Inventing comes from this – The one at the control switch in this moment deciding what the brain does, where it goes, what it sees, what it considers – is not outside – it is inside

Good Living is to stand where the trees filled with bright green leaves sparkling in the sunlight bow over a gently gurgling creek with its waters singing from little waterfalls and swirls over round glistening moss-covered rocks. It is to put a hand into the cool water and find a pretty rock or two and put the wet sparkling treasures into a pocket to discover later at home. It is to stand with pants rolled up in the bubbling swirls to feel rocks underfoot and waterfall spray under the canopy of arching branches and leaves that spreads out as far up the stream as the eye can see.

That is good living. It doesn’t cost much, doesn’t pay any bills, isn’t harnessed for anything except the sheer joy of the moment, but it nourishes the soul and complements the mind. It is a moment of time stopped from today and tomorrow and yesterday. Long before now, the creek has flowed and long after today, it will continue. The trees will sparkle with rays of the sun casting long strands of light through the branches and the new spring leaves will be the most marvelous colors of every green and yellow-green that exists. The spray of the creek’s falls will be cool on the skin, a gentle breeze will flow through the canopy and the beautiful water-polished rocks will sit on the creek bed highlighting their colors beneath the moving water.

Skipping rocks across a still pool a little ways from the drifting water, watching for crawdads and water snakes, finding rose quartz and rubies under the water on the creek bed and sunning on a flat rock that has been smoothed by the water over hundreds of years, are exceptional special moments to carry back into a hustled modern world of streets and buildings and buzzing activity.

In Japan, there are beautiful gardens with water features because of the soothing effects to the spirit and in many homes of the Middle East, there are fountains, pools and gently moving water channels in a central courtyard of the home for its spiritually nourishing qualities. There are sounds of water which cannot be acquired any other way but by its fall and splash with the echo of it against rocks or marble basin.

This sound sings to the soul of every human being. It calls to the life of living, it nourishes and forebears, it completes and awakens, it soothes and calms while restoring thoughts to a flow of focus and breadth at the same time. It is amazing and even the memory of it can do the same thing, filling the mind with wonder again and with a child-like delight at the world in its newness and potential, calming and awakening the mind to consider the possibilities with openness and the willingness to contemplate challenge.

- cricketdiane, 06-01-09

***

Mark to Stupid Accounting – without an accurate set of numbers, any projections about the US economy going into Recovery are a lie – the experts said there wasn’t a Recession every day last year and now they simply want people to spend money – so they are lying

‘Crazy Turtle Woman’ transforms graveyard into maternity ward

CNN Story

MATURA, Trinidad (CNN) — With its white sand and clear, blue water, Trinidad’s Matura Beach looks like a postcard. It’s a far cry from its recent past, when leatherback sea turtle carcasses littered the ground and kept tourists away.

“Twenty years ago, this was a graveyard,” Suzan Lakhan Baptiste said of the six-mile stretch of beach near her home.

“The stench was horrendous. You could smell it for miles,” she said.

Saddened and frustrated, Baptiste launched a crusade to help end the slaughter of the gentle giants. Today, she and her group are succeeding: What was once a turtle graveyard is now a maternity ward — one of the largest leatherback nesting colonies in the world.

[there's more - its a great article - ]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/05/28/cnnheroes.suzan.lakhan.baptiste/index.html

***

My Note -

This lady in Trinidad proves an individual can make a difference. She didn’t have to be the richest, the best educated at the best university, the most well-connected to the rich and powerful in the community, to make a difference. She simply had to make a choice to participate in a constructive way and do it. Amazing.

- cricketdiane

***

Oil Is Plentiful, Demand Weak. Why Are Gas Prices Going Up?
By Vivienne Walt / Paris Friday, May. 29, 2009

Storage tankers across the globe may be brimming with oil that no one is buying because of the global economic downturn, but the traditional laws of supply and demand don’t always apply to oil prices.

[ . . . ]

Prices had rocketed to a record level of $147 a barrel last July before plummeting to $30 just five months later and beginning a new climb. (See pictures of South Africa’s oil-from-coal refinery.)

[ . . . ]

Oil demand in rich countries has crashed since the onset of the economic crisis last year, and is now at its lowest level since about 1981, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency. U.S. oil inventories — the stored surplus — this month reached their highest level since the 1980s. And about 2.6 billion barrels are currently stored in commercial tankers around the world.

“There is some risk we will run out of storage space in the next four to six weeks,” says Simon Wardell, director of global oil at IHS Global Insight, an energy-forecasting company in London. To oil-rich countries that possibility evokes grim memories of 1998, when the Asian economic crisis sent demand plummeting, driving world oil prices down to $10 a barrel. “If we run out of storage it could prompt a collapse in the price,” says Wardell. Oil producers might then choose to dramatically cut output in order to run down the surplus. (See pictures from Azerbaijan’s oil boom.)

Despite such dangers, investors and oil producers are betting that global demand will roar back, apparently hoping that the recession has already hit bottom. Over the past two months, investors have plowed billions of dollars into oil futures.

[ . . . ]

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1901446,00.html

***

My Note -

This proves that the oil futures speculators are the fundamental that drives the price of oil and other commodities rather than demand. That means there are natural dynamics in the marketplace which are being undermined by this method of price setting.

Specifically, when demand is low and profits have been at 300% for many months – maybe even for years, the basic sense of business would be that the price would come down to meet the demand at the level where it exists now and those precious profit dollars would cover the operating difference until demand returns. But, not the way its being done in this unnatural market manipulation by speculators, it won’t.

It looks like the prices of gasoline in the US during the summer months is actually based on the numbers from Memorial Day travel. If there are many people who took off on trips for the Memorial Day holiday, then the prices skyrocket for the summer. If people stayed home and mini-vacationed nearby, then the summer prices only increases by a smaller percentage.

I think that the analysts and speculators that appear on tv / cable / news and talk about “green shoots” ad nauseum are the same ones who told us last year that there would never be enough oil to meet demand and that’s why it had to be $4.11 per gallon as people in the US took vacations last summer.

The same analysts, economic experts, tv news producers, stock market experts and news shows paraded across every news broadcast nearly the entirety of last year telling the American people that there wasn’t a problem, not an “R” word going on (Recession), not any real deep contraction of the economy, not anything but a little “bubble” . . . hmmm.

Either they were lying or they were incompetent because even I could see it was already a deep Recession, maybe even a Depression occurring in the economy, not because I’m a “bear or bull” but because the facts were evident throughout the economy. And, if I could see it – intellectually, academically, factually, accurately – based on economic factors that were (and are) obvious to anyone who looked at them, then those experts had to know or they are doing something very wrong.

And, now aren’t they the same ones telling the news anchors whether there are “green shoots” or not, could we have seen the bottom already and be on the way up, are there signs of recovery, is the confidence restored in the market, – but let’s ignore what the dollar is doing, the multitude of bankrupt companies being liquidated, the personal bankruptcy numbers, the continuing high rates of foreclosures, the commercial property disasters and the unemployment figures that are becoming chronic numbers with long term unemployment for many families and individuals.

It seems these financial and economic “experts”, stock brokers and news producers simply want everyone to go on vacation, spend all their money, max out their credit cards and the hell with whether they come home and lose their jobs with no resources to use to cross that period of time in front of them. But, they will have had a good vacation, and everything (according to news sources) is going to be out of this Recession or whatever little downturn they are calling it this week – by fall of this year. Well, I wish that were true – don’t we all.

Why I know what they are saying is basically a lie, is because the GDP keeps having to be adjusted later to account for inventories that are backed up and unsold, which means the percentage of contraction in the economy actually turns out to be greater than originally thought each quarter.

The buying power of many markets, not only in the United States but around the World – I mean, the actual dollars of buying power is diminished.

Projections made from sales figures two years ago, or last year or even during the last Recession cannot accurately predict what that buying power is today, or this summer or later this year in the fall and Christmas season.

And, I know the projections from “experts” on the news about our economic outlook is a lie because the governments of many countries including the US are only propping up what is a failing proposition, not capitalism – but rather the biased, favored, subsidized, manipulated game that has been passing for a “free market capitalist system” when it wanted and bailed out by those governments whenever there has been difficulty or lowered profit ratios.

The other thing that has been done to favor these corporations and commercial property bondholders that is manipulating the real numbers has to do with the marking the values of those assets as it suits them. From the time that change in the accounting rules away from mark-to-market occurred, there has been no real transparency nor accuracy to those values. As long as that is so and the same grading / rating agencies are continuing to rate things as Triple AAA, which aren’t based on their real debt to income using real costs and real returns and real liabilities, there will continue to be fractures in the foundations of the US economy.

- cricketdiane, 06-01-09

Learn Something Today – Mathematics to Nanophysics to Economics and MacroEconomics – Useful Places to Find Out More and Learn to Apply Knowledge Into Real Life Applications – Start Your Own Business – Make Your Difference In The World – and the Global Economic Crisis

http://www.technologyreview.com/emtech/09/

EmTech@MIT Conference
September 22 – 24, 2009
MIT Campus, Cambridge, MA

The annual EmTech@MIT conference gives you access to the most innovative labs, companies, and entrepreneurs from around the world and shows you where to lead your organization in order to stay ahead of the curve.

EmTech@MIT brings Technology Review’s mission to life by showcasing the most important emerging technologies and explaining their impact on you, our audience. EmTech@MIT is packed with groundbreaking demos, thought-provoking keynotes, interactive breakout sessions, and opportunities for exclusive networking with our senior-level audience.

Join the most important leaders in technology as we spotlight the critical innovations that will drive our economy forward—many of which you have not yet seen or read about.

2009 Conference Highlights

• New! Lab to Market Workshop that explores technological innovation and tackles how to enter the marketplace in a tough economic climate
• Powerful keynotes and interactive breakout sessions
• New! Preview Sessions that give you a first look at powerful emerging technologies
• Unveiling of the 2009 TR35—the top 35 innovators under the age of 35

Why attend EmTech@MIT?

• To discover critical innovations across the technology spectrum, in industries including energy, biotechnology, IT, and the Web
• To understand how up-and-coming trends in these areas are going to impact your business
• To network with 1,000 innovators and leaders in business and technology, including CEOs, CTOs, CIOs, policy leaders, entrepreneurs, venture investors, and more

Who attends EmTech@MIT?

Senior Business and Technology Leaders. Each year, EmTech@MIT attracts top decision makers from the technology, engineering, investment, and management communities. Attendees include leaders (CXO or director level) from organizations such as

Adobe Systems • Alcatel-Lucent • Amazon Web Services • Bank of America • Bell South • BP • Cisco Systems • Columbia University • Department of Defense DTSA • Deutsche Telekom Group • ESPN • FedEx • Hewlett-Packard • IBM • Intel • Johnson & Johnson • JPMorgan Investment Management • Juniper Networks • Mayo Clinic • Microsoft • NSTAR • Office of Naval Research • PricewaterhouseCoopers • Samsung Electronics • Sun Microsystems • Toyota • United States Senate • and many more!

Register by June 1, 2009, and save $500 on any full-conference package!

Watch webcasts from EmTech08

Don’t miss the dynamic keynotes and thought-provoking breakout sessions from EmTech08. Click here to register and view videos.

QUICK CONTACTS: Click to e-mail

Workshop Questions
Sponsorship Inquiries
Press Inquiries
Speaker Inquiries

http://www.technologyreview.com/emtech/09/

***

Special Information from – EurActiv

http://www.euractiv.com/de/steuern

Steuern

//

Mittelstand lobt Mehrwertsteuersenkungen [DE]

Der Vertreter von kleinen und mittelständischen Unternehmen haben die Entscheidung der EU-Finanzminister zu Mehrwertsteuerkürzungen in bestimmten Bereichen begrüßt und besonders die Sicherheit, die die Kürzungen für ihre Unternehmen bringen, gelobt.

LinksDossier: Der Small Business Act und das Potenzial der KMU [DE]

News: Brüssel will „Erasmus-Programm“ für KMU fördern [DE]

News: EIB stellt Förderprogramm für KMU vor

---

Rumänien widersetzt sich Kommission und hebt Alkoholsteuern auf

Das Unterhaus des rumänischen Parlaments hat einstimmig für die Aufhebung der Verbrauchssteuern auf traditionelle, selbst gebrannte hochprozentige Getränke gestimmt, obwohl der EU-Beitrittsvertrag für Rumänien vorschreibt, Verbrauchssteuern auf selbst gebrannten Alkohol zu erheben.

Interview: MdEP: bulgarisch-rumänische Beziehungen seit EU-Mitgliedschaft aufgeblüht

---

Interview: Kovács unterstützt “Robin-Hood-Steuer” für Ölkonzerne [DE]

Kommission will Tabakpreise in neuen Mitgliedstaaten verdoppeln

EU wird Mehrwertsteuer senken und staatliche Beihilfe für KMUs erleichtern [DE]

Interview: Nichtregulierte Arbeitsmärkte “viel dynamischer” [DE]

EU wird stärker gegen Mehrwertsteuerbetrug vorgehen [DE]

mehr…

LinksDossiers

Einheitssteuern – ‘Flat Tax’ [DE]

In den neuen EU-Mitgliedstaaten wird derzeit viel über die Einführung von Einheitssteuern diskutiert und Rufe nach Steuersenkungen und -vereinfachungen sind auch anderswo in Europa zu hören. (mehr)

Kraftstoff-Besteuerung

In ihrem Richtlinienentwurf vom Juli 2002 schlägt die Kommission vor, für Dieselkraftstoff für gewerbliche Zwecke eine gesonderte Steuerkategorie einzuführen. (mehr)

Interviews

Wolfgang Merkel, Wissenschafts- zentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung

Nichtregulierte Arbeitsmärkte “viel dynamischer”

Analysen und Kommentare

Ein Europa, eine Steuer: Pläne für eine gemeinsame konsolidierte Körperschaftsteuer-Bemessungsgrundlage

Frank Zipfel, Deutsche Bank Research

Europäische Steuer für eine Finanzierung des EU-Haushalts?

Steuerflucht – Eine Untersuchung der Steuerbefreiung der internationalen Luftfahrt

Kroatien wünscht sich schnellen EU-Beitritt

Taxation of e-commerce – looking for solutions

[From - ]

http://www.euractiv.com/de/steuern

***

http://www.kent.ac.uk/brussels/

The University of Kent’s Brussels School of International Studies is a specialised postgraduate school offering advanced international studies in Brussels, Belgium. Our students benefit from the unique advantages of a prestigious degree from a renowned British University, with excellent opportunities for networking and professional advancement offered by our location in the cosmopolitan and politically important “Capital of Europe”.

The Brussels School of International Studies offers the following advanced programmes:

MA Degree

• MA in European Public Policy ^[4]
• MA in International Relations ^[5]
• MA in International Conflict Analysis ^[6]
• MA in International Development ^[7]
• MA in International Political Economy ^[8]
• MA in Migration Studies ^[9]
• MA in Political Strategy and Communication ^[10]

LLM Degree

• LLM in International Economic Law ^[11]
• LLM in International Law and International Relations ^[12]
• LLM in Public International Law ^[13]

MPhil/PhD

• MPhil/PhD in International Conflict Analysis ^[14]
• MPhil/PhD in International Relations ^[15]
• MPhil/PhD in International Law ^[16]
• MPhil/PhD in Migration Studies ^[17]

News and Events

<!–

News Article

Here is a brief summary of the article, with a link to the full article underneath.

Find out more »

–>

Student Conference: 23/24 May 2009

Details here » ^[18]

2009 Scholarships

Doctoral and Masters scholarships available from September 2009.

Details here » ^[19]

Anniversary Lecture from General Sir Mike Jackson

Details here » ^[20]

MA in International Development

Find out more about this exciting new programme.

Details here » ^[21]

View our Video

Click here to view Kent TV’s report » ^[22]

BSIS Newsletter

The Mar-Apr 09 edition of the BSIS Newsletter is now available online.

Download here » ^[23]

Back Issues here » ^{[24] [25]}

Prospectus

The new BSIS prospectus is now available online as well as in hard copy

Download here » ^[26]

Past Events and News

Find out more » ^[27]

BSIS intranet

[From - ]

http://www.kent.ac.uk/brussels/

General Enquiries: +32 (2) 641 1721 or email BSIS

BSIS, University of Kent, Boulevard de la Plaine 5, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium

***

Electronic Textiles Being Made

Textiles coated with carbon nanotubes form electronic sensors that look and feel like ordinary cotton.

Nanotechnology X-Carbon Particles Coating for Cotton Thread and Fibers to use for Possible Electronics Applications

Jian Zhu pulls a cotton thread out of the nano¬tube solution, where it’s been soaking for about two minutes. Zhu will allow the thread to dry and then repeat the process about nine times to maximize the thread’s electrical properties.

Photo by: Fabrizio Costantini

Read the full article:

Nanotubes Come into Fashion

[From - ]

http://www.technologyreview.com/article/22505/

***

2009 Upcoming Events

6th Annual MITX Technology Awards June 16, 2009 Boston, MA Produced by MITX, the 6th Annual Technology Awards is a regional competition that recognizes and celebrates the most innovative technologies and services developed in New England. The competition provides a powerful opportunity for start-ups and mature technology companies alike to showcase their technologies to the media, investment and general business community. Categories include: analytics, cloud computing, marketing/customer technologies, rich media and social collaboration. Enter by Friday, April 3rd at www.mitxawards.org/technology. www.mitxawards.org/technology

Nanotech Europe 2009 September 28-30, 2009 Berlin, Germany Nanotech Europe is Europe’s largest annual nanotechnology conference and exhibition; a meeting place for the global nanotechnology community including researchers, industry, policymakers and investors. Nanotech Europe 2009 will be held 28 -30 September 2009 in Berlin, Germany. The fifth Nanotech Europe has a broad scope, covering leading-edge research, industrial applications and cross-cutting topics including: electronics, energy, transportation, healthcare, safety and investment. To see the speaker line-up and more information, visit: www.nanotech.net

2009 Medical Innovation Summit October 5-7, 2009 Cleveland, OH CEOs, leading venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, clinicians and top government officials join to learn about the latest innovations in cancer therapy, diagnostics and management. Get fresh intelligence from the most authoritative voices in business and science; hear and take part in smart, fast-moving debates on the hottest topics such as contemporary cancer treatments and the revolution in radiotherapy technology; network with people like yourself who are passionate about medical innovation and see live surgeries by renowned Cleveland Clinic specialists. For details and to register: www.ClevelandClinic.org/innovations/summit

http://www.technologyreview.com/events/

***

New on this site

• International Day of UN Peacekeepers (29 May 2009)
• Global Model UN (Geneva, 5 – 7 August 2009)

http://www.un.org/en/

***

Women in Peacekeeping: The Power to Empower

Over the past six decades, United Nations peacekeeping has evolved into one of the main tools used by the international community to manage complex crises that threaten international peace and security. Today, more than 110,000 men and women serve as peacekeepers – military, police and civilian – in 16 peacekeeping operations around the world, from the arid lands of Darfur, to the mountains of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the shores of Haiti. The number of countries that now contribute police and military personnel has reached 120, an all time high. This participation not only bolsters the strength of UN operations; it is also a clear demonstration of widespread respect for, dependence on and confidence in United Nations peacekeeping.

In 2000, the UN Security Council adopted its landmark Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. For the first time in an omnibus resolution, the Council recognized that women bear the brunt of armed conflicts, and should have a commensurate role in their prevention and resolution.

The resolution stressed the importance of women’s equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security. Among its many recommendations, the resolution called for an expansion of the role and contribution of women in United Nations peacekeeping operations, including in military, police, and civilian roles, as well as in positions of leadership.

After the adoption of Resolution 1325, the United Nations Headquarters, peacekeeping operations and Member States have been working to meet these goals, but progress is far from satisfactory. On the civilian side, the percentage of women recruited, hired and deployed by the Secretariat to work in peacekeeping operations has reached 30 per cent, bringing gender parity well within reach. Progress has been much slower on the uniformed components of UN peacekeeping operations, which Member States contribute and now have less than 3 per cent women. This includes 8 per cent of the 10,000 police officers and 2 per cent of the 80,000 military personnel.

Peacekeeping has evolved from its traditional role of monitoring ceasefire agreements and borders between sovereign States to carrying out large scale multi-dimensional peacekeeping operations often addressing civil wars. These newer missions are mandated to facilitate political processes through the promotion of national dialogue and reconciliation; protect civilians; assist in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of combatants; support the organization of elections; protect and promote human rights; promote reform of the domestic security sector; and assist in restoring the rule of law.

These expanded responsibilities make the need for more women peacekeepers more pressing than ever. In all of these fields, women peacekeepers have proven that they can perform the same roles, to the same standards and under the same difficult conditions, as their male counterparts. In many cases, women are better-placed to carry out peacekeeping tasks, including interviewing victims of sexual and gender-based violence, working in women’s prisons, assisting female ex-combatants during the process of demobilizing and reintegration into civilian life, and mentoring female cadets at police academies.

Adding to the value of this contribution, female peacekeepers act as role models in the local environment, inspiring, by their very example, women and girls in the often male-dominated societies where they serve. Demonstrating to these women and girls that they can do anything – in the realm of politics, security, law and order, medicine, journalism and beyond – the female blue helmets truly embody the concept, “Power to Empower.”

http://www.un.org/en/events/peacekeepersday/2009/

***

United Nations Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Development (24 – 26 June 2009, UN Headquarters)

http://www.un.org/ga/econcrisissummit/

The United Nations is convening a three-day summit of world leaders from 24 to 26 June 2009 at its New York Headquarters to assess the worst global economic downturn since the Great Depression. The aim is to identify emergency and long-term responses to mitigate the impact of the crisis, especially on vulnerable populations, and initiate a needed dialogue on the transformation of the international financial architecture, taking into account the needs and concerns of all Member States.

The United Nations summit of world leaders in June was mandated at the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development, held in December 2008 in Doha, Qatar. Member States requested the General Assembly President Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann to organize the meeting “at the highest level”.

«We have an historic opportunity —and a collective responsibility— to bring new stability and sustainability to the international economic financial order.»

Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann
President, 63rd Session
of the General Assembly

Contact Us

**

http://www.un.org/esa/desa/financialcrisis/

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Financial and economic crisis

The world economy is mired in the most severe economic and financial crisis since the Great Depression, which threatens the ability of countries to confront issues such as poverty, hunger and disease. As the crisis deepens, the impact on developing countries is rapidly worsening, particularly in terms of rising unemployment and a widening external financing gap. A sharp decline in international trade flows, a collapse in commodity prices, a drop in international tourism, and a moderation in remittances have contributed to a significant deterioration in the current account balances of many developing countries.

Dialogue

DESA plays a major convening role to support intergovernmental dialogue and coordinated courses of action to address the challenge. The Department serves as the Secretariat of the United Nations Conferences on Financing for Development and many of the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council. All of these conferences play a key role in addressing the economic and social impact of the current crisis on developing countries.

The Doha Declaration on Financing for Development, adopted by consensus by the Member States on 2 December 2008 during the four-day Follow-up International Conference, calls for a United Nations Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Development. The conference will take place from 24-26 June 2009 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The Commission for Social Development held experts panels on the financial crisis and its impact on development and stressed that countries must work together to ensure that the world’s most vulnerable do not bear the brunt of the turmoil.

The food crisis, climate crisis, financial crisis and a global recession are all interconnected and the Commission on Sustainable Development expressed concern on their impact on sustainable development, including trade financing for food and other essential imports as well as farmers’ access to credit.

The Commission on the Status of Women focused on the gender perspective of the financial crisis as an emerging issue where disproportionate burden on women was discussed.

The implications of statistics arising from the systemic aspects of the global financial crisis and economic downturn were the focus at the 2009 session of the Statistical Commission. Opportunities were explored how statisticians could accelerate the availability of macroeconomic estimates.

Research

The Department serves with its analysis, research and publications as a think tank within the United Nations in the area of economic and social affairs. Key economic policies are spelled out in the flagship publication on the World Economic Situation and Prospects. This is seen as a point of reference for discussion on economic, social and related issues, becoming the analytical basis for agreement.

DESA focuses in particular on countries with vulnerable economies, including Africa and Small Island Developing States, and conducts analytical studies on the crisis to support the intergovernmental consultations. Research also addresses women’s control over economic resources and access to financial aid.

