Germany's Chancellor Merkel is sticking to her position that Greece must stay ? and that its exit could have unforeseen negative consequences. But the ranks of those who disagree are growing.
By Michael Steininger,?Correspondent / August 31, 2012
German Chancellor Angela Merkel smiles during a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao, unseen, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Thursday, Aug. 30. Merkel is sticking to her mantra that Greece should stay within the eurozone ? a position that fewer and fewer of her colleagues share.
Diego Azubel/AP
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After three years of continuous attempts to keep the insolvent Greek state within the eurozone, European Union politicians are showing increasing acceptance of an exit. But while there is now an open debate about Greece leaving the common currency, Germany?s Chancellor Angela Merkel is sticking to her mantra that Athens should stay ? a position that fewer and fewer of her colleagues share.
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?We want Greece to be part of the euro,? Mrs. Merkel told journalists after a meeting with Greek Prime Minister? Antonis Samaras last week in Berlin. ?Greece has to meet a number of expectations, but if it does, it can also expect help from us.?
Those words describe Merkel?s dilemma. Mr. Samaras asked for more time to implement conditions linked to financial help from the EU and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The highly indebted Greek economy is being kept afloat by two international bailout packages worth ?240 billion ($300 billion), in return for which Athens has promised to cut spending and reform its ineffective public sector. But unless Samaras has concrete results to show, Merkel cannot promise any more help without meeting stiff resistance in parliament.
What has emerged is a delicate balancing act: While she sent the Greek prime minister home emptyhanded, Merkel has also shown increasing support for intervention from such European institutions as the ECB, thus possibly heading off the prospect of having to confront the unknown consequences of a Greek exit.
Merkel's colleagues, however, have not minced words about their distaste for further help for Greece. ?More time [to meet eurozone demands] usually means more money. That?s not an option right now,? said Wolfgang Sch?uble, German Finance Minister and member of Merkel?s Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
Martin Lindner, deputy chief whip of coalition partner Free Democrats (FDP), was equally firm: ?I can see the problems in Greece are immense. But if they want to talk about the bailout conditions, they have to give us something in return. So far, we only got promises.?
Germany?s economy minister, Free Democrat Philipp R?sler, was one of the first to break the taboo and publicly declare a few weeks ago that a Greek exit from the eurozone was quite possible, and nothing that the currency union couldn?t control. The problem is, no one is really sure that this is the truth, and Merkel clearly does not want to take the risk.
?She is ambitious, but she?s also very careful,? says Margaret Heckel, author of a widely acclaimed Merkel biography. ?She does not want to go down in history as the leader who destroyed the euro.?
At least three institutions have working groups researching the consequences of a Greek eurozone exit: one with the European Central Bank (ECB), one in the German finance ministry, and one at the Bundesbank, Germany?s central bank. So far, all three of them have come to the same conclusion: No one knows.
Greece will need help even if it leaves
One thing seems clear, though ? Greece will need more help, even if it leaves the euro. If nobody wants to give fresh money, that help could come only in the shape of debt relief from public creditors. Private institutions have already accepted such a so-called haircut of about 75 percent earlier this year. But a haircut of public debt would mean that billions paid by European taxpayers (most of all Germans) would be lost.
?It is not something Merkel can be seen assenting to,? says Sebastian Dullien of the European Council on Foreign Relations. But he notices a kind of quiet agreement between the chancellor and the ECB. Under its new president, Mario Draghi, the European Central Bank has assumed a much more proactive role in the eurocrisis, supporting struggling economies like Spain or Italy by buying large amounts of their state bonds, thus keeping the interest rates for these countries down.
?Publicly, Merkel is still acting tough,? says Mr. Dullien,?but I think she is quite happy? for the ECB to intervene. Many of her party members don?t like it, but of course the ECB is beyond her control.?
Greece?s fate may now hang on a report that the so-called troika of officials from the EU, ECB, and IMF are meant to publish sometime in September, charting the success or lack thereof of the Greek reform process. The next EU summit in October will have to look at the text and decide whether it justifies Greece?s membership in the eurozone.
Contact: Donna McKinney nrlpao@ccs.nrl.navy.mil 202-767-2541 Naval Research Laboratory
The Naval Research Laboratory supported the 8th Annual CanSat competition where 26 college rocket teams came together from all over the world to compete. This year's "mission" was to launch an autonomous CanSat (a satellite in a can) with a deployable lander containing one large raw hen egg that cannot be damaged on landing. The "CanSat " refers to the complete system-the carrier and the lander. The event was held on June 8-10, 2012, in Abilene and Burkett, Texas.
The CanSat is deployed from a rocket at an altitude of about 610 meters (2001 feet). Once released from the rocket, the CanSat descends between 10 and 20 meters per second using any type of descent control system or device. At an altitude of 200 meters, the CanSat reduces the descent rate to within 4 and 6 meters per second. At 91 meters altitude, the CanSat carrier releases the lander that contains one large raw hen's egg. The lander hopefully lands without damaging the egg. The lander cannot free fall. It must contain a descent control system or device to reduce the descent rate to less than 5 meters per second. The carrier telemetry data may be stored on-board for post processing in the event of a communications failure. Teams must build their own ground station. Telemetry from the carrier is displayed, in real-time, on a team-developed ground station.
Teams are given points, and scoring is started early in January for the preliminary design reviews. Scoring continues for critical design reviews, pre-flight inspections, weight, launching, and finally the post-flight reviews. This year's winners were 1st Place: Istanbul Technical University, Team UYARI; 2nd Place: SRM University, India, Team WelkinSat; 3rd Place: India Institute of Technology, Team Garuda; 4th Place: Istanbul Technical University, Team Lagari; and 5th Place: University of Michigan, Team OverEasy. Winners were given a plaque as well as a cash award for their team. This year, the competition was very close, with only 4 points separating the 1st Place team from the 5th Place team. All participants were given certificates of participation.
