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Obama's Green Corporate Welfare Funds Foreign Jobs
Obama is sending green jobs to Finland, Malaysia, or Mexico and billions of our tax dollars to Spain, Britain, and even China.
by Christine Lakatos
A jaw-dropping revelation came to light in December 2011 by the Trib Total Media, yet it was ignored by the media and even missed by those of us watching the solar world unfold.
China's major solar panel companies — whose low-cost products led some American factories to close, helped create the Solyndra controversy and spawned talk of a trade war — were bankrolled in the United States by the world's largest investment banks.
Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, USB Investment Bank and others raised $6.5 billion for seven young Chinese solar panel makers in the mid-2000s by underwriting their securities on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, a Tribune-Review investigation has found.
The Trib goes on, "It's not clear how the idea of using offshore tax havens to get listed on U.S. exchanges developed. But the Trib learned through SEC reports how Chinese solar companies grabbed onto the idea." The first was Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd., now the world's largest solar company. It began operating as a Chinese company in May 2002, and by 2004 reported sales of $85.3 million…"
However, Bloomberg News reported last week, "Suntech Power Holdings Co. (STP) [was] forced to put its Chinese solar unit into bankruptcy last month, "becoming the latest casualty of a painful slump in the global solar industry," wrote Townhall.com. But Bloomberg noted that Suntech "began that slide into insolvency in 2009 when customers linked to the founder couldn't pay their bills and the company booked the sales as revenue anyway, regulatory filings show."
What most don't know is that Suntech is a tiny fraction of "Obamanomics Outsourced," whereas his administration is responsible for steering billions in stimulus funds (and other "green" money) to foreign companies and shipping green jobs overseas. This is clearly a broken 2008 energy campaign promise, but worse, a violation on how the 2009 trillion-dollar stimulus package was sold –– to create jobs and grow the economy here in America.
And I will invest $15 billion a year in renewable sources of energy to create five million new energy jobs over the next decade –– jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced; jobs building solar panels and wind turbines and a new electricity grid; jobs that will help us eliminate the oil we import from the Middle East in ten years and help save the planet in the bargain. That's how America can lead again.
Senator Barack Obama, October 27, 2008
Oh NO, he didn't…
Last fall, Marita Noon (energy columnist at Townhall.com and my cohort in unearthing the massive amount of clean-energy dirt) and I debunked the president's 5 million energy jobs target as well as the his administration's labor department's ludicrous claims on what constitutes a green job –– from oil lobbyists, to bus drivers, to garbage men, and so on.
Furthermore, if you've been following my blog (now the Green Corruption Files), you know that since 2009 I've been tracking President Obama's trillion-dollar stimulus spending spree, of which at least $90 billion was earmarked for renewable energy and energy efficiency, and doled out through various programs and agencies.
For a year now I've been covering the Department of Energy's (DOE) Loan Program, more specifically the stimulus-created 1705, whereas over $16 billion of taxpayer money was used to fund 26 alternative energy projects; of which 23 were junk rated –– as revealed by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in March 2012.
The DOE's "junk bond" portfolio (the entire $34.4 billion loan guarantee program for that matter) is where you'll discover that 96 percent of the firms representing these projects have meaningful ties (bundlers and donors) to President Obama and other high-ranking Democrats; or both –– with five to Senator Harry Reid alone.
The Mesquite Solar Project and the $337 Million DOE "Junk" Loan
Over a week ago, I submitted an update, noting that we've covered all but three out of the 26 DOE "junk bond" portfolio, which included the Mesquite Solar project. What's interesting is that this was the ONLY DOE excessively risky loan that I could not locate a direct connection to the Obama White House or any "green crony."
But once again, we find that despite the fact that the Mesquite Solar I, LLC (Sempra Mesquite) project received a non-investment grade rating by Fitch in August 2011, our Energy Department went ahead and awarded them a $337 million loan guarantee for a solar power plant in Arizona that is scheduled to be up sometime in 2013, which projects that it would create more than 300 construction job and 7 operating jobs.
Hold up…Let's go back to early 2010 when Suntech had been awarded a $2.1 million credit from the Energy Department's stimulus-funded Advanced Energy Manufacturing (48C) Tax Credit, and according to the Heritage Foundation, in November 2012 Suntech shed some employees, claiming that it was the "U.S. International Trade Commission's 35.95% tariff on Chinese solar panels was partially responsible for the 50 impending layoffs at its Arizona production facilities" –– thus Suntech ended up on my 2012 Green-Energy Failure Alert List, in the troubled category.
But a year before Suntech's troubles were made public (remember their slide into insolvency began in 2009), and in the midst of the September 2011 solar hoopla, Bloomberg News reported that the Mesquite project (with $337 million of taxpayer money), would be purchasing its solar panels from the China-based Suntech Power Holdings Co. Also, Sempra Energy, California's third-largest utility (a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2012 revenues of approximately $10 billion), will sell electricity from the Mesquite Solar 1 plant to California's largest utility, PG&E Corp., under a 20-year contract –– adding two more to our list of BIG ENERGY (General Electric, NextEra Energy and NRG Energy) that are making big money at the "green" Bank of Obama.
Pacific Gas & Electric Packed with Green Cronies and Invested Interest in $7.7 Billion of Stimulus Funds
PG&E maintains a strong political presence in Washington, D.C., and is actively involved in California politics as well. We've already highlighted their Democratic "cronyism footprint," of which much of it was exposed by the Washington Free Beacon last March: "Pacific Gas & Cronyism: Politically connected utility plays corporate bully, makes bank on green energy…"
It turns out that "former PG&E employees currently hold, or previously held, high-ranking government positions at the state and federal level, furthering the company's influence," of which we know that Peter Darbee, then-CEO and chairman of PG&E, wasn't shy about using his leverage with President Obama on at least the $1.6 billion BrightSource Energy DOE deal.
The most controversial former PG&E employee to hold an influential government post is Cathy Zoi, a former energy analyst for the company, who also served as chief of staff for environmental policy under President Clinton and was CEO of Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection. Zoi was the former Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, and oversaw the disbursement of more than $30 billion in green-energy stimulus funds in her DOE position at the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) –– a post which began in April 2009, and later she briefly filled the role of Acting Undersecretary for Energy.
We've already labeled Zoi as one of the "DOE dirty dozen" –– those inside the Energy Department with ties to tens of billions of clean-energy stimulus funds. However, in March 2011, Zoi jumped theDOE ship to work for left-wing billionaire George Soros, Obama's "Agent of Green," whom just last month I chronicled his dark money and how he has bankrolled Obama victories since 2004. After discovering Soros' part in crafting the 2009-Recovery Act and his early 2009 series of regular private meetings and consultations with White House senior advisors, as usual, I followed the money.
Soros' suspicious 2009-first quarter stock-buying spree was a huge winner –– a big portion (that we know of) benefited from the federal stimulus, including twelve alternative energy and utility companies. Add in more Soros clean-energy investments, and I concluded that his "green tab" exceeds $11 BILLION of stimulus (taxpayer) money, with the entire Cathy Zoi Green Corruption story still left to tell.
PG&E may have gotten the "cold shoulder" on the their smart-grid grant requests, but with their high-powered connections all the way up to the president and inside the DOE, PG&E won a significant amount of stimulus money: at least seventeen transactions to date and over $55.4 million. Better yet, PG&E has an invested interest in "six solar projects that will sell power to PG&E, which have received a combined $5.5 billion in taxpayer-backed DOE loans," as exposed by the Washington Free Beacon, however, I found $7.7 billion.
#1. Agua Caliente Solar Power Project located in Yuma, Arizona, of which "PG&E will purchase the project's power and deliver it to customers in California." Project by NRG Solar: $967 million loan guarantee
#2. BrightSource Energy development located in Baker, CA, of which "electricity from the project will be sold under long-term power purchase agreements with Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison Company (SCE)." Project by NRG Energy, Inc. (BrightSource): $1.6 billion loan guarantee
#3. California Valley Solar Ranch of which the 250-megawatt is under construction in eastern San Luis Obispo County, and "is generating clean, reliable solar power for transmission over PG&E's utility grid." Project by NRG Solar and SunPower is still involved: $1.237 billion loan guarantee
#4. Desert Sunlight Project located in Riverside, CA, with the PPA (purchase power agreement) listed as Southern California Edison and PG&E. This is a First Solar Project that is co-owned by NextEra Energy Resources, GE Energy Financial Services, and Sumitomo Corporation of America: partial guarantee of $1.46 billion
#5. Genesis Solar Energy Project located in Riverside County, CA of which "power from the project will be sold to Pacific Gas and Electric Company." Project by NextEra Energy Resources, LLC: partial guarantee of $852 million loan
#6. Mesquite Solar 1, LLC located in Maricopa County, AZ, of which Bloomberg News had reported at the time the DOE loan was approved, "Sempra will sell electricity from the Mesquite Solar 1 plant to California's largest utility, PG&E Corp., under a 20- year contract." Project by Sempra Mesquite: $337 million loan guarantee
#7. Mojave Solar located in San Bernardino County, CA, of which at the time of the DOE loan approval (September 2011), "Abengoa signed a power-purchase agreement with PG&E to buy the energy produced by the project for a period of 25 years." Project by the Spanish firm Abengoa Solar, Inc.: $1.2 billion loan guarantee
Suntech, Bankrolled by Early Goldman Sachs and other Big U.S. Banks
As revealed in the beginning of this story, Goldman Sachs and other Big Banks here in the United States bankrolled Suntech, and this year in my January post on Kleiner Perkins (John Doerr and Al Gore), I highlighted some of Goldman Sachs' "green."
But old information came to light by the Trib Total Media, leading to more "Wall Street Solar" corruption: "Goldman Sachs (Asia) was with Suntech all along. A branch of the investment bank bought 10.8 million shares of Suntech BVI for $2.31 a share. When Suntech switched to the Cayman Islands to go public, Goldman Sachs (Asia) followed, grabbing an 8.66 percent ownership share of the solar company."
In 2010, along with old PDF file (April 2011) of Goldman Sachs Environmental Markets (link no longer valid), I had alerted to the fact that Goldman Sachs was cashing in on the "green" stimulus, and as my research developed, I found their DNA all over this green-energy scheme.
Then in 2012, I dug deeper I chronicled the Kleiner Perkins and Goldman Sachs connections as well as various renewable energy stimulus winners including, "The First Solar Three Billion Dollar Swindle," which involves three of the DOE's junk loans.
Besides their investment in First Solar, Goldman Sachs received two large loans from the 1705 DOE "junk bond" portfolio: Cogentrix of Alamosa, LLC for $90.6 million and U.S. Geothermal, Inc for $97 million –– the former a subsidiary of Goldman Sachs.
While U.S. Geothermal snagged millions more in green subsidies, through the Cogentrix transaction, Goldman Sachs cashed in every step of the way –– and their "green cronies" too. This was a striking detail that I found when reviewing the June 19, 2012 House Oversight Hearing, where the CEO of Cogentrix Mr. Robert Mancini testified.
Even without extensive research, we find that Goldman Sachs is tied to many other clean-energy projects that received loans, grants and special tax breaks from the Obama administration, and what I've tracked so far are billions of stimulus money that go beyond the four listed above. They are also credited as the "exclusive financial adviser" for the highly publicized bankrupt Solyndra, and in 2010, handled the IPO of both Tesla Motors and Amyris. Other than Solyndra, we find more Goldman stimulus winners that have gone bust: SpectraWatt, Nordic WindPower, and now we place Suntech into the bankrupt category –– all taking millions of taxpayer money down the drain.
Also, with a quick glance at that PDF file, there are many more, of which you can find more details in my January post, and all but two (Cogentrix and U.S. Geothermal) that I've personally tracked are on my 2012 Green-Energy Failure Alert List.
But it seems, that Goldmanites are not done, and in May 2012, they announced their plan "to channel investments totaling $40 billion over the next decade into renewable energy projects, an area the investment bank called one of the biggest profit opportunities since its economists got excited about emerging markets in 2001," wrote Reuters. This mean that Goldman Sachs will be pursuing more government aid, and they have a "friend" in the White House that is willing to oblige…
Despite, the rhetoric and deception, President Obama has his fair share of "Wall Street Buddies," which gave him $16 million for his successful 2008 campaign and dished out more in 2012.
