Monthly Archives: May 2012

46.5 million recipients and the number of households actually receiving benefits increased to a new record of 22.2 million. Lastly, the average monthly benefit per household slide to a multi-year low of $277.27.  Households on foodstamps and average benefits: Please continue reading at: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/foodstamp-usage-remains-all-time-high-record-number-households-receive-277-poverty-assistance-m
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Our findings from this meta-analysis suggest that fish consumption is inversely associated with colorectal cancer…current evidence that suggests that fish consumption may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by as much as 12%. The American Journal of Medicine http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343%2812%2900123-4/fulltext
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The authors investigated whether correction of hypovitaminosis D in a cohort of overweight adults can improve the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components. Adult nondiabetic Saudis were advised to expose themselves to sunlight for set periods twice a week and to follow a vitamin D-enriched diet. Mean serum 25-OHD level increased and there...
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People who use common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, are less likely to develop melanoma and squamous-cell skin cancer than non-NSAID users, according to a study published online in Cancer. Read story at Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/29/us-painkillers-cancer-idUSBRE84S03Z20120529
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Data from the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey revealed that the prevalence of kidney stones nearly doubled in 16 years. One person in 20 had the condition in 1994, and in 2010 the rate had reached 1 in 11. Researchers found that individuals with obesity, diabetes or gout had a greater risk...
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From OSHA QuickTakes Newsletter: 9.4% drop in injury claims at workplaces in the four years following an inspection 26% average savings on workers’ compensation costs compared to similar, non-inspected companies $355,000 average savings for an employer (small or large) as a result of an OSHA inspection $6 billion estimated savings to employers nationwide Key...
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Groundwater depletion has been most severe in the purple areas indicated on these maps of (A) the High Plains and (B) California’s Central Valley. These heavily affected areas are concentrated in parts of the Texas Panhandle, western Kansas, and the Tulare Basin in California’s Central Valley. Changes in groundwater levels in (A) are adapted...
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ACA on May 28 submitted comments to the U.S. Green Building Council regarding LEED 2012. The U.S. Green Building Council opened this unexpected – and very short – fourth public comment period on May 11 in response to concerns regarding the drastic changes in LEED 2012 from the previous 2009 iteration.  The new LEED...
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EPA is hosting a Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) training webinar on June 6, 2012 from 2-3 pm (EDT), entitled “Showcasing Sustainability in Your TRI Report.”  The webinar will focus on the pollution prevention portion of the TRI form, which offers facilities the opportunity to report and describe pollution prevention activities and other environmentally friendly...
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Radiation affecting residents in Japan’s Fukushima prefecture since the nuclear plant disaster is below the reference level for public exposure in all but two areas, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. Please continue reading at: http://phys.org/news256986498.html
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The federal government is sabotaging its own legislated requirement to protect endangered freshwater fish by weakening the Fisheries Act and shuttering research facilities, Canadian scientists say in a letter to be sent to the Harper government Tuesday. Please continue reading at: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Scientists%20slam%20federal%20changes%20Fisheries/6691364/story.html
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 ”An interesting study reported in Nature Climate Change indicates that concern over climate change did not correlate with scientific literacy nearly as much as with cultural polarization. Quoting: ‘For ordinary citizens, the reward for acquiring greater scientific knowledge and more reliable technical-reasoning capacities is a greater facility to discover and use—or explain away—evidence relating...
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Chemical Regulation in the European Union: Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of ChemicalsSource: Congressional Research Service (via Open CRS) On June 1, 2007, the European Union (EU) began to implement a new law governing chemicals in EU commerce: Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). It is intended to protect human health and the...
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H.R. 4471 would establish an interagency committee—the Transportation Fuels Regulatory Committee—to analyze and report to the Congress in 2013 on the impact a variety of rules and actions taken by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would have on gasoline and diesel fuel prices. The Secretary of Energy would chair the committee, which would consist...
