 120 individuals (24 from each population) were analysed at eight microsatellite loci. In addition, 24 goats of the South African Boer breed were used as reference. Observed heterozygosity (Ho) ranged from 0.583 ± 0.04 for Sukuma to 0.659 ± 0.030 for Gogo, while expected heterozygosity (He) ranged from 0.632 ± 0.16 for Sukuma to 0.716 ± 0.16 for Boer. Five loci deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) across populations. The mean number of alleles ranged from 4.75 ± 1.58 for Pare to 6.88 ± 3.00 for Sukuma. The mean inbreeding coefficient (FIS) ranged from 0.003 in Sonjo to 0.148 in Sukuma. The differentiation coefficient (FST)was highest (0.085) between Boer and Sukuma and lowest (0.008) between Gogo and Sonjo. The largest genetic distance (0.456) was found between Sukuma and Boer, while the smallest (0.031) was between Gogo and Sonjo populations. Pare, Gogo, and Sonjo populations, formed one cluster, while Sukuma and Boer populations formed two separate clusters. From the findings, it can be concluded that the SEA goats in this study showed high in population genetic variation, which implies that there is good scope for their further improvement through selection within populations. The Sukuma population, which has fairly high inbreeding, is moderately differentiated from Pare, Sonjo, and Gogo goat populations, which showed a high level of admixture. Conservation and improvement strategies of the goats should be designed with first priority being on Sukuma goats.
Keywords: Conservation, genetic diversity, genetic markers, local genetic resources
The majority of goats in Tanzania belong to the Small East African (SEA) breed, which comprises a number of populations, including Ujiji, Sukuma, Maasai, Gogo, Pare, Sonjo, and Newala goats (Msanga et al., 2001). These animals are widely distributed and well adapted to various agro-ecological zones of the country with varying climatic and topographical conditions. In terms of importance, indigenous goats rank second to indigenous cattle, and are kept by most rural people to provide income, meat for home consumption, and investment. In recent years, the demand for goat meat in urban areas has increased, notably at supermarkets and hotels (Rutashobya, 2003). Similarly, the demand for live animals has increased owing to more export opportunities to the Persian Gulf countries, Madagascar and Comoros (Chenyambuga et al., 2012).
Small East African goats in Tanzania have low productivity owing to their low genetic potential for meat and milk production, and do not produce optimally (Chenyambuga et al., 2014). Despite their low productivity, the SEA breed is preferred to exotic breeds and their crosses because of its adaptive characteristics, which are manifested in their ability to tolerate drought, feed shortage, poor quality forages and endemic diseases (Chenyambuga et al., 2014). These indigenous goats are preferred because livestock keepers in rural areas do not have the resources to purchase the veterinary drugs and concentrate feeds that are essential for raising highly productive breeds. Moreover, in the traditional sector, the socio-economic and cultural roles played by livestock and the use of livestock as an asset and security are often valued more highly than their utilization for milk and meat.
The importance of indigenous goats in various communities and in the economy of Tanzania in general warrants the establishment of a national conservation and improvement programme for the various populations of the SEA breed. Moreover, as a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Tanzania is expected to conserve and use sustainably the farm animal genetic resources found within its boundaries. Before establishing conservation and improvement strategies for the sustainable utilization of the various populations, there is a need to understand their genetic differences and to assess their population structure.
In the past few years there have been efforts to characterize the goat populations in Tanzania. However, these studies were limited as they analysed only a few populations (Chenyambuga et al., 2002). In a recent study it was shown that the SEA goat breed consists of heterogeneous populations, which exhibit large variability in body measurements such as body size, coat colour and other morphological features (Nguluma et al., 2016). The current classification of SEA goats based on morphological characteristics may not be satisfactory for the purpose of designing breed improvement or conservation programmes. Phenotypic characteristics cannot be used adequately to assess the variation among the populations as they are influenced by the environment and make comparison of animals in different localities difficult (Falconer & Mackay, 1996). At the moment, it is not clear whether the indigenous goat populations of Tanzania constitute one breed, namely the SEA breed, or consist of various breeds, because they have different phenotypic characteristics. It is therefore necessary to document the genetic structure of each of the SEA goat populations and the SEA breed as a whole.
Currently, genomic tools allow investigation of unique genetic features of the indigenous goats. Microsatellites are regarded as the most useful DNA markers in the study of genetic diversity of closely related populations (Marikar & Musthafa, 2014) and have been used to determine genetic variation among SEA goats in East African countries (Chenyambuga et al., 2002; Muema et al., 2009). This study was designed to collect genetic information of four populations of Tanzanian SEA goats sampled from distantly located geographic areas with varying agro-ecological climates. Two of these populations (Sonjo and Pare) have not been studied before and are therefore reported here for the first time.
Blood samples were collected from 120 animals, representing four SEA populations, namely Gogo (from central Tanzania, Dodoma region), Pare (north-eastern Tanzania, Kilimanjaro region), Sonjo (also north-eastern region of Arusha) and Sukuma (northern Tanzania, Mwanza region). The animals were described in an earlier study (Nguluma et al., 2016). The Boer breed, an improved meat goat from South Africa, was included to serve as a reference breed. A total of 24 unrelated animals (12 females and 12 males) from each population were sampled from farmers' flocks in villages located at least 10 km apart. Care was taken not to sample related animals, and therefore the owners were asked about the relationships of the animals. Pedigree information and knowledge of the herdsmen were also used to ensure that the animals were purebred and unrelated up to at least three generations. Blood samples were obtained by jugular vein puncture using 10 ml EDTA vacutainer tubes and were immediately placed on ice. The collection was executed by experienced technicians (licensed veterinarians) from the College of Veterinary Medicine and Medical Sciences (CoVMMS) at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) and the methods followed ethical guidelines for care and use of agricultural animals for research. Samples were transported to the laboratory at SUA for DNA extraction within 48 hours of sampling.
The DNA was isolated using a standard commercial kit (Qiagen blood kit, Chatsworth, USA) according to the manufacturer's instructions. The DNA was amplified at eight microsatellite markers in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the primers indicated in Table 1. The PCR was carried out in a 20 µl reaction volume consisting of 0.2 mM dNTPs, 1.5 mM Mg2+, 0.5 µL mixed forward and reverse primers, 5 U/ µL Taq polymerase and 1 µL (about 60 ng) DNA template. The PCR reaction conditions consisted of an initial denaturation at 94 °C for 5 minutes, followed by 35 cycles of denaturation at 94 °C for 30 seconds, annealing at the locus-specific temperatures presented in Table 1 for 30 seconds, and extension at 72 °C for 30 seconds. These were followed by an elongation step (final extension) at 72 °C for 7 minutes. The PCR products were analysed using an ABI 3130 XL automatic gene analyser. The sizes of the amplified fragments were determined with 672 GeneScan™ analysis software (version 2.0) and Genotyper™ software (version 2.0). The eight microsatellite markers used for this study are presented in Table 1. All the markers were recommended for biodiversity studies by FAO and the International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG) (FAO, 2011).
Polymorphism information content (PIC) was estimated using the Excel Microsatellite Toolkit. The number of private alleles within the populations was also identified using this software. Genetic diversity within each population was determined as the mean number of alleles (MNA) per locus and average observed (Ho) and expected (HE) heterozygosity. These were calculated for each locus in the whole population from allele frequencies using FSTAT 2.9.3.2. Quality control and data conversion before further analyses were performed using CONVERT 1.31 software. Pairwise genetic distances between the populations were computed based on genetic distance according to Nei et al. (1983) and were calculated with PHYLIP version 3.68 (Felsenstein, 1993). Moreover, a phylogenetic tree showing population relationships was constructed in PHYLIP using neighbour-joining methodology according to Saitou & Nei (1987). To examine the reliability of the tree topology, 1000 bootstrap resampling was done. Wright's F-statistics (FIS and FST)(Weir & Cockerham, 1984) and deviations from HWE at locus and population levels were computed using FSTAT 2.9.3. The statistical significance of the values obtained was estimated by bootstrapping using 1000 replications. The Bayesian clustering algorithm implemented in Structure 2.3.3 (Pritchard et al., 2000) was used to infer population structure and explore the assignment of individuals and populations to specific genetic clusters. For this analysis, the number of clusters (K) was made to vary between 2 ≤ K ≤ 5, using a burn-in of 5000, followed by 100 000 Markov Chain Monte Carlo iterations and 100 simulations for each K. The estimate of the best K was calculated as described by Evanno et al. (2005) using Structure Harvester v.0.6.92. Individual goats were assigned to the presumed populations of origin using GenAIEx 6.502. Finally, locus by locus analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) was performed in Arlequin 3.1 software (Excoffier et al., 2005) to determine sources of variation between populations. Principal component analysis was performed using XLSTAT software (Addinsoft, Paris).
All loci were polymorphic (genetically variable). The overall MNA per locus was 10.125 and the number of alleles per locus ranged from 4 (SRCRSP15) to 18 (ILSTS029) (Table 2). PIC ranged from 0.417 (SRCRSP15) to 0.784 (ILSTS029). Six markers showed high levels of polymorphism (PIC>0.50), indicating that they are highly informative and can be used in genetic diversity studies. The mean Ho for all loci was 0.620 ± 0.144, and the estimates per locus ranged from 0.347 to 0.766 for SRCRSP7 and ILSTS029, respectively. The mean HE across loci was 0.714 ± 0.08, with estimates per locus ranging from 0.481 (SRCRSP7) to 0.863 (ILSTS029). Of the eight loci analysed, five markers (MAF209, ILST011, SRCRSP7, SRCRSP5, ILSTS029) deviated from HWE (P <0.05). The overall genetic differentiation indicated by FST was 0.085 ± 0.025 and the values ranged from 0.023 to 0.210. The gene differentiation coefficient (GST) showed an overall differentiation of 0.084. The mean heterozygosity deficit, which was measured by FIS, was 0.05 ± 0.049. The FIS values ranged from -0.073 for SPS113 marker to 0.297 for SRCRSP7 marker. The FST, FIS, and GST values for each locus are presented in Table 2.
Within populations, genetic variability was estimated using MNA and HOand HE for all four populations of SEA goats and one reference breed (Table 3).
All estimates were based on information obtained from the eight microsatellite loci used in the analyses. The MNA per population ranged from 4.75 ± 1.58 in Pare goats to 6.88 ± 3 in Sukuma goats. HO was lowest (0.583 ± 3) in Sukuma goats and highest (0.659 ± 0.030) in Gogo goats. HE values ranged from 0.632 ± 0.057 (in Sukuma population) to 0.677 ± 0.013 (in Gogo population). In all populations, HE was higher than HO and the heterozygosity deficit was significant for all populations with the exception of Sonjo goats. The mean FIS was significant in Pare (0.083), Sukuma (0.148) and Boer (0.078) goats. The test for conformity with HWE indicated that four loci deviated from HWE in Sukuma goats, while in Gogo, Pare and Boer populations two deviated. There were 36 private alleles in total that were found at the eight loci and were distributed across the five goat populations (Table 3). Sukuma goats had the highest number of private alleles (21), while the lowest number of private alleles (two) was found in Pare goats. The highest frequency (54.2%) of a private allele (136 bp) was found at the SRCRSP7 locus in Sukuma goats. More than half of the private alleles (55.5%), however, occurred at a frequency of 2.1% in all the populations.
The differentiation coefficient (FST) and genetic distances were used as the measure of genetic variation between pairs of the populations. The results are presented in Table 4. The largest genetic distance (0.456) was observed between Sukuma and Boer goats, while the smallest distance (0.031) was found between Gogo and Sonjo goats. For all population pairs, the mean FST values were low to moderate, ranging from 0.008 for the Gogo-Sonjo pair to 0.085 for the Sukuma-Boer pair.
The genetic relationship among the populations is depicted in the phylogenetic tree (Figure 1). In the phylogenetic tree three genetic groups were identified. Boer and Sukuma formed two distinct groups, while the third group comprised the Gogo, Pare and Sonjo goats.
Global principal component analysis was performed using the frequencies of the marker alleles and is presented in Figure 2. The first two principal components explained 63% of the total variation. The first quadrate separated Sukuma from the other populations. Pare and Sonjo were placed together in the second, while Gogo and Boer occupied the third and fourth quadrates, respectively.
The AMOVA (Table 5) showed that only about 8% of the total variation was observed among the populations, while the variations among individuals within populations and within individuals were 75% and 17%, respectively.
The analysis of genetic structure indicated that three of the four populations of SEA goats are greatly admixed. The number of ancestral populations underlying the observed genetic diversity in the five populations was assessed with the Bayesian approach implemented by Structure. The most likely number of ancestral populations that contributed to the observed genetic variability in these five populations was three (Figure 3). When K = 3, Sukuma and Boer populations were clearly identified with two ancestral populations, while the remaining populations showed some admixture within one ancestral population.
Assignment of individual goats to the presumed population of origin is presented in Table 6. The results revealed that only a small proportion (about 29-33%) of the individuals from Gogo, Pare, and Sonjo populations were correctly assigned to their population of origin, and the remaining proportion was mis-assigned among the three populations. Higher proportions of individuals from Sukuma and Boer populations were correctly assigned to their population of origin compared with individuals from Gogo, Pare, and Sonjo populations.
The overall goal of this study was to evaluate the genetic variation and relationship among four populations of SEA goat breed of Tanzania using selected microsatellite markers. All markers in the present study were highly polymorphic and could be used sufficiently to evaluate the genetic diversity of goats, as evidenced by the large number of alleles per locus, large values of heterozygosity, and high levels of PIC. The MNA per locus observed in this study is higher than the minimum number of alleles (>4) recommended, and therefore is sufficient to reduce the standard error estimates for assessing genetic distances among populations (Barker, 1994). According to Nei (1996), DNA markers with heterozygosity values ranging between 0.3 and 0.8 in the populations are adequate for measuring genetic variation. In the present study, heterozygosity ranged between 0.4 and 0.8. The mean PIC value of 60.2% across these goat populations is considered informative (Botsten et al., 1980) in population genetic studies.
Gene diversity (average expected heterozygosity) is an appropriate measure of genetic variation within a population. The range of values for gene diversity (0.632: 0.677) obtained in the present study is comparable with the gene diversity ranging from 0.54 to 0.67 observed in sub-Saharan African goats (Chenyambuga et al., 2012) and other breeds outside the African continent, including Southern Indian goat breeds (0.61-0.73) (Dixit et al., 2010), but lower than the values ranging from 0.731 to 0.800 for Chinese goat breeds (Li et al., 2008). The MNA per population ranging from 4.75 to 6.88 in this study is comparable with a range of 1 to 5.9 reported for indigenous goats of sub-Saharan Africa (Chenyambuga et al., 2002; Muema et al., 2009; Maletsanake et al., 2013). Slightly higher values have been reported in Southern Indian goat breeds (8.64) (Dixit et al., 2010) and Kalahari Red goats of South Africa (7.7) (Kotze et al., 2004). The relatively low MNA observed in some populations in the present study suggests the existence of past bottlenecks in those populations. Population bottlenecks affect allelic richness more than genetic variability (Luikart & Cornuet, 1998; Oliveira et al., 2010). MNA is also highly dependent on the sample size and number of sires and their relationships used in the breeding programme (Maletsanake et al., 2013). The relatively lower MNA observed in some populations in the current study could probably be associated with the small sample sizes. It may also be a result of using few breeding sires and selecting for certain productivity traits in the farming communities where sampling was done. To ensure sampling of unrelated animals in the present study, animals were sampled randomly based on their phenotypic appearance and information given by herders. However, in the absence of pedigree records, recall bias by the herders may result in sampling of animals with close ancestral relationship, especially in communities where few breeding sires are used.
The deviation from HWE for some of the populations indicates that mating was non-random and that some of the loci in those populations were linked to other loci, affecting morphological, productive or adaptive traits undergoing natural selection, as explained by Dixit et al. (2010). Similar to what was observed by Oliveira et al. (2007), significant deviations from HWE could have been caused by the presence of null or non-amplified alleles in these populations. FIS, which is an estimator of local inbreeding effect, was high and significantly different from zero for Pare (P <0.05), Sukuma (P <0.001), and Boer (P <0.05) goats. This suggests some degree of inbreeding, non-random mating or some loci being under selection for particular traits within each population. The high level of FIS explains the deviation from HWE because the same populations with high and significant FIS values (that is, Sukuma) had many loci that deviate from HWE. The FIS values obtained in the present study are generally comparable with the values of 0.019-0.105 reported in West African local goats (Missohou et al., 2011), and of 0.05-0.07 reported in Gujarat Indian breeds (Fatima et al., 2008), but were lower than the value of 0.2 reported in Southern Indian breeds (Dixit et al., 2010) and 0.264 reported in Marwari (Kumar et al., 2005).
Genetic differentiation was estimated using FST,GST and AMOVA, and gave similar results. The level of genetic differentiation was low among the Pare, Gogo, and Sonjo populations, while it was moderate for Sukuma and Boer goat populations, as indicated by the FST. The level of differentiation among the populations in the present study was above the 5% reported for sub-Saharan African goats (Muema et al., 2009), 6% for Egyptian breeds (Agha et al., 2008), 5.4% for West African Dwarf goats (Mujibi, 2005), but lower than the 15% reported for sub-Saharan African goats in another study (Chenyambuga et al., 2002). The low level of population differentiation may result from considerable exchange of genetic materials, including sires and dams, and high mobility of the animals across regions, which allows gene flow to occur between populations (Luikart et al., 2001; Naderi et al., 2007). On the other hand, moderate to high differentiation may be a result of selection, genetic drift, or inbreeding effects (Dixit et al., 2010). In the present study, Sukuma goats were moderately differentiated from the other three SEA goat populations, probably because of physical separation as a result of large geographical distance. The other populations (Gogo, Sonjo, and Pare) were closely located to each other. Hence, there is a high chance of interbreeding among them. The moderate differentiation observed between Boer goats and the SEA goat populations was expected as the two breeds are distantly located, thus interbreeding is not possible. Moreover, the Boer goats may not share a recent common ancestor with the SEA goats. In addition, selection for improved performance in Boer goats (being a commercial breed) and lack of deliberate selection for traits of economic importance in SEA goats could be another reason for the observed differentiation of Boer from SEA populations. The most striking observation in the present study was that the three SEA goat populations (Pare, Gogo, and Sonjo) were genetically more distant from the Sukuma than they were from the Boer goats. The results are inconsistent with the previous assumption that the distance between any two SEA goat populations would not be larger than the distance between Boer and any SEA goat population, considering wide large geographical separation.
Similarly, genetic structure analysis showed that Gogo, Pare, and Sonjo populations are intermixed and not differentiated. This is consistent with the phylogenetic analysis and the pairwise FST value analysis. At K = 3, which was the optimal number of populations, Sukuma goats grouped separately from the other SEA populations and Boer goats, indicating a high level of differentiation and lack of ,or a low level of gene flow between them. According to Slatkin & Barton (1989), abundance of private alleles within a breed in relation to other breeds is also an indication of weak gene flow between them and is one of the methods, apart from using FST, thatcan be used to estimate gene flow between populations. A private allele is considered to have a high frequency if it occurs in more than 20% of the population (Glowatzki-Mullis et al., 2008). Sukuma goats, in which one of the private alleles (136 bp) occurred in a frequency of 54.2%, were likely to be the first to diverge from other populations, and had limited gene exchange with other goat populations in the study.
Genetic distance among the SEA populations was highest for the Sukuma-Gogo pair and lowest for the Gogo-Sonjo pair. It is advised that conservation of animal genetic resource diversity should focus on preventing the disappearance of populations that show the widest genetic distance (Baker, 1994; Nei & Takezaki, 1994). Therefore, Sukuma goats deserve to be given first priority in conservation efforts.
From the phylogenetic, principal component, and structure analyses, the four goat populations could be classified in two groups: Pare, Gogo and Sonjo; and a separate group for Sukuma. However, the groups were not sufficiently separated to be regarded as distinct breeds, because there was still a lot of intermixing between them. This can also be seen from the results of the test to assign individual goats to their reference population, which indicates the proportion of pure-breed individuals. The low percentage of correctly assigned individuals from Pare, Sonjo, and Gogo goats to their reference population reflects a high level of gene flow and shows the genetic closeness of the populations. This information is important in designing future breeding programmes.
These SEA goat populations of Tanzania had high genetic diversity, which can be harnessed for future improvement. Inbreeding was significant for the Pare, Sukuma, and Boer populations. The Sukuma population was moderately differentiated and genetically distant from all other populations of SEA goats. Similarly, Boer goats were moderately differentiated and distant from all populations of SEA goats, but more so from Sukuma than from other SEA goat populations (Gogo, Pare, and Sonjo). Furthermore, assessment of the population structure revealed three genetic groups: one comprised Gogo, Pare and Sonjo and the other two Sukuma and Boer populations. There is a need to design a conservation and improvement programme that gives first priority to the Sukuma population. In future, studies that use a larger number of markers should be conducted with higher number of populations to give better understanding of the genetic diversity of the goat populations in Tanzania, and assist in designing and implementing appropriate conservation and improvement programmes.
The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Tanzania Commission of Science and Technology (COSTECH) and National Research Foundation (NRF) of the Government of South Africa, which jointly funded a project titled 'Characterization of Indigenous goats of Tanzania and South Africa for Improved Chevon Production'. Additional funding from COSTECH for ASN in the form of a PhD scholarship is greatly acknowledged. Genotyping was done at the College of Animal Science and Technology of Southwest University, Chongqing, China, using their funds. The authors thank the farmers in the sampling sites who provided the animals and the livestock extension officers for assisting in fieldwork.
ASN designed the research project, did sample collection, laboratory work, data analysis and wrote the manuscript (as part of his PhD programme). GE and C assisted with laboratory work, data analysis and editing the manuscript. SWC, GM, CL, GE, YH, and YZ did critical revisions of the manuscript and final approval of the version to be published.
Conflict of Interest Declaration
None of the authors of this work has a financial or other relationship with people or organizations that could influence inappropriately or bias the contents of this paper.
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Nei, M., Tajima, F. & Tateno, Y., 1983. Accuracy of estimated phylogenetic trees from molecular data, II-Gene frequency data, J. Mol. Evol. 19(2), 153-170. [ Links ]
Nguluma, A. S., Msalya, G. & Chenyambuga, S. W., 2016. Phenotypic variation among four populations of Small East African goats of Tanzania. Livest. Res. Rural Dev. 28 (136). Available at: http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd28/8/ngul28136.html. Retrieved 15 December 2016 [ Links ]
Oliveira, J.D., Igarashi, M.L., Machado, T.M., Miretti, M.M., Ferro, J.A. & Contel, E.P., 2007. Structure and genetic relationships between Brazilian naturalized and exotic purebred goat domestic goat (Capra hircus) breeds based on microsatellites. Genet. Mol. Biol. 30, 356-363. [ Links ]
Oliveira, J.C.V., Ribeiro, M.N., Rocha, L.L., Gomes-Filho, M.A., Delgado, J.V., Martinez, A.M., Menezes, M.P.C., Bettencourt, C.M. & Gama, L.T., 2010. Genetic relationships between two homologous goat breeds from Portugal and Brazil assessed by microsatellite markers. Small Rumin. Res. 93, 79-87. [ Links ]
Pritchard, J.K., Stephens, M. & Donnelly, P., 2000. Inference of population structure using multilocus genotype data. Genetics 155, 945-959. [ Links ]
Rutashobya, K., 2003. Market demand survey for the Dodoma abattoir. Final report. Tanzania Livestock Marketing Project, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. pp 49. [ Links ]
Saitbekova, N., Gaillard, C., Obexer-Ruff, G. & Dolf, G., 1999. Genetic diversity in Swiss goat breeds based on microsatellite analysis. Anim. Genet. 30, 36-41. [ Links ]
Saitou, N. & Nei, M., 1987. The neighbor-joining method: A new method for reconstructing phylogenetic trees. Mol. Biol. Evol. 4, 406-425. [ Links ]
Slatkin, M. & Barton, N.H., 1989. A comparison of three indirect methods for estimating average levels of gene flow. Evol. 43, 1349-1368. [ Links ]
Weir, B. S. & Cockerham, C.C., 1984. Estimating F-statistics for the analysis of population structure. Evol. 38,1358-1370. [ Links ]
Received 22 March 2017
Accepted 9 November 2017
First published online 22 November 2017
# Corresponding author: asnguluma@yahoo.com
Todo o conteúdo deste periódico, exceto onde está identificado, está licenciado sob uma Licença Creative Commons
South African Society for Animal Science (SASAS)
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sajas.eic@gmail.com
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Five Point Products
Supplier Summit 2020
2018 DSN Retail Excellence Awards Recipient — Natural Products
Matt Royer
Matt Royer10:53 amMarch 21st, 2018
Dr. Sheffield’s Certified Natural Toothpaste is a recipient of the 2018 Drug Store News Retail Excellence Awards — Natural.
Sheffield Pharmaceuticals
Officials at New London, Conn.-based Sheffield Pharmaceuticals know they have history on their side. The company was the first to put toothpaste into a tube, way back in 1878, after the founder’s son saw paint being put into aluminum tubes while on a visit to Paris. The company has used its status well, developing a strong presence in the controlled brand category with dozen of products.
Sheffield offers four SKUs — whitening, peppermint, sensitive care and natural wintergreen — of toothpastes exclusively at CVS Pharmacy, with a fifth flavor, charcoal, being introduced this year. “We think the key to our success is to make a really good product,” said Jeffrey Davis, president/CEO of Sheffield. “We cover our bases. We have a great story and great retro packaging. But we also have a great product with natural ingredients that people love. The bottom line is that our products taste good and consumers keep coming back for them over and over again.”
http://www.drugstorenews.com/article/dsn-retail-excellence-awards–natural
About Dr. Sheffield’s Certified Natural Toothpaste
Dr. Sheffield’s Naturals is a new line of toothpaste made from an age-old recipe reminiscent of simpler times. In the mid-1870s, Dr. Washington W. Sheffield, a respected dentist from New London, Connecticut, invented a ‘creme dentrifice’ for his patients, replacing the unsavory powders of the time. He put it in a tube, and the rest is history. Over 160 years later, Sheffield is back and harsh synthetics are out. Sheffield’s timeless formulas are still free of fluoride, synthetic detergents and foaming agents, GMOs and artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners – and actually taste good!
Dr. Sheffield’s Naturals can be found at CVS and Bed, Bath & Beyond. For more information, visit www.drsheffieldsnaturals.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About Sheffield Pharmaceuticals
Sheffield Pharmaceuticals is a manufacturer of Health, Beauty and over-the-counter (OTC) drug products. Sheffield manufactures all their products in New London Ct, and is a supplier to many national brands and most mass merchandise and drug chains in the United States. Sheffield was established 1850 on the same site as their current manufacturing facility. Sheffield was the first company to put toothpaste in a tube in the early 1870s, and has recently launched Dr. Sheffield’s Certified Natural Toothpaste, which is available in CVS and Bed Bath and Beyond nationally.
For Sheffield’s contract manufacturing customers and joint ventures, Sheffield’s value-add can include more than manufacturing. Sheffield can provide a suite of services, including sales and marketing plans, formula refinement in our R&D facilities, product development from concept to execution, fulfillment and logistics, chemicals procurement, and regulatory expertise. The company is dedicated to providing the highest quality service and products to our customers in strict accordance with all FDA (cGMP) regulations and procedures. Sheffield employs 175 in New London, CT.
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The Warror Heir by Cinda Williams Chima
The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima
ISBN-10: 0786839171 0 Paperback
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH; First Edition edition (February 27, 2007), 448 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley.
Before he knew about the Roses, 16-year-old Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has to take daily and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from the other high-school students. Then one day Jack skips his medicine. Suddenly, he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident than ever before. And it feels great—until he loses control of his own strength and nearly kills another player during soccer team tryouts.
Soon, Jack learns the startling truth about himself: He is Weirlind; part of an underground society of magical people who live among us. At the head of this magical society sit the feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose, whose power is determined by playing The Game—a magical tournament in which each house sponsors a warrior to fight to the death. The winning house rules the Weir.
As if his bizarre magical heritage isn’t enough, Jack finds out that he’s not just another member of Weirlind—he’s one of the last of the warriors—at a time when both houses are scouting for a player.
The only problem with The Warrior Heir was that it ended too soon. As I put it down, I just had to read the next two books in the series. Am so thankful for my kindle and that it takes less than a minute to order and download the next book.
What is it about The Warrior Heir that I found so engrossing? Cinda Williams Chima's world building, the complexity of her characters, the unusual and difficult predicaments that she throws them in, and the way that these heroes maintain their sense of honor and integrity despite life threatening odds and the strangest situations.
The Warrior Heir gives you a hero whose world has fallen apart in front of him. He fights back his own way as he tries to make sense of these changes. (SPOILER ALERT!) As he struggles, learns, and invariably succeeds, he becomes someone to care about, cheer for and a character that we want to read about.
About the Author (courtesy of her website):
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima grew up with talking animals and kick-butt Barbies. She began writing poetry and stories in third grade, and novels in junior high school. Her Heir Chronicles young adult contemporary fantasy series includes The Warrior Heir (2006), The Wizard Heir (2007), and The Dragon Heir (2008), all from Hyperion, with two more books forthcoming. Chima’s best-selling YA high fantasy Seven Realms series launched with The Demon King (2009), followed by The Exiled Queen (September, 2010) and The Gray Wolf Throne (August, 2011.) The Crimson Crown is scheduled for fall, 2012.
Chima’s books have received starred reviews in Kirkus and VOYA, among others. They have been named Booksense and Indie Next picks, an International Reading Association Young Adult Choice, a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, to the Kirkus Best YA list, and the VOYA Editors’ Choice, Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, and Perfect Tens lists. Her books also appear on numerous state awards lists. Both series are New York Times bestsellers.
