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March Speculative Fiction Round-up
by Tsana | Apr 2, 2014 | Round-ups | 3 comments
We've had a bumper month on the review font; twentey-four new speculative fiction reviews have been sent to us, including all age groups. And finally, we've got some horror reviews after a couple of dry months, so that's nice.
Kaaron Warren's recent collection, The Gate Theory, was reviewed by Dave Versace. He calls the stories extraordinary and writes
The stories often seem to be about one thing before wandering off in an unexpected direction like an easily distracted burglar going through linen closets instead of a safe. And stories that feel safe if a little strange at the outset take weird and usually unpleasant turns, leading away from examinations of the lives (or post-lives) of characters somewhere near the fringes of society and pushing into genuine darkness. Outright gore is not often more than hinted at, but the horror is always there, coming into sharp focus as the characters stray out beyond their depths.
Ishtar is a collection of three novellas by Kaaron Warren, Deborah Biancotti and Cat Sparks which trace the past, present and future of the Assyrian/Babylonian goddess Ishtar. David Golding enjoyed the collection and reviews it here, with a few words on each novella. Finally, we had Jane Rawson wrote a short review of In-human by Anna Dusk, which she called "genuinely horrifying".
We had a nice batch of fantasy reviews this month, mostly of BFF (big fat fantasy) but with a few other thrown into the mix. On the BFF front, Helen Petrovic has had a bumper review month. She reviewed Tansy Rayner Robert's Power and Majesty, the first book in her Roman-flavoured Creature Court Trilogy. She writes
The Creature Court blends the best of Roman history and culture. It combines the strength and majesty of the unseen and often warring Gods of Olympus, with the decadence and viciousness of Rome in the time of the early Caesars. The result is a dangerous, exotic, sensual world, and Velody, a female protagonist up to the challenge (just the way I like them!), must face enemies at every turn.
Going back a decade (in terms of publication date), Helen also reviewed Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier, which I believe was the author's very first novel. Set in a magical Ireland it's a retelling of the Grimms' fairytale Six Swans, which Helen found hard to put down and calls a delight to read.
Less BFF and more fairytale-based, Helen also (I said she had a bumper month) reviewed Sea Hearts, the multi-award-winning novel by Margo Lanagan. She writes
Sea Hearts has a lot to say beneath the tale of sorrow. Lanagan gives voice to the witch herself, and through her eyes we see a world that values women only for their beauty, and leaves no place for those who do not conform.
Back on the BFF front, I reviewed Glenda Larke's new book, The Lascar's Dagger, the first in a new series. It was an excellent read, with an original setting and characters I could really care about. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a complex fantasy series which takes a look at east-west-type relations during a time of vigorous spice trade.
Andrea K Höst's Champion of the Rose was reviewed by Dave Versace. He describes it thusly
Andrea Höst's Champion of the Rose is a political-mystery-romance set in a high fantasy realm with great mages, ancient magical constructs and some very daunting Fae.
And finally, on a much more contemporary note, I reviewed Bespelled by Dani Kristoff. It's a paranormal romance set mainly in Sydney with a solid plot and compelling writing. I enjoyed it more than I expected and I also interviewed the author over on my blog.
The first Australian to win a Tiptree award was Nike Sulway for her novel Rupetta, which Jessica White reviewed this month. She writes of it
I loved the ambition of this work, the scope of its telling over so long a period, and the clever twining of strands at the end. Sulway, assuming the reader's intelligence and trusting us to remember details throughout the text, only resolves questions such as as those about the Oikos only just before the end.
On a similarly literary note, Marisa Wikramanayake interviewed Jane Rawson, author of A Wrong Turn at the Office of Unmake Lists. As well as writing a narrative interview (as opposed to a direct question-answer transcription), Marisa talks a bit about the book, saying
In the book, maps have power and the folds and creases over time mean something and connect you to places in time-space. This sends Ray and Caddy from dystopian Melbourne tumbling straight into Simon and Sarah in San Francisco in the 1990s.
Finally, adding to the pre-release popularity of Marianne de Pierres's upcoming (in May) book, Peacemaker, I have thrown my review into the mix. It's a sci-fi Western set in a themed nature park and future Perth. An enjoyable read for fans of any of the things I mentioned in the previous sentence.
I'm Tsana Dolichva and I've been reading and enjoying Australian speculative fiction since I first started reading "grown up" books (back before YA was its own genre). More recently, I've been blogging my reviews over at the creatively titled Tsana's Reads. I irregularly blog about science in science fiction over at the Science Fiction Writers' Guide to Space. When not reading or writing, I'm probably working towards my PhD in astrophysics.
annabelsmith	on April 2, 2014 at 2:47 pm
I am super keen to read Rupetta. Great to see so many spec-fic books being reviewed for the challenge.
High Fantasy Addict	on April 2, 2014 at 7:10 pm
Reblogged this on High Fantasy Addict and commented:
3 of my reviews featured in this months awwc2014 spec fic wrap-up
High Fantasy Addict	on April 3, 2014 at 11:34 am
Thanks so much for featuring my reviews!


2Sa 23:11 And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines.
Shammah one of David's mighty men defended a piece of ground full of beans, when everyone else was fleeing from the philistines. He stood his ground even while alone, and the Lord wrought a great victory. Lord help me to stand, even if I stand alone. Lord help me fight for my bean patch!


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That's Amore – An Italian feast set to music
January 22, 2023 @ 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Sunday, January 22nd, 2023 – 4:00 pm $129 + tax and ticketing fee A joyous and comedic tribute to family, heritage, music and the universal "Italian passion" for food… That's Amore is a heartwarming crowd pleaser. You will tap your toes one minute and sing-along the next. Using his heritage as a taking-off point, self-described […]
Soulful Sundays featuring Keisha D
April 2, 2023 @ 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm – You're invited to Soulful Sundays at the Palm Springs Cultural Center- featuring Keisha D. Keisha is a local staple at the heart of the live music scene in Palm Springs. She has had the pleasure of performing for National Conventions in both the Southern Baptist and Evangelical Free conferences for many years. Keisha has graced […]
Bill Lohnes
January 20, 2023 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Bill Lohnes has made the Coachella Valley home since 2008. McCallum Theatre Open Call finalist in 2019 & 2013. Bill will be sharing classics from Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra, Michael Bublé and much more. Date: January 20, 2023 Start time: 06:00 PST End time: 09:00 PST Venue: Oscar's Palm Springs – Indoor Showroom

