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Energy Department Blocks Disclosure of Road Map to Relieve Critical U.S. Energy-Water Choke Points
September 7, 2010 /7 Comments/in North America, South America, Water & Energy, Water Law, Water News, Water Policy & Politics /by Keith Schneider
Withheld report was requested and funded by Congress.
By Keith Schneider
Circle of Blue
A far-reaching federal program of research and analysis, funded by Congress and designed to help the nation anticipate and temper the mounting conflict between rising energy demand and diminishing supplies of fresh water, has been brought to a standstill by the Department of Energy, according to government researchers involved in the project.
Photo © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue
ROCHELLE, ILLINOIS, AUGUST 2010: The Illinois River Energy biofuels plant in Rochelle releases plumes of steam at sunrise. The ethanol plant processes over 40 million bushels of corn into 115 million gallons of fuel grade ethanol annually. The plant is one of hundreds around the country transforming corn into ethanol. It takes nearly 1,000 gallons of water to produce a gallon of ethanol from irrigated corn: four gallons from unirrigated corn.
The research program, known as the National Energy-Water Roadmap and ordered up by Congress as part of the 2005 Energy Security Act, was meant to provide lawmakers and the executive branch two studies of the impending collision between energy and water, and what to do about it.
The first, completed by a team of federal scientists in December 2006 and made public a month later, described the serious consequences the nation is already encountering as the United States encourages more energy production, the second largest user of water, but gives scant consideration to water supplies, which are in retreat in most regions of the country.
Meanwhile the second and final report that Congress commissioned, a comprehensive research agenda to better understand the nation's energy-water choke points and begin developing real world solutions, has been held out of public view for more than four years.
22 Rewrites
Michael Hightower, an energy systems analyst at Sandia National Laboratories and a co-author of the report, said the first draft of the study on research needs was delivered to the Energy Department in July 2006. Energy Department reviewers have since called for 22 rewrites, the last of which was delivered in May 2009, Hightower said.
Since then the five-member team that co-authored the study has not had any communication about the report with the two primary reviewers, Samuel F. Baldwin, chief technology officer in the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and Nicholas B. Woodward in the DOE Office of Science.
"I don't know why they are holding up the report," said Hightower in an interview with Circle of Blue. "I can only conclude we don't know how to write or they don't like the report. I think we have done a nice job in collecting the data. Maybe the quality is in question."
Neither Baldwin nor Woodward responded to email messages from Circle of Blue. Ebony Meeks, an assistant press secretary, offered this explanation by email and did not respond to follow-up questions: "When developing a comprehensive technological road map it is imperative that all the data is thoroughly reviewed for accuracy and concurred upon by the multiple participating programs. We plan to release the road map as soon as possible."
The Energy Department's decision to prevent the report's public release could also prove embarrassing.
A National Water-Energy Conference Without Key Research
The report's release couldn't come soon enough for the agency, and the nation. Over the last five weeks, in its Choke Point: U.S. series, Circle of Blue has thoroughly explored the ever more fierce contest between the nation's insatiable demand for energy, and the tightening supplies of fresh water.
Among the primary conclusions reached in Choke Point: U.S. is that the nation has not yet recognized the significance of the collision between energy demand and water supply to the economy or the environment. The Road Map report was intended to be a vital step toward closing that information gap.
The Energy Department's decision to prevent the report's public release could also prove embarrassing. September 26 is the start of the four-day Water/Energy Sustainability Symposium in Pittsburgh, the second annual national conference co-hosted by the Energy Department to "highlight proven and innovative solutions to complex water/energy challenges." The Pittsburgh conference is the second in a row that could occur without the principal national study that outlines the research priorities. Last year's conference took place in Salt Lake City.
It is not at all clear why the Energy Department has apparently iced the Road Map. Calls last week to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which played an important role in securing funding for the Road Map, received no response.
Photo © Ronnie Smith / Circle of Blue 2010
TAFT, CALIFORNIA, AUGUST 2010: Covering a stretch of the Central Valley as large as New Jersey, arid Kern County is one of the nation's most important agricultural and oil producing regions. Oil producers inject 1.3 billion barrels of water into the ground to produce 162 million barrels of of oil a year. During a severe drought in the region, the oil industry received 8.4 billion gallons of water a year – as much as it needed – from the network of aqueducts and canals that carry water from Sierra Nevada rivers and reservoirs.
But a number of clues are contained in a March 2007 Sandia National Laboratories paper that summarized the Road Map's contents. The paper, prepared by Hightower and three colleagues—Ron Pate, Chris Cameron, and Wayne Einfeld—makes clear that any number of executives in the coal, nuclear, oil, solar thermal, and biofuels industries, and their allies in Congress, could be unhappy about the report's conclusions. The Sandia paper essentially asserts that the United States quickly needs to reconsider and realign much of its energy production policy and water management practices in order to avoid dire shortages of water and potential shortfalls in energy. None of the big energy production or large water use sectors will be left untouched, the paper indicates.
"The U.S. energy infrastructure depends heavily on the availability of water, and there is cause for concern." -Sandia National Laboratories
Few Energy and Water Use Sectors Untouched
"The U.S. energy infrastructure depends heavily on the availability of water, and there is cause for concern about the availability of that water as we look toward future demands on limited water resources," the authors wrote. "As future demands for energy and water continue to increase, competition for water between the energy, domestic, agricultural, and industrial sectors could significantly impact the reliability and security of future energy production and electric power generation," they added: "It may not be possible in many areas of the country to meet the country's growing energy and water needs by following the current U.S. path of largely managing water and energy separately while making small improvements in freshwater supply and small changes in energy and water-use efficiency."
For instance, the authors raised concerns about U.S. energy policy that is encouraging construction of more coal-fired and nuclear power plants, which use millions of gallons of water an hour, without consideration for where they would be built. The thermo-electric generating sector currently accounts for half of the 400 billion gallons of water withdrawn daily from the nation's rivers and lakes, principally to cool the plants. The same power plants consume more than 3 billion gallons of water a day, principally through evaporation.
Infographic: Water Use Per Mile Driven, Biofuels vs. Fossil Fuels
Infographic designed by Kalin Wood / reportage by Aubrey Ann Parker and Clyde Rastetter.
