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Joins 20,000 acres BLM Land by National Forest
160 Acres with 360 degree mountain views that adjoins over 20,000 Acres of BLM Land near the Sierra Blanca Mountain Range and the Lincoln National Forest.
This property is located in GMU 36, an area which is said to be a d...
Just south of Sisterdale, Texas, the Sister Creek Ranch offers all the attributes of a true Hill Country Gem. Live water abounds and has sculpted the ranch over time creating fertile fields, majestic creek beds, and rolling topography. The property boasts mile of Cypress...
LOCATION: This beautiful recreational/hunting ranch is located about 9 miles northeast of Brady and 4 miles northwest of Rochelle. This ranch lies approximately 1 mile off of paved FM 1121, with good county road access.
WATER: Two water wells and one stock pond on the ran...
Very nice Ranch with multiple buildings, tanks, trees and fields.
Perfect for hunting, weekend retreat or primary residence.
House is functional yet needs attention.
Value is in land.
Easy access to triplex.
Family owned so we can owner finance the property for you....
Virginia's 437-square-mile Lee County covers less than one percent of the state's total land area. Of Virginia's 133 counties, Lee County ranks 69th in terms of the size of its population (24,742, according to 2015 Census estimates). Government and state-level services are the main economic drivers in Lee County. Recent Lands of America data shows that the average price-per-acre value of land and acreage for sale in Lee County is $5,626. The average listing price was $342,475 (the most expensive listing being for $695,000) and the median size of land and real estate for sale in Lee County was 35 acres. Land for sale in Lee County totaled 243 acres and $1.4 million in overall land value, with the city of Blackwater featuring the most land for sale in the county. Farmland was the most common type of land for sale in Lee County.
42 lot mobile home park located behind the Dryden Elementary School on 7.344 acres. Each lot has its own electric meter and public water/sewer meter. Seller owns 2 doublewide manufactured homes and 22 singlewide manufactured homes. Each has a front and back porch and is underpinned. Seller maintains all roads. There are 6 lots being rented to owner/occupants. This mobile home park is arranged with small neighborhoods lined with trees instead of mobile homes being lined up in a straight row. This is a great opportunity for investors. Lots of room for expansion.
$325,00055 acres123 Wilderness Road, Rose Hill, VA24281 - Lee County
#3524 - Wilderness Rd, Rose Hill, VA -Wonderful farm with amazing mountain view with55 Acres +/- consisting of 4 tracts rolling approx. half is cleared; city water and city sewer are available; approx. 900 ft. of highway frontage; 2 entrances to property from highway, very developable property; hay shed on property; wildlife on property; $325,000
$325,000152 acres3 Beds | 1 Bath1005 Martin Wolf Road, Rose Hill, VA24281 - Lee County
STUNNING Views on this expansive Virginia Cattle Farm!!! This property is a rare find! 152 beautifully rolling acres with a mix of mostly pasture fields and some woodlands paired with a charming 1940s farmhouse and the farming functionality of fenced fields, barns, and water systems create a picturesque estate for you and your family to enjoy getting back to the basics! Call D. J. Wilder today to schedule your tour! Rarely does a property of this size come available, don't miss your opportunity to own a piece of history!
$285,000123 acres123 Chestnut Ridge Road, Ewing, VA24248 - Lee County
Three mile to LMU vet school and 8 miles to Harrogate, TN or Middlesboro, KY. High Speed Internet available. beautiful, well-maintained, gated property offers a great, well constructed four bedroom/two bath home with open floor plan. The private, yet convenient, 13 acres is bordered by Indian Creek and there is a park like setting with a brick grill and in the back of the property. The fencing is wonderful and is ready for your animals! There is a nice, large riding area and horse barn with manufactured Priefert stalls, tack room, and storage shed , Beautful views !
$259,00014.5 acres5 Beds | 4 Baths456 Melody Drive, Ewing, VA24248 - Lee County
Gorgeous 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom home on 14.5+/- acre Estate! This beautiful property boasts almost 2,000 sqft of living space upstairs which consists of a 4 large bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, impressive living room with Cathedral ceilings and large windows, open kitchen with title backsplash and new stainless steel appliances(refrigerator is ultra modern Samsung 4 door), Beautiful Octagon Shaped Dinning Room with Vaulted ceiling, romantic master bedroom with tray ceiling and French doors leading to the new 1,300 sq ft deck with views of the White Rock Mountains. Approximately 1,600 sqft of entertaining space in the basement which consists of a fully furnished Theatre Room with Bose surround sound speakers, theatre couches, projector and huge
$199,900148.61 acres1532 Blackwater Road, Blackwater, VA24221 - Lee County
Spectacular mountain retreat for nature lovers, hunters, farming, building sites, or for raising family on this 148 surveyed acres with large creek (may overflow during heavy rain), spring, meadows, pasture fields, wildlife, barn, storage shed, timber value (evaluation report). House (included) also available, but needs some work.
$199,90047.5 acres2 Beds | 1 Bath123 Childress Road, Jonesville, VA24263 - Lee County
#3507 - Childress Rd, Jonesville, VA - 2 BD / 1 BA / 47.50 Acres - This beautiful farm has a cabin tucked away for privacy surrounded by rolling pastures; the 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom cabin also has a large open floor plan with living room, eat-in kitchen and dining area; cathedral ceiling; it also has a laundry area; spring water on the farm can be hookup into house; tin roof only 5 years old; new wiring in cabin; propane gasfor heat; CERTIFIED ORGANIC FARM; lots of turkey and deer seen on this farm;electric tocabin; over20 acres of timberland on farm; pear tree, walnut tree, blackberries and raspberries on farm; 20 PIECES OF EQUIPMENT STAYS WITH FARM includes tractor; barn/shed on farm; $199,900
$199,90049.94 acres3 Beds | 1 Bath | 1256 sqft226 ARROWHEAD DR, Duffield, VA24244 - Lee County
Very well maintained 3 bedroom, 1 bath vinyl ranch style home on 49.94 acres of beautiful farm land. Home has beautiful hardwood floors, eat-in kitchen and separate formal dining. Gas fireplace in living room. Heat pump, architectural shingled roof, public water, spring water for lawn. 2 car detached garage, concrete driveway. Large tobacco barn, 6 stall livestock barn, large chicken barn, smokehouse - all made of wormy chestnut. Nice mountain stream runs through property. Mostly pasture and tillable land. Some wooded land for hunting. NEVER LOGGED. Borders Jefferson National Forest in back.
$90,00015 acres12345 Wilderness Road, Rose Hill, VA24281 - Lee County
#3523 - Wilderness Rd, Rose Hill, VA - 15 Acres +/- levelto rolling approx. half of it is cleared; city water available; this property lies between old 58 and Wilderness Rd; developable property; good house sites; wildlife on property;great views;$90,000
$82,0002.51 acres3 Beds | 3 Baths | 1260 sqft4235 Big Hill Road, Pennington Gap, VA24277 - Lee County
Nice 3 bedroom 2 bath, 1250 sq.ft brick home over full walkout basement on 2.51 wooded acres. Basement has wood burning stove and potential to easily add ground level bedroom and bathroom. Priced below tax assessment.
$79,9002 acres4 Beds | 2 Baths267 Echo Drive, Dryden, VA24277 - Lee County
Need a house with lots of room for a great price? This house provides both those features. The house has both a living room and family room; a stone fireplace in the family room; a kitchen with separate dining area, 4 bedrooms and 2 baths. All appliances including washer and dryer stay with the house. There are 7 closets with 3 of them walk-in closets. The living room and bonus room have beautiful original hardwood floors. There is both a wood insert and propane log fireplace. The outside area is approximately 2 acres the are partially enclosed by a chain link fence. The back yard is really nice with shade trees to sit and relax. There is room for small animals on the property; including a chicken house and other metal building. The roof is
Mostly cleared lot in Town of Pennington Gap, Virginia. So much potential. Nestled in a nice neighborhood, convenient to town. Currently holds livestock. Mostly cleared, with a wooded area. City water and sewer available.
$59,90016.92 acres2 Baths | 1216 sqft24129 Wilderness Road, Austinville, VA24263 - Lee County
#3504 - Calebs Dr., Ewing, VA - Beautiful land with multiple house sites and ideal for hunting with lots of wildlife; very private; there is an area where a pond once was, with a little cleaning out, itmight be again; close to highway yet tucked away offering seclusion from the world; approx. 34 acres;$52,000
$49,90013.41 acres2 Beds | 1 Bath4517 Old Nursery Road, Rose Hill, VA24281 - Lee County
Cute Cottage in the Mountains of Virginia! This home has 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, living room, eat-in kitchen, sites on 13.41 acres; road frontage; basement; great hunting; close to Hwy 58; call today for a tour of this home!
$45,90013.41 acres2 Beds | 1 Bath4517 Old Nursery Road, Rose Hill, VA24281 - Lee County
#3425 - 4517 Old Nursery Rd Rose Hill, VA; This home has 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, living room, eat-in kitchen, this home sites on13.41 acres; road frontage; basement; great hunting; close to Hwy 58; Listed at only $49,000
$40,0004.26 acresTBD NANCY BAILEY RD, Dryden, VA24243 - Lee County
#3505 - 123 bs Dr., Ewing, VA - Beautiful land with multiple house sites and ideal for hunting with lots of wildlife; very private; close to highway yet tucked away offering seclusion from the world; approx.15 acres;$35,000
$32,5007.52 acres496 Shannon Evans Road, Jonesville, VA24263 - Lee County
#3520 - 496 Shannon Evans Rd, Jonesville, VA - 7.522 surveyed Acres; beautiful land with city water and well and septic system; this property has a house and singlewide home that are in disrepair-this property is being sold for land only; close to main highway; fronts paved road; great house sites; cave on property; $32,500