Chima was a recipient of the 2008 Lit Award for Fiction from the Cleveland Lit and was named a Cleveland Magazine Interesting Person 2009. She lives in Ohio with her family, and is always working on her next novel. Read more about Cinda Williams Chima, her novels, her writing and advice to writers on her website at www.cindachima.com
Blue Print Cleanse for the New Year
The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol and Agne...
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Rabbi Norbert's Comments and Events
Events page for Hollywood Temple Beth El and posts on Jewish topics for a contemporary audience by Rabbi Norbert Weinberg
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Shemot Where Moses and Jesus Split Ways
Shemot-- Where Moses and Jesus Split Ways
This Shabbat, we are introduced to Moses, the slave child who is raised into the Pharaohs household only to return to his slave-roots now as a liberator. What figure is greater than Moses, as the Torah itself says,” There never again rose a prophet like Moses.” Nevertheless, the Torah is clear at its conclusion: Moses must die and be buried in an unknown grave no matter what his greatness. Every year, when we commemorate the Exodus from Egypt at the Passover Seder, poor Moses is left out in the cold. The Hagadah as we have it tells us that we were delivered” Not by a messenger, not by an angel” but by G-d himself. Salvation comes only from G-d, not from any mortal elevated to divinity. Poor Moses gets only two mentions, in an off the hand manner, in some quotations.
What happens to the concept of Moses ,“ The man Moses” as the Torah points out, is very important to our understanding of how Jews and Christians differ.
I once asked some congregants what was the happiest day in the year for them. One young couple told me “ Dec. 25”. Yes. December 25, Christmas, was the happiest day of the year for this very Jewish family. They had a small toy store. They were both so busy in the months preceding Dec. 25 that they couldn't see their children, except to feed them, get them to school, and to bed. Finally, on the 25th, the store was closed, and mom and pop were home to play with the kids, and if it was a good selling season, they had good reason to call it a yon tof. It is true for many Jews who are in the retail business, that Christmas is truly a yom tov, a festival, because the earnings from sales are critical for survival.
It is always confusing, when we realize that Chanukah and Christmas usually come close to each other, except for this year, when Hanukkah fell just on Thanskgiving. But confusion there is a plenty, not just about the holidays, but also about what is Judaism, what is Christianity, what is the same, and what is different.
The confusion is great because we are near, yet so far apart. I recall two questions posed to me by our members who attended a lecture given by a Catholic monk, who spoke on the Jewishness of Jesus. How Jewish could Jesus have been?
The other question posed was whether the obligation to love one's neighbor as one self had any basis in Judaism. After all, the Christians claim that Jesus taught it.
This is especially a perplexing issue, because, we are constantly told that there is, in the United States, a Judeo-Christian tradition. We Jews used it, when we wanted to emphasize that Christians should treat us better, and the Christian right-wing uses it, when they want to make sure that right-wing Jews don't feel left out when they attack the secular left.
This term "Judeo-Christian tradition" implies that Judaism and Christianity are two variations of same religion. But we are not the same tradition. If there is a common tradition, it is a Judeo-Christian-Moslem tradition.
The truth is that we are alike, yet we are very different. To add to the confusion, American civilization, while built on European Christianity, is very much shaped by the Jewish roots of Christianity.
There is no question, and indeed, no Christian will dispute it today--Jesus was born a Jew and died a Jew. If you follow the debates among Christian academic scholars today, you realize that there is great doubt as to the authenticity of about most of what is written in the Christian scriptures about the life of Jesus.
There is, however, a general consensus that emerges out of scholarship that Christian ministers study in their seminaries.
It is, in short, that Jesus was born, son of Joseph, by natural conception, to Mary, probably in Nazereth, not Bethlehem, probably in spring-time, certainly not on Dec. 25. He probably studied a little bit but not much because he is in the Galilee which had no academies, and he probably spent some time in the wilderness with a group like the Essenes of the Dead Sea scrolls. He probably was influenced by this group because some of his teachings reflect their language.
He probably was a popular spiritual figure, the type of a Hasid ,a man of piety, to whom people attributed miracles, a type that is found in Jewish traditions of the period. He probably preached a very nationalistic anti-gentile morality; much of his rhetoric reflects the conflict between the Jews of the Galilee and the Jews of Judea ( Later on, this would be miss-understood as a conflict between Jesus and Jews.)
He probably saw himself as a predecessor of the Messiah, perhaps a type like Elijah, perhaps he may have thought of himself as the Messiah, but if he used the word, Son of God, it was never in the sense of literally born to God, as distinct from a human father, but in the sense of a direct personal relationship, a concept common in Jewish writings of the period. More commonly, he used the phrase “ Son of Man’, which was sued in some circles to indicate a quasi- Messianic figure.
He never preached against observing the commandments, and he was against the Sadducees, the religious movement represented by the Kohanim, the priests. He was in competition with the Pharisees, the religious teachers who founded Judaism as we know it. While Pharisee, in modern English, has come to mean a hypocrite, in all likelihood, he was close to them, since he agreed on almost every point. He insisted that his followers had to be more devout, not less devout, more observant, not less, than the Pharisees.
None of the preaching of Jesus that can be identified as his original statements in the first three gospels were directed against the Torah or against observance of the commandments. He argued against the Sadducees--so did the Rabbis of his day. He argued against the Temple priests--so did the Rabbis of his day. He argued against the Pharisees-- so did the Rabbis, who were themselves Pharisees, who preached against those who exaggerated or made a show of their
religiosity. The argument against hypocritical Pharisees, attributed to Jesus, is a Rabbinic argument,” Osim Maasey Zimri—They act like Zimri, a renegade, and demand the reward of Pinhas, the religious hero.
He probably got in trouble with the Temple authorities because he seemed like a rabble rouser, and was probably put to death, by Pontius Pilate, who used the quislings whom the Roman authorities had put in charge of the Temple as a way to cover his liability. Probably, the same Temple authorities tried to coach him to speak in a way that would get him off the hook and not be exceuted.
He probably died, was temporarily buried in a Jewish tomb, and the body removed by the owner when he needed it for a death in the family. Hence, the empty tomb.
That is Jesus the Jew. I say “ probably”, because, as one of my professors used to say about historical speculation” Wuz U der , Chali?”
For a Christian, it is a matter of faith. For a Jew, it is a matter of historic interest and speculation.
What about the question which was posed to me that " Love thy Neighbor as Thyself" is distinctly Christian? Christians often assume when they want to press their case against Judaism that it is Jesus who made this the core principal of religious ethics. But goes against Christian scriptures.
In the very Christian scriptures, Jesus has a discussion with Pharisaic scholars and they agree on it completely: The two central pillars of the Torah are--Shma Yisrael and Vehavat lereekha—Love the one G-d and Love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus the Jew, like any Jew of his day, recognized that G-d is One and only One to whom we owe our religious love and allegiance and in it follows as a corollary that we have to love our neighbors. Jesus simply quotes from the Torah, ”Love your neighbor”. This is used frequently in Jewish sources of the period.
What about the Golden Rule? Jesus says “:Do onto others what you would have done unto you”. It is but a variation of the popular slogan stated by Hillel decades before. Frankly, it is found around the world in one or another variation. The classic Jewish difference, as stated by Hillel, is that we can’t stand moral abstracts. They are useless. So Hillel continues,” The rest is commentary—go and study”. Without “ Go and Study”, the Golden Rule is just an advertising slogan.
What about turning the cheek? It is a quotation from Lamentations,” Eicha” , which we read on Tisha B’Av. What about the Sermon on the Mount? Quotations from the book of Psalms. What about the “Lord’s Prayer”? A Combination of popular religious phrases: “ Our father” is avinu shebashamayim:,” Hallowed be thy Name” is yitgadal veyitkadash and so forth.
If Jesus lived and died as a Jew, what then is Christianity? That is a different religion. It is a religion that arose in the groups of followers, many who had come from various mystic and zealous cults within the Jews of Israel, who gathered after his death, followers desperately looking for the Messiah, who had not come. This group drew into it Jews who had come from outside the land of Israel, Jews who brought with them a mix of ideas from Greek mysticism philosophy, many of these ideas that had become popular among Jews in general. Just as today, the most militant of Israelis are those from America, so, in the land of Israel, at that time, the most passionate, looking for something new, were those from the Hellenistic world. Many of the themes that were prevalent in these groups for the century or more preceding Jesus would be reflected in the religion about to be born.
The foremost among these was a Jew from Tarsus, in what is now Turkey, Saul, also known by his Greek name of Paul. He started as a Pharisee, an enemy of the followers of Jesus, so he claimed, but he had a dramatic vision and then turned the tables on the early followers of Jesus. He and other Jews from the Greek diaspora created a new religion whether they realized it or not.
No longer was the law of the Torah binding--only general ethics.
No longer did one's actions count for getting into Heaven--only a blind faith in the salvation effected by the death of Jesus.
No longer would life in this world be redeemed, but all would be done aright in a life of the spirit, not the flesh, after death.
No longer was God's hand to be seen in deliverance of the nation from oppression, but in the life of the soul after death.
No longer was the Messiah a political figure, but the literal son of God.
No longer was God one indivisible, of no physical attributes, but God was in the flesh, like a human being, three entities in one.
From this moment on, the new religion, Christianity, was a new religion. When the Jews rebelled against Rome in the year 70, the early Christian did all that they could to put as miles and miles between themselves and the rebellious Jews.
Within a century after the death of Jesus, Christian thinkers discussed the possibility of cutting off any connection by disavowing the quote “old testament” of the Jews.
Now, you can see why the editors of the Haggadah, who put the core text together for us in the centuries following the split with Christianity, turned a cold-shoulder on poor Moses—not to demean him, but to clarify the key difference between the Jewish concept of G-d as the direct source of Salvation as opposed to the Salvation by faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
As for the idea of Messiah, which was translated in the its Greek equivalent,” Christos”, one anointed to high position. For the Jew, the Messiah is a political-historical figure of the future, indicating a world brought to universal justice and peace. For the Christian, the Messiah is G-d made manifest in the past and indicating salvation of the human soul and forgiveness of sin in the next life. That is a faith issue which does not matter to us as Jews but is the critical difference for Christians.
So we are left with what we share and where we differ.
The new Pope Francis is doing remarkable work and he is himself friendly towards Jews . However, we don't need the Pope's stamp of approval, nihil obstat, and the Pope doesn’t need our kosher stamp, a hechsher . The same goes for our relations with any other religious leader, Christian, Moslem, Jain, Shinto, Hindu and so on.
We don’t need agreement on core faith issues.
What we do need is willingness to respect where we differ, and to work hand in hand, where we agree, to forge a redeemed world. We look to the day, in the words of the prophet Micah, when all nations shall go up to the mountain of the lord—each shall go up in the name of their Lord, said the prophet, each nation with its own unique understanding and faith, be it in the name of Jesus or Mohammed or Buddha, but we shall call upon the name of the Lord, our God. We’ll do it our way. Amen.
Posted by Rabbi Dr. Norbert Weinberg at 11:50 AM
Rabbi Dr. Norbert Weinberg
Rabbi Dr. Norbert Weinberg Senior Rabbi at Hollywood Temple Beth El in the 1990’s, has returned to serve again as of 2013. Prior to that, he served as Director of the Center for Jewish Studies of the Histadrut ( Labor Union) at Bet Berl College in Israel as well as congregations in the US.He and his wife, Ofra, operated one of the few accredited supplemental education services in Los Angeles ( Huntington Learning Center), and worked with the Los Angeles Unified School District under a federal grant program. They continue to provide educational services through The Starting Edge LLC. He recently published Courage of the Spirit , a survey of the historical trends that impacted the Jews of 20th Century Europe( www.courageofspirit.com). He posts his essays on www.RabbiNorbert.com. Rabbi Weinberg has Rabbincal ordination, MA and DD honoris causa from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and his BA from New York University. He has also pursued graduate courses at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He is a member of the Rabbinical Assembly and the Board of Rabbis of Southern California.
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Understanding Genesis
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(Don't) Blame The K.
To paraphrase Voltaire, sometimes I feel that if the Royals did not exist, it would be necessary to invent them.
As a fan of the franchise, their performance over the last 20 years has been an unending tragedy. But as a fan of baseball, and moreover as someone who has been intimately involved with the rise of analytics in the world of sports, the existence of the Royals has been a constant source of validation. Some team has to play the negative counterpart to the A’s and Rays. Some team has to serve as the control in the hypothesis, “Does sabermetrics work?” I just wish it wasn’t my team.
But that’s what the Royals are. Think about it: if you were to list the teams that come to mind when someone says “small-market franchise”, that list would contain the A’s, the Rays, the Royals, and probably the Pirates. If those teams don’t have the four lowest combined payrolls in the game in the 21st century, they’re very close.
Two of those teams recognized that their financial disadvantages required them to think outside the box, to try new strategies, to win by doing things the bigger teams weren’t doing. Those two teams are the A’s and the Rays.
The A’s went to the playoffs four straight years from 2000 to 2003, again in 2006; from 2000 to 2006 they averaged 95 wins a season. After an extended rebuilding process – they won as few as 74 games, a total exceeded by the Royals just once in the last nine years – they surprised everyone by winning the AL West last year, and are currently leading the AL West this year.
The Rays went from a 66-96 record in 2007 to the AL pennant in 2008; they’ve gone to the playoffs in three of the last five years, and won 90+ games four times in the last five years.
Two of those teams decided to stay with old-school thinking, and tried to beat the better-funded franchises by playing the same game. Both of those teams ignored the sabermetric revolution early on, and are only cautiously dipping their toes into the movement today. Those two teams are the Royals and the Pirates.
The Pirates have had 20 losing seasons in a row, the longest stretch of consecutive losing seasons in major league history. The Royals have had losing seasons in 17 of the last 18 years, and have actually lost more games since the 1994-95 strike than even the Pirates, or any other major league team.
And as an added piece of evidence, the Devil Rays were an even more inept franchise than the Royals and the Pirates – they lost 91+ games in each of their first 10 years of existence – under an administration that also ignored sabermetrics. Then the owner sold, a new front office was hired that embraced sabermetrics as fiercely as the old front office derided it, and the fortunes of the franchise did a 180.
Honestly, and immodestly, it’s a wonder that there are still people out there – people who work in the industry – who think that sabermetrics is a sham, that it’s a fad, that if it worked then Billy Beane would have a ring, and never mind that Bill James could lend him one and still have one for himself.
But I would like to think that comparatively few of those people are Royals fans. On the contrary, I’d like to think that Royals fans are much more willing to embrace new-school ideas than fans of other baseball teams. I certainly think that’s the case of Royals media. I know I personally take it for granted that I can go on 810 WHB and discuss baseball with any of the radio hosts, and I don’t have to waste time arguing whether an analytical approach to the game has merit. Everyone agrees on that; we’re not arguing about whether the numbers are important, we’re just arguing over what the numbers mean. In print, Joe Posnanski carried the torch for years, and Sam Mellinger picked it up.
It’s easy to take that for granted, until those rare occasions where I listen to talk radio in almost any other sports market…and I remember that the analytical revolution hasn’t reached everyone yet. I can’t think of a prominent member of the KC media that has mocked sabermetrics recently, something that happens in other media markets all the time.
It’s easy to understand why Royals fans, and the journalists who cover the franchise, are more willing to embrace the idea that sabermetrics has value: for the past 20 years, we’ve seen what the opposite approach has wrought. We’ve seen what happens every time the Royals and the A’s get together to make a trade. We’ve seen a franchise in Tampa Bay that seemed more hopeless than the Royals ever were – and are still saddled today with a ballpark monstrosity in an inaccessible location – embrace sabermetrics, and start going to the playoffs almost immediately thereafter.
Maybe I’m just being my usually hopelessly optimistic self, but I believe that Royals Nation is as sabermetrically savvy as any fan base in the game – because while they don’t know if sabermetrics works, they know, through hard experience, that thumbing your nose at sabermetrics doesn’t.
If only the Royals themselves figured that out.
The reason for my mini-diatribe today is Jeff Flanagan’s latest article for Fox Sports Kansas City, in which he gets the Royals front office to acknowledge something that I’ve been writing about for a very long time – that the Royals don’t draw walks. That they haven’t drawn walks in over 30 years. That they’ve finished in the top half of the league in walks drawn just once since 1980 – and that year (1989) they won 92 games, their most in that span.
Flanagan also got the Royals to provide an explanation for their lack of walks: it’s the ballpark. No, really: the culprit is Kauffman Stadium.
It was less than a month ago that hitting coach – ex-hitting coach – Jack Maloof explained to Flanagan that Kauffman Stadium was the reason why the Royals don’t hit any home runs, even though the ballpark doesn’t have that effect on opposing batters. (As an aside – and I mean this without irony whatsoever – kudos to Flanagan, who apparently has the ability to get people in the Royals organization to open up and say some pretty interesting things.)
So evidently Kauffman Stadium is the reason why the Royals don’t hit home runs and the reason why don’t draw walks. Which raises the question: what other crimes has this ballpark committed? What other secrets are hidden at the Truman Sports Complex? Personally, I’d like to know if George Toma has an alibi for the night that Jimmy Hoffa disappeared.
“We have the largest ballpark in terms of square footage of any ballpark in baseball,” Moore says.
This is true, so long as we are talking about fair territory only.
“When pitchers come here, they have the mindset to use that park – put the ball in play, throw strikes, attack the zone.”
Sounds reasonable.
“There isn’t the same fear factor of getting beat deep that you might have elsewhere.”
O-kay…
“I think that plays a huge factor in that walk statistic.”
Alright, this is where you’ve lost me.
It’s true that Kauffman Stadium suppresses home runs quite a bit. Not nearly to the extent that it justifies the Royals’ inability to hit home runs this year, which is why Maloof lost his job. But yes, it’s not an easy place to hit home runs.
But the notion that because a ballpark is tough to hit homers, pitchers are going to pound the strike zone and give up fewer walks as well – well, we can test this theory. We have data. We can look at this data. We can analyze it. That’s what we call – dare I say it? – sabermetrics.
Last year, the Royals drew 202 walks at home. They drew 202 walks on the road. Using complicated mathematics, I can conclude that the ballpark probably didn’t have anything to do with their walk rate last year.
Moreover, since 2007 – since Dayton Moore’s first full year as GM – the Royals have drawn more walks at home than on the road.
Using more sophisticated analysis, like that done at Fangraphs, we can come up with a Park Factor for walks, which computes the impact that a ballpark has on walk rate, looking at the performance of both the Royals and their opponents. Park Factors are scaled so that 100 is a completely neutral park; numbers over 100 mean the ballpark increases that statistic, and numbers under 100 mean the ballpark decreases that statistic.
Looking at the most recent numbers, the Royals’ Park Factor for home runs is 93 – meaning that a player on the Royals will wind up with about 7% fewer home runs in a season than a player on a neutral team. (Kauffman Stadium reduces his home runs by about 14%, but he only plays half his games at home.)
Kauffman Stadium’s Ballpark Factor for walks is…100. No difference whatsoever.
Let’s think through this some more. If Kauffman Stadium encourages pitchers to throw strikes, then we would expect that just as the Royals’ hitters don’t draw walks, their pitchers should give up fewer walks as well. But as Sam Miller tweeted, since Dayton Moore was hired, the Royals’ pitching staff has given up the second-most walks of any AL team at home. If we’re going to excuse the Royals’ hitters for not drawing walks, then the inescapable conclusion is that their pitching staff can’t hit the broad side of a barn.
And if the problem is the ballpark, then why, as Sam Miller also pointed out, do the Royals’ hitters have the second-fewest walks of any AL team on the road since Moore was hired?
And the final nail in the coffin: if Kauffman Stadium’s dimensions make it hard to draw walks, then how do you explain the Coliseum in Oakland? I said that the Royals have the largest dimensions in fair territory of any team, but when you count foul territory, the Coliseum might actually be bigger.
Kauffman Stadium’s Park Factor for homers is 93; Oakland’s Park Factors is 94. And whereas Kauffman increases singles, doubles, and triples – which is why the park is neutral overall – Oakland suppresses every type of hit, because the foul ground leads to many extra foul pop-outs. The A’s certainly take advantage of their ballpark when it comes to their pitchers. For instance, Tom Milone was the fourth guy in the Gio Gonzalez trade, a strike-thrower with marginal stuff. But the A’s have turned him into an above-average major league starter thanks to their ballpark. On the road, Milone has a 4.66 career ERA. At home? 2.91.
And yet the A’s – who rank just ninth in the AL in homers – lead the league in walks drawn. They were fourth last year. They’ve finished in the top half of the AL in walks drawn in 26 of the last 27 years – but haven’t finished in the top five in the league in home runs since 2002.
While Dayton Moore that blames the ballpark. Kevin Seitzer, much to my disappointment, blames the overall lack of power.
“Pitchers mainly fear the long ball,” he says. “If your lineup isn’t hitting home runs, pitchers aren’t pitching around you. They’re going after you. There’s no need not to.”
There’s no question that there’s a correlation between power and walks – the more of a threat you are to hit a homer, the more likely the pitcher is to nibble and try to get you out with stuff off the plate. But it’s far from a perfect correlation.
I’ve used this example before, but it’s a fun one, so I’m going to use it again: the 1987 St. Louis Cardinals finished dead last in the NL in homers. They had one player hit more than 12 homers. But they led the league in walks drawn, and led the league in OBP, and went to the World Series.
That year, Ozzie Smith didn’t hit a single home run. Not only that, but he was a devastating basestealer – he stole 43 steals in 52 attempts. Given his inability to hit the ball over the wall, and given how dangerous he was once he reached base, why would any pitcher ever let him draw a walk?
Smith drew 89 walks that year. That’s more than any Royal has drawn in a season since 1990 – but it wasn’t even enough to lead the Cardinals that year. Jack Clark had 136. Clark, at least, had power. Vince Coleman stole 109 bases that year, and hit three home runs – opposing pitchers had even more incentive to throw him strikes than Ozzie Smith. Coleman drew 70 walks of his own.
So please, stop blaming the ballpark. Stop blaming the weather, or the traffic, or the rabid Kansas City media, or any other extraneous reason that pops into your head. Because what bothers me today isn’t that the Royals don’t draw walks – that faded into the background a long time ago. I literally have no recollection of a Royals organization that valued the base on balls as a weapon. What bothers me is that the Royals aren’t willing to accept responsibility for their shortcomings. They don’t even have to accept full responsibility – the organization’s lack of interest in walks preceded Dayton Moore’s regime by a quarter-century. How hard would it be to say this?
“You’re right, Jeff, while we stress the importance of plate discipline and patience at the plate, as an organization we haven’t seen those results on the field yet. I know that this has been a problem for the organization since even before we got here. I’m confident that our players just need to mature and gain experience at the plate, and the walks will follow. It’s not a coincidence that our most experienced hitters, Alex Gordon and Billy Butler, are the most patient hitters on the team, and I have no doubt that with more experience, guys like Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas will develop the same approach.”
No one’s asking anyone to fall on their sword – we’re just asking someone, anyone, to acknowledge that it’s a problem, and to acknowledge that it can be fixed. By blaming the ballpark, the Royals are claiming that the problem is inherent to the team, that it’s unfixable. And I’m sorry, but that’s a copout. It’s not true.
The problem can be fixed. But to fix the problem, the Royals are going to have emphasize acquiring players who have plate discipline in the first place. You would think that learning to take on the balls and swing at the strikes is something that can be taught, and occasionally you will find a player who does improve as his career goes on. But it’s more rare than you might think. The evidence is that, at least by the time most players start their pro careers, plate discipline is an inherent tool, like arm strength or power.
And Moore, to his credit, acknowledges as much in this column. “Some guys just have that natural discipline, guys like Alex and Billy. It’s not something you can necessarily teach, though we do preach plate discipline throughout the minor leagues.”
That sounds great. But I hope you’ll forgive me if I point out a few problems with that statement:
1) The Royals may be preaching plate discipline throughout the minor leagues, but as Flanagan points out in the column, few of their minor leaguers appear to be listening. The Omaha Storm Chasers are 12th out of 16 PCL teams in walks drawn. The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are 7th out of 8 teams. The Wilmington Blue Rocks are 7th out of 8 teams. The Lexington Legends are 9th out of 16 team. Four full-season minor league teams – none of them are in the top half of their league in walks drawn.
2) The two guys Moore mentions by name as having “natural discipline”, Alex Gordon and Billy Butler, are quite literally the only two players on the roster who were already here when Moore was hired. That should tell you something.
3) If it’s true that plate disciple is not something you can necessary teach, wouldn’t that make it more important to draft and acquire guys that already have it? And yet here’s assistant GM J.J. Picollo:
“When you’re looking at the impact guys in the first couple of rounds,” Picollo says, “you look at the major tools. Can he square up a ball? Can he hit for power? What’s his speed? Can he he hit consistently? All those things.
“You have to have the tools first or it really doesn’t matter. Now, when it gets to later rounds, when the talent gap isn’t that much between players, that area (on-base percentage) has more of a chance to stand out and it may separate one player from another.”
So basically, the Royals focus on everything but plate discipline in the first couple of rounds, but in the later rounds, OBP matters more.
You’ll be shocked to learn that I disagree completely.
First off, if you don’t focus on plate discipline in the first couple of rounds, you might as well not focus on it at all, because the vast majority of major league regulars are picked in the first couple of rounds. I don’t care if your 20th-round draft pick knows the strike zone, because 98% of those guys never make an impact in the majors anyway. It’s the guys taken in the first three rounds that are expected to contribute. Primarily, it’s the guys taken in the first round. Four of the guys in the Royals lineup were drafted in the top 15 picks: Gordon, Butler, Moustakas, and Hosmer. The first two were drafted by Allard Baird, and know the strike zone – they showed the ability to walk even in the minors. Hosmer showed good plate discipline in the minors, and has held his own in the majors. Moustakas was a relatively free swinger in the minors, and is a relatively free swinger in the majors.
The first round is where you expect to get your everyday players, so if you draft a player in the first round who doesn’t know the strike zone, you can’t pretend to be surprised when he never learns the strike zone. “We took guys like Brian McCann and Adam LaRoche and Rafael Furcal – all very good on-base guys. We also took Jeff Francoeur, who had a different approach that worked for him.”
Well, Francoeur – the 23rd overall pick in 2002 – certainly had a different approach. But “worked for him”? Sure – for the first month of his major league career, when he hit .419, slugged .802, and didn’t draw a single walk in 86 at-bats. The rest of his rookie season, he hit .240/.294/.421. From his sophomore season to today, he’s hit .262/.306/.415. Francoeur is pretty much the poster boy for how not having plate discipline can destroy an otherwise promising career.
But I also disagree with Picollo’s other point, which is that you value plate discipline more in the later rounds. Since late-round picks are, by definition, long-shot gambles, I’d much rather bet on athleticism and tools, hoping that out of 10 or 20 players one of them learns how to hit, rather than taking a bunch of hitters who know the strike zone but don’t have the bat speed to take advantage of it.
I’d much rather bet on guys like, say, David Lough (11th round), who was as much a football as a baseball player at Mercyhurst College, or Lorenzo Cain (17th round), who didn’t even start playing baseball until he was a high school junior, or, of course, Jarrod Dyson, drafted in the 50th round because he could run really fast and, um, he could run really fast.
Most of those guys aren’t going to pan out, and many of the guys who would pan out get undermined by their inability to master the strike zone. Lough will probably never have plate discipline, which will likely limit him to fourth outfielder duties. But occasionally you get a tools guy who figures it out, and both Cain and Dyson have acceptable walk rates to go with their other skills.
But anyway, you don’t build rosters with 17th and 50th round picks – you build them around guys at the top of the draft, and if the guys you take at the top of the draft don’t know the strike zone, they’re unlikely to ever learn the strike zone. And if the guys at the top of the draft never learn the strike zone, you wind up with a team that doesn’t draw a lot of walks, year after year after year.
No, it’s not a particularly bold or interesting explanation for the Royals’ perennial lack of walks. But it does have the advantage of being accurate.
The Royals are doing a lot of things right, and I want to give them credit for it. Despite the organization’s inability to develop starting pitching, Dayton Moore has fashioned together a pitching staff with the best ERA in the league without a single starting pitcher who was signed or developed by the organization. That’s fantastic, and the Royals deserve to be lauded for it.
But all their success on the mound won’t matter if they don’t score, and not drawing walks makes it harder to score. It’s a weakness, which I hope the Royals fix, and which I expect them to at least recognize. Instead, they’re blaming the ballpark. The first step to overcoming a problem is to acknowledge it. Until the Royals do that, I’m going to keep hammering them for it.
Posted by Rany at Friday, June 21, 2013
Kansas City said...
Moore's comment about the ballpark was stupid. But what was even more distressing was that he apparently he did not understand he was spouting off a theory that could be checked by sabremetrics. Either Moore is not bright enough to think that he should check the stats before stating his theory or, worse yet, he does not know that sabremetics can easily check his theory.
And, if that is not bad enough, his top scout is saying he does not pay attention to plate discipline in scouting top draft picks.
I had been on the let's give Dayton a chance team, but it is tough to stay on it as the accumulation of stuff piles up.
THH said...
One of the problems of being a GM is that you have to respond to questions you don't know the answer to.
It's the same sort of problem that sportswriters and commentators have. They've got to talk and write whether or not they have anything to say. So they write and say a lot of really stupid stuff.
I doubt that Dayton Moore actually believes that the ballpark is the problem. But it's an excuse and he thinks somebody just might buy it. Because it makes a certain amount of sense if you are willing to buy what he is selling. Most importantly, it didn't put the blame on himself.
Not a great performance though and does lead you to believe that he might not be the answer to the question.
Home Run Tony Cogan said...
There is no accountability in this organization, from the owner down to the beer vendors and hosts/hostesses.