Water Use by Transportation Fuels: Gallons of H20 per Mile Driven. Click image to see to full infographic details.
The Energy Information Administration, a unit of the Department of Energy, forecast a nearly 50 percent increase in the demand for electricity between 2005 and 2030. A portion will be filled with energy from the wind and solar photovoltaics, which use virtually no water. Most of the rest will come from new thermoelectric plants.
The Sandia authors noted that new technologies are needed to enable the plants to use coolants other than fresh water, including wastewater from municipal treatment systems, seawater, produced water from mining and drilling operations, and agricultural runoff. In addition, the authors said, U.S. policy encouraging the development of pollution control systems that capture climate-changing emissions and store it deep underground–so-called carbon capture and sequestration–increases water consumption at plants 40 percent to 90 percent.
Water & Energy Reports
Energy Demands on Water Resources Report to Congress on the Interdependency of Energy and Water U.S. DOE: December 2006
Overview of Energy-Water Interdependencies and the Emerging Energy Demands on Water Resources Sandia Laboratories: March 2007
Advanced Energy Initiative Did Not Consider Water Use
The paper recommends integrating into Congressional and federal policymaking for energy production new requirements for taking into account whether enough water is available for new thermoelectric plants. "The large growth in certain regions of the country of electric power demand and alternative transportation fuel feedstock and refining demands," the Sandia authors wrote, "suggests that water availability regionally or locally may not be able to support the high growth rate in energy development expected without significant improvements in both energy and fresh water use efficiency."
The Sandia authors raise similar concerns about rising demand for water to satisfy the nation's appetite for transportation fuels. In January 2006, President George W. Bush introduced the Advanced Energy Initiative to reduce oil imports and increase national security. One facet of the initiative is to replace 30 percent of the nation's current gasoline needs with domestically grown and refined biofuels by 2030. This will require production of about 60 billion gallons of ethanol per year by 2030, with over two-thirds needing to come from cellulosic-based feedstocks like switchgrass and wood wastes.
Photo © Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images for Circle of Blue
IMPERIAL VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, AUGUST 2009: The All American Canal, the main water conduit from the Colorado River into the Imperial Dam, flows through the Imperial Valley, Calif. The desert area uses most of its allocated river water for agricultural purposes.
Another facet of the initiative is to encourage production of biodiesel and transportation fuels from tar sands and oil shales in the arid West.
Very clearly, the Sandia authors indicate, the Bush administration did not consider where the water would come from to produce these alternative fuels. "Virtually every alternative transportation fuel being considered will require more water than current petroleum refining," said the Sandia paper. "A major national scale-up of production capacity and use of nonconventional alternative transportation fuels to meet future domestic fuel demands could significantly increase water demands and impacts."
Producing a gallon of gasoline, said the authors, takes about 1.5 gallons of water. Every one of the alternatives promoted in the Advanced Energy Initiative takes more water, from two to six times as much water as petroleum production and refining needs to produce a gallon of fuel. Producing ethanol from irrigated corn fields takes 1,000 gallons of water to produce a gallon of fuel. Producing biodiesel from irrigated soybean fields takes 6,500 gallons to produce a gallon of fuel.
Very clearly, the national alternative fuels plan that relies heavily on producing ethanol raises significant issues about water supply. "Among the issues with the future expansion of biofuel production will be to assure that the availability, use, and sustainability of water and land resources is appropriately managed," the Sandia paper counseled, "to avoid adverse impacts while not putting undue constraints on the transition toward more biomass-based energy and products industries."
"I can only conclude we don't know how to write or they don't like the report." -Michael Hightower, Sandia National Laboratories
Planning Needed
Of all the research and policy recommendations summarized in the Sandia paper, and repeated in the Road Map report, perhaps the most significant is the call for linking energy policy and production with water supply and use. The Sandia paper concluded, "As these two resources see increasing demand and growing limitations on supply, energy and water must be recognized as highly interdependent critical resources that need to be managed together in a more integrated way to provide reliable energy and water supplies and sustain future national growth and economic development while maintaining the health of ecosystems and the environment."
"We need to come up with strategies so we have a sustainable future," said Hightower. "As it is now in the United States, water is managed by the water group and energy is managed by energy companies. We've got to look at the energy infrastructure and the water infrastructure together.
"That's what we've identified as a need in the Road Map report. Hopefully we've done something good for the country. Although we're in trouble with the DOE."
Keith Schneider is the senior editor of Circle of Blue. Contact Keith Schneider
Read more about energy-water connections in Circle of Blue's Choke Point: U.S. series.
Keith Schneider
Circle of Blue's senior editor and chief correspondent based in Traverse City, Michigan. He has reported on the contest for energy, food, and water in the era of climate change from six continents. Contact
Tags: Alternative propulsion, Biodiesel, Biofuels, Congress, Department of Energy, Energy, energy demand, Energy development, Energy economics, Energy policy, energy production, energy sector, Environment, Ethanol, Feature Stories, Keith Schneider Circle, Nuclear Power, Renewable Energy, Research + Reports, Sandia National Laboratories, United States, Water Law Featured, Water Law U.S., World energy resources and consumption
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HomePosts tagged 'PrivatBank'
PrivatBank
Ukranian Oligarchs, Money Laundering, Impeachment Hearings, Real Estate Moguls and US President Trump?
August 6, 2020 August 6, 2020 LostMessiah Donald Trump, Fraud, Magnitsky Act, Money Laundering, Ukranian Oligarchs, Uncategorized Donald Trump, Fraud, Marie Yovonovitch, Money Laundering, PrivatBank, Rudolph Giuliani, Ukrainian Oligarchs
The Ukranian Oligarchs, the Ties to the US Government, Power and Money
LM began investigating the story of the Ukranian Oligarchs deeply embedded in US political affairs in 2019 as part of the investigation into the arrest of other Ukranian nationals tied to the government. Actually, the investigation started earlier when LM began looking into the Dan Gertler stories in 2016.
More recently, our inquiries have included Rudolph Giuliani's pursuit of business in the Ukraine. The Magnitsky Act sanctions against Gertler which were toppled by executive order (more on that in a later story) and now a recent investigation into Ukranian oligarchs heavily leveraged in a number of US states who allegedly laundered and stole billions of dollars.