The competition is open to teams from universities and colleges. Teams must be able to design and build a space-type system, following the approved competition guide, and then compete against each other at the end of two semesters to determine the winners. Rockets are provided, but the teams are responsible for funding the construction of their CanSat and for all travel/lodging expenses.
The American Astronautical Society (AAS) and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) along with assistance from other sponsors have organized this student design-build-launch competition for space-related topics. Although similar competitions exist for other fields of engineering (robots, radio-control airplanes, racing cars, etc.), most space-related competitions are paper design competitions. While these are worthwhile, the CanSat competition gives students the satisfaction of being involved with the end-to-end life cycle of a complex engineering project, from conceptual design, through integration and test, actual operation of the system, and concluding with a post-mission summary and debrief. The sponsors include NRL, coordinated by Ivan Galysh, NRL's Naval Center for Space Technology; NASA; AIAA; Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation; the American Astronomical Society; Goddard Space Flight Center; Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Praxis Inc.; and the Integral Systems, a Kratos Company.
NRL's Exhibits Program was present at this year's competition displaying the Lab's 54-year-old model of the Vanguard satellite that was successfully launched into Earth orbit on March 17, 1958. It is always a big hit with the students. NRL's exhibitor, Gayle Fullerton, Code 3430, also photographed the event.
###
If anyone at NRL would like more information on CanSat or is interested in participating in any way, please contact Ivan Galysh, NRL's Space Systems Development Department, Space Applications Branch.
Visit the CanSat web site at http://www.cansatcompetition.com/Main.html for more information.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Contact: Donna McKinney nrlpao@ccs.nrl.navy.mil 202-767-2541 Naval Research Laboratory
The Naval Research Laboratory supported the 8th Annual CanSat competition where 26 college rocket teams came together from all over the world to compete. This year's "mission" was to launch an autonomous CanSat (a satellite in a can) with a deployable lander containing one large raw hen egg that cannot be damaged on landing. The "CanSat " refers to the complete system-the carrier and the lander. The event was held on June 8-10, 2012, in Abilene and Burkett, Texas.
The CanSat is deployed from a rocket at an altitude of about 610 meters (2001 feet). Once released from the rocket, the CanSat descends between 10 and 20 meters per second using any type of descent control system or device. At an altitude of 200 meters, the CanSat reduces the descent rate to within 4 and 6 meters per second. At 91 meters altitude, the CanSat carrier releases the lander that contains one large raw hen's egg. The lander hopefully lands without damaging the egg. The lander cannot free fall. It must contain a descent control system or device to reduce the descent rate to less than 5 meters per second. The carrier telemetry data may be stored on-board for post processing in the event of a communications failure. Teams must build their own ground station. Telemetry from the carrier is displayed, in real-time, on a team-developed ground station.
Teams are given points, and scoring is started early in January for the preliminary design reviews. Scoring continues for critical design reviews, pre-flight inspections, weight, launching, and finally the post-flight reviews. This year's winners were 1st Place: Istanbul Technical University, Team UYARI; 2nd Place: SRM University, India, Team WelkinSat; 3rd Place: India Institute of Technology, Team Garuda; 4th Place: Istanbul Technical University, Team Lagari; and 5th Place: University of Michigan, Team OverEasy. Winners were given a plaque as well as a cash award for their team. This year, the competition was very close, with only 4 points separating the 1st Place team from the 5th Place team. All participants were given certificates of participation.
The competition is open to teams from universities and colleges. Teams must be able to design and build a space-type system, following the approved competition guide, and then compete against each other at the end of two semesters to determine the winners. Rockets are provided, but the teams are responsible for funding the construction of their CanSat and for all travel/lodging expenses.
The American Astronautical Society (AAS) and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) along with assistance from other sponsors have organized this student design-build-launch competition for space-related topics. Although similar competitions exist for other fields of engineering (robots, radio-control airplanes, racing cars, etc.), most space-related competitions are paper design competitions. While these are worthwhile, the CanSat competition gives students the satisfaction of being involved with the end-to-end life cycle of a complex engineering project, from conceptual design, through integration and test, actual operation of the system, and concluding with a post-mission summary and debrief. The sponsors include NRL, coordinated by Ivan Galysh, NRL's Naval Center for Space Technology; NASA; AIAA; Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation; the American Astronomical Society; Goddard Space Flight Center; Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Praxis Inc.; and the Integral Systems, a Kratos Company.
NRL's Exhibits Program was present at this year's competition displaying the Lab's 54-year-old model of the Vanguard satellite that was successfully launched into Earth orbit on March 17, 1958. It is always a big hit with the students. NRL's exhibitor, Gayle Fullerton, Code 3430, also photographed the event.
###
If anyone at NRL would like more information on CanSat or is interested in participating in any way, please contact Ivan Galysh, NRL's Space Systems Development Department, Space Applications Branch.
Visit the CanSat web site at http://www.cansatcompetition.com/Main.html for more information.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
As announced by the NFL, the return to practice by a player who lands on injured reserve with the ?Designated for Return? label did not mention a limited window for placing the player on the 53-man roster or returning him to IR for the bulk of the season.? As explained to NFLPA-certified agents, the new rule applies a three-week up-or-out period after the player on IR returns to practice.
Specifically, agents have been informed that a player who returns to practice after missing at least six weeks with a ?major injury? may practice for up to 21 days.? If at the conclusion of the 21st day the player has not been added to the 53-man roster, he cannot return to the 53-man roster for the rest of the season.
It?s similar to the procedure the NFL applies to players who start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform List or the Non-Football Illness/Injury list.? Those players must miss the first six weeks of the regular season.? They then have a three-week window to return to practice.? Once they return to practice, they have a three-week window for activation to the roster.