domain: geography


Santa Clarita, Calif. David Lavau’s children drove slowly along the perilously curved mountain road, stopping to peer over the treacherous drop-offs and call out for their father, missing for six days.
Then, finally, a faint cry: “Help, help.” The voice from the wilderness not only let Lavau’s children find him, it may have brought closure to another family and another missing persons case.
Close to a week after his car plunged 200 feet into a ravine, Lavau, 68, was rescued Thursday by his three adult children, who took matters into their own hands and searched a highway between their father’s home in northern Los Angeles County and Ventura County, where a detective told them Lavau’s bank and cellphone calls had placed him, sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Mike Parker said.
And near him they found a body in another car that belonged to an 88-year-old man reported missing 10 days earlier.
As Lavau lay injured in the woods next to his wrecked car in the rugged section of the Angeles National Forest, he survived by eating bugs and leaves and drinking creek water, a doctor said.
His family told the Los Angeles Times that Lavau expected to die, and scrawled a farewell note on his dusty trunk: “I love my kids. Dead man was not my fault. Love, Dad.”
Lavau was in serious but stable condition Friday at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital with three rib fractures, a dislocated shoulder, a broken arm and fractures in his back, said emergency room physician Dr. Garrett Sutter. He was expected to be released in three to four days after surgery on his shoulder and to make a full recovery.
One of the first things he requested after his rescue: a chocolate malt, Sutter said. Sutter said he was also “very desirous of a lobster taco.”
Dr. Ranbir Singh, the hospital’s trauma director, said Lavau told him he was driving to his home about 7 p.m. when he was temporarily blinded by the headlights of an oncoming car.
He braked, but failed to gain traction. The car flipped and plunged down the embankment. He said he was unsure if he collided with the car.
However, a second car containing a male body was found next to Lavau’s vehicle in a case believed to be unrelated.
That car, a Toyota Camry, was identified as belonging to 88-year-old Melvin Gelfand, whose family had reported him missing on Sept. 14, said Los Angeles police Detective Marla Ciuffetelli of the missing persons unit.
The body found in the car could not be visually identified due to decomposition, but Gelfand’s son-in-law Will Matlack said the family had been contacted by the coroner’s office, which was trying to match fingerprints or dental records to make a positive identification.
“The coroner said it’s 99 percent a sure thing,” Matlack said.
Lavau spent the night in his wrecked car and crawled out in daylight. He found a stream nearby and ate ants, the doctor said. He also found a flare in the other car and tried to light it, but it was expired. He also couldn’t find his cellphone.
Lavau could hear cars and see their lights on the road above and was hopeful he’d be discovered, but as time passed, he grew more uncertain.
“He mentally said goodbye to his family. He wasn’t sure anyone would be able to find him,” Singh said.
Lavau’s children had reported him missing last Friday, though they were not certain when exactly he had disappeared.
“Each family member and friend thought that he was with someone else, then everyone started talking to each other and said ‘oh my gosh, he’s missing,’” Parker said.
Parker said by the next day the sheriff’s detective assigned the case turned up bank records showing Lavau had made a purchase in Oxnard in Ventura County on the day he was reported missing, and mobile phone records showed he had been in the same area.
The children then organized themselves into a search party.
They drove along the long highway between his home and Ventura County, where he liked to take weekend shopping trips, Parker said.
“We stopped at every ravine and looked over every hill, and then my brother got out of the car and we kept screaming, and the next thing we heard Dad saying, ‘Help, help,’ and there he was,” Lisa Lavau told NBC’s “Today” show.
Sean Lavau slid down the embankment to reach his father, who was airlifted to the hospital while firefighters helped his children get back up the ravine.
Parker said it was “remarkable” the family was able to make the find in the sparsely populated area about 50 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.


The Star, Norafifi Ehsan (2008) Young And Green. (Call Number: UNSPECIFIED)
SUN sea and beach - Where else is there a better setting to teach a bunch of tertiary students about the environment than the lovely Pulau Perhentian Kecil.
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Normal service resumes this weekend. Well, kind of.
After the excitement of WCOOP, a relatively ordinary weekend ahead. Well, kind of.
There are the usual bunch of Sunday Majors to contemplate, including a return of the (regular) Sunday Million and Warm-Up. There will also be the regular Weekly events in all shapes and sizes, which you'll find in the PokerStars lobby.
You can also use the weekend as preparation for what will be a massive event on Monday when Common Cents begins. You can read all about the details here, but the short version is that you'll need only a cent to play.
Another highlight of the weekend will be the latest Red Spade Open, featuring around 50 Team Pros (of the live and online kind), each with a $500 bounty on their heads. The buy-in is $55, which means a sizeable return if you're able to knock a Pro out. Adrienne "talonchick" Rowsome and Luka "LukaSteel" Kovac have already written about how much they're looking forward to the event, even if they are on the wanted list.
Finally to those within reach of the Isle of Man the UK and Ireland Poker Tour is in action there, with Day 1B of the Main Event under way today. Check out the UKIPT website for event details for the festival.
On the subject of the UKIPT, our team are already in full swing over at the Main Event bringing live updates all the way through to the end of the festival. You can follow all the action on the PokerStars Blog each day.
The latest #EPTNotLive Podcast is available to listen to. I'll let team behind it give the details.
"Before listening to this week's podcast, please spare a thought for Joe. Constant time zone hopping is getting the better of him. He isn't sure what time it is, what day of the week it is, or what country he's in. But he's managed to cobble together a show, featuring Sara Chafak: Miss Finland 2012, and star of one of the most watched poker hands of all time. She joins the boys to talk about the latest episode of 'Shark Cage', and some of the random stuff she's recently posted on the Internet. James and Joe also deal with some 'Social Media Beefs' (now with added cow sounds), and recap a couple of charity poker events: one in NYC, the other at the awesome Hippodrome in London. There's a preview of the forthcoming UKIPT Super Series, and Common Cents tournament festival. And Pedro Almeida is on the line from Canada, hoping to win prizes in a sharkery-cagery themed edition of 'Superfan vs Stapes'. #EPTNotLive"
To listen, use your preferred link below:
Over on PokerStars.tv you can find Episode 5 of the PCA 2015 Main Event, with things getting close at the business end.
WCOOP might be over for another year but you can look back on all the results from each of the 70 tournaments, with links to each final table report, on our results page. While on the WCOOP homepage you'll find the final standings on the Player of the Series leader board, topped this year by Shaun Deeb. You can already read just how Main Event winner Coenaldinho7 did it, in his interview with the Blog.
Well there was that Ukrainian player Solik1968 who won a million dollars in the Dream Team Collection, thanks to a fortuitous river card. You can read about that here.
Then there was news, of the big and long awaited kind, about the return of PokerStars and Full Tilt to the United States. Rub your eyes and read about that here.
That's all for now. Good luck at the tables this weekend, whether that's over in the Isle of Man, in the Sunday Majors or any other games you get involved in. Tell us all about it @PokerStarsBlog
Has any of this inspired you to open a PokerStars account? You can do so here.
Stephen Bartley is a staff writer for the PokerStars Blog.


A state audit has concluded the fired clerk for a small town in southeast Iowa took at least 60-thousand dollars from the city. On May 2nd of this year, the bank statement for the City of Pleasant Plain in Jefferson County was accidentally delivered to the City Clerk in Brighton. She opened it and saw a number of questionable items. She notified a City Council member in Pleasant Plain.
Pleasant Plain City Clerk Clark Ann Gingerich was questioned, and then fired the next day. The state audit found that over the past two-and-a-half years Gingerich had written over 42-thousand dollars worth of checks to herself. Another seven-thousand dollars worth of checks were written to obtain cash. She also withdrew about seven-hundred-50 dollars in cash from the city’s account on top of that.
In all, the audit identified over 64-thousand dollars worth of “improper disbursements” including about 67-hundred dollars worth of stuff bought from Wal-Mart. The County Attorney and state officials are conducting a criminal investigation and they requested the audit.


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This beautiful lady right here happens to be a dear friend of mine, and so it was very special to get to take her maternity photos last weekend. Karriyma and I were pregnant with our first babies at the same time (our daughters were born one month apart!) and now they are growing up together and play together often! We intended to take her photos at China Beach in San Francisco but on the day of our shoot it was very misty so we decided to head down to Stanford’s Dish Trail. Isn’t it a stunning location? I’ll never get tired of it!
For those of you who have followed along on my journey as a photographer for a while, you will notice that I’ve photographed this beautiful couple multiple times! These two are dear friends of my husband and I, and when we took a friend-cation to Maui, of course I knew we’d do their maternity session there! I can’t wait to get some sweet newborn photos of their baby boy when he makes his debut! The last photo in this post was taken in Maui’s tropical “Jungle” at Honolua Bay and I must say, it is one of the most beautiful and fascinating places I’ve ever been. I hope you enjoy these sun soaked pictures as much as I do!

domain: artistic


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Mga Bukas na Isyu: 218
Mga Saradong Isyu: 2,093
Mga Na-acknowledge na Isy: 706
Minamanmanan ang mga isyu na ginawa pagkatapos: 2012-07-02
5300 Claremont Ave Oakland 94618, United States -
Illegal camping in Frog Park and huge pule of debris behind
55th St Oakland 94609, United States -
Quickly growing homeless encampment of one person with erratic behavior. Furniture, appliances, bicycles, mattresses, tents blocking sidewalk and going up the overpass embankment.
Ca-24 E Oakland, CA, 94618, USA -
new tent village with massive debris building, stool, urine, vomit all around 2 blocks from a school.
446-448 Hudson St Oakland, CA 94618, USA -
Materials are blocking the sidewalk
Temescal - Oakland Farmers Market 5300 Claremont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94618, United States of America -
5354 Claremont Ave Oakland, CA 94618, USA -
Homeless man with bicycle is stepping on a bench in Frog Park almost every night, which is illegal. Bench is between the DMV and Clifton Street on the path.
5457-5481 Claremont Ave Oakland, CA 94618, USA -
The hoarder and his stuff have returned. City staff, please pick this garbage up and dispose of it.
Rockridge-Temescal Greenbelt 5500 Claremont Ave, Oakland, CA 94618, USA -
homeless have been camping in the kids play structures, urinating etc. please clean this up.
394 51st St Oakland, CA 94609, USA -
Large volume of trash and illegally dumped materials on 51st street.
531 55th Street Oakland, CA 94608, USA -
Multiple large vehicles, bus, campers, RV's and a homeless encampment that is creating a ton of trash and debris. Are these vehicles registered? Everytime they move they leave behind piles of trash.
Claremont Ave Oakland 94618, United States -
Tons of trash in Claremont under freeway across from Frog park
485 Clifton Street Oakland, California -
Illegal occupation of public park:
There are at least 4 tents of homeless people occupying the pedestrian walk between the frog park and the DMV.
Some are very aggressive and have dogs barking at everyone passing by, including families and nannies with kids.
Displaying 85 - 96 of 3,017


