Skimaire High Tech: 2011

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

For Sale, Cheap: The Things You Need to Invade a Nation - Businessweek

Thursday, November 17, 2011

turning waste into assets

Avocado seeds a source of natural color

CHICAGO (UPI) -- U.S. food scientists say avocado seeds, typicallyconsidered waste by growers, could yield a natural orange coloring foruse in future food products.

In a study published by the Institute of Food Technologists,researchers found that crushing avocado seeds along with air generatesan orange color usable as a natural food coloring.

The discovery represents a potential added value for avocado growersand companies that process avocado into oil or food products such asguacamole, the researchers said.

While artificial colors are easy to produce and less expensive,consumer desire for more natural products here has led to an increasedeffort to discover new natural alternatives.

Scientists at Penn State say further research is under way intoutilizing the seeds, which account for 16 percent of the weight of anaverage avocado.

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc -"Turnaround Consultants" .

Sunridge Lodge "Back to Eden" Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -

Brant Positive Action Group "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Friday, November 11, 2011

Energy use 2011

U.S. energy use subject of report
LIVERMORE, Calif. (UPI) -- U.S. energy use went back up in 2010compared with 2009, which hit a 12-year low in consumption, with most of the increase in fossil fuels, a report said.
Electricity from renewable resources remained fairly constant with anincrease in wind power offset by a modest decline in hydroelectricity,the report by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said.
Wind power jumped from 0.70 quadrillion BTU, or quads, in 2009 to 0.92quads in 2010. (A BTU, or British Thermal Unit, is a unit ofmeasurement for energy).

Biomass energy consumption, mostly in ethanol, rose from 3.88 quads to4.29 quads, the report said.
"We are still seeing the capacity additions from a wind energy boomcome online," said A.J. Simon, an energy systems analyst at thelaboratory who studied data provided by the Energy Department's EnergyInformation Administration. "And renewable fuel mandates are drivingthe consumption of ethanol by cars and trucks."

The majority of energy resources were used in 2010 for electricitygeneration, followed by transportation, industrial, residential andcommercial consumption.
"This is just a snapshot of how the energy system was used," Simonsaid. "Although it doesn't appear to change much from year-to-year,even small shifts can have big consequences for certain sectors of oureconomy."

Copyright 2011 by United Press International

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

The law of substitution applies to all good things . Bio fuels make economic sense

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnGjfl1QWS4&feature=player_embedded

Monday, October 31, 2011

Auto Build It Site

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So check out AutoBuildIt site builder at <a href="http://autobuilditsite.com">http://autobuilditsite.com</a> and find out more about this great software !

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Fwd: flying machine

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sieg Holle <siegholle@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Oct 22, 2011 at 10:46 AM
Subject: flying machine
To:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypIVD85Wk14&feature=player_detailpage

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc -"Turnaround Consultants" .

Sunridge Lodge "Back to Eden" Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -

Brant Positive Action Group "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc -"Turnaround Consultants" .

Sunridge Lodge "Back to Eden" Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -

Brant Positive Action Group "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Friday, October 21, 2011

sieg H has invited you to join SkillPages.

Hi,

Unlock New Opportunities for you and your contacts.

Join me on SkillPages.

sieg H

Invite sent

21 October, 2011

View Your Invitation Now

or login with:

facebook

q-jumpers.tech2@blogger.com was invited to join SkillPages by sieg H. If you don't want to receive these emails from SkillPages in the future, you can unsubscribe. SkillPages, Blackrock Business Park, Dublin, Ireland and 228 Hamilton Avenue, 3rd Floor, Palo Alto, CA 94301

Sunday, October 09, 2011

new manufacturing

http://www.zeitnews.org/applied-sciences/the-technology-that-changes-everything.html#.TkEgsowYMn4.facebook

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc -"Turnaround Consultants" .

Sunridge Lodge "Back to Eden" Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -

Brant Positive Action Group "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

sunlight break through for solar power?

Artificial 'leaf' could make electricity

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say an artificial "leaf" of silicon can use sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen thatcan be fed into fuel cells to make power.

"You drop it in a glass of water and you walk outside and hold it inthe sun, and you'll start to see bubbles of hydrogen and oxygen,"Daniel Nocera, an MIT professor who led the team that invented thedevice, told The Boston Globe.

The leaf could solve a challenge facing solar power of how to storeenergy produced by the sun so it can be used on cloudy days, thenewspaper said Thursday.

Instead of charging a battery, the energy could be stored as oxygenand hydrogen gases to be later combined in fuel cells to generateelectricity, the researchers said.

The next step, Nocera said, is to scale up the technology to produceenough hydrogen and oxygen for a fuel cell to power a car or home.

He likes the invention for its simplicity, he said.

"I don't have to have anything wired up, I don't have to plug it intoanything," he said. "That's what leaves do: They take sunlight andthey make a wireless current -- like what is happening here."

Copyright 2011 by United Press International

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc -"Turnaround Consultants" .

Sunridge Lodge "Back to Eden" Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -

Brant Positive Action Group "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Monday, October 03, 2011

UV safe water option

Inexpensive system can disinfect water

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (UPI) -- A new technology using UV light fromsunlight can disinfect drinking water for large parts of the world'spopulation easily and cheaply, U.S. researchers say.

A team of Purdue University researchers says the system, in whichsunlight is captured by a parabolic reflector and focused onto aUV-transparent pipe through which water flows continuously, could helpthe world's 800 million people who lack safe drinking water.

"We've been working on UV disinfection for about 20 years," Ernest R.Blatchley III, a professor of civil engineering, said in a Purduerelease Thursday. "All of our work up until a couple years ago dealtwith UV systems based on an artificial UV source. What we are workingon more recently is using ultraviolet radiation from the sun."

The researchers say there were motivated to develop a practical,inexpensive water-treatment technology for developing nations.

"The water available for people to drink in many developing countrieshasn't been treated to remove contaminants, including pathogenicmicroorganisms," Blatchley said. "As a result, thousands of childrendie daily from diarrhea and its consequences, including dehydration.

"Half of the world's hospital beds are occupied by people who aresickened by the water they drink."

The researchers say their system, costing less than $100 for materials, was able to inactive E. coli bacteria and that improvementsshould prove effective against other deadly pathogens.

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Friday, September 30, 2011

Heating fuel review

http://heatingoilshopper.com/resources/residential-heating-oil-environmental-impact"> Residential Heating Oil: What Impact Does it Have on the Environment?

Thursday, September 29, 2011

flexible solar

New material for 'bendable' solar cells

EVANSTON, Ill. (UPI) -- A new material for solar cells -- atransparent conductor made of carbon nanotubes -- could revolutionizethe way solar power is harvested, U.S. scientists say.

The material could be an affordable and flexible alternative tocurrent technology, which is mechanically brittle and reliant on arelatively rare mineral, a release by Northwestern University saidTuesday.

Northwestern researchers said the material's mechanical flexibilitycould allow solar cells to be integrated into fabrics and clothing,creating portable energy for everything from personal electronics tomilitary operations.

