Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Another Criminal Conviction Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for Wind Farms

PacifiCorp Energy has agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle charges arising from bird deaths at two of its wind farms located in Wyoming. PacifiCorp pled guilty in Wyoming federal court to two misdemeanor violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and was sentenced to five years' probation. The company also agreed to institute a compliance program to prevent bird deaths at the utility's four commercial wind farms in Wyoming.

Another Criminal Conviction Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for Wind Farms ~ Jenner & Block

Congress retroactively extended the Production Tax Credit

In the final hours of the 113th Congress, President Obama signed into law H.R. 5771, the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014. The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate passed the measure on December 3 and 16, respectively.

 The law retroactively extended several key business tax provisions through 2014 that had expired at the end of 2013. In particular, the bill provides a one-year extension through the end of 2014 for the federal energy production tax credit (PTC) and a developer’s option to pick the 30%investment tax credit (ITC) in lieu of the PTC. Additionally, the extension lengthens by a year the period where a project is automatically treated as having been continuously under construction, which may provide some relief for larger and more complex projects that may not be complete by the end of 2015.


Congress Extends Energy-Related Tax Provisions Through 2014 – Punts on Longer Term Certainty ~ Energy Finance Report

Hundereds of New Laws Take Effect on Jan 1, 2015

January 1 is a common "start date" for new laws and 2015 is no different. Here's a link to a sample of the new laws and regulations that take effect on January 1, 2015 at the state and federal level ~
 New Year, New Laws: Laws that Take Effect on January 1, 2015 ~ POPVOX

 New laws taking effect in New York starting Jan. 1

Below is a link to some of the new regulations  that will go into effect in New York State Jan.1,2015:

New laws taking effect in New York starting Jan. 1 ~ Albany Business Review

BP probes in-house foreign exchange traders

BP is investigating whether in-house financial traders at the oil and gas group were involved in a foreign exchange manipulation scandal that has led regulators to levy $4.3 billion in fines on six banks.

BP probes in-house foreign exchange traders ~ CNBC

Police Respect Squandered in Attacks on de Blasio

Mayor Bill de Blasio has spent weeks expressing his respect and admiration for the New York Police Department, while calling for unity in these difficult days, but the message doesn’t seem to be sinking in.

Police Respect Squandered in Attacks on de Blasio ~ New York Times

Cuomo signs Power Act into law; $2 million to be used for economic development in St. Lawrence County

Nearly $2 million now will be available for economic development in St. Lawrence County after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation Monday that allows proceeds from the sale of a block of hydropower from the New York Power Authority’s St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project to be used to help create jobs and build industry in the region.

Cuomo signs Power Act into law; $2 million to be used for economic development in St. Lawrence County ~ Watertown Daily Times

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

The Cartel: How BP Used a Secret Chat Room for Insider Tips


With revenue of almost $400 billion last year and operations in about 80 countries, BP trades large quantities of currency each day. Traders at the company regularly received valuable information from counterparts at some of the world’s biggest banks -- including tips about forthcoming trades, details of confidential client business and discussions of stop-losses, the trigger points for a flurry of buying or selling -- according to four traders with direct knowledge of the practice.

The Cartel: How BP Used a Secret Chat Room for Insider Tips ~ Bloomberg

RITCHIE CALLS ON CNY, NNY RESIDENTS TO SHARE OPINIONS THROUGH LEGISLATIVE SURVEY


Questionnaire Available Now on Senator Ritchie’s Website
As lawmakers prepare to head back to the Capitol for the upcoming Legislative Session, State Senator Patty Ritchie is inviting her constituents to weigh in on issues facing New York State through her 2015 Legislative Survey.
RITCHIE CALLS ON CNY, NNY RESIDENTS TO SHARE OPINIONS THROUGH LEGISLATIVE SURVEY ~ NYS Senator Patty Ritchie

Snowy owl 'Invasion' sweeps across Ontario


Snowy owls have flocked to Ontario in huge, rare numbers for the second consecutive year, creating a boon for bird watching and a bane for airport managers.
Last year marked the largest invasion of snowy owls ever recorded in eastern Ontario, and similar numbers are expected this year.