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Legislation, Regulations, and Guidance
MAP-21
SAFETEA-LU
Human Environment
Project Development and Documentation Overview
I. FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS
II. ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTS
Early Coordination
Processing Options
- Environmental Impact Statements
- Categorical Exclusions
- Environmental Assessments
Mitigation and Enhancement
Supplemental EIS
III. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS - QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
A. Legislation:
Federal-Aid Highways, Title 23, United States Code, "Highways," National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), plus numerous other related statutes and orders.
B. Regulations:
"Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act" - 40 CFR Parts 1500-1508, November 29, 1978 (Council on Environmental Quality - CEQ)
"Environmental Impact and Related Procedures" 23 CFR 771, August 28, 1987 (FHWA)
C. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Guidance:
"Guidance for Preparing and Processing Environmental and Section 4(f) Documents" - FHWA Technical Advisory T6640.8A, October 30, 1987
D. Other Guidance:
"Questions and Answers about NEPA Regulations," Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Memorandum, March 16, 1981
The RED BOOK - "Applying the Section 404 Permit Process to Federal-Aid Highway Projects," FHWA et al, September 1988
(FHWA Environmental Guidebook (primarily an internal document) - An all-inclusive compendium of environmental guidance information which includes the following:
"Section 4(f) Policy Paper," October 5, 1987 as updated June 7, 1989
"Transportation Enhancement Activities," FHWA Memorandum, April 24, 1992
"Cooperating Agencies," FHWA Memorandum, March 19, 1992
"Purpose and Need," FHWA Memorandum, September 18, 1990
The 1960's brought about an increase in awareness and concern for the environment. In response to this, Congress passed and signed into law, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). This Act has three major goals that have influenced the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and all Federal agencies: (1) it sets national environmental policy; (2) it establishes a basis for environmental impact statements (EISs); and (3) it created the CEQ. NEPA requires that to the extent possible, policies, regulations and laws of the Federal Government be interpreted and administered in accordance with NEPA. It also requires Federal agencies to use an interdisciplinary approach in planning and decisionmaking for actions that impact the environment. (In FHWA, the interdisciplinary expertise is provided with review by the Washington Headquarters and Regional Offices.) Finally, NEPA requires the preparation of an EIS on all major Federal actions significantly affecting the human environment.
NEPA calls for an examination and consideration of impacts of the proposed action on sensitive resources when we are considering a transportation facility. These resources include, but are not limited to, floodplains, wetlands, endangered species, historic and archeological sites, parklands, air quality, wildlife habitat, etc. There also are the transportation needs that need to be fulfilled. Because of impacts to resources and needed transportation improvements, we use a balanced decisionmaking process that considers a range of factors of both impacts to the resources and the transportation needs. The decision of how to balance these factors rests with FHWA.
It is FHWA's policy that all environmental protection and enhancement requirements, including those set out in Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation (DOT) Act which protects historic sites and publicly owned public parks, recreation areas, wildlife and waterfowl refuges, and 23 U.S.C. 109(h), which mandates consideration of social and economic impacts to the human environment, be completed as part of the NEPA process. Evidence of this compliance must be contained in the appropriate documentation. Further, it is FHWA policy that public involvement be an essential part of this process.
As noted above, NEPA called for the creation of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The CEQ is an office within the Executive Office of the President and has four main functions: (1) to develop environmental policies for the nation; (2) to monitor environmental quality; (3) to prepare an annual environmental quality report; and (4) to monitor Federal actions.
In 1970, CEQ issued guidelines for the preparation of environmental documents. The FHWA prepared a policy directive in response to those guidelines as did some other Federal agencies. For FHWA this regulation is "Environmental Impact and Related Procedures," 23 CFR 771, effective November 28, 1987. The CEQ monitored Federal environmental processing of all the agencies, and found that EISs were too long with less important issues being discussed at great length, that there ' was poor or no early coordination, and that the process led to unnecessary delays caused by confusion over differing terminology and procedures among Federal agencies. To remedy these problems, President Carter issued Executive Order (EO) 11991 in May 1977. The key provision of the EO was that CEQ could issue mandatory regulations, not just guidelines, for implementing the provisions of NEPA consistently throughout the Federal Government. The result was the CEQ Regulations for Implementing the Provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act," 40 CFR Parts 1500-1508.
The principal goals of the CEQ regulations are to reduce paperwork and delays, and to produce better environmental decisions. The regulations focus on four key areas: (1) early coordination; (2) completing the environmental process; (3) uniform processing options for all agencies; and (4) faster and better processing.
To improve early coordination, the CEQ regulations introduced the concept of "lead agency" and "cooperating agency." The lead agency is that Federal agency which is responsible for the Federal action. The cooperating agencies are those with special expertise (e.g., the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department of the Interior) or jurisdiction by law (e.g., the Army Corps of Engineers (COE) or the Coast Guard (USCG) when a permit is necessary). The CEQ also instituted a scoping process which was intended to get the lead and cooperating agencies and other interested groups together early in the project development process to determine the scope of the issues to be addressed, and identify any important issues related to the proposed action. By properly using the early coordination process, agencies could avoid conflicts later, and could assure the full input from the various interests. Early coordination continues to be emphasized in all transportation guidance and legislation.
In order to aid in completing the process, CEQ introduced two specific formal decision documents: (1) the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and (2) the Record of Decision (ROD). These will be discussed in more detail later, but use of these reflects CEQ's belief that the environmental document should be a full-disclosure information document but that there still was a need for a formal decision document.
The CEQ regulations also established uniform processing options for all Federal agencies. These options are the categorical exclusion (CE), the EIS, and the environmental assessment (EA).
One key early decision for FHWA is the type of document needed to satisfy the NEPA process and thus advance a project. Remember, NEPA requires an EIS for major Federal actions significantly affecting the human environment, and 23 U.S.C. 109(h) requires consideration of adverse economic and social (as well as environmental) impacts for Federal-aid highway projects. The key here is "significance," and guidelines for determining significance will be described later. For now it is important to understand that projects with clearly identified, significant social, economic, or environmental impacts always require an EIS.
A second type of project also emerges--those without significant impacts. These CE projects, under certain circumstances, can be "categorically excluded" from having an EIS prepared. A third grouping is those projects with uncertainty as to whether there is a significant impact. In those cases, EAs are prepared to determine if there will or will not be significant impacts associated with a project. If there are no significant impacts, a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is prepared. If the EA indicates there are significant impacts, an EIS must be prepared.
Early coordination with other agencies and the public is an essential part of the project development process. This coordination can help you in determining the appropriate level of documentation and developing the project purpose and need discussion, as well as in identifying the NEPA and permit requirements of other agencies, the range of alternatives, impacts to resources, possible mitigation measures, and opportunities for environmental enhancement. When you begin early coordination, be aware of three items: (1) cooperating agencies, (2) the memorandum of understanding-with the USCG, and (3) the memorandum of agreement with the COE. The agreements with the USCG and COE were developed because of the large number of permits required from these agencies. A Section 404 permit from the COE is required for any dredge/fill operation in waters of the United States including jurisdictional wetlands, and the USCG requires permits for crossings of navigable waters. The central feature of these agreements is that, if we get the COE and USCG involved in the process early, they can adopt FHWA's NEPA documentation to fulfill the NEPA requirements for their permit action. As one approach towards improving interagency coordination, the Red Book emphasizes the merging of the common elements of the NEPA and Section 404 permit processes. The Red Book has been adopted as policy by the DOT, EPA, and COE.
The lead agency/cooperating agency concept was introduced by CEQ to aid in early coordination and faster and better processing. A lead agency is responsible for supervising the preparation of the environmental documentation. Cooperating agencies are those agencies specifically requested by the lead agency to assist during the environmental process. CEQ's regulations require that those Federal agencies with jurisdiction by law be requested to be cooperating agencies for EAs and EISs. Examples include the COE where Section 404 permits are involved, the USCG where a Section 9 permit is involved, the EPA for sole-source aquifers, and other Federal agencies where a land transfer from that agency is needed. Also included as potential cooperating agencies would be any other Federal agency with special expertise, any State agency, local agency, or Indian tribe when Indian reservation land is involved.
Cooperating agencies should be requested as early in the process as possible. The point here is to get these agencies involved so they have real input early rather than later where they are merely reacting to our proposals. Either the State or FHWA can request cooperating agencies.
If an agency with jurisdiction by law declines a request to be a cooperating agency, notify FHWA Headquarters, so that we can assist in resolving the problem.
A cooperating agency does not necessarily need to perform any analysis or provide any substantive narrative for the document, but the expectations and responsibilities of a cooperating agency should be clearly understood. When a cooperating agency has jurisdiction by law, that agency's role should be acknowledged in the environmental documentation. A cooperating agency, while not necessarily agreeing with every word in the document, should be in a position (at the end of the process) to state that the final document fulfills its responsibilities under NEPA.
To determine the appropriate class of action and thereby the requisite level of documentation necessary to comply with NEPA, it is essential to understand the term "significance." The CEQ regulations (40 CFR 1508.27) state that two main points should be considered in determining significance: context and intensity.
Impacts can be considered in the context of society as a whole, the affected region, or locality. In the case of a site-specific action, significance would usually depend on the effects in the locale rather than in the world as a whole. Both short- and long-term effects are relevant.
For example, filling one acre of a one hundred-acre wetland probably could be considered not significant, but filling one acre of a two-acre wetland may be considered, under certain circumstances, a significant impact. The intensity is the same, but the context is different.
Factors to consider regarding intensity or severity of impacts include: (1) impacts that may be both beneficial and adverse; (2) the degree to which the proposed action affects public health or safety; (3) unique characteristics of the geographical area; (4) the degree to which the effects on the quality of the human environment are likely to be highly controversial; (5) the degree to which the possible effects on the human environment are highly uncertain or involve unique or unknown risks; (6) the degree to which the action may establish a precedent for future actions with significant effects; (7) whether the action is related to other actions with individually insignificant but cumulatively significant impacts; and (8) the degree to which the action may adversely affect resources listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places; (9) the degree to which the action may adversely affect an endangered or threatened species or its habitat; and (10) whether the action threatens a violation of Federal, State, or local law or requirements imposed for the protection of the environment.
Environmental Impact Statement
When the proposed action will have a significant impact on the environment, an EIS is required. Less than 5 percent of all FHWA projects involve EISs, but these are the projects which require the most time and effort to complete.
As soon as a decision has been reached to prepare an EIS, the FHWA division office should prepare a Notice of Intent. Guidelines for preparation of these notices are given in Technical Advisory T6640.8A. This notice which is published in the Federal Register is a brief announcement that FHWA will be preparing an EIS.
Scoping is a formal coordination process, required by CEQ, which determines the scope of issues to be addressed and identifies the significant issues related to the proposed action. It can be done by letter, phone or formal meeting. You should assure that it occurs early and involves both affected agencies and interested public, and is well-documented. The scoping and Notice of Intent requirements reflect CEQ's concern for early coordination and faster and better processing.
Technical Advisory T6640.8A provides guidance on what should be in the EIS. It provides the required format and the type of information that should be developed in the EIS. A brief summary of the major EIS sections follows:
Project Purpose and Need is one of the most important elements of project and needs to be well-documented in the EIS. This discussion should be clear and specific, and support the need for the project. For example, if there is a capacity problem, it should be stated in this section and referenced in later traffic discussions, not the other way around. Some of the common "needs" we see in ElSs include: transportation demand, safety, legislative direction, urban transportation plan consistency, modal interrelationships, system linkage, and the condition of existing facility. Graphics and tables are particularly helpful in clarifying the discussion.
The Alternatives section describes the reasonable alternatives to achieve the project's purpose and need, how they were selected, and provides a clear basis for choice among the options. In developing your alternatives, you must comply with the requirements of 23 CFR 771.111(f), which states that projects must connect logical termini, have independent utility, and not restrict consideration of future transportation alternatives. Also, you may have examined some alternatives early in the process but found them to be not reasonable for further consideration. The Alternatives section should briefly explain why these alternatives were rejected from further study.
In the draft EIS stage, all reasonable alternatives should be discussed at a comparable level of detail. There is no requirement at this stage to have a "preferred" alternative; however, if an official position has been taken on one of the alternatives, this should be so stated in the document. Of course, at this stage in the process, no final decision can be made.
The "no-build" alternative must always be included. In addition to fulfilling a requirement, discussion of this alternative can serve two purposes. First, it may be a reasonable alternative, especially where the impacts are high and the need is relatively minor. More often, the no-build serves as a benchmark against which the impacts of the other alternatives can be compared. As part of this alternative, short-term minor reconstruction, such as safety upgrading and maintenance projects, can be considered.
Transportation System Management must be included as an alternative or design option where applicable. This can include high-occupancy vehicle lanes, ridesharing, signal synchronization, and other actions. Also, where appropriate, mass transit options should be considered.
Graphics, should show the location of the alternatives in relation to each other and the project area. Alternative termini points and design features, such as the number of lanes and location of interchanges, should also be shown.
The Affected Environment section is one area in EISs where there has been a tendency to include too much information. These documents are for decision purposes and, as such, descriptions should be no longer than needed to understand the area and the impacts of the alternatives. The affected environment section should discuss, commensurate with the importance of the impact, the existing social, economic, and environmental setting. Also, it should identify environmentally sensitive features. The use of graphics and/or photographs for this purpose is especially effective.
The Environmental Consequences section describes the impacts of the alternatives to the affected environment and documents the methodologies used in the evaluation. This information will be used to form a basis for the comparison of alternatives. One problem we have seen in this section is the use of generic statements like, "all highway construction in this area will cause erosion which adds to sediment loading in streams." That may be true enough, but it does not help differentiate between the alternatives or show the relative severity of the alternatives. For example, does one alternative cross more streams than another? Are some streams more sensitive? Also, is this erosion severe or minor and how do we quantify the impact? Here again, you should consider context and intensity. This section of the document should discuss both impacts and mitigation measures. It should be remembered that mitigation must be considered for all impacts, regardless of significance. Additional consideration should be given to using enhancement measures to help better fit the project into the environment.
A second area for consideration is that of secondary and cumulative impacts. Secondary impacts are those effects that are expected to be "caused" by the proposed action but are later in time or are removed in distance, but are still reasonably foreseeable. Cumulative impacts are those which result form the incremental consequences of an action when added to other past and reasonably foreseeable future actions.
The EIS also has a Comments and Coordination section where the scoping process, including the results of any meetings which may have been held and any comments received during preliminary coordination, should be summarized.
Another section, the List of Preparers, includes those primarily responsible for preparing the EIS or background papers. This includes SHA personnel involved and may include other State offices, consultants, and local people. The FHWA division office representative should also be included. This list should include the individual's name and qualifications including his/her expertise, experience, and professional discipline.
Between the draft and final EIS, the SHA and FHWA division office consider and prepare responses to all substantive comments received on the draft EIS, including those from the public hearing. The final EIS must identify and describe the preferred alternative and the basis for the decision, demonstrate compliance to the extent possible with all applicable environmental laws and Executive Orders, provide reasonable assurance that the requirements can be met, include copies of comments received and responses (if comments are voluminous they may be summarized), note where the EIS was changed in response to comments, (this change should be referenced in the response), and any other changes or corrections.
The final EIS is usually approved at the Regional Office level; however, prior concurrence by the Washington Headquarters Office is required on certain types of projects and under certain conditions (see 23 CFR 771.125(c)).
A ROD must be issued before any project approvals (e.g. for design, right-of way acquisition, construction) can be given on the selected course of action. The ROD may not be issued sooner than 30 days after the approved final EIS is distributed, nor 90 days after the Draft EIS is circulated. It should: (1) state the basis for the decision, (2) identify all the alternatives considered and specify the "environmentally preferable alternative," (a thorough discussion of the "environmentally preferred alternative" can be found in CEQ's "Questions and Answers about the NEPA Regulations," Question #6), and (3) state whether all practicable means to avoid or minimize environmental harm from the alternative selected have been adopted and, if not, why they were not.
Categorical Exclusions
Actions that do not individually or cumulatively have a significant social, economic, or environmental effect are excluded from the requirement to prepare an EA or EIS. These actions are processed as CEs. A specific list of CEs normally not requiring NEPA documentation is set forth in 23 CFR 771.117(c). Other projects, pursuant to 23 CFR 771.117(d), may also qualify as CEs if appropriately documented. There are various approaches to documenting CE determinations where required. For minor activities, programmatic approaches can reduce the amount of paper generated while still assuring adequate program control. More complex projects require more information in a formal submission from the State so that the FHWA division office can conclude that the project will not cause a significant environmental impact.
An EA is prepared when there is uncertainty as to the significance of the impacts of the project.
The CEQ suggests that EAs should be only 10 to 15 pages in length. It is often not possible to stay within these page limits, especially if information related compliance with other environmental requirements is included. It is, however, instructive to understand CEQ's philosophy on the brevity of the EA. It should discuss in detail only those areas where there is potential for a significant impact. Although there is no specific format requirement, the FHWA Technical Advisory 6640.8A provides a suggested format to be used for an EA. Briefly, the subject areas to be addressed are: project description, need, alternatives considered, impacts, and comments and coordination.
The EA is subject to FHWA approval before it is made available to the public as an FHWA document. The document itself need not be circulated, but must be made available for public inspection and comment. A notice of availability must be sent to State and area wide clearinghouses and should be published locally. Depending on FHWA-approved State procedures, a public hearing may or may not be required. The availability period for an EA is usually 30 days.
If, after completing the process, it is determined that there are no significant impacts associated with the project, a FONSI (the agency's statement of no significant impact) is prepared. The FONSI includes the EA modified to reflect all applicable comments and responses to those comments. No formal circulation is required, however, the State clearinghouse must be notified of the availability of the FONSI, and FHWA recommends that the public be notified in local publications. A sample of the language used for a FONSI can be found in Technical Advisory T6640.8A (page 9).
If, at any time, a significant impact is identified, an EIS must be prepared.
It has been FHWA's policy that measures necessary to mitigate adverse impacts (both significant and non-significant) be incorporated into the proposed action (23 CFR 771.105(d)). The CEQ regulations describe (40 CFR 1508.20) some of the methods for mitigating impacts. They include: avoidance, minimizing impacts by limiting the scope of the action, rehabilitating or restoring the affected environment, and compensating for the impact by replacing or providing substitute resources. Such measures would be eligible for Federal funding if: (1) the impact for which the mitigation was proposed actually resulted from the project and (2) the proposed mitigation represented a reasonable public expenditure, considering, among other things, the extent to which the proposed measures would assist in complying with a Federal statute, Executive Order, or other Administration regulation or policy.
The Environmental Policy Statement (the EPS was first issued in 1990 and revised in 1994) called for an expanded interpretation of these requirements, and specifically itemized full and objective consideration to avoidance, innovative designs to minimize harm, and identification of opportunities to contribute to a healthier, more attractive environment through improved mitigation and enhancement. The only restrictions that the EPS placed on funding environmental enhancement activities were that such activities represent a reasonable public expenditure, be in the best overall public interest, and be reasonable related to an eligible highway project. (Please note that the environmental enhancement described in the EPS should not be confused with the "transportation enhancement" provision in the ISTEA legislation, which is a 10% funding set-aside for ten specific types of enhancement activities. That program should be considered as one element of our overall enhancement policy.)
It is the responsibility of FHWA and the implementing agency to assure that the mitigation and enhancement measures committed to in the environmental document, as well as those contained in permits, are carried out. We encourage that a summary of mitigation/enhancement commitments be included in the FONSI or ROD and made available to appropriate project personnel.
The FHWA must assure that the environmental documentation for the proposed action (CE, EA/FONSI, EIS/ROD) is still valid, prior to proceeding with major project approvals or authorizations. This is accomplished through a reevaluation, which is an assessment of any changes which may have occurred in either the project's concept or the affected environment, and a determination of what effects these changes might have on the validity of the environmental documentation. Informal consultation between FHWA and the State DOT may be acceptable, with appropriate documentation (e.g. a note to the file).
In addition to this requirement for all levels of environmental documentation, there is a 3- year validity period for EISs. If you have a Draft EIS, and an acceptable Final EIS is not submitted to FHWA within 3 years from the date of the draft EIS circulation, a written reevaluation of the Draft EIS shall be prepared prior to submission of the Final EIS. This evaluation must demonstrate that the information presented in the Draft EIS is an accurate analysis of the anticipated project impacts. For projects with an approved Final EIS, a written reevaluation is required before further approvals are given if activities to advance the action, e.g., design, right-of-way, or construction, have not occurred within any 3-year time period.
If the reevaluation process described above reveals that there have been changes which result in significant adverse impacts not identified in the approved document, a new EIS or a Supplemental EIS (SEIS) must be prepared and circulated.
If changes are made to the proposed actions and it is uncertain if a Supplemental EIS is required, appropriate environmental studies or, if necessary, an EA to assess the impacts of such changes must be developed.
There is no required format for a SEIS, but it must contain the reason for preparing a Supplement and an evaluation of the changes and new impacts. Portions of the original EIS which remain valid may be summarized. The SEIS is processed in the same way as the original document, except that there is no requirement for formal scoping.
Q. How should a project that is on the CE list (23 CFR 771.117(d)), but has a significant impact, be processed?
A. Any project that has a significant impact must be processed as an EIS.
Q. If an EA indicates that there will be a significant impact but that, with mitigation, the impact may be reduced to less than significant levels, can a FONSI be made rather than preparing an EIS?
A. Mitigation measures may be relied upon to make a FONSI as long as a commitment is made to provide all mitigation needed to reduce impacts below the level of significance, and the mitigation is made an integral part of the original proposal.
Q. In preparing an EA, it became obvious that there was a significant impact. Should we go ahead with the EA before preparing a draft EIS?
A. No. As soon as it has been determined that there is a significant impact, a Notice of Intent should be prepared and the development of the draft EIS should begin. Practically speaking, very few projects go from an EA to a draft EIS, but rather the determination that there is a significant impact occurs while the EA is being developed.
Q. A certain project requires a Section 404 permit (or Section 9 USCG permit). Should we request that the COE (or CG) be a cooperating agency?
A. Permitting agencies such as the COE (or USCG) which have jurisdiction by law must be requested to-be a cooperating agency for projects requiring an EIS. It is desirable for them to be a cooperating agency for EA/FONSI projects. For CE projects, early coordination should occur.
Q. What do you do when an agency with jurisdiction by law refuses a request to be a cooperating agency for and EIS/ROD project?
A. Notify the Washington Headquarters (HEP-30) through normal channels. The CEQ regulations require that CEQ be notified of such a refusal.
Q. During the circulation of a draft EIS, someone suggested that a totally new alternative be studied. How should such a comment be handled?
A. As with all comments on a draft EIS, it must be considered and addressed. If the alternative is not considered reasonable, a response discussing the rationale for that determination should be included in the final EIS. If the alternative is reasonable and totally new, not just a design variation of one presented in the draft EIS, then a supplemental draft EIS discussing the alternative must be prepared and circulated. The CEQ regulations (40 CFR 1502.14(a)) require that the EIS "rigorously explore and objectively evaluate all reasonable alternatives." See CEQ's "Questions and Answers About NEPA Regulations," Question #29, for further information.
Q. The FHWA was a cooperating agency on an EIS prepared by another agency. The approved final EIS adequately discusses all aspects of the project including some highway work. Must FHWA do an EA or EIS to comply with NEPA in this case?
A. One advantage of the cooperating agency concept is that the cooperating agency may adopt another agency's environmental document to comply with NEPA. In this case, a ROD should be prepared to document the basis for decision. The FHWA need not recirculate the EIS. In the case of adopting another agency's EA, a FONSI should be prepared to document the basis for the decision.
Q. What is the advantage of getting the COE and/or the CG as a cooperating agency when a permit is required?
A. As noted above, those agencies with jurisdiction by law (i.e., permitting agencies) must be requested to be cooperating agencies. The FHWA has agreements with these agencies which state that if we coordinate with these agencies early and include in our environmental document the information they need for permit processing, these agencies will ordinarily accept our environmental documentation as satisfying NEPA for processing the permit. In addition, we have an ongoing initiative to "merge" the common elements of the NEPA and 404 processes. This is outlined in Chapter 11 of the "Red Book."
Q. The State has decided that it wants to implement an alternative which was adequately evaluated and presented in the approved final EIS, but was not identified as the preferred alternative. Must we prepare a new final EIS?
A. No. The ROD is the decision document and, as such, can be used to describe why this alternative has now been selected for implementation.
Q. What material should be in an appendix rather than the body of the EIS?
A. The body of the EIS should be a succinct statement of all the information the decision maker and public need to make the decision. The EIS must explain or summarize methodologies of analysis and the conclusions of those analyses. Lengthy technical discussions of modeling methodology, baseline studies, or other technical work should go into the appendix.
Q. How should comments on a draft EIS be handled, especially if the project generated voluminous comments?
A. The final EIS must contain responses to all substantive comments on the draft EIS. These responses may result in changes in the document, but specific answers to each significant comment should also be included. These specific responses may be placed in an appendix. If the comments are especially voluminous, summaries of the comments and responses will suffice.


