text:
Metroplex memories renewed
Four full years.
That's how long it's been
Since I last visited the Metroplex
Of my own design and on my own.
In all the time of my exile
Elsewhere in Texas
I had never gone back
It's still booming, no doubt of that.
The freeway construction in Fort Worth
Looked like Houston!
Still-unconnected ramps heading everywhere
To connections unsure in my mind,
Gone too long to completely visualize the plan.
And the Kimbell?
A jewel originally,
I hope the expansion leaves it
As still a jewel, albeit larger.
The Amon Carter?
Still featuring great Americana art.
Speaking of, why did the Botanical Garden
Have to be closed for an artist's party?
Que sera, I guess.
And, hey, Ron Snider?
Was that you I saw at the Fort Worth Central Market?
It's been nearly five years
Since I sat in the Choral Terrace seats at the Meyerson,
And you look a lot different without your timpani in front,
But it sure looked like you.
Why couldn't I find other work in Dallas,
Or Fort Worth,
When my newspaper company closed?
Why did greedy banksters and greedy housing bubblers
Have to wreck our economy
And force me to act in fear
And become a vagabond?
Why can't my personal connections
And acquaintances, and social networks
Get me back to the place I once belonged
To what was home?
Labels: Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, poetry, The Great Recession
at Saturday, June 22, 2013 0 comments Posted by Gadfly Links to this post
#Popovich - worst #Spurs coaching in years
Update, June 20: Great game 7, but I'm again going to criticize coaching genius Gregg Popovich. A few questionable substitutions and rotations, especially way too much Danny Green in the second half, when other than the 1 lucky three, he had nothing. Boris Diaw had been effective in the first; why not play him more?
Dan Wetzel gets it half right, or a bit more, in high column describing how San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich's questionable substitutions and no-foul strategy at the end of regulation and during overtime of Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat cost his team the game, but I don't think even Wetzel goes far enough on the man that ESPN's Bill Simmons is ready to put up as the fourth face on the Mount Rushmore of NBA coaching genius, along with Red Auerbach, Pat Riley and Phil Jackson.
Let's start earlier in the fourth quarter.
Despite how Pops allegedly isn't a sentimentalist, I can't think of any other explanation for why he left Manu Ginobili in the game as long as he did earlier in the fourth. I mean, everybody else in the world could see that he had become the Miami Turnover Machine. And, related to that, why did he leave Boris Diaw on the bench as long as he did into the fourth when, unlike Manu, Boris was putting together his second consecutive solid game, and also, unlike Manu, doing a better job of "playing within himself"?
From there, then, we've set the stage for Wetzel's further analysis.
It concerns Pops' subbing in and out for Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, mainly, subbing out for Duncan and not getting him back in on two key occasions that let Chris Bosh get key rebounds.
And Wetzel won't let him off easy.
If Indiana's Frank Vogel is shredded for pulling out 7-foot Roy Hibbert and leaving the rim exposed for LeBron in a critical loss in the Eastern Conference finals, then Popovich can be questioned for going with Diaw over Duncan with the title on the line.
That said, per my thought, both Diaw and Duncan should have been in there, and Manu OUT.
And, Yahoo's Ball Don't Lie blog points out it could have been worse, on the substitutions. It was illegal, the blog says, to put Duncan back in the game while refs were reviewing Ray Allen's shot to make sure it was a 3. My question: did Pops know that and do it anyway, know that but forget in the heat of battle, or not know that? Neither 1 nor 3 is good, if true. (And I'm guessing that's a technical if refs catch it.)
From there, it goes on to the issue of Pops refusing to foul when Miami was in a situation where it had to shoot 3s, when Bosh grabbed that offensive board late in regulation.
Pops said that is simply not his policy.
He comes off making it look like it's not macho enough to deliberately foul when you're up by 3 rather than try to play "hard-nosed," or whatever phrase he would use, defense to lock down on 3-ballers.
Well, no, it's very smart, and it's not "weak" or worse. I guess this is Pops the Air Force guy slipping through. And, if that idea of macho is going to override his brains on a regular basis, that alone is reason enough to keep him off Mount Rushmore.
And, there's good reason to say that.
Since the Spurs' last title, in 2007, as the Spurs' own Danny Green demonstrated in the first five games of the Finals, the NBA world has changed a lot, especially on the 3-ball. Therefore, if you're such an alleged genius, you should change how you defend the 3-ball. That includes using the foul as a strategic defensive tool.
Wetzel also faults Pops for not calling a time out after Miami's last points, with 8.8 ticks in overtime left. I'll expand on that and go back to my original complaint.
In addition to his poor substitutions earlier in the game, I think Pops had poor use of timeouts in trying, or not trying, to keep the Miami crowd from getting back in the game as the Heat made its comeback run. Maybe that's more "macho" by Pops. If so, it's another #fail.
Kelly Dwyer notes one other occasion when Pops could have used a time out and didn't.
He also notes that the Spurs were gassed at times in the second half, and definitely in OT. LBJ's block on Duncan is testimony to that. That "old" issue, which looked like Manu put it to rest in Game 5 and Duncan in the first half of Game 6, may be alive and kicking.
But, that too gets back to Pops. In addition to substitution questions and time out use questions in the fourth quarter, it includes game pace issues. As in slowing it down, and getting his team to recognize that.
And, no, I don't expect the Spurs to win Thursday. The 1978 Bullets were the most recent team to win a Game 7 in the Finals on the road, and that was before the current 2-3-2 games match-up. Before them, the 1969 Celtics were the only other team to do it.
So, Pops will likely have a long summer to think about tactical fouling as part of defending against 3-pointers. And, if you can't learn the right answer, then, as a coach, you're as old as Timmy D. and Manu as players, and you should retire when Duncan does. Maybe this is a small part why it's been six years since you've even been to the Finals.
The NBA's gotten a lot more 3-friendly since 2007. Green's performance in Games 1-5 shows that. And that, not just his scoring, is why LeBron was guarding Parker more. Eric Spolestra wanted to shut down his drive-and-kick, too. That's also why Manu's Miami Turnover Machine hurt so much. Half of them were off drives with inaccurate kicks.
As for particular situations? Somebody should have hammered Bosh's ass on that end-of-regulation rebound, before he could pass to Allen. Under 30 seconds left in a game, three-point differential? Hey Pops — learn how to foul.
This all said, let's also repeat something else.
This is also about the Spurs' age. We saw that in the second half, especially the fourth quarter and OT. Does Pops need to get the team to slow it down more? Be more selective in its running? Stall just a bit more coming out of timeouts? Stall just a bit more at the free-throw line?
Probably all of the above and more. If he wants to get back on the coaching short list for Rushmore, it would be helped by learning how to steal seconds, and do anything else he can, to make the pace better, and find more rest, for his team.
And, I'm angry about the loss because I don't like the Heat. I haven't ever since Dwyane Wade got all the phantom foul calls against the Mavericks in 2006. I haven't liked them even more since "The Decision" to start the 2010-11 season.
And, just because Commissioner David Stern hates the Spurs, I want the last NBA trophy he presents have to go to San Antone.
And, given that no road team has ever won both Games 6 and 7 to win a Finals since we went to the 2-3-2, the Spurs' best chance was last night.
Labels: James (LeBron), NBA, San Antonio Spurs
at Friday, June 21, 2013 0 comments Posted by Gadfly Links to this post
It's OK to say 'I can't'
One shouldn't say "I can't" to everything, of course. I won't disagree with the "positivity" gurus that one shouldn't have a blanket negative attitude.
But, one certainly shouldn't have a blanket positive attitude either.
For example, I can't do open-heart surgery, and I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to, either.
I would have to need a certain amount of manual dexterity, first. I might have that, and I might not.
I'd have to be able to operate without blanching, or worse, at the sight of blood. I might be able to, but, to be honest, I'm not at all sure about that.
I'd have to be able to operate without fear of screwing up. And, given my temperament, and upbringing, I'm not at all sure about passing that hurdle.
And, I'd have to graduate medical school to legally do open-heart surgery, as well as to learn about how to do it of course.
That last point is itself important. In addition to showing we all have limitations, it shows that some are externally imposed.
Because, to graduate medical school, I'd need:
Some pre-med classes
Money to take some pre-med classes
Money for med school.
I wouldn't want to spend that much of my own money, I'm sure that scholarships for someone my age aren't available, and I'm not going to borrow it. That said, that could be true of a 22-year-old minority B.A. graduate just as much as a 49-year-old single white person who's been out of school for decades.
That said, physical or mental limitations due to heredity, or due to poor educational background, are also externalities. If my hands aren't steady enough to operate, it's not my fault. Or, if I'm not a "sales-assertive" enough person, it's not (largely) my fault, even as positivity gurus still try to tell us "we're all in sales," even though I know that's not true.
And, per that, if I "can't" do something because, per Polonius in Hamlet I must "To (mine) own self be true," that's certainly not a fault or a limitation. After all, per Daniel Goldhagen in "Hitler's Willing Executioners," way too many Nazi-era Germans found that they "could," indeed, murder Jews for no other reason than that they were Jews.
But, back to the more everyday "can't."
Even if one is wrong, or overly self-pessimistic for thinking and believing this, others of us should ask why this person is saying that. Beyond the fear of failure, maybe it's a fear of lack of education or training. And, in the "we're all in sales" modern American business world, that latter concern is nothing to laugh at indeed. When many companies (especially in a business field like mine) are stretched ever thinner, and there's little to no training or support offered for new job demands, or, in other, Fortune 500 type cases, companies have the money they could offer training, continuing education, etc., but in a Social Darwinian way, instead expect you to shell out on your own, then it's a legitimate issue.
Beyond that "I can" vs. "I can't" is too black-and-white. Theoretically, Michael Jordan could hit a AA-level curve ball, but far less easily than he could dunk.
So, don't be too doubting of yourself. But, when you are reasonably doubting of either yourself, or the larger situation around you, don't be too hard, either. The world needs pessimists in general; a few more of them on Wall Street might have prevented the financial meltdown.
Labels: corporate ethics, hypercapitalism, social psychology
Politicized rice farmers blame politics for farm bill defeat
First, I'm glad the proposed farm bill lost in the House, because it cut food stamps way, way too much. (And it's sad that, even with those massive cuts, only 24 Dems would vote against it. Real liberals need to thank wingnuts for being wingnuts.) And, it had other problems, too.
Too much in deductibles support on crop insurance backups. Not enough cuts on commodity supports on some crops, much of which goes to corporate farmers, like Texas members of the USA Rice Federation. That group said:
"U.S. farmers, ranchers, rural America, taxpayers, and consumers all lost today but politics is evidently alive and well," said USA Rice Producers' Group chair Linda Raun. "Rather than pass a bill that reduces the deficit by $40 billion while meeting the commitments of a farm bill, the country was treated to more Washington dysfunction," Raun added. "Patience in farm country is wearing thin. This is a sad day for rural America. Members of Congress need to ask themselves if they want to reduce the deficit or just talk about it. Failure to pass a farm bill leaves rural America in limbo."
Let's get rid of all the corporate farm socialism pork in the farm bill, as part of what we do to "reduce the deficit."