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John Gran (@FishSouthBay) at:http://fishsouthbay.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/osha-regulation-ghs-effective-next-week/
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Pumping Water From the Ground Eventually, it ends up in the ocean. USDA When we think of rising sea levels, we think of global climate change and melting ice caps. Yet there’s a disparity in the raw data. During the second half of the last century, global sea levels rose 1.8 millimeters per year,...
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From my McClatchy editorial, out for national distribution this week, here is a link to the version in today’s Sacramento Bee:  “Since 2008, taxpayers have spent or provided loan guarantees of $6.5 billion for electric vehicles. That includes $2.4 billion for battery and electric drive component manufacturing, $3.1 billion in loan guarantees for electric...
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To date, science has not directly linked any environmental exposures with any of the disabling behavioral and cognitive conditions that fall along the autism spectrum. But rising rates of autism along with the increasing breadth and reach of synthetic chemicals raises questions for which scientists are beginning to offer a few answers. Read more...
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China and India are some of the world’s top polluters, with countless cars, factories, and households belching more than 2 million metric tons of carbon soot and other dark pollutants into the air every year. These pollutants aren’t just bad news for the countries themselves. A new study reveals that they can affect climate...
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Despite recent clashes between the US and Chinese solar industries, it seems that the entire solar power sector is prospering. As stated in a new report from GlobalData, with the ever-increasing number of solar power installations, the cost of energy generation is falling. In fact, it is falling so quickly that the report predicts that by 2017 it’ll...
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“The NY Times reports that Carson C. Chow, an MIT-trained mathematician and physicist, has taken a new look at America’s obesity epidemic and found that a food glut is behind America’s weight problem, with the national obesity rate jumping from 20 percent to over 30 percent since 1970. ‘Beginning in the 1970s, there was a...
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The FDA announced on May 11 that they’ll be delaying implementation of pending sunscreen regulations that were supposed to mandate how sunscreens are labeled and marketed.  These changes that would have make it easier for consumers to choose safe and effective sunscreens have been put off, apparently due to pressure from cosmetic industry groups.  This means that...
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U.S. military scientists have started to test microgrids that would provide clean energy to soldiers in the field, in a bid to mitigate the risks associated with fuel transportation to dangerous areas and to make soldiers’ work less technically complex. Since 2009, scientists from the Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) have been...
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Doctors given new access to the proprietary chemical recipes that oil and gas drillers use to crack into Ohio shale would be prohibited from sharing the information with the public under an energy proposal moving through the Ohio House. Please continue reading at: http://www.urbanacitizen.com/main.asp?SectionID=3&SubSectionID=5&ArticleID=159930
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With both gasoline and diesel engines having their own particular advantages and disadvantages, automotive component manufacturer Delphi is looking for a best-of-both-worlds solution with a gasoline-powered engine that uses diesel engine-like technology for increased fuel efficiency. According to MIT’s Technology Review, such an engine has the potential to increase the fuel economy of gasoline-powered...
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The Economist has an article titled “The Best Story in Development” about a recent World Bank study finding that 16 of the 20 African countries that have had detailed surveys of living conditions since 2005 reported declines in their child-mortality rates (deaths of children under five per 1,000 live births).  Twelve countries had decreases...
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From the NY Times article “Slowly, as Student Debt Rises, Colleges Confront Costs“:  “At a time of diminished state funding for higher education and uncertain federal dollars, Ohio State University president Mr. E. Gordon Gee says that public colleges and universities need...
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From: http://www.glbrc.org/news-25 Two University of Wisconsin-Madison professors, both researchers in the field of bioenergy, have been selected to receive U.S. Department of Energy Early Career Awards. The DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Research selected Jennifer Reed and Garret Suen based on their outstanding research proposals, which were two of the 68 winning entries in a...
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…the National Toxicology Program’s Report on Carcinogens (RoC). The House Republicans’ scrutiny of the RoC coincides with industry objections to the Report’s listing of styrene as a possible carcinogen. It also follows a strategy common to previous debates over chemical regulation – that of sowing doubt about scientific findings in hopes of averting action...
