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Exploration Park to Host Space Technology and Commerce
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
NASA's Kennedy Space Center announced Thursday its plan to seek private-sector partners to develop a space technology and commerce park to be named "Exploration Park at John F. Kennedy Space Center."
The park is expected to attract tenants engaged in space technology, space commerce, space education and otherwise involved in promoting and implementing the Vision for Space Exploration. Exploration Park will be located along Space Commerce Way, behind the KSC Visitor Complex.
"Exploration Park will be a site where the private sector brings both traditional and non-traditional work to Kennedy Space Center in support of both our NASA programs and commercial space initiatives that find value in locating their operations here," said KSC Director Jim Kennedy.
KSC expects to formally solicit development proposals soon. "This concept offers a front door at Kennedy Space Center for organizations that expect to be involved in NASA's exploration activities, or for commercial ventures that seek to support the vision and develop low earth orbit," said Spaceport Development Manager Jim Ball. "It's also an ideal site for support services and other uses that require close proximity to KSC facilities and personnel."
For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
- end -
text-only version of this release
To receive status reports and news releases issued from the Kennedy Space Center Newsroom electronically, send a blank e-mail message to email@example.com. To unsubscribe, send a blank e-mail message to firstname.lastname@example.org. The system will confirm your request via e-mail. | Exploration Park to Host Space Technology and Commerce
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
NASA's Kennedy Space Center announced Thursday its plan to seek private-sector partners to develop a space technology and commerce park to be named "Exploration Park at John F. Kennedy Space Center."
The park is expected to attract tenants engaged in space technology, space commerce, space education and otherwise inv | {
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History in Slow Motion
For more than 40 years, the twin crawler-transporters at NASA's Kennedy Space Center have traveled the gravel track between the massive Vehicle Assembly Building and the two launch pads at Launch Complex 39. These mammoth beasts carried all the Apollo Saturn V rockets, and later each space shuttle, on the last Earth-bound leg of their journeys to space.
On Oct. 19, 2009, a new chapter in the crawler history was written as the first test rocket of the Constellation Program -- the Ares I-X -- was transported slowly along that same gravel track.
The towering 327-foot-tall launch vehicle, bolted to its mobile launcher platform, road majestically into the spotlight atop one of the crawlers as it exited the huge building where the rocket was assembled. The combined weight of the Ares I-X, mobile launcher platform and the crawler itself was a whopping 16 million pounds. Moving at less than 1 mph, the crawler safely delivered its precious cargo to the launch pad, just as it had so many times throughout the years.
The technology used to build the huge, reliable crawlers capable of such Herculean tasks was deeply rooted in the coal fields of Ohio. There, mammoth machines were used to excavate and extract the precious coal veins running through that part of the country.
But it's doubtful that the crawlers' designers from the Marion Power Shovel Company could have ever imagined their creation would still be moving launch vehicles in the 21st century as yet another generation of rockets prepare to take flight.
Phil Koehring, son of the crawlers' engineering designer, said upon the vehicle's 40th anniversary, "This was a machine that was built to last. There were a lot of naysayers about this program in the early days, and all I can say is, 'We've shown them!'"
You can learn more about the history of the crawler
, what it takes to drive the mammoth vehicle
, and follow the Ares I-X flight test
Cheryl L. Mansfield
NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center | History in Slow Motion
For more than 40 years, the twin crawler-transporters at NASA's Kennedy Space Center have traveled the gravel track between the massive Vehicle Assembly Building and the two launch pads at Launch Complex 39. These mammoth beasts carried all the Apollo Saturn V rockets, and later each space shuttle, on the last Earth-bound leg of their journeys to space.
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Hubble Opens New Eyes on the Universe
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is back in business, ready to uncover new worlds, peer ever deeper into space, and even map the invisible backbone of the universe.
The first snapshots from the refurbished Hubble showcase the 19-year-old telescope's new vision. Topping the list of exciting new views are colorful multi-wavelength pictures of far- flung galaxies, a densely packed star cluster, an eerie "pillar of creation," and a "butterfly"
With the release of these images, astronomers have declared Hubble a fully rejuvenated observatory. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md., unveiled the images at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 9, 2009.
With its new imaging camera, Hubble can view galaxies, star clusters, and other objects across a wide swath of the electromagnetic spectrum, from ultraviolet to near-infrared light. A new spectrograph slices across billions of light-years to map the filamentary structure of the universe and trace the distribution of elements that are fundamental to life.
The telescope's new instruments also are more sensitive to light and can observe in ways that are significantly more efficient and require less observing time than previous generations of Hubble instruments.
NASA astronauts installed the new instruments during the space shuttle servicing mission in May 2009. Besides adding the instruments, the astronauts also completed a dizzying list of other chores that included performing unprecedented repairs on two other science instruments.
Now that Hubble has reopened for business, it will tackle a whole range of observations. Looking closer to Earth, such observations will include taking a census of the population of Kuiper Belt objects residing at the fringe of our solar system, witnessing the birth of planets around other stars, and probing the composition and structure of the atmospheres of other worlds.
Peering much farther away, astronomers have ambitious plans to use Hubble to make the deepest-ever portrait of the universe in near-infrared light. The resulting picture may reveal never-before-seen infant galaxies that existed when the universe was less than 500 million years old. Hubble also is now significantly more well-equipped to probe and further characterize the behavior of dark energy, a mysterious and little-understood repulsive force that is pushing the universe apart at an ever-faster rate.
> Gallery of all images
> Read the NASA press release
Space Telescope Science Institute | Hubble Opens New Eyes on the Universe
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is back in business, ready to uncover new worlds, peer ever deeper into space, and even map the invisible backbone of the universe.
The first snapshots from the refurbished Hubble showcase the 19-year-old telescope's new vision. Topping the list of exciting new views are colorful multi-wavelength pictures of far- flung galaxies, a | {
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A CONVERSATION WITH WILLIAM H. GERDTS
SCHOLAR, CURATOR, AND COLLECTOR WILLIAM H. GERDTS is the author of over twenty-five books on American art. An expert in American Impressionism, he is also well known for his work on nineteenth-century American still-life painting, of which he is a distinguished collector as well. He is also a bibliophile. An expert recently looked over his personal library of illustrative books on painting, sculpture, and graphic art, and called it the greatest American art library in the world.
PART ONE: THE COLLECTOR AS A YOUNG MAN
BRUCE COLE: Where did you grow up and how did you first become interested in art?
WILLAM H. GERDTS: I was born in Jersey City. After my first nine years in Jersey City, my parents moved to Jackson Heights, Queens, and I went to Public School 69. It was the first public school in the city of New York to give both French and typing.
My French teacher was Miss Maloney, which is one reason my French has an Irish lilt to it. Miss Maloney used to rap the knuckles of all the students. A good teacher though.
Then I went to Newtown High School—a public school—and I took French. And then I went to Amherst College, and you had to take a foreign language, so I took French. And they said, “What French are you going to take?” And I said, “Intermediate.” And they said, “No, we’re going to put you into Advanced.”
Strangely enough, the man who taught it was named Reginald French. We read French writers like Lamartine, and we looked at French paintings like the Impressionists’, and when I came home to New York about once a month, I would go to the museums.
Cole: Did you have any art in your home?
Gerdts: No. If it had not been for Reginald French, I might not have become interested.
I wanted to go to Harvard Law School. And I knew you had to have very good grades to get in. In my first five semesters at Amherst, I took easy courses and I got good grades. So, I thought, in my last three semesters, I could take courses that were more challenging.
Amherst has a very, very fine collection of American paintings that were left to them by the Pratt brothers of Standard Oil. Herbert Pratt collected American paintings up to the Civil War, and George from the Civil War through Bellows and the Ashcan School.
Charlie Morgan ran the department more or less single-handedly, and ran the art museum, which is now the Mead Art Museum. He was a classicist. But he gave a course in American art because he had the collection, and he felt he ought to teach with it. I took the course, and I loved it. So that’s what got me into American art.
Cole: Why did you love the course?
Gerdts: I thought the pictures were beautiful and varied, and because they were there. I was living with them.
It was a summer course. And I took it in order not to go home. Taking it meant that I would graduate in February, but law school wasn’t going to begin until September. I had to do something with the next several months.
Now, I liked Amherst, and it’s very attractive there and all. So I went around and asked for a job. The art department was the only place that had a full-time job, because they were moving into the new Mead Art Museum.
And they gave me the job of re-cataloging the collection. Which sounds like it’s sort of nothing, and it sort of was. They just sat me in the back room of this building where they kept all the furniture and all the paintings and everything, waiting for the Mead to open.
But I could do cataloging. Because I had taken typing in high school. And I really got to love what I was doing.
I remember there was a shaving cabinet, an eighteenth century shaving cabinet with one drawer. The drawer was locked, and there was no key. I picked it up and shook it. And there was something in it.
So, in true conservation fashion, I got a screwdriver out and pried open the drawer and probably destroyed it. But inside was a miniature by James Peale. I brought it to the director. And what did he care about the shaving cabinet? He had a James Peale miniature.
Well, things like that happened. So that really got me into American art.
Cole: You were actually sitting in a room where there was real art and you were trying to figure out for yourself, through cataloging, what it was.
Gerdts: Yes. And, I guess, I must’ve felt that I had some kind of a visual sense. A visual sense to which art appealed and with which I felt I could make judgments. I think there are an awful lot of art historians who don’t have an eye. You know, like being tone deaf, I think you can be eye deaf.
Cole: What does it mean to have an eye?
Gerdts: It’s the ability to see quality in works of art that might not ordinarily appeal to even the average art historian. It has to do with being able to recognize the hand of an artist, even when they’re not at their most typical.
It means being able to enjoy the richness, the color, the forms, to get an idea of what the artist was thinking when the artist did the picture. Why the artist put the line there, rather than here. And this color there, rather than that color there.
Cole: You went to law school?
Gerdts: I went to law school in September 1949. And classes, particularly for first-year students, are in huge auditoriums, you know, for three hundred students.
And then, down there at the end was somebody at a lectern, talking about tarts or torts. And around the rooms, these huge rooms, were these portraits of eminent jurists, and portraits of other people too, including portraits, by the way, that I had studied at Amherst.
After four days of that, I left at noontime, or whatever, and went over to the dean, the graduate dean, and said, “Listen, I’m in the law school. But I think I want to go into fine arts.”
Fortunately, the dean wasn’t there. There was an assistant dean, who was young. He thought this was very funny. He said, “Well, if the fine arts department will let you in, it’s okay with us. We’ll just transfer the funds from the law school to the graduate school.”
Everything was serendipitous, incredibly so. The dean’s office was right next to the Fogg Art Museum.
So, I just went into the next building. Mary Wadsworth, the secretary, was there. She might not have been, but she was. I said, "I’d like to see the head of the department," who was Charles Kuhn, who might not have been there, but he was.
He let me in. I explained my story. In his graduate work, one of his fellow students had been Charles Morgan, who was head of the art history department at Amherst. So, they knew each other fairly well.
He picked up the phone, called Charles Morgan. Charles Morgan might not have been there, but he was. And he said, “Charlie, I’ve got this kid sitting here, and he said he took these courses from you. And that he worked for you for seven months in the museum. And he wants to come into our program. Should I let him in?”
Charles Morgan said, “Yes. He did that. And yes, let him in.” And so Prof. Kuhn said to me, “You’re in.”
And then I called home. Mother flew to Boston, and she didn’t use an airplane.
Cole: And then what?
Gerdts: My interest was American art. But at Harvard they gave practically no American art courses.
It’s quite different now, of course. But the only American art I ever saw was in a back corridor, which was lined with some American pictures.
There was a wonderful teacher there named Ben Rowland. Ben’s field was Asian art, southern Asian art—India and Southeast Asia. And his second field was Trecento, Italian. He was also a professional watercolorist. We have one of his paintings at home. He showed it at Doll and Richards Gallery in Boston.
The powers that be at Harvard called Ben in and said, “We need somebody to teach an occasional—and very occasional—American art course. You’re an American artist, therefore, you teach the course.” So he taught this course. I never took it. Because it was the same as the one I had already had with Charlie Morgan at Amherst. Instead, I was his assistant. I was a TA for him. But I pursued American art by taking tutorials with Ben.
PART TWO: AMERICAN ART AND SCHOLARSHIP
Cole: During this period when all the American art at Harvard was in some back corridor, when no one was teaching American art, what was the state of American art history?
Gerdts: In 1948, when I was studying under Charlie Morgan, I’ll bet you couldn’t have found twelve other courses in American art being given in the United States.
Cole: Was this because American art was seen as kind of a stepchild of the great European tradition?
Gerdts: More than this: a stepchild, imitative, and a rather poor reflection thereof. When my wife—who’s ten years younger than I—was an undergraduate, she wanted to do an honors thesis on John Singer Sargent’s watercolors. The professor told her Sargent wasn’t worth working on.
Cole: But there’s no doubt that American art is now deemed worthy of study. Because, all of a sudden, we’re no longer ashamed of our art. We no longer see it as derivative. And we start to celebrate our art. How did that all come about?
Gerdts: Obviously, there’s no single cause. But one of the major issues was the formation of the M. and M. Karolik Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Maxim Karolik was a Russian opera singer who came over to this country in 1922 and married a very wealthy Bostonian lady of a very high family, and then had lots and lots of money. And it was a very good marriage, strangely enough.
And they built up various collections. There was a collection of American decorative arts. There was eventually a collection of American drawings, watercolors, etc. But the collection that’s best known is the collection of American paintings, particularly from about 1825 to 1875.
There were art historians before the Karolik show. One of the greatest in our field, Lloyd Goodrich, had become interested in Winslow Homer as early as 1924.
This is obviously an oversimplification. But there were two triumvirates. There was Eakins, Homer, and Ryder; and there was Whistler, Sargent, and Cassatt.
But, of course, Eakins, Homer, and Ryder were better artists, because they stayed home. While Cassatt, Sargent, and Whistler expatriated.
But they were all—the six of them were recognized as American artists who transcended the usual second-rateness of American art. George Inness might be thrown in as a seventh. But that would be it.
Cole: Did Karolik collect American art because he didn’t have the prejudice that a lot of Americans had towards American art?
Gerdts: I think so. I think he got into Boston society and started looking around at Boston art. And not just Boston art. But a lot of it is was New England art.
And, mind you, he had a lot of money. But I know he was buying these pictures—$200, $300—pictures that, if he was still alive, might go for a million dollars now.
Cole: The good old days.
Gerdts: I got into collecting in the 1950s. The man I had lunch with today, he’s sort of the last surviving member of a group of collectors. He didn’t have a lot of money. “In 1948, when I was studying under Charlie Morgan, I’ll bet you couldn’t have found twelve other courses in American art being given in the United States.” We used to go to a shop on Third Avenue, run by a man named George Guerry, and we’d go there about once a week. He didn’t have pictures on his walls. There would be a stack of pictures, ten here, ten here, ten here, and we would—this wasn’t exactly a plan—we would all find ourselves there on Saturdays, passing through these, and buying pictures at $35, $50, and whatnot.
We were all friends. And we were all collecting nineteenth-century American paintings. Then around 1960, the market really started to hit the big time, and it started primarily because of Dan and Rita Fraad, and Ray and Margaret Horowitz.
Dan was a businessman, actually in the cleaning business. I mean he cleaned out airplanes and other big stuff. Ray was his lawyer.
And it was something like, Dan said to Margaret, who was beginning to collect paintings, you know, I’d like to buy Ray a picture. Here’s some money. Would you pick something?
And she did. The Horowitzes concentrated on American Impressionist paintings. That helped put the American Impressionist market on the map.
Then other collectors started to emulate them. And the prices started soaring from a thousand dollars, maybe, for a Twachtman to a million dollars for a Twachtman, in a very short period of time.
With this growth of interest among the collectors who were also, of course, benefactors to institutions, the institutions started doing exhibitions of American art.
And because the institutions were doing exhibitions of American art, the schools began to have a lot more courses in American art, in part to train students to become museum people. It was a snowball.
Cole: The change was collector-driven.
Gerdts: Collector-driven. And dealer-driven. It all started with portrait shows in the 1880s. They continued in the ’90s. There would be a portrait show every year. Portraits of beautiful women, portraits of lovely children, often to benefit orthopedic hospitals or something like that, you know, that kind of thing. And it stayed portraiture well into the early years of the twentieth century.
Finally, there was a big show in 1945, shared by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Whitney Museum, which was on the Hudson River School. Actually, it was a very funny show, because it wasn’t on the Hudson River School. It was on all of nineteenth-century American landscape.
The Fogg Art Museum, for some reason, sometime in the 1930s, did a small show on American genre painting.
There were these isolated examples. But the Karolik Collection was a huge collection. The opening of it at the Boston Museum was a tremendous opening.
John I. H. Baur, one of the great scholars in our field, he and Lloyd Goodrich were very close. Lloyd was director of the Whitney Museum, John was assistant director, but he had been the curator at the Brooklyn Museum and did some wonderfully innovative shows there in the 1940s.
John Baur wrote the catalog for the Karolik Collection. And it was three or four inches thick. I’m sure it was the biggest book that had to do with American art at the time. And that came out in the late ’40s. For all my collectors in the ’50s, that was their prime book. Because there wasn’t much else. There were a few other survey books, surveys for American art.
Cole: What was it in our culture that allowed us to become not only interested but proud of American art?
Gerdts: What led Americans to value their own art? One could be very crass about it and say that when Americans could no longer afford the Monets and the Cézannes, then they started buying the Childe Hassams. Money was one factor.
But there is also an element of national pride. I’ve never even thought about this before, but as American-born Abstract Expressionism became the dominant contemporary art form, it may have led historians and collectors to look back and say, “Well, hey, maybe we weren’t so bad in the olden days.” Because the two happen at the same time, you know.
Cole: Is there a one-volume history of American art that you can recommend to our readers?
Gerdts: Well, there are many of them now. And different people have different favorites. Milton Brown wrote a book on American painting, but then the publisher had him reduce that book in size, and add photography, decorative arts, architecture, sculpture, and whatnot. And I think that book [American Art] is pretty good.