There are two important differences.? The six-week period for players injured after training camp has opened begins from the moment the player lands on IR, which means that the six-week period can expire, in theory, before Week Six.? Also, there?s no deadline for bringing the player back to practice.? It can happen any time after the six-week period ends.? Also, the player can return to game action any time after the eight-week period ends.
It?s a minor detail, but it could be an important factor to consider when a team decides to bring a player on IR back to practice.? Once he?s back, he has only 21 days to be activated.
Gone are the days, when plus size women used to hide their bodies under clothes, even when they were on the beach or swimming pool. Today?s modern and confident women have the option to flaunt themselves in trendy bathing suits for their plus sized body. AlwaysforMe.com plus size bathing suits are perfect for any age and plus size women, who want to look sensuous on their favorite pool or beach visits.
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PCAntivirusCoupon.com, a company that helps people save money on Antivirus Products, is excited to announce a special 15% discount on the ever popular VIPRE Antivirus software this month.
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VIPRE Antivirus software, itself, is renowned for excellent product features, exceptional customer support and top-of-the-line detection rates for viruses. In fact, VIPRE is currently becoming one of the world?s top antivirus solutions for companies and individuals alike.
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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? Republicans staged a remarkably subdued opening to Mitt Romney's national convention Monday in the midst of a turbulent election year, mindful about uncorking a glittery political celebration as Tropical Storm Isaac surged menacingly toward New Orleans and the northern Gulf Coast.
"Our thoughts are with the people that are in the storm's path and hope that they're spared any major destruction," said Romney, the man seeking to defeat Democratic President Barack Obama. "We've got a great convention ahead," declared the candidate, who hopes to turn the campaign's focus back to the nation's sluggish economic growth and high unemployment.
Romney commented briefly at his summer home in New Hampshire, his arrival time uncertain in a convention city left unscathed as Isaac stormed by just to the west.
The convention's first session lasted scarcely a minute, just long enough for the party's chairman, Reince Priebus, to rap a gavel and declare the gathering open for business. As he did, high above the floor, numbers began flashing across an electronic tally board labeled "Debt from Convention Start," meant to show the government steadily borrowing under Obama's leadership throughout the convention.
The week was turning out to be about both meteorology and politics. Romney's top aides and convention planners were juggling their desire for a robust rouse-the-Republicans convention with concern about appearing uncaring as New Orleans faced a threat from Isaac precisely seven years after the city was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
Opinion polls made the presidential race nearly even as Republicans launched their convention, although it appeared Obama had a slim advantage in battleground states where the election is most likely to be decided. It was anything but certain what the impact would be on the campaign of back-to-back convention weeks, first Romney's and then the president's in Charlotte, N.C.
The economy is the number one issue by far in the polls, and Romney's surrogates are seeking to make sure the campaign focus stays fixed on it.
A blunt view came from Gary Hawkins, a delegate from Brandon, Miss. "We have to nominate a candidate for president. Our mission is to save America from becoming a socialistic state," he said.
In the convention hall, Priebus looked out at thousands of empty seats and a smattering of delegates in his brief turn on stage. Officials decided earlier in the week to scrap nearly all of the opening day's program when it appeared that Isaac might make a direct hit on the convention city.
That put Romney's formal nomination off by a day until Tuesday. Weather permitting, he delivers his acceptance speech on Thursday night, then embarks on a fall campaign that he hopes will propel him to the White House.
Romney's wife, Ann, is on the speaking program for Tuesday evening, and it wasn't known if he intended to be in the hall for her address.
"This week is about convincing the 10 percent of undecided voters that Romney has always been called to come out and fix broken organizations," said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., interviewed on the convention floor.
"We've got to make the case that he is uniquely qualified in this hour" he said, adding that the "country is in bankruptcy."
Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, carried a similar message to his state's delegates at a morning meeting.
"It's time to stop blaming others and take responsibility," he said in a reference to the president. "There are families all over Ohio that are suffering as a result. He hasn't measured up to his own standards. "
What passed for vocal dissent within the party came from supporters of Rep. Ron Paul, a Texas Republican who ran for the presidential nomination but failed to win a primary or caucus.
Delegates loyal to him threatened a floor fight later in the week over party rules. And they staged a brief but noisy demonstration at the rear of the convention hall after Priebus completed his brief turn at the podium, holding up placards bearing their man's name. They stood in front of a permanent sign that said "We Can Do Better," appropriating Romney's pledge to fix the economy to express a preference for their man.
More than dissent, there was concern from within the party, though couched in supportive terms, that despite the political opportunity that the weak economy presents, Romney needs to broaden GOP appeal.
"This is Romney's threshold moment. He must demonstrate that he would follow the example of other Republican presidents in addressing issues important to women," Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, wrote in The Washington Post, one of several party leaders to express the view.
Not that Obama and his surrogates were letting up on that subject.
In a tweet on Monday night, Obama circulated a quotation from Women's Health Magazine suggesting that Republicans would take away women's right to contraception. "Crazy as it sounds, the fight to limit or even ban birth control is a key issue in the upcoming presidential election," it said.
That was in addition to a controversy that combined rape and abortion that was triggered when the Republican candidate for a Missouri Senate seat said a woman's body has a way of preventing pregnancy in cases of "legitimate rape." Rep. Todd Akin, who opposes abortions without exception, quickly apologized for his claim, which is unsupported by medical evidence, but refused to get out of the race as Romney and other leading Republicans requested.
Polls testified to the political stakes.
An AP-GfK poll of registered voters conducted from Aug. 16-20 showed Obama leading Romney by 50-44 among women. That represented a narrow closing of the gap by the Republican from a survey in May, when the president led 54-39 among female voters.