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Global carbon dioxide emissions reached record levels in 2011, driven largely by a 9.3-percent increase in Chinese emissions, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA). According to preliminary estimates, worldwide carbon emissions climbed to 31.6 gigatonnes in 2011, a 3.2-percent increase from 2010. India’s emissions rose by 8.7 percent, passing Russia...
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Ecat World reports that the most recent issue of the American Chemical Society’s Chemical and Engineering News magazine includes an article entitled, “Reviving Cold Fusion.” written by Steven K. Ritter. The brief summary reads, “After 20-plus years of outcast status, unconventional heat-producing nuclear reactions still seem plausible”. The article is really a review of...
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The World War II generation may have passed down to their grandchildren the effects of chemical exposure in the 1940s, possibly explaining current rates of obesity, autism and mental illness, according to one researcher. Please continue reading at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/05/21/bloomberg_articlesM4DRCL6KLVR401-M4E16.DTL
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For years, U.S. government agencies have told the public, veterans and Congress that they couldn’t draw any connections between the so-called “burn pits” disposing of trash at the military’s biggest bases and veterans’ respiratory or cardiopulmonary problems. Now a leaked memo contradicts that claim. Please continue reading at: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/05/bagram-health-risk
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The embattled chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission resigned Monday after a tumultuous three-year tenure in which he pushed for sweeping safety reforms but came under fire for an unyielding management style that fellow commissioners and agency employees described as bullying. Please read more from source: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Head-of-US-nuclear-safety-agency-to-step-down-3573857.php
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From: The Chicago Tribune By the early 2000s, the flame retardant known as penta had become a villain. Packed by the pound into couches and other furniture, the chemical was turning up in the blood of babies and in breast milk around the world. The European Union voted to ban penta after researchers linked...
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A group of plant scientists at the University of Missouri have discovered a new, inexpensive approach to extracting an powerful anticancer chemical from soybeans. The incidence of a number of common cancers (breast, colorectal, prostate, bladder, lymphoma, and oral cancers) is lower in Japan by a factor of two to ten times than in...
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HOW DOES IT WORK? In the base of tlie fan is an oil lamp which heats a cylinder containing two pistons. Light the lamp and the blades slowly pick up speed. The fans were part of a shipment made up for a long forgotten African hunting expedition. Please read more from source: http://blog.modernmechanix.com/how-does-it-work-oil-lamp-fan/
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Paul Anastas is credited with coining the term “green chemistry,” the movement to make chemicals and industrial processes more environmentally friendly, and during two stints in Washington, D.C., he has worked to Michael Marsland/Yale University Paul Anastas promote those principles at the U.S. Environmental Protection. Anastas, 49, recently left his post as EPA assistant...
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Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have created a new piezoelectric nanogenerator that promises to overcome the restrictions found in previous attempts to build a simple, low-cost, large scale self-powered energy system… Continue Reading KAIST develops low-cost, large-area piezoelectric nanogenerator
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Slashdot“Autoparts manufacturer Delphi has developed a diesel-like ignition engine running on gasoline, providing a potential 50 percent efficiency improvement over existing gas-powered engines. Engineers have long sought to run diesel-like engines on gasoline for its higher efficiency and low emissions. Delphi’s engine, using a technique called gasoline-direct-injection compression ignition, could rival the performance of hybrid...
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“Stung by continued criticism from Greenpeace and protests at Apple’s headquarters over its use of electricity from non-renewable sources, Apple has promised that its data center in Maiden, North Carolina will use 100 percent renewable electricity,, 60 percent of it generated by Apple itself. The update is possible because it is building a second...