We've already established that Goldman Sachs was a top Obama donor (#2 as a matter of fact), giving more than $1 million dollars to his 2008 campaign coffers. Also, two Goldman executives sat on Obama's 2008 Finance Committee, Bruce Heyman and David Heller, while Jennifer Scully and Bruce Heyman were 2008 bundlers.
Even though Goldman Sachs turned "red in 2012," supporting Mitt Romney, Goldman employees participated as top donors for President Obama's re-election, and Heyman bundled for Obama again in 2012.
Moreover, according to Open Secrets, "47 out of 51 Goldman Sachs lobbyists in 2012 have previously held government jobs." And now find that the infiltration of Goldman Sachs and Citigroup executives inside the Obama administration is extraordinary, even shaping his economic policy, however, more amazing is their footprint inside green energy and the tens of billions of taxpayer money that followed.
And "the "Too-Big-to-Fail" Citigroup –– the nation's third-largest bank that snagged the largest amount of federal bailout money, was the #7 top donor to candidate Obama with a few executives lined up as campaign bundlers, and Cit's massive 'Green' Money Machine is even too big to list here, but I unleashed it this past February, which tie them to approximately $16 billion of clean-energy money paid for by the taxpayers.
Sempra: More Solar, More Taxpayer Money
As mentioned, the Mesquite solar project is owned by Sempra Energy of San Diego, a Fortune 500 Company, and one the "big-three" utility companies in California, and in 2011, I had noticed Sempra Generation, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, of which their "Energy Solutions" have projects in solar, wind and natural gas.
Other than the Mesquite Solar Project and its $337 million DOE loan, in December 2010, Sempra announced the completed construction on the largest photovoltaic solar power plant in the U.S. called the Copper Mountain Solar facility, located in Boulder City, Nevada, of which the usual Green Corruption culprits are involved: PG&E and First Solar.
Delen Goldberg of the Las Vegas Sun had this to say in April 2011, "The federal government gave Sempra Generation about $42 million in tax credits, 30 percent of the price tag for Copper Mountain," which cost $141 million –– and the stats at that time on Copper Mountain were as follows:
Temporary construction jobs created: 350. Not bad.
Nevadans employed: 262. That's a good share.
Solar power coming to Nevada: 0. Zip.
Parts manufactured in Nevada: 0. Zilch.
Permanent jobs created: 5. That's not a typo.
State incentives developer Sempra Generation received: $12 million. That's not a typo, either.
About a year later (March 21, 2012 to be exact), President Obama made a special visit using Copper Mountain as "an impressive backdrop" –– now at 10 jobs –– to celebrate his green energy efforts, whereas even Reuters had to cede that "the millions of green jobs Obama promised have been slow to sprout, disappointing many who had hoped that the $90 billion earmarked for clean-energy efforts in the recession-fighting federal stimulus package would ease unemployment –– still above 8 percent in March" –– not much better now at 7.7 percent, yet as I predicted, the president is demanding new "green" spending.
Sempra in Cahoots with BP, another Top Obama Donor: Where We Find More "Green" Taxpayer Money
Now, "formerly known as entities Sempra Generation, Sempra LNG and Sempra Pipelines & Storage have now been realigned under Sempra International." But after a few hours of digging in 2011, I found that Sempra is in cahoots with British Petroleum (BP) on a number of green ventures, more specifically, all five of their wind projects, and of course the majority are using GE wind turbines, another Big Energy White House buddy, making bank off of "green" stimulus money.
Like the entire Big Wind industry, BP subsidiary BP Wind Energy took advantage of the then expiring "provision that had previously been extended by President Obama's politically unpopular 2009 stimulus" (AKA the 1603 Grant Program), reported the Los Angeles Times in early October 2011. This was for the Flat Ridge 2 Wind Farm, located in a wind-rich region near Wichita, Kansas, and is a joint venture of Sempra U.S. Gas & Power and BP Wind Energy, of which Sempra says, "The 419-megawatt (MW) project will be the largest wind farm in the state of Kansas when complete."
As you probably know, Congress' January "Fiscal Cliff" bill renewed the PTC for 2013, and tweaked it so that money would be available to any project breaking ground by the end of the year. And to give you an idea on how BP will make out on the Kansas project alone, "Each of BP's turbines will receive a 2.2 cent tax credit for every kilowatt-hour generated during the first 10 years of operation –– about $1 million per turbine –– adding up to $274 million for BP," recorded the Reactor.
Just last week, Big Wind got an early Christmas present: "The Internal Revenue Service adjusted the Wind Production Tax Credit for inflation — an increase that will cost taxpayers $545 million dollars, according to the Institute for Energy," reported the Daily Caller.
Ironically April has been a very energetic month so far, because also last week more wind blew up the airwaves. With quite the "wind portfolio" (16 wind farms across nine states), BP is abandoning wind –– a story Marita Noon covered in her Sunday column at Townhall.com.
On April 3, BP announced that it was selling its US wind assets — estimated to be worth $1.5 to 3.1 billion. The announcement stated that BP has decided sell the US wind energy business "as a part of our continuing effort to … re-position the company for sustainable growth" and that it would "unlock more value for shareholders."
Apparently, speculation has been surfacing that BP "is slowly losing faith in the renewable energy sector," and according to the Christian Science Monitor, "[BP] exited the wind sector in Europe, and then near the end of last year announced that it would also sell its solar business." Yet, the motivating factors behind this BP move are "part of a continuing effort to become a more focused on oil and gas, and in part, "by the company's need to sell about $38bn of assets to help finance the costs of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010."
Climate Change Radical, Big Oil Investor, Obama Bundler and Billionaire Buddy, Tom Steyer
Still, BP's renewable energy ventures won plenty of green-government subsidies from the Obama administration, and they have an advocate close to the White House, "Climate Change Radical" Tom Steyer, of which last September I took notice and wrote a blog entitled, Obama's Green Cronies Made DNC Cameo: Beneficiaries of Billions of Taxpayer Money," highlighting Obama bundler and billionaire buddy, Tom Steyer.
As divulged by the Washington Free Beacon in September 2012, "Steyer is reportedly one of the backers of Greener Capital, which invests in alternative fuel companies that benefit from the anti-oil policies of the Obama administration. Steyer is also the founder and senior managing partner of Farallon Capital Management, a $20 billion hedge fund that ranks as one of the largest of its kind in the world," and they stand "to profit from government policies that increase consumption of natural gas."
The Beacon goes on to give more interesting tidbits about Steyer being a Goldman Sachs protégé of Robert Rubin, but what caught my attention was this: "a successful investor, Steyer knows to hedge his bets. His fund owns millions of dollars worth of shares in Big Oil companies such as BP [970,000 shares as of the end of 2013]."
Hold up…Did I mention that Mr. Steyer retired from Farallon Capital Management at the end of 2012, and according to Forbes, "sold his stake in the hedge fund firm to his partners?" And did you know that Steyer is also anti-keystone? So much so that early this month Politico reported, "The former hedge fund trader-turned-philanthropist is bankrolling a far-flung political operation pushing environmental causes and candidates, including his pricey effort to torpedo the Keystone XL oil pipeline."
OK, so we have a ferocious "greenie" that invested in Big Oil, and besides BP, "among the oil and gas companies that Steyer and Farallon financed and got rich from were Energy Partners, Ltd., Link Energy LLC, Halcon Resources Corporation, Devx Energy, Inc., and a gold mining company named Global Gold Corporation," recently recorded by Darwin Bond-Graham at CounterPunch.org.
This reminds me of a vegan –– and activist against meat eaters –– who gains their wealth by investing in slaughterhouses. Too graphic, but definitely we see a hypocrite here, and possibly now Captain Planet meets Robin Hood.
Steyer's firm may only be a BP shareholder, but they have plenty of "green" that stand to benefit from Obama's radical and expensive climate change agenda, and already have. Besides Steyer's money raising efforts, he has "considerable influence in the White House," as pointed out by the Washington Post. From Steyer's wealth and political connections that have "played a critical behind-the-scenes role in helping shape the country's national energy policy" to the fact that "he has spoken with President Obama about how to pursue climate and energy policy in a second term." Steyer was even considered as a replacement to outgoing Secretary of Energy Steven Chu.
Mr. Steyer also has strong and expensive connections to the left-wing think tank Center for American Progress (CAP), who is closely aligned with Obama and has taken over key White House positions. CAP is heavily engaged in this green-energy scheme, and they have been on my radar since 2010, which I've mentioned in several of my Green Corruption files –– most recently in my post: Left-wing Billionaire George Soros: Obama's "Agent of Green," however, the entire CAP Green Corruption piece of this scandal has yet to be exposed.
In the meantime, Steyer's bundling bucks never ended, and even though Obama won a second term, this month Steyer hosted a high-dollar fundraiser for our "Campaigner in Chief," even defending the president's efforts to save our planet.
Moreover, despite President Obama's anti-oil and gas rhetoric, he doesn't seem to mind taking their cash. Because according to Politico in 2010, Obama was the biggest recipient of BP donations over the past twenty years.
Obviously, BP has invested big in clean energy, and it is not limited to their wind projects with Sempra. BP Alternative Energy has other projects and companies in their portfolio that have raked in tons of stimulus funds –– at lease six that I know of.
GMZ Energy that received $8 million from the DOE's Vehicle Technologies Program funded by the 2009-Stimulus, and $11 million from the DOE and DARPA. But the big catch was BrightSource Energy, of which BP is an investor, and we've shed light on BrightSources' $1.6 billion shady deal quite a few times, including my recent "George Soros post" with much more dirt to share in the near future. [#1 and 2]
Still, as exposed by California Watchdog in August 2010, "The federal government is giving a joint venture involving oil giant BP millions of dollars in stimulus money to build a power plant on farmland near the tiny Kern County town of Tupman."[#3]
BP is also "benefiting from a $308 million federal grant over several years for the cutting-edge power plant on cotton and alfalfa fields seven miles from the western edge of Bakersfield. More than half of the money, $175 million, is coming from stimulus funds. The rest is coming from another federal program." Apparently, the DOE gave this grant in 2009 to Hydrogen Energy California, a joint partnership of BP and the multinational mining firm Rio Tinto –– a project considered by the Right as a waste of taxpayer money, with mixed reviews by environmentalists. [#4]
The Goshen North Wind Farm is a 50:50 joint venture between BP Wind Energy and Ridgeline Energy, LLC. BP Wind Energy is operator with a site location approximately an 11,000-acre site located some 10 miles east of Idaho Falls, Idaho. It seems that this Idaho wind farm listed as Goshen Phase II LLC on March 17, 2011 snagged 78,055,029 1603 cash grant [docket #2641]. [#5]
BP Solar unit of BP PLC (based in London) received $11.7 million in 48C credits, despite the fact that this project is creating jobs overseas, aligning them to others greenies that are outsourcing so called green jobs –– promoting more "Obamanomics Outsourced." [#6]
Obamanomics Outsourcing More Green
Now, Sempra may have chosen Suntech, the Chinese solar producer as their contractor, and we can't directly blame the president, however, Suntech is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Obamanomics Outsourced…
Back in February, we said good-by to President Obama's Jobs Council –– a panel full of "deep-pocket Democratic donors and high-profile financiers" of Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaigns, noted ABC News in 2011. Meanwhile several were Obama campaign bundlers and it included its share of union representatives like AFL-CIO's left-wing "elitist" Richard Trumka.
I've already unraveled the series "Spreading the Wealth to Obama's Ultra-Rich Jobs Council," exposing the five panel members that have raked in tens of billions of "green" funds (directly and indirectly), the majority coming from the 2009-Recovery Act. More insulting is the fact that this fired Jobs Council is "packed with outsourcing companies."
Also, as emphasized in my Big Wind Story "A Hurricane of Carnage, Cronyism and Corruption," the Energy and Commerce Committee "in-depth report on its ongoing investigation into the implementation of President Obama's green-energy stimulus spending," states that as of December 5, 2012, nearly $16 billion in federal funds has been awarded under the 1603 Grant Program –– which does not factor in regional or state funding –– "approximately $10.8 billion (68%) of the total amount in Section 1603 grants awarded was for wind and another $3.8 billion (24%) was for solar projects."
Nevertheless, the most shocking aspect is that "despite skyrocketing debt, and the "Obama green and recovery promises," the committee found that approximately one out of every four dollars of $16 billion spent on "Section 1603" Renewable Energy Stimulus Program" went to foreign-owned entities.