In Texas, rice farmers are regularly at the hog trough, whether wanting extra water out of the Colorado during ongoing West Texas drought, or stuff like this.
Labels: corporate socialism
Is Obama finally serious about climate change?
Update, June 19: Stop me if you've heard this before. Dear Leader says he has a proposal.
"Bold action"? Puhleeze. DL has already pushed his administration's EPA to push back implementation dates for power plant emission regulations, among other things.
So, when White House flack Jennifer Zichal says:
"The E.P.A. has been working very hard on rules that focus specifically on greenhouse gases from the coal sector," Ms. Zichal said. "They're doing a lot of important work in that space."
Uhh, yeah, but your boss keeps undercutting it. Fortunately (but sadly) we non-Obamiacs know that.
And, speaking of Obamiacs, back to the original post, inspired by a huge, blind Obamiac — Jon Chait.
Chait, in talking in May about Obama's nominees for the DC Court of Appeals, and claiming they're part of a grander strategy, says DL is, this time, Matt Cooper double-secret serious about doing something about climate change.
And, Obama's political apparatus, Organizing for Action, is doing "let's focus on climate change actions" awareness events, or whatever, around the country.
That said, my "whatever" should give you an idea of what I think about this as reality vs. political theater or anything else.
First, per Glenn Greenwald's take (and that of many others to whom he links) on Obama's "let's end the War on Terror someday, but not if it inconveniences my presidential powers" speech of last week, Chait is one of those neoliberal Obamiacs always ready to see the best in Dear Leader. That's exemplified here by his ludicrous claim that Harry Reid, if the Senate GOP rejects all three of Obama's DC Court nominees, will finally, finally, end the filibuster. Third time is the Matthew Cooper double super secret charm, eh, Jon?
Even before this piece, and Glenn's, I had seen enough vapid blatherings from Chait, like his "one of the greatest presidents in history" piece last year, to know that he's once again over the top.
The reality? His speech last week left the door open to expanding drone killings. (Always, always, on a big issue like this, among American big media, wait until the folks at McClatchy weigh in, just like in this case.) Real liberals, not Obamiacs, who remember McClatchy's stellar coverage of the run-up to the invasion of Iraq should remember that.
As for OFA? First, it's going to spend its political capital and focus on Obamacare.
Second, speaking of political capital, OFA will focus on being as vague as Dear Leader himself on drone warfare while trying to still score political points. That's part of why it's tailoring its pitch to the profile of each Congressional district.
Third, it's about Dear Leader's legacy as much as anything.
So, the answer is ... an answer that will satisfy true believer Obamiacs and dishearten those further left:
"Obama is just as serious about addressing climate change as he is about ending drone warfare."
Labels: climate change, Obama (Barack)
Don't give up on Pujols yet?
Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports says that we should not write off the man who took baseball in St. Louis to new heights, Albert Pujols.
Brown starts by saying that Phat Albert is still not 100 percent recovered from his offseason knee surgery, even though he's not making excuses about that, and wouldn't let that keep him off the field anyway.
He knew this winter his knee would need seven to nine months to recover fully. He knew an achy knee would irritate any lingering foot issues. He knew this would be an important season.
"The only way I wouldn't play," he says, "is if you chopped my leg off."
And, he's right. Pujols came back to spring training earlier than expected. That said, even though the Angels have been giving him 50-50 time at DH vs 1B so far this year, one wonders if he doesn't need a day off a bit more often than he's been getting. Maybe like a catcher, give him off a day game after a night game. And maybe, Albert needs to accept that he's hurting both team and himself for the longer-term if he doesn't take advantage of any such decisions/offers that Mike Scioscia might make.
That said, his April stats this year were better than last year's splits. So, he's not "pressing," and he has done a lot of adjusting to AL pitching. Now, it's just a question of how much he heats up, and when.
At the same time, I think he may be done on the 40HR per year club. It does seem Anaheim may be a touch more of a pitchers' park than Busch was/is in St. Louis. Add in aging, and nagging injuries. That said, if he could have something like last year's 30 HRs and 50 doubles, but with a batting average at .300 (let alone above) and do something like that for the next 2-3 years, then he has at least partially reclaimed the mantle of his old self.
In other words, if he could bat like his 2011 St. Louis lines, albeit with fewer HRs and more doubles, and do so through 2015, the Angels would take it. Even Prince Albert might grudgingly accept it.
I think that's still reasonable. More than that doesn't seem likely.
At the same time, only once before 2011, and that was in 2007, did Pujols exhibit a "slow start." Is this a new normal? Does it show he takes a bit longer to bounce back in offseasons?
On the other hand, as I update this nearly a month after posting it, Pujols is still below .250. As Jonah Keri notes, not just a slow start, but a definite decline, may indeed be the new normal.
And, of course to my original of course, two weeks later, or less, Pujols is now above .265 and has more than 40 RBIs. He's got a shot at 30 HRs and 40 doubles, and of 100 RBIs and finishing with a higher BA than last year's .285. He also seems to have cut down on strikeouts and started taking more walks. He could get back to 2011 levels this year in at least having more BBs than Ks.
So, no, don't quite give up on him yet.
In fact, let's say that he finishes June at .272 on the season, and while he's not quite as hot for the second half of the year as he's been for this month, he bats .312 from July on.
That puts him at .292 on the season. If he pushes it a bit more, he could hit the .299 of 2011. Get his slugging for the season up to .465 by the end of the month. Give him .535 for the second half and it's .500 for the season. With more walks, give him a year-end OBP of .370. And, we have an OPS of .905 in a place that's a bit more of a pitcher's park than Busch. His RBI and run totals should at least match last year's.
So, a 2011 Pujols, in spite of his injuries, could still emerge.
In fact, Prince Albert himself says he's emerging right now. Pujols says he made a mechanical adjustment a couple of weeks ago which has taken stress off his right knee, the one that saw offseason surgery. The CBS writer is skeptical, but, maybe he shouldn't be. As I noted, he's walking a bit more and he's cut down on strikeouts. Whether that's all due to this adjustment, or part of it involves other things, I don't know.
Labels: Los Angeles Angels, Pujols (Albert)
Paleo diets - yet another #PopEvPsych failure
Hey, third time is the charm today on Scientific American stories and blogs. I found one that's actually scientific.
The writer notes several things wrong with paleo diets, such as incorrect assumptions about evolution and how it works, and, even more, the assumption that there's "one" Paleolithic diet and only one.
Man the noble hunter-gatherer, for example, informs wrong ideas in PopEvPsych and in the idea of "one," meat-heavy, Paleolithic diet. Indeed, per the chart, the Kung of "The Gods Must Be Crazy" fame only get 10 percent of their food intake from meat.
Meanwhile, both Pop Ev Psych with its noble meat-killing hunter-gatherer (already shown to be incorrect, above) and the paleo diet craze, gets a more direct smackdown. Our ancestors started eating more grasses 3.5 million years ago. The Science Daily story notes that we don't know for sure what part of those grasses were being eaten, but part that was surely seed heads, i.e. ...
GRAINS! The grains decried as unhealthy by the paleo dieters and rejected as being beyond the noble pale by Pop Ev Psychers.
Oh, and per claims (not necessarily wrong) that meat cooked on fires fueled our brain expansion, this does matter for reasons beyond what I just listed.
Per Science Daily:
"If diet has anything to do with the evolution of larger brain size and intelligence, then we are considering a diet that is very different than we were thinking about 15 years ago," when it was believed human ancestors ate mostly leaves and fruits, Cerling says.
Now, the biggest brain explosion happened later. But, it may not been quite so much due to cooked meat, as to expansion of proteins in general, and perhaps certain fats and fatty acids, too.
That said, the Scientific American author, on the first link, could have gone much further.
I believe that these, and other incorrect ideas and assumptions, are partially connected, or more than partially, to Pop Evolutionary Psychology, even though its starting point is further back in hominid history.
Because of this and other incorrectnessess, paleo diets are stupid because like anything connected in any way to Pop Ev Psych (and this halfway goes for "normal" ev psych) it's based on half-baked, largely untested, probably largely untestable ideas, and ideas that often have a good "leaven" of sexism behind them.
And, note that I applied this critique as halfway falling on "normal" evolutionary psychology, too. Because it's true. Some of its assumptions about human evolution and its pace are just ill-thought. The EEA is largely untestable. And probably will always be so. To the degree it is testable, it's at least partially refutable.
And, the sexism is heavy in the idea of man the "noble hunter-gatherer." Mankind first increased the amount of meat the species was eating by being a scavenger-gatherer, not a hunter-gatherer. That's less noble. It's also less individualistic.
And, as I recently blogged about how there's no basic difference between men and women on level of sexual drive, or on level of sexual roaming eyes outside of strict monogamy, one key tenet of such sexism has not just been refuted but crushed.
And, I'm more and more willing to say that about "legit" ev psych. Other than the idea that mind = brain, and brain evolved, therefore human psychology evolved, I think a legitimate field of evolutionary psychology needs to start from ground zero.
Update: I think paleo dieters ought to combine with breatharians, once they figure out the exact composition, by ratios of elements and CO2, of the atmosphere of the PopEvPsych EEA, and therefore, lose weight, trump conventional science, and become Social Darwinist sexists all at once!
Labels: Pop Evolutionary Psychology
#Snowden, snooping and Dear Leader
Note: This post will be regularly updated as we get more information about NSA whistleblower (or whatever) Edward Snowden, the accuracy of his statements, reporting on them by media and opinionators, especially Glenn Greenwald, and more.
First issue: Per a Facebook friend, he says that some of the things Edward Snowden has claimed, in his leaking so far, that some big communications/data companies have done simply isn't true. This guy is a strong civil libertarian himself, and has an IT background, so I'm not dismissing him.
That said, per this Slate story, if the National Security Agency really trusted Snowden with this much information access, we really shouldn't trust it, for other reasons. So, let's turn that rhetorical statement on its head. Per my Facebook friend, maybe Snowden, a high-school dropout, didn't have that much access.
And, per this post about what Snowden is doing in his refuge in the supposedly freedom-loving Hong Kong, one must wonder if he's altogether "there" mentally. More on that below.
But, but, Glenn Greenwald said!
Look, I like a lot of Greenwald's writing, but he can occasionally "bite" on stuff. And, on the First Amendment, I'm not sure that he would even accept Justice Holmes' dictum about yelling "Fire" in a crowded theater.
At the same time, Dear Leader's gummint will not reveal any details of Prism to prove Snowden mistaken, wrong, or lying, if he is. So, it's up to people who care about this issue, but don't want to be played by the government, or an egotistical idealist, or all sorts of other things.
That said, per Emily Bazelon at Slate, such secretiveness, combined with our Constitututional Lawyer in Chief's previous legalese that "we're not listening to your phone conversations," means that Dear Leader still shouldn't be trusted, even if Snowden is lying or exaggerating.
Anyway, Snowden may wind up as the perfect "foil" for Dear Leader tut-tutting his opposition. Maybe he's a deliberate CIA plant, Per my FB friend, I'm almost as ready to believe that, upon further reading, as his claims in their entirety.
Update, June 10:
First, per this "10 things to know list" about Snowden, compiled by Tiger Beat on the Potomac, Snowden may have lied about his Army service. If he lied about receiving awards, I'll give 50-50 odds he's also lying about paratrooper training, and breaking both legs in so doing. And, in turn, that means he may have had a non-honorable discharge. Now, that doesn't mean that it was "dishonorable." If he's telling the truth about his legs, it could have been medical. But, even in the Reserves, I believe, there's yet other non-honorable, non-dishonorable discharges.
Based on that, even if he started at the NSA as "just" a security guard, I'll venture he lied about his military service on applications there and elsewhere.
Jeff Toobin has an interesting rhetorical question: Why the hell did he go to the NSA in the first place? Given that Politico says, in the link above, that he donated money to Ron Paul in 2012, voted for some third party presidential candidate in 2008, and that he appears to have some level of activity on Reddit, did he see himself as a "mole" from the start? More circumstantial proof of that here.
And, The Nation (with multiple links) has now joined the list of progressive sites saying Glenn got some stuff wrong. In my opinion, assuming what I've read in stories like this, what I've heard from IT friends on Facebook and more, Glenn did get wrong at least the server issue. Especially given that Snowden may may have mild credibility issues, and that the MSM is going to work to magnify them, I think it behooves Glenn and the story line to address this in a follow-up.
The infamous "PowerPoint Slide 5."
Via the NSA and my taxpayer dollars.
The "servers" issue, per a copy of the one PowerPoint slide Snowden gave to Greenwald, at left, is a big one. As I said on a friend's Facebook page, in a comment to him posting the link from The Nation:
I run a weekly newspaper, and keep eye on another. Here at the larger paper, we have a server for our office. We regularly use two FTP servers w/corporate, one for downloading ads designed at HQ, the other for uploading pages we build. It's not that hard to understand that there's different types of servers.
It's very plausible that companies in question with Prism have set up a separate server to address NSA requests for information.
Nobody's perfect. And even if one is a First Amendment absolutist, let's get all the facts squared down. Glenn can still address this server issue, while also discussing other details in the future.
And, if Glenn is that tech-clueless, then, since Snowden's the leaker and claims to be so IT-smart, then he either needs to provide the approp riate corroboration, if this is what Glenn claims it is, or else, via the New York Times (if Glenn sticks by his story) make clear what this is NOT as well as with this is.
Besides, assuming there is no "back door," but that there may be, per Al Gore, a lockboxed server denoted to government data requests, there's still plenty of follow-up questions and details to ask about:
Details such as:
1. What does Booz Allen do in its contracting?
2. How much information can it access?
3. How vulnerable is it to Chinese hacking?
4. Who else besides Booz Allen has contracts specifically related to this, and how do questions 1-3 apply to them?
For right now, though, Greenwald is focusing on attacking Perlstein (Nation) and other critics of the "servers" issue. We'll see how he responds to Charles Pierce's take, since Pierce is bulldog enough himself. Oh, and Glenn, just because tech companies cooperated with the NSA, that doesn't mean they cooperated in the way you and Snowden claim they did. Red herring. Finally, your appearance on Chris Hayes' show does NOT address the "server" issue. In the text transcript, the word only appears twice, and in both cases, you do NOT distinguish between different types of servers.
Disappointed? Yes. Surprised? Not at all. Via a connection, as well as bits of blog interaction with him on my "More Glenn Greenwald is not a liberal" post, which followed my original "Why Glenn Greenwald is no liberal" post, I'm not at all surprised.
Glenn will not just double down on his stance while digging in his heels, he'll triple down and more.
Update, June 17: Snowden had an online Q&A with Greenwald and Spencer Ackerman of the Guardian, along with selected outsider questions. Neither GG or SA straight-out asked Snowden exactly what he meant by "servers."
This all said, I'll spin these issues off into a separate post soon enough.
Barton Gellman (l) and Glenn Greenwald (r). Politico pictures
At the same time, per the picture shown at left from this Tiger Beat story, I wouldn't trust Barton Gellman very far. Why not?
The Navy ship cap he's wearing? If you're any sort of whistleblower against the government, would you trust someone who looks like he's on "their team"? Not I. So, in his contretemps with Greenwald, I wouldn't trust his version of the story, either.
That said, this too reflects less-than-well on Snowden. Why would somebody who allegedly mistrusts the "mainstream media" that much approach somebody like Gellmann? Seeing that he contributed to Ron Paul, and voted third-party in 2008, pretty well scratches my earlier idea that he was a CIA plant. Instead, he just looks like ... well, like an idealistic, sometimes clueless, high-school dropout.
Finally, it looks like Al Franken has officially become a sellout. Getting a big "tout" on fake-liberalland Democratic Underground would be a "tell," but all we have to do is look at the quote DU lifted from a video interviev via another blog:
To summarize, he points out that as a member of the Judiciary Committee - he has availed himself of the briefings about NSA and nothing that was made public lately surprised him. He said, "There's certain things that its appropriate for me to know that its not appropriate for the 'bad guys' to know...So anything the American people know, the 'bad guys' know...I can assure you that this isn't about spying on the American people. This is about having the data available so that if there are suspicions about foreign persons or persons that have connections with terrorist organizations that we can connect the dots."
I tried to comment there, but DU, like Kos many a year ago, has suspended/blocked my account, I guess for some truly liberal nefarity (I can invent words, I'm an editor) that I wrote in the past.
And, per polls showing that a majority of Americans now favor such snooping, the IOKIYAO factor appears to be part of it. Thank doorknob I didn't vote for him, either time. And right-or-wrong Democrats who spew vitriol at me will only drive me further away, not convert me.
Update, June 13: Snowden's now changing his story (yes you are) on why he went to China. Dude, as successful as China is with hacking, it probably doesn't need you to "expose criminality." Besides, if it does really think you have things to share, you can be a hostage against your own possible extradition.
Now Snowden is starting to sound more like Julian Assange. Tinges of idealism — and tinges of a big, fat ego, too.
Another way he's sounding like Assange? This, in GG's follow-up story:
"He is deeply worried about being spied on. He lines the door of his hotel room with pillows to prevent eavesdropping. He puts a large red hood over his head and laptop when entering his passwords to prevent any hidden cameras from detecting them."
Like the NSA couldn't use a keystroke recognition software program or something? I mean, if Snowden really thinks a red hood is going to stop the National Security Agency, he's got problems indeed. Let me go back to my one original idea. Maybe he is a CIA plant, designed to attack the credibility of the likes of Glenn Greenwald.
And, that's not at all unrealistic. A New York Times Opinionator column reminds us that this exact idea was discussed by a consortium of national security contractor companies, including HBGary Richard, just a couple of years ago, after a 2010 hack by LulzSec, and Greenwald's coverage of that:
Team Themis (a group that included HBGary and the private intelligence and security firms Palantir Technologies, Berico Technologies and Endgame Systems) was effectively brought in to find a way to undermine the credibility of WikiLeaks and the journalist Glenn Greenwald (who recently broke the story of Edward Snowden's leak of the N.S.A.'s Prism program), because of Greenwald's support for WikiLeaks. Specifically, the plan called for actions to "sabotage or discredit the opposing organization" including a plan to submit fake documents and then call out the error. As for Greenwald, it was argued that he would cave "if pushed" because he would "choose professional preservation over cause."
Of course, Greenwald didn't "cave."
That said, suppose the contractors said to themselves, "We're on the right general trail, but some of the details are wrong," and they then talked about a new idea, of feeding false documents, expecting Greenwald to double down, and then attacking his credibility.
Far-fetched? Not at all. Snowden has more to release. Suppose there are more things that are incorrect in them?
Update, June 19: Meanwhile, just because Greenwald may be digging himself a Snowden-specific hole, there's simply no call for alleged civil libertarians to go far beyond Perlstein and say "nothing to see," but David Simon decided to do just that. Even worse, since then, he's doubled down on the stupid with an abundance of self-righteousness that probably could put even Greenwald to shame. Implying that nobody's been more out in front than you in fighting against all the problems of the War on Drugs is bad enough. Using a blog post title like "The 'Nigger Wake-Up Call'" is worse. Claiming that that title wasn't gratuitous is the trifecta.
Hell, with "friends" like you, the NSA or Booz Allen Hamilton had no need to give Snowden bogus information, or let him think things that aren't true, if that is the case, per my earlier hypothesis.
Labels: National Security Agency, warrantless surveillance
No sympathy for Phil Mickelson
First of all, I just have to "love" whichever golf scribe talked about the "working class people" at Merion for the US Open were supporting the non-working class Phil Mickelson.
First, Ardmore, Pa., home of Merion Golf Club, ain't close to "working class."
Second, "working class" people don't normally have the ducats for US Open tickets. (The whole issue of live sports tickets outpacing the rate of inflation is a separate topic all its own.)
Realistically, even a Jason Duffner isn't of "working class" background. That's part of why John Daly had his appeal for so many, though. Not for me; blow your life like that, you lose sympathy, too. It's too bad there's no Lee Trevino. Notah Begay, if he'd win a few, would have a chance at that.
Second of all, the dude's got money to fly back on a fractionally-owned private jet or whatever for his daughter's eighth-grade graduation. Yes, good family man, but back to the money. (The whole subject of proliferating graduations at different elementary grades is also a topic all its own.)
Third, Phil whiffed.
It began on 18 on Saturday. He should have hit his 2-wood, or whatever his longest non-driver wood in his bag was, off the tee and not that 4-wood. That leaves him an iron to the green, biting on the green more. He gains an extra stroke there, potentially. I assume that, with my scenario, he gets a par instead of his actual bogey.
Then, "Mr. Wedges" blows two wedge shots, the first badly at 13 on Sunday.
He caps it by criticizing the USGA for its length on one of the long par 3s when he knew the day might be windy, with the wind in his face on that hole, and he chose not to play driver Sunday, but rather, five wedges.
I actually was kind of liking the possibility of him winning, just to see if, with the career Grand Slam then within his sights, he'd change how he approached the British Open.
And, while I like to watch at least the four majors, I actually relate less to golfers as people than I do in most sports. They're definitely more conservative than the national average, among other things. The only blessing is that most of them don't claim Jeebus wanted them to win, when they do.
A couple of other thoughts.
Yeah, I thought Merion would be easier than it was, but I certainly wasn't alone.
That said, I did not join the majority of golf's punditocracy in saying this course shaped up well for Tiger Woods. Frankly, I expected him to have as much, if not more, problems with finding the rough as he actually did.
As for why Phil can't win at the US Open? Cracking wise about his wedge play aside, it's his putter, in my opinion. Yeah, he's won three times at Augusta, but the Masters, while it welcomes a good putter, doesn't require it, especially if one has a good short game.
I just don't think Phil is the greatest putter, or the greatest reader of greens in general.
Looking ahead to Muirfield and the British?
First, I don't expect Tiger to do well there, either. So, Tigerholics, too bad.
I'm going to go out on a limb. The first two majors have featured "nice guy" winners.
So, if you'll allow me two options, I'll take either Lee Westwood or Luke Donald there.
Labels: Mickelson (Phil), U.S. Open
Politicized rice farmers blame politics for farm ...


