LED Light for you

How Climate Change Could End Outdoor Hockey

2012-03-05T21:49:00.002-08:00

I don’t usually watch hockey — with a job like this, you have to apply sports-watching triage, and Linsanity! — but I was looking forward to the Winter Classic on Jan. 2. The annual event is the only NHL game played outdoors in the cold, the way Gordie Howe intended it, and the 2012 match was set to be held at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, where I’m from (as you can tell from this prescient piece of writing). The hometown Flyers were playing the hated New York Rangers, which promised on-ice fisticuffs and an entertainingly drunken crowd.

But the Winter Classic almost wasn’t. Unusually warm weather in Philadelphia — including patches of rain — left the ice a slushy mess. In the end, NHL officials had to delay the game until the late afternoon to ensure that temperatures would stay cold enough to keep the ice. The same problem happened the year before when the Winter Classic was played in Pittsburgh. Temperatures in Steeltown were in the 50s in the days leading up to the game, which had to be pushed back. And now a new study suggests that as the climate warms, outdoor hockey could become an endangered sport.

Researchers from McGill University and Concordia University in Canada studied historical weather data in the country going back to the 1950s. Using that information they calculated the beginning and end of what they called the outdoor-skating season (OSS) each year — the months when the temperature was consistently cold enough to support outdoor ice hockey.

Of the 142 weather stations they surveyed, the vast majority reported temperature data that meant the OSS was getting steadily shorter, with warmer winters and less time for outdoor hockey. They found that the biggest decrease in the skating season was occurring in the prairies and southwestern Canada. Extrapolating into the future, they estimated that outdoor hockey soon go extinct in warmer parts of the country like British Columbia and southern Alberta.

The loss of outdoor hockey might not seem like a big deal to Americans — after all, we usually think of hockey as an indoor sport, which is why there are American NHL teams in balmy cities like Phoenix. But outdoor hockey is a Canadian tradition, and nearly every Canadian NHL player has stories about playing outside as a kid. Said study co-author Damon Matthews in a statement:

Of course, the current Canadian government has made it very clear that it has little interest in participating in a global climate deal, and the country seems to be far more interested in growing its oil-sands industry than in reducing carbon emissions. If anything might make Prime Minister Stephen Harper — a huge puckhead — change his mind on climate policy, hockey might do the trick.

In the meantime, the NHL would be wise to restrict its Winter Classic games to real winter cities — like, say, Whitehorse in the Yukon territories, where the average January temperatures are –17.7°F. Although, in the end, the Philadelphia game turned out fine, with a light dusting of snow through the third period. The only drawback was the ending: Bad Guys 3, Good Guys 2.

Henryville, regroups after tornado

2012-03-04T19:38:00.001-08:00

As snowflakes fell on the ruined homes and businesses Sunday, many residents gathered in the parking lot of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church.

Few people have power, so they hunched around propane fueled heaters, drinking hot coffee and eating eggs scrambled on an outdoor grill.

Two days after his home was severely damaged by the tornado that devastated the town, trucker Charles Boughton was not bowed by the work ahead.

“We’ll be fine,” said Boughton, 43. “We’ll make it happen.”

The tornadoes that ripped across much of the Midwest and South on Friday killed an estimated 40 people in five states, 22 of them in Kentucky and 13 in Indiana, including a 15-month-old toddler who had survived the same tornado that killed her parents and two siblings, according to the Courier-Journal in Louisville. Angela Babcock had been found in a field near her southern Indiana home, and died Sunday afternoon of a traumatic brain injury, the Courier-Journal reports. The deaths also included three in Ohio and one each in Alabama and Georgia. Death numbers, however, fluctuated Sunday, and Kentucky Emergency Management was reporting 21 people died in that state. The National Weather Service said the four twisters in Kentucky were the worst in the region in 24 years. The most severe damage appeared centered in small towns in southern Indiana and eastern Kentucky’s Appalachian foothills.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear formally requested an expedited major disaster declaration, and that move will get assessment and assistance teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency into communities more quickly, Beshear said at a news conference in Frankfort, Ky., on Sunday.

The country’s freakishly warm weather may have played a role in this early-season tornado outbreak.

“This year’s unusually mild winter has led to ocean temperatures across the Gulf of Mexico that are approximately 1 degrees C (1.8 F) above average,” says meteorologist Jeff Masters of the Weather Underground. This places it among the top ten warmest values on record for this time of year, going back to the 1800s, he says.

The preliminary tornado count for this outbreak is 74, says Weather Channel tornado expert Greg Forbes. If the final number is higher, it would be a record for the month of March, Forbes says.

In Henryville, an EF-4 tornado — the second-highest on the Fujita scale that measures tornadic force — brought 175-mph winds and stayed on the ground for more than 50 miles.

Two days later, all the talk was of the future. And of rebuilding.

Andrew Moore, 46, said he lost an addition to his 1910 house. “Lost three cars, lost part of the house,” he said. “Got the family.”

Inside St. Francis during Sunday Mass, the only light came from candles on the altar and pale sunlight coming through stained glass windows. There was no power and no heat.

The congregation of about 150 people compared notes about damage to their homes, the safety of their families.

Margaret Short, 62, said it was important to pray together “because we’re a small community and this is our church and we have so much to be thankful for.”

Tears fell as she spoke of her own family’s scary moments Friday — her daughter took shelter in a closet — and the generosity of her neighbors and church family.

Gesturing at the pile of donated items, she said, “It’s not remarkable. This is normal in our community.”

Steve Schaftlein, the parish priest, described driving into town after the tornado. When he saw the intact cross atop the steeple, he said, he knew “we were still here, we had meaning, and we had purpose.”

In his sermon, he said, “We can choose how we are going to frame this experience. We can choose to begin anew.”

In Chelsea, about a 25-minute drive northeast of Henrysville, there was ample warning before “a bomb went off” that destroyed Annette Cartwright’s home and barn on Friday, she says.

A fire truck stopped outside the house to warn her mother-in-law, daughter and son-in-law, who were outside watching the approaching storm.

“They told them to get inside,” says Cartwright, 40, who was at work.

Local TV stations also were sounding alarms, she says. “They kept saying ‘this is really bad,’” she recalls. “The warnings saved three lives at my house.”

Chelsea, an unincorporated area that’s more a sprawling neighborhood than a town, has no warning sirens, Cartwright says, as do most nearby towns. “We can sometimes hear the ones in New Washington,” she says.

Word of the likelihood of bad weather had been on the news for a couple days, Cartwright says. “If you didn’t realize something was coming, there’s something wrong with you.”

Retiree Jim Gray, 62, who also lives in Chelsea, had enough warning to pick up his 6-year-old grandson from school Friday. The boy ended up in the basement of Gray’s home, which was not damaged.

“Everybody knew it was coming,” says Gray, who first heard about the potential for tornados on Wednesday. “They kept saying, ‘It’s going to be a bad one,’” he said.

The subject of the warning system came up during a Saturday evening National Weather Service briefing in Henryville, during which the agency’s Joe Sullivan called the advance notice of the storms “a great success of the entire warning program.”

31st Annual Duquesne Light Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show

2012-03-01T22:30:00.001-08:00

Park at Heinz Field lots on the North Shore for $6 - Ride the FREE continuous shuttles to the Show.

Suddenly it's Spring! The 31st annual Duquesne Light Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show, March 2 - 11 at the Pittsburgh Convention Center Downtown, will present more than 1500 exhibits covering over 9 acres. During those ten days in March, hundreds of thousands of homeowners from across the tri-state will shop the region's most trusted marketplace, the largest home event in Pennsylvania.

John DeSantis, Executive Director of the Show, noted "Spring is just around the corner, and once again we've gathered everything for the home and garden in one place, at one time. Area homeowners know that this is the place to get ideas, to shop and compare, and to see what's new for their home. It's also the place to find the best products and services, the best expert advice, and the best prices."

The life journey of the beloved princess - mother, fashion icon, and humanitarian - is told through a carefully crafted presentation of her personal possessions, including a sampling of the royal dresses Diana chose to auction for charity. This professionally curated exhibit, in Pittsburgh for ten days only, features film, photos, personal objects, and panels explaining Diana's journey from childhood to Royal Princess to Global Humanitarian.

It may be a renovated bath, exterior remodeling, a new garage door, modifications for accessibility, or even alternative energy solar panels - one lucky visitor to the Home & Garden Show will win $50,000. worth of these improvements for their home!

Cutting edge technology meets culinary flair in this spectacular concept kitchen. Show visitors will stroll into a stunning collection of the latest kitchen appliances - multiple cooktops, ovens, refrigerators and more - all powered and operating. Popular local chefs provide tips and tastings, while putting all of this new equipment to the test. Much more than simply seeing the next level in kitchens, visitors will experience how these new devices work - and taste the results!

Homeowners in Western Pennsylvania have always been avid gardeners, whether they are tending a tiny backyard or a swath of rolling countryside. New at the 2012 Home & Garden Show is one central area where everyone from beginner to Master Gardener will find the answers, help, and advice that they need. Created by the horticultural programs at Bidwell Center, and drawing together garden and plant societies from across the region, this is the one-stop solution to every garden question.

It's August, and the kids are playing hockey on the ice rink in the back yard. That expanse of white ice doesn't melt a drop, because it's made of durable plastics instead of water. Show visitors of all ages are encouraged to lace up their ice skates , glide out onto our 2,000 square foot surface, and see for themselves that synthetic ice is just like the real thing - all year round!

Yamaha Outdoors Tips — Stay busy this offseason

2012-02-29T22:27:00.001-08:00

Early spring is a great time to start new projects and begin getting in shape for next fall.

But there are several things you can do in February and March when you’re bored, waiting on spring turkey season.

Stay busy by taking advantage of the downtime and try these suggestions to get ready for the next hunting season.

Clean Your Freezer: Eating wild game extends the hunt. Sure, it was plenty fun hunting deer, ducks, geese and turkey last fall, along with everything else. It’s now time to enjoy this bounty on the supper table. A quick online search can reveal many recipes that would allow you to swap out venison for beef or burger. A hot chili on a cold winter day is a great thing. You can also read Lone Star Outdoor News' recipe page for great ideas on how to prepare wild game each issue.

Attend Consumer Shows: Maybe you’re on the bubble. You’ve enjoyed riding Yamaha ATVs and Side-by-Sides in the past, but those four wheels belong to friends and family members. Maybe you want to know more about owning and enjoying one. Consumer shows are often set up for this reason – to share product and answer questions in a comfortable setting. Unlike trade shows, they cater to you and not buyers. So find one in your local area and check out Yamaha products.

Work-Out Plan: Sure, we all love to ride our four wheels. Truth is, it doesn’t help you get into hunting shape. To do that, set up a walking routine, ideally over terrain you’ll hunt this spring. Run road races. Join a recreational hoops league. Lift weights. Get ready for the action to come.

Hunt Spring Snows: The conservation order for so-called “light geese” (snows and blues) is likely underway soon in your state or one within driving distance. Check out the regulations — the conservation season in Texas runs through March 25. If you haven’t done it, hire an outfitter for a hunt. You’ll not only pass the time until spring turkey starts, but also play your conservation part in helping manage these abundant populations.

Olney City Council approves program to replace 80 traffic lights with LED

2012-02-28T19:23:00.002-08:00

Olney City Council approved entering into an LED street light rebate program that would replace 80 traffic lights in the city with more efficient LED lights.

According to information from City Manager and Attorney Larry Taylor, Sarah Mann, with Greater Wabash Regional Planning Commission, told him that the rebate for LED lights may be reduced in June.

The current rebate is approximately $159 per light.

Taylor noted in his information that Street Department Supervisor Jay Scott estimates that the cost of replacing the lights on Whittle Avenue and Main Street will be approximately $500 per lights, for a total of approximately $40,000.

Taylor said the city will also need to spend approximately $1,000 to install three disconnects so that city crews can work on the lights without power flowing to them.

He noted that if the wiring along Main Street and Whittle Avenue is in good condition it will not have to be replaced because there is less demand on wiring with LED lights. There may be some wiring that needs replaced, however, he noted.

Taylor said the city should save around $6,000 in maintenance costs with the LED lights, so there would be a roughly four-and-a-half-year payback on the city’s initial investment.

Councilman Brad Brown noted the benefit of the program, but added that the cost of LED lights continues to go down.

Councilman Bob Ferguson said the costs may go down, but the longer the city waits, its maintenance costs increase in the meantime.

Councilman Gary Foster said he would first like to see what the budget looks like at the end of this fiscal year.

Richland County Development Corporation Executive Director Brandi Stennett noted during the discussion, however, that the city should likely get started as soon as possible in order to meet the June deadline.

The council voted to proceed with the program, with city crews doing the installation work.

Claire Williams and Peter Mills

2012-02-27T23:07:00.002-08:00

They wore dresses from Marrime, in Kendal, pearl hairpieces from Monsoon and jewellery from Pilgrim.

The flower girl wore a white dress from Debenhams.
GROOMSMEN: The groom's best friend and band member Daniel Colagiovanni was the best man. The groom's brother Mark and the bride's brothers Stephen and Thomas were ushers. Stephen travelled from Australia to be part of the wedding. The couple's nephew Johan was a "mini usher".

The ushers wore brown suits from Mr Mister, with ivory waistcoats and brown ties, and the groom wore an orange tie.
FLOWERS: Flowers were supplied by Dodds of Ulverston, which provided wild flower-themed arrangements.

The younger bridesmaids wore small daisy chains in their hair.
TRANSPORT: The bride and bridesmaids arrived at church in classic white cars provided by the groom's brother and usher, Mark Mills. Guests travelled to the reception in an open-top bus.

RECEPTION: A wedding breakfast for 130 guests at the Eden Lodge, Bardsea. The grounds were decorated in wicker hearts, lanterns, fairy lights, and wild flowers.
TABLE SETTINGS: Wild flowers in jam jars, vintage cupcakes provided by Corrs Cakes and small, vintage photo frames containing messages of love.

The tables were decorated with music trivia cards, rainbow coloured favour bags containing retro sweets and the couple made a donation to Cancer Research with a pin broach for each guest.
ENTERTAINMENT: A ceilidh band played as guests arrived at the reception. After the meal Ailsa Mcintosh sang, accompanied by her Sugarfoot band mate Graeme.

DJ Trev, a friend of the groom's, entertained the evening guests, who also enjoyed ice-creams from a van and a sweet buffet. The couple and their bridal party, accompanied by younger guests, sent lanterns into the night sky.
FIRST DANCE: The Garden by Take That, followed by Love Shack joined by other guests.

HONEYMOON: A road trip round Europe with stops at Paris, Brussels, Luxemburg, Strasbourg, Zurich, Verona and Venice before returning home via London.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Nick Collinge at Love-it Studios, Barrow.
VIDEOGRAPHER: The ceremony and speeches were videoed by Haroon of Love-it Studios with additional video taken by a friend, Andrew Beattie.

LED light firm feels it's been shunned by city

2012-02-23T18:37:00.001-08:00

A top executive of Canadian based company Pristine LED claims the firm has been shut out to date from doing business with the city after opening in Windsor with much fanfare less than a year ago and hopes of providing up to 300 jobs.

Meetings were held with a pair of city managers, but after three sessions with promising talks to provide LED lighting to the city, the company has not heard back or had phone calls returned over the last six months, said the company's Bruce Melmer.

Instead, Chinese company BYD has convinced Enwin Utilities to allow pilot tests of 30 LED street lights in Windsor. They are located on Jefferson Boulevard and Sunset Avenue.

A company executive said Wednesday BYD wanted to test how its LED street lights hold up through winter in a northern climate as they are primarily in use in California.

He also said the green firm is close to a decision whether to build an electric bus manufacturing plant in Windsor that could create up to 500 jobs.

Given early indications Pristine was in line to see its products used by the city, Melmer is crying foul. But city officials are saying he shouldn't read anything into it.

Pristine manufactures high efficiency LED lighting for the commercial, industrial and residential markets. The firm vows the LED technology it uses offers 75 per cent less electricity than other lighting products, while producing a more natural light.

"What we do is high-end technology and brought it to market," Melmer said. "We were wooed to come here by the development commission. We picked up the phone and were telling (the city) we are the new LED company in town and hoped they would do business with us.

"They never bought any product and the door was shut on us."

Last April Pristine opened a 22,300-square-foot head office and manufacturing facility at 3215 Jefferson Blvd.

The company has so far been able to get by on smaller jobs such as county arenas, an ambulance building, a Tim Hortons and Boston Pizza locales, but Melmer remains disappointed no business is being done with the city.

"They will not answer the phone or return our messages," he said.

Pristine to date only has about 25 employees on staff.

Meanwhile, city officials said the city has no looming lighting retrofit work - and when it does become available, Pristine is free to participate in the RFP or tender process.

The city retrofitted lighting at several of its facilities such as arenas, community centres and libraries within the last couple of years, but has little scheduled in the budget for 2012, said John Miceli, manager of facilities for the City of Windsor.

"We are just winding up some of those retrofits and in the verification stage on energy consumption," he said. "To just complete that measure and jump into another interest as to lighting may not be in the best interests of taxpayers.

"They shouldn't feel shunned," he said. "We have not yet gone through (their) technology."

Green light: City installing energy-efficient streetlights

2012-02-22T19:24:00.000-08:00

New energy-efficient streetlights are going up on West Main Street, reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Richard Ash, electric operations supervisor for Dothan Utilities, said the street lights were purchased for the city through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, aimed at pursuing energy efficiency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The grant was for $600,000. About $100,000 of that is being used for the streetlights.

The new streetlights are 157-watt LED lights and replace 250-watt high pressure sodium bulbs. Ash said the new lights use less electricity and will last longer than the old sodium bulbs. According to Lighting Orient, an LED light manufacturer, LED lights provide 50 to 60 percent energy savings over traditional sodium bulbs. They may also appear brighter than the old bulbs because they emit white, rather than yellow light.

Dothan Utilities workers are currently installing about 68 lights from the intersection of West Main Street at Ross Clark Circle to Montana Street. Lights have also been installed on Westgate Parkway and Honeysuckle Road. Installation should be complete in about two weeks.

Ash said the city has not started buying LED lights on its own, but likely will once the price of the lights starts coming down.

Integrators ‘Waking Up' to LED Lighting Benefits, Profits

2012-02-21T18:10:00.002-08:00

In the January issue, CE Pro declared LED lighting as one of its "Top 5 Trends to Watch in 2012." That conclusion is certainly logical as integrators are already in the home selling and installing low-voltage equipment, including lighting control and other energy-saving devices.

You would think LED lighting manufacturers would be frothing at the mouth to establish re-selling relationships with integrators, but the big players in LED lighting are not actively reaching out to dealers. That hasn't slowed down some integrators.

Jay Gowda of Audio Communications in Monroeville, Pa., is very bullish on LEDs. He has been installing LEDs from a manufacturer called Cyron Lighting for about five years, mostly in aesthetic applications. Some of the applications he has done over the years include step lights in theaters, accent lighting in cabinets, trays around the base of the theater ceiling, and behind bathroom mirrors and under cabinets to "help them look more like furniture." He is even working on a job where he will be illuminating an old stone foundation in a 100-year-old home's basement.

Likewise, CE Pro 100 integrator Diamond Case Designs in Anaheim, Calif., has been installing lighting in its custom furniture for about 15 years to illuminate the electronics and highlight the cabinetry. The company made the switch from CFLs to LEDs about three years ago.

"The most common application for the LED lights is a bias light behind a flat panel TV," says Steve Hartfelder. "Not only do the lights improve nighttime viewing, they look incredibly cool as they are color changing. We can integrate full control of the lights into our universal remote controls. We are also able to use the LED lights in our entertainment centers, display cabinets, and bookcases."

Currently, he estimates about 20 percent of Diamond Case's jobs include LEDs of some sort, with the average LED sale between $300 and $600. Over the past year, Hartfelder estimates he's experienced 10 percent to 15 percent growth in selling LEDS.

"The success of the lights rests on great presentation. Once I sit someone down in a dark room and toggle the lights on and off and they see how much more comfortable TV viewing is with a bias light, the success rate jumps. Plus they're just cool," he adds.

For its part, Cyron Lighting in Chatsworth, Calif., is definitely paying attention to the custom installation channel. The manufacturer had a booth at the CEDIA Expo last September in Indianapolis to showcase its profit-laden home theater accent lighting ribbons.

"Custom installers are finally waking up to a profitable vertical market that is untouched," says Shell Reinish, vice president of sales. Reinish should know, he used to have his own A/V integration firm. "It's so logical … dealers are already installing all the low-voltage electronics in the home and our products are all 12VDC or 24VDC. All you need is a power supply and a controller and you are done."

So why are dealers so shy about the category? "There is a fear of the unknown," says Reinish. "They want everything to be plug-and-play. LED lighting is exactly that. But once they cut their teeth on a few jobs, integrators are thrilled and get very creative."

Bringing Lebanon out of the dark, naturally

2012-02-20T18:11:00.001-08:00

For the past seven months, the house on his farm has been running on a solar-powered system that has replaced unreliable state-run electricity, which was provided for only six hours per day. He has even discarded his noisy, expensive and polluting generator.

Istaytiyyah says his farm's electricity is "better and cheaper than anywhere in Lebanon. Now, at my remote farm, I can be connected to the world via satellite TV and the Internet, which is only possible through my photovoltaic electricity system."

He adds that despite his farm's secluded location, the new system has brought him "closer to the civilized way of life."

Like many other Lebanese, Istaytiyyah lived with daily power outages, typically for 18 hours a day. Without a solid national energy plan on the horizon, he decided to take the initiative himself and install solar panels after seeing an online advertisement for them by Eco Friendly, an environmental consultancy firm that opened two years ago.

Patrick Ardahalian founded the company in 2010, having returned to Lebanon from abroad. Although he spent the bulk of his life overseas, Ardahalian never gave up on his ambition to help solve Lebanon's energy problems.

Similarly, George Abboud, founder of Earth Technologies, makes his clients' production systems more energy efficient. One of his latest projects was the Dora Flour Mill, where he cut the company's annual energy costs by $227,000 by replacing their regular lights with LED (light-emitting diodes) bulbs and their refrigerators' air conditioning with ACs that run on solar technology.

"I think the potential in Lebanon is great, because there's a great need," Ardahalian says. He points out that this is no longer the case in other countries. "In Cyprus, almost every building has solar panels, so the market is saturated."

Indeed, while the potential for alternative energy in Lebanon remains largely untapped, demand for electrical power is growing. Ever since the 15-year Civil War ended in 1990, the country has faced daily power outages, which have gotten worse with time, as supply has fallen far behind what is required by the population.

Demand for electricity currently exceeds 2,400 megawatts a day, while production struggles at less than 1,500 MW. Endemic power cuts have worsened in recent months, as maintenance takes its toll on electricity supply. The deteriorating situation has prompted large-scale protests throughout the country, particularly in rural areas where power cuts are most severe.

Much of the blame has been directed at Water and Energy Minister Gibran Bassil – like his predecessors – for failing along with the Cabinet to implement the energy plan that would supposedly reduce power rationing.

Revolutionary design, runaway costs

2012-02-19T18:25:00.001-08:00

In deep, cold space, nearly a million miles from Earth, a giant telescope later this decade will scan for the first light to streak across the universe more than 13 billion years ago.

The seven-ton spacecraft, one of the most ambitious and costly science projects in U.S. history, is under construction for NASA at Northrop Grumman Corp.'s space park complex in Redondo Beach.

The aim is to capture the oldest light, taking cosmologists to the time after the big bang when matter had cooled just enough to start forming the first blazing stars in what had been empty darkness. Astronomers have long dreamed about peering into that provenance.

"It is the actual formation of the universe," said Alan Dressler, the astronomer at the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Pasadena who chaired a committee that proposed the telescope more than a decade ago.

If the James Webb Space Telescope works as planned, it will be vastly more capable than any of the dozen currently deployed U.S. space telescopes and will be a dramatic symbol of U.S. technological might. But for all its sophistication, the project also reveals a deeply ingrained dysfunction in the agency's business practices, critics say. The Webb's cost has soared to $8.8 billion, more than four times the original aerospace industry estimates, which nearly led Congress to kill the program last year.

The agency has repeatedly proposed such technologically difficult projects at bargain-basement prices, a practice blamed either on errors in its culture or a political strategy. Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee that controls NASA's budget, said a combination of both problems affected the Webb.

"There was not adequate oversight," Wolf said. "And there were reports that the cost estimates were being cooked a little bit, some by the company, some by NASA."

It could spell a new era for the space agency, in which it will have money for just one flagship science mission per decade rather than one every few years as it has in the past. The Webb's cost growth, along with an austere budget outlook for NASA, is depleting the agency's pipeline of big science missions. A much-discussed mission to return samples of Martian soil to Earth, for example, may be unaffordable, according to the House Science Committee staff.