Just this week we find out that despite the sequester, the DOE awarded "more than $1.2 billion in cash payments to renewable energy projects by the Department of Energy and the Treasury" –– more free money through the 1603 grant program. However, the expensive 1603 program is not the only place where we find that the Obama administration has been outsourcing clean-energy stimulus funds, energy money, and green jobs.
NOTE: This list is compliments of the GOP, created sometime in July 2012, and reflects duplications of the foreign entity owned wind projects that I just outlined above, however it looks like they missed British Petroleum (BP). I also took the liberty of placing the list alphabetical order, and made some additions and updates for those transactions that are familiar to my research*.
In keeping with my green energy topic, non-renewable energy outsourcing transactions have been deleted.
GOP, what's up with ALL THE CAPS?
STIMULUS FUNDS
North Carolina-Based LED Maker Cree Inc. Received Over $39 Million Through The Stimulus And Later Opened Its First Plant In China. Over Half Of The Company's Employees Are Now Located In China And Cree's CEO Says The Company's Strategy Is "Cree Chip, China Heart."
Sempra Received A $337 Million Loan Guarantee For An Arizona Solar Plant. The Solar Panels Will Be Supplied By SunTech, A Chinese Solar Panel Manufacturer.
JOBS COUNCIL
General Electric Cancelled An Order From Wind Turbine Manufacturer ATI Casting In Order To Get The Parts Cheaper From China. After ATI Offered To Match The Price, GE Still Refused The Order. ATI Was Forced To Layoff 302 Workers Due To The Move.
General Electric Has Also Been Criticized For Using Chinese Made Wind Towers Over American Towers At The Stimulus Funded Shepherds Flat Wind Farm In Oregon.
Solar Power Industries Received A $5.4 Million Stimulus Grant Before Laying Off American Workers Based On An Increased Reliance On Imports From China.
STIMULUS GRANTS*
A123 Systems received $390 million, of which $249 million of it was a Recovery Act Grant, and filed for bankruptcy October 16, 2012. In January of this year, China's Wanxiang Group Corp. won U.S. government approval and acquired A123 Systems Inc. for a $256.6 million bid.
Smith Electric Vehicles –– another Obama touted green investment –– received $32 million in federal grants from the stimulus package. However, since 2009 they have "racked up $128 million in losses," and in February 2011, Smith Electric Vehicles announced a potential partnership (signed a letter of intent) with Wanxiang Group, one of the largest non-government owned companies in China that was on a "green USA buying spree." Then in September 2012, struggling, and "short on cash," Smith Electric scrapped its IPO to "pursue private financing opportunities." Not sure if they are China-owned yet, but the USA is.
CLEAN ENERGY TAX CREDITS*
MiaSolé received two Advanced Energy Manufacturing tax credits totaling $101.8 million from the Obama Administration in January 2010, see my Summer 2010 report on Kleiner Perkins, yet it also a VantagePoint investment. In October 2012, "struggling" and "desperate" MiaSole agreed to be sold to China's Hanergy Holding Group for $30 Million, which is considered to be dirt cheap.Recently, the Washington Free Beacon added more outsourcing to this story, which is coming from another taxpayer-funded program that not only hands out tons of "green loans" but also instigates more corporate welfare and crony capitalism."The U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) is financing the purchase of solar panels from a manufacturer now owned by the Chinese that had previously attracted investments from prominent Democrats…" "Ex-Im approved a loan to an Indian developer who wants to buy solar panels from MiaSolé, a California-based solar panel manufacturer. A bank spokesman said the loan amount has not been issued yet, as the financing terms are still under negotiation."
Subsidiaries of Danish wind mill maker Vestas received $51.6 million in stimulus grants to build U.S. based factories, and they have announced plans to layoff 180 U.S. workers and possibly another 1,600 by the end of the tear. Well, it seems Vestas kept their promise, because in October 2012, "[they] cut more than 800 jobs in the United States and Canada this year and may be forced to lay off another 800 employees in North America."STIMULUS GRANTS
The Windy Flats Project Began Construction Before The Stimulus Was Passed, Received A $218 Million Stimulus Grant And Used Wind Turbines Assembled By Seimans In Denmark.STIMULUS FUNDS
Danish Catalyst Company, Haldor Topsoe, Received A $25 Million Stimulus Award For The Construction Of A Demonstration Scale Biorefinery.Dominican Republic:
Parago Used Stimulus Funds to Hire Hundreds of Workers in El Salvador and the Dominican Republic to Administer a Renewable Energy Appliance Rebate Program.El Salvador:
Parago Used Stimulus Funds to Hire Hundreds of Workers in El Salvador and the Dominican Republic to Administer a Renewable Energy Appliance Rebate Program.Finland:
LOAN GUARANTEES*
After receiving over $500 million loan guarantee (from the ATVM program), Fisker Automotive is producing their $100K luxury electric sports car in Finland. However, Fisker, which has been having issues for a while, just this month was reported that "160 Fisker employees were let go, and 53 employees will stay on to manage further negotiations with the Department of Energy and a potential sale of assets."Furthermore, according to Gigaom.com, "The news follows reports that Fisker has hired a law firm to advise it on bankruptcy options. It owes a loan repayment to the Department of Energy this month, and has been cutting costs and furloughed its employees last month. The company hasn't made a car since the summer of 2012."However, it seems that Gigaom has their GPS on Fisker, and in February 2013, they too (like many of Obama-selected green firms), were seeking Chinese assistance, "Fisker Automotive is reportedly weighing investment and acquisition offers from Chinese auto tech companies. Bloomberg reports that there's a $350 million offer for 85 percent of the company from Chinese state-owned car maker Dongfeng Motor Corp, and Reuters reports that China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (which owns Volvo) has another offer for a majority stake with a deal between $200 million and $300 million."
We'll keep our eye on this one because "Congress set hearing on Fisker troubles for April 24, 2013."
CASHING IN
French Wind Farm Developer EnXco Pulled In Over $69 Million In Cash Grants Through The Stimulus' 1603 Program.LOAN GUARANTEES*
In May 2010, the DOE offered AREVA Enrichment Services, LLC a conditional commitment for a $2 billion loan guarantee to support the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility in Idaho Falls, Idaho. This loan was part of the 1703 loan program, and while AREVA is a France-based company that offers technological solutions for nuclear power generation with worldwide presence, at least the jobs are here in the USA. We think…
STIMULUS GRANTS
E.ON Climate & Renewables Received Over $440 Million In Stimulus Grants For Wind Farms That Began Construction Before The Stimulus Was Passed.STIMULUS GRANTS
At Least 25 Wind Turbines For Stimulus Funded Projects Were Supplied By German-Based Nordex.Great Britain:
$39 Million In Stimulus Funds Went To Navistar For Electric Delivery Trucks That Are Manufactured In Coventry, England.
British Private-Equity Firm Terra Firma Received Over $40 Million In Stimulus Funds Through An American Wind Consortium It Bought Just Days Before The Stimulus Funds Were Awarded.India:
India-Based Suzlon And Its Subsidiaries Installed Over 200 Wind Turbines Under Obama's Stimulus Grant Program With Most Of The Materials Coming From Its Operations Overseas.Indonesia:
The EPA Gave A $1.5 Million Grant To Indonesia To Reduce Air Pollution In Jakarta.Italy:
Brevini Wind Was Given A $12.75 Million Tax Credit To Build A Facility To Manufacture Wind Turbine Gearboxes In Indiana. Over Two Years Later The Company Has Only Hired 70 Of The 450 Workers Promised And The Company Has Announced They Do Not Expect To Be Operating The Facility Until Late-2013.CASHING IN
Italian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Pulled In Over $84 Million In Cash Grants Through The Stimulus' 1603 Program.Japan:
Japanese-Subsidiary Eurus Energy Received $91.4 Million In Stimulus Grants For A Wind Farm Completed Before The Stimulus Was Passed And Used 180 Turbines Manufactured Overseas By Mitsubishi.Luxembourg:
Luxembourg-Based ArcelorMittal's Subsidiary Received $31.5 Million In Stimulus Funds For A Waste Heat Recovery Unit.Malaysia & Germany:
STIMULUS LOAN GUARANTEES*
First Solar was privy to $3 billion through the 1705 loan guarantee program for three projects, plus suspicious Export-Import bank funding. Then during the May 16, 2012 House Oversight Committee hearing, CA Representative Darrell Issa surmised that First Solar (Germany 560, Ohio 280, and Malaysia with 1680 jobs) is "not an American company." It turns out that the numbers don't lie because CEO Michael Ahearn admitted, "in sheer numbers, most of our full time [employees] are outside the US."
STIMULUS LOAN GUARANTEE*
SunPower admitted that some of the solar panels for the $1.2 billion stimulus backed California Solar Valley Ranch would be manufactured at their facility in Mexico rather than their facility in California.UPDATE: Despite SunPower's well-known financial issues, and the fact that it was under a shareholder suit alleging securities fraud and misrepresentations, just days (September 2011) before the 1705 Loan Guarantee Program's deadline, along with four other solar companies, its $1.2 billion loan guarantee from the DOE was approved.SunPower never directly got the DOE cash because they sold the California Valley Solar Ranch to NRG Energy, a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 Index company, of which NRG and its subsidiaries was the recipient of most of 1705 stimulus loans ($5.2 billion of taxpayer money and counting). But SunPower is still involved in this project and stands to profit if it succeeds.STIMULUS FUNDS
ABB Inc. Received Over $16 Million in Stimulus Funds to Create Green Energy Manufacturing Jobs, the Company Has Laid Off Workers in the U.S. and Transferred Work To Mexico.
Ener1 Received Over $118 Million In Stimulus Funds To Produce Vehicle Batteries. After Going Bankrupt, It Was Acquired Outright By A Russian Investor, Sparking Security Concerns Surrounding The Company's Work for The U.S. Military.South Korea:
STIMULUS FUNDS*
Two South Korean companies –– LG Chem and Dow Kokam –– were given $303 million to produce car batteries in the U.S., but then brought in foreign workers. Local unions have criticized the company for filling jobs with foreign workers. The DOE has admitted that 11 of the 18 contractors on site are Asian firms.STIMULUS GRANTS
The Gulf Wind Project Received A $179 Million Stimulus Grant And Sourced The Parts From South Korea, As Well As Japan And Mexico.Spain:
The Spanish company Abengoa received more than $2.8 billion in loans and grants, making them the second largest recipient of the $16 billion doled out through the DOE 1705 loan guarantee program.
Spain-Based Iberdrola Renewables Received $1.5 Billion In Loans And Grants And Claimed It Created Over 15,000 American Jobs But The Company Only Has 850 U.S.-Based EmployeesSTIMULUS GRANTS
Madrid-Based EDP Renewables Received Over $100 Million In Grants For Their Wind Farms and Announced In September 2011 That They Were Planning To Lay Off 10% Of Their North American Workforce.Switzerland:
Swiss-Based Landis+Gyr Received Over $50 Million In Stimulus Contracts For Their Smart Grid Meters. Cathy Zoi, A Former Obama Energy Department Official, Held Over $250,000 Worth Of Stock In The Company As They Profited From Her Department's Policies. Zoi Had Previously Served As An Executive Director At Landis+Gyr Before Joining The Obama Administration.Thailand:
BAILOUT FUNDS
After Taking A Taxpayer-Funded Bailout, General Motors Opened A $200 Million Plant In Thailand To Supply Diesel Engines For The Chevrolet Colorado Pickup Truck.Vietnam:
General Electric Opened A $61 Million Factory In Hai Pong To Produce Wind Turbine Components. GE's CEO Jeffery Immelt Chairs The President's Jobs Council And The Company Has Received Over $1.2 Billion In Stimulus Funds.
If we dug deeper, we'd find much more, however, I'm sure you get the point. But is this just another tally in Obama's long list of broken promises?
It's much worse than that. Whether the Obama administration is sending green jobs to Finland, Malaysia, or Mexico and billions of our tax dollars to Spain, Britain, and even China, it's more evidence that this administration –– Congress for that matter –– doesn't give a damn about our economy. Obviously, the president's clean-energy dirt has fueled corporate welfare and crony capitalism, and the massive amount of "green outsourcing" is pure deception and an insult to American taxpayers and those of us seeking jobs.
Stay tuned for more Green Corruption Files…
Two Women –– one Citizen & one energy columnist –– join forces on our "mission" to expose one piece of the Green Corruption scandal at a time.
You're Getting Gassed by EPA Lies About Ethanol
Greedy Greens Burn African Villages for "carbon offset" Profits
O's Nominees to Push Failed Green Agenda, Continue Higher Energy & Gas Prices
Obama's Jewell to Help Kill Coal, Raise Energy Costs
Green Mandates Destroy NC Economy
EPA Administrator Nominee Gina McCarthy: In Her Own Words
Chu on this – Obama administration doesn't care about high gas prices
Steve Jobs and the anti-jobs president
The New Robber Barons and Their Thief in Chief
Obama's Green Energy Fail
Green Scam – Keeping You Afraid While Stealing You Blind
Obama's Clean-Energy Dirt – Stealing You Blind for a Good Cause?
New York's "Sustainability" Plan: aka "Agenda 21"
Sustainability Marxism
85% of Americans clueless on Agenda 21
Green Nazis
Frightening Quotes from Environmentalists
MORE Frightening Quotes from Environmentalists
Sustainable Nonsense
UN IPCC Report Shows Man-made Global Warming is a Hoax
Real sustainability versus activist sustainability
Let Them Eat Environmentalism – Starve the People, Save the Planet
Governmental Global Warming Lies Heating Up
Government of, by and for the activists
EPA Funds Green Groups That Sue The Agency To Expand
The Speed of Progressivism
UN Agenda 21 – Coming to a Neighborhood near You
Agenda 21-The U.N. Plan for Your "Sustainable" Community