Generating high quality estimates of economic performance have become an essential output of DESA during the crisis and resulted in a need to develop additional indicators on the performance of the economy and the financial markets.

Capacity development

DESA’s capacity development interventions in the context of the crisis provides supplementary macroeconomic advisory capacity (SMAC) to the Financial Crisis Working Group, as well as through direct advice to developed countries. DESA also assists countries to understand and deal with the social and sustainable development dimension of the crisis and helps countries to enhance their statistical data gathering in general, and on the financial and social aspects of the crisis in particular. DESA draws on its extensive network of partners to provide capacity development services.

The department also focuses during the current crisis on the impact of external shocks on poverty and social vulnerability and assists countries in macroeconomic policy analysis, in particular for the realization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The availability of MDG indicators and data provides instruments for monitoring these trends for timely intervention and action.

Furthermore, DESA supports the 2010 Population Census to be conducted in most countries of the world and its outcome will also provide information on migration, housing and employment, affected by the current financial and economic crisis.

Contact Us

***

Europeans challenge Europe

1. Emmanuel Morucci: Pourquoi les leaders politiques ne parlent pas d’Europe?
2. viharg: Bulgarian Nuclear Plant Project Delayed by Elections
3. Challenge for Europe: Publier les bilans environnementaux et sociaux des entreprises cotées en Bourse ?
4. Challenge for Europe: Publishing the environmental and social assessments of stock exchange registered companies

[from - ]

http://www.euractiv.com/de/steuern

( ALSO – )

EU Press Releases

1. EVCA 2008 EVCA Benchmarking Study
2. EurActiv FIEC calls for reduced VAT in the construction sector to promote jobs and growth.
3. EurActiv E.U. Takes Next Steps in Investigation of Continuing WTO-Violations of U.S. Enforcement Policy

Send us your press release

Agenda

1. 28 Mai 2009
   Ensuring Investment in Secure and Sustainable Energy: Benefits of Multilateral Action
2. 28 – 29 Mai 2009
   Competitiveness Council
3. 2 Juni 2009
   Review of functioning of the Insurance Block Exemption Regulation
4. 4 Juni 2009
   European elections in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom

Kündigen Sie Ihre Veranstaltungen an

[From - ]

http://www.un.org/esa/desa/financialcrisis/

***
Learn Physics in 24 Hours
Rich-Media Physics Video Tutorials, Breakthrough Rapid Learning System.
RapidLearningCenter.com/physics

(My Noter – I don’t know about the above site – it looked interesting and was an ad on one of the pages I noticed. There was another one from the other day that turned out to be very good. It is here – )

* ICAM 2009

11th International Conference on Advanced Materials – VIII Encontro SBPMat

* printer-friendly

11th International Conference on Advanced Materials – VIII Encontro SBPMat Image

September 20 – 25, 2009
Rio de Janeiro
View Official Conference Web site

The International Conference on Advanced Materials (ICAM) is one of the prestigious conferences of the International Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS) and is held in alternate years. The earlier conferences in this series were held in Beijing, China (1999), Cancun, Mexico (2001), Yokohama, Japan (2003), Singapore (2005) and Bangalore (2007). The ICAM 2009 is organized together with the VIII Brazilian MRS Meeting — VIII Encontro SBPMat. This event will be held in the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 20 to 25 September 2009. Thirty technical symposia, four plenary lectures, an Energy Forum and an exhibition are envisaged. Each symposium will have invited talks, contributed oral and poster presentations.

A range of topics at the frontiers of material research of contemporary importance for science, technology and engineering will be highlighted. A galaxy of distinguished scientists will be present, delivering plenary and invited talks, among more than 2000 delegates.

The abstract submission deadline for this conference is May 30, 2009.  Information regarding the topical symposia can be found in the links below.  For complete information regarding this conference, we invite you to view the official conference Web site.

Links

* View Visa Information
* A – Advances on Nanocomposites: Synthesis and Applications
* B – Mechanical Properties of Materials at the Nanometer Length Scales
* C – Carbon Nanostructures: From properties to Applications
* D – Synthesis, Characterization and Properties of Inorganic Nanoparticles
* E – Magnetic Materials at the Nanoscale
* F – Solving Nanostructures through Electron Microscopy
* G – Medical Applications of Nanotechnology
* H – New Developments in Biomaterials
* I – New Materials and Processes for Sensing and Biosensing
* J – Materials for Portable Energy Sources
* K – Innovation in Fuel Cells: from Materials to Novel Devices
* L – Environmentally Benign Materials
* M – Frontiers in Photonic and Photovoltaic Materials and Processes
* N – Materials for Nuclear Power Generation
* O – Materials for Direct Energy Conversion Systems
* P – Designer Polymeric Nano and Micro-Structures
* Q – Materials and Processes for Large-Area Electronics
* R – Protective Coating: Advanced Surface Engineering
* S – Current Trends in Oxide Materials
* T – Functional Materials For Organic Electronic and Nanotechnology
* U – Advances in Structural Ceramics from Processing to Applications
* V – Structures and Properties of Metastable Materials
* W – New Developments in the Processing and Applications of Cu-ad Mo-Base Alloys
* X – Processing, structure and properties of advanced metallic materials
* Y – Computational Modeling and Data Driven Materials Discovery
* Z – Phase Transformation in Metallic Systems: Current issues
* AA – Materials Education: Resources, Opportunities and Challenges
* BB – From Theory to Experiment: Advances in engineering materials

MMR Ad

Sophisticated Alloys

Materials Research Society
506 Keystone Drive, Warrendale, PA, 15086-7573, USA
Phone: 724 779.3003, Fax: 724 779.8313,

http://www.mrs.org/s_mrs/sec.asp?CID=19223&DID=239747

***

(Something really interesting – check new information just coming out now)

http://www.mathunion.org/

2009-05-08		The Organizers of the International Congress of Mathematicians 2010 in Hyderabad have issued the official “First Announcement of ICM 2010” and invited all mathematicians to preregister at the ICM 2010 Website.

[And]

ICM – International Congress of Mathematicians

Next ICM

• The next ICM will be held in Hyderabad, India, August 19-27, 2010. Please go to the ICM 2010 server for detailed information. The ICM 2010 Organizing Committee has produced three posters advertising the Congress. You can download the posters from here. The Organizing Committee asks all mathematical institutions in the world to download, print and post them.
• The IMU has set up the ICM 2010 Program Committee (PC). Its chair isProf. Hendrik W. Lenstra
  Mathematisch Instituut
  Universiteit Leiden
  Postbus 9512
  2300 RA Leiden
  The Netherlands
  e-mail: hwlicm@math.leidenuniv.nl
  
  The PC has set up the structure of the ICM 2010 program (which includes 20 sections) and determined the panels for all the ICM sections. If you have suggestions for invited section or plenary speakers, please contact Prof. Lenstra by email, see IMU AO Circular Letter 3/2008.

  The roles the Program Committee and the Organizing Committee play in the preparation of the scientific program of an ICM is described in the PC/OC Guidelines.

General Information about ICMs

• Program Committees for ICMs
• Bids to Host an ICM
  • Site Committee
  • Requested Information
• List of all ICM plenary and invited speakers since 1950
  A data base has been compiled from the proceedings volumes of the ICMs since 1950. The data base can be viewed in several versions:
  • sorted by speakers’ last name
  • sorted by congress year, and subsequently, by speakers’ last name
  • sorted by section name, and subsequently, by speakers’ last name
  • a simple search interface

  The data base probably contains still some errors. Moreover, the section names have changed over the years considerably and are contained in the data base only in some abbreviated form. This means that the “section view” currently provides only a somewhat inconsistent picture.We encourage readers who found errors in the data base to send the observation (and if possible, the correction) to technician@mathunion.org so that the data can be updated.

Previous ICMs

• 2006 Madrid, Spain
  • Guillermo P. Curbera (Universidad de Sevilla), who curated the exhibition on the history of the International Congresses at ICM 2006 in Madrid, has made parts of the exhibition electronically available.
• 2002 Beijing, China (see also here)
• 1998 Berlin, Germany
• A list of all previous ICMs is here.

ICM related Grants

The International Mathematical Union, in cooperation with other mathematical organizations and the local Organizing Committee of an ICM, provides Grants to Young Mathematicians as well as Grants to Senior Mathematicians from developing and economically disadvantaged countries. At each ICM, the local organizers usually offer further grant programs.
More information can be found here.

http://www.mathunion.org/activities/icm

****

Further Info

• Mathematical Societies
• Links to the Mathematical World
• EWDM – Electronic World Directory of Mathematicians
• FWDM – Federated World Directory of Mathematicians

http://www.mathunion.org/information/

Contact

The IMU server runs under responsibility of the International Mathematical Union (IMU).

Please send suggestions and corrections to IMU Secretary

Martin Grötschel, Secretary
International Mathematical Union
Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB)
Takustr.7
D-14195 Berlin, Germany
Fax: +49 30 84185 – 269
E-mail: secretary(at)mathunion.org

This server is hosted by Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB), Germany, Berlin, Germany.

Please send technical suggestions and corrections to

Wolfgang Dalitz
E-mail: technician(at)mathunion.org

http://www.mathunion.org/contact/

***

Iraqi teen tackles maths puzzle, but not the first: university

8 hours ago

STOCKHOLM (AFP) — A 16-year-old Iraqi immigrant, who figured out a solution to a complex maths puzzle, was not the first person to come up with a successful formula, Sweden’s Uppsala University said in a statement Thursday.

Swedish media, including the website of the Dagens Nyheter daily, reported Thursday that Mohamed Altoumaimi had found a formula to explain and simplify the so-called Bernoulli numbers, a sequence of calculations named after the 17th century Swiss mathematician Jacob Bernoulli.

“Senior lecturer Jan-Aake Lindhal verified the formula, but added that although correct, it was well known and readily available in several databases,” the statement said.

[ . . . ]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hoBoFv1EntgI1GsTCCXSs30RDbow

**

Teen figures out 300-year-old math problem

Published: May 28, 2009 at 12:11 PM

UPPSALA, Sweden, May 28 (UPI) — A 16-year-old in Sweden says when he first presented his solution to a 300-year-old mathematics formula, he was met with skepticism from his teachers.

Mohamed Altoumaimi, an Iraqi immigrant to Sweden, said undeterred, he presented the formula explaining the calculation of Bernoulli numbers to professors at Sweden’s Uppsala University, The Local said Thursday.

[ . . . ]

The Local said while the Bernoulli numbers formula had previously been solved, Altoumaimi’s work was praised as a result of his young age and educational level.

“It’s really exciting, now all the teachers have come and congratulated me,” the teen said of the response to his formula.

Bernoulli numbers are sequenced rational numbers connected to number theory.

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/05/28/Teen-figures-out-300-year-old-math-problem/UPI-34321243527091/

***

“Right away they wanted to take a look at all my calculations and the documents where I show that the formula really works,” the teen added regarding Uppsala professors’ interest in his work.

[Quote from above article]

***

Predicting the unpredictable to assess the risk of a cataclysm

Analyses incorporating a ‘fat-tailed’ expected tail loss predicted last year’s market shock while other analysts were blissfully unaware, a statistician claims

By Jane Baird
REUTERS, LONDON
Friday, May 29, 2009, Page 9

Professor Zari Rachev scorns the idea that market cataclysms cannot be forecast. He says his statistical models have predicted them, and his customers agree.

His daughter is now president of New York-based company FinAnalytica, which uses his models to provide investors and risk managers with a risk indicator that takes into account the worst-case scenarios.

As those who have so far survived the financial crisis pick over the wreckage to develop enhanced predictors of market risk, Rachev’s are among the offerings for people who believe statistical models can help.

[ . . . ]

Streams of financial commentators have over the past year reveled in a desire to present the crash as coming out of the blue to math whizzes paid a fortune to study the statistical stars and presage such events.

But Rachev is one of those who say they saw it coming — because his models took the worst possible events into account.

DEPARTING FROM VAR

In the case of the Dow Jones index, his fat-tailed expected tail loss — a measure of the potential daily average loss in the worst 1 percent of scenarios — gave investors notice of rising risk.

[ . . . ]

“You see some indications the market is starting to behave in a more volatile way before you see the largest negative shock,” he said.

Rachev first turned to the problem of calculating the probabilities of extreme events after the 1987 market crash.

No model then could explain the crash, the probability of which “was computed at slightly more than the life of the universe,” he said.

The FinAnalytica model now predicts a crash of that size can occur every 30 years on average.

The Bulgarian-born mathematician has tackled the problem from four different directions, including theories on fractals and clustering of volatility, and produced his models by 2002.

Racheva-Iotova said investors will still need to exercise judgment.

“Even with the best output, the model must be used properly in the decision-making process,” she said.

And the model needs data that give as full a risk picture as possible.

“The problem of data-entry implementation should not be underestimated,” Racheva-Iotova said.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2009/05/29/2003444779

***

Macroeconomic trends

The core of the analysis by the United Nations of the financial crisis is presented in the World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP), which provides an overview of recent global economic performance and short-term prospects for the world economy and of some key global economic policy and development issues.

In addition, through its Monthly Briefing on the World Economic Situation and Prospects, DESA provides a regular update on the latest economic and social developments at the global and regional level. They are complemented by UN-DESA Policy Briefs on more specific policy issues and challenges. On the quantitative side, the Department generates crucial input for its macroeconomic reports through Project Link, which is a co-operative, non-governmental, international research activity.

In partnership with developing countries, development account projects aim at capacity-building to achieve a distinct development impact, including macroeconomic policy analysis on the impact of external shocks on poverty and social vulnerability. In addition, the MDG Gap Task Force represents more than 20 UN agencies and tracks commitments and their fulfillment in the areas of official development assistance, market access (trade) and debt relief.

A wide range of data is generated by DESA, including the global economic outlook data, LDC data and the WESP Annex tables.

DESA focus areas

• Global and regional outlook
• Development assistance
• Global economic data

http://www.un.org/esa/desa/financialcrisis/economictrends.html

****

(And another way to teach math – through art – Pythagoraen Theorem in Art)

World famous Ndebele artist Esther Mahlangu walks past a mural she and others started to paint at the Sci-Bono museum in Johannesburg Wednesday May 27, 2009. The art of the Ndebele _ panels of geometric shapes outlined in black and filled in in bright primary colors _ is known around the world. On Wednesday two world renowned Ndebele artists painted their vibrant, geometric designs on the walls of a science museum in a project that uses art and tradition to teach math. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) (Jerome Delay – AP)

By CELEAN JACOBSON

The Associated Press
Thursday, May 28, 2009; 8:58 AM

JOHANNESBURG — Circles and squares. Rectangles and angles. Cones and cylinders and trapezoids.

A science museum is using art and tradition to teach math to poor children in some of South Africa’s most neglected schools, based on the exquisite artwork of Ndebele artists.

[ . . . ]

The science museum is trying to bridge that gap through South Africa’s rich cultural heritage of indigenous bead work, architecture and painting.

“We want to show where math applies in their lives,” said Thandi O’Hagan, the museum’s education officer. “We want to demonstrate that there is not an abstract connection between math and art but a real connection.”

[ . . . ]

Ndebele paintings help students understand squares, rectangles and angles. Exercises in measurements and volume have been devised from the shapes used in the stacked gateways and decorated pillars of Ndebele homesteads. Their round huts can show circles, the relationship between circumferences and diameters, and how to solve solid geometry problems like volume.

It is a knowledge that has been transferred from generation to generation without any textbooks _ just a sharp eye and a steady hand.

[etc. - there's more]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/28/AR2009052800982.html

***

My Noter – that is all great – from South Africa to Bulgaria to the recent prizes won by mathematicians around the World. Why can’t we have these innovative programs,innovative thinking and inventive applications of analysis based in reality within the United States and in our economic / financial industries? And, in our educational approaches?

***

{AND}

***
Rapid Prototyping Process

Rapid Prototyping Primer
by William Palm (May 1998), revised 30 July 2002, Penn State Learning Factory

Table of Contents:
1. Overview of Rapid Prototyping
2. The Basic Process
3. Rapid Prototyping Techniques
* Stereo Lithography (SLA)
* Laminated Object Manufacture (LOM)
* Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
* Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
* Solid Ground Curing (SGC)
* 3-D Ink Jet Printing
4. Applications of Rapid Prototyping
5. Future Developments

Learning Factory Rapid Prototyping Home Page

1 Overview of Rapid Prototyping

The term rapid prototyping (RP) refers to a class of technologies that can automatically construct physical models from Computer-Aided Design (CAD) data. These  three dimensional printers  allow designers to quickly create tangible prototypes of their designs, rather than just two-dimensional pictures. Such models have numerous uses. They make excellent visual aids for communicating ideas with co-workers or customers. In addition, prototypes can be used for design testing. For example, an aerospace engineer might mount a model airfoil in a wind tunnel to measure lift and drag forces. Designers have always utilized prototypes; RP allows them to be made faster and less expensively.

In addition to prototypes, RP techniques can also be used to make tooling (referred to as rapid tooling) and even production-quality parts (rapid manufacturing). For small production runs and complicated objects, rapid prototyping is often the best manufacturing process available. Of course,  rapid  is a relative term. Most prototypes require from three to seventy-two hours to build, depending on the size and complexity of the object. This may seem slow, but it is much faster than the weeks or months required to make a prototype by traditional means such as machining. These dramatic time savings allow manufacturers to bring products to market faster and more cheaply. In 1994, Pratt & Whitney achieved  an order of magnitude [cost] reduction [and] . . . time savings of 70 to 90 percent  by incorporating rapid prototyping into their investment casting process. 5

At least six different rapid prototyping techniques are commercially available, each with unique strengths. Because RP technologies are being increasingly used in non-prototyping applications, the techniques are often collectively referred to as solid free-form fabrication, computer automated manufacturing, or layered manufacturing. The latter term is particularly descriptive of the manufacturing process used by all commercial techniques. A software package  slices  the CAD model into a number of thin (~0.1 mm) layers, which are then built up one atop another. Rapid prototyping is an  additive  process, combining layers of paper, wax, or plastic to create a solid object. In contrast, most machining processes (milling, drilling, grinding, etc.) are  subtractive  processes that remove material from a solid block. RP’s additive nature allows it to create objects with complicated internal features that cannot be manufactured by other means.
Of course, rapid prototyping is not perfect. Part volume is generally limited to 0.125 cubic meters or less, depending on the RP machine. Metal prototypes are difficult to make, though this should change in the near future. For metal parts, large production runs, or simple objects, conventional manufacturing techniques are usually more economical. These limitations aside, rapid prototyping is a remarkable technology that is revolutionizing the manufacturing process.

2 The Basic Process

Although several rapid prototyping techniques exist, all employ the same basic five-step process. The steps are:

1. Create a CAD model of the design
2. Convert the CAD model to STL format
3. Slice the STL file into thin cross-sectional layers
4. Construct the model one layer atop another
5. Clean and finish the model

CAD Model Creation: First, the object to be built is modeled using a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software package. Solid modelers, such as Pro/ENGINEER, tend to represent 3-D objects more accurately than wire-frame modelers such as AutoCAD, and will therefore yield better results. The designer can use a pre-existing CAD file or may wish to create one expressly for prototyping purposes. This process is identical for all of the RP build techniques.

Conversion to STL Format: The various CAD packages use a number of different algorithms to represent solid objects. To establish consistency, the STL (stereolithography, the first RP technique) format has been adopted as the standard of the rapid prototyping industry. The second step, therefore, is to convert the CAD file into STL format. This format represents a three-dimensional surface as an assembly of planar triangles,  like the facets of a cut jewel.  6 The file contains the coordinates of the vertices and the direction of the outward normal of each triangle. Because STL files use planar elements, they cannot represent curved surfaces exactly. Increasing the number of triangles improves the approximation, but at the cost of bigger file size. Large, complicated files require more time to pre-process and build, so the designer must balance accuracy with manageablility to produce a useful STL file. Since the .stl format is universal, this process is identical for all of the RP build techniques.

Slice the STL File: In the third step, a pre-processing program prepares the STL file to be built. Several programs are available, and most allow the user to adjust the size, location and orientation of the model. Build orientation is important for several reasons. First, properties of rapid prototypes vary from one coordinate direction to another. For example, prototypes are usually weaker and less accurate in the z (vertical) direction than in the x-y plane. In addition, part orientation partially determines the amount of time required to build the model. Placing the shortest dimension in the z direction reduces the number of layers, thereby shortening build time. The pre-processing software slices the STL model into a number of layers from 0.01 mm to 0.7 mm thick, depending on the build technique. The program may also generate an auxiliary structure to support the model during the build. Supports are useful for delicate features such as overhangs, internal cavities, and thin-walled sections. Each PR machine manufacturer supplies their own proprietary pre-processing software.

Layer by Layer Construction: The fourth step is the actual construction of the part. Using one of several techniques (described in the next section) RP machines build one layer at a time from polymers, paper, or powdered metal. Most machines are fairly autonomous, needing little human intervention.

Clean and Finish: The final step is post-processing. This involves removing the prototype from the machine and detaching any supports. Some photosensitive materials need to be fully cured before use. Prototypes may also require minor cleaning and surface treatment. Sanding, sealing, and/or painting the model will improve its appearance and durability.

3 Rapid Prototyping Techniques

Most commercially available rapid prototyping machines use one of six techniques. At present, trade restrictions severely limit the import/export of rapid prototyping machines, so this guide only covers systems available in the U.S.

3.1 Stereolithography

Patented in 1986, stereolithography started the rapid prototyping revolution. The technique builds three-dimensional models from liquid photosensitive polymers that solidify when exposed to ultraviolet light. As shown in the figure below, the model is built upon a platform situated just below the surface in a vat of liquid epoxy or acrylate resin. A low-power highly focused UV laser traces out the first layer, solidifying the model’s cross section while leaving excess areas liquid.

Figure 1: Schematic diagram of stereolithography. 7

Next, an elevator incrementally lowers the platform into the liquid polymer. A sweeper re-coats the solidified layer with liquid, and the laser traces the second layer atop the first. This process is repeated until the prototype is complete. Afterwards, the solid part is removed from the vat and rinsed clean of excess liquid. Supports are broken off and the model is then placed in an ultraviolet oven for complete curing.

Stereolithography Apparatus (SLA) machines have been made since 1988 by 3D Systems of Valencia, CA. To this day, 3D Systems is the industry leader, selling more RP machines than any other company. Because it was the first technique, stereolithography is regarded as a benchmark by which other technologies are judged. Early stereolithography prototypes were fairly brittle and prone to curing-induced warpage and distortion, but recent modifications have largely corrected these problems.

3.2 Laminated Object Manufacturing

In this technique, developed by Helisys of Torrance, CA, layers of adhesive-coated sheet material are bonded together to form a prototype. The original material consists of paper laminated with heat-activated glue and rolled up on spools. As shown in the figure below, a feeder/collector mechanism advances the sheet over the build platform, where a base has been constructed from paper and double-sided foam tape. Next, a heated roller applies pressure to bond the paper to the base. A focused laser cuts the outline of the first layer into the paper and then cross-hatches the excess area (the negative space in the prototype). Cross-hatching breaks up the extra material, making it easier to remove during post-processing. During the build, the excess material provides excellent support for overhangs and thin-walled sections. After the first layer is cut, the platform lowers out of the way and fresh material is advanced. The platform rises to slightly below the previous height, the roller bonds the second layer to the first, and the laser cuts the second layer. This process is repeated as needed to build the part, which will have a wood-like texture. Because the models are made of paper, they must be sealed and finished with paint or varnish to prevent moisture damage.

Figure 2: Schematic diagram of laminated object manufacturing. 8

Helisys developed several new sheet materials, including plastic, water-repellent paper, and ceramic and metal powder tapes. The powder tapes produce a  green  part that must be sintered for maximum strength.  As of 2001, Helisys is no longer in business.

3.3 Selective Laser Sintering

Developed by Carl Deckard for his master’s thesis at the University of Texas, selective laser sintering was patented in 1989. The technique, shown in Figure 3, uses a laser beam to selectively fuse powdered materials, such as nylon, elastomer, and metal, into a solid object. Parts are built upon a platform which sits just below the surface in a bin of the heat-fusable powder. A laser traces the pattern of the first layer, sintering it together. The platform is lowered by the height of the next layer and powder is reapplied. This process continues until the part is complete. Excess powder in each layer helps to support the part during the build. SLS machines are produced by DTM of Austin, TX.