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Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake might just be the recipe you need to start your Thanksgiving morning off the right way. Make it the night before, & the next morning you can serve this up with a pot of coffee & still be preparing the turkey & fixings. Now if you’re my Dad, Continue reading
Recipe by: Designs by Jeanne R
Isn’t this pretty? It’s also really simple, yet special for a brunch or weekend breakfast. It would be a delicious dessert served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The best part? Continue reading
I enjoy and appreciate yeast breads, but when time doesn’t permit, a nice quick bread is a great addition to a weekday meal. For years, we’ve been enjoying a quick sweet bread recipe called Dippity Do’s from Recipe Goldmine (if you’ve never checked out this site, it’s full of easy but delicious little gems).
Here’s my apple cinnamon version: Continue reading

domain: food


Solar Citizens has today welcomed an agreement between Goldwind and Stanwell Corporation for the supply of power from Goldwind’s Clarke Creek wind farm in the north of Rockhampton.
"Construction is due to begin on the Clarke Creek project next year, contributing to Queensland’s economic recovery from COVID-19.
"In addition to supporting private projects, Queensland’s government-owned generators, Stanwell and CS Energy are champing at the bit to be building and owning their own renewable energy."
"It’s time for the State Government to allow them to build publicly-owned renewables, particularly as the latest data shows the Sunshine State is not on track to achieve it’s 50% by 2030 renewable energy target," said Ms Roberts.
For comment please call Ellen Roberts on 0408 583 694
20 August 2020: Queensland Government Announces First Step Towards 13,400 Ongoing Clean Energy Jobs
Solar Citizens today congratulates the Queensland Government on their announcement to invest $145 million to develop Renewable Energy Zones in North and Central Queensland, as well as the South West.
“Investments like this set Queensland up to realise our incredible solar and wind potential and become a clean energy superpower,” said Ellen Roberts, Solar Citizens’ National Director.
“Turbocharging Queensland’s clean energy industry will flood the market with cheaper energy and make it more competitive to kick-start new minerals processing and manufacturing industries.
“We have some of the world’s best solar resources, and great wind too. We can be using these resources to power steel manufacturing, renewable hydrogen production and battery manufacturing facilities.
“Queensland’s large-scale clean energy industry has been hamstrung by a need for more transmission infrastructure, so this announcement is just what the doctor ordered.”
Solar Citizens says that if all of the Renewable Energy Zones proposed by the Australian Energy Market Operator across Queensland were developed to their full potential it would create 13,400 ongoing clean energy jobs as well as 21,000 construction jobs every year for ten years.
Developing Renewable Energy Zones to their maximum potential would power:
- 14,230 construction jobs every year for ten years in the north of Queensland if Far North Queensland, North Queensland Clean Energy Hub, North Queensland, Barcaldine and Isaac Renewable Energy Zones were developed.
- 3,533 construction jobs every year for ten years in Central Queensland if Fitzroy and Wide Bay were developed.
- 3,255 construction jobs every year for ten years in the Darling Downs if it was developed.
“Making the most of our renewable energy potential would power tens of thousands of construction jobs across regional Queensland and unlock billions worth of investment,” said Ms Roberts.
“Today we’ve seen the Queensland Government make a smart investment to grow a thriving clean energy industry. Now it’s time for the Federal Government to come to the table like they’ve done in NSW to build Renewable Energy Zones.”
19 August 2020: Queensland Not on Track to Reach 50 per cent Renewables, Despite Announcements
New analysis from Green Energy Markets has found that Queensland is only on track to meet 37.5 per cent renewable electricity by 2030, falling well short of the State Government’s 50 per cent goal.
“Energy policy uncertainty and the dire need for more transmission infrastructure is driving away potential investors,” said Ellen Roberts, Solar Citizens’ National Director.
“The clean energy projects proposed across Queensland would create thousands of construction jobs and billions worth of investment, but Queenslanders won’t see a slice of this unless the State Government releases a plan for reaching 50 per cent renewables and beyond.”
While the Queensland Government is falling behind on their 50 per cent commitment, the State LNP Opposition has indicated that they won’t support a renewable energy target if elected in October.
“If the Queensland LNP abolishes the state’s renewable energy target, it’ll send a message to renewable investors that Queensland is closed for business,” said Ms Roberts.
“Halting renewable energy investment will stop electricity bills from dropping further and hurt regional communities that stand to gain from new large-scale projects.”
The new Green Energy Markets report highlights that a surge in renewable energy, particularly solar, has driven down the wholesale price of electricity during the daytime from $67 in 2016 to just $12 last May.
“Manufacturers in the North of Queensland are complaining about high electricity prices, caused by a reliance on expensive gas plants. To support regional manufacturing we need to urgently scale up renewable generation and transmission,” said Ms Roberts.
“Queensland’s competitive advantage should be an abundance of cheap renewable energy. More cheap renewables can revive local manufacturing and pave the way for new industries, like green steel production.”
A recent report from the Grattan Institute found if Australia gained just 6.5% of the global steel market it would create 25,000 ongoing manufacturing jobs in Queensland and NSW, and generate $65 billion in annual export revenue.
“The boom in renewable energy construction activity is turning to a bust just at the wrong time for the Queensland economy,” said Tristan Edis from Green Energy Markets.
“Over 2019 there was not a single utility-scale solar or wind farm committed to construction and those committed to construction over 2016 to 2018 are now largely complete.”
To the credit of the State Government and the Sunshine State’s 700,000 solar homes and businesses, Queensland has gone from consuming just 7 per cent renewable electricity in 2016 to a projected 23 per cent by 2021.
“In the last five years Queensland has proven the doubters wrong who said renewable energy was too expensive and too insignificant to make a difference,” said Mr Edis.
Media contact: Ellen 0408 583 694
Full analysis here.
30 July 2020: Queensland LNP MP Calls for More Privately-owned Electricity Generation
A week after Queensland’s Shadow Energy Minister Michael Hart said the state LNP had no intention of investing in new coal generation in Queensland, MP Dale Last has come out clarifying that they do support more private generation, including new coal.
Mr Last told the Daily Mercury, “The LNP will facilitate private sector investment in new electricity generation in Queensland, including coal-fired power stations by streamlining the approval process.”
“New generators should be funded, built, owned and operated by bodies other than the state government to boost competition and lower prices,” he said.
Community group Solar Citizens has called out the state opposition for supporting more private and expensive coal generation.
“Queenslanders have shown time and time again that we don’t want private companies to control the majority of our electricity assets, and yet here we are again,” said Solar Citizens’ National Director Ellen Roberts.
“Now is the moment to invest in more publicly-owned renewable energy, so we can power the Sunshine State with cheaper energy that’s owned by Queenslanders.
“A new coal-fired power station will not get off the ground without substantial government subsidies. The proposed Collinsville coal generator is very unlikely to go ahead, and saying otherwise is lying to Queenslanders.”
Media contact: Ellen 0408 583 694
Solar Citizens, a national organisation advocating for rooftop solar owners, has expressed dismay at proposals under consideration by the Australian Energy Market Commission that would see solar owners charged for providing power to the grid.
Currently, the Australian Energy Rules prevent people generating power from being charged to access the network. St Vincent’s and the South Australian Power Network are proposing a change to the rules that would allow network operators to impose charges on solar households for exporting to the grid, claiming that households without solar are subsidising those with panels.
However, research by the Victoria Energy Policy Centre finds that rooftop solar panels bring down power prices for all energy consumers. The VEPC analysed the bills of 7,200 Victorian homes with rooftop solar and found that even the relatively low penetration of rooftop solar in that State brought prices down by $6.4/MWh, 8% off the wholesale price of electricity in 2019.
‘Rooftop solar benefits all energy consumers by providing cheap power to the grid and bringing down prices for all consumers. We should be encouraging more people to get solar, not imposing greater financial costs on them,’ said Solar Citizens National Director Ellen Roberts.
‘Big coal and gas generators aren’t charged for exporting their power to the grid, so why should we be slugging Australian families with panels on their roofs who are providing cheap power to their neighbours?'
‘Consumer groups concerned about equity and welfare should be doing all they can to promote the uptake of rooftop solar, not seeking to undermine it.
‘The AEMC is considering three rule changes at once, and there’s plenty to support in the proposal from Total Environment Centre and Australian Council of Social Services. But any blanket imposition of fees on solar households will work to benefit the big coal and gas generators who will sell more power if solar exports are no longer viable.’
Solar Citizens has expressed concern that the terms of the board of directors of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency will expire this Friday with no plan to replace them.
‘ARENA oversees millions of dollars of vital government funded energy projects, and needs an experienced board to make informed and independent investment decisions,’ said Solar Citizens National Director Ellen Roberts.
‘It’s very unfortunate that the Federal government is allowing the terms of the current board to expire, with no arrangements in place to ensure the proper functioning of the organisation.’
‘We’re calling for the terms of the current board members to be extended, and ARENA to be fully refunded to allow it to continue its vital work in ensuring Australia’s smooth and timely energy transition.’
ARENA is also due to run out of funding for new projects this year.
The lapsing of the board terms comes as the Federal Government is actively considering expanding ARENA’s investment mandate to allow it to invest in non-renewable energy projects, such as carbon capture and storage.
‘This would open the door to funding gas and coal projects that are packaged up with questionable “low emissions” technologies, such as disproven carbon capture and storage, to pass them off as clean energy projects.’
‘ARENA and the CEFC are the last meaningful clean energy policies in Australia, and key to the Government’s strategy to invest in clean energy technology and lower emissions. The mandate change could see wind and solar lose out, as renewables will now need to compete with a broader range of technologies for grant funding.’
Solar Citizens advocates for the rights of the millions of Australians with rooftop solar, and anyone who wants to see an urgent transition to 100% renewable energy.
Ellen Roberts can be contacted for comment on 0408 583 694
Latest details on the ARENA board can be found in this Renew Economy article: https://reneweconomy.com.au/crunch-time-for-clean-energy-funding-as-arena-board-deadline-looms-19863/
Turbocharging Queensland’s large-scale renewable energy industry creates 9,300 construction jobs every year for ten years and almost 6,000 ongoing jobs, according to a new report by Solar Citizens.
The report, titled Queensland’s Renewable Recovery Plan, analysed how many jobs would be created if key Renewable Energy Zones were developed across Queensland. It found that developing the two major zones in North Queensland alone, including Townsville and the surrounding area, creates over 4,100 construction jobs every year until 2030 and 2,500 ongoing jobs.
Renewable Energy Zones are designated areas across the National Electricity Market that have the greatest renewable energy potential and are prime locations for transmission investment.
The NSW Government recently announced an area west of Dubbo as a Renewable Energy Zone in June, and was overrun with investor interest – with proposed projects worth a total of $38 billion.
“At the moment the need for new transmission infrastructure is one of the main hurdles stopping investment in new solar and wind projects in Queensland, but with the right infrastructure the Sunshine State could have a thriving and job-rich clean energy industry,” said Ellen Roberts, Solar Citizens’ National Director.
“Queenslanders could be the main beneficiaries as Australia transitions to renewable energy because we’ve got incredible solar and wind resources and clean energy expertise.
“Regional Queenslanders, in particular, will be the winners with 75% of the jobs created from a thriving renewable energy industry being in the regions.”
The report highlights that there are already more jobs across Australia in renewable energy, compared with domestic coal generation and mining. Solar Citizens recommends that the Queensland Government’s economic recovery measures should prioritise energy infrastructure and public investment in new solar, wind and storage projects to fast-track renewable jobs and the creation of new manufacturing industries.
“One of Queensland’s main competitive advantages should be cheap energy because we have some of the world’s best solar and wind resources,” said Ms Roberts.
“Building the right infrastructure and tapping into these resources could attract new industries and see ‘green’ steel and storage batteries being manufactured here in Queensland.”
The report also found that if the Queensland Government rolled out 50,000 storage batteries across Queensland’s 700,000 solar homes and businesses, it would create 280 installation jobs every year for five years, as well as 73 ongoing jobs in operations and maintenance.
“Incentivising the uptake of household battery storage could fire up local battery storage manufacturing, like we’ve seen in South Australia where there are now three battery facilities in operation,” said Ms Roberts.
“Already in Townsville there’s a proposal to open a huge battery facility that could employ up to 1,150 locals. We want to see more of this.”
“Using this moment to invest in renewable energy initiatives won’t just create thousands of construction jobs, it will pave the way for clean energy to be one of the main drivers of our future economy.”
Media contact: Ellen Roberts 0408 583 694
Full report here.
Solar Citizens, a national organisation advocating for rooftop solar owners, has hit back at suggestions from the Australian Energy Regulator that solar owners should be charged for providing power to the grid.
"Rooftop solar benefits all energy consumers by providing cheap power to the grid for everyone to use," said Solar Citizens' National Director Ellen Roberts.
"As we transition our energy system and clean up our power supply, we need to be encouraging more rooftop solar not penalising people for putting panels on their roof.
"Australian families putting solar on their roof are doing the right thing for the environment, and for other energy consumers. We need to ensure that solar continues to grow.
"Big coal and gas generators aren’t charged for exporting their power to the grid, so why should we be slugging Australian families with panels on their roofs?
For comment call Ellen Roberts on 0408 583 694
Community group Solar Citizens says a decrease in electricity tariffs for regional Queenslanders is largely thanks to more renewable energy projects coming online.
On Thursday the QCA released regulated retail electricity prices for 2020-21 for regional areas, with a 5.9 per cent decrease in the main residential tariff and a 3.2 per cent decrease for small businesses.
“The savings that Queenslanders will see on their electricity bills are due to the falling wholesale cost of electricity, which keeps being driven down as more cheap, renewable energy enters the grid,” said Stephanie Gray, Solar Citizens’ Campaigner.
“Queenslanders love their solar and we now have over 700,000 solar homes and businesses in the Sunshine State. That’s a lot of cheap energy that’s being pumped into the grid.
“If we continue to roll out rooftop solar as well as big solar and wind farms, Queensland’s competitive advantage will be cheap, clean energy and that will attract new industries.”
Solar Citizens is concerned, however, that renewable energy momentum could slow down in Queensland. Last year no new large-scale renewable energy projects were committed to construction in the state.
“To continue to drive down power prices further, the best thing that all sides of politics can do is commit to keep backing the transition to clean energy,” said Ms Gray.
“This is an election year for Queensland. We need to see bigger renewable commitments from all parties so that Queenslanders can have lower bills, cleaner air and new job opportunities.”
19 June: Solar Must Only be Switched Off in Emergencies
Solar Citizens today congratulates the South Australian Government’s commitment to achieving 100% renewable energy by 2030, but has concerns that a rule change to allow rooftop solar curtailment could be exploited.
“It’s wonderful to see that both the South Australian Government and AEMO are working to enable the growth of rooftop solar,” said Stephanie Gray, Campaigner at Solar Citizens.
“But we need to ensure that rooftop solar curtailment is a last resort that only occurs in emergency situations.
“Households across the country have made the solar switch to slash their electricity bills and do their bit for the environment. They should not be unfairly penalised for making an investment that provides cheap electricity to the grid.
“It’s vital that the State Government and network continue to explore and implement other options, such as battery storage and demand response, to overcome grid issues.”
Media contact: Stephanie 0425543006