text:
"Tai chi training appears to reduce balance impairments in patients with mild-to-moderate Parkinson's disease, with additional benefits of improved functional capacity and reduced falls."	- GreenMedInfo Summary
Tai chi and postural stability in patients with Parkinson's disease.
N Engl J Med. 2012 Feb 9 ;366(6):511-9. PMID: 22316445
Fuzhong Li, Peter Harmer, Kathleen Fitzgerald, Elizabeth Eckstrom, Ronald Stock, Johnny Galver, Gianni Maddalozzo, Sara S Batya
Oregon Research Institute, Eugene, OR 97403, USA. fuzhongl@ori.org
BACKGROUND: Patients with Parkinson's disease have substantially impaired balance, leading to diminished functional ability and an increased risk of falling. Although exercise is routinely encouraged by health care providers, few programs have been proven effective.
METHODS: We conducted a randomized, controlled trial to determine whether a tailored tai chi program could improve postural control in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. We randomly assigned 195 patients with stage 1 to 4 disease on the Hoehn and Yahr staging scale (which ranges from 1 to 5, with higher stages indicating more severe disease) to one of three groups: tai chi, resistance training, or stretching. The patients participated in 60-minute exercise sessions twice weekly for 24 weeks. The primary outcomes were changes from baseline in the limits-of-stability test (maximum excursion and directional control; range, 0 to 100%). Secondary outcomes included measures of gait and strength, scores on functional-reach and timed up-and-go tests, motor scores on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, and number of falls.
RESULTS: The tai chi group performed consistently better than the resistance-training and stretching groups in maximum excursion (between-group difference in the change from baseline, 5.55 percentage points; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12 to 9.97; and 11.98 percentage points; 95% CI, 7.21 to 16.74, respectively) and in directional control (10.45 percentage points; 95% CI, 3.89 to 17.00; and 11.38 percentage points; 95% CI, 5.50 to 17.27, respectively). The tai chi group also performed better than the stretching group in all secondary outcomes and outperformed the resistance-training group in stride length and functional reach. Tai chi lowered the incidence of falls as compared with stretching but not as compared with resistance training. The effects of tai chi training were maintained at 3 months after the intervention. No serious adverse events were observed.
CONCLUSIONS: Tai chi training appears to reduce balance impairments in patients with mild-to-moderate Parkinson's disease, with additional benefits of improved functional capacity and reduced falls. (Funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00611481.).
Diseases : Parkinson's Disease : CK(1155) : AC(411), Posture Disorders : CK(30) : AC(3)
Therapeutic Actions : Tai Chi : CK(564) : AC(54)
Posture Disorders