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Trying to find what I got...these help?


Having recently expanded its Daily Social menu to include cocktails jars for just $7 and new dishes such as the fried chicken sandwich (ranked on Austin American Statesman reviewer, Matthew Odam's Top 10 Fried Chicken Sandwiches in Austin list just this week) the southern progressive restaurant will also expand its happy hours to ALL Night, Sunday through Thursday. This kicks off on Memorial Day and runs through Labor Day. (The regular 4-7pm specials and menu still available on Friday and Saturday).
To celebrate the occasion, the team at Fixe is offering a complimentary Bourbon Lemonade, Bourbon Iced Tea or Bourbon Sangria jar with the purchase of any of the new Daily Social plates.


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Well folks, in contrast to popular belief, there's life past the eastern city limits of Boulder. It includes the world's biggest sculpture park, where the sculptures are made by a single artist. This place becomes packed after working hours! Therefore, if you're fortunate enough to be in the most suitable place on the ideal day, you are going to be simply awed by the sight. Before you arrange anything, you've got to be familiar with quantity you can spend.
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Business & Entrepreneurship »
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Uber unveils IPO with warning it may never make a profit
Author Topic: Uber unveils IPO with warning it may never make a profit (Read 561 times)
kamruzzaman.bba
Uber Technologies Inc has 91 million users, but growth is slowing and it may never make a profit, the ride-hailing company said on Thursday in its IPO filing.
The document gave the first comprehensive financial picture of the decade-old company which was started after its founders struggled to get a cab on a snowy night and has changed the way much of the world travels.
The S-1 filing underscores Uber's rapid growth in the last three years but also how a string of public scandals and increased competition from rivals have weighed on its plans to attract and retain riders.
The disclosure also highlighted how far Uber remains from turning a profit, with the company cautioning it expects operating expenses to "increase significantly in the foreseeable future" and it "may not achieve profitability."
Uber lost $3.03 billion in 2018 from operations.
https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/uber-unveils-ipo-warning-it-may-never-make-profit-1728904
Md. Kamruzzaman Didar
Assistant Professor & Head
Department of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Faculty of Business & Entrepreneurship
drrana
Re: Uber unveils IPO with warning it may never make a profit