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When Bozeman clinched a bye to state two weeks ago, Ashley Obstar understood the significance. In a deep Class AA field, finishing second in the East was another signal to the head coach how talented her team is.
Thus began a two-week stretch without any games that continued a season-long quest to peak during the second weekend of November.
“There’s nothing that we could have done more to prepare, which is a very nice feeling,” Obstar said. “It’s not like, ‘If we just had one more week to practice this.’”
The Hawks open the Class AA tournament as the East’s No. 2 seed plays the West’s third-seeded Kalispell Flathead at 4 p.m. today at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. Bozeman spent recent practices preparing mentally with inspirational readings, physically with position-specific drills and as a team with chemistry-building exercises.
In the process of securing a 21-7 regular season record and a 10-2 conference record, the Hawks developed trust among teammates and a resiliency that will likely be counted on again.
“It’s been really nice,” senior outside hitter Mara Lynch said. “It’s been kind of hard not playing, but at the same time, we get to work on everything without any interruptions and really focus on what we need to do.”
Before each practice the past month, Obstar organized 10-15 minute sessions for the team to read a booklet titled “Compete” by Bruce Brown. The group typically read about two pages per day and completed the readings Wednesday.
Each time, players highlighted text and jotted down notes. Obstar gave them a question to write a reflection on to learn about their mental approach. She said it might just be the “nerdy teacher in me” but mentioned the benefits of using volleyball to teach lessons that apply to other areas of life.
The readings were designed to help hone the Hawks’ mentality entering the state tournament. They covered topics such as playing fearlessly, ignoring the score and performing at one’s best.
Obstar took the idea from a combination of previous Bozeman coaches Erika Gustavsen, who used to have players read inspirational texts, and Katie Laslovich, who recommended Bruce Brown.
“It’s a really nice outlet. It’s different than practice and conditioning. It’s kind of like our one time to sit down, read together, write about it, talk about it,” Obstar said. “I think that part of it is really fun. ... I just see a different side through their writing than I would as an athlete. That has been so much fun for me and for them, I think they’ve enjoyed it. I think they see the value in it.”
Obstar credited her players’ mental approach for why the Hawks have played well in five-set matches. Bozeman has gone to five sets on six occasions, she said, and won all but once.
That has helped build trust among teammates, which is something Obstar can’t coach. The repeated success throughout the season has put the Hawks in an advantageous position entering state.
The team would prefer to win more comfortably and play more consistent, but closing out matches late is a valuable skill that has readied Bozeman.
“That’s what our program does, it prepares us to go to five sets and not be tired and still give 100 percent effort,” senior middle Savannah Gara said. “Now that we’ve gone to five, we always start out kind of slow in our games, but by the end, the momentum is always ours. If we could just do that at state and start out strong, I think we’ll be good.”
Since the junior varsity, sophomore and freshman teams’ seasons have ended, the Hawks utilized their assistant coaches by splitting into positional drills for about a half hour each practice the past two weeks. That’s allowed for more individual coaching and feedback.
To stay occupied without any games, Bozeman also held a scavenger hunt this past weekend and other team activities, which have also transferred to the court.
“We got to work on a whole bunch of different things and actually break down everything again and rework on it,” senior libero Ayla Embry said. “So it was beneficial.”
Since August, Obstar said, the Hawks’ goal has been to play on the final day.
“I’m really excited for state this year because we definitely have a good chance of winning hopefully,” Gara said. “Whatever’s going to happen, we’ll see.”

domain: sports


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2006 HSR&D National Meeting Abstract
1002 — Evaluating a Chronic Care Model Designed to Improve Treatment for Schizophrenia (EQUIP)
Young AS (VISN 22 MIRECC & UCLA)
Cohen AN (VISN 22 MIRECC)
Mintz J (VISN 22 MIRECC & UCLA)
The VA treats more than 100,000 people with schizophrenia annually, and this illness accounts for 11.7 percent of all VA healthcare costs. Outcomes in schizophrenia are good when appropriate medication and psychosocial treatments are received, however, rates of appropriate care nationally are moderate to low. The President’s New Freedom Commission established national goals for improving mental health care, and the VA has committed to implementing evidence-based and recovery-oriented care. This places the VA in a leadership position nationally, but also creates challenges since there has been relatively little research on implementation of best practices in schizophrenia. This project ("EQUIP") applied principles of chronic illness care to schizophrenia, and evaluated their effectiveness in a controlled trial.
Psychiatrists at two VA medical centers were randomized to continue with usual care or to receive an intervention that included routine management of patient outcomes data, and protocols for assertive, coordinated care and evidence-based medication and family services. Patients were routinely assessed, and an informatics system provided these "psychiatric vital signs" to psychiatrists during the patient visit. Regular feedback to clinicians and managers facilitated reorganization of care. Patients and clinicians were interviewed at baseline and follow-up, and utilization data obtained from VistA. A summative evaluation examined the effect of the intervention on providers and treatment quality. Analyses included repeated measures regression. A process evaluation studied the organization of care, and barriers and facilitators to implementation.
68 psychiatrists and 375 patients participated, and the intervention was implemented for more than 15 months. Psychiatrists stated that they learned important new information and that team communication improved. The intervention resulted in more assertive medical and mental health care. Rates of poor care for psychosis improved significantly more under the intervention (73% to 70% vs 71% to 88%; p=.03). Wellness groups were established, improving the management of side-effects and weight. The intervention did not improve the use of clozapine or caregiver services.
Previously, it has not generally been possible to manage the quality of care for schizophrenia. EQUIP established an infrastructure to manage care quality, produced improvement in certain care domains, and identified barriers to further improving care.
This project informs efforts to improve chronic illness care, and especially schizophrenia.