text:
Home NFL Rumors Colts Sign TE Mike McFarland & Waive OT Pierce Burton
NFL Rumors
Colts Sign TE Mike McFarland & Waive OT Pierce Burton
The Indianapolis Colts announced that they've signed TE Mike McFarland to a contract on Wednesday and waived OT Pierce Burton.
Mohamed, 24, signed on with the Texans as an undrafted free agent out of South Florida a few days after this year's NFL draft. However, he was later waived with the injury designation a few weeks into the preseason, and placed on injured reserve with a calf injury.
Houston wound up releasing him with a settlement a few months later.
During his four years at South Florida, McFarland caught 55 passes for 643 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
Burton, 24, wound up signing on with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi back in 2014. He lasted just a few months in Minnesota before he was among their roster cuts at the start of the season.
Burton had brief stints with the Falcons and Panthers before signing a future/reserve contract with the Colts in January.
He has yet to appear in an NFL game.
Pierce Burton
Jaguars Conducting Second Interview With Colts DC Matt Eberflus
Bengals Put DT Larry Ogunjobi On IR, Activate OL Xavier Su'a-Filo
Voting Breakdown For 2021 All-Pro Team
2021 All-Pro Teams
2022 Regular Season Opponents For All 32 NFL Teams
Week 18 NFL Playoff-Clinching Scenarios


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A repüléstan (latin eredetű szóval aviatika) a mérnöki tudomány azon ága, amely repülő szerkezetek (például repülőgép, űrhajó, léghajó) tervezésével, építésével és a repülés elméletével foglalkozik. A repüléstan többek között az alábbi területeket fedi le:

 Aerodinamika – a tárgyak körüli (például szárny), illetve a tárgyakon áthaladó (például szélcsatorna) áramlások tanulmányozásával foglalkozik (áramlástan). Lásd még: felhajtóerő, aeronautika.
 Meghajtástudomány – egy jármű levegőben vagy légüres térben való elmozdításához az energiát belsőégésű motorok, sugárhajtóművek vagy rakétahajtóművek szolgáltatják. Lásd még: propeller, űrhajó-meghajtás.
 Repülésdinamika – a járművek megfelelő helyzetbe való manőverezés tudománya. Lásd még: asztrodinamika.
 Szerkezettan – a repülés alatt fellépő erőknek megfelelő jármű fizikai felépítésének tudománya. A repülésszerkezettan nagy jelentőséget tulajdonít a kialakított szerkezetek alacsony tömegének.
 Anyagtan – a szerkezettanhoz kapcsolódó tudományág. A repüléstannak szüksége van olyan anyagokra, amelyekből repülő szerkezeteket lehet építeni. Nagyon pontos tulajdonságú új anyagokat fejleszt ki, vagy pedig egy már létező anyag tulajdonságait javítja fel.
 Aeroelaszticitás – az aerodinamikai erők és a szerkezeti hajlékonyság kölcsönhatása, amely szárnyrezgéshez vagy elhajláshoz is vezethet.

A fentiek nagy része az elméleti matematikát veszi alapul – ilyen például a áramlástan vagy pedig a repülésdinamikai egyenletek. Mindemellett a tudományág jelentős tapasztalati alapokra is támaszkodik, amelyeket méretarányos makettekkel illetve prototípusokkal való kísérletezés során állapítottak meg szélcsatornákban vagy akár a szabad levegőn. A számítástechnika legújabb vívmányainak köszönhetően a folyadékok és gázok áramlását már számítógépen is lehet modellezni, így jelentősen csökkenthető a szélcsatornás kísérletekre fordított idő és pénz.

A repüléstan emellett foglalkozik még a légi jármű összes alkatrészével (elektromos, távközlési, hőmérsékletszabályozási, és egyéb alrendszerekkel), illetve a jármű élettartamát befolyásoló tényezőkkel (tervezés, hőmérséklet, nyomás, sugárzás, sebesség stb.).