The Webb telescope was conceived by the astronomy community in the late 1990s as a more modest project with a smaller mirror for about $500 million. Then-NASA chief Daniel Goldin challenged the science community in a major speech to double the capability of the telescope for the same price.

Dressler, who was in the audience when Goldin gave the speech, recalled: "It astonished everybody. It made no sense that you could build a telescope six times larger than Hubble … and have it come in cheaper. We were so stunned, we didn't know what to do."

The early lowball cost figures had no official standing, but they shaped political expectations many years later.

Taking a look into solar energy can be illuminating

2012-02-16T18:17:00.001-08:00

A week or so later, I received a well-written proposal that clearly explained what work the firm would perform, whose panels and inverters they would use, how they would tie it in to my existing electrical system, and much more detail than I can relate in this short article. They would apply for all permits and state rebates, install the entire system, commission it, and do a follow-up assessment.

They offered a five-year warranty on workmanship in addition to individual component warranties that are effective for much longer periods on the panels and inverters. They explained that the electricity generated by my system would simply mix with the power on the grid and that I would continue to be billed for power that I use minus the power that I generate.

But how well and how long would the system perform, and how much would it cost? The panels and inverters should operate for at least 25 years with minimal maintenance and very minor reductions in efficiency. After state rebates, a $1,000 state tax credit, and a 30 percent federal tax credit, the cost for my system was reduced by 35 to 45 percent from $25,000 to $9,162.

Our installer estimated that the system would generate 4,050 kilowatt-hours per year, reducing our electric NStar bills by 65 percent. But there are additional savings we did not expect. Large savings also come from the system's production of Solar Renewable Energy Certificates).

The details are a little complicated, but the end result is that we earn an additional $300 to $600 for every 1,000 kilowatt-hours our system generates, thereby shortening the pay-back period for the whole system to between 2.8 and 4.5 years. Right now Srecs are worth about $500 per 1000 kilowatt-hours. We will receive more than $2,000 per year in Srecs alone.

I must admit that the favorable economics of a solar energy installation like ours depends in part on generous incentives provided by the state and federal government, but I believe that the government is right to encourage us to move away from fossil fuel use. It is satisfying to know that our solar energy system helps to reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil, slows down global warming, and cuts our personal electrical costs.

Once you get started with this home-grown electric power, you can't help but wonder how your system is doing. Our system's performance is clearly shown in a clever web presentation I can read from any computer connected to the internet. The presentation allows me to watch the production of each panel on our roof anywhere, anytime.

If you invest in a solar energy system like ours, you tend to watch its performance often, and you develop an interest in conserving energy in other ways. Compact fluorescent and LED light bulbs make the power you generate go much farther, you remember to turn off unused lights, and you really celebrate the sunshine!

Center Parcs

2012-02-15T19:13:00.001-08:00

Chris Brooks, Center Parcs Sustainability manager, has one overriding pre-occupation when making any decisions about cutting energy usage and carbon emissions: "It cannot impact on the guests' experience of Center Parcs," he says.

It's a position that seems to have helped rather than hindered environmental progress at the British holiday parks group. The company, which welcomed 1.6 million visitors at its four villages last year, is ranked joint first in the CRC League table.

Brooks credits the 'stick' of the CRC for raising the profile of energy efficiency and sustainability internally at Center Parcs, but he says the group was already some way down the road of sustainability, having achieved the ISO14001 environmental management system some years ago.

Center Parcs has committed to a carbon reduction target of 20 per cent by 2020 from a 2009-10 baseline. Last year, it achieved a 1.9 per cent reduction, but this year it is aiming for a four per cent cut.

"It's about understanding where the low-hanging fruit is," says Brooks about the group's carbon reduction strategy.

To do this, the company rolled out 200 smart meters across all its sites, including its head office, in late 2009. The automated metering has allowed Center Parcs to get a handle on the breakdown of energy use across the villages and, according to Brooks, has been an invaluable tool in the carbon reduction strategy.

The main culprits in terms of energy usage are the parks' swimming pools, so in 2010 the group committed over 1 million at the Whinfell Forest village to replace the boilers for the 'Sub Tropical Swimming Paradise'. This included the installation of four new efficient boilers and a combined heat and power unit.

At another site, the company has invested in LED lighting and automated kitchen extraction controls – producing energy savings of between 10 and 20 per cent. And the company is investing in a new building management system at one of its villages, which it will roll out to all three other villages if it tests well.

The group has 300,000 set aside for each village every year to spend on energy initiatives and Brooks says this linked with its staff engagement programme is reaping rewards.

"Every single person is bonused on the carbon emissions of the company," he explains. "It's helped us develop a competitive instinct between the villages. Everyone thinks about carbon and everyone is rewarded for it."

Center Parcs' biggest challenge now, says Brooks, is continuing to offer its guests new facilities and experiences, whilst reducing the group's carbon footprint. The company is planning a fifth village in Bedfordshire, which will have 800 accommodation units plus a swimming pool. As such the new village is designed to the highest sustainable standards and will include a biomass-powered district heating system and solar panels.

Earth Hour Campaign Begins 'I Will If You Will' Activity

2012-02-14T18:25:00.001-08:00

The Earth Hour campaign is stepping up its annual lights out event this year with the launching of the "I Will If You Will" activity that offers an opportunity for communities to be part of concrete environmental solutions to save the Earth.

The concept of "I Will If You Will" centers around providing a social contract between two parties by connecting one person, business or organization to a "promise" and their friends, family, customers or members to a "challenge," which is uniting them behind the common goal of creating a positive environmental outcome.

The "I Will If You Will" campaign will use the YouTube video platform to empower people to share a personal dare with the world by asking everyone, "What are you willing to do to save the planet?"

The campaign's digital platform is the result of an alliance between World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Leo Burnett, and YouTube.

The Earth Hour YouTube platform hosts a global library of "I Will If You Will" challenges, while encouraging people to share their challenges publicly through Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and email.

Friends can be invited to participate and accept each challenge using these popular social networks.

The simple promise can range from recycling, to switching to energyefficient light bulbs, turning off your mobile charger, or signing up for paperless banking.

Earth Hour Philippines National Director Gia Ibay said WWF is now seeking official partners for Earth Hour 2012.

"We call on corporations, local governments, media networks and other organizations to stand with us for this year's switch-off. When public and private sector forces unite - then we will be able to effect change on the scale required to change the world," Ibay said.

Earth Hour began as a single city initiative in 2007 and has since grown to be a 5,251-city strong global movement, reaching 1.8 billion people in 135 countries across all seven continents.

Earth Hour Philippines has led the global switch-off since 2009, ranking number one globally in terms of town and city participation for three consecutive years.

Bush 41 goes for colorful, interesting socks

2012-02-13T18:22:00.001-08:00

If by chance you happen to come across George H.W. Bush and he has on a pair of outrageously colored or mismatched socks, don't worry — the octogenarian former president isn't losing his marbles.

If he caught you staring at the light and dark blue striped confections on his ankles at the commencement ceremonies at Dartmouth College last summer, where he received an honorary degree, he would not have thought you rude.

And if you couldn't help but gawk slack-jawed at the bright pink numbers he had on while watching the Houston Marathon last month, well that's fine too because, with his slacks jauntily hitched, that's kind of the reaction he was hoping for.

In fact, the more people look at his socks, the more he likes it. They're simple utilitarian garments, socks, but not when a former president wears them as a statement - actually more than a statement.

There was a time when a visitor at the 41st president's west Houston office invariably left with a little box containing presidential cuff links. These days, you might find yourself leaving with a pair of lobster socks — light blue creations emblazoned with the bright red crustaceans.

"It's his trinket now," says Jean Becker, his long-time chief of staff. "This is his signature gift. He's sort of becoming famous for his socks."

Bush says he has been a "colored socks fan" for some time, and that his penchant for wearing them at high profile events "is not a big thing" in his life. His staff, however, begs to differ.

"He used to wear them on special occasions and not very often," says Becker. "But he has lately gotten more outrageous. Now he goes out of his way."

It could be because recently, the 87-year-old president's ankles are more openly on display. He has been diagnosed with lower body parkinsonism, a condition that causes instability from the waist down, and he often uses a wheelchair. But for whatever reason, Becker says the "sock thing" has certainly ramped up a few notches in recent months.

He has green and black striped socks. Pink and salmon striped socks. Orange socks with yellow polka dots. Socks with the American flag. Orange and pink socks. Blue striped socks with lavender accents at the top.

In November, the actor Kyle MacLachlan visited Bush in his office and was much taken with the pink and salmon striped socks the president was wearing with his grey pin-striped suit and black loafers.

This got Bush thinking about Christmas presents. His staff swept into action and within no time, the office was awash in boxes of socks, which went out to select friends and family, including MacLachlan, as gifts.

For years, Bush's principal supplier of socks has been Spike Heminway, a long-time friend and golfing buddy from Kennebunkport, Maine, where the Bush family has a seaside estate.

Toolbox Light Up the Way With a New Range of LED Lenser Torches

2012-02-12T18:34:00.000-08:00

Toolbox is becoming a well known online retailer in the UK, after just a few years of operation, a significant proportion of visitors/customers have already deemed them their 'number one go-to guy' for anything to do with power tools or hand held tools. Things look promising for Toolbox, especially if they can convert people to continually buy from their website after just one visit; who says a high level of service never pays off?

The Toolbox website is constantly expanding, and this week is no change from the rest as the guys in marketing upload a great new range of products. Say hello to a whole new range of LED Lenser torches, one of the most known and regarded brands in the field of LED lighting. If there's an LED product you want, chances are, these are the people you want to be buying from.

LED is an acronym for light emitting diode, this type of light source has many benefits over a standard halogen bulb. The main most notable advantage is the durability; not only are they shock resistant, but they also last up to 1,000 times longer than a conventional light bulb. Green enthusiasts will be happy in the knowledge that they'll be helping to save the planet by buying an LED torch as LED's save energy and reduce CO2 emissions. So whilst all the celebrities and eco-mentalists are out buying electric cars, sit back in the knowledge that an LED torch is also lending a helping hand to combat this overheated planet.

Scott Morris, Marketing Manager at Toolbox gave a couple of words on the new torches; "I have a few LED Lenser torches at my disposal, one attached to my keyring which I can't begin to describe how useful it is and another main torch rated 220 lumens. Having used it many times, I couldn't possibly be without one now due to how efficient it is at doing everything I require it to do. The ability to focus in and out as well as change the light intensity is indescribably helpful and the clarity of the light can only be likened to crystals. Taking outdoor photographs in the dark used to be almost impossible without generators and HDI lighting; but the magnitude of LED Lenser torches makes it possible without shelling out for heavier equipment."

Scott has virtually covered all aspects of these torches; the applications for a torch of this calibre are endless. There are policemen and women who swear by these torches for night-time use and some have even made use of the temporary 'boost' function to dazzle and disorientate people who aren't cooperating with them. For quality like this, price is an after-thought when all the functions of a 'simple torch' are considered!

Marvell's Breakthrough Deep Dimming LED Driver IC Accelerates Mass Adoption of Energy Efficient LED Retrofit Bulbs

2012-02-08T18:33:00.000-08:00

The 88EM8183 LED driver IC delivers the highest dimmer compatibility and lowest component count in the industry, while providing superior light quality and dimming performance comparable to incandescent bulbs.

To ensure the dimming compatibility of the 88EM8183 IC, Marvell engineering worked closely with Lutron, the industry leader in lighting controls, testing various dimmers from Lutron including the C-L series dimmer, which is rated for LED as well as traditional lamps.

Leveraging Marvell's unique mixed-signal architecture and advanced dimming control technology, the highly integrated 88EM8183 LED driver IC is designed to achieve smooth deep dimming as low as 1 percent LED current, a significant performance improvement compared to competitive LED driver solutions that typically achieve 10 to 20 percent dimming, which the human eye does not perceive as a significant drop in light level.

The 88EM8183 IC is also designed to be compatible with more than 100 different types of (TRIAC) wall box dimmers from various manufacturers around the world, providing consumers an out-of-the-box dimming experience that exceeds that of previous solutions, and provides an exceptional LED dimming experience.

Additionally, the 88EM8183 IC reduces the number of components needed for LED drivers by more than half, dramatically shrinking needed board space, allowing OEMs and ODMs to bring LED lighting to all kinds of lamp form-factors, including A19, PAR, BR, GU10 and Candle, without compromising dimming performance.

"As consumers replace legacy lighting solutions such as incandescent bulbs with energy saving LEDs, they expect the same or better lighting experience. Unfortunately, they often discover issues with dimming capability, resulting in the perception that the LED lamps are barely dimming, or flickering when dimmed. Many LED bulbs are also not compatible with existing wall dimmers already installed in homes," said Kishore Manghnani, Vice President of Green Energy Products at Marvell Semiconductor, Inc. "Marvell's new 88EM8183 deep dimming LED driver IC offers OEMs and ODMs the most compatible dimming solution with the vast majority of dimmers on the market, and also superior light quality, decreasing consumer dissatisfaction and returns."

Moreover, the 88EM8183 IC supports universal AC input and a wide range of LED output wattages from a few watts up to 100 watts. This capability allows lighting OEMs and ODMs to dramatically reduce design efforts and improve operational efficiency by taking a product platform approach, which reduces the number of LED lamp SKUs and streamlines inventory management.

'Pearls' to shine for Buffett crowd

2012-02-07T18:38:00.001-08:00

Omaha's damaged "String of Pearls" lights along Abbott Drive will be repaired by April — in time for Omaha's annual Berkshire Hathaway stockholder extravaganza.

With the Berkshire meeting scheduled May 5, city officials outlined a timetable for completing repairs nearly six months after a severe hailstorm pummeled the Omaha metro area. The storm ruined 276 fixtures along the approximately 700-light chain.

The Peter Kiewit Foundation originally funded the $8.8 million project to install the lights and to plant hundreds of trees along Abbott Drive. Largely completed in 2003, the project was intended to spruce up the city's primary gateway to and from Eppley Airfield.

The damaged fixtures will be replaced with energy-saving LED bulbs — a change that officials say could save up to $150,000 in annual energy costs. The city hopes to replace all the string's bulbs with LED technology within five years.

"I can't think of a better way to set an example for the rest of the nation than by greeting travelers with a beautiful row of efficient, LED bulbs," said Mayor Jim Suttle during a press conference Tuesday on the repairs.

The new fixtures will cost about $200,000, city engineer Todd Pfitzer said. Installation costs will add to the project's overall price tag, but the city now anticipates spending less than the original estimates of $500,000 to $600,000.

Officials also originally estimated repairs would be completed by late March or sooner, but the work was delayed as the city researched and tested LED bulbs, Pfitzer said. Now ordered, delivery of the new equipment could take eight to 12 weeks.

"You add it all together and that's why it took so long," Pfitzer said. "We felt it was more important to get it right."

While a timetable for completing the project is now more clear, discussions are ongoing on how to pay the bill.

Officials are still talking with the city's insurance provider about the damage. The city's claim for the damaged lights is among many submitted after the Aug. 18 hailstorm and record flooding along the Missouri River.

"This may be covered by insurance," Pfitzer said. "But we're not sure yet."

The Kiewit Foundation has expressed interest in raising funds for the project, if needed, but officials said no commitments have been made.

Also Tuesday, Suttle praised the city's Public Works Department and private snowplow contractors on what he billed as a successful snow removal operation after last weekend's storm.

In all, 18 private snowplow contractors helped clear residential streets and 85 trucks and other pieces of equipment tackled thick, wet snow that clogged area roadways.

Resident complaints to the city have been minimal thus far, officials said. An exact tabulation of how much the weekend's snow fight might cost won't be completed for another couple of weeks.

Duck for cover, here comes the laser-guided bullet

2012-02-02T18:21:00.001-08:00

Figuring out how to pack a processor and other sophisticated equipment into a machine gun bullet has been a challenge, but engineers at Sandia National Laboratories in the US say the miniature guidance system they've developed is a breakthrough.

A bullet that directs itself like a tiny guided missile and can hit a target more than 1.6km away has the potential to change the battlefield for soldiers without costing too much, engineers said on Wednesday.

Sandia technical staff member Red Jones said the .50-calibre bullets are being designed to work with military machine guns, so soldiers could hit their mark faster and with precision.

"Everybody thought it was too difficult to make things small enough. We knew we could deal with that. The other thing was it was going to be too complicated and expensive," he said. "We came up with an innovative way around that to make it stupid and cheap and still pretty good."

Developing more precise weaponry has been a mission for government and industry scientists for decades. Most recently, the research arm of the US Department of Defence has awarded tens of millions of dollars in contracts to companies to develop guided ammunition for snipers and special scopes that account for crosswinds and other environmental variables.

The idea behind Sandia Labs' bullet is rooted more in the M2, a belt-fed machine gun that became standard issue in the US Army nearly 80 years ago. Pairing the M2 with the guided bullet would allow soldiers to hit their mark faster and with precision.

At 10cm long and a 1.27cm in diameter, the bullet is designed to twist and turn, making up to 30 corrections per second.

Jones and his fellow researchers had initial success testing the design in computer simulations and in field tests of prototypes, built from commercially available parts.

With most of the hard science done, Jones said the next step is for Sandia to partner with a private company to complete testing of the prototype and bring a guided bullet to the marketplace.

More than $US1 million in research and development grants have taken the project this far.

Computer simulations showed an unguided bullet under real-world conditions could miss a target about 1km away by nearly 9m. But according to the patent, a guided bullet would get within 20cm.

The design for the bullet includes an optical sensor to detect a laser beam on a target. The sensor sends information to guidance and control electronics that use an algorithm in an eight-bit central processing unit to command electromagnetic actuators. The actuators steer the fins that guide the bullet.

Jones said there are still some engineering problems to be sorted out that will make the bullet more practical - for example, it will have to be tough enough to be dropped off the back of a truck and still work.

Truth or myth: Vassar's secret tunnel system revealed

2012-02-01T18:38:00.003-08:00

Beneath Vassar campus lies a labyrinth of winding tunnels...or so the legends say. The question of the existence of secret tunnels has captivated the imagination and attention of Vassar students long before students were a little too interested in things that were "underground."

The imagined purpose of these tunnels has evolved and changed over the last 80 years from the mystical to the practical and convenient.

In the 1930s, rumor had it that tunnels were used for sinister purposes."We had heard vague stories of catacombs under Main, but we didn't know that there are so many tunnels under the campus that you can travel all over from one hall to another through them," writes a reporter in the 11.05.32 issue of The Miscellany News.

By the 1970s the stories about the tunnels had changed into ones that resemble those that circulate the campus rumor mill today. "They were not built to protect turn-of-the-century Vassar women from the elements," wrote Nancy Frank, explaining a popular myth about the tunnels in 1979. "I've heard that they built the tunnels so that earlier Vassar women didn't have to walk in the snow," said Nathan Hoston '13.

Despite the popularity of the story, other Vassar students were closer to the truth. "I've heard from some people that they were built to move coal from building to building for heating but aren't in use anymore and are now sealed off," said David Gonzales '14.

While abandoned tunnels would undoubtedly provide a delightful haven during the cold Poughkeepsie days, in actuality the tunnels are still in use, but for a purpose that's mutually exclusive with a quick way to make it from Noyes to Sanders classroom.

"There is a network of tunnels between the buildings, but these are only big enough for steam pipes," Special Collections Assistant Dean M. Rogers wrote in an emailed statement. "The steam comes out the Central Heating Plant and it goes through the pipes in the tunnels to all the buildings on the campus proper, so not the athletic facility or to the buildings across the street," explained Manger of Mechanical Services and Building Trader Dave Bishop.

At the height of the use of the Central Heating Plant, 14 miles of tunnels took steam to the building and 20 miles of tunnels took gas to light the campus's buildings. With the addition of new houses and academics buildings, a new coal pocket was added to the plant in 1902 to store additional coal used for heating and the production of gas, with another coal bunker added in 1921.

Notably, in 1912 the use of gas fell out of style for lighting as electricity became the new craze. Lord and Co. was commissioned to build a new powerhouse as a part of the plant, which allowed Vassar to produce its own electricity until 1955 when the Board of Trustees recommended that the College begin buying their electricity from a local producer.

The boiler room is the only part of the plant which still retains its original purpose, with other notable parts being repurposed as the Susan Stein Shiva Theater and the Hallie Flagan Davis Powerhouse Theater.

DOE estimates energy-saving potential of LEDs in general lighting through 2030

2012-01-31T18:32:00.001-08:00

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has released an update of its report that forecasts the energy-savings potential of solid-state lighting (SSL) compared with conventional white-light sources. The 2012 update entitled "Energy Savings Potential of Solid-State Lighting in General Illumination Application," compares the annual lighting energy consumption in the US with and without market penetration of LED lighting beyond current levels.

The cumulative energy-savings potential from the predicted LED market penetration over the 2010-2030 study period is 2700 TWh, a savings of $250 billion at today's energy prices or the equivalent of 1800 million metric tons of carbon. This is in comparison to the 1800 TWh of savings estimated in the 2010 report of energy-savings potential. However, several significant changes were made to the study's methodology and assumptions for the latest report, which are discussed below.

The forecast predicts that by 2020, LED lamps and luminaires will have primarily penetrated the commercial and outdoor stationary applications. Proliferation into residential, industrial, commercial and outdoor stationary markets will occur in the 2020-2030 timeframe.

The forecast projects LED lamp and luminaire sales measured in lumen-hours. The analysis indicates that LED lighting in general illumination applications has the potential to represent 36% of sales measured in lumen-hours on the general illumination market by 2020 and 74% of sales by 2030.

According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the US consumed 694 TWh of site electricity in 2010 on lighting - approximately 18% of all electricity used. The model demonstrates the total energy consumption for lighting could be reduced by 19% by 2020 and by 46% by 2030 relative to a scenario with no additional LED lamps or luminaires beyond what is installed today.

By 2030, the annual energy savings from market penetration of LEDs will be approximately 297 TWh, enough electricity to power 24 million homes. At current energy prices, that equates to $30 billion in savings in the year 2030. Assuming the same mix of power stations, these savings, according to the report, would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 210 million metric tons of carbon in 2030.

The DOE has published this report four times, in 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2010. Several important changes to the 2010 methodology have been implemented. First, the 2010 baseline data now uses the DOE's recently published 2010 US Lighting Market Characterization inventory report. That report showed that 67 million LED lamps and luminaires were installed in the US in 2010, accounting for 0.8% of the total.

Secondly, the energy-savings report only considers LED technology and not OLEDs, due to the speculative nature of efficacy projections and price forecasts for OLED luminaires. All energy savings are assumed to be due to LED technology and its improvements.

The model includes lighting in residential, commercial, industrial and outdoor stationary applications. The previous reports then grouped lamps by high- and low-CRI application. Now the lamps are grouped by submarket in which different technologies compete, including five categories: general service lamps (medium screw base), reflector lamps (screw base), HID, linear fluorescent and miscellaneous.

Odyne Systems Delivers Plug-In Hybrid Propulsion Systems

2012-01-30T19:00:00.001-08:00

Odyne Systems has delivered seven trucks featuring the Odyne advanced plug-in hybrid propulsion system to utilities and municipalities throughout Wisconsin, and also has delivered the first digger derrick featuring the system to Commonwealth Edison Company, one of the largest utilities in the United States.

Communities and utilities receiving the new technology were partially funded under the Wisconsin Clean Transportation Program jointly administered through the Wisconsin State Energy Office and the U.S. Department of Energy Wisconsin Clean Cities Program. The new units are anticipated to deliver fuel efficiency over a conventional truck of up to 50% annually, depending upon the use of the truck.

"The implementation of this technology in the Wisconsin Clean Transportation Program has resulted in efforts not only to reduce our nation's dependence on petroleum, but to additionally improve air quality and develop statewide economic opportunities," said Lorrie Lisek, Executive Director of Wisconsin Clean Cities Southeast Area, Inc.

The hybrid digger derrick was funded in part by a $4 million award ComEd received in federal economic stimulus funding to expand its alternative-fuel fleet. ComEd received a $1.5 million grant from the City of Chicago that stems from $15 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding awarded to the city by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under its Clean Cities Grant program.

"Diesel vehicles and equipment are significant contributors to air pollution and greenhouse gas emission in Chicago. By adopting innovative vehicle technologies, such as ComEd's new hybrid truck, we can improve the health of our residents and save money on fuel costs," the City of Chicago's Chief Sustainability Officer Karen Weigert said.

Odyne's proprietary and patented hybrid technology combines reliable electric power conversion, power control and energy storage technology with Remy advanced electric propulsion motors, modular Johnson Controls lithium-ion battery systems and other robust, automotive quality components.

The Odyne plug-in hybrid drive system reduces fleet operating and maintenance costs, and depending on duty cycle, enables large trucks to obtain significant fuel economy improvements compared to traditional diesel engines. The Odyne advanced hybrid system also lowers emissions and provides a quiet, safe working environment with good work site communication, setting the new benchmark for the hybrid work truck industry.