Solar cells require a transparent conductor layer that allows light topass into the cell and electricity to pass out, so the conductor mustbe both electrically conductive and optically transparent. Indium tinoxide, the material predominantly in use currently, is mechanicallybrittle and relies on the relatively rare and expensive elementindium.

The Northwestern team has created an alternative to indium tin oxideusing single-walled carbon nanotubes, tiny, hollow cylinders of carbonjust one nanometer in diameter.

Because carbon nanotubes are flexible they could lead to newapplications in solar cells such as military tents incorporating theflexible solar cells into tent material to provide power directly forsoldiers in the field, or the cells could be integrated into clothing,backpacks or purses for wearable electronics.

"With this mechanically flexible technology, it's much easier toimagine integrating solar technology into everyday life, rather thancarrying around a large, inflexible solar cell," materials scientistMark C. Hersam said.

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Thursday, September 08, 2011

New material could 'soak' up radioactivity

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (UPI) -- A new material shows promise for trappingand removing pollutants in water, especially heavy metals andradioactive waste, U.S. researchers say.

Present techniques are very effective for removing minerals such ascalcium and magnesium, which occur as positively charged ions in"hard" water, but many heavy metals and other inorganic pollutantsform negatively charged ions in water and are much more difficult toremove, researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said.

Now UCSC chemists have developed a material that can soak upnegatively charged pollutants from water, a university releasereported Tuesday.

The new material could be used to treat polluted water through an ionexchange process similar to water softening, they said.

The researchers are focusing on the use of the material, dubbedSLUG-26, to trap the radioactive metal technetium, a major concern forlong-term disposal of radioactive waste.

Technetium, produced in nuclear reactors, has a half-life of 212,000years and can leach out of solid waste, making groundwatercontamination a serious concern.

"It's a problem because of its environmental mobility, so they neednew ways to trap it," chemistry Professor Scott Oliver said.

"Whether or not [SLUG-26] can be used in the real world is still to beseen, but so far it looks very promising," Oliver said.

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Recycled paper may fuel automobiles

NEW ORLEANS (UPI) -- Scientists in Louisiana say they've foundbacteria that can use recycled paper or any cellulose to producebutanol, a biofuel substitute for gasoline.

The new bacterium, dubbed "TU-103," is the first bacterial strain fromnature that can produce butanol directly from cellulose, a TulaneUniversity release said Thursday.

"Cellulose is found in all green plants, and is the most abundantorganic material on earth, and converting it into butanol is the dreamof many," said Tulane researcher Harshad Velankar.

"In the United States alone, at least 323 million tons of cellulosicmaterials that could be used to produce butanol are thrown out eachyear," he said.

As a biofuel, butanol has advantages over ethanol, the researcherssaid, because it can fuel existing motor vehicles without any enginemodifications and can be transported through existing fuel pipelines.

It is also less corrosive and can produce more energy than ethanol,they said.

"In addition to possible savings on the price per gallon, as a fuel,bio-butanol produced from cellulose would dramatically reduce carbondioxide and smog emissions in comparison to gasoline, and have apositive impact on landfill waste," research leader David Mullin said.

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

solar development

Paper-thin solar panels made -- on paper

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they've developed aflexible and extremely thin solar technology that can be printed onpaper to create a working solar cell.

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say thetechnology could allow the solar industry to transition away fromlarge, expensive installations and toward the possibility of easilygenerated renewable electricity almost anywhere, the Los Angeles Timesreported Thursday.

The MIT researchers say vaporous inks made from common elements ratherthan pricey, toxic components like tellurium normally utilized insolar cells can create cells on plain, untreated paper, includingtissue, tracing paper and even newsprint.

The paper can be shaped and folded and still generate electricity whenunfolded, and the cells have proven to be long lasting, theresearchers said.

Current commercial solar options require glass and heavy supportstructures, whereas paper cells could be taped to a wall, attached tolaptops or made into window shades or clothing and even laminated towithstand harsh weather, the researchers said.

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

A frontier wow

Brain chip sought to drive paralyzed limbs

SAN DIEGO (UPI) -- Three U.S. universities were given grants to studysensorimotor neural engineering that would allow the brain tocommunicate with prosthetic or paralyzed limbs.

San Diego State University is one of the schools sharing an $18.5million National Science Foundation grant to research chips that couldbe implanted in the brain to send signals to a prosthetic or paralyzedlimb, giving it the full dexterity of an undamaged hand or leg, TheSan Diego Union-Tribune reported Sunday.

Sensors in the limbs would return signals to the brain, sendingsensations of heat and cold or recognizing changes in texture,researchers said.

The five-year grant will be shared between SDSU, the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology and the University of Washington.

"NSF always pursues research at the leading edge," foundationspokesman Josh Chamot said. "We're taking proposals that look forward,that could lead to entirely new concepts and technology, entirely newfields. But the fact is that the people who built up this team alreadyhave research that shows they can accomplish these goals."

Scientists say the research could lead to commercial products to helpwounded veterans, people with spinal cord injuries and those withneurological disorders.

"It's like the Six Million Dollar Man, the bionic man," said Kee Moon,a mechanical engineering professor who will lead SDSU's team.

"We hope, at the end of 10 years, to be able to implant a device onthe brain to drive a prosthetic device in a way that the informationgoes both ways -- from the brain to the device and the device to thebrain," he said.

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Friday, June 24, 2011

making better things happen

'Super sand' could improve drinking water

WASHINGTON (UPI) -- Australian scientists say ordinary sand, used tofilter and purify drinking water around the world, can be made into a"super sand" five times more efficient.

Researchers writing in the journal Applied Materials & Interfaces saythe material could be a low-cost benefit in developing countries wheremore than a billion people lack clean drinking water.

Sand has been used to purify water for more than 6,000 years, and sandor gravel water filtration is endorsed by the World HealthOrganization, researchers Mainak Majumder and his colleagues write,but their study of a nanomaterial called graphite oxide suggests itcould be used to improve sand filtration in a cost-effective way.

Sand grains coated with graphite oxide become a "super sand" that cansuccessfully remove mercury and other contaminants from water.

While ordinary sand was saturated with mercury after just 10 minutesof filtration, the super sand was capable of absorbing the heavy metalfor more than 50 minutes, the researchers said.

Its filtration "performance is comparable to some commerciallyavailable activated carbon," at much less cost, the scientists said.

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Monday, June 20, 2011

for the ladies

Scientists discover cause of gray hair

NEW YORK (UPI) -- Scientists at the Ito Lab at New York University'sLangone Medical Center say they have identified the protein thatcauses gray hair.

Researchers, using black mice as test subjects, isolated a proteinidentified as 'wnt' as the cause of gray hair and that a cure willeventually be found, ABC News reported.

"Mouse and the human hairs are very similar in the way that they arestructured and the way they contain melanocyte stem cells," said PiulRabbani, the graduate student leading the study. "We found that thewnt signaling pathway is activated the same way."

He said the wnt protein coordinates pigmentation between cells and thebreakthrough means the wnt protein could be added to hair groomingproducts or supplements, putting an end to graying hair.

"Our hair follicles and the pigmentation from the melanocyte stemcells work in a very similar fashion, so it definitely can be appliedat some point in the future," Rabbani told ABC News.