domain: medical


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Paul Baker was smacked with a rude surprise when he opened a notice from his bank informing him that his minimum monthly payment had skyrocketed from $560 to more than $1,300.
The 31-year-old Stephenville man didn't have one of those toxic subprime mortgages with a teaser rate that suddenly reset. It was a Chase Freedom credit card.
"The payments are now bigger than my mortgage," said Baker, who used the card to help fund his educational-toy business.
Chase didn't alter the 4.9 percent interest rate. Instead, it ratcheted up his minimum payment from 2 percent of principal to 5 percent.
Baker is not alone.
Major banks are scrambling to cull their least profitable cardholders by making terms difficult or by raising interest rates before the new credit card reform bill takes effect Feb. 1, said Mitch Franklin, an assistant professor of accounting at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management.
"I know people who have 800 credit scores getting their line of credit cut," Franklin said in a call from New York. A credit score over 750 is generally considered strong.
Aside from higher rates and increased minimum payments, consumers have complained of fixed rates being changed to variable rates; new fees; a decline in new offers; and fewer rebates and rewards, said Gail Cunningham, a spokeswoman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.
Read the complete story at star-telegram.com

domain: finance


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South Llano River State Park, located at Junction, TX and about 100 miles west of San Antonio is another great Texas Hill Country state park. The scenery is beautiful and the wildlife is abundant. The river flows along the boundary and is a popular place for tubing. There’s a wild turkey habitat plus numerous deer and other animals like armadillos. There is also a wide variety of birds. The park has many trails of varying lengths and difficulty. I hiked to the top of the scenic overlook. It wasn’t far, but the steepness of the hike left me out of breath.
The campground offers 30 amp and water hookups. All sites are paved and reasonably level front to back. Most of the sites have shelters with picnic tables. There are no pull-throughs, but the sites are angled making for easier back in. The park itself is five miles south of Junction and I10.
We had good roaming Verizon cell service but no data. Satellite TV was fairly easy to get. In spite of the popularity of the river, during portions of the year the park closes almost all river access except for five hours each day to allow the large turkey population undisturbed roosting. Because of the restrictions of river use during a good part of the year I’d say this park doesn’t quite measure up to Garner State Park for river access but still, it’s a good one and well worth a visit.
Jeff Davis County Library
Jeff Davis County Library
100 Jefferson Sq , Fort Davis, TX 79734
Jeff Davis County Library
This library combines books and modern day technology with a beautiful historic building. There are current titles readily available, a children’s section and reading areas tucked into corners surrounded by memorabilia and personal items from the area. I enjoyed the atmosphere and friendly staff.
The town of Fort Davis is full of historic buildings and is lovely to walk through. There are several shops, a library with free internet, and an old fashioned drug store with a soda fountain where they dip ice cream and make shakes. There is also a small grocery store if you need to pick up food stuffs. I think that this is an excellent example of a historic Texas town.
Leaving town we stopped at Fort Davis National Historic Site. Situated in a box canyon this fort was active from 1854-1891. The troops were here to protect the travelers, mail coaches, freighters, and emigrants on the San Antonio-El Paso Road from Comanche and Apache raiders. This fort also was home to two regiments of Buffalo Soldiers. We picked up the map at the visitors’ center and were able to catch a Park Ranger giving an introduction to the park. At the fort Hospital some rooms are set up as they were when the fort was active with interactive boards that tell the story of state of the art medicine of the day. We saw restored buildings showing the shared Lieutenants’ Quarters, the Commanding Officer’s quarters, an example of the officer’s kitchen and servant’s quarters, the Commissary, and the enlisted men’s barracks. A volunteer in the barracks was very helpful, answering questions and pointing out various objects relating to the enlisted men. All during our time there various bugle calls were being played creating the feel of an active military post. We recommend this tour for anyone who comes to this area.
McDonald Observatory was a fun tour even though the sky was overcast and sprinkling rain during our visit. We chose to go to the daytime program on the sun and guided tour of some of the facilities. At the visitors’ center there is a gift shop, small cafeteria and an exhibit area. We learned a lot about the sun and its effect on earth even though the rainy, foggy weather kept us from actually using the telescopes. Our tour included a visit to the Harlan J. Smith telescope. At night this big telescope is in use, but during the day tour groups are given an up close look at it. We also saw the even bigger Otto Struve telescope. It has an “open design” and doesn’t look like a telescope at all! I am amazed at the technology involved and how deep into space these world class telescopes can see.
We also enjoyed a drive up the Davis Mountains State Park’s Skyline Drive. The view from the scenic overlook is wonderful and well worth the drive.
We’ve heard about this state park for years and we’ve been looking forward to spending some time at Davis Mountains State Park, located near Fort Davis, TX. I’d say the park has lived up to it’s billing. The park is located in a beautiful valley with scenic views all around. As the sun moves across the sky different rock formations are highlighted – all of it is simply outstanding. A drive up the park’s Skyline Drive shouldn’t be missed. We took our lawn chairs and morning coffee and thoroughly enjoyed the view from the top.
The nighttime sky is amazing – something underscored by the nearby world class McDonald Observatory. Unfortunately, we had cloudy, rainy conditions for a good part of our stay. This is unusual and a person visiting the park has a good chance of seeing bright, star-filled skies most every night. We did have a couple of nights to sit out and enjoy the splendor of the sky. It was something special.
The park has many campsites plus a lodge. Several of the sites are full hookup, 50 amp, pull through sites with picnic tables and shelters; really a great camping setup. You do pay for the privilege of camping here. At $25 a night for full hookups plus $6 a day per person this park ranks among the more expensive Texas state parks we’ve stayed in. You can buy a parks pass for $70 and the per person fee at all state parks is waived for a year.
It’s a commitment to come to this state park which is 200 miles east of El Paso and 400 miles west of San Antonio. However, it’s less than an hour south of I10 which makes it a good addition to a trip across west Texas via that route.
Our Verizon cell service was poor to zero. The campground does provide several WiFi locations. We found them to be pretty slow and they tended to drop our connects. However it was better than nothing. Also, we had cable TV available at our site. When you include these amenities the higher-than-most-Texas-parks camping fee seem more reasonable.
All in all, we think this is a campground that shouldn’t be missed.
Long before the Spanish and European explorers ever came to what is now thought of as the Big Bend country of Texas the native Americans depended on this oasis created by the artesian springs of this vicinity. This is dry country and these springs, now called San Solomon Springs, offer welcome relief and surprising life in the desert. Farmers have used the spring water for irrigation since the 1850’s and in 1938 a large V-shaped pool was formed by the Civilian Conservation Corps. After driving nearly 200 miles from El Paso across high, dry desert, this state park remains a welcome oasis for travelers and a popular swimming hole for the locals and – get this – a place for scuba divers to use their gear in the 25 foot deep pool out here in this dry, dry country. Bahmorhea State Park offers water/electric campsites as well as rental cottages. Many of the campsites are pull through and all have covered shelters. My Verizon phone had pretty good 4G and real strong 3G. We enjoyed a swim in the pool with it’s crystal clear waters which remain a consistent 72-76 degrees year round – this just a short stroll from our campsite. Thousands of small fish surrounded us. The pool has a few small catfish and turtles as well. We also saw a fairly large snakeskin on the sidewalk by the pool. Didn’t see the snake though – no complaints about that. In addition to the spring we enjoyed wonderful star-lit skies at night. The Milky Way is in plain view here on the desert plains of West Texas. We had a curious roadrunner (beep-beep) checking out our campsite during the day and, yes, we heard the call of coyotes at night. My only complaints are the lack of sewer hookups in the campground and bathrooms that need some updating and TLC. I’m sure that this state park will be on our itinerary on future trips across west Texas on I10.

domain: travel


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This post is about our Spring Break at Nosy Be. One morning our family and another missionary family, the Jensens, went to Nosy Be. We got up early and started the long 12 hour drive. We passed through crowded cities and beautiful country side. We also went over tall hills, where nothing but shrubby bushes and small trees grew. When we were passing over the last of the hills a crazy rain cloud poured over our cars. Luckily it only lasted a few minutes. After many hours of treacherous potholes, our cars neared Ankify. (We learned the hard way that going fast over a pothole was not a good idea – the results were a crazy bump and a giant plume of dust.)
Ankify is a small island that is connected to the mainland of Madagascar by a bridge. The port we needed to use, in order to get to our main destination Nosy Be, was located there. The next thing our group had to do was find our hotel where we were staying the night. But then disaster struck! There was no one at the hotel! The dads went down to look, the front office was shut up and all the lights were turned off. Just then, it started to pour, showering heavy sheets off rain down on us. Thunder crackled and lightning split the sky in the distance. We prayed, not knowing what to do. The island was remote, and we didn’t know if there were any other places to stay. Then we remembered passing one hotel on the way to original lodge. We drove back and pulled into the parking lot of Baobab hotel, rain still pouring. The kids were all talking about the scary event while the parents tried to get a room and order dinner. But it turned out the hotel was full. And the hotel restaurant had run out of food. I was so scared, I didn’t know if we would find a place to stay. But God answered our prayers. A kind man at the hotel helped us book a place to stay for the night and book Baobab hotel for a couple nights later. So we got back in our cars and drove to Nord Inn. It was 30 minutes back the direction we had just come from. It was pretty good, but not as nice as a North American hotel. The next morning we took our friend Joanna in our car to Ankarana, where we would be staying for one night. The bungalow was nice and cozy. For the last remaining hours of that day, we explored Ankarana National Park. We hiked through the forest, where we saw chameleons, a snake, Crowned lemurs which only lived there, and more. We saw the limestone Tsingy from a look out, but the next day we explored in between the Tsingy. We walked over a suspension bridge, which was my favorite part of the day.
The next day we spent at the Baobab hotel, we rented the beach bungalow which was a big mistake. There was a giant Malagasy Easter party going on next to us at the beach and it was so loud! The next morning we boarded the ferry to Nosy Be, which took 2 hours.
When we got off the ferry we drove to a store and bought groceries. We also went a delicious bakery. Finally, we arrived at Vanilla Hotel where we stayed for 8 nights.
It was the nicest hotel on that trip. During our stay at Vanilla, we splashed around in the pool and walked on the beach. I found some exquisite shells there. We also did a couple of excursions. One of the excursions was snorkeling at Nosy Tany Kely (Nosy means island). We had to take a motor boat because it was a separate island. It was some of the most amazing snorkeling I’ve ever done. We saw many fish. We also saw a turtle and baby clown fish!
Another excursion we did was Lokobe. We saw many animals, but my favorites were the Brocesia chameleon and the Black lemurs.
On the way back from Vanilla we stayed at Baobab hotel one more night. Halfway to Mahajanga our truck’s tire split through the side! But good thing we had a spare tire. After driving more than 10 hours, we were getting excited that we only had 1.5 hours to go. But suddenly the traffic stopped – a bridge deck had broken and we couldn’t cross! We had to wait 4 hours until it was fixed. Even with the challenges, I still had a great spring break at Nosy Be.