Romney trailed badly among another key group. A Gallup poll taken between July 30 and Aug 1 showed Obama winning 60 percent support among Hispanic voters, and the Republican at 27 percent, little different from 64-29 earlier in the year.
Among seniors, the group most affected by a Medicare debate that looms as central to the campaign, Romney led Obama by a margin of 52-42 in the recent AP-GfK poll. That was compared with 53-40 in May.
In Tampa, despite weather worries, Tom Del Beccaro, a California delegate and chair of the state GOP, predicted the one-day delay in full convention events would supercharge the rest of the week's meeting.
"I think there's going to be a lot of bottled up energy, and I think that's going to show," he said.
But Sally Bradshaw, a Florida Republican and longtime senior aide to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, was more cautious. "It's a mess all around and it's fraught with risk," she said. "It's not good for anybody ? particularly the people impacted by the storm."
Vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, speaking in his hometown of Janesville, Wis., before heading for the convention on Tuesday, said the stakes were as high as could be.
"We're not just picking the next president for a few years," he said. "We are picking the pathway for America for a generation."
___
Associated Press writers Brian Bakst, Thomas Beaumont, Tamara Lush, Brendan Farrington and Julie Mazziotta in Florida, Steve Peoples in New Hampshire, Philip Elliott in Wisconsin and Steven Ohlemacher and Alicia A. Caldwell in Washington contributed to this report.
MasterCard is once more extending its reach into mobile money services in Europe in partnership with a carrier -- this time in the mobile-savvy UK market. The payment processing giant has cut a five-year deal with Everything Everywhere, the JV between France Telecom's Orange and T-Mobile, to develop mobile payment solutions, with a "co-branded, prepaid solution for mobile devices" enabling contactless NFC payments one of the first planned out of the gate. Later, the two want to include money transfers, loyalty rewards and more. ?Everything Everywhere is the UK's largest carrier and the deal will cover 27 million subscribers. It comes on the heels of MasterCard inking a mobile payments partnership with Deutsche Telekom covering Germany and other T-Mobile operations in Europe, as well as a deal with Turkcell in Turkey. MasterCard has also worked for the past three years with?Orange on QuickTap, the first commercial NFC payment service in the UK, as well as the Orange Cash prepaid card.
Cooled coal emissions would clean air and lower health and climate-change costsPublic release date: 27-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jim Barlow jebarlow@uoregon.edu 541-346-3481 University of Oregon
EUGENE, Ore. -- (Aug. 27, 2012) -- Refrigerating coal-plant emissions would reduce levels of dangerous chemicals that pour into the air -- including carbon dioxide by more than 90 percent -- at a cost of 25 percent efficiency, according to a simple math-driven formula designed by a team of University of Oregon physicists.
The computations for such a system, prepared on an electronic spreadsheet, appeared in Physical Review E, a journal of the American Physical Society.
In a separate, unpublished and preliminary economic analysis, the scientists argue that the "energy penalty" would raise electricity costs by about a quarter but also reap huge societal benefits through subsequent reductions of health-care and climate-change costs associated with burning coal. An energy penalty is the reduction of electricity available for sale to consumers if plants used the same amounts of coal to maintain electrical output while using a cryogenic cleanup.
"The cryogenic treatment of flue gasses from pulverized coal plant is possible, and I think affordable, especially with respect to the total societal costs of burning coal," said UO physicist Russell J. Donnelly, whose research team was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy for the work detailed in the published journal article.
"In the U.S., we have about 1,400 electric-generating unit powered by coal, operated at about 600 power plants," Donnelly said. That energy, he added, is sold at about 5.6 cents per kilowatt-hour, according to a 2006 Congressional Budget Office estimate. "The estimated health costs of burning coal in the U.S. are in the range of $150 billion to $380 billion, including 18,000-46,000 premature deaths, 540,000 asthma attacks, 13,000 emergency room visits and two million missed work or school days each year."
In their separate economic analysis, Donnelly and UO research assistant Robert E. Hershberger, also a co-author on the journal paper, estimate that implementing large-scale cryogenic systems into coal-fired plants would reduce overall costs to society by 38 percent through the sharp reduction of associated health-care and climate-change costs. Not in the equation, Donnelly said, are the front-end health-care costs involved in coal extraction through mining.
The cryogenic concept is not new. Donnelly experimented briefly in the 1960s with a paper mill in Springfield, Ore., to successfully remove odor-causing gasses filling the area around the plant using cryogenics. Subsequently the National Science Foundation funded a major study to capture sulfur dioxide emissions -- a contributor to acid rain -- from coal burning plants. The grant included a detailed engineering study by the Bechtel Corp. of San Francisco.
The Bechtel study showed that the cryogenic process would work very well, but noted that large quantities of carbon dioxide also would be condensed, a consequence that raised no concerns in 1978. "Today we recognize that carbon dioxide emissions are a leading contributor to climate-warming factors attributed to humans," Donnelly said.
Out came his previously published work on this concept, followed by a rigorous two-year project to recheck and update his thermodynamic calculations and compose "a spreadsheet-accessible" formula for potential use by industry. His earlier work on the cryogenic treatment of coal-plant emissions and natural gas sources had sparked widespread interest internationally.
While the required cooling machinery would be large -- potentially the size of a football stadium -- the cost for construction or retrofitting likely would not be dramatically larger than present systems that include scrubbers, which would no longer be necessary, Donnelly said. The new journal article does not address construction costs or the disposal of the captured pollutants, the latter of which would be dependent on engineering and perhaps geological considerations.
According to the Physical Review E paper, carbon dioxide would be captured in its solid phase, then warmed and compressed into a gas that could be moved by pipeline at near ambient temperatures to dedicated storage facilities that could be hundreds of miles away. Other chemicals such as sulfur dioxide, some nitrogen oxides and mercury also would be condensed and safely removed from the exhaust stream of the plants.