További  információk
Repülőszimulátor.lap.hu - linkgyűjtemény
 Repülés- és áramlástani hírek

Alkalmazott tudományok
Repüléstechnika

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Saint Lucia — Value-added tax (VAT)
15% 9.5%, 0% (XCD)
Saint Lucia's general VAT rate is 15%, with other rates including 9.5% and 0% that can apply to certain transactions. The Value-added tax (VAT) is administered by the Inland Revenue Department, VAT Section in Castries.
Saint Lucia has a special reduced VAT rate of 7% on hotel services.
Saint Lucia is a member of the CARICOM trading bloc, which may affect international VAT collection and regulations.
Saint Lucia's consumption tax is called the Value-added tax (VAT), which was introduced in October 2012.
Saint Lucia VAT rates for 2022
9.5% (hotel accommodation)
Zero-rated and exempt
Saint Lucia VAT number format
Businesses in Saint Lucia that are required to collect tax will be issued an identification number. Tax identification numbers can be verified with the Inland Revenue Department, VAT Section, and will follow a certain format. The VAT number format is 123456-7.
Saint Lucia VAT return periods
Businesses in Saint Lucia that are required to collect tax from consumers must file regular tax returns with the Inland Revenue Department, VAT Section in Castries. Saint Lucia's VAT return periods are:
Saint Lucia Value-added tax (VAT) Thresholds
These are the revenue thresholds at which businesses in Saint Lucia are required to start collecting and remitting tax.
XCD400,000 (effective 14 March 2016)
Non-established businesses are small, unincorporated businesses that sell taxable goods and may consist of a single individual, or several. Non-incorporated businesses in Saint Lucia are not required to collect taxes from the consumer.
Saint Lucia VAT Refunds
Many countries allow tourists, and others making purchases for export, to receive a VAT refund on exiting the country (or make purchases VAT free). While we don't have data on the Saint Lucia VAT refund program, more info can be obtained from the Inland Revenue Department, VAT Section.
Saint Lucia Tax Sources & Citations
EN: Saint Lucia Value Added Tax
Note: This page is intended to be a simple overview of Saint Lucia's consumption tax structure, is provided as-is, and is not legal advice. Please let us know if any of the Saint Lucia tax information on this page is incorrect or out of date.
Saint Lucia Inland Revenue Department, VAT Section (1)
Ernst & Young global VAT tax study, Saint Lucia (updated 2022)
Source: http://world.salestaxhandbook.com/lc-saint-lucia


So, the pleasures of dorm life were brought home to us about 3am when our fellow traveller returned from a night out, blazing a torch around the room, for what seemed like half an hour, farted loudly, giggled and went to sleep. 2 hours later our fellow Belgium travellers got up for their flight home and we were then up at 6am for our train to Sweden. To say we were grumpy and tired is probably not required but I will anyway.
We walked the 100 yards down the street to the train station observing the litter that was everywhere! Saturday nights here are obviously great!
We were so early at the station that we entered the platform before the international barriers had been moved into place.
Train left on time at 7.16 with about 6 people on board which probably says something about the Danish and not being fond of getting up after a Saturday night out.
I dozed like a nodding dog on the train, by the time were were a few hours in I was also becoming slightly itchy which I put down to being tired and sensitive. The train quickly filled up on leaving Malmo and we had luckily been allocated seats in the quiet zone so were able sleep and read when we liked. I also heard my first'tut' when someone's phone went off.
The views through the train window were stunning, pine forests, lakes, the odd mountain, more pine trees and more lakes with a few wooden houses dotted throughout – exactly what you would expect from a Swedish holiday brochure.
Arrived in Stockholm on a Sunday afternoon with blue skies above. Walked 20 mins, mainly uphill, with increasingly heavy backpacks to get to the hostel. We are wishing it was winter so we could wear more clothes and have less to carry. On check in, we were shown to our room which was spacious and had an ensuite. OMG! We were over the moon! Who cares there was no window, ensuite and space more than made up for that.
As it was only 2.30 we made our way into town to a local food stall we had seen on the Hairy Bikers show that sold herrings, in all kinds of ways.
We walked through the main shopping street with all the usual names- H&M, Starbucks, Joe and the Juice (Skandi chain which is fab), Zara, burger king etc etc. We got to the end and over to the next island which was crammed with Sunday strollers out for a slow walk. Unfortuntely we weren't, we were hungry and tired and needed a herring fix NOW! Without elbowing too many locals out of the way we made it over the next bridge and to the food stall nystekt stromming. There was a small queue but he was still selling herring so we waited patiently and got a plate of herring, mash, and three accompaniments (for £7.50) and it was delicious! My accompaniments were the best, the mustard sauce was sweet and goes so well with the oily fish. It was healthy and delicious, what more can you want?
Less grumpy we ventured further into Stockholm and weren't that impressed but I think we had been spoilt by Copenhagen. All the bars were either English, Irish or American it seemed really difficult to see what a Swedish bar was like so after a wander and a pint (Swedish beer- nice, nothing too special) we headed back to the supermarket over the road for Supermarket Tea. This time it consisted of pickled herrings, smoked salmon, rocket, kartoffelsalat (creamy), smashed avocado and gluten free crispbreads. It was delicious.
We had also looked for a cheeky glass of white wine to accompany this fine dinner but to no avail. On googling Booze in Sweden we found out that hard liquor (as anything over about 3% is known in Sweden) is licenced by the Government and only sold in shops open til 7pm or closed on Sundays, healthy lifestyle it is then.
By this time I was becoming increasingly itchy and disgruntled. On checking my face, arms and legs small bites were appearing, in small clusters, reminiscent of bed bugs, the memories of Asia came flooding back. Paying £35 for a bunk bed and getting bed bugs was a little disheartening.
Had an enforced lie-in trying to be quiet in the dorm. After station food breakfast we hired bikes and set off into the sprawling cycle lanes of the city. Copenhagen is very commuter friendly. Everyone stops for pedestrians on zebra crossings and cars also give way to cyclists when turning left at a junction so together with a flat terrain and miles of cycle lanes it's perfect for foreign novices to get stuck into.
We headed through the city, dodging drunks emerging from bars (10 am – 24 hour city) to the waterfront and back round to the little mermaid. Coming past the Star Fort a motorbike outrider stopped the coach in front of us but instead of a cycle race coming through, around 100 people on vintage bikes dressed in 1940s styles drifted by smiling and waving. Further down the road we passed a massive organised running event with pompom-ed cheerleaders at the finish line.
Feeling peckish we attempted a new land speed record on gear-less bikes with baskets and headed to the meatpacking district for lunch. A pop up food fair provided salmon burger with white wine (Al) and a rare beef steak baguette with red (me) to the backdrop of locals dancing salsa in blistering 27° sunshine. All paid for on cards with card readers plugged into ipads.
Back on the bikes and we spent a wonderful afternoon bar crawling across the city. For me it's up there with tapas crawling in Barca or sushi crawling in Japan as a great way to have a few beers. Crossing the city through the safe cycle lanes, park your bike outside the bar and after a relaxed drink off you head somewhere else. Very civilised.
For tea we headed to the paper island where dozens of food stalls reside in an old warehouse a lot like Digbeth Dining club in Birmingham but with 100s more people. We were held up on the way by a bridge being raised to let some yachts through and in no time dozens of people were queuing patiently on foot or bike without tutting.
It only added to the anticipation of the food which was worth the wait. Danish apple pudding with cream, almond and toffee cheesecake but the best was the creme brulee donut.
Copenhagen had stolen our hearts and we pondered just staying here for 6 months before heading home to work, but a new country beckons tomorrow so we say Tak og farvel.
Up early for the train to Copenhagen. We both commented on how short the train was and realised why when it drove onto a ferry to cross the water to Denmark. (For any train geeks, it was the most stylish interior so far).
We walked the 50 metres to the hostel and dropped our backpacks before setting off to explore with enthusiastic excitement at popping our Scandinavian cherry. Copenhagen is beautiful. Grand architecture, picturesque back streets and canals lined with quaint cottages and a cafe culture with very friendly English speaking locals. We would also discover that the locals like a beer.
We stopped for a posh butty with salad and fish in a small place which was possibly the coolest cafe I've trodden in. A really old building with ancient features big old tables and chipped crockery. New is not always better.
We checked in to our luxury 6 berth spacious dorm and wondered what our room mates would be like (best case = Danish women's beach volleyball team. Worst case = Spanish stoners who shout instead of sleeping). The hostel recommended a bar which was handily located at the start of a self guided city tour so off we hiked via two dark imperial stouts. Our walk was bathed in glorious late summer sunshine and the city was coming out for Friday night so the atmosphere was fabulous. We entered a park where families and friends sat together drinking and soaking up the sun and as we try and always fit in we returned to a Netto we had passed for beer and reindeer salami and then to the park to observe the locals. Picnic finished, we walked down to see the little mermaid and use the facilities.
Walking back to the centre we came across a canal lined with bars and restaurants heaving with Copenhageners enjoying a Friday night. Sat across from them along the canal edge were more budget revellers indulging in cans of carlsberg and tuborg. We headed straight to the nearest can shop. The beer tasted sweet and the atmosphere was so enjoyable we decided to splash out on a second can, I returned from the shop to find Alison being "wooed" by a tanned suited local lothario. Tempted to just watch, I decided to do the right thing and rescue her by pushing him into the canal (joking).
Amazed by our frugality of drinking tins in the park and by the canal we thought we'd have one for the road in a building. Before you could say "We're British" we came across the Lord Nelson selling pints of ale and playing 80s British rock. Perfect.
Heading home we saw the party bus sponsored by Malibu where drunk young revellers are driven around having a disco in a bus. Coming to the UK soon?
Finally we got home to find an aussie girl waiting up for us in our dorm. Neighbours eh?


text:
Q: How to find the newly added files in Git repo using pydriller I am able to find out the files which have been modified in the Git repo but this piece of code is not returning the files which have been newly added, can anyone please help me to update the code so that the newly added files can be identified.
from pydriller import Repository
for commit in Repository('path/to/the/repo').traverse_commits():
  for m in commit.modified_files:
    print("Modified file {}".format(m.filename))