The story about these men and their somewhat intricate ties to high level US Government officials included a number of significant news articles about Arsen Avakov, Ukraine's Interior Minister and Marie Yovanovitch (who, if you will recall was ousted from her position as the US ambassador to the Ukraine). We posit that Yovanovitch knew what was going on, wanted to put an end to the wholesale purchase of parts of the US to powers that be in the Ukraine and got tossed aside for that reason. Her testimony during the impeachment hearings likely missed far too much about what she knew than it brought to light.
The information we uncovered along the way, we believe, should have been part of the US impeachment inquiry, which itself was unsuccessful; but only because of the political climate. The mistakes of that inquiry were far more about what was ignored during hearings than anything else, namely that likely all the President's men were playing both sides of the Ukranian double-edged sword to establish relationships and with Ukranian power-brokers thereby yielding themselves significant political power and financial benefits. No politician worth his weight in corrupt political salt would have been immune to the money and power these connections could help wield.
Ukranian Oligarchs, The Congressional Record, Optima, Privatbank, Purchase of Vast Swaths of Real Estate and PPP Loans
August 6, 2020 August 6, 2020 LostMessiah Fraud, Optima Management Group, PPP Loans, Ukranian Oligarchs Optima Management Group, PPP Loans, PrivatBank, Ukranian Oligarchs
FBI Raids U.S. Company With Ties to Ukrainian Oligarch
A U.S. company affiliated with the Ukrainian billionaire Igor Kolomoisky that has been accused of participating in an international fraud scheme was raided by the FBI in two locations on Tuesday.
Agents conducted "law enforcement activity" in Cleveland and Miami at addresses that correspond with the offices of Optima Management Group, according to FBI Special Agent Vicki Anderson.
No arrests were made, she said. Photographs published by the Cleveland Plain Dealer show agents taking boxes from the Cleveland location.
Optima was part of an international scheme in which billions of dollars were siphoned from a Ukrainian bank by Kolomoisky to buy U.S. real estate, according to a civil lawsuit filed last year in Delaware. A grand jury in Cleveland is investigating Kolomoisky's suspected role in the scheme, BuzzFeed News reported.
Optima is controlled by three Floridians accused in the suit of serving as Kolomoisky's business representatives in the U.S., acquiring assets in their own name with money allegedly diverted from Privatbank, which Kolomoisky co-founded.
The Allegedly Problematic Benefactors and Lubavitch Educational Center, Florida, Kiev, Crown Heights, Russia…
February 27, 2020 February 28, 2020 LostMessiah Chabad, Fraud, Money Laundering, Uncategorized Chabad-Lubavitch, Lubavitch Educational Center, Mordechai Korf, PrivatBank, Uriel Zvi Laber
Chabad's Strange Bedfellows and the Web of Interrelated Connections and People – A Gem of a Way to Coin Money…
The following are two interrelated and interconnected articles; and a link to a 2007 Wall Street Journal article which planted the seeds for the latest news. Suffice it to say, Chabad's ties to money, power and a litany of high-powered donors is frightening in its scope. It shows the broadness of their reach.
The dots are easy to connect and are inextricably linked to the news earlier this year of ties to Chabad, the Ukraine, Guiliani and his associates. This is not to say that Guiliani has done anything wrong. That is not a statement which is being made or implied. We leave any assessments of that to far higher powers than the fingers behind this keyboard.
There are a few notable points, however, that we bring to your attention and that The Forward missed. They are important as follows:
Rabbi Berel Lazar (of Putin's Soviet Chabad "mishpacha" [family]) is the brother of Mindy Zalmanov – mentioned in The Forward article below. Mindy is said to be Lazar's liaison in the United States.
The Link to Kiev and the Ukraine and Chabad came out months ago on numerous media sources; but the inextricable connections were published as early as 2007 by The Wall Street Journal in an article entitled: In Russia, a Top Rabbi Uses Kremlin Ties to Gain Power [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB117858672536595256]:
MOSCOW — Of all the strange relationships that define today's Russia, few are stranger than the alliance between President Vladimir Putin and an ultra-Orthodox rabbi named Berel Lazar.
Rabbi Lazar is a follower of Chabad-Lubavitch, a Hasidic sect based in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, that is on the fringes of mainstream Judaism. Its devotees are known for their love of the Rebbe, their late spiritual leader. Some even think he's the Messiah.
3. Rabbi Lezar is industrious, not thing else, and he has strong ties to other notable figures including, but not limited to Diamond Magnate Lev Leviev, who also has ties to the US government through a variety of diamond business. His alleged arch enemy, Dan Gertler seems to have ties to Guiliani who has registered to lobby on his behalf to have the Magnitsky Sanctions lifted. It is conceivable, albeit unusual, that Leviev and Gertler might have ties cloaked in long-standing business animosity.
4. Don't overlook the importance of Cleveland, the prominent families there, the Chabad connections or the efforts and crusade of one man to uncover financial improprieties in Cleveland. He has been largely bullied and harrassed for his scrutiny of financial records of major Jewish organizations in Cleveland, Ohio. But, his claims should not be understated. They are not being mentioned specifically here, but can be made available for law enforcement, that so far will not touch the Cleveland story.
4. There are no coincidences.
Law enforcement really should be taking a look…
The Not-Uncommon Tale of a Benefactor Becoming a Problem
February 21, 2020; Forward
When a nonprofit's financial status turns a glowing red, its board is faced with an existential moment. Should the nonprofit cut its losses, wind down operations, and go out of business as gracefully as possible? Or should it continue to search for sources of funding large enough to wipe out the debts and find a way to sustainability? Turns out that even if supporters do step forward, the worries may not be over. That's the story of the Lubavitch Educational Center (LEC) in Florida.
Forward's Molly Boigon writes that in 2013 the LEC was seriously past due on an $8 million loan and facing multiple foreclosures. The organization's leadership, not ready to give up on its commitment to its students and close its schools, successfully found new philanthropic support to cover its operating losses. A generous group of benefactors banded together and purchased the LEC's property at a foreclosure sale. They then provided the organization with an affordable long-term lease and sufficient funds to satisfy other debts so the LEC could continue serving its students.
Seven years later, that generosity seems ready to bite them. The Center is facing a problem that plagues nonprofit organizations of all sizes: what to do when a source of critical funding turns out to be tainted.