Last December the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued new mercury and air toxic standards (MATS), calling for the trapping of 41 percent of sulfur dioxide and 90 percent of mercury emissions. A cryogenic system would do better based on the conservatively produced computations by Donnelly's team -- capturing at least 98 percent of sulfur dioxide, virtually 100 percent of mercury and, in addition, 90 percent of carbon dioxide.
"This forward-thinking formula and the preliminary analysis by these researchers offer some exciting possibilities for the electric power industry that could ultimately benefit human health and the environment," said Kimberly Andrews Espy, UO vice president for research and innovation. "Scientists at the University of Oregon are continuing to develop new ideas and advanced materials to foster a sustainable future for our planet and its people."
###
Co-authors with Donnelly and Hershberger on the journal article were: Charles E. Swanson, who earned his doctorate in physics from the UO and served as postdoctoral researcher under Donnelly; John W. Elzey, a former research associate in Donnelly's Cryogenic Helium Turbulence Lab and now a scientist at GoNano Technologies in Moscow, Idaho; and John Pfotenhauer, who earned his doctorate at the UO and now is in the mechanical engineering department at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.
Source: Russell J. Donnelly, professor of physics, 541-346-4226, rjd@uoregon.edu
Follow UO Science on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UniversityOfOregonScience
Note: The University of Oregon is equipped with an on-campus television studio with satellite uplink capacity, and a radio studio with an ISDN phone line for broadcast-quality radio interviews. Call the Media Contact above to begin the process.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Cooled coal emissions would clean air and lower health and climate-change costsPublic release date: 27-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jim Barlow jebarlow@uoregon.edu 541-346-3481 University of Oregon
EUGENE, Ore. -- (Aug. 27, 2012) -- Refrigerating coal-plant emissions would reduce levels of dangerous chemicals that pour into the air -- including carbon dioxide by more than 90 percent -- at a cost of 25 percent efficiency, according to a simple math-driven formula designed by a team of University of Oregon physicists.
The computations for such a system, prepared on an electronic spreadsheet, appeared in Physical Review E, a journal of the American Physical Society.
In a separate, unpublished and preliminary economic analysis, the scientists argue that the "energy penalty" would raise electricity costs by about a quarter but also reap huge societal benefits through subsequent reductions of health-care and climate-change costs associated with burning coal. An energy penalty is the reduction of electricity available for sale to consumers if plants used the same amounts of coal to maintain electrical output while using a cryogenic cleanup.
"The cryogenic treatment of flue gasses from pulverized coal plant is possible, and I think affordable, especially with respect to the total societal costs of burning coal," said UO physicist Russell J. Donnelly, whose research team was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy for the work detailed in the published journal article.
"In the U.S., we have about 1,400 electric-generating unit powered by coal, operated at about 600 power plants," Donnelly said. That energy, he added, is sold at about 5.6 cents per kilowatt-hour, according to a 2006 Congressional Budget Office estimate. "The estimated health costs of burning coal in the U.S. are in the range of $150 billion to $380 billion, including 18,000-46,000 premature deaths, 540,000 asthma attacks, 13,000 emergency room visits and two million missed work or school days each year."
In their separate economic analysis, Donnelly and UO research assistant Robert E. Hershberger, also a co-author on the journal paper, estimate that implementing large-scale cryogenic systems into coal-fired plants would reduce overall costs to society by 38 percent through the sharp reduction of associated health-care and climate-change costs. Not in the equation, Donnelly said, are the front-end health-care costs involved in coal extraction through mining.
The cryogenic concept is not new. Donnelly experimented briefly in the 1960s with a paper mill in Springfield, Ore., to successfully remove odor-causing gasses filling the area around the plant using cryogenics. Subsequently the National Science Foundation funded a major study to capture sulfur dioxide emissions -- a contributor to acid rain -- from coal burning plants. The grant included a detailed engineering study by the Bechtel Corp. of San Francisco.
The Bechtel study showed that the cryogenic process would work very well, but noted that large quantities of carbon dioxide also would be condensed, a consequence that raised no concerns in 1978. "Today we recognize that carbon dioxide emissions are a leading contributor to climate-warming factors attributed to humans," Donnelly said.
Out came his previously published work on this concept, followed by a rigorous two-year project to recheck and update his thermodynamic calculations and compose "a spreadsheet-accessible" formula for potential use by industry. His earlier work on the cryogenic treatment of coal-plant emissions and natural gas sources had sparked widespread interest internationally.
While the required cooling machinery would be large -- potentially the size of a football stadium -- the cost for construction or retrofitting likely would not be dramatically larger than present systems that include scrubbers, which would no longer be necessary, Donnelly said. The new journal article does not address construction costs or the disposal of the captured pollutants, the latter of which would be dependent on engineering and perhaps geological considerations.
According to the Physical Review E paper, carbon dioxide would be captured in its solid phase, then warmed and compressed into a gas that could be moved by pipeline at near ambient temperatures to dedicated storage facilities that could be hundreds of miles away. Other chemicals such as sulfur dioxide, some nitrogen oxides and mercury also would be condensed and safely removed from the exhaust stream of the plants.
Last December the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued new mercury and air toxic standards (MATS), calling for the trapping of 41 percent of sulfur dioxide and 90 percent of mercury emissions. A cryogenic system would do better based on the conservatively produced computations by Donnelly's team -- capturing at least 98 percent of sulfur dioxide, virtually 100 percent of mercury and, in addition, 90 percent of carbon dioxide.
"This forward-thinking formula and the preliminary analysis by these researchers offer some exciting possibilities for the electric power industry that could ultimately benefit human health and the environment," said Kimberly Andrews Espy, UO vice president for research and innovation. "Scientists at the University of Oregon are continuing to develop new ideas and advanced materials to foster a sustainable future for our planet and its people."