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Classic Varvel: No fat future – what’s wrong with this picture? Please read classic Varvel at http://blogs.indystar.com/varvelblog/2012/05/19/caption-this-winners-119
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Billionaire Donald Trump says the U.S. economy is poised for “massive inflation” and is warning investors to take steps now to protect themselves. In the gripping CNBC interview, Trump also told investors they should not trust official government statistics. He even questioned the “official unemployment” numbers. “It’s over 20 percent. It’s not 8.3 percent,” Trump said. ...
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Release Date: 05/16/2012Contact Information: Latisha Petteway (News Media Only), petteway.latisha@epa.gov, 202-564-3191, 202-564-0455 WASHINGTON – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) will conduct a comprehensive review of the agency’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program’s assessment development process. The IRIS program helps EPA protect Americans’ health and the environment by...
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So much of what was once considered “knowledge work” – the kind that college graduates specialize in – can now be done more cheaply by software. Or by workers with college degrees in India or East Asia, linked up by Internet Please read more from source: http://robertreich.org/post/23301640941
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I am a huge advocate of clean energy programs… But this is NOT what they look like. California is slowing become a model of how “not to do clean energy” and will slowly kill market with these kinds on miss guided programs. Another “Billion dollar Disaster in California” as Big, green energy firms take billions...
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Laura Segall For The Chronicle Melissa Bruninga-Matteau, a medieval-history Ph.D. and adjunct professor who gets food stamps: “I’ve been able to make enough to live on. Until now.” By Stacey Patton “I am not a welfare queen,” says Melissa Bruninga-Matteau. That’s how she feels compelled to start a conversation about how she, a white...
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A young man in China has so little confidence in the hygiene of his company’s cafeteria that he supplements each meal with antibiotics. That is his undoing. When the man later falls ill, drugs fail to save him. An autopsy reveals why: His body is riddled with multiple strains of drug-resistant bacteria. Please continue...
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Tidal farms, which use underwater turbines to harness the power of the planet’s oceans and convert it into electricity, are something that we frequently mention here at Inhabitat. While there are plans to build them all over the world, Scotland achieved a major milestone this week by successfully installing a 10MW tidal power array in the Sound...
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The nearly 100 plaintiffs alleging death, cancer and other illnesses from radioactive emissions from two defunct Armstrong County nuclear fuels plants are awaiting a trial date for what is likely to be a second set of a multimillion-dollar federal lawsuit. Please read more from source: http://triblive.com/news/1811236-74/apollo-nuclear-baron-cancer-lawsuit-court-filed-motley-rice-claims
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Apple Inc. has received approval to build two solar power installations at its main data center in North Carolina, allowing the technology giant to run the center entirely with renewable energy by next year. The two solar farms, which will cover 250 acres near its core data center in Maiden, N.C., will utilize high-efficiency solar cells...
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The Associated Press reports: Without fanfare, the nation’s nuclear power regulators have overhauled community emergency planning for the first time in more than three decades, requiring fewer exercises for major accidents and recommending that fewer people be evacuated right away. The revamp, the first since the program began after Three Mile Island in 1979, also eliminates...
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The CDC has lowered by half the danger threshold for lead levels in children’s blood, one of more than a dozen advisory committee recommendations that the agency has accepted in principle. From now on, blood levels of lead exceeding 5 mcg/dL will identify children “living or staying for long periods in environments that expose...
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The Defense Department wants to run the military on more renewables and less oil, but some members of Congress don’t think it’s worth one billion dollars. House Republicans complain that the Department of Defense is advancing a political agenda instead of a military one. Please continue reading at:http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=12-P13-00009&segmentID=2
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If we all lived like the average person in America we would need four planets, the report spells out.Dr Dan Barlow, head of policy at WWF Scotland, said: “We are continuing to consume resources faster than the planet can provide, with our current path demanding potentially double those the planet can sustain by 2030....
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Subscribe here OSHA kicks off summer campaign to prevent heat-related illnesses and fatalities among outdoor workers: Educational materials and mobile application available OSHA’s Fall Prevention Campaign: New OSHA and stakeholder educational materials on fatal falls NIOSH researchers find respirable crystalline silica hazard for workers engaged in hydraulic fracturing operations Assistant Secretary speaks on OSHA...