There is a woman named Frances Pohl, who, in the interests of political correctness, has written a book [Framing America] which totally distorts both the developing of the arts in this country and denigrates its most significant figures, in order to deal almost totally with gender, racial, social, political, and economic issues, but seldom artistic ones. Thus, America’s most celebrated neoclassic sculptor, Hiram Powers, is reduced to one reproduced image, while the very minor, and far less talented Edmonia Lewis (but half Native American, half African American) has three images on view. Washington Allston, our first and most original painter of historical, grand-manner painting, internationally celebrated in his time, is reduced to one reproduction, this of an attractive but minor landscape. His most celebrated picture, Belshazzar’s Feast, is not even mentioned. Winslow Homer, unarguably our finest and most original painter of the sea—works that many scholars here and abroad consider America’s greatest pictures—is represented by three early works. But none of his finest and most original pictures are illustrated or discussed since they cannot sustain the preordained ideological issues the author has imposed upon her so-called history of American art. But this book is used in a lot of courses now.
Cole: So what’s the state of scholarship on American art today?
Gerdts: Well, I really don’t like art history anymore. Because I find that most art history that I read falls—this is obviously a generalization—into two categories. Either it’s repetition of what has been said over and over, but it’s for a different catalog or a different essay, or whatnot. And that’s boring.
Or it goes so far out of its way to try to reinterpret art history, usually in the most bizarre manner. This is really Jules Prown’s fault, although I think he started out very well, with great intentions, with his wanting to define American art within material culture and its political ramifications, and whatnot.
Cole: How might the works of someone like Winslow Homer be related to what’s happening in American art scholarship today?
Gerdts: Oh, well, you see now what’s happened with Homer is that instead of expounding upon his tremendous achievements, the latest articles on Homer have to do with, Who was that girl I saw you with last night? They have to do with this model that appears in a number of his pictures. Was she his real girlfriend or not? Was that Helena de Kay that he was in love with? Or was it the school teacher he wrote about in one of his letters? Or, possibly, was he homosexual and did he dress up men as women? I mean, What the hell has that got to do with what he achieved?
You know, we pointed out that this sudden—not sudden, but fairly sudden—explosion of interest in American art was as much collector- and dealer-driven as it was academic-driven.
There is now a tremendous gap. I mean, the collectors and the dealers have absolutely no interest in what the art historians are bulls—ing about.
Cole: One more thing about Homer before we move on, if you don’t mind. It seems to me that Homer is a quintessential American artist. But what is it that makes him so American? Or, put another way, what is American about American art?
Gerdts: Obviously there are certain things that are very American, like pictures of the Rocky Mountains, pictures that do not look like the Swiss Alps.
Once upon a time, I was called into a gallery to look at a picture—a picture by Bierstadt of Mount Hood, a big vertical picture, rather close up. And I was asked what do I think of that picture. I said, “Well, it’s a very nice picture. And, nice Bierstadt.
“But I really wonder if it’s Mount Hood,” because there’s a little path going around the edge of it. And there’s this lady, in a peasant costume, with her laundry on her head—that kind of thing. And that didn’t seem awfully American Indian to me. The next time I saw that picture at the same gallery, the picture was still there. But they had obviously put a very heavy coat of varnish over it. So, you didn’t see it nearly as well.
Cole: What about Americans and nature?
Gerdts: Americans were, particularly in the early and middle years of the nineteenth century, very interested in nature, because they didn’t have any history. So, relatively speaking, nature was the big subject. The Hudson River School and even after.
Cole: Well, I know you’re very interested in regional art.
Gerdts: There has been a tremendous renewed interest in regional art. Part of it, again, but only part, has to do with the finances. Because if you can’t buy a Hassam now because they’re in the millions, possibly you could buy a Connecticut Impressionist painting for only a hundred thousand dollars.
But what I find fascinating—and I have no explanation for it, so don’t ask—is the lack of consistency in the interest in regional art.
I mean, Californians are incredibly fascinated by California. There must be two hundred galleries in California that deal with nothing but California art. Indiana is very interested in Indiana art. Illinois is not interested in Illinois art.
Cole: Go figure, right?
Gerdts: The other aspect I wanted to emphasize, though, is an area where I am more and more interested: the interrelationship of American and European art. For instance, the essay I’m most proud of having written in recent years was one that was in that Sargent in Venice catalog, which was not on Sargent, but was on the artistic milieu in Venice at the time of Sargent.
Actually, what I got most interested in, and I’m not kidding about any of this or exaggerating, are the Venetian paintings of the late nineteenth century, which are magnificent. There was a real renaissance, hardly Titian or Tieopolo, but a real renaissance.
And it’s totally unknown in this country.
PART THREE: ART AS PROPERTY
Cole: When did you start to collect art?
Gerdts: The earliest picture in my collection I acquired in 1950. It was a still life, which is mostly what I collect. But then I didn’t collect another until 1956.
I was at the Newark Museum. There’s a little shop in Newark that I used to spend a lot of time in, a frame shop, occasionally it had shows. And I used to spend a lot of my lunch hours there.
I went in there once, and they had a little still life. I didn’t know who did it, although I think I do now. It was $35, and I bought it.
The next week I came in, and they had four pictures by a better known artist. In fact, at least one of them went to the Newark Museum, a big Cropsey landscape.
But they had a pair of still lifes by David Johnson, who was a pretty well-known landscape painter, and didn’t do still lifes. There were only about half a dozen still lifes known by him. But two of them were there. And I said, “How much are they?” And they said, “A hundred dollars.” And I said, “I don’t have a hundred dollars.” They said, “Well, we’ll sell you one for fifty.” And I said, “Well, I really can’t pay fifty.” I worked for a museum. I said, “But last week you sold me one for $35.” They said, “Okay. You can have one of them for $35, and we’ll charge $65 for the other one.”
Interestingly, my associate director for the museum bought the other one. It is now on the market for about $250,000.
Cole: So you’ve been collecting ever since?
Gerdts: It was when I bought that second picture, the David Johnson, that I knew I was hooked. The first time, maybe not.
My first wife, a lovely woman, used to complain occasionally that I was taking food out of the mouth of our son.
Cole: Was that true?
Gerdts: Yes. Well, you can’t win them all.
Cole: Can a person who is not wealthy still collect American art?
Gerdts: Of a certain type, and provided you don’t have to fill in gaps which are going to be just way over the top for you.
Cole: Do you collect systematically?
Gerdts: We collect American still-life paintings of the 1850s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, post-Peale, pre-Harnett, because I love them. I mean, I love the look of them. I love the way they are crafted. I like how they differ one from another. How I can tell the style of William Mason Brown from George Hall, and all that sort of thing.
But there is a financial element there. I never could’ve afforded the Peales to begin with. I never could’ve afforded the Harnetts at the other end. But I could afford what went in between.
Cole: What were people doing with those still lifes in those days? And where were they putting them?
Gerdts: In dining rooms.
Cole: Did many houses have them?
Gerdts: Oh yes. Now, the other side of this is that still-life painting was looked upon as the least original form of art, because it was seen as only imitative.
Cole: Yes. And just decoration too, right?
Gerdts: Decoration and imitation. In other words, the artist sets up three peaches and a lemon, and then he paints three peaches and a lemon.
I understand that. And I appreciate it. But I see it differently, because obviously I see that the way that Brown painted three peaches and a lemon is different from the way Hall painted three peaches and a lemon. So, it’s not the same thing. It’s not just a photograph of three peaches and a lemon.
Cole: And you like pears too, right?
Gerdts: Oh, I’m a pear freak. Yes. Pears in all forms, including to eat.
Cole: How were these still lifes received in their day?
Gerdts: It became a big thing in America with Harnett. And it became a big thing not because of his showing them in exhibitions so much. He did a little showing, but in more popular venues like state fairs or barrooms.
Cole: Was that because they were so realistic?
Cole: That’s what people really loved about them, right?
Gerdts: Yes, yes.
Cole: They fooled the eye.
Gerdts: Yes. For the fool-the-eye.
Gerdts: There’s an element of fool-the-eye in practically all nature representational painting. Our kind of still life has relatively little.
Cole: And who was painting these still lifes? Were they still-life specialists?
Gerdts: We have about 250 works of art, but that includes drawings and prints and things like that. Let’s say we have a 100 or 110 still lifes. The majority of them were painted by still-life specialists, but I have a couple of subcategories, one of which is still lifes by artists who didn’t paint them, like the David Johnson.
Gerdts: Sanford Gifford, who was a very prolific landscape painter, only painted one fruit still life. And I’ve got it. And that’s sort of fun to have.
Cole: It’s unique.
Cole: Nobody was collecting still lifes when you started, right?
Gerdts: No. And there were no still-life collectors in the nineteenth century.
Cole: So, what have you learned from buying that you don’t learn by looking at art in a book or by going to an exhibition?
Gerdts: Well, first of all, it has trained me not only to see the difference between a Brown and Hall, but between any two of the artists that are represented. Or to see that an artist in their early years might be different from their later years. And to see how they got from one to the other. I’ve learned to love these pictures with a passion. And they are minor pictures. I say minor pictures because there used to be a hierarchy, a thematic hierarchy that lasted for two or three hundred years, where history painting was at the top and still life was at the bottom. And I like the perversity of liking the bottom.
Cole: “An ill-favoured thing, sir, but mine own.”
Gerdts: Yes, exactly. It’s not that I don’t like history painting. I think Washington Crossing the Delaware is a great picture. But in one sense, it’s no greater than my three pears and an apple by Hall.
Cole: That wouldn’t fit into your apartment anyway. Or would it?
Gerdts: No, unless we had a bigger couch.
Cole: Do you have plans for your collection?
Gerdts: It is going to the National Gallery.
Gerdts: It was going to go to Amherst College. That’s where I got my degree, and then they gave me an honorary degree, and all that. They were going to enlarge the art building, but they never did it. And it’s not just pique that they didn’t do it.
We were up there after they had a big capital campaign. They did all sorts of things to all sorts of buildings, and practically nothing to the art museum except to install good climate control, which actually ate up a little bit of the space. And we were taken through the museum with the then curator, a friend of ours. The building wasn’t quite open, but it was beyond hard hats.
So we went in through the loading dock entrance. And we’re in this huge, huge room. And she says, “This is where the storage is.” I thought that was very impressive, until we got half way through the room and she says, “Well, that’s painting storage and the rest is decorative art storage.”
And then we said to the curator, “Well, if you get our paintings, what are you going to do with them?” I don’t mean hang them, exhibit them. “Where are you going to store them?” And she said, “Well, it’s the best we can do.”
Shortly thereafter, Nick Cikovsky, then curator of American art at the National Gallery, was visiting us. He looked at all the pictures very carefully. And said, “So, what are you going to do with them? ” I said, “Well, we were going to give them to Amherst, but not now." He said, “Well, what about the National Gallery? ” And I said, “Are you kidding? ” I mean, the Ganz Collection, the Horowitz Collection, the Gerdts Collection! I don’t think so. He said, “No, I’m serious. ” He said, “We would be very interested.”
He and Frank Kelly came up several times. And they don’t take whole collections. They made their selection from our collection. And, then, they added to it, as we’ve added some things to it.
So the best of our collection will go to the National Gallery collection. The rest will be sold to create an acquisition fund for the National Gallery.
And the National Gallery is the only museum I know of that puts in their annual financial statement, “We do not deaccession.”
Cole: Thanks. This has been fascinating. | A CONVERSATION WITH WILLIAM H. GERDTS
SCHOLAR, CURATOR, AND COLLECTOR WILLIAM H. GERDTS is the author of over twenty-five books on American art. An expert in American Impressionism, he is also well known for his work on nineteenth-century American still-life painting, of which he is a distinguished collector as well. He is also a bibliophile. An expert recently looked over his personal library of | {
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- What is depression?
- Signs and Symptoms of Depression
- What is a stroke?
- How are depression and stroke linked?
- How is depression treated in people who have had a stroke?
- What is vascular depression?
- For More Information on Depression
- For More Information on Stroke
How is depression treated in people who have had a stroke?
Depression is diagnosed and treated by a health care provider. Treating depression and other mental disorders may help with stroke recovery.5 After a stroke, treatment with antidepressant medications or problem-solving therapy (a type of psychotherapy, or talk therapy) may prevent serious depression before it begins.5 Problem-solving therapy helps people identify problems that interfere with daily life and contribute to depressive symptoms and find ways to solve those problems.
Recovery from depression takes time but treatments are effective. At present, the most common treatments for depression include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a type of psychotherapy, or talk therapy, that helps people change negative thinking styles and behaviors that may contribute to their depression
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), a type of antidepressant medication that includes citalopram (Celexa), sertraline (Zoloft), and fluoxetine (Prozac)
- Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), a type of antidepressant medication similar to SSRI that includes venlafaxine (Effexor) and duloxetine (Cymbalta).
While currently available depression treatments are generally well tolerated and safe, talk with your health care provider about side effects, possible drug interactions, and other treatment options. For the latest information on medications, visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration websiteExternal Link: Please review our disclaimer.. Not everyone responds to treatment the same way. Medications can take several weeks to work, may need to be combined with ongoing talk therapy, or may need to be changed or adjusted to minimize side effects and achieve the best results.
More information about depression treatments can be found on the NIMH website. If you think you are depressed or know someone who is, don’t lose hope. Seek help for depression. | - What is depression?
- Signs and Symptoms of Depression
- What is a stroke?
- How are depression and stroke linked?
- How is depression treated in people who have had a stroke?
- What is vascular depression?
- For More Information on Depression
- For More Information on Stroke
How is depression treated in people who have had a stroke?
Depression is diagnosed and treated by a health care provider. | {
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Nature & Science
LBJ Library photo by Yoichi Okamoto
The natural environment and cultural heritage of the Texas Hill Country is protected and maintained through a regional network of private and public stewardship. Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park is a full partner in the research, resource preservation and technical assistance integral to sustaining public awareness of the connection between influence of place and the programs of the Johnson Administration. The park possesses a complete natural resource bibliography, a vascular plant inventory, and a vertebrate inventory. Precipitation and meteorological data collection is on-going, and the park sponsors a Remote Automated Weather Station at the LBJ Ranch for the Texas Forest Service.
Did You Know?
President Johnson flew home to his Texas ranch 74 times during his 5 years in office, living and working for 490 days—or about one-fourth of his presidency—at the Texas White House. Here he confers with Gen. William Westmoreland on May 30, 1968. Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park | Nature & Science
LBJ Library photo by Yoichi Okamoto
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|FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE|
September 10, 2012
New York City Public Hospitals and Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services to Host Medicare 101 Workshops
Free learning sessions will help senior citizens, healthcare providers, and community
members understand how to get the most out of Medicare benefits
Open enrollment is October 15 to December 7
New York, NY – The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will host free public workshops at HHC hospitals and large health centers throughout the city just in time for the Medicare open enrollment period to help senior citizens, other beneficiaries and their caregivers apply for Medicare and get the most out of their benefits.
Health Insurance Specialists from CMS will conduct 13 Medicare learning sessions at HHC hospitals and health centers in Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens before and during open enrollment October 15 to December 7. In Queens, workshops will be held at Elmhurst and Queens Hospitals.
The workshops will provide Medicare information and materials that are current, accurate and consistent for beneficiaries, healthcare professionals, including coming-of-agers (people approaching age 65, when they become eligible for Medicare), and those who want a refresher course. The sessions will also cover updates brought about by the Affordable Care Act, the healthcare reform law passed by the U.S. Congress in 2010 and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in June.
"Seniors are a significant and growing part of our patient population and we are providing this important information to assist them in making informed decisions about their healthcare," said HHC President Alan D. Aviles.
Workshop participants will learn:
- The benefits of the Medicare program and how to apply.
- The parts of Medicare: Part A: hospital insurance; Part B: medical insurance – outpatient visits, lab work, preventive services; Part C: health plans; and Part D: prescription drug coverage.
- The Medicare appeals process.
- The Medicare programs in place for people with limited income and resources.
CMS is the federal agency that provides health coverage for 100 million people through Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Medicare is a health insurance program for people age 65 or older, people younger than 65 with disabilities, and people with end stage renal disease who require dialysis or a transplant.
“These workshops are an excellent way to inform beneficiaries, caregivers, coming-of-agers, and all who serve people with Medicare,” said Norma Harris, CMS health insurance specialist. “Through education, CMS is committed to continuing the important work involved in transforming health care delivery systems and helping to ensure a healthy future for all Americans.”
Here is the schedule for the Manhattan. All workshops will be held 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.:
Thurs., Oct.11, Elmhurst Hospital Center, 79-01 Broadway RSVP: http://medicare101elmhurst.eventbrite.com
Tues., Oct.23, Queens Hospital Center, 82-68 164th Street RSVP: http://medicare101queenshospital.eventbrite.com
Participants may also RSVP by calling 212-788-3450.
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) is a $6.7 billion integrated healthcare delivery system with its own 420,000 member health plan, MetroPlus, and is the largest municipal healthcare organization in the country. HHC serves 1.4 million New Yorkers every year and more than 475,000 are uninsured. HHC provides medical, mental health and substance abuse services through its 11 acute care hospitals, four skilled nursing facilities, six large diagnostic and treatment centers and more than 70 community based clinics. HHC Health and Home Care also provides in-home services for New Yorkers. HHC was the 2008 recipient of the National Quality Forum and The Joint Commission's John M. Eisenberg Award for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/hhc. | |FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE|
September 10, 2012
New York City Public Hospitals and Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services to Host Medicare 101 Workshops
Free learning sessions will help senior citizens, healthcare providers, and community
members understand how to get the most out of Medicare benefits
Open enrollment is October 15 to December 7
New York, NY – The New York City Health and Hospitals | {
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|OSHA requirements are set by statute, standards and regulations. Our interpretation letters explain these requirements and how they apply to particular circumstances, but they cannot create additional employer obligations. This letter constitutes OSHA's interpretation of the requirements discussed. Note that our enforcement guidance may be affected by changes to OSHA rules. Also, from time to time we update our guidance in response to new information. To keep apprised of such developments, you can consult OSHA's website at http://www.osha.gov.