Two of the donors who saved the LEC, Mordechai Korf and Uriel Tzvi Laber, have been implicated as participants in a major international money-laundering scandal. The current owners of the Ukraine-based PrivatBank are suing the bank's former owners, alleging they absconded with $470 billion—yes, with a "b"—through a complex set of fraudulent transactions. Korf and Laber, who were part of that ownership group, have been accused of illegally profiting from those financial manipulations. According to Forward
PrivatBank and How Ukranian Oligarchs Buy Up Most of Cleveland and Launder $470B in the Process
June 14, 2019 LostMessiah Cleveland, Ohio, Gennadiy Bogolyubov, Igor Kolomoisky, Money Laundering Cleveland, Gennadiy Bogolyubov, Igor Kolomoisky, Money Laundering, PrivatBank, Ukraine
How Ukrainian Oligarchs Secretly Became the Largest Real Estate Owners in Downtown Cleveland
Posted By Sam Allard on Tue, Jun 11, 2019 at 1:22 pm
Three of the Optima Ventures current and former properties: Crowne Plaza Hotel, AECOM Building, One Cleveland Center
"IMG_2485"by jeffpyle is CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
In an explosive legal complaint filed last month in Delaware, attorneys for a major Ukrainian bank alleged that two oligarchs who founded the bank and controlled it from 2006 to 2016 laundered hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent corporate loans to purchase assets in the United States and unjustly enrich themselves and their associates.
Dubbed the "Optima Schemes" in the 104-page document, these "brazen fraudulent schemes" were successful, among other things, in making the oligarchs and their co-defendants the largest commercial real estate holders in Cleveland.
(You can read the full complaint here.)
With money siphoned from public bonds and 20 million private Ukrainian citizens who'd opened accounts with PrivatBank, the oligarchs Igor Kolomoisky and Gennadiy Bogolyubov doled out corporate loans to shell companies that they controlled. They used PrivatBank "as their own personal piggy bank," in the words of the complaint.
Those loans were then laundered in multiple digital transactions, sent through dozens of other shell companies that had been created exclusively for the purpose of laundering. These accounts were managed by co-conspirators at PrivatBank's branch in Cyprus.
The true origin of the money thus concealed, funds were then shipped to LLCs in Delaware (hence the legal filing there). Those LLCs — "One Cleveland Center, LLC," to take just one example — were used to acquire properties and metalworking facilities in the U.S. Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov are mineral magnates and own mining factories and metalworking plants in Ukraine.
The men on the ground in the United States, according to the complaint, were a Miami-based trio: Mordechai "Motti" Korf, his brother-in-law Chaim Schochet, and Uriel Laber. These three men managed the "Optima" companies: Optima International, Optima Ventures and Optima Acquisitions, all of which were created and ultimately controlled by Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov.
"Optima Ventures" should be a familiar local name. It was the company, launched in 2007, used to acquire properties in the U.S. for Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov. The majority of these properties were in Cleveland.
Chaim Schochet was Optima's "front man" in Northeast Ohio. He told the Plain Dealer in 2012that his local goals were twofold: "making money for investors betting on the upside of a Midwestern city, and contributing to the betterment of a downtown that more high-profile buyers ha[d] passed by."
But his investors' funds were ill-gotten, according to the complaint, proceeds from "massive, systematic and fraudulent loan misappropriation and recycling schemes. (In the 2012 PD piece referenced above, Schochet was reportedly "circumspect about discussing how [Optima Ventures] is structured or who the major investors are.")
The loan recycling schemes were functionally identical to a ponzi scheme, except instead of paying purported profits to early investors with funds from more recent investors, the Ukrainian oligarchs and their cronies within PrivatBank paid off early fraudulent corporate loans with money from new fraudulent corporate loans.
"On paper, this appeared to be a repayment," the complaint explains. "But in reality, it was a sham and fraud, as PrivatBank was repaying itself and increasing its outstanding liabilities in the process. This process was carried out over and over again, over a period of many years."
In December 2016, the Ukrainian state was forced to nationalize PrivatBank as a result of the oligarchs' conduct. The state injected more than $5.5 billion into the bank to prevent its collapse, and "preserve the stability of the [Ukrainian] financial system." In 2018, the bank reverted to private ownership.
The complaint alleges that Korf, Schochet and Laber were in on the racket, aware of the systematic corruption because they were under direct supervision from Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov (or their trusted lieutenant inside PrivatBank, Timur Novikov), and because they were enriched in the process. Korf, Schochet and Laber received "substantial financial remuneration," according to the complaint, which they used to acquire millions of dollars worth of property in Florida.
Using the laundered loan proceeds, Optima acquired the following Cleveland buildings:
One Cleveland Center: 1375 E. 9th St. Acquired for $86.3 million in May, 2008
55 Public Square. Acquired for $34 million in July, 2008.
Huntington Building: 925 Euclid Ave. Acquired for $18.5 million in June, 2010.
AECOM/Penton Media Building: 1300 E. 9th St. Acquired for $46.5 million in August, 2010
Crowne Plaza Building: 777 St. Clair Ave. Acquired in a joint venture with Denver-based Sage Hospitality Group.
Here's an example of exactly how the properties were acquired, via the complaint:
On April 29 and 30, 2008 … two Ukrainian [metal plants] owned or controlled by [Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov] drew down $2.7 million and $4.3 million in loan proceeds from PrivatBank Ukraine. The purpose of the loans was "financing of current business activities of the entity." On April 30, 2008, Bocatoro Enterprises Ltd. ("Bocatoro Enterprises"), a Cypriot entity owned or controlled by [Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov] drew down $40 million in loan proceeds from PrivatBank Cyprus for "replenishment of floating assets for payments according to contracts, including purchase of shares."
However, the loan proceeds were not used for their stated purposes. Instead, the loan proceeds were combined with funds from other sources linked to [Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov] and laundered in forty-two transactions through fifteen Laundering Accounts, including the accounts of Defendant Kolomoisky's Divot Enterprises, Ralkon Commercial, and Pavanti Enterpirses, as well as Defendant Bogolyubov's Bonique, and [K&B's] Blisont Capital and Brotstone accounts.