Figure 3: Schematic diagram of selective laser sintering. 9

3.4 Fused Deposition Modeling

In this technique, filaments of heated thermoplastic are extruded from a tip that moves in the x-y plane. Like a baker decorating a cake, the controlled extrusion head deposits very thin beads of material onto the build platform to form the first layer. The platform is maintained at a lower temperature, so that the thermoplastic quickly hardens. After the platform lowers, the extrusion head deposits a second layer upon the first. Supports are built along the way, fastened to the part either with a second, weaker material or with a perforated junction.

Stratasys, of Eden Prairie, MN makes a variety of FDM machines ranging from fast concept modelers to slower, high-precision machines. Materials include ABS (standard and medical grade), elastomer (96 durometer), polycarbonate, polyphenolsulfone, and investment casting wax.

Figure 4: Schematic diagram of fused deposition modeling. 10

3.4 Solid Ground Curing

Developed by Cubital, solid ground curing (SGC) is somewhat similar to stereolithography (SLA) in that both use ultraviolet light to selectively harden photosensitive polymers. Unlike SLA, SGC cures an entire layer at a time. Figure 5 depicts solid ground curing, which is also known as the solider process. First, photosensitive resin is sprayed on the build platform. Next, the machine develops a photomask (like a stencil) of the layer to be built. This photomask is printed on a glass plate above the build platform using an electrostatic process similar to that found in photocopiers. The mask is then exposed to UV light, which only passes through the transparent portions of the mask to selectively harden the shape of the current layer.

Figure 5: Schematic diagram of solid ground curing. 11

After the layer is cured, the machine vacuums up the excess liquid resin and sprays wax in its place to support the model during the build. The top surface is milled flat, and then the process repeats to build the next layer. When the part is complete, it must be de-waxed by immersing it in a solvent bath. SGC machines are distributed in the U.S. by Cubital America Inc. of Troy, MI. The machines are quite big and can produce large models.

3.6 3-D Ink-Jet Printing

Ink-Jet Printing refers to an entire class of machines that employ ink-jet technology. The first was 3D Printing (3DP), developed at MIT and licensed to Soligen Corporation, Extrude Hone, and others. The ZCorp 3D printer, produced by Z Corporation of Burlington, MA (www.zcorp.com) is an example of this technology. As shown in Figure 6a, parts are built upon a platform situated in a bin full of powder material. An ink-jet printing head selectively deposits or  prints  a binder fluid to fuse the powder together in the desired areas. Unbound powder remains to support the part. The platform is lowered, more powder added and leveled, and the process repeated. When finished, the green part is then removed from the unbound powder, and excess unbound powder is blown off. Finished parts can be infiltrated with wax, CA glue, or other sealants to improve durability and surface finish. Typical layer thicknesses are on the order of 0.1 mm. This process is very fast, and produces parts with a slightly grainy surface. ZCorp uses two different materials, a starch based powder (not as strong, but can be burned out, for investment casting applications) and a ceramic powder. Machines with 4 color printing capability are available.

3D Systems’ (www.3dsystems.com) version of the ink-jet based system is called the Thermo-Jet or Multi-Jet Printer. It uses a linear array of print heads to rapidly produce thermoplastic models (Figure 6d). If the part is narrow enough, the print head can deposit an entire layer in one pass. Otherwise, the head makes several passes.

Sanders Prototype of Wilton, NH (www.solid-scape.com) uses a different ink-jet technique in its Model Maker line of concept modelers. The machines use two ink-jets (see Figure 6c). One dispenses low-melt thermoplastic to make the model, while the other prints wax to form supports. After each layer, a cutting tool mills the top surface to uniform height. This yields extremely good accuracy, allowing the machines to be used in the jewelry industry.

Ballistic particle manufacturing, depicted in Figure 6b, was developed by BPM Inc., which has since gone out of business.

Figure 6: Schematic diagrams of ink-jet techniques. 12

4 Applications of Rapid Prototyping

Rapid prototyping is widely used in the automotive, aerospace, medical, and consumer products industries. Although the possible applications are virtually limitless, nearly all fall into one of the following categories: prototyping, rapid tooling, or rapid manufacturing.

4.1 Prototyping

As its name suggests, the primary use of rapid prototyping is to quickly make prototypes for communication and testing purposes. Prototypes dramatically improve communication because most people, including engineers, find three-dimensional objects easier to understand than two-dimensional drawings. Such improved understanding leads to substantial cost and time savings. As Pratt & Whitney executive Robert P. DeLisle noted:  We’ve seen an estimate on a complex product drop by $100,000 because people who had to figure out the nature of the object from 50 blueprints could now see it.  13 Effective communication is especially important in this era of concurrent engineering. By exchanging prototypes early in the design stage, manufacturing can start tooling up for production while the art division starts planning the packaging, all before the design is finalized.

Prototypes are also useful for testing a design, to see if it performs as desired or needs improvement. Engineers have always tested prototypes, but RP expands their capabilities. First, it is now easy to perform iterative testing: build a prototype, test it, redesign, build and test, etc. Such an approach would be far too time-consuming using traditional prototyping techniques, but it is easy using RP.
In addition to being fast, RP models can do a few things metal prototypes cannot. For example, Porsche used a transparent stereolithography model of the 911 GTI transmission housing to visually study oil flow. 14 Snecma, a French turbomachinery producer, performed photoelastic stress analysis on a SLA model of a fan wheel to determine stresses in the blades. 15

4.2 Rapid Tooling

A much-anticipated application of rapid prototyping is rapid tooling, the automatic fabrication of production quality machine tools. Tooling is one of the slowest and most expensive steps in the manufacturing process, because of the extremely high quality required. Tools often have complex geometries, yet must be dimensionally accurate to within a hundredth of a millimeter. In addition, tools must be hard, wear-resistant, and have very low surface roughness (about 0.5 micrometers root mean square). To meet these requirements, molds and dies are traditionally made by CNC-machining, electro-discharge machining, or by hand. All are expensive and time consuming, so manufacturers would like to incorporate rapid prototyping techniques to speed the process. Peter Hilton, president of Technology Strategy Consulting in Concord, MA, believes that  tooling costs and development times can be reduced by 75 percent or more  by using rapid tooling and related technologies. 16 Rapid tooling can be divided into two categories, indirect and direct.

4.2.1 Indirect Tooling

Most rapid tooling today is indirect: RP parts are used as patterns for making molds and dies. RP models can be indirectly used in a number of manufacturing processes:

* Vacuum Casting: In the simplest and oldest rapid tooling technique, a RP positive pattern is suspended in a vat of liquid silicone or room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) rubber. When the rubber hardens, it is cut into two halves and the RP pattern is removed. The resulting rubber mold can be used to cast up to 20 polyurethane replicas of the original RP pattern. A more useful variant, known as the Keltool powder metal sintering process, uses the rubber molds to produce metal tools. 17 Developed by 3M and now owned by 3D Systems, the Keltool process involves filling the rubber molds with powdered tool steel and epoxy binder. When the binder cures, the  green  metal tool is removed from the rubber mold and then sintered. At this stage the metal is only 70% dense, so it is infiltrated with copper to bring it close to its theoretical maximum density. The tools have fairly good accuracy, but their size is limited to under 25 centimeters.

* Sand Casting: A RP model is used as the positive pattern around which the sand mold is built. LOM models, which resemble the wooden models traditionally used for this purpose, are often used. If sealed and finished, a LOM pattern can produce about 100 sand molds.

* Investment Casting: Some RP prototypes can be used as investment casting patterns. The pattern must not expand when heated, or it will crack the ceramic shell during autoclaving. Both Stratasys and Cubital make investment casting wax for their machines. Paper LOM prototypes may also be used, as they are dimensionally stable with temperature. The paper shells burn out, leaving some ash to be removed.

To counter thermal expansion in stereolithography parts, 3D Systems introduced QuickCast, a build style featuring a solid outer skin and mostly hollow inner structure. The part collapses inward when heated. Likewise, DTM sells Trueform polymer, a porous substance that expands little with temperature rise, for use in its SLS machines.
* Injection molding: CEMCOM Research Associates, Inc. has developed the NCC Tooling System to make metal/ceramic composite molds for the injection molding of plastics. 18 First, a stereolithography machine is used to make a match-plate positive pattern of the desired molding. To form the mold, the SLA pattern is plated with nickel, which is then reinforced with a stiff ceramic material. The two mold halves are separated to remove the pattern, leaving a matched die set that can produce tens of thousands of injection moldings.

4.2.2 Direct Tooling

To directly make hard tooling from CAD data is the Holy Grail of rapid tooling. Realization of this objective is still several years away, but some strong strides are being made:

* RapidTool: A DTM process that selectively sinters polymer-coated steel pellets together to produce a metal mold. The mold is then placed in a furnace where the polymer binder is burned off and the part is infiltrated with copper (as in the Keltool process). The resulting mold can produce up to 50,000 injection moldings.

In 1996 Rubbermaid produced 30,000 plastic desk organizers from a SLS-built mold. This was the first widely sold consumer product to be produced from direct rapid tooling. 19 Extrude Hone, in Irwin PA, will soon sell a machine, based on MIT’s 3D Printing process, that produces bronze-infiltrated PM tools and products. 20

* Laser-Engineered Net Shaping (LENS) is a process developed at Sandia National Laboratories and Stanford University that can create metal tools from CAD data. 21 Materials include 316 stainless steel, Inconel 625, H13 tool steel, tungsten, and titanium carbide cermets. A laser beam melts the top layer of the part in areas where material is to be added. Powder metal is injected into the molten pool, which then solidifies. Layer after layer is added until the part is complete. Unlike traditional powder metal processing, LENS produces fully dense parts, since the metal is melted, not merely sintered. The resulting parts have exceptional mechanical properties, but the process currently works only for parts with simple, uniform cross sections. The system has been commercialized by MTS corporation (www.mts.com)

* Direct AIM (ACES Injection Molding): A technique from 3D Systems in which stereolithography-produced cores are used with traditional metal molds for injection molding of high and low density polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene and ABS plastic. 22 Very good accuracy is achieved for fewer than 200 moldings. Long cycle times (~ five minutes) are required to allow the molding to cool enough that it will not stick to the SLA core.

In another variation, cores are made from thin SLA shells filled with epoxy and aluminum shot. Aluminum’s high conductivity helps the molding cool faster, thus shortening cycle time. The outer surface can also be plated with metal to improve wear resistance. Production runs of 1000-5000 moldings are envisioned to make the process economically viable.

* LOMComposite: Helysis and the University of Dayton are working to develop ceramic composite materials for Laminated Object Manufacturing. LOMComposite parts would be very strong and durable, and could be used as tooling in a variety of manufacturing processes.

* Sand Molding: At least two RP techniques can construct sand molds directly from CAD data. DTM sells sand-like material that can be sintered into molds. Soligen (www.3dprinting.com) uses 3DP to produce ceramic molds and cores for investment casting, (Direct Shell Production Casting).

4.3 Rapid Manufacturing

A natural extension of RP is rapid manufacturing (RM), the automated production of salable products directly from CAD data. Currently only a few final products are produced by RP machines, but the number will increase as metals and other materials become more widely available. RM will never completely replace other manufacturing techniques, especially in large production runs where mass-production is more economical.

For short production runs, however, RM is much cheaper, since it does not require tooling. RM is also ideal for producing custom parts tailored to the user’s exact specifications. A University of Delaware research project uses a digitized 3-D model of a person’s head to construct a custom-fitted helmet. 23 NASA is experimenting with using RP machines to produce spacesuit gloves fitted to each astronaut’s hands. 24 From tailored golf club grips to custom dinnerware, the possibilities are endless.

The other major use of RM is for products that simply cannot be made by subtractive (machining, grinding) or compressive (forging, etc.) processes. This includes objects with complex features, internal voids, and layered structures. Specific Surface of Franklin, MA uses RP to manufacture complicated ceramic filters that have eight times the interior surface area of older types. The filters remove particles from the gas emissions of coal-fired power plants. 25 Therics, Inc. of NYC is using RP’s layered build style to develop  pills that release measured drug doses at specified times during the day  and other medical products. 26

5 Future Developments

Rapid prototyping is starting to change the way companies design and build products. On the horizon, though, are several developments that will help to revolutionize manufacturing as we know it.
One such improvement is increased speed.  Rapid  prototyping machines are still slow by some standards. By using faster computers, more complex control systems, and improved materials, RP manufacturers are dramatically reducing build time. For example, Stratasys recently (January 1998) introduced its FDM Quantum machine, which can produce ABS plastic models 2.5-5 times faster than previous FDM machines. 27 Continued reductions in build time will make rapid manufacturing economical for a wider variety of products.

Another future development is improved accuracy and surface finish. Today’s commercially available machines are accurate to ~0.08 millimeters in the x-y plane, but less in the z (vertical) direction. Improvements in laser optics and motor control should increase accuracy in all three directions. In addition, RP companies are developing new polymers that will be less prone to curing and temperature-induced warpage.

The introduction of non-polymeric materials, including metals, ceramics, and composites, represents another much anticipated development. These materials would allow RP users to produce functional parts. Today’s plastic prototypes work well for visualization and fit tests, but they are often too weak for function testing. More rugged materials would yield prototypes that could be subjected to actual service conditions. In addition, metal and composite materials will greatly expand the range of products that can be made by rapid manufacturing.

Many RP companies and research labs are working to develop new materials. For example, the University of Dayton is working with Helisys to produce ceramic matrix composites by laminated object manufacturing. 28 An Advanced Research Projects Agency / Office of Naval Research sponsored project is investigating ways to make ceramics using fused deposition modeling. 29 As mentioned earlier, Sandia/Stanford’s LENS system can create solid metal parts. These three groups are just a few of the many working on new RP materials.

Another important development is increased size capacity. Currently most RP machines are limited to objects 0.125 cubic meters or less. Larger parts must be built in sections and joined by hand. To remedy this situation, several  large prototype  techniques are in the works. The most fully developed is Topographic Shell Fabrication from Formus in San Jose, CA. In this process, a temporary mold is built from layers of silica powder (high quality sand) bound together with paraffin wax. The mold is then used to produce fiberglass, epoxy, foam, or concrete models up to 3.3 m x 2 m x 1.2 m in size. 30

At the University of Utah, Professor Charles Thomas is developing systems to cut intricate shapes into 1.2 m x 2.4 m sections of foam or paper. 31 Researchers at Penn State’s Applied Research Lab (ARL) are aiming even higher: to directly build large metal parts such as tank turrets using robotically guided lasers. Group leader Henry Watson states that product size is limited only by the size of the robot holding the laser. 32

All the above improvements will help the rapid prototyping industry continue to grow, both worldwide and at home. The United States currently dominates the field, but Germany, Japan, and Israel are making inroads. In time RP will spread to less technologically developed countries as well. With more people and countries in the field, RP’s growth will accelerate further.

One future application is Distance Manufacturing on Demand, a combination of RP and the Internet that will allow designers to remotely submit designs for immediate manufacture. Researchers at UC-Berkeley, among others, are developing such a

system. 33 RP enthusiasts believe that RP will even spread to the home, lending new meaning to the term  cottage industry.  Three-dimensional home printers may seem far-fetched, but the same could be said for color laser printing just fifteen years ago.

Finally, the rise of rapid prototyping has spurred progress in traditional subtractive methods as well. Advances in computerized path planning, numeric control, and machine dynamics are increasing the speed and accuracy of machining. Modern CNC machining centers can have spindle speeds of up to 100,000 RPM, with correspondingly fast feed rates. 34 Such high material removal rates translate into short build times. For certain applications, particularly metals, machining will continue to be a useful manufacturing process. Rapid prototyping will not make machining obsolete, but rather complement it.

Notes
5 Steven Ashley,  Rapid Prototyping is Coming of Age,  Mechanical Engineering July 1995: 63.
6 Pamela J. Waterman,  Rapid Prototyping,  DE March 1997: 30.
7 Michelle Griffith and John S. Lamancusa,  Rapid Prototyping Technologies,  Rapid Prototyping. 1998. http://www.me.psu.edu/lamancusa/me415/rpintro2.pdf (Accessed 4/20/98).
8 ibid.
9 ibid.
10 ibid.
11 Lee E. Weiss,  SFF Processes,  JTEC/WTEC Panel Report on Rapid Prototyping in Europe and Japan. March 1997. http://itri.loyola.edu/rp/02_02.htm (Accessed 4/18/98).
12 ibid.
13 Gene Bylinsky,  Industry’s Amazing New Instant Prototypes,  Fortune Features. January 1998. http://www.pathfinder.com/fortune/1998/980112/imt.html (Accessed 3/29/98).
14 Ray Langdon,  A Decade of Rapid Prototyping,  Automotive Engineer May 1997: 44-45.
15 Ashley,  Coming of Age,  64.
16 Peter Hilton,  Making the Leap to Rapid Tool Making,  Mechanical Engineering July 1995: 75.
17 Ashley,  From CAD Art to Rapid Metal Tools,  Mechanical Engineering March 1997: 82.
18 Ashley 83.
19 Bylinsky.
20 ibid.
21 Ashley,  From CAD Art,  86.
22 Langdon 55.
23 Matthew Wieckowski,  Alternative Helmet Design,  Rehabilitation Robotics Research Program. 10/25/96. http://www.asel.udel.edu/rapid/helmet/ (Accessed 4/21/98).
25 ibid.
26 Ashley,  Coming of Age,  64.
27  Stratasys Announces New High Speed ‘FDM Quantum’ Rapid Prototyping System,  Stratasys Press Release. 1/26/98. http://ltk.hut.fi/archives/rp-ml/0212.html (Accessed 4/21/98).
28  Freeform Fabrication of Structural Ceramics and Ceramic Matrix Composites by Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM),  Dayton University Rapid Prototyping. 1998. http://www.udri.udayton.edu/rpdl/sff2.htm (Accessed 4/21/98).
29 Laboratory for Freeform Fabrication of Advanced Ceramics at Rutgers University. 1998. http://www.caip.rutgers.edu/sff/ (Accessed 4/21/98).
30  What is TSF?  Formus Home Page. 1998. http://www.formus.com/acls.htm (Accessed 4/21/98).
31 Waterman 34.
32 Bylinsky.
33  CyberCut: A Network Manufacturing Service  http://CyberCut.berkeley.edu/ (Accessed 4/27/98).
34 Langdon 59.
35 Glenn Hartwig,  Rapid 3D Modelers,  DE March 1997: 38-39.

http://www.mne.psu.edu/lamancusa/rapidpro/primer/chapter2.htm
[from - The Learning Factory]

***

Is that the most awesome thing you’ve ever seen? There are great diagrams on this page – go there and see them – It’s perfect. – my note

***
Taiwanese mathematician wins Italy’s Agostinelli Award
Central News Agency
2009-05-25 04:08 PM

Taipei, May 25 (CNA) Academia Sinica academician Liu Ta-ping has won an award from the Italian national academic institute, the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, in recognition of his excellent scientific achievements, according to a statement released Monday by Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s top academic research institute.The statement said that Liu, who also serves as director of Academia Sinica’s Institute of Mathematics, will receive the Cataldo e Angiola Agostinelli international prize June 11 in Rome.

[ . . . ]

He has been a faculty member at the University of Maryland, New York University and Stanford University, and became a distinguished research fellow at Academia Sinica in 2000. He was made an academician at Academia Sinica in 1992.

Liu’s research interests center on nonlinear partial differential equations, shock wave theory and kinetic theory, according to the statement.

(By Elizabeth Hsu)

http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=958609&lang=eng_news

***

E3 – Expo

June 2 – 4, 2009

L.A. Convention Center,

Los Angeles, California

About E3 Expo

E3 Expo is the world’s premiere trade show for computer and video games and related products. The show is owned by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of the companies, publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers and the Internet. For more information, please visit www.E3Expo.com or www.theESA.com.

Exhibitor List

http://www.e3expo.com/content/1146/exhibitor-list/

***

GreenBuildingsNY Convention

June 16 – 17, 2009

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, NY

http://www.greenbuildingsny.com/App/homepage.cfm?moduleid=4550&appname=100573

GreenBuildingsNY is the place to source green solutions and materials for the design, construction, restoration, renovation and historical preservation of existing commercial, residential and industrial buildings. See how eco-friendly can be economy friendly. Discover how a smart investment on environmental and sustainability improvements can deliver up to 20–40% risk free return on investment. NY Metro focused, convenient, and ever evolving, GreenBuildingsNY provides easy access to more of the green sustainable products and services that building professionals need:

Restoration products Water conservation Low-impact building materials Recycling products and services

Green design and construction services Energy conservation And MORE

http://www.greenbuildingsny.com/App/homepage.cfm?moduleid=4550&appname=100573

***

MAY 28 – 29, 2009

(Today and Tomorrow)

28.05.2009

Can you measure creativity?

Can you compare creativity across countries and regions or across different fields of human activity? If yes, in what way? An international conference organised by the European Commission and its Centre for Research on Lifelong Learning (CRELL) addresses these questions in Brussels on 28 and 29 May 2009.

http://create2009.europa.eu/

***

My Note - now that would be fun – it is happening right now – will have to go see what they’ve generated . . .

Cool Places to Look for Great Jobs in Europe and also in Technology

EU Jobs

AKF: Director of Programmes (Social Inclusion)

Senior Financial Controller

EWP: Internships – Communications and Aquawareness

COLIPA: Director Research Project Management

EEB: Policy Officer on Product and Waste Policy

Stellenangebot registrieren

http://www.euractiv.com/de/pa/europisches-abitur-nationaler-ebene-vergeben/article-182259

***

Featured Jobs

BzzAgent Business Development Director Massachusetts, United States	2/12/09
Quality Assurance Engineer Massachusetts, United States	6/23/08
Online Database Programmer/Developer (project contract) Massachusetts, United States	7/8/08
Social Network Developer New York, United States	5/18/09
PROJECT MANAGER Massachusetts, United States	6/23/08

Employers

Post Jobs

»Click here if you want to create an account to post jobs

Contact

To list your program or recruitment ad in our Career Resources section, e-mail Barry Echavarria at Barry.echavarria@technologyreview.com or call 603.924.7586.

[From - ]

http://www.technologyreview.com/CareerResources/

***

Program Directory

MIT Professional Education – Advanced Study Program Put MIT to work for you. The Advanced Study Program provides full- and part-time learning opportunities for experienced working professionals at any stage of their careers. Choose a curriculum based on your professional goals and company objectives. Visit our website to see how past students gained value from their Advanced Study Program experience. Now accepting applications for Fall 2009. Learn more about the Advanced Study Program at: http://advancedstudy.mit.edu/tr

Polytechnic Institute of NYU Executive Master’s Programs Based in New York City and Westchester, NY, Polytechnic Institute of NYU’s fast-track executive master’s programs in Management of Technology and Information Management, as well as the MBA in Innovation & Technology Management, enable professionals to move beyond pure technology and become effective managers of innovation. Participants gain knowledge that is increasingly valuable to firms and not easily outsourced. Join us for an info session and get complete details at: http://www.mot-im.poly.edu

Nifty stuff – places to get on television – places to maybe find a job – employment – internship – career – make a video – work on a video crew or editing or being involved in new technology stuff

If you’d like to be on a DIY Network program, check the list below for shows seeking guests, personal stories, featured homes and more!

If the show you’re interested in applying for isn’t listed, new episodes are not currently being produced or the show is not soliciting viewers at this time. Our list is updated frequently, though—so please check back soon.
Do you want to take your house from average to amazing?
We’re here to help! DIY’s newest renovation show will transform your house into a beautiful space that you cannot wait to show off to your neighbors and friends. We’ll show you what it means to put some tough love into home improvement. If you live within an hour of NYC, we want to hear from you! To apply, email yhs@boywonderproductions.net
the following information:

• Please submit photographs of “problem” areas. Photos that show off entire rooms are ideal.
• Send photos and a brief description of yourself and/or family and what you think your house needs the most and why?
• Where is your house located?
• Contact information

TONY SIRAGUSA AND THE MAN CAVES TEAM ARE COMING BACK FOR MORE
Sick of being told to take your feet off the coffee table? Looking for a spot to put your fantasy football trophy? Are you embarrassed that your poker table has a doily on it? You need a Man Cave! Looking for homeowners in the New Jersey area who have a basement, guest house, attic, tool shed or large room that can be reconstructed in to a dream room for a guy.