Once the fanbase DEMANDS that the Royals win games, and the owner starts taking it seriously, then the team will start being competitive.
RickMcKC said...
KC wrote: "Either Moore is not bright enough to think that he should check the stats before stating his theory or, worse yet, he does not know that sabermetics can easily check his theory."
Or, it could be - and this is my hunch - that he and his staff think sabermetrics is a bunch of hooey.
I've often wondered why David Glass didn't hire someone from the SM culture to be GM. The theory certainly fits a Walmart-mindset. But he didn't. Maybe he thinks it is hooey, too.
KHAZAD said...
Dayton Moore tried to place blame somewhere other than on himself? Shocking. He has never taken responsibility for anything that has gone wrong in 7 years, why start now?
This lack of accountability bleeds down through the entire organization, and as long as Moore is at the top, we will be hearing nothing but lame excuses.
Echo Vamper said...
I watched Dayton as a player. He played second base for Garden City Community College (as did MLB umpire Todd Tichenor). He played for Coach Joe Slobko. Joe was successful but was definitely old school. As a Yankee fan he revered Ralph Houk and held a considerable disdain for modern ideas about the game and in particular sabermetrics. In other words, Coach Slobko was also the type of guy who would bat Richardson and Kubek at the top of his order. Dayton was a good offensive player but not particularly selective. I am not at all surprised that DM doesn't seem to grasp any of the nuances of sabermetrics nor any of the modern approaches to the game very well.
thomasj19 said...
We have all been saying for a long time now that the Royals will never win with Moore as GM. If you have ever heard him talk you know that Moore simply has no clue. It is kind of like the scouts in the movie "Moneyball" that were completely ignoring Billy Beane. Moore is just like them. He simply can't understand how he can be wrong despite the fact that the team has never won anything while he has been there.
Moore simply doesn't get it and he never will. And while it is nice the Royals lead the league in ERA it means nothing since the organization is rotting from the head down. As I have said before, until Moore is gone the Royals will not win.
Hard to be optimistic about Moore.
And, it appears he is not very smart, which probably cannot be fixed. He keeps a prized top scout who does not feel it is necessary to look at plate discipline with top draft picks -- tools are the end all.
Among the biggest factors on whether Moore truly understands the value of OBP are his acquisitions: Guillen (inexplicable of many other levels as well), Jacobs, Yuni, Kendall, Escobar, Olivo, Getz, Bloomquist, even now Tejada, and probably Johnson. He just doesn't acqiure good plate discipline guys, so it is hard to accept that he truly values it.
On the plus side, Wil Myers is hitting 190 with a 429 OPS and no walks. Of course, those stats are pretty meaningless at 21 at bats, but they project out at below Getz level.
I think the Myers trade is defensible. What is indefensible is constructing a roster where you have Frency every day in RF and Getz every day at 2b. And, while giving Moose a chance was reasonable, he still built a roster with at least four glaring holes in the line up (RF, 2B, SS, and 3B) and not strong plan B's on any of them. And, of course, the failure to all his drafts to produce so far a good offensive player is mind boggling.
Moore's recent comments were the last straw for me. Not necessarily the comment itself, but it's the icing on the cake of an organization that does not demand accountability of anyone. I think I've hit my Rob Neyer moment.
I'm 40 years old and grew up in Hays KS. Of course in those days there was no internet, even when there was cable, there was no such thing as ESPN and MLB Network. You got regional teams and not much else. Which was fine, because they Royals were GREAT when I was a kid. They contended, games mattered, and everyone would get caught up in the Royals. I live downstate from Rany and keep throwing away my dollars for the MLB internet package to watch my Royals.
I desperately, DESPERATELY want this team to succeed. And in the weak AL Central it's almost criminal to not contend occasionally.
But the Royals are rotten to the foundation. They stubbornly don't do or perhaps even acknowledge what needs to be done in this era. And if they're not making players in the minors draw walks, make players accountable, etc. we sure can see the results of what happens when the players get to the majors.
If the Royals were to fire GMDM and hire someone that truly understands how to win in this era, will the dividends be reaped while guys like Gordon and Butler are still under contract? (I'm genuinely asking) How long does it take to get the philosophy changed from the top level down to A ball and the draft?
I've hit the stage of hopelessness and why should I follow a team that is not going to reward my loyalty?
I'm done. If the Royals someday fire GMDM (heaven forbid they extend his contract) and hire someone who might have a clue, then maybe I'll put my toe in the water and glance over from time to time to see how the Royals are doing. But I can't waste my time with them anymore.
If I want to listen to a baseball game, I'll point my MLB internet package to the Rays and Cardinals (got that hurts to type). Those organizations aren't the cluster*%#ks that the Royals are.
Anyone ever wondered what the Royals might be like right now if David Glass had given Allard Baird the same operating budget and non-interference in baseball operations that he gave to Dayton Moore? Baird knew what needed to be done, but he had no chance to build a good team with what Glass was doing, and forcing Baird to do, at that time.
The fact that he ended up in Boston, of all places, and is a key member of the organization (and likely next GM if Cherington ever leaves) says a lot.
John, he still traded Jermaine Dye for Neifi Perez. Carlos Beltran for John Buck.
Baird, like Moore, probably was in a position over the level of his competence. He is probably at the right level in Boston, as was Moore in Atlanta.
Andrea will be back. Unless a fan moves and falls in love with another team, or gives up the sport, they never really leave their team.
Fast Eddie said...
Don't speak too soon about Wil Myers--he had a HR, 4 RBI today.
Dayton Moore seems like a pretty like-able guy to me. I'm rooting for him. I would love to see him grow as a GM, and embrace the stats. But if a guy isn't willing to learn, it's time to move on.
brdirck said...
I'll buy Rany's argument: it's not the stadium that has caused the Royals to devalue walks and OBP. But the really interesting question is this: if not Kauffman, then what is the root cause? Thirty years...in that span the Royals have turned over everyone--owner, GM, scouts, coaches--at least once. So how does an organization preserve its institutional memory to that extent for that long, so that it does essentially the same thing--i.e., make the same mistakes over and over again--when the people are all different?
twm said...
Yep, frustrating, but I think a lot of fans are pretty inured to this sort of silliness by now: the one thing DM has been consistent about is a belligerent refusal to accept any responsibility for the team's continued struggle.
But I have to say, and I am no prospect hound, from what I have read DM did quite well with his first two picks in the draft this season. Of course the draft has been his strength while in KC, but the past couple drafts have looked far worse than this, with Colon and Bubba looking uninspired at the time of the draft and kind of terrible now.
Bridric
Good question. I think it really is uninspired leaders who have been very slow to understand the value of OBP and walks. Heck, they have had guys on air who don't understand. Frank White to this day does not understand the value of walks and OBP. Neither does Hudler. Denny probably does not care, or more likely, he is opposed to walks because they make the game take longer. Can you believe a guy with Denny's job constantly complaining that the games take too long? I'm all in favor of fast play, but he is the team's announcer trying to see the product and has one of the best jobs in the world. I assume Ryan is in the process of understanding, but even he did not when he arrive.
Myers did hit one of the world's luckiest grand slams in Yankee Stadium of all places. It was a fly ball to right center that kept on going, was missed by the CF, hit the top of the fence and bounced over. Probably not a good sign. Although the Rays are 2 and 4 with him in lineup.
Otis said...
Rany. As an A's fan, I recall there being an article about how they teach plate discipline throughout the minor league system. It seems to work for them:
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=4924
Why don't the Royals just admit that they don't focus on walks and plate discipline in their development of hitters at any level? Is it a guarded secret? Internally do they have a formula for winning that does not include plate discipline? If they do, it isn't working or even creating offense.
If the avoidance of admitting it is because that doing so would make them look foolish then... well... maybe they should focus more on OBP/BBs and discipline.
skeptic said...
Salvador Perez swings at pitches a foot outside and still gets hits. Just imagine how good he could be if pitchers were forced to throw him strikes.
I am only going to defend DM here to create the rope with which to hang him. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt and say the park is a deterrent to walking. The strategy then would be to amass high average guys with gap power. We did that in 2011 and finished in the top half in runs scored. (I think the team BA was like .280, and the entire outfield had 40+ doubles.) The problem with this team is that it does NOTHING well with the bat.
So Yost puts Escobar back in the number 2 spot, he with the sub .300 OBP and, guess what, they lose a game in which they only score 1 run. God it sucka being a Royals fan, sometimes.
I know he did, but it's been pretty well documented that at least in the Dye-for-Neifi trade, he was forced to make that deal by David Glass, and told to unload Dye within 48 hours. I'd be willing to bet the Beltran trade was the same thing. Baird has never been willing to talk about what happened in KC, so he still gets blamed for those awful trades.
Believe me, the Boston Red Sox wouldn't put a guy in charge of player personnel who actually thought Neifi Perez was a better player than Jermaine Dye.
The guy knew talent. He seemed to come up with a few table scraps or dumpster-dive players every year that helped the team, but because Glass refused to spend any money back then, it was all Baird could do to keep the Royals from challenging the '62 Mets.
Frenchy is DFA'd. Somewhere Rany is cavorting.
Someone ought to pick up Francoeur. He usually does well his 1st half-year or year with a team, then does nothing thereafter. Wait until he's officially released, get him for the rest of 2013 at minimum, then don't bring him back in 2014.
Rany . . .
Hellooooo? Just a tweet?
Time to respond to this week's news, and to (finally) tell us what you would give for Giancarlo Stanton.
Cough up.
Stayed up until one watching the game. Might have gone to bed before the comeback had I not been waiting for Alex Gordon updates. Man I hope he isn't concussed. Or suffering from a major hip injury. Really, I just want him to come back 100% tomorrow.
Clark Massey said...
I like sabremetrics, and I believe it could greatly improve the Royals. But... here are my two questions for Rany,
Is all the low lying fruit of sabermetrics gone? Can a small market team still use sabremetrics insights to great success or just to become average?
Has anyone tried to test if the Royals are worse than the sum of their parts? Do the Royals persistently underperform given the statistical expectation of their roster? If this could be tested, we can scientifically talk about the possibility of a Royals "curse".
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Lion of Ireland by Morgan Llywelyn - April 2014
Post by Clare Bookclub Mod » Wed Apr 23, 2014 1:36 pm
King, warrior, and lover Brian Boru was stronger, braver, and wiser than all other men-the greatest king Ireland has ever known. Out of the mists of the country's most violent age, he merged to lead his people to the peak of their golden era.
His women were as remarkable as his adventures: Fiona, the druidess with mystical powers; Deirdre, beautiful victim of a Norse invader's brutal lust; Gormlaith, six-foot, read-haired goddess of sensuality.
Set against the barbaric splendors of the tenth century, this is a story rich in truth and legend-in which friends become deadly enemies, bedrooms turn into battlefields, and dreams of glory are finally fulfilled. Morgan Llywelyn has written one of the greatest novels of Irish history.
Clare County Library is inviting adults and children of County Clare to read, discuss, share and experience the same book by participating in a One County One Book programme. The title chosen for adults is 'Lion of Ireland' by Morgan Llywelyn, while the chosen children’s title is 'Brian Ború: Emperor of the Irish' also by Morgan Llywelyn. These titles were chosen in keeping with the initiatives taking place throughout the county this year to commemorate Brian Ború and the millennium of The Battle of Clontarf. The programme will be officially launched in the De Valera Public Library, Harmony Row, Ennis on Wednesday 23rd April at 7.30pm. Michael Moylan will bring his Irish History Live show to the library on the evening when he will enthrall the audience, adults and children, with his interactive show. He will provide hands-on experience of what life was like in the time of Brian Ború. This programme is a chance for the whole county to rediscover a love of books and reading and to promote a renewed sense of community spirit in sharing that reading experience with each other. Copies of the books will be available for borrowing at all branch libraries. For more details of the programme and the ongoing events phone 065-6821616
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Tag Archives: Social Commentary
A modest proposal, Arts & the City, Commentary, Cultural commentary, Economic commentary, History and Culture, Kondiaronk - My Montréal Experience, Let's make this an election issue, Montréal Architecture, Montréal Landmarks, Political commentary, Social commentary, Urban Redevelopment, Worth reconsidering
The CBC should consolidate its operations in Montreal
April 22, 2014 Taylor C. Noakes Leave a comment
Maison Radio-Canada
Recently announced cuts to the CBC/Radio-Canada got me thinking: why is this particular crown corporation’s operations split between three different major Canadian cities and why is the CBC/SRC trying to rid itself of potentially lucrative real-estate?
I can’t fathom why the CBC and SRC aren’t located in the exact same place. As it currently stands, French media is consolidated in the Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal, English media consolidated in the Canadian Broadcast Centre in downtown Toronto, and corporate operations located in Ottawa.
Perhaps this was necessary in the past, but is it still necessary today?
Consolidating all of the CBC/SRC’s major operations in a single location is far more efficient and, perhaps most importantly, would allow a greater degree of cooperation between the two halves of Canada’s public broadcaster.
Quite frankly, the CBC could learn a lot from Radio-Canada. The latter is far more successful than the former in terms of creating interesting, engaging, high-quality programming.
To put it another way, I’d like to watch an English version of Tout Le Monde En Parle.
Or put it this way: 19-2 is a successful police procedural/crime drama set in Montreal created by Radio-Canada that, beginning this year, will appear on the CTV-owned Bravo Canada as an English-language equivalent. An idea created by the public broadcaster succeeds in French but is then sold to private interests for English language development. Why the CBC didn’t develop the English-language version of 19-2 is beyond me; it makes absolutely no sense.
Further, there’s been a plan in place for a few years now for CBC/SRC to sell the Maison Radio-Canada for redevelopment. According to the corporation’s public documents, they’re not supposed to invest in real-estate, and this is why they’re looking to rid themselves of an absolutely massive piece of purpose-built broadcasting property. Apparently, it’s too expensive to invest in upgrading existing facilities, and so they’ll sell the land to become a tenant. Whatever money is made from the sale, if it follows an unfortunate trend established by the Federal Tories, will likely not be equal to the actual and/or potential value of the property. Moreover, whatever money is made from the transaction will ultimately disappear paying the rent.
It’s illogical, in a time of constrained budgets, to limit a crown corporation’s ability to develop long term wealth. There is no wealth, no value, in leasing.
It’s also illogical to spread out a corporation’s major operations in three locations when one could easily be expanded to accommodate the whole.
What’s worse, one of the driving forces behind this proposed sale and redevelopment is that the Maison Radio-Canada has too much space for Radio-Canada’s current needs. In a sense I agree – the parking lots are a huge waste of space begging for redevelopment. But it’s the space inside the building which is thought to be superfluous. If that’s actually the case, why not sell off the corporate HQ in Ottawa and the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto and put the whole operation in the Maison Radio-Canada? Proceeds from the sale of those properties (particularly the latter) could finance the modernization of the MRC for just such a purpose. If they were to go a step further, they would use their real-estate holdings for the purposes of generating revenue to fund a public broadcasting trust, much in the same manner as the BBC has. I’m in favour of the plan to redevelop the expansive Montreal property with residential buildings, commercial and green spaces, but I think a far greater value could be derived over the long term by maintaining ownership of the Montreal site. There’s more money in the long term owning several condos, apartment blocks and commercial spaces than simply selling off the property. The undeveloped property is less valuable than a developed property.
Concentration and consolidation make a lot of sense to me, mostly because I firmly believe it will lead directly to greater cooperation and operational efficiency. I think it would accomplish the task of making our public broadcaster ‘leaner’ due to resource sharing, not to mention the fundamentally lower operating costs and greater quality of life offered in Montreal (as an example, and quite unlike Toronto’s Canadian Broadcasting Centre, properties within walking distance of Maison Radio-Canada are still affordable and there’s an established community of people who work in media located nearby, not to mention a concentration of competition). But to top it all off, if the CBC were to consolidate here with Radio-Canada, maintain ownership of their property and redevelop it, they could potentially get themselves back in the green sooner as opposed to later.
A closing thought. Shame on Heritage Minister and Tory cheerleader Shelley Glover for doing fuck all to help the CBC.
It’s a line anyone interested in Canadian politics is likely to hear time and again as Tory ministers dodge any and all kinds of responsibility for their own portfolios: ‘the (insert vital national interest here) operates as an arms-length government agency and thus we’re not responsible for it’.
Well what the fuck are you good for then?
The whole idea behind crown corporations is that they serve the interests of the people, either by providing a necessary service or by generating revenue for the federal government to lessen the tax burden. In some cases they can do both, but the key is that, if the crown corp is in the red or otherwise not accomplishing its goals, the peoples’ recourse is to elect individuals with plans to make these organizations succeed.
The Tory political playbook goes in the other direction, distancing government from crown corps in an effort to both deny any responsibility (breaking the public’s indirect involvement in the direction of the corporation) in an effort to prime it for privatization. Both the Harper and Mulroney administrations have a bad record of selling off major assets for next to nothing. The end result has almost always been the same: worse service, higher costs to the consumer, less competition. I have no doubt at all the Tories would like nothing more than to privatize the CBC, though for the moment they recognize the negative consequences.
Thus, their policy is that the CBC should die a death from a thousand cuts, a ‘creeping normality’ strategy that makes it impossible for the CBC to compete at all but would ultimately serve to facilitate its dismantling and privatization. If the problem, as a spokeswoman for Ms. Glover puts it, is that “the CBC (needs) to provide programming that Canadians actually want to watch” then why did the Fed not step in to protect the CBC’s lucrative monopoly on sports broadcasting rights? Why isn’t the Fed encouraging the CBC to develop a trust whose value is derived from the corporation’s real estate and infrastructure assets as a means to generate revenue?
And why is the minister responsible for our nation’s cultural heritage blaming the CBC for its shortcomings rather than coming up with a plan to make the CBC a focal point of our cultural identity?
What are we paying her for? To find fault or find solutions?
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A modest proposal, Commentary, Cultural commentary, Economic commentary, Kondiaronk - My Montréal Experience, Perspectives on the City, Political commentary, Scenes from the City, Social commentary, Sovereign Socialist, Worth reconsidering
This Isn’t Normal
On April 3rd I was covering the anti-austerity demonstration organized by the ASSÉ student collective for CJAD, keeping myself at the front of the line snapping photos of what some fear may be the return of regular and illegal student demonstrations, such as we experienced from the autumn of 2011 onwards and characterizing much of 2012.
These demonstrations, referred to as the Printemps Érable and drawing an inappropriate connection to far more violent (and necessarily so) affairs in the Maghreb and Middle East, followed a routine formula. Students assembled, police declared the march illegal but would wind up escorting it, tolerating it, for a while, and then the usual degeneration into riot squad charges, injuries and arrests.
The student protests of 2012 arguably contributed to the downfall of Jean Charest as premier, in turn allowing Pauline Marois her opportunity to govern. Ms. Marois and the PQ were expedient, jumping on the student-driven protest movement, picking up two student leaders as future candidates and thoroughly capitalizing on the vague notions locals have that the PQ is a people-power party born of the social protest movement.
Eighteen months later and we’re back at square one – students enraged at government austerity measures taking to the streets, only now they’re ripping down péquiste and liberal election signs.
The students feel they’ve been sold out, but now they’re even further removed from the reigns of power given that they’re not being courted by any political party. It will be interesting to see whether this leads to more protests or a collective shrug.
But getting back to the April 3rd demonstration, after nearly four hours walking through the streets of the downtown core without incident, the protest suddenly ended with three loud bangs near the intersection of Sherbrooke and St-Urbain. It was my first taste of pepper spray. I also happened to witness the overt display of police brutality seen in the video above.
The man struck by police is Robert Fransham, 71 years old. He was standing in the street atop his bike, looking down when the riot squad charged east down Sherbrooke Street. I watched one officer stop, hit Mr. Fransham with his shield (sending him to the ground) and then, like a coward, continue running down the way.
Because riot police conveniently wear low visibility identifying tags, it’s impossible to tell precisely who it is.
And then there’s the convenient fallback line: he was just doing his job.
Though I was scarcely more than fifty meters away from where a group of journalists were assaulted by police officers (including a McGill Daily photographer shot in the gut with a rubber bullet from near point-blank range) at the beginning of the melee, I did not hear any kind of warning that the march was to be forcibly terminated.
In any event, Mr. Fransham took quite a hit to his head. I wound up providing first aid while we waited for the paramedics to arrive. As I was holding his head still and asking him the routine questions to gauge in just what kind of shape he was in, riot cops closed in around us in a circle, backs facing us.
And some person dressed as a mime kept trying to use his hat to cover the ubiquitous cameras trying to record the scene. Again, you can see that person in the video posted above.
If I didn’t presume to know better I’d swear whoever organizes these demonstrations is doing so at the behest of the Montreal police, in some insane effort to justify their annual budget.
There are just too many people walking around with not-so-subtle earpieces and walkie-talkies, not to mention a more-or-less predictable, though ostensibly spontaneous) choice of route, for this march to have so quickly degenerated into chaos, as it did. And what really kills me is the near Stephen Harper/ Federal Tory level of smugness towards the media by so many of the apparent leaders of the protest. I was astonished when, at the press scrum, the spokesperson’s press handler (go figure) announced that they would be taking a limited number of questions from journalists. Giving the impression there either isn’t much to say on this issue or otherwise establishing an adversarial relationship with the press isn’t doing anyone any favours.
Anyways, my point is, what could have possibly provoked the police to charge into (and beat up) a group of students like this? What threat did Mr. Franshaw pose to the officer who pushed him off his bike, smashing his head and eye and puncturing his shin in the process?
It’s inconceivable that anyone would have felt threatened by Mr. Franshaw or, frankly, anyone in that crowd. I’m six-three and weigh over two-hundred pounds and am far larger than the underfed first year university students who compose the vast majority of student demonstrators. Some people will go so far as to say I look like a cop – I never quite know how to take that…
The police charge was completely unnecessary and arbitrary. Tear gas and pepper spray was already clearing the street when the police decided to charge. Why? It served no purpose other than permit the use of force.
Is this some kind of reward for having to put up with riot squad duty? Behave yourself for four hours escorting the students and you’re given fifteen minutes to kick some ass?
On Friday Mr. Franshaw was re-admitted to hospital as injuries he sustained as a consequence of the police charge developed into a concussion. His leg injury was also more serious than initially reported, and he’s now under observation. On the plus side, he got his dented bike back. No word on who’s going to pay for his smashed glasses.
Should this happen in our city?
If not, why do we tolerate it?
To be fair, the students aren’t completely innocent either. I don’t support government austerity measures because I know they don’t work and I’m fully committed to providing no-cost post-secondary education to the public, but illegal protest marches clearly don’t work (they’ve so far accomplished nothing more than giving us eighteen months of Pauline Marois as premier) – that is, they don’t work unless the end goal is to simply have brief moments of chaos and violence in our city streets.
If this is in fact the end goal of the student demonstrators, I’d encourage them to be more honest about it.
If there is a fundamental belief that in order to protect the social safety net violence must be provoked to draw the public’s attention to the urgency of the cause then say so and let the public judge the legitimacy of the message and the means.
But the claim made by student demonstrators that they don’t provoke any aggression is simply untrue – at least, not in all cases. Mr. Franshaw did not provoke the violence that came to him. Neither did the McGill photographer. But I did see one group of about four or five people try to push cops off their bikes as they went racing up The Main.
And then there were the stoned Einsteins who figured it wise to yell ‘fuck the police’ while the police were peacefully escorting the march through the Plateau.
ASSÉ will tell you this is an exception to the rule, but with each and every student protest I attend it seems as though the exception is getting closer to the rule. Protests seem to be more a kind of walking party (with the potential for conflict) than a serious demonstration of grievances. The impression left by the student protest movement of the 1960s is strong, but it all too often seems as though local students view this as some kind of right-of-passage or otherwise necessary element of the student life aesthetic. It seems as though the students protest because protesting is thought of as being a cornerstone of the student experience.
Like Spring Break on a beach in Florida.
Or reading the first ten pages of the Communist Manifesto and proselytizing to anyone within earshot for the next four years to demonstrate your concern for the working man.
The protests are remarkably well-organized in terms of driving people to the march and leading the march through the city, but in terms of the message it couldn’t be less clear what the point is and how a protest march is going to change anything.
Remember, the very definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, each time hoping for a different result.
Therefore, to close, I’d like to propose trying things differently, though I’m not hopeful anyone in a position of power would listen.
Regardless; to the students, how about staying still?
Instead of an illegal protest march, why not file the necessary paperwork and ask to have a stationary demonstration in a large public place somewhere in the downtown core, ideally close to the office towers where the middle class does much of its work? Appeal to the public directly by engaging them in conversation rather than making traffic any worse than it has to be.
In sum, you don’t make friends by shutting down busy city streets.
And staying in one place and occupying it leaves a greater impression anyways. It looks bigger and more important.
To the police, how about not showing up?
Assume a demonstration of one kind or another happens on May 1st or May 3rd; what would happen if no police or riot squad showed up?
Imagine a group of protesters realizing there’s no visible expression of potential repression – how would they react?
I’m willing to bet the demonstration would fizzle very quickly. At least some potential protesters would wander off looking for the cops, thinking the march took off early. But I’m further willing to bet that without anyone standing in opposition to the protest interest would plummet, and whatever group is left over will be neither terribly impressive nor large.
Further, police could be dispatched in plain clothes to respond in case things got out of hand, but I’m convinced this wouldn’t be necessary.
My theory is that the majority of protesters are more interested in being part of a moment of violence with the police than they are effecting a long-term and fundamental change to the nature of the state, the social safety net and university financing broadly speaking.
Ultimately, it is not normal to tolerate endless and unproductive protests, nor the heavy handed response by police to these protests. I’m sick of it and I won’t tolerate a year of it. I think the majority of Montrealers are of this opinion.
So it’s really a question of whoever changes their tactics first has the opportunity to expose a weakness on the other side. Either way, the status quo can’t be maintained – it is demonstrably absurd to think so.
Anti-AusterityASSÉCanadian politicsMontreal PolicePolice brutality in MontréalQuébec PoliticsQuebec social valuesSocial CommentarySPVMStudent Demonstrations in Montreal
Commentary, Cultural commentary, Political commentary, Social commentary
Vince Li and the Politics of Fear
March 9, 2014 Taylor C. Noakes Leave a comment
I always wondered about this photo – did Greyhound send another bus or are these people sitting in a crime scene?
This article was originally published on Forget the Box and can be read here.
Toronto-based criminal lawyer David Butt makes a profoundly solid argument, in a way one might expect from a seasoned legal expert, for why Vince Li deserves our compassion (and more importantly, why the judicial system isn’t broken), and that can be read here.
And keep this in mind too: since the story broke that Vince Li would be granted an unsupervised half-hour walk outside the grounds of the psychiatric hospital where he is currently incarcerated, former public safety minister Vic Toews (the everyone on the Internet is a child-pornographer until proven innocent guy) has been named to the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench – the supreme court of the province. It’s no secret that Stephen Harper would like to appoint him to the Supreme Court of Canada, where he might really do some damage. Toews is the kind of legal troglodyte who believes, like nearly all Tories, that the only solution to crime is to lock-up all criminals in Dickensian prisons and hope to high heaven they all shiv each other to death. Rehabilitation is as foreign a concept to Vic Toews as sound economic planning is to the Parti Québécois.
Toews, like shrill Tory cheerleader Shelley Glover (who, in her role as Heritage Minister, recently sounded the alarm that the Manitoba Review Board made a mistake) are precisely the kinds of people who should have absolutely nothing to do with criminal justice. Yes, Mr. Toews was once a Crown Attorney. Yes, Ms. Glover was a police officer for nearly twenty years.
That should make you cringe, not trust their judgement. I can only hope that they were more rational, reasonable individuals prior to joining the Tories and losing all sense of reality.
As politicians they have proven themselves hysterical and myopic in terms of how they address the people’s concerns as it pertains to crime. Insinuating anyone who doesn’t think the government should have the right to request search history information without a warrant is ‘siding with child pornographers’ is perhaps one of the most contemptible statements in our nation’s political history and demonstrates Mr. Toews has little to no interest in preserving our fundamental legal rights as Canadians.
Are we not innocent until proven guilty?
For her part, Ms. Glover decided to promote the public’s ignorance of case reviews and legal ‘checks and balances’ by going on a public disinformation campaign to disparage the hard work of all the people involved in the Li case and make it seem as though the people of Selkirk Manitoba now have to contend with a bloodthirsty psycho-killer prowling their streets. You’d think a cabinet minister would have the sense not to add fuel to the fire, but no – Ms. Glover demonstrated exceptionally poor judgement by questioning a review process and rehabilitation regimen that has proven itself – conclusively – successful.
Makes my blood boil.
Anyways – here’s my peace:
Given the highly charged atmosphere surrounding the debate on Vince Li specifically and the issue of Not Criminally Responsible murderers (and what to do with them) more broadly, I feel it is necessary to preface this article with a statement of both heartfelt sincerity and incredulity. I shouldn’t have to say this, but advocating for the sensible rehabilitation of criminals – both insane and otherwise, deference to expert authority and common sense thinking is not the same thing as advocating for a murderer over the rights of the victim and his family.
Vince Li is being granted the right to go on an unsupervised half hour walk outside the grounds of his psychiatric hospital and a number of politicians, notably heritage minister and Manitoba MP Shelley Glover, have decided to feed the public’s fear of psycho killers by announcing their belief that this constitutes an egregious threat to public security. Common sense says otherwise, but ‘smart’ politics says it’s always best for a politician to stoke the public’s misplaced concern and present themselves as both community protector and advocate for ‘real justice’. At a press conference to announce federal stimulus spending for the city’s 375th anniversary, the heritage minister and former police officer stated, emphatically, that her government will pass legislation that would incarcerate Vince Li and people like him for the rest of their natural lives. As one might expect, she presented her argument almost as a kind of vengeance for Tim Mclean and his family, whom she further emphatically sympathized with.