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


TORONTO, May 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alamos Gold Inc. (TSX:AGI) (NYSE:AGI) ("Alamos" or the "Company") today reported its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018 and reviewed its operating, exploration and development activities.
"We delivered another record quarter of production and given the strong start to the year, we've increased full year production guidance to a range of 490,000 to 530,000 ounces. The increase was driven by stronger than expected performances from our Mulatos and Island Gold mines, the latter establishing a new record in its first full quarter as part of Alamos. Our financial performance continues to improve with strong free cash flow growth expected from our operations into the second half of the year reflecting higher production and lower costs," said John A. McCluskey, President and Chief Executive Officer.
(2) Refer to the "Non-GAAP Measures and Additional GAAP Measures" disclosure at the end of this press release and associated MD&A for a description and calculation of these measures.
(4) Gold production from Island Gold has been included in this table for the period subsequent to November 23, 2017 only. Gold production from Island Gold for the three months ended March 31, 2017 was 23,772 ounces.
(5) Comparative Cash and cash equivalents balance as at December 31, 2017.
(1) Operating and financial results from Island Gold are included in Alamos' consolidated financial statements for the period subsequent to November 23, 2017. Gold production from Island Gold for the three months ended March 31, 2017 was 23,772.
(1) Refer to the "Non-GAAP Measures and Additional GAAP" disclosure at the end of this press release and associated MD&A for a description of these measures.
(4) Cost of sales includes mining and processing costs, royalties, and amortization expense.
(5) Capital guidance at Kirazlı reduced to $25 million from the original budget of $100 million.
The Company continues to deliver on its strategic priorities of increasing cash flow from its operations while advancing its portfolio of low-cost development projects. In 2017, this included reporting record gold production and an 8% reduction in all-in sustaining costs.
This strong operational performance continued into the first quarter of 2018 with production of 128,900 ounces of gold, exceeding budget and setting a new quarterly record. This marks the fourth consecutive quarter of record production. Reflecting the strong start to the year, the Company has increased its 2018 production guidance at both Island Gold and Mulatos by 5,000 ounces, bringing the revised production guidance to a range of 490,000 to 530,000 ounces, representing a 19% increase over 2017 (based on the mid-point of guidance). All-in sustaining costs are expected to average $950 per ounce, supporting increasing operating margins and mine-site free cash flow. Capital spending at the four operating mines is expected to total between $146 and $165 million for the year.
Consistent with budget, production in the second quarter of 2018 is expected to be approximately 125,000 ounces, at slightly higher all-in sustaining costs than the first quarter as a result of additional sustaining capital. The Company expects stronger production from Young-Davidson to offset slightly lower production from Island Gold and Mulatos. In the second half of 2018, the Company anticipates stronger gold production, lower total cash costs and a lower rate of capital spending, all of which is expected to contribute to higher mine-site free cash flow compared to the first half of the year.
Young-Davidson produced 41,000 ounces in the first quarter and is expected to produce between 200,000 and 210,000 ounces for the full year at mine-site all-in sustaining costs of $850 per ounce. Similar to 2017, the Company expects stronger gold production in the second quarter and more notably in the second half of 2018 driven by higher underground grades and mining rates. Combined with lower total cash costs and a reduced rate of capital spending, this will drive stronger mine-site free cash flow in the second half of 2018.
Island Gold produced 28,100 ounces of gold in the first quarter, exceeding its budget and setting a new quarterly record. Given the outperformance in the first quarter, the operation is now expected to produce between 95,000 and 105,000 ounces in 2018, a 5% increase from previously guided levels, at mine-site all-in sustaining costs of $825 per ounce. The Phase I expansion of the Island Gold mill to 1,100 tpd remains on track and is expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter. This is anticipated to drive production growth at lower costs in 2019 and beyond. Accordingly, the Company expects significant free cash flow growth in 2019.
In parallel to the Phase I mill expansion, the Company is pursuing an aggressive exploration program at Island Gold which has been successful in driving nearly a 400% increase in Mineral Reserves and a 60% increase in the Mineral Reserve grade since 2014.
Ongoing exploration success will be incorporated into an evaluation of the most effective and economic approach to a Phase II expansion of the operation beyond 1,100 tpd.
Total production from the Mulatos district (including La Yaqui Phase I) increased to 46,000 ounces in the first quarter, also exceeding budget. As a result, Mulatos is now expected to produce between 155,000 to 165,000 ounces in 2018, a 3% increase from previously guided levels, at mine-site all-in sustaining costs of $900 per ounce.
El Chanate produced 13,800 ounces in the first quarter and is expected to produce 40,000 to 50,000 ounces for the full year. This is down from 2017 reflecting lower mining rates with mining activities expected to cease mid-2018. Given the long leach cycle at El Chanate, the Company expects to benefit from ongoing gold production beyond 2018 through residual leaching. This will be lower cost and higher margin production, with mining activities completed, and is expected to drive higher mine-site free cash flow from the operation.
The Company expects combined annual gold production of at least 500,000 ounces from its existing operations in 2019 and 2020 with low cost production growth from Island Gold replacing production from El Chanate. Consolidated all-in sustaining costs are expected to decrease in 2019 reflecting the completion of the Phase I expansion at Island Gold and end of the 5% royalty at Mulatos, with a further decline expected in 2020 reflecting higher underground mining rates at Young-Davidson. Similarly, capital spending at existing operations is expected to trend lower in 2019 and 2020 reflecting the completion of the Phase I expansion at Island Gold and lower mine infrastructure at Young-Davidson. Increased production combined with declining operating costs is expected to result in strong free cash flow growth over the next three years.
Capital spending on development projects, including capitalized exploration, is dependent on timing of receipt of the GSM (Business Opening and Operation) permit for the Kirazlı project, located in Turkey. On April 18, 2018, a snap election was called in Turkey with early parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled to be held on June 24, 2018. The Company does not anticipate receiving the GSM permit until after the election, which will delay construction activities planned for this year. As a result, the Company is revising its 2018 capital budget for Kirazlı to $25 million, down from $100 million, with spending focused on specific infrastructure projects, notably road, powerline, and water reservoir construction. The Company will update its 2018 capital budget once the GSM permit has been received allowing for the ramp up of full scale construction activities.
In addition to capital spending in Turkey, a total of $46 million is budgeted for development at Cerro Pelon, La Yaqui Grande and Lynn Lake as well as capitalized exploration at all sites. Total exploration spending of $36 million will be focused on Island Gold and Mulatos for the remainder of the year.
The Company is well positioned to fund this growth having significantly de-risked its balance sheet over the past year. The Company is debt free with growing cash flow from its operations and over $630 million of cash and available liquidity under the Company's credit facility.
(2) Refer to the "Non-GAAP Measures and Additional GAAP Measures" disclosure at the end of this press release and associated MD&A for a description and calculation of these measures. Total cash costs and mine-site AISC are exclusive of net-realizable value adjustments.
Young-Davidson produced 41,000 ounces of gold in the first quarter of 2018, higher than the same period of 2017 but lower than the fourth quarter of 2017 due to lower underground mining rates and mined grades. The Company mined 585,060 tonnes of ore from underground in the first quarter, or 6,501 tpd, representing an increase over the prior year period. Underground mining rates were lower in the first quarter than in the fourth quarter of 2017, as a result of temporary constraints related to the paste fill sequence.
In addition, underground grades in the first quarter of 2.35 g/t Au were lower than the previous quarter and the same period of 2017 primarily as a result of mine sequencing. As previously guided, gold production is expected to increase in the second quarter and second half of 2018, with grades and underground mining rates expected to increase through the year.
During the first quarter, 669,287 tonnes, or 7,437 tpd, were processed through the mill with grades averaging 2.22 g/t Au, slightly higher from the prior year period. Mill throughput decreased compared to the fourth quarter of 2017 due to a scheduled liner change in January. Mill recoveries of 90% were in line with expectations and marginally higher than the prior year period.
For the three months ended March 31, 2018, revenues of $59.5 million were $5.9 million higher than the prior-year period, reflecting more ounces sold and a higher realized gold price.
In the first quarter of 2018, cost of sales of $57.0 million were higher than the prior year period reflecting higher tonnes mined and input costs. Cost of sales reflects mining and processing costs, royalties, and amortization expense.
Total cash costs in the first quarter were $824 per ounce, representing a 16% increase from the first quarter of 2017. The increase was attributable to higher gross costs driven by an increase in paste fill, maintenance and labour costs. Underground mining costs were higher than the prior year period due to a combination of increased paste fill activities and a higher allocation of development costs to operating expense, which impacts cost per tonne. The stronger Canadian dollar had a nominal impact on total cash costs compared to the prior year as the Company has hedged the majority of its Canadian dollar operating and capital costs at budgeted foreign exchange rates for the first half of 2018. Mine-site AISC were $994 per ounce, 17% higher than the prior year period reflecting higher total cash costs and sustaining capital expenditures.
Capital expenditures totaled $22.9 million in the first quarter, 23% higher than the same period of 2017, reflecting the higher proportion of capital expected in the first half of 2018 as outlined in the Company's guidance. Capital spending in the first quarter was focused primarily on lateral development in the upper and lower mines, and lower mine infrastructure. Total capital expenditures in the first quarter included $7.6 million of sustaining capital and $15.3 million of growth capital.