For example, Between commit1 and commit5 there are 3 files modified and 2 newly added
M       changelog1.txt
M       newfile2.txt
M       changelog3.txt
A       changelog4.txt
A       newfile5.txt

With the code above it's returning all the files which have been modified, but not the ones which have been added.
PS: I am also open to any other solution

A: Added and Modified both the files are picked  by Repository('path/to/the/repo').traverse_commits():
In order to view the status of the modified file we just need to use m.change_type like mentioned in the below example
print("File {} change_type {}".format(m.filename, m.change_type)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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A Pilot's Perspective: The view from an airport window
By Fred Benton
(Dedicated to my friend and fellow-pilot Carl Faith, gone west 15 June 2019.)
In the interagency command center overlooking runway 34/16 at Redding municipal airport, everyone was on edge -- partly due to an outbreak of major wildfires, and partly due to the scene framed by panoramic tinted windows: a DC-4 airtanker, inbound from the east, a red cloud of retardant suddenly blooming below the airplane's belly as the pilots jettisoned a partial-load. The number four engine's prop was feathered. The bad engine was coughing out gray smoke as the tanker turned downwind at mid-field. Far off to the east, pyrocumulus clouds towered in the August sky north of Mt. Lassen. At first glance they looked like thunderheads. They weren't. They were convection columns from new fires which already exceeded 1000 acres each and were on their way to becoming monsters.
"Tanker 54, Redding tower, cleared to land runway 16. You're still trailing smoke."
"Roger. Is fire equipment standing by?"
"Yes sir – it's in position."
"Okey-dokey, here we come – turning final."
We watched as 54 lumbered in across the runway threshold. The pilot-in-command eased his ship down, cut power on his good engines, and the massive Douglas settled on its main gear, rolling a long way before the nose wheel touched down on baking asphalt. No sweat. Airport firefighters quickly extinguished the small engine fire.
One snapshot from a memory-book crammed with images ranging from funny to inspiring, from pastoral to tragic – scenes from an airport window in the 80s and 90s …
My job was Emergency Command Center Chief, Sierra Cascade Region, CDF (now CAL FIRE). My crew and I, together with our Forest Service counterparts, provided coordination, communication and logistical support to our respective agencies as they dealt with wildfires and other emergencies. Our building also housed the Redding smokejumpers, a fire weather office and the USFS North Zone fire cache. It was a unique assignment, sometimes a stressful one. One thing that helped me unwind was briefly checking out things "beyond the glass". As a pilot myself, it was not lost on me that our own ramp area and that of the adjoining Redding air attack base provided one of the best shows in town, what with the activity of assorted airtankers, air attack planes, lead planes, firefighting helicopters, smokejumper aircraft and call-when-needed "civilian" charters.
During "big busts," we were smack in the middle of a wildfire war-zone. Our own staffs were heavily reinforced. Around the clock, fire overhead, hand crews and supplies from throughout the state and nation continually arrived and departed.
Clad in hard-hats, lug-soled boots and Nomex fire-gear, young men and women carried bulky fire-bags containing personal protective equipment, spare clothing and other essentials. From one fire to the next, as long as the season lasted—that was what they did, and what they loved doing.
When fire activity was slow, the airport was still a fascinating place.
I recall the cold knot in my gut as I watched an Air National Guard F-4 land short and blow a tire one morning. The fighter, out of control, slewed wildly down runway 16, then veered off into weeds and dirt, kicking up a huge roostertail of dust. A sudden flip-over and fireball seemed inevitable. Luckily, the Phantom remained upright and eventually plowed to a stop. The pilot was Dean Martin, Jr., later killed in a weather-related accident in southern California.
I witnessed one fatal crash – a pilot in an airshow formation of T-34s misjudged his recovery from a low-level diving turn and slammed into the runway. The sheared-off engine and propeller bounced toward the packed rows of spectators. Fortunately, they didn't get that far, but a few people were hurt by flying debris.
Comedy relief was provided by the bounces, hair-raising flares and nervous overcontrolling of student pilots as their instructors sought to teach them the techniques of landing an airplane. I smiled but didn't laugh, knowing my own ability to botch a landing was alive and well.
The downstairs smokejumper unit, a.k.a. "the animal farm", was home to a free-spirited bunch of brawny, gung-ho dudes (and a few extremely fit females) who enthusiastically performed morning calisthenics on the ramp below. When they felt left out of the action, the jumpers would toss up little bandanna and rock parachutes in front of our windows. This meant: "Hey, dummies – don't forget the jumpers!"
The airfield's open spaces were populated by all sorts of critters – hawks and coyotes hunted rodents; once in a while a roadrunner would go streaking by; after dark, jackrabbits by the dozen would infiltrate the lawns and landscaped areas around the Operations building and romp around at the edge of the night-lighted ramp.
Twelve to sixteen-hour workdays were often necessary during fire season. Many times I watched both sunrise and moonrise from our overlook, thankful for a quiet minute or two to gather my thoughts and do a little contingency planning.
Through those windows I saw Air Force Two touch down, and Clint Eastwood's Gulfstream taxi by; I watched the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds perform; I saw low passes by P-51 Mustangs, Corsairs, Harrier jump-jets, A-10 Warthogs, U2s and many other military types; I watched helicopters practicing autorotations and smokejumpers boarding their Twin Otters and Sherpas; I marveled at the skill of the airtanker pilots, whose camaraderie and rugged individualism are of a bygone era and who, in my judgment, earn the riskiest dollar in aviation.
From an airport window you can see a helluva lot, and I only saw a fraction of all there was to see. I actually did work once in a while.
But not when the Blue Angels were executing their line-abreast loop …
Correction to the previous column: Tulelake airport, although owned by the City of Tulelake, actually sits on the Modoc side of the Siskiyou/Modoc county line. Tulelake leases the airport to Modoc county, who manages it.


text:
Sustainability Issues Can Put the Content Availability of Open Access Journals at Risk in the Long-Term, Absent Preservation Solutions
As the 2021 approaches, when the Plan S comes into effect, its implications for content preservation in the Open Access sector remain underexplored.
In their recent preprint study on vanished Open Access journals, Laakso and colleagues have found that, in their sample, a significant share of journals are at risk from disappearing from the Internet, due to their inactivity. While Open Access repositories can remedy this problem, they comprise only around estimated 80% of articles published in Open Access or closed access. Though the Plan S, promoted by the cOAlition S of funders and institutions, intends to make it mandatory to publish in Open Access journals that guarantee the long-term preservation of their articles, this is likely to preclude the vast majority of Open Access journals from being eligible for the Plan S support for associated article processing charges (APCs). In other words, based on the 2019 data from the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Laakso et al. argue that 71% of DOAJ-listed titles do not have long-term frameworks for content preservation in place.
On the one hand, the support for the Plan S is far from being universal, especially as the European Research Council has withdrawn its support from the cOAlition S, in a bid to follow an alternative path toward the implementation of Open Access principles. On the other hand, Gold Open Access journals that primarily depend on APCs for their financial sustainability may have limited budget outlays that could be dedicated to the preservation of their archival content, especially as they cease to exist. The findings of Laakso et al. suggest that this is likely to be the case for the absolute majority of Open Access journals.
Whereas Green or hybrid Open Access journals largely entail the repository deposition of either preprint or postprint versions of the articles they publish, due to content access embargos they also impose, Gold Open Access journals provide immediate article access, which likely acts as a disincentive for setting up long-term preservation arrangements. In this respect, as the research of of Laakso et al. also establishes, the existence of independent international preservation service providers does not necessarily prevent the loss of article content after Open Access journals terminate their operation.
As the comparative data that Laakso et al. have collected indicates, existing preservation services, such as CLOCKSS launched in 2006, tend to be library-led, non-profit organizations with dissimilar cost structures, compatibility preconditions and work processes. This leads to the fragmentation of preservation services and likely capacity limitations, while stimulating the development of alternative initiatives, such as the Preservation Network of the Public Knowledge Project (PKP PN) put into operation in 2016. However, as a free service, at present the PKP PN comprises only a small share of Open Access journals internationally and depends for its sustainability on supporting library budgets.
For book and journal publishers, the relative fragmentation of the preservation service landscape can be further compounded by the degree to which partner-provided or library-based preservation offerings are accessible to Open Access journals, the diversity of file formats and metadata issues that preservation processes involve and the existence of divergent technological and organizational strategies for preservation implementation. Though this diversity of approaches to preservation in the Open Access sector can reduce the risk that journal or book contents fail to remain in digital storage in the long term, it can also place barriers to content access through solution obsolescence, technological failures and human error, as not all preservation processes are automated.
Featured Image Credits: W.A.C. Bennett Library, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada, June 27, 2007 | © Courtesy of Paka/Flickr.
How COVID-19 is Changing Research Culture | Simon J. Porter and Daniel W. Hook | Digital Science & Dimensions, June, 2020
Open Access Books in the Humanities and Social Sciences: An Open Access Altmetric Advantage | Michael Taylor | arXiv, September, 2020
The sustainability limitations and dissimilar configurations of preservation solutions in the Open Access sector may put long-term access to books and articles at risk, due to the fragmentation of solution landscape and technical barriers.
Matthew Ismail
Certainly, this is an example of the need for a focus, not just on changing journals to an OA model, but also to paying attention to the myriad issues that are not addressed when people talk about publishing as if it is only posting articles on the internet.