On information and belief, [K&B] and their co-conspirators used Pavanti Enterprises to misappropriate and transfer a combined $36.1 million into the U.S. to the Multi-State Title Agency Ltd. to fund the acquisition of One Cleveland [Center] through Optima One Cleveland Center LLC for Optima Ventures.
At its height, Optima Ventures controlled 2.8 million square feet of downtown Cleveland commercial real estate. This was a larger footprint than even Forest City Enterprises at the time.
Ukraine's PrivatBank Sues Its Former Owners
Cleveland: How Ukrainian oligarchs secretly became the largest real estate owners in downtown Cleveland
Ukrainian Oligarchs Are The Largest Real Estate Owners In Cleveland, Ohio

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This is the response we hear the most when we tell people that we are travelling Australia fulltime with our kids. We quit our jobs, packed up our house and hit the road just over four months ago.
The seed was planted a couple of years ago as we were watching TV. Our almost-two-year-old was in bed. Our four-month-old was on his play mat, refusing to even look tired, never mind go to sleep.
I can't remember what show was on but for some reason it prompted my hubby to declare that we should go travelling again.
We met over 15 years ago at a roadhouse in the Nothern Territory. We were both on separate journeys that collided together and saw us getting married a mere six months later — but that's a whole 'nother story!
The idea of travel was so far from my immediate plans. In fact, we had done a three-hour flight to Sydney when our oldest was six months old and it had made me never want to leave the house again.
So when my husband suggested we travel, I chuckled at him like it was the best joke I'd ever heard.
"Why not?" came his response.
There were so many reasons why I didn't want to go.
We've got kids now, and a dog, and a house full of things, jobs, a mortgage and it's just WAY TOO SCARY!
Sometimes just getting to the shops and back takes military-style organisation and precision. Australia is much, much bigger than our local Coles, and I manage to lose at least one of the children and most of my sanity whenever we attempt to go there. How would I cope on the Great Ocean Road or the Nullarbor?
Despite my initial resistance, over the next few days I couldn't get the idea out of my head. Talk of travel crept into almost every conversation and the idea began to seem almost plausible.
We both had jobs in hospitality. My hubby was a supervisor in a restaurant and was working up to 60 hours a week (on a salary). I was on maternity leave from my job managing a backpackers' hostel.
I had gone back to work when our oldest was only four months old and I was determined to take the full year this time.
But already the months were flying by and my back-to-work date was looming. It wasn't that I didn't like my job — I loved it! I just knew what a wrench it was leaving our son at daycare each day. I had this niggling feeling that I would be missing out on so many precious moments that would be impossible to get back.
I think it was this sentiment that got me over the line.
So what if the mortgage took a bit longer to pay off? Or if I didn't buy any new shoes for a few years (shock horror!)?
We'd be buying memories instead of things and investing in family time rather than the bank balance.
Of course, there were a LOT of practical and boring things to think about before we could get to the romantic sunsets on the beach and star gazing in the desert.
We gave ourselves 18 months to organise everything. By that time, we'd have plenty of time to get ready without stress or panic and our youngest would be two years old. Every family is different, but I knew that I needed four walls around us while our youngest was learning to walk, explore and learn about boundaries.
This gave us plenty of time to sort the house out (I'm a bit of an emotional hoarder) and extra work time to save up as much as possible. We wanted to save enough to not have to work for at least a year. Saving also gave us lots of practise in budgeting and tightening our belts.
We spent lots of time figuring out how much money we'd need on the road. We spent Sunday mornings visiting local caravan parks and chatting to families on holiday or on the road. So many people were more than happy to share their tips and let us have a look around their caravans and camper trailers. This was a massive help in deciding which motorhome we should choose.
Closer to our leaving date, we did a couple of "dry runs". We spent weekends away and did plenty of day trips in our new bus to give us a feel for what it would be like on the road.
One thing we didn't spend a lot of time doing was planning our route! We excitedly talked about all the places we would visit and watched travel shows when we could, but we wanted our trip to be as spontaneous as possible.
This has worked out really well. So far we have enjoyed following a route that has been guided by people's recommendations. We've also stumbled across so many great spots along the way.
The best tip that I can give anyone wanting to have their own family adventure on the road would be to mentally commit to the idea. Overcoming the objections, fears and excuses in your head is the first step to escaping those comfort zones and start living the dream!
Although I thank our stars every day for this amazing experience, I've found that the harder we worked towards our goal the luckier we became.
This article originally appeared on Kidspot.com.au.


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Kevin Feige Says There Are No Plans For VENOM In The Marvel Cinematic Universe
Next month will see Tom Holland's Spider-Man swing onto our screens in the highly anticipated Spider-Man: Homecoming. However that isn't the only Spidey related film set to hit screens in the next couple of years, next year will see the release of Sony's Venom film starring British beefcake, Tom Hardy. But will the two characters ever meet? Marvel Producer, Kevin Feige, has seemingly revealed the answer.
In a live Facebook interview with French website, AlloCiné (that we managed to transcribe) Feige revealed that we won't be seeing Holland and Hardy go toe-to-toe in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
When asked about a potential appearance Feige explained:
"For now, there is NO plan for Venom in the MCU. It's a Sony Project."
Whilst this will no doubt be disheartening for fans who want to see a confrontation between the pair done well (looking at you Spider-Man 3) it definitely lines up with what we have been hearing about the Venom film and Sony's plans for a shared universe of Spidey's supporting characters. As it stands, they are already planning their second film in the series starring Black Cat and Silver Sable, titled Silver & Black.
To me it personally feels like a wasted opportunity not to have the character interacting with the universe when there is so much potential. The character could not only appear in the sequel, but also in a potential Dark Avengers movie or even a Guardians of the Galaxy sequel dealing with the Symbiote home world, something a recent comic touched upon.
One of the upsides to this move, other than the fact that Tom Hardy is likely going to nail the role, is that they taking the Deadpool approach and giving it an R-Rating, something which isn't likely to be happening in the MCU anytime soon.
Feige was questioned about a potential R-Rated film in the interview where he revealed:
"Currently we don't work on R-Rated movies, it's not out of the question, but currently, no."