Milwaukee County took delivery of four work trucks in December 2011 and January 2012 that will be used throughout Milwaukee County to maintain traffic signals and street lighting. Although the county automotive fleet includes hybrids, these are the first hybrid trucks they are putting to work.

Manufactured by DUECO, Inc. the vehicles feature the first Odyne hybrid systems installed on Kenworth truck chassis and are the first to power Venturo corner mount cranes, which will be used in sign maintenance and to lift lighting as the county switches to more efficient LED lighting. The trucks feature fiberglass bodies and Terex TL60 aerial buckets, recognized for their stability.

San Juan golf-range lights get go-ahead

2012-01-18T18:28:00.003-08:00

San Juan Hills Golf Club will be able to install lights for its driving range after all, now that the San Juan Capistrano City Council has voted unanimously to overturn the Planning Commission's denial of the proposal.

The council voted Tuesday to overturn the commission, which had voted 3-2 on Nov. 22 to deny the club's request for a conditional use permit, citing concerns about adverse effects on adjacent residences because of the lights and added noise from nighttime use of the range at 32120 San Juan Creek Road.

The city received 44 letters about the issue, 38 of them in support of overturning the commission's decision and six in favor of the commission. City staff had recommended that the council overturn the denial, saying the proposal is consistent with the community design element of the city General Plan and that the lights would not be bright enough to seriously affect nearby residents.

Under the plan, the driving range is to feature outdoor lights installed on existing 50-foot poles and three new 25-foot poles.

Representatives of the golf club said the lighting would have minimal effect on the surrounding area, describing the system as the first of its kind.

Karin Pekala of Musco Sports Lighting, a consultant for the golf course, said the design of the lights will significantly reduce light pollution. She said the course agreed to drop the foot-candle measurement (of luminance) to five from the standard 10.

Pekala said the light emitted from the range would be comparable to the light from a full moon. She said the course will be one of the first to use special visors on its lights to shield the community from glare.

Some residents were skeptical, however, calling on the council to test the lights before giving the club a permit for the installation.

Others questioned the validity of the claim that trees surrounding the range would provide adequate cover from the light. San Juan resident Mark Nielsen said the golf course's estimate of 85 percent tree cover around the range is too high, saying it is closer to 60 percent.

San Juan Hills Golf Club management said it plants new trees frequently and is not opposed to planting more trees and shrubs in conjunction with the new lights.

The council also agreed to let the course keep the driving-range lights on until 10 p.m., as proposed. City staff had recommended a 9 p.m. shutoff to try to reduce noise from nighttime use.

"This will improve the recreation quality of San Juan Capistrano ... and it boosts the economic engine of the city," Councilman Sam Allevato said.

Councilman Derek Reeve said he is concerned about the surrounding community, but "the benefit outweighs the cost."

Staff said the city has the capability of testing the foot-candle measurement, and the council directed it to do so once the lights are up.

Among the biggest supporters of the lights is the San Juan Hills High School golf team, whose coach, Jim Tinker, said the lighting and increased student access to the driving range will help support and improve his team, which won a CIF division championship last year.

US promotes democracy with suddenly important Togo

2012-01-17T19:22:00.001-08:00

After venturing to reclusive Myanmar, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton pressed democratic reforms Tuesday in another place long dominated by dictators, becoming the first American in her post to ever visit the African nation of Togo.

Greeted by performers on stilts and sword-wielding ceremonial soldiers in red capes, Clinton visited Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe in his presidential palace, a Chinese-built construction of marble floors and sparkling Christmas-like lights strung from the ceiling. Paintings sat against the walls, the unfinished work of a hasty decoration.

The decadence on display, just beyond the destitute streets of Togo's capital, Lome, in some ways evoked the worst of post-colonial Africa and its rulers' all-too-common penchant for ceremonies and ornamentation while their people languish in poverty. Yet after six decades of dictatorship, Togo is showing signs of progress — much like Myanmar, or Burma, before Clinton's trip last year — and the Obama administration wanted to take a chance.

"Togo's national elections later this year will be an important milestone," Clinton said. "The United States will be a partner to the government of Togo as it builds on its recent democratic gains, brings dissenting voices to the table for an inclusive dialogue, increases the political participation of women, and carries out a successful constitutional reform process."

The choice of Togo isn't solely about goodwill. The West African country of 6.8 million people, tucked between Benin and Ghana, is as of two weeks ago a U.N. Security Council member. That means it may vote alongside the world's biggest powers on resolutions that could cover anything from a future Palestinian state to sanctions against Syria.

Clinton and Gnassingbe agreed to cooperate on both issues, a senior administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting was private. Gnassingbe backed U.S. support for direct Israeli-Palestinian talks and opposition to a premature Palestinian declaration of statehood, the official said.

Clinton visited Togo on the penultimate stop of a four-country Africa swing aimed at encouraging governments to continue with democratic and economic reforms.

She led a U.S. delegation Monday to the inauguration of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first female head of state. She then traveled to Ivory Coast to meet the democratically elected President Alassane Ouattara, who took office last year after his forces finally ousted predecessor Laurent Gbagbo, who had refused to cede power. She will stop in Cape Verde before returning to Washington early Wednesday.

The trip to Togo was the most unexpected. Whereas Washington has championed the ascents of Sirleaf and Ouattara, respected economists with resumes that include the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, the U.S. has largely ignored Togo since it gained independence from France 62 years ago.

Details of Clinton's meeting with Gnassingbe showed an attempt to U.S. interests with a new partner, along with encouragement for democracy work in Togo that still has a long way to go.

Washington is optimistic about Gnassingbe despite his history as the military-pronounced successor of his father, a dictator who crushed opponents for almost four decades. He won a flawed election seven years ago and was re-elected in 2010 in a vote that edged closer toward constituting a free and fair multiparty contest.

High school student intern at UAlbany Nanocollege is selected as semifinalst in Intel science competition

2012-01-16T18:43:00.001-08:00

A high school senior conducting innovative nanotechnology research as part of an internship at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering of the University at Albany has been selected as a semifinalist in the 2012 Intel Science Talent Search, the nation's most prestigious pre-college science competition.

Seyoon Lee, a senior at the Berkshire School in Sheffield, Massachusetts, is among just 300 students chosen nationwide from 1,839 entrants – the most the competition has seen in over a decade. On January 25, 40 of the 300 semifinalists will be named as finalists, and will compete for more than $1.25 million in awards provided by the Intel Foundation.

Working with F. Shadi Shahedipour-Sandvik, CNSE Associate Professor of Nanoengineering, Lee is conducting research at CNSE on the development of a new type of white light emitting diode (LED) based on a hybrid semiconductor device that uses both organic and inorganic materials. By altering the inorganic layer, he was able to increase the intensity of white light being emitted, which could advance the current progress for implementation of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly solid-state lighting, as compared to today's incandescent light bulbs.

Captain of Berkshire School's math team, which ranks first in New England for schools with 500 or fewer students, Lee began working with Professor Shahedipour-Sandvik at CNSE as a 10th grader in 2010.

"I am thrilled to congratulate Seyoon Lee on his selection as a semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search. He is very well deserving of this recognition, especially given his dedication for the past three years to our highly technical research in the important area of clean energy," said Dr. Shahedipour-Sandvik.

"This prestigious honor truly defines him as one of our nation's best and brightest young scientific minds, while further demonstrating the ongoing commitment of the UAlbany NanoCollege to serve as a world-class educational hub and training ground for the innovators of the 21st century."

"It was by far the hardest thing I've ever done in my life," said Seyoon Lee. "I was very lucky to receive guidance and advice from my mentor Dr. Shadi and other graduate students, especially Puneet Suvarna. I also want to thank Dr. Geer and CNSE for giving me the chance to do scientific research. The gravity and professionalism of the process of entering INTEL and writing a scientific paper were valuable experiences that will help me throughout my future. I am grateful to Mr. Schleunes and Berkshire School for giving me such an amazing opportunity that I couldn't even dream of having if I had stayed in Korea."

Now in its 14th year, the Intel STS encourages students to tackle challenging scientific questions and develop the skills to solve the problems of tomorrow. Projects submitted for consideration cover all disciplines of science, including biochemistry, chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering, behavioral science, and medicine and health. Past participants have received some of the world's most prestigious honors, winning seven Nobel Prizes, two Fields Medals, three National Medals of Science, and 11 MacArthur Foundation Fellowships.

Next-generation light bulb shines at CES

2012-01-15T19:33:00.001-08:00

Switch Lighting executives Tracy Bilbrough and Brett Sharenow glowed as they showed off new-generation LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs that they believe will transform the more than $30-billion global market.

"It is exciting to be the little David taking on the Goliath's of the world," Switch chief Bilbrough told AFP.

"You pick this because it doesn't have mercury; you can dim it; it loves cold weather; there is no ultra-violet so they don't draw any bugs outdoors, and it fits in any fixture an incandescent bulb goes in."

Switch bulbs being are being tested in two US hotels and will begin shipping later this month as a smart option to incandescent or CFL models.

Incandescent bulbs are power-sucking classics being phased out in countries around the world, replaced by energy-efficient CFL versions containing toxic mercury that make them hazardous to toss in the rubbish.

"LEDs are really the next thing in lighting," said Switch chief strategy officer Sharenow.

The Silicon Valley company's bulb is touted as Earth-friendly from "cradle to cradle" and lasts about seven times longer than CFLs while providing the kind of light people like from incandescent.

Switch bulbs have an artistic look akin to a snow glove perched on a silver pedestal. They can also survive a three-foot drop to a hardwood floor.

A ring of metal prongs, each with a computer chip on it to emit light, is immersed in liquid that fills each bulb. The liquid cools the chips while acting as a lens to magnify light.

"It is food-grade; actually used in making beer, pasta and women's cosmetics," Sharenow said of the liquid, the ingredients of which were secret.

"We actually get more light out of the LEDs with liquid in the glass dome than if there was air in there."

Switch bulbs use 80 percent less electricity than incandescent bulbs and last for about 25,000 hours no matter often you switch them on or off, he added.

Switch bulbs, which are being launched in 65- and 75-watt models, are priced at $35 each but the price was expected to drop under $20 by the end of the year.

Even at a price of $35, businesses recover the cost in six months while homeowners hit that mark in two years, according to Sharenow.

LED bulb efficiency is on par with CFL, which cost about three dollars each versus 50 cents for incandescent. Bilbrough expected LED bulbs to quickly get more efficient that CFL.

Switch is first targeting businesses that see cost-savings in energy-efficient bulbs that last them more than a decade. Bilbrough estimated that Switch bulbs would last about 25 years or longer in home use.

"If you put that in your baby's room when they come home from the hospital, they will still be studying under it when they are in college," Bilbrough said with a nod toward one of the bulbs.

"These things will last longer than your phone, iPad, car or sofa."

When people are done with Switch bulbs, the company wants them back so they can recycle or reuse the parts giving them new lives in a practice referred to in the industry as "cradle to cradle."

"We want to reuse every part we can so nothing goes back to the biosphere of the Earth," Sharenow said.

Home Depot is hosting workshops to teach you about energy-efficient lighting options

2012-01-08T18:38:00.001-08:00

With the new year comes new ways to light your home. The incandescent light bulb is being phased out in order for our country to be more energy efficient.

"This year, it's 100 watts. Next year is 75 and two years from now is 60 watt and 40 watt light bulbs," says Dennis Terebecki, a lighting expert at Home Depot.

But he isn't just an expert. "I'm a believer. It works."

So what's the difference between compact fluorescent and LED light bulbs?

"The compact fluorescent bulb is the one that looks like a corkscrew. It is fluorescent, like you see in a standard building. They last 4 to 5 years. The down side is they contain mercury. The LEDs are a solid state technology. They last much longer, up to 25 years," says Terebecki.

These bulbs may cost you more, but Dennis says you'll save on your energy bill. If you need some convincing, Dennis did the math for you. On his own electric bill, the incandescent bulbs cost him $10 a year, using them about four hours a day. The LED bulbs cost him $1.33.

"I started with one bulb. It was a bulb I used for reading and as soon as I came to see that one was really that much better, I changed the whole house," says Terebecki.

There are more than 100 bulbs to choose from on the shelves at Home Depot. So to help you out, through the month of January, Dennis and other experts at area Home Depots will host how-to workshops to educate you on the benefits of newer bulbs and which suit your needs.

"I'm hoping that I can teach them what I found. The bulbs are better, they run very cool, they run very long, and they help your house," says Terebecki.

Home Depot and other retailers will carry incandescent bulbs until they are sold out.

The workshops are every Saturday in January at 10:00 a.m. at all area Home Depot stores.

Book Highlights Failings of Enviro Trends

2012-01-05T18:36:00.001-08:00

Todd Myers of the Washington Policy Center has advanced the cause of environmental protection by writing "Eco-Fads: How the Rise of Trendy Environmentalism is Harming the Environment." He lays out a logical case as to the causes and effects of the modern rush to embrace trendy eco-fads and does a good job of explaining how most of the fads do not deliver the promised environmental benefits (in many cases they actually do harm to the environment).

"Eco-Fads" is divided into two parts. The first deals with explaining what eco-fads are and why they are promoted by many politicians, some businesses and most of the media. The second exposes the rationale, or lack thereof, for embracing the fads and how their proponents convince others to adopt their favored policies.

As pointed out in the book, compact fluorescent light bulbs have become the poster child for eco-fads. The problem — CFLs save energy but can cause harm to the environment because they contain hazardous mercury gas. Myers points out that the hypocrisy of environmentalists is startling when one considers their support of CFLs coupled with their crusade to eliminate mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants, no matter what the cost to consumers.

Many environmentalists will find little to like in this book as the author uses rational thought and science to debunk many of their pet assumptions. "Eco-Fads" is a good read for the average consumer who wants to do the right thing for the environment but does not want to be taken advantage of by special interest groups or politicians with self-serving motives.

Lighting. Even though Tom Edison's incandescent light bulb won a nine-month reprieve from Congress last month, you may want to start the conversion anyway. Now-delayed efficiency rules were to require a phase-out of the old bulbs and a phase-in of more efficient bulbs such as compact fluorescent light bulbs or LED lights. Those more-efficient bulbs have a bit more expensive initial cost compared to a less-efficient light. But lower energy usage and a longer life from the new bulbs will make up for the higher purchase price.

Resolve this year to replace your incandescent light bulbs with CFLs or LEDs as they burn out, and start to save.

Heating water is the second-largest energy user in a home, so fix any dripping faucets. Otherwise, you're wasting water and the energy needed to heat it. After turning off electricity to the water heater at the service panel, set the water heater thermostats to 120 degrees. You might experiment by gradually reducing your water heater thermostat settings to find out what temperature works for you. Most have two thermostats, so be sure to set them both. Put insulation around your water pipes including the inlet and outlet piping above most water heaters.

Energy Star labeling. Buy appliances and electronics with the Energy Star label, which certifies that refrigerators use 15 percent less energy than their non-Energy Star peers, that dishwashers use 25 percent less, and clothes washers use 50 percent less. The orange Energy Forward sticker on TVs also indicates energy efficiency.

No rush for resolutions

2012-01-04T18:47:00.001-08:00

Friends back home tell me the Christmas displays hit the shops as soon as the schools go back in September, and get into full swing by mid November when the z-list celebs are rolled out to turn on the Christmas lights in market towns everywhere. We were dumbfounded when flying via Lisbon airport in October to see two fully decorated Christmas trees in the international terminal. Having got over the shock of there also being three Harrods establishments in the small shopping and cafe area, we decided to blame the British influence for the premature decorations.

For me, the season really starts to get festive when Spain celebrates Constitution Day and the Immaculate Conception on 6th and 8th December. That's when I start planning my present list, mix the Christmas pudding and bake the Christmas cake so that it can be drowned in fed with brandy regularly up until it's iced nearer to the big day. Christmas 2012 is going to be very disorganised if Mr Rajoy suspends my beloved early December Christmas preparation days off work! He can have the rest of the bank holidays if only he'll just give me these two!

Before you know it, 25th December is rapidly approaching, at least one internet supplier has failed to deliver, you've run out of wrapping paper / sticky tape / gift tags (delete as appropriate) and the guilt is mounting as the Christmas cards continue to flood in despite the fact everyone knows WE NEVER SEND CARDS!

Christmas Day arrives and, in our household at least, presents are unwrapped, paper strewn everywhere, and a true festive feast is duly inhaled by humans and dogs alike and then…

… it's over. Isn't it?

I hanker back to those days working in England (not something I do very often) and long for the shut down week between Christmas and New Year when most office staff don't work because, after all, nothing gets done anyway. Christmas Day bleeds into Boxing Day and the sales drag us all hopping and skipping back to the shops, where we sneakily return those ghastly presents from great Auntie Maud.

We relax, bicker, argue and generally enjoy a break from work before partying on down with the rest of the New Year's Eve revellers and recovering the next day with another feast. No presents to foist upon each other but, instead, the important deliberations, decisions and declarations of our New Year's Resolutions to be made. Festive week over? It's back to work, full of our good intentions and enthusiasm after a good rest and ready to take on the world and a brand new year.

On the Costa del Sol it's back to work on Boxing Day so that clients can come in to pass on their Christmas greetings, use our internet and print off their boarding passes. Bizarrely not so many are interested in buying houses between Christmas and New Year. The phone stays silent, junk emails keep us entertained as there are no others to read and we wade our way through the gifted boxes of chocolates while gazing longingly out of the window at the British tourists enjoying their shut down week. Bah humbug!

New Year revelry is somewhat more sophisticated among the expats and holidaymakers here and New Year's Day passes similarly to a traditional Sunday with everywhere closed except for some hardworking restauranteurs and bar owners.

Five New Year's Resolutions For The Desert

2012-01-03T19:01:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year when we're choked to the gills with lists of resolutions for the New Year, pinning our hopes to attain generally impractical goals to the more or less arbitrary beginning of the year.

And who am I to buck a trend? Here are some resolutions you can adopt that will help protect California's deserts. What distinguishes this list of resolutions from most others is that these are all either easy, or fun, or both.

California's deserts are ground zero in the U.S. for industrial solar energy development. Few dispute the need to stop burning coal to light our unsued closets and billboards: it's just sensible. But most new large desert solar plants are being built on the assumption that per capita energy use will continue to climb. In the rush to develop new sources of renewable energy, a major factor is almost always left out of the discussion: Americans waste an astonishing amount of energy. People in some European countries use half or a third the energy we do while enjoying similar, or better, standards of living.

Some 30 percent of annual U.S. energy consumption goes for lighting, and yet an astonishing number of us still use inefficient, century-old technology to illuminate our living spaces. The old-style incandescent bulb is going the way of the dinosaur, but there are a whole heck of a lot of the things still in circulation, often left burning in places that need light only sporadically.

A compact fluorescent bulb can provide the same amount of light for somewhere around a quarter the electricity. If you're concerned about the small amounts of mercury in compact fluorescents -- as well you might be -- the even more efficient LED bulb has dropped dramatically in price of late. At some point in 2012 you can expect to see an LED bulb as bright as a 60-watt incandescent bulb drop down below the $10 level -- about where compact fluorescents were a decade or so ago.

Even if you stick with incandescents for now, changing your outdoor lighting can make a huge difference. A significant amount of energy is wasted when we use outdoor fixtures that allow light to shine toward the sky. Slap a reflective hood on that thing, cut the wattage by about half, and you're doing your part to save energy while helping the stars shine a little brighter.

You've probably guessed the reason for this resolution: the desert is the preferred location for Southern California landfills. Activists defeated one giant proposed landfill next to Joshua Tree National Park this year, but L.A.'s trash now goes instead to the Mesquite Regional Landfill in Imperial County, a project bitterly opposed by environmental activists. As we reported last year, another large landfill is being proposed for the margins of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

Sensibly, the less trash we throw away the less will eventually end up in the desert. Angelenos are already pretty good at this compared to the average American: 65% of LA residents participate in curbside recycling programs. But there's a lot more to trash reduction than recycling. As the old adage has it: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Reduce the amount of trash you generate by products with less packaging or that are more durable than their alternatives. You might even consider not buying that particular thing at all, thus eliminating its associated waste completely and saving you some cash.

Reuse by repairing minor breaks and flaws, with superglue or darning needles or -- for some real reuser cachet, duct tape. Or let someone else reuse your stuff by donating still-intact objects to thrift stores or giving it to someone you know who needs it.

DoJ's Internet Gaming Green Light to States is 'No Big Deal for Tribes

2012-01-02T18:38:00.001-08:00

Cash-strapped states grappling with big budget deficits may welcome a Justice Department opinion that they can offer online lotteries and gaming, but tribes greeted the news with a virtual shrug of the shoulders, according to Indian gaming experts.

The Justice Department released a legal opinion stating that the 1961 Wire Act prohibits online betting only for sporting events and contests, not lotteries. The opinion has caused a flurry of interest in states looking to bolster revenues in the face of a projected collective budget gap of $31.1 billion in 2012, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In Connecticut, for example, Malloy welcomed the Justice Department news. Malloy has talked about the need to increase state gaming revenue especially with shrinking revenues from the state's two signature Indian casinos – the Mashantucket Pequots' Foxwoods Resort Casino and the Mohegan Tribe's Mohegan Sun – and the prospect of competition from increased gaming in nearby Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

"Obviously, gaming is an important part of our economy. It appears that [online] interstate and intrastate gaming is going to be allowed," Malloy told the Hartford Courant. "It appears that the only thing the Justice Department has ruled is off the table is sports betting, with the exception of horse betting. So with that one exclusion, everything is up for consideration by the states."

Last year, Internet gaming reportedly generated more than $25 billion worldwide with $7 billion in wagers from U.S. bets on Internet sports, poker, and casino games with 10 million U.S. citizens playing poker online.

Melissa Riahei, general counsel of the online gaming firm U.S. Digital Gaming, told The Hill that the Justice Department "has finally confirmed what we believed in Illinois to be true all along—that intrastate gambling is an issue that is within the sole discretion of a state to regulate, as it deems appropriate." She said states can now "comfortably" begin to implement Internet gaming programs to generate revenue to fund "essential government services."

That won't be as easy or quick as Riahei implies, according to Indian gaming expert Joe Valandra. Before moving ahead, states have to pass legislation to allow Internet gaming and that may present some barriers, Valandra said.

"I don't think (the Justice Department opinion) is a big deal for the tribes because there's only one state that has enabling legislation and that's Nevada. Other states have talked about it, but haven't passed anything. It has to go through a whole legislative cycle before any state besides Nevada will be able to offer intra-state online poker."Valandra said.

A citizen of the Sicangu Lakota, Valandra is principal owner and president of VAdvisors, LLC, chairman and CEO of Tehan Woglake, Inc., and former chief of staff of the National Indian Gaming Commission. "It's something I'm sure the tribes in general are looking at but I don't think it has any particularly negative implication in and of itself."

BP money buys sports towels, Christmas lights, jingles

2011-12-29T18:50:00.001-08:00

BP announced the $30 million tourism grants in April. While the agreement for the $30 million doesn't prevent Florida from pursuing any claims against BP or others, officials there decided a week later not to join other Gulf states in a lawsuit against Transocean, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon rig at the heart of the spill.

Florida's tourism spending spree isn't the first time that BP money has allowed government officials to snag items from their wish lists.

Separately, BP had already poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the four Gulf states in the months after the oil spill — with few strings attached. The Associated Press documented earlier this year how some of the $754 million given to local governments had been spent on tasers, SUVS and pick-up trucks, rock concerts, an iPad and other items with no direct connection to the oil spill.

In all, BP has given $150 million to Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi for tourism promotion since the oil spill, with the Sunshine State getting the lion's share — $62 million.

In the case of the more-recent payout, Florida Panhandle counties have allocated more than $23 million of the $30 million through September, with $13.5 million used on for television, digital, radio and print advertising. The counties have also spent millions on a variety of attention-grabbing gimmicks, The Associated Press found through public records requests and interviews.

Some wonder whether the most extravagant promotions — such as Panama City Beach's $1 million Christmas display — are worth it.

"It wasn't all that busy out here last weekend," Charles Walsingham, a beachside merchant near the display, said a few days after the Christmas lights were turned on and the ice rink opened in early December. "There weren't that many people over there skating and that is a lot of money to spend."

The seven counties spent $2.5 million on promotions alone.

In Pensacola, the BP money paid for $30,000 worth of sports towels and another $30,000 worth of fleece blankets given out at local sporting events. In neighboring Perdido Key, officials spent $300,000 on American Express gift cards for overnight visitors. They also purchased $12,500 worth of BP gas cards for tourists who present receipts showing they've stayed in the area, essentially putting BP funds back into the company's pocket.