Snowy owl 'epidemic' sweeps across Ontario ~ CBC News

Monday, December 29, 2014

Female veterans battling PTSD from sexual trauma fight for redress

Thousands of female veterans are struggling to get health-care treatment and compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs on the grounds that they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder caused by sexual trauma in the military. The veterans and their advocates call it “the second battle” — with a bureaucracy they say is stuck in the past.
Female veterans battling PTSD from sexual trauma fight for redress ~ The Washington Post

NY identifies 372 species “greatest conservation need.”

State environment officials in New York have updated the list of species with the “greatest conservation need.”
Those are the plants, animals, fish, and other organisms that face growing pressure from things like habitat loss or climate change. The Conservation Department said nearly 400 species made the list.

Sunday, December 28, 2014

U.S.-Led Forces Formally End Afghanistan Combat Mission

KABUL—U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan are formally ending their combat mission on Sunday, leaving Afghan forces to battle a still-resilient Taliban insurgency largely on their own.

U.S.-Led Forces Formally End Afghanistan Combat Mission ~ Wall Street Journal

Cops Turn Their Backs on Mayor de Blasio During Funeral for Murdered NYPD ...


Following a heavily attended Friday evening wake, tens of thousands of people gathered at Queens's Christ Tabernacle Church on Saturday morning for the funeral of murdered NYPD officer Rafael Ramos.  

Cops Turn Their Backs on Mayor de Blasio During Funeral for Murdered NYPD ~ New York Mag

North Korea slams U.S. over Internet shutdown, calls Obama a ‘monkey’

 North Korea on Saturday compared President Obama to a “monkey in a tropical forest” as it blamed the administration for disrupting its Internet access amid a hacking dispute related to the movie “The Interview.”

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Europe May Need To Ban Potatoes, Bread And Coffee Next

The European Food Safety Authority, most famous for declaring that water does not cure thirst, is now thinking about how to ban acrylamide, which is a chemical that can form in some foods during frying, roasting, or baking. No, it is not due to BPA, it has been present for as long as mankind has cooked food, but it was only discovered in 2002 and then in 2010 a paper was written showing it could be harmful to rats in extremely high doses. Continue...


Friday, December 26, 2014

Seaway Tolls Increasing In 2015

It's going to cost more to ship materials on the St. Lawrence Seaway next year.

Seaway officials say tolls will increase by 2 percent for the 2015 shipping season.


Continue reading Seaway Tolls Increasing In 2015 ~ 7 WNYTV

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

NOAA/NASA Satellite Sees Holiday Lights Brighten Cities

 With a new look at daily data from the NOAA/NASA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite, a NASA scientist and colleagues have identified how patterns in nighttime light intensity change during major holiday seasons – Christmas and New Year's in the United States and the holy month of Ramadan in the Middle East.
Link here to read a different take on NASA's observation  ~ Christmas Lights Are Ruining Your Health and the Environment~ New Republic

Space Station's 3D Printer Makes Wrench From 'Beamed Up' Design

The 3D printer aboard the International Space Station has wrapped up the first phase of its orbital test run by cranking out a ratchet wrench whose design was beamed up from Earth.
The wrench, along with the 19 other objects built by the orbiting 3D printer thus far, will travel to Earth early next year, where engineers will compare the objects with ground samples produced by the same machine before it launched, NASA officials said.



Space Station's 3D Printer Makes Wrench From 'Beamed Up' Design ~ Space.com

NYT Editorial Board Demands Criminal Prosecution Of Dick Cheney For CIA Torture Program

The New York Times editorial board has called on President Barack Obama and the Justice Department to launch a criminal investigation into the CIA's use of torture, in a scathing editorial published Sunday.


NYT Editorial Board Demands Criminal Prosecution Of Dick Cheney For CIA Torture Program

Google plus ~ Plus a Whole Lot More

Google + brought some of my 2014 photo highlights to life in this video collage.

TUBA SANTAS' ~ DECK THE HALLS

A holiday tradition for over 20+ yrs., the Harvey Phillip's Tuba Santas' post Holiday Market meal compliments of the The Irish Lion Restaurant & Pub Bloomington Indiana.


Monday, December 22, 2014

Obama Signs Extenders Package Containing One-Year PTC Extension Into Law

It is official. On Friday, Dec. 19, President Obama signed H.R.5771, the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014, into law.
 H.R.5771 provides a one-year extension through the end of 2014 for dozens of tax provisions that expired at the end of 2013, including the wind energy production tax credit (PTC). The House passed H.R.5771 on Dec. 3, and the Senate approved the measure on Dec. 16.