Young-Davidson generated mine-site free cash flow of $4.5 million in the first quarter, lower than in recent quarters as a result of lower production and higher costs. The Company expects mine-site free cash flow to grow in subsequent quarters as production and operating margins increase and capital spending declines.
(1) Financial results from Island Gold are included in Alamos' consolidated financial statements for the period subsequent to November 23, 2017. Gold production from Island Gold for the three months ended March 31, 2017 was 23,772.
(3) Refer to the "Non-GAAP Measures and Additional GAAP Measures" disclosure at the end of this press release and associated MD&A for a description and calculation of these measures. Total cash costs and mine-site AISC are exclusive of net-realizable value adjustments.
(6) Includes capitalized exploration of $3.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018.
The first quarter of 2018 was the first full quarter that the Company owned and operated Island Gold. Operating and financial results exceeded budget with record production of 28,100 ounces of gold, an increase of 18% from the prior year period reflecting higher grades mined and milled. Given the strong first quarter performance, the Company is increasing 2018 production guidance to a range of 95,000 to 105,000 ounces.
The Company mined 84,655 tonnes of ore from underground in the first quarter of 2018, or 941 tpd, lower than the prior year period. The Company expects to ramp up mining rates in the second half of 2018 concurrent with the completion of the mill expansion to 1,100 tpd. Underground mining rates are expected to average 1,000 tpd in 2018, consistent with the rates achieved in 2017. Underground grades in the first quarter of 11.06 g/t Au were above budget and higher than the prior year period due to a combination of mine sequencing and a positive grade reconciliation. Grades are expected to be lower throughout the remainder of 2018.
During the first quarter, 82,105 tonnes or 912 tpd were processed through the mill, in line with the prior year period. Milled grades averaged 11.07 g/t Au, higher than the prior year period and previous quarter. Mill throughput is expected to average 980 tpd for the full year with milled grades expected to return to budgeted grades of between 8.3 and 8.9 g/t Au for the remainder of the year. Reflecting the return to budgeted grades, gold production is expected to decrease in the second and third quarters and ramp up in the fourth quarter following completion of the mill expansion.
With the Company acquiring Island Gold in November 2017, financial information prior to the acquisition date has not been included in the comparative table above.
For the three months ended March 31, 2018, Island Gold generated revenues of $36.6 million, on record production and higher realized gold prices. Cost of sales of $27.5 million reflect an ongoing amortization charge related to the purchase price of the asset, which increases amortization to approximately $450 per ounce based on current mineral reserves and resources.
Total cash costs of $553 per ounce were below guidance levels of $575 per ounce, reflecting higher grades mined in the quarter. In addition, mine-site AISC of $633 per ounce were well below guidance of $825 per ounce driven primarily by lower sustaining capital spending in the first quarter. Mine-site AISC are expected to be higher for the remainder of 2018.
Capital expenditures totaled $13.9 million in the first quarter, with spending focused primarily on capitalized exploration, lateral development and the mill expansion. Total capital expenditures in the first quarter included $2.2 million of sustaining capital and $11.7 million of growth capital. Island Gold generated mine-site free cash flow of $9.8 million in the first quarter driven by stronger production and operating margins. The Company expects Island Gold to generate sufficient cash flow to fully fund its significant exploration program and the expansion to 1,100 tpd.
(6) Includes capitalized exploration, of $1.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018.
Mulatos exceeded budget for the first quarter of 2018 with gold production of 46,000 ounces, including approximately 8,000 ounces from La Yaqui Phase I which achieved initial production in September 2017. Production in the quarter was higher than the prior year period mainly due to the contribution from La Yaqui Phase I, slightly offset by lower grades mined at the main Mulatos pit. As a result of the strong start to the year, and continued underground mining at San Carlos, the Company has increased 2018 production guidance to a range of 155,000 to 165,000 ounces. Consistent with annual guidance, the Company expects production to decrease in the second half of the year following the end of production from San Carlos.
Total crusher throughput averaged a record 19,800 tpd, higher than the same period of 2017 reflecting the addition of La Yaqui Phase I. A total of 1,750,471 tonnes were stacked in the first quarter at a grade of 0.84 g/t Au, consistent with annual guidance. The waste-to-ore ratio of 0.91:1 decreased relative to the prior year period as a result of the addition of La Yaqui Phase I, which has a minimal waste-to-ore ratio.
In the first quarter of 2018, 30,389 tonnes were milled at an average grade of 8.11 g/t Au from San Carlos. Consistent with budget, the tonnes mined during the quarter were lower than the same period of 2017 and the fourth quarter of 2017 as the underground mine nears the end of its life. San Carlos and existing stockpiles had been expected to be depleted by the end of the first quarter, however; the Company has identified additional ore, which is expected to extend the life to mid-2018.
The ratio of ounces produced to contained ounces stacked and milled (or recovery ratio) was 83% in the quarter compared to 70% in the prior year period and guidance of 75%. The higher recoveries in the first quarter reflect the recovery of deferred production from the fourth quarter of 2017, as well as stronger than budgeted recoveries at La Yaqui Phase I.
For the three months ended March 31, 2018, revenues of $59.6 million were $12.0 million or 25% higher than the prior-year period reflecting a 15% increase in the number of ounces sold and a 10% higher realized gold price.
Cost of sales in the first quarter of $43.6 million were higher than the prior-year period as gross costs reflected higher tonnes stacked. Cost of sales reflects mining and processing costs, royalties, and amortization expense.
Total cash costs of $786 per ounce in the first quarter were 5% lower than $827 per ounce in the prior year period, reflecting the addition of lower cost La Yaqui Phase I production. Mine-site AISC in the quarter were $842 per ounce, 8% lower than the prior year period reflecting lower total cash costs and lower sustaining capital due to the timing of capital expenditures.
The substantial production and sales growth combined with higher gold prices and lower costs drove another strong quarter of cash flow, with Mulatos generating $8.9 million in mine-site free cash flow. The Mulatos operation is expected to generate strong cash flow in 2018, which will be used to advance the La Yaqui Grande and Cerro Pelon deposits through permitting, as well as funding exploration activities.
El Chanate produced 13,800 ounces of gold in the first quarter of 2018, down from 15,800 ounces in the prior year period reflecting lower stacking rates throughout 2017.
El Chanate is expected to continue to produce at lower than historical rates in 2018 as the mine reaches the end of mining activities by mid-year. Given the long leach cycle at El Chanate, the Company expects to benefit from ongoing gold production at decreasing rates into the second half of 2018 and beyond through residual leaching. This is expected to drive higher mine-site free cash flow the second half of the year.
In 2018 El Chanate continued to demonstrate an industry leading safety performance achieving milestones of over 3 years and 5.2 million hours without a lost time injury by the end of the first quarter.
For the three months ended March 31, 2018, revenue of $17.4 million was $2.4 million lower than the prior year period, reflecting fewer ounces sold, partially offset by higher realized gold prices.
Total cash costs of $1,176 per ounce and mine-site all-in sustaining costs of $1,191 per ounce in the first quarter were similar to the prior year period, reflecting a lower waste-to-ore ratio, and higher grades, offset by higher unit costs.
El Chanate generated positive mine-site free cash flow of $1.1 million in the quarter. This is expected to increase in the second half of the year as the mine transitions to residual leaching. Given El Chanate's higher cost structure, the Company has hedged all of its expected 2018 gold production through gold collar contracts, ensuring a minimum gold price of $1,290 and participation up to a price of $1,458 per ounce.
The capital budget for Cerro Pelon in 2018 is $8 million which will be spent on engineering, permitting and early stage construction activities. The Cerro Pelon deposit is located approximately three kilometres from the existing Mulatos operation. Given its proximity to Mulatos' infrastructure, ore from the Cerro Pelon open pit is expected to be trucked to the existing heap leach circuit for processing. The environmental impact assessment ("MIA") for Cerro Pelon is expected to be finalized and submitted mid-2018. Following approval, construction and pre-stripping activities are expected to take approximately 18 months with initial production expected in 2020. Recently completed work includes the design of the waste rock dump, haulage road and crushing circuit.
La Yaqui Grande's capital budget for 2018 is $5 million with spending focused on permitting and project engineering. The MIA is expected to be completed and submitted by the end of 2018 with construction and pre-stripping activities commencing in the latter part of 2019 and production in 2021. Similar to La Yaqui Phase I, La Yaqui Grande will be developed as a standalone, open pit, heap leach operation. La Yaqui Grande exploration activities in 2017 were successful in increasing Mineral Reserves by 28% to 644,000 ounces as at December 31, 2017 (14.3 million tonnes grading 1.4 g/t Au).
During the first quarter, spending on La Yaqui Grande and Cerro Pelon was $2.0 million, which included $1.1 million of capitalized exploration. The Company recently awarded the Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management contract for its Cerro Pelon and La Yaqui Grande projects.
The 2018 capital budget for Lynn Lake is $12 million, comprised of $8 million for development activities and $4 million for exploration. Development spending will be focused on baseline work in support of the Environmental Impact Study ("EIS") for the project that will be submitted to satisfy federal and provincial environmental assessment requirements. The permitting process is expected to take approximately two years followed by two years of construction.
The Company began evaluating various opportunities to enhance the project's economics, including modifications to the overall site layout, plant design and water management. During the first quarter, $1.3 million was spent at Lynn Lake mainly on project optimization and exploration activities.
On April 18, 2018, a snap election was called in Turkey with early parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled to be held on June 24, 2018. The Company does not anticipate receiving the GSM permit until after the election, which will delay construction activities planned for this year. As a result, the Company is revising its 2018 capital budget for Kirazlı to $25 million, down from $100 million, with spending focused on surrounding infrastructure projects. The Company will update its 2018 capital budget once the GSM permit has been received allowing for the ramp up of full scale construction activities.