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Could what’s in this little container keep our planet healthy? The simple reality is we need to find a way to put carbon back into the soil, and making something called ‘biochar’ is perhaps the best way to do that. While attending the World Renewable Energy Forum in Denver, it was hard not to...
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Created by a group of young designers from London, WikiHouse is an open source construction solution that aims to make it possible for almost anyone, regardless of skill level, to freely download and build affordable housing. The WikiHouse construction system was on display during last month’s Milan Design Week, where the creators themselves demonstrated...
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Aside from arable land, most farm crops require significant amounts of water, fertilizer, nutrients and pesticides to grow. While specialized breeding is often used to help produce plants that require less of these inputs, Purdue University researcher Burkhard Schulz has found a way to create tiny versions of plants that suffer no reduction in...
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The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday announced regulations on PM2.5, or particulate matter of less than 2.5 micrometers, setting the standards at a maximum 35μg/m3 daily mean concentration and a maximum 15μg/m3 annual mean concentration. Please continue reading at: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/05/15/2003532871
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Media reports about marine pollution have tended to fixate on the idea of “great garbage patches”–huge floating islands of waste circulating in the gyres of the major oceans. Outlets have often spoken of patches “twice the size of Texas”, giving the impression of trash blankets easily visible from planes or satellite. The reality, say scientists, is something less...
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The Living Building Standard results in some of the most energy-efficient and environmentally friendly structures around. It’s also incredibly difficult to achieve. Is it truly changing the way we design buildings? Please continue reading at: http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679825/beyond-leed-certification-the-importance-of-creating-living-buildings
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According to a Missouri local news station, Don Gibson, a high school senior, converted his 1994 Geo Metro into an electric car by pulling out the gas engine and replacing it with an electric forklift engine he bought on eBay for around $200. Don spent $3,000 total in his electric car but said that if...
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Five years after its adoption, the European Commission is preparing to review the controversial REACH regulation, which for the first time required chemical manufacturers to justify that their products are safe for consumers before placing them on the market. Please continue reading at:http://www.euractiv.com/sustainability/reach-chemical-safety-review-opening-worms-linksdossier-512446
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The battle of the bees and the deadly insecticides killing them en masse has taken a first step in a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency for negligence in not protecting the bees. Please continue reading at: http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/buzz-bees/2012/may/10/bees-are-being-killed-beekeepers-sue-epa-over-pest/
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Despite strong opposition from environmentalists, the state Assembly on Thursday approved controversial legislation that allows a solar energy developer to bypass local agencies in seeking to build a large-scale power plant. Please read more from source: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-solar-calico-20120511,0,2786948.story
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Their report advises that the bulbs should not be left on for extended periods, particularly near someone’s head, as they emit poisonous materials when switched on. Peter Braun, who carried out the tests at the Berlin’s Alab Laboratory, said: “For such carcinogenic substances it is important they are kept as far away as possible...
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Europe’s environmental watchdog, the European Environment Agency, has warned that products containing endocrine disrupting chemicals should be treated with caution until their true effects are better known. Please continue reading at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/may/10/household-chemicals-cancer-concern-watchdog
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Arguments against chemical regulation have been top of mind recently; the odds seem to be stacked against large-scale reform of US legislation. But that doesn’t mean US companies are off the hook when it comes to toxic chemicals. Please continue reading at:http://www.forbes.com/sites/amywestervelt/2012/05/10/how-international-regulations-are-changing-american-supply-chains/
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JOB DESCRIPTION:Responsible for managing Corporate EHS programs and training, ensuring regulatory compliance, and promoting best practices as well as the development and growth of a strong safety culture for all manufacturing facilities. EH&S Manager is responsible for implementing corporate policies, procedures, training programs, and initiatives. This position should foster a zero tolerance culture, ensuring...