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Thursday, May 26, 2011

self healing tech ?

'Self-healing' coating piques U.S interest

FRIBOURG, Switzerland (UPI) -- U.S. and Swiss scientists say they havedeveloped a polymer-based coating that can heal itself when placedunder ultraviolet light for less than a minute.

The "metallo-supramolecular" polymer coating has garnered interestfrom many parties, including the U.S military, Swissinfo.com reported.

"For the moment it's still at the basic research level," ChristophWeder, director of Fribourg University's Adolphe Merkle Institute,said. "We are not looking to develop products for the market butconcepts and tools that can then develop commercially viablematerials. That's the way our [nanoscience] institute functions."

He declined to comment on the U.S. military's particular interest inthe material.

"I don't want to speculate on their interest in supporting thisparticular project, but the people involved were really devoted tobasic research," said Weder, a Swiss professor of polymer chemistryand materials who has worked for many years in the United States.

The new material has many potential practical applications fromtactile computer screens to everyday consumer items like cars, floorsand furniture that get easily scratched.

"This is ingenious and transformative materials research," said AndrewLovinger, polymers program director at the National ScienceFoundation's Materials Research Division.

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Friday, May 20, 2011

Fwd: Smell -makes a difference

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sieg Holle <siegholle@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, May 20, 2011 at 7:59 AM
Subject: Smell -makes a difference
To:

Aromatherapy's Amazing Effects on Your Mind and Mood

Alan Hirsch, MD

Scents have subtle yet powerful effects on emotions -- boosting confidence, easing stress, triggering fond memories and more. Here's how to use your sense of smell to manage your moods... and other people's, too!
Increase mental sharpness with fresh flowers. When you need to focus -- for instance, to memorize a speech or balance a checkbook -- keep a vase of mixed fragrant flowers nearby. Take periodic breaks to consciously "stop and smell the roses." For kids: This helps when doing homework or studying for a test.

Promote positive family interaction with Garlic. Serve garlic bread at dinner. In studies, this scent reduced negative dinnertime remarks by 22.7% and increased pleasantries by 7.4%. You don't even have to eat the bread to reap the benefits.

Feel younger with pink grapefruit. To make others perceive you as youthful (so you feel that way, too), apply a grapefruit-scented or other citrusy body lotion or spray right after your shower. Avoid: Lavender, which makes you seem granny-ish.

Feel more secure with baby powder. Keep a small bottle or resealable plastic bag of baby powder in your purse or briefcase. Before heading into a challenging situation (a meeting with your ex, a job interview), open the container slightly and take a small whiff. Don't inhale too deeply -- you may sneeze or get powder all over your face.

Curb food cravings with banana or peppermint. You needn't eat a banana -- just smell it (peeled or unpeeled). Or, place two drops of peppermint essential oil on a cotton ball, stick it in a plastic bag and take a whiff -- or try sugar-free peppermint gum or hard candy.

Combat claustrophobia with evergreens. Keep a small vial of evergreen essential oil in your pocket or purse. When in a cramped space (an elevator, a crowd), hold the vial near your nose and inhale two or three times. Repeat every 10 minutes as needed.

Assuage anger with cucumber. Hold a sliced cucumber one-half inch from your face and level with your lips -- inhale deeply, continuing for several minutes. To reduce road rage, use a cucumber-melon air freshener in the car. Avoid: Barbecuing or roasting meat when you're angry -- the scent stirs up fiery feelings that heighten aggression.

Relax and wind down with lavender. Lie down and place a lavender-scented eye pillow over your eyes -- breathe slowly and deeply for several minutes. Avoid: Jasmine, which promotes alertness.

Rev up a man's libido with pumpkin pie or black licorice. Bake a pumpkin pie for maximum effect -- or use a reed diffuser (a stick that wicks the aroma from a bottle of scented oil). On a date: Nibble on black licorice. Noteworthy: Perfume is only 3% effective at arousing a man's romantic feelings -- versus 40% for pumpkin pie and 13% for licorice.

Bottom Line/Women's Health interviewed Alan Hirsch, MD, founder and neurological director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation and an assistant professor in the departments of neurology and psychiatry at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, both in Chicago. He has conducted more than 200 studies on smell and taste disorders and is the author of eight books, including Life's a Smelling Success (Authors of Unity) and Sensa Weight-Loss Program (Hilton). His Web site is www.smellandtaste.org.

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc -"Turnaround Consultants" .

Sunridge Lodge "Back to Eden" Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -

Brant Positive Action Group "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Monday, May 16, 2011

solar plane

Solar plane makes 13-hour flight

BRUSSELS (UPI) -- The completely solar-powered Solar Impulse planefinished its first international flight, from Switzerland to Belgium,in about 13 hours, officials said.

CNET.com reported Saturday the plane, its 200-foot wingspan covered bymore than 12,000 solar panels, flew the mission Friday without fueland without producing any pollution.

The plane, piloted by Andre Borschberg, took off from Payerne Airfieldin Switzerland shortly before 9 a.m. Friday and climbed to an altitudeof about 12,500 feet. It landed in Brussels about 9:40 p.m.

The plane relies on energy produced by the sun and stored in specialbatteries to keep it aloft.

The plane first flew in 2009. Its owners plan a cross-Atlantic tripthis year, to be followed by an around-the-world trip in 2013.

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Green roof-great idea

'Green' roofs seen as pollution help

NEW YORK (UPI) -- Green roofs, planted with vegetation, can be acost-effective way to keep water from running into sewer systems andcausing overflows, U.S. researchers say.

Scientists at Columbia University cite the Con Edison building in LongIsland City, Queens, whose green roof is home to 21,000 plants on aquarter acre that retain 30 percent of the rainwater that falls on theroof, a university release said last week.

The plants then release the water as vapor.

Scientists at Columbia's Center for Climate Systems Research estimateif New York City's 1 billion square feet of roofs were transformedinto green roofs, it would be possible to keep more than 10 billiongallons of water a year out of the city sewer system.

Like other older U.S. urban centers, New York has a combined sewersystem that carries both storm water and wastewater and often reachescapacity during rains and must discharge a mix of storm water andsewage into New York Harbor, the Hudson River, the East River andother waterways.

"The information we are collecting from Con Edison's roofs isinvaluable in helping us determine the costs and benefits of greeninfrastructure projects," Columbia research scientist Stuart Gaffinsaid.

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

organic nuke waste removal-

New material removes radioactive risk

RALEIGH, N.C. (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they can removeradioactive material from drinking water using a combination of forestbyproducts and crustacean shells.

Scientists at North Carolina State University say a material made froma combination of hemicellulose, a byproduct of forest materials, andchitosan, crustacean shells crushed into a powder, can absorb waterand then extract contaminates such as radioactive iodide from thewater.

"As we're currently seeing in Japan, one of the major health risksposed by nuclear accidents is radioactive iodide that dissolves intodrinking water," North Carolina State forest biomaterials ProfessorJoel Pawlak said.

"Because it is chemically identical to non-radioactive iodide, thehuman body cannot distinguish it -- which is what allows it toaccumulate in the thyroid and eventually lead to cancer.