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Bowmans
Tanzania: The Ban On Cryptocurrency In Tanzania
by Evarist Kameja and Francis Kamuzora
The news that the Bank of Tanzania has banned the use of cryptocurrencies has raised eyebrows and fuelled concerns that this could hamper the country's economic progress in an increasingly digital world. The central bank's announcement was made in a public notice on 12 November 2019, causing a stir among consumers and traders alike.
Cryptocurrency has been described as 'a digital currency in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds, operating independently of a central bank'.
Cryptocurrency rose to prominence in 2009 when Bitcoin, the first globally famous decentralised cryptocurrency, was created. Cryptocurrency has over the years gained traction in Tanzania, with reports ranking its cryptocurrency-mining sector 120th out of 219 countries that are actively involved in Bitcoin mining. According to Baker McKenzie's 2018 report on Block chain and cryptocurrency in Africa, Tanzania's electricity consumption in cryptocurrency mining is predicted to amount to exceed that of the entire country's annual non-cryptocurrency consumption.
Prominent economists such as Milton Friedman have openly endorsed the use of cryptocurrencies, stating that the internet would be one of the major forces for the reduction of third parties ( the government ) in transactions government's All that would be missing (but is soon to be developed) is a reliable form of e-cash.
Reasons for the popularity of cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency has significant advantages over traditional investments in many ways, financially and economically, explaining its popularity both within and outside Tanzania:
Liquidity is one such advantage. Bitcoin is regarded as one of the most liquid assets in the financial market, easily tradeable for cash or other assets such as gold. This, coupled with transaction low fees, creates a viable ecosystem for investors to trade in, especially those looking for short-term profit. Unlike company shares or publicly traded funds, no intermediary is needed to process and settle orders.
Other advantages are high market demand for cryptocurrency and the fact that it is a deflationary currency, meaning its value will continue to rise until its available supply maximises, making it an attractive long-term investment.
Finally, Cryptocurrency trading is subject to minimal regulation, with no requirement for investors and traders to hold a licence or certificate proving their identities and trading history.
Purported reasons for the ban in Tanzania
Although the BoT has not expressly stated its reasons for banning the use of cryptocurrency, the most common reasons advanced for banning cryptocurrencies in other jurisdictions are as follows:
Virtual currencies are traded on unregulated exchanges, and customers who lose money on such exchanges have no legal redress.
Cryptocurrencies have no underlying assets and their value is speculative in nature. This may result in high volatility, exposing users to potential losses.
Cryptocurrency transactions and accounts are not connected to real-world identities, a phenomenon known as 'pseudonymity'. Experts argue that this could promote money laundering and fraudulent activities.
Other jurisdictions
The Bank of Tanzania is not the only Central Bank discouraging dealing in cryptocurrencies. In December 2015, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) issued a public notice titled 'Caution to the Public on Virtual Currencies such as bitcoin', in which it highlighted the risks of dealing in virtual currencies. The notice stated that these currencies are not legal tender and remain unregulated in Kenya, meaning no protection exists in the event that the trading exchanges fail or go out of business.
Similarly, in 2017 the Bank of Uganda (BoU), which has said cryptocurrencies are not under its regulatory purview, issued a warning against the use of cryptocurrencies, citing the lack of protection available to investors. BoU specifically discouraged the services of an entity called One Coin Digital Money.
Analysis of the ban
Some observers have argued that the cryptocurrency ban in Tanzania is heavy-handed. They point out that neither the BoT nor the Foreign Exchange Act cited in BoT's public notice define what legal tender is. The circular states, among other things, that 'The only acceptable and used legal tender in the country is the Tanzanian Shilling'.
Since other foreign currencies are traded by licensed institutions in Tanzania, in line with the applicable foreign exchange regulations, those opposed to the cryptocurrency ban argue that BoT should take a progressive approach -looking approach and recognise cryptocurrency as a means of exchange or as legal tender. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has publicly said that cryptocurrency should be recognised as a new means of exchange. In his speech during the Africa Blockchain Conference in Kampala on 2017, H.E. Museveni criticised the BoU Governors for their 'dogmatic' approach to cryptocurrency, and called on the BoU to embrace technological advancements such as cryptocurrency which could spur quicker service delivery.
However, even if cryptocurrency were to be recognised as legal tender, its decentralised nature would remain a challenge from a legal perspective. As BoT stated in its public notice, sections 26 and 27 of the Bank of Tanzania Act No. 4 of 2006 (the BoT Act) make BoT the sole institution mandated to issue banknotes and coins.
Cryptocurrency and the National Payments System Act
Another argument raised by proponents of cryptocurrency is that, as a privately created unit of exchange that can be bought, sold, traded or transferred, it is property rather than a proxy for legal tender. Like other private units of exchange (i.e. bonus points from commercial purchases), cryptocurrency would not pose any risks to the monetary system. Going further, cryptocurrency advocates argue that a cryptocurrency transaction is essentially an electronically facilitated exchange of property for property – a form of barter, in other words.
However, Tanzania's National Payments System Act No. 4 of 2015 (the NPS) clearly prohibits payments of this kind. Section 15 of the NPS provides that a person shall not issue an electronic payment system without a licence or approval from BoT. While there is no notable case law to report from in Tanzania, neighbouring Kenya has dealt with such a matter. In the matter of Lipisha Consortium Kenya Ltd and Bitpesa Ltd V Safaricom, the Central Bank of Kenya ruled that Safaricom was vindicated in suspending the services of Lipisha Consortium Kenya Ltd and Bitpesa Ltd on the grounds that they had not received prior approval from CBK before dealing with money remittance services using Bitcoin. It is likely that Tanzanian courts would take a similar approach.
Lastly it is important to note that as per section 70(3) of the BoT Act, the Board of Directors of the Bank may make by-laws and rules and issue directives, orders and circulars regulating activities carried out under the Act. Thus, it is not a valid argument to suggest that, in order to give effect to the cryptocurrency ban, BoT's public notice should have been gazetted, as pursuant to section 70(4) of the Act the by-laws and rules and directives, orders and circulars are not required to be gazetted.
There are some suggestions that regulations should be enacted to regulate cryptocurrency, along the lines of Japan's approach. This would entail introducing a registration system for those engaged in cryptocurrency exchange, while subjecting cryptocurrency transactions to stringent money laundering regulations, thus protecting cryptocurrency users and addressing the concerns raised by BoT in its public notice.
Practical effect could be given to this by requiring cryptocurrency business operators to register with a competent authority, as well as requiring business operators or their representatives to be resident in Tanzania or have an office in Tanzania. Minimal capital requirement could also be imposed.
As regards money laundering, stringent Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations could be introduced, requiring business operators to store their transaction records for later scrutiny and impose a duty upon them to report suspicious transactions. This would not be failsafe, but it must be said that that even financial institutions such as banks are exposed to money-laundering risks, as evidenced by the money-laundering fines of USD 425 million and USD 70 million imposed on Deutsche Bank and Citibank.
With respect to the tax treatment of cryptocurrencies, profits from sales could be treated as miscellaneous income or cryptocurrency sales could be subjected to capital gain tax, as is the case in other jurisdictions such as South Africa.
In the final analysis, it would be beneficial for Tanzania's position on cryptocurrency to be firmly stated in the law. Cryptocurrency is a recent phenomenon – unlike the two main pieces of legislation used to deal with it: the Foreign Exchange Act is 27 years old and the BoT Act 13 years old.
While many of the fears and concerns around cryptocurrencies may be legitimate, an outright ban on these currencies may be heavy-handed. Given the rapid technological advancements taking place across the world, it may be more beneficial to the Tanzanian economy to allow regulated use of cryptocurrency, thus addressing the concerns while also enabling the country to derive the economic benefits associated with cryptocurrencies.
Evarist Kameja
Francis Kamuzora
Tanzania Government, Public Sector Money Laundering Technology Fin Tech
POPULAR ARTICLES ON: Finance and Banking from Tanzania
President Signs The Appropriation Bill, 2022 And Finance Bill, 2021
KPMG Nigeria
His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, signed both the 2022 Appropriation Bill ("the Budget") and Finance Bill, 2021 into law on 31 December 2021, following their passage by the National Assembly.
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Egg, bacon, sausage, hash brown, sharp cheddar cheese and house fire roasted salsa.
Egg, bacon, sausage, hash brown, cheese, roasted red pepper, grilled onion, avocado, and house fire roasted salsa.
Strawberry, blueberry, pineapple, beets, banana, ginger and almond milk.
Croissant, scrambled eggs choice of bacon or sausage, sharp cheddar cheese, and mayonnaise.
Ribeye, egg, grilled onion, roasted bell pepper, sharp cheddar cheese, hash brown, house fire roasted salsa and tomato basil wrap.
Egg, choice of bacon or sausage and served with hash brown.
Golden brown waffles, crispy chicken breast and spicy maple syrup.
Brioche stuffed with cream cheese and orange marmalade.
Egg whites, spinach, bell pepper, mushroom, onion, hash brown, Swiss cheese and house fire roasted salsa on a wheat wrap.
Ribeye, egg, grilled onion, roasted bell pepper, sharp cheddar cheese, roasted poblano aioli, and ciabatta.
Croissant, egg, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise.
Golden brown waffles, fresh berries and house made whipped cream.
Tofu scramble, onion, soyrizo, hash brown, vegan cheese and house fire roasted salsa on a tomato basil wrap.
Organic tomatoes, scrambled eggs in a bread bowl.
Roasted Cauliflower, Roasted Tomatoes, House made Pesto Sauce, Shishito Peppers, Avocado, Egg, Crispy Fried Shallots.
Tomato, avocado, roasted red pepper, arugula, vegan garlic spread and tomato basil wrap. Comes with housemade chips.
Gruyere cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, French brie, applewood smoked bacon and brioche. Comes with housemade chips.
Harris ranch beef patty, roasted poblano aioli, grilled onion, applewood smoked bacon, sharp cheddar cheese and arugula on a brioche bun. Comes with housemade chips.
Ribeye, Portobello Mushrooms, grilled peppers & onion, Provolone and Swiss cheese , on a Sourdough Roll.
House roasted turkey breast, sriracha aioli, applewood smoked bacon, roasted red pepper, avocado, fresh mozzarella cheese, lettuce and ciabatta. Comes with housemade chips.
Harris Ranch beef patty, house made chili, pickles, tomato, onion, brioche bun.
House roasted turkey breast, pesto, fresh mozzarella cheese, tomato, red onion, arugula and ciabatta.
Harris ranch beef patty, BBQ sauce, ranch, gruyere cheese, grilled onion, applewood smoked bacon, crispy onion rings, brioche bun.
House made pesto, fresh mozzarella, tomato, roasted red pepper, arugula, balsamic, vinaigrette, and ciabatta. Comes with housemade chips.
Albacore tuna, red onion, tomato, lettuce, sriracha aioli and seven grain seeded artisan bread. Comes with housemade chips.
Grilled chicken breast, goat cheese, beet aioli, arugula, toasted almonds and ciabatta. Comes with housemade chips.
Breaded chicken breast, ranch, mayonnaise, gruyere cheese, tomato, lettuce, red onion, applewood smoked bacon and ciabatta. Comes with housemade chips.
Grilled chicken breast, garlic spread, Swiss cheese, tomato, lettuce and ciabatta. Comes with housemade chips.
Portobello mushroom, roasted poblano aioli, roasted bell pepper, grilled onion, sharp cheddar cheese and brioche bun. Comes with housemade chips.
Rice, marsala chicken, spinach, spicy hummus, portobello mushrooms.
Rice or salad, diced patty, tomatoes, cucumber yogurt, arugula.
Brioche French toast and syrup.
Mini brioche loaf, sharp cheddar cheese and French fries.
Harris ranch beef patty, sharp cheddar cheese and French fries.
Three pieces chicken tenders and French fries.
Roasted brussel sprouts, shaved parmesan, toasted almond, and pomegranate vinaigrette.
Spinach, pear, gorgonzola and lemon honey vinaigrette.
Kale, strawberry, shaved parmesan and balsamic vinaigrette.
House Made Harris Ranch Beef Chili, Cheddar Cheese , Onion, Toast.
Tomatoes. Vegetable stock, Sauteed Onions and Garlic, Oregano, Basil.
Chicken Broth, Chicken Breast, Carrots, Celery , Onions, Tomatoes, Noodles.
Kale, spinach, banana, steel cut oats, cinnamon and coconut water.
Pure cocoa powder, peanut butter, banana, almond milk and agave nectar.
Banana, date, almond milk, peanut butter and vanilla.
Blueberry, banana. pineapple and coconut water.
Spinach, blueberry, banana and coconut water.
Kale, spinach, pineapple, apple and coconut water.
Kale, apple, cucumber, spinach, celery, lemon and ginger.
Beet, lemon, apple, ginger, celery and carrot.
Ginger, apple, jalapeno, lemon and beet.
Kale, carrot, apple and ginger.
Orange, apple, celery, cucumber and carrot.
Kale, cucumber, apple, mint and ginger.