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Capturing the carbon dioxide from power stations is not hard. But it is expensive. A new project in Norway aims to make it cheaper. …There was a rush of interest in CCS in the late 2000s, including $3 billion for it in America’s stimulus package of 2009. But many projects are now being cancelled....
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Nigerian Government Must Ensure Clean Up of Affected Area, Along With Necessary Medical Care and Safer Mining Practices The Nigerian government must commit significant resources to respond to a lead poisoning epidemic in Zamfara State, which has sickened thousands of children since 2010, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)...
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In support of President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, the Energy Department today announced that more than one thousand fuel cells were deployed through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Over the last three years, nearly 1,200 fuel cells have been deployed in emergency backup power units and material handling equipment, such as forklift trucks....
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The largest software company in the world is pledging to shrink its corporate carbon footprint – big time. Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington,with facilities in over 100 countries, is going carbon neutral, cutting greenhouse gases using a method most companies, and countries, have yet to consider: basically, a self–imposed tax. Please continue reading at:...
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An eight-square-mile plume of toxic contamination moving slowly through northern Orange County groundwater could take decades to clean up — with costs running as high as $200 million. Please continue reading at: http://www.ocregister.com/news/water-353775-district-county.html
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A severe decline in stocks has nearly paralyzed the fishing industry in east China, leaving many boats anchored at harbor during what should be the prime fishing season. Please continue reading at: http://english.eastday.com/e/120513/u1a6551170.html
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New findings suggests a link between breast cancer risk and prenatal exposure to bisphenol A, or BPA, giving more ammunition to groups that want to ban the substance, which is found in baby bottles, food containers and numerous other consumer products. Please continue reading at: http://www.argusleader.com/article/DF/20120512/NEWS/305120031/Research-adds-BPA-fear-cancer?odyssey=nav%7Chead
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Global warming threatens the future of Peru’s poorest coffee farmers, but one brand thinks it has found an answer on the financial markets. Please continue reading at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/may/13/peru-coffee-climate-change-carbon-trading
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The Environmental Protection Agency says that palm oil based biofuel does not meet renewable fuel standards. Some say that palm oil fuel emits more greenhouse gas emissions than other vegetable oils, and that the creation of palm plantations leads to deforestation. Please continue reading at: http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=12-P13-00019&segmentID=2
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When communities in Denmark pump groundwater for drinking water, officials monitor the levels of chemicals such as chloroform that might signal the presence of industrial contaminants. But not all chloroform travels with human-made pollution. Please read more from source: http://cen.acs.org/articles/90/web/2012/05/Isotopes-Help-Clear-Concerns-Chloroform.html
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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the final report on alternatives to nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) through the Design for the Environment (DfE) Alternatives Assessment Program. NPEs are widely used surfactants with a range of industrial applications and are commonly found in consumer products, such as laundry detergents. When released into the...
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Nicholas Carr Foresees Brains Optimized for Browsing Nicholas Carr… the Internet discourages attentive, contemplative thinking – and if so, is the price worth paying, in any case, for all the speed and convenience it brings? Are you happy to swap your mind for an “outboard brain.”  http://www.internetevolution.com/author.asp?section_id=466&doc_id=243837&
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WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that the systems used at gas station pumps to capture harmful gasoline vapors while refueling cars can be phased out. Modern vehicles are equipped to capture those emissions. This final rule is part of the Obama Administration’s initiative to ensure that regulations protect public...
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Siemens has developed an energy-storage system that can act as a buffer in electrical power grids. The aim is to provide a buffer against short-term fluctuations in output from renewable energy sources. Such fluctuations can last for seconds or several minutes long. The modular designed Siestorage battery is based on lithium-ion rechargeable battery technology...
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“American news outlets like The New York Times seem to thrive onchemophobia — consumer fear of the ambiguous concept of ‘chemicals.’ As a result, Pulitzer-prize winning science writer Deborah Blum has decided to call out New York Times journalist Nicholas Kirstof for his secondary crusade (she notes he is an admirable journalist in other realms) against chemicals....