MORE INFO »

Do You Want to Make Your Bathroom BATHtastic?
If you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and send your ugly bathroom packing, then we want to help! BATHtastic! is the new series that focuses on fun, fast and creative ways to makeover a bathroom – WITHOUT getting into a major remodel.
We are looking for … energetic homeowners who are open to “out-of-the-box” design ideas, live within 25 miles of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, and have a large bathroom in need of a makeover.How to Apply:
Please e-mail BathCasting@Edelmanmn.com and include:

• A brief description of what you like/dislike about your bathroom
• Photos of your bathroom & a photo of yourself
• A daytime phone, e-mail address, city of residence
• An approximate budget

APPLY NOW! CASTING HAS ALREADY BEGUN!

Ready to Show What Really Happens During Home Improvement?
If you have started a home renovation project, or plan to in the near future, you might be an excellent candidate for the DIY Network’s newest TV show, Renovation Realities!
MORE INFO »

Have a Landscaping Project You’ve Been Dying to Do?
Do you live in the NY, NJ, CT area and have a landscaping or hardscaping project you’ve been dying to do? Maybe you want to install a koi pond or a waterfall into your pool or build a new patio and walkway with a gazebo … Or maybe you have a yard full of dirt and you’ve finally decided to hire professionals to come and do the plantings you’ve always dreamt of. If you want your yard project featured on DIY, come hire our newest landscaping team and see your dream become a reality. Please Email Us!Please tell us your location and a detailed description of what you’d like done in your yard. Also attach a photo of you, your home and the space in your yard that needs work.

Do YOU Have an Extreme Job? PROVE IT!
Do YOU have an extreme job AND the pictures or video to prove it? If so, we just might call you to be on a future episode of PROJECT XTREME!
MORE INFO »

Project Xtreme explores many of the common do-it-yourself activities we see every day – but these are taken to the extreme! From the simple act of changing a light bulb on top of New York City’s Empire State Building to steelblasting and painting the Queensboro Bridge, licensed contractor Jason Cameron goes behind the scenes, with extreme tools, dangerous obstacles, and fascinating stories at every stop.

Casting Call

Do YOU have an extreme job AND the photos or video to prove it? Upload your photos or video here and we just might call you to be on a future episode of PROJECT XTREME!

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/be_on_diy/article/0,2019,DIY_13716_5902078,00.html

Increase the Value of Your Home on Sweat Equity
Edelman Productions is looking for handy, energetic homeowners living within 25 miles of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota that want to update!
MORE INFO »

Casting Call: Homeowners who want to save $10,000 on construction projects
Put $10,000 in Your Hand !! Right now we’re casting for a new series that helps homeowners trim at least 10k from their remodeling or construction project by doing some of the work themselves (of course with our team of experts helping!). This includes kitchen and bath renovations, home additions, garage or backyard additions, any type of home renovation or construction. It’s instant sweat equity … and a chunk of cash free for you to spend on something else! We’re looking for homeowners within 35 miles of Cincinnati who are:

• Serious about a remodeling/addition/construction project with a budget of $20,000 and above (this includes everything from kitchen and bath remodeling to room additions, garages, etc.)
• Are working with a contractor or have signed contracts for the project.
• Plan to begin construction Summer or Fall 2009.
• Are willing and able to work alongside our DIY experts.

If you are interested in being on this TV series, please e-mail JayTV directly. We also encourage contractors to contact us with interesting projects that might work for the show.

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/be_on_diy

***

Do you have a horrible kitchen? Let us help you fix it.

If your kitchen is so bad you’d rather eat out than in, maybe we can help.

Does cooking in your 1970s-style lime green kitchen make you want to eat out? Are your outdated appliances and cramped cupboards making you cringe? Then let us help. We are searching for fun homeowners currently planning to remodel their ugly kitchen and in need of a little professional help. We’ll kick in some goods and labor that will be added to your budget and send along our ace design team to help kick the renovation into high gear and bring your new room to life. All applicants must have outgoing personalities, be willing to appear on TV and be ready to pitch in financially and physically to get the job done.

To be considered for this new show, visit www.nancyglassproductions.com and fill out an application.

http://www.hgtv.com/on-tv/do-you-have-a-horrible-kitchen-let-us-help-you-fix-it/index.html

***

The shows below are seeking potential guests and information that may be used in a show. If the show you’re interested in applying for is not listed, new episodes are not in production or the show is not soliciting viewers at this time. This list is updated frequently, so please check back.

Would You Like to Work With an HGTV Designer?
Armchair Designer
MORE INFO »

Are you a homeowner who made a mess of a “do-it-yourself” remodeling project?
Over Your Head
MORE INFO »

Let Steve Watson Help With Your Home Improvements
Don’t Sweat It
MORE INFO »

Are you a first-time homebuyer in Philadelphia, Portland or the Washington DC/Baltimore area?
My First Place
MORE INFO »

What’s your best-kept design secret?
Share it with us and it might get featured in a series of online videos with Kim Myles. MORE INFO »

Are you confused as to how much your home is really worth? Do you need some impartial real estate advice?
Real Estate Intervention MORE INFO »

Are you a first-time buyer trying to navigate the real estate market?
Property Virgins MORE INFO »

Are you trying to sell your home and having no luck? Let us show a photo of it on HGTV!
Get it Sold
MORE INFO »

Let Our Expert Team of Home Stagers Get Your Home Ready to Sell
Get it Sold
MORE INFO »

Are you getting ready to put your house on the market? Would you like advice from a real estate pro on how to get top dollar?
Top Dollar
MORE INFO »

Let Our Talented Team of Craftsmen Take on Your Most Challenging Project!
Hammer Heads
MORE INFO »

Need help with a remodel project?
MORE INFO »

Are you and your partner at odds over decorating?
Designing for the Sexes
MORE INFO »

Do you have a compelling home improvement project that seems impossible?
Carter Can
MORE INFO »

Are you in a rush to buy a new home? Is time running out before you have to move?
MORE INFO »

Are you a homeowner in need of a complete room makeover?
Deserving Design
MORE INFO »

Do you have a horrible kitchen? Let us help you fix it!
Over Your Head
MORE INFO »

Related Content

Would You Like to Work With an HGTV Designer?

Read More

HGTV’s Instant Cash Stimulus

Read More

HGTV Green Home 2009: What Makes it Green?

Read More

[From - ]

http://www.hgtv.com/on-tv/be-on-hgtv/index.html

***

http://www.style.com/

Vogue online

[oughta check - they might be hiring - sober, somebody to gopher this and gopher that and bring coffee - you never know - probably a employment link somewhere on this site]

***

http://www.mystyle.com/mystyle/shows/index.jsp

Shows on the Style Network

Think You’ve Got the Messiest Home in the Country? Prove It!

NOTE: If you live in the L.A. area and would like to apply for a regular-season episode of Clean House, click here!

The Clean House team is searching for the messiest home in the country. We’re looking for mountains of clothes and piles of junk, oddball collections, outdated or hideous furniture, and tons of plain ol’ foolishness.

Think you (or someone you know) fits the bill? Submit a photo of your horrifying house and you could receive a dramatic home makeover and the opportunity to be featured on a special episode of Clean House.

http://www.mystyle.com/mystyle/shows/messiesthome/hotmess/index.jsp

(There is a form for submission on the link above plus – THIS LITTLE NOTE)

Clean House‘s Search for the Messiest Home is an open casting call for an opportunity to be featured on a special episode of Clean House. It is not a contest. Producer’s casting decision may involve factors other than the condition of the home, including budget limitations and creative needs. Casting results can be highly subjective, and producer’s casting decision is final.

• Submission Guidelines

***

***

New Technologies in Spain is a multi-part series highlighting Spanish innovation and is produced by Technology Review’s custom-publishing division in partnership with the Trade Commission of Spain. Spain represents more than 2.1% of the world’s total GDP and has enjoyed a remarkable 14-year streak of economic growth above the 3% mark. Spain is fast becoming a leader in innovation and generating advanced solutions in the industries of aerospace, renewable energies, water treatment, rail, biotechnology, industrial machinery and civil engineering.

http://www.technologyreview.com/microsites/spain/index.aspx

Aerospace

The Spanish aerospace industry has expanded internationally by investing in cutting-edge technology and a highly skilled workforce.

Biotech

With new companies, new products, and new research centers, Spain has become a world-class contender in the biotech industry.

Desalination

Spanish innovation contributes to advancing desalination to bring sustainable clean water to millions.

Infrastructure

Through financial and technological innovations, Spanish companies lead the international market in the development of infrastructure concessions.

Machinery

Spain’s machinery industry is developing innovative new technologies and techniques to meet ever changing consumer needs.

Solar

As researchers continue to explore new ways to promote and improve solar power, Spanish companies are becoming world leaders in this emerging field.

Transportation

To meet the world’s growing demand for high-speed rail networks, Spanish companies are innovating numerous new products and services.

Wind

As some of the largest wind energy producers in the world, Spanish companies lead the global wind market.

http://www.technologyreview.com/microsites/spain/index.aspx

***

Solar Articles Solar Energy As researchers continue to explore new ways to promote and improve solar power, Spanish companies are becoming world leaders in this emerging field. Multimedia Spain’s Solar Energy Slideshow Click here to learn more about Spain’s solar energy research. Resources Acciona Energía www.acciona-energia.com Atersa www.atersa.com Institute for Solar Energy www.ies.upm.es Isofotón www.isofoton.es SENER www.sener.es Siliken www.siliken.com Solar Platform of Almería www.psa.es Solúcar www.solucar.es Spanish Photovoltaic Industry Association www.asif.org

Technology For Life is a blog that features a dialogue about new technologies between Spain and the United States. Here are links to the most recent posts.

• Spanish Government approves a sustainable economy fund of 20 billion euros
• Albiasa Solar to build a 200 MW Concentrating Solar Power plant in Arizona
• Air space station for the Galapagos islands with almost zero environmental impact
• Alstom moves wind energy HQ to Barcelona and mulls growth in the US and Asia
• HGCapital acquires 3 Spanish solar plants from AIG Financial Products

[Found here - ]

http://www.technologyreview.com/microsites/spain/solar.aspx

***

Chess–The Cafe International vs. The Brooklyn Chess Club.

July 14, 1870, Wednesday

Page 3, 116 words

A match has been arranged between the Cafe International and the Brooklyn Chess Club, which will commence in a few days. Capt. MACKENZIE, Dr. BARNETT, Mr. E. DELMAR, and two or three more strong players, will do battle for the Cafe International, and Brooklyn will be represented by Messrs. F. E. BRENZINGER, [ END OF FIRST PARAGRAPH ]

Note: This article will open in PDF format.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E03EED8143DE63BBC4C52DFB166838B669FDE

***

http://g4tv.com/videoviewermail/index.html
Video Viewer Mail – G4CurrentTV – YouTube – Commercials – User Generated Content
G-4
BBC America
National Geographic
UN
IMF
Chess Cafe

***
http://www.travelchannel.com/

http://dsc.discovery.com/

http://science.discovery.com/

http://tlc.discovery.com/

***

Animal Planet
Dedicated to the unique relationship between people and animals.

HD Theater
Wildlife, world culture, adventure and more exclusive content in HD.

Planet Green
A global initiative including a television network, interactive tools and  how-to  resources.

Discovery Health
Your source for health & wellness info, tips, tools & support.

Military Channel
Your only destination for weapons, warfighters and history – 24/7.

Investigation Discovery
Delivering remarkable insight into investigation, forensic analysis and true stories that piece together puzzles of human nature.

The Science Channel
The only network devoted entirely to the wonders of science.

Discovery Channel
The premier provider of real-world entertainment.

Turbo
High performance content about the technology and culture of cars, motorcycles, airplanes and more.

DISCOVERY SITES      Discovery Channel / TLC / Animal Planet / Discovery Health / Science Channel / Planet Green / Discovery Kids / Military Channel /
Investigation Discovery / HD Theater / Turbo / FitTV / HowStuffWorks / TreeHugger / Petfinder / PetVideo / Discovery Education

http://tlc.discovery.com/

***

***
* Boost Your Remote’s Signal
* Make Your Own Lie Detector
* Hack a Flashlight
* Trigger Green Lights
* Make Spy Glasses

MORE MAKE AT HOME PROJECTS
http://science.discovery.com/

Top 10 Doomed Expeditions
Be it due to human error, divine anger, bad luck or some mix of the three, sometimes everything goes wrong.
Top 10 Doomed Expeditions

* Top 10 Hot Alien Chicks
* Top 10 Natural Disasters
* Top 10 Extinct Species
* Top 10 Accidental Inventions
* Top 10 Eureka Moments
* Top 10 Mad Scientists

MORE TOP TENS

http://science.discovery.com/
***
http://www.film-connection.com/resources/film-resources-l-production-cos.html

Film
Production Companies

ably. Productions Inc.: a production company that deals in all aspects of creative projects from film and television production to CD manufacturing
http://www.ablyproductions.com/

Ace Pix International, Inc.: a full in-house motion picture / television production and distribution company
http://www.acepix.com/

Ancient Pictures: a Seattle-based motion picture and commercial production Company, as well as a networking center for writers to meet, enhance their skills and network in the film industry
http://www.ancientpictures.com/

Apotheosis Pictures Productions: an independent film production company and the developers of the ScreenForge screenwriting software for Microsoft Word. ScreenForge is the best and most affordable screenplay formatting software available for MS Word, and a viable alternative to the much more expensive stand-alone screenwriting programs
http://www.apotheosispictures.com/

Ariz Television Producers: TV show, commercial and documentary production company in Puerto Rico. They offer cameras, mobile units, two-man crews, locations in Puerto Rico and the Carribean, and more for international clients
http://www.worldofariz.com/

Armageddon Productions: creators of the 1997 home video release “Bloodletting,” they develop and produce feature films, digital visual effects and music and movie soundtracks. They have also developed screenplays for other companies, such as Full Moon Pictures’ “Witchouse” and “Alien Arsenal,” and Regent Entertainment’s upcoming “The Brotherhood”
http://hometown.aol.com/armagedd2

Assembler Films: a company that has shot and released films in Italy, Japan, India, the U.S. and Canada, to name a few
http://www.angelfire.com/biz/ASSEMBLER

Belarus Productions: Minsk-based independent production company, providing assistance to film-makers and broadcast journalists. TV production, film production, crew hire, equipment rent and location scouting in Belarus
http://www.belarusproductions.com/

Big Pain Productions: one of the first internet based movie production companies. Dedicated to independent and amateur film makers and actors throughout the world
http://virtualvoyage.com/studio/makers.htm

Big Sky Web Studio: multimedia Web site production studio specializing in streaming audio/video production and TV like webmercials utilizing Macromedia Flash animation technology
http://www.bigskywebstudio.com/

Black Cab Productions: an independent film, music, and literary production company specializing in horror, bizarre, and dark works
http://www.blackcabproductions.com/

BlackFish Films: quality international productions specializing in non-broadcast projects for educational, military and corporate projects. Shooting 16, 35 and 70mm. Free goodies for independent producers
http://www.blackfishfilms.com/

Blokland Pictures: specializing in the development, production, and distribution of feature film drama; serving the international specialty marketplace
http://www.blokland.com/

Bloody Fun Pictures: no-budget video/filmmaking, since 1996
http://www.angelfire.com/tn/tcthepackrat/bloodyfun.html

Brainwave: in the business of producing their own peculiar brand of entertainment for over a decade: films, radio plays, songs, etc. on the smallest budgets imaginable
http://www.bwave.f9.co.uk/

Brillig Productions: exploring creative areas of filmmaking; developing narratives that range from the fanciful to the bizarre, visual designs that push the limits of independent cinema, and story-telling techniques that are inspired and inspirings
http://www.brilligprods.com/

C21ETV: one-stop-shop providing multimedia design, implementation and programming, VCD business cards production, video/TV production, digital, broadcast, industrial, post production
http://www.c21etv.com/

Cabbola Productions: a full service all media production company that caters to people and businesses on all levels of the industry. Their services encompass all media production from Film and TV through interactive CD-ROM’s and presentations
http://www.cabbolaproductions.com/

Cabiria Films, Prague: Filming in East Europe – locations & production services
http://www.cabiriafilms.com/

Cambridge Films: an independent production company
http://www.cambridgefilms.com/

Chicago Film Production Company – DDB Productions is a full service media and film production firm. They carry state of the art equipment and an experienced professional staff
http://www.ddbproductions.com/

Cinedictum: a production company which produces cinedicta. Described as a form of film-aphorism, cinedicta are very short films whose concise narrative holds both entertainment and moral value, while addressing universal themes
http://www.cinedictum.com/

The Commercial Factory: specializing in the production of high-quality television commercials, from the original idea to broadcast ready
http://www.commercialfactory.com/

Coten Films: an independent film production company specialising in corporate and private video work, Web design and new media. Responsible for the action comedy feature film “Cop on the Edge IX” and the forthcoming “Days’ End”
http://www.cotenfilms.com/

Crystal Pyramid: broadcast video production company in San Diego, California
http://www.crystalpyramid.com/

Dega Lazare Productions: movies and other multimedia productions being made in the small town of Kahnawake by teens. From action/adventure to horror and comedy, it’s all there
http://www.homestead.com/degalazare/dlp.html

Dereko Entertainment: a small, independent and privately held feature film production company based in Los Angeles, California. Whose goal is to produce and release one or more feature films per year, both domestic/international territories
http://www.dereko.tv/

Dixon-Cain Productions: an independent entertainment production company specializing in music video and film production located in Los Angeles, California
http://www.dixon-cain.com/

Documentary Educational Resources (DER): produce, distribute and promote anthropological and documentary films and videos
http://www.der.org/

Double G Video Productions: a video productions company providing a wide range of service and talent bank for your productions needs. “From gold to gold let Double G video productions get your story told!”
http://www.doublegproductions.com/

Egygrip: a skilled team of professionals based in Egypt, and capable of managing every step of the video or film production process from concept to completion
http://www.egygrip.com/

Emerald Oceans Entertainment: a multi-media company with film and music divisions. Founded in 1995 as a film production company it has evolved into its current broader base, which is helping it establish its place in the industry
http://www.eomedia.com/

Eye Light Media: creating films, videos, music and Web sites from a Christian world view
http://www.eyelightmedia.org/

The Farnham Film Company: a UK-based TV production company interested in co-production–particularly of children’s programming
http://www.farnfilm.com/

File5 Productions: producer of market-specific sports videos by writer-director-actor David Lima
http://www.file5productions.com/

Film Forum: New York’s leading movie house for independent premieres and repertory programming
http://www.filmforum.com/

Firefly Entertainment: established in 1994 to allow aspiring talents and interested persons to achieve their goals in film, television, and theatre. The group has won multiple awards, is comprised of members of all ages, and is based in west central Pennsylvania
http://www.fireflyonline.com/

Footloose Productions: film and video production company specializing in documentaries, commercial films, photo shoots, movies, and music videos
http://www.footlooseproductions.com/

Four Horsemen Films, LLC: an independent film production company in New Jersey
http://www.fourhorsemenfilms.net/

Gimpy Chicken Man Productions: independent film makers specializing in stop-motion animation and video production. Check out their past films and upcoming projects
http://www.gcmp.com/

GMC Productions: teenage independent film makers on a low budget. See screening room with video clips, and check out past films
http://www.angelfire.com/movies/gmcproductions/gmc.htm

Goldader Film Productions GmbH: creates and produces feature films, TV movies, commercials, music videos, 3-D animated shorts, interactive CDs and DVDs, educational and corporate films, CDs and DVDs
http://www.goldader.ch/

Gulliver Media Australia: producing award-winning television documentaries and videos
http://www.gullivermedia.com.au/

Harrington Productions: content creators for video, film and new media. Based in Maui, Hawaii, they supply field production packages, crew and post production. Client list includes ABC-Sports, ESPN, E! Entertainment, NBC, BBC and The Discovery Channel
http://www.harringtonprovideo.com/

Headscrew: working entirely in the film medium, they provide affordable commercial shoots for local Seattle businesses, create traditional clay, cel, line and computer animations and also stage location shoots for studios who are unable to re-locate a full crew for short periods of time
http://go.to/headscrew

Hellfire Productions: independent DV (digital video) horror filmmakers
http://hellfireproductions.netfirms.com/

Hocus Focus Films, Israel: Filming in a foreign country could sometime become a metaphysic experience. In Israel, life itself is. To cut Red Tape, achieve Green Lights, and avoid Blue Holes. Contact a production house that can accommodate all your needs
http://www.focusfilms.com/

Hollywood PA: the world’s first Global Movie Set. This is an independent film, shot in Central Pennsylvania. You were able to watch it live from the set, interact with the cast and crew and discover the passion and pain in filmmaking
http://www.hollywoodpa.com/

Iconoclastic Entertainment: dedicated to finding and creating the finest screenplays on the planet
http://www.iconent.com/

Image Producers: a full service video and multimedia production company working on a local, regional, national, and international basis. Their creative staff works together to develop the concept, write the script, shoot the footage, and take the project through post-production to deliver the finished product
http://www.imageproducers.com/

IPC Films: IPC is a production company looking for ideas, projects, scripts, talent, and investors
http://www.ipcfilms.com/

Jam Productions a San Francisco Bay Area video/film company that does broadcast quality commercials, special event filming, indie film projects, multi-media and more

http://www.jam-productions.com/

Jam Session Productions: a minority/woman-owned midwest-based film and multimedia company whose projects have included music videos, commercials and PSA’s, training films, industrial films, TV program segments and more
http://www.jamsessionfilms.com/

Janson Media: an international program sales and distribution company, a “content” company. We have licensed programming to over 180 countries around the world. Please see our Clients page, for a fairly complete list of the broadcasters and cable and satellite networks to whom we license programming
http://www.janson.com/

Jelmack Productions: founded by Chris Mack and Jason Licht in 1998, and committed to making digital movies for film, television, and the Web
http://www.jelmack.com/

Jeti Films: an independent film company based in Louisiana
http://www.jetifilms.com/

Jetstream Films: a film and TV production company based in the north east of England. Their aim is to produce quality productions through their own development or by helping production companies worldwide
http://www.jetstreamfilms.com/

Kaizen Films: their mission is to develop new technologies and techniques to enhance the production of motion pictures, while maintaining cinema as an art form
http://www.kaizenfilms.com/

Kinetic Image Co., Ltd.: an Ohio-based motion picture production company that, for nearly twenty years, have specialized in creating exciting motion picture entertainment on budgets that would shame a cat. They created a number of well-received cult items which have graced the schedules of the USA Network and Cinemax
http://www.kineticimage.com/

Kiwi Film & Video, Asia: a Hong Kong and Singapore based film and video production service company catering to a broad range of clients from around the world; fully-equipped camera crews is their specialty
http://www.kiwifilm.com/

Larry Taylor Productions: dedicated to providing creative projects for family entertainment, including movies and television programs, as well as the construction of a new and unique style of theme park. The vision: To put the heart into every picture.
http://www.ltfilms.com/

Leaf Pile TV: Tune In: This TV variety program is filled with a swarm of segments composed of local events and artist interviews which provide musical entertainment and hilarious sketch comedy. Leaf Pile also has freelance videography for your major rock video or demo. Check out our exclusive camera packaging
http://www.leafpile.tv/

Lighthouse Entertainment: a small Italian company with a limited budget that creates short films and movies in Europe and the UK
http://www.lhefilm.com/

Little Ricky Productions: feature films that reach the moral conscience of America
http://www.littlerickyproductions.com/

Lucine Entertainment, Inc.: film, TV and music productions and worldwide distribution
http://www.lucineentertainment.com/

Marquiss Bros. Film Productions: dedicated to bringing you the best in high quality entertainment. Their site will include books and articles on some of the secrets of special effects, animation and movie making
http://www.marquissbros.com/

Matrixx Entertainment: The World’s First Virtual Movie Studio(tm). Services include: producing, financing and distributing independent feature films; Web site, production and legal consulting for entertainment clients; books and manuals on filmmaking and more
http://www.mecfilms.com/