May 16, 2011
The Honorable Charles E. Grassley
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Grassley:
Thank you for your August 12, 2010, letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on behalf of your constituent, Mr. Alan J. Smith, regarding the use of sweep augers in grain storage bins. Mr. Smith asked for definitions of "guarded and non-guarded" sweep augers, referring to a December 24, 2009, OSHA letter of interpretation (copy enclosed). That letter of interpretation addressed an inquiry about a specific scenario involving a sweep auger, which OSHA's correspondent described as an "unguarded screw auger."
A sweep auger is a horizontal auger used to push grain remaining at the bottom of a storage bin toward the bin's discharge sump opening. It rotates around the discharge opening to "sweep" the grain toward that opening. Although the screw portion of the auger is often at least partially covered by some type of guard, the entire assembly consisting of the screw and the guard rotate around the bin. In addition, a guard cannot cover the entire screw assembly portion of a sweep auger, or the auger would not be able to function. Therefore, it is correct to describe a sweep auger as an "unguarded ... auger."
Mr. Smith's letter seeks guidance on when workers may be inside a grain storage bin while a sweep auger is operating. OSHA's grain handling standard, 29 CFR 1910.272, contains specific requirements that must be met before workers may enter most grain storage bins. This includes the requirement that "all mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, and pneumatic equipment which presents a danger" to the workers be "deenergized and ... disconnected, locked-out and tagged, blocked-off or prevented from operating by other equally effective means." 29 CFR 1910.272(g)(l)(ii) (emphasis supplied). Although Mr. Smith's letter refers to "non-automated" sweep augers, OSHA believes the vast majority of sweep augers, if not all of them, are powered by electrical or other energy covered by this standard.
There is no question that sweep augers present a danger to workers who are present while the augers are operating. Indeed, OSHA is aware of many fatalities, amputations, and other serious injuries resulting from workers entering grain storage structures to conduct maintenance or adjustments on sweep augers, even when those augers are equipped with guards. Most often, these occur when a worker's clothing, shoestring, or body parts become entangled in the rotating screw of the auger. The hazard is heightened because workers performing these operations are also susceptible to slip/trip hazards from uneven or moving grain.
Workers who enter grain storage structures to ensure that the machinery will resume moving forward have also been injured when they pushed the sweep with their feet or hands, or picked up a running auger. Other workers have been caught and injured by suddenly-starting, fast moving sweep augers operating in storage structures with near empty grain levels. In some cases, an auger may sweep the worker into the discharge sump, resulting in a grain entrapment. At least 26 workers were killed in grain entrapments last year, and the number of entrapments is increasing, according to researchers at Purdue University. There were more grain entrapments in 2010 than in any year since the researchers started collecting data on entrapments in 1978.
OSHA does not agree that its grain handling standard means that employers are unable to use sweep augers, as Mr. Smith suggests. If an employer can demonstrate that a worker in a storage structure is not exposed to hazards presented by the equipment, the standard does not require the equipment to be deenergized. For example, a worker would not be exposed to engulfment or entanglement hazards by standing on a guarded platform or catwalk that is sufficiently far away from areas where grain is being drawn from storage. See 61 Federal Register 9581, March 8, 1996 (copy enclosed).
In addition, there are alternatives to sending workers into a grain storage structure to conduct maintenance or adjustments to an energized sweep auger. For instance, an employer may choose to use a sweep auger with a higher horsepower, or use remotely operated tractors that can push a sweep auger through the grain.
Nor is a sweep auger the only means of removing grain from a mostly empty storage facility. Removal can also be accomplished through the use of a vacuum system, or workers can manually shovel and/or sweep remaining grain from a bin once the equipment is deenergized and locked out. Please keep in mind, however, that if the means of removing grain requires a worker to enter the grain storage structure, all hazards, including all engulfment hazards, must be controlled. See 29 CFR 1910.272(g)(6) and the enclosed OSHA Fact Sheet.
Additionally, if an employer has a different way of protecting workers, it may request a variance from a standard, or portion of the standard, authorized by section 6(b)(6)(A) of the OSH Act. Iowa operates its own occupational safety and health program under a plan approved and monitored by Federal OSHA and administered by the Iowa Division of Labor Services (DLS). Under this plan, Iowa's DLS promulgates and enforces, under authority of State law, occupational safety and health standards that are at least as effective as those of Federal OSHA, and is obligated to enforce its standards as effectively as Federal OSHA does. You may contact Iowa's DLS at the following address for more information about requesting a variance:
Iowa Division of Labor Services
1000 East Grand Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0209
PH: (515) 242-5870
FAX: (515) 281-7995
The Iowa OSHA office would also be able to answer any questions about the specific citation Mr. Smith's employer received.
For small businesses, OSHA's On-site Consultation Program offers free and confidential advice on health and safety solutions with priority given to high-hazard worksites, including grain handling facilities. Through this program, small and medium-sized employers can obtain free advice on addressing hazards. On-site consultation services exist in every state, and they are independent from OSHA's enforcement efforts. On-site Consultation Program consultants, employed by state agencies or universities, work with employers to identify workplace hazards, provide advice on compliance with OSHA standards, and assist in establishing safety and health management systems. More information is available at www.osha.gov or 1-800-321-6742.
We hope this response is helpful to you and your constituent. Thank you for your continued interest in occupational safety and health. If we can be of further assistance, please have your staff contact Sharon Block in the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs at (202) 693-4600.
David Michaels, PhD, MPH | |OSHA requirements are set by statute, standards and regulations. Our interpretation letters explain these requirements and how they apply to particular circumstances, but they cannot create additional employer obligations. This letter constitutes OSHA's interpretation of the requirements discussed. Note that our enforcement guidance may be affected by changes to OSHA rules. Also, from time to tim | {
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Pinal Never Received or Distributed Recalled H1N1 Vaccine
FLORENCE, AZ – Sanofi Aventis, one of several manufacturers of the H1N1 vaccine, today issued a voluntary recall of certain pediatric vaccine. Routine testing of the vaccine revealed that its potency or effectiveness had diminished and it may not be strong enough to prevent infection.
“This particular vaccine formula and dosage is not among the vaccines distributed to Pinal County or to medical care providers in Pinal County,” Tom Schryer, Pinal County Public Health Director said. “No one who received the vaccine in Pinal County received vaccine affected by the recall.”
Pinal County maintains and updates its website with all the latest information to keep you informed on Public Health and other important information. Visit and bookmark www.pinalcountyaz.gov to stay informed.
Pinal County Residents Can Now Schedule Appointments through Citizen Contact Center
FLORENCE -- Pinal County residents can now schedule appointments to receive an H1N1 immunization at their local public health clinics.
The focus group for these vaccinations continues to be those who are 24 years old and younger as well as pregnant women. However no one will be refused an H1N1 immunization unless they have a medical condition that would make it unwise to administer the vaccine.
Pinal County Public Health Services Director Tom Schryer said that in addition to the public health clinics, there are 46 other locations where residents can receive an H1N1 immunization. Those places include pharmacies, doctor’s offices and several urgent care centers.
To schedule appointments at a Pinal County Public Health Clinic, please call 520-509-3555, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm.
Private providers vary in their policies on appointment requirements but many urgent care centers are providing the vaccine on a walk in basis. Additionally providers vary on billing insurance or other charges. Pinal County Public Health clinics are providing vaccination free of charge.
For information on H1N1 vaccinations at other locations you can call 877-764-2670 or check www.fluaz.org.
For a listing of Pinal County Public Health Clinics visit:
Pinal County has an H1N1 Information Hotline with a recorded message featuring the latest H1N1 flu news. For the most recent information on vaccine availability within your area of Pinal County, please call the H1N1 Information Hotline toll free 1-888-840-8795 for English or 1-888-840-8796 for Spanish.
2009 H1N1 (referred to as “swine flu” early on) is a new influenza virus causing illness in people. This new virus was first detected in people in the United States in April 2009. This virus is spreading from person-to-person worldwide, probably in much
the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread. On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) signaled that a pandemic of 2009 H1N1 flu was underway.
Spread of 2009 H1N1 virus is thought to occur in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing by people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something
– such as a surface or object – with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.
Take these everyday steps to protect your health:
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities.
(Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.) Keep away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick.
Si usted desea mas informacion sobre H1N1 (gripe procina) por favor regrese aqui. | Pinal Never Received or Distributed Recalled H1N1 Vaccine
FLORENCE, AZ – Sanofi Aventis, one of several manufacturers of the H1N1 vaccine, today issued a voluntary recall of certain pediatric vaccine. Routine testing of the vaccine revealed that its potency or effectiveness had diminished and it may not be strong enough to prevent infection.
“This particular vaccine formula and dosage is not among | {
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Industrial Pretreatment Program
Environmental Services issues permits to industries based on their wastewater characteristics or amount of discharge. The permits require industries to monitor for pollutants of concern and to comply with reporting schedules, along with general conditions listed in the permit.
Permitted Industrial User types include:
- Significant Industrial Users (SIUs) - regulated based on process flow or treatment plant loading as defined in Code of Federal Regulations Title 40 Part 403
- Categorical Industrial Users (CIUs) - must comply with federal standards as listed in Code of Federal Regulations Title 40 Part 403
- Non-Significant Industrial Users (Non-SIUs) - regulated by local limits based on discharging pollutants of concern
- Extra Strength Sewer Charge (ESSC) Industries - monitored for their high-strength waste discharges to the treatment plant, and charged fees to recover the costs of treatment
- Batch Discharge Industries - have limited discharge amounts and are allowed to discharge their waste under managed conditions.
For a look at the City of Portland’s legal authority to implement and enforce this program refer to:
- City Code Chapter 17.34.070, Industrial Wastewater Discharges
- City Code Chapter 17.36.110, Extra-Strength Wastewater Charges
The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and the Clean Water Act have regulated water quality since the early 1970s. This federal program identifies and regulates water pollution from point sources (such as the sewage treatment plant and outfall pipes) and non-point sources (stormwater runoff from streets).
The City of Portland has NPDES permits for its two sewage treatment facilities, the Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Tryon Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. The permits require the city to manage discharges to the treatment plants. In 1982, Portland began permitting industrial users and requiring them to pretreat wastewater discharged to the sewer system.
Pretreatment reduces the amount of pollutants and neutralizes wastewater to meet discharge requirements. Types of pretreatment include pH neutralization, solids separation, metals removal and oil/water separation. Many industries have installed pretreatment systems and control mechanisms to reduce pollutants in their discharge to meet the standards.
Pretreatment Program Activities
- Permits - The city requires businesses to submit a permit application and an environmental survey, along with baseline pollutant monitoring. City permit managers use this information to develop fact sheets identifying regulation issues, discharge limits and monitoring requirements. Pretreatment staff write permits based on regulation of the wastewater characteristics and compliance with discharge standards.
- Inspections- The pretreatment staff regularly inspects all permitted industries, and sewer system users that may require permit oversight. Permit managers inspect wastewater processes, discharge points, and pretreatment equipment. In conjunction with other environmental programs, the staff performs stormwater and recycling inspections at the permitted industry, and periodically assists the field operations crew with industrial sampling.
- Permit Reporting and Administration-- Permit managers develop reporting forms and track pollutant monitoring to determine permit compliance. The Pretreatment Section submits an annual report to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to show city NPDES compliance with pretreatment regulations.
- Compliance and Enforcement-- Staff manages industrial compliance with wastewater permits and issues enforcement actions to bring industries back into compliance. The city is required to produce an annual list of industries that are in Significant Non-Compliance (SNC) with discharge standards or with the permit schedules.
- Program Development and Technical Assistance-– Permit managers work to improve business relations between the city and local industries. They work to streamline reporting and monitoring schedules, while maintaining maximum discharge requirements. The permit staff meets with industry representatives and environmental associations, and stays current on process improvements and upcoming regulations.
Permit Fees and Extra Strength Surcharges
The City of Portland has implemented cost recovery mechanisms to alleviate the burden on sewer ratepayers of maintaining the sewer system. The city charges industries annual permit fees to pay for a portion of pretreatment program administrative and sampling costs. The city determines fees for each industrial customer using a risk-based tier system.
The Industrial Extra Strength Sewer Charge (ESSC) Program targets industries that discharge high-strength wastewater to the sewer system. These industrial customers may or may not have discharge limits, but the pretreatment staff monitors them for five-day Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and for Total Suspended Solids (TSS) concentrations. Discharges exceeding 300 mg/L BOD or 350 mg/L TSS are subject to the ESSC program. The city calculates extra strength services charges using flow rates and monitoring results.
For more information, contact Industrial Pretreatment at email@example.com. | Industrial Pretreatment Program
Environmental Services issues permits to industries based on their wastewater characteristics or amount of discharge. The permits require industries to monitor for pollutants of concern and to comply with reporting schedules, along with general conditions listed in the permit.
Permitted Industrial User types include:
- Significant Industrial Users (SIUs) - regulated | {
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- Press notices
New national travel trends research published
3 December 2012
New research which shows trends of how people travel in Britain has been published today.
'On the Move: making sense of car and train travel trends in Britain', co-sponsored by the RAC Foundation, the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), the Independent Transport Commission and Transport Scotland, highlights how rail travel has increased over the past decade, fuelled by more people taking the train rather than existing passengers travelling more frequently.
ORR’s Director of Markets and Economics, Cathryn Ross, said:
“As the number of passenger journeys continues to increase - 1.5 billion passenger journeys took place last year, growing 8% from the previous year - it is vital that there is a solid understanding of the reason for rail’s growth and popularity. It is only through examining and understanding rail use that the industry can ensure it is providing what passengers, taxpayers and funders need and want.
“Huge investment has gone into the rail industry and the benefits can be seen. Hundreds of thousands of people across Britain rely on trains to get them from A to B, for business and for leisure.
“This research shows how more and more people, across ages, parts of the country, income groups and for a wide range of reasons, are opting to travel by rail. It is hugely beneficial, helping the rail industry establish the factors prompting people to choose trains and helps develop a greater understanding of rail travel and its relationship with other forms of transport.”
To view the report in full, visit: http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.11059 | - Press notices
New national travel trends research published
3 December 2012
New research which shows trends of how people travel in Britain has been published today.
'On the Move: making sense of car and train travel trends in Britain', co-sponsored by the RAC Foundation, the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), the Independent Transport Commission and Transport Scotland, highlights how rail travel | {
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Horse Flies and Meteors
August 10, 2009: Splat! There goes another bug on the windshield.
Anyone who's ever driven down a country lane has seen it happen. A fast moving car, a cloud of multiplying insects, and a big disgusting mess.
The next time that happens to you, instead of grossing out, try thinking of the experience as an astronomy lesson. Your car is Earth. The bugs are tiny flakes of comet dust. The carnage on your windshield ... it's a meteor shower!
Right: A fiery meteor? No. It's a horse fly. From "That Gunk on your Car: A Unique Guide to Insects of North America," by Mark E. Hostetler. [more]
Earth, like a speeding car, races around the Sun sweeping up everything in its path. There are no insects in space, at least none that we know of, but there are plenty of meteoroids, little flakes of dust from comets and asteroids. They hit Earth's atmosphere and--splat!--they disintegrate as fiery streaks of light called meteors.
This week lots of meteors will appear over Earth's northern hemisphere when our planet plows through a swarm of dust shed by periodic comet Swift-Tuttle. It's the annual Perseid meteor shower, which peaks on August 11th and 12th.
Earth has a windshield? It's the atmosphere, which protects us from solar wind and comet dust much as a car's windshield protects passengers from wind, rain and bugs. Earth's front windshield is the early morning sky. Earth circles the Sun dawn-side first, scooping up whatever lies on that side of the planet. That's why it's usually best to look for Perseids just before dawn.
A good time to see Perseids this year is before dawn on Wednesday morning, August 12th, when Earth's front windshield is overhead. You could see dozens of meteors despite the glare of a 66% gibbous Moon.
Side windows, the ones to the left and right of passengers in cars, are good, too. Zooming down a bug-infested lane, side windows don't intercept many insects, but the ones they do gather are worth examining. Bugs that strike side windows do so at a shallow angle, leaving long and colorful streaks.
This also happens to meteors. When the constellation Perseus (the source of the Perseids) hangs low near the horizon, meteors streaming from Perseus will skim the the top of Earth's atmosphere, much like a bug skimming the side window of an automobile. Astronomers call these meteors "Earthgrazers." They tend to be long and colorful.
Look for Perseid Earthgrazers on Tuesday night, Aug. 11th, between about 9:00 and 11:00 pm local time.
Earthgrazers don't come in large numbers. The special geometry required to produce them keeps counts low, but even one or two is enough. A breathtaking Earthgrazer is the sort of meteor you're likely to remember for years.
Best of all, there's no gooey residue.
The Perseids are Coming -- (Science@NASA)
NASA's Future:US Space Exploration Policy | Horse Flies and Meteors
August 10, 2009: Splat! There goes another bug on the windshield.
Anyone who's ever driven down a country lane has seen it happen. A fast moving car, a cloud of multiplying insects, and a big disgusting mess.
The next time that happens to you, instead of grossing out, try thinking of the experience as an astronomy lesson. Your car is Earth. The bugs are tiny flakes of comet | {
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Aucune traduction disponible
A checklist and legal guidelines to ensure that Pacific Island Countries and Territories have a strong legislative basis for pandemic preparedness, were completed under PRIPPP.
A strong public health legislative framework will ensure that countries can legally undertake measures such as controlling vectors, quarantine and manage orders, and undertake surveillance and notification of cases in humans and animals. This framework supports combined action by human and animal health agencies and workers, as well as other officers, for example customs and biosecurity. This is important in effective everyday work and essential in emergency situations. The law must give the agencies the powers they need to respond appropriately and quickly and in proportion to the risk posed by an incident or outbreak.
The guidelines also support good practice in the event of pandemic influenza and/or HPAI outbreaks, and comply with the International Health Regulations (2005). Additionally, the guidelines provide a useful starting point for updating public health legislation in PICTs.