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Co-authors with Donnelly and Hershberger on the journal article were: Charles E. Swanson, who earned his doctorate in physics from the UO and served as postdoctoral researcher under Donnelly; John W. Elzey, a former research associate in Donnelly's Cryogenic Helium Turbulence Lab and now a scientist at GoNano Technologies in Moscow, Idaho; and John Pfotenhauer, who earned his doctorate at the UO and now is in the mechanical engineering department at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.
Source: Russell J. Donnelly, professor of physics, 541-346-4226, rjd@uoregon.edu
Follow UO Science on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UniversityOfOregonScience
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The problem is not that Mitt Romney is rich, according to a new Pew survey. It's that he is seen as being a president who would help the rich more than the middle class.?
By Allison Terry,?Correspondent / August 27, 2012
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and wife Ann Romney jet ski on Lake Winnipesaukee in Wolfeboro, N.H., earlier this summer.
Charles Dharapak/AP/File
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A poll released Monday suggests that Mitt Romney, and also the Republican Party, continue to struggle with perceptions that their policies benefit the rich more than the middle class.
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Seventy-one percent of Americans say that if Mr. Romney were elected president, his policies would be good for the rich.?Heading into the Republican National Convention, Romney will need to overcome the perception that his wealth puts him out of touch with regular Americans, and instead show that he is the candidate who represents the middle class.
?The fact that Romney may be viewed as wealthy doesn't necessarily pose problems for his candidacy," Kim Parker, associate director of the Pew project, told the Associated Press. ?The challenge for Romney lies more in the fact that large majorities say if he is elected president, his policies would likely benefit the wealthy."
More broadly, 63?percent of respondents said the GOP favors the rich, while 23 percent said the party favors the middle class, and the 3 percent said it favors the poor, the poll found. In 2008, 59 percent of Americans said the GOP, and its candidate John McCain, supported policies that favored the rich.
For Democrats, the perceptions are more balanced: 20 percent of respondents said Democrats favor the rich, 35 percent said the middle class, and 32 percent said the poor. Yet the survey suggests that Americans believe that Democrats, too, are increasingly favoring the rich. In 2008, 16 percent said Democrats favor of the rich.
Still, 60 percent say that if President Obama were reelected, his policies would benefit the poor, according to?Pew.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Republicans and Democrats themselves take different views on who is paying enough taxes. Forty-four percent of Republicans say upper-income people pay their fair share in taxes, compared with 13 percent of Democrats. A large majority of Democrats (78 percent) say that upper-income people pay too little in taxes, compared with 33 percent of Republicans.
Both parties agree that middle-income Americans pay their fair share in taxes, including 51 percent of Democrats and 52 percent of Republicans.?
The poll underscores economic data that show a widening gap between economic classes in the US, especially between the rich and poor, Ms. Parker writes.
In another Pew poll released last week, 52 percent of Americans who self-identify as middle class said that Obama?s policies are better for the middle class, compared with 42 percent for Romney.
?As the Republican Party continues to court middle-class voters throughout the fall campaign, it will have to contend with the widespread perception that it is the party of the rich,? writes Parker.
The public survey is based on telephone interviews with 2,508 adults conducted July 16-26.?
Being a parent, you can often truly feel that you are helpless, speaking with a wall structure of brick. The following paragraphs will speak about father or mother/kid communication and supply some crucial tips for developing it in addition to improving your parenting expertise.
Once you traveling with children or toddlers, carry along some comfort and ease products. Maybe you have exciting and loosen up on your getaway, but it may be challenging on a youthful little one. If your little one features a familiarized plaything, keep it practical throughout your changeover to a different surroundings. They can easier fine-tune to an alternative setting with the preferred target grounding them.
You have to spend some time by yourself, without the need of your kids. Get in touch with a trusted sitter or loved one to deal with the kids as you take care of your self for any small when. All mom and dad need a chance to unwind and charge little one-cost-free. Your home is going to be calmer and you?ll be a better mother or father in the event you obtain a break.
Preschoolers often have a difficult time with transitions. Whenever they have to easily change duties, they can turn into stressed.
Among the best ways to do this, is always to commence contributing to a 529 Plan. These savings plans are express operated, and planned to help you in saving in the direction of school college tuition. You also find some tax advantages of it as nicely.
Having a daily regimen assists impose self-discipline inside a child?s existence. Keep them promptly through their everyday plan, through homework time, dish time, and especially bed time. Constant routines result in a little one who is well-fine-tuned and behaves well, so adhere to via on your routines.
You must never smoke inside when you have young children. The truth is, this might be some time to just stop smoking for that sake of ones own health and your child?s. Inhaling and exhaling secondhand light up might be every bit as hazardous as using tobacco. Asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia as well as other breathing health conditions are much more usual in young children who breathe in subsequent-hand smoking.
Use the suggestions out of this write-up which works for you. Each kid is unique, and the guidelines of parenting will not be set in stone. Parenting is a huge duty, nevertheless it could also be nicely rewarding as you enjoy your son or daughter develop in a fantastic personal.
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) ? Libya's interim interior minister resigned on Sunday after members of the newly-elected parliament accused his forces of neglect when attackers bulldozed a Sufi shrine and mosque while police stood by a day earlier.
Saturday's attack on the shrine was the latest in a string of assaults on Sufi places of worship, sparking fears of stewing sectarian troubles in a country that is still without a strong central government and largely without a functioning police or military.
The official Libyan news agency LANA reported that Fawzi Abdel-Al submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Abdurrahim el-Keib.
The spokesman for Libya's security services, Abdel-Moneim al-Hurr, said Sunday that the interior minister's resignation had been accepted by both the prime minister and parliament.