Obama Signs Extenders Package Containing One Year PTC Extension into Law~ North American Windpower

Saturday, December 20, 2014

2 NYC officers dead in ambush-style shooting

NEW YORK — Two New York City police officers have died after being shot ambush-style in their parked patrol car Saturday, according to police and media reports.
An armed man walked up to the vehicle and opened fire before fleeing to a nearby subway station where he apparently committed suicide, police said.

Former Consultant to New York Democrats Is Sentenced to 3 Years in Fraud

A former consultant to the New York Democratic Senate Campaign Committee was sentenced to three years in federal prison on Friday for what prosecutors said was a conspiracy with State Senator John L. Sampson to steal $100,000 from the organization in an invoicing scheme.

 Former Consultant to New York Democrats Is Sentenced to 3 Years in Fraud ~ The New York Times

Friday, December 19, 2014

Feds Penalize Hospitals With Highest Rates Of Infections & Injuries


The federal government is cutting payments to Crouse Hospital ,Upstate University Hospital for having high rates of patient infections and other avoidable complications. 

Feds penalize Crouse, Upstate hospitals because of high rates of patient infections, complications  ~ Syracuse.com


Carthage Area Hospital in Jefferson County NY is also on the list of hospitals being penalized for  “hospital-acquired conditions.”
 To see the complete list link here

Update on Sony Investigation





Washington, D.C.December 19, 2014
  •  


 A quote from the FBI National Press Office
"As a result of our investigation, and in close collaboration with other U.S. government departments and agencies, the FBI now has enough information to conclude that the North Korean government is responsible for these actions."
 Continue...

Big Eyes & Big Lies

 It's a story almost too strange to be true: Throughout much of the 1960s and '70s, the wistful, wide-eyed children of painter Walter Keane were absolutely everywhere. Continue...
~~~
Big Eyes  an American biographical drama film directed by Tim Burton, starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. This film focuses  on American artist Margaret Keane  (Adams), whose work was fraudulently claimed in the 1950s and 1960s by her then-husband, Walter Keane (Waltz).  

 The concept of a man taking credit for a women's work is nothing new.  

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Following casino announcement, developer of Bay racino hopeful project could be OK’d in 2015

ALEXANDRIA BAY — Following a state board’s recommendation Wednesday of three proposed upstate resort casinos, a pair of Rochester developers are optimistic the state will shift its attention toward approving a proposed racino in Alexandria Bay.

Following casino announcement, developer of Bay racino hopeful project could be OK’d in 2015 ~ Watertown Daily Times

U.S. agency releases new app to track wait times at the border

WATERTOWN — A new U.S. Customs and Border Protection app advises travelers of wait times at the border and includes crossings at Alexandria Bay, Ogdensburg and Massena.

U.S. agency releases new app to track wait times at the border ~ Watertown Daily Times

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Cuomo to Ban Fracking in New York State, Citing Health Risks

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration announced on Wednesday that it would ban hydraulic fracturing in New York State because of concerns over health risks, ending years of uncertainty over the disputed method of natural gas extraction. State officials concluded that fracking, as the method is known, could contaminate the air and water and pose inestimable dangers to public health.

 Cuomo to Ban Fracking in New York State, Citing Health Risks ~ New York Times

Report Finds Local Votes On Fracking Resulted In Apparent Conflicts Of Interest

A reform group studied votes taken by local governments across the state on whether to allow hydro-fracking, and found numerous potential conflicts of interest that they say could have tainted the outcome of the votes.
The New York Public Interest Research Group studied 59 municipalities that have voted to permit hydro-fracking in the past few years, if New York State eventually approves the process.  They found numerous questionable activities, including local elected officials holding gas leases and town attorneys who also represented oil and gas companies.


Report Finds Local Votes On Fracking Resulted In Apparent Conflicts Of Interest ~ WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Plans developing for new Commercial Block building on Wellesley Island

WELLESLEY ISLAND — Thousand Island Park Corp. is moving carefully as it considers replacing the Commercial Block building that was destroyed by fire in August.
The corporation and its building committee are evaluating community feedback, business plans and historic preservation options to have designs in place by summer and a new building by the 2016 season.
Plans developing for new Commercial Block building on Wellesley Island ~ Watertown Daily Times

 Rear view of Fire Station

Firemen gather near the fire station after the fire