"The material that we've developed binds iodide in water and traps it,which can then be properly disposed of without risk to humans or theenvironment."

The material, in the form of a solid foam, can also remove heavymetals such as arsenic from water or salt from sea water to make cleandrinking water, the researchers said.

"In disaster situations with limited-to-no power source, desalinatingdrinking water is difficult, if not impossible," Pawlak said. "Thisfoam could be brought along in such situations to clean the waterwithout the need for electricity."

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Monday, April 18, 2011

Why would you build a submarine out of concrete?

      Russian submarine designers are building military submarines out ofconcrete. Because concrete becomes stronger under high pressure,"C-subs" could settle down to the bottom in very deep water and waitfor enemy ships to pass overhead. Concrete would not show up on sonardisplays (it looks just like sand or rocks), so the passing shipswould not see the sub lurking below.

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc -"Turnaround Consultants" .

Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden" Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -

Brant Positive Action Group  "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Fwd: [ProActive Rants] wind -positve

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: BrantKnight <siegholle@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Apr 17, 2011 at 11:29 AM
Subject: [ProActive Rants] wind -positve
To: holcrest@worldchat.com

Manitoba wind farm comes online

ST. JOSEPH, Manitoba (UPI) -- Manitoba's largest energy wind farm has been completed and is in operation to deliver enough energy for 50,000 homes in the province, officials said.

Located in southern Manitoba community of St. Joseph, the facility is capable of generating 138 megawatts of power, a release by Pattern Energy, builder of the project, said Tuesday.

Manitoba Minister of Innovation, Energy and Mines, David Chomiak spoke at the opening ceremony to mark the start of operations.

"This wind farm is one of the largest in the country and will produce enough energy to power 50,000 homes," Chomiak said. "It showcases our province's dedication to creating renewable energy and continuing to build Manitoba Hydro. This project has also provided a solid boost to the local economy creating new opportunities and jobs."

The first group of turbines in the project was set in motion by Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger in January. Now fully operational, the wind farm will contribute to a regional reduction of more than 350,000 tons of greenhouse gases, Pattern said.

Pattern Energy will pay an estimated $38 million to landholders and an additional $44 million in local municipal taxes over the life of the project.

--
Posted By BrantKnight to ProActive Rants at 4/11/2011 07:34:00 AM

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Friday, April 08, 2011

Bio remediation

Scientists eye algae for nuclear cleanup

EVANSTON, Ill. (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say common freshwater algaecan remove radioactive strontium from water and could be used to cleanup nuclear waste.

Scientists at Northwestern University and Argonne National Laboratorysay Strontium 90 is one of the more dangerous radioactive fissionmaterials created within a nuclear reactor and is present in the 80million gallons of radioactive waste sludge stored in the UnitedStates, a Northwestern release reported Monday.

Strontium 90 has a half-life of about 30 years and is chemically verysimilar to calcium and thus is drawn to bone, creating a high cancerrisk from exposure when strontium is bound in bones for many years.

The researchers say Closterium moniliferum, one of the bright greenalgae often seen in ponds, can sequester strontium in the form ofbarium-strontium-sulfate crystals.

The knowledge could lead to using algae for direct bioremediation ofwaste or accidental spills in the environment, they say.

"Nuclear waste cleanup is a problem we have to solve," seniorresearcher Derk Joester, who experienced Chernobyl's radioactivefallout when he was a teenager living in southern Germany, said.

"Even if all the nuclear reactors were to shut down tomorrow, theexisting volume of waste is great, and it is costly to store.

"We need to isolate highly radioactive 'high-level' waste from'low-level' waste," he said. "The algae offer a mechanism for doingthis, which we would like to understand and optimize."

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

food tech

EU talks on modified foods break down

BRUSSELS (UPI) -- Negotiations in the European Union on "novel foods"broke down on the issue of labeling food products from the offspringof cloned animals, officials said.

Talks on the issue ended Tuesday with EU member states and theEuropean Parliament each blaming the other, EUobserver reported.

Both had agreed on the need to ban all food products from clonedanimals, but failed to reach agreement on the issue of labeling foodproducts from the offspring of cloned animals.

Members of the European Parliament insisted on the need to immediatelycover all products under the additional labeling requirement whilemember states were concerned that onerous new rules would be difficultto enforce.

"Measures regarding clone offspring are absolutely critical becauseclones are commercially viable only for breeding, not directly forfood production," Socialist MEP Gianni Pittella and far-left MEPKartika Liotard said in a joint statement after the talks broke down.

"No farmer would spend 100,000 euros ($141,000) on a cloned bull, onlyto turn it into hamburgers," the two MEPs leading parliament'snegotiating team said.

Meanwhile, the scientist behind the first mammal to be cloned from anadult cell, Dolly the sheep, said cloning for food is hard to justify.

"If you were making cloned animals to make a genetic change to producea protein that could treat human disease, that might be ethicallyacceptable," Ian Wilmut of Edinburgh University said.

"On the other hand, if you were producing more meat, or slightlybetter quality meat, the advantage would not be very great."

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Saturday, April 02, 2011

Fwd: Fuel cell breakthrough

Researchers claim fuel cell breakthrough

CLEVELAND (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they've made a breakthrough in the development of low-cost hydrogen fuel cells that one day could power electric cars.

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland say catalysts made of carbon nanotubes dipped in a polymer solution can outperform traditional platinum catalysts in fuel cells at a fraction of the cost.

The scientists say the new technology can remove one of the biggest roadblocks to widespread cell use: the cost of the catalysts.

Platinum, which represents at least a quarter of the cost of fuel cells, currently sells for about $30,000 per pound, while the activated carbon nanotubes cost about $45 per pound, a Case release said Tuesday.

"This is a breakthrough," Liming Dai, a professor of chemical engineering and the research team leader, said.

Soaking carbon nanotubes in a water solution of the polymer for a couple of hours coats the nanotube surface and pulls an electron partially from the carbon, creating a net positive charge, researchers said.

When placed on the cathode of an alkaline fuel cell, the charged material acts as a catalyst for the oxygen-reduction reaction that produces electricity by electrochemically combining hydrogen and oxygen.

In testing, the researchers' carbon catalyst fuel cell produced as much power as an identical cell using a platinum catalyst.

Dai said he's confident his lab can increase the energy output of the new process.

"We have not optimized the system yet," he said.

One widely researched use for such cells would be to produce electricity to power an electric car, using hydrogen and oxygen from the air. The only emission from such a vehicle, researchers say, would be water.

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Friday, March 25, 2011

If you need help with this insight -I am available -chuckle please pass it on

Money ............ Here are some facts that are true in life
It can buy you a House,
But not a Home.

It can buy you a Bed,
But not Sleep.

It can buy you a Clock,
But not Time.

It can buy you a Book,
But not Knowledge.

It can buy you a Position,
But not Respect.

It can buy you Medicine,
But not Health.

It can buy you Blood,
But not Life.

It can buy you Sex,
But not Love.

So you see, money isn't everything. The best things in life can't be bought, and often we destroy ourselves trying!