English and French versions of the legal guidelines and checklist are in development.
Draft PRIPPP legal framework guidelines-English (2.38 MB)
Sante PRIPPP legal framework guidelines-French (2.8 MB) | Aucune traduction disponible
A checklist and legal guidelines to ensure that Pacific Island Countries and Territories have a strong legislative basis for pandemic preparedness, were completed under PRIPPP.
A strong public health legislative framework will ensure that countries can legally undertake measures such as controlling vectors, quarantine and manage orders, and undertake surveillance and n | {
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Last Update: 6/22/09 (Transmittal I-1-58)
To obtain the Social Security Administration's (SSA's) approval to charge and collect a fee under the fee agreement process in a claim resulting in more than one favorable decision, the representative or the claimant must have filed the agreement with SSA before the date of the first favorable decision SSA made after the representative's involvement began.
SSA generally considers the representative involved in a claim when SSA receives the claimant's written appointment of that person as representative.
Unless the representative or the claimant files the fee agreement before the date of the first favorable decision SSA made after the representative's appointment, SSA presumes he/she will either waive a fee or use the fee petition process to obtain SSA's approval to charge and collect a fee.
If the representative or claimant does not file a fee agreement before SSA makes a favorable decision on a claim with which the representative is involved, yet files a fee agreement before SSA makes another favorable decision in that claim, the decision maker will disapprove the fee agreement for the following reason:
The Social Security Administration did not receive the written agreement before making the first favorable decision that the representative worked toward achieving in this claim.
SSA initially decided that the claimant was not disabled. The claimant appointed a representative, who requested reconsideration. On July 2, 2009, SSA notified the claimant that she had been found disabled as of a date later than she alleged. The representative requested a hearing and, for the first time, presented a fee agreement specifying a fee equal to the lesser of 25 percent of past-due benefits or $6,000. After a hearing, the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) found the claimant disabled as of the onset date alleged. In this case, the ALJ should disapprove the agreement because the first favorable decision SSA made after the representative's involvement began is dated July 2, 2009. Neither the representative nor the claimant filed the fee agreement before the date of that determination. Therefore, the representative must file a fee petition to obtain SSA's approval to charge and collect a fee for services provided in connection with the claim.
SSA initially decided that the claimant was entitled to a period of disability and disability insurance benefits for a closed period. The claimant disagreed that her disability had ended, and appointed a representative to assist her in appealing. The representative filed a request for hearing, the Form SSA-1696-U4 (Appointment of Representative), and a copy of the fee agreement specifying a fee equal to the lesser of 25 percent of past-due benefits or $6,000. The ALJ decided that the claimant's disability did not cease, but continued through the date of the decision. Assuming the fee agreement meets the other requirements for approval, the ALJ should approve the fee agreement because the representative filed it before the date of the first favorable decision SSA made after the representative became involved in the claim.
Based on an application filed on July 9, 2009, SSA decided that the unrepresented claimant became disabled on January 1, 2007, and was entitled to a period of disability and disability insurance benefits. After the claimant received that determination, he appointed a representative. In addition, he submitted a fee agreement and requested that SSA reopen the unfavorable hearing decision dated March 15, 2009, issued on the application he had filed on December 12, 2007. The ALJ reopened the hearing decision and found the claimant entitled to benefits based on the 2007 application. If the agreement meets the other requirements for approval, the ALJ should approve the fee agreement because the representative filed it before the date of the first favorable decision SSA made after the representative became involved in the claim.
The decision maker's approval of a fee agreement can remain in effect for any subsequent favorable decision SSA may issue on the same issue or issues, if there has been no change in pertinent circumstances and if the approval was proper. Accordingly, if a fee agreement was approved in connection with a favorable initial or reconsideration determination or a hearing decision, and an ALJ or the Appeals Council (AC) issues a subsequent favorable decision on the same issue or issues, no further action is required on the fee agreement unless the initial fee agreement approval was improper. The component that effectuates the subsequent decision will determine if the representative(s) is due any additional fee based on the subsequent decision.
If an ALJ has properly approved a fee agreement and the AC issues a subsequent decision that is either more or less favorable than the ALJ's, the fee agreement will not require a second approval by an Administrative Appeals Judge (AAJ). However, if the ALJ's approval was improper under the statute and the exceptions listed in I-1-2-12, or if there was a change in circumstances subsequent to the approval such that an exception applies, the AAJ should rescind approval of the fee agreement. | Last Update: 6/22/09 (Transmittal I-1-58)
To obtain the Social Security Administration's (SSA's) approval to charge and collect a fee under the fee agreement process in a claim resulting in more than one favorable decision, the representative or the claimant must have filed the agreement with SSA before the date of the first favorable decision SSA made after the representative's involvement began. | {
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Dear Friends and Colleagues,
We wanted to share with you news of a new and additional United States contribution of $1 million to the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). As you know, OCHA is the arm of the United Nations responsible for bringing together humanitarian assistance agencies to promote coherent responses to alleviate suffering in disasters and emergencies. This note comes from the three of us, as each of our Bureaus shares the view that our broad involvement with voluntary agencies dealing with humanitarian response (such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR], the International Organization for Migration [IOM], the International Committee of the Red Cross [ICRC], and the World Food Program [WFP]) must be matched by a deep commitment to enhance the tools for coordination of the proliferation of humanitarian responders who are trying to safeguard lives and create the conditions for sustainable recovery around the world. And while there are varying perspectives on the precise responsibilities that OCHA should take on, there is no argument that the agency has a critical role to play in system-wide responses to humanitarian crises.
This new U.S. contribution, through the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, reaffirms our collective desire for active engagement with OCHA – especially as it is directed to its under-resourced general fund and is designed to support OCHA's efforts to strengthen and improve humanitarian coordination. .
The contribution also reflects our desire to work closely with OCHA’s new leader, Valerie Amos, as well as with our partners in the NGO community as we consider ways to enhance the coherence and effectiveness of international humanitarian response.
The United States is consistently among OCHA's top five major donors annually. In fiscal year 2009, the United States provided about $17.5 million to OCHA, including $13 million from USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance and $3.4 million from the Department of State. . | Dear Friends and Colleagues,
We wanted to share with you news of a new and additional United States contribution of $1 million to the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). As you know, OCHA is the arm of the United Nations responsible for bringing together humanitarian assistance agencies to promote coherent responses to alleviate suffering in disasters and em | {
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© All Rights Reserved Utrecht
Åland is an archipelago in the Gulf of Bothnia, halfway between Sweden and Finland. Though it is officially an autonomous region of Finland, the island group has strong cultural ties with Sweden. Until the early years of the 19th century, Ǻland was a part of the Swedish kingdom and Swedish is still the language spoken in Ǻland today.
With a population of under 30,000 (and that is record population, in Ǻland terms), the islands operate at a calm pace. For travellers, Ǻland is the sort of place where the main attraction is the well-preserved flora and fauna. With thick woodland areas and miles upon miles of coastline, the islands offer a getaway from the modern world. A visit to a local shipwright, whose work seems to have changed little over the past century, will make you believe you have landed in the 19th century.
The Åland archipelo was used by Sweden as a stepping stone to colonize Finland. In 1809 when Finland was annexed by Russia, the Åland island, who were governed from Finland moved to Russia aswell. After the Crimean war, it was decided that the islands, that had always been of great strategic importance were to be demilitarisised. When Finland gained its independence in 1917, many people on the islands wanted the group of islands to go to Sweden. The case was presented to the League of Nations, which ruled that Åland should remain Finnish territory, but that the Swedish language and the culture was to be respected. Åland also gained an autonomous and strictly neutral status.
The Åland Islands is located about halfway between Stockholm and Turku in southern Finland. The archipelago consists of about 6,000 islands, many of which are not more than a rock and basically too small to live on. About 80 islands are inhabited. The archipelago is connected to Åboland archipelago in the east, adjacent to the southwest coast of Finland. The surface of the islands is generally rocky and the soil thin. There are several harbours. The islands' landmass occupies a total area of 1,527 square kilometres and about 90% of the population live on Fasta Åland (the Main Island), which is also the site of the capital town of Mariehamn. Fasta Åland is the largest island in the archipelago, extending over 1,010 square kilometres, more than 66% of the province's land area. It measures approximately 47 kilometres from north to south and 34 kilometres from east to west.
Åland consists of 16 municipalities spread across its islands.
© All Rights Reserved davidx
Kastelholm Castle is located in the northern part of the main island and is worth paying a visit. Partly a ruin today, it was founded in the 1380's and home to many Swedish kings who reigned the combined kingdom of Sweden and Finland from this place. There are guided tours, also in English, but it's only open during the busier summer months.
When the Russians took the islands in the beginning of the 19th century they agreed not to fortify them. In Sund the Russians broke the treaty and started to build a fortress in 1832. Although 22 years later, in 1854, during the Crimean War the still uncompleted fortress was destroyed. Today people can visit the the remains of the Bomarsund Fortress and see many nice cannons.
Looking for some discounts? Then go on the ferry between Sweden and Finland and make sure it makes a stop at Åland, which all of them do. If the ferry stops in one of the major cities then it is possible to purchase some tax free goods. One of the few cheap deals in all of Scandinavia.
The Pommern Museum is located in a unique four masted sailing vessel that was named the Pommern. Built in Glasgow, Scotland this fine ship was launched in 1903. In 1923 she was purchased by Gustaf Erikson in Mariehamn. The ship mainly carried wheat between Australia and England till 1939 when World War II broke out. Since 1957 the Pommern was moored next to the Åland Maritime Museum in the western harbour of Mariehamn.
Because of its location in the waters between Sweden and Finland, the Aland Islands have milder climate than comparable places as far north as this. This means that summers are a little cooler compared to mainland Finland or Sweden, but winters are relatively mild. Summer is from June to August, with average daily highs of around 17 °C or 18 °C while nights are generally around 10 °C. Winter is from December to March, with temperatures during the day around or slightly above zero, while nights are around -5 °C on average in February, the coldest month. Rain (and snow during winter) falls quite evenly throughout the year, but tends to increase from June to December and be a bit lower during the later wintermonths and spring.
Although obviously you can drive to Åland directly, the ferry described below offers you to bring your own car. This gives you maximum freedom on the islands and you don't need to rent a car.
There are numerous options of getting there by ferry from Sweden, Finland and Estonia.
Cars can be rented on several of the islands and on some routes you can take your car between the islands. Both international and local companies offer rental cars and you need your national driver's licence or international driving permit. Traffic drives on the right and rules are strictly obeyed. RBS biluthyrning offers the best deals and friendly services. They have a wide range of cars and special 24-hour deals.
There are 4 main roads on the mainland, conveniently number 1 to 4. Number 1 goes from Mariehamn to Eckerö, number 2 from Mariehamn to Godby, Kastelholm, Bomarsund and onwards to the ferry to Vardo, number 3 between Mariehamn and Langnas and number 4 branches off from Godby (route 2) towards Geta in the northwest of the mainland. All these roads and most minor roads are paved and well signposted.
A better option than renting a car, is to take a bike and ride yourself across many of the rather flat islands, using a combination of ferries and bikes. There are many designated bike paths and routes and you'll find several places that rent bikes in the capital and a few outside. Note that, although it's rather flat, it generally goes up and down a bit and outside the summer season it is generally too cold and a rental car is a better option. Also, with just a few days on the main island, it's better to rent a car if you want to see some more remote parts.
Buses operates on most islands and you can find schedules, routes and prices at the Alandstrafiken website. Buses usually run once every 2 hours on most routes and if there is room, you can also take your bicycle.
There are a number of ferries operating services between the islands. You can find ferries, schedules, routes and prices at the Alandstrafiken website. The ferries are always free to passengers and bicycles (and to motorists if they are staying on any of the smaller islands). A few small short routes are free as well for cars if not staying on any island, like the one to Vardo.
As an autonomous region of Finland, the same rules apply to the Åland Islands.
See also: Money Matters
Åland has adopted the Euro (ISO code: EUR, symbol: €) as its official currency. One Euro is divided into 100 cents, which is sometimes referred to as eurocents, especially when distinguishing them with the US cents.
Euro banknotes come in denominations of €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200, €500. The highest three denominations are rarely used in everyday transactions. All Euro banknotes have a common design for each denomination on both sides throughout the Eurozone.
The Euro coins are 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, €1 and €2. Some countries in the Eurozone have law which requires cash transactions to be rounded to the nearest 5 cents. All Euro coins have a common design on the denomination (value) side, while the opposite side of the 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents coins has the image of the heraldic lion on it, as it can also be found on the coat of arms of Finland. On the €1 coin, two swans fly above a typical Finnish lanscape, and on the €2 coin an image of the fruit and the leaves of the cloudberry is printed. Although the image side is different from other countries, all Euro coins remain legal tender throughout the Eurozone.
There is a €5 commemorative coin that was issued in 2006 to celibrate the 150th Anniversary of Demilitarisation of the Åland Islands. It's unlikely that you will encounter this coin, as most of them ended in the hands of collectors.
While the Euro is Åland's official currency, the Swedish Krona (SEK) also circulates freely in the country. Check the Swedish Currency for details.
Although Åland is a semi-autonomous region that officially is part of Finland, most people speak Swedish.
Outside Mariehamn, you will find few places other than some small supermarkets open for business outside the May-September period.
In the capital though there are several good choices, from decent restaurants to take-away places.
Many sleeping options are only open from around May (some even later) to early September. From October to April, you will find many places, especially outside Mariehamn, closed for business.
|Bomans Gästhem||Vardobyvag 75 Vardo||Guesthouse||-|
See also: Travel Health
There are no vaccinations legally required to travel to Aland. It is recommended to have a vaccination against tick borne encephalitis when you go hiking and/or camping for 4 weeks or more in the period of March to November.
See also: Travel Safety
Åland is probably one of the safest areas anywhere on this planet and it doesn't even have the same city problems you can face in neighbouring Sweden or Finland. Just keep you valuables with you and not unattended on a beach or in your car, and you are unlikely to face any problems.
Quite a few hotels, restaurants and bars offer wifi. You won't find dedicated internet cafes on the islands, but the library in Mariehamn and a few smaller local ones usually have 1 or several computers where you can use internet for free (mostly there is a time limit).
See also: International Telephone Calls
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Except where otherwise noted, content of this article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License | © All Rights Reserved Utrecht
Åland is an archipelago in the Gulf of Bothnia, halfway between Sweden and Finland. Though it is officially an autonomous region of Finland, the island group has strong cultural ties with Sweden. Until the early years of the 19th century, Ǻland was a part of the Swedish kingdom and Swedish is still the language spoken in Ǻland today.
With a population of under 30,000 | {
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Telecommunications Regulatory Commission
of Sri Lanka
Issuance of Licence for Ask Cable Vision(PVT) Ltd
The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (“the Commission”) was set up as the independent regulator under the Telecommunications (Amendment) Act No. 27 of 1996, and was is responsible for regulating telecommunications sector in Sri Lanka including managing the radiofrequency spectrum.
Ask Cable Vision(PVT) Ltd has applied for a licence under Section 17 (2) of the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act, No. 25 of 1991 (“the Act”) to operate a telecommunications system to provide Cable Television and Data Communication Service in Sri Lanka. The Commission is satisfied that Ask Cable Vision(PVT) Ltd has fulfilled the requirements set out in the Guidelines and Procedures for issuing, renewal and modification of licences under the Act, published in Gazette No. 1435/20 dated 10.03.2006.
Therefore, the public is hereby noticed under Section 17 (3) (a) of the Act that the Commission proposes to recommend to His Excellency the President the grant of a licence to Ask Cable Vision(PVT) Ltd for a period of five years.
The public is hereby further noticed that representations or objections to the grant of licence to Ask Cable Vision(PVT) Ltd may be made not later than 22.09.2012. The representations and objections should be in writing and addressed to Director General, Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka.
A draft of the proposed licence is available to the public on the Commission’s official web site, www.trc.gov.lk.
By Order of the Commission
Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka,
No 276, Elvitigala Mawatha,
Tel: 2689345 Fax: 2689341 | Telecommunications Regulatory Commission
of Sri Lanka
Issuance of Licence for Ask Cable Vision(PVT) Ltd
The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (“the Commission”) was set up as the independent regulator under the Telecommunications (Amendment) Act No. 27 of 1996, and was is responsible for regulating telecommunications sector in Sri Lanka including managing the radiofrequency spe | {
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Timothy G. Massad
TARP’s bank investment programs played a critical role in
stabilizing the economy during the 2008-09 financial crisis.
And – though cost isn’t our ultimate measure of success –
those programs have also earned a significant profit for taxpayers. Treasury invested
a total of $245 billion and has already recovered $268 billion through
repayments, dividends, and other income – representing a $23 billion
positive return for taxpayers to date.
Of course, TARP was always meant to be a temporary,
emergency program. The government shouldn’t be in the business of owning stakes
in private companies for an indefinite period of time. That’s why, after we
extinguished the immediate financial fire, we began moving to exit our
investments and replace temporary government support with private capital.
Earlier this year, Treasury outlined
its strategy for winding down its remaining TARP bank investments through the
Capital Purchase Program (CPP).
Today, we wanted to provide you with an update on that process and our plans
for the year ahead.
Our Progress to Date
When we first outlined our wind down approach, we said that Treasury
had three basic options: (1) We can wait for banks to repay; (2) We can sell our
investments; or (3) We can restructure our investments in order to facilitate a
repayment or sale.
We also noted that community banks typically face greater
difficulty than larger banks raising private capital to repay taxpayers. And
that banks cannot be compelled to repay under the terms of the program, which
was necessary for our investments to be considered high-quality capital.
Therefore, in order to wind down the program, we said that
we’d employ each one of those three strategies, including conducting auctions
for our investments in banks that we do not expect to repay us in the near term.
And that’s exactly what we’ve done.
- Since March 2012, when we conducted our first preferred stock and subordinated debt auction, Treasury has auctioned its investments in 91 banks for taxpayer proceeds of $1.5 billion. (Those 91 banks have also paid more than $300 million in dividends and interest to taxpayers over the life of the investment.)