Patagonia's Decentralized Approach to Sustainability. Rick Ridgeway, VP of Environmental Affairs, Patagonia.
By Maura Dilley About six months ago, Patagonia, a global leader in sustainable apparel, dissolved its sustainability department. This is a development Rick Ridgeway, vice president of environmental affairs, is very proud of. Patagonia, the iconic outdoor apparel company founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973, has lead the apparel industry’s exploration of sustainable design, production and end-of-life for textiles. The company’s path is hard won, lit by metrics and guided by sages of social innovation. Start by measuring Four years ago, when Rick helped found the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and its apparel database the Higg Index, he didn’t anticipate the index’s greatest strength – enabling creative competition. When that tool was released, teams from about 30 companies gathered in a workshop to assess their operations. The first time the aggregated results were posted side-by-side for each company, participants gasped.
The Top 10 Trends in CSR for 2012. Success of Angry Birds reflects growth of young entrepreneurship in Finland. Finnish gaming companies are having a moment.
Just look at Rovio (Angry Birds) and Supercell (Clash of Clans), the rise of which has coincided with the unravelling of the once-unbeatable Nokia. This surge in successful start ups reflects an emerging culture of young entrepreneurship in Finland. Sauna, a co-working hub startup, and Slush, a startup conference now said to be the largest event of its kind in northern Europe, are new staples of the Finnish entrepreneurial scene. And thousands of young Finns are beginning to identify themselves as entrepreneurs. Finland is changing. Lack of ‘secure work’ in Finland My colleague Noritoshi Furuichi and I set out in May this year to seek some answers. Elina Uutela, 24, is a communication studies undergraduate at the University of Helsinki who works as a host at the Helsinki Think Company, a hub for academic entrepreneurship.
In the recession-hit 1990s, the situation was different. Meaning over money Young entrepeneurship in a Nordic welfare state. 20 most open, least corrupt companies in emerging markets. The Most Depressing Discovery About the Brain, Ever. Yale law school professor Dan Kahan’s new research paper is called “Motivated Numeracy and Enlightened Self-Government,” but for me a better title is the headline on science writer Chris Mooney’s piece about it in Grist: “Science Confirms: Politics Wrecks Your Ability to Do Math.”
Kahan conducted some ingenious experiments about the impact of political passion on people’s ability to think clearly. His conclusion, in Mooney’s words: partisanship “can even undermine our very basic reasoning skills…. [People] who are otherwise very good at math may totally flunk a problem that they would otherwise probably be able to solve, simply because giving the right answer goes against their political beliefs.” In other words, say goodnight to the dream that education, journalism, scientific evidence, media literacy or reason can provide the tools and information that people need in order to make good decisions. It turns out that in the public realm, a lack of information isn’t the real problem. The Banality of Systemic Evil. We can be the generation … This amazing story of human progress shows what’s possible.We can be the generation that eradicates absolute poverty in our world.
David Cameron, Speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, 24 January 2013 For the first time in history, global economic prosperity, brought on by continuing scientific and technological progress and the self-reinforcing accumulation of wealth, has placed the world within reach of eliminating extreme poverty altogether. Jeff Sachs, Can Extreme Poverty Be Eliminated?
, Scientific American September 2005 You are right. Tony Blair, 16 April 2005, Campaign Diary But in this new century, millions of people in the world’s poorest countries remain imprisoned, enslaved, and in chains. Nelson Mandela, Trafalgar Square, February 2005 It’s an amazing thing to think that ours is the first generation in history that really can end extreme poverty, the kind that means a child dies for lack of food in its belly. The challenge is a huge one. Hunger is man’s oldest enemy.
Industries. Education. Social sustainability. What is Thrivability? Environmental sustainability. Sustainable economics. Events. Strategy. Statistical data. Reporting and CSR. Blogs. Institutions.


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On Sunday, I was working on my first Wednesdays in Marblehead talk set to take place at one of our yacht clubs this Wednesday. As I took a break from the slideshow, I turned to Facebook and realized that I had almost missed the fall regatta of model sailboats at Redd’s Pond. Thanks to Kristen’s Facebook photos, I quickly jumped in the car and made it to Redd’s in time to capture the last few minutes of racing.
The first thing I noticed was the foliage at Old Burial Hill and walked around the pond to find the composition which would allow me to include the tree as a prominent background element. Then it was a matter of waiting for the wind and enough sailboats to make for a balanced image.

domain: hobby


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The data clearly shows that children are more likely to be seriously injured or killed by the COVID vaccine than COVID itself.
The Frontline Clinical doctors, who have been successful in treating COVID patients and achieving very high survival rates, are adamantly opposed to a COVID vaccine for children. Texas must absolutely reject any federal mandate for COVID vaccination of children and adults.
On October 20, 2022, the CDC’s vaccine advisors, who are completely controlled by Big Pharma, voted unanimously to add the COVID vaccine to the recommended schedule of childhood vaccines. Although this does not mean that Texas would automatically begin requiring it for school attendance, it does mean that, because of statutory authority, the Department of State Health Services could adopt it as a required childhood vaccine if it chose to.
This is not ok. The strongest arguments against requiring that children be vaccinated against COVID include:
These vaccines were developed at “warp speed,” with many unknown side effects, and the drug manufacturers, specifically Pfizer, blatantly lied to Congress and the American people, leading us to believe that this vaccine would provide immunization against COVID and also reduce the transmission of the disease to others. Just this past week, a top Pfizer executive admitted in testimony before the European Parliament that their COVID vaccine was never tested to prevent transmission, so there was no factual data to support their recommendation that people be vaccinated in order to “return to a normal life.”
The level of deception is truly astounding.
At this point, there is no credible evidence to suggest that children will be healthier or at less risk of developing serious health conditions if they receive the COVID vaccine. As such, we will be filing legislation to prevent the Department of State Health Services from adding it to the list of required childhood immunizations.

domain: news


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BEST INDIE POP - WEEK 28 2014
While all of youts spent the holiday weekend in a self induced Pabst Blue Ribbon coma, I spent my days looking for new indie pop songs to entertain you with. I save you the time and trouble of searching for new indie bands, leaving you with more time to go about your busy schedules and shit...that’s doing you a solid, bro. You’re welcome, now play the dang list and give some love and support to The Hood Internet, Dekuka, Lemaitre, Azekel, and other indie favorites.
VANIC x MACHINEHEART - CIRCLES
This luscious indie pop/electro perfection is a remix that even the most hipster of hispters will approve. Vanic slows Machineheart’s original down a bit for us and fills it with the kind of energy that leaves us bouncing for days. I swear to god that these guys are going to blow up big time.
LILY ALLEN - URL BADMAN
Does anyone else smell what I smell? I smell a popstar that is overcooked, over done, burnt. She’s lost her ways and has now lost my interest in her work. Picking petty fights and turning them into lame tracks with no substance is a childish tantrum. The only thing she proves is that she’s out of material, her time is running out. Such a FAIL.
AZEKEL - NEW ROMANCE
London RnB artist returns with a video for one of his most recent tracks, "New Romance." I am in awe of this guy and he is hitting all the right spots, if you know what I mean. Take a listen above and be sure to also check out the B side, "Holy Matrimony."
USHER - GOOD KISSER (DISCLOSURE REMIX)
This one made me squirm, I held my breath till the end, unsure of what direction the song would go. I know you know that this is not the best remix from Disclosure, but being that this will be on the dance floors of night clubs everywhere I might as well give you the heads up. I may be wrong so feel free to form your own opinion.
THE HOOD INTERNET - SOCK IT 2 SUMMER ( MISSY ELLIOT x BLOOD CULTURES)
Forever churning out stellar after stellar mashup, the latest to come from The Hood Internet is everything opposite of vanilla. Soaked with the kind of vibe that you find sipping on mimosas while soaking up the sun on the beach, their latest effort is a well nurtured summer time hit that no one saw coming. More of these remixes guys...please.
TIELSIE - PALETTE
This certainly is a unique effort from French producer Tielsie who, prior to listening to "Palette," I had no clue who he was. This is spellbinding and worth wrapping your ears around. Escape your mental madness and let go of everything with the tune above. It’s a healthy dose of experimental electronic music that will make you feel all that much more awesome.
DELUKA - THE ONLY ONES
Oopsie, I couldn’t find an actual embed code for this one. Sorry you will have to put in some extra effort, but cheer up cuz Deluka is back with an all new EP that i am sure will be amongst your favorite this summer as it falls perfectly between the sound of the 90s, rock and pop. If you’re looking for a track to have on repeat on those hot summer nights, look no further than "The Only Ones."
LEMAITRE - SINGULARITY teaser
Omgeee. I’m so freaking excited. I think I’m going to pass out. Yup I am hyperventilating and you will too once you listen to Lemaitre’s teaser for his EP, Singularity. Mark your calendar, bitches. July 22nd, be there.
THE EERIES - COOL KID
I love me some alt. rock especially when it’s a brand new band that doesn’t suck. Cool Kid is the official first single from a band that resonates with the sound of indie rock favorites like The Pixies, Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins, the list is infinite. What’s not to love about a band that takes you back to simpler times? The Eeries have blown my expectations.
THE FREDERIK - BEDRUNKCE
The best word I could come up with to describe Danish producer The Frederik’s style is FIERCE. My sincerest Omgeeee’s for this track. It’s a creative dark futuristic approach to Beyonce’s "Drunk In Love." For more eargasmic tracks from this week’s favorite producer, check out his Soundcloud link above and don’t miss out on another favorite, "Fail Better."
Shitballs, where does the time go? Well, hope you enjoyed this week’s serving of the best alternative pop music out there. I’ll catch up with you next week. Until then, stay cool.
About Beca Arredondo
Beca Arredondo is easily unamused with all things not related to her interests. On her good days you can catch her avoiding the California sun and glued to her Mac plotting the next big thing. If you happen to run into her on the street and notice her wearing headphones do NOT disturb her. She is not responsible for any possible damage. Aside from the above she's very sweet and perky and responds well to good music and food.