Pandion Therapeutics has obtained $58 million in financing to continue developing treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, including bowel disorders.
Polaris Partners, Versant Ventures and Roche Venture Fund led the financing round. SR One and BioInnovation Capital also participated.
Tagged inflammatory diseases, Pandion Therapeutics, Series A financing round, technology platform.
Interesting article. The goal of more targeted and effective therapy is what people with IBD need. None of the biologics I have taken have helped me. I recently started the latest Crohn's craze (starts with an S), which was originally approved for a particular type of psoriasis. I swear it is making me worse. However, the BIG HOLE in the article is SIDE EFFECTS. There is no mention of making a SAFE medication. We don't want medications that cause intractable headaches, cancer, inability to breath, horrific joint pain (the list goes on) and death.


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Riviera Hash House Harriers: on and on for 25 years
Paul Stradling
The Riviera Hash House Harriers (RHHH) club is celebrating 25 years of running, walking and socialising on the Riviera, in March this year. The first run back in 1988 was attended by Mike Meade, Peter Johnson, Keith Meredith, Chris Griffiths, Richard Wilson, and many others who have gone on to be leading lights of the expat community.
Part of the worldwide phenomenon, the Hash House Harriers originally started by British expats in pre-war Kuala Lumpur, and spread throughout the globe as a genuinely international pastime with tens of thousands of active participants.
While each club differs due to local conditions and customs, the common culture of each club can be summarised by this section of the "constitution" of the KL club written c. 1950:
• to promote physical fitness among our members
• to get rid of weekend hangovers
• to acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer
• to persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel
Riviera Hash House Harriers Christmas party.
We're as fun as we look!In the Riviera Hash, who meet every other Sunday, wine and water are as popular as beer for refreshment but the emphasis is firmly set as a sociable gathering. It's a perfect way to discover more of the Riviera, enjoy a healthy walk or run and to meet up with people with many years experience of living in France.
Riviera Hash House Harriers 25th Anniversary Celebration, open to non-members as well as members old and new, is on Sat March 16th 2013 (run in Mandelieu, cocktails and dinner, with a disco, supplied by Mark Dezzani) and Sun March 17th 2013 (11am St Patricks Day Recovery Run).
For details of our next run/walk and for more on our anniversary event, see www.rivierahhh.com
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Join Hauk for an exclusive Reddit AMA on Wednesday July 22nd, 2015, at 11am EST to learn about their rapid Startup…


"John: The Gospel of Light and Life" by Adam Hamilton. Published 2015 by Abingdon Press. This review refers to the hardcover edition.
Rev. Adam Hamilton tackles the tricky subject of the Gospel of John in his new book "John: The Gospel of Light and Life." If you've ever read the New Testament, you can tell that John is a totally different beast from the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These gospels were primarily concerned with telling the biographical story of Jesus, while John, the last of the four to be written (90-110 CE), is more interested in telling you about the identity of Jesus. Some of the highest Christology in the NT is found in John.
Hamilton takes a look at most of John through 6 chapters, which makes the book ideal for use during Lent. He talks in great detail about the Prologue, The Miracles of Christ, the I AM sayings of Christ, the Farewell Discourse, the final hours of Christ's life, and then new hope in the resurrection. If you would like to use it in an adult Sunday School class or small group, there is also a leader's guide and DVD available, though I was less impressed with this DVD than I have been with some of Hamilton's other studies. It features Hamilton doing some exegesis of John in a room with some other folks, who are shuffled around to different seats to make it look like different sessions while they ask questions that really felt kind of canned. Don't get me wrong, the content of the DVD is great, but it wasn't nearly as dynamic and engaging as some of Hamilton's other DVDs.
My favorite chapters in the book were the ones about the Miracles of Jesus and the Farewell Discourse. In the chapter about the miracles, Hamilton talks turning the water into wine at Cana and Jesus opening the eyes of blind man, which are two of my favorite gospel stories. Hamilton also mentions that while John doesn't specifically mention the institution of the Eucharist like the Synoptics do, he actually does bring it to the front with Jesus turning the water to wine and the "I Am" saying of "I am the Bread of Life." In the final chapter, Hamilton discusses the prospect of eternal life through Christ, but also gives a stirring account of why he would still be a Christian even if he didn't believe in Heaven.
I've studied John quite a bit over the years, even though I usually prefer the more simplistic, earliest Gospel of Mark. I was familiar with a lot of the structure, symbolism, and Christology apparent in John, but even I managed to learn a few things from Hamilton, who really is a master of explaining complex topics in simple terms. Both new and seasoned Christians can get a lot out of this study. The book also includes the entire Gospel of John from the Common English Bible.