- Over that same period (March 2012 through December 2012), 49 banks repaid Treasury at the full par value of the original CPP investment for taxpayer proceeds of $6.9 billion.
- Since March 2012, in a few cases, we’ve restructured our CPP investments – typically tied to a merger or a plan for the bank to raise new private capital. But only when it represented the best deal possible for taxpayers.
When we first outlined our strategy, some expressed the view
that, once Treasury began auctioning its investments in certain banks, the rest
of the banks would refuse to repay. Based on the data, however, that fear
hasn’t come true. Banks have continued to repay at par and we expect that
additional banks will do so moving forward.
Some had also expressed the view that Treasury shouldn’t
sell its investments at a discount to the original par value. But both Treasury
and the non-partisan, independent Congressional Budget Office had already
estimated that the value of those investments is less than par. And we
ultimately receive what the market determines these investments are worth
through open auctions.
In fact, in part because we’ve had such robust demand, we’ve
actually received more than we originally estimated those investments were
worth in our pre-auction financial statements, which are audited by the
independent Government Accountability Office.
Moreover, it’s important to note that since banks cannot be
compelled to repay, and a number of banks are not expected to repay in the near
term, there is no way to wind down the program without Treasury selling its
investments in certain banks.
The Path Forward
Today, there are 218 banks remaining in TARP’s Capital Purchase
Program – down from an original total of 707.
We expect to conduct auctions for Treasury’s CPP preferred
shares or subordinated debt in approximately two-thirds of the remaining banks next
We also expect that the majority of the remaining banks that
are not auctioned will repay Treasury’s CPP preferred shares or subordinated
debt at par. We’ll continue to hold onto those investments.
And when it represents the best deal possible for taxpayers,
we’ll also continue to engage in a limited number of restructurings.
We believe that the approach we’ve outlined is good for
taxpayers and good for our nation’s community banks. Indeed, as we’ve
previously noted, selling these investments can be beneficial for community
banks that don't have easy access to the capital markets because it attracts
new, private capital to replace temporary government support. That means that
the government is able to exit its stake and recover taxpayer dollars, while
the bank is able to keep the capital on its books. The bank can then continue
to use that capital to help it lend to families and businesses in its local
As with all our investments, Treasury’s wind down plans are
subject to market conditions. We regularly evaluate our investments in all the remaining
banks, so these expectations may be revised as necessary. But we’re confident that we’ll have made
significant additional progress winding down our remaining TARP Capital
Purchase Program bank investments by the end of next year. | Timothy G. Massad
TARP’s bank investment programs played a critical role in
stabilizing the economy during the 2008-09 financial crisis.
And – though cost isn’t our ultimate measure of success –
those programs have also earned a significant profit for taxpayers. Treasury invested
a total of $245 billion and has already recovered $268 billion through
repayments, dividends, and other income – repres | {
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The Drylands Ambassador programme raises awareness among decision makers and the public at large about the importance of combating desertification, land degradation and mitigating the effect of drought. These issues are vital to solving major global challenges such as poverty alleviation, sustainable water management, food security and greening energy.
Dryland Ambassadors emphasize the opportunities generated by sustainable land management (SLM), land rehabilitation and reclamation. Drylands Ambassadors also help reach target groups such as youth, children and women.
Some Dryland Ambassadors are targeting the public at large, while others are drawing the attention of decision makers to the importance of topics such as land management within relevant policy agendas, and as a priority for increased investment.
Highly regarded Drylands Ambassadors could draw attention to the issues upheld by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and provide the impetus needed to fully implement the objectives of the UNCCD 10-Year Strategy.
"There are a lot of people, who go hungry, and yet there is land they could be utilizing profitably. It is part of my obligation to learn about the land and how it can be better utilized."
Deborah Fraser, South African gospel singer
“I will, in particular, hope to contribute to the Secretariat's efforts to highlight the role of agroforestry, evergreen agriculture, and farmer-managed natural regeneration as critical opportunities for making vast progress on the ground in the regeneration of healthy farms and ecosystems.”
Dennis Garrity, Former Executive Director of World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)
“Desertification is one of the most severe and most serious problems we are now facing. We are trying to stand up in action in preventing and combatting decertification. We are dedicated and devoted and determined to do every effort to prevent desertification.”
Byong Hyon Kwon, Former Korean ambassador and chairman of the NGO Future Forest
"I am humbled and honored to be called upon to serve as a Drylands Ambassador for the Convention."
Leila Lopez, Miss Universe 2011
“There are many human lives at stake. While many countries fight against desertification, we must be all united to support them with all our energies. I am very proud to add my humble help to this cause.”
Carlos Marchena, Spanish football player and World Cup winner
"Drylands are absolutely in the frontline of the most vulnerable position with regard to global anthropogenic climate change, not in the future, but now.”
Jeffrey Sachs, Economist and Director of the Earth Institute | The Drylands Ambassador programme raises awareness among decision makers and the public at large about the importance of combating desertification, land degradation and mitigating the effect of drought. These issues are vital to solving major global challenges such as poverty alleviation, sustainable water management, food security and greening energy.
Dryland Ambassadors emphasize the opportuniti | {
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For Immediate Release
MASERU – After nine-months in the making, Pusha Love has arrived! A movement that celebrates healthy living as a means to achieving individual dreams, Pusha Love promises to change the way each of us thinks about our health, life, relationships, and what it means to love oneself and others.
One unique feature of Pusha Love is its use of real people to communicate how health and healthy choices are linked to our future successes as individuals and a community. “We decided to feature real people who are working everyday to fulfil the ideals of the Pusha Love movement,” explains Pusha Love spokesperson, Manthati Phomane. “These people have real stories about the challenges most us of face when we’re trying to improve our lives. How each of them is working to overcome these challenges and stay on-track to achieve success is really inspiring,” Ms. Phomane continues.
Through these stories, Pusha Love invites every Mosotho to join the conversation about their dreams, what they are doing today to achieve those dreams, and how we as a community can better support each other to stay healthy. In its first phase, Pusha Love will feature the stories of four Ambassadors: Kamohelo, a young man with aspirations of becoming a soccer star; Limakatso, a married mother of two children who studies part-time to improve her chances of better employment; Manaleli, a young woman who dreams of becoming a teacher; and, Lehlohonolo, a married teacher with one child who’s working to start up his own business. “What will surprise many people is that these Pusha Love Ambassadors are not paid for sharing their stories and voices. These are real people who are so invested in the movement that they’re sharing their stories only because they want to make a difference,” adds Ms. Phomane.
Everything about Pusha Love promises to be different. “People are tired of health campaigns that tell them what to do without even asking what they want. Instead of following that path, we want to give people options and introduce fresh, new ways of communicating about health,” says Itumeleng Mafa, another member of Pusha Love. “Just look at how we launched this movement—not with speeches but with unexpected, high energy events. We had chalk art drawings with the Pusha Love logo, living statues showing up in unexpected places, and dance mobs appearing from nowhere to get us moving. People have already taken notice and know that Pusha Love is offering something different.”
Pusha Love will be active at many levels. The mass media program, which features the Ambassadors, includes a radio magazine program called Pusha Love Blomas, which will air every Tuesday and Thursday starting at 7:00pm on PCFM. Listeners can tune-in to hear the stories behind each Ambassador and add their voice to the conversation. Pusha Love also produces the S’moko Feela radio drama, which launched back in late 2012 and will rebroadcast and continue starting in February 2013. And over the coming months, Pusha Love will establish Youth Clubs to connect young people with the movement, engage communities and individuals in the conversation, and work with corporate clients to promote healthy options for their employees. “Eventually, Pusha Love will be everywhere so people should be on the lookout for opportunities to join the movement. They can also stay connected by following us on Facebook” says Ms. Phomane.
Officially launched on January 21, Pusha Love is a production of a consortium of local organizations and agencies that have been working in different areas for years but wanted to try something new. “We informally call ourselves the ‘House of Pusha Love’ because just like a family living under one roof, we couldn’t have done something this big or this ambitious alone,” says Pusha Love member Morongoe Masilo. “But in the end, it’s the Basotho who join the movement that make it what it is,” she added. Pusha Love is funded through a grant from USAID and works in partnership with the Lesotho Ministry of Health.
Press contact: Manthati Phomane
Phone: +266 5913 7918
In-box at: firstname.lastname@example.org
Last updated: March 15, 2013 | For Immediate Release
MASERU – After nine-months in the making, Pusha Love has arrived! A movement that celebrates healthy living as a means to achieving individual dreams, Pusha Love promises to change the way each of us thinks about our health, life, relationships, and what it means to love oneself and others.
One unique feature of Pusha Love is its use of real people to communicate how health a | {
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The Colorado River
The Colorado River rises in the snowcapped mountains of north central Colorado and zigzags southwest for more than 1,400 miles before reaching the Gulf of California.
The river and its tributaries - the Green, the Gunnison, the San Juan, the Virgin, the Little Colorado, and the Gila Rivers - are called the "Colorado River Basin." These rivers drain 242,000 square miles in the United States, or one-twelfth of the country's continental land area, and 2,000 square miles in Mexico. Seven western states and Mexico have beneficial interests in the Colorado River Basin.
The Colorado River Basin states are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Each state is party to the Colorado River Compact entered into in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on November 24, 1922.
The Colorado River Compact divided the Colorado River Basin into the Upper Basin and the Lower Basin. The division point is Lees Ferry, a point in the mainstem of the Colorado River about 30 river miles south of the Utah-Arizona boundary. The "Upper Basin" includes those parts of the States of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming within and from which waters naturally drain into the Colorado River system above Lees Ferry, and all parts of these States that are not part of the river's drainage system but may benefit from water diverted from the system above Lees Ferry.
The "Lower Basin" includes those parts of the States of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah within and from which waters naturally drain into the Colorado River system below Lees Ferry, and all parts of these States that are not part of the river's drainage system but may benefit from water diverted from the system below Lees Ferry.
The Colorado River Compact apportioned to each basin the exclusive, beneficial consumptive use of 7,500,000 acre-feet of water per year from the Colorado River system in perpetuity. In addition, the Compact gave to the Lower Basin the right to increase its annual beneficial consumptive use of such water by 1,000,000 acre-feet.
The Colorado River Compact did not apportion water to any State.
On October 11, 1948, the Upper Basin States entered into the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact, which apportioned use of the Upper Basin waters among them. The compact permits Arizona to use 50,000 acre-feet of water annually from the upper Colorado River system, and apportioned the remaining water to the Upper Basin States in the following percentages: Colorado, 51.75 percent; New Mexico, 11.25 percent; Utah, 23 percent; and Wyoming, 14 percent.
The Lower Basin States of Arizona, California, and Nevada were not able to reach agreement. In 1952, Arizona filed suit in the United States Supreme Court to determine how the waters of the Lower Basin should be divided. In October 1962, the Court ruled that of the first 7,500,000 acre-feet of mainstem water in the Lower Basin, California is entitled to 4,400,000 acre-feet, Arizona 2,800,000 acre-feet, and Nevada, 300,000 acre-feet.
The United States has contracted with the States of Arizona and Nevada and with various agencies in Arizona and California for the delivery of Colorado River water. These contracts make delivery of the water contingent upon its availability for use in the respective States under the Colorado River Compact and the Boulder Canyon Project Act.
The United States and Mexico entered into a treaty on February 3, 1944, which guarantees Mexico 1,500,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water annually. This entitlement is subject to increase or decrease under certain circumstances provided for in the treaty.
In Black Canyon on the Colorado River, about 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada.
It is 726.4 feet from foundation rock to the roadway on the crest of the dam. The towers and ornaments on the parapet rise 40 feet above the crest.
More than 6,600,000 tons.
A concrete arch-gravity type, in which the water load is carried by both gravity action and horizontal arch action.
45,000 pounds per square foot.
Three and one-quarter million cubic yards. There are 4,360,000 cubic yards of concrete in the dam, powerplant, and appurtenant works. This much concrete would build a monument 100 feet square and 2-1/2 miles high; would rise higher than the Empire State Building (which is 1,250 feet) if placed on an ordinary city block; or would pave a standard highway, 16 feet wide, from San Francisco to New York City.
The first concrete for the dam was placed on June 6, 1933, and the last concrete was placed in the dam on May 29, 1935. Approximately 160,000 cubic yards of concrete were placed in the dam per month. Peak placements were 10,462 cubic yards in one day (including some concrete placed in the intake towers and powerplant), and slightly over 275,000 cubic yards in one month.
More than 5 million barrels. The daily demand during construction of the dam was from 7,500 to 10,800 barrels. Reclamation had used only 5,862,000 barrels in its 27 years of construction activity preceding June 30, 1932.
By embedding more than 582 miles of l-inch steel pipe in the concrete and circulating icewater through it from a refrigeration plant that could produce 1,000 tons of ice in 24 hours. Cooling was completed in March 1935.
The dam was built in blocks or vertical columns varying in size from about 60 feet square at the upstream face of the dam to about 25 feet square at the downstream face. Adjacent columns were locked together by a system of vertical keys on the radial joints and horizontal keys on the circumferential joints. Concrete placement in any one block was limited to 5 feet in 72 hours. After the concrete was cooled, a cement and water mixture called grout was forced into the spaces created between the columns by the contraction of the cooled concrete to form a monolithic (one piece) structure.
More than 5,500,000 cubic yards of material were excavated, and another 1,000,000 cubic yards of earth and rockfill placed. By feature, this included:
Excavation for the diversion tunnels, 1,500,000 cubic yards; for the foundation of the dam, powerplant, and cofferdams 1,760,000 cubic yards; for the spillways and inclined tunnels, 750,000 cubic yards; for the valve houses and intake towers, 410,000 cubic yards; earth and rockfill for the cofferdams, 1,000,000 cubic yards.
In addition, 410,000 linear feet of grout and drainage holes were drilled, and 422,000 cubic feet of grout were placed under pressure.
The principal materials, all of which were purchased by the government, were: reinforcement steel, 45,000,000 pounds; gates and valves, 21,670,000 pounds; plate steel and outlet pipes, 88,000,000 pounds; pipe and fittings, 6,700,000 pounds or 840 miles; structural steel, 18,000,000 pounds; miscellaneous metal work, 5,300,000 pounds.
The foundation and abutments are rock of volcanic origin geologically called "andesite breccia." The rock is hard and very durable.
In the upstream cutoff trench, it was 139 feet. The remaining excavation depths average 110 to 130 feet.
Five years. The contractors were allowed 7 years from April 20, 1931, but concrete placement in the dam was completed May 29, 1935, and all features were completed by March 1, 1936.
An average of 3,500 and a maximum of 5,218, which occurred in June 1934. The average monthly payroll was $500,000.
(1) Construction of Boulder City to house both Government and contractor employees; (2) construction of 7 miles of 22-foot wide, asphalt-surfaced highway from Boulder City to the damsite; (3) construction of 22.7 miles of standard-gauge railroad from the Union Pacific main line in Las Vegas to Boulder City and an additional 10 miles from Boulder City to the damsite; and (4) construction of a 222-mile-long power transmission line from San Bernardino, California, to the damsite to supply energy for construction.
The high-water line is at 1,229 feet above sea level. At this elevation, the water would be more than 7 feet over the top of the raised spillway gates, which are at elevation 1221.4 feet. All lands below elevation 1,250 have been retained for reservoir purposes.
At elevation 1221.4 feet, the reservoir covers about 158,500 acres or 248 square miles.
At elevation 1221.4, Lake Mead extends approximately 110 miles upstream toward the Grand Canyon. It also extends about 35 miles up the Virgin River. The width varies from several hundred feet in the canyons to a maximum of 8 miles.
At elevation 1221.4, it would contain 28,945,000 acre-feet. An acre-foot is the amount of water required to cover 1 acre to a depth of 1 foot, or approximately 326,000 gallons. The reservoir will store the entire average flow of the river for 2 years. That is enough water to cover the State of Pennsylvania to a depth of one foot.
Below elevation 1,229, about 1,500,000 acre-feet of storage capacity is reserved exclusively for flood control; about 2,547,000 acre-feet for sedimentation control; about 18,438,000 acre-feet for joint use (flood control, municipal and industrial water supply, irrigation, and power); and 7,683,000 acre-feet for inactive storage.
The Bureau of Reclamation operates and maintains the dam, powerplant and reservoir. The National Park Service administers Lake Mead as part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
Between 1935 and 1963, about 91,500 acre-feet of sediment was deposited in Lake Mead each year. With closure of Glen Canyon Dam, about 370 miles upstream, the life of Lake Mead is indefinite.
Tunnels, Towers, Penstocks and Spillways
The river was diverted around the damsite through four 50-foot diameter tunnels, two on each side of the river drilled through the canyon walls. The tunnels, with a total length of 15,946 feet, or about 3 miles, were excavated to 56 feet and lined with 3 feet (300,000 cubic yards) of concrete. The tunnels could carry over 200,000 cubic feet - more than 1.5 million gallons - of water per second! The river was diverted through the two Arizona tunnels on November 14, 1932.
The inner tunnels were plugged with concrete approximately one-third their length below the inlets, and the outer tunnels were plugged approximately halfway. The two inner tunnels contain 30-foot diameter steel pipes which connect the intake towers in the reservoir with the penstocks to the powerplant and the canyon wall outlet works. The downstream halves of the two outer tunnels are used for spillway outlets.
The inlets of the two outer tunnels are permanently closed with 50- by 50-foot bulkhead gates. Each gate, with steel frame, weighs about 3,000,000 pounds, and required 42 railroad cars for shipment. At the outlets of the two inner tunnels, 50- by 35-foot Stoney gates are installed. These gates can be closed when the tunnels need to be emptied for inspections or repairs.
They are four reinforced-concrete structures located above the dam, two on each side of the canyon. The diameter of these towers is 82 feet at the base, 63 feet 3 inches at the top, and 29 feet 8 inches inside. Each tower is 395 feet high and each controls one-fourth the supply of water for the powerplant turbines. The four towers contain 93,674 cubic yards of concrete and 15,299,604 pounds of steel.