I tell you all this because I am your Friend, and as your Friend I want to take away your needless pain and suffering...

So send me all your money and I will suffer for you.

A truer Friend than me you will never find.

CASH ONLY, PLEASE

Have a good day, be well and take care
" a simple natural lifestyle and a chuckle a day keeps the doctor away'

Thursday, March 24, 2011

future trends - electric car

Israel's first electric car battery stop

              KIRYAT EKRON, Israel (UPI) -- Israel's Better Place electric carcompany inaugurated its first battery-changing station with plans tobuild 40 more in the coming year.

At the demonstration in Kiryat Ekron Wednesday, a car drove over asliding panel and a robotic arm replaced drained batteries with fullycharged ones in five minutes, Israel's Channel Ten reported.

Charging batteries takes about six hours and provides 185 kilometers(116 miles) of travel but the switch can be made on the run duringlengthy car trips, driver Oved Ladzinsky told The Jerusalem Post.

The computerized system on the dashboard of the car informs the driverwhen the car needs charging, he said.

Moshe Kaplinsky, the company's chief executive officer in Israel saidthe company has also erected 1,000 functional charging spots for carsand thousands more will be created by the end of the year, the papersaid.

"The solution is here. It is ready for national deployment. It ishere, it is working and it is available," Kaplinsky told a newsconference, adding all the environmental and ecological standards havebeen met.

In February, the company opened its first electric vehicledemonstration center in Israel and announced the signing of 92corporate fleet owners as well as a partnership with Israel gasoperators Dor Alon to build battery switch stations at its facilities.

The company plans to introduce cars for commercial launch in Israeland Denmark next year, the company Web site said.

    Copyright 2011 by United Press International

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Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden" Quality 24/7 care
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promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

save on your gas with these tips

IT DOES SEEM TO MAKE SENSE

TIPS ON PUMPING GAS

I don't know what you guys are paying for gasoline.... but here
in California we are paying up to $3.75 to $4.10 per gallon. My line of
work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to
get more of your money's worth for every gallon:

Here at the Kinder Morgan Pipeline where I work in San Jose , CA
we deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period thru the
pipeline.. One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and gasoline,
regular and premium grades. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total
capacity of 16,800,000 gallons.

Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when
the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations
have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the
more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying
in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a
gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the
temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other
petroleum products plays an important role.

A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business.
But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the
pumps.

When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle
to a fast mode If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3)
stages: low, middle, and high. You should be pumping on low mode,
thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping.
All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the
fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor.
Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage
tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank
is HALF FULL. The reason for this is the more gas you have in your tank
the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than
you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof.
This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere,
so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I
work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every
gallon is actually the exact amount.

Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the
storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up; most likely the
gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you
might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc -"Turnaround Consultants" .

Sunridge Lodge "Back to Eden" Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -

Brant Positive Action Group "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Monday, March 21, 2011

What happen to our plan for the bay of fundy?

Scotland plans largest tidal energy farm

EDINBURGH, Scotland (UPI) -- Scotland says it will develop a tidalenergy farm expected to yield 10 megawatts of electricity, the largesttidal energy project ever undertaken in the world.

The project, looking like an underwater wind farm, will take advantageof steady sea currents that flow through underwater canyon walls inthe sound of Islay off the southwest coast of Scotland, PhysOrg.comreported Friday.

John Swinney, the Scottish finance secretary, said waterways aroundScotland comprise nearly 25 percent of Europe's total tidal resources.

The project will use tidal turbines from Norwegian company HammerfestStorm, which has had them running in an experimental operation inNorway for six years.

The Scottish project is expected to more than double the energycapacity of the existing grid to support more than 5,000 homes andbusinesses.

The tidal farm is expected to cost $65 million and help Scotland meetits stated goal of deriving 80 percent of its energy needs fromrenewable resources by 2020, PhysOrg.com reported.

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Constructive science

Plastic bottle from plant waste developed

PURCHASE, N.Y. (UPI) -- PepsiCo says it has developed a plastic bottlemade completely of plant materials like switch grass, pine bark andcorn husks instead of petroleum.

In inventing what it calls the world's first plastic bottle createdentirely from plant-based, fully renewable resources, the company saidit had "cracked the code," the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

At the molecular level, the new bottle is identical to existingplastic bottles made with polyethylene terephthalate resin, or PET.

The biggest difference is that making it does not require the use ofpetroleum, utilizing renewable plant materials instead.

The new bottle will be as strong and transparent as current bottles,being the chemical equal to the current PET plastic bottles, saidDenise Lefebvre, senior director of advanced research at PepsiCo.

The breakthrough was finding the correct fermentation process usingplant material, she said.

In making PET, the polyethylene makes up about 30 percent of the totalby weight. That part was already being made out of plant materials;what PepsiCo discovered was how to make the second part of PET, theterephthalate, out of plant waste, the Times reported.

"We've been the one to crack the code on that," Lefebvre said.

Combining the technologies allows for a bottle made entirely fromplants, she said.

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Thursday, March 17, 2011

tech breakthrough - Windows Live

New method extracts oil from tar sands
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they've come up with an environmentally friendly way of extracting oil from tar sands, a method that can also help in cleaning oil spills.

Scientists at Penn State say the method uses ionic liquids to separate heavy, viscous oil from sand, a university release reported Wednesday.

Tar sands, also known as bituminous sands or oil sands, represent about two-thirds of the world's estimated oil reserves, but extracting the petroleum causes environmental damage.

Part of that damage comes from contaminated wastewater used in current separation processes, which can seep into and pollute groundwater.

The Penn State separation method uses very little energy and water, the researchers say, instead using ionic liquids -- salt in a liquid state -- that are recycled and reused.

The separation takes place at room temperature without the generation of waste process water, they say.

"Essentially, all of the bitumen is recovered in a very clean form, without any contamination from the ionic liquids," Paul Painter, Penn State professor of polymer said.

"Because the bitumen, solvents and sand/clay mixture separate into three distinct phases, each can be removed separately and the solvent can be reused."

The process can also be used to extract oil and tar from beach sand after oil spills such as the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico last year.

Unlike other methods of cleanup, the Penn State process completely removes the hydrocarbons, and the cleaned sand can be returned to the beach instead of being sent to landfills, the researchers said.

Copyright 2011 by United Press International

Have a good day, be well and take care
" a simple natural lifestyle and a chuckle a day keeps the doctor away'

- additional interactive resources are at our Back to Eden site-

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

tech trend -small

Tiny cube may replace cellphone towers

MURRAY HILL, N.J. (UPI) -- Researchers say unsightly, sky-high,cellphone towers dotting the U.S. landscape may someday be replaced bysomething no bigger than a Rubik's cube.

Dubbed the lightRadio cube, the new device developed by Bell Labs isattracting interest from cellphone carriers around the world, The(Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger reported Wednesday.

Current cellphone antennas must be both large and tall because theyrely on sending signals down and outward like an umbrella. Bell Labssay the lightRadio cube aims cellphone signals more directly, usingfar less power while providing 30 percent more capacity than currentcellphone towers.