Media Movers,Inc.: full service localization company offering services in dubbing,subtitling,voiceovers & production in Asian, Indian & European
http://www.media-movers.com/

MEV Films: established in 1989 to produce inventive films that utilize the talents of industry professionals and individuals who wish to have the freedom to make creative independent movies
http://www.mevfilms.co.uk/

Miracle Motion Pictures: working to assemble a talented group of actors, writers, producers, directors, camera persons, makeup artists, lighting specialists, music directors, etc. from the New England area who wish to volunteer their time in order to bring to life independent films that would otherwise never be made
http://www.miraclemotionpictures.com/

MPTV: offering on-location video production, graphics and animation design, AVID video post production, Macromedia Director authoring, and many more services
http://members.aol.com/mptv

mptv.com: Film, video and audio production and distribution
http://www.mptv.com/

Mundiali Entertainment: providing a venue for the production of lower cost motion pictures ($15 and $20 million each) and television programming (based on a cooperative agreement between Mundiali and either a television network or special project investors)
http://www.mundiali.com/

Overboard Productions: an independent film production company headed up by Matt Fore
http://members.tripod.com/%7EOverboardProductions

Parallel Afternoon Productions: independent thinkers with a vision that strives to be unequaled
http://www.angelfire.com/ga/PARALLELAFTERNOON

Peace Record Company: a multi-faceted audio/video production company offering video editing, acting video demo production, video/audio tape duping, video projection and sound systems rentals, wedding videos, on location multi-camera video recordings of special events and more
http://www.peacerecord.com/

PH Productions: services include business and personal consulting and coaching, project development, script writing, video production, video biographies, television programs, infomercials, commercials, photography and 3-d animation
http://www.phproductions.com/

Pleased Sheep Productions: a British no/low budget film and video production group, based in the northwest of England (Blackburn).
http://www.pleasedsheep.com/

Prema Productions: produces independent feature films in the $500K to $5M budget range. Contact us for a free consultation on your next feature

http://www.premaproductions.com/

Production Services Arizona: since 1971, providing quality, production services in the areas of video, multimedia, and animation graphics. Serving clients worldwide from Korea to France, South America to Canada in medium to high budget corporate marketing and training venues. Full collateral support through PS/A’s graphics dept.
http://www.psavideo.com/

Rawbass: design and production of all types of artistic media
http://www.rawbass.com/

RCW Media Works: an independent production company that realizes that it is not the size of your budget that determines quality, it is the dedication and heart that you put into your projects
http://www.rcwmediaworks.com/

Reality Crash Productions: showcases original and creative projects from writers, artists, film makers and critics. They are looking for people to contribute to the site. You retain full rights for your work and a web page is provided for you
http://www.realitycrash.com/

Revival Entertainment: this team is producing films of the highest quality in Surrey England
http://www.revivalentertainment.com/

Rigged Productions: film and video, cartoons and art, writing, music and audio, and other works
http://www.riggedproductions.com/

River Productions: an independent film company located in Los Angeles, CA, headed by Michael J. Isgrig (writer, director, producer), Lynn C. Grant (writer, producer) and Kym R. Wulfe (executive producer, head of business and legal affairs)
http://www.riverproductions.com/

Roman Pictures: a motion picture production company which primarily produces “budget-controlled” feature-length movies that are licensed for distribution and exploitation in the direct-to-video, cable, TV and satellite markets
http://www.roman-pictures.com/

RosArt Multimedia, Inc.: a truly multimedia company, producing digital media like Web sites, CD-ROM’s and kiosks as well as traditional media such as television, print, or radio. They can handle all the needs of your project, now and in the future
http://www.rosart.com/

Rubicon Productions: a Colorado-based film and video production company with over 20 years’ experience shooting and producing quality broadcast, corporate and educational projects. Ron Arrowsmith, owner
http://www.rubiconproductions.com/

Running Dog Films: a new British film company dedicated to making films using cheap and affordable technology combined with proven no/lo budget production practices
http://www.runningdogfilms.co.uk/

Shades of Day: the art of independent film and video producing. Extensive database of cinema related resources
http://www.shadesofday.com/

Sharpshooter Worldwide: a television production company that specializes in on location filming, any where in the world. Their motto is: “We don’t go after awards or publicity. We just do the work.”
http://www.sharpshootertv.com/

Smiley Crew Productions: a California-based film crew specializing in both TV and film. Their main agenda focuses on their popular cable access comedy show, and their pro creative, anti “trend” statements
http://www.smileycrew.com/

Smorgasbord Productions: a small company involved in the production of multimedia. Film, video, animation, graphic art and comic books are their products
http://www.smorgasbordproductions.com/

Sparxlight Productions: independent production company in New York City. Site also includes filmmaking community resources, services and forums
http://sparxlight.com/

Starsmead Production Ltd: comprehensive production services for television and film
http://www.starsmead.demon.co.uk/

Stonepine Productions: an independent film production company founded in March, 1999 by Michael Spohr. They also provide many important film production support services — especially business related — for other independent film producers
http://www.stonepinepdns.com/

The Studios at Las Colinas: a full-service production and entertainment facility located in the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex; offering complete music, film, video, and multimedia production capabilities, as well as parties and events hosting
http://www.studiosatlascolinas.com/

Suede Interactive: an in-house production facility (located in the NY Metro area) for radio and TV commercials, audio/video/film productions and Internet services (Web site design, search engine placement, e-commerce and hosting)
http://www.suedeinteractive.com/

TAF Productions: an independent production company, based in the Netherlands, that specializes in executive and unit production services. Additionally, they create their own screen productions
http://www.tafproductions.com/

Tangled Web Productions: a feature film production company that writes, directs, and produces their own projects. They currently have four projects in development
http://www.tangled.com/

Telenet Communications: video, audio and multimedia production using DV cameras, non-linear editing software and audio foley
http://www.telenet.bc.ca/

Terrazas Video: Southern Arizona’s largest production facility. Film, video, grip, lighting and stage. Visit their Web site for a complete list of resources
http://www.terrazasvideo.com/

TEWS Entertainment: founded by Tim Sullivan and Erik Woods in 1995, responsible for “Of Fortune and Glory,” winner of the Best Picture award at the 2000 REwind Video Awards in Calgary
http://www.angelfire.com/ab/tews/main.html

Thrae Entertainment: your source for no-budget moviemaking on the Web. Provides information and insight into the world of movies without the burden of large financial resources, a place for moviemakers to share their experiences and information about their films
http://www.thrae.com/

Toronto Pictures: a production company, with its own film-school. Under the leadership of internationally-awarded film director, writer and producer Bruno Pischiutta, they specialize in producing feature films, documentaries and TV series
http://www.torontopictures.com/

Transworld Video Productions: from idea to shrink wrap; Cable TV to Network. Duplications and conversions to the world formats: NTSC, PAL, SECAM
http://www.transworldvideo.com/

Two Dollar Pistol Films: specializing in the writing and production of independent feature films, shorts and documentaries and providing a wide array of digital production services for independent, private and corporate projects
http://www.twodollarpistol.com/

Two Shes Productions, LLC: artist management, film and music video production
http://www.two-shes.com/

Unknown Productions: independent movie production with distribution from Cinematrix releasing, giving the world another entertainment choice
http://www.unknownproductions.com/

Variety Plus Enterprises, Inc.: serving the lower Westchester and New York City community since 1984. They specialize in creating stories, screenplays, and feature length motion pictures
http://1aindfilm.twoffice.com/

Video Verite’ Productions: independent films and video production services since 1989. Committed to providing informational support and experiential opportunity to independent film and video artists everywhere. Founder Christopher Young is an award-winning filmmaker and one of AV Video Multimedia Producer magazine’s top 100 producers of 2000
http://home.earthlink.net/%7Ekaimei

Walden Enterprises: Minnesota’s fresh new video production company, specializing in video production for non-profits
http://www.walden-enterprises.com/

Walnut Grove Productions: the independent film/TV production company of Susan Frost and Candy Jensen. Their movie, “Victory Road,” is an adult drama with a sense of humor. It blends mystery, action, a diverse and non-stereotypical cast of characters, metaphysical elements, and a strong “classic blues” musical background to create a unique, refreshing viewing experience with broad audience appeal
http://www.walnutgroveproductions.com/

Waterfront Productions: a Chicago, Illinois-based production company that shoots and edits complete projects on film and video. Separate packages are available for just shooting or editing, if needed
http://www.waterfrontchicago.com/

W Film: an independent film production company based in Cologne, Germany. They also organise film events and screenings, including “Night of the Shorts” and “Night of the Docs”:Êone evening eventsÊdedicated to presentingÊinternational short films and documentaries to the cinema public
http://www.wfilm.com/

Who Dat Music Productions: in Astoria, New York, is the developer of the Who Dat AudioLogo® brand identity for the Internet. We have produced elements for CD-ROM, DVD, Streaming Media for the Internet, Web Site Developers, Multimedia Productions, Interactive Productions, Original or Library Music for Film and Video, Narrators and Voice Over Talent, Web Casting, Corporate Presentation and the entire production if necessary
http://www.whodat.com/

World Filmworks: a company designed to create musical/theatre productions, music videos, commercials, and short films, with an eye toward the ever-increasing presence of the Internet as the future of distribution
http://www.worldwidefilmworks.com/

Young Man Kang Films: a writer/director with more than 20 films and more than 50 TV commercials in his portfolio
http://www.youngmankang.com/

Zhong Mei Productions: a privately held Los Angeles-based company dedicated to exposing the masses to theater, stage and film, currently offering audition / marketing seminars for film and TV taught by Claire Sinnett
http://www.zhongmeiproductions.com/

Zone 5 Pictures: the source for all of your business media needs, including film and video production, studio photography, Web development, graphic design, feature films and animation/3D
http://www.zone5pictures.com/

***

http://www.cdi.org/pdfs/Internship%20Guidebook.pdf

Internships for the Center for Defense Information described below

Washington, D.C.

***
Mission Statement
The Center for Defense Information (CDI) provides expert analysis on various components of U.S. national security, international security and defense policy. CDI promotes wide-ranging discussion and debate on security issues such as nuclear weapons, space security, missile defense, small arms and military transformation.

Since 1972, CDI has produced research and publications such as the acclaimed Defense Monitor, numerous books and monographs, and engaging conferences.

To ensure the ability to provide objective analysis, CDI accepts no U.S. government or defense industry funding. To encourage the intellectual freedom of the staff, CDI does not hold policy positions.

CDI is part of the World Security Institute, whose divisions include the Center for Defense Information, International Media, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Azimuth Media and International Programs with offices in Cairo and Beijing.

Experts and Staff

Center for Defense Information

Affiliated World Security Institute programs

Board of Advisers

Click here for a complete listing of CDI’s Board of Advisers.

CDI Internship Opportunities

Click here for more information about CDI internship opportunities.

http://www.cdi.org/about/index.cfm

http://www.cdi.org/pdfs/Internship%20Guidebook.pdf
Internships (Partially Paid) – Guidelines and dates for applying
Next date for applications is July 15, 2009 for Fall 2009 internship

***

Careers
Are you ready to explore a new world of career opportunities?

Discovery Communications is the world’s number one nonfiction media company, with a reach that encompasses television as well as digital media, retail products and online educational services. Our goal of helping people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity depends on maintaining a creative and entrepreneurial environment where individual expression, achievement and recognition go hand-in-hand with our business objectives and performance.

Please note: In April 2009, Discovery Communications and Hasbro Inc. announced a joint venture children’s television network, expected to debut in late 2010. At this time, active recruiting for the joint venture has not begun. Please check back in the future for information regarding opportunities with the joint venture.

Search For Jobs Now
Discovery Communications is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

http://corporate.discovery.com/careers/

Discovery Sites

* Discovery Channel
* TLC
* Animal Planet
* Discovery Health
* Discovery Kids
* Science Channel
* Planet Green
* Investigation Discovery
* Military Channel
* FitTV
* HD Theater
* Turbo
* International Networks
* Discovery Education
* Discovery Enterprises International (DEI)

Digital Media

* Petfinder
* HowStuffWorks
* TreeHugger

Discovery Store

***

***
1st International Conference on Materials for Energy
First Announcement

You are cordially invited to participate in the
First International Conference on Materials for Energy
to be held from July 4 to July 8, 2010 in Karlsruhe, Germany.

A global challenge is avoiding negative effects from the current energy system on climate, environment and health and to find ways to replace fossil fuel supply.

New materials can contribute to a positive development in this direction in several ways, for instance by influencing the energy efficiency of industrial production and of household energy use (e.g., through fuel cells, catalysis, reduced friction losses), and by offering schemes to clean up harmful emissions resulting from various energy technologies.

Materials are important to efficient harvesting of sun light, harvesting energy from temperature gradients with thermoelectric materials, providing energy storage technology e.g. in batteries and via hydrogen storage, and enabling light-weight materials for transportation.

Materials are central to every energy technology; the future will place increasing demands on materials performance with respect to extremes in stress, strain, temperature, pressure, chemical reactivity, photon or radiation flux, and electric or magnetic fields.

The programme of this conference will cover current topics and recent progress in the science and technology of energy and new materials, including the nanoscale origin of macroscopic properties. In detail all aspects of materials for energy production and conversion, energy storage, energy transport, and energy saving will be addressed.

* Do you research or work in the fields of energy production, conversion, storage, transmission, transport, distribution, or saving?
* Do you work in new materials, advanced composites and functional nanomaterials?
* Do you want to hear cutting edge talks on science and applications of new materials, including nanomaterials?
* Do you want to make contacts for collaboration or commercial exploitation in materials for energy applications?

If so, then this conference is for you!

The organizing committee will ensure maximum benefit of scientific communication and opportunity for cooperation among the participants.

Organized by: Supported by:
mrs logo blue_Internet

http://events.dechema.de/enmat2010.html

***
DECHEMA-Kolloquien 2009/2010

Unsere Kolloquien im Wintersemester 2009/2010 starten wieder ab Oktober.

Die neue Programmübersicht finden Sie hier ab Mitte August 2009.

Auch im Wintersemester 2009/2010 möchten wir mit den DECHEMA-Kolloquien wieder über aktuelle Entwicklungen auf den vielfältigen Arbeitsgebieten der DECHEMA informieren und Ihnen die Gelegenheit bieten, über Fachgebietsgrenzen hinaus angeregte Diskussionen zu führen.

Die Kolloquien sind kostenfrei und finden, soweit nicht anders angegeben in einem der Hörsäle des DECHEMA-Hauses statt.

Auch in der kommenden Saison sind wieder DECHEMA-Kolloquien in Luckenwalde, Magdeburg, und Rostock geplant.

http://events.dechema.de/kolloquien.html

***

My Note – This show just happened but it has some great video clips, live feeds that were done during the show and other info – pretty nifty

**
ACHEMA 2009

29. Internationaler Ausstellungskongress für
Chemische Technik, Umweltschutz und Biotechnologie

Frankfurt am Main,
11. – 15. Mai 2009

DECHEMA Homepage

Live von der ACHEMA

Wir danken allen Teilnehmern und Ausstellern, die zum Gelingen
der ACHEMA 2009 beigetragen haben!

http://www.achema.de/

***

Kooperationsbörse “Regenerative Rohstoffe und Energieträger”

Montag, 11.5. bis Dienstag, 12.5.2009

Halle 4.2, Stand D18-E19

Mit der internationalen Kooperationsbörse zur Sonderschau bietet das Enterprise Europe Network eine Plattform für Unternehmen und Forschungseinrichtungen, um neue Kontakte zu knüpfen, innovative Technologien, Produkte und Anwendungen zu präsentieren und Partner für gemeinsame Forschungsprojekte zu finden. Damit wird dem wachsenden Bedarf insbesondere kleiner und mittlerer Unternehmen Rechnung getragen, effizient, kostengünstig und gezielt nach Kooperationspartnern zu suchen. Über das Enterprise Europe Network – mit ca. 600 Kontaktstellen die größte Technologietransfer-Organisation der Welt – werden Unternehmen und Forschungseinrichtungen aus den Bereichen Biotechnologie, Chemie und Energie gezielt für eine Kooperation akquiriert. Zudem ist eine internationale Beteiligung gewährleistet.

Kooperationsbörse “Regenerative Rohstoffe und Energieträger”

kooperationsboerse_bild

http://achema-content2.dechema.de/biomatch.html

***

My Note -

And the FBI is hiring – they need financial analysts in the new cases they’ve taken on recently and they need linguists among other things.

http://www.fbijobs.gov/

FBI Linguists play a vital role in the translation, transcription, reporting, and analysis of materials with national security ramifications. Combining your proficiency in a critical foreign language with the…
LEARN MORE
APPLY NOW

PROFESSIONAL STAFF OPPORTUNITIES
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APPLY NOW

( There’s a lot more jobs at places like the FBI than to run around being an agent or in-field investigator – somebody has to coordinathe information in the background, answer phones, file papers, make phone calls to confirm information or check sources of possible information – there is a lot to do.)

Employment options that I stumbled across – and a map of over 1000 wells in the Gulf of Mexico and a bomb outside Manhattan Starbucks went off tearing up a sidewalk bench / windows – and Russia selling us specialty uranium under new contract plus we’re going to store the leftovers – isn’t that special – oh – and a new tv show host for DIY wanted -

Position Title:	Administrative Assistant	Requisition Number:	8931
Employment Status:	FT N-Exempt
Division:	Human Resources Division – 10007254
Location:	New York City
State:	New York
Job Description:	Position Summary: Performs administrative duties for Vice President, Human Resources and Vice President, Global Talent Management, in addition to day-to-day departmental support for both teams. Responsibilities: 1. Assists both Vice President’s with daily administrative tasks and is primary contact for administrative needs of the team. 2. Schedules appointments, maintains and updates supervisor’s daily calendar. Answers telephone, screens calls, routes callers, takes messages, responds to internal and external inquiries, and provides routine information within scope of authority. 3. Types and composes memorandums, policies, minutes, manuals, letters, forms, procedures, proposals, and other documents and correspondence as appropriate. Coordinates and prepares meeting materials, presentations, agendas, notes, handouts, etc. Formats presentations, tables and spreadsheets. 4. Assists in expense reporting, budget preparation and tracking. 5. Schedules, organizes and coordinates meetings and facilities. Arranges presentations and conferences; prepares charts and timetables. Arrange travel itineraries including transportation and hotel arrangements, and prepare travel and expense reports. 6. Open, review, route and disseminate interoffice and external mail, distribute correspondence and other material to the team. 7. Develops procedures to ensure functional office operations including establishment and maintenance of departmental records and files and coordinates departmental supplies and initiates order for supplies and materials as needed. 8. Researches information, compiles data, and provides reports and statistics. Provides data entry and clerical support as necessary. 9. Support VP, Human Resources with Discovery’s succession planning process. 10. Provides back-up assistance to other HR staff members. Functions as administrative liaison to departmental staff, other departments, external vendors and consultants. 11. Performs other related duties as assigned. Requirements: * 3+ years related administrative experience. * High skill level of MS PowerPoint and Excel. *Ability to perform administrative and clerical operations with accuracy and confidentiality. *Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing with peers, employees, managers, and clients, to maintain confidentiality in daily operations and to conduct daily duties in a professional manner. *Excellent computer skills, including database and reporting management expertise, preferably with an HRIS system. Proficiency in MS Office applications and Lotus Notes. *Must be extremely detail orientated. *Must have the legal right to work in the United States.

https://www.discovery.apply2jobs.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=mExternal.showJob&RID=8931&CurrentPage=1

***

Career – Employment – Jobs – Internships (Unpaid) – Available  Current  Job Openings

https://www.discovery.apply2jobs.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=mExternal.searchJobs

Discovery Channel | TLC | Animal Planet | Travel Channel | Discovery Health
Discovery Times | Discovery Kids | The Science Channel | Discovery Home | Military Channel | HD Theater | FitTV | Turbo

***

Stud Finder Is Back! DIY Network’s latest edition of Stud Finder is on a mission to find the next do-it-yourself star. We’re searching nationwide to see who’s got the right combination of chops and charisma. The winner walks away with the grand prize — their very own show on DIY!
Back to Stud Finder Central »

Stud Finder 2009
Overview and Timeline

We’ve broken down each of the phases of this year’s Stud Finder contest, from auditions and the selection of finalists to the final competition and grand-prize winner. The TV special airs on DIY Network in November, but there’s tons of stuff that will happen between now and then.

Auditions

Think you’re the next Stud Finder or know someone who might be? You have until 5pm (EST) Monday, July 13, to get your videos in and try to convince us.

Post Your Submission »

Finalists Selections

There will be five finalists competing for the grand prize. On August 3 we’ll announce the first four finalists. Then you get to pick the fifth finalist! We’ll give you a choice of three semi-finalists to choose from. Voting will take place August 3 through August 31. The fifth finalist will be announced in September. The five finalists will then have less than a month to hone their skills for the one-hour TV special event.

<!–Go Vote Now »

–>

Watch to See Who Wins

Tune in to the one-hour special to see the five finalists in head-to-head competition with one another. Only one can win!

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/pac_ctnt_988/text/0,,DIY_24936_85295,00.html

***

And Just For Fun -

Database of 1000+ wells – on a map and list (pdf)

Gulf of Mexico and surrounding states

http://www.rocksolidimages.com/pdf/2009_gulf_SM.pdf

***

Russia breaks  wall  into U.S. nuclear market
By Simon Shuster, Reuters
11 hours ago

MOSCOW — Russia signed a landmark deal to supply nuclear fuel directly to U.S. companies on Tuesday, setting itself up to control 20 percent of the U.S. uranium market and extending its global reach in the nuclear sector.

At a ceremony in the Russian capital, U.S. electricity firms PG&E, Ameren Corp and Luminant signed deals to get more than $1 billion in uranium supplies from Russia’s state nuclear fuel exporter Tenex between 2014 and 2020.

[ . . . ]

Bruce Hamilton, the president of Fuelco, the intermediary set up by the three U.S. companies for the deal with Russia, said Tuesday’s agreements open the door for Russia to directly take 20 percent of the U.S. uranium market between 2014 and 2020.

The Russians do it all. They mine it, they convert it and they enrich it,  Hamilton told Reuters after the deals were signed.  And after 2020, it’s just wide open (for Russia).

The Russian fuel would be used initially to provide power to 5 million U.S. homes in California, Texas and Missouri, he added.

[ . . . ]

Tuesday’s deals extended its reach further into the United States, where Russia is now discussing access to nuclear infrastructure, such as uranium storage facilities, Kiriyenko said.

The directors of the U.S. energy companies discussed this with us. For them it would be more convenient if these facilities were located right in the United States. This is a logical step for us,  Kiriyenko told reporters.

He added that these facilities would be jointly owned.

U.S. anti-dumping laws were eased last year in a deal between Moscow and Washington to allow direct sales of uranium to other U.S. firms aside from USEC.

[ . . . ]

(Editing by Anthony Barker)

Reuters

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20090526/NEWS-US-RUSSIA-USA-URANIUM/

***

NYPD seeks clues to small explosion at Starbucks
By COLLEEN LONG, AP
9 hours ago

news-national-20090525-US.Coffee.Shop.Explosion

In this video frame grab image taken from WABC-TV via AP Television News, po…

NEW YORK — Police combed surveillance footage Tuesday and hunted for additional video that might have captured a small explosion near a Starbucks on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

The blast bore resemblances to previous small bombings in the city, but investigators so far believe it was isolated.

The explosion early Monday destroyed a sidewalk bench and shattered windows; no one was injured. The coffee shop, near the Guggenheim museum, was open Tuesday morning, although the windows hadn’t been fixed. Traffic was back to normal in the area.

[ . . . ]

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20090525/US.Coffee.Shop.Explosion/

***

Solutions – Ways to remove heavy metals / pollutants from water and soil, a new light bulb, materials science conferences – First International Conference on Materials for Energy July 4 – 8 , 2010 looking for participants, places to find science and chemistry – aeronautics jobs / employment opportunities and other great nifty science stuff and places to find things / information / resources / opportunities -

Using Sea Shells to Remove Heavy Metals from Water

by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 04.27.09

Travel & Nature

Researchers in Vietnam have recently completed tests on a new way to remove heavy metals from water. The secret? No, it’s not some high tech materials… It’s the good ol’ sea shell. “In factories on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City, Stephan Kohler of the Graz University of Technology in Austria and a team of researchers have cleansed water tainted with toxic metals like cadmium, zinc, lead and iron.” This could save countless lives in developing countries. Read on for more details.