Alison Davenport, chair of the Perdido Key Chamber and Visitors Center, said the goal is to get tourists driving to the area next spring. "We had no hesitation in choosing BP gas cards over any others since BP's grant money has made the incentivized travel promotion possible," she said.

Okaloosa County, home to Destin and Fort Walton Beach, is giving away a trip to the Super Bowl and tickets to the BCS championship football game to drive traffic to its Facebook page. South Walton Beach also is giving away BCS tickets on Facebook.

Grote Expands Line of SuperNova NexGen LED Lamps Across Several Categories

2011-12-28T18:17:00.003-08:00

Grote Industries has announced the expansion of its SuperNova NexGen LED lamp offering, with the introduction of its new integrated flange 4-inch stop/tail/turn and dual-system back-up lamps.

The new lamps feature a one-piece integrated flange design that mounts directly to the surface of a vehicle, eliminating the need for accessory mounting brackets or grommets, the company says. The lighting systems come with a cushioning gasket seal that keeps water and debris from getting behind the lamp while functioning as a shock absorbing mechanism. The design also incorporates a robust, hermetic lens-to-housing seal that resists moisture intrusion that would result in component corrosion.

"The integrated flange design is the most versatile and cost-effective addition to the premium SuperNova NexGen LED product family to date," said Randy Staggs, Grote's business development manager for signal lighting. "OEMs will benefit from improved assembly efficiency, while fleets and other end-users will incur simplified repair and replacement requirements."

Grote's SuperNova line is recognized for its high performance and the lamps are designed to be extremely durable. Each lamp is designed with an environmental encapsulant potting that cradles the lamp's solid-state circuit board and protects it from moisture and vibration.

The lamps' innovative optical lens design reduces theft potential by intentionally resembling incandescent versions, but their performance on the road is nothing like their incandescent predecessors, according to the company. Grote's SuperNova NexGen LEDs illuminate 200 milliseconds faster than incandescent bulbs, the company says, which provides a safety benefit to the driver of the following vehicle, amounting to more than a full car length of extra stopping distance at 65 mph.

Both the flanged four-inch stop/tail/turn and flanged dual-system back-up lamps are available with hard-shell and male-pin termination options, which allow them to make use of existing pigtails for installation flexibility and cost-effective retrofitting.

The flanged 4-inch stop/tail/turn lamps and flanged dual-system back-up lamps have durable acrylic lenses and housings composed of hard-coated polycarbonate material. As new members of the SuperNova NexGen product line, both lamps carry Grote's exclusive 10-year warranty.

According to court paperwork released Wednesday, Gregg Pfeifer began stalking and harassing his ex-girlfriend as well as her family at their home in July.

The victims filed a restraining order against Pfeifer the same month.

Police found that since then, Pfeifer has harassed the victims through phone calls, text messages, email and driving by their home.

"He would call her a 100 times a day and text her 100 times a day," said Dotti Hetzel, whose daughter was stalked.

Police say this led the victims to change their phone numbers, cancel their Facebook and email accounts as well as install a $2,000 surveillance camera system.

City Considers Adding Lights To Southwest Bike Path

2011-12-27T18:41:00.001-08:00

The Southwest Bike Path in Madison is a popular trail for recreation and commuters. The question for the city and nearby residents is: What happens when the sun goes down? It's a question with different answers, depending on who is asked.

City officials are proposing LED lights for a portion of the bike trail. The finances for this 4-mile project are included in Mayor Paul Soglin's 2012 capital budget, but it's a proposal not sitting well with some along the trail.

"What I want to know is, tell me what this is going to cost me," said David Friedman, who lives in the area. "Tell me what this is going to cost for upkeep. What are we going to do for lighting it?"

Some along the trail are new lights would destroy the path's evening view.

"The night sky is spectacular," said Nancy Washburn, "We, of course, living in the city, only get to see a little piece of it. But I'd like to preserve what we've got."

"A quality bike path would almost always be lit," said District 10 Alder Brian Solomon. "It just makes sense. It's just like lighting our road corridors."

Solomon hopes to shed positive light on the $250,000 project.

"I've had a large number of people e-mailing me, calling me," said Solomon. "People I've seen on the path saying they would use it a lot more frequently, especially in the seasons we don't have much light out, if it were lit."

Solomon said the LED lights would shine straight down on the path, minimizing spillover to nearby homes. The key is convincing homeowners like Friedman.

"I put 47 trees in to shade my house from everybody. I really don't want more lights in the back," said Friedman.

As Solomon hears more from path patrons, several sunsets remain before a final decision.

"It's not necessarily about the city versus the neighbors," said Solomon. "It's about finding a solution that works for both. And I do think we could do that if we work at it."

Solomon said he's meeting with city staff in January, looking for more ideas and feedback from the community. Ideally, the 20-foot light poles would go up in the summer of 2012. But Solomon said he's willing to hold off until 2013 if there's more to discuss with nearby residents.

EPB fiber optics help local businesses grow

2011-12-26T18:55:00.001-08:00

Cloud computing company Claris Networks is based in Knoxville but is expanding in Chattanooga because of the city's unique fiber optic network.

"We actually see Chattanooga as our largest growth potential," Claris Network Vice President Dave Sagraves said.

At the beginning of the year, Claris had two employees who worked out of a small, single room in a building on Main Street.

Now the business has eight employees working out of an office at The Freight Depot at 1200 Market Street.

"If Knoxville had what Chattanooga has, we'd be investing all those resources in Knoxville. This is the best market for our business to grow," Sagraves said.

Claris provides local businesses "cloud services," which means they host, manage and maintain computer networks for businesses.

The business relies heavily on speedy Internet access and predicts future growth for the Chattanooga business, Sagraves said.

"We are still on the acquisition trail and we expect that we will have between 50 and 100 percent growth from an employee standpoint," he said.

The high speed Internet has benefited other businesses, such as social media start up LifeKraze and Global Green Lighting.

"We switched over after a lot of spotty hours, days and weeks from our previous supplier," Michelle Warren, with LifeKraze, said. "We have had great consistency through EPB."

Global Green Lighting President Don Lepard said the high-speed fiber optic Internet is essential to his business.

"EPB has been my inspiration from day one," he said.

Global Green Lighting develops low-energy lighting control systems, which use the same technology EPB uses with its Smart Meter technology, Lepard said.

The company recently beat out national competition and won a bid to put the lights up across Chattanooga and is currently in the process of generating a contract for the project with the city.

Global Green Lighting has already replaced about 350 street and post lights on the North Shore's Coolidge Park, Frazier Avenue, and on the Walnut Street Bridge, he also said.

An operator can control the lights — which use smart grid and fiber optic technology — via the Internet from up to 35 miles away.

And the company is expanding it's physical presence by taking over the rest of the building and will be making more hires in the next year.

He hopes to grow to 250 employees before the company finishes the project with the city, and he said he expects he will book jobs with other local municipalities, whose leaders have seen what the company has done with lighting in Chattanooga and want that for their city.

Gardener: How to choose winter-gardening light system

2011-12-25T19:01:00.001-08:00

Lots of folks bring their gardens inside over the winter months. All kinds of delicate perennials, tropicals, citrus, and even herbs and salad greens, not to mention countless new seed starts, can wait out the cold indoors if they have the right conditions.

The most important condition is light. By understanding how plants use light, and the many lighting options available today, you can put together a lighting system that's right for the plants you want to grow indoors -- or at least sustain -- until they are able to venture outside again. Things to consider:

Bright sunshine contains the full spectrum of light wavelengths from red through yellow and green to blue and violet. Plants use all of these wavelengths for photosynthesis, but red and blue are two of the most important. The blue spectrum promotes vegetative growth so young plants build robust, full foliage. The red wavelengths promote flowers and fruits.

All plants need light to thrive, but some plants can get by on lower intensities than others. Native tropicals, shade-loving forest plants and houseplants like ivy and philodendron don't need as much light as Mediterranean succulents or desert cactuses. Flowering plants of all kinds, such as orchids and gardenias, generally need brighter light to flower and produce fruit.

No matter how much light they use to grow, plants need a rest now and then, to accomplish their other functions of metabolism. Plants' preferences for light to dark are divided into short-day, long-day and day-neutral.

Short-day plants thrive on less than 12 hours of light in a 24-hour period. Most will also need to have a stretch of even shorter days to signal them to set buds and flower. Azaleas, chrysanthemums, poinsettia and Christmas cactus are short-day plants.

Long-day plants need 14 to 18 hours of light per day. Vegetables and most garden plants are long day, and get pale and stretched when they don't get enough light.

Day-neutral plants like geraniums, coleus and foliage plants are happy with eight to 12 hours of light throughout the year.

Kinds of grow lights. There are many kinds of artificial lights that will support plants indoors, from ordinary bulbs and tubes to super-efficient LED lights. Most are available in multiple color spectrums.

Fluorescent tubes put out three to four times the light of incandescent bulbs for the same energy. Their color frequencies run from reds to blues, so you can mix and match to suit your preferences. Full-spectrum or sunlight fluorescents are great for all plants and for starting plants from seeds. They're often even marketed as grow lights.

The newest technology for grow lights uses Light Emitting Diodes. LEDs are extremely energy efficient; they average 50,000 hours of useful operation, and generate very little heat, making them safe for plants and people. You'll spend a good bit more upfront but you can expect to save 40 percent to 75 percent on your energy costs.

Regardless of which kind of lighting system you use, rotate your plants one or more times each week to balance the amount of light each plant receives. Replace fluorescent tubes when the ends start to blacken to keep adequate light levels for your plants. Keep the plants far enough away from the light to prevent burning yet close enough to maximize the exposure these supplemental sources provide.

Philips goLITE BLU Energy Light Review

2011-12-22T18:48:00.001-08:00

You don't have to have been diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) to come down with the winter blues, or indeed to require some help waking up in the morning or keeping momentum during the day. Philips reckons it has the answer in the shape of the goLITE BLU HF3330/HF3332, a portable light lamp that promises to wake you up refreshed, buoy you during the day, and even help you say goodbye to jetlag. Ambitious claims from a box of LEDs: check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.

A 14 x 14 x 2.5 cm white plastic box, the goLITE BLU is fronted by a pair of panels: a sizable blue LED array on top, and a smaller, blue-backlit touchscreen underneath showing time, light settings and battery status. The only physical control is a power button on the right side; on the left is a socket for the included AC power adapter. Philips also throws in a set of international plug adapters.

A notch on the lower rear panel holds a metal rod, which can be slotted into a hole to prop the goLITE BLU up. Magnets keep the rod in place in both, and there's a faux-leather slip case for transporting the whole thing. Unfortunately there's only one possible angle at which you can stand the light unit at, rather than an adjustable base.

Setup is straightforward. Tapping the bell button sets the alarm, using the plus and minus buttons to adjust the time; the stopwatch icon sets the length of time the light is on for. Alarms can be either an audible tone or the LED lights, or a combination of both, while anything from 1 minute to an hour – in minute increments – can be set as the duration.

As well as waking up to light, you can trigger an impromptu session manually. Pressing the power button once turns on the touchscreen, and a second press turns on the LEDs; you can adjust the intensity – in 25-percent increments – and the length of time the goLITE BLU is on for.

A temporary pause in a session can be added by pressing the power button briefly, or turning the intensity down to zero, though if you leave it paused and running on battery power for over five minutes, the goLITE BLU will automatically power off.

Philips recommends 15 to 30 minutes of time in front of the light each day, initially starting off at 50-percent brightness and increasing if you don't notice a difference after a week. Rather than sitting directly in front of the LEDs, basking in their glow as you might a tanning lamp, Philips advises putting it off to one side so that it shines tangentially onto your face.

That, along with the limited angle options from the stand, can make finding the best position tricky, though it's easier if you're working at a desk at the time.

Instant results aren't promised, but the idea is that if you invest several weeks you can gain more energy, alleviate your mood or even help bypass jetlag. Using the goLITE BLU in the morning, when you first wake up, is supposed to make it easier to get out of bed, while a quick session in the middle of the day can, so Philips says, top up your energy levels when you more normally might be flagging.

Strides made at second meeting on Melnea Cass Blvd. design

2011-12-21T18:49:00.001-08:00

The Boston Transportation Department (BTD) held its second public meeting on the redesign of Melnea Cass Boulevard to create a more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly street while still accommodating car, truck and public transit traffic.

The BTD is the lead agency among a group of city and state agencies involved in the improvement project, to be funded by $600,000 in City of Boston funds and $7.5 million in federal earmarks and state funding. A team of consultants with expertise in transportation engineering, bicycle planning and landscape architecture has been engaged to help with the planning.

The BTD and the outside consultants for the project learned from this mistake, said BTD Senior Transportation Planner Patrick Hoey.

"We've set the reset button tonight, and we're going to get a fresh start," Hoey said. "We did our homework. We're going to put Melnea Cass Boulevard in its historical context this time."

Melnea Cass Boulevard was built in 1981 on one of the bulldozed paths. Running from Tremont Street near Ruggles Station to the Mass Turnpike Connector at Mass. Ave., today the boulevard is widely seen as a highway within the city, with fast-moving traffic and dangerous street crossings.

Now, the city wants to redesign the street with a new "complete streets" approach that emphasizes sustainability and a more pedestrian-centered approach.

After the slide presentation, attendees were divided into small groups — something that was on the agenda in the first meeting, but didn't come to pass — to brainstorm on improvement ideas. In one group, led by Keri Pyke, director of transportation planning at Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates and the Melnea Cass project's lead design consultant, attendees had a variety of suggestions.

"We're going to have to change the lighting," said one participant named Dan, pointing out how forbidding the area feels after dark for pedestrians.

"I appreciate bicycles," said one woman, "but for women with children, bicycle paths are not a priority. I want convenient access to public transit and a well-lit walkway."

State Rep. Byron Rushing, assigned to this group, said a dedicated lane for buses is needed, no matter what else comes into the design.

Group members agreed that traffic needs to be calmed with stoplights or prominent speed limit signs, and that crosswalks need to be improved or shortened.

Pyke asked what group members thought about adding on-street parking. This is a difficult issue, with some people feeling that businesses along the boulevard will depend on convenient parking, while others predicting problems with double-parking.

At the meeting's close, the design team gathered up the flip chart sheets full of ideas. The consultants clearly have their work cut out for them to create a cohesive design plan that melds the larger transit considerations with the public input. Discussions will continue after the holidays, with the next public meeting likely to be in late January or early February.

'Magic Vista' in Arnold neighborhood

2011-12-15T19:06:00.001-08:00

This holiday season, the Mago Vista community in Arnold should consider renaming itself "Magic Vista."

At a bend in the road at 425 Century Vista Drive, near Spriggs Court, there is a wondrous animated display of Christmas lights on the lawn of David Nibeck's house.

A tall inflatable Santa and a lit Nativity scene are set upon the grass. On the path near the split-level house, a wooden Ferris wheel whirls. Plush Christmas bears and other stuffed toys sit silently in the wooden bucket seats, illuminated with neon lights.

High on the front facade, a scoreboard ticks down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until Christmas Day.

But, that's not what draws people from the neighborhood and across the Broadneck Peninsula to see the house.

As a song plays through the outdoor speakers on the darkened lawn, a light flickers. Then, more begin to glow. Shapes appear to leap and tumble through the air.

Colors cross-fade, dim, twinkle and change rapidly. Small pine trees jump in place, and suddenly vaporize. Candy canes dance merrily.

"He's the Clark Griswold of Mago Vista," said neighbor Christie Barrett.

She's referring to the Chevy Chase character in the 1989 movie "Christmas Vacation," who envelops his house with strings of incandescent Christmas lights.

"My family likes to sit out front in our car and listen to the music," Barrett said. "Plus, I sneak by on my way home from work."

Some people hang out to watch the entire 30-minute show.

Inside, Nibeck and his three sons watch from the dining table in the front window. And smile.

Mason, the oldest at 16, is a junior at Broadneck High School. The 13-year-old twins are eighth-graders at Severn River Middle. Adam's the one with the buzz cut; Nicholas sports the Beiber look.

The display has more than 10,000 lights, most of which are LED bulbs. There are 64 channels, each controlled by a Light-O-Rama computer program that turns the illumination on and off and provides dramatic effects.

There are a dozen songs in the light show, most of them Christmas classics.

"Each song is specifically programmed for the lights," Nibeck said. "Each minute of music takes three hours to program. It takes me about 10 hours per song."

He broadcasts the songs through outdoor speakers nightly from 6 to 8 p.m. From 6 to 10 p.m. the transmission can also be heard via a radio. The show is nightly through Jan. 2. A sign advises passers-by where to tune in.

The light show almost put his lights out the first year.

"The energy usage when the bulbs were all incandescent was incredible," Nibeck said. "We quickly ran out of power in our house. We were tripping the circuit breakers." He soon switched to LED lights.

It takes Nibeck four weekends to set up the displays.

"He takes holiday decorating to a whole new level," said Amy McCarthy, who operates a licensed day-care center blocks away. "We go by every year.

A 1,000-watt smile for less

2011-12-13T21:09:00.001-08:00

Earlier this year, Rocky Mountain Power (RMP) requested a very large rate hike from the Wyoming Public Service Commission (PSC). Key businesses and every municipality in Natrona County lined up in opposition to the rate hike; the issues were largely reliability of service, dependability and, of course, costs.

Concessions were made on all sides (listen up Washington). And while the PSC didn't give RMP everything they requested, the cost of electricity in Wyoming went up somewhat significantly; there were frowns all around.

Richard Walje, President of RMP, said in a Casper Journal guest column last April that "annual increases in electricity prices are likely for the next decade." The 2012 hike request was announced on Dec 9. The new rate hike is smaller than last year's request and for different reasons.

It would add about $6 to the average monthly bill or about $72 per year. Projected over 10 years, the average electric customer should plan for an additional $60 per month, $720 per year, over what they're paying today for their household electricity.

It's no secret that energy costs are going up. In fact, the cost of energy has become a significant part of everyone's expenses. Not limited to vehicle fuel, home heating and lights, today we seem to consume energy 24/7, awake or asleep. I'm amazed how many charging and "on" lights I see in my house when the lights go off for the night.

So what can we consumers do beyond planning to pay for rising costs? The answer may be simple: figure out how to use less energy. Beyond the simple equation of use less-pay less, part of the reason energy costs go up is to generate or find more energy to meet higher demands. RMP said that's what this year's rate hike is for - generation.

It seems counter-intuitive for a company to encourage consumers to use less, but that's what Jeff Hymas, a media relations expert at RMP, said the company is doing. Hymas said that consumers' most expensive energy is when new generation facilities have to be built. So Hymas said RMP is encouraging consumers to use less electricity to avoid that scenario. And he said it can be easy.

I made some small changes at my house that seem to make Jeff's point. I replaced nine 65-watt bulbs (585 watts) in some recessed can lights with 14-watt compact fluorescent soft-white bulbs (126 watts). That's a 459-watt saving for me. And the light generated is virtually the same color and intensity.

Using LED Christmas tree lights was even more dramatic; from well over 200 watts to about 10 watts. And while the LED lights are brighter, they're also substantially cooler, making them safer on my real tree.

I'm happy about these possibilities. For one, I stand a chance of affording future electric bills. And if I can pay less today and possibly avoid a rate hike tomorrow, maybe I can turn on my 1,000-watt smile again.

Daily Online News

2011-12-12T19:36:00.005-08:00

Lighting and visuals rental company HSL supplied lighting equipment, LED video screens and crew to the recent UK leg of the Chase & Status No More Idols tour, where Neil Carson's high energy lighting was much appreciated.

Carson has worked for Chase & Status for the last two years. The band shares the same management team as Pendulum, another artist to whom HSL provides lighting.

However, this is the first time Carson has used HSL to supply both lighting and video - a process likely to happen increasing frequently following a recent major investment in Martin EC10 and EC20 LED screen product. "It makes things very straightforward dealing with one source for all these elements," says Carson.

The Chase & Status project was managed for HSL by Mike Oates, who says: "We always enjoy working with Neil. He has great imagination and flare and the Chase & Status show is exciting, atmospheric and a great fusion of lighting and video."

Carson designed the screen architecture - based on a central upstage block of EC10 in the middle, about 6m wide and 2.5 deep - flanked by three columns of EC20 at 5m, 4m and 3m high respectively, which added real depth and three-dimensionality to the stage. The modular design allowed it to be easily - and practically - reduced to fit into smaller venues, whilst ensuring aesthetic continuity.

Their video content is created by The Light Surgeons. In addition to animations and raw, edgy ambient sequences, on this leg of the tour it featured special footage of all the Chase & Status vocalists, who appeared onscreen for their songs - and sometimes onstage for real.

If you're wondering how much this has cost them, the McManus' said they've saved on electricity by switching to LED lights.

"We didn't have to replace a lot of lights because they last longer and use less energy," Pennington said.

The family said they try to be courteous to neighbors my making sure the display doesn't twinkle all night.

Playback was stored on an AI media server, triggered by timecode from the band at the start of the track. Carson could tweak parameters like the screen intensity from his Chamsys MagicQ 100 lighting desk to match the space and the variable daily configuration of the lighting rig.

HSL supplied 24 Clay Paky Sharpies - also a new addition to their hire stock. They were joined by 24 GLP Impression Zooms, which, like the Sharpies, were dotted all over the towers. They are among Carson's current favourite LED washes and were joined by 18 x 2-cell moles and 12 Atomic strobes.

On the deck were six Martin MAC 3K profiles, strung out along the back wall, used for powerful back lighting effects and highly effective silhouetting of the band. On boom stands upstage of the band were six i-Pix BB4 LED wash lights, six 2-cell Moles and six Atomic strobes.

Forget 3D, here comes the QD TV

2011-12-11T21:08:00.001-08:00

Researchers have developed a new form of light-emitting crystals, known as quantum dots, which can be used to produce ultra-thin televisions.

The tiny crystals, which are 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, can be printed onto flexible plastic sheets to produce a paper-thin display that can be easily carried around, or even onto wallpaper to create giant room-size screens.

The scientists hope the first quantum dot televisions – like current flat-screen TVs, but with improved colour and thinner displays – will be available in shops by the end of next year. A flexible version is expected to take at least three years to reach the market.

Michael Edelman, chief executive of Nanoco, a spin out company set up by the scientists behind the technology at Manchester University, said: "We are working with some major Asian electronics companies. The first products we are expecting to come to market using quantum dots will be the next generation of flat-screen televisions.

"Something else we are looking at is reels of wallpaper or curtains made out of a material that has quantum dots printed on it. You can imagine displaying scenes of the sun rising over a beach as you wake up in the morning."

Although Mr Edelman was unable to reveal which companies Nanoco are working with due to commercial agreements, it is believed that electronics giants Sony, Sharp, Samsung and LG are all working on quantum dot television technology.

Most televisions now produced have a liquid-crystal display (LCD) lit by light-emitting diodes (LED), with the screen two to three inches thick. Replacing the LEDs with quantum dots could reduce the thickness.

Shortages of rare earth elements needed in these displays have driven up production costs, driving electronics firms to look for new ways of making them. Quantum dots are made from cheaper semi-conducting materials that emit light when energised by electricity or ultraviolet light.

By changing the size of the crystals, the researchers found they can manipulate the colour of light they produce.

Placing quantum dots on top of regular LEDs can also help to produce a more natural coloured light and Nanoco working to produce new types of energy efficient light bulbs. They also hope to produce solar powered displays using quantum dots.

Professor Paul O'Brien, an inorganic materials chemist at the University of Manchester who helped top develop the quantum dot technology, said: "By altering the size of the crystals we are able to change the colour they produce.

"It is rather like when you twang a ruler on a desk and the noise changes, the same is happening with the light produced by the quantum dots.

"As the colours are very bright and need little energy it has generated huge excitement in the electronics industry – the quality of display they can produce will be far superior to LCD televisions."

45 Degrees moves into new downtown location

2011-12-08T21:37:00.001-08:00

Employees, customers and other local business owners joined Jeff Anderson, owner of 45 Degrees at a Nov. 29 Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony for downtown Stillwater retailer.

Formerly a few doors down on Main Street, 45 Degrees has just moved to a beautiful and newly renovated space that is 25 percent larger than their old space. Warm, inviting and full of natural light, the new space will actually use a quarter of the energy of their smaller store due to LED lighting they installed from Able Energy Co.

The move allows 45 Degrees an opportunity to better serve their customers by carrying a larger variety of high end, quality clothing and gear for the outdoor enthusiast. They offer footwear for all ages, as well as gear, gadgets and clothing for your next adventure or for enjoying the outdoors in any climate. 45 Degrees also offers snowshoe and cross country ski rentals and will be offering kayak rentals next spring.

Rubicon Technology, a vertically integrated producer of sapphire substrate wafers and products for the optical, RFIC, LED, semiconductor markets, has celebrated the first anniversary of its future-generation sapphire growth plant situated in Batavia, Illinois.

