Model Airplanes

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Gov. Matt Bevin’s proposed funding cut to the University of Kentucky “hurts Kentucky and threatens our future,” University President Eli Capilouto told a legislative panel Thursday.

“Make no mistake about it. Every student, every employee, faculty, staff, everybody, will feel it. There’s no way around it,” Capilouto told members of a House budget subcommittee. “We can’t protect any part – any part of our campus – in the face of these draconian cuts.”

It was strongest, longest criticism of Bevin’s proposed 9 percent funding cuts of most state programs that House budget subcommittees have heard since Bevin released his 2016-18 budget proposal on Jan. 26.

“The University of Kentucky is an economic engine that deserves more investment, not less,” Capilouto said.

The priority in Bevin’s two-year spending plan is a major move to address the crisis within Kentucky’s pension funds that are burdened with more than $30 billion of unfunded liabilities. The governor proposes pumping an additional $1.1 billion into those funds over the next two years.

In response to Capilouto, the Governor’s Office said in a statement that spending cuts are the best alternative to dealing with a “financial mess” that Bevin inherited when he took office in December.

“If

Article source: http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/ky-legislature/2016/02/11/uks-capilouto-bevins-cuts-draconian/80231244/

On Wednesday, January 27, 2016, Palisade Global undertook a two-day investigative assignment to look under the hood of Canarc Resource Corp’s El Compas project in Zacatecas, Mexico. We thought it would be enlightening to share the notes with our readers.

Note: With the information we have/had access to on a two-day site visit, it is impossible for us to make a definitive determination, using quantitative analysis or otherwise, as to the integrity of the project’s resource delineation or the PEA. Our observations and opinions are our own; so take them as you wish. Please read the disclaimer at the bottom of this write-up.

We will try and put everything in laymen’s terms for the most part, when we first saw Canarc’s PEA numbers we were a little surprised… First off, it seemed too good to be true. And in our experience evaluating investment opportunities at this stage of development – this is usually the truth. But this time we were pleasantly surprised.

When we look at a project like this, there are a few important technical categories to evaluate:

• The Team – Who are these guys? Can they run a mine? How much will they lean on local expertise and labour? What type of experience does the local management possess? How much would the company need to spend on training the local labour force?

• The Geology – Do they have a firm grasp on the geology of the deposit? How extensive

  Article source: http://seekingalpha.com/article/3883556-visiting-canarc-resources-el-compas-mine

Goosebump Alert – Whiff of Spring Next Week?

My Navy son is stationed in San Diego, a palm tree-studded oasis of warmth and sanity in southern California, a city with the distinction of having the best climate in the USA. “The weather is here, wish you were beautiful!” the text read.

If only.

Some days I fantasize about predicting the weather in a sunny, warm (boring) city. It might be fun for a couple of weeks, but I’d be climbing the walls before long. The variability, the seasons, the weather-specific traditions, the ebb and flow of the weather? Those are the things I would miss.

And it’s not like we’re having a “Polar Vortex” winter – now we gripe when it gets below zero. In the 70s we had consecutive WEEKS below zero. This is still a pale imitation of the winters your grandparents muddled through.

A clipper brushes far southwest MN with snow today. I could see an inch or 2 Sunday, followed by a sweeping thaw next week as Pacific air charges east. 30s and a few 40s are likely.

Is this the last significant cold shot of winter? Probably. Cold waves are possible in March, but fairly rare. Spring is coming. Trust me.

Widening Your Bubble. “Paul, I’m cold! How can the planet be warming?” It’s probably in our caveman DNA to look out the window and assume it’s this way (everywhere).

Article source: http://www.startribune.com/temperatures-scrape-bottom-saturday-whiff-of-spring-next-week/368261861/

Two companies controlled by the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma have agreed to pay $48 million to avoid federal prosecution for their involvement in a lending scheme that charged borrowers interest rates as high as 700 percent. 

As part of the Miami tribe’s agreement with the federal government, the tribe acknowledged that a tribal representative filed false factual declarations in multiple state court actions. 

Federal prosecutors unsealed a criminal indictment Wednesday charging Kansas City Race Car driver Scott Tucker and his lawyer, Timothy Muir, with racketeering charges and violating the Truth in Lending Act for their role in operating the online internet payday lending business.

Tucker and Muir were arrested Wednesday in Kansas City, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Tucker and Muir had claimed the $2 billion payday lending business was actually owned and operated by the Oklahoma-based Miami and Modoc tribes to avoid liability. The payday lending companies used the tribes’ sovereign status to skirt state and federal lending laws, the indictment claims.

In a statement the Maimi Tribe and two companies controlled by the tribe, AMG Services Inc. and MNE Services Inc., said they have cooperated with authorities in the investigation and stopped their involvement in the payday lending business in 2013.

“This result represents the best path forward for the Miami and its members as we continue to build a sustainable foundation for the future,” the statement said. “We are proud of our many recent accomplishments, including the diversification of our economic business development to support the long term goal of securing the tribe’s valuable programs and services.”

Funding from

Article source: http://newsok.com/article/5478088