Congrats on the heating credit!
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Thanks! I havenât filed for it because when I still had credit card debt, they would suck it upâŠI think. I havenât had a bank account for a little over seven years either, for the same reason.
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Is she a good billionaire? Seems like an exception to the rule.
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Weird, right?! Should be an example to all the rest. Hopefully her kids take after her and not their father
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A healthy ecosystem relies on predators;
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Some good news for wild fish:
For reference, Portland General Electric installed a tower in the reservoir that feeds the lower Deschutes River to selectively draw from different levels of the lake. The three rivers that enter the reservoir system have dramatically different water temps and quality and remain stratified within the lake. This (or some other mitigation effort) was necessary for the hydroelectric dam to retain itâs license to allow for salmon passage. The tower became operational in 2009.
Except, for some reason, at the height of summer, they draw water from the hot surface of the lake instead of the cold bottom of the lake. This is in the high desert, so the river already had a tendency to get a little warm for native trout, steelhead, and salmon in the lower 100 miles below the dam. With only surface water draw, the lower river was toxic to fish and the ecosystem in general. Last year they recorded over 150 days with toxic temperature and pH levels. The outflow averages 5,000+ cubic feet per second. Essentially, PGE operations at this dam would constitute the Westâs largest single-source water polluter by volume by far. They have been given an exemption by the department of environmental quality for every day they violated the water quality standards set in their relicensing agreement.
PGE was sued within a few years of the tower going operational, as outdoorspeople noticed dead and diseased fish, excessive algae growth, disappearing acquatic insects, and other danger signs. Knowing they wouldnât prevail, they cynically gave the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs partial ownership of the dam as a legal end-around - and it worked. A federal judge agreed with the merits of the argument but wouldnât intervene in the operation of the dam because of tribal sovereignty law.
Finally, it looks like we might be getting this fixed.
Oh, and as a final note of how fâed this situation was, PGE charged electricity rate payers for the construction of the tower that has failed to bring back salmon above the dam and has damaged the salmon runs and trout population in the lower river.
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Nowhere near ready for primetime or anything, but fascinating how much we really do not understand about ourselves.
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I believe Chuck Feeney was the biggest exception in the billionaireâs club:
Also, I have long wished one of the groups reporting about philanthropic activities would publish an annual list, like the famous ones in financial magazines. Instead of focusing on who is in whatever position among the worldâs wealthiest, we should celebrate who gives more than the rest:
Thereâs a toxic competitive streak in some of those profiled on top Richie Rich lists, which makes them do terrible things to climb higher. Weâd all be better off if they were motivated to give more - either to help others, or to avoid being publicly shamed.
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Yes! If accumulating money is just a way of keeping score for billionaires, it would be great if society could change that to be a score based on who is giving the most and the most effectively.
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Makes sense, though Iâm so against charity as a form of wealth washing/tax dodging that Iâd rather see a list of which ones paid closest to their fair share of taxes.
(Preaching to the choir here I know, but I think billionaires shouldnât even exist, let alone celebrated for tossing what amounts to a few pennies to the poors from their penthouse balconies.)
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Well.
Since my credit refund was of a greater amount than my balance, I got a refund check in the mail today for $132.47. Thank goodness for the 'net, because I was prepared to wait on hold to find out why I got it, lol. And it says nothing on the check or the stub as to the why, just that itâs a tax credit refund.
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I recall watching a couple of different videos on it, it seems like such a daunting task though planting native trees to combat desertification is a worthwhile endeavor no matter what.
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Thatâs what I was thinking. Have an awards show, red carpet, etc. If we canât get out the guillotines, then celebrate the people who pay the most in taxes each year. Have the awards presented by people who receive healthcare through Medicaid; people who survive due to Social Security; veterans whose lives are saved at VA hospitals, etc.
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Iâve seen videos (maybe staged? I dunno) with other retired police dogs alerting their owners to something âoffâ
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Very touching story, glad the owner is taking such good care of a veteran/retired police dog and that the dog was able to so casually save a life.
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