Timer library operates with timers. They should be created, you should measuere time since last reset, pause them or set handler and interval. But handler is not activat at gived interval yet. Since timer library is not asynchronous, you must activate them.
For activating is used groups. You should provess group at some place in your program. Then all timers in group are checked and their handlers activated if required. When time spent since last activation is higher than interval, handler is activated more times. Also interval to next invocation is calculated to keep freqency. Simple scheduling is performed at handler -- handler is activated just once and then all other timers are checked before it is activated again. You should also define an multihandler -- handler that is activated just once and receives argument how many intervals has left.
There is two special groups -- asyncgroup. Timers in this group are activated asynchornously like from interrupt. It is not recomended to use it, since it brings many problems and usually isn't required. Also it does not work at many platforms. Syncgroup is the default group. Program is expected to process is quite often. In case you don't need to use more groups, you should use this one.
Time in timerlib is bit strange, since it does not flow continuously but jumps. It is updated every time you call tl_updatetime. I used this way in order to minimize context switches but later I found this scheme very usefull, since you should lookup timer, do something and then reset it and don't wory about time spend between lookup and reset since it is 0 in case you did not called tl_updatetime. This helps to keep freqency of timers exact w/o any errors caused by such situations. At the other hand you need to call tl_updatetime at least once in your main loop.
Maybe you don't know why to create more groups, but I found it quite usefull. For example an autopilot in XaoS has such special group -- I need to call it approx. every 1/20 of second but just at one place in program. Invoking of autopilot when caluclation is active should produce incorrect results, so I have special group for autopilot and process just at one place where I am sure it is safe.
Timers should be also emulated. You should stop them and then control flow of time for given timer. This should be quite usefull for example when you want precalculate animation at given framerate.


All plants or plant parts of each genus imported for propagation are classified by APHIS-PPQ into one of three risk categories (restricted, postentry or prohibited) based on our ability to detect the regulated pests of that genus in imported plant material.
Restricted plants or plant parts are inspected and treated if necessary for large pests, such as insects, at a port of entry or at an APHIS-PPQ inspection station.
Postentry plants or plant parts are inspected upon entry but must also be grown at an approved site where a state official inspects the growing plants for pests. Both restricted and postentry genera can be imported in commercial quantities.
Prohibited plants or plant parts for propagation are known to carry small plant pathogens or insects that can not be reliably detected by inspection, because the pests are too small, they occur inside the plant tissue, and/or they do not cause consistent symptoms in dormant or growing plants. Prohibited plant material for propagation can only be imported in small quantities through an APHIS-approved quarantine program, unless they originate from an approved source listed in 319.37-5.
What is meant by 'Prohibited genera'?
Who do I contact to import prohibited plants?
Information about the screening program for the various prohibited crops tested by the PGQP.
How does one contact the program managers in order to import material of a prohibited genera?


(WQOW) – In the race for Chippewa County Sheriff, the man who was first elected in 1996 was facing a challenge from a local officer.
Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk will serve another four-year term, defeating Republican challenger Travis Hakes. Kowalczyk picked up 15,116 votes compared to 12,367 for Hakes, a 55%-45% win.
Kowalczyk is the longest serving sheriff in the county's history and has worked in Chippewa since 1978.


This is for the people who have never touched a weight before and want to try the events. All are welcome, but I will be focusing on the newbies. If anyone has lady weights that I could borrow, that would be great.
If anyone would like to help, that would be welcome as well.


text:
Ruth Marcus: Cantor's defeat is a loss for GOP and Democrats alike
By Ruth Marcus
Ruth Marcus
Overseeing Washington Post signed opinion content and writing on domestic politics and policy
"Congressional Democrats were ecstatic," the New York Times reported the morning after House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's unexpected trouncing in his Republican primary. "An informal dinner party at the Georgetown apartment of Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic leader, turned into a celebration."
On one level, this reaction is entirely understandable. Cantor's political shape-shifting and overweening ambition earned him few friends in either party. His cynical willingness to torpedo deals worked out between President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner made him particularly noxious to Democrats.
And, politics being politics, knocking off the other side's majority leader is, inevitably, going to be a feel-good moment — especially when the other side was only too happy to gloat about booting you out of the majority.
Yet on another level, the episode offers a disturbing commentary about the poisonous, polarized state of U.S. politics. Democrats seized on Cantor's loss as an opportunity to paint Republicans as increasingly loony and intransigent: "A major victory for the tea party as they yet again pull the Republican Party further to the radical right," Pelosi said in an election-night statement.
New York Democrat Steve Israel, head of the House Democrats' campaign arm, predicted Republicans running "further to the far right, with the tea party striking fear into the heart of every Republican on the ballot and cementing the dysfunction that has paralyzed this Congress and prevented them from taking any action to help middle-class families."
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 20: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) (L) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (R) talk during an official ceremony. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Well, yippee! Let's all celebrate cementing dysfunction.
The theory here is that voters will be increasingly fed up and that Democrats may wrest some advantage from this development in swing districts. The dreary reality is that such seats are few and far between. The real-life consequence of Cantor's loss will be to further diminish the already slim prospects for serious legislating, not only dooming immigration reform, at least in the short term, but also raising the prospect of dangerous showdowns on the budget and debt ceiling.
Whatever the precise ingredients of Cantor's demise — alleged squishiness on immigration, being out of touch with his district, coziness with Wall Street — Republican lawmakers cannot help but look at his fate and worry about the threat from the right wing of their party. That cannot be healthy for a well-functioning democracy.
As it happens, Cantor's loss came just before the Pew Research Center released a depressing new report on that very topic: the increasingly polarized state of American politics. The findings are hair-pulling.
More Americans have moved to the ideological edges. "The overall share of Americans who express consistently conservative or consistently liberal opinions has doubled over the past two decades from 10% to 21%," Pew reported.
These true believers not only disagree with those on the other side, they also view them with "growing contempt," a trait particularly pronounced among conservatives. Pew again: "Partisan animosity has increased substantially over the same period. In each party, the share with a highly negative view of the opposing party has more than doubled since 1994. Most of these intense partisans believe the opposing party's policies 'are so misguided that they threaten the nation's well-being.' " Not surprisingly, they associate primarily with their own kind, inhabiting "ideological silos" consisting of friends who share their political views.
To read the report is to be struck by the pragmatic attitude of the majority of Americans and by their simultaneous abdication of responsibility to the extremes — and, with it, power. This sensible center is willing to compromise; half said they'd be willing to split the difference 50/50 between Republicans and Democrats.
But the centrist majority isn't inclined to translate this attitude into action. "On measure after measure — whether primary voting . . . volunteering for or donating to a campaign — the most politically polarized are more actively involved in politics, amplifying the voices that are the least willing to see the parties meet each other halfway," Pew reported.
How to change this dynamic is the central puzzle of American democracy. Nonpartisan redistricting is a great idea. But the on-the-ground reality, with voters locating themselves among like-minded neighbors, limits its effectiveness.
California's adoption of a "jungle primary," in which the top two vote-getters battle it out in November, regardless of party, offers another theoretical avenue for empowering relative moderates; imagine a Cantor vs. David Brat general election. Yet the results from two election cycles are inconclusive.
All of which leaves me in an entirely unexpected position: not celebrating Cantor's loss, but lamenting it.
Read more from Ruth Marcus's archive, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her updates on Facebook.
Yet on another level, the episode offers a disturbing commentary about the poisonous, polarized state of American politics. Democrats seized on Cantor's loss as an opportunity to paint Republicans as increasingly loony and intransigent: "A major victory for the tea party as they yet again pull the Republican Party further to the radical right," Pelosi said in an election-night statement.
The theory here is that voters will be increasingly fed up and that Democrats may wrest some advantage from this development in swing districts. The dreary reality is that such seats are few and far between. The real-life consequence of Cantor's loss will be to further diminish the already slim prospects for serious legislating, not only dooming immigration reform, at least in the short term, but raising the prospect of dangerous showdowns on the budget and debt ceiling.
These true believers not only disagree with the other side, they view them with "growing contempt," a trait particularly pronounced among conservatives. Pew again: "Partisan animosity has increased substantially over the same period. In each party, the share with a highly negative view of the opposing party has more than doubled since 1994. Most of these intense partisans believe the opposing party's policies 'are so misguided that they threaten the nation's well-being.' " Not surprisingly, they associate primarily with their own kind, inhabiting "ideological silos" consisting of friends who share their political views.
But the centrist majority isn't inclined to translate this attitude into action. "On measure after measure — whether primary voting . . . volunteering for or donating to a campaign -- the most politically polarized are more actively involved in politics, amplifying the voices that are the least willing to see the parties meet each other halfway," Pew reported.
Read more on this topic:
Eugene Robinson: The GOP is overdosing on tea
E.J. Dionne Jr.: Eric Cantor and the tea party purge
Dana Milbank: Cantor's instant burial
George F. Will: The Cantor ripple effect
The Post's View: Eric Cantor's loss shouldn't doom progress in Washington
Ruth Marcus Ruth Marcus is deputy editorial page editor for The Post. She also writes a weekly column. Follow