Sapphire crystals manufactured from the facility spanning 135,000. are converted into sapphire ingots and then into large diameter sapphire wafers for producing products including automotive lighting, tablets and smart phones, netbooks, laptops, HDTVs and LED-based lighting.

Rubicon Technology produces large sapphire crystals at its Batavia facility using proprietary, tailor-made furnaces that imitate the natural organic sapphire formation process. These crystals are then processed into large diameter wafers in the company's cutting and polishing plant located in Penang, Malaysia.

Rubicon Technology has so far delivered over 200,000 6" sapphire wafers to the RFIC and LED markets. In LED manufacturing, the transformation to large diameter wafers has been initiated at the LED production level. Various major LED chip producers have declared proposals to shift to large diameter wafers in the fiscal period 2011-2012.

The cost and process benefits of large diameter sapphire wafers help the LED industry to cut down costs and prices of LED.

The President and Chief Executive Officer at Rubicon Technology, Raja Parvez stated that with the company's proprietary crystal growth process, the Batavia facility has been constantly delivering superior-quality, high-yield sapphires and is key to the company's dominance in offering high-yield, superior-quality, large-diameter sapphire wafers to the LED market.

Fire brings down 56-foot Christmas tree at Lucena park

2011-12-07T21:02:00.001-08:00

The Quezon provincial government's 56-foot-tall Christmas tree festooned with coconut husks and multi-colored lights at the Perez Park here caught fire late Tuesday afternoon. Ironically, combustible coconut husks were used to symbolize the province's efforts to revive the ailing coconut industry.

A provincial official said the fire occurred at around 5:20 p.m. just as early evening park visitors were starting to arrive at the provincial capitol grounds to take photos of the giant Christmas tree.

"The one in charge of the Christmas tree put on the switch for the lights to accommodate the request of park visitors when suddenly it caught fire as soon as it was switched on," Rowell Radovan, chief of the province general services office, said in an interview Wednesday morning.No one was hurt, he added.

Citing an initial investigation report by firemen, Radovan said the fire was caused by a short circuit triggered by wet wires connecting the 300 sets of "outdoor Christmas lights" after a heavy rain.

"Apparently, there was a short circuit in the connection. But it was an accident," Radovan said.

Radovan said strong winds also contributed to the fire which, according to witnesses, lasted only for about five minutes as firemen quickly put it the fire out before it could spread to several tents put up around the tree for what was to be a three-day Christmas bazaar and trade fair.

The traditional switching-on of Temple Square's multitude of Christmas lights happens Friday night, Nov. 25, at Temple Square and the adjoining campus of the Church Office Building.

Church officials said the lights go on automatically a bit after dusk, which is at 5:03 p.m. on Friday. There is no set time for the lights to switch on.

Meanwhile at the Gallivan Plaza, 239 S. Main St., the Downtown Alliance will throw its "Lights On!" celebration on Friday night.

The festivities start at 4:45 with the One Voice children's choir, as well as elves on stilts, and free cookies courtesy of Harmon's grocery stores.

"The fire happened very fast," Radovan said. Only the frames made from coconut lumber were left standing.

The giant holiday display, with a Nativity scene at its base, was first opened to the public last Monday evening, which coincided with the start of the three-day Christmas bazaar and trade fair.

Radovan said the Christmas display was a "labor of love" by provincial officials and employees, coconut farmers and the Philippine Coconut Authority.

"Some of our employees volunteered to help in the construction. The farmers helped in dehusking and grating the coconut meat prior to its adornment. The PCA donated the coconuts," Radovan said.He added: "The giant coconut Christmas tree symbolized our common aspirations to rehabilitate the ailing coconut industry."He also said that most of the Christmas lights were donations from businessmen, civic groups, employees and provincial officials.

Radovan said he will immediately meet with all concerned provincial offices for the design and construction of a new Christmas tree.

"As soon as the cleaning of the debris is finished, we will immediately start erecting the new one. But it will no longer be adorned with coconuts. Maybe, just a steel pole and wires," he said.

Try these easy ways to cut your energy bill

2011-12-06T19:45:00.000-08:00

Energy-efficient improvements not only make your home more comfortable but they can yield long-term financial rewards and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air. Here are a few tips on small changes you can start making today:

Turn off your lights. Be mindful about shutting lights off when you leave a room. If you have a forgetful family member or roommate, paste reminders on the switch plates or consider installing motion-detector switches. Also, replace your bulbs with CFL or LED lights.

Install Energy Star ceiling fans in the rooms you use most often. They'll help keep you cool in summer while your AC works less or not at all. In winter, switch them to turn clockwise to circulate the warm air rising up to the ceiling back down into the room.

The refrigerator is one of the biggest energy users in your home, especially if it was made before 1993. Clean the coils on your fridge every six months to keep it running efficiently and take up unused space inside the fridge with jugs of water, which hold in the cold better.

Use a programmable thermostat. Nearly half of U.S. homes already have a programmable thermostat. Dig out that owner's manual and learn how to use yours to maximize the efficiency of your heating and cooling systems. Program your thermostat to turn itself down or off when you're sleeping or at work or school.

Using your dishwasher instead of washing dishes by hand can save water in some cases. But if you let the dry cycle run, you're wasting energy and money. Skip the drying cycle and let your dishes air-dry. Newer, more effective dishwashers allow you to skip the step of pre-rinsing your dishes before you load them in the dishwasher.

Upgrade your appliances because appliances use 20 percent of the energy in the average U.S. home. When it's time to buy new appliances, look for the most efficient Energy Star model you can find.

Eliminate phantom loads. Many electronics suck energy even when they're turned off, such as that little clock on your microwave when it's not in use. Unplug your electronics or plug them into a power strip and switch it to off to save on phantom loads.

Plug air leaks around doors and windows with caulk and weather stripping. Also consider putting up insulating curtains or installing storm windows to further cut down on heat loss in winter. Get a home energy audit to help pinpoint your biggest energy losses in the home.

Washing clothes in cold water gets them just as clean as hot and cuts your washer's energy use in half. Drying your clothes on an outdoor clothesline or indoor rack can save around $100 in energy costs every year. Water and energy use are intertwined, producing energy uses water and providing clean drinking water requires energy. Take steps to conserve water everywhere in your home.

When you are ready to replace your hot water heater, consider switching to an on-demand or tankless system. These units heat water when you need it, rather than constantly heating a tank of water to be ready for use. Also, turn you water heater down by 10 degrees.

Lighting Niagara Falls has long, colorful history

2011-12-05T19:41:00.001-08:00

You can't take a boat ride into the roar and spray of Niagara Falls in the winter, but this time of year offers a different spectacle: Nighttime illumination of the falls in a changing array of colors — red, white, blue, purple, orange, amber and green.

In spring and summer, the colored lights shine for just three hours, but with less daylight in winter, curtains of color wash over the falls each night for up to seven hours.

Crowds gather along the sidewalk and railing on Niagara Parkway to see the show as mist rises from the falls and basin in front of them; others watch from the windows of hotels and restaurants on the Canadian side.

The display starts with patriotic themes — red, white and blue for the American Falls, red and white for the horseshoe-shaped Canadian Falls — and frequently includes colors to honor a cause. When Niagara Falls hosted the first wedding following New York's legalization of same-sex marriage in July, Mayor Paul Dyster arranged for a rainbow of colors, the symbol of gay pride. On Nov. 16, the falls were lit by white light for 15-minute stretches for lung cancer awareness, a request made by Christine Dwyer, who founded a group called Make Some Noise for Lung Cancer Awareness after losing her best friend to the disease.

"I think it validates us a bit," said Dwyer, of Becket, Mass. She said supporters sent her emails after the lighting saying, "I heard about this, I'm in tears, I'm so grateful."

"I never get tired of it," Gordon, 80, said one night in November, the start of his busy season, when fewer daylight hours mean longer nights to light.

The best views come on crisp winter nights, Gordon said, when the mist is transformed to sparkling ice crystals that catch the soft colors.

For the past year, Gordon and Mann have used a relatively new technology to control the lights — computerized touch screens. But the history of Niagara's illumination goes back more than 150 years. The falls were lit for the first time at 10 p.m. on Sept. 14, 1860, when 200 lights like those used to signal for help at sea were put in place for a visit from the Prince of Wales. Electricity was first used in 1879. An Illumination Tower, still used today, was built in 1899.

Colors appeared in 1907 when gelatin films were included in a 36-light system near the base of the gorge designed by General Electric Co. of Schenectady. Workers, including Peter Gordon's father, were paid $3 a night to change the gels when a foreman shouted cues.

The Niagara Falls Illumination Board, a cross-border body established in 1925, has kept the lights on most nights since with a few exceptions. They were turned off during World War II, for example, to conserve power.

But then there's that million-dollar view. After changing the lights' colors on the touchscreen, the controller can see the result 15 seconds later by looking out the windows or stepping through a door to a platform outside where the lights are mounted.

On the face of the waterfalls, colors fade to white as the next colored gel covers the spotlight and a new hue spills with the water over the falls. With each color change, it's as if someone has dumped dye into the river above as it careens over the edge to the rocks below.

The 4,000-watt spotlights burn with a combined brilliance of 8.2 billion candles, about what NASA used to light the runway for night space shuttle landings. Gordon staggers the lights to avoid repeating color combinations, changing them as often as every five minutes to keep things fresh for tourists milling across the street below.

Firefighters urge residents to stay safe this holiday season

2011-12-04T20:54:00.001-08:00

Holiday decorations make things merry and bright, and local firefighters hope to help families stay safe so they can enjoy them this season.

He said people can keep their live trees safe by cutting a few inches off the bottom of the trunk to ensure the tree gets enough water.

"Squeeze the needles in your hand, and if they come off, it's too dry," he said. "And, don't use candles around a tree."

Jack Spurgeon, assistant fire chief in Bristol, Tenn., said live Christmas trees shouldn't be too near a heat source.

He also said people shouldn't put tree branches into a fireplace or woodstove, as that creates a danger of flying sparks and embers.

"And, don't throw wrapping paper in the fireplace," he said, for the same reason.

Both fire officials suggest that people have their chimneys inspected by a professional before lighting the first roaring fire of the season.

"The only thing a [homeowner] can do is look at the firebox to make sure [ there are] no loose mortars, but as far as seeing up the flue, there are professionals that can do that," Spurgeon said.

Lights are also potential dangers and should be inspected before installed, Spurgeon said.

"Check the wiring for any frayed wires," he said. "Any kink areas will generate a lot of heat buildup. And if you pile the lights up as you're stringing them, and they're on, that will generate a lot of heat."

Bolling said consumers should look for UL-approved light sets, as they've been tested for risk of fire and electric shock. He said LED lights are safer because they're usually not as hot as older light sets.

"When you use the lights, don't leave them on when you're not home," he said. "And as for extension cords, don't overburden them and make sure you're home when using it."

There is a spike in fires this time of year, Bolling said, mostly because people are turning their heat on for the first time in months.

"People turn the knob down [in their wall heaters] thinking it's off – they're not off," he said. "Every year in the first cold snap we'll find the wall heater will turn on and ignite something [people have set] in front of it. People need to keep a 3 foot clearance around heating systems."

Spurgeon said there are more kitchen fires during this time of year, too – from Thanksgiving to New Year's – because food is a big part of the season and people are likely to cook for families that visit.

Both stressed the importance of smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors.

Bolling said carbon monoxide can leak into homes when appliances that burn fossil fuels – gas heaters, wood stoves, gas furnaces – burn incompletely.

"It's colorless and odorless," he said. "You won't know it's there. Often there are flu-like symptoms, if you feel bad and move into fresh air and it goes away, you've got a problem."

Carbon monoxide is also a problem in garages attached to homes, he said. Those want to start the car so it can war up should move it outside the garage, he added.

Light up!

2011-12-01T19:47:00.001-08:00

Dust off your Santa statues, make sure all the batteries in your electric holiday trinkets are good to go and be sure to plug in your lights to see if they're all working and blinking.

And if you've always wanted to decorate your home on the outside in the spirt of the Christmas season, go ahead. Chances are small that you'll see your festive actions on your December electric bill.

"Bigger things that affect the bills in December have to do with electric heating. A lot of people in town plug in strip heaters to supplement their gas for instance," Bob Stevenson, general manager at the Hannibal Board of Public Works, said. "That probably has a way bigger effect on electric bills than the lights."

However, unless you decorate like Clark Griswald (from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation) or John Freiling of rural Hannibal, you will see a spike in your electric bill.

Freiling, who does technical work for the James O'Donnell Funeral Home, sets up a half-mile home display along Carrs Lane each Christmas season. It's run entirely by computer and he has his own FM station for drivers to listen to as they pass by.

"In my case, it definitely goes up," Freiling said. "We put up almost half a million lights, so our bill goes up from an average $250 to almost $1,000."

And even though Freiling's many illuminated displays, trails of messages and candy canes raises his electric bill, he said it's an increase he said he doesn't mind at all.

Stevenson said those getting into the holiday spirit shouldn't worry about their own bills when it comes to decorating outside.

"A hundred-watt strand of lights will burn for about 10 hours for nine cents. If you had 100 of those strands around your house — which would be a lot — it'd be $9 an hour," Stevenson said. "A hundred watts for an hour is 9/10 of a cent. So if you had 10 of those strands, you'd have 1000 watts. It's really pretty cheap."
It's also the choice of Christmas lights that can result in different energy usage numbers.

"The way to go nowadays is LED," Freiling said. "They use about 10 percent of a regular light bulb. Your miniature light bulbs would be next and then the worst offenders are the C-7s and the C-9s. A C-9 is the old fashioned outdoor type of light and a C-7's kind of the old fashioned indoor.

"The LEDs are much better. They don't fade, the light they generate is pure light and it actually generates that color of light. They last for a long time and there's filament in them, so if you drop the bulb it's not going to hurt it."

EMPORIA KME PUMPER PRESS RELEASE

2011-11-30T21:11:00.001-08:00

The Emporia Volunteer Fire Dept. serves the City of Emporia as well as the majority of rural Greensville County Virginia. The city is located at the crossroads of southeastern Virginia with U.S. Highway 58 passing thru the locality from the east and west and I-95 / U.S. 301 from the north and south. The volunteer fire department provides both fire suppression and extrication services for these major thoroughfares as well as the remainder of the city and county as well as mutual aid areas in neighboring Southampton, Sussex, and Brunswick counties.

To better serve this mission, the department has recently taken delivery of a new KME pumper tanker apparatus has some unique features to make the job easier for the volunteers. The KME Predator Panther Long Four Door custom cab and chassis drive train consist of a Cummins ISL 450 horsepower engine and an Allison EVS4000 series automatic transmission with heavy duty 1810 series drive line system.

The KME cab which is third party tested and certified to the latest ECE integrity and crash standards, is designed to be the safest and highest tested cab in the fire industry to date. The seating provides for six firefighters with five SCBA seats and body fender compartments for up to eleven spare air cylinders.

The pumping system consist of a Waterous Model CSU 2250 GPM pump that is U.L. certified at 1750 GPM for years of use. To provide intake water to the pump, there is a 6" intake on each side as well as at the front bumper area. For maximizing the flow from the on board 1250 gallon water tank, there is a 4" high capacity tank to pump piping with electrically controlled Akron 4" ball valve.

Multiple front bumper, side, and rear discharges are provided as well as three vertically stacked 2" speedlays with pull-out hose packing trays for ease of reloading. An Akron "Apollo Hi-Riser" deck gun is provided on the top side deck gun piping with a compliment of automatic and straight bore tip nozzles and a portable ground base.

The apparatus has a 1250 gallon water tank as well as a 40 gallon Class-A foam tank and a Class-B foam tank system. The foam tanks will supply the Foam Pro Model 3012 high capacity A/B electronic injection foam system with foam concentrates from permitting the unit to have five preconnect discharges foam or water capable for general firefighting as well as on Class B hydrocarbon and polar solvent fuels.

A high output warning system is provided on the unit for ultimate protection while responding and while on the scene. The Whelen LED upper and lower light bar system as well as an LED Rota-Ray light on the cab grille area provide maximum low current draw lighting. As for audible alerting equipment, there is a Whelen electronic siren, Federal Q2B mechanical siren and Hadley "Emergency" air horns.

For enhanced scene illumination, there are two Fire Research Evolution 150 watt LED 12 volt "brow" lights mounted on the front roof area of the cab, a 9000 watt Wilburt light tower mounted on the cab roof, and four 1500 watt semi-recessed flood lights in the sides of the primary hose bed. For remote electrical operations, there is a Hannay 200 foot electric rewind booster reel with junction box. The A.C. lighting on the vehicle is powered by way of a Harrison 15,000 watt hydraulic generator system.

Potentially disruptive AC-LEDs

2011-11-29T21:47:00.000-08:00

Novel AC-LED products have the potential to complicate the driver market. In its purest form, the AC-LED eliminates the driver, using the diode features of the LED to replace conventional diodes. Other designs use some basic components to limit the current, but sparingly. If highly successful, the AC-LED could make some LED lighting products – such as replacement bulbs – more competitive and greatly expand the LED-lighting market. Such a move could be good for both the LED industry and the end users, but would displace potential driver sales for those products.

However, we expect that AC-LEDs will have an impact only in certain product segments. In replacement bulbs, the pressure to innovate is so high that the AC-LED is just one of several novel solutions, and there is no room for older, less-innovative designs. Consequently, there are plenty of opportunities for everyone.

The high-voltage LED (HV-LED) is another buzz word but it will have minimal impact on the driver market. LED-based products commonly use long strings of LEDs in series. Until recently, the LEDs have been packaged in discrete packages and assembled together in the luminaire or lamp.

An HV-LED integrates the LED string onto the same chip or within the same package, gaining some advantages for the customer. It means little to the driver design, other than the usual considerations for the LED load that impacts every product design.

Estimates for IC pricing also complicate the forecast. It's obvious that IC prices decline over time as volumes increase and margins shrink. What's not as clear is the effect on the average price of changes in the product mix.

New products can appear at much higher prices than more-mature products in the same category, but can earn the difference via savings in component count or improved LED performance. The new products may be priced higher because they use a larger chip that takes up more wafer area, because they use a more expensive foundry process, or simply because they deliver more value, and can earn greater margin for the chip supplier.

Temporary oversupply or shortages of products within the supply chain – such as driver ICs, LEDs, or the end products – also create fluctuations in prices. We ignore these short-term fluctuations; in our studies we focus on the underlying medium-term trends in demand and technology.

LEDs are relatively uniform and easy to understand – compared to drivers. As one supplier said, explaining drivers requires a deep dive, but few customers have the patience or expertise to listen for very long. Yet, with some patience, LED drivers can be appreciated as a critical partner to LEDs, which garner so much attention.

Tom Hausken is Director of the Components Practice at Strategies Unlimited, a market research firm based in Mountain View, California. The company's most recent market-research report on LED Driver ICs was published in June 2011.

What's So "Smart" About a Smart Home?

2011-11-28T22:24:00.001-08:00

One of the biggest challenges in our country is to conserve our energy supply. Energy, usually starting in the form of natural gas or other fossil fuels, is burned or converted to electricity to supply heating, cooling, illumination, and other household conveniences.

It is estimated that an average home wastes about 30% of the energy used for heating and cooling due to poor household insulation. The U. S. Department of Energy estimates an annual cost of about $1,900 per household in lost energy savings. And that doesn't count the energy we use for lighting, appliances, computers, video games, and many other things we might take for granted.

So, what have the designers of SmartHome Cleveland done to address these and other environmental challenges? They have incorporated a variety of technologies to reduce this home's heating and cooling demands to about 10% of that required by the average home, and they have reduced the need for primary energy consumption to about 30% of that used in the average home. Let's take a closer look at some of these technologies and the strategies to employ them.

The first design principle was to create an air-tight system of super insulation. This involved installing an insulated concrete foundation and walls one foot thick that use a combination of synthetic foams and natural cellulose. High-performance triple-pane windows seal in the heat and keep out the cold. Even the joists and beams in the house's construction were insulated to prevent conduction of the home's heat to the outside. Even the little bit of heat that would normally escape to the outside is channeled back into the incoming air.

Large windows with a southern exposure are used to allow the sun's heat energy into the home during the winter. Instead of a furnace, the SmartHome uses the sun's heat energy and a small, ductless, air-source heat pump to provide winter heating. The inside-outside air exchange in the house is rated at about 0.6 changes per hour.

A typical home exchanges its internal air supply with the outside about 3 to 6 times per hour. By comparison, a drafty, poorly-insulated home might be exchanging its complete air system with the outside as much as 20 times per hour! In northeast Ohio, with winters averaging about 30 degrees Fahrenheit, you can calculate that you might have to heat a poorly insulated house 33 times for every 1 time in the SmartHome!

A solar panel array and a storage/conversion system provide the home's electricity. Enough electricity is generated to power the heating-cooling-ventilation system and the energy-efficient appliances and LED lighting. The large southern windows also provide a special kind of directional shading. In the summer, when the sun is higher in the sky and more heat energy is concentrated in the northern hemisphere, the shading reflects the sun's rays back toward the outside. The heat pump, insulated walls, and roof also help to maintain a comfortable summer temperature.

Outside the house, the roof, a rain garden, and pervious pavement channels up to 500 gallons of rain water and storm runoff to a storage cistern and irrigation system. This reduces the demand on the city sewer system and provides recycled water used to keep the shade trees, lawn, and garden plants healthy during the hot Ohio summer.

Paying for a little holiday cheer: Christmas Decor will do the job

2011-11-27T19:15:00.001-08:00

Slippery shingles may provide the best rationalization ever for using the services of a company like Christmas Decor, which puts up lights for homeowners and businesses eager to brighten up the holiday season. It can be dangerous up on the house top.

"There are plenty of customers [who] have us just for the roof lights," said Alex Wettach, sales manager and designer for the Gibsonia operation that has had crews out daily for weeks now putting up lights and wreaths on homes in the Pittsburgh region.

But even the ranks of homeowners who want more done have grown since the franchise operation launched five years ago as a seasonal fill-in for E.L.F. Entertainment, a 15-year-old business that helps with school field days, manages inflatables for the Pittsburgh Pirates and sets up photo booths at parties.

The Christmas Decor franchise expects to decorate about 150 homes across the area this season, up from about 50 homes the first year, said Laura Rodavich, vice president of sales and marketing.

Still, she said, such a niche business can be a valuable sideline for seasonal businesses that need revenue during the holiday season. To make it work, she said, businesses probably need to cultivate neighborhoods where decorating is the norm. In addition, she suggested, scaled pricing might make the service affordable for homeowners who might be attracted to the convenience and the time savings.

Or perhaps offering services like, say, being willing to do just the roof and bringing along a 40-foot ladder.

"They come out in all types of weather," said Denise Brown, whose Collier home backing up on the Nevillewood golf course was swarmed recently by a team of guys wearing dark blue hoodies with "Decor Team" on the back. The decorating crew had draped a 20-foot-plus door in greenery and were busily wrapping white light strands around trees.

This is the third or fourth year that Christmas Decor has done the Browns' house. The homeowners hadn't used a service before. "We look forward to it every year," said Ms. Brown, who added that she loves the look of the lights at night.

Business has grown pretty steadily every year, said Ms. Rodavich, even through the depths of the recession. "Some people did cut back, while others went forward," she said.

The company that sells the franchises was started in the 1980s by a Lubbock, Texas, landscaper who didn't have enough business between October and January. It began franchising in the mid-1990s and now claims to have more than 350 franchisees.

Although its materials claim a franchise can be set up for about $5,000, costs seem likely to add up. The Gibsonia franchise owned by Maury Frankel, which also has a 3-year-old sibling, Nite Decor, doing year-round landscape lighting, buys LED lights for each customer's house and then stores them during the off-season in labeled bins. After three years, the materials are all replaced to reduce issues with wear and tear.

If a customer decides to do something different after a year or two -- try colorful lights, for example -- the company buys the needed strands.

That doesn't seem to happen very often.

One Christmas movie has left an indelible impression on many Americans. In "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," the father sets up a gaudy display of lights. The effect is dumbfounding and, as the Wikipedia summary puts it, causes a power drain at the local nuclear power plant.

Energy Efficient Lighting for Commercial Markets

2011-11-24T21:19:00.003-08:00

For more than 130 years, the world has relied on variations of incandescent and gas-discharge lamps to illuminate commercial buildings. With the rise of the general-illumination white LED lighting only a few years ago, the lighting industry is experiencing its first revolutionary change since the commercialization of the fluorescent lamp in the 1930s.

As the semiconductor and software industries converge on the traditional lighting world, Pike Research expects that the lighting industry will see more change in the next five years than in the previous 50. By the end of our 10-year outlook, LED solid state lighting will not only capture over 50% of the global market, but the extraordinary lifetimes of these lamps will drive a steady decline in the commercial lamp market despite a steadily growing base of new buildings and access to electricity in emerging countries.