By 30-foot-diameter penstocks installed in 37- and 50-foot diameter concrete-lined tunnels. The upstream intake towers are connected to the inner diversion tunnels by 37-foot-diameter inclined tunnels; 37-foot-diameter tunnels also connect the downstream towers to penstocks and outlet works.
Through two cylindrical gates, each 32 feet in diameter and 11 feet high. One gate is near the bottom and the other near the middle of each tower. The gates are protected by trashracks. Total weight of the gates is 5,892,000 pounds; the trashracks weigh 7,024,000 pounds.
There are 4,700 feet of 30-foot-diameter pipe and 2,000 feet of 8.5-foot-diameter pipe. Maximum thickness of the largest pipe is about 3 inches.
By sixteen 13-foot-diameter platesteel penstocks installed in 18-foot-diameter concrete-lined tunnels. Total length of these penstocks is 5,800 feet.
Forty-four thousand tons of steel were formed and welded into 14,800 feet of pipe varying from 8 to 30 feet in diameter. Each length of the largest pipe - 12 feet long, 30 feet in diameter, and 2 inches thick - was made from 3 steel plates, of such weight that only two plates could be shipped from the steel mill to the fabricating plant on one railroad car. Two such lengths of pipe welded together make one section weighing approximately 135 tons or, at intersections with the penstocks, as much as 186
Four 72-inch needle valves in each inner diversion tunnel plug outlet; and two 84-inch needle valves each in the Arizona and Nevada canyon wall valve houses. The needle valves in the canyon walls are about 180 feet above the river. These valves are designed to bypass water around the dam under emergency or flood conditions, or to empty the penstocks for maintenance work.
About 118,000 cubic feet per second: 32,000 cubic feet per second for power generation and 86,000 cubic feet per second of valve discharge. One cubic foot per second of water equals nearly 7 gallons passing a given point in one second.
Concrete-lined open channels about 650 feet long, 150 feet wide, and 170 feet deep on each canyon wall. More than 600,000 cubic yards of rock were excavated for the spillways. The spillway walls are lined with 18 inches of concrete and the floors with 24 inches; 127,000 cubic yards of concrete were placed for the spillways.
Into the outer diversion tunnels through inclined shafts 50 feet in diameter and 600 feet long. The discharge is controlled by four automatically or manually operated 100- by 16-foot, 500,000-pound drum gates on each spillway crest. Maximum water velocity in the spillway tunnels is about 175 feet per second, or 120 miles per hour.
Five hundred and eighteen thousand ft3/s. Each spillway can discharge 200,000 ft3/s. If the spillways were operated at full capacity, the energy of the falling water would be about 25,000,000 horsepower. The flow over each spillway would be about the same as the flow over Niagara Falls, and the drop from the top of the raised spillway gates to river level would be approximately three times as great.
In a U-shape structure at the base of the dam. Each powerplant wing is 650 feet long, 150 feet above normal tailrace water surface, and 299 feet (nearly 20 stories) above the powerplant foundation. In all of the galleries of the plant there are 10 acres of floor space.
There are 17 main turbines in Hoover Powerplant. The original turbines were all replaced through an uprating program between 1986 and 1993. With a rated capacity of 2,991,000 horsepower, and two station-service units rated at 3,500 horsepower each, for a plant total of 2,998,000 horsepower, the plant has a nameplate capacity of 2,074,000 kilowatts. This includes the two station-service units, which are rated at 2,400 kilowatts each.
One cubic foot of water falling 8.81 feet per second equals one horsepower at 100 percent efficiency.
Through four pressure penstocks, two on each side of the river. Shutoff gates control water delivery to the units.
Maximum head (vertical distance water travels), 590 feet; minimum, 420 feet; average, 510 to 530 feet.
Installation was completed in 1961. With the uprating completed in 1993, there are fifteen 187,000 horsepower, one 100,000 horsepower, and one 86,000 horsepower Francis-type vertical hydraulic turbines. There are thirteen 130,000 kilowatt, two 127,000 kilowatt, one 61,500 kilowatt, and one 68,500 kilowatt generators. All machines are operated at 60 cycles. There are also two 2,400 kilowatt
station-service units driven by Pelton water wheels. These provide electrical energy for lights and for operating cranes, pumps, motors, compressors, and other electrical equipment within the dam and powerplant.
An electrically operated cableway of 150 tons rated capacity, with a 1,200-foot span across the canyon, lowered all heavy and bulky equipment. The cableway is still used when necessary.
The average annual net generation for Hoover Powerplant for operating years 1947 through 2000 is about 4 billion kilowatt-hours. The maximum annual net generation at Hoover Powerplant was 10,348,020,500 kilowatt-hours in 1984, while the minimum annual net generation since 1940 was 2,648,224,700 kilowatt-hours in 1956.
It is a unit of work or energy equal to that done by one kilowatt of power acting for one hour. A kilowatt is 1,000 watts or 1.34 horsepower.
The powerplant is operated and maintained by the Bureau of Reclamation.
The States of Arizona and Nevada; the City of Los Angeles; the Southern California Edison Co.; the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California; the California cities of Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, Riverside, Azusa, Anaheim, Banning, Colton, and Vernon; and the city of Boulder City, Nevada.
Arizona - 18.9527 percent; Nevada - 23.3706; Metropolitan Water District of Southern California - 28.5393 percent; Burbank - 0.5876 percent; Glendale -1.5874 percent; Pasadena - 1.3629 percent; Los Angeles - 15.4229 percent; Southern California Edison Co. - 5.5377 percent; Azusa - .1104 percent; Anaheim - 1.1487 percent; Banning - 0.0442 percent; Colton - 0.0884 percent; Riverside - 0.8615 percent; Vernon - 0.6185 percent; and Boulder City, Nevada - 1.7672 percent.
To pay all operation and maintenance expenses and to repay the major part of the construction cost of the dam and powerplant, at interest not exceeding 3 percent. The cost of construction completed and in service by 1937 was repaid on May 31, 1987. All other costs, except those for flood control, will be repaid within 50 years of the date of installation or as established by Congress. Repayment of the $25 million construction cost allocated to flood control is currently deferred. In addition, Arizona and Nevada each receive $300,000 annually in lieu of taxes.
Hoover Dam Sculptures
One of the highlights for many of the people who visit Hoover Dam each year is the sculpture work they find. While most people are impressed by these works, they often ask the question, "What do they mean?"
Much of the sculpture is the work of Norwegian-born, naturalized American Oskar J.W. Hansen. Mr. Hansen fielded many questions about his work while it was being installed at the dam. In response to those questions, he later wrote about his interpretation of his sculptures.
Hoover Dam, said Hansen, represented for him the building genius of America, "a monument to collective genius exerting itself in community efforts around a common need or ideal." He compared the dam to such works as the great pyramids of Egypt, and said that, when viewing these man-made structures, the viewer often asks of their builders, "What manner of men were these?"
The sculptor, according to Hansen, tries to answer this question objectively, by "interpreting man to other men in the terms of the man himself." In each of these monuments, he said, can be read the characteristics of these men, and on a larger scale, the community of which they are part. Thus, mankind itself is the subject of the sculptures at Hoover Dam.
Hansen's principal work at Hoover Dam is the monument of dedication on the Nevada side of the dam. Here, rising from a black, polished base, is a 142-foot flagpole flanked by two winged figures, which Hansen calls the Winged Figures of the Republic. They express "the immutable calm of intellectual resolution, and the enormous power of trained physical strength, equally enthroned in placid triumph of scientific accomplishment."
"The building of Hoover Dam belongs to the sagas of the daring. The winged bronzes which guard the flag therefore wear the look of eagles. To them also was given the vital upward thrust of an aspirational gesture; to symbolize the readiness for defense of our institutions and keeping of our spiritual eagles ever ready to be on the wing."
The winged figures are 30 feet high. Their shells are 5/8-inch thick, and contain more than 4 tons of statuary bronze. The figures were formed from sand molds weighing 492 tons. The bronze that forms the shells was heated to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit, and poured into the molds in one continuous,
The figures rest on a base of black diorite, an igneous rock. In order to place the blocks without
marring their highly polished finish, they were centered on blocks of ice, and guided precisely into
place as the ice melted. After the blocks were in place, the flagpole was dropped through a hole in the
center block into a predrilled hole in the mountain.
Surrounding the base is a terrazzo floor, inlaid with a star chart, or celestial map. The chart preserves
for future generations the date on which President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated Hoover Dam
September 30, 1935.
The apparent magnitudes of stars on the chart are shown as they would appear to the naked eye at a
distance of about 190 trillion miles from earth. In reality, the distance to most of the stars is more than
950 trillion miles.
In this celestial map, the bodies of the solar system are placed so exactly that those versed in
astronomy could calculate the precession (progressively earlier occurrence) of the Pole Star for
approximately the next 14,000 years. Conversely, future generations could look upon this monument
and determine, if no other means were available, the exact date on which Hoover Dam was completed.
Near the figures and elevated above the floor is a compass, framed by the signs of the zodiac.
Hansen also designed the plaque commemorating the 96 men who died during the construction of
Hoover Dam, as well as the bas-relief series on both the Nevada and Arizona elevator towers. The
plaque, originally set into the canyon wall on the Arizona side of the dam, is now located near the
winged figures. It reads:
"They died to make the desert bloom. The United States of America will continue to remember that
many who toiled here found their final rest while engaged in the building of this dam. The United
States of America will continue to remember the services of all who labored to clothe with
substance the plans of those who first visioned the building of this dam."
The five bas-reliefs on the Nevada elevator tower, done in concrete, show the multipurpose benefits of
Hoover Dam flood control, navigation, irrigation, water storage, and power.
On the Arizona elevator tower is a series of five bas-reliefs, also in concrete, depicting "the visages of
those Indian tribes who have inhabited mountains and plains from ages distant." Accompanying the
illustrations is the inscription, "Since primordial times, American Indian tribes and Nations lifted their
hands to the Great Spirit from these ranges and plains. We now with them in peace buildeth again a | The Colorado River
The Colorado River rises in the snowcapped mountains of north central Colorado and zigzags southwest for more than 1,400 miles before reaching the Gulf of California.
The river and its tributaries - the Green, the Gunnison, the San Juan, the Virgin, the Little Colorado, and the Gila Rivers - are called the "Colorado River Basin." These rivers drain 242,000 square miles in the Un | {
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Co-Occurring and Homeless Branch
Department of Health and Human Services, SAMHSA
The Co-Occurring and Homeless Branch shares a vision of systems of care for persons experiencing co-occurring disorders with homelessness. The Branch issues grants and sponsors other projects to advance the field. The Branch also provide grantees and the field with state-of-the-art technical assistance to help individuals and entities to address homelessness and co-occurring disorders (COD), two public health issues that warrant significant attention.
Technical Assistance provided by the Branch is generally open to those who need it. | Co-Occurring and Homeless Branch
Department of Health and Human Services, SAMHSA
The Co-Occurring and Homeless Branch shares a vision of systems of care for persons experiencing co-occurring disorders with homelessness. The Branch issues grants and sponsors other projects to advance the field. The Branch also provide grantees and the field with state-of-the-art technical assistance to help individ | {
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Register a birth
You are legally required to register your baby's birth within forty-two days of the date of birth.
The birth must be registered in the registration district in which it occurred. If the baby has been born in the Wandsworth district, then you should register the baby at the Wandsworth Register Office.
It would be helpful to bring the discharge notes or the red book from the hospital with you and your passports, but do not worry if you do not have them.
If it is not convenient to come to the Wandsworth Register Office, then you can go to any register office in England and Wales to provide the particulars required for the registration.
How to get to the Register OfficeWandsworth Town Hall
Please use entrance 1 on the map for Town Hall | Register a birth
You are legally required to register your baby's birth within forty-two days of the date of birth.
The birth must be registered in the registration district in which it occurred. If the baby has been born in the Wandsworth district, then you should register the baby at the Wandsworth Register Office.
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Under the Water Management Act 2000 all water sharing plans require performance indicators to assess whether the plans have been effective in meeting their objectives. The NSW Office of Water is preparing a series of reports on ecological and socio-economic performance monitoring and evaluation in each valley. To find out more about outcomes of water sharing for valleys in New South Wales select and click on the relevant area in the map below or open the valley progress report in the table underneath.
Map of NSW valleys
Environmental flow response and socio-economic monitoring progress reports
These progress reports summarise activities undertaken in the previous water year, providing an interim assessment of outcomes from investigations. They also identify priority needs for future monitoring and evaluation activities. The progress reports are provided below in an interactive format or select the summary PDF for an introduction. | Under the Water Management Act 2000 all water sharing plans require performance indicators to assess whether the plans have been effective in meeting their objectives. The NSW Office of Water is preparing a series of reports on ecological and socio-economic performance monitoring and evaluation in each valley. To find out more about outcomes of water sharing for valleys in New South Wales select a | {
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Public-Private Session to Focus on Prizes, Challenges, and Open Grantmaking
Policymakers in more than 25 Federal agencies and Departments are poised to get a mix of education and inspiration at an all-day session to be held later this week that will focus on the use of prizes and other incentives to generate solutions to pressing problems.
The event, co-sponsored by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Domestic Policy Council, and the Case Foundation, is an outgrowth of President Obama’s Strategy for American Innovation, released in September. That plan called upon agencies to increase their ability to promote and harness innovation, in part by using policy tools such as prizes and challenges. The concept is simple: Offer a reward—including some measure of fame and boasting rights—to the first person or team to achieve a difficult goal. Then step back as players who might otherwise not have shown interest rise to the challenge and race to the finish line, in many cases getting there faster and at less expense than would otherwise have occurred.
This week’s event also has roots in the Open Government Directive issued by the White House in December, which called upon agencies to use new approaches such as open grantmaking to tap the expertise and ingenuity of the American people and bring the best ideas to bear on our Nation’s most pressing problems. Like prizes and challenges, open grantmaking techniques aim to identify novel ideas from unexpected places to get more and better results for the budgetary buck.
These strategies have already been used to great effect by the private and philanthropic sectors and a handful of forward-leaning government offices but are still largely unexplored by Federal agencies and Departments. Now that is about to change.
On Friday, some of the world’s top experts in prizes, challenges, and open grantmaking will descend on Washington to inspire and guide more than 100 creative policymakers from across the Executive Branch. These visiting experts, from a number of high-profile companies and organizations, will candidly discuss their successes as well as their difficulties and lessons learned. Federal participants will also have the opportunity to share with these mentors some of the ways they are considering using these techniques in their home agencies, and get feedback on their plans.
The benefits of these approaches are potentially large. As outlined in an Office of Management and Budget guidance (pdf) released last month, the Administration believes that prizes and challenges can help the government:
- Establish an important goal without having to choose the approach or the team that is most likely to succeed;
- Pay only for results;
- Increase the number and diversity of the individuals, organizations, and teams addressing a particular problem or challenge;
- Improve the skills of the participants in the competition;
- Stimulate private sector investment that is many times greater than the cash value of the prize;
- Further a Federal agency’s mission by attracting more interest and attention to a defined program, activity, or issue of concern; and
- Capture the public imagination and change the public’s perception of what is possible.
Preliminary details about Friday’s event are posted here, with additional details to come out later this week.
Robynn Sturm is United States Assistant Deputy Chief Technology Officer
Rick Weiss is Director of Strategic Communcations and a Senior Policy Analyst in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
White House Blogs
- The White House Blog
- Middle Class Task Force
- Council of Economic Advisers
- Council on Environmental Quality
- Council on Women and Girls
- Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
- Office of Management and Budget
- Office of Public Engagement
- Office of Science & Tech Policy
- Office of Urban Affairs
- Open Government
- Faith and Neighborhood Partnerships
- Social Innovation and Civic Participation
- US Trade Representative
- Office National Drug Control Policy | Public-Private Session to Focus on Prizes, Challenges, and Open Grantmaking
Policymakers in more than 25 Federal agencies and Departments are poised to get a mix of education and inspiration at an all-day session to be held later this week that will focus on the use of prizes and other incentives to generate solutions to pressing problems.
The event, co-sponsored by the Office of Science and Techn | {
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President Obama Highlights the American Jobs Act
Remarks by the President on the American Jobs Act in Denver, Colorado
Abraham Lincoln High School
2:20 P.M. MDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Denver! (Applause.) What a beautiful day. Thank you so much. How’s it going, Lancers? (Applause.) I hear the Lancers have a pretty good ball team. That’s the story I’ve heard. (Applause.)
Well, listen, there are a couple of people here I want to acknowledge who are just outstanding public servants. First of all, a hometown hero who is now one of the best Secretaries of the Interior that we’ve ever had, Ken Salazar. (Applause.) One of the best governors in the country, John Hickenlooper. (Applause.) Two outstanding senators, Mark Udall -- (applause) -- and Michael Bennet. (Applause.) Congresswoman Diana DeGette. (Applause.) Congressman Ed Perlmutter. (Applause.) Your own hometown mayor, Michael Hancock. (Applause.) And former friend and -- or current friend, former mayor -- (laughter) -- and one of the finest public servants in Colorado history, Federico Peña. (Applause.)
So it is good to be back in Colorado, especially on a gorgeous day like this. (Applause.) It’s always like this in late September, isn’t it? (Applause.) Absolutely.
It’s an honor to be here at Lincoln High School. (Applause.) And I want to give a special thank you to Amelia for that wonderful introduction. (Applause.) I was just talking to Amelia. She’s a senior this year. And she’s planning to go to college and planning to be a doctor, and I am absolutely certain she is going to succeed in everything that she does. And she’s an example, a great example, of how smarter courses and better technology can help guarantee our kids the foundation that they need to graduate and compete in this new global economy.
So we couldn’t be prouder of Amelia and we couldn’t be prouder of all the students here at Lincoln. (Applause.)
Now, I came here today to talk about the economy. I came to talk about how we can get to a place where we’re creating good middle-class jobs again -- (applause) -- jobs that pay well and jobs that offer security.