Wireless researchers for Bell Labs scattered around the world took upthe challenge of replacing the giant towers with something morecompact, and Bell researchers in Stuttgart, Germany, came up with asolution: three 2-inch, stacked circuit boards for the antenna, radioand network connection that replaces the conventional antenna systemconnecting every cellphone call.

Dozens of mobile carriers across the world have approachedAlcatel-Lucent in Murray Hill, N.J., where Bell Labs is located,asking for demonstrations and trials, said Ken Wirth, president ofAlcatel-Lucent's 4G/LTE wireless networks business.

Five carriers in the United States, Europe and China are enrolled fortrials by the end of this year and the company hopes to begin makingthe devices commercially available within 18 months, he said.

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc -"Turnaround Consultants" .

Sunridge Lodge "Back to Eden" Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -

Brant Positive Action Group "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Change the need and opportunity on food

Change seen as vital in future agriculture

WASHINGTON (UPI) -- A U.S. scientist says changes in national and
international strategies are needed to help agriculture solve the
world's food problems while reducing pollution.

"Using resources more efficiently is what it will take to put
agriculture on a path to feed the expected future population of 9
billion people," said Nina Fedoroff, Penn State professor of biology
and life sciences.

"We especially need to do a better job using the nutrients, water and
energy needed to produce food," she said.

"We should ask how we can grow food with a minimum of water, maximum
of renewable energy and closest to where people are living," Fedoroff
said at the annual meeting of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science in Washington Friday.

"Meeting the food needs of a still-growing human and domestic animal
population with less water while preserving remaining biodiversity is,
arguably, the most profound challenge of the 21st century," Fedoroff
said.

Copyright 2011 by United Press International
--
*Hollecrest & Associates Inc* -"Turnaround
Consultants<http://www.ic.gc.ca/ccc/search/cp?l=eng&e=123456239975>"
.
*Brant Positive Action Group*
<https://sites.google.com/site/bpagsiegholle> "a positive
community affirmative action group"
*promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance
the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations *

Friday, February 18, 2011

Algae in wastewater seen as energy source

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say algae grown in wastewater could be a promising source of biofuel while cleaning up the wastewater at the same time.

Researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology say their project to develop biodiesel from microalgae is doubly "green" because in addition to creating biofuel, the algae consume nitrates and phosphates and reduce bacteria and toxins in the water, an RIT release said Thursday.

Biodiesel from algae could reduce diesel fuel's telltale black puffs of exhaust with cleaner emissions low in the sulfur and particulates that come from fossil fuels, the researchers say.

"Algae -- as a renewable feedstock -- grow a lot quicker than crops of corn or soybeans," RIT researcher Eric Lannan says. "We can start a new batch of algae about every seven days. It's a more continuous source that could offset 50 percent of our total gas use for equipment that uses diesel."

Starting with algae production from 30 gallons of wastewater in a lab at RIT and moving to 100 gallons in a 4-foot-by-7-foot tank, the researchers say they plan to build a mobile greenhouse at a wastewater treatment plant in the spring and scale up production to as much as 1,000 gallons of wastewater.

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

smile for those who take life very seriously

Thoughts For Those Who Take Life Too Seriously

1. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
2. A day without sunshine is like, night
3. On the other hand, you have different fingers.
4. I just got lost in thought. It wasn't familiar territory.
5. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
6. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
7. I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe.
8. Honk if you love peace and quiet.
9. Remember, half the people you know are below average.
10. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
11. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
12. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.
13 I drive way too fast to worry about cholesterol.
14. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.
15. Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7 of your week.
16. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
17. Save the whales. Collect the whole set.
18. Get a new car for your spouse. It'll be a great trade!
19. Plan to be spontaneous tomorrow.
20. Always try to be modest, and be proud of it!
21. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
22. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand...
23. OK, so what's the speed of dark?
24. How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?
25. If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.
26. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
27. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
28. Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.
29. If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?
30. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?
31. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
32. What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
33. I used to have an open mind but my brains kept falling out.
34. I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.
35. Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?
36. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened.
37 Just remember - if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.
38. Light travels faster than sound. That is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Samsung deal unravels - Brantford Expositor - Ontario, CA#postbox

Samsung deal unravels - Brantford Expositor - Ontario, CA#postbox

Opportunity to do green energy returns to Six Nations ?

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Conventional vs green energy debate heats up -interesting points of view

http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Renewable-Energy-and-Job-Creation-Everything-You-Have-Read-Up-Until-Now-is-Wrong.html?

--
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Inc<http://www.ic.gc.ca/ccc/search/cp?l=eng&e=123456239975>
-"Turnaround Consultants" .

Sunridge Lodge <http://sites.google.com/site/sunridgelodge> "Back to Eden"
quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -

Brant Positive Action Group <https://sites.google.com/site/bpagsiegholle> -a
positive community affirmative action group that promotes goodwill and
timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well
being of Brant Brantford and Six Nations

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Food safety breakthrough idea? interesting

'Killer' paper could improve food safety
RAMAT-GAN, Israel (UPI) -- Israeli scientists say they've tested a "killer paper" packaging material with silver nanoparticles to preserve foods by combating bacteria that cause spoilage.

Aharon Gedanken and colleagues at Bar-Ilan University have been exploring the use of silver nanoparticles -- each 1/50,000 the width of a human hair -- as germ-fighting coatings for plastics, fabrics and metals, an American Chemical Society release said Wednesday.

The researchers say nanoparticles, which have a longer-lasting effect than larger silver particles, could help overcome the growing problem of antibiotic resistance as bacteria develop the ability to shrug off existing antibiotics.

Paper coated with silver nanoparticles could provide an alternative to common food preservation methods such as radiation, heat treatment and low-temperature storage, they say.

Paper treated with the nanoparticles demonstrated potent antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus, two causes of bacterial food poisoning, killing all of the bacteria in 3 hours, the researchers found.

--

Hollecrest & Associates Inc -"Turnaround Consultants" .

Sunridge Lodge "Back to Eden" quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -

Brant Positive Action Group -a positive community affirmative action group that promotes goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant Brantford and Six Nations

Monday, January 24, 2011

Re: FW: Natural Gas Can Supply World For 250 Years, Says IEA

Conventional fuels read -interesting natural gas supply world for 250 years (China) and if price decoupled from oil .....