From Discovery News:

Kohler’s team has found that pouring metal and acid-laden water over a bed of crushed clam or mussel shells provides an easy fix. The shells are made of aragonite, a form of calcium carbonate (CACO3) that readily swaps out its calcium atoms in favor of heavy metals, locking them into a solid form. The shells are naturally basic, too — when dissolved they have a pH of 8.3. [...]The team’s technique stems from work in 2003 by Manuel Prieto of Oviedo University in Spain, who first showed that shells effectively remove cadmium from water.
“The idea of using aragonite shells arose because abiogenic aragonite is not an extremely abundant mineral,” Prieto wrote in an email to Discovery News. “Moreover, in the North of Spain we have a very important seafood canning industry (cockles, mussels, clams, etc.) and shells are the most important wastes of that industry.”

Of course, the next step is actually to stop dumping heavy metals in water in the first place, but while we get to that point, using sea shells to clean up the mess sounds like a pretty clever thing to do (and most important, it’s inexpensive enough for poorer countries). Kudos.

Via Discovery News

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/removing-heavy-metals-from-water-using-sea-shells.php

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Compositions to remove heavy metals and radioactive isotopes from wastewater
United States Patent 5880060

Abstract:
Treatment compositions and a method are provided for the removal of a plurality of heavy metals and radioactive isotopes from wastewater. The treatment compositions comprise an alkali; adsorbents, such as montmorillonite and illite clays; catalysts, such as polyelectrolytes and sodium carbonate; one or more flocculants, such as a metal salt and calcium hydroxide; zirconium as a chelating and complexing agent; and boron as a neutron absorbent. The selected composition is introduced into and mixed with the wastewater, which is then filtered to produce a sludge containing the contaminants.

Inventors:
Blake, Barbara (4 Walnut Hollow Ln., Holmdel, NJ, 07733)
Blake, Alexander (4 Walnut Hollow Ln., Holmdel, NJ, 07733)
Lacy, William John (9114 Cherry Tree Dr., Alexandria, VA, 22309)
Application Number:
08/704127
Publication Date:
03/09/1999
Filing Date:
08/28/1996
View Patent Images:
Images are available in PDF form when logged in. To view PDFs, Login  or  Create Account (Free!)
Export Citation:
Click for automatic bibliography generation
Primary Class:
502/411
Other Classes:
588/15, 502/405, 252/175, 210/682, 210/688, 588/14, 502/202, 588/13, 502/250, 502/242, 588/9, 502/407
International Classes:
A62D3/00; C02F9/00; G21F9/12; A62D101/24; A62D101/40; A62D101/43; B01J20/10; C02F1/42; C02F5/02; G21F9/00
Field of Search:
210/666, 210/682, 210/688, 502/407, 502/411, 502/405, 502/400, 502/202, 502/250, 502/242, 588/9, 588/13, 588/14, 588/15, 252/175
US Patent References:
4765908    Process and composition for removing contaminants from wastewater    August, 1988    Monick et al.    210/666
5087375    Method for producing insoluble industrial raw material from waste    February, 1992    Weinwurm    210/688
Primary Examiner:
Caldarola, Glenn
Assistant Examiner:
Bullock, In Suk
Claims:
What is claimed is:

1. A treatment composition for the removal of one or more heavy metals and radioactive isotopes from wastewater comprising:

(a) 15 to 40% by weight of naturally occurring layered montmorillonite with a silica content of at least 60%

(b) 11 to 36% by weight of illite clay

(c) 5 to 35% by weight of aluminum sulfate

(d) 5 to 35% by weight of calcium hydroxide

(e) 1 to 5% by weight of one or more polyelectrolytes

(f) 2 to 5% by weight of sodium carbonate

(g) 1 to 5% by weight of boron

(h) 1 to 5% by weight of zirconium

(i) 1 to 8% by weight of silica gel.

2. A treatment composition of claim 1, wherein the total of montmorillonite and illite clay should be at least 50% by weight of the total composition.

Description:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to wastewater treatment and, particularly, to the removal of a plurality of heavy metals and radioactive isotopes from wastewater to produce a sludge containing the contaminants. Many industries produce wastewaters containing heavy metals and/or radioactive material. Environmental laws regulate the discharge of wastewater containing heavy metals and/or radioactive isotopes. Wastewater containing heavy metals are generated by a wide variety of industries, such as metal finishing, automobile manufacturing, electronics manufacturing, textile industry and others. Wastewaters containing radioactive isotopes are generated by the mining of ore, refining of ore, milling, wash-downs, fuel preparation, cooling waters, as well as hospitals and research facilities. A combination of heavy metals and radioactive material is often present in run-off ponds at mining areas.

The problem is the considerable volume of wastewater containing heavy metals and/or radioactive material throughout the world and the lack of effective and economical treatment and, more particularly, the removal of heavy metals and the removal of radioactive isotopes from the wastewater, separately or in combination.

The present invention obviates these inherent problems by providing an effective wastewater treatment method capable of removing a plurality of diverse heavy metals and radioactive isotopes from wastewater and fixing or adsorbing same onto a usually stable sludge, thus rendering the water free of heavy metals and radioactive material. These waters can then be safely discharged or, in many cases, recycled, which results in additional savings to industry and in the protection of natural resources, the public health and the environment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides treatment compositions and a method for the removal of heavy metals and radioactive isotopes, separate or in combination, from wastewater. The treatment compositions of this invention comprise effective amounts of layer lattice type clays, particularly naturally occurring montmorillonite; illite and vermiculite clay; one or more flocculants; one or more catalysts; a binder and sealer; a neutron absorbent; and a chelating and complexing agent.

More specifically, the treatment compositions comprise 15 to 40% naturally occurring montmorillonite; 1 to 5% of one or more polyelectrolytes; 5 to 35% calcium hydroxide; 5 to 35% of a metal salt; 1 to 5% of sodium carbonate; 1 to 5% boron; 1 to 5% zirconium; 1 to 8% silica gel; 11 to 36% illite clay.

It is to be understood that the above indicated percentages refer to each component’s percentage of the total treatment composition as used to treat the wastewater. It is also to be understood that the above percentages are approximations, with deviations being permitted within the scope of the invention. Also, it is to be understood that compositions for particular treatment applications may not include all of the listed components.

The treatment compositions and method of the present invention are capable of removing heavy metals and radioactive isotopes from wastewater effectively. The method of this invention includes the introduction into the wastewater, containing one or more heavy metals and/or radioactive isotopes, the treatment composition of the present invention. The contaminated wastewater, with the treatment composition added, is agitated for a predetermined length of time, usually four minutes. The floc containing the contaminants is then allowed to settle in the same tank. After completion of the settling phase, the supernatant is then discharged. Upon completion of the supernatant discharge, the sludge containing the contaminants is discharged from the treatment vessel to a filtration and dewatering device. The supernatant and filtrate can be discharged into a POTW, a natural body of water or into the ground or, in many cases, recycled.

One of the mechanisms involved is ion exchange. Ion exchange is the exchange or transfer of an ion or charged particle held by a negative charge near a mineral surface with one that is present in a solution in contact with the material. This process is reversible, that is, cations and anions are interchangeable between mineral surfaces and solutions. The exchanges that can take place in any particular electrolyte and with a specific mineral are controlled by physiochemical laws.

The property of ion exchange results from a charge deficiency within the lattice of the clay mineral. Usually steric relationships preclude the penetration of the crystal lattice by counterions, resulting in the exchange deficiency being effectively diffused over the surface of the particle. The charge deficiency is therefore satisfied by the formation of an electric double layer at the interface between the crystal lattice and the solution.

The process of ion exchange may occur between the ions on two mineral surfaces in contact and also between the mineral surface and root hairs and is an important process in plant nutrition. Cation exchange capacity is defined as the amount of exchangeable cations, expressed as milliequivalents per gram or per 100 grams of material (clay, soil or mineral) determined experimentally at pH 7.

The determination of the total exchange capacity of a clay or other mineral is more simple and rapid than determination of the common exchangeable cations, i.e., Ca + +, Mg + +, Na + , K + , or H + . Important to an understanding of ion-exchange phenomena is the fact that the silicate structures which make up clay minerals, are determined by the ratios of the positive to the negative ions.

Shale and soil materials, when moist, are usually charged electro-negatively (zeta potential). The ion exchange capacity in clays is due to: (1) broken bonds at the edges of silica-alumina sheets, (2) substitution within the lattice structure of a trivalent or quadrivalent ions resulting in unbalanced charges within the clay unit, and replacement of the hydrogen of exposed hydroxyl groups by a cation.

The system employed in the present invention is basic. The system usually requires a vessel or tank which functions as a reaction and settling tank, a high speed agitator to assure a proper distribution of the treatment composition and a filtration/dewatering device. In the case of large wastewater volume, a modular design, meaning more than one reaction vessel, which function alternately, may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The process and treatment compositions of the present invention are capable of removing heavy metals and radioactive isotopes from a variety of wastewaters that emanate from diverse manufacturing processes. Depending on the particular contaminants in a wastewater, the treatment composition may be altered to remove the specific contaminants. As used herein, contaminants will include barium, cadmium, chromium, aluminum, iron, copper, cesium, cobalt, iodine, lead, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, rhodium, selenium, silver, strontium, vanadium and zinc. The compositions of the present invention may be able to remove additional contaminants, not mentioned above. However, this has to be determined in future tests.

[ Etc. ]

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5880060.html

***

Teijin: Technology to remove heavy metals from polluted soil
Asian Textile Business | September 1, 2003| Anonymous | Copyright Osaka Senken Ltd. Sep 2003. Provided by ProQuest LLC.

NEW TECHNOLOGY

Teijin Fibers Limited has developed a technology to completely eliminate harmful heavy metals such as lead and cadmium from the soil. This technology makes it possible to remove hazardous substances without transporting the polluted soil elsewhere and can fill up the land with the purified soil. In Japan, the Soil Pollution Countermeasure Law came into force in February this year. Under this law, in case land is found to contain injurious substances exceeding the standard values, the removal of these injurious substances or the prevention of the diffusion of such injurious …

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P3-412201051.html

***
Title
Rhizofiltration: A New Technology to Remove Heavy Metals From Aqueous Streams
Author     Ensley, Burt ; Dushenkov, Viatcheslav ; Raskin, Ilya ; Salt, David E.
Society / Organization     SME
Summary / Abstract     Roots of many hydroponically grown terrestrial plants, including sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) effectively remove toxic metals such as Cu+2, Cd+2, Cr+6, Ni+2, Pb+2 and Zn+2 2 from aqueous solutions. It should be possible to scale up this process such that plant roots can be used to treat large volume aqueous waste streams. It can be extrapolated from laboratory results that to reduce the Cd concentration in a waste stream, from 1 ppm to below 4 ppb, with a flow rate of 4000 L/min, would require 3500 sq. m of plant roots with a density 5 kg fresh weight per sq. m. These results suggest that the roots of hydroponically grown terrestrial plants may provide an attractive alternative to the accepted water treatment technologies.
Format     PDF
File Size     177.2k
Specifications     v 7.0 / 300 dpi
Copyright Date     1/1/95
Publication Date     1/1/95
Digitization Date     10/25/07
Book Title     New Remediation Technology in the Changing Environmental Arena
Chapter     Chapter 21 – Technology for Remediation
Pages     4
ISBN     0-087335-131-2

http://www.onemine.org/search/summary.cfm/Rhizofiltration-A-New-Technology-to-Remove-Heavy-Metals-From-Aqueous-Streams?d=3F495D18A9180A784D5907FD7CDD5BC1332FC0EC356BE71A9FB28215D18EFADC2212

***
GM Plants Could be Used to Remove Heavy Metals and Toxins from Soil and Water

Chinese researchers have genetically modified tobacco and a species of algae to remove toxic heavy metals such as mercury from soil and water.

As a cheap and effective way of eliminating heavy metal pollution from the environment, the GM plants carry substantial health and economic benefits, says their developer, Ru Binggen of the Peking University’s College of Life, Beijing.

Ru announced his invention in Beijing on 9 October at an international conference focusing on metallothionein, a protein produced in the livers of people and other mammals that binds easily to heavy metals.

By inserting a rat gene into tobacco and the algae, Ru’s team made the plants produce metallothionein.

The genetically modified (GM) tobacco produces the protein in its roots and can absorb several hundred times more heavy metal ions from soil than normal tobacco, says Ru. The plants can then be burnt and the heavy metals safely removed from the ash.

Under trial conditions, the tobacco plants died before they could reproduce, so had to be replaced with new plants. Even so, says Ru, the method is still much cheaper than using a chemical process to remove heavy metal pollution.

A different method was used with the GM algae. Ru’s team pasted the algae to a nylon membrane, which was then lowered into polluted water. After absorbing the heavy metals, the algae-covered membranes were taken out of the water and the heavy metals were extracted from them in the safety of a laboratory.

“The problem of heavy metal pollution has plagued the export of rice and vegetables from China, but our methods, if widely used, offer an economical solution to the problem,” Ru told SciDev.Net.

He added, “Theoretically, the same kind of gene could be transplanted into rice to create a GM variety that will absorb heavy metals. In rice, heavy metals normally remain in the plants’ roots and would not migrate to the grain.”

The team’s research has not yet been approved by the Chinese government for field testing but Ru said the technologies had proven effective in laboratory tests.

Ru accepts that there is still debate over whether metallothionein affects human and animal health. He says his team’s research has not yet considered safety aspects of using the plants, but will do so if they get more funding.

Posted November 1st, 2005

http://www.azom.com/news.asp?newsID=4211

***
World’s First Quantum Dot Lighting Solution Unveiled

Nexxus Lighting, Inc. (NASDAQ Capital Market: NEXS) and QD Vision, Inc. today unveiled the world’s first quantum dot lighting solution that combines the efficiency of LED lighting with the warm color of incandescent bulbs. The new lamp integrates a quantum dot optic with cool white LED’s to produce color-rich, true incandescent, warm white light which can provide over 80% energy savings and lasts up to 25 times longer than comparable halogen lighting alternatives.

Architects and the lighting design community have been demanding a higher CRI LED product without the efficacy losses typically associated with these lamps. The new Quantum Light optic developed by QD Vision, integrated with Nexxus Lighting’s patented Array Lamp designs and patent pending technology, solves this critical issue. The Nexxus Lighting ArrayTM lamp with the Quantum LightTM optic delivers a true incandescent, warm white, 2700 degree Kelvin lamp with a color rendering index of 90 or greater at over 65 lumens per watt

The companies will demonstrate the product and technology at Lightfair International 2009 at the Javits Center in New York, New York, May 5 – 7, 2009, Booth #675. The Array Lighting Quantum Light solution for all Nexxus Lighting Array Par 30, MR 16 and Par 16 lamps is expected to be available in the 4th quarter of 2009, with volume production in early 2010.

“Nexxus Lighting’s new Array LED lamp line is a perfect application for our quantum dot technology,” said Dan Button, President and CEO of QD Vision. “This productive partnership, combining QD Vision’s Quantum Light optic and the leading design capabilities of Nexxus Lighting, has resulted in a product the market has long been demanding – lamps with exceptional color quality and power efficiency together.”

“We are excited to add this new high color rendering, true incandescent warm white color choice to our successful Array LED lamp product offering”, stated Mike Bauer, President and CEO of Nexxus Lighting. “The architectural lighting community has been clear in its demand for better color rendering performance in LED lighting, without sacrificing the efficacy gains you can achieve through solid state solutions.”

The product resulting from the Nexxus Lighting/QD Vision partnership was recently demonstrated at a White House ceremony, in which President Obama announced a $1.6 billion disbursement of research funds for clean energy products. The Nexxus Lighting/QD Vision project was one of only four technologies spun out of MIT that were demonstrated at the event, which featured remarks by MIT President Susan Hockfield.

Because the Nexxus Lighting Array lamps with Quantum LightTM are compatible with a standard, screw-in ‘Edison’ base, they can easily replace incandescent and halogen lamps in existing downlight fixtures. Just in the US, the DoE estimates, the number of down lights and track heads with Edison base lamp installations equal over 139 million in commercial applications and over 262 million in residential lighting applications. Both companies expect that commercial availability of their high efficiency lamps with high color quality will overcome a major barrier to LEDs and will accelerate the penetration of LEDs in the $4 billion U.S. lamp market. The potential impact on the environment could be significant, a full conversion to LEDs of existing downlights and trackheads in the US (~10% of US fixtures) represents an annual savings of more than 35 billion KW hours (nearly $4 billion), which is the equivalent of nearly 6 power plants or more than 60 million barrels of oil per year.

Posted May 26, 2009

http://www.azom.com/news.asp?NewsID=16937

***

Nissei Plastics Industrial to Exhibit at NPE in Chicago Later This Year

Nissei Plastics Industrial Co., Ltd. has confirmed that it will now exhibit at NPE 2009 – to be held June 22 – 26 at McCormick Place in Chicago – after previously canceling its planned participation in the show in February. Nissei’s decision will allow the company to continue its long-standing tradition of exhibiting at NPE, which began in 1966 with its appearance as the first Japanese injection molding machine manufacturer to take part in the event. Nissei’s Booth number at NPE 2009 is S36039.

Nissei’s decision to re-enter NPE 2009 as an exhibitor comes after decisive actions on the part of the show’s organizer, the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI), to devise an aid package to offset eroding participation of show exhibitors adversely affected by the worsening global economy. These actions allowed Nissei to reverse its initial decision to pull out of NPE.

Nissei will also feature at their booth samples of VOLTIGA, a new high-performance composite material.

Posted May 26, 2009

http://www.azom.com/news.asp?NewsID=17154

***

GE Energy to Market Neutron Detector System Developed by ORNL

GE Energy, manufacturer of Reuter Stokes radiation detection equipment, signed a technology transfer agreement to market the electronics and software associated with the SNS 8Pack neutron detector system, an award-winning design for a system of sensitive neutron detectors developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

The SNS 8Pack is a compact neutron detection system that was developed for the Department of Energy’s Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), a record-setting neutron science facility located at ORNL.

The SNS electronics can determine both the time and position of the neutron captured, enabling very accurate neutron time-of-flight measurements. It has large-area detector coverage, extremely low power requirements and digital communication capability.

“It is exciting that, even as the SNS ramps up to its full power of 1.4 megawatts, technologies from its development are already finding their way to the marketplace,” said ORNL Director Thom Mason.

“Combining GE’s expertise in designing detectors for neutron scattering instruments with the high-speed electronics and software developed by SNS is a natural fit,” said Leo VanderSchuur, Product Line General Manager for GE Energy’s Reuter Stokes Measurement Solutions. “This state-of-the-art design will benefit the neutron scattering community with high-speed performance and advanced time-of-flight capabilities.”

SNS engineers developed the electronics and software for the integrated detector system to accommodate the very large detector areas and high rates required by the SNS. Interest in the product for commercial applications has ranged from other neutron science facilities to security applications, such as monitoring land, air and sea shipping.

“The system is modular so that very large detector arrays can be built. You can have greater than 50 square meters of detector coverage,” said Ron Cooper, a member of the SNS development team. “It has high rate capability, good position resolution, and features modern, distributed personal-computer-based electronics.”

Another attractive feature is its very lower power requirement. “The SNS 8Pack requires very little power to operate; less than 10 watts. In fact, it can be powered by a small solar panel,” said Cooper, of ORNL’s Neutron Facilities Development Division.

Posted May 26, 2009

http://www.azom.com/news.asp?NewsID=17012

***

Removing heavy metals from water

UK scientists have discovered a new and simple way to remove toxic heavy metals from water.

Prompted by recent publicity surrounding arsenic pollution in the third world, Richard Compton and colleagues from the University of Oxford have come up with a way to eliminate these metals from water.

The group attached l-cysteine methyl ester – which has a similar structure to the naturally occurring amino acid cysteine – to the surfaces of minute glassy carbon spheres. They then added the compound to water samples containing varying amounts of heavy metals, and stirred the mixtures.

New materials might help clean up polluted water courses © NOAA

When the glassy carbon spheres were removed the amount of toxic metal in the water was reduced significantly. Carbon spheres without the l-cysteine methyl ester did not remove any metal ions from the water.

The material worked equally well in samples of polluted river water and in contaminated drinking water, indicating its potential for both removing heavy metals from drinking water and cleaning polluted water courses.

The group hopes to put its material into commercial development soon. ‘This material has the potential to prevent thousands of needless deaths each year,’ said Compton.

Lorna Jack

References

G G Wildgoose et al, Chem. Commun., 2005, 3694  (DOI: 10.1039/b506461a)

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/Issues/2005/August/Removing.asp

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The latest job vacancies in chemistry and the chemical sciences.

Are you looking for a job in the chemical sciences? Or are you looking for the ideal candidate to recruit?

Whatever you need, Chemistry World Jobs is the website for you, with vacancies, careers articles and advice, plus a host of other features.

If you are a job seeker, you can take advantage of the many free features: you can browse vacancies, apply online, take advantage of the CV upload facility to improve your visibility to recruiters, set up email job alerts, and access articles relating to careers in the chemical sciences.

For recruiters, there are a wide range of advertising options for you, plus access to the high-quality CV database – making it easier for you to select the right person for the job. Contact your representative today.

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/careers/index.asp

***

Working for the RSC

Working for the RSC means working for an organisation with a solid foundation for success, a global reputation for quality and a developing global presence. As a member of the team at the RSC, you will have opportunities everyday to advance the chemical sciences through ambitious strategies which are providing incredibly diverse career opportunities.

Your career could take many directions including areas such as publishing, education, conferences or science policy. We believe it is essential for us to focus on recruiting, retaining and developing the best people to fulfil our goal of advancing the chemical sciences.

Current Vacancies

Details of current job vacancies and how to apply.

Graduate Opportunities

We have graduate opportunities in a wide range of areas.

How to Apply

The information we need and the best way to send it

Employee Benefits

The RSC offers an excellent benefits package

Where we work

The RSC has an international presence. We have offices in Cambridge, London, US and China.

Chemistry World Jobs

Search the latest jobs in the chemical sciences

http://www.rsc.org/AboutUs/rscwork/index.asp

***

industry news & resources

It’s An Aerospace World.

Need information on the aerospace industry? This is the place to find it. Here’s an insider’s view of who we are. Where we’ve been. Where we’re going. And how aerospace is constantly re-shaping our world.

You’ll also find the latest news on aerospace technologies and programs. Plus a wealth of resources and expert opinion. And on the outside chance we don’t have what you need, e-mail Sharon Grace and she’ll find somebody to help.

Top Stories

[Among others - ]

USAF Seeks Out Reusable Winged Rocket Booster

NASA to Pay $51 Million for Each Soyuz Seat After 2012

NASA to Create Green Aviation Program

Airbus Forced to Cut A380 Output

EADS Chief: A400M to Make First Flight by Year’s End
Obama Plans to Call for Constellation Review

NASA Launches Missile Detection Satellite for MDA

Elon Musk Reveals Desire to Build a Supersonic Electric Plane
Scolese Suggests NASA Scaling Back Lunar Plans

Airborne Laser Developer Honored at AIAA Missile Defense Conference

International Outreach

Aerospace America

Career Center

http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=4

aerospace links

The links on these pages are your gateway to a world of aerospace information, news, opportunities, and events supplied by public and private organizations throughout the industry. The resources they make accessible are a goldmine for aerospace professionals and students of all ages.

Academic Institutions
General Aerospace Interest
International Aerospace
Other Societies and Associations

NASA/Government/Armed Forces

Department of Defense/Armed Forces Links
Air Force Museum:
Air Force Research Laboratory
Air Force SEEK EAGLE Office (AFSEO)
Computer Aided Design of Aerospace Concepts (CADAC)

Special Notice: While the CADAC web server is down, you may apply for the complementary CADAC CD with FORTRAN and plotting programs at zipfelATeglin.af.mil (replace AT with @ in the e-mail address) , by providing your business USPS mailing address (no private address please), your e-mail address, and your intended use of CADAC.