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Google Now for Android Sports New TV and Offers Cards and Voice Control for Music
Google has released an update to its Search app for Android. The update sports new Cards for TV shows and Offers as well as voice control for music.
Google Cards, which are integrated into search, are bits of information that pop up on your phone exactly when you need them. For example, a Card can pop up to tell you when to catch the bus for work or to remind you to pick up milk on your way home. Google introduced great new features for their Cards at Google I/O, including reminders for the release of books and albums you're excited about.
The New TV Card
The new TV Card will pop up as you watch programs on your internet-connected TV to provide you with information about the show you're watching. For example, if you had been watching Nik Wallenda make his away across the Grand Canyon on a tightrope, Google's TV Card could have showed you this:
The TV Card only works between devices and TVs connected to the same Wi-Fi network, and for now the TV Card is only available in the US.
The New Offers Card
Google has also released a new Offers Card, which will remind you about unused offers whenever you are close to the area of redemption. This could make it easier for you to use up those offers and get your money's worth!
Voice Commands for Music
In the app store you'll also see that Google has added voice action capabilities for Google Search that will allow you to play music from your phone or the Play Store. These updates are available only on Android devices; it is not yet clear when these features will be available on iOS.
How do you use Google Now? Do you ever use it to help you complete daily tasks? Let us know in the comments.
Categorized as Entertainers, Musicians Tagged Android, Apps, Google, google now, google offers, google search, music, News, Productivity, Tech, Television, Web
Eric Hearn says:
Can we remember life before Google?
Rumors: Will Twitter Add Automatic Image Previews to Its Streams?
#DOMA Is Gone: The Nation Reacts


If you want a fun car, but don't want to have to stop for gas all the time, you're actually spoiled for choice. This list features a number of genuinely fun cars that'll get 30 mpg, or better, on the highway, as certified by the EPA.
Under its pretty skin, the Audi TT is basically an all-wheel-drive GTI. The extra weight for the AWD system means the TT can't match the GTI's 34-mpg highway fuel economy, but it still offers similar performance as the VW.
If you're looking to save a little money over the i8, or you prefer a traditional drivetrain over a hybrid, you can still have fuel-efficient fun in a BMW. The 230i will hit 35 mpg on the highway if you choose the automatic, but it's still a blast to drive. Its 248-horsepower engine is powerful enough to hit 60 mph in either 5.2 or 5.3 seconds depending on the transmission.
Amazingly, a rear-wheel drive six-cylinder BMW 3-Series can do 32 mpg on the highway, if you don't bury your foot too often. That's amazing for a 320-hp car that's a hoot on a twisty backroad.
We weren't sure whether we should include the BMW i8 on this list or not because of how expensive it is. But in the end, we couldn't ignore it. In the speed department, the $140,000-plus i8 will hold its own against similarly-expensive competitors, hitting 60 mph in a scant 3.6 seconds. Amazingly, it does that with the help of a turbocharged three-cylinder borrowed from the Mini Cooper and two electric motors. Despite how fast it is, the plug-in hybrid i8 is rated at 76 MPGe—though you'll probably get closer to 30 if you're driving it in Sport mode.
The new Camaro SS is undeniably awesome, and if you get the automatic, that big V8 will do 28 mpg on the highway. Drivers looking for more fuel-efficient fun can eke out an extra three miles per gallon if they opt for the base engine, a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. It makes 275 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, good for 0-60 in 5.4 seconds, but it's also rated at 31 mpg highway.
Obviously no one is going to look at the Fiat 500, even in Abarth guise, and think it's a gas guzzler. It looks every bit like the fuel-efficient city car it is. The problem comes when people hear it. The 500 Abarth has a ridiculous exhaust note, like a tiny Ferrari, which can be confusing for the general public. Still, if you opt for the manual transmission, the Abarth version of the 500 gets a respectable 33 mpg highway.
The Fiat 500 Abarth is a blast to drive around the city, but buyers looking for a more refined driving experience should look no further than the Ford Fiesta ST. It's not quite as fuel efficient as the 1.0-liter Ecoboost version, but you'll still get 33 mpg highway, and you'll have more fun than anyone should be able to in a sub-$25k car.
Like the Chevrolet Camaro, the Ford Mustang offers a turbocharged four-cylinder option for buyers who want more fuel efficiency. Ford's four-cylinder offers more power than the Chevy, though, bringing 310 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque to the party. For a pony car that can hit 30 on the highway, that's impressive.
The new Honda Civic Sport isn't quite a hot hatch, but it still manages to be a ton of fun to drive, while offering excellent economy. Opt for the six-speed manual, and you'll see around 39 MPG on the highway. The upcoming Civic Si will be a little less frugal, but likely more fun.
You can have your Jaguar XE with a super-efficient four-cylinder diesel, or even a four-cylinder gas engine, but why bother when the V6 still gets 30 mpg on the highway? It's basically the same 340-hp supercharged V6 used in the F-Type. Of course, you'll have to be very careful to get that sort of fuel mileage with this engine.
The Mazda 6 is far more fun-to-drive than any mid-size sedan has any right to be. It's only offered with one engine, a 184-hp 2.5-liter four, but it's a good one, especially when paired with a six-speed manual transmission.
Cars that go fast in a straight line are fun. We won't deny that. But there's also something enjoyable about a car that's perfectly balanced and poised through the corners. For more than 20 years, the Mazda Miata has been exactly that, and boy do we love it. The latest Miata loses its "cute" look, but it's still an absolute blast to drive. All that fun also comes cheaply, with the Miata getting 35 mpg on the highway if you opt for the automatic. The manual still gets a respectable 33 mpg.
Toyota and Subaru took a classic sports-car approach to creating the 86 and BRZ, only giving each 205 horsepower, but pairing that with a light, nimble chassis. With the automatic, you'll get around 34 mpg on the highway too. You give up some fuel efficiency with the manual transmission, but we think it's worth the trade.
You'd think that with an all-wheel-drive Golf in the lineup, the front-wheel-drive GTI would be overshadowed. That's simply not the case, because the GTI is a total blast to drive. Front-wheel drive haters be damned. You'll also get up to 34 mpg highway when equipped with the manual transmission.


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Q: Replace existing values by index How do you use pandas to replace by index the values that you want to make negative?
My Code:
transFrom = allBills_df[allBills_df.Description == 'Transfer From Checking']['Amount']
transFromidx = allBills_df[allBills_df.Description == 'Transfer From Checking']['Amount'].index

new_values =  allBills_df[allBills_df.Description == 'Transfer From Checking']['Amount']*-1

Now that I have them as negative numbers, I want to replace them back into my 'allBills_df' by index.
Before:                    After:
    index  value            index  value
    77    1363.60           77    -1363.60
    96     200.00           96     -200.00
    108    220.00           108    -220.00
    114   3000.00           114   -3000.00
    115    800.00           115    -800.00
    116    100.00           116    -100.00
    117     85.00           117     -85.00
    112   3000.00           112   -3000.00

A: I know I am close... but it just keeps looping through all of them...
oldData = allBills_df[allBills_df.Description == 'Transfer From Checking']['Amount']
oldDataIdx = allBills_df[allBills_df.Description == 'Transfer From Checking']['Amount'].index
newData = allBills_df[allBills_df.Description == 'Transfer From Checking']['Amount']*-1

for i in list(oldDataIdx):
    for j in list(newData):
        allBills_df.loc[i, 'Amount'] = j

Output:
    index   values
Out[111]:
77    -200.0
96    -200.0
108   -200.0
114   -200.0
115   -200.0
116   -200.0
117   -200.0
112   -200.0
114   -200.0
116   -200.0
131   -200.0
136   -200.0
153   -200.0
154   -200.0
155   -200.0
156   -200.0
121   -200.0
123   -200.0
125   -200.0