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Here is how the “infrastructure trust” works: the city pays for upgrades to its roads, rail or schools with dollars pooled by Emanuel’s friends from the banking and investment world. Meanwhile, the city retains “ownership” of the infrastructure, though this comes at the cost of having to ensure a revenue stream for the fund....
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Jeff Berwick You’ve been sold a bill of goods for the last four to six decades. You’ve been told that nation-states, democracy and socialism is good. You’ve been told our monetary system prevents instability. And, while the government and central banks put your unborn children or grandchildren into debt for life they’ve been telling...
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Moneynews The total number of “long-term” unemployed of all ages — people out of work for a year or more — is close to 30 percent, Pew found, nearly 4 million of the 13.3 million officially unemployed. Yet the long-term jobless rate for people over 55 was well over triple that of people under...
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New schemes hold the public hostage to private finance. When Mayor Rahm Emanuel introduced a “new and innovative” financing tool last month to help Chicago renovate failing infrastructure without precipitating another budget crisis, many in the city were understandably critical. Chicagoans have already endured the notorious 75-year lease of their parking meters to a...
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The newest entry in ARM’s Cortex line, the Cortex-M0+ is claimed to be the world’s most energy-efficient processor, delivering 32-bit performance on around one third of the typical energy requirements of an 8- or 16-bit processor. Targeting low-cost sensors and microcontrollers, the M0+ will come with a very modest price tag and could act...
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GE Lighting has announced that it is getting in on the 100 W-equivalent LED replacement act. The 27 W Energy Smart LED bulb joins its range of incandescent bulb replacements that already includes 40 W and 60 W equivalents. And like an incandescent bulb, GE claims its LED bulb emits light evenly in all...
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OriginOil and Algasol, two companies working to develop algae into renewable fuel, have announced a collaboration on growth and harvest technology. The companies hope the partnership will help them reduce cost and improve performance, therefore increasing commercial prospects for algae as fuel source. Harvesting algae is one of the main cost drivers associated with...
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John Cherrie Anyone who has had a cough for three weeks or more or has some of the other symptoms of lung cancer should visit their doctor. The things to look out for are: a cough that has got worse or changed repeated chest infections coughing up blood breathlessness feeling more tired than usual for...
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REMINDER: On May 22 from 2:00 – 3:30 pm EST, EPA’s RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative will host a webinar: Tools for Local GovernmentsThis webinar will provide an overview of tools available to local governments to help them get renewable energy projects built on contaminated land in their community. Through its RE-Powering America’s Land initiative,...
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… book chapter by Denis Monnette from Canada about the state-of-the-art coating removal technologies in the aerospace industry . This explains how in North America DCM was substituted in the early 1980s because of concerns about health and environmental risks, However, this was not the case in the UK where Mr Wood and his colleagues were...
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Scientists at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have created a “magnetic-like” coating that traps and destroys 99 percent of the bacteria and fungi that it encounters. The antibacterial coating has been shown to be effective against superbugs like Staphylococcus aureus and is already being used in the manufacture of contact lenses. As well as...
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Apparently not happy with collecting over 40 world driving fuel economy records, the husband and wife team of John and Helen Taylor – also known as “the world’s most fuel efficient couple” – have been back on the road to claim the world record for the longest distance traveled on a single tank of...
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A U.S.-based company that used genetic engineering to develop a technology to convert sugar into biofuel has announced that it will stop producing the fuel, at least temporarily, because the process simply isn’t profitable. Amyris, a San Francisco firm that also produces cosmetic products, had engineered a type of yeast that can eat sugar...
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A court in Lyon, France has ruled in a landmark case in favor of the people over Monsanto, finding the biotech giant guilty of chemical poisoning. In the case decided by the court, grain grower Paul Francois stated that Monsanto failed to provide proper warnings on the Lasso weedkiller product label which resulted in...
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