Ongoing development activities include power line construction, tree clearing, road relocation and construction of the water reservoir. Approximately 70% of tree clearing and 15% of the road realignment earthworks and have now completed. The Company has awarded several key contracts, including civil works, subject to the receipt of the GSM. For the first quarter, development expenditures at Kirazlı were $5.1 million.
Kirazlı is expected to produce more than 100,000 ounces of gold in its first full year of production at mine-site AISC of less than $400 per ounce. This is expected to drive company-wide production growth, while significantly lowering the Company's cost profile.
The Company capitalized $0.5 million related to the Esperanza Project and $0.2 million to Quartz Mountain during the quarter.
The Company has a large exploration package covering 28,777 hectares with the majority of past exploration efforts focused around the Mulatos mine. Over the last three years, exploration has moved beyond the main Mulatos pit area and focused on prospects throughout the wider district. After significant exploration success at La Yaqui Grande over the past few years, the focus in 2018 has shifted to other parts of the district including El Carricito, El Halcon and El Jaspe.
In the first quarter of 2018, the Company invested $4.5 million in exploration activities within the Mulatos District, of which $1.1 million was capitalized and the remainder expensed. This included 14,792 metres ("m") of diamond drilling and 1,059 m of reverse circulation drilling focused on both near-mine targets and regional targets including El Halcon and El Jaspe. Additionally, underground exploration of the San Carlos deposit concluded during the quarter.
At El Carricito, mapping and sampling continued during the first quarter with approximately 70% of the concession having been mapped to date. El Carricito will be a key focus of the 2018 exploration program with 10,000 m of scout drilling planned for the second half of this year.
Delineation drilling at Island Gold in 2017 was successful in increasing mineral reserves by 18%, net of mining depletion. In addition, the 2017 exploration drilling resulted in the addition of new mineral resources. The 2017 exploration program was also successful in outlining additional gold mineralization down plunge to the east. The majority of the exploration drill results in this area are not yet at the required drill spacing to allow for inclusion into the Inferred mineral resource category.
A key focus of the 2018 exploration program is on converting this newly outlined zone of mineralization into the Inferred mineral resource category. Other areas of focus include drilling, both beneath the existing mine infrastructure and to the west.
Surface exploration drilling totaled 9,187 m during the first quarter of 2018, with 12 holes completed as part of the directional exploration drilling campaign. The directional drilling targeted areas peripheral to the inferred mineral resource blocks below the 1,000 m level, with drill hole spacing ranging from 75 m to 100 m. The area being targeted by the surface directional drill program extends approximately 2,000 m in strike length between the 1,000 m and 1,500 m elevation below surface.
The surface directional drilling programs will continue in 2018 with a focus on defining new inferred mineral resources.
During the first quarter of 2018, a total of 8,865 m of underground exploration diamond drilling was completed in 44 holes from the 620 and 840 levels. The objective of the underground drilling is to identify new mineral resources close to existing mineral resource or reserve blocks.
Total expenditures across the surface and underground exploration drilling program at Island Gold during the first quarter of 2018 were $3.3 million, with $3.1 million capitalized.
Surface exploration drilling continued at Lynn Lake in the first quarter of 2018 with a total of 4,047 m drilled in nine holes. Exploration drilling was focused in the southern portion of the Lynn Lake Greenstone belt testing for the continuation of structures related to gold mineralization along strike of Burnt Timber and Linkwood, and testing two regional targets in the southern portion of the Lynn Lake Greenstone Belt.
Drilling will continue into the second quarter of 2018, and a regional exploration program will commence focused on refining existing high-priority exploration targets and generating a pipeline of prospective targets across the Lynn Lake Greenstone Belt.
A total of $4 million and 10,000 m of drilling is budgeted at the Lynn Lake project for 2018. Spending in the first quarter totaled $0.8 million.
During the first quarter of 2018, the Company sold 130,045 ounces of gold for total revenue of $173.1 million, a 43% increase compared to the prior year period. This was primarily driven by the Island Gold acquisition, which contributed 27,503 ounces, or $36.6 million in sales for the quarter, and a higher realized price of $1,331 per ounce compared to $1,225 per ounce in the prior year period (a $10.5 million benefit). The Company's realized gold price in the first quarter was $1,331 per ounce, above the average London PM fix of $1,329 per ounce.
For the first quarter of 2018, cost of sales were $144.7 million, compared to $110.1 million in the prior-year period.
Mining and processing costs were $96.9 million compared to $77.9 million in the prior-year period. The increased costs were mainly the result of the addition of Island Gold, which added $13.6 million of mining and processing costs in the period.
Consolidated total cash costs for the quarter were $789 per ounce, compared to $827 in the prior year period. The decrease in total cash costs is attributable to the addition of lower cost ounces from Island Gold and improved cost profile at Mulatos, partially offset by higher costs at Young-Davidson.
In the first quarter, AISC per ounce decreased to $935 from $1,014 in the prior year period. This was primarily driven by the addition of lower cost ounces from Island Gold, and lower sustaining capital expenditures.
Royalty expense was higher in the first quarter at $5.7 million, compared to $3.8 million in the prior year period, primarily due to the addition of Island Gold, and higher ounces sold at Mulatos.
Amortization of $42.1 million in the quarter was higher than the prior year period expense of $28.4 million. Amortization was $324 per ounce, up from $289 per ounce in the prior year period, though consistent with the fourth quarter of 2017. This reflected higher amortization at all operating sites and the addition of Island Gold which carries a higher amortization per ounce charge.
The Company recognized earnings from operations of $18.5 million in the quarter, compared to $2.2 million in the same period of 2017, driven by record production and gold sales and stronger operating margins at Mulatos and Island Gold.
The Company reported a net earnings of $0.6 million in the quarter, compared to net earnings of $0.1 million in the same period of 2017. Net earnings in the period were significantly impacted by foreign exchange movements, as the Company recorded a foreign exchange loss of $1.3 million, in addition to foreign exchange losses recorded within deferred income taxes. Reflecting these foreign exchange adjustments, the Company recorded adjusted net earnings1 of $12.3 million or $0.03 per share.
This press release should be read in conjunction with the Company's interim consolidated financial statements for the three-month period ended March 31, 2018 and associated Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A"), which are available from the Company's website, www.alamosgold.com, in the "Investors" section under "Reports and Financials", and on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and EDGAR (www.sec.gov).
The Company's senior management will host a conference call on Wednesday, May 2, 2018 at 11:00 am ET to discuss the first quarter 2018 results.
Participants may join the conference call by dialling (416) 340-2216 or 1-800-273-9672 for calls within Canada and the United States, or via webcast at www.alamosgold.com.
A playback will be available until May 30, 2018 by dialling (905) 694-9451 or (800) 408-3053 within Canada and the United States. The pass code is 4178075#. The webcast will be archived at www.alamosgold.com.
Chris Bostwick, FAusIMM, Alamos' Vice President, Technical Services, who is a qualified person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 ("Qualified Person"), has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this press release.
Net earnings have been adjusted, including the associated tax impact, for the group of costs in "Other loss" on the consolidated statement of comprehensive income. Transactions within this grouping are: the fair value changes on non-hedged derivatives; the renunciation of flow-through exploration expenditures; and loss on disposal of assets. The adjusted entries are also impacted for tax to the extent that the underlying entries are impacted for tax in the unadjusted net earnings.
The Company uses adjusted net earnings for its own internal purposes. Management's internal budgets and forecasts and public guidance do not reflect the items which have been excluded from the determination of adjusted net earnings. Consequently, the presentation of adjusted net earnings enables shareholders to better understand the underlying operating performance of the core mining business through the eyes of management. Management periodically evaluates the components of adjusted net earnings based on an internal assessment of performance measures that are useful for evaluating the operating performance of our business and a review of the non-GAAP measures used by mining industry analysts and other mining companies.
Adjusted net earnings is intended to provide additional information only and does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. It should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. The measure is not necessarily indicative of operating profit or cash flows from operations as determined under IFRS. The following table reconciles this non-GAAP measure to the most directly comparable IFRS measure.
(1) This reflects the recognition of previously unrecognized capital losses.
"Company-wide free cash flow" is a non-GAAP performance measure calculated from the consolidated operating cash flow, less consolidated mineral property, plant and equipment expenditures. The Company believes this to be a useful indicator of our ability to operate without reliance on additional borrowing or usage of existing cash company-wide. Company-wide free cash flow is intended to provide additional information only and does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures of performance presented by other mining companies. Company-wide free cash flow should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS.
"Mine-site free cash flow" is a non-GAAP financial performance measure calculated as cash flow from mine-site operating activities, less mineral property, plant and equipment expenditures. The Company believes this to be a useful indicator of our ability to operate without reliance on additional borrowing or usage of existing cash. Mine-site free cash flow is intended to provide additional information only and does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures of performance presented by other mining companies. Mine-site free cash flow should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS.