Adding to the tension, a security official told The Associated Press that after lawmakers spoke out against the security forces' inaction, Tripoli's police and militias who work together as part of a security committee were ordered by their superiors to withdraw from the streets. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.
LANA also reported that the elected national assembly, or parliament, called upon the security committee to ignore orders to stop work and to instead continue "serving the homeland."
Witnesses and an Associated Press reporter said security forces were visibly absent from the streets of Tripoli on Sunday.
Late Sunday, security spokesman al-Hurr said that 17 people had been arrested in connection with the desecration of the Sufi shrine. He also denied that security forces were ordered off the streets.
The turmoil comes after attacks by ultraconservative Muslim hardliners against religious shrines across the country. Saturday's bulldozing of a Tripoli Sufi shrine and a mosque with tombs inside came a day after hardliners in the city of Zliten bulldozed a more than 500-year-old shrine and library. Similar attacks have taken place over the past months in other cities and at least twice before in Tripoli.
The campaign appears to be aimed mainly at shrines revered by Sufis, a mystical Muslim order whose members often pray over the tombs of revered saints and ask for blessings or intervention to bring success, marriage or other desired outcomes. Hard-line Salafi Muslims deem the practice offensive because they consider worshipping over graves to be idolatry.
Libya is a deeply conservative Muslim nation and many moderates there also view the shrines as sacrilegious.
But Saturday's demolition despite the presence of security forces in the center of the capital sparked an outcry by the country's highest cleric and members of Libya's newly elected parliament, who decried the desecration and accused security authorities of being infiltrated by loyalists of Moammar Gadhafi's ousted regime. They also blamed the Interior Ministry for a general deterioration of security in the country.
Libya is awash with arms and there are also fears that any confrontation with the hardliners, who are heavily armed, could lead to even greater chaos.
The interior and defense ministers were called for questioning before parliament in a closed-door session on Sunday. The current caretaker government is expected to be renamed by parliament in the coming weeks.
The sudden resignation of the interior minister, though, is a reflection of Libya's security problems. Since last year's civil war that ended with the capture and killing of Gadhafi, the country has largely relied on security from militias comprised of citizens and former security officials who once battled Gadhafi's forces.
Both police and militias complain that they have not received enough support from the government and are not appreciated for the work they have done.
Yes! Negative calorie foods provide less energy than they require in the process of digestion.
We all know drinking plenty of water helps to lose weight, because one liter of water (0 calories) burns about 50 calories in the process of digestion. The good news is some foods have the same effect. The process of chewing and digesting them uses more calories than they contain ? there?s nothing left to store and even some of the stored fat gets used. Don?t get your hopes too high, though ? negative calorie foods are healthy foods, mostly fruits and vegetables, not desserts.
Water or negative calorie foods?
Water is the source of life, no question about that. Our bodies don?t function without it, but simply drinking water and calling that a diet doesn?t work. Why not? Because water doesn?t have any nutritional value. Regular water contains no fiber and no vitamins and minerals our bodies need, so a pure water diet simply ends in vitamin and mineral deficiency.
Low calorie foods, on the other hand, can be very nutritious. They give your body what it needs, make you feel full, but use plenty of calories in digestion ? thus forcing your body to use its reserves.
Nevertheless, you should be cautious ? Even vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre aren?t enough. Negative calorie diet must be combined with proteins and other nutrients from the major food groups.
Fact or fiction? ?Negative calories? is a catchy phrase, often used by big food companies. They advertise negative calorie foods and drinks, but in fact have no evidence to support their claim as there was no research done. And sometimes ?negative calories? means their foods and (especially) drinks contain additives which boost metabolism ? like caffeine, L-Carnitine and so on. In 2007, even Coca-Cola and Nestle had to pay a fine for advertising their tea as a ?negative calories? drink!
Negative calorie foods list?
Here?s a list of foods you should have for snack or make for dinner to lose weight ? but you have to eat it raw or slightly cooked ? with nothing on them!
Vegetables:
Asparagus
Beet
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrot
Cauliflower
Celery
Chicory
Hot Chilly
Cucumber
Garden cress
Garlic
Green beans
Endive
Lettuce
Onion
Radish
Spinach
Turnip
Zucchini
Fruits:
Apple
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Cranberry
Grapefruit
Honeydew
Lemon
Lime
Mango
Orange
Papaya
Peach
Pineapple
Raspberry
Strawberry
Tomato
Tangerine
Watermelon
.
.
Make it work! Knowing you can burn 50 calories with a liter of water or 25 calories with some broccoli sounds great, but reality is, it won?t help you lose weight, unless you make an effort. Our bodies burn 60 calories per hour while sleeping, so eating negative calorie foods won?t make a difference, unless you combine such diet with plenty of exercise.
Make it a rule:drink plenty of water, eat negative calorie foods and work out!
More posts from ?Weight Loss? category
Lose Weight with Negative Calorie Foods
Is it really possible to eat more and lose weight at the same time? Yes! Negative calorie foods provide less energy than they require in the process of digestion. We all know drinking plenty of water helps to lose weight,...
GWH News and Notes: August 31 Florida Pro Wrestling event in Bradenton, FL
August 31 Florida Pro Wrestling event in Bradenton, FL
From Brian Slack:
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Florida Pro Wrestling will be at the HBE Complex in Bradenton, FL on August 31st. Matches to be added. Tickets are $8 adult and $4 children under 13. Bell time is at 8:00.
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. (AP) ? It's safe to say that until recently Republican Paul Ryan had never visited a lemonade stand with a dozen Secret Service agents in tow. And he almost certainly hadn't discussed the tightness of his shirts during a national radio interview. Or been asked to play "word association" by a TV reporter.
Yes, it's a whole new world for the Wisconsin congressman.