I too have nothing but sympathy for the family of Tim McLean. I’m willing to bet what happened to him, what Vince Li did to him, was perhaps the single worst thing to ever happen to a human being on Canadian soil. It sickens me. I feel awful; for Tim’s family and for everyone on that bus that tragic night.
But therein lies the crux of the matter. This is a tragedy. Vince Li did not murder Tim McLean per se. Vince Li was in a deep psychotic state and completely disconnected from reality. He may have been like this for days, perhaps even weeks prior. Criminal psychiatrists concluded that he acknowledges he killed Tim McLean, but – and this is crucial – that he was unable to form the necessary mens rea. In essence, court experts determined he is not criminally responsible because he lacks a guilty mind, and in common law establishing the case of a guilty mind is fundamental in a murder case.
A traditional first or second degree murder charge would be impossible to prosecute because Vince Li believed he was commanded by god to kill an assassin who planned to kill him. In Mr. Li’s convoluted, sick mind he believed he had been chosen by his creator to save humanity from an imminent alien invasion. He had been hearing ‘the voice of god’ for four years prior to the killing of Tim McLean.
The simple fact is Vince Li was an undiagnosed paranoid schizophrenic who killed an innocent person while in a deep psychotic state. The presiding judge accepted the diagnosis and remanded Mr. Li to a maximum security mental health facility where, for a while, he was in 24-hour lock-down, sedated, medicated and on suicide watch.
Over the course of the last few years he has responded exceptionally well to treatment. Heavily medicated, he has been brought out of the psychotic state and returned to normalcy. As part of his rehabilitation process his file is reviewed annually by the Manitoba review board, a body whose purpose is to determine whether or not he’s responding well to rehabilitation and treatment, and whether he poses a threat to himself or others. Year after year they find that he is not a threat and grant him privileges. First it was escorted walks on the grounds of the hospital. Then supervised walks into the town of Selkirk. Then supervised visits in other small towns. At each step of his rehabilitation a chorus arose over social media accusing the provincial government, the correctional and mental health services and many others of everything from incompetence to advocating for a murderer (a preposterous, if not insane notion). It has demonstrated both the public’s contempt of expert opinion and their belief our criminal justice system is deeply flawed, and politicians, ever vigilant, have jumped on the bandwagon.
It’s expedient for a government that has shown nothing but contempt for government scientists, climatologists, environmentalists, academics of all variety, subject matter experts, jurists, the honourable opposition (etc.) to so inappropriately question the thinking and decisions of the Manitoba review board. Ms. Glover is a heritage minister, a Tory cheerleader, not a criminal psychiatrist. By what right does she have to question the integrity and competence of the dozens of people most directly involved in this case?
Let common sense reign.
Vince Li has no money and no bus or taxi driver in Selkirk is going to come pick him up. He has a half hour to walk outside the hospital. That’s fifteen minutes in one direction before he has to turn around and go right back.
If he decides to use this new privilege, he does so knowing he lacks protection. Up to now he’s been escorted everywhere by a peace officer and a nurse. If he goes for a walk off the grounds he does so knowing he risks being attacked if not killed. We can feel safe knowing he knows this, because he is no longer psychotic, his schizophrenia is under control. He exists in our world and knows the public is absolutely terrified of him.
If he decides to use this privilege the hospital, as part of its due diligence, would have to alert local police. Ergo it’s highly unlikely Vince Li would be completely unsupervised. He wouldn’t have a police escort right next to him, but I think it’s safe to assume either the Selkirk police or the RCMP would have two armed officers follow him from a short distance. I don’t think he’ll be able to spontaneously demand he go for a walk, there’s likely a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy to go through.
At the press conference Minister Glover indicated that, because of her time as a police officer in Manitoba, she ‘knew how hard it was to keep track of dangerous offenders’. Perhaps. But not in Vince Li’s case. He is still incarcerated. He sleeps at the psychiatric hospital. As a consequence of his infamy he will only ever sleep in institutions or halfway houses for the rest of his days. The fear that Vince Li will one day be released into the general populace, to get a job and an apartment, is completely ludicrous. He’s unemployable. He’ll never be able to rent his own apartment, he has no family to support him – so it begs the question, what are we really afraid of? He is a ward of state forevermore. He is thoroughly supervised. There’s no way he could ever go off his medication as long as he remains institutionalized, and as long as he’s medicated and lives in a controlled environment (which as I already mention is his only option) he’s no threat, not to himself nor anyone else.
Some people are nonetheless incensed. They believe that Vince Li either should’ve been killed on the scene by responding police officers or spend the rest of his days under total lockdown in a maximum-security prison. I think these people believe mental illness is a kind of trick used by the truly guilty to escape harsh punishment. I don’t know which is crazier – killing and cannibalizing a man you believe to be an alien assassin because god told you, or thinking that a human being could be in their right mind and do such a thing.
Suffice it to say there are a lot of people who would lose their careers if they’re wrong about Vince Li. Literally dozens of people would immediately find themselves without the jobs they worked so hard to become experts at. I don’t think anyone in his or her right mind would risk so much on a whim.
None of the experts advocating for this new privilege would risk their careers unless they were absolutely certain Vince Li is no longer a threat to the public. They’re all aware of what needs to be done to ensure public safety, they have all the controls in place to ensure he stays medicated and that public security forces are aware of where he is at all time.
As a society, we can’t allow ourselves to be commanded by fear and ignorance. We must approach the unknown and the tragic with a desire to understand and to learn. We only do Tim McLean a disservice if our approach to mental illness is to simply incarcerate those who are indeed not criminally responsible for their actions. If we want to ensure he didn’t die in vain, then we must do all we can to treat mental illness seriously and develop the mechanisms by which treatment is rendered affordable and illnesses of the mind are de-stigmatized.
We only make the problem worse when we allow politicians to disregard expert opinion and basic, open, transparent common sense. We do ourselves harm when we allow common sense to be trampled by the fear mongering of politicians who exploit tragedy for personal gain.
Canadian politicsCommentaryConservative Party of CanadaLaw in CanadaLegal CommentaryPolitical CommentarySocial Commentary
Commentary, Cultural commentary, Economic commentary, Political commentary, Québec sovereignty, Social commentary, Sovereign Socialist, Sovereign Socialist featured article
December 24, 2013 Taylor C. Noakes 2 Comments
Not my work, but I wish it were.
I’d like a few things for Christmas this year.
I’m patient, and I wouldn’t expect such gifts any time too soon either. But if somehow these wishes come true in 2014, perhaps my faith in humanity will be restored. But like I said, I’m not holding my breath…
I’d like the mayor of Montreal, Mr. Denis Coderre, to fight corruption and waste and leave Montreal far better than how he found it. Talking tough about fighting corruption is one thing, but I’m fairly certain me and my co-citizens want to see real action this year. We want to see heads roll, we want to go to sleep knowing we have a mayor who is working tirelessly to break the bonds of collusion and organized crime. Am I asking too much? No, I don’t think so. I think all we really want is for our mayor to do the one job we need him to succeed at.
By contrast I’d like the disgraced mayor of Toronto to disappear into the Canadian wilderness, never to be seen or heard from again. He’s done enough damage to this country’s brand, let alone the City of Toronto, for several lifetimes. This trash doesn’t belong in the halls of power, any hall of power for that matter, but I can’t help but think Rob Ford’s remaining support comes from those still irked by the ‘Toronto-the-Good’ image. Get over it, Mr. Ford has given the entire world a poor impression of a once great city.
All elected politicians in Canada, regardless of whether they serve municipally, provincially or federally, need to understand this key point:
Getting elected does not grant you the honorific of ‘leader’.
Getting elected doesn’t even mean you have leadership skills.
There is a profound dearth of quality leaders in this country, especially among the ranks of various ‘province-first’ parties and the whole mess of Conservatives, be they former reformers or previously progressive.
It would be nice to see some politicians this year actually using their apparent leadership skills to get work done, rather than simply throw mud back and forth.
And I’d especially like to see the Tories realize the immense difference between leadership and bullying. They have no idea concerning the former and only seem to know the latter, and much like Toronto trying to escape their former identity, the Tories want to sell you on a tough guy image, like they’re not taking anybody’s crap and we should all be grateful.
Government by bullying is what we have, and the Tories have been slowly eroding away at the foundation of our nation’s democratic tradition for seven long years, making their style of governance (or lack thereof) somehow de rigeur. I’d like to see the Tories pull back from the brink and at least try to build consensus with opposition parties.
I’d like us to reject American-style politics.
More on the Tories; I want them to stop insinuating the Federal Liberals are trying to turn my kids into drug-addicts when they’re proposing sensible, cost-effective and above all else ethical solutions to the drug problem. Similarly, I’d like them to stop telling me how great the economy is doing when it’s very, very clear the economy is so far from being in good shape. I suppose I’d like them to stop treating me like an idiot. Me and every single other Canadian. And I’d really appreciate it if the Prime Minister came clean about the Wright-Duffy Affair. And for the whole party to stop insinuating the NDP is a closet separatist organization. Or that Jean Chretien actively tried to destroy the Canadian Forces.
In sum, I wish our politicians would stop lying to the people so blatantly, so constantly. I can’t ask for politicians to be honest – that would be asking too much. So perhaps I’m just begging for a bit of subtlety and decorum.
On the provincial side of things, I’d like Ms. Marois to shit or get off the pot.
Almost weekly we hear the ministers of her cabinet disparage Canada and the Canadian ideal, and further insist support for Québec’s independence is growing. Is it? Well if it is, do something about it. I half-wish Ms. Marois calls a referendum because I don’t expect the Tories to be terribly well-positioned to succeed in advocating for federalism. I half expect the Tories wouldn’t do much of anything at all – no overtures, no rallies, no media-blitzes etc. Rather, I think Mr. Harper and his merry band of fools would take the tough guy approach as if to dare the province into seceding.
And this concerns me greatly; not so much that I can anticipate the Tories doing nothing to keep the country together, but what they might do if Québec splits.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. I think the péquistes are aware of Québec’s reality, and despite their rhetoric they know damn well separation isn’t going to fly – not now, likely not ten years from now. So if only they could drop the whole charade and focus on what really matters, like developing a sustainable economy, increasing our quality of life and eliminating waste and corruption, yeah, that really would be great…
I wish the PQ would realize there is no threat to Québec’s language, culture or identity. I wish they’d realize the damage they’re going to create with the ill-conceived and inappropriately named ‘charter of values’.
I wish the PQ wouldn’t waste their time on useless propaganda, such as guide to avoiding arguments in living rooms and around dining room tables concerning the proposed charter.
And perhaps most of all I’d like the PQ to cease uniquely representing the interests of the Franco-Québécois majority, and treating anyone who disagrees with PQ policy as though they are not ‘real Québécois’ or worse, that anyone who disagrees with the party is a traitor who is holding Québec back and thus should leave the province.
This is the government of Canada’s second largest province; this is how they treat their own people, this is the government looking to institutionalize racism with Bill 60. remember what I said about wanting us to turn our backs from American-style politics? I mean this more with regards to the PQ than I do to the Tories.
At least there are some reformers within the Tory party ranks. I cannot say the same about the PQ.
Perhaps I’m wishing for an end to blind political idolatry.
Perhaps I’m wishing for far too much.
But most of all I wish that the people begin to demand real, tangible solutions to a bevy of problems we all have to deal with. Poverty, homelessness, hunger… during this bonanza of conspicuous consumerism (which, year after year, fosters the development of new generations of obsessive consumers) these social problems seem that much more apparent, more glaring, striking to me. The downtown is littered with human beings sleeping on vents, piled together for warmth, while the middle class empties its pockets buying garbage it doesn’t need in a vain effort to make itself feel wealthy, to maintain the illusion of status and luxury. A holiday ostensibly about family and charity, forgotten about the very next day as crowds will invariably trample each other for bargains on more junk.
What a holiday.
What, a holy day?
It’s not just poverty, homelessness and hunger I wish we were better at fighting. I wish we were aware that year after year our economic situation, nationally and personally, doesn’t get better, it gets worse. More of us will be poor tomorrow than yesterday, and yet we continue to destroy the social safety net that once supported all of us and held us high. We turn our backs on mutual, government-mandated charity so that we can have a few extra hundred dollars to spend on little comforts, little luxuries, that only ever leave us feeling hollow, empty, and desperately needing more.
Last night I walked past two payday loan operations on Atwater. I was coming home from the market, loaded up with good food and wine, and here I was passing all these people submitting to the personal-finance equivalent of rape. Each payday loan place was open late and both were crowded with people milling about outside, waiting to get it.
It was tragic. Even when you’re down the system always finds a way to make you just a little bit poorer, especially if you’re close to edge as is.
And all this occurring on the supposed anniversary of a philosopher’s birth, a philosopher who advocated against mindless consumption, against wealth, and proposed instead that the well-lived life was one of charity, humility and selflessness.
What Christian charges his fellow man 30% interest on a loan, especially when the lender knows he doesn’t really have the means to pay for it in the first place?
A friend asked me what salutation was appropriate for an atheist on Christmas.
I thought it over. I was once a Catholic, and this day had a special meaning for me. Today I’m a man, and it seems to me that Christmas may be the least Christian holiday on the calendar.
I responded it’s best to wish me a happy new year.
The future’s all I have left to hope for.
Charter of ValuesChristianityChristmasCommentaryConservative Party of CanadaDenis CoderreEconomic CommentaryInstitutionalized RacismPauline MaroisPolitical CommentaryQuebec social valuesSocial CommentaryStephen Harper
Commentary, Kondiaronk - My Montréal Experience
July 8, 2013 Taylor C. Noakes Leave a comment
I came across this at Paragraphe the other day. The image on the cover caught my eye before I even realized what I was looking at, I knew I had seen this image somewhere else. But where?
It dawned on me as I glanced around – the economics and world affairs section of the bookstore is adjacent to the military history section, itself adjacent to general Canadian history. My mind connected the dots – I had seen this image in one of my father’s old war books.
A little bit of johnny-on-the-spot research confirmed my suspicions; the image is an interpretation of an old recruitment poster. Here’s the original:
A book promoting the Ayn Rand school of free market capitalism uses a Canadian Second World War recruitment poster produced by the National Film Board, which, if I’m not mistaken, was created specifically to generate government propaganda and diverse public education media during WW2 (post-war it was redeveloped into the world class film studio we know and love today) as its cover image – a dramatic and intriguing aesthetic embellishment to what I can only assume is little more than a high school sophomore’s praise for the apparent ingenuity of a highly individualistic brand of economics and anti-societal social organization.
Rand’s is an argument in favour of extreme selfishness and greed disguised as an appeal for individual humans realizing their ‘inner ubermensch’ and the protection of the purity of an individual spirit. As you might expect, Rand’s devotees worship her like a god and their affiliated websites read like those of evangelizing missions or self-help gurus.
Put another way, I couldn’t find anything but positive reviews of this book when I googled it, and furthermore all the reviews I did read were written by people affiliated with various Rand inspired think tanks.
They’ve got the market cornered, shall we say, when it comes to ensuring positive reviews of their own work. Objectivism in its finest form; praise from slack-jawed sycophantic reductionists. The followers of Rand are merely LaRouche aficionados you can take out in public, possibly to a cocktail party. Definitely more rhetorically put-together and conversationally competent, but driven purely by the irresponsible joy that comes with unabashed self-interest.
As I said, junior league philosophy that doesn’t ultimately hold much weight – Rand herself applied for medicare and social security in her old age, by which time her unflinching individualism had soured just about every relationship she ever had.
She died alone, living off the fat of the land, just like countless millions of other less fortunate Americans, then as today.
But let’s get back on point – the image.
It’s obvious why it was chosen – it’s a stark, minimalist interpretation of the Vimy Ridge Memorial in France, used (along with an out-of-context line from John McCrae’s In Flanders Fields, itself discussing the responsibilities of the living towards the dead) as a propaganda tool during the war. I don’t know how well you can make it out, but the Christian Cross on the side of the real-life memorial is itself less apparent but subconsciously still there, doubtless a shameful ploy to sucker in more readers with a poor knowledge of Weber’s Protestant Ethic theory. It’s perverse (to me at least) that modern-day American and Canadian social conservatives permit themselves to fawn over Rand like a minor deity without ever trying to untie the logical knot posed by Rand’s infamous in-your-face atheism.
But more on the poster…
It was produced by a crown corporation, by itself an egregious example of ‘big government’ (that is, by Objectivist standards) and further still doubtless the collaborative work of many artists employed, collectively, to preach rationing, sharing and cooperation during what was perhaps the most highly socialized era in Canadian history.
But hey, by now the copyright has expired, and rather than pay good money for an original artwork to grace the book jacket cover, the authors (themselves affiliated with the Ayn Rand Institute) instead demonstrated their utter, almost cynical disconnect some of the fundamentals of the philosophy they ostensibly espouse.
To put it another way, Ayn Rand probably designed a lot of her own book covers (and not just because she was self-published) and would be rolling around in her grave if she knew the authors had picked this particular cover.
Anyways, thought I’d share. I would still recommend giving an awkward sixteen-year-old a copy of The Fountainhead, but only because it’ll keep them off drugs until their out of high school.
CommentaryEconomic CommentaryIronyPenséesSocial CommentaryStrangenessThoughts
Arts & the City, Cultural commentary, History and Culture, Kondiaronk - My Montréal Experience, Montréal Landmarks, Montréal Stories, Scenes from the City, Social commentary
Montreal Goonery Inspires The Wall
April 30, 2013 Taylor C. Noakes 1 Comment
It’s the night of July 6th 1977 – Olympic Stadium is filled to capacity with a heaving mass of 80,000 die-hard Pink Floyd fans. Two records were broken that day – one for concert attendance at the Big O and one for ticket cost, the then unheard of price of $10. A momentary lapse of jugement pre-show, backstage, resulted in a foot injury for Roger Waters, one for which he would seek treatment at a local hospital afterwards. It was during the ride from the hospital back to the hotel that Rogers would, for the first time, articulate his desire to erect a massive stage between him and the audience. That was the night The Wall was born, arguably the band’s cumulative creative magnum opus.
It was also the album that broke the band.
It was muggy. Waters graced the front page of the Gazette, though with a cautionary note that the band liked its privacy, an omen perhaps of what was to come. Talk that week had been of Bill 101 and its implications. The day before a troop of overly enthusiastic teenagers had paraded through the downtown streets at lunch hour singing ‘O Canada’ to the bewildered looks of bystanders, one of many misguided federal government efforts to promote Canadian Unity after the election of the PQ in 1976.
These were strange and eventful days, the kind I feel we’ve grown accustomed to over the years. This city is its own trip.
Copious amounts of hash smoke billowed from the open roof of the still incomplete stadium, smouldering like an ashtray under clear skies. People were excited, as this was a party no one wanted (or would) forget. Ask any old hippie in the city, chances are they were there and witnessed history, though they didn’t realize it at the time.
The crowd’s exuberance quickly earned Waters’ scorn. 1977’s In the Flesh tour had been the first in which the band played almost exclusively in stadiums, something none of the members were particularly fond of. But record sales and record-label requirements compelled to band to perform for one of the best attended tours in rock history.
Indeed, albums such as Dark Side of the Moon was specifically conceived of as to be played, ideally, in concert halls – with the associated decorum expected. Waters’ frustration with some of the more boorish elements in the crowd that night would lead to an altercation where he reportedly spat in the face of a drunken fan (the specifics of the incident may have been lost to time).
Montreal crowds – what can I say. They shot off their own pyrotechnics and screamed and hollered all throughout. You can actually hear someone yell ‘Rock n’ Roll!’ at 13:53, and hear Roger’s first verbal assault on the crowd comes in at 33:32.
Regardless, the crowd was insatiable (and at least well-behaved enough for the band to play for over two and a half hours in total), as you can hear in the recording posted above. But it was all getting to be to much. At around 2:08:00 in the recording Rogers excoriates a small group that had begun to riot near the front of the stage. The band launches into the first encore – Us and Them (which Waters points out is a soft, tranquil song) – and you can hear some people in the crowd echoing Gilmour’s request that people sit down and relax.
Unfortunately that’s where this recording ends – the band would perform Us and Them and then a prolonged twelve-bar ‘bluesy’ outro number, albeit to Gilmour’s protestations, while their crew disassembled and packed away the more valuable pieces of the tour kit. At some point later on in the night some fans actually tried to prevent the band from leaving by blocking an exit.
Suffice it to say Pink Floyd escaped unharmed and, rather amazingly by local standards, the crowd didn’t riot, as it did under arguably different circumstances in 1992 when Axl Rose decided to axe an equally hyped Guns n’ Roses/Metallica double-bill.
The next day the Gazette reported it as a massive achievement, setting the highest possible bar for all rock concerts to come, and one more reason the Big O was going to be a big success and a boon for the city.
What they couldn’t report on was that Roger Waters and David Gilmour walked away from the concert feeling more detached from their fans than ever before. In the drive back from the hospital Waters got into a conversation with a psychiatrist (a friend of the tour manager driving the car) and formulated the root of The Wall’s over whelming theme of post-modern isolation. Though by Waters’ own admission he had been struggling to articulate his sentiments (a point likely further exhausted by the ambitious performances and tour schedule) the tour’s grand finale in Montreal and the events that had transpired between the band and arguably their most ardent fans that night resulted in the band’s single greatest, perhaps broadest artistic achievement (personally I think Dark Side of the Moon, Animals and Obscured by Clouds to be better albums, albeit somewhat less accessible, but I digress).
So there you have it, Montreal Goonery inspired the wall.
-Coda-
If things go south at the Stones show, does it mean they’ll crank out something that tops Exile on Main Street?
-Coda II-
The audio isn’t great on this recording but is about as good as you might expect, I’m going to see if I can try and clean it up. If so I’ll re-post. Enjoy it.
Concerts in MontrealCultural CommentaryMontreal HistoryMusic in MontrealPink FloydSocial Commentary
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UW’s Rocky Mountain Herbarium Mounts 1 Millionth Specimen
by Biodiversity_Institute
The University of Wyoming’s Rocky Mountain Herbarium mounted its 1 millionth specimen last Friday. Members of the UW Board of Trustees were on hand in the Aven Nelson Building to witness the historic event.
“The addition of a millionth specimen to a herbarium is a major accomplishment,” Director Greg Brown says. “The Rocky Mountain Herbarium is the most significant natural history collection in Wyoming and the dominant, most important herbarium in the entire Rocky Mountain region. It was important to have the Board of Trustees in attendance not only because of these facts, but to recognize the fact that this is an area of modern science where UW is a recognized leader and truly on the cutting edge of science.”
The specimen chosen to be 1 millionth was Castilleja linariifolia, which is Wyoming’s state flower and is commonly known as Indian paintbrush. This species can be found in many locations across the state.
Established in the fall semester of 1899, the Rocky Mountain Herbarium is the largest facility of its kind between St. Louis and the West Coast. It currently ranks 56th among the 3,324 herbaria in the world and 14th in the United States. It is the fifth largest herbarium at a public U.S. university.
The herbarium is rich in specimens throughout the United States, Canada and northern Europe, but it specifically boasts the largest collection of Wyoming and Rocky Mountain plants in the world to reflect the region’s biological diversity and evolutionary history.
The herbarium is working with several other partners to create a comprehensive digital archive of plant specimens native to the southern Rocky Mountain region as part of a $2.9 million award from the National Science Foundation in 2017. As the largest herbarium in the region, the Rocky Mountain Herbarium has contributed a significant number of specimens, while assisting smaller institutions in their digitizing and imaging efforts.
For more information on the herbarium and to see the progress of the digitization project, visit www.uwyo.edu/botany/rocky-mountain-herbarium/index.html.
http://www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/2020/01/uws-rocky-mountain-herbarium-mounts-1-millionth-specimen.html
Institutional Communications
Bureau of Mines Building, Room 137
Email: cbaldwin@uwyo.edu
Members of the UW Board of Trustees and others watch as Madison Dale, of Laramie, who volunteers at the Rocky Mountain Herbarium, glues and mounts the 1 millionth plant specimen, a Wyoming Indian paintbrush. The Rocky Mountain Herbarium is the largest facility of its kind between St. Louis and the West Coast, and it contains the largest collection of Wyoming and Rocky Mountain plants in the world. (UW Photo)
UW Research Provides Insight on Survivability of Rare Wyoming Plant
No Foul Play Found In Death Of Condor Visiting Wyoming
Mar 2, 2020, 9:48 PM
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Currently Watching About Page
Tyce Diorio
Tyce Diorio’s greatest passion in life is telling stories through dance. His enthusiasm and love of the art form have led him to choreograph award-winning works for television, film, and stage. As one of the most recognizable choreographers on Fox Television’s hit show, “So You Think You Can Dance,” where he was also a guest judge for six seasons, Diorio has become known as one of the most versatile in the industry. As the innovator behind Taylor Swift’s Red, 1989, and Reputation albums, live performances, and world tours, Tyce has become one of the most sought-after choreographers in Hollywood, counting the “Shake it Off” and “Look What You Made Me Do” music videos as some of his most popular works.
Diorio’s knowledge of dance history and ability to take the audience on a journey has become part of his signature style, earning him the respect of his peers and a highly coveted Emmy® Award. He continues to evolve in the mediums of television, concert stage, commercials and film, staying on top of the changing market and making his mark as a trend setter. His ability to navigate between different genres such as Lorde’s “Greenlight” and The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face” videos to television shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Drop Dead Diva, to films like the soon to be released sequel to the “High Strung” dance film, speak to his creativity. He has rounded out his career by choreographing national commercials for Nike, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Gillette, and many more, and TV Shows that include Drop Dead Diva, Carrie Underwood’s Christmas Special, Bones, Grey’s Anatomy, American Idol, and Dancing with the Stars with the incomparable Annie Lennox and Jewel.
Tyce has a unique talent to cultivate affinity with the actors he works with, and has had great success in coaching and choreographing for celebrities such as Cameron Diaz, Megan Mullally, Katie Holmes, Christina Applegate, Tom Cruise, Queen Latifah, Tobey Maguire, and Laverne Cox. His experience as a professional dancer, working with some of music’s most iconic artists including Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Mya, *NSYNC, Paula Abdul, Kelly Osbourne, and Toni Braxton has given him a deep knowledge base to build from.
Broadway was Tyce’s first love, and as a teenager and avid enthusiast, it is likely that he has seen every show ever produced, sometimes seeing his favorites up to ten times. He himself has graced the Broadway stage in the Tony award winning shows Chicago and Fosse, and he continues to bring his proficiency and deep affection to every live show he gives life to. Diorio was honored to choreograph the Hudson’s Theatre’s “Sweet Smell Of Success,” a tribute to Marvin Hamlisch, starring Lindsey Mendez and Jeremy Jordan. Most recently, he is working on “Music City, “ a modern country musical directed by Mary Kate Burke, due to open at the Cape Fear Theatre in the Fall of 2018. He looks forward to its success, and is committed to expanding the boundaries of theatre and art.
The best things about Tyce Diorio are not his unparalleled work ethic or his unquestionable passion for dance, but are rather his keen sense of humor and ability not to take himself too seriously. His work speaks for itself. Those who know, respect, and love Tyce will sing his praises any day
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Exploring the world anew
Expeditions touted as modern intelligence gathering
Satellites and secrets aren’t enough to win America’s battles, according to Kansas University professor Jerome Dobson.
“The classified intelligence approach that has been in vogue since 1947 has failed,” he said. “We’ve ended up with a government that values secret information, satellite information and physical knowledge about places but is very poor in terms of culture, politics and human/land relationships. The old way has failed.”
Dobson, geography professor and president of the American Geographical Society, believes the United States needs to use another way to understand the world. And, for $125 million, the United States can get started on a new track.
Dobson’s idea – called the Bowman Expeditions – would have geographers and graduate students canvass the globe, gathering intelligence that can inform the government and the public about the world.
In the process, the Expeditions also would help revive the stature of the oft-marginalized academic discipline of geography.
Mexico prototype
The prototype for the Bowman Expeditions already is under way in the remote regions of Mexico.
Dobson and KU geography associate professor Peter Herlihy are leading a project to explore property changes in the rural areas of Mexico.
The research is supported by more than $500,000 from the Department of Defense through the Foreign Studies Office at Fort Leavenworth. It involves researchers from KU, Kansas State and institutions in Canada and Mexico.
The teams are tracing the transfer of property from communal “ejido” lands to private property, a process legalized by a change in the Mexican Constitution in 1992.
Herlihy believes the PROCEDE, the Program for Certification of Ejidal Rights and Titling of Urban Patios, has caused a silent revolution.
“I would say this is the most significant land tenure change in any Latin American country since colonial times,” he said.
Some view it differently.
The move legalized a process that already was under way in complicated and illegal ways, said Mauricio Tenorio, history professor and acting director of the Katz Center for Mexican Studies at the University of Chicago.
“I don’t think it has changed much that would not have otherwise changed,” Tenorio said.
Many people don’t understand what exactly is taking place or what it means, Herlihy said.
The researchers have traveled to La Huasteca and Oaxaca. They have taught the residents cartography and used their knowledge to develop maps of the area. They’re gathering information about property, demographics and who buys and who sells each parcel of land.
They share what they gather with the residents, but Herlihy also sees other uses for the information. Much of the ejido land is forested, he said, thus the fate of the land has implications for environmental conservation. And the land changes also affect immigration, he said.
The Kansas City nonprofit SmartPort Inc. is pressing ahead with plans to turn Kansas City into an inland port for shipments from Mexico, allowing goods to pass over the Mexican border freely and to go through customs in Kansas City.
Herlihy said the research in Mexico also can benefit SmartPort planners by offering information about the areas along the Mexican railway.