I suppose getting a hardcore version of the character does somewhat make up for the missed opportunity, although it's a shame we can't have both. In the meantime, you can check out Holland's next MCU appearance when Spider-Man: Homecoming hits theaters July 7th, whilst Venom is expected to debut October 5th, 2018.
What do you think? Are you disappointed the characters won't be meeting on screen? Are you excited for Venom? Let us know below!
New Marvel Picture Hints At Potential Television Crossover
Kevin Feige Reveals Thoughts on Wonder Woman and Marvel vs. DC 'War'


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Confronting white supremacy in Johnston community school district
Posted byJeff Kisling December 16, 2021 Posted incolonialism, Great Plains Action Society, justice, race
The video below was recorded from last night's online meeting about the Racist Rise to Ban Anti-Racist Books, Confronting white supremacy in the Johnston School District.
Of all the awful things that have been occurring over the last several years, banning books is the worst, so far, for me as a white person. At Scattergood Friends School we were taught to be lifelong learners. I not only enjoy reading, but that is how I learn about what is going on in the world. Learn about injustice and how others are working for justice.
But there is more to this for black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC). Rising authoritarianism, increasingly aggressive and militarized policing, voter suppression, and actions such as banning books are all efforts to perpetuate racism and white supremacy.
Education is one of the most important ways to call attention to racism and to help white people learn ways to call it out. Calls to ban books and ban teaching of "critical race theory" are meant to prevent learning about racial injustice.
As is often the case, Johnston Community School District (JCSD) has equity as one of its strategic goals. But students, parents, and staff feel more unsafe and targeted than ever before. Hostility and violence towards students, parents, and staff of color have been increasing at the district as made evident by the many recent attacks on equity.
Things were particularly bad at the last JCSD school board meeting discussion about banning "The Hate You Give" and "Diaries of a Part-Time Indian". A white person said several racist or homophobic words from those books out loud. Children were present. There was no context for saying them out loud, and to be spoken by a white person.
White people need to support these efforts to stop banning books and other racial incidents. School boards across the country are being weaponized to promote racism.
One of the principles of justice work is to not add to the burden of those experiencing injustice. Online discussions like last nights are great ways for white people to learn. I encourage you, especially if you are white, to take advantage of these opportunities.
The Racist Rise to Ban Anti-Racist Books.
Parents, students, and allies will gather online this Wednesday, December 15, 2021, at 7 PM CST to highlight a recent incidence of hate speech used at a board meeting and the inaction by Johnston Community School district administration and school board. The meeting largely revolved around the recent attempt by a few Johnston parents to ban the books "The Hate You Give" and "Diaries of a Part-Time Indian", both written by BIPOC folks, which address oppression and racism in the US. There has been a rise in attempts to ban anti-racist books since 2020 when Trump tried to enact a federal ban on critical race theory. The recent state of racism and discrimination in Johnston will be discussed highlighting recent incidences that propagate racism and discrimination in the district and throughout the community.
Though the Johnston Community School District (JCSD) has equity as one of its strategic goals, students, parents, and staff feel more unsafe and targeted than ever before. Hostility and violence towards students, parents, and staff of color have been increasing at the district as made evident by the many recent attacks on equity. JCSD released a statement saying the district is continuing "to partner with parents and students to create an inclusive environment where everyone in our community has access to a high-quality educational experience" but students, parents, and staff are saying this is simply not happening. Students, parents, staff, and community members called for the district to interrupt hate speech including racist and homophobic slurs used by a parent at a recent school board meeting asking for the policy when individuals share such words. The superintendent and school board members did not stop this from happening and cited instead of the policy on public participation and did not seek to disrupt or disallow these words to be used during a school board meeting.
This event is hosted by: Johnston Parents for Equity and Anti-Racism (JPEAR) is a collective of parents organizing the Johnston Community School District (JCSD) to respond to the needs for equity and anti-racism in our schools and community.
Great Plains Action Society works to resist colonial-capitalist institutions and white supremacy through Indigenous ideologies and practices. Our goal is to reclaim what has been stolen and oppressed to create a better world for us all. Iowa Coalition for Collective Change specializes in empowering organizations and marginalized communities through education, research, and advocacy.
Points of Unity
Keep Mason City's Racist Mascot in the Past
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nedhamson says:
Reblogged this on Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News.


In the biggest display of athletic defiance in years, football teams across the nation protested President Donald Trump after he attacked the NFL, NBA and some of their most popular athletes for daring to draw attention to racism and police violence. We look at the unprecedented role of political activism among athletes under the Trump presidency and the politics of playing the national anthem at games. Dr. Harry Edwards is professor emeritus of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of several books, including "The Revolt of the Black Athlete," reissued this year for its 50th anniversary edition. He was the architect of the 1968 Olympic Project for Human Rights and is a longtime staff consultant with the San Francisco 49ers.
As sports players join a growing movement of kneeling during the national anthem ahead of games to protest racial injustice, Dr. Harry Edwards says he hopes Colin Kaepernick "will become a person of the year" and should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Amid increasing concern over chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated blows to the head, a recent study of the brains of 111 deceased NFL players found all but one were found to have CTE.