Today's market includes a flurry of start-ups and global giants spending the vast majority of their development resources on putting the LED payback period on par with that of fluorescent. Not only are LED costs projected to decline rapidly, but each year those projections are accelerated; an indication that the rate of change continues to be underestimated.

But for at least the next several years, LEDs are out of reach for the general illumination market and are seeing early success in niche markets and applications. For the mass energy efficiency market, the most influential market drivers are energy codes, rebates and incentives, all of which raise the minimum standards and effectively pare out the least efficient - such as incandescent lamps.

On the cutting edge of efficiency, certifications such as the USGBC's LEED, publicly funded projects, and those supported by conservationists are raising the bar on high standards and pulling energy code requirements up in the process.

This Pike Research report describes the key factors that are influencing the market for energy efficient lighting around the world: trends in energy codes, rebate and subsidy programs, sustainability/green certifications, raw material supply issues, geopolitical influences in developing and developed nations, and more.

The report describes the influence of industry structure, key applications, and the many technology issues involved in the decision to specify various lighting technologies. Comprehensive unit and dollar forecasts are presented through 2021, segmented by application, lamp type/LED, luminaires, and geographic region.

Lyme Regis: Get into the Christmas spirit at lights switch-on

2011-11-23T22:40:00.001-08:00

ORGANISERS are encouraging the Lyme Regis community to get into the Christmas spirit for the big lights switch-on this Satur-day.

The annual lantern parade through Broad Street and the lighting up of the town's tree will kick off the festive period.

In the following weeks leading up to Christmas, every Friday will be late night shopping to encourage residents to support their local businesses and bring in people from elsewhere to shop in the town.

Events start at 3pm on Saturday with a free lantern-making workshop for children at the Baptist Church.

All the entries – made at home or at the workshop – will be judged in nine categories at 4.30pm, with the Starlight Cup awarded to the best entry from the workshop and the Lymelight Cup going to the best overall entry.

The Lyme Regis Majorettes will lead the lantern parade from the Baptist Church at 5.15pm, and Father Christmas (Dave Causley) will be going via fire engine.

Town Mayor Sally Holman and Christmas Lights Committee chairman Barbara Austin will turn on the lights at the Shambles, Broad Street, at 5.30pm.

Mrs Austin said: "It should be a good evening and I hope for good weather.

"It's a good start to Christmas and I hope people will turn out and support us.

"Although times are hard at the moment, hopefully it will put people in the Christmas spirit."

She also praised the traders who have contributed to the display.

The initiative has been backed by a 2,000 Business Support Grant from West Dorset District Council, and Lyme Regis Town Council decided the money should be spent in this way.

A remaining 1,000 will help promote Lyme as a cruise ship destination.

Town councillor Rikey Austin, vice-chairman of the tourism and advertising sub-committee and owner of Alice's Bear Shop in Broad Street, is one of the lead organisers.

She said: "With the wonderful energy and ideas coming from our local businesses and an unbeatable setting we think we're at the beginning of a Christmas tradition that will grow and grow."

Events adding to the festive atmosphere will include hot chestnuts for sale, carol singing, a ‘Spot the Reindeer' competition in show windows, performers from the Marine Theatre entertaining in the streets, and appearances from Father Christmas.

Traders will be decorating their shops and the best dressed window will be chosen by Town Mayor Sally Holman and win 100, to be judged on Friday December 23.

LYME Regis Museum will be hosting a big lights switch-on of its own this Saturday.

A new lighting system has been installed and everyone is invited to see the museum's exhibits in a new light, with mulled wine and mince pies, from 6pm following the town's switch-on.

Starry Nights Returning to Shelby Farms

2011-11-22T21:21:00.001-08:00

Memphis, Tn - First Tennessee Starry Nights returns to Shelby Farms Park in 2011 with new features designed to create a memorable holiday experience for the whole family.

The event will run from November 25 - December 30, and will feature dozens of enormous holiday displays illuminated with more than a million environmentally friendly LED lights.

This year, visitors can see the show in a whole new light with horse-drawn Starry Carriage Rides and Starry Hayrides. The Parks Woodland Discovery Playground has been transformed into the shows newest exhibit and the home of the magical Mistletoe Village. And for the first time, tickets are available for pre-purchase online!

ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS AT THE MISTLETOE VILLAGE
Kids and families can have portraits made with Santa at the Mistletoe Village, sponsored by Boyle Investments. With fire pits for roasting smores, munchies and hot cocoa at the Holiday Cafe, live performances by carolers, choirs and bands, new park merchandise and collectibles for sale and fun features like the Harrahs Gingerbread Corner, the Mistletoe Village has something for everyone.

On Saturdays and Sundays in December from 1pm-5pm, children can decorate gingerbread people at Harrahs Gingerbread Corner in the Mistletoe Market ($8 per child to decorate a gingerbread person, limit one per child per day). He's best known for his 2006 creation of the worlds largest gingerbread house, which was an astounding 67 feet tall (free to attend, $8 per child to decorate, limit one per child per day).

GET A DISCOUNT ON THEME NIGHTS
Tacky Holiday Sweater Night, Biker Night, and Decorate You Car Night are a few of the fun Theme Nights SFPC has added to the event, giving visitors a chance to have some fun and earn a discount on their car tickets at the same time. A full list of theme nights is available on the event website. Discounts apply only to standard $20 car tickets and must be taken at the gate the night of the show (discounts cannot be taken on pre-purchased tickets).

RUN, WALK, BIKE NIGHTS
Monday evenings in December are reserved and designated for non-vehicular use like bicycling, walking, and other features for Run, Walk, Bike nights.

SOUNDS OF STARRY NIGHTS
Starry Nights will once again have a musical soundtrack, featuring local musicians coordinated by Dean Deyo of Memphis Music Foundation. Visitors can tune into a special radio station once they enter the Park to hear holiday music.

EVENT DATES AND HOURS
Starry Nights will open at Shelby Farms Park the day after Thanksgiving, November 25, and will run each evening until December 30, open from 6-9pm Sunday through Thursday and 6-10pm Friday and Saturday. The Mistletoe Village will be open each night during show hours, plus 1pm-5pm on Saturday and Sunday. Carriage Rides and Hayrides are available Sunday-Thursday only.

2013 Volkswagen CC: Mid-Size Luxury Sedan Debuts At 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show

2011-11-21T23:50:00.001-08:00

Now that the 2013 Volkswagen CC mid-size luxury sedan has officially made its debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, we're pleased to note that the actual four-door coupe looks even better up close and personal.

MotorAuthority was all over the scene at the show, and the live photos from the floor show off the latest iteration of the CC.

Since we previewed the new CC a bit earlier, here we'll just pass along some of the specifics gleaned from its auto show debut.

The front and rear body sections of the CC have been reworked with the twin goals of making them look more elegant and yet muscular. Of note in the front grille are the three chrome bars that bear a styling resemblance to the Passat.

Seating for five – As befitting a mid-size luxury family car, the interior of the new CC has been modified to seat five passengers. This is accomplished by way of a bench seat in the rear, instead of two individual bucket seats. VR6 models sport engineered ebony trim, replacing the Zebrano trim in other CCs.

More standard features – Added standard features include Bi-Xenon headlights, LED taillights, LED license-plate illumination and bigger side-sill flares. Optional on CC Sport and standard on all other CC models are LED daytime running lights and the Adaptive Front Lighting system that turns up the beams by 15 degrees for increased visibility around corners. New standard features for the 2013 CC include front head restraints that adjust fore-and-aft and up-and-down. Also new is remote latching for the rear seatback. Both sections of the split seatback can be easily unlatched by using levers mounted under the rear shelf on the right and left sides of the trunk.

2.0T Sport Plus – Slotting above the base 2.0T Sport, the 2.0T Sport Plus adds Bi-Xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights and Adaptive Front Lighting system, new 18-inch Mallory wheels with all-season 235/40 tires and the RNS 315 navigation system

Power for all --2.0T models comes from a 200-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injected TSI four-cylinder engine.

V6 Lux – Another new model in the CC lineup, the V6 Lux is powered by a 280-horsepower 3.6-liter VR6 engine paired with a six-speed DRG dual-clutch automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. Other standard features in V6 Lux include a rearview camera, headlight-washing system with heated nozzles, the RNS 510 navigation system with 6.5-inch touchscreen, leather seating surfaces, ventilated front seats, memory seating and mirrors, "Interlagos" 18-inch wheels, and engineered ebony trim.

Available in six models: 2.0T Sport, 2.0T Sport Plus, 2.0T R-Line, 2.0T Lux, V6 Lux, and VR6 4Motion Executive, the 2013 Volkswagen CC will go on sale in the spring of 2012. All 2.0T models and the V6 Lux are front-wheel drive. Only the VR6 4Motion Executive is all-wheel drive.

Raleigh 2012 bikes: steel Clubman breaks cover

2011-11-20T22:28:00.001-08:00

Our recent invitation to the Hillingdon racing circuit to see the Raleigh 2012 carbon road bikes bought to light that they were planning to offer in the UK a selection from the very interesting steel-based niche machines developed for the US market. One in particular, the Clubman which our Dave only saw as images and a spec list really caught his eye inclined as he is to bashing off the odd hilly Century on finely-wrought steel. This week Raleigh came good on their promise to show us the first one that arrived.

It seems odd that the company celebrating next year their foundation in Nottingham in 1887 should be focusing attention on America but that's been the apparent priority these last few years as they've clawed back a place for themselves in the world's largest bike market and upon which the strength of the brand is necessarily based.

The fact that Raleigh's heritage is partly based on what the Americans used to call "English Racers" isn't doing them any harm at all now that road bikes, 'Gran Fondo' rides and commuting to work are back on the Stateside agenda.

In what might be called 'carbon racing' they're as up against it as any company in that scary field where balancing the tightrope of low weight, competitive price, sufficient strength and the dreaded lateral stiffness/vertical compliance is the stuff of a bike company product manager's nightmares.

In the area where customers are looking for something else - certain undefinable aspects filed under 'character' - as well as extremely measurable features like price, longer-term performance and the ability to be repaired by a blacksmith up a track in the Gironde, the Raleigh folks can call on in-house memory; they haven't had to reinvent the wheel, as it where.

Despite the tradional-handling geometry, the modish sloping top tube will please bike shops used to sizing customers on mountain bikes and help riders with a comfortable, slightly raised front end. In short, Clubman looks like it should be great for everything except actual racing, heavy touring or traversing muddy fields. If you're the sort that plans on riding 5,000 - 10,000 road miles next year, mostly commuting with longer weekend rides, you'd likely have a very satisfactory year on a Clubman and just need to change the chain, cassette, tyres and brake blocks ready for another year.

OK, the Reynolds 520 cro-mo tubing isn't the lightest but neither are the fitted Vittoria 25mm tyres and Brooks Swift saddle; this is about going faster for longer and in comfort. The important thing is that the whole package comes in under the grand at 950 and we guarantee that if you bought this as a first proper road bike and later graduated to some flighty seducer for big rides, you could still be happily doing most of your daily mileage on this Clubman years later.

Up-to-date components like Shimano's latest 2x10-speed Tiagra transmission with a 50/34 crankset and 12-30 cassette will surely be appreciated for their deft shiftability, spares availability and interchangeability in the long run; that's a lot of abilities. Older touches to complement that saddle are traditional metal mudguards and looped stainless 'guard stays although we're less certain about how practical those painted 'guards are but, hey, they're going to look good in the showroom to match that neatly-finished frame.

Paul Wilson, NXP Semiconductors

2011-11-17T19:00:00.001-08:00

Wilson discussed some of the hardware components that intelligent lights require and the importance of power control and efficiency in a successful intelligent-lighting network:

"Lighting represents one of the world's greatest opportunities for significant energy savings, as up to 25% of home-energy usage is from lighting. We all know the energy-savings potential of LED lighting in replacing the existing base of incandescent lights. We estimate that another 30% of savings can be gathered by applying [and combining] these LED lights with intelligent lighting: Use light when you really need light. With smart controls, you can do dimming, scenes, profiles, adjustments, monitoring, [and] preventive maintenance. [In addition] intelligent lighting enables participation in utilities' demand-response programs, resulting in reduced tariffs.

"Some of the key elements of an intelligent-lighting network are the switches, sensors, controllers, and the wirelessly enabled smart lamps themselves. If you want to have access to them through smartphones, tablets, and other Internet-connected devices, then you need to have some sort of gateway. I'll talk a little about what's going on inside that wirelessly enabled smart lamp because there is a price to pay in terms of power when you're putting all this smart technology inside a light bulb.

"One of the gotchas in smart lighting is now that you have the smart power supply, it must be constantly on and drawing power. Even when the switch is in the off position, the light must be listening for controller signals. Fortunately, intelligent light bulbs, which are often centrally positioned in every room, can make ideal network routers, but they do draw continuous amounts of power even when off, so standby power can impact system power efficiency.

"Standby power can vary dramatically based on power-supply topology. For example, a low-cost linear supply can consume as much as 3W; in a 13W LED you'll negate the power savings of using an LED lamp, so that's not a really smart way of doing it. … A better choice is a buck topology with about 10 mW of standby power. State of the art for a radio transceiver for the wireless portion is about 17 mA of current. The networking stack you choose has an impact, as well. David [Ewing] mentioned 6LoWPAN. I think the key is to get the code size small and then keep the RF-transceiver- and microcontroller-power needs as low as possible. Using a ‘mostly asleep' duty-cycle design where the transceiver and microcontroller don't have to be constantly on also helps cut down on standby power.

"As an example of how real this issue is, a 10W bulb on for four hours a day uses 40 Whr a day. If the standby power for the device is 1W ... it will consume about 20 Whr a day; 33% of the power is consumed in standby. At 100 mW, it falls to 2 Whr, or just 5% of the electricity bill at 100 mW standby power; NXP demonstrated at LightFair last May its 6LoWPAN chip set operating with a duty cycle of about 10% on and listening for control signals, resulting in a standby power of about 30 mW and reducing standby power to negligible amounts.

"Dimming control becomes much simpler when designing for smart lighting networks. Currently, LED lamps must be able to dim with existing TRIAC [triode-alternating-current] phase-cut dimmers, and including this circuitry in an LED lamp costs about 50 cents. In an intelligent-lighting system, users control dimming from a tablet, a smartphone, or a wireless device. Eliminating the TRIAC-dimmable circuitry will help offset the cost of including wireless circuitry and intelligence in LED lamps.

Airport saves tax dollars with ramp light changes

2011-11-16T21:56:00.001-08:00

When Bear Valley Electric started its bulb replacement program for area businesses, the Big Bear Airport District researched which lights at the airport could benefit from the program. Utility costs are the third-highest expenditure at the airport. One of the places identified were the ramp lights, according to Pete Gwaltney, airport general manager. "Were there ways we could do something with the ramp lights?" Gwaltney asked. He instructed staff to find the answer.

Ramp lights illuminate the perimeter of the airport where airplanes are parked. They sit high on poles to provide safety and security to the area. The task was to replace the existing bulbs with money-saving LED bulbs. But it wasn't a simple matter of changing them out. New fixtures were needed.

A total of 26 lights were given new fixtures and new LED bulbs at a cost of $26,000. The project was completed Nov. 1. Gwaltney said Bear Valley Electric estimates the LED bulbs will cut the cost of running those lights in half. "We will see a return in our investment in 18 months," Gwaltney said.

A local company, Ludecke Electric, was contracted to do the work. "We were very pleased with the work," Gwaltney said. The contractor gave the airport a 10 percent discount from the original estimate because the fixtures were easy to replace, Gwaltney said.

More lights will be changed to use LED bulbs in other areas of the airport. Gwaltney said under the general maintenance program, the security lights on the hangars will be replaced. "That part may be spring before we finish," Gwaltney said.

Actual savings will be calculated through the next several months. "We will be tracking our savings," Gwaltney said.

During the Nov. 9 airport district board meeting, board member Gary Steube said the LED ramp light replacement was the only thing of note reported on in the meeting. "It's a tremendous savings," Steube said about the project. "

The LED ramp light update was given during the general manager's report. The board also discussed fellow board member Gloria Greene's signs promoting a community room at the airport but decided no action was necessary as Greene said she was removing the signs. The board also spent more than an hour approving minutes from three past meetings.

Board member Chuck Knight requested that Greene's behavior during the October meeting be placed on the agenda for the next meeting. He wants the board to censure Greene for what he believes is inappropriate behavior. Greene argued with board president Julie Smith after the October meeting.

Greene apologized, explaining she got caught up in the moment.

Knight's request to censure Greene was rejected by a majority of the board. Steube, Greene and board member Steven Baker opposed the request. "I'd really like to get it all behind us," Steube said. "I'd like to see us move on."

Greene's request to hire a neutral investigator to research Baker's comments regarding Gwaltney's performance was also rejected when it did not receive consensus. Smith, Steube and Knight opposed the item.

MaxLite's Full Cutoff LED Wall Packs Included in DLC Qualified Products List

2011-11-15T21:23:00.001-08:00

MaxLite, a provider of LED fluorescent energy efficient lighting products, has announced that its full cutoff LED Wall Packs have received the DesignLights Consortium (DLC) certification and have now been included in the Qualified Products List.

The DLC is a collaboration formed by the regional energy efficiency organizations and utility companies for increasing the awareness of efficient lighting for commercial purposes.

MaxLite's full cutoff Wall Packs are designed as alternatives to conventional fluorescent and HID fixtures. They are energy efficient and maintenance free. They are an effective alternative to fluorescent, metal halide, high and low pressure sodium, and induction lighting fixtures. The Wall Packs avoid cave-like appearances and provide a uniform and wide beam.

The cutoff Wall Packs provide a maximum brightness of up to 4200 lm and have a life of around 13 years or 50,000 h. They require low maintenance and provide higher energy savings, which allows achievement of ROI within two years. The lights can operate from 120 to 277 V.

The packs have a polyester coated, one-piece, cast aluminium, heavy-duty housing for protection from corrosion and rust. They have shatterproof glass and are sealed to prevent bugs and dust. The integral LED driver is Class 2 and is UL-listed. The LED module in the Wall Pack has an aluminium heat sink for thermal management. It also has directional settings.

The full cutoff, which uses 20 W has a color temperature of 5000K and delivers 1400 lm. It can replace metal halide fixtures up to 100 W. The 30 W cutoff can replace 150 W fixtures, while the 40 W can be used as a replacement for 175 W and the 70 W full cutoff Wall Pack can be used as a replacement for 250 W metal halide lamp.

The Wall Packs are offered in a textured white finish and a dark bronze finish. The lights are suitable for outdoor lighting and can be used for illuminating universities, schools, hospitals, public spaces, commercial buildings and hotels.

LUX Bar and LUX Dome serve as lighting in corporate offices, suites, guest rooms, lobbies, modern chain lodging, and back-of-house offices, luxury and boutique hotels furnishing guests with warm, clear and bright light for work and reading. With the latest advancements in solid-state lighting technology, LUX LED Task Lights are energy-efficient with enduring brightness of LEDs providing 250 lm and pleasant white (4000 K) light for up to 50,000 h of continuous illumination. The LUX Dome is coloured flat black, chartreuse green, turquoise and brushed nickel whereas LUX Bar is of a latest aluminum finish available in both independent and clamp-on version.

The product will substitute both incandescent lights and fluorescent (CFL) lights, with LUX line providing architectural designers a trendy, energy-efficient lighting alternative says Roger Edgar, President and CEO of Mighty Bright. Transformation from energy-consuming incandescent lighting and harmful fluorescent lighting to powerful LED task lights results in dynamic applications with superior features .

Flexible OLEDs - The state of play

2011-11-14T21:06:00.001-08:00

Were we not promised super-thin bendable, flexible and rollable organic LED (OLED) displays?

Phones like Samsung's Galaxy and HTC's Desire have shown us that the rigid versions can deliver stunning images. So where are those flexies?

It turns out that they are also here, at least in proof-of-concept form, and they could even be on the shelves next year.

Sony has shown flexible OLED displays at the Society for Information Display conference more than once in the past few years, and Samsung has demonstrated flexible displays and said it will have products on the market in 2014, with rumours suggesting the Samsung is bringing this forward to 2012.

This said, significant hurdles remain in all four parts of a flexible OLED display: active matrix, substrate, OLED and barrier layers.

Like LCDs, a video-speed OLED display needs a matrix of drive transistors, thin-film transistors (TFTs), and flexible OLED displays will need flexible transistors.

Because OLED is a current-driven technology its transistors have to switch a non-trivial current, compared with LCD TFTs that are only required to change the voltage on what is essentially a capacitor.

Dr Jan Genoe is head of the Polymer and Molecular Electronics (PME) group at Belgian research lab Imec. His group works with the Netherlands' lab TNO on backplanes for rollable AMOLED displays at their Holst Centre in Eindhoven.

Both teams have been in the European Flame (flexible organic active matrix OLED displays for nomadic applications) project.

"Our main goal is transistors on flexible foil for making backplanes for OLED and other flexible displays," he told Electronics Weekly. "Our focus is truly rollable displays that can be rolled to 7mm diameter 10,000 times."

For LCDs on glass, amorphous silicon TFTs have been the order of the day or, for better quality displays, higher mobility polycrystalline transistors made by lasering amorphous silicon.

However, as far as anyone can tell, amorphous silicon has reached its slightly-disappointing full potential and will not be good enough for -current-driven displays.

The higher-mobility polycrystalline materials also have limitations in current-driven technologies because different crystals have different characteristics leading to variations between neighbouring transistors. With LCDs, this will show up as a slight difference in pixel speed, which is irrelevant. "One really crucial thing for displays is uniformity because eyes are very sensitive to slight differences," said Genoe. "Voltage-driven displays are very forgiving of transistor-to-transistor variations. In a current-driven display you will see the small differences."

So OLEDs need materials with higher mobility than amorphous silicon, and better uniformity than polycrystalline silicon.

"Our main focus is organic or oxide transistors on plastic foil," said Genoe, "and nowadays there is a shift to oxide transistors."

Oxide transistors are from a class of devices made from compounds that include metal and a non-metal atoms like oxygen. Copper oxide transistors are one of the earliest examples.

School district to study energy-saving measures

2011-11-13T21:46:00.000-08:00

A host of money- and energy-saving capital improvement projects will be up for approval at an upcoming Delaware city school board meeting.

Larry Davis, director of facilities and transportation, on Nov. 7 described to the board projects he expects can lower the district’s energy costs by $226,500 annually. The projects include insulation replacement in 11 district buildings, as well as lighting improvements in nine buildings.

“Every one of the schools is affected first of all by lighting,” Davis said. “(One of) the things that we can do to conserve electrical energy (is work on) the lighting going through our buildings.”

Davis has seen the district through the conversion from incandescent bulbs to fluorescent lights and is now transitioning the district to newer, more efficient lighting. “It’s just a normal progression,” he said. “$115,000 of our annual savings is going to come strictly out of lighting.”

Additional savings could be achieved by replacing the boilers at Hayes High School, which were installed when the school was built in the 1960s, Davis said.

“They’re still in there as we speak right now,” he said. “We’ve done a pretty good job of maintaining them, but it also runs up our operating costs.”

Also at Hayes, Davis said, the district can install a water reclamation system that will allow non-potable water to be used for the building’s air-conditioning condensers.

“We have to constantly run … potable, good water in the tower,” Davis said.

The final costs of the improvements have yet to be calculated. Davis said he would have more concrete figures to present to the board at its next meeting, a work session scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Nov. 28.

Also at the meeting, Superintendent Paul Craft announced the district was awarded two Soar Awards for High Progress from Battelle for Kids.

The first is the most-improved award. “The district itself is being identified as among the top five of all (135) participating Soar districts,” Craft said.

In addition, Hayes High School is receiving an award for its improving student test scores.

The awards will be presented at a ceremony Nov. 14 at the Greater Columbus Area Convention Center.

DJs light up the night

2011-11-10T19:04:00.001-08:00

As the crowd screams for more, the combination of the fresh beats and neon lights pumps up the crowd to dance all night.

Auburn Underground Projx and Facecandi Lighting Productions presented a dubstep concert hosting various disc jockeys at Bourbon Street Bar Saturday.

Lighting and special effects at any show can act as "visual glue" that binds the audience with the performer beyond just the music alone, said Richard Mueller, co-owner of Facecandi Lighting Productions and a local DJ with the stage name Soulecta.

While running his company and working as a DJ, Mueller said he has learned how lighting affects the crowd.

"The energy at a dubstep event is faster, thus the lighting system effects would be slightly more intense in delivery of visuals," Mueller said.

Lighting experts are performers in their own right, said Lee Bradberry, local DJ and member of the AUProjx crew in Auburn.

Bradberry said the lighting expersts put thought into how they are interjection the DJ into their creative procees.