“They can take this information and use it for all kinds of things to really understand what they call the cultural terrain,” Herlihy said. “You can’t even predict all the uses.”
Dobson named the Bowman Expeditions for Isaiah Bowman, geographer to Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt and former director of the American Geographical Society.
Geography once enjoyed a more respected place in American society, Dobson said. But school programs and understanding of geography have dwindled following World War II.
“If there is any discipline that has undergone a purge in the last half century, it is geography,” he said.
Harvard University closed it geography program in 1948, and many Ivy League schools followed suit. The only Ivy League school to offer an undergraduate degree in geography today is Dartmouth.
“We squandered an essential component of our educational system when we got rid of geography,” Dobson said. “It dug us into a whole. It’s going to take a while to get back out.”
Dobson believes concerns about the geographic ignorance of many, from high school students who can’t find Iraq on a map to the government, is partly a product of the sidelining of his discipline.
Geoff Demarest, bureau Americas analyst in the Foreign Military Studies Office at Fort Leavenworth, said he hopes to see more projects like the one in Mexico. And a second team is planned to conduct research in the Antilles.
“We live in a world where we’re now admitting that the knowledge base upon which the government makes decisions could be improved,” Demarest said.
If emphasis on the discipline is cyclical, geography is enjoying a growth time, said Richard Wright, an endowed professor of geography and public affairs at Dartmouth.
Wright pointed to the recent launch of the Center for Geographical Analysis at Harvard and growth in the number of faculty and students in his own department.
“We’re not a mainstream discipline,” he said. “That marginality means we have a smaller voice. But it doesn’t mean that that voice isn’t there. It doesn’t mean if we shout we can’t be heard.”
KU’s geography department has 21 faculty and is growing. In 2003, the department combined with the atmospheric science program, which focuses on weather and climate change, once housed in the physics and astronomy department.
The broad discipline encompasses human and physical geography as well as techniques in geography, such as geographic information systems.
‘Educated’ author Tara Westover to speak at KU Common Book event
KU to require COVID-19 testing prior to spring semester
Kansas attorney general says that KU’s pandemic meetings are ‘akin to staff meetings,’ do not violate open meetings act
Douglas County’s new district attorney placed on leave by KU over conduct related to pay dispute; Valdez withheld grades, accuses KU of retaliation
KU Endowment adopts cost-saving measures, including hiring freeze, 10% budget reduction
‘Eureka moment’: KU graduate research assistant discovers new species, genus of snake
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Japan will develop a Harry Potter theme park at the former Toshimaen site, which is expected to open in 2023
According to the "Yomiuri Shimbun" website, the Japanese subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainment and Seibu Railway Company announced that they had concluded an agreement on August 18. The former site of the "Park" develops a theme park for the popular movie "Harry Potter". The theme park is expected to open to the public in the first half of 2023, and plans to attract 2 million visitors each year after opening.
The theme park is named "Tokyo Harry Potter Movie City" and has a total area of approximately 30,000 square meters. In the theme park, in addition to the costumes worn by the characters in the movie and the props used, you can also see many sets designed during the production of the movie. It is said that if you want to visit all the theme parks, it will take half a day.
In this Universal Studios, visitors can experience the scenes in the movie, which will also become the second such facility in the world besides the "Harry Potter Film City" opened in the UK in 2012. In addition, Toshima Park operated by the Seibu Group will be closed at the end of this month.
Harry Potter is the protagonist of a British writer, a teenager who can use magic. The first film of the same name adapted from a series of novels was released in 2001, and subsequent sequels have also won super popularity in countries around the world.
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6 Types of Digital Affordance That Impact Your UX
By Paula Borowska | Apr. 07, 2015
Affordance is a term originally coined by a psychologist, J.J. Gibson, in the 1970s. He defined it as the relationship between an environment and an actor. Today, affordance extends beyond behavioral or cognitive psychology and into the design of digital interfaces. Understanding affordance will allow you to better understand product and interfaces design, in turn, making you a much better designer.
What is affordance?
A situation where an object’s sensory characteristics intuitively imply its functionality and use. — Crowdcube
Crowdcube’s layman’s term definition is spot on. All of the objects around us have affordances, some more obvious than others. Affordance is the possibility of an action with an object; it is not a property of the object itself. In other words, a button can be pushed; the possibility of pushing a button is its affordance.
The original definition coined by J. J. Gibson described all possible physical actions you could take with an object. Over time the definition shifted. Now, the definition is broader and includes discoverability of actions. This change has been brought about the technological evolution of digital interfaces. Discoverability is an interesting concept in the digital realm, as when you’re using a computer, you get to discover actions through the hints given to you within the interfaces themselves.
Take a step back to the physical world, where you see that objects have physical properties like size, shape or weight that provide hints as to what you could do with them. Here are a few classic examples. Let’s start with a teacup; it’s small and has a handle, which affords holding. Its dipped bowl-like shape, indicating that it can hold something too. When it’s holding tea, the affordance is that you can hold the teacup and drink out of it. Another example is a toothbrush: it has a long-but-thin handle, which affords gripping, and so on.
Physical objects can be sorted three affordance types:
Perceptible affordance is the basic definition of affordance, where an object’s characteristics imply an action.
Hidden affordance is when an object has affordances that are not so obvious; for instance, simply looking at a beer bottle you wouldn’t be able to tell you that you can use it to open another beer bottle.
False affordance is when there is a perceived affordance; but no results happen from the possible action. For example, pressing a button that doesn’t do anything, like using your TV remote to turn the TV on, but it doesn’t work for some reason. The affordance is still there — you are free to press that button as much as you want — but nothing happens, there is no function.
Affordance in digital spaces
Digital interfaces are special. They allow us to do things that are limited to a two-dimensional world that is a computer screen. There are so many things we could do within any app, website or program; but they all have one big, crippling limitation: they cannot provide you with physical clues as to what you can do. Instead, they all rely on visual clues or affordances. This can be very tricky if you don’t understand the important role affordance plays in creating successful interfaces.
If you understand how affordances work, you will be able to use them to your advantage. When you can make affordance a tool you will be able to create designs that are intuitive and easy to use. Intuitive designs have this certain appeal to them — most likely because we find a lot of websites or apps tedious and annoying — so it’s really refreshing to use them. Additionally, affordance effects conversions, which matter a lot in creating a successful design.
Types of affordance that affect UX
If you want to fully understand how affordances work in interface design, we need to get specific. Let’s do that now by covering six different affordance types seen within digital interfaces including: explicit, pattern, hidden, false, metaphorical, and negative affordance.
1) Explicit affordance
Similar to perceptible affordance, explicit affordance is the hints given off by language or physical appearance of the object. A raised button that says ‘Click me’ is a great example of both language and physical cues. The button’s raised appearance indicates the possibility of clicking and so does the ‘Click me’ text. It’s obvious.
Language plays such an important part of guiding users through digital interfaces. An input field that asks you for your ‘Full name’ affords entering your name into it. Language provides clear guidelines on not only what you should be doing, but also what you could be doing. Entering letters, like your name, is different than entering numbers, like your phone number and you can tell which one you’re able to do by the context of the text. However, it’s also important to consider how obvious your interface is to use without explicit, spelled out directions. Your design needs to be usable and intuitive without holding your user’s hand at every step.
2) Pattern affordance
A pattern affordance is affordance set out by conventions. A great example would be a logo that’s at the top left corner of a webpage being clickable. It’s a pattern we see everywhere; so we expect it everywhere. Text that is different color, sometimes maybe underlined or italic, among unchanged body text like a paragraph, is assumed to be a link. Email is often represented with an envelope, while settings are represented with a gear.
In these examples, email doesn’t require an actual envelope — it never has — and neither do settings require dealing with gears. It’s a metaphorical pattern we have been exposed to for a long, long time; so it became a convention.
Patterns are great for communicating mental shortcuts, but only if your users are aware of these patterns. There are new patterns introduced all the time, for example, the hamburger menu is a relatively new concept for menus and navigation. When designing with new patterns in mind, you have to make sure your users are familiar with them. But, when you know your audience has been previously exposed to these patterns, you have the ability to create some amazing designs without being explicit.
3) Hidden affordance
Hidden affordance in digital designs is similar to that of physical objects. In the digital world, however, the actual affordance isn’t available until an action has been taken to reveal it. For instance, hovering over a button to see whether to not it’s active, and therefore clickable. Drop down menus are another example, where you don’t see the menu unless you hover or click on the parent list item.
Hidden affordances are oftentimes used to simplify the visual complexity of a design. In the drop down menu example, we use the drop down to hide all of the navigation options, as there are too many to show all at once. If a user wants to navigate somewhere, they have to find it within the drop down. Now, a big drawback to hidden affordances is that they require the user to find the affordance while sometimes giving them no hints of their existence. You don’t know what to expect. It’s a guessing game, so to speak, based on finding these affordances as you go.
4) False affordance
False affordance in the digital space affords something else that is unexpected — like turning on your lights instead of the TV with the TV remote – or no action at all. This type of affordance is all over the Web, mostly by accident, like a button that looks active but does nothing, a logo that isn’t linked to anything, the words ‘click here’ within text that aren’t at all a link, or a red button that does something good with a green button that does something bad.
False affordance is most plentiful in designs where details have been missed, like a broken link situation. Colors have specific associations with them. In the western world, green is good while red is bad. When you switch the two, you will most certainly confuse some of your users, especially when the buttons are side by side. This doesn’t mean you can’t do it; but you should be cautious when doing so. You don’t want any false affordances within your design if you can help it. You shouldn’t surprise your users like that.
5) Metaphorical affordance
Skeuomorphism relied heavily on metaphorical affordances, like imitations of real objects, to communicate. Icons are wonderful examples of this: map, shopping cart or basket, home, printer, video, microphone, phone, etc. Take the concept of email for example. Its roots are in the metaphor of a physical letter; its icon is usually an envelope. It’s a great example of metaphorical affordance all around. If you are designing something and are not sure how to convey it, it’s always good to go back to the physical world, at least for inspiration and a starting point.
Now, you don’t need you go over the top like Apple’s old designs, where for their game app they made the background a green pool table cloth. But, compare that to their current Games app icon which is just a few bubbles. What do they have to do with games? I don’t know, the metaphor is no longer there. Whether that’s a good thing or not is up to you to decide. Whether the metaphor needs to be there in your design, or not, is up to you.
6) Negative affordance
Negative affordance can be thought of as specifically indicating no affordance; it’s when you have an inactive button or a button that looks inactive. The most common instance of this is when a button or a link is greyed out. Now, here is the tricky part: it’s not that you are specifically trying to tell a user you can’t use this button — although it could be — but that the button appears that you cannot use it, even if in fact you can.
There are certain instances where you’d want to clearly indicate that you couldn’t do something. For example, if a user if filling out a form and they haven’t filled everything out yet, your button state could appear inactive because you don’t want them to proceed yet. But, if the button looks inactive, but is active, then it’s simply poor design. Be careful with this one.
Featured image, affordance image via Shutterstock.
By Paula Borowska
Paula is a freelance web designer who documents her travels with photos and words. She works with small companies to help them create products that change the lives for their customers all in the hopes of gaining more customers and retaining their current ones longer. More articles by Paula Borowska
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Gay Pride in the Military
It was an historic day when the policy referred to as “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” was repealed. LGBT service members who were in the military no longer had to make the choice between hiding their true identities or losing their military careers.
But today, there’s another milestone that will likely not be as celebrated as the repeal of DADT. For the first time, a U.S. Secretary of Defense not only acknowledged the contributions of LGBT service members but also acknowledged them in the context of Gay Pride month.
The Pentagon has even announced its own gay pride event – a panel discussion to talk about issues affecting gay and lesbians in the military.
When DADT was thrown out, there was still some lingering suspicion that the military perhaps would not fully understand how important this issue was or would, at best, begrudgingly go along with it while maintaining its existing less-than-open-minded internal way of doing business. But it now seems like (as some had always said) that the full and open integration of lesbians and gay men in the military would just be taken as a matter of course.
In gay pride month, that’s definitely something to be proud of.
AP: Panetta salutes gays in the military
America’s corporate and political elites now form …
Deportation: The Right is Wrong and the Left is Right
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The Options For Terence Crawford Following Successful First Defense Of WBO World Welterweight Championship
One of the more consistent topics throughout the sport of Boxing is the happenings of the 147lb. Welterweight division. Of course, the history of the sport is filled with memorable battles and fighters who each had tenures atop the division. What is interesting to see is not only the events that happen in the division, but also the discussion and debate that takes place following a fighter, who was viewed either as the best in the division or was viewed as a central figure either moves up in weight or chooses to leave the sport all together and retire.
Normally the events and discussion following either scenario taking place is centered on determining the next central figure and/or top fighter in the division. While this can easily apply to any weight class in the sport, whenever a notable fighter in the Welterweight division vacates their standing for whatever reason, the subject of who will be the next fighter to emerge as the top Welterweight in the world tends to be a key topic of discussion.
In recent years the subject in regard to the Welterweight division has been which fighter, either one who is at or near the top of the division or a fighter who is on the rise might emerge as the top Welterweight in the world in the post-Floyd Mayweather/Manny Pacquiao era. As most know, Mayweather vacated his standing as not only the top fighter in the division, but also regarded as the best pound for pound fighter in the world following victories over Manny Pacquiao and Andre Berto in 2015.
Although Mayweather retired following his win over Berto in September of that year and briefly returned in August of last year in defeating two-division UFC world champion Connor McGregor, in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) star's pro debut as a boxer, the process of determining the next number one fighter in the Welterweight division has been an ongoing process since Mayweather's win over Berto three years ago. While this topic in itself can be evaluated several ways, one angle that also should be discussed whenever such a process begins is whether a fighter, who may not have been competing in the division when the previous number one fighter left the division could emerge as the division's central figure after moving up in weight. Enter Terence Crawford.
Crawford, who had won world championships in the 135lb. Lightweight division and completely unified the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division emerged on the Welterweight scene when he stopped previously undefeated WBO world champion Jeff Horn in June of this year. Crawford’s extensive accomplishments, as well as his victory over Horn to win a portion of the World Welterweight championship immediately, established him as a top player in the traditionally talent-deep division.
It is indisputable that Terence Crawford has been one of the top fighters in the entire sport for the last several years. Despite the victory over Horn however, a challenge that is always present for a fighter who moves up in weight is how they will perform against fighters who are theoretically stronger and thought to be naturally bigger. For Crawford it is not a position he is unfamiliar as he had previously gone up in weight throughout his career. A question that might be more appropriate to ask that has been asked of great fighters with similar credentials as Crawford is can this fighter be as dominant at higher weights as they were in lower weight classes.
Many fighters throughout the history of the sport have been able to answer this question and have gone on to be regarded as all-time greats due in part to how they were able to be successful in multiple weight classes. Although Crawford appears certain to be in the discussion of all-time great multi-division world champions when all is said and done in his career, a question that is also asked of fighters who have success in multiple weight classes in addition to whether they can maintain their dominance as they move up the weight scale is naturally at which weight will a fighter reach their ceiling. At what point will a fighter no longer be able to move up in weight either because of physical limitations or because of perhaps an opinion of whether said fighter can continue to compete effectively at heavier weights.
Crawford’s second fight as a 147lb. Welterweight and his first defense of his WBO Welterweight crown came on October 13th in a familiar setting, his hometown of Omaha, NE as he faced undefeated contender Jose Benavidez. Benavidez, who entered the bout with Crawford unbeaten in twenty-seven previous bouts had previously held interim/regular champion status in the World Boxing Association (WBA) Jr. Welterweight ratings in his career.
Despite his undefeated record, the opinion of some was that Benavidez was attempting to take a significant step up in the caliber of his opposition by challenging Crawford in his first attempt at a world championship. Some may also remember that Benavidez suffered a career-threatening gunshot wound to his right leg during an incident where he was shot while walking his dog in August 2016. Although he had been told by doctors that it would take nearly two years to be able to walk again, the contender from Phoenix, AZ made a recovery that ultimately saw him return to the ring and score an eighth round stoppage of Matthew Stode in February of this year. In his last fight prior to facing the champion, Benavidez scored a first round knockout of previously undefeated Frank Rojas in June.
It was understandable both given Benavidez’ skill level and what he had overcome in just being able to resume his career that the undefeated challenger would not be intimidated by a man regarded by many as one of the best fighters pound for pound in the world. The build-up to this encounter also saw a sense of bad blood between the two fighters, which included the two having to be separated physically at the official weigh-in the day before the fight.
When the two fighters squared off at the CHI Health Center before what appeared to be a sell out crowd in support of the hometown favorite Crawford Benavidez made his presence known from the outset. What I was particularly impressed by Benavidez’ approach was how he was able to dictate the tempo of the combat by making it difficult for the champion Crawford to close distance and land consistently. Even though there was not much of note in terms of something that would turn heads in terms of a back and forth slugfest, it was a tactical Boxing match that the challenger more than held his own in for a good portion of the fight. Benavidez was able to land his jab more than occasionally and mix in some combinations that were effective when he was able to land them.
An element that I saw early on in the fight that I felt could have served Benavidez well was how he was able to land offense to Crawford’s body. Despite the success he was able to have working off of his jab and landing occasionally to the champion’s body, Benavidez chose not to make a sustained attack to Crawford’s body a focal point of his offense. The challenger was successful however, in applying pressure on the champion and was able to make it appear that the champion was uncomfortable for a time in the fight.
As he has done throughout his career when opponents have been able to have success early, Crawford gradually stepped up his offensive output as the fight progressed and took over the tempo of the fight, landing combinations of his own and more specifically, landing the harder punches of the two fighters. The story of the fight in my eyes gradually became whether Crawford would be able to score a knockout or if Benavidez would be able to go the distance. This was due to the ebb and flow of the combat appearing to favor the champion in the middle and late rounds.
In the twelfth and final round the champion's gradual attack ultimately caught up with the challenger as Crawford scored a knockdown of Benavidez and was able to get a stoppage in the closing seconds of the fight. It was a workman like performance by Crawford where he simply broke his opposition down over the course of the fight. Despite coming out on the losing end of the bout, Jose Benavidez gave a great account of himself and showed his mettle in defeat.
As for what the possible options are for Crawford going forward there is no shortage of potential opponents that could possibly an interesting challenge for Crawford. Fights with the likes of undefeated WBA champion Keith Thurman, recently crowned WBC champion Shawn Porter, and undefeated IBF champion Errol Spence would almost certainly generate buzz and debate amongst Boxing fans and experts. There are also potential fights with several top contenders, many of whom are former world champions that would likely welcome an opportunity to face Crawford should the opportunity come their way.
A hurdle that will need to be addressed is several of the other world champions and top contenders in the Welterweight division currently compete under promoters who are rivals to Crawford’s promoter Bob Arum. It goes without saying that one of the biggest determents to the entire sport is when those in the “Business of Boxing” who are not necessarily willing to work together on a consistent basis end up becoming an obstacle that can and unfortunately does prevent marquee fights that could elevate the sport from taking place in a timeframe that many fans would prefer rather than the fan having to wait a significant period of time before a fight between two top fighters, and/or fighters who are regarded as stars in the sport becomes a reality.
What this observer believes will be a more likely scenario at least in the not too distant future will be for Crawford to next defend his WBO crown against whomever the World Boxing Organization determines to be their next mandatory challenger. Although the Boxing fan would likely prefer to see a unification bout between Crawford and one of the other current world champions in the division in a short time frame, what Crawford facing the next mandatory challenger will do is if he continues to retain the WBO world championship, it will fulfill his annual obligation by facing a mandatory challenger, which will in turn free up time for him to pursue a unification bout against another current world champion. If Crawford continues to win and does so impressively, it will also create demand for such a unification bout to take place.
One can only hope that such demand will increase pressure on the rival promoters and other entities that are normally on opposite sides of the “Business of Boxing” to come together to make marquee fights between top stars happen. The “Sport of Boxing” as a whole is after all elevated to a higher level when the best fighters fight the best.
Posted by Beau Denison at 1:11 AM
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16.Jan.2021 About Us | Contact Us | Terms & Conditions
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Travel & Wellbeing
Reviewed By Sokari Ekine | with thanks to Blacklooks<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Sunday, August 5, 21012
The book Women in South African History traces the lives of South African women from the pre-colonial, pre-union period (mid-18th century) through to the post-apartheid beginnings and present day South Africa. It is written in four thematic parts: Women in the pre-colonial and pre-union periods; Women in early to mid-twentieth century South Africa; War: armed and mass struggle as gendered experiences; The 1990s and beyond: new identities, new victories, new struggles.
The book is a radical departure from the traditional history texts in that it uses a feminist analysis rather than the “more acceptable gender analysis” in its approach by examining “the ways in which gender intersects with race, culture, class and other forms of identity and location in South African history“. By including the present as part of history the book shows how the past and present are inextricably linked and thus better examines women’s experiences over the past 300 years. The experiences of women’s struggle and their continuing hazardous journeys towards liberation are expressed through the dual metaphors of “they move boulders” – challenges; and “they cross rivers” – dangers.
Women in South African History goes far beyond the many well-known events and periods by feminizing those events and periods where women’s participation has never been acknowledged. In the chapter “Like three tongues in one mouth”: Tracing the elusive lives of slave women in (slavocratic) South Africa, Pumla Dineo Gqola, brings to life the slave women brought to South Africa from South East Asia, East Africa and Southern Africa. Despite the scarcity of historical and biographical narratives, Pumla is still able to document the lives of some slave women and more importantly the ways in which they resisted and revolted against their enslavement and their central role “to the historical constitution of Afrikaner society“. Other examples are women’s mass protests against carrying of passes in Bloemfontein and Potchefstroom in 1913; women’s involvement in the trade union movement during the 1930s; the participation of women in the ANC underground and military wing in the 1950s; township uprisings in the Eastern Cape in the 1970s and 1980s; naked women protests against lack of housing in Soweto in 1990; migrant women in Johannesburg and women learning to live with HIV/AIDS in present day South Africa.
The book concludes with a powerful essay by Yvette Abrahams in which she chronicles her experience of researching and writing on Sarah Bartman. Or rather searching for the REAL Sarah Bartman not the racialised sexualised object constructed by white male fantasies …a “living specimen of barbaric savage races” one who according to Lindfors [Courting the Hottentot Venus] was willing to collaborate in her own degradation in order to earn more money…
she allowed herself to be exhibited indecently to the European public, and she persisted in this tawdy occupation for more than five years….. She may have been the victim of the cruelist kind of predatory ruthlessness, but her collusion in her own victimisation was unmistakeable…. he concludes
To put it plainly, she may have engaged in prostitution as well as exhibitionism. Her degradation may have been completed..
Abrahams tears these racist, sexist texts to pieces written not in the 1800s but in the 1980s. Men such as Lindfors were able to pass these lies off as academic text by so called intellectuals. Abrahams leads us through to the convincing conclusion that Sarah Bartman was a slave – a Khoekhoe slave woman. She does this by connecting her own personal history to that of the Khoekhoe. Born in the pre-colonial period of the 1780s, she must have had a Khoekhoe name and the only way she could have lost that name at that time was through slavery. Also the only way for her to move from her home in the Western Cape to England was as a slave. Sarah Bartman lied (that she willingly exhibited herself) because she was a slave and knew very well that her words would not be believed over that of a white man and the consequences of her telling the truth would have been too horrible to contemplate such as life imprisonment and even more degradation and abuse.
Abrahams again makes the absolute convincing statement without any hesitation or qualification that the “abuse and degradation” of Sarah Bartman was rape. Rape not only of Sarah but of the whole Khoekhoe nation. The white male racist, sexist texts she quotes in her essay are a form of “surrogate violence” against African women, Black women, Khoekhoe women and Sarah Bartman.
“Was it not rape of a symbolic sort to parade the degradation ad humiliation of auntie Sarah before me? Was it not a sexually violent act which expressed male power and my vulnerability to pain? Has not each male author I have brought before you been unable to resist the temptation of demonstrating their psycho sexual power and auntie Sarah’s inability to resist? In the place of false witness it is time to speak the truth. I name the posthumous abuse and degradation of auntie Sarah’s body, rape. The rape of her body is a rape of my mind.”
As Abrahams writes, Sarah Bartman whose real name, real self was stolen like that of millions of other slaves and their descendants, is dead and therefore can no longer feel the pain. But she (Abrahams) feels it – I feel it and Black women throughout the world feel it. Every racist, sexist, misogynist text by whiteness against Black women is felt by me, by all of us. The symbolism of this sexual violence is explained by a more “refined and broader” definition of rape.
…the element of sexual abuse are the violation of a person’s integrity by force and/or threat of physical violence, dishonouring the ethic of mutuality and care in relationships of domination, and an infraction of one’s psycho-spiritual-sexual integrity. Sexual abuse is sacrilege of God’s spirit in each of us [Eugene, TM “If you get there before I do: A womanist ethical response to sexual violence and abuse. In J Grant (ed) Perspectives on womanist theology”
In reviewing South African Women in History, I chose to focus on Yvette Abrahams essay because the story of Sarah Bartman speaks to the book as a whole and speaks to me personally. It is both the beginning – pre-colonial and the present, continued racism but always resistance. Sarah Bartman’s agency was expressed in her act of survival against all odds. For me Sarah Bartman, Khoekhoe woman represents the loss that came with slavery and colonialism as well as the struggle for liberation and emancipation.
Women in South African History is a “transdisciplinary” interrogation of events and periods in the history of South Africa from a feminist perspective. The narratives bring to life the daughters of Africa in their quest for emancipation, sometimes at great cost to themselves and their families, particularly their children. But always there is an unflinching determination – choices are laid bare and the choice is still emancipation.
Sokari Ekine is a human rights activist, writer and an award-winning blogger. She blogs at http://Blacklooks.org
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Pro-Russian clerics resist official pressure to join new church
Author : Mansur Mirovalev
Source : Aljazeera
Despite threats reportedly growing, fewer than 100 of 12,000 Russia-affiliated parishes have joined the new church
16:04, 21 January 2019
"It wasn't a search, it was a sacrilege," Father Anatoly Kaplyuk said, describing how police and intelligence officers interrupted service in his church in the northern Ukrainian town of Ovruch.
In early December, they entered the building that belongs to Moscow-affiliated Orthodox Church, one of Ukraine's largest religious groups, to look for "materials inciting religious hatred", police said.
The searches were part of mounting pressure on pro-Russian clerics that stems from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's battle to break away his ex-Soviet nation from religious subordination to Moscow Patriarch Kirill, Kremlin's ideological ally.
The officers looked everywhere - including the altar, an area no lay person is allowed to enter - and confiscated some booklets, Father Anatoly told Al Jazeera.
They then summoned him for questioning at the Ovruch office of the SBU, Ukraine's main intelligence agency. The questioning hasn't taken place yet, he said.
A dozen more pro-Russian priests throughout Ukraine have been questioned and had their churches or residencies searched as part of investigations into "treason" and "incitement of religious hatred", the SBU said.
Several other pro-Russian priests posted videos of themselves online saying they were ready for questioning and will never sever their ties to the Russian Orthodox Church.
Within days, they were blacklisted by Mirotvorets ("Peacemaker"), an online publication with ties to security services that outs "Ukraine's enemies" from separatists in rebel southeastern provinces to turncoat officials in annexed Crimea.
"I am proud to be on that list along with the Holy Synod" of the pro-Russian church, Father Hennady Shkil, a white-bearded priest from the southern Ukrainian town of Hola Pristan told Al Jazeera.
Even pro-Moscow church's top hierarch was not spared.
In early November, a Ukrainian TV network showed what it claims to be the luxurious residence of Metropolitan Onufri, in his home village in southwestern Ukraine.
It broadcast drone footage showing several large houses, a helipad and a hangar-like structure that hides either a tennis court or a swimming pool.
Onufri has long been lambasted for his pro-Kremlin stand.
After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and backed pro-Russian separatists in southeastern Ukraine, he called them "brothers in faith" and bristled at Kyiv's military operation against them.
During a parliament session in May 2015 to commemorate the servicemen awarded for fighting the separatists, the entire audience stood up - except for Onufri and his frocked subordinates.
But experts say that by cracking down on pro-Russian clerics, Poroshenko's government inadvertently inspires resistance - just like Communist pressure on believers in the officially atheist Soviet Union.
"Priests and bishops are ready to go through interrogations, arrests and trials but maintain their reputation among their parishioners," Nikolay Mitrokhin of the University of Eastern Finland in Joensuu told Al Jazeera.
On January 6, President Poroshenko received a "tomos", a charter issued by Constantinople Patriarch Bartholomew, the most revered leader of the world's 300 million-strong Orthodox Christian community, ending the dependence of Ukraine's church from Moscow.
Predictably, the Moscow Patriarch condemned the move and cut ties with Constantinople.
"We are witnessing illegal meddling in the internal life of Ukraine's Orthodox Church, a rude, anti-canonical intervention in its area," Kirill said in early January.
His Patriarchate claims more than 150 million followers in Russia and the ex-USSR, although polls and experts say that only a fraction of them are observant.
Kirill coined the concept of "the Russian world", or Moscow's right to "protect" ethnic Russians outside Russia, and the Kremlin used the idea to justify its 2014 annexation of Crimea and support to separatists in southeastern Ukraine.
That's when Poroshenko came to power after a months-long popular uprising overthrew his pro-Moscow predecessor. Poroshenko pledged to make Ukraine part of the European Union and NATO and repel the Russian aggression.
But by the end of his first term, his success is as modest as his single-digit approval ratings. He made church independence part of his campaign ahead of the March 31 presidential election, in which he is widely expected to run.
"We are finally gaining spiritual independence that can be compared to the political independence," Poroshenko told a church council in late December.
His words are echoed by the so-called Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate that broke away from Moscow in the early 1990s and whose clerics mostly formed the new, Constantinople-recognised see after merging with another, smaller Orthodox sect.