domain: entertainment


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No catches, no fine print just unadulterated book loving, with your favourite books saved to your own digital bookshelf.
New members get entered into our monthly draw to win £100 to spend in your local bookshop Plus lots lots more…Find out more
Merryn Glover was born in a former Rana palace in Kathmandu and grew up in Nepal, India and Pakistan. Her first major work was a stage play, The Long Way Home, which was broadcast on Radio Scotland. She has written three further radio plays for Radio 4 and Radio Scotland. Merryn's first novel, A House Called Askival (2014), was published by Freight. In 2019, she was appointed the first Writer in Residence for the Cairngorms National Park.
After Highland shepherd Colvin Munro disappears, a mysterious trail of his possessions is found in the Cairngorm mountains. Writing the eulogy for his memorial years later, his foundling-sister Mo seeks to discover why he vanished. Younger brother Sorley is also haunted by his absence and driven to reveal the forces that led to Colvin's disappearance. Is their brother alive or dead? Set on a farming estate in the upper reaches of the River Spey, Of Stone and Sky follows several generations of a shepherding family in a paean to the bonds between people, their land and way of life. It is a profound mystery, a passionate poem, a political manifesto, shot through with wisdom and humour.
When Lily, a young girl from a troubled background becomes pregnant, she insists she is still a virgin. A host of professionals swing into action. Lily becomes increasingly isolated: her belief is diagnosed as delusion, there are suspicions of abuse, and the unborn baby is shown to be severely disabled. But despite all of this, her conviction that God has chosen her for a miracle finds proof in the most unexpected ways. Starring Helen Mackay, Cathleen McCarron, Ken Drury, Jane Whittenshaw, Jenny Lee, Ali Craig and Megg Nicol. Written by Merryn Glover. Producer/director: David Ian Neville.


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Mike Pool, Deputy Director
Bureau of Land Management
Department of the Interior
House Natural Resources Committee
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands
H.R. 4234, the Grazing Improvement Act
March 29, 2012
Thank you for the opportunity to present the views of the Department of the Interior (Department) on H.R. 4234, the Grazing Improvement Act. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is dedicated to a broad range of stewardship goals, including the long-term health and viability of the public rangelands. Our Nation's rangelands provide and support a variety of goods, services, and values important to every American. In addition to being an important source of forage for livestock, healthy rangelands conserve soil, store and filter water, sequester carbon, provide a home for an abundance of wildlife, provide scenic beauty and are the setting for many forms of outdoor recreation.
The BLM recognizes that the conservation and sustainable use of rangelands is important to those who make their living on these landscapes—including public rangeland permittees. Public land livestock operations are important to the economic well-being and cultural identity of the West and to rural Western communities. Livestock grazing is an integral part of BLM's multiple-use mission, and at the right levels and timing, can serve as an important vegetation management tool, improving wildlife habitat and reducing risk of catastrophic wildfire.
The BLM is committed to collaborating with those who work on the public lands and takes seriously its challenge to conserve and manage healthy rangelands for current and future generations.
The Department shares the Committee's interest in identifying opportunities for increasing efficiencies in public land grazing administration, as well as finding ways to make permit renewal less complex, costly, and time-consuming. The BLM would like to work with the Committee to further these shared goals. However, the Department cannot support H.R. 4234 as it limits the BLM's ability to provide for appropriate environmental review and public involvement—critical components of the BLM's multiple-use management of the public lands—as well as the BLM's ability to implement permits that have been appealed. The Department looks forward to continuing a dialogue with the Congress on these important matters.
The BLM manages approximately 17,750 livestock grazing permits and leases for 12.3 million AUMs (animal unit months) on over 160 million acres of public lands in the West. Since 1999, the BLM has evaluated the health of the rangelands based on standards and guidelines that were developed with extensive input from the ranching community, as well as from scientists, conservationists, and other Federal and state agencies. The BLM collects monitoring and assessment data to compare current conditions with the standards and land use plan objectives. This information is used to complete environmental assessments, to develop alternative management actions, and to modify grazing management as needed.
The BLM administers the range program through issuance of grazing permits or leases. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) provides for a 10-year (or less) term for grazing permits. In a typical year, the BLM processes over 2,000 permit renewals or transfers. In 1999 and 2000, the BLM saw a spike in permit renewals, when over 7,200 permits were due for renewal. The BLM was unable to process all those permits before expiration, which resulted in a backlog of grazing permit renewals that remains today. By the end of the 2012 Fiscal Year, BLM anticipates that a backlog of 4,200 unprocessed permits will remain. The BLM is committed to eliminating the backlog of grazing permit renewals and to issuing permits in the year they expire. An increase in appeals and litigation of grazing management decisions continues to pose significant workload and resource challenges for the BLM.
The BLM will continue to focus on grazing permits for the most environmentally sensitive allotments, using authorities Congress provided in the FY 2012 Consolidated Appropriations Act concerning grazing permit renewals and transfers. This strategy will allow the BLM to address a wide array of critical resource management issues through its land health assessments and grazing decisions. Additionally, this strategy will help ensure that the backlog of unprocessed permits consists of the least environmentally-sensitive allotments that are more custodial in nature and/or that are already meeting land health standards.
H.R. 4234 provides for automatic renewal of all expired, transferred, or waived permits, and categorically excludes all permit renewals, reissuance, or transfers from preparation of an environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) if the decision continues current grazing management of the allotment. Terms and conditions of the permit would continue until a permit is later renewed in full compliance with NEPA and other Federal laws. The bill does not first require a determination that the permittee is meeting land health standards. H.R. 4234 also doubles the duration of grazing permits from 10 to 20 years, and stipulates that livestock crossing and trailing permits are administrative decisions that would also be categorically excluded from analysis under NEPA. Additionally, it provides for the transfer of permits without further environmental analysis when terms and conditions are unchanged, but only for the remaining term of the permit.
The Department supports the concept of having the flexibility to issue longer term permits in certain circumstances, as well as the transfer provision that is currently in place under the FY 2012 Consolidated Appropriations Act. That provision is expected to reduce the permit renewal workload in 2013 by about 700 permits. The number of transfers needing processing each year is unpredictable, posing significant challenges to the BLM as it works to manage staff and other resources.
However, H.R. 4234 also includes provisions that the Department cannot support since they provide for automatic permit or lease renewal without requiring further analysis, or requiring the permittee to meet land health standards. The bill also limits the BLM's ability to provide for appropriate environmental review and public involvement. As written the bill would result in the majority of permits being renewed under a categorical exclusion, although it is unclear what constitutes a "minor modification" and whether extraordinary circumstances would need to be applied in situations where current management was being continued. Also under H.R. 4234, all crossing and trailing permits would be categorically excluded from analysis under NEPA. The engagement of the public through the environmental review process under NEPA is a crucial component of the BLM's multiple-use management of the public lands.
Further, H.R. 4234 requires that if a permittee appeals a grazing permit or lease decision, the BLM must suspend the decision until the appeal is resolved. Under current regulations, a typical BLM grazing decision is implemented while under appeal unless the permittee or interested public requests, and the Interior Board of Land Appeals grants a stay of the decision. By contrast, under H.R. 4234, if a permittee appealed a grazing decision, the BLM could not implement the decision unless it determined there was an emergency regarding deterioration of resources. Otherwise, the permittee could continue grazing at the current level of use until the appeal was resolved. The provisions would effectively give a permittee, by the simple act of appealing any grazing decision, the ability to continue current levels of use for an indefinite period of time (since appeals and litigation may take years). Moreover, grazing at the current level could continue even if the BLM determined land health standards were not being met and changes to the permit were thus warranted.
In summary, while H.R. 4234 contains provisions that would expedite permitting, the Department cannot support the overarching impact the bill could have on the 160 million acres of public lands used for livestock grazing.
Thank you for the opportunity to present testimony on H.R.4234. The BLM looks forward to working with the Congress to develop improvements to the grazing permit renewal process while maintaining the integrity of NEPA, the Nation's bedrock environmental and citizen involvement law, and FLPMA, our multiple-use statute requiring consideration of many uses and values of the public lands. I will be pleased to answer any questions.
U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs

domain: politics


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VIP Red Velvet (rope) Cake
So I was watching "Ultimate Throwdown with Bobby Flay" (at some point this month) and they had a show on red velvet cake. (The first mistake is calling this a "chocolate cake with red food coloring"... it's not!!!). Anyhoot, I decided to make this cake for the holidays. Enjoy.
RECIPE can be found here.
I didnt' use shortening... I never do. Other than that... I followed the directions completely. Not a bad cake.