text:
MainAll NewsUS & Canada'Hezbollah determined to give itself option to attack America'
'Hezbollah determined to give itself option to attack America'
State Department offers $12 million for information leading to the capture of two senior Hezbollah members.
Hezbollah supporters
The United States on Tuesday announced multi-million dollar rewards for two senior members of the Hezbollah terrorist group.
Reports earlier this week said the State Department would offer a reward of $12 million to anyone with information leading to the discovery, arrest, or charge of the two, but the State Department would not confirm the reports until Tuesday's official announcement.
The State Department's Counterterrorism Bureau said it would give $7 million and $5 million, respectively, for information leading to the capture of Talal Hamiyah and Fuad Shukr, reported i24news.
An informational leaflet described Hamiyah as the head of the organization's External Security Organization, its "element responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of terrorist attacks outside of Lebanon."
Shukr was described as a senior operative who played a central role in planning and carrying out the 1983 bombing of a U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut that killed 241 American service personnel.
Nicholas J. Rasmussen, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said before announcing the reward that the U.S. believes that Hezbollah is determined to give itself an option to carry out attacks inside the United States.
"It is our assessment that Hezbollah is determined to give itself a potential homeland option as a critical component of its terrorism playbook," Rasmussen said during a briefing, adding that before the September 11, 2001 attacks, Hezbollah was responsible for more American deaths than any other foreign terrorism group.
Hezbollah is blacklisted as a terrorist organization in the United States, which regularly sanctions members of the group.
Washington has in the past imposed sanctions on the group's leader Hassan Nasrallah and two other members of the organization, for their alleged role in aiding the Syrian government in its crackdown on opposition forces.
In May, Saudi Arabia and the United States jointly blacklisted Hashem Safieddine, president of Hezbollah's executive council, which oversees the group's social and economic activities.
Tags:Hezbollah, US State Department, Talal Hamiyah, Fuad Shukr