We’ve got a lot to do to make sure that everyone in this country gets a fair shake and a fair shot and a chance to get ahead. And that’s the number-one thing that I think about each and every day. Your lives, your opportunities -- that should be the number-one thing that every public servant in Washington is thinking about.
There’s so much that we could accomplish together if Washington can finally start acting on behalf of the people. (Applause.) We’ve got to get that city to stop worrying so much about their jobs and their careers and start worrying about your jobs and your careers. (Applause.)
And that’s why I sent Congress the American Jobs Act. Now, I know it’s kind of thick, but it boils down to two things: putting people back to work and putting more money in the pockets of working Americans. Every single thing in the American Jobs Act is the kind of proposal that’s been supported by Democrats and Republicans in the past. Everything in it will be paid for.
It’s been two weeks since I sent it to Congress; now I want it back. (Applause.) I want it back, passed, so I can sign this bill and start putting people back to work. (Applause.) I’ve already got the pens all ready, all lined up on my desk, ready to sign the bill. And every one of you can help make it happen by sending a message to Congress, a simple message: Pass this jobs bill. (Applause.)
Look, pass this jobs bill, and right here in Colorado, thousands of construction workers will have a job again. (Applause.) This is one of the most common-sense ideas out there. All over the country there are roads and bridges and schools just like Lincoln that are in need of repair. (Applause.) One of the reasons we came here was this is the fastest-growing school in one of the fastest-growing school districts in Colorado. (Applause.)
So Lincoln has been adding new AP courses and new language courses, and the wonderful principal and administrators here have been making sure -- and the teachers here have been making sure that kids have upgraded computers and learning software that’s necessary to prepare all of you students for the jobs and the economy of the future. But you know what? Things like science labs take money to upgrade. The science labs here at Lincoln High were built decades ago, back in the ‘60s. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but science and technology has changed a little bit since the 1960s. The world has changed a little bit since the 1960s. So we need to do everything we can to prepare our kids to compete. We need to do everything we can to make sure our students can compete with any students, anywhere in the world. And every child deserves a great school -- and we can give it to them. (Applause.)
We can rebuild our schools for the 21st century, with faster Internet, and smarter labs, and cutting-edge technology. And that won’t just create a better learning environment for students -- it will create good jobs for local construction workers right here in Denver, and all across Colorado, and all across the country. There are schools all throughout Colorado in need of renovation.
But it’s not just in this state. Last week, I visited a bridge in Cincinnati that connected Ohio to Kentucky. Bridges need renovations. Roads need renovations. We need to lay broadband lines in rural areas. There are construction projects like these all across this country just waiting to get started, and there are millions of unemployed construction workers ready to do the job.
So my question to Congress is: What on Earth are you waiting for? Let’s get to work. (Applause.) Let’s get to work. Let’s get to work.
Why should our children be allowed to study in crumbling, outdated schools? How does that give them a sense that education is important? We should build them the best schools. That’s what I want for my kids; that’s what you want for your kids. That’s what I want for every kid in America. (Applause.)
Why should we let China build the newest airports, the fastest railroads? We should build them right here in America, right here in Denver, right here in Colorado. (Applause.) There is work to be done. There are workers ready to do it. So tell Congress: Pass this jobs bill right away. (Applause.)
Let’s pass this jobs bill and put teachers back in the classroom where they belong. (Applause.) Places like South Korea, they’re adding teachers in droves to prepare their kids for the global economy. We’re laying off our teachers left and right. All across the country, budget cuts are forcing superintendents to make choices they don’t want to make.
I can tell you the last thing a governor like John Hickenlooper wants to do is to lose teachers. It’s unfair to our kids. It undermines our future. It has to stop. You tell Congress: Pass the American Jobs Act, and there will be funding to save jobs of thousands of Colorado teachers and cops and firefighters. It’s the right thing to do. Pass the bill. (Applause.)
If Congress passes this jobs bill, companies will get new tax credits for hiring America’s veterans. Think about it -- these men and women, they leave their careers, they leave their families. They are protecting us and our freedom. And the last thing they should have to do is fight for a job when they come home. (Applause.) That’s why Congress needs to pass this bill -- to make it easier for businesses to hire our veterans and use the skills that they’ve developed protecting us. (Applause.)
Pass this bill, and it will help hundreds of thousands of young people find summer jobs next year to help them build skills. (Applause.) It provides a $4,000 tax credit for companies that hire anybody who’s spent more than six months looking for a job. It extends unemployment insurance, but it also says if you’re collecting benefits, you’ll get connected to temporary work as a way to build your skills while you’re looking for a permanent job. Congress needs to pass this bill. (Applause.)
Congress needs to pass this bill so we can help the people who create most of the new jobs in this country -- America’s small business owners. It’s all terrific that corporate profits have come roaring back, but small companies haven’t come roaring back. Let’s give them a boost. Pass this bill, and every small business owner in America gets a tax cut. (Applause.) If they hire new employees, or they raise their employees’ salaries, they get another tax cut. (Applause.)
There are some Republicans in Congress who like to talk about being the friends of America’s job creators. Well, you know what, if you actually care about America’s job creators, then you should actually help America’s job creators with a tax cut by passing this bill. (Applause.) Right away.
Now finally, if we get Congress to pass this bill, the typical working family in Colorado will get more than $1,700 in tax cuts next year; $1,700 that would have been taken out of your paycheck now goes right back in your pocket. (Applause.)
If Congress doesn’t act -- if Congress fails to pass this bill -- middle-class families will get hit with a tax increase at the worst possible time. We can’t let that happen. Republicans say they’re the party of tax cuts. Well, let them prove it. Tell them to fight just as hard for tax cuts for working Americans as they fight for the wealthiest Americans. (Applause.) Tell them to pass this jobs bill right now. (Applause.)
So let me summarize here. The American Jobs Act will lead to new jobs for construction workers, jobs for teachers, jobs for veterans, jobs for young people, jobs for the unemployed. It will provide tax relief for every worker and small business in America. And by the way, it will not add to the deficit. It will be paid for. (Applause.)
Last week, I laid out a plan that would not only pay for the jobs bill but would begin to actually reduce our debt over time. It’s a plan that says if we want to create jobs and close the deficit, then we’ve got to not only make some of the cuts that we’ve made -- tough cuts that, with the help of Mark and Michael, we were able to get done -- but we’ve also got to ask the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations to pay their fair share. (Applause.)
Look, we need to reform our tax code based on a simple principle: Middle-class families shouldn’t pay higher tax rates than millionaires and billionaires. (Applause.) Warren Buffett’s secretary shouldn’t pay a higher tax rate than Warren Buffett. A teacher or a nurse or a construction worker making $50,000 a year shouldn’t pay higher tax rates than somebody making $50 million. That’s just common sense. (Applause.)
And keep in mind I’m not saying this because we should be punishing success. This is the Land of Opportunity. What’s great about this country is that any of these young people here, if they’ve got a good idea, if they go out there and they’re willing to work hard, they can start a business, they can create value, great products, great services. They can make millions, make billions. That’s great. That’s what America is all about. Anybody can make it if they try.
But what’s also a quintessentially American idea is that those of us who’ve done well should pay our fair share to contribute to the upkeep of the nation that made our success possible -- (applause) -- because nobody -- nobody did well on their own. A teacher somewhere helped to give you the skills to succeed. (Applause.)
Firefighters and police officers are protecting your property. You’re moving your goods and products and services on roads that somebody built. That’s how we all do well together. We got here because somebody else invested in us, and we’ve got to make sure this generation of students can go to college on student aid or scholarships like I did. We’ve got to make sure that we keep investing in the kind of government research that helped to create the Internet, which countless private sector companies then used to create tens of millions of jobs.
And you know what? I’m positive -- I’ve talked to them, most wealthy Americans agree with this. Of course, the Republicans in Congress, they call this class warfare. You know what? If asking a millionaire to pay the same tax rate as a plumber makes me a class warrior, a warrior for the working class, I will accept that. I will wear that charge as a badge of honor. (Applause.)
The only warfare I’ve seen is the battle that’s been waged against middle-class families in this country for a decade now.
Ultimately, Colorado, this comes down to choices and it comes down to priorities. If we want to pay for this jobs plan, put people back to work, close this deficit, invest in our future, then the money has got to come from somewhere. And so my question is: Would you rather keep tax loopholes for oil companies? Or do you want construction workers to have a job rebuilding our schools and our roads and our bridges? (Applause.)
Would you rather keep tax breaks for billionaires that they don’t need? Or would you rather put teachers back to work, and help small businesses, and cut taxes, and reduce our deficit? (Applause.)
It’s time to build an economy that creates good middle-class jobs in this country. It’s time to build an economy that honors the values of hard work and responsibility. It’s time to build an economy that lasts.
And, Denver, that starts now. And I need your help to make it happen. (Applause.) I just want you to -- just remember, Republicans and Democrats in the past have supported every kind of proposal that’s in here. There’s no reason not to pass it just because I proposed it. We need to tell them it’s time to support these proposals right now.
There are some Republicans in Washington who have said that some of this might have to wait until the next election.
THE PRESIDENT: Maybe we should just stretch this out rather than work together right now. Some even said that if they agree with the proposals in the American Jobs Act, they still shouldn’t pass it because it might give me a win. Think about that. Give me a win? Give me a break! That’s why folks in Washington -- that’s why folks are fed up with Washington. (Applause.)
There are some folks in Washington who don’t get it. This isn’t about giving me a win. This is about giving Democrats and Republicans a chance to do something for the American people. It’s about giving people who are hurting a win. That’s what this is about. (Applause.)
It’s about giving small business owners a win, and entrepreneurs a win, and students a win, and working families a win. (Applause.) Giving all of us a win. (Applause.)
The next election is nearly 14 months away. The American people don’t have the luxury of waiting that long. There are folks here in Colorado who are living paycheck to paycheck, week to week. They need action and they need it now.
So I’m asking all of you, I need you to lift up your voices. Not just here in Denver, but anyone watching, anybody listening, anybody following online -- I need you to call, email, tweet, fax, visit -- tell your congressperson, unless the congressperson is here, because they’re already on board -- tell them you are tired of gridlock, you are tired of the games. Tell them the time for action is now. Tell them you want to create jobs now. Tell them to pass the bill. (Applause.)
If you want construction workers on the job, pass the bill. (Applause.) If you want teachers back in the classroom, pass the bill. (Applause.) If you want a tax cut for small business owners, pass the bill. (Applause.) If you want to help our veterans share in the opportunity that they defended, pass the bill. (Applause.)
It is time to act. We are not a people who sit back and wait for things to happen. We make things happen. We’re Americans. We are tougher than the times that we live in, and we are bigger than the politics we’ve been seeing out of Washington. We write our own destiny. It is in our power to do so once more. So let’s meet this moment and let’s get to work, and let’s show the world once again why the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth.
Thank you. God bless you. God bless the United States of America. Go Lancers! (Applause.)
2:40 P.M. MDT
May 9, 2013
May 8, 2013
May 8, 2013
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May 5, 2013 | President Obama Highlights the American Jobs Act
Remarks by the President on the American Jobs Act in Denver, Colorado
Abraham Lincoln High School
2:20 P.M. MDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Denver! (Applause.) What a beautiful day. Thank you so much. How’s it going, Lancers? (Applause.) I hear the Lancers have a pretty good ball team. That’s the story I’ve heard. (Applause.)
Well, listen, there are a cou | {
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Dr David Heymann is the Assistant Director-General for Health Security and Environment and Representative of the Director-General for Polio Eradication. Prior to this, from July 1998 until July 2003, Dr Heymann was Executive Director of the WHO Communicable Diseases Cluster. From October 1995 to July 1998, Dr Heymann was Director of the WHO Programme on Emerging and other Communicable Diseases, and prior to that he was the chief of research activities in the WHO Global Programme on AIDS. Before joining WHO, Dr Heymann worked for 13 years as a medical epidemiologist in sub-Saharan Africa on assignment from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr Heymann also worked for two years in India as a medical epidemiologist in the WHO Smallpox Eradication Programme.
Dr Heymann holds a B.A. from the Pennsylvania State University, an M.D. from Wake Forest University, a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and has completed practical epidemiology training in the two-year Epidemic Intelligence Service of CDC. In 2004 he received the American Public Health Association Award for Excellence and was named to the United States Institute of Medicine. In 2005 he was awarded a Welling Professorship at the George Washington University School of Public Health and the 2005 Donald Mackay medal by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. In 2007 he received the Heinz Award in the Human Condition category. | Dr David Heymann is the Assistant Director-General for Health Security and Environment and Representative of the Director-General for Polio Eradication. Prior to this, from July 1998 until July 2003, Dr Heymann was Executive Director of the WHO Communicable Diseases Cluster. From October 1995 to July 1998, Dr Heymann was Director of the WHO Programme on Emerging and other Communicable Diseases, an | {
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U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Federal Energy Management Program
Federal Operations and Maintenance Working Group
The Federal Operations and Maintenance Working Group helps Federal agencies integrate operations and maintenance (O&M) best practices to ensure optimum energy efficiency and life-cycle cost effectiveness within Federal programs. Specifically, the O&M Working Group serves to:
- Educate Federal energy managers on O&M best practices
- Document the benefits of O&M in meeting Federal mandates
- Develop outreach materials
- Measure and verify successes and prove real value
- Communicate the business case for O&M investments
The O&M Working Group charter is available.
Chaired by Ab Ream of FEMP, the Federal Operations and Maintenance Working Group consists of representatives from the Federal Government, national laboratories, private industry, academia, and others as needed to meet working group goals.
Meetings and Resources
O&M Working Group information is available across the following categories: | U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Federal Energy Management Program
Federal Operations and Maintenance Working Group
The Federal Operations and Maintenance Working Group helps Federal agencies integrate operations and maintenance (O&M) best practices to ensure optimum energy efficiency and life-cycle cost effectiveness within Federal programs. Specifically, the O&M | {
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This item is available under a Creative Commons License for non-commercial use only
Food and beverages, 5.3 EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES
The principal rationale for this research paper is to discuss the link between a lecturers Doctoral research activity and its perceived benefits or drawbacks for undergraduate students in todays’ Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s).The perceptions that six Doctoral academics have with regard to the impact their work has on such students was specifically investigated. In-depth interviews with them gleaned research results which demonstrate the degree to which their research activities have positive or negative consequences for undergraduate students.
Broadly speaking, three main types of activities were identified as having a positive impact, First was the topic-specific ‘cutting-edge’ knowledge that was perceived as beneficial to students. Secondly, the broad-based liberal learning ethos they brought to their teaching added value, whereby some students basked in their ‘reflected glory’.Thirdly,their specific research methods skills were of benefit, especially to Dissertation students. A contrary perspective identified the following three drawbacks. Firstly, sometimes a Doctoral research academics knowledge was ‘pitched’ at inappropriate or too high a level for undergraduate students’ abilities. The inaccessibility of such staff to these students was a second issue that was problematic.Thirdly, a disconnect between such academics and the actual ownership and relevance of such their work to the students and their future careers was examined.
McCauley, J.: How do Doctoral Research Academics Perceive their Research Activities to be of Benefit to Undergraduate Students? Proceedings of Inted 2011. International Technology, Education and Development Conference. Valencia, Spain. 7th-9th March, 2011. | This item is available under a Creative Commons License for non-commercial use only
Food and beverages, 5.3 EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES
The principal rationale for this research paper is to discuss the link between a lecturers Doctoral research activity and its perceived benefits or drawbacks for undergraduate students in todays’ Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s).The perceptions that six Doctoral aca | {
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In his opening remarks to over one hundred Christian leaders at the White House Prayer Breakfast, President Obama said that “I’m even more grateful for the work that you do every day of the year — the compassion and the kindness that so many of you express through your various ministries.”
Many of the ministries that the President referred to are focused outside of the U.S. They are ministries, organizations and initiatives that partner with and complement the work of USAID. From efforts to increase the bounty of agricultural work with Feed the Future, to helping provide medical care that helps children reach their fifth birthday with the Global Health Initiative to literally freeing persons chained into human trafficking together with our Counter Trafficking in Persons efforts, the leaders and their supporters strengthen and extend their own goals of the goals of USAID.
After the Prayer Breakfast, the religious leaders took part in a briefing that included hearing about the tremendous progress that has been achieved in the last few decades in child survival from USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Global Health Amie Batson. In the past two decades child deaths have fallen dramatically, from 12 million in 1990 to 7.6 million in 2010. In fact, the goal of ending preventable child deaths is possible – if the world works together. Along with strong country ownership, partnership with faith-based and community organizations will be critical to make this a reality.
This is where you can help! In close collaboration with UNICEF, the United States is co-convening a Call to Action in June 2012 to set the course towards the end of preventable child deaths. We need your help to raise awareness and drive collective action! If you’re interested in learning more and want to partner with us, please email: FBCI@usaid.gov for more information.
Echoing the President’s remarks, thank you for you continued leadership, passion and dedication to helping the most vulnerable. Together we can create a world where every child, no matter where he or she is born, has an equal opportunity to survive and grow. | In his opening remarks to over one hundred Christian leaders at the White House Prayer Breakfast, President Obama said that “I’m even more grateful for the work that you do every day of the year — the compassion and the kindness that so many of you express through your various ministries.”
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SEMS/NIMS/ICS Combined Course Training Curriculum
The California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) Training Division, in conjunction with the SEMS Training & Exercise Specialist Committee made up of State and Local government subject matter experts, are continuously working to provide the resources necessary to meet both the requirements of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the California Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS). As you are aware, SEMS and NIMS require that certain courses be completed by all who may be tasked during an emergency; response through recovery. Please review the training matrix on this website for State and Federal guidance on who should take which course.