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- Dauphin - JBWKYZ - Roasted & ToastedWed Jun 1 6:30pm (4 days)
- Winnipeg - YWG Layover Meet and GreetSat Jun 4 3:30pm (7 days)
- (Wasagaming, Manitoba) Caching Riding Mountain BreakfastSat Jun 11 10:30am (14 days)
Congratulations to the following MBGA members who achieved milestones in May 2015!
700: Old Guys 21
900: pepe and Penelope
1,000: Awol, mrbanjo60
1,200: Geocacher Ken, HRPlett
1,300: Carl the cat
1,400: KURT B, WpgAdventurers
7,000: Trove Chasers
(Make sure to click and expand to read the entire post)
August 14, 15, 16
Birds Hill Park Group Use Area 1 (North Side) Site #6a
(Group reservation cost $500)
What is GeoVenture? It is the MBGA's annual family friendly group camping Geocaching weekend. This is the 9th year and it celebrates the MBGA's 10th anniversary. There are 6 different events, listed below, that Geocachers can attend. As we get them published, each will get more details.
Why attend? Purely for fun.
When: Saturday May 23rd 2015, 3pm to 5pm (or when done.)
Where: University Stadium, University of Manitoba (not to be mistaken for Investor's Group Stadium where the Bombers will play.) Meet at the base of the tower.
Parking: In the lot, just West of the stadium.
Location: Tavern United MTS Centre, 2nd floor
Date: Thursday, May 28, 2015
Time: 7:00-10:00 PM
Specials: Half-price wings and $12 Bud Light pitchers
As you may have heard (perhaps several times recently), this month marks 15 years since the first ever geocache (or “GPS Stash” as it was called then) was hidden. In the 15 intervening years, over four million geocaches have been hidden around the world, of which some 2.6 million can be found today. To mark the anniversary, a special geocoin was designed.
Congratulations to the following MBGA members who achieved milestones in April 2015!
600: Total Nut, plainesrebel
900: Awol, Moose623, Hakliva, festucafinder, Dracoribon
1,100: Geocacher Ken
1,200: KURT B, blueriders
1,600: Geo-Smart, BeesCook
1,700: PelicanKru, ShakaDula14
2,000: darth daul, Yogi®
2,500: KeeGee, burchil
4,000: missionMode, J&R_2003, Mindless Drifter


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DCA Capital Partners launched a new private equity fund, which will look for investments in the range of about $3 million to $10 million. It also can make investments as small as $1 million and the fund can also much larger investments with partners.
In its previous fund, DCA invested in seven companies. It makes equity investments and usually gets its investment back when the company sells. It has had exits from four of the seven investments in its previous fund, and the investments in which it is still active are still very promising, said Curt Rocca, partner at DCA.
The Roseville-based fund looks for companies with at least $10 million in revenue that are looking for growth capital. Like its first fund, the second fund targets companies in growing markets that have a sustaining advantage in their market and that have a talented executive team, Rocca said.
In DCA’s previous fund, one of its largest deals was leading a $54 million recapitalization investment into Superior Vision. DCA made led the first investment into the company in February 2007.
In December, Superior Vision merged with Maryland-based Block Vision. Financial terms of that deal were not released.
DCA’s portfolio companies either are sold, merged or invested in by even larger strategic investors, which is how DCA exits the deal and pays its investors. DCA doesn’t do hostile takeovers, Rocca said. “We generally partner with people who have a five-year exit horizon. There is an alignment of interests from the beginning, and that avoids a lot of conflict at the back end.”
DCA’s previous fund was a 2005 vintage, and compared with the funds launched at that time, DCA’s performance is in the top quartile, Rocca said. The fund doesn’t give out specific financial metrics. That first fund invested in companies in the Sacramento region, Arizona and Nevada from about 2005 to 2007, which were among the region’s hardest hit by the housing collapse and recession.
“We were staring into the barrel of the cannon for a couple of years,” Rocca said.
“We are exceptionally proud of the results we were able to achieve in our first fund — especially given the timing,” said Steve Mills, general partner of DCA Capital Partners. “It was this strong performance that allowed us to successfully launch our second fund. We are even more bullish about the returns we see possible with this new fund.”
One of the strengths DCA brings to companies is active consulting and monitoring, Mills said.
The first fund closed at $12 million of investment money, which DCA can leverage to much larger investment placements with other investors and sources of financing. The goal for the second fund is an investment pool of $25 million or more, Rocca said.
DCA invests in a variety of industries, including software, retail, medical and others. It does not invest in real estate, farming or mining, but it can invest in companies that serve those industries.
Investors into the first and now this second fund are high-net-worth people, mostly from the Sacramento area, Rocca said. Many of the investors on the second fund were investors in the first fund.


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Dinner and meal preparation in most households can be hectic with work and after school and sports schedules. We value family time and try to always sit down for a meal together. Quick, easy, and tasty are at the top of our list when it comes to our favorite dinner ideas.
Try some of these easy dinner recipes like Copycat Chick-Fil-A Chicken Nuggets, Mama’s Awesome Meatloaf, Easy Pizza Pasta Bake, and Baked Teriyaki Chicken.
Looking for some under 30 minute meals? We have plenty! Try White Chicken Enchiladas or Easy Orange Chicken for a quick, easy dinner everyone will love.
You can choose a category below to narrow your recipe search!
The Latest Dinner Recipes
I’m always trying out new dinner recipes that the whole family will love, whether that means a dump-and-go crockpot recipe, a sheet pan dinner, or something a bit more elegant for the holidays. Here are some of the recent recipes we’ve tried and loved.


Carson Daly is engaged to his long-term girlfriend Siri Pinter.
Carson Daly is engaged.
The 'Voice' USA presenter, who previously dated 'American Pie' star Tara Reid and his colleague Christina Aguilera, is set to marry his long-term girlfriend Siri Pinter, with whom he has a son, Jackson James, three, and daughter, Etta Jones, 13 months.
A source confirmed the news UsMagazine.com on Sunday (06.10.13) just one day after Siri, who is a food blogger, was spotted wearing a diamond ring on her engagement finger in Los Angeles.
Carson, 40, was recently announced as the face of the new Orange Room on the TODAY show, which will be enable viewers to connect to the NBC series in a more tech-savvy environment.
The star has enjoyed a fruitful career since his five-year stint as host of MTV's Total Request Live, and he recently claimed his new job meant all his hard work had ''paid off''.
He said: ''Everything I've done in my career up until this point has trained me for Today - the interviews, the live TV, the live radio - it all gets paid off.
''I was playing in the minor leagues and now I've just been called up to the big leagues. It's amazing that I get to be a small part of the new era and generation of 'Today' - not just to be here, but to be here to help build the future of 'Today' and serve as the bridge between viewers and the show.''
Martha is soon caught in the middle of a hitman war.
News on Bran, Dany and Arya in these latest images.
Everyone wants this year to be Leo's year.
It's been 15 years since Zoolander hit movie screens in 2001.
After his starring turn in The Green Lantern tanked at the box office, critics were surprised that Ryan Reynolds was pushing for a solo movie based...
Shot on a plane in zero gravity, the video features OK Go's usual levels of choreography with a few surprises thrown in for good measure!
Rebel Wilson has taken the world by storm after arriving in America five years ago.


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ASLA 2015 Annual Meeting and EXPO
Please join us for the annual alumni reception, hosted by Director Craig Barton and Assistant Director Joseph Ewan of The Design School in the ASU Herberger Institute for Design in the Arts, at the American Society of Landscape Architects 2015 Annual Meeting and Expo in Chicago, Illinois.
The Design School
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Hall D, McCormick Place
For more information on the alumni reception, contact The Design School at 480.965.3536 or email@example.com


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The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has set forth some pretty aggressive plans to transition out of its dependence on foreign fossil fuels into a cleaner, more efficiently powered future. Each branch of the military, though collaborating on many efforts, has its own approach.
For the Army, reaching the goal of having 25 percent of its energy supplied from renewable sources by 2025 means employing a “net-zero strategy.”
"Specifically, a net-zero energy installation produces as much energy annually as it uses, and this does not mean replacement of current energy requirements with onsite energy production," said Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy & Environment, at a media roundtable event. "It means that installations address energy efficiency as the primary first step and then evaluate, repurpose and reuse energy as well as energy recovery."
Under the initiative, the Army will award $7 billion over the next ten years in contracts to both large and small businesses aimed at developing renewable and alternative power-generation projects at Army bases—the largest contracting opportunity released for renewable energy to date. That translates to 1,000 megawatts of power, a modest figure with greater implications.
The DoD consumes about 80 percent of the total energy under the federal government, which accounts for about one percent of total U.S. consumption. Gaining a considerable chunk of that market could mean big things for the overall green economy.
“What makes the current procurement interesting is that it's one of the most active areas where people are trying to build projects (within the DoD),” says Bob Tritt, Co-Chair of the Military Base and Communities practice law firm McKenna Long & Aldridge. “This is a truly open competition, big enough in size to generate interest in many areas from renewable energy companies to existing public utilities and government contractors.”
Related Article: Why we Need to Implement an Energy Transition - Quickly
Motivated by the factors of energy security, cost and meeting federal mandates to meet clean energy goals, the DoD also touts the long-term benefits of the program. It will serve as a test bed for new and advanced technologies that could be broadly commercialized.
“Just like GPS systems and the internet came out of the DoD first, the more involved we are with these projects, the more prices will come down and we'll start to see more renewables across the board,” says Tritt.
Military personnel, at the highest levels of authority, have been very vocal in their support of the initiative for many years.
"We understand there's a need to enhance our energy security because it's operationally necessary, financially prudent and critical to our mission," Hammack said. "We know that power grids are increasingly vulnerable and expose Army operations to risk."
“We're just now beginning to really see the deals we need to see,” says Tritt. “This is just the tip of the iceberg, and we can expect to see projects continue to accelerate.”
Related Article: Green Jobs: Who's on a Hiring Spree?
With the help of the Energy Initiative Task Force (EITF), the process must be “clear, consistent and transparent so that we can provide the private sector with a consistent environment to engage with the Army which will allow EITF projects to maximize return on investments for both the Army and the industry,” she added.
But, it's not all about cutting-edge coming up with technology. Under the strict, less forgiving requirements of federal contracts, it's required that the chosen technologies be reliable and proven. That requires a lot of experience and meeting a variation of other nuances. For that reason, many companies are teaming up to collectively meet all the necessary requirements in the procurement process.
Under Multiple Award Task Order Contracting ("MATOC"), companies are pre-qualified in four categories for individual task orders. In the Army's case, this presents a lot of opportunities for smaller businesses.
“Even if it's a big contract and a big business wins it, they have a requirement to use a significant amount of the value of the contract awarded to smaller subcontractors,” says Tritt. “Many side contracts are also reserved for smaller businesses, being under 12 megawatts each.”
After all the responses are received in early October, companies will be selected to compile task orders sometime early next year. Tritt estimates that in order to meet the Army's goal to build 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy between 2016 and 2025, a significant amount of projects will have to be carried out each year.
“It will be interesting to see how many companies populate those lists in the series of announcements over the next couple months,” says Tritt. “We'll see a lot of announced projects throughout the military over the next few years, but this, by far, will be the greatest attention grabbing story for a while.”
By. Carin Hall of energydigital.com