CCNet – 20 January 2010

The Climate Policy Network

Natural Gas Can Supply World For 250 Years, Says IEA

Supplies of natural gas could last more than 250 years if Asian and European economies follow the U.S. unconventional reserves, the International Energy Agency said. --United Press International, 19 January 2011

I have been studying the energy markets for 30 years, and I am convinced that shale gas will revolutionize the industry—and change the world—in the coming decades. It will prevent the rise of any new cartels. It will alter geopolitics. And it will slow the transition to renewable energy. –Amy Myers Jaffe, The Wall Street Journal, 10 May 2010

Chinese geologists have detected "super-thick" oil and gas-bearing stratums (sic) in the northern part of the South China Sea and identified 38 offshore oil and gas-bearing basins, a senior official said on Saturday. Wang Min, vice-minister of land and resources, said thanks to the efforts of the geologists, new resources detected in the past 10 years accounted for about half of all resources found in the past half century, and the amount of new resources found each year has surpassed their annual consumption. – China Daily, 19 January 2011

It is virtually impossible for the world to keep within the CO2 limits defined as safe for the climate, according to the chief economist of the International Energy Agency think tank. Dr Fatih Birol told an audience in London that key nations were not prepared to take the steps necessary to cut carbon growth. He also warned that efforts to tackle climate change through renewable energy were under threat from the world revolution in unconventional gas sources. --Roger Harrabin, BBC News, 19 January 2011

Researchers at the Tyndall Centre at the University of Manchester claim to have demonstrated how the extraction of shale gas risks seriously contaminating ground and surface waters – without providing any scientific evidence to back their claim. --The Engineer, 18 January 2011

1) Natural Gas Can Supply World For 250 Years, Says IEA - United Press International, 19 January 2011

2) China Is Swimming In New Oil And Gas - China Daily, 19 January 2011

3) Emission Impossible: Is It All Over For Climate Alarmism? - BBC News, 19 January 2011

4) Bill Gates Jumps Into Oil Exploration; Brazil's Reserves to Double? - Al Fin Energy 19 January 2011

5) UK Shale-Gas Report Lacks Scientific Evidence - The Engineer, 18 January 2011

6) Shale Gas Will Rock the World: October Natural Gas Production Sets Another New All-Time Record - Carpe Diem, 19 January 2011

1) Natural Gas Can Supply World For 250 Years, Says IEA

United Press International, 19 January 2011

Supplies of natural gas could last more than 250 years if Asian and European economies follow the U.S. unconventional reserves, the IEA said.

The abundance of shale gas and other forms of so-called unconventional gas discovered in the United States prompted a global rush to explore for the new resource.

The International Energy Agency said Australia is taking the lead in the push toward unconventional gas, though China, India and Indonesia are close behind. European companies are taking preliminary steps to unlock unconventional gas as are other regions.

"Production of 'unconventional' gas in the U.S. has rocketed in the past few years, going beyond even the most optimistic forecasts," said Anne-Sophie Corbeau, a gas analyst at the IEA. "It is no wonder that its success has sparked such international interest."

Shale gas production in the United States is booming and the IEA estimates that unconventional gas makes up around 12 percent of the global supply.

Global supplies of natural gas could last for another 130 years at current consumption rates. That time frame could double with unconventional gas, the IEA said.

"Despite the many uncertainties associated with production, countries are still prepared to take risks and invest time and money in exploration and production, because of the potential long-term benefits," Corbeau said.

UPI, 19 January 2011

2) China Is Swimming In New Oil And Gas

China Daily, 19 January 2011

Chinese geologists have detected "super-thick" oil and gas-bearing stratums (sic) in the northern part of the South China Sea and identified 38 offshore oil and gas-bearing basins, a senior official said on Saturday.

The outskirts of Songliao Basin in Northeast China, Yin'e Basin in North China and Qiangtang Basin on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau have also been found to have rich oil and gas resources, Wang Min, vice-minister of land and resources, said at a national conference in Beijing.

In addition, 192.7 billion tons of coal resources have been found in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and four 10,000-ton sandstone-type uranium mines have been located in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, he said.

Wang said these latest discoveries, particularly those at sea, have given direction for China's future resource exploration.

Conducting more geological inspections at the above regions has been set as one of the ministry's major working tasks this year.

Comprehensive geological and environmental inspections will be conducted at key offshore areas such as the southern region of Yellow Sea, the northern part of the South China Sea, East China's Liaodong Bay and regions near South China's Hainan Island, according to the ministry.

Wang said the country has also made a breakthrough in locating new energy resources. Natural gas hydrate has been found for the first time in the northern region of the South China Sea and frozen-soil areas at Qilian Mountain.

And a 2.46-million-ton lithium carbonate mine has been located in Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, which will reduce the cost of lithium production and help with the country's new energy industry.

Due to China's rapid economic growth in the past 10 years, the country's energy consumption has been growing rapidly and become more dependent on imports.

Right now, China has become the biggest consumer of coal, steel, alumina, copper and cement.

More than half of the country's petroleum and iron consumption, about 70 percent of its copper consumption and 64 percent of sylvite consumption now rely on imports, according to figures released by the Ministry of Land and Recourses on Saturday.

Wang said thanks to the efforts of the geologists, new resources detected in the past 10 years accounted for about half of all resources found in the past half century, and the amount of new resources found each year has surpassed their annual consumption.

Full story

3) Emission Impossible: Is It All Over For Climate Alarmism?

BBC News, 19 January 2011

Roger Harrabin

It is virtually impossible for the world to keep within the CO2 limits defined as safe for the climate, according to the chief economist of the International Energy Agency think tank. Dr Fatih Birol told an audience in London that key nations were not prepared to take the steps necessary to cut carbon growth.

He also applauded the UK's high fuel taxes, and warned that the shale gas revolution would put pressure on the development of renewable energy sources worldwide.

But it was his comments on climate change that seemed to cause the biggest buzz among the audience that packed a huge lecture theatre at Imperial College London.

The world's governments at the recent climate conference in Cancun agreed that greenhouse gases should be kept within the limit associated by scientists with a 2C temperature rise.

But as progress in cutting emissions has crawled along in recent years that public position has looked like an increasingly unrealistic facade.

And there appeared widespread relief that Dr Birol said the unsayable - that peaking emissions by 2020 was virtually impossible, and that in those circumstances we could "kiss goodbye" to the 2C target.

"We would need to double decarbonisation efforts, then double them again to keep emissions (of CO2 and equivalent gases) within 450 parts per million," he said. "The bulk of the effort needs to take place in countries where climate change is not high on the policy agenda. We have to be realistic."

Blame game

Dr Birol referred to the debate in Europe as to whether the EU would cut emissions by 20% or 30% by 2020 against 1990 levels. The difference between these two targets, he said, was equivalent to just two weeks of China's emissions.

He said the West could not blame China because per capita emissions and car ownership there were still comparatively very low and he urged the UK and EU continue with "climate leadership".

Dr Birol also warned that efforts to tackle climate change through renewable energy were under threat from the world revolution in unconventional gas sources. He said the shale gas boom in the US has already led to a gas rush which had contributed to a 50% drop in investment in renewable energy.

And the US boom, he said, had a knock-on global effect. The fact that the US has suddenly found that it is independent in gas supplies means it doesn't have to import gas.

That means the nations gearing up to sell gas to the US have to find other markets, which is forcing down prices.

"There's suddenly much more gas available in the world than previously thought," he told BBC News.

"It's cheaper than it was and the supply is more assured. And it's only half as polluting as coal. There will be strong debates between energy and climate and finance ministries round the world about whether investment should continue to support renewables when the situation on gas has so radically changed."

This debate hasn't started in earnest in the UK but it surely will. Firms like Shell are already bidding to get carbon capture and storage on gas fired power stations treated to the same subsidies bestowed on renewables.

Ministers will be asked to explain why we should invest in expensive intermittent wind power if gas with the carbon captured can supply energy more reliably and possibly more cheaply.