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<< Back To Climatewire
Biden wants industry to fix the climate mess it helped create
By Corbin Hiar, Kelsey Brugger | 12/08/2022 06:42 AM EST
President Joe Biden speaks Nov. 17, 2021, at the General Motors Factory ZERO electric vehicle assembly plant in Detroit. Nic Antaya/Getty Images
Over the last century, the American economy has been a major driver of climate change. Now President Joe Biden wants to redirect the nation's industrial strength towards addressing the problem.
Aided by historic climate spending legislation, the Biden administration is attempting to use the federal government's immense purchasing power to catalyze an economic transformation that would boost domestic industries while effectively eliminating the nation's planet-warming emissions by 2050.
But the White House can't buy its way to net-zero emissions, policy experts say. For the president's clean procurement efforts to have an impact beyond his term in office, he'll need to get corporations and state and local governments to help drive demand for clean energy, electric vehicles and low-emission building products.
"This guy's been in politics for a long time and understands how these things work, and so for sure they're trying to design these policies so that they do have a lasting impact," said Victor Olgyay, who leads the carbon-free buildings program at the environmental think tank RMI.
"Part of that is ensuring that the private sector recognizes the benefits and incorporates them into their business models," he said of the green products the president has called for. If the administration can demonstrate the appeal of commodities such as low-emission steel, cement and round-the-clock clean energy to state and corporate leaders, Olgyay said, "it'll survive beyond the Biden administration."
Building on the order this week, White House officials issued a new federal standard that requires agencies to cut emissions and electrify appliances in 30 percent of the federal building stock by the end of the decade. The Energy Department issued a companion proposal for new buildings (E&E News PM, Dec. 7).
"This is part of a broader suite of actions that are designed to catalyze this shift in the building sector," White House climate advisor Ali Zaidi told reporters Wednesday.
Those actions follow last year's enactment of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which included billions of dollars for upgrading the electric grid and promoting transit. Then his sustainability plan got a boost in August with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides hundreds of billions more to encourage businesses and households to cut their emissions.
The laws are more permanent than Biden's clean procurement initiatives, which a Republican successor could scrap on their first day in office. But the combined market impacts of the legislative and executive actions would be far more difficult for them to reverse.
Bob Perciasepe, a top EPA official during the Obama administration, suggested momentum behind lower-carbon industrial production is already building: "You need to have a receptive private sector out there," he said. "And I think they are — more so than they were 10 years ago."
Following Carter's lead
Federal spending has long comprised a substantial share of the U.S. economy. It has ranged from nearly 41 percent of gross domestic product at the end of World War II to about 29 percent last year, data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis shows.
Former President Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. leader who applied that vast market power for environmental ends, according to some scholars.
In May 1977, when Biden was a first-term senator, Carter informed Congress that he'd instructed the General Services Administration "to revise its paper-product specifications to encourage the purchase of more recycled paper."
But Carter's encouragement did little to alter the buying habits of federal agencies. By 1992, only 12 percent of paper purchased by the government included significant quantities of recycled materials.
A 1998 executive order from President Bill Clinton eliminated any ambiguity, setting minimum environmental standards for "purchasing or causing the purchase of printing and writing paper."
Four years later, "98 percent of the 10,000 sheets of paper the government purchases every hour contain at least 30 percent post-consumer content," E – The Environmental Magazine reported at the time. The order "stabilized market standards" and reduced the cost for recycled paper, which convinced large corporations and private universities to make the switch, the magazine found.
Subsequent administrations have used the federal procurement powers to promote everything from energy-efficient appliances to environmentally friendly cleaning products.
Now Biden is trying to use government buying power to help decarbonize the steel, cement and electric industries.
But the federal government is a relatively minor consumer of certain industrial goods, such as the pliable sheet steel used to make auto bodies.
"Those steel products are going to be driven much more by the needs of our customers in the automotive industry than by government policy," said Kevin Dempsey, the head of the American Iron and Steel Institute, a trade association.
Corporate help needed
The Biden administration is looking to create demand for lower-emission steel and other products that extends far beyond Washington, experts say. Businesses and state and local governments that are similarly committed to reaching net-zero emissions can help.
"Especially in the tech sector, companies like Microsoft and Salesforce are recognizing that they have a big environmental impact through the purchasing of their materials," Olgyay said.
By 2030, Microsoft Corp. aims to be carbon negative, meaning it'd offset more carbon than the company and its products emit. Salesforce Inc. aims to hit net zero across its value chain by midcentury.
Microsoft is also one of several tech firms pioneering procurement of round-the-clock clean energy. That would ensure that all the energy that powers its offices, data centers and other facilities come from emission-free sources, even on calm nights when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow.
The Biden administration is piloting a similar effort with Entergy Arkansas LLC, which the GSA says is one of the top 10 suppliers of electricity to the federal government. Last month, the agency signed a nonbinding agreement to work together on preserving the utility's existing nuclear fleet and on constructing or acquiring new renewable and carbon-free energy resources.
"Once fully developed and approved, it is anticipated that Entergy Arkansas customers in both the public and private sector will have a cost-competitive and reliable option for [carbon-free electricity] that matches their electricity consumption for all hours of the day," the GSA said in a press release.
The administration's goal to purchase only carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030, half of which would be delivered in real time, "is a recognition that the federal government has a role to play … in helping evolve the market to where the grid needs to go, which is clean energy 24/7, every day of the year," said Misti Groves, Clean Energy Buyers Association's vice president of market and policy innovation.
States look to 'Buy Clean'
Another key component of the federal sustainability plan is the Biden administration's "Buy Clean" initiative, which will prioritize the use of domestically sourced, lower-carbon construction materials in federal procurement and federally funded projects.
While the details for what will qualify as "low carbon" are still being hammered out by federal officials, some states are already moving to prioritize cleaner building materials. For instance, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul last Decembersigned into law a bill to establish "guidelines for the procurement of low embodied carbon concrete." And California has had a "Buy Clean" law on the books since 2017, although many of its key provisions have only recently begun to take effect.
The actions of large states can reinforce the Biden administration's message to heavy-emitting industries. Consider California, which is the second-largest cement-producing state in the country, behind Texas. Its eight cement plants together produced 10 million metric tons of cement and emitted 8.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2017, according to a Blue Green Alliance report.
"We've been hard at work on cement and a few other materials, and actually just had a state law passed to fully decarbonize cement and concrete here in California," said Lauren Sanchez, a senior climate adviser to California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, on Wednesday during an online briefing with the White House. "Our energy and climate agencies are working hard on what that roadmap would look like."
Aware of the whipsaw pattern of environmental policymaking in Washington, polluting industries closely monitor state action before making major investment decisions.
"If they think something's going to come, it's going to be there for a couple of years and then it's going to go away, that's going to affect whether or not [businesses] are willing to go with that standard," said Dianne Rahm, a political science professor at Texas State University who's studied government procurement.
"If it dribbles down to the state, then it's more likely to stick," she added.
Leaders of the cement industry say they've heard the carbon-cutting messages coming from elected leaders across the country.
"Decarbonisation for our industry isn't some pipe dream — this is a reality," said Rick Bohan, the head of sustainability at the Portland Cement Association, an industry group. "This is going to happen, regardless of the administration."
The White House Council on Environmental Quality, which is coordinating the federal sustainability plan, declined interview requests and instead sent a written statement.
"The future of construction is clean," White House Federal Chief Sustainability Officer Andrew Mayock said. Buy Clean and other initiatives are "catalyzing demand for clean construction materials by leading the way for private-sector companies, states and cities," he said.
"This not only ensures that this change is here to stay, but that we're also fast-tracking change," Mayock added. "We will see this momentum in the marketplace toward more climate-friendly products like electric cars or low-carbon steel accelerate in the years to come."
Congress' 'biggest fight' over climate? It's the farm bill.
By Adam Aton | 02/01/2023 06:49 AM EST
'SCOTUS bait': Legal battle over Calif. waiver begins
By Lesley Clark | 01/31/2023 06:33 AM EST
China invests $546B in clean energy, far surpassing U.S.
By Sara Schonhardt | 01/30/2023 06:47 AM EST
Why Treasury's top climate official left the government
By Avery Ellfeldt | 01/30/2023 06:46 AM EST
Competition heats up for U.S. direct air capture program
By Carlos Anchondo, Corbin Hiar | 01/30/2023 06:45 AM EST


"It used to be that when four businessmen lunched at a steakhouse, they couldn't even finish a bottle of tannat," a winemaker explains, referring to the very tannic, astringent wine native to Uruguay. Today that's all changed as producers are employing a variety of means such as a five day cold soak to soften tannins, blending tannat with other grape varieties such as merlot, and aging the wine in French oak barrels (new as well as second and third use) in order to tame tannins.
Both respected winemaker Francisco Carrau of his family's Bodega Carrau and oenologist Eduardo Boida of Bodega Bouza have reputations as being the "Tamers of Tannat" inside the Uruguayan wine community. Boida in particular cultivates grapes in parcels no larger than a half-hectare, with such small-scale viticulture assuring quality and the "traceability" of each bottle. Fans of Bodega Bouza have their favorite vineyards and ask for wine made from individual parcels by name.
Aside from its top quality wines, Bodega Bouza is a must-see winery where visitors can spend the day enjoying a gourmet lunch (with a full range of Bouza wines) in their elegant restaurant and touring the grounds with its graceful, long-legged tero birds. Another gorgeous Uruguayan commercial winery to visit is Bodega Garzon, near the luxurious resort of Punta del Este. Owned by a multi-billionaire, the enormous estate consists of a forest and olive groves, as well as land for cattle and an ostrich farm. Though the vines are still very young, the wines show great promise and the olive oils (produced in many different styles, from trees brought in from various parts of the world) are delicious. By December 2012, the multi-million dollar state-of-the-art winery will be ready for visitors and tours.
Beyond the large producers and showcase wineries you will find small, quality producers whose ancestors arrived from Italy and Spain as much as two hundred years ago to produce wine, though the majority of the wineries started at the turn of the last century. Visit these small, family-run wineries and you will find sepia-toned portraits of the founders from the old country on the wall, along with antique cooking implements from the day when 'grandma' used to feed the pickers during harvest.
A charming example of such a small family winery Bodega Pizzorno. Carlos Pizzorno's great-grandfather set up a winery in 1910 and now Carlos, an enologist, has modernized it and works with his wife Ana and a few employees to create a wide range of wines including sparklers made from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. You will also find "new on the block" winemakers such as Paula Pivel (formerly of Citibank) and Alvaro Lorenzo who bought twenty hectares on an isolated rocky slope and named their winery Alto de la Ballenna.
Though tannat is the top exported wine, a big surprise in Uruguay is the variety and quality of white wines now being produced here and exported all over the world. The sauvignon blancs are fresh and balanced, yet almost every winery seems to produce international varieties that include albarino, gewutztraminer, and viognier in addition to the more typical chardonnay (both oaked and unoaked styles).
According to Gustavio Magarinos of Wines of Uruguay, the focus on quality is paying off. Exports to high end restaurants and shops worldwide are increasing, with tannat and its various blends very popular in many Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide. Even better is the news from the health front: tannins in the tannat grape have more polyphenol content than other red grapes — a component which is said to bolster blood vessels and increase oxygen flow to red blood cells. Beyond this, today's tannat is exceptionally balanced and pairs with a wide variety of food, including chocolate. And tannat is now widely available in the US.
Greetings. Nice to see the Uruguay wines discussed. I first visited Uruguay in 2006 and moved here from California in 2007. From my experience, the Tannat producers really got their act together with the 2003 vintage. Most white wines were still crap in 2007 but have improved significantly since. There a half a dozen of very good sauvignon blancs available from the different wineries.
Most of the premium wineries — there are about two dozen — offer three levels of tannat. Basic labels are bottled right from the fermenting tanks – tasty and fruity without much character. Reserva tannats are oak aged 3 to 6 months and the premium tannats aged about a year in oak.
In the U.S. the reserve tannat from Pisano is widely distributed. It is a good example of the quality. Last time I was in the states it cost about $14.