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District court throws out suspensions for Mass. students who passed out religious candy canes
March 25, 2003 December 4, 2018
MASSACHUSETTS — A federal judge ruled on March 17that the suspensions handed down to six Westfield High School students fordistributing candy canes with religious messages violated their First Amendmentrights.U.S. district Judge Frank Freedman ruled the school'sliterature distribution policies were likely to be declared unconstitutionalbecause they "are prior restraints on speech." The court said thatthe district did not have clear criteria for the principal to make a decisionabout materials submitted for review or a process for students to appeal theprincipal's decision.The case was filed after members of theschool's Bible club, Life and Insight for Eternity, requested permissionin December 2002 to distribute 450 candy canes that included a note about theirclub meetings and a prayer. Principal Thomas Delay denied the club'srequest because he said the message might be "offensive" tostudents.Despite the principal's decision, the students decided todistribute candy canes between classes and during lunch. When they returned fromwinter vacation in January, they were issued one day, in-school suspensions forinsubordination. In granting the students preliminary injunction, the courtthrew out the suspensions, which the students had not served, and ordered themremoved from the students' records.In court, the administrationargued that the candy canes were in violation of the Establishment Clause of theFirst Amendment, which mandates the separation of church and state. But JudgeFreedman ruled that the students' actions were private speech and theEstablishment Clause did not apply.Administrators also argued that underthe U.S. Supreme Court's 1988 decision in Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier,the school had the authority to regulate the students' expression becausethe LIFE club is a school-sponsored organization.The court found thatalthough the club is considered "school-sponsored" in terms ofaccess to campus facilities, Hazelwood did not apply because the LIFEclub is not a part of school curriculum, the students do not receive academiccredit for their participation and the school does not fund the club.Thecourt said the students were provided greater free-speech rights under state lawthan Hazelwood permitted. The Massachusetts student freedom of expressionlaw says that expression is limited only by the requirement that it "benon-disruptive within the school."The injunction prohibits thedistrict from punishing students or restricting the distribution ofnon-curricular literature "unless the school reasonably forecasts that thedistribution will substantially disrupt or materially interfere with theoperation of the school."In an interesting side note, the courtsaid, "Viewpoint-based restrictions on speech are per se unconstitutional,irrespective of the forum." This is in direct contrast with the finding ofthe U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in Fleming v. JeffersonCounty School District, the case involving religious tiles at Columbine HighSchool (read Appeals court rejects Columbine wall tiles). The court ruled that under the authority granted in Hazelwood,administrators could restrict school-sponsored speech, even if they are doing sobecause they disagree with the views being expressed.Matthew Staver,president of the civil liberties organization the Liberty Counsel, defended theLIFE club members. The Department of Justice and the American Civil LibertiesUnion of Massachusetts also filed briefs in support of the students. Staver saidthey are very pleased with the ruling because it gives the students all therelief they requested.He said he expects the school district to acceptthe injunction and to draft a new policy for the distribution of non-curricularmaterials.
Westfield High School L.I.F.E. Club v. City of Westfield, No. CIVA.03-30008-FHF, 2003 WL 1339052 (D.Mass, Mar. 17 2003)


Your screen is to small to play this game.
Shoot the pheasants with your shotgun as they try to fly away. Be careful to only shoot the roosters and not the hens as shooting a hen will result in a deduction of points. Complete each level by shooting as many pheasants as you can. You must score 1000 points in order to advance to the next level. Have Fun!
Do you have few minutes on hand, and want to something fun, and do you also enjoy to play a fun internet browser game? If you are in the same mood as us today, then you probably would like to play the free Pheasant Hunting game online right now.
Use your mouse to play this free online game. use the mouse to move the sights and click the left mouse button to fire the gun.
According to wikihow.com pheasant hunting is steeped in tradition. Hunting pheasants is both fun and great exercise. It provides an opportunity to get outdoors, socialize with fellow hunters, and there is nothing like the thrill of the chase. Pheasants were first brought to the U.S. in the mid-18th century, but really only began to thrive in the 1880s. They have since become one of the most popular game birds and are still hunted in the UK and elsewhere that they breed. While hunting pheasant without a dog is possible, it will be much easier with a dog to track and locate birds for you. The best pheasant hunting in the U.S. is in the Midwest and Plains states like Iowa or South Dakota, although pheasants can be found in other parts of the country. Always before you go phesant hunting, make sure to hunt only with a legal firearm, during season, on land that you may legally hunt on.


Taking your jewelry to get cleaned can be time consuming and inconvenient. Instead, use these household products for the same results!
our any light colored beer on a soft cloth to clean the dirt off of gold jewelry, leaving it looking brand new.
For silver jewelry, dip the corner of a cloth in ketchup, and rub in circles to uncover its original shine.


We at Los Amigos Mexican pride ourselves on providing our customers with a unique and pleasurable dining experience. We welcome your visit to our website and appreciate your interest in our services. If you have any questions feel free to contact us.
We care about the good taste of our authentic Mexican food as well as providing our customers with personal, hospitable service. We are proud to be part of this beautiful community and hope to always make your time with us enjoyable.


Common sounds for tinnitus include sounds such as bells, whistle, roar, screech, hum crickets, musical tones (varying in key), or perhaps a whooshing or swishing tone. These are all common sounds of tinnitus and most of them can be deafening, leading you to lose sleep or even lose concentrate on. Luckily there are a few good 'cures' out there for ear.
What makes tinnitus? The followings are the most possible thing to result in tinnitus: injury to ears, experience with loud noises, wax become established in the ears, associated with certain vitamins and stress. Accordingly the remedies available for tinnitus cure are varies, it s dependent upon its cause. The followings are options of tinnitus home treatment; if function place is under the exposure of loud noises where loud noises would get to be the main reason to undergoing tinnitus, are able to try wearing earplugs and ear defenders.
There are several causes of this particular noise from illness, ear infections and even some kinds of medications might it. There types are treatable allow it to be solved quickly.
Since the bulk of our nerves control body functions like metabolism, healing, and organ function, they don't give us a clear signal of trouble like tingling or numbness. If a subluxation causes stress to these nerve fibers, the resulting malfunction will go undetected for too long periods your own time. However, if this malfunction persists, it will result in serious infection. For instance, a subluxatiion associated although secretion of stomach acid may be concerned in the onset of ulcers or acid flow back.
Visit your GP most likely a private hearing aid audiologist for any free hearing assessment. Steps of an individual consultation is that they can come out to you if you too abroad from any nearby branch - with no call out charge.
Don't worry, you won't have to give that up the foods you seriously like! It certainly can't hurt to slim down fried foods and sugar, but if you would like you need to do with much better is add specific, nutritious foods. Truth be told, you cure your tinnitus by a great deal as 50 percent just by making all on the necessary dietary changes!
This noise is usually triggered by expose to loud noise at even though in fat loss products .. This may by working for loud machinery or doing work in an environment where loud music is played for many hours at some time. It can even be caused by listening to loud music with a music player.


2 adults, a very spoilt cat and a caravan following the sun….
Our plans when we first set out in Bessie, almost 2 years ago now, was to head for the sun and enjoy a simpler way of life.
We have certainly achieved that and there is no way you would get me to give up caravan living now. But as with all things they grow and evolve as time goes on and we now find ourselves planning for the next stage in our journey.