"As a church, we try to be independent from Moscow not because we don't like Russia," Archbishop Yevstraty Zorya told Al Jazeera. "But we see how the Russian Empire has for centuries used the Orthodox Church in our land as a tool of imperial policy."
The pro-Ukrainian and Russia-affiliated churches share the doctrine of Greek Orthodoxy that split from Catholicism in 1054. They are equally opposed to same-sex marriages, abortions and birth control.
The Russia-affiliated church insists that its ties to Moscow are nominal and "spiritual," and that Poroshenko's government violates its own commitments to multiculturalism and religious tolerance.
Weak support
Despite growing pressure, less than 100 of about 12,000 Russia-affiliated parishes joined the new church, officials admit.
The issue keeps Ukrainians polarised - while 43 percent of them support church independence, 22 percent are firmly against it, mostly in the Russian-speaking eastern regions, according to a poll by the Kyiv-based Rozumkov Center conducted in late December.
Meanwhile, 47 opposition legislators accused Poroshenko of violating the cornerstone of any Western democracy - separation of church and state.
They complained to the Constitutional Court in mid-December about his government's violation of "religious freedoms and peace among confessions" by urging Bartholomew to recognise the independent Ukrainian church.
Some average Ukrainians are baffled by too much ado about religion as the country struggles with corruption.
"Maybe, we should be teaching our children biology, chemistry and economics," Olena Meshko, a 37-year-old bookseller, told Al Jazeera. "Instead, we're moving towards the Middle Ages."
Read the original text here.
Related: Filaret names terms of transfer of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra to Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Related: Raiders vs. parishes or Ukraine's law on transition to newly created orthodox church
Related: First religious community in Odesa region moved under jurisdiction of Orthodox Church of Ukraine
Related: Head of Orthodox Church of Ukraine to be enthroned on February 3
Poroshenko Russia Ukrainian Orthodox Church
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Anadolu Agency: Comparing Turkey’s failed coup to Egypt’s successful one
Anadolu is comparing two coups: unlike Turkey’s hapless coup plotters, Egypt’s putschists spent months inciting public against country’s elected president
aa.com.tr
On July 3, 2013, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the then Egypt’s defense minister, announced the removal of Mohamed Morsi -- Egypt’s first freely-elected president and a Muslim Brotherhood leader -- in a move hailed by large swathes of the Egyptian public.
Almost overnight, tanks were deployed on the main streets of Cairo and army checkpoints were set up all over the country.
In the subsequent crackdown on Morsi’s supporters and members of his Muslim Brotherhood, hundreds -- maybe thousands -- were killed and tens of thousands thrown behind bars.
See also: Deceased participants of Turkey coup to be buried in a separate closed cemetery
In the coup’s immediate aftermath, helicopter gunships fired on pro-Morsi demonstrators. Unarmed protesters, including many women and children, were cut down in their tracks by army snipers.
Many of the injured were denied treatment at hospitals and left to die on the street. Reports emerged of women being raped in police detention.
Meanwhile, the assets of known Morsi supporters -- who were now being labeled as "terrorists" by the rabidly pro-army media -- were seized.
In one of the most notorious incidents, a peaceful pro-Morsi sit-in eastern Cairo’s Rabaa al-Adawiya Square was violently dispersed by security forces, leaving hundreds -- perhaps many more -- dead.
The 2013 coup that removed Egypt’s first freely elected president differed in many ways from Turkey’s unsuccessful July 15 coup bid.
For one, although Morsi won Egypt’s 2012 presidential election with some 52 percent of the vote, he only enjoyed the hard-core support of between 20 and 25 percent of the voting public, according to rough estimates.
What’s more, Morsi -- who lacked political experience (Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood had remained in opposition since its inception in 1928) -- only managed to stay in power for one year before being overthrown by the military.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, by contrast, has over 40 years of political experience and has held numerous official posts. Based on the results of the last parliamentary poll, he enjoys the support of more than 50 percent of the Turkish electorate.
See also: Bellingcat experts recreated chronology of events on the night of a coup attempt in Turkey
As seen on the night of July 15, Erdogan managed to mobilize his supporters -- who then played a key role in thwarting the coup bid -- with a brief televised message.
Perhaps most importantly, Erdogan -- unlike Morsi -- enjoys the support of much of the country’s security, intelligence and military apparatuses.
In Egypt, by contrast, these apparatuses were still largely in the hands of elements loyal to the former regime of ex-President Hosni Mubarak.
The religious authorities in both countries, too, adopted different roles in the respective coups.
In Egypt, the Al-Azhar’s open support for al-Sisi was critical to the latter’s claim of "legitimacy", while Turkey’s religious affairs directorate (Diyanet) openly opposed the coup bid.
Mobilizing public
In the months leading up to the coup in Egypt, the Tamarod ("Rebellion") movement played a leading role inciting public opinion against Morsi and the Brotherhood.
An ostensibly "grassroots" youth movement, Tamarod spearheaded the mass anti-Morsi protests that culminated on June 30, 2013, which the army then used as a pretext to arrest the president and assume control of the country.
See also: Turkish coup: the first-hand stories
In addition, in the months leading up to Morsi’s ouster, Egypt’s private media ran a non-stop propaganda campaign that played a key role in inciting the public against both Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.
In Turkey, by contrast, the July 15 coup bid took everyone by surprise. The coup plotters did not pave the way for their venture by trying to rally the support of the public or their potential opponents elsewhere in the military establishment.
From the outset, the July 15 coup attempt -- with a few notable exceptions -- met opposition from the Turkish public and Turkey’s key security institutions.
In Egypt, Morsi and his administration largely failed to counteract the private media’s round-the-clock propaganda attacks, which prepared public opinion for the army’s successful coup bid.
With the exception of a handful of news websites, the Egyptian media overwhelmingly supported the coup, while international media coverage remained neutral or -- in some cases -- even supported the coup.
Except for Turkey’s Anadolu Agency and Qatar-based broadcaster Al-Jazeera, no international news agencies adopted a negative stance vis-à-vis Egypt’s coup or portrayed it as a setback for democracy.
By contrast, almost all Turkish media outlets -- including those controlled by the political opposition -- came out firmly against the putsch attempt, with most broadcasting the president’s calls to the public to hit the streets in opposition to the coup.
Notably, in the early hours of July 16, the Egyptian media -- prematurely as it turned out -- celebrated the "successful coup" in Turkey.
The Sky News Arabia television channel (based in the UAE, a staunch supporter of Egypt’s army-backed regime) misreported at one point that President Erdogan’s plane was en route to Germany after failing to land in Istanbul.
In Egypt, hundreds of thousands -- some say millions -- took to the streets to support the army’s seizure of power from the country’s first democratically-elected president, thereby ensuring the coup’s success.
In Turkey, by contrast, citizens hit the streets to oppose the coup and express their support for the president and the country’s elected government.
International reactions and states of emergency
Except for Turkey and Qatar, important countries and institutions -- including the UN, the EU, the U.S. and the West in general -- accepted Egypt’s coup as a fait accompli.
In the wake of the putsch, as Morsi’s supporters were being gunned down and incarcerated, al-Sisi received hefty financial support from the Gulf States to prop up Egypt’s moribund economy.
Following his successful coup, al-Sisi imposed a state of emergency that was used to arrest Morsi administration officials and Muslim Brotherhood members and confiscate their property.
Unlike the case in Egypt, the state of emergency declared in the aftermath of Turkey’s failed coup bid has not entailed any restrictions on citizens' basic rights and freedoms.
Rather, it is aimed entirely at expediting the purge of coup supporters from Turkey’s most vital institutions of state.
Turkey’s July 15 coup attempt is believed to have been orchestrated by followers of U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen.
Gulen’s followers are accused of trying to infiltrate Turkish state institutions -- especially the military, police apparatus and judiciary -- with the aim of creating a parallel state.
At least 246 people, including civilians and security personnel, were martyred -- and more than 2,100 injured -- during the illegal July 15 putsch attempt.
Turkey Erdogan Egypt Gulen Morsi
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Famous clown Oleg Popov dies in Russia
The Soviet artist passed away during a tour in Rostov-on-Don
Oleg Popov
Oleg Popov, the famous Soviet and Russian clown, died during the tour in Rostov-on-Don. He was 87, and despite old age, he felt fine; nothing seemed to be out of order.
His death was sudden, said Dmitriy Ivanov, the CEO for Russian State Circus.
‘He was fine; he was just sitting there, watching TV, and the cardiac arrest happened – so unexpectedly…,’ Ivanov said.
The farewell ceremony for Popov will take place in Russia; he will be buried in Germany where he has resided over the last two decades.
Popov was called the "Clown Soleil" ("Sunshine clown") by French journalist Jacqueline Carter — a nickname that eventually stuck.
Popov was born in 1930, as the son of a clock-repairman. In 1955, he performed abroad for the first time, in Warsaw, and the following year, he toured with the Moscow Circus in France, Belgium, and England, and was immediately noticed by the press, which made him a circus star. The Soviet regime would quickly build onto his success abroad and transform Oleg Popov into a goodwill ambassador for the Soviet Union.
In the early 1990s, at the fall of the Soviet Union, he began touring for a few years with a unit of the Moscow Circus in Germany, where he eventually resettled. He has since performed extensively in Germany, in circus shows, on television, or with his own touring show. He married Gabriela Lehmann, a German circus performer, in 1991, she is 32 years younger than her husband. In 2006, Oleg Popov was invited to perform at the 30th anniversary of the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo; at 75 years of age, he still managed to inspire a standing ovation.
Russian circus Oleg Popov (clown) obituary
Pierre Cardin dies aged 98 29 December 2021, 15:48
Ukrainian soldier killed during combat mission in Donbas 12 January 2021, 16:30
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From Kiribati to Samoa: First and last celebration of New Year
Author : 112.ua News Agency
The celebration of the New Year begins in the Pacific Ocean and concludes in 25 hours in Haiti and Samoa
World New Year's Time Zones
At midnight on January 1, the Ukrainians will celebrate the New Year. While the final preparations are coming to the end in our country, some countries already welcome the New Year. Meanwhile, the holiday will come a few hours later than in Ukraine.
Where people celebrate the New Year first
The citizens of Kiribati, the island state situated in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, welcome the New Year first. In 1994, the candidate for the presidency promised: if he wins the elections, he will ensure that the citizens of Kiribati will celebrate the New Year first. That is why, after the elections, the country divided into three time zones and the easternmost part of the country celebrates first in the world. The New Year here comes on December 31, 12:00 p.m. at Kyiv time.
In 15 minutes, the Chatham Islands (New Zealand) join the celebration. This island is farther away from the main islands of New Zealand and it is situated in a special time zone.
New Zealand, Antarctica and the Kamchatka Peninsula
In an hour after Kiribati (+1.00), the New Year will be welcomed by the citizens of New Zealand and polar explorers from the South Pole in Antarctica.
+2.00 - The New Year comes to the citizens of Far Eastern Russia (Anadyr, Kamchatka), Fiji, and some other Pacific Islands (Nauru, Tuvalu).
At 2:30 p.m. at Kyiv time (+2.30), the New Year begins on Norfolk Island (Australia) and at 3:00 p.m. on the part of eastern Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra) and some Pacific Islands (Vanuatu, Micronesia, Solomon Islands and others).
Sydney citizens prepare for the New Year seriously and start to decorate everything from the beginning of October. People there celebrate the New Year and Christmas twice. In summer, they really celebrate it in accordance with all canons and they decorate a Christmas tree. The enchanting New Year firework, which lasts at least 30 minutes, launched near the Sydney Opera House.
+3.30 p.m. – South Australia (Adelaida).
+4.00 p.m. – Queensland state in Australia (Brisbane), part of Russia (Vladivostok) and some islands (Papua New Guinea, Mariana Islands).
+4.30 p.m. – Northern territories of Australia (Darwin).
Japan and Koreas
At 5:00 p.m. at Kyiv time (+5.00) the New Year is celebrated in Japan and both Koreas (North and South).
The farewell to the Old year is obligatory in Japan. The Japanese start to laugh hard as the new year begins. They believe that the laugh will bring them luck in the coming year. Usually, they visit the temple on the first new year's night where the bell strikes aside, which cast out evil spirits.
In an hour after Japan, the New Year comes to the remaining territories of Australia and part of Southeast Asia.
China also falls right into that time window but the first day of the New Year is celebrated on the second new moon after the winter solstice. Thus, the Chinese New Year will start on February 12th, and it will last until January 31st of 2022. The Chinese consider that the new year is surrounded by evil spirits. That is why they scare the spirits with party poppers and firecrackers. The color of the Chinese New Year is always red as it is due to the ancient legend about the beast called Nian. It came out of the water on the eve of the holiday and attacked the people and cattle; that is why everyone was hiding in their homes. Once, an old man came to the village and asked for lodging for the night in return for the protection from the beast. When people agreed, he marked the houses with red paint, lit candles in each house, and launched fireworks. The beast, according to the legend, was frightened by the red color and loud noises. Nian left people alone and candles, firecrackers and an abundance of red color became the constant features of the Chinese New Year.
One of the unbroken traditions of the New Year for the Chinese is the celebration in the family.
Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India
At 7:00 p.m. at Kyiv time, Indonesia and the remaining territories of Southeast Asia. At 7:30 p.m., the holiday comes to Myanmar, at 8:00 p.m. to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and part of Russia (Novosibirsk, Omsk). At 8:15 p.m., Nepal will celebrate the New Year and the celebration will come to India in 15 minutes.
The New Year is celebrated in India differently. In one of its parts, the holiday begins when the kite is struck by the flaming arrow.
Pakistan, Armenia, Georgia
On December 31, at 9:00 p.m. at Kyiv time (+9:00), the celebration is started in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and part of Russia (Yekaterinburg, Ufa). At 9:30 p.m., Afghanistan starts the celebration. At 10:00 p.m., Armenia, Azerbaijan, part of Russia (Samara) and Georgia will see the New Year.
By the way, a special guest, mekvle, is invited to the house in Georgia. Nobody can leave or enter the house before his arrival. Crossing the doorstep, mekvle should notify the owners of the house: “I bring you joy, happiness, health, kindness and well-being!”. Mostly, the head of the family plays this role.
In 12 hours after the celebration of the New Year in Kiribati, the holiday comes to Eastern Europe (Romania, Greece, Ukraine). At the same time, the New Year is celebrated in Turkey, Israel and Finland).
The Finnish families gather near the New Year table; the children wait from Joulupukki, the name of Finish Santa Claus, a big basket of gifts. On New Year night, the Finns read fortune to know their future.
In Greece, the New Year is the day of Saint Basil. Saint Basil was known for his kindness and the Greek children leave their shoes near the fireplace in the hope that Saint Basil will fill the shoes with gifts.
At 1:00 a.m. at Kyiv time, on January 1, the New Year begins in the countries of Western and Central Europe as well as in the part of Africa.
As soon as the New Year comes, Italians are hastening to get rid of the things, which ‘have served its time’. The custom remained in Italy to bring the clean water from the spring well on the first morning of the year as it is believed that the water brings happiness.
At 4:00 a.m. at Kyiv time (+16:00), Brazil begins the celebration of the New Year. The gifts are presented to the Goddess of Sea Yemoja in Rio de Janeiro. The gifts are usually put into the small boats and sent to the sea as a sign of gratitude for the past year and as a request for protection in the coming year.
Canada and the U.S.
The New Year comes to Newfoundland Island (Canada) at 5:30 a.m. at Kyiv time. At 6:00 a.m., Eastern Canada, many Caribbean islands and part of South America start the celebration. At 7:00 a.m., the New Year begins in the Eastern part of Canada (Ottawa) and the U.S. (Washington, New York).
By the way, the traditional launch of the famous Ball with thousands of neon-filled bulbs takes place at New York Times Square.
The citizens of Samoa celebrate the New Year the last. The holiday comes here at 13:00 p.m. on January 1, at Kyiv time.
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50+ World > Entertainment > Biography > Celebrating Seniors – Frankie Valli Turns 82
Biography,
Celebrating Seniors - Frankie Valli Turns 82
Celebrating the life of Franki Valli with his story and vintage music clips: Sherry, Big Girl’s Don’t Cry, Walk Like A Man, Rag Doll, Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You, My Eyes Adored You, Grease
(Frankie Valli 1978 Photo: .MCA Records / Curb Records)
Octogenarian senior citizen and in 2016 still the lead singer of the 1960’s American group The Four Seasons, Frankie Valli (Francesco Castellucio) was born on May 3, 1934 in Newark, New Jersey. Frankie grew up in New Jersey and is known for his Jersey roots and his three-and-a-half-octave range (baritone to falsetto soprano).
In an 2014 interview with The Wall Street Journal Frankie Valli recalled his teen years:
“I was always standing on the corner near our apartment singing harmony with friends. We’d also go to the park and sing under the bridge near the lake for the echo. When it was cold out, we’d stand in the little heated lobby in the project’s administration building, where my mom paid the rent each month… At school, I’d sing in groups in the locker room or in the bathroom, which was like an echo chamber.”
Frankie Valli’s friends growing up included Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi, both of whom did jail time for small robberies. He has said of living in New Jersey (home of The Sopranos and a city widely known for deep Mafia roots), that “If you didn’t watch out you could wind up in the trunk of a car.” In interviews with People and the Huffington Post, Valli has said that as a youth he was arrested for breaking and entering, and was on probation for five years. Another friend in their New Jersey neighbourhood was child actor Joe Pesci, younger than both Tommy and Frankie, but like them, a music lover.
Tommy Devito invited Frankie Valli to sing with his Variety Trio group in the early 1950’s; the Variety Trio had broken up by 1953. That year, local New Jersey country singer “Texas”Jean Valley heard Frankie sing and introduced him to a music publisher; his eventual last name change to Valli was in honour of Jean Valley. Frankie Valli’s first solo single, My Mother’s Eyes (1953), went nowhere.
Before his name change to Valli, Frankie Castellucio married a young mother of one (toddler Celia), Mary Mandel (nee Mondelli) in the mid-1950’s. He worked at odd day jobs and sang nights in small New Jersey clubs to support his family. Mary and Frankie Valli had 2 more daughters – Antonia (b. 1958/59), and Francine, born in 1960.
By 1956 Frankie had teamed up again with friend Tommy DeVito, his brother Nick, and Hank Majewski, to form The Four Lovers. The group released several singles between 1956-1958, only one of which made the charts – You’re The Apple of My Eye (1956) landed at #62 on the Billboard US Hot 100. Nick DeVito and Hank left The Four Lovers in 1958 and were replaced by Nick Massi (Macioci) and Hugh Garrity.
In 1959, Tommy and Frankie Valli’s friend Joe Pesci introduced The Four Lovers to singer-songwriter and piano player Bob Gaudio, who joined the group along with Nick Massi. The Four Lovers began working with songwriter and producer Bob Crewe and sang backup for other artists on recordings. After seeing the sign for a New Jersey bowling alley/cocktail lounge in 1960, The Four Lovers were inspired to change the name of the group to The Four Seasons.
The Four Seasons breakout hit came in August 1962 when the single Sherry (written by Bob Gaudio) was released and went to #1 on the US Hot 100 charts,. The world was now aware of Frankie Valli’s amazing falsetto voice. Below, audio performance of the original Franki Valli and the Four Seasons, singing Sherry.
The chart success of Sherry was quickly followed two months later by Big Girls Don’t Cry, written by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe, also a #1 hit single in 1962. Baby boomers may remember hearing Big Girls Don’t Cry play in the background on different episodes of the television series Happy Days set in the 1950’s, and in the hit move Dirty Dancing (1987). Below, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons performing Big Girls Don’t Cry live on television in 1964.
The Four Seasons were on a roll and Walk Like A Man (1963) written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio, was their third #1 hit single in January of 1963. Below, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, singing Walk Like A Man:
By the end of 1964, The Four Seasons had become “The Four Seasons (or, The 4 Seasons), featuring Frankie Valli”; Valli was also working with Gaudio and Crewe on solo recordings.
Between 1964-1967, The 4 Seasons featuring Frankie Valli had 10 songs in the Top Ten charts. Below, Frankie Valli in front with The Four Seasons behind, in 1966 – from left, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito, and Joe Long (Joseph LaBracio), who replaced Nick Massi from the original Four Seasons line-up.
(The Four Seasons 1966 Photo: Philips Records / Billboard)
Rag Doll (1964) written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio, was released in June 1964 and was their fourth #1 hit single. Below, Franki Valli and the 4 Seasons sing Rag Doll.
C’Mon Marianne (1967) written by L. Russel Brown and Raymond Bloodworth, was the last Top Ten hit in the 1960’s for The 4 Seasons featuring Frankie Valli – reaching #9 after it’s June 1967 release.
That same year, Frankie Valli’s first solo single to reach the Top Ten was Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You (1967), written by Bob Gaudio and released in April 1967. Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You was a #2 hit single for Valli, and has been covered by numerous artists such as Engelbert Humperdinck, Barry Manilow, The Killers, and others in the decades since then. Below, Frankie Valli sings Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You.
By the end of the 1960’s Frankie Valli had become friends with his childhood idol Frank Sinatra (and his daughter Nancy Sinatra). It was Frank Sinatra that showed Valli exercises to protect his voice after Valli underwent vocal cord surgery in the late 1960’s. Valli had also begun to have hearing problems in 1967 due to a middle ear bone problem (ostosclerosis) in both ears. He underwent two unsuccessful surgeries until in 1978 a new ear surgery to replace parts in both ears restored his hearing to almost normal levels.
In a 1967 interview (below), Frankie Valli praised the songwriting and creative genius of The Four Seasons member Bob Gaudio, and talked about his love of performing.
During this time Frankie Valli went through a divorce in 1971 from first wife Mary (Mary Valli died in April 2007).
The Four Seasons and Valli continued to record, and although their chart success was fading, their live performances were in demand. Drummer Gerry Polci joined The Four Seasons for the first time in March 1973 (he would leave and return a couple of more times).
Frankie Valli had met model Mary Ann Hannagan (sometimes spelled Hannigan) when his first marriage was breaking up; Mary Ann and Frankie Vallie were married in June 1974.
That same year, Valli’s second solo (credited) single My Eyes Adored You (1974) written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan was released. Although My Eyes Adored You had originally been recorded by The Four Seasons in early 1974, Motown didn’t want to release it, so Valli bought the recording and had it released on Private Stock Records with only his name on the label as per the label’s request. My Eyes Adored You was Frankie Valli’s first #1 hit single, and resulted in The Four Seasons being signed to a new contract with Warner Bros. Records. Bob Crewe was an ocotogenarian senior citizen when he died in September 2014 at the age of 83. Below, Frankie Valli singing My Eyes Adored You on The Midnight Special in 1974:
In 1975, Franki Valli and The Four Seasons accumulated 3 Top Ten hits, between solo recordings and group records, including December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) (1975) which was another #1 for The Four Seasons. Drummer Gerry Polci sand lead vocals on the song. A remix dance version of December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) in 1994, went to #14. It was the last Top Ten hit for The Four Seasons, although the group is still together and performing.
Written by The Four Seasons keyboardist Bob Gaudio and his girlfriend Judy Parker, December, 1963 (Oh What A Night) was originally titled December 5th, 1933 and was about the repeal of prohibition. Frankie Valli and Judy Parker encouraged changing the song to be a nostalgic love song…rumoured to be based in part on her romance with Gaudio. Bob Gaudio and Judy Parker later married.
Franki Valli and the Four Seasons singing their December, 1963 (Oh What A Night) in 1975.
The original composition of The Four Seasons broke up in 1977, but Valli remained as lead singer and other members came and went.
(Franki Valli and the Four Seasons 1976 Photo: ABC)
Clockwise from left, the Four Seasons in 1976 – Gerry Polci, Don Ciccone, John Paiva, Lee Shapiro, and Frankie Valli.
His hearing had been restored when Frankie Valli was requested to record the song Grease (1978), written by Barry Gibb as the title single track for the movie Grease (1978).
The single Grease was another #1 hit in 1978 for Frankie Valli, and was his last #1 and Top Ten hit.
Below, Frankie Valli performing Grease with Lionel Richie & The Commodores live in 1978 on Soul Train:
As the 1980’s began and his records began to drop down the charts, Frankie Valli was devastated when his step-daughter Celia Shelleck was killed in an accident in February, followed only 6 months later by youngest daughter Francine Valli’s death in August 1980 at the age of 20, from an accidental drug overdose.
By 1984 Frankie Valli’s marriage to Mary Ann had ended in divorce in 1982 after eight years together, and Valli (entering in his 50+ years) married for the third time in July 1984, to 24-year-old Randy Clohessy. Randy and Frankie Valli had 3 sons together – Francesco (b. 1987) and twins Emilio and Brando (b. 1994), before separating in 2004 after 20 years together. Divorce proceedings have dragged on for years.
Frankie Valli began to do small acting parts on television series during the 1980’s and his 50+ years, including the baby boomer favorite show Miami Vice in 1985. He enjoyed a guest-starring bit as himself in the DJ’s Choice episode of Full House (1995) with his 7-year-old son Francesco Valli; and was in the movie Witness to the Mob (1998).
In 1990 Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Nicki Massi and Tommy DeVito entered both the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Drummer/vocalist Gerry Polci left The Four Seasons for the last time and married Frankie’s divorced daughter Antonia (Toni) Farano (nee Valli) in 1991; the couple made Valli a grandfather twice over by 1994 (Olivia and Dario Polci) before divorcing.
In December 2000, the year after Frankie Valli became an official senior citizen, 73-year-old septuagenarian Nick Massi died. By 2004, Frankie Valli was a septuagenarian senior citizen himself and had began appearing as a mob guy Rusty Millio occasionally on the television series The Sopranos. The Sopranos often featured songs by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, and even had an episode titled Big Girls Don’t Cry (2000).
In 2005 the story and music of The Four Seasons and Franki Valli was presented for the first time in the Broadway musical Jersey Boys, which became a smash hit. The musical was later adapted for the Jersey Boys movie (2014), directed and produced by Clint Eastwood. Septuagenarian senior citizen Franki Valli made his own Broadway debut with a 2012 concert.
Valli was recognized for his long-standing support of Italian heritage causes when he received the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. Below, Frankie Valli is embraced by then-President George W. Bush after a performance of Jersey Boys at the White House.
(2008 Photo: Eric Draper, Bush White House Archives)
Upon becoming an octogenarian senior citizen in 2014, Frankie Valli appeared in the movie And So It Goes (2014) and had a role as Carol Burnett‘s fiancee in an episode of Hawaii Five-0.
Today, 82-year-old Valli has homes in Los Angeles and New York, and continues to perform solo and with The Four Seasons – 55+ years after the group first took the name in 1959. You can see Franki Valli in concert in Canada and the United States throughout 2016.
June 12, 2016 to correct date of entry into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame from 1999 to 1990.
May 2, 2018 with new images & videos.
July 1, 2020 with new video & text.
More By Author
Anita Hamilton
50+ World editor & baby boomer writer Anita Hamilton has always been interested in the "real people" stories behind the characters that create and inhabit the world of music, books, movies, television shows, current events, history, etc. A lifelong love of research (ok, nosiness) and writing, combined with a loving and supportive family complete with 3 mini-dachshund minions, keeps her busy.
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Debra Morris March 2nd, 2017 at 3:16pm
ABSOLUTELY AWESOME, I TOTALLY LOVE FRANKIE VALLI. ??
Senior City Admin June 12th, 2016 at 7:49am
Thanks for catching that! We've corrected it now.
Sandra June 11th, 2016 at 9:25pm
The Four Seasons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, not 1999.
Dolly May 25th, 2016 at 9:53pm
The best! Great guy
DOMINICK TOMAINO May 7th, 2016 at 12:52pm
Thanks for the great article 'biography' on Frankie Valli.
I have followed the 4 seasons from their 1st hit.
Then after graduating high school I left New Jersey for So. California in Jan of 1963 and was your biggest fan out here..
martha raguso nask May 4th, 2016 at 10:34am
Happy birthday frankie. Your the best. love all your song so much. Have a great day and many more. Here to your heath. Keep it comeing
Karen Boscarino May 4th, 2016 at 5:24am
Love him.
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Federal Role In Education Must Be Dramatically Changed, Says Smith
Ninth District Congressman Adam Smith (D-Washington) is joining Senator Joe Lieberman to support a revamp of the federal role in K-12 education and will introduce legislation in the House to do so when Congress reconvenes in 2000.
“The federal role in education has become too bureaucratic, diluted, and ineffective,” said Smith. “It’s time that Congress takes a comprehensive approach to how we can better serve our children.”
Smith’s approach will condense existing Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) programs into broad categories of federal spending, target federal funds more heavily towards low-income students, eliminate or streamline federal regulations, and focus on results instead of process.
“After meeting with hundreds of teachers, administrators, and parents in my district, I learned that our federal education system is very archaic,” explained Smith. “For example, we have several different programs to make sure that kids learn English. School districts have to spend far too much time applying for these programs, jumping through different hoops to make sure they keep the funding, and administering the programs. I think it makes far more sense to have one pot of money that goes to schools, based on poverty and non-English speaking population, to help those kids learn English.”
Smith argues that we should allow more flexibility in how schools use federal funds. “Currently, the federal government provides about 6 percent of the funding for schools but imposes most of the regulations,” said Smith. “While we must ensure that kids’ and teachers’ rights and safety are protected, we have to give local communities more power to innovate and teach kids.”
Instead of process-based evaluation, Smith’s approach will judge schools on results. “If schools don’t improve, there are consequences,” Smith noted. “I’m proud to be working with Senator Lieberman on a dramatic change in the role of the federal government in education, a role that should be far more thoughtful and effective. The underlying principle is simply this: target the funds better, attach fewer strings, and demand results.”