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text:
Tron Expands Its Partner Network Listing Oracle, Aurora, Steemit and Others
Jan 22 2019 · 06:47 UTC | Updated Jan 22 2019 · 07:07
by Teuta Franjkovic · 5 min read
Photo: TRON Foundation / Twitter
It seems that last year's rumors were true and that ORACLE, a cooperation offering a comprehensive and fully integrated stack of cloud applications and platform services, has partnered with Tron (TRX) Foundation.
Without any doubts, cryptocurrency exchanges play a vital role in the development of the entire crypto ecosystem as well as in the growth of concrete currencies. But it's also worth mentioning that listing of this or that coin is beneficial not only for the coin itself but also for the platform as new coins can bring new clients interested in working with them.
Everything seems to have started in October last year when in a tweet, that obviously showed CEO's Justin Sun's enthusiasm for the future of Tron (TRX), he informed the crypto community of a meeting that was held at their San Francisco Headquarters. The meeting involved the blockchain team from Oracle: the American based multinational computer database company.
Oracle #blockchain team visited #TRON Foundation HQ in SF.
Diving deep on #SmartContracts #Tokenization and partnership opportunities. #TRON to the future. ?#TRX $TRX https://t.co/Hq3Y4IETlW
— Justin Sun (@justinsuntron) October 20, 2018
In the tweet, Justin suggested that the conversation was geared towards discussing smart contracts, tokenization and the possibility of a partnership.
Now, at the just concluded niTROn Summit in San Francisco, Tron Foundation listed ORACLE among its partners. It also listed Aurora, Steemit, Pantera and some other firms as its partners.
According to Justin Sun, the meeting was held on partnership opportunities, Smart Contract and Tokenization.
The team from Oracle Blockchain were led by a tech start up adviser at Oracle, Neal H, who regarded the gathering as a "Meeting of the Blockchain Minds". Partnership opportunities were major point of discussion at the meeting.
Neal praised Roy Liu, Head Of Business Development at Tron Foundation, and Jonathan, a member of Tron Foundation, who were available at the event.
Before announcing Oracle's Business-Ready Blockchain Applications, the team behind Oracle's blockchain had visited Tron for possible collaborations and partnership.
All of this is pretty interesting because we already wrote of how the Tron Foundation has recently conducted its long-awaited and widely-promoted developer conference niTron Summit 2019. In the framework of the event Sun has made a row of strong claims but it doesn't look like the crypto community is going to blindly accept them all.
Also we mentioned that the first month of 2019 was definitely a very busy and rich in news one for the Tron Foundation that is actively promoting its Tron (TRX) cryptocurrency.
It's worth of knowing that the founder of Oracle, Larry Ellison, started the company in a manner similar to how Justin Sun saw a gap in the blockchain industry. In the case of Oracle, Ellison was pretty fascinated with database design and was inspired further by a paper written by Edgar F. Codd on relational database systems called "A Relational Model of Data for Large Shared Data Banks".
This can be compared to how Justin Sun saw the bigger picture of Satoshi's vision of decentralization. Justin eventually decided to decentralize the web with BitTorrent as the center piece.
Oracle also started off small and ended up acquiring other firms along the way. Examples of these firms are Sun Microsystems, PeopleSoft, Netsuite, BEA Systems, Siebel Systems, MICROS Systems and more. It can be equated to the recent acquisition of BitTorrent by TRON and predict that there might be more acquisitions in the pipeline.
If we take Oracle's journey from the 70s as an example, and compare it with Tron, we can see that TRON is just getting started in its journey of becoming a powerhouse in the blockchain industry. Justin's vision will span a period of 10 to 20 years. Therefore, it might be wise to sit back and HODL.
Partnership with ABCC
Recently, it has become known that the cryptocurrency Tron, which is currently the ninth largest crypto in the world, has entered in a partnership with the ABCC cryptocurrency exchange. The new move by ABCC has made it the first crypto exchange to list tokens built on the base of Tron's TRC10 technical standard.
The information about listing Tron on ABCC followed the exchange's announcement that it had started working on adding support for tokens based on both the TRC10 and TRC20 standards.
According to the Tron's guide intended for developers, TRC10 is a technical standard for tokens, support of which can be provided by the cryptocurrency's native blockchain without a necessity to deploy the Tron Virtual Machine (TVM).
Tron (TRX) is among the few blockchain platform partnering with diverse firms across the globe. The Tron Foundation is leverage every available opportunity to increase the adoption of blockchain technology, the mechanism behind cryptocurrency.
Now, Tron Foundation has launched BitTorrent Token (BTT), a token that makes it easy for content creators to link their audience, earn and spend digital currency without a middleman.
Last news have said that DACC and TRON's Cooperation has resulted in the launch of DACC Artificial Intelligence Project "HashAI" on TRON protocol.
The content –based public chain DACC announced the successful launch of HashAI, a tool that can be used for money transfer and smart contract calls in blockchain using voice queries. HashAI is now connected to TRON Network, Slack, Google Assistant and Google Home.
next Altcoin News, Cryptocurrency news, Editor's Choice, News
Author Teuta Franjkovic
Experienced creative professional focusing on financial and political analysis, editing daily newspapers and news sites, economical and political journalism, consulting, PR and Marketing. Teuta's passion is to create new opportunities and bring people together.
By Steve Muchoki January 5th, 2022
Altcoin News, Bitcoin News, Blockchain News, Cryptocurrency news, News Indirect Approach of Cryptocurrency Development: Stealth Mode Is ON?
Some skeptics argue that until more countries are on board, crypto development remains choked by global regulators.
By Chainwire December 28th, 2021
Press Release NEAR Chooses DODO as Its Preferred DEX, Plans $7.5M Incentives with Funding from Proximity Labs
Proximity, NEAR Protocol's Grant DAO, makes its first major investment with its funding DODO's launch. With its clean UX, powerful Proactive Market Maker algorithm, and capital-efficient liquidity, DODO will be the blue-chip DEX on NEAR.
By Sanaa Sharma December 23rd, 2021
Business News, News, Personal Finance, Technology News TRON Founder Justin Sun Win Blue Origin Space Travel Bid for $28M
Sun revealed that while he had won the bid half a year ago, he hadn't been able to attend the launch of the mission.


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Kenosha is een plaats (city) in de Amerikaanse staat Wisconsin, en valt bestuurlijk gezien onder Kenosha County.

Demografie
Bij de volkstelling in 2000 werd het aantal inwoners vastgesteld op 90.352. In 2019 is het aantal inwoners door het United States Census Bureau geschat op 99.944, een stijging van 9592 (10,62%).

Geografie
Volgens het United States Census Bureau beslaat de plaats een oppervlakte van 62,1 km², waarvan 61,7 km² land en 0,4 km² water. Kenosha ligt op ongeveer 185 m boven zeeniveau.

Plaatsen in de nabije omgeving
De onderstaande figuur toont nabijgelegen plaatsen in een straal van 16 km rond Kenosha.

Geboren in Kenosha

 Charles Wallace Richmond (1868-1932), ornitholoog
 Don Ameche (1908-1993), acteur
 Paul Russo (1914-1976), autocoureur
 Orson Welles (1915-1985), acteur, film- en toneelregisseur en scriptschrijver
 Al Molinaro (1919-2015), acteur
 Willis Schaefer (1928-2007), componist en dirigent
 Charles Siebert (1938-2022), acteur
 Daniel J. Travanti (1940), acteur
 Mark Ruffalo (1967), acteur
 Nick Van Exel (1971), basketbalspeler

Externe link

Noten

Plaats in Wisconsin

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Electric vehicles have lower tailpipe emissions compared to fossil fuel-burning cars, but they don't go scot-free when it comes to the environment. Mining the raw materials for batteries is dirty business, and manufacturing and charging them can produce emissions. Those overlooked indirect emissions have led skeptics to argue whether EVs are really as green as touted.
New research from Yale University should put those arguments to rest. The study finds that the total indirect emissions from EVs pale in comparison to the indirect emissions from fossil fuel-powered vehicles. And if a carbon price is placed on all the emissions, both direct and indirect, from a vehicle's full life cycle, EVs become far more attractive to buyers.
The electric car market is growing rapidly, despite the pandemic. Many countries are incentivizing and promoting wider adoption of EVs as a tool to fight climate change. A few carmakers have even promised to convert their entire line-ups to battery-powered vehicles. Some analysts warn that increased electrification could lead to high indirect emissions from electricity and battery production.
But those indirect emissions also apply to fossil fuel-powered vehicles. And no transport policies today regulate vehicle emissions along their entire life cycle.
So the Yale team used a combination of life cycle assessment and energy modeling to analyze the total life-cycle emissions of conventional vehicles versus EVs. Then they calculated a carbon price on those emissions to see what effect that would have on the vehicle market.
Their findings, reported in the journal Nature Communications, show that putting a carbon price only on direct tailpipe emissions would lead to a nearly complete phase–out of fossil fuel vehicles. And if both direct and indirect emissions were taxed, this phase-out would speed up. At the same time, EV sales would increase because of their overall significantly less life-cycle emissions.
Discover more: Aim low when designing the climate-friendly city of the future
Plus, as the share of renewables grows over the next and electricity sources become cleaner, they write "large–scale adoption of electric vehicles is able to reduce CO2 emissions through more channels than previously expected."
"The surprising element was how much lower the emissions of electric vehicles were," said Stephanie Weber, a postdoctoral researcher in the Yale School of Environment in a press release. "The supply chain for combustion vehicles is just so dirty that electric vehicles can't surpass them, even when you factor in indirect emissions."
Source: Paul Wolfram et al. Pricing indirect emissions accelerates low-carbon transition of US light vehicle sector. Nat. Commun. 2021.
Image: ©Anthropocene Magazine


You may hear this term as you're out touring and looking at different facilities. What it really means is how many staff are on duty at a time, and how many residents do those staff members care for? In many smaller homes, the ratio can be 1 staff to 6 residents, or even better at times. The larger the facility, the worse the ratio (typically). Most nursing homes average 1 staff member (CNA) for 12 or more of their patients. When you get to that type of situation, it's very hard for those employees to really provide good, solid, attentive care to each and every one of their patients. When you are out touring, one of the most important questions that you can ask is what their ratio of staff to residents is. Every facility is different, so don't think that a higher ratio is a worse facility. It's all in how they handle the care, and structure the environment. But having more staff on duty is never a bad thing!


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