Leather furniture can be a good investment for many homes: it adds a touch of sophistication and timeless elegance, and a little glamour to enjoy in your leisure hours—with the added benefit of durability and a long lifetime.
With these benefits comes maintenance: without proper care and cleaning, your leather furniture may lose its lustre, soft and supple texture, and rich colour as it ages—or suffer damage from sun exposure and neglect. But the good news is that there are a few easy ways to protect and nourish your leather furniture with very little effort, so it'll age gracefully, and you'll be able to enjoy the distinguished look and luxurious texture for many years.
Your leather furniture is often the centrepiece of the areas in your home where you enjoy yourself the most, so it's inevitable that it's going to get the odd splash from a toppled glass of red sometime in its respectable lifespan. The properties of leather upholstery place it in a good position to withstand some fair abuse, but it's still imperative to get to messes before stains set in.
If you attend to spills quickly, blotting with a soft, dry cloth, you'll prevent discolouration of the leather, and usually without needing any other cleaning fluids. But if you've just noticed a contribution from a messy toddler that appears to have been sitting for a while, you might need to use a water-based cleaning fluid or stain removal product. But be careful: stains from greasy or oily substances will get worse if you use a water-based product, or a product that isn't right for your upholstery.
Ask advice from your retailer when you purchase your leather goods, to ensure you know which products are right for your furniture. If you can't contact your retailer, ask a leather upholstery cleaning specialist to assess your furniture and give you advice. It's a wise investment: while using the wrong products can cause permanent damage and unsightly defects in the leather, using the right emollients and conditioners can improve its appearance over time and extend its lifespan.
There are many products on the market for leather upholstery, but a number of old-fashioned remedies can do the job just as well: saddle soap, and various mixes of olive oil, vinegar, eucalyptus oil and lemon oil, can clean and rejuvenate your leather items without the expense or the chemicals.
If you're unsure of the effects a particular product might have on your furniture, or if you're using a product for the first time (even if it's been recommended to you), spot test it on an inconspicuous area first, and give it some time to settle to ensure it won't damage the leather before going over the whole piece. And remember that although leather is durable, it is porous, and any heavy chemical products that include bleach or ammonia are a definite no-no.
Regular vacuuming can do wonders for your leather furniture. Use a soft brush attachment to avoid scratching, and go over your items regularly to remove dirt and dust from all the crevices. This will remove anything that can compromise the integrity of your furniture—preventing stains from setting in, and removing substances that can damage the surfaces.
If you're not going to be using your furniture for a while, store it properly. Cover it to prevent harmful dust from collecting on it, because dust particles contain a mixture of organic and non-organic matter that can cause abrasion and discolouration of leather. And try to ensure an ambient temperature that isn't too dry or humid, because too much moisture can cause mould and mildew to breed on it, and dryness can cause cracking.
And always remember to protect it from the sun—as a Brisbane resident, you know how intense the heat and light belting in your windows can be in the middle of summer. Prevent your leather products from exposure by arranging them by walls rather than windows, or by using appropriate window coverings to block direct heat and light from draining them of moisture and colour.
Recruiting qualified professionals to expertly clean and condition your leather furniture on a regular basis can help you to protect your investment. There are many products and techniques to clean and nourish your leather items, but none of them can really compare to the calculated and expert care that specialist knowledge and experience delivers.
Professional cleaning processes often involve cleansing your leather furniture from damaging soiling, gently heating the surface to open the pores for deep cleaning and moisturising, and applying protective conditioners to smooth, restore and prevent cracking. It's generally recommended that you have your leather furniture professionally cleaned around twice a year, to prevent the build up of damaging oils and substances that you often can't even see.
Taking the best care of leather furniture requires specialised skills and training: at Terry's Steam Cleaning, our qualified technicians have years of industry experience in maintaining high-quality leather furniture, and you can trust us with even your most valuable pieces. Contact us anytime for advice or a quote, and we'll be happy to help you maintain the luxurious look and feel of your investment throughout its long lifetime.


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Point B adds healthcare advisor David Derr to Property practice
29 July 2016 Consultancy.uk
Point B has added 40 year healthcare veteran David Derr as Principal to the firm's Property Development business. The addition bolsters the firm's capabilities in property development as it expands its business further into the healthcare space within the US market.
Prior to joining Point B, David Derr was Partner at HealthcareFusion. Derr started the company in 2013, and has since busied himself with the implementation of LEAN process improvement techniques to the field of healthcare. Concurrently, Derr worked as a Principal at Shepley Bulfinch (Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott), where he focused on building the firm's Southwest healthcare practice. Previously, Derr worked at Odell Associates as a Principal from 2011 to 2013; at Ellerbe Becket as a Principal from 1999 until 2011; and at HDR as a Principal from 1994 until 1998.
Derr holds a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, Architecture, Government from Ohio University.
Derr joins Point B's Property Development business as a Principal. In the role, Derr will be responsible for leading a range of initiatives for the firm as it expands its property development business into the Healthcare space. The work will see Derr tasked with, among others, the integration of the firm's Healthcare capabilities into the Property Development business and its continued growth. In April the US-based consultancy also added Maureen Waters as a Principal to the unit – she joined form Bill Gates Investments.
Matt Hargis, Point B Property Development Founder and Managing Director, says, "David brings 40 years of programming, planning and design experience to our team. His commitment to innovation and patient-centred Healthcare design will help Point B deliver the right solution at the right time for our Property Development clients in the Healthcare industry."
Last month PointB promoted Sicely Donaldson to the role of Practice Director of its Portland, Oregon, office.
Latest news | Point B
Point B acquires digital experience design studio TNG
Point B opens new office in Boston, New England, tenth in US
Point B opens new office in Austin, Texas, its 10th in US


Duh.......Nice cherry picking...Did you intentionally leave this part out?.......Heatwaves will be lethal and the sea level will rise, leaving coastal towns at risk of being swamped by storm surges.
I have some future ocean front property in Arizona.
The "97%" number being tossed around by the AGW scammers comes from a University of Illinois online survey that only asked two questions. The university researchers solicited 10,257 earth scientists. Only 77 chose to answer the anonymous online survey. Of those 77, 75 agreed that man-kind contributed significantly to global warming. Thus you have your "97%" consensus among earth scientists.
No, you're completely wrong. Don't let that stop you, though.
Our opponents in this thread are neither intelligent children nor informed Americans.
"the science is in" and "the debate is over"
Uh, it stopped warming 15 years ago. getting colder, you can stop wasting money.
Prove this. And if you're going to try using some tabloid article that claims the Met Office said something it didn't say, just start whining about Al Gore now. It'll save you time.
Is your mouse broken? Do your own research for a change.
I know what the answer is Sanspeur, at least as far as it pertains to the Doran study because I have read it instead of allowing the media and others to interpret it for me. I'm like a lawyer. I never ask a question in any of these debates I don't the answer too.
What I'm trying to do here is encourage Chad to go look it up himself.
I would assume there are 10,000's of climate scientists in the world. And they are connected to scientists who study ice records, ocean currents, record temperatures, study clouds, study the atmosphere, study ancient temperatures, study living old trees, ex.ex.ex.ex.
Chad there is only one reference on that page that actually polled scientists. It's the Dornan study.
There you have it. A survey of published works expressing an opinion on the matter of anthropogenic climate change reveals the vast majority endorse it. And 12000 papers is a lot.
I'm referring to actual numbers where the scientists were polled, and only the Doran study attempted to do that. The other ones differ becsue they arbitrarily assigned positions to the works of other scientists but I'll be happy to discuss the flaws in the Cook study.
Chad, if you want to make an analogy we can compare to the insulation in your ceiling. Saying you know that insulation in your ceiling is going to trap X amount of heat without knowing the R-value and other variables such as if the windows are open is not going to produce very good results is it?
It's the same with climate science becsue there is a plethora of variables that can affect temperature.
Shhhhhh, I was hoping to get Chad to look it up.


Get your child excited about learning! Turn and Learn provides a fun, effective way to help your child develop visual literacy and numeracy skills in the early learning years. Write and wipe for repeated practice and reinforcement.


Featuring retinol*, hyaluronic acid and wheat germ oil, this wonder serum helps marks fade, boost collagen and increase elasticity in the skin. With its toxin-free ingredients, Remodel is the premiere spot treatment for pregnancy stretch marks removal and postpartum skincare.
On clean skin, once you notice stretch marks dab a pea-sized amount on stretch marks. Allow drying completely before applying a stretch mark prevention cream, moisturizer or getting dressed. For maximum stretch mark prevention, follow with The Spoiled Mama's Belly Butter for Stretch Marks.
The serum may increase skin's sensitivity to the sun, particularly the possibility of sunburn. Use sunscreen and limit sun exposure while using this product, and for a week after.
The pregnancy stretch marks removal serum is most effective on new stretch marks.
While stretch marks are new, stay out of sun and tanning beds.
Help your skin heal by staying hydrated and eating a well-balanced diet with adequate amounts of vitamin E and C.
The best way to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy is early treatment with serums, creams, and oils.
*The FDA approves retinol (vitamin A) during pregnancy with daily limits of 1.5 mg. This serum contains .5% retinol and does not exceed the FDA's recommendation when applied as a spot treatment. Please discuss with your doctor or OBGYN about which treatment will work best for you.
Beloved for its antibacterial and antiseptic qualities, it helps tighten and refresh skin. Promotes faster wound healing and soothes distressed skin.
Gentle, natural liquid wax produced from the jojoba shrub. Absorbs quickly, and helps soften skin. Rich in vitamin B and minerals like copper and zinc.
Powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory extracted from green tea leaves. Helps relieve redness and irritation in skin, and may improve the the appearance of aging skin.
I have been using this on my line that started developing in the middle of my tummy from top to bottom at 7 months (not sure what that line is called) I spot treat it and then when it dries I follow up with Tummy Butter all over my stomach. It has been about a month now and the line has diminished but is not completely gone yet. I am at 8 months now and I think its because my tummy is still growing and so I am fighting that line from becoming more pronounced. Although the line is very faint now so I know this product is working. I have zero stretchmarks because of tummy butter so its good to follow up with it. The smell is great, soaks in very fast and I love it!
This is my favorite product so far. It smells amazing and goes into the skin super fast without feeling sticky or oily. The only thing is, I wish they sold it in a bigger bottle.
The product works great but I wish it was a little bigger for the price. But it will recommend to anyone.
So far so good. i can't tell if it has taken away any marks yet, but it soaks in well, smells wonderful and I can tell is a high quality serum.