Congressman Adam Smith Responds To Microsoft Ruling
“This is one step in a long legal process. In fact, these issues may not even be relevant once we finally have an outcome. However, it is important to note that the technology industry, and Microsoft in particular, have contributed greatly to the value and quality of goods available to American consumers, and that is largely because of their ability to continuously innovate and grow. I feel it is very important that Microsoft maintains their ability to innovate, and I am hopeful that the ultimate outcome of this trial will give Microsoft the continued freedom to do so.”
Smith Votes To Restore Medicare Cuts, Averting Potential Health Care Crises
Today Congressman Adam Smith will vote to restore cuts imposed on Medicare as part of the 1997 Balanced Budget Act.
The Balanced Budget Act called for a reduction in Medicare spending of $116 billion over five years, but cuts have actually been closer to $200 million already, show estimates. These reductions are primarily in Medicare reimbursement rates – the amount hospitals and health care providers are reimbursed by the federal government for treating Medicare patients. As a result, many health care organizations are becoming unwilling or unable to provide care to Medicare patients.
Smith has worked extensively on this issue throughout the year. In September, he encouraged nearly thirty of his colleagues to join him in a letter to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert to prioritize a Medicare “fix” package. “I am very pleased by the House Leadership’s response to our concerns,” Smith said.
Smith became involved in the issue after talking to seniors whose health care services are beginning to be affected by the cuts and health care providers who warned that access would diminish. “I am very concerned that seniors who rely on Medicare for their health care coverage are losing access to vital services,” said Smith. “This legislation will help ensure that seniors are getting the health care they need.”
What’s more, the reimbursement rate cuts disproportionately affect Washington state. “Washington was one of the most efficient states with regards to waste in the Medicare program,” Smith explained. “Unfortunately, the cuts affected each state equally. Many states had a lot of waste to cut, but Washington didn’t – therefore our cuts are really affecting vital services.”
The House bill includes:
-a phase in for the new payment adjustment caps for Medicare+Choice
-delay in the 15% cut to home health
-delay in the scheduled cut in payments for hospitals that treat low income patients
-increase inflation adjustments and payments for high cost patients in skilled nursing facilities
-help to certain rural providers
-changes in the $1500 cap for rehabilitation therapy to better provide for the highest cost patients
-changes to the Direct Graduate Medical Education payments
-increase payments for outpatient care
-reduce scheduled cut to indirect medical education
Smith Votes To Trim Federal Spending By One Percent
Ninth District Congressman cited fiscal discipline and the need to make tough choices in maintaining a balanced budget as the reason for his vote to trim all discretionary spending by 1 percent.
“Fiscal responsibility is not easy,” explained Smith. “This one percent reduction affects programs that are very popular and necessary. However, balancing the budget and being fiscally disciplined is incredibly important to our economic health and people’s trust in government. Congress has to be willing to make the tough choices necessary to be fiscally disciplined.”
Although President Clinton has publicly opposed the 1 percent reduction and all but four House Democrats voted against it, Smith said this was a time for principle to rise above party. “I represent the people of the Ninth District, not the Democratic party,” he said. “Most families and businesses could trim their budgets by one percent for a year, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask the federal government to do the same.”
Smith said in a perfect world, an across-the-board cut at the end of the budget process wouldn’t be necessary. “The House leadership has tried to stick to a flawed budget blueprint that relies on budget gimmicks to give the appearance of fiscal restraint,” Smith said. “I would much rather Congress enact a budget that is honest and evaluates programs on their own merit, so that we eliminate wasteful or unnecessary spending and we don’t have to do an across-the-board cut. Unfortunately, that option wasn’t on the table, so I chose to take a small step forward and support the one percent cut to be more fiscally responsible.”
The budget process is far from over. Several more appropriations bills must be enacted to keep the government running before Congress can adjourn for the year. “The next few weeks are critical,” Smith said. “We’ve got to keep our eye on the ball and remind ourselves how important fiscal restraint is. For the first time in a generation, we had a real, non-Social Security surplus of $1 billion in 1999. If we can maintain fiscal discipline and keep the economy strong, we will have another surplus next year and we can start reducing the federal debt.”
Congressman Smith, Kennedy Urge Quicker Review Process Of Exports Of U.S. High-Powered Computers
Adam Smith (D-WA) and Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) are seeking to speed up the review process of the sale of U.S. high-powered computers.
According to current law, a Congressional review of high-powered computer exports must wait six month. In a letter today to Floyd Spence (R-SC), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Kennedy and Smith have asked for a 30-day review to streamline the process and maintain U.S. technological leadership and competitiveness in the industry.
“The current six-month lag in our policy is obsolete and puts our computer industry at a clear disadvantage,” said Kennedy. “We must realize that this industry rolls out a new generation personal computer every three months. To delay product delivery may result in irrecoverable market losses for U.S. companies.”
On June 22, 79 Members of Congress sent a letter to President Clinton urging him to relax export controls. Recognizing the need to calibrate the policy, the President proposed a revision to U.S. export controls on computers on July 1, 1999.
The President submitted a report to Congress that justifies and spells out the proposed revisions on July 23. Any adjustment of the licensing threshold must wait 180 days before taking effect.
“Changing the review period from six months to one month is not a question of national security; rather, it is about eliminating unnecessary red tape. Right now, Congress spends thirty days to review foreign sales of an F-16 fighter plane, and forty-five days to review an entire military installation closure,” explained Smith. “I think we can determine whether or not we can export a Macintosh PC in thirty days.”
Kennedy and Smith pointed out that as more Members of Congress become aware of the 180 day delays in the export adjustment policy, they will want to see the process streamlined.
Along with Kennedy and Smith, ten of the Democratic colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee signed the leter to Spence and Congressman Ike Skelton (D-MO), the Ranking Member of the Committee: Reps. Mike Thompson (D-CA), John Larson (D-CT), Jim Maloney (D-CT), Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), Martin Meehan (D-MA), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Baron Hill (D-IN), Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), Robert Andrews (D-NJ), and Robert Brady (D-PA).
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The Biology of Splashpool Copepods (Tigriopus californicus)
BY ALEXIS WIKTOROWICZ-CONROY, PH.D
Life History of Tigriopus californicus
Copepods are so numerous that they have been called “insects of the sea,” representing 70% of the ocean’s biomass and with 12,000 known species described (Raisuddin et al., 2007). Being an intermediary between primary producers (phytoplankton) and larger predators (fishes & filter feeders), copepods are an essential component of the marine food chain (Ruppert et al., 2003). SInce copepods are zooplankton, they are not very strong swimmers and make easy and tasty prey for many fish, inverts, and filter feeders, depending on the life stage of the copepod. Tigriopus californicus is considered meiofauna, inhabiting the substrate and spending most of its time on the benthos looking for detritus. When an adult decides to swim into the water column, its attractive jerky swimming motions create an excited feeding response from predators, making them a great food for picky eaters such as seahorses and mandarin gobies.
Tigriopus californicus, affectionately known as “tig pods,” or “spashpool copepods,” are 2mm-long marine crustaceans belonging to the subclass Copepoda, Order Harpacticoida. T. californicus inhabits splashpools close to the high tidal line along the West coast of North America, from Alaska down to Baja, CA.
A harpacticoid copepod’s development is broken up into several stages (Raisuddin et al., 2007):
N1-N6: naupliar stages
C1-C5: copepodid stages
Adult stage (male or female)
T. californicus developmental stages. Image from Raisuddin et al., 2007.
Life Cycle (Huizinga, 1971)
A T. californicus egg takes 24 hrs to hatch
The first stage is a nauplius which molts several times, getting bigger with each molt
After 5-6 days the nauplius molts into a copepodite which looks like a mini adult
The copepodite stage lasts from 8-9 days after which the final copepodite turns into an adult copepod
Males and females are sexually dimorphic; males are slightly smaller (Fraser, 1936)
After mating, the female lays an egg about 3-4 days later, continually producing egg sacs from store sperm every 2-3 days
Approximately 18 eggs in an egg sac
At room temperature the life cycle (from egg to egg) of these copepods is 18-21 days
T. californicus is found in dense numbers in supralittoral pools (splashpools) which are above the spring tidal line, leftover from high tide or storms, replenished by the occasional splashing of waves; these differ from tidepools which are lower in the intertidal (littoral) and whose water is replenished often (Metaxas and Schebling, 1993). Because of the extreme evaporative nature of such pools, the salinity is often quite high; this species of copepod is very hardy and is able to survive in salinities 3 times that of seawater (Meinkoth, 1998). Such splashpools also have a large range of thermal variability and as such these copepods must be able to withstand extreme temperature shifts in addition to salinity shifts (4-40 C; 4-102 ppt; Ranade, 1957; Egloff, 1967; Vittor, 1971). Additionally, there little if not zero migration (gene flow) from one splashpool to the next, nor is there a diapause stage characteristic of other copepods (allowing them to endure unfavorable conditions), so survivability demands on the individual populations are very high- and yet they persist in these extreme circumstances (Burton and Feldman, 1981; Burton, 1997; Edmands and Deimler, 2004; Willett and Ladner, 2009). But despite their hardiness, the region where they hail from dictates their growth rate and fitness; populations from Northern California prefer a lower range of temperatures vs the populations from Southern California, although neither appreciate the extreme ends (Willett, 2010).
In addition to being known for their limited genetic exchange, extreme hardiness, and tastiness to predators, T. californicus has natural sunscreen in its body- a carotenoid called astaxanthin, serving as protection from the sun’s photo-oxidative effects (Hylander et al., 2015; Weaver et al., 2018; Raisuddin et al., 2007). Supralittoral pools receive high amounts of UV, and studies have shown T. californicus may accumulate more astaxanthin in its carapace when exposed to higher amounts of UV-B (Chalker-Scott, 1995), while in another copepod, Tigriopus brevicornis, it has been verified (Davenport et al., 2004). And just as a mother (ok, dads too) lathers up her children with sunscreen, a female copepod passes on her astaxanthin to her young through her eggs (Chalker-Scott, 1995).
Burton, R.S. 1997. Genetic evidence for long term persistence of marine invertebrate populations in an ephemeral environment. Evolution. 51: 993–998.
Burton, R.S., and M.W. Feldman. 1981.Population genetics of Tigriopus californicus. II. Differentiation among neighboring populations. Evolution. 35:1192–1205.
Chalker-Scott, L. 1995. Survival and sex ratios of the marine copepod, Tigriopus californicus, following ultraviolet-B (290-320 nm) radiation exposure. Marine Biology. 123: 799-804.
Davenport, J., Healy, A., Casey, N., J.J.A Heffron. 2004. Diet-dependent UVAR and UVBR resistance in the high shore harpacticoid copepod Tigriopus brevicornis. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 276: 299-303.
Edmands, S., and J.K. Deimler. 2004. Local adaptation, intrinsic coadaptation and the effects of environmental stress on interpopulation hybrids in the copepod Tigriopus californicus. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 303: 183–196.
Egloff, D. A. 1966. Ecological aspects of sex ratio and reproduction in experimental and field populations of the marine copepod Tigriopus californicus. Ph.D. Dissertation, Stanford Univ., Palo Alto, CA .
Frasier, J.H. 1936. The occurrence, life history, and life history of Tigriopus fulvus (Fischer). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the U.K. 20: 523-536.
Huizinga, H.W. 1971. Cultivation, life history and salinity tolerance of the tidepool copepod, Tigriopus californicus Baker 1912, in artificial sea water. Transactions Illinois Academy of Science. 64: 230-236.
Hylander, S., Kiørboe, T., Snoeijs, P., Sommaruga, R., T.G. Nielsen. 2015. Concentrations of sunscreens and antioxidant pigments in Arctic Calanus spp. In relation to ice cover, ultraviolet radiation, and the phytoplankton spring bloom. Limnology & Oceanography. 60: 2197-2206.
Meinkoth, N.A. 1998. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Seashore Creatures. Chanticleer Press, Inc., New York, USA.
Metaxas A., and R.E. Scheibling. 1993. Community structure and organization of tidepools. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 98: 187-198.
Raisuddin, S., Kwok, K.W.H., Leung, K.M.Y., Schlenk, D. and J.S. Lee. 2007. The copepod Tigriopus: A promising marine model organism for ecotoxicology and environmental genomics. Aquatic Toxicology. 83: 161-173.
Ranade, M.R. 1957. Observations on the resistance of Tigriopus fulvus (Fischer) to changes in temperature and salinity. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the U.K. 36: 115-119.
Ruppert, E.E., Fox, R.S., Barnes, R.D., 2003. Invertebrate Zoology. A Functional
Evolutionary Approach, 7th ed. Brooks/Cole-Thomson Learning, Belmont, CA, USA.
Weaver, R.J., Cobine, P.A., and G.E.Hill. 2018. On the bioconversion of dietary carotenoids to astaxanthin in the marine copepod, Tigriopus californicus. Journal of Plankton Research. https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbx072
Willett, C.S. 2010. Potential fitness trade-offs for thermal tolerance in the intertidal copepod Tigriopus californicus. Evolution. 64: 2521-2534.
Willett, C.S., and J.T. Ladner. 2009. Investigations of fine‐scale phylogeography in Tigriopus californicus reveal historical patterns of population divergence. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 9: 139.
Vittor, B.A. 1971. Effects of the environment on fitness‐related life history characters in Tigriopus californicus. PhD dissertation, Univ. of Oregon, Eugene.
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Home State News Delaware COVER STORY: When will Orlando cash in on poker?
COVER STORY: When will Orlando cash in on poker?
Maybe Disney World is a cover for a secret Mafia family. Mickey Mouse is the godfather and Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto make up his caporegime. How else can you explain why the Orlando area — the heart of Florida — is without parimutuel poker?
No poker at Orlando Jai-Alai. No poker at Sanford-Orlando Kennel Club.
“I think it’s because of the Disney family-friendly kind of thing,” said David Yeager, mayor of Minneola, a town about 15 miles northwest of downtown Orlando that he hopes to transform into an entertainment mecca with, of course, poker. “They say (a gaming facility offers) a lot of bad elements. Well, let me tell you, if you look at the police reports on (International) Drive, family-friendly has bad elements already. So that doesn’t hold water.”
Perhaps it’s just gambling in general Orlando and its neighbors oppose.
“Here’s the funny, stupid part I guess,” Yeager said. “If you go to conventions, guess what they have? ‘Well, tonight we’re having casino night! Here’s fake money (to gamble with) and then we’ll auction prizes off (with your winnings).’ Well, that’s gambling, guys! That’s gambling, and it happens every night in Orlando. Every night. So, we’re helping who?”
If you detect sarcasm in Yeager’s comments you’re right. His town of about 8,000 residents is having an economic crisis and he wants gaming to help save them. He’s taking steps to make Minneola a destination for those who want to enjoy all of the Orlando attractions — but have some adult fun afterward.
“Disney, if they like it or not, probably could get some people that actually want to come here and spend Disney during the day and go to Minneola (at night). So they’re bringing money to me (and) to you and the economy’s going to be good. … Will it pass by a great margin? No, but will (approval for a county vote) pass? Absolutely, (but) that’s in my mind, OK? That’s in my mind.”
And apparently only in his mind. On May 5 Lake County commissioners turned down his request for a countywide vote, mostly citing election cost as the catalyst for the rejection.
Yeager still wants to build a complex that would include a five-star resort hotel, a shopping area, a 3,000-seat entertainment facility, more than 150,000 square feet of convention space, an ice-skating rink, a horse-racing track, and, obviously, a poker room.
Clearly Yeager thought he had enough “County Fathers” on his side to send this to a countywide vote, despite the conservative nature of Lake County. Now he faces raising the money himself.
“I have to take care of this town, and that’s what I’m gonna do,” he said. (See accompanying story) “They tell me it’s the Bible belt, and I respect that very, very much. But if you look at the Seminole Compact now, even the school boards are getting behind them because it’s a great way to generate money. … We need money. Children’s education is important and this is just perfect timing.”
Is now the time for other parimutuels?
Yeager’s sentiments are shared with other Orlando-area entrepreneurs and parimutuels (and yes, there are gambling facilities in the vicinity of Disney World, though most were established before Walt came to town). Sanford-Orlando Kennel Club has been in business for more than 70 years, holding its first meet in 1935. Make no mistake; greyhounds are king here with a 12-month racing season. But that doesn’t mean the SOKC wouldn’t like a share of the poker pie.
“I can’t speak for any of the other Orlando-area parimutuels,” SOKC general manager Mark Loewe said, “but since (Penn National Gaming) purchased the facility in November 2007, we have been working closely with the surrounding community in building professional relationships and moving toward attaining approval for a card-room license.”
State law mandates parimutuel facilities get approval from local government in to offer poker.
Loewe, who has been with SOKC since February 2008, says PNG has a lot to offer locals who’d like to play poker at his facility in Longwood, about 10 miles north of Orlando.
“Being a large gaming company we can bring a wealth of experience and professionalism to the expanded operation,” he said. “That being said, we want to do it properly through the approval process in place and working with the community as a whole. … Given the opportunity I believe we can establish a very successful operation. It will not happen overnight, but long term it will be a positive for the Orlando area.”
And again, it all comes down to the economy. SOKC has had more than 10 years to try to bring poker there — first with Collins & Collins’ SOKC Inc., and then with PNG – but is choosing now to seriously pursue approval.
“Any additional choices that we can offer to our patrons will help the bottom line,” Loewe said. “Many patrons from this market are driving considerable distances to play at existing venues, so I believe we will be able to draw well and generate additional revenues, which will also benefit the greyhound owners and trainers.”
The War on I-4
If someone living in the Orlando area wants to play poker at a parimutuel facility, they have to drive to Daytona Beach, Ocala, Melbourne or Tampa — at least an hour drive just to play cards.
That was the thought behind DeBary Downs, which later became known as the DeBary Town Center and Equestrian Park (it eventually would have housed a poker room). The developer, Green Bridge Co. of Iowa (renamed locally as DeBary Real Estate Holdings to win favor with the public), met an incredible amount of opposition to its project, which ultimately met its demise on Dec. 13 when the DeBary City Council voted 3-2 against after a six-hour meeting. The family that owns Green Bridge also founded the Isle of Capri casinos and is planning to build a quarterhorse track and poker room in Ft. Myers.
The situation in DeBary grew ugly, with dueling Web sites, billboards, television/radio commercial campaigns and lawsuits being doled out like candy on Halloween. And this ugliness is nothing new to parimutuels. Orlando Jai-Alai, which held its first season in 1963, has been trying to get poker approval for years, but the government continues to stand in its way.
“In the early days,” Orlando Jai-Alai general manager Santi Echaniz said, “when poker became legal (with) a positive vote from the local county board of commissioners, owner Hort Soper hired a consultant to be our intermediary with the county to feel them out about how they would vote. We were basically told not to even bother trying to have it come to a vote because it would not pass. That was true from then until now.”
Echaniz, a former jai-alai player who played that first season in Orlando, said Soper even wanted to combine efforts with its gaming neighbor to acquire poker rooms for both properties.
“Mr. Soper approached the owners of Sanford-Orlando Kennel Club (the Collins family and more recently Penn National), about going to the county together to try to make a deal that would be tempting during these tough budget years, but it has not happened.”
The folks at Orlando Jai-Alai are hoping what occurred in Pensacola might trickle down to their neck of the woods. The Escambia County Commission in December voted 3-2 against allowing Pensacola Greyhound Track to expand into poker operations. But Kevin White, the District 5 commissioner, had a change of heart and demanded a revote. On Feb. 19 the commission reconvened and approved the request.
However, Echaniz says as far as he knows, nothing has changed in his area.
“We haven’t heard of any shifts in opinion even with these hard economic times,” he said. “Mr. Soper made a very generous offer to the City of Casselberry to share our increased revenues but we still got nowhere. Sometimes I wonder if the voters knew what their elected officials were turning down, if they would approve. … I don’t believe all county and local commissioners are personally opposed to poker. Maybe some actually have a moral objection, but most simply don’t want to be the one to vote for an ‘expansion of gambling.’ ”
Susan Doerner, a commissioner with Casselberry since 2002, says that’s precisely why she won’t approve poker at the fronton.
“I think any expansion would be a negative,” the second-term commissioner said. “I would not support it. … In terms of the types of jobs that it actually brings in, as well as the monetary input, it is not that dramatic. … It’s not a high range of jobs that it provides. It’s mostly service-entry level… In the past I’ve heard it would provide hundreds of jobs, but I haven’t seen anything that actually shows that.”
Fellow Casselberry commissioner Jon Miller, who’s been in office since November 2006, says he’s not so much against a gambling expansion as he opposes its location on U.S. Highway 17-92.
“Specifically, there, I would say yes,” Miller said, when asked if he would contest Orlando Jai-Alai getting a poker room. “I’m not necessarily opposed to gambling as a whole. I guess my concern is depending on where you put it. If it was more in the Lake Mary area where it kind of appealed to a higher clientele then I think it makes more sense. Our city has dealt with the influences of adult entertainment in our community for years. Not as much as a moralistic standpoint but more from a financial standpoint, it made it very difficult to redevelop our city, as far as bringing in new economic development. … That strip there isn’t necessarily going to attract the highest clientele. I see folks getting off the bus and going over there. If I thought it was going to be a higher clientele base perhaps it would be different.”
The economic windfall Florida’s other frontons (and tracks) have enjoyed from poker didn’t seem to interest Miller, who still seemed more intrigued in attracting players with larger bankrolls and patrons of “higher” stature. When pressed about the tough times and asked if the Casselberry commissioners should reconsider he said: “I understand at the state level what it means for everybody, and I’m a person who’ll go to Vegas. I guess I kind of see it as the difference between Vegas and Reno, if you will, depending on where the gambling and gaming take place. I just don’t think where we are … it would necessarily appeal to a demographic to uplift the community as we develop economic redevelopment in the area.”
Is Miller, whose term in Seat 2 ends in 2010, saying the fronton is something he despises having in his city?
“No, I appreciate Orlando Jai-Alai and what they do. (But) if you expand the gambling and gaming tables … you’re not going to attract the high rollers at the current location.”
Sounds like Orlando Jai-Alai needs a new address.
Play for free if you like
One business that has reaped the rewards of no parimutuel poker has been free poker leagues, which dot the Orlando area like measles on a 2-year-old. The granddaddy of the half-dozen or so free leagues in Orlando is the World Poker Tour Amateur Poker League. The WPTAPL has about 15,000 players in the Orlando area (about 30K statewide), averaging 35-40 players per tournament at 23 venues (29 events per week). But A.J. Wiley, director of business development for the WPTAPL, says his league is successful because of what it offers, not the lack of a permanent card room in Orlando.
“We are very successful in areas of Florida such as Tampa where there are local parimutuels and, of course, the Hard Rock,” Wiley said. “Our league provides the opportunity to players who are interested in playing in cash tournaments or games to hone their skills and learn at no risk. I would say the card rooms have benefited from free bar poker leagues such as ours.”
Wiley says it’s the relationships his league has with local rooms in other areas that help make the WPTAPL successful, and he’d look to embrace that with any of the Orlando-area rooms that eventually come to fruition.
“I would do what I can to work with the card rooms to cross promote,” he said. “We do that very successfully in other parts of the country, including in the Tampa area with The Silks (at Tampa Bay Downs). Ultimately, most of our players are out for some free entertainment and feel their game needs work. That being said, members who are ready to make the transition to cash games have a smooth (path) and a solid relationship with local card rooms.”
The presence of poker in a parimutuel setting in the Orlando area is inevitable. But with so many opinions on how to (or not to) usher in poker, the inevitability needle is still leaning toward never.
He’s fighting city hall from the inside
Sacrifice is a word not often associated with politicians, especially during an election year. Most do whatever they can to stay in office, and the last thing they want to do is rock the boat as constituents prepare to make their way to the polls.
Not David Yeager. Politics be damned.
“I don’t do business that way,” said the 51-year-old mayor of Minneola who admits he may be sacrificing his political career here. “‘Oh, OK, I’ll be quiet — because the election’s come up — to make everybody feel good.’ No, I have to represent the people. I have to find ways to get the economy kicked off and make a difference. I don’t play politics. I just go out there, put my ideas out there and let’s go forward. It’s not about ‘Do I worry about coming back?’ I worry about doing the best job while I’m here, and if the people don’t embrace that I understand.”
Yeager, born and raised in Baltimore, has served for four years as mayor of this tiny town just 15 miles northwest of Orlando. But with an unemployment rate in his town nearing double digits, Yeager knew he needed to brainstorm something big to help the roughly 8,000 people who live there. And in February he came up with one word: destination. Yeager wants to make Minneola a destination within a destination.
“My whole dream is basically a Fountainbleau Hotel in miniature,” said Yeager, who admits he isn’t a gambler. “Ice-skating, bowling, parimutuels, horse racing, a big laguna pool. I mean a resort. So people could actually go to Disney in the day and come to the resort for the weekend. … If you’ve ever seen the Fountainbleau Hotel it’s pretty impressive, and it’s been there 50-60 years.”
The complex would be at the Hills of Minneola site on the east side of the new turnpike interchange in Lake County.
“You’re looking at lots of jobs,” he said of the adult-themed complex. “You’re looking at a lot of offshoots of jobs. The turnpike interest will be built faster because if this gets moving and the momentum gets going the people who are developing this area will say ‘OK, we have a driving force to get going because right now our economy is in the hole.’”
Yeager had some early success, getting his city council in March to pass a resolution 4-1 seeking a countywide vote on the project, and Clemont recently got behind him as well, passing its resolution by a vote of 5-0. He also recently received a fax from Gov. Charlie Crist confirming he isn’t exactly in favor of gambling expansion in Florida, but he agrees with Yeager in that the people in his county should be allowed to vote on what they want.
But on May 5 the Lake County commissioners turned down Yeager’s request for a countywide vote to build the complex. Some commissioners were against gambling, some were against having Minneola shoulder a result that the county would vote on, but mostly they were against the cost of the election. So what’s next; is the idea dead?
“I will have to go out and raise the money on my own,” Yeager said. “And what I want to do is basically the same thing (President Barack) Obama did, grassroots. Here we are, here’s what we need to do and here’s what we need to raise. And I believe there are enough gamblers out there that’ll drop $100 and have a hat and a T-shirt for the cause. … This truly is going to be the cash cow for the area. … They can’t say no to me if I fund it myself anyway.”
The cost for a countywide election would be around $317K. Is that a concern?
“No, not if you do it my way,” he said. “Government is by the people, for the people, am I correct? So if I don’t have a multimillion-dollar parimutuel behind me pushing it down people’s throats, this is truly the way to do it. It’s for the people, by the people. Let the people speak. If it’s no, it’s no; if it’s yes, it’s yes. This is the way to do it; this is the way government is supposed to be in the first place.”
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(Twitter)
Choice of Left-Wing Performer for Israel Independence Day Event in Vancouver Stirs Controversy
Yom Ha'Atzmaut
JNF Canada CEO Josh Cooper withdrew support for an Israel Independence Day event in Vancouver featuring singing sensation Noa, who supports left-wing NGOs that malign the IDF. (kkl.org.il)
A Canadian Zionist organization withdrew participation in an upcoming Israel Independence Day event featuring an entertainer who promotes left-wing NGOs critical of the IDF.
The Jewish National Fund (JNF) of Canada cancelled this year’s co-sponsorship of the annual Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) performance in Vancouver in protest against the choice of entertainment: left-wing Israeli singer Achinoam Nini.
Josh Cooper, JNF Canada’s CEO, said in a statement that the decision to withdraw from the event, hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, was “due to the views of the entertainment booked for this year’s celebration. The entertainer that has been hired does not reflect nor correspond to the mandate and values of the Jewish National Fund of Canada,” the Canadian Jewish News (CJN) reported.
Nini, widely known as Noa, supports B’Tselem and Breaking the Silence, two NGOs that defame the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the international arena.
Breaking the Silence was established by IDF veterans whose stated mission mission is to “break the silence” of IDF soldiers who return to civilian life in Israel and “discover the gap between the reality which they encountered in the [occupied] territories, and the silence which they encounter at home.”
Several hundred IDF combat reservists and officers who organized a committee called “Reservists at the Front” have been working to file a slander lawsuit against Breaking the Silence, which publishes and promotes testimonies, often anonymous, about alleged IDF misdeeds. The reservists claim that Breaking the Silence intentionally and consistently disseminates outright lies.
Portrait of late journalist and author Amnon Kapeliouk, a co-founder of B’Tselem known for his close ties to arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat. (File, Moshe Shai/Flash90)
B’Tselem, according to its website, “endeavors to document and educate the Israeli public and policymakers about human rights violations in the Occupied Territories, combat the phenomenon of denial prevalent among the Israeli public, and help create a human rights culture in Israel.” Among many critics is NGO Monitor, which stated that “B’Tselem’s claims regarding international law are marked by major omissions and distortions.”
B’Tselem and Breaking the Silence are supported largely by European donors. Indeed, it was recently revealed that the latter also gets large donations from an organization operating within the Palestinian Authority.
As the CJN reported, Noa’s upcoming Vancouver appearance is drawing some strong reaction, including a new online petition titled “Stop Achinoam Nini from performing at our Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration.”
A section from the petition reads: ‘Members of the Jewish community living overseas may not be aware of the extent to which we are hurt from the news of the likes of Achinoam Nini, a controversial political activist who uses her performances to promote her ideas, which most Israelis consider hostile and offensive to them, being invited to entertain our diaspora brethren on our national holiday, Israel’s day of Independence… My colleagues and I would gladly assist, if you consider inviting IDF soldiers, officers, who fought and were injured in operation Protective Edge – soldiers from where you can learn the real truth about the kind of enemy and its enablers Israel is facing.”