In ways both large and small, life has changed for Ryan in the two weeks since Mitt Romney named him as his running mate. Before that, Ryan was an up-and-coming but little-known House member still untested on the national stage.
Now, he's a GOP vice presidential hopeful whose days are a blur of rallies, fundraising events, local television interviews and plane flights, during which he reads news accounts of the campaign and pores over policy briefing papers on his iPad. Some things, of course, haven't changed. He still adheres to his strict exercise regimen each morning ? only these days he does cardio in the hotel fitness center or works out in his room, instead of the House gym. A single Miller Lite in the evening is his only indulgence.
"Everybody said this would drain me, the road, but it's not. It's great. It actually gives you energy," Ryan told reporters this week on a flight from Virginia to North Carolina, one of a handful of excursions he's made to the press cabin on his plane.
As he campaigns across battleground states in the days leading up to the Republican National Convention, Ryan draws large crowds at his events and is a natural onstage, often appearing more comfortable than Romney before an audience and delivering the campaign's talking points with ease. At a fundraiser in Springfield, Mo., this week, Ryan lent a human touch to the Romney campaign's oft-repeated claim that President Barack Obama likes to promote class warfare by attacking the former Massachusetts governor's wealth.
"When I was a kid growing up working at McDonald's, de-tasseling corn, waiting tables, painting houses, things like that, it never occurred to me that I was stuck in some station, fixed in some class," Ryan told donors. "We shouldn't be preying on people's emotions of fear, envy and anxiety, putting people in a class, dividing people. That's why I don't think this going to work for President Obama."
Ryan also has shown that he knows how to stir up a local crowd.
At a rally in Pittsburgh, he waved a "terrible towel" ? the fan prop of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team, even though Ryan himself is a diehard Green Bay Packers supporter. And after a fundraiser in Raleigh, N.C., Ryan purchased a beverage from a group of neighborhood kids running a lemonade stand as his security detail hovered close by.
To be sure, Ryan does what many politicians do, indulging in the same sorts of verbal sleights of hand.
He criticizes pending defense cuts even though he supported a House budget agreement that would allow such cuts to take place. And Ryan blames Obama for excess spending and government debt even though he voted in favor of several spending programs pushed by former Republican President George W. Bush that helped explode the federal deficit, such as the Medicare prescription drug plan.
Ryan largely avoids national news outlets in favor of local interviews in the most competitive states, in part to reach undecided voters in those states but also to avoid the kind of grilling from national reporters that might take him off message. In Roanoke, Va., he told a reporter for a local outlet that he preferred asparagus to cake and agreed to a session of "word association" that produced a question about fast-food chain Chick-fil-A, which had become the focus of controversy over gay marriage.
"Good chicken," Ryan said.
But the local vs. national press strategy doesn't always work.
Ryan found that out when parrying tough question from a Pittsburgh reporter about his views on abortion and rape in the wake of comments by Rep. Todd Akin, the Missouri Senate candidate who stirred a firestorm when he asserted that victims of "legitimate" rape can physically resist pregnancy.
"Should abortions be available to women who've been raped?" KDKA reporter Jon Delano asked Ryan, who has co-sponsored tough anti-abortion legislation with Akin.
Ryan responded: "Rape is rape."
When he has allowed national outlets to interview him, he's tended to stick to conservative-friendly hosts like Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, who asked Ryan about a host of issues ? including his clothing choices on the road.
"You went from very boxy clothes to the slim fit," Ingraham said. "Those shirts are a little tighter than the usual Paul Ryan shirts. The girls at our studio notice."
"Some of 'em are big and some of 'em fit real well," Ryan said.
Ryan's visits to reporters on his plane have been rare but memorable. He came bearing cookies on one occasion and came another time to bid farewell to a reporter decamping to Vice President Joe Biden's campaign. Reporters thrust microphones in his face each time to pepper him with questions.
"Every time I come back here, are you guys going to always do that?" he asked. "Does it have to be so formal?"
In Ryan's new world, the answer is yes.
___
Follow Beth Fouhy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bfouhy
The University of Virginia has declined a request to host President Obama for a campaign rally next week, complicating his planned tour of swing-state college campuses to court younger voters.
The school cited the impact of a presidential visit on the university's academic schedule and strained finances as reasons for turning Obama away.
The president's re-election campaign had hoped to rally students on the Charlottesville campus Wednesday on the final stop of a two-day tour aimed at countering the Republican National Convention in Florida.
On Tuesday, Obama will rally with students on the campuses of Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, and Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colo. Classes at both schools began Monday. Classes at UVA are scheduled to begin Tuesday.
Obama campaign officials visited UVA last week to scout possible venues, submitting a formal proposal with the school for two options, university spokesman Carol Wood said. Neither was deemed acceptable.
"The use of either of the desired sites would require closing buildings adjacent to the sites for the entire day," Wood explained in a statement. "The cancellation of 186 classes would occur. ? This would result in an extraordinary disruption of the second day of the new semester."
Wood said the university would also have had to foot the bill for added security measures on campus and along the presidential motorcade route. Because of the school's nonpartisan status, it would have to offer "the same accommodations and bear the same costs" for Mitt Romney, she said.
"While there are certainly financial implications to a state university that has seen faculty and staff salary freezes for the past five years, the primary reasons for declining the offer were related to disruption of the first days of classes," Wood said.
The Obama campaign announced Saturday that the president would still travel to Charlottesville on Wednesday but hold an off-campus rally at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion instead. The venue is roughly 20 blocks from the center of campus.
Wood said Obama campaign officials "completely understood" the decision and justification for not approving the request.
The president's tour, meant to counter the Republican convention in Florida, will highlight "the choice for young voters in this election" and push voter registration and turnout, the Obama campaign said.
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Public release date: 31-Aug-2012
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