This will see us return to the UK for 6 – 12 months. Partly this is to plan out where we want to go next – Spain and Portugal have been fun but we both want to go further afield and see some more of Europe but are not sure how this will work yet.
Also living in Bessie for 2 years has been great but there are some alterations that we want to do to her in order to make living in her even better and it will actually be easier (and cheaper) to do these back in Blighty.
Then of course I have my runs next year back home and so it seems that the UK is calling us to be the next stop off on our trip.
So, we head back at the start of September, winding our way back up through Spain and then France. A day trip to Madrid beckons on route and we hope to hit the channel tunnel (not literally) sometime in the second week of September.
Many people have asked if we are still going to be living in Bessie when we get back and the answer is a resounding YES. As I said I can't imagine living anywhere else now which is a massive surprise to me I can tell you.
It will certainly be a daunting task surviving an English winter in a caravan but I am actually looking forward to it – I know too much Spanish sunshine has addled my brain.
Seriously though, living this way feels very authentic to me, having to survive with limited mod cons almost feels as if I am living the way my ancient ancestors would have.
When you take away all the trappings of material life, of which there are many, you are left with the real fabric of what it is to exist.
Mind you….ask me that again in the middle of a Norfolk winter when there is snow outside!!
Well, it is finally official. What I have long suspected has been confirmed. I am lacking a very important gene……one that many other women around me seem to have but that definitely seems to have gone amiss with me……'the cleaning gene'.
When we arrived on site yesterday a plot a few down from ours was pointed out to us. Staying for three months the owners of the said plot had spared nothing to make it a home from home for their stay.
An awning with tables and chairs, astro turf covering the entire plot, an outside seating and eating area, an outside table with bbq, a tent that I can only assume contains their 'tools', light bulbs strung overhead, solar lights on the floor and about a dozen or so large pot plants…….you get the picture here don't you. This is a serious set up and made us feel quite inadequate with our few meagre belongings lol.
The owners were at the pool but later in the day the wife returned. Sitting outside whilst summing up the energy to decide what to do next we suddenly heard a strange noise. A surreptitious glance confirmed what I thought – the lady of the 'house' was cleaning.
Next she attacked the leaves on the drive in front of their plot sweeping them all up and placing them in the bin.
Then out came the hoover and she got to work on the astro turf before she choked us out with a spray for goodness knows what all around the outside tool tent!
It made us chuckle and I asked hubby if he felt a little jealous that this wife was obviously fulfilling her domestic duties a lot better than his does!!
A slight pause…….before he of course denied that he felt that way lol.
Hmmmm……maybe I need to go and get some broom sweeping tips from Senora Mop – or maybe not!!
We have moved location, to a brand new campsite this time and even more amazing than that the journey went smoothly from start until finish – well nearly.
No massive rainstorms, or heavy winds that threatened to blow us over or punctures or directions that could best be described as part of a treasure map…….
We left the campsite in Portugal just before 8am on Tuesday morning, an early start but not quite as early as we had planned (we had been hoping to get away for 7am). It was actually better that we left a little late as it was thick fog first thing and I didn't fancy towing a caravan in that given the impatience that the Portuguese seem to have for anyone on the road not going 100mph!
A quick 120 mile drive down to a stop off at a campsite in Monesterio. Directions were scarce but we managed to find it without too many deviations and as it was getting pretty hot in the car it was good to call it a day there and let the cats calm down a little.
Once released from the dreaded cat baskets they spent the day holed up together under the bed popping out only for water and the odd look out the window. The sounds of 'munchkins' enjoying their summer holidays in the pool and mutts wandering around outside the caravan ensured that they scurried back to the safety of their den!
The following morning we were off again by 8am and heading further south to our final destination and a trip of just under 200 miles. Thankfully a fair amount of cloud meant that it stayed cool in the car for much of the journey and we arrived on site at about 1pm.
Then the fun and games of trying to reverse the caravan into a plot began. Unfortunately there was not enough room to turn without hitting obstacles of trees, pillars and bins!
After 30 minutes or so of reversing up an incline and trying to shoehorn the caravan around a turn that wasn't actually feasible the clutch on the car was smelling decidedly dodgey and a plan B was required. Thankfully another idea was suggested and we managed to maneuver into a plot opposite and with some careful reversing finally get on our plot…….phew!!!
By now the cats were very hot and stressed and there followed the routine of sitting under the bed, drinking lots of water and panting so much that I was forced to get the ice pack out the freezer and rub Molly up and down with it in an attempt to cool her down.
The panting went on most of the day and into the evening (I have a feeling that they were trying to make me feel bad!!) but at last we managed to persuade them to come out of the caravan and have a look around.
A few piccies of our latest travels…..
Last few bits to pack and we are ready to go….
Nothing to do but chill out in the sun!
Journey's end and chilling at last….


- I've installed it using Wine, but the program crashes when trying to place a photo in the album (no matter if the photo has been imported from the local drive or from Picasa).
- I couldn't manage to install it when following the instructions to run it natively using Java as described in: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BookSmart (this seems to be an old post).
I have the feeling that solving the issues I found should be quite simple for s'one with some knowledge on Linux systems, for example creating a simple installer for the second option.
I'd like to suggest that you support (officially or unofficially) the Linux community so that simple procedures for installing BookSmart are available and periodically updated.
Hi saltimbanqui. I don't anticipate that we will support Linux at this point, but hopefully other interested users like Šarūnas can offer some advice based on their own experience and experimentation. Let us know how it goes!
Thanks Sarunas but sadly that is far too technical for me. Now I've resorted to Linux after XP going downhill - if all that is necessary, I'm looking for a new supplier! My PC has to follow the Linux route too, so a simple solution will be necessary - for me! I can't make out the date of Blurb's response so don't know how current this dialogue is - may be ancient?!
It is very unfortunate Blurb doesn't want to support wonderfully free and open-source Linux.
- presumably Java 6 is there? but I can't tell whether the system knows it or not!
I look forward to agreeing with you about Linux, but it does seem a steep learning curve. I'm struggling with Gimp Image Editor at the moment - even though I know Photoshop Elements well. Keeps the brain active I guess!
BookSmart version 3.5 now runs in Java 1.8 — no need for the unsupported Java 1.6 anymore!
I've just installed BookWright using Wine-3.0, and it works like a charm!