According to the petition, “Achinoam Nini is known for the provocations she incites; she is an extremist who supports radical left organizations that attack, slander, lie and cause ongoing harm to the IDF and to IDF soldiers who guard and protect our citizens and our homeland… We are disheartened at your decision to invite such a person, especially on the day of Independence of the State of Israel.”
PA President Mahmoud Abbas delivers a diplomatic attack against Israel in the fall at the UN. Noa described these “international appeals to recognize Palestine” as “positive moves.” (AP/Richard Drew)
While Noa denies accusations that she supports Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel, a blog that she authored on her personal page raises the question.
“Netanyahu has declared there will be no Palestinian state… If Netanyahu continues with his hard line policies , we run the risk of losing all our allies, including of course the US which the ‘bibi king’ has already publically [sic] humiliated. There is also no doubt that the BDS (boycott Israel movment [sic]) will gain more and more momentum and supporters, and justifiably so,” she wrote.
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) continues to incite terror against Israeli soldiers and civilians, and he refuses to enter direct negotiations with Israel, choosing instead to make unilateral moves at the UN in an attempt to force Palestinian statehood and weaken the Jewish state. Noa wrote, however, that “though Abu Mazen’s international appeals to recognize Palestine may bother the Israeli government, they are in my opinion positive moves on his part.”
The Vancouver federation has not changed its stand or reneged on the invitation. “We take these concerns very seriously, and we have done our due diligence by looking closely into the facts. To the best of our knowledge, reports suggesting Ms. Nini promotes BDS are incorrect,” the Vancouver federation said in a statement, the CJN reported.
“We contacted Ms. Nini’s manager directly to clarify her position,” the statement continued. “He provided the following statement: ‘Noa is opposed to BDS. To say that she is a BDS supporter is an outright lie. She has never supported BDS – on the contrary – she has done all she can to bring many top artists to Israel and has done so with great success. Noa has a strong love for the State of Israel. She has served in the army, and her husband is an army officer.’”
I found a very interesting article on Americans United with Israel! Click to read this: --> https://americaunitedwithisrael.org/choice-of-left-wing-performer-for-israel-independence-day-event-in-vancouver-stirs-controversy/
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A Transmission Master Plan Would Give Offshore Wind a Solid Foundation
By Kent Herzog
The U.S. Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions are growing and face numerous energy constraints. Vast wind energy resources exist just miles from the shore. However, getting this potential power source from the ocean to consumers represents one of the biggest challenges for the emerging industry. Strategic transmission planning is essential to identify where and how the offshore infrastructure will connect with the onshore grid.
From a technical standpoint, strategic system planning is essential to identify where high-capacity offshore wind resources can interconnect with the onshore grid without compromising system reliability or creating transmission congestion. There are numerous proven, technological solutions for interconnection. Northern Europe, which has a mature offshore wind market, connects “hubs” of wind turbine islands to land via high-capacity cables, or “spokes.” There’s also the possibility of connecting backbone high-capacity transmission lines with onshore substations.
While potential technical solutions are fairly straightforward, gaining the permits to execute potential projects is not a simple process. Because transmission lines cross numerous local, state and federal boundaries, planning and permitting involves a complex collection of local governments, federal stakeholders, state governments and utility regulatory commissions, sometimes including the U.S. Congress and the president. Each state and regulatory commission has its own energy policy and framework. Each has its own methods for cost allocation and environmental rules. In addition, any plan must also meet Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), independent system operator (ISO) and regional transmission operator (RTO) requirements.
Offshore wind, with its 30 percent to 60 percent capacity factor, is a reliable and clean source of power and is becoming a larger part of state renewable portfolio standards and clean energy standards across the region. For example, Massachusetts has a renewable energy goal that includes aiming for more than 1,500 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind resources. In his recent State of the State address, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced plans to increase the state’s offshore wind energy targets to 9,000 MW by 2035. Maryland legislators are looking to boost the state’s renewable portfolio standard to 50 percent by 2030, including 1,200 MW of offshore wind.
A regional offshore wind transmission master plan, developed in coordination with the states, ISOs, RTOs and federal agencies involved, can set forth common standards, policies and financing mechanisms to enable offshore wind interconnection. Such a plan would also identify transmission corridors and essential infrastructure investments needed to support the renewable energy goals of the states within the region.
As the U.S. power industry begins to transform the country’s offshore wind potential into a reality, it will need to consider how a large-scale generation and transmission system should be built.
Written by Kent Herzog
Kent Herzog, PE, PMP, is managing director in the Northeast U.S. for 1898 & Co., part of Burns & McDonnell. In his role, he leads a team providing utility, technology and management consulting services. With more than two decades of advisory, engineering and construction experience, Kent has developed, directed and consulted on billions of dollars in projects.
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ExcerptStory
By Second Wind Publishing Last updated Dec 31, 2020
In quarantined Colorado, where hundreds of thousands of people are dying from an unstoppable disease called the red death, insomniac Kate Cummings struggles to find the courage to live and to love.
Her new love, investigative reporter Greg Pullman, is determined to discover who unleashed the deadly organism and why they did it, until the cost — Kate’s life — becomes more than he can pay. This is a story of survival in the face of brutality, government cover-up, and public hysteria. It is also a story of love: lost, found and fulfilled.
Kate Cummings counted backward from one hundred, though she knew it wouldn’t help her sleep. Dead people didn’t slumber, and she hadn’t felt alive for a long time. Not since before Joe’s funeral, anyway.
Three. Two. One. She raised her head, squinted at the illuminated face of the alarm clock, and flopped back against the pillow. Five-fifteen. Six hours of thrashing around in bed. She blinked away the sting in her eyes. All she wanted was one good night’s sleep. Was that too much to ask?
One hundred. Ninety-nine. Ninety-six. . . . A sound startled her awake. A siren’s scream, fading now. She checked the time. Five-thirty. Even if she could doze off again, she’d have to rise in less than an hour. Not worth the effort.
She hauled herself upright and groped for her eyeglasses. After sitting on the edge of the bed for a moment, gathering her strength, she dressed and wandered through the house. She hesitated by the closed door of the second bedroom where her husband had lived during the last years of his protracted illness, touched the knob with her fingertips. Yanked her hand away.
This is ridiculous. Joe’s been gone for thirteen months.
Taking a deep breath, she grasped the knob, but could not force herself to turn it. She rested her forehead on the door for a minute, wondering if she’d ever be able to face the ghosts of sorrow and regret locked inside, then squared her shoulders and headed for the front closet to grab a coat and hat.
She trudged the seven blocks to Cheesman Park. A dozen hardy souls had braved the frigid early morning air, but as the hematite sky softened to pearl gray, others joined the parade of exercisers rounding the paths.
An elderly couple swaddled in layers of heavy clothing marched in front of her, their arms pumping faster than their legs.
A young man jogged toward her. With his beard stubble, ancient gray sweats, and tousled hair, he looked as if he were one step away from being a street person.
Coming up behind the jogger was a man in a cropped tee shirt and skimpy nylon shorts, a rapturous smile on his face. He passed the jogger, moving so swiftly and lightly his feet barely touched the ground.
As he neared Kate, he stumbled, and his smile faltered. He held out his hands, a beseeching look in his bright-red eyes. All at once an impossible torrent of blood gushed from his mouth, soaking her, and he toppled into her arms. She tried to steady him, but she slipped on a patch of blood, and they both fell.
“Are you all right?” two quavering voices asked in unison.
Kate turned her head so she could look out of the one clean spot on her glasses. The elderly couple peered down at her, their faces creased in concern.
“I’m fine.” The stench of the blood and the weight of the runner made it difficult for her to breathe, and her buttocks felt sore and cold, but she didn’t seem to be injured.
She struggled to scoot out from beneath the runner.
“Let me help.” The voice sounded young, male, and had a pleasing timber. Catching a glimpse of gray fabric, Kate realized the voice belonged to the disreputable-looking jogger.
After rolling the body off her, he extended a sturdy hand. Clutching it, she lumbered to her feet.
She reached into her coat pocket for a wad of tissues, wiped her face, hands, and glasses the best she could. Then, squatting next to the runner, she checked his pulse, listened to his chest. No sign of life.
She passed a palm over the runner’s eyes to close them.
Her knees creaked as she pushed herself upright. Four or five people, still breathing heavily from their exercise, stopped and gawked at her. “What happened?” one bystander asked “Was he shot?”
Not shot, Kate wanted to say, but she couldn’t summon the energy to speak aloud.
A redhead in a pink and lime green warm-up suit jogged by while pressing buttons on a cell phone. “I’ve been calling nine-one-one,” she said without slowing her pace, “but the lines are busy.”
“Something’s going on,” the old woman commented. “I heard sirens all night long.”
Kate cocked her head to listen. Off in the distance, underlying the sounds of the wakening city, was a cacophony of sirens. Too many sirens.
She tried to hug herself to ward off a sudden chill, but the freezing blood stiffened her coat sleeves. She thought about going home, peeling off her ruined clothes, and taking a long hot shower, but she didn’t feel right about walking away from the unknown man lying dead at her feet. Besides, she had to wait until the police or the paramedics arrived.
“You go get cleaned up,” the old woman said, “we’ll wait for the police.”
Kate shivered. Her hands and feet felt cold, and her heart beat too fast. Perhaps she should leave; it wouldn’t help anyone if she collapsed. As she turned to depart, she heard the woman whisper, “Someone ought to go with her. I think she’s in shock.”
“I’ll go.” The voice was that of the man who had helped her up.
“I’m fine,” Kate managed to say. “I don’t need anyone.”
He fell into step beside her. “If I remember correctly, there’s a city ordinance prohibiting a woman covered in blood from walking the streets unescorted.”
She slanted a glance at him. The compassionate look and the hint of mischief in his brown eyes warmed her, and she gave him a flicker of a smile. “In that case, I have no choice. I wouldn’t want to attract any further attention.”
They set out for her house on Elizabeth Street. She concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, and after a few minutes, the worst effects of the shock wore off.
“I’m Greg Pullman,” he said, breaking the long silence.
“Kate Cummings.”
“So tell me, Kate, do you work for a living, or do you hang around parks all day waiting for men to fall on you?”
She scrabbled about in her mind for a witty response, but when the pause dragged into awkwardness, she said simply, “I work at the Bowers Clinic.”
“Isn’t that the converted mansion on Seventh Avenue where the rich people go?”
He raised an eyebrow.
“We like rich people,” she said. “They have money.”
“Are you a doctor?”
“No. A patient’s representative. I take medical histories, deal with any grievances patients might have, and listen if they need someone to talk to.” Trying to match his light tone, she added, “What about you? Do you work for a living, or do you hang around parks all day rescuing women who have men fall on them?”
“I’m a reporter for The Denver News.”
Kate stopped and slapped herself on the forehead with the heel of a palm. “I am so stupid. Here I thought you were being nice, and all you want is a story.”
“No story. I promise.”
She glanced into his guileless eyes. “You don’t look like a reporter.”
“I don’t?”
“Reporters are hard-eyed, weary-faced people, beaten down by the low-level types they have to deal with.”
He smiled at her. “Funny you should mention that. I go to a bar downtown—The Lucky Star. It’s close to the central fire station, police headquarters, The Denver News, and Channel Ten, so it’s filled at all hours with hard-eyed men and women. I used to try to imitate their stare, but I looked ridiculous.”
He seemed bemused by her response. “Why do you say that?”
“All the hard stare means is that they no longer have the desire to care. You do.”
Kate shifted uneasily in her seat. She tried to focus on Rachel Abrams’s play-by-play description of this past Sunday’s Broncos game, but it reminded her of the dead runner in the park; he had been wearing a Broncos tee shirt.
Rachel’s shoulders twitched, and an arm flailed out. She stopped in the middle of a rambling account of a pass interception and announced, “There’s something terribly wrong with me. I feel great. I never feel well, you know that.”
Kate studied the elegantly dressed woman sitting across from her. With a rosy glow brightening her normally sallow cheeks, Rachel did indeed look healthy. Or she would have if not for her twitching muscles and blood-shot eyes.
“Have you been experimenting with your insulin dosage again?”
“No. I’ve been following Dr. Hart’s orders.”
“What about the spasms? How long have you had them?”
Rachel’s head bobbed, one of her feet kicked the desk, and her fingers kneaded nonexistent dough.
“What spasms?”
Kate made a quick notation on the medical form: Patient seems unaware of muscle spasms. When she looked up, she saw Rachel bending forward, clutching her midsection.
Dropping the pen, she jumped to her feet. “What’s wrong?”
Rachel’s body jerked upright.
Kate hit the panic button to summon a doctor. Rachel’s mouth opened and bloody vomit burst out with such force it arced over the desk and hit Kate full in the chest.
Gagging on the smell of so much blood in such a small room, she rushed to Rachel’s side. She was bending over the inert woman when a lanky blonde wearing a pristine lab coat, linen slacks, and an ecru silk blouse came charging into Kate’s office.
“Oh, Kate. Now what have you done?”
Kate stepped aside to make room for the doctor. “She acted fine, then she vomited blood.”
Dr. Hart looked Kate up and down. “Wait in the examination room next door. I’ll check you over when I’m finished here.”
With an odd sense of detachment, Kate obeyed.
She was staring at the white tiled floor, wondering how she could have seen two people die in the same manner within such a short time, when she heard a familiar voice.
“Exactly how many times a day do you do this?”
She looked up. An attractive clean-shaven man in his early thirties lounged in the doorway. Dressed in dark slacks, a tan trench coat belted at the waist, and a battered fedora perched rakishly on his chestnut curls, he bore little resemblance to the scruffy individual who had walked her home a few hours earlier.
She gave him a sheepish smile.
“Okay,” Greg said. “Time for me to take you home again. Let’s go.”
Kate finally found her voice. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see if you’re all right. But look at you.”
“Don’t remind me. I need to get my coat.” She went into the locker room off the women’s restroom and came out holding her old blue coat at arm’s length. “You better carry this. I don’t want to soil it. It’s the only coat I have left.”
Dr. Hart exited Kate’s office and stood with hands on hips, narrowing her eyes first at Kate then at the reporter.
“I’m going home to get changed. I can’t work looking like this.”
“And who is he?”
Kate glanced at Greg. The mischievous gleam in his eyes encouraged her.
“He’s an experienced escort. Every time someone vomits blood on me, he’s there to escort me home.”
“What do you mean, ‘every time’? Has this happened to you before?”
“This morning when I took a walk in Cheesman Park.”
Dr. Hart studied Kate for a moment. Apparently deciding the preposterous story was true, she flicked a wrist.
“Take the afternoon off, Kate. You’ve had enough for one day. Let me know if you need me.”
When Kate and Greg stepped outside, he asked, “Yours or mine?”
“Yours. I don’t have a car.”
He ushered her toward a battered red Honda Accord that looked as if it could have been one of the first models off the assembly line.
“It has close to two hundred thousand miles on it,” he said proudly, opening the door for her.
To her relief, the heater worked.
They headed down the long sweeping driveway and waited for a break in the unusually heavy traffic. After several minutes, Greg slipped his car between a Volkswagen and a Porsche.
“Are you married?” he asked.
Kate shook her head. “What about you?”
“No, but I think I’m going to be.”
Kate’s lips twitched. “You’re not sure?”
“My girlfriend has been hinting at marriage for months now, but when I proposed, she said she’d think about it.” He smiled at Kate. “What’s with you women, anyway? Some of you can’t make up your minds, and some of you are always covered in blood.”
Kate glanced ruefully down at her beige suit. She had thrown away everything she’d worn to the park; now she’d have to throw away this set of clothes, too.
“At the rate I’m going,” she said, “I’ll need to get a whole new wardrobe.”
“You say that as if it’s a bad thing.”
“I hate shopping.”
“A woman after my own heart,” he teased.
She turned her head toward the window to hide a sudden flush, and noticed they’d progressed only a few blocks.
Slanting a glance at him, she took a deep breath. “You found out something, didn’t you?”
“What makes you say that?”
“Your eyes. I see a reticence in them now I didn’t see earlier.”
“I talked to my contact in the medical examiner’s office.”
When he didn’t offer anything more, she said, “And?”
“And they don’t know what causes the red death.”
“The red death?” She swallowed. “They’ve named it already?”
“Unofficially.”
“Do they know how many have died?”
“Hundreds, possibly thousands.”
Kate stared straight ahead, trying to imagine so many people dying the same horrific death as Rachel Abrams and the runner in the park. Remembering the woman’s description of the game and the man’s tee shirt, she mentioned a possible Broncos connection.
Greg gave her a thoughtful look. “Interesting coincidence.”
They drove in silence for another couple of blocks, then Kate said softly, “It isn’t going to end any time soon, is it?”
His response was as subdued. “I don’t think so. The death rate is rising.”
The driver of the green Jeep Grand Cherokee behind Greg edged closer, revved his engine, and honked his horn. It had no effect on the stalled traffic, but the driver of the white Subaru ahead of Greg thrust an arm out the window and extended a middle finger.
Greg double-checked his doors to make sure he’d locked them. Any minute now, it seemed, the two drivers would be resorting to violence, and he had enough problems.
He glanced at his watch. Half an hour late. His editor wouldn’t be pleased he’d missed his deadline, but he couldn’t help it. All afternoon, ever since he had dropped Kate off at her house, he’d been caught in one traffic jam after another.
He called the newspaper again but still could not get through. He tossed the phone onto the seat next to him, then folded his arms across the top of his steering wheel, and rested his chin on them.
In the end, it didn’t matter that he couldn’t reach the newspaper—he had been unable to complete his assignment.
His contact at the medical examiner’s office had supplied him with the names of the first victims of the red death. He’d interviewed the families of three of them. They were too grief-stricken to tell him much, though they did confirm Kate’s surmise of a Broncos connection. Those three victims had all been at Sunday’s game.
Another early victim had been John Takamura, a professor at the State University Extension. Greg hoped the man’s wife, a professor herself, would be able to give him a newsworthy statement. She had not been at her campus office, and when she didn’t answer her phone, he headed for her house in University Hills, but it looked as if he wouldn’t get there.
Movement jarred him out of his contemplation. The driver of the Jeep had closed the gap between them and was nudging Greg’s car toward the white Subaru.
The Subaru pulled out of the line of traffic, drove over the median, and made a U-turn. As it passed Greg, the driver—a white-haired, apple-cheeked woman who had to be seventy—once again displayed a middle finger.
So much for sweet little old ladies.
But she had the right idea.
He crossed the median and headed back to The Denver News.
Two blocks later, Greg noticed the white Subaru zigzagging. Suddenly the windshield of the vehicle turned crimson; the old woman fell forward and collapsed onto her steering wheel. Then, midst the clamor of honking horns and screeching tires, the Subaru veered across the next lane and crashed into a parked car.
As Greg slammed on his brakes, he found himself looking around for Kate, but didn’t see her. This time, at least, she wasn’t involved.
Pat Bertram is a native of Colorado and a lifelong resident. When the traditional publishers stopped publishing her favorite type of book — character and story driven novels that can’t easily be slotted into a genre — she decided to write her own. Bertram’s novels — Light Bringer, Daughter Am I, More Deaths Than One and A Spark of Heavenly Fire — are all available from Second Wind Publishing.
Bertram’s Website: http://ptbertram.com
Bertram’s Blog: http://ptbertram.wordpress.com
Click here to buy: A Spark of Heavenly Fire
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Second Wind Publishing
Second Wind Publishing, LLC, is an independent royalty-paying publishing company that does not charge fees for editing, publishing, or any other service provided to its authors. Second Wind publishes well written, quality books in a variety of genres.
Angular Trifecta Week 16: Dirge of Consequences
Violence in Movies, Music, TV, Books, and Video Games
Colored Waters
Enchanted Beast
Deadly Adagio
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Noah Ginsberg Papers
Identifier: Mss 344
William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum
This collection contains letters and V-mail from Noah Ginsberg to his family in Savannah, Georgia, while serving in the United States Army during World War II (17th Armored Engineer Battalion). Correspondence was sent from Africa, Belgium, France, and Germany and dates from 1942 to 1945. Topics of his letters include daily military life, conditions relating to Jews, and family issues and events.
Ginsberg, Noah, 1918-1987 (Person)
There are no restrictions on accessing material in this collection.
Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
Noah Ginsberg was born in Savannah, Georgia, on July 28, 1918 to Abram/Abraham and Mamie Ginsberg. He lived in Savannah until joining the Army, where he served in North Africa and Europe during World War II, including seeing action in the Battle of the Bulge. After his war service, he married Lillian Rosenfeld, a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, and returned to Georgia for two years. Subsequently, he moved to Wallace, North Carolina, were he opened Market Furniture Company and lived until his death on August 2, 1987. Ginsberg is buried in Beth Israel Cemetery in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Lillian Ginsberg died in 2006 and is buried beside her husband at Beth Israel.
Letters written from U.S. Army soldier Noah Ginsberg to his family in Savannah, Georgia, during World War II.
Letters are arranged chronologically within each folder, and folders are arranged chronologically within the box.
The Noah Ginsberg Papers are part of the Savannah Jewish Archives that were transferred from the Georgia Historical Society to the Breman Museum in 2015.
Jews -- Georgia -- Savannah Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Savannah (Ga.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Savannah Jewish Archives Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
World War, 1939-1945 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
Noah Ginsberg Papers, Mss 344
Valerie J. Frey (2001), Lynette Stoudt (2005), and Lindsay Resnick (2015)
Part of the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum Repository
1440 Spring St. NW
Atlanta Georgia 30309 United States
Box #, Folder #, Mss 344, Noah Ginsberg Papers, The Cuba Family Archives for Southern Jewish History, The William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum, 1440 Spring Street NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30309.
Box #, Folder #, Mss 344, Noah Ginsberg Papers, The Cuba Family Archives for Southern Jewish History, The William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum, 1440 Spring Street NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30309. https://archivesspace.thebreman.org/repositories/2/resources/187 Accessed January 16, 2021.
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Snapshots by Gloria Freeland - Jan. 23, 2003
Dad's diaries
A couple of weeks ago - when the temperature was 70+ and before we got our first real snow of the season - I watered the shrubs and rosebushes that were planted in October at my parents' home. I set aside an entire afternoon for the task so that I could give each plant a good soaking.
It was the kind of day when Dad would have insisted on sitting on the front porch to get some fresh air. But the last few weeks of his life he didn't have the strength to get outside much. Hand-holding became a big part of our connection during those days. I'd walk into the folks' house, say "Hi, kids," and go over to kiss Dad on the forehead and hold his hands.
"I love you," I'd say.
"I love you, too," he'd respond.
But this day I was the one on the front porch sitting, soaking up some sun - so rich-feeling in the dead of winter - and monitoring the progress of the watering.
I got out Dad's diaries to help pass the time and, more than anything, to feel close to Dad again. Dad religiously wrote in his diaries every day for as long as I can remember. He kept the last 20 years' worth in the bottom two drawers of the desk that had been his father's.
Dad didn't delve into anything deep in his diaries. Mostly, they were filled with the little things that seem to fill up the conversation of ordinary days - the high and low temperatures, the inches of rain or snow that fell, who called, where he and Mom went shopping, what they watched on TV, who came to visit, how many bushels of wheat they harvested.
On his brother's birthday in 1981, he wrote: "Tuesday. -14 low, 6 high. Stan's 58th birthday. Strong winds and blowing snow most of day until late p.m. 3-4 inches of snow. Not much drifting. A dirty snow. Took Edla to school. School dismissed at 11:00 a.m. Called Stans and Gaila in eve."
Even the entries on "red-letter" days such as my sister's wedding were matter-of-fact accounts:
June 22, 1985: "Saturday. 86. Fair. Gaila and Humberto's Wedding Day. We all got up early. Got chairs and tables from community bldg. and church to set up in yard in a.m. Women prepared food and drink for wedding in a.m. Muriel W. fixed flowers on arch at 2. Got everything ready to go. Wedding began at 4:00 p.m. Had it videotaped and photographed. Took a lot of pictures. It was a beautiful wedding."
On Feb. 17, 1986, two weeks after Jerome's death, Dad wrote: "Monday. 30, 60. Fair. Edla didn't go to school. We got up early and Edla went with Gloria to Manhattan. They got there towards late a.m. Gloria went to work. She is so sad about losing Jerome. Swept out car in a.m. and puttered. Watched Christmas tape again. It is so unbelievable that Jerome is gone. Washed car and puttered in p.m."
The May 11, 1997 entry was typical of a routine day: "Sunday. 40, 70. Pt. cloudy. We got up fairly early. We went up to Gloria's. Met Gloria, Mariya, Katie and Rita J at Chinese restaurant in Westloop. We all went out to Keats to Gloria's."
The only gaps in Dad's diaries that I noticed were when he and Mom were hospitalized with pneumonia in February 1998. There also were gaps in the fall of 2001. His last entry was in November of that year.
The night after reading Dad's diaries, I had a dream. He and Mom were back on the farm. Dad was on the couch, so I reached over and grabbed his hands and told him I loved him.
"I love you, too," he responded.
Dad recorded big and little events in his diaries through the years.
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By: FreeBSD Latest Version: FreeBSD 12.2
FreeBSD is an advanced computer operating system used to power modern servers, desktops, and embedded platforms. Its advanced networking, security, and storage features have made FreeBSD the platform of choice for many of the busiest web sites and most pervasive networking and storage devices.
FreeBSD is an operating system used to power servers, desktops, and embedded systems. Derived from BSD, the version of UNIX developed at the University of California, Berkeley, FreeBSD has been continually developed by a large community for more than 30 years.
FreeBSD's networking, security, storage, and monitoring features, including the pf firewall, the Capsicum and CloudABI capability frameworks, the ZFS filesystem, and the DTrace dynamic tracing framework, make FreeBSD the platform of choice for many of the busiest web sites and most pervasive embedded networking and storage systems.
FreeBSD 12.2
Linux/Unix, FreeBSD 12.2-RELEASE
FreeBSD provides access to over 33,000 third-party applications via the ports tree and binary packages.
FreeBSD's widely-recognized stability and reliability and lengthy support for stable branches makes it ideal for building long-lived services.
Between Capsicum, Jails, CloudABI, and support for multiple firewalls, FreeBSD provides an unsurpassed security feature set.
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Shop Contemporary Art// Shop Studio Art
Home » Store » Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby Set of 3 Storyboards from The Flintstones Signed by Hanna Barbera Artist Bob Singer Set #5
Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby Set of 3 Storyboards from The Flintstones Signed by Hanna Barbera Artist Bob Singer Set #5
Bob Singer Original and Limited Edition Art
Flintstones, The Original and Limited Edition Art (1960~1993)
Artwork Dimensions
8 1/2 x 11 inches
Barney Rubble Original and Limited Edition Art, Betty Rubble Original and Limited Edition Art, Fred Flintstone Original and Limited Edition Art, Wilma Flintstone Original and Limited Edition Art
Original Production Drawing, Studio Art
Shipping Framing
This Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby Set of 3 Storyboards from The Flintstones by Hanna Barbera Artist Bob Singer features The Flintstones and Rubbles arriving in Hollyrock.
Hollyrock-a-bye Baby has all your favorite Flintstones characters and great stone-age versions of La-La Land!
Signed by Hanna Barbera artist Bob Singer.
Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby is a 1993 American animated made-for-television film based on the 1960s series classic, The Flintstones. It first aired on ABC on December 5, 1993. It is the sequel to I Yabba-Dabba Do! and is followed by A Flintstone Family Christmas, which aired less than two weeks later on the same channel. The movie has been re-aired on Cartoon Network and Boomerang usually as part of Mother's Day special programming. There are lots of great voice actors that star in this film, including Jean Vander Pyl as Wilma, Russi Taylor as Baby Pebbles, Mark Hamill as Slick, and Rachel Welch as Shelly Millstone. It also features vocal greats Ruth Buzzi and Megan Mullally!
Bob Singer (born 1928) is an American animation artist, character designer, layout and background artist and storyboard director of animated television programs, most memorably of several Hanna Barbara productions such as Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Jonny Quest, Yogi Bear, Droopy, Tom and Jerry, The Smurfs, and The Superfriends cartoons. Bob was born in Santa Barbara and raised in Santa Paula. He attended the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles and then worked at Carson/Roberts Advertising until 1956. It was then he entered the fledgling Los Angeles television animation industry. During his tenure there, he worked for such companies as Marvel, Hanna Barbara, U.P.A. Pictures, Shamus Culhane and Warner Bros.
At Hanna Barbera, he was the founding creator of their character design department, layout department head, and later became art director of publicity. He also served as a guest lecturer at the University of Southern California, and several local high schools. The Singer/Bandy Group was established in 1988, and for two years he designed coloring books, cassette covers, greeting cards, plush dolls, picture puzzles and illustrated children's books. Bob returned to Hanna Barbara in 1990 as a storyboard director and animation cel art designer.
Bob is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and has been for over forty five years. He currently enjoys creating animation artwork for galleries and collectors, and designing limited edition prints for Clampett Studio Collections. His personal appearances, lecturing and teaching about storyboarding and animation practices have been well received throughout the continental U.S., Hawaii, England, and Australia. The children's literature Studio Group "Studio 5" holds Bob Singer as their most senior member, and most valuable information and experience source.
He authored the animation storyboard book "How to Draw Animation Storyboards" in 1992.
Check out Bob Singer at the Artinsights' San Diego Comic Con 2013 panel "Legendary Animators of the Classic 60s", moderated by Leslie Combemale, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSa8oJ5LuTU
Tags: animation art, barney rubble, betty rubble, bob singer, Flintstones original art, fred flintstone, hanna-barbera, Hollyrock-a-bye Baby, Hollywood, original storyboard, wilma flintstone
Wilma and Fred Flintstone Layout by Hanna Barbera Artist Bob Singer
$850.00 More DetailsAdd to cart
Top Cat and Officer Dibble Original by Hanna Barbera Artist Bob Singer
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Continental US. shipping is free for unframed art over $250.
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