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency:
Defense Technical Information Center:
DefenseLINK — Department of Defense:
Department of Defense Acquisition/Standards Reform:
Department of Defense Laboratories:
Department of Defense Scientific & Technical Information Network
Headquarters, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command:
Marine Link — United States Marine Corps:
Naval Postgraduate School:
Naval Research Laboratory:
Navy OnLine:
United States Air Force:
United States Army:
United States Coast Guard:
US Naval Observatory:
USAF Command Section:

NASA and NASA-Related Sites
NASA Image eXchange (NIX)
NASA Space Shuttle Web Site:
NASA Spacelink — An Electronic Information System for Educators:
NASA Spinoff
NASA Technical Reports Server
NASA Television:
NASA Thesaurus
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Main Web Page):
Selected Current Aerospace Notices (NASA SCAN):
Space Calendar:
Space Telescope Science Institute:
The NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts:
Universities Space Research Association:

U.S. Government Agencies
Best Manufacturing Practices Center of Excellence:
Department of Commerce:
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Transportation:
DoC/International Trade Administration:
Environmental Protection Agency:
Federal Acquisition Regulation:
Federal Aviation Administration:
Federal Aviation Administration: Joint Program Development Office
Fedworld (Dept. of Commerce):
FirstGov
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory:
Library of Congress:
National Institute of Standards and Technology:
National Science Foundation:
Naval Research Laboratory:
Physics and Space Technology Directorate:
The White House:
United States House of Representatives:
United States Senate:

http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=261

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11th International Conference on Advanced Materials – VIII Encontro SBPMat

• printer-friendly

September 20 – 25, 2009
Rio de Janeiro
View Official Conference Web site

The International Conference on Advanced Materials (ICAM) is one of the prestigious conferences of the International Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS) and is held in alternate years. The earlier conferences in this series were held in Beijing, China (1999), Cancun, Mexico (2001), Yokohama, Japan (2003), Singapore (2005) and Bangalore (2007). The ICAM 2009 is organized together with the VIII Brazilian MRS Meeting — VIII Encontro SBPMat. This event will be held in the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 20 to 25 September 2009. Thirty technical symposia, four plenary lectures, an Energy Forum and an exhibition are envisaged. Each symposium will have invited talks, contributed oral and poster presentations.

A range of topics at the frontiers of material research of contemporary importance for science, technology and engineering will be highlighted. A galaxy of distinguished scientists will be present, delivering plenary and invited talks, among more than 2000 delegates.

The abstract submission deadline for this conference is May 30, 2009.  Information regarding the topical symposia can be found in the links below.  For complete information regarding this conference, we invite you to view the official conference Web site.

Links

• View Visa Information
• A – Advances on Nanocomposites: Synthesis and Applications
• B – Mechanical Properties of Materials at the Nanometer Length Scales
• C – Carbon Nanostructures: From properties to Applications
• D – Synthesis, Characterization and Properties of Inorganic Nanoparticles
• E – Magnetic Materials at the Nanoscale
• F – Solving Nanostructures through Electron Microscopy
• G – Medical Applications of Nanotechnology
• H – New Developments in Biomaterials
• I – New Materials and Processes for Sensing and Biosensing
• J – Materials for Portable Energy Sources
• K – Innovation in Fuel Cells: from Materials to Novel Devices
• L – Environmentally Benign Materials
• M – Frontiers in Photonic and Photovoltaic Materials and Processes
• N – Materials for Nuclear Power Generation
• O – Materials for Direct Energy Conversion Systems
• P – Designer Polymeric Nano and Micro-Structures
• Q – Materials and Processes for Large-Area Electronics
• R – Protective Coating: Advanced Surface Engineering
• S – Current Trends in Oxide Materials
• T – Functional Materials For Organic Electronic and Nanotechnology
• U – Advances in Structural Ceramics from Processing to Applications
• V – Structures and Properties of Metastable Materials
• W – New Developments in the Processing and Applications of Cu-ad Mo-Base Alloys
• X – Processing, structure and properties of advanced metallic materials
• Y – Computational Modeling and Data Driven Materials Discovery
• Z – Phase Transformation in Metallic Systems: Current issues
• AA – Materials Education: Resources, Opportunities and Challenges
• BB – From Theory to Experiment: Advances in engineering materials

http://www.mrs.org/s_mrs/sec.asp?CID=19223&DID=239747

***

1st International Conference on Materials for Energy

First Announcement

You are cordially invited to participate in the
First International Conference on Materials for Energy
to be held from July 4 to July 8, 2010 in Karlsruhe, Germany.

A global challenge is avoiding negative effects from the current energy system on climate, environment and health and to find ways to replace fossil fuel supply. New materials can contribute to a positive development in this direction in several ways, for instance by influencing the energy efficiency of industrial production and of household energy use (e.g., through fuel cells, catalysis, reduced friction losses), and by offering schemes to clean up harmful emissions resulting from various energy technologies. Materials are important to efficient harvesting of sun light, harvesting energy from temperature gradients with thermoelectric materials, providing energy storage technology e.g. in batteries and via hydrogen storage, and enabling light-weight materials for transportation. Materials are central to every energy technology; the future will place increasing demands on materials performance with respect to extremes in stress, strain, temperature, pressure, chemical reactivity, photon or radiation flux, and electric or magnetic fields.

The programme of this conference will cover current topics and recent progress in the science and technology of energy and new materials, including the nanoscale origin of macroscopic properties. In detail all aspects of materials for energy production and conversion, energy storage, energy transport, and energy saving will be addressed.

• Do you research or work in the fields of energy production, conversion, storage, transmission, transport, distribution, or saving?
• Do you work in new materials, advanced composites and functional nanomaterials?
• Do you want to hear cutting edge talks on science and applications of new materials, including nanomaterials?
• Do you want to make contacts for collaboration or commercial exploitation in materials for energy applications?

If so, then this conference is for you!

The organizing committee will ensure maximum benefit of scientific communication and opportunity for cooperation among the participants.

Organized by:				Supported by:

http://events.dechema.de/enmat2010.html

***

North Korea nuclear tests – underground nuclear / atomic testing, US reality with veterans / military personnel exposed to radioactive / nuclear tests – and an interesting note from 2002 during the Bush administration concerning the re-opening of the nuclear testing questions at the time

North Korea conducts nuclear test
Mon May 25, 2009 12:25am EDT

“(North Korea) successfully conducted one more underground nuclear test on May 25 as part of the measures to bolster up its nuclear deterrent for self-defense in every way,” the North’s official KCNA news agency said.

It added that the underground test “was safely conducted on a new higher level in terms of its explosive power and technology of its control.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSSEO14165620090525

***
TIMELINE:North Korea: climbdowns and tests
Mon May 25, 2009 12:25am EDT

North Korea is already under U.N. Security Council sanctions for its first nuclear test in 2006, which officials and analysts say was only partially successful.

Here is a timeline of the North’s nuclear activities and international attempts to contain them.

[ . . . ]

* April 25: North Korea’s foreign ministry says reprocessing of spent fuel rods from the pilot atomic power plant has begun.

* April 29: North Korea threatens to conduct nuclear test and also test an intercontinental ballistic missile unless the U.N. Security Council apologizes for imposing sanctions against it.

* May 25: North Korea says it has successfully conducted a nuclear test, raising the explosive power and level of control of its nuclear device to a new level.

Source: Reuters

(Compiled by Gillian Murdoch, Editing by Dean Yates)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE54O0K020090525

***

October 3, 2002
Bush’s Curious Timing: NPR Reanimates Nuclear Testing Specter

This article first appeared in DefenseNews Jan. 21-27, 2002.

While stopping short of overturning his father’s moratorium on nuclear testing, U.S. President George W. Bush has catapulted the testing issue back into the political foreground with the Pentagon’s new Nuclear Posture Review (NPR). Following the NPR’s release, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer was at pains to point out that Bush “has not ruled out testing in the future.”

Although Fleischer and other administration officials are quick to say there are no plans to actually resume underground nuclear testing, the NPR calls for an acceleration in “testing readiness” so the Department of Energy would be able to resume such tests within a one-year window.

The question is, why? Why spotlight such a controversial issue at this time, when the Bush administration is seeking to win friends and influence people abroad, most importantly those in Russia, with its vow to downsize the U.S. nuclear arsenal?

The administration’s repudiation of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, signed by 154 nations, already has caused consternation among many U.S. friends and allies who say the treaty helps prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

To be sure, the question of U.S. nuclear testing is something of a vampire in domestic politics, rising from the seeming dead on a regular basis. Every year the Energy Department and the Pentagon must certify the nuclear stockpile as “safe and reliable,” and that there is no need to resume the nuclear testing voluntarily abandoned by the United States in 1992. Every year since 1992, the two departments have so certified, and voiced confidence that the Energy Department’s “Stockpile Stewardship” program is capable of continuing to ensure this is so.

And nearly every year, a tenacious group of nuclear-laboratory officials, lawmakers and right-wing pundits seek to undermine confidence in the largely computer-based Stockpile Stewardship program’s ability to conduct that certification.

[ . . . ]

While troublesome, the delays in the non-nuclear test regime do not, as some have sought to claim, automatically mean there are problems with U.S. warheads, or that renewed underground nuclear testing is now needed. In fact, even before the 1992 moratorium, underground nuclear testing was not the primary method of certifying stockpile safety and reliability.

According to Sidney Drell, a theoretical physicist and long-time adviser to the Department of Energy, the weapon labs and Congress on Stockpile Stewardship, only about 10 percent of the 150 to 200 U.S. underground nuclear explosive tests of modern weapons from 1972 to 1992 were those on deployed warheads. Instead, the bulk of the tests were used in designing and proving new nuclear weapons.

[ etc. ]

A study released in January 2001 by the National Institute for Public Policy, “The Rationale and Requirements for U.S. Nuclear Forces and Arms Control,” a group that reads like a Who’s Who of today’s administration and Bush’s informal nuclear policy advisers, argued for development of “simple, low-yield, precision-guided nuclear weapons for possible use against select hardened targets such as underground biological weapons facilities.”

Proponents of a so-called mini-nuke successfully spurred Congress to demand that the Defense and Energy departments issue a report on “Defeat of Hard and Deeply Buried Targets” in order to raise the issue.

[ . . . ]
The author, Theresa Hitchens, is vice president of the Center for Defense Information.

http://www.cdi.org/program/issue/document.cfm?DocumentID=189&IssueID=35&StartRow=1&ListRows=10&appendURL=&Orderby=DateLastUpdated&ProgramID=32&issueID=35

***

Nuclear Proliferation

Facts And Figures Next (10) Chinese Nuclear Arsenal January 21, 2009 Author(s): Brian Ellison New CRS Report: “U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces: Background, Developments, and Issues” September 5, 2008 The “U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces: Background, Developments, and Issues” report by Amy F. Woolf of the Congressional Research Service takes an in-depth look at the triad that makes up U.S. nuclear forces: Bombers, ICBM and submarine-launched missiles. The report examines the history of each delivery system, the weapons used and the future outlook for each, particularly in regard to U.S. nuclear treaty obligations. The report also looks at differences between the military services controlling the weapons systems, and congressional mandates to change them in spite of service disagreements. Russian Nuclear Arsenal July 30, 2008 Author(s): Eric Hundman Pakistani Nuclear Arsenal July 10, 2008 Author(s): Elliott Becker ,  Eric Hundman The World’s Nuclear Arsenals: Updated January 21, 2009 July 10, 2008 United Kingdom Nuclear Forces July 9, 2008 Author(s): Elliott Becker ,  Eric Hundman Indian Nuclear Arsenal July 8, 2008 Author(s): Elliott Becker ,  Eric Hundman North Korean Nuclear Arsenal (DPRK) May 9, 2008 Author(s): Brian Ellison U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces: Background, Developments and Issues February 25, 2008 The “U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces: Background, Developments, and Issues” report by Amy F. Woolf of the Congressional Research Service takes an in-depth look at the triad that makes up U.S. nuclear forces: Bombers, ICBM and submarine-launched missiles. The report examines the history of each delivery system, the weapons used and the future outlook for each, particularly in regard to U.S. nuclear treaty obligations. The report also looks at differences between the military services controlling the weapons systems, and congressional mandates to change them in spite of service disagreements. GAO Report – “Nuclear Nonproliferation:  DOE’s Program to Assist Weapons Scientists in Russia and Other Countries Needs to Be Reassessed” January 15, 2008 “Nuclear Nonproliferation: DOE’s Program to Assist Weapons Scientists in Russia and Other Countries Needs to Be Reassessed,” GAO Report GAO-08-189, December 2007.

[From - ]

http://www.cdi.org/program/issue/index.cfm?ProgramID=32&issueid=46

North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons Development and Diplomacy

August 6, 2007

The Updated Congressional Research Services Report.

Overview of Fiscal Year 2008 Department of Energy Budget Request

February 8, 2007

Under the direction of the Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman, the Department of Energy has requested $24.3 billion in discretionary funding for fiscal year 2008, a 3.0 percent increase from the amount requested in fiscal year 2007. The National Nuclear Security Administration is seeking a 0.8 percent increase to $9.38 billion in FY 08. CDI Research Assistant Brian Ellison provides an overview of both agencies FY 08 budget requests.

Author(s): Brian Ellison

The Plutonium’s Not Going Anywhere: So what’s next for nuclear complex transformation?

December 6, 2006

Half of a decade of studies at the national laboratories has shown that the plutonium parts in nuclear warheads will be good for at least 100 years – nearly twice the previous estimate. WSI Science Fellow Haninah Levine asks where that leaves the Bush administration’s ambitious plans for the nuclear weapons complex.

Author(s): Haninah Levine

Emerging Nuclear Weapons Policies: An opportunity to increase dialogue

October 25, 2006

On Oct. 12 and 13, 2006, CDI hosted a collaborative conference to bring experts together to discuss emerging nuclear weapons policies in the United States, Russia and China. The presentations by conference attendees are now available.

Author(s): Victoria Samson

http://www.cdi.org/program/issue/index.cfm?StartRow=11&ListRows=10&Orderby=DateLastUpdated&ProgramID=32&issueID=46

***

The Center for Defense Information
1779 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C.  20036-2109

202.332.0600 (phone)
202.462.4559 (fax)

For more information on CDI, please email -
info@cdi.org

***

***
Remarks on signing the Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006.(Week Ending Friday, December 22, 2006)
Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents | December 25, 2006 |

(My Note – looks like this would be worth reading.)

***

Testimony of Dr. Rosalie Bertell

The testimony presented to the U.S. Senate, in 1998, by Sister Doctor Rosalie Bertell, on bealf of legislation concerning ionizing radiation, is as pertientnt today as it was then, especially as the 110th Congress wrestles with issues affecting Veterans in general and Atomic/Nuclear Veterans in particular.
Testimony of
Dr. Rosalie Bertell
before the
Unites States Senate Committee
on Veterans’ Affairs
10:00 am Room SR-418,
Russell Senate Office Building
Tuesday, 21 April 1998

My testimony addresses, in particular,

* Senate Bill S.1385 (Wellstone), to amend Title 38, United States Code, to expand the number of diseases presumed to be service connected with respect to radiation exposed veterans, and
* Senate Bill S.1822 (Specter et al) which would authorize the Veteran’s Administration to provide medical care to veterans who were treated with nasopharyngeal radium irradiation to prevent ear injury caused by severe pressure changes encountered in submarine and flight duty.

By profession, I am a biometrician, which is a specialty in mathematics applied to biomedical problems, and am qualified to design and evaluate epidemiological research. I have worked in the area of the health effects of ionizing radiation, especially at low doses and slow dose rates, for the past 30 years and have produced and published books, and professional papers,,,, on the subject.

It seems to me to be very sad that US veterans exposed to the cleanup of Hiroshima and Nagasaki more than fifty years ago, those exposed to radium implants, and those exposed to the nuclear weapon testing in the 1950′s and 1960′s are still waiting for recognition. The first book on radiation related cancer was published in 1912 – almost 90 years ago. It would seem that the disputes which have surrounded this issue involve much more than straight forward scientific investigation and reporting. I hope to show that the poor design of the research, specially that done on the atomic bomb survivors, together with an arrogance which claimed that this was the definitive study against which all other radiation research was to be judged, has left the Congress without answers to the most fundamental and urgent questions facing the veterans.

Since many of the veterans exposed to nuclear fallout and debris or unwise medical experiments are now dead, I think that government policy with regard to survivors should be as broad as possible. In particular, I support the proposed extension of the list of presumptive diseases which can be radiation induced. The list is eminently reasonable and should have been recognized long ago. I strongly support both of these Bills, and would like to see the guidelines for medical care even broader.

[ . . . ]

There are two major questions which I would like to address in this testimony:

First, dose reconstruction does nothing to prove or disprove that a veteran’s cancer or disease is related to their nuclear radiation exposure. It should be sufficient for a veteran to prove that he or she participated in a “radiation risk activity”.

Second, there are non-cancer physical injuries suffered by the veterans and their offspring which have not yet been recognized as indicating eligibility for veteran medical care

[ . . . ]

Furthermore, there is no scientific evidence that a limiting dose of radiation exists below which there is little or no risk of developing a cancer or other health problem. In fact, there is peer reviewed published research which shows that excess cancers have occurred at dose levels which are within the maximum permissible dose levels set for workers and members of the public. Setting such a cut off for a veteran’s eligibility for medical care is at best a subjective judgment, and at worst a deliberate ploy to pretend that standards are protective and to save money by denying the veteran health care. Radiation Protection Standards have never claimed to be health based, i.e., levels below which there is no harm. They are clearly the result of cost-benefit trade-offs, where the cost is cancer death and the benefits are social and economic. They are inappropriate for use as a criterion for government health care responsibility toward veterans!

“The Commission believes that this level (50 mSv or 5 rem radiation exposure over 30 years to the general public, an average of 1.67 mSv or 167 mrem per year, and 50 mSv or 5 rem per year for workers) provides reasonable latitude for the expansion of atomic energy programs in the forseeable future. It should be emphasized that the limit may not in fact represent a proper balance between possible harm and probable benefit because of the uncertainty in assessing the risks and benefits that would justify exposure.” International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) No. 26, 1965.

[ . . . ]

The probability of damage occurring when someone is exposed to ionizing radiation is 100 percent. You can see, by the enclosed picture of the living cell, its complexity. The electron micrograph of a plutonium particle exploding in lung tissue gives you some idea of the destruction wrought by one “nuclear event” in living tissue. The energy needed to break the molecular bonds in the DNA is roughly 6 to 10 eV (electron volts), whereas the energy release in just one atomic transformation of a plutonium atom is about 5 MeV (million electron volts). The energy from one transformation of one radium atom is about the same, and the energy of cesium 137 and strontium 90 is about 0.5 MeV (five hundred thousand eV). There can be no question of the ability of the smallest particle of one of the radionuclides to disrupt the chemical bonds of the DNA. The probability that this damage will cause genomic instability in the cells affected is still high, just slightly less than 100 percent (since some cells die). This renders the surviving cells more susceptible to cancer initiation at a later time.

In one nuclear transformation striking living tissue, we expect some cells to be killed, some to be damaged and then repaired or misrepaired, and some to be permanently damaged yet able to reproduce. The misrepaired cells, which then misfunction, and the damaged cells able to reproduce their mutated DNA, can later result in ill health or cancer.

[ . . . ]

I would strongly encourage the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs in consideration of the US research failure to study biological endpoints of concern to the veterans, to extend radiation related medical care for all cancers and for the above list of other potentially radiogenic illnesses to all veterans without regard to dose reconstruction estimates. It is reasonable to presume that the genomic instability induced by radiation exposure left the individual survivor fragile in the face of normal environmental and life style insults, resulting in the observed premature chronic diseases and reduced quality of life. This is the least the government can do for the few survivors after years of denial of their injuries.

Redirect research money in order to provide relevant health information for veterans exposed to military technology. This would be more appropriate than trying to use the research into military effectiveness of specific weaponry, in this case, the atomic bomb technology, for evaluating the veterans health problems. The research goals and designs are different, and the information gathered by the military to evaluate weapon effectiveness is not appropriate for decision making with respect to the medical care of veterans.

This Committee, or a relevant Congressional oversight Committee of RERF, should strongly recommend that RERF make available to the Japanese researchers who are studying chronic diseases in the atomic bomb the survivors the DS86 dose estimates for those survivors. This would enable them to test whether or not disease prevalence increases with dose.

Require that administrative decisions of the radiation protection community, namely that only cancer deaths are “of concern” and that this cancer must be caused (not just promoted) by radiation, through direct damage to the DNA, be broadened to include the newest research on low dose radiation mechanisms and indirect or promotional causes of cancer. These are not scientific questions, they are discretionary judgments.

I would hope also that the Committee would revisit the question of genetic damage to the offspring of radiation exposed veterans. This is especially appropriate since the US Government has recently recognized such damage for the offspring of Viet Nam Veterans exposed to Agent Orange.

~ end of testimony ~

Response to Posthearing Questions

Concerning April 21, 1998 Hearing

For Senator John D. Rockefeller IV
Ranking Minority Member
Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs
From Rosalie Bertell Ph. D., GNSH
International Institute of Concern for Public Health

The best detailed critique which I have read on dose reconstruction was written by William J. Brady. He was a Security Officer at the Nevada Test Site from 1952 on, and became a Radiation Safety Office in 1956. Over the following 36 years he acted as radiation monitor, supervisor, reactor branch leader, laboratory branch leader, dosimetry superintendent, senior health physicist, environmental sciences technical advisor and Principal Health Physicist with the prime support contractor for the Nevada Test Site. His report, prepared for a conference in June 25-30, 1995, at the University of Lethbridge, provides detailed first hand accounts of various nuclear tests, the official dose reconstructions for participants in those tests and the errors he finds in those dose reconstructions. Between 1978 and 1991, Mr. Brady represented his company at the Nuclear Test Personnel Review meetings held by the Defense Nuclear Agency Headquarters. If you do not have his paper available I will be glad to send you a copy .

Using the DNA dose reconstructions, it would be impossible to distinguish between the real exposures of veterans reported as having one or two rem exposure and those having five or six rem exposure. The error bars for both estimates would most likely overlap, indicating that the difference was not significant. The probability of a veterans cancer being radiation related would not differ significantly between a veteran having a dose reconstruction estimate of five rem exposure and one having a one rem exposure. Therefore compensating one and not the other makes little sense, even if the measurements are accurate.

The mechanism of cancer induction assumes that radiation related carcinogenesis involves the breaking or mutating of the DNA in a cell, damaging it but leaving it able to reproduce its damaged self in an uncontrolled way so that an overgrowth or tumor forms. The energy needed to break the bond in DNA is roughly between 6 and 10 electron volts. Radionuclides periodically induce miniature explosions, which release energy. These events are called “nuclear transformations”. One energy transformation of one plutonium atom releases about 5 million electron volts, and one energy transformation of one atom of cesium 137 or strontium 90 releases about 500 thousand electron volts. This is more than sufficient to cause a cancer. Therefore, we know scientifically that one atom of these radioactive elements, properly placed in proximity to cells, can initiate a cancer. The organ dose from the nuclear transformation of one atom is not even measurable on the scale of rems or mrems!

The probability of cancer developing is related to the human response to the nuclear transformation event: the cell may die, it may be repaired or misrepaired, or it may survive the immune screening in the internal environment and go on to form a clinically detectable cancer or some other chronic illness. There is research which indicates that some cellular damage is too small to activate the cellular repair system, making exposures below this level more likely to cause cancer than those above the trigger point for repair. Human variability likely outweighs the direct dose effect at low doses. (The nuclear industry is using this observation to call exposures just above the trigger point “beneficial”).

The Radiation Protection Regulations merely try to “limit” the radiation related cancers, not to eliminate them. A certain number of cancers are assumed to be “acceptable” to society for the economic and social benefits of the activity. This does not mean that such tolerated damage to an individual should not be compensated!

2.     If dose reconstruction should prove to be unreliable as a means to determine compensation, can you recommend an alternative mechanism for determining the validity of a veterans claim of radiation exposure?

The simplest test of a veteran’s claim would be to accept the proof of participation in a service related radiation risk activity prior to the development of the cancer as determining the validity of the claim. In such a case, some veterans will be helped who did not have a service related illness.