In order to facilitate this, Cal EMA has developed the SEMS/NIMS/ICS, A Combined Course. This comprehensive course compares and contrasts SEMS, NIMS, and ICS. Your trainers may conduct one course that will meet the requirements of SEMS Introductory Course, ICS 100, and the NIMS Awareness course by using this curriculum. Ensure that the target audience’s needs and prior training and experience are taken into account when deciding which pieces of this curriculum you choose to use. Since the NIMS Awareness course objectives are included in this material, participants may fill out a FEMA scan-tron, available at FEMA IS Program - Request Blank OpScan Sheets and mail to FEMA for a certificate, or fill out the test questions and final exam available at this link http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is700.asp. This will ensure IS700 compliance documentation.
IG Module 1 - Course Introduction Version 2
IG Module 2 - ICS Introduction Version 2
IG Module 3 - ICS Version 2
IG Module 4 - SEMS Introduction Version 2
IG Module 5 - NIMS Introduction Version 2.0
IG Module 6 - NIMS Preparedness Version 2.0
IG Module 7 - Resource Management Version 2.0
IG Module 8 - Public Information Version 2.0
IG Module 9 - Communications Info Management Version 2.0
IG Module 10 - Action Planning Version 2.0
IG Module 11 - Trainer Resources
IG Module 12- Examination; SEMS_NIMS_ICS T4T TOC
TTT Module 1 - Course Introduction Version 2
TTT Module 2 - ICS Introduction Version 2
TTT Module 3 - Incident Command System Version 2
TTT Module 4 - SEMS Introduction Version 2.0
TTT Module 5 - NIMS Introduction Version 2.0
TTT Module 6 - NIMS Preparedness Version 2.0
TTT Module 7 - NIMS Resource Management Version 2.0
TTT Module 8 - Public Information Version 2.0
TTT Module 9 - NIMS Communications Info Management Supporting Tech Version 2.0
TTT Module 10 - Action Planning Version 2.0; Grocery Store
Small Group Activity
NIMS Awareness Test
For SEMS certification, follow your agencies current procedures for documenting training and issuing certificates. It is recommended that a SEMS training record-keeping system include:
1. An individual training record for each person, kept either in their personnel file or in
a separate training record file. The name of the course, instructor, location, and date
should be included in the training record.
2. Maintenance of the individual training record for as long as the person is employed
in a position that involves an emergency response role. Records of personnel
involved in an actual emergency should be kept at least until any training
compliance issues have been resolved.
3. Documentation of the agency's SEMS training program including copies of the
training materials used, such as; instructor syllabus, lesson plans, participant manuals,
exercises, and tests.
Additional materials are being developed by Cal EMA and the SEMS Training & Exercise Specialist Committee and will be added to this website on a regular basis. | SEMS/NIMS/ICS Combined Course Training Curriculum
The California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) Training Division, in conjunction with the SEMS Training & Exercise Specialist Committee made up of State and Local government subject matter experts, are continuously working to provide the resources necessary to meet both the requirements of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and th | {
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The CFTC Glossary is intended to assist the public in understanding some of the specialized words and phrases used in the futures industry since many of these terms are not found in standard reference works. The CFTC Glossary is not inclusive, and if you cannot find the term you are looking for or have any other comments, please let us know. A PDF version of the glossary is also available.
Definitions are not intended to state or suggest the views of the Commission concerning the legal significance or meaning of any word or term and no definition is intended to state or suggest the Commission’s views concerning any trading strategy or economic theory.
Accommodation Trading: Non-competitive trading entered into by a trader, usually to assist another with illegal trades.
Aggregation: The principle under which all futures positions owned or controlled by one trader (or group of traders acting in concert) are combined to determine reporting status and compliance with speculative position limits.
Agricultural Trade Option Merchant: Any person that is in the business of soliciting or entering option transactions involving an enumerated agricultural commodity that are not conducted or executed on or subject to the rules of an exchange.
Algorithmic Trading: The use of computer programs for entering trading orders with the computer algorithm initiating orders or placing bids and offers.
Approved Delivery Facility: Any bank, stockyard, mill, storehouse, plant, elevator, or other depository that is authorized by an exchange for the delivery of commodities tendered on futures contracts.
Arbitrage: A strategy involving the simultaneous purchase and sale of identical or equivalent commodity futures contracts or other instruments across two or more markets in order to benefit from a discrepancy in their price relationship. In a theoretical efficient market, there is a lack of opportunity for profitable arbitrage. See Spread.
Arbitration: A process for settling disputes between parties that is less structured than court proceedings. The National Futures Association arbitration program provides a forum for resolving futures-related disputes between NFA members or between NFA members and customers. Other forums for customer complaints include the American Arbitration Association.
Assignable Contract: A contract that allows the holder to convey his rights to a third party. Exchange-traded contracts are not assignable.
Assignment: Designation by a clearing organization of an option writer who will be required to buy (in the case of a put) or sell (in the case of a call) the underlying futures contract or security when an option has been exercised, especially if it has been exercised early.
Associated Person (AP): An individual who solicits or accepts (other than in a clerical capacity) orders, discretionary accounts, or participation in a commodity pool, or supervises any individual so engaged, on behalf of a futures commission merchant, an introducing broker, a commodity trading advisor, a commodity pool operator, or an agricultural trade option merchant.
Auction Rate Security: A debt security, typically issued by a municipality, in which the yield is reset on each payment date via a Dutch auction.
Audit Trail: The record of trading information identifying, for example, the brokers participating in each transaction, the firms clearing the trade, the terms and time or sequence of the trade, the order receipt and execution time, and, ultimately, and when applicable, the customers involved.
Automatic Exercise: A provision in an option contract specifying that it will be exercised automatically on the expiration date if it is in-the-money by a specified amount, absent instructions to the contrary. | The CFTC Glossary is intended to assist the public in understanding some of the specialized words and phrases used in the futures industry since many of these terms are not found in standard reference works. The CFTC Glossary is not inclusive, and if you cannot find the term you are looking for or have any other comments, please let us know. A PDF version of the glossary is also available.
Definit | {
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Archive for 'Myth busters'
The myth: The Sun and Daily Telegraph have suggested that Defra funded a marketing campaign to ask travellers not to eat their own horses. The truth: It was nothing to do with eating horses. The campaign explained changes to EU rules which meant owners needed to have their foals and any previously unidentified horses micro-chipped [...]
The Myth: The Daily Telegraph today claims that as part of their “zero waste” policy, the Coalition wants ‘slop buckets’ in every kitchen. The Truth: This is completely and utterly wrong. There is nothing in either the Coalition agreement or in the Government’s Waste Review which supports the Telegraph’s claim. We’ll help councils deliver the [...]
The myth: Animal Aid has used undercover filming to show abuse at a slaughterhouse, and is criticising Defra for not seeking a prosecution – with the implication that the department does not care about animal welfare. The truth: This is not true. Animal cruelty is completely unacceptable, and we vigorously pursue action wherever we can. [...]
The myth: The Daily Mail alleges that the Government has u-turned on plans to introduce deposit funds on drinks containers and force stores to charge for carrier bags.
Myth bust: The Daily Mail’s Stephen Glover today claims that everyone will be “forced” to use food waste bins
The Myth: The Daily Mail’s Stephen Glover today claims that everyone will be “forced” to use food waste bins.
The myth: The Daily Mail has claimed today that ‘every home will be ordered to use a slop bucket under Coalition plans’.
The myth: Media reports have suggested that the Government position on badger culling has changed.
The myth: The Guardian reports that milk from cows testing positive for tuberculosis (TB) would be introduced into the human food chain under reforms suggested by government advisers.
The myth: The Times claims that Defra is secretly helping local authorities who want to stop beaches being designated as ‘swimming’ beaches – which would mean water quality wouldn’t be tested to ensure it’s clean enough to swim in.
The myth: there have been reports in the media that important environmental regulations in legislation such as the Wildlife and Countryside Act, National Park Act, Clean Air Act and the Climate Change Act could be scrapped as part of the Government's Red Tape Challenge. | Archive for 'Myth busters'
The myth: The Sun and Daily Telegraph have suggested that Defra funded a marketing campaign to ask travellers not to eat their own horses. The truth: It was nothing to do with eating horses. The campaign explained changes to EU rules which meant owners needed to have their foals and any previously unidentified horses micro-chipped [...]
The Myth: The Daily Telegraph toda | {
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Directive 2012/29/EU of the European Parliament and the Council of 25 October 2012 establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime, and replacing Council Framework Decision 2001/220/JHA.
The purpose of this Directive is to ensure that victims of crime receive appropriate information, support and protection and are able to participate in criminal proceedings.
- EU Open Door Day 2013: EU Addressing Trafficking in Human Beings Dates: 04/05/2013 - 04/05/2013
- Iinternational Conference for facilitating experience exchange on trafficking in human beings for forced labour Dates: 14/05/2013 - 15/05/2013
- more » | Directive 2012/29/EU of the European Parliament and the Council of 25 October 2012 establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime, and replacing Council Framework Decision 2001/220/JHA.
The purpose of this Directive is to ensure that victims of crime receive appropriate information, support and protection and are able to participate in criminal proceedings | {
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Ashok Gadgil Named New EETD Director
Ashok Gadgil has been named Director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's (Berkeley Lab's) Environmental Energy Technologies Division (EETD). Serving as the Acting Division Director since October, he replaces Arun Majumdar who is now Director of the DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy (ARPA-E). Gadgil is a Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley and joined EETD in 1988. He is recognized for his work as a researcher, inventor, and humanitarian.
Dr. Gadgil has substantial experience in technical, economic, and policy research on energy efficiency and its implementation—particularly in developing countries. Among his several patents and inventions are the "UV Waterworks"—an effective, inexpensive technology to disinfect drinking water to reduce life-threatening diseases in developing countries, and the Berkeley-Darfur cook stove for safer indoor use in Darfur, Sudan. His research interests also include experimental and modeling research in indoor airflow and pollutant transports. He serves on several international and national advisory committees dealing with energy efficiency, invention and innovation, and development and environmental issues.
In announcing the appointment, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Director Paul Alivisatos wrote, "As Division Director, Gadgil's leadership on energy and environmental research and his projects bringing solutions to the developing world will continue to align the division well with Berkeley Lab's energy and environmental initiatives. Please join me in congratulating Ashok and in wishing him well in this important leadership position."
View Gadgil's home page. | Ashok Gadgil Named New EETD Director
Ashok Gadgil has been named Director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's (Berkeley Lab's) Environmental Energy Technologies Division (EETD). Serving as the Acting Division Director since October, he replaces Arun Majumdar who is now Director of the DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy (ARPA-E). Gadgil is a Professor in Civil and Environmental E | {
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In 2005, the Chinese government announced an ambitious goal of reducing energyconsumption per unit of GDP by 20% between 2005 and 2010. One of the key initiatives forrealizing this goal is the Top-1000 Energy-Consuming Enterprises program. The energyconsumption of these 1000 enterprises accounted for 33% of national and 47% of industrialenergy usage in 2004. Under the Top-1000 program, 2010 energy consumption targets weredetermined for each enterprise. The objective of this article is to evaluate the program designand initial results, given limited information and data, in order to understand the possibleimplications of its success in terms of energy and carbon dioxide emissions reductions and torecommend future program modifications based on international experience with similartarget-setting agreement programs. Even though the Top-1000 Program was designed andimplemented rapidly, it appears that – depending upon the GDP growth rate -- it couldcontribute to somewhere between approximately 10% and 25% of the savings required tosupport China's efforts to meet a 20% reduction in energy use per unit of GDP by 2010. | In 2005, the Chinese government announced an ambitious goal of reducing energyconsumption per unit of GDP by 20% between 2005 and 2010. One of the key initiatives forrealizing this goal is the Top-1000 Energy-Consuming Enterprises program. The energyconsumption of these 1000 enterprises accounted for 33% of national and 47% of industrialenergy usage in 2004. Under the Top-1000 program, 2010 energy | {
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Definitions: REDs, IREDs, and TREDs
When EPA completes its review of a pesticide for reregistration or tolerance reassessment, the Agency issues a risk management decision document known as a RED, an IRED, or a TRED. EPA publishes Notices of Availability in the Federal Register.
REDs (Reregistration Eligibility Decisions)
When EPA completes the review and risk management decision for a pesticide that is subject to reregistration (that is, one initially registered before November 1984), the Agency generally issues a Reregistration Eligibility Decision or RED document. The RED summarizes the risk assessment conclusions and outlines any risk reduction measures necessary for the pesticide to continue to be registered in the U.S.
IREDs (Interim Reregistration Eligibility Decisions)
EPA issues an IRED for a pesticide that is undergoing reregistration, requires a reregistration eligibility decision, and also needs a cumulative assessment as a result of FQPA because it is part of a group of pesticides that share a common mechanism of toxicity. The IRED, issued after EPA completes the individual pesticide's aggregate risk assessment, may initiate risk reduction measures -- for example, reducing risks to workers or eliminating uses that the registrant no longer wishes to maintain -- to gain the benefits of these changes before the final RED can be issued, following the Agency's consideration of cumulative risks.
TREDs (Reports on FQPA Tolerance Reassessment Progress and [Interim] Risk Management Decisions)
A TRED may be issued as a document if no changes in the tolerances for a pesticide are required as a result of EPA's review. If tolerance revisions are required, then the TRED may be issued as a Federal Register Notice.
EPA issues a TRED for a pesticide that requires tolerance reassessment decisions, but does not require a reregistration eligibility decision at present because:
- the pesticide was initially registered after November 1, 1984, and by law is not included within the scope of the reregistration program;
- EPA completed a RED for the pesticide before FQPA was enacted on August 3, 1996; or
- the pesticide is not registered for use in the U.S. but tolerances are established that allow crops treated with the pesticide to be imported from other countries.
Like IREDs, some TREDs will not become final until EPA considers the cumulative risks of all the pesticides in the cumulative group. | Definitions: REDs, IREDs, and TREDs
When EPA completes its review of a pesticide for reregistration or tolerance reassessment, the Agency issues a risk management decision document known as a RED, an IRED, or a TRED. EPA publishes Notices of Availability in the Federal Register.
REDs (Reregistration Eligibility Decisions)
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News & Policies >
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 31, 2001
Statement by the Press Secretary
The Scottish Court presiding over the trial of the two Libyans accused of bombing Pan Am Flight 103 on December 21, 1988, has found Abdel Basset al-Megrahi guilty of murder. The court found conclusively that the defendant caused an explosive device to detonate on board Pan Am flight 103 and murdered the flight's 259 passengers and crew as well as eleven residents of Lockerbie, Scotland. Al-Megrahi will now face a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment under Scottish law.
With respect to Al-Amin Khalifa Fahima, the Court concluded that the Crown failed to present sufficient evidence to satisfy the high standard of "proof beyond reasonable doubt" that is necessary in criminal cases. This does not mean that he is innocent of the crime charged. This verdict is a victory for an international effort and has resulted in the conviction of a member of the Libyan intelligence services. The Government of Libya must take responsibility.
The United States and the United Kingdom have made clear to the Government of Libya that the delivery of a verdict against the suspects in the Pan Am 103 trial does not in itself signify an end to UN sanctions against Libya. UN Security Council Resolutions call on Libya to satisfy certain requirements, including compensation to the victims? families and the acceptance of responsibility for this act of terrorism, before UN sanctions will be removed. The Government of Libya has not yet satisfied these requirements. The United States and the United Kingdom will consult closely and then approach the Government of Libya in the near future to discuss the remaining steps Libya must take under the UN Resolutions.
We want to express our deepest sympathy to the families of those lost in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. Nothing can undo the suffering this act of terrorism has caused. But we hope that this verdict will help reduce the anguish and uncertainty that the family members have endured since December 21, 1988, and that they are able to find some solace in the measure of justice achieved by this decision.
The President congratulates the Scottish prosecution team, thanks the Dutch Government for their assistance and the entire United States Government team who contributed to this outcome.
# # # | News & Policies >
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 31, 2001
Statement by the Press Secretary
The Scottish Court presiding over the trial of the two Libyans accused of bombing Pan Am Flight 103 on December 21, 1988, has found Abdel Basset al-Megrahi guilty of murder. The court found conclusively that the defendant caused an explosive device to detonate on board Pan Am fli | {
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Standing at the peak of Mount Mansfield in Vermont on a crisp October day, crimson reds, golden yellows, and brilliant greens form a blanket on the surrounding mountains and the valley floor, right up to the edge of Lake Champlain. The eastern forests and woodlands are known for this colorful fall display of leaves. Covering from Maine to Florida and west to the Mississippi River, these forests once stretched almost unbroken across the region, but now coexist with people in some of the most heavily populated areas of the world. The deciduous trees that make these forests famous include oaks, maples, beech, birches, and hickories. While evergreen conifers, such as spruce and firs, do live in the eastern forest, they are not as common or dominant as the deciduous trees except under particular types of local conditions.
The eastern forests ecoregion includes a range of landscapes from the rugged Adirondack Mountains in New York and the Appalachian Mountains that span the entire eastern seaboard, to rolling hills, valleys, and plains. Each of these landscapes has varying climates, soils, altitudes, and frequencies of fire, all of which play key roles in determining the composition of trees that make up forest stands.
In general, the eastern United States has cold winters and long warm summers. Possibly the most important feature in determining the makeup of the eastern forests is precipitation in the form of rain and snow. Total precipitation throughout the year is higher in the eastern forests than anywhere else in North America, except for the tropical and subtropical areas to the south and the temperate rain forest found along the Pacific Coast.
These deciduous forests are rich in species due to the abundance of food and shelter provided by the trees that produce fruits, nuts, and berries to eat, and multiple forest layers in which animals can live. Species include migratory birds on their journeys north and south, as well as year-round residents such as red northern cardinals, gray squirrels, black bears, white-tailed deer, raccoons, red foxes, and opossums.
All of these species depend on the trees to provide them with food and shelter. Changes in climate that affect the eastern forests will thus also affect the plants and animals that live in and use them. | Standing at the peak of Mount Mansfield in Vermont on a crisp October day, crimson reds, golden yellows, and brilliant greens form a blanket on the surrounding mountains and the valley floor, right up to the edge of Lake Champlain. The eastern forests and woodlands are known for this colorful fall display of leaves. Covering from Maine to Florida and west to the Mississippi River, these forests on | {
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