"A lot of effects you see are programmed beforehand, but they do have manual control, and that's where things get exciting," Bradbetty said.

Other DJs agree that lighting is a critical factor in any concert. Max Moksol, a DJ in Auburn by the name of Crude Carter, said lighting and special effects are important during a show.

"I feel like the lighting can carry a party to the next level," Moksol said. "It adds something special to the environment that just isn't there in a dark room."

Jason Webster, an Auburn DJ by the name of Djason, said the light show must be balanced, however.

"There's only so much a DJ can do," Webster said. "(Lighting) gives good pop to the show, but it can't be too bright. Too much lighting distracts people."

Facecandi Lighting uses multi-colored lighting to attract the audience to the performances.

"In the deeper psyche of things, different colors could perhaps have a common effect to all, but everyone has their preferences, and we have the tools to accommodate," Mueller said.

Bradberry said he works closely with Facecandi when setting up lighting for one of his shows.

"They are open to suggestions of all kinds and have even asked for input on how I want to be lighted," Bradberry said.

While the same general lighting effects are used at every show, each artist has a favorite part of the performance.

"My favorite part is the last hour of any show because that has given everyone all night to get into the show," Webster said. "In that last hour, you get everyone so pumped that they don't want to leave."

While Webster's favorite section of a show is always the same, Moskol said his favorite changes every time.

Hubbell Lighting Illuminates New Home for Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority

2011-11-09T18:25:00.001-08:00

Designed by the Rhode Island-based architectural firm of Robinson Green Beretta (RGB) and Boston-headquartered Architectural Engineers, Inc (AEI), the new $34 million transit operations facility in Providence, RI began construction in 2008 and was completed in 2010.

Intended to consolidate operations previously spread out in several buildings, the overall RIPTA design and build objective was to create a facility to house RIPTA operations for at least the next 80 years, said John Racine, RGB's project architect. In addition to housing administrative offices, the 140,000 sq. ft. building provides space for total bus maintenance tasks, now to be conducted under one roof.

The result of the two-year plus construction project is a state-of-the-art building in terms of maintenance, electronics, and security, and one that reflects the traditional look of New England architecture. Examples of the facility's high design include a white membrane roof to effectively dissipate heat build-up; moisture barriers that provide as much drainage as possible; the largest installation of heavy-duty street pavers in New England; a parking deck on the roof, also unusual for New England architecture; and high efficiency lighting systems both inside and outside the building.

Extensive tests of light fixtures employing metal halide, fluorescent and LED light sources were conducted prior to final luminaire selection, according to David Walkenstein, a senior electrical engineer at AEI who developed the electrical plan, including the lighting design. The exhaustive tests covered life-cycle studies, distribution patterns and overall costs, he said.

With studies completed and evaluated, eight of the 21 iconic brands manufactured by Hubbell Lighting were chosen to illuminate the new RIPTA building. Architectural Area Lighting's Providence series (the name is coincidental to the project location) with decorative cast bases make up most of the roof parking deck and site lighting. Hubbell Outdoor flood lights and Spaulding Laredo wall packs are employed around the building perimeter. Spaulding Cimarron rectilinear fixtures and Hubbell Industrial class 1 explosion-proof fixtures are used at the fueling station. Topping off the site, Kim Lighting in-grade fixtures illuminate the flag and flagpole.

The areas inside the building are divided into bus parking/storage, maintenance garage, wash bays, fueling, and administration, and feature 4 and 6- lamp T8 fluorescent industrial high bay lighting fixtures from Columbia Lighting. Considering life-cycle costs, including initial cost, power consumption and periodic maintenance for 300 fixtures, plus about 30+ UL wet location luminaries in the wash bays, these were the best solution noted Walkenstein.

The interior corridors are lit with Prescolite low brightness compact fluorescent down lights, and administration offices use Columbia Lighting's Stratus Series indirect/direct center basket light fixtures. Back of the house areas, file copy rooms, and maintenance closets and storage are lit with 100+ of Columbia Lighting's corridor and shallow wrap around fluorescent fixtures.

Completing the lighting of RIPTA's new home, Walkenstein integrated life safety egress path lighting into Prescolite down lights using Dual-Lite integral emergency battery backup and supplemented with Dual-Lite explosion-proof units in hazardous storage areas.

Energy efficient lamps

2011-11-08T21:29:00.000-08:00

GreenChance Inc. announced today unique, versatile products to add to a wish list - the award-winning patented NEOZ Cordless Lighting system – dimmable, rechargeable and elegant luminaries, which provide endless flexibility and easily add beautiful light to any space. The Cordless Lighting concept pioneered by NEOZ since 1995 is enjoyed in over 90 countries worldwide from “The Ritz Hotel” in London to “The Oak Room at The Plaza” in New York to “The Burj Al Arab” in Dubai.

“NEOZ Cordless lamps provide unmatched performance and have two bulb options, halogen bulbs, which offer the best possible color rendering of skin tones, food colors and textures or, our new NEOZ-designed, energy efficient LED bulbs, which provide longer light time and extended service life,” said Rainer Heimann, founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based GreenChance, the exclusive distributor of NEOZ Cordless lighting in North America. “NEOZ lamps are easy to use and with the touch of a button you can choose between 5 settings to create your desired ambiance, from a candle flicker up to 20 times brighter than a candle—bright enough to read menus while maintaining intimacy.”

NEOZ Cordless lamps can be used in a variety of settings indoor or outdoors and are the ideal lighting solution as the lamps have a long battery life and can be placed anywhere independently of electrical power outlets. NEOZ Cordless lamps provide up to 260 hours of lighting on a single charge, depending on the choice of bulb and rechargeable battery, and are easy to recharge, simply place the lamp onto the base station and the intelligent lamp controller fully regulates the battery charging process.

“NEOZ Cordless Lighting is a safer and brighter solution than candles, as the lamps will not blow out in the wind, will not emit smoke, odor or have wax spills,” said Peter Ellis CEO of NEOZ Lighting. “NEOZ Cordless lamps are designed for long life as they are made with the highest quality components and materials, are recyclable and are fully serviceable which has made the name NEOZ synonymous with reliable, durable, rechargeable lights.”

GreenChance Inc. is a provider of distinctively unique solutions that create intimate and eco-friendly settings both indoor and outdoor. GreenChance is constantly growing their range of products determined to provide the finest ambiance for all environments, commercially and residentially. GreenChance carries products that are innovative, high quality and design oriented. GreenChance Inc. is the exclusive distributor of NEOZ, Mensa Heating and Heatscope products in North America.

2012 MV Agusta Brutale RR 1090

2011-11-07T18:54:00.001-08:00

The MV Agusta Brutale name has become synonymous with utmost performance in the world of naked sportbikes. From the all-new 675 to the 920 and finally the 1090, the Brutale has proven its naked high-performance merit over and over again.

But for 2012, MVA wanted even more, the Italian exotic motorcycle manufacturer releasing the Brutale RR 1090, which carries the tagline "A Superbike without Fairings."

And this tagline is backed due to the 1078cc inline four that produces 158 horsepower and no-nonsense naked sportbike styling.

MV Agusta says: "The 1078cc four-cylinder engine with radial intake and exhaust valves offers the highest power output ever by a Brutale. New camshafts, new intake tracts, new throttle bodies (same bore diameter as the F4) all contribute to the record power level of 116,5 kW (158 hp) at 11.900 rpm."

Along with this high horsepower arrives the latest in superbike technology, which includes traction control with eight levels, new engine mapping and a slipper clutch.

As for the chassis, MVA says the Brutale RR 1090's is "worthy of an authentic superbike without fairings, the ultra- light CrMo steel tube chassis that is hand welded (TIG) with adjustable steering geometry that allows the rider to adapt the geometry to their personal needs.

"Logically, a superbike needs to have the best suspension available: Marzocchi 50mm USD front forks with DLC coating and dedicated valving for the Brutale RR 1090 together with a Sachs single shock with high and low speed compression adjusters along with rebound and spring pre-load adjusters."

Stopping the 2012 MV Agusta 1090 RR Brutale are Brembo monobloc front brake calipers, the same ones offered on the F4RR, with 320mm rotors, and a single 220mm out back. The Brutale 1090 RR rolls on forged-aluminum, 17-inch wheels that weight over two pounds less than cast, helping to reduce unsprung mass.

Regarding styling, MV Agusta says: "The new Brutale RR 1090 offers an extremely high level of fit and finish including a projector beam headlight with incorporated LED position lights, LED front turn signals incorporated into the rear-view mirrors and LED rear turn signals."

Following are the specs, color options and MSRP for the 2012 MV Agusta Brutale 1090 RR.

New Orleans hotels step up their game with wave of renovations

2011-11-06T23:28:00.001-08:00

The attention may have been on the Hyatt Regency as construction crews worked to deliver a sparkling new hotel last month following a six-year closure. But it was hardly the only hotel in New Orleans undergoing a renovation.

More than two dozen New Orleans area hotels are currently undergoing, have recently completed or are about to begin renovations, according to the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau and interviews with hotel general managers throughout the city.

"You're seeing an entirely new face put on the hotel industry in New Orleans," said Stephen Perry, president of the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau. "All of this is happening because it's frankly the right time to do it and we're trying to get set up for the next five to eight years."

While some of the work is routine maintenance, changes at other hotels are being driven by upcoming special events, market demand and competition.

The Hilton New Orleans Riverside is investing $20 million to give 1,162 rooms and suites at the hotel new carpet, window treatments and lighting among other things before the end of next summer. The hotel also is undertaking a construction project at its health club.

The revered Windsor Court Hotel will spend $22 million replacing 80 percent of the hotel's furniture, General Manager David Teich said. The property's bathrooms will also receive new fixtures and showers, and a spa is being added on the fourth floor next to the pool. Renovations started in June and will end later this year.

The Sheraton New Orleans is putting $45 million toward guest room, public space and lobby refreshing to begin in December and commence at the end of next year.

Those hotels join the New Orleans Marriott, Hotel Monteleone, the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans, Royal Sonesta and others.

"There is a tremendous amount of investment happening in this city and not just at hotels," said Al Groos, general manager of the Royal Sonesta. "There's a little bit everywhere."

This recent wave of hotel updates follows one of not too long ago, when some properties damaged because of Hurricane Katrina used insurance proceeds to conduct renovations.

The Hilton, for instance, redid 460 guest rooms in the low-rise portion of its building in 2009. In 2007 and 2008, the Marriott also completely remodeled its lobby and elevator systems.

Both are now undergoing renovations.

"After Katrina was the first phase of renovations," Perry said. "What our properties are doing now is taking those renovations to another level."

Groos, whose hotel will spend $16 million by December 2012 to renovate its guest rooms, said he believes many of the investments reflect a renewed commitment in New Orleans by hotel owners nationally.

"Owners of these types of properties don't invest in things they don't think have long-term potential," Groos said. "What you're seeing is people putting their money where their mouth is. They are investing in the long-term viability of the city as a tourist destination."

Videos teach DIY car repair

2011-11-02T23:17:00.003-07:00

Chambers is a fan of website EricTheCarGuy.

"His website also ties into his YouTube videos, so not only can I search his website for his forum info but also his videos," he said.

Chambers used online information on an Acura to change the gear shift in his Volvo XC90 sport utility vehicle.

Rather than buying the part at the local dealer, he also saved money ordering the Volvo gear shift online.

"The part cost $131, and the dealer quoted me $212," he said.

It took Chambers about 45 minutes to get his Volvo gear shift changed.

"I easily have saved $400 to $500 on this repair doing it myself," he said.

David Hettena, is another repair enthusiast and YouTube fan.

"YouTube is great, because unlike looking at pictures in a book, you can actually see how someone takes something apart," he said.

He did his own step-by-step oil change on his 1990 Lexus.

He takes it to a do-it-yourself shop in Denton, MyBay Automotive, where he can rent a lift for the car.

"I can save a tremendous amount of money," said Hettena, who has been doing his own repairs for years. "Instead of paying a $100 for full synthetic oil, I can get it done for $40 or $30. Air filter changes cost me $5 in five minutes."

Hettena also uses online car forums, which can be found by Googling for a car's make and model.

He found the step-by-step instructions for his Lexus' oil change by doing that.

"It can really make you an expert just by doing a little bit of research," he said.

Jessica Konderla had never watched a YouTube tutorial on car repairs but was willing to give it a try.

"It doesn't seem that difficult," said Konderla, whose father is a mechanic and the shop manager at Rick and Ray's Auto Plaza in Fort Worth.

With her dad sitting next to her, she watched a YouTube video on how to change a car battery and successfully replaced her corroded battery with a new one.

But changing her headlight bulb after watching a how-to video wasn't nearly as easy.

"It was harder than it looked definitely," said Konderla, who didn't get that job done.

"I like the experiment," said her father, Ray Konderla. "But it showed that sometimes, it looks easier than it turns out to be."

He said many jobs are simply too tough for people to watch a video on and then perform on their own car.

Ray Konderla said he has clients who watch YouTube to learn how to do their own car repairs.

"One of my friends fixed his own break rotors," he said. "Of course, I was upset, because he didn't bring it to me, but it saved him some money."

But even shops will reference videos when they get a repair problem they've never seen before.

"The videos can be a great guide," he said.

Coca Cola reduce power consumption in vending machines due to Earthquake

2011-11-01T23:36:00.001-07:00

Coca Cola in Japan has announced that it has voluntarily been striving to reduce power consumption in its vending machines in an effort to address the power shortages that have affected Japan since the earthquake. They have committed to continuing this effort during Winter.

The effort will run from December 2011 through until March 2012 and will conduct energy saving measures by stopping compressor functions in the peak hours. They will also further reduce power usage by reducing the amount of lighting used on the vending machines on the illuminated models outside during the day and will switch off all lighting 24 hours a day on vending machines that are installed in doors.

A spokesman for Coca Cola Japan said in a press release, "We will consider appropriate measures for other areas while taking into consideration the condition of power provision and the views of local and national governments as well as those of the power companies." It continued, "We have introduced roughly 150,000 heat pumps in the Coca-Cola system, and have been strongly promoting energy saving in vending machines by introducing vending machines that especially reduce energy consumption such as "ecoru/Solar" and "green roof" vending machines."

The heat pump technology mentioned is a technology which actually absorbs the heat from the surrounding atmosphere and converts it into electricity by using a compressor. Effectively, it means that vending machines with heat pumps can use the hot air expelled when cooling products to be used to heat up other warm goods in the vending machine.

Since the announcement, Coca Cola have also decided that starting in 2012 that, wherever possible, new vending machines will have LED lighting for the product displays which use much less energy than standard light bulbs. They are also looking for further ways at producing vending machines that use less energy without compromising the user experience.

It is expected that these new energy saving advances in Japan are likely to be used across the world in all new Coca Cola vending machines as a means of protecting the environment and costing less money to run.

Cree introduces HV-LEDs, Osram boosts LED light output

2011-10-31T22:48:00.001-07:00

Cree has introduced two new high-voltage (HV) LEDs, the XLamp XM-L and XT-E, that the company says can boost driver efficiency by 10-20% in small retrofit lamps. The company also announced a new version of the XLamp MT-G LED for solid-state-lighting (SSL) applications that's 10% brighter than predecessors with the new LEDs delivering 1670 lm. Osram, meanwhile, launched new orange, yellow, and red Oslon SSL LEDs that can deliver 20% more light than predecessors.

The Cree XM-L and XT-E LEDs target small retrofit-lamp application such as B10 candelabra lamps along with E17 and GU10 lamps. The HV-LEDs will deliver efficiency and thermal advantages in such lamps that are severely space constrained with limited options for cooling.

The LEDs are packaged and sold as discrete components, but in reality are built using an array of 16 very-small die. The XT-E is 3.45 mm on a side and the XM-L is 5 mm on a side. According to product marketing manager Paul Scheidt, target applications such as B10 lamps will use one or perhaps two of the LEDs.

By connecting the array in series, Cree was able to boost the forward voltage to 48V. According to Scheidt the higher voltage improves efficiency because the driver doesn't have to drop the line voltage down to the 4V level that would be required in a single emitter that's equivalent in size and lumen output to the array.

In the simplest case where a rectifier diode drives an LED, the system efficiency goes from 87.5% with a single emitter to 98% with the HV array. Cree says that in actual products the driver efficiency advantage may reach 20% while also enabling smaller, lower-cost drivers that run 10% cooler .

"Maximizing the LED voltage, as Cree has done in the new high-voltage XM-L and XT-E LEDs, is a very effective way to minimize current through the LED driver output rectifier," said Peter Vaughan, director of applications engineering at driver-IC manufacturer Power Integrations, Inc. "This can reduce losses and heat dissipation in the driver and increase the overall system luminous efficacy by several percentage points."

The concept of HV-LEDs and the efficiency advantage is not new. Indeed Cree offers a number of HV-LEDs in larger arrays. But Scheidt said, "Most HV-LEDs are efficient and large or small and inefficient." Scheidt showed efficacy graphs for the new LEDs compared to unnamed competitive products that would indicate a roughly 20-40 lm/W advantage for the new LEDs.

Cree says the LEDs will enable the first competitive SSL replacements for small lamps and received an endorsement from one customer. "The XLamp XM-L High-Voltage LED eliminates the trade-off between size and efficacy, allowing us to take advantage of the efficacy of high-voltage drivers," said Ken Chakravarti, chief technology officer, Ledzworld. "This translates to more efficient, better and more cost-effective small LED lamps and luminaires such as the B10 replacement lamp for our customers."

Caveat Emptor - The power of consumption

2011-10-30T23:31:00.001-07:00

The need for efficient use of energy assumes tremendous significance today as the demand for energy increases. But, addressing the demand by merely increasing generation would mean increase in emission of green house gases, thus augmenting global warming.

It is therefore imperative to use energy-efficient alternative wherever possible and consume electricity in a sustained manner. This would facilitate uninterrupted and qualitative power supply for us and the coming generation.

A few simple deeds in our day-to-day life can contribute a lot towards energy conservation. For instance, promptly switching off lights and fans when the occupants leave the room, using star-rated appliances certified by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), using air-conditioners only when absolutely necessary, remembering to keep doors to air-conditioned rooms closed, cleaning the filter frequently, using compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) that consume less electricity than the ordinary bulbs, ensuring adequate air circulation inside and outside the refrigerator, reducing the amount of time the refrigerator door remains open, allowing hot foods to cool before putting them inside the refrigerator, ensuring that the refrigerator's rubber door seals are clean and tight… will help consume less energy.

The primary objective of BEE is to reduce the energy intensity of the Indian economy. Today, only limited electrical appliances are certified by BEE and available in the market. Of these, only four items are required to ensure quality compliance and carry the BEE label while the rest come under the tag “voluntary label”. Besides this, there are many number of products in the market that do not meet any standards. These not only consume more power but also pose a threat to consumers' safety. Therefore, it is important that all electrical appliances are subject to quality tests and certified by BEE before being brought to the market. Until then, the manufacturers should not be given the option of voluntary labelling, as this results in increase in the prices of energy-efficient appliances.

Moreover, as numerous products are sold at even half the price of standardised devices, it is essential for the government to incentivise energy-efficient, BEE-labelled appliances sold in the market, to encourage the public. Creating awareness through media is also the need of the hour.

We have submitted our recommendations to the BEE in this regard, and are confident that action would be initiated at the earliest.

Meanwhile, it is vital for us to realise that energy saving is a national cause and put in efforts to make our country energy-efficient.

DPD: Don’t park at Office Depot

2011-10-27T22:21:00.003-07:00

In the wake of another violent robbery in the Office Depot lot on Oak Lawn Avenue, Dallas police this week warned club-goers against parking there at night.

Officer Laura Martin, DPD’s liaison officer to the LGBT community, said the lot at 2929 Oak Lawn Ave. has long been a trouble spot for crime after hours, primarily because it’s so poorly lit.

In the latest incident, three people who’d been out on the Cedar Springs strip were robbed at gunpoint and carjacked early Sunday, Oct. 23.

According to DPD records, it was at least the fourth aggravated robbery in the Office Depot lot in the last three months — in addition to numerous other offenses such as vehicle burglaries.

“That Office Depot has just been a thorn in our side for several years,” Martin said Wednesday, Oct. 26. “We would prefer that people didn’t park there. I don’t anticipate that that problem is going to go away unless we improve lighting over there significantly. I would just advise people not to park in that parking lot and not to park on that street near the parking lot.”

Martin said undercover officers have been patrolling the area, but the city is powerless to improve lighting in the parking lot itself since it’s on private property. Deputy Chief Malik Aziz, who heads up DPD’s Northwest Division, has been working with city officials to improve street lighting nearby, Martin said. However, light from city fixtures on Dickason Avenue is blocked by trees lining the northeast side of the parking lot.

DPD officials recently met with Office Depot representatives, who said they have no plans to add lights in the parking lot, Martin said. She also noted that Office Depot once towed vehicles from the lot but stopped doing so in the wake of complaints from the community.

“Office Depot is not going to be doing anything differently,” Martin said. “They’re not going to tow cars and they’re not going to increase lighting. They don’t want to tow vehicles because of all the complaints they got when they did tow vehicles, and they’re not going to add lighting because they don’t have the money to add lighting.”

An assistant manager who answered the phone at Office Depot declined to comment. He referred questions to the store manager, whom he said was not available.

Jared Pearce, president of Dallas Stonewall Young Democrats, called on Office Depot to help address the problem. DSYD’s recent Light Up Oak Lawn safety campaign led to the city installing 45 new lights in the area, but none near Office Depot.

Full text: Gov. Rick Snyder makes case for improving Michigan infrastructure

2011-10-27T00:35:00.001-07:00

Michigan is also a national leader in the development of new technologies including:

Life-cycle budgeting, a process that abandons the old, short-term approach of quick fixes for road maintenance and places emphasis on maximizing the life of the road. A Congressional Budget Office study shows life-cycle budgeting can reduce long-term maintenance costs by 40 percent.

High-strength Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) to reinforce concrete bridges. The use of this new product offers several distinct advantages, one of which is the virtual elimination of corrosion, a common problem among steel reinforced bridges.

Energy efficient LEDs in freeway lighting and trunkline signaling devices. Today, some 55 percent of state highway lights have been upgraded with LED lenses. As a result, MDOT is seeing a 90 percent power savings where LEDs are used.

The use of solar power to reduce its energy consumption. A demonstration project undertaken with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation Michigan Energy Office is using elevated solar panels at an MDOT carpool lot in west Michigan to feed power directly into the electrical grid during the day and offset the power needed for the freeway interchange lights at night.

A modern electronic bidding system developed in partnership with the private sector that uses the Internet to reduce errors, save taxpayer dollars, and shorten processing time. That means doing away with 10,000 pieces of paper that a single bid letting previously required along with the inefficiencies of such a labor-intensive process. For example, in 2002, the state had 34 low bid rejections, which cost about $370,000 to correct. In 2007, with the introduction of electronic bidding, there were no low bid rejections among 1,106 projects.

These innovations have saved money and stretched our transportation dollars, and we must do more. Today, I am challenging MDOT to provide opportunities for increased competition for maintenance services, like snow plowing. I propose taking a portion of the state network and competitively bidding for long-term engineering management services, construction and maintenance operations. I am giving the department 12 months to have the contracts in place and report back to me on the progress.

Moving to a performance-based system for managing and maintaining roads will lead to more efficiency in the preservation of our roads and bridges and save taxpayers money.

It is time to streamline the way we do business. We saw how successfully that worked for the auto companies who took painful steps to become leaner and more efficient. Ultimately, those difficult decisions helped make those companies sustainable. Many other businesses in Michigan have had to make similar painful choices in order to survive the past decade of difficult economic times.

Cree Redefines High-Voltage LEDs

2011-10-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

"The XLamp XM-L High-Voltage LED eliminates the trade-off between size and efficacy, allowing us to take advantage of the efficacy of high-voltage drivers," said Ken Chakravarti, chief technology officer, Ledzworld. "This translates to more efficient, better and more cost-effective small LED lamps and luminaires such as the B10 replacement lamp for our customers."

Small-form-factor lighting, like candelabras, historically presented a host of challenges for LED technology. Prior LEDs were unable to deliver the required system-level performance in the form factor consumers demand.

"Maximizing the LED voltage, as Cree has done in the new high-voltage XM-L and XT-E LEDs, is a very effective way to minimize current through the LED driver output rectifier," said Peter Vaughan, director of applications engineering, Power Integrations, Inc. "This can reduce losses and heat dissipation in the driver and increase the overall system luminous efficacy by several percentage points."

"Never before have lighting OEMs been able to leverage the benefits of high-voltage LEDs with this level of performance," said Paul Thieken, Cree director of marketing, LED components. "We continue to develop the right LEDs for the right applications--to accelerate the adoption of energy-efficient LED lighting."