[ . . . ]

http://www.radvets.org/page151.htm

(It is really worth reading all of this – it gave me many questions, as did the information posted above it. For one, I did not know that the Department of Energy was partly responsible for monitoring nuclear stockpiles or that they were jointly responsible for nuclear materials matters, at one point that makes sense and at another, it does not. And, did our military subject our soldiers to this – ” veterans who were treated with nasopharyngeal radium irradiation to prevent ear injury caused by severe pressure changes encountered in submarine and flight duty.” And, then do whatever possible to not cover their medical care? And, to not cover the medical care for conditions caused by being subjected to fallout  from atomic / nuclear tests in the 1950′s and 1960′s? – my note)

***

Rising unemployment raises threat of social crisis: World Bank
Sun May 24, 2009 7:27am EDT

MADRID (Reuters) – World economic recovery will be slow and rising unemployment could bring the threat of social crisis and protectionism, World Bank President Robert Zoellick said in an interview with Spanish Sunday newspaper El Pais.

“What began as a great financial crisis and became a great economic crisis is now becoming a great crisis of unemployment, and if we don’t take measures there is a risk of a great human and social crisis, with major political implications,” he said.

[ . . . ]

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE54N0JV20090524

***

updated 5 minutes ago

N. Korea fires short-range missiles off its east coast

North Korea has fired two short-range missiles from its east coast, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency cited an unnamed official as saying, one day after conducting a nuclear test and firing a short-range missile that roiled governments around the world. full story

• Author: U.S., China must act
• Roh’s death tops ‘most read’ lists in S. Korea
• In depth: Nuclear tension | Timeline

<!–

• CNN Wire: include virtual=”/.element/ssi/auto/2.0/sect/MAIN/cnn.wire.html”

–>

http://www.cnn.com/

SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) — North Korea fired two short-range missiles from its east coast Tuesday — a day after conducting a nuclear test — South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported, citing a South Korean official.

[ . . . ]

The firings came a day after the reclusive communist state conducted a nuclear test and fired another short-range missile.

“We should be clear that these are short-range missiles. They are in the realm of anti-ship or anti-aircraft missiles, not missiles designed to target cities or other country population centers,” said analyst Daniel Pinkston of the International Crisis Group, which describes itself as an independent non-profit group committed to preventing and resolving deadly conflict.

The U.N. Security Council condemned Monday’s nuclear test as a “clear violation” of international law.

Even the North’s closest ally criticized its actions. China said North Korea “disregarded the opposition of the international community.”

[ . . . ]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/26/nkorea.test/index.html

***

Fun and funky science – superboosting old lead-acid battery designs, alternate energy through anti-matter experiments and Superstring gravity models with even stranger concept of two-dimensional subspace as a nicely uniform geometric “gravity” – and manuscript for a magic lantern from 1877 manual – tells how to make it and a porte lumier or heliostat – materials science and alternative energy – alternative fuels science

http://livefromcern.web.cern.ch/livefromcern/antimatter/

This website and the live webcasts are a LIVEfromCERN production from the Education and Technology Transfer Division.

**

http://livefromcern.web.cern.ch/livefromcern/antimatter/factory/AM-factory00.html

The Antimatter Factory
(by Django Manglunki)

Over the past 20 years scientists at CERN have been using antiparticles in many different ways for their daily work.
Antiparticles can be generated by colliding subatomic particles. Before being delivered to the various physics experiments, they must be isolated, collected and stored in order to tune their energy to the appropriate level.

Until now, each of these steps has been carried out by a dedicated machine with the main purpose of providing high energy antiparticles.

But now the first “self-contained antiproton factory”, the Antiproton Decelerator (or AD), is operational at CERN . It will produce the low energy antiprotons needed for a range of studies, including the synthesis of antihydrogen atoms – the creation of antimatter.

AD Progress – 19 September, 2002
Thousands of cold anti-atoms produced at CERN

[Found on this page - left sidebar - ]

What is the AD?
What does it consist of?

What does the AD consist of?

The AD ring is an approximate circle with a circumference of 188 m. It consists of a vacuum pipe surrounded by a long sequence of vacuum pumps, magnets, radio-frequency cavities, high voltage instruments and electronic circuits. Each of these pieces has its specific function:

- Antiprotons circulate inside the vacuum pipe in order to avoid contact with normal matter (like air molecules), and annihilate. The vacuum must be optimal, therefore several vacuum pumps, which extract air, are placed around the pipe.

- Magnets as well are placed all around. There are two types of magnets: the dipoles (which have a North and a South pole, like the well-known horseshoe magnet) serve to change the direction of movement and make sure the particles stay within their circular track. They are also called “bending magnets“. Quadrupoles (which have four poles) are used as ‘lenses’. These “focussing magnets” make sure that the size of the beam is smaller than the size of the vacuum pipe.

- Magnetic fields can change the direction and size of the beam, but not its energy. To do this you need an electric field: this is provided by radio-frequency cavities that produce high voltages in synchronicity with the rotation of particles around the ring.

- Several other instruments are needed to perform more specific tasks: two cooling systems “squeeze” the beam in size and energy; one injection and one ejection system let the beam in and out of the machine.

[With pictures on left sidebar]

http://livefromcern.web.cern.ch/livefromcern/antimatter/factory/AM-factory02.html
How does it work?
The AD experiments

Watch how ATHENA makes anti-atoms . . .

http://livefromcern.web.cern.ch/livefromcern/antimatter/factory/AM-factory00.html

***

Thursday, January 24, 2008

A Cheaper Battery for Hybrid Cars

New lead-acid batteries could achieve high performance.

By Tyler Hamilton

Still going: Tests of a Honda Insight equipped with a novel type of lead-acid battery showed that the hybrid vehicle can run more than 100,000 miles using the new technology.

Still going: Tests of a Honda Insight equipped with a novel type of lead-acid battery showed that the hybrid vehicle can run more than 100,000 miles using the new technology.
Credit: Advanced Lead-Acid Battery Consortium

The future market for hybrid-electric vehicles, at least those that are affordable, isn’t necessarily paved with lithium. Researchers in Australia have created what could be called a lead-acid battery on steroids, capable of performing as well as the nickel-metal hydride systems found in most hybrid cars but at a fraction of the cost.

The so-called UltraBattery combines 150-year-old lead-acid technology with supercapacitors, electronic devices that can quickly absorb and release large bursts of energy over millions of cycles without significant degradation. As a result, the new battery lasts at least four times longer than conventional lead-acid batteries, and its creators say that it can be manufactured at one-quarter the cost of existing hybrid-electric battery packs.

In the United Kingdom last week, a Honda Insight hybrid powered by the UltraBattery system surpassed 100,000 miles on a test track. “The batteries were still in perfect condition at the end of the test,” says David Lamb, who heads up low-emission transport research at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia’s national science agency. “What we’ve got is a lead-acid battery that is nice and cheap but can perform as well as, or better than, the nickel-metal hydride technology, which we know is very expensive.”

Lead-acid batteries, invented by French physicist Gaston Plante in 1859, don’t get much respect these days, despite being a crucial fixture under the hood of most vehicles. They contain lead, so environmentalists don’t like them. They’re heavy for the energy they store–a bad trait for mobile applications. And they degrade easily if not cycled properly. Indeed, there have been no major advances in the technology over the decades.

Meanwhile, a newer generation of batteries–most notably lithium-ion ones–are capturing the attention of investors and automakers. “Many have tried to improve the lead-acid battery, but the improvements were usually not that great or worth the added cost,” says Malcolm Shemmans, founder and president of BET Services, a provider of battery-testing services to the auto industry.

To compensate for some of the shortcomings of lead-acid technology, many in the past have tried to complement the batteries with supercapacitors. In the late 1990s, for example, Lamb helped design two hybrid cars that used a 60-volt lead-acid pack and a separate 150-volt supercapacitor pack. The lead-acid system allowed the vehicles to drive in all-electric mode in the city, while the supercapacitors gave the cars the jolt that was needed for acceleration and the ability to quickly absorb energy from braking.

The cars worked well, but all the power electronics that were needed to control the two power systems were heavy and prohibitively expensive. Instead of treating the lead-acid batteries and supercapacitors as separate systems, Lamb’s team decided to eliminate the need for all external electronics and instead build the supercapacitors directly into the battery. Essentially, one of the plates (the negative electrode) in the lead-acid battery was made half of lead and half of carbon, turning the battery into a supercapacitor-lead-acid hybrid.

[Etc. ]

Meanwhile, Axion Power International, in New Castle, PA, has also developed a new type of lead-acid battery. Edward Buiel, chief technical officer with Axion, says that lead-acid batteries can play a significant role in the future of transportation and energy supply. Unfortunately, he adds, the automakers don’t see the potential. “If you’re not lithium-ion or nickel-metal hydride, they’re not interested. It’s frustrating.”

Buiel says that the typical cost of a nickel-metal hydride power pack is $2,000, and close to $5,000 retail. “A comparable lead-acid could be in the range of $1,000 in low volume, and significantly less in high volume,” he says. “It’s a battery where the consumer could see enough fuel savings for a payback in a year or two.”

[ . . . ]

http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/20105/

***

[From - comments on this article - ]

Firefly’s Oasis battery available mid-year?
nekote on 01/24/2008 at 4:31 AM

An Illinois company, FireFly, is coming to market with their new lead acid battery line, Oasis, a Group 31 battery for the trucking market, in the middle of 2008.

The lead plates are made with carbon-graphite foam to increase surface area.  Reduces weight, greatly increases charge / discharge rates, less affected by temperature, more resistant to vibration.

More bang for the weight or volume.
And should be more durable.

*
Re: Firefly’s Oasis battery available mid-year?
killian on 01/24/2008 at 9:38 AM

I was going to suggest someone should combine the Firefly technology with the supercap to get the best of both.  By the way, FF is at http://www.fireflyenergy.com/

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My Note – just thought this was too nifty -

How Radial Engines Work

by Marshall Brain

Inside this Article

1. Introduction to How Radial Engines Work
2. The Basic Idea
3. Inside a Radial Engine

1. Applications
2. Lots More Information
3. See all Internal Combustion articles

Science Videos

• More Science Videos »

on the homepage now!

• Oil Tankers
• McDonald’s International Menu
• Medieval Torture Devices

// <![CDATA[
/*

Inside a Radial Engine

The radial engine idea is very simple -- it takes the pistons and arranges them in a circle around the crankshaft, as shown here:

(go to this link - it has a moving diagram of a radial engine including the spark and combustion / compression cycle) - just too fun to watch

http://science.howstuffworks.com/radial-engine2.htm

***

Also nifty -

http://books.google.com/books?id=U69uRMYJuIkC&dq=latern+physics&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=tKCPzet2xD&sig=VoZPeBCxn00pmWPxfUkIm5AHvCo&hl=en&ei=aosbStyIK-m_twfQ4aXiAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#PPA1,M1

[My Note - back before there was high technology around every corner - they built things to work. Very interesting and this google books allows reading it.]

A Manual of Experimentation    In Physics, Chemistry and Natural History with the Porte Lumiere and Magic Lantern – 1877 – google books

Tells how to make a magic lantern contraption – and a porte lumiere using sunlight – has a diagram and written explanation.

[Excerpt - ]

The Art of Projecting

A magnified image of a picture, or of any phenomenon, when thrown upon a screen by means of sunlight and lenses, or with a magic lantern, is called a projection.

When sunlight is to be used for this purpose, it is necessary to have some fixture to give the proper direction to the beam. The heliostat and the porte lumiere are the devisce in common use. The latter was the earliest form, and was invented by Gravesand, a Dutch professor of natural philosophy, in the early part of the last century. It was afterwards reinvented by Captain Drummond, an Englishman, who called it the heliostat. The latter term is now only applied to an automatic arrangement by which a mirror is moved by clock-work in such a way that a beam of sunlight reflected from it may be kept in one direction all day, if it be needed so long. Silberman and Foucault have each devised very satisfactory instruments, but they are too costly to be owned by any but the wealthy; the catalogue price of the cheapest of these being five hundred francs. C. Gerhardt, of Bonn, however, makes a small one, carrying a good mirror three inches in diameter, for twenty dollars.

The Porte Lumiere – How Made

The porte lumiere is made of various patterns, and its movements are directed by turning milled-head screws. Ritchie makes an excellent one with three and a half inch aperture, for about twenty-five dollars, and it is recommended that such an one be purchased at the outset, if it can be afforded, but as many who would be glad to work with one cannot purchase it, directions will be given for making one, that will enable and person who is familiar with the use of caprenters’ tools, to make one at a trifling cost that will answer every purpose.

The room in which the porte lumiere is to be used must, of course, be one into which the sun can shine. A room having windows only upon the North side, evidently cannot be used at all for such a purpose; one having windows only upon the East or upon the West side could be used only in forenoon or afternoon; while one with windows looking to the South can be used nearly all day. Choose then that window where the sun is available the longest, and opposite to which can be stretched the screen to receive the projections upon. Next, take a well-seasoned piece of pine board a foot or more in width, and an inch thick when dressed; cut it to the length of the width of the window sash, so that it may fit into the window frame, and the sash be brought down upon it; this will keep it tightly in place. With the compasses, scratch two concentric circles in the middle of the board, one with a radius of four inches, the other with a radius of four inches and a half. Saw out the inner circle completely, and cut the other but one half through the board, and then cut away, making a square rabbet as show at b b. Next, take a round piece of inch board of the same diameter as the outer circle (namely, nine inches), cut a rabbet upon one side of it so that it will nicely fit into the hole of the larger board, as indicated at c c.

Make the worked edges, and touching surfaces, quite smooth; but the outer edge should be made a trifle smaller than the hole, in order to allow the disk to turn freely round in it; then the hole may be cut in the disk to receive the lens, four or five inches in diameter, whichever it may chance to be.

Procure a nice piece of thin looking-glass, twelve or fifteen inches long and five inches wide. Fasten it to a back of wood made a little larger than itself, with broad-headed tacks, or bits of wire driven in and the top bent at right angles. This back will need to be an inch thick at the bottom, but may taper like a shingle to the top, where it need not be half and inch thick;  m is the mirror and  h is the back in the figure adjoining.

http://books.google.com/books?id=U69uRMYJuIkC&dq=latern+physics&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=tKCPzet2xD&sig=VoZPeBCxn00pmWPxfUkIm5AHvCo&hl=en&ei=aosbStyIK-m_twfQ4aXiAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#PPA3,M1

***

***

High Temperature Material Processes (An International Quarterly of High-Technology Plasma Processes) An International Journal

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Editor-in-Chief

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ISSN for PRINT: 1093-3611

Institutional price:	$652.00
Issues per year:	4

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For Online Access	Best Paper Award Selection – Editorial Board Site

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2006, Volume10

Issue 4

154 pages

DOI: 10.1615/HighTempMatProc.v10.i4

PYROLYSIS OF WOOD IN ARC PLASMA FOR SYNGAS PRODUCTION Milan Hrabovsky Thermal Plasma Department, Institute of Plasma Physics, Za Slovankou 3, 18200, Praha 8, Czech Republic M. Konrad Institute of Plasma Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Za Slovankou – P. O. Box 17 182 21 Prague 8 – Czech Republic Vladimir Kopecky Thermal Plasma Department, Institute of Plasma Physics AS CR, Za Slovankou 3, 18200, Praha 8, Czech Republic M. Hlina Institute of Plasma Physics, ASCR,, Za Slovankou 3, Prague 8, Czech Republic T. Kavka Thermal Plasma Department, Institute of Plasma Physics AS CR, Za Slovankou 3, 18200, Praha 8, Czech Republic O. Chumak Thermal Plasma Department, Institute of Plasma Physics AS CR, Za Slovankou 3, 18200, Praha 8, Czech Republic G. van Oost Department of Applied Physics, Ghent University, Rozier 44, B-9000 Gent, Belgium; and EnviTech S.A., 9830 Sint-Martens-Latern, Belgium E. Beeckman Department of Applied Physics, Ghent University, Rozier 44, B-9000 Gent, Belgium; and EnviTech S.A., 9830 Sint-Martens-Latern, Belgium Benjamin Defoort Department of Applied Physics, Ghent University, Rozier 44, B-9000 Gent, Belgium; and EnviTech S.A., 9830 Sint-Martens-Latern, Belgium ABSTRACT Plasma pyrolysis and gasification for production of syngas is an alternative to convential methods of biomass treatment. Basic analysis of energy balances of plasma gasification of wood is presented in the paper. The experimental reactor equipped with the hybrid gas-water stabilized torch with arc power up to 160 kW has been used in experiments with wood gasification and pyrolysis. The hybrid torch, producing steam plasma with small amount of argon, is characterized by extremely low plasma flow rate and high plasma enthalpy, which results in high process efficiency and optimal composition of produced syngas. The experimental results proved that homogeneous heating of the volume of plasma reactor and proper mixing of plasma with treated material was ensured despite of low plasma mass flow rate and constricted form of plasma jet. The conditions within the reactor ensured complete destruction of tested substance. Depending on operation conditions, the main components of produced syngas were hydrogen (28−46% vol.), CO (44−68%), CO2 (2−8%) and Ar(0.2−8%). No presence of complex hydrocarbons or tar was detected. DOI: 10.1615/HighTempMatProc.v10.i4.70 Download article, 557-570 pages Article price – $35.00 << Previous article Next article >>

http://www.begellhouse.com/journals/57d172397126f956,0151db1073affaac,4cbfe6f61440a9bc.html

(Go to this link above, if you are interested in purchasing this full article or to subscribe to their journal – or check to see if your local university has a copy)

***

[ More nifty stuff - ]

**

Geometric stringy gravity

C. Aragone¹

CERN, CH-1211, Geneva 23, Switzerland

Received 30 June 1986.

Available online 10 October 2002.

Abstract

Following the indications that Einstein’s gravity is corrected due to superstring effects, we propose a model for even-dimensional gravity that has a very strong geometrical appeal. Its leading correction to Einstein’s gravity is the Gauss-Bonnett invariant and for D>6 it also contains all the additional Euler invariants. The model emphasizes the role of two-dimensional subspaces as the elementary building blocks of the higher-dimensional space-time. It is the natural consistent spin-2 generalization of the Born-Infeld (spin-1) action.

Physics Letters B
Volume 186, Issue 2, 5 March 1987, Pages 151-156

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TVN-46YKKT9-1PT&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=45213f7f87f5014dc15bdb58b5ef7e9e

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http://www.strangematterexhibit.com/jump.html

Strange Matter Exhibit – Materials Science and Nanotechnology

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Graphene, Diamond, Nano Carbons, information sites and conferences for great science stuff happening right now

New Diamond and Nano Carbons Conference

• printer-friendly

June 7-11, 2009
Grand Traverse Resort & Spa
Traverse City, Michigan, USA
Register Now | Conference Schedule | Lodging

PLEASE NOTE: Manuscript Submission Deadline has been extended to May 16, 2009

Join us for the third international New Diamond and Nano Carbons Conference (NDNC 2009). The conference will present high-impact scientific and technological advances, along with critical developments to enable the application of diamond, carbon nanostructures and related materials in a diverse range of products.

Conference History
The first NDNC conference was held in Osaka, Japan, in 2006, after the merger of the ADC (Applied Diamond Conference) and ICNDST (International Conference on New Diamond Science and Technology). The second conference followed in Taipei, Taiwan, in 2008. NDNC benefits from the long history of ADC and ICNDST, and has now become the home base for the fast-growing field.

Scientific Program
The conference will span four days and feature oral and poster presentations covering:

• Diamond Science and Technology
• Nanocarbon Science and Technology
• Graphene, Carbon Fibers and Other Nanocarbon Applications
• Diamond-Like Carbon Science and Applications
• Biological and Electrochemical Applications
• Sensor, Electronic and Optical Applications
• Emerging Topics in Diamond and Nanocarbons
• Commercial Applications and Business Opportunities

Conference Venue
Traverse City and the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa are situated in the northwest corner of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, on Lake Michigan’s East Grand Traverse Bay. With over 250 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, dozens of inland lakes, and thousands of acres of heavily forested trails, this is an ideal conference and vacation destination. In addition, the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa features 3 championship golf courses. Find out more or reserve your lodging.

http://www.mrs.org/s_mrs/sec.asp?CID=18269&DID=233991

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Strange Matter

• printer-friendly

WHAT IS Strange Matter?
Following an extensive period of research and development, the Materials Research Society (MRS), along with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Ontario Science Centre developed “Strange Matter” – a traveling interactive exhibit where users enter the fascinating, practical, occasionally bizarre and often beautiful world of materials science through over a dozen hands-on experiences.A dynamic and interactive Web site (www.strangematterexhibit.com) accompanies the exhibit, and provides a number of elements that supplement the exhibit experience. (Since its launch, the Strange Matter Web site has garnered significant acclaim, from sources such as Newsweek, Yahoo! Picks, The American Association for Advancement of Science, The American Library Association, and more.)

In addition to the Strange Matter exhibit and Web site, the Strange Matter team has developed a teacher curriculum/activity guide designed to assist teachers with integrating materials science into their 5th-8th grade science curriculums. The hands-on activities, based on the National Science Education Standards, are designed to encourage exploration and inquiry. We invite you to find out more about the Strange Matter Teacher’s Guide.

Strange Matter will be touring North America through 2010.  Here’s a list of current and upcoming venues.

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SPONSORS
Funding for Strange Matter provided by the NSF, Alcan, Dow, Ford Motor Company Fund, Intel Innovation in Education, and 3M Foundation .

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MEDIA INFORMATION
To find out the very latest information regarding Strange Matter, please view our most recent press releases. A press kit and photographs are available for download to members of the media.

Documents

• MRS Volunteers Explain “Strange Matter”
  This article, originally published in MRS Bulletin in August, 2004, describes the phenomenal response that MRS volunteers have received while serving as scientific docents at the touring Strange Matter exhibit.
• Liberty Science Center “Strange Matter” TV Commercial

Links

• Washington Times
  See why The Washington Times “Family Times” section called the Strange Matter Web site “an awesome immersion in the science of materials.”
• USA Today “Hot Site”
  See why USA Today chose Strange Matter as a “Hot Site.”
• Yahooligans! Directory
  See why Yahoo’s “Yahooligans!” selected Strange Matter as a cool Web site of the day.
• Discovery Channel Canada
  View a video from Discovery Channel Canada that takes an in-depth look at the Strange Matter Web site.

http://www.mrs.org/s_mrs/sec.asp?CID=1911&DID=84057

***

http://www.strangematterexhibit.com/jump.html

Strange Matter Exhibition – definitely visit this page – go halfway down and explore some of this stuff – it is amazing! – my note

{and – it seems interesting to me – }

Smallest incandescent lamp uses single C-nanotube
The world’s smallest incandescent lamp, using a filament made from a single carbon nanotube that is only 100 atoms wide, has been demonstrated in an effort to explore the boundary between thermodynamics and quantum mechanics, two fundamental yet seemingly incompatible theories of physics. To the unaided eye, the filament is completely invisible when the lamp is off, but it appears as tiny point of light when the lamp is turned on. With less than 20 million atoms, the nanotube filament is both large enough to apply the statistical assumptions of thermodynamics and small enough to be considered as a molecular that is, quantum mechanical system.

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Other really great stuff -

http://www.biochemj.org/bj/default.htm
Biochemical Journal – Biochem

30th International Symposium on Free Radicals. 25th – 30th of July 2009. Savonlinna, Finland

http://www.helsinki.fi/kemia/FRS2009/

***

http://pubs.acs.org/page/jpchax/index.html
Journal of Physical Chemistry

FEATURE ARTICLE Beyond Förster Resonance Energy Transfer in Biological and Nanoscale Systems David Beljonne, Carles Curutchet, Gregory D. Scholes, Robert J. Silbey J. Phys. Chem. B; 2009; 113(19); pp 6583-6599; (Feature Article); DOI: 10.1021/jp900708f More Feature Articles

FEATURE ARTICLE Coarsening of Two-Dimensional Nanoclusters on Metal Surfaces Patricia A. Thiel, Mingmin Shen, Da-Jiang Liu and J. W. Evans J. Phys. Chem. C; 2009; 113(13); pp 5047-5067; (Feature Article); DOI: 10.1021/jp8063849 More Feature Articles