End of an era

And the gas price may go cheaper still if purchasing nations succeed in de-coupling gas price rises from oil prices, in the way they have in the US

Full story

4) Bill Gates Jumps Into Oil Exploration; Brazil's Reserves to Double?

Al Fin Energy 19 January 2011

Bill Gates has read the tea leaves, and thinks that there is money in advanced oil exploration technologies.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is tossing his financial support behind a Houston company which hopes to utilize detailed analytics and measurement technologies to take some of the guesswork out of onshore oil and gas exploration. NEOS GeoSolutions -- whose investors include the legendary venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and investment bank Goldman Sachs -- today announced a $60 million investment from Gates and others.

The company touts itself as a "geosciences company where Silicon Valley meets the oil patch," and Gates' involvement certainly adds some big-name technology credentials to the mix. According to the company's Web site, NEOS can can help oil, gas and mining companies more efficiently explore the Earth's subsurface.

We do this by integrating a broad range of geological and geophysical (G&G) data – including data available in the public domain, owned by our clients, or acquired using proprietary NEOS platforms – to produce a highly constrained 3D model of the subsurface. By applying the latest geostatistical techniques, we help our clients determine which portions of a basin might be the most prospective and, at the lease level, what areas are most likely to contain commercial quantities of hydrocarbons or minerals. --TechFlash

Brazil's oil reserves may be set to double in extent:

Brazilian oil deposits below a layer of salt in the Atlantic Ocean hold at least 123 billion barrels of reserves, more than double government estimates, according to a university study by a former Petroleo Brasileiro SA geologist. The research, which set out to show government figures were overly optimistic, found they underestimated the area's potential, said Hernani Chaves, a professor at the Rio de Janeiro State University who worked at Petrobras for 35 years. The forecast, which the study puts at a 90 percent probability, compares with 50 billion barrels estimated by Brazil's oil regulator, known as ANP. "We started with a skeptical view and finished with bigger numbers," --Bloomberg

Coal to rival oil in energy production by 2030

Green coal may come to India within 2 years

GE to assist Shenhua in providing clean coal technology to China

Renewables bubble bursting in Spain and France. German and Scandinavian power grid managers are not very happy about the renewables bubble either.

The world is floating in hydrocarbon energy resources. Humans in developed societies must choose between the lefty-Luddite dieoff.orgiast philosophy -- as promoted by Obama's merry band of energy starvationists -- or a cleaner and more abundant future of limitless resources released by the unbound human mind.

Al Fin Energy 19 January 2011

5) UK Shale-Gas Report Lacks Scientific Evidence

The Engineer, 18 January 2011

Researchers at the Tyndall Centre at the University of Manchester claim to have demonstrated how the extraction of shale gas risks seriously contaminating ground and surface waters – without providing any scientific evidence to back their claim.

Working on behalf of the Co-operative, the researchers investigated the environmental and climate change impacts of shale gas – a new fossil fuel resource already developed in the US and being considered for imminent extraction and use in the UK.

Despite massive expansion of the US shale gas industry over recent years, there is little reliable data on groundwater contamination caused by hydraulic fracturing ('fracking') – drilling a well 1.5-6km below the surface and pumping a mixture of water, sand and chemicals into the shale at pressures up to 100MPa.

The Co-op-backed report pointed out that a Environmental Protection Agency was due to report the findings of a $2m study on the issue later this year. It also noted that there had been moves to tighten regulations by New York State, as well as anecdotal evidence of harmful chemical reaching water supplies.

Calling for a moratorium on shale gas development, the study said: "Information on health and environmental aspects is of variable quality and only now is there any systematic effort being undertaken to better understand these issues."

However, rather than present any evidence on the health risks associated with shale gas extraction, most of the researchers' case against shale gas focused on climate-change arguments.

Prof Kevin Anderson at the Tyndall Centre and the University of Manchester, commenting: "Any new fossil fuel resource will only lead to additional carbon emissions. In the case of shale gas there is also a significant risk its use will delay the introduction of renewable energy alternatives."

One of the companies mentioned in the report, IGas Energy is developing its coal bed methane (CBM) resources. The company also has some shale gas acreage in its licence areas, but has no immediate plans to develop it at present.

CBM is extracted by a completely different process to shale gas and doesn't involve the same complicated fracturing techniques and mix of chemicals as shale gas extraction.

"Shale - like CBM and indeed all other forms gas production - is subject to the UK regulatory regime which is one of the strictest in the world, and certainly is more rigorous than that in the US," said an IGas spokesman.

The risks from all gas production need to be identified and mitigated to the satisfaction of the HSE and, where appropriate, various environmental agencies and local planning permission, IGas also emphasised.

"Shale gas does not emit much more carbon in its production and use than conventional gas and could potentially make a significant contribution to the UK's energy resources and increase its security of supply, and the regulatory regime is in place to make sure that environmental concerns are addressed," said the spokesman.

Likewise, a Department of Energy and Climate Change spokesman said: 'We support the industry's endeavours in pursuing such energy sources, provided that tapping of such resources proves to be economically, commercially and environmentally viable.

'All onshore oil and gas projects, including shale gas exploration and development, are subject to a series of checks, including local planning permission before they are able to move ahead with drilling activities.'

The Engineer, 18 January 2011

6) Shale Gas Will Rock the World: October Natural Gas Production Sets Another New All-Time Record

Carpe Diem, 19 January 2011

According to data from the EIA, more natural gas produced was produced in October - 2,330,551 million cubic feet - than in any previous month in U.S. history (see chart above). I couldn't find this reported elsewhere, so I'm claiming this as a "Carpe Diem exclusive"!

As John Tierney reported recently in the New York Times:

"The really good news is the discovery of vast quantities of natural gas. It's now selling for less than half of what it was five years ago. There's so much available that the Energy Department is predicting low prices for gas and electricity for the next quarter-century."

As the EIA reported in December:

"Domestic proved reserves of oil and natural gas increased significantly in 2009. U.S. natural gas proved reserves increased by 11 percent in 2009 to 284 trillion cubic feet. This is their highest level since 1971, despite an approximate one-third decline in the prices used to assess economic viability for 2009 reserves as compared to the prices used in 2008. U.S. crude oil plus lease condensate proved reserves rose 9 percent to 22.3 billion barrels in 2009, regaining 1.8 billion barrels of the 2.3 billion barrel decline in 2008. These increases demonstrate the possibility of an expanding role for domestic natural gas and crude oil in meeting both current and projected U.S. energy demands."

As Amy Myers Jaffe wrote in the Wall Street Journal:

"We've always known the potential of shale; we just didn't have the technology to get to it at a low enough cost. Now new techniques have driven down the price tag—and set the stage for shale gas to become what will be the game-changing resource of the decade.

I have been studying the energy markets for 30 years, and I am convinced that shale gas will revolutionize the industry—and change the world—in the coming decades. It will prevent the rise of any new cartels. It will alter geopolitics. And it will slow the transition to renewable energy."

The Global Warming Policy Foundation, 1 Carlton House, London SW1Y 5DB

Director: Dr Benny Peiser

http://www.thegwpf.org

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