The XLamp XM-L LED delivers up to 600 lm in Cool White (6000K) and up to 462 lm in Warm White (3000K) at 6W, 85 deg C. The XLamp XT-E LED delivers up to 300 lm in Cool White (6000K) and up to 228 lm in Warm White (3000K) at 6W, 85 deg C. Both LEDs have a typical voltage of 46V at binning conditions.

Cree is leading the LED lighting revolution and making energy-wasting traditional lighting technologies obsolete through the use of energy-efficient, mercury-free LED lighting. Cree is a market-leading innovator of lighting-class LEDs, LED lighting, and semiconductor products for power and radio frequency (RF) applications.

Cree's product families include LED fixtures and bulbs, blue and green LED chips, high-brightness LEDs, lighting-class power LEDs, power-switching devices and RF devices. Cree products are driving improvements in applications such as general illumination, backlighting, electronic signs and signals, power suppliers and solar inverters.

This press release contains forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated.

Chinese lantern safety warning

2011-10-25T02:05:00.000-07:00

FIRE chiefs are warning Hop-tu-Naa and Bonfire night revellers about the dangers posed by Chinese lanterns.

The lanterns which are available in the Isle of Man are generally made of paper, supported by a frame and are powered by a solid fuel burner.

They have become popular over the past few years for celebrations such as weddings and birthdays. But there have been a number of incidents in the UK when the sky lanterns have caused injury and fires.

In one case, a young boy was scalded in the face by molten fuel which fell from a lantern floating overhead.

Another frightening incident involved a lantern landing on the roof of a property and setting it on fire – the house was occupied by a mother and her two children.

There have been a number of reports of farm animals who have died from eating the wire frames from the lanterns which have burnt out and landed in their fields.

In 2008, Onchan’s Christmastime Festival of Light included the launch of 20 lanterns, which floated above Douglas Bay.

The UK-based Chief Fire Officers’ Association has urged Fire and Rescue Services to discourage the use of the floating paper lanterns on the basis that they constitute a fire risk when released and there is evidence of them being mistaken for distress flares, misleading aircraft and killing livestock.

Sub officer Peter Killey, of the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service’s community safety team, said: ‘No one wants to be a killjoy but we are very concerned that before long we are going to have a serious incident caused by these lanterns.

‘Whether this is a property fire, a fire in the countryside, personal injury or injury to wildlife and livestock – the more these lanterns are used the more likely it is that an incident will occur.

‘Public safety is of paramount importance and we ask members of the public and event organisers to refrain from using them.’

John Peet, chief trading standards officer, said: ‘Safety instructions for the use of these lanterns are complex. Among other things they require the user to assess wind conditions. Our advice would be to avoid these products.’

David Callister MLC, member of the Department of Infrastructure, added: ‘These lanterns can be confused with distress flares used to signal emergencies at sea.

‘This in the past has led to coastguard teams being called out to investigate, which can be very time consuming and costly.’

‘This initiative has been very successful with a marked decrease in call-outs for lantern related incidents, and our thanks go to those people who have taken the time to call the MOC prior to releasing their lanterns,’ said Mr Callister.

Sculptor creates a fantastical world

2011-10-24T01:01:00.001-07:00

The drive up into the hills north of Enderby is blasted with colour –– Douglas maple, Western larch, Black cottonwood dot the landscape as the road twists and turns.

For Stephan Bircher who calls this area home, it’s a perfect burial landscape for creatures large and small to find their final resting place. He has spent many hours digging through the dirt and lifting up rocks to uncover these delicate remains among other treasures that nature has left behind.

The glassy wings of butterflies, feathers, shriveled leaves, abandoned shells, even road kill, have all entered the realm of Bircher’s mind and eventually into his studio.

A sculptor, lighting designer, theatrical wunderkind, and alchemist when it comes to fusing nature with human-made objects, Bircher could be considered a kind of mad scientist or a post-modern Jim Henson.

Far from being a “Muppet” lab, his studio is a fantastical place where lit up skeletal creatures spin like whirling dervishes and play musical instruments, their intricate parts held together by magnets, springs, cogs and cranks, and run by small motors.

“I like to take the magic out of my surroundings; that’s how my sculptures develop,” said Bircher. “The bones in my work, and whatever else I find out here, come from my youth of always going out into the wilderness. When I was walking around I would always see things a little differently, of what could be made from nature.”

Growing up near Basel, Switzerland, Bircher says he was always tinkering when he wasn’t rebelling.

The son of a surgeon, he says his parents had high hopes for their son, but Bircher preferred drawing cartoons in his sketch book than attending to his academic studies.

“I had an endless struggle in my school days,” he said. “I found what I wanted by myself, sometimes it was negative. I was not always matching what was expected of me. But I was always drawn to creativity.”

On family holidays, Bircher would go to the house of his aunt in the mountains, where he would make fantasy villages out of things he would find.

“They were more abstract, while my brother made functional steamboats,” he said.

After high school, Bircher travelled to India on what was supposed to be a short holiday. He ended up staying two years.

India was everything Bircher’s upbringing wasn’t: crowded, noisy and chaotic.

“I think it’s this experience, out of my family who were open-minded but always tried to make things organized, that shaped me. I loved it.”

After returning home to Switzerland, Bircher would eventually go on to teach at a day school. His subjects were handicrafts and sports. He also helped his students with numerous extracurricular projects such as hand-building a unicycle.

Peter Foster: Dim-bulb R&D policy

2011-10-19T01:20:00.001-07:00

The Jenkins report on R&D policies in Canada, which was released on Monday, starts with a bureaucratic fantasy. In 1874, two Canadians, Henry Woodward, a medical student, and Mathew Evans, a hotelkeeper, were in the race to build a commercial light bulb, but they couldn’t find backing. When Woodward applied for a U.S. patent, Thomas Edison saw the proposal and bought it. What, asks the report, if Woodward and Evans had been able to find investors? If only, it implies, there had been a government funding body.

If only I’d bought the Google IPO. If only I’d backed Wings of Erin in the 3:30. If only government policymakers had a time machine, they’d be able, literally, to “pick winners.” However, in the absence of Doctor Who’s Tardis, their picking sucks, not least because they attract glib rent-seeking losers, or genuinely innovative corporations that just can’t resist free, or cheap, funding either to do what they would have done anyway or, worse, wouldn’t have.

Canada has been lagging in innovation for so long that it has lagged itself into becoming one of the most successful economies on Earth. “Well,” bleat the statists, “then we must have been doing something right.” Sure, the government has been doing less. Canada got most of its experiments with government-funded failure out of the way the 1970s and 1980s. However, the fetish with boosting R&D just won’t die.

Private initiative has been trouncing the government-guided or government-assisted alternative for more than 200 years. Indeed, carefully buried and tactfully worded within the Jenkins report lies the conclusion that the “bewildering array” of federal and provincial government R&D programs just doesn’t work.

The good news is that the report wants to simplify the Scientific Research and Experimental Development program by restricting it to labour costs. The bad news is that it wants the money saved to be “reallocated” to new schemes.

One must here be somewhat sympathetic to the report’s authors since the possibility of scrapping, or even shrinking, R&D expenditures was never part of their mandate. Indeed, they were specifically instructed not to consider funding cuts, presumably so that the then-minority government of Stephen Harper wouldn’t spook any rent-seekers. Now they have a majority, we can only hope that R&D is on the secret agenda.

NHRA: Karen Stoffer Firebird Raceway final report

2011-10-18T01:57:00.000-07:00

GEICO Suzuki rider Karen Stoffer raced to a quarterfinal finish Sunday at the 27th annual Arizona NHRA Nationals to remain fourth in the Full Throttle championship points standings.

Stoffer qualified fifth in the 16-bike elimination field with a 6.970 at 190.32 mph, although her path to the lofty mark wasn't without drama.

"We had an issue with me on the top end on the second (qualifying) hit, where I caught a bump at the same time I hit the brakes," Stoffer said. "I had to put my foot down to keep the GEICO Suzuki upright. No problems there: The bike was fine, I was fine. I just had to get a new pair of shoes.

"We had another gremlin with 'Wilson' (the nickname of an engine) in the bike, and it wouldn't shift on two of our hits. Lucky enough, we got into the fifth spot. Unfortunately, on that last qualifying hit, it broke the motor."

The team had a long Saturday evening swapping out powerplants, leaving Stoffer feeling a bit anxious before her first round match-up with No. 12 qualifier Justin Finley. But when the two riders staged, Finley got a little too anxious and jumped the green light by -.007 seconds, giving Stoffer the win by disqualification.

"We swapped motors after qualifying and put 'Maverick' in for our first round race against Finley," Stoffer said. "Then it blew up on the top end.

"We rushed back and had to put 'Wilson' back in there, and it didn't shift again when we lost to Matt (Smith). It was all we could do. We had to go out on a wing and a prayer."

With her bike not shifting into top gear, Stoffer surrendered the lead and the race to second-round opponent Smith, who won with a 6.974 at 191.73 mph to Stoffer's resigned 7.066 at 189.42 mph.

"I'm so proud of the team," she said. "We thrashed all weekend long. The boys did a phenomenal job getting that thing going and putting it all together. They gave me a great bike.

'When it's hot like this it becomes V-Twin weather, which you can clearly see if you look at who's in the top four and how fast they're going. The fastest Suzuki out here just doesn't compare in these kind of conditions. If you're on a Suzuki here, you've got to have luck on your side, and we didn't really have it."

The NHRA tour takes a weekend off before heading to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Oct. 28-30 for the 11th annual Big O Tires NHRA Nationals.

"Hopefully, going to Vegas, conditions will level out a little bit more, and it'll help the Suzukis out," Stoffer said. "We're going to do what we can, repair all the motors we can, but realistically we're going into Vegas with one motor right now.

"It's a challenge, but the good Lord puts challenges on those who can handle it. We have a good team and we all stick together. We pulled off a lot of switches this weekend, and we were able to get out there. We didn't hang anybody out on the starting line, we made the call, we did a good job."

Dozens of failed stars discovered

2011-10-17T00:37:00.001-07:00

A new survey has turned up more than two dozen failed stars, including one lightweight only about six times the mass of Jupiter.

The Canadian-led discovery could shed light on these strange objects, known as brown dwarfs, which straddle the boundary between stars and planets.

Brown dwarfs fail to accumulate enough material, and hence mass, to begin the nuclear fusion process that makes stars like our Sun shine.

Astronomers using the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii and the Very Large Telescope in Chile made optical and infrared observations of two clusters of young stars while searching for brown dwarfs. Their study has been accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal.

One paper focuses on the star cluster NGC-1333, which is 1,000 light years away in the constellation Perseus. Astronomers found that up to a third of stars in the cluster were actually brown dwarfs, raising questions about the kind of environmental conditions needed to encourage brown dwarf development.

They also discovered one of the least massive brown dwarfs ever detected. Despite being the size of a large planet, it doesn't orbit a host star, raising questions about how it formed.

Stars form from the collapse of gas and dust clouds, while planets form out of protoplanetary disks of material left over from star formation.

Scientists believe most brown dwarfs form like stars. However, the small brown dwarfs may form like planets around a host star and are later ejected into interstellar space.

"The findings suggest [planet-sized] objects not much bigger than Jupiter could form the same way stars do," lead researcher Professor Ray Jayawardhana of the University of Toronto said.

"What's more, one cluster contains a surprising surplus of them, harbouring half as many of these astronomical oddballs as normal stars. In other words, nature appears to have more than one trick up its sleeve for producing planetary mass objects."

The second paper examines the star cluster Rho Ophiuchi, 460 light years away in the constellation Ophiuchus. Scientists discovered six new brown dwarfs, making up a fifth of the known stellar population in the cluster.

Fred Watson from the Australian Astronomical Observatory said the papers indicate brown dwarfs may be more common than previously thought.

"The work sheds new light on the sort of conditions in which brown dwarfs form," he said. "It also pushes down the lower limit for brown dwarf star mass, previously thought to be at least 13 times Jupiter's mass. That figure was set because deuterium burning, which powers brown dwarfs, drops off below this point.

"All this further blurs the boundary between what we call stars and what we define as planets," he added.

The Big Flush: $180 billion vanishes from Michigan

2011-10-14T00:09:00.001-07:00

Michigan home- and business owners have lost an astounding $180 billion from the value of their properties over the past four years — the result of auto company bankruptcies, a severe national recession and the worst state economy in more than 70 years — according to an analysis of state data by Bridge Magazine.

Adjusted for inflation, property values have plunged 27 percent since 2007. In other words, Michigan homeowners and businesses have lost about $1 in every $4 of property value they once possessed.

The $180 billion loss in value is an amount five times larger than General Motors’ market capitalization. It represents an average loss of $18,200 for every Michigan resident.

Experts say the real estate collapse could slow Michigan’s economic recovery for years as residential, commercial and industrial properties reset at much lower values.

“That may be the biggest story as far as Michigan’s economy is concerned,” said Michigan State University economist Charles Ballard.

Booming home prices and the easy availability of home equity loans in Michigan once allowed big-spending homeowners to use their property as virtual ATM machines. They pulled out hundreds of millions of dollars in equity to buy cars, big screen televisions and other purchases that kept the economy humming.

Each year, the state of Michigan collects property value information from all local governments in the state. Using this data, Bridge compared values in 2007 to values in 2011, both in raw figures and adjusting for inflation. The result was “Big Flush,” a loss of more than $180 billion in Michigan assets in a four-year span.

Not anymore. The crash in the value of Michigan’s homes and other property shut off the lights at this party.

The total value of Michigan’s property has plunged 20 percent since topping out at $906 billion in 2007. Today, Michigan’s real estate is worth $726 billion, according to Bridge’s review of Treasury Department data.

That has resulted in a variety of negative impacts for the state’s economy, schools and local governments.

Homeowners no longer have equity available to finance big-ticket purchases or to remodel their homes.

Unemployed homeowners or those with better job opportunities can’t go after jobs in other locations because they can’t sell their houses for as much as they need to pay off mortgages. And the high rate of foreclosures is pushing values down further.

Kelly Sweeney, chief executive of Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel, said the number of sales and prices of owner-occupied homes in Oakland County has started to rise as Michigan has added about 70,000 jobs this year.

Unleashing the inner beast with hard-court bike polo

2011-10-13T00:56:00.001-07:00

Ah, polo—the sport of kings! When it first emerged in Central Asia hundreds of years ago, elite cavalry units would play polo as a military training game. In the sixth century, even the king of Persia was known to take on the queen and her ladies.

And yet, who but a royal can afford a horse? As time went on, the game grew to be more egalitarian. In 1891, pioneering Irish cyclist Richard J. Mecredy swapped the horse for a bicycle, and bike polo was born.

Today, bike polo is a people’s sport. Teams play regularly in cities around the world, competing in tournaments and maintaining friendly rivalries. Pickup games are played every week; all you need is an old beater of a bike, a helmet and a wheel guard to protect the spokes from getting mangled.

Every Thursday at 7 p.m., bikers roll up to the Golden Hill Recreation Center to play hard-court bike polo (held on hard ground rather than a grass field) beneath the lights of the basketball court (or the handball court, if the hoops court’s being used). In case anybody wants to join in, Mike “Lawnmower” Maverick always shows up with an extra bike and a big bag of mallets, the waist-length sticks used to control the ball.

Companies like EighthInch sell polo-mallet kits, and there’s even a bike polo iPhone app, but many players prefer to fashion their own gear and customize their bikes. Trevor “Fraggle” Fray, a bike messenger whose dreadlocks were sticking out of a helmet covered with stickers (“dirty hippie,” one reads), rides a ’cycle with a stiff, mountain-bike frame and both front and back brakes hooked to his left-hand brake lever, leaving his right hand free to wield his mallet. Renee Green went one step further by simply hacking the right handle off her handlebars.

Maverick’s mallets are home-made—hockey poles or bamboo rods affixed with cylindrical heads made of plastic piping. On one, the end of the head was plugged with a piece of cutting board. It’s kind of like “knights making their own swords,” he explains. “You make it in your garage, and it’s like your own design, and you bring it to the court, test it out against the other knights.”

Unlike L.A.’s thriving bike polo scene, San Diego has only about a dozen regular players. They started holding games three years ago; Jordan Green (no relation to Renee) says they would often spend more time looking for a court than playing. When they appealed to the city, they were given four orange cones to use as goal posts.

Only about four players had shown up when I headed to the Golden Hill Recreation Center around 7:45 p.m. on a recent Thursday. Usually, they play in teams of three, with matches going to five points. Fray started calling friends to round up another player for a proper game, and, finally, a quiet fellow named Josh Montonavous rolled up. The game was on.

Philips Earns Breakthrough Award for LED Technology

2011-10-12T01:27:00.001-07:00

Philips Lighting has been honored by POPULAR MECHANICS as a winner of a 2011 Breakthrough Award, which recognizes innovators and products that dramatically advance the fields of technology and other disciplines.

Ten companies were selected in the Breakthrough Product Awards category, with Philips Lighting recognized for AmbientLED, an environmentally and economically sustainable indoor light bulb. The first credible replacement for the 60-watt incandescent, AmbientLED – using innovative light-emitting diode (LED) technology – uses just 12.5 watts of power, saves 80 percent in energy costs, vastly reduces carbon emissions and is rated to last 25,000 hours.

"Philips Lighting and our other Breakthrough Award winners not only capture the imagination, but hold the potential to improve lives," said James B. Meigs, editor-in-chief of POPULAR MECHANICS. "We are pleased to honor this year's diverse list of visionaries, as they are shaping the future of innovation."

Zia Eftekhar, CEO, Philips Lighting North America, said, "Winning this prestigious award from POPULAR MECHANICS further validates our commitment to and focus on sustainable and viable lighting technologies. AmbientLED is one of the numerous LED-based products in our ever-growing portfolio, making a positive impact on the lives and wallets of consumers."

Last week, Philips Lighting was also selected as a 2011 Leader of Change Award winner by the Foundation for Social Change and the United Nations Office for Partnerships. The award recognized the company's longstanding commitment to sustainability through the development of innovative lighting, including LED technologies. Earlier in 2011, Philips won the U.S. Department of Energy's L Prize competition, which challenged the lighting industry to develop high-performance, energy and money-saving replacements for conventional light bulbs.

Philips Lighting and the other Breakthrough Award winners received the seventh-annual Breakthrough Awards at a gala ceremony in New York City on October 10. Descriptions of the winners will be published in the November issue of POPULAR MECHANICS.

The world's first LED replacement for a 60-watt incandescent bulb, the AmbientLED 12.5-watt is also the first to earn ENERGY STAR qualification. Philips Lighting is a worldwide leader in developing LED and other lighting technology solutions that aid in the global transition to a sustainable society, while delivering economic, ecological and social benefits.

Background

2011-10-11T01:30:00.001-07:00

As might be expected, the parties have significantly different accounts of what occurred. According to Johnson, as she was preparing to depart for her Bible study group that evening, she was told by her son Blake that "Mom, the police are outside harassing Joseph." Johnson left the house and stood in her front yard, where she witnessed Officer John Schweiger question McClennon, pat him down, remove items from his pockets, and place him in the back of Schweiger's squad car.

A second squad car arrived, occupied by Officers Chad Hofius and Mathew Kipke. Johnson asked Hofius and Kipke about what was happening, to which one of the officers replied, "you are ignorant," and the other said that Johnson was acting "childish." Schweiger released McClennon from the squad car and threw an earlier-prepared drug paraphernalia citation at him, which McClennon bent down to pick up.

As McClennon began walking towards Johnson and her home, she told him to return to Schweiger's car to "get his stuff" that had been left on the hood.

Johnson observed McClennon return to the car, where Schweiger swung at McClennon with a flashlight. When McClennon pushed the flashlight away, Schweiger grabbed him, pulled him into the street towards the second squad car, and attempted to take him to the ground. Although McClennon was not struggling, Hofius and Kipke approached to assist with the arrest. Johnson ran past the officers and jumped onto McClennon, bear-hugging him face-to-face, telling him to get to the ground, and trying to protect him from the officers in a non-resistant manner.

Without first ordering Johnson to remove herself from McClennon, either Hofius or Kipke pulled her away from McClennon and threw her to the ground, "very hard, very forcefully." Johnson arose and again bear-hugged McClennon, this time from behind. The same officer pulled Johnson off McClennon and again threw her to the ground, "very hard," "very much" harder than the first time, injuring her left knee. An officer then tased McClennon, who fell to the ground.

Johnson crawled over to McClennon as he lay there still shaking from being tased and again blanketed him with her body. With no warning or request that Johnson remove herself, Schweiger then maced her in the face, whereupon she "backed up off" McClennon so that the officers could remove the taser prongs from his body. Thereafter, Johnson crawled to the curb, where she was able to arise only by grasping a tree for support.

A group of bystanders, including her two sons, stood there on the sidewalk. According to McClennon, there were "a lot of people," "a bunch of both, men and women," asking questions of the officers and loudly protesting what was happening to him and Johnson. Schweiger arrested McClennon and placed him in the back of the Schweiger's squad car. Hofius arrested Johnson, handcuffed her, and took her to jail.

The secrets of taking good pictures: Cellphone cameras

2011-10-10T01:23:00.001-07:00

I’m never without my cellphone and I use its integrated camera almost every day. A few years ago cellphone cameras could only take low quality snaps but now they can produce excellent high resolution pictures that are often as good as many compact cameras.

The older models had fixed focus lenses and recorded small-sized images only suitable for texting or emailing. Modern “smartphones” have autofocus, scene modes, digital zooms, and many features found on proper cameras. You can take pictures that are of good enough quality to enlarge for exhibitions. They do have limitations, however, and you need a little skill, knowledge, and patience to get the best out of them.

For the best picture quality, shoot in Led light outdoors. Avoid using the digital zoom because this can degrade the image. Zooming simply enlarges the picture while cropping it to fit the screen. It magnifies the small movements of you hands and can cause “camera shake” and blurred pictures. Rather than zoom go closer to the subject, or crop the picture afterward.

The sensor, or “digital film” chip, is truly a technological marvel. It is necessarily tiny, perhaps only 3 x 4mm, and is usually crammed with at least five million light-sensitive cells. It’s about one eightieth the size of a professional camera’s sensor and this causes problems, especially in lower light levels.

Pictures taken in room lighting can be grainy and blurred as the sensor struggles to record an acceptable image. If your phone has a flash it will be too weak to help much. You usually get the best results if you switch off the flash, hold the phone very steady, choose a moment when the subject is still, and take three shots. If there is a “burst mode” use this to take a number of quick consecutive shots. Choose the sharpest picture afterward.

Smartphones, such as the iPhone and Galaxy 9000 have an unexpected advantage if you are taking candid shots. Stand with your left side to the subject, hold the phone in your left hand to your ear as if making a call. Use your right hand to press the on-screen button to take a candid shot. Of course you will have to take a few shots to make sure of the composition.

One of the greatest disadvantages of pictures taken with cellphones is that almost everything is in focus. This is fine for family snaps where you want to see people clearly, but is limiting for creative photography where out-of-focus effects are important.

Beechcroft 42, Mifflin 6: Beechcroft steps up to challenge in a decisive manne

2011-10-09T01:01:00.000-07:00

Beechcroft receiver Kevin Chapple said he was unable to sleep Thursday night in anticipation of facing Mifflin’s vaunted secondary, led by senior Troy Robinson.

“I sat up until about 4 in the morning trying to think of ways I was going to get past Troy and make some big plays,” Chapple said. “That was my whole mindset coming into this game. Getting the better of him was a big motivating factor.”

Chapple and his Cougars teammates could sleep easy last night, having pounded the previously unbeaten Punchers 42-6 in a City League North Division showdown before an overflow crowd at Mifflin.

Quarterback Maurice Hale completed 9 of 17 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 123 yards and another score to lead Beechcroft (6-1, 4-0), which seized control from the outset and never let up against a defense that had yielded only three touchdowns all season.

“We wanted to put up a score or two early and set the tone for the evening,” said Hale, who has emerged as one of central Ohio’s top dual-threat quarterbacks. “We knew they had a good defense. Honestly, I was surprised that we were able to get so many touchdowns on them in the first half. We were really motivated.”

Beechcroft scored on its first five series for a 35-6 lead by halftime.

“Our team felt a little disrespected coming in,” Beechcroft coach Bruce Ward said. “We kept hearing Mifflin, Mifflin, Mifflin. People seemed to forget that we’re still the champion of this league, and teams still have contend with us.

The most-spectacular play occurred on the Cougars’ opening series. Hale sidestepped a potential sack, stepped up into the pocket and heaved a bomb into the end zone that Khaleed Franklin hauled in among a mass of bodies for a touchdown of 43 yards. Franklin, 6 feet 3 inches, outjumped Robinson (5-9) to win the jump ball.

“We knew they’d try to put a lot of pressure on us, but our line did a good job keeping them off me,” Hale said.

Mifflin coach Gregg Miller saw the game in a different light.

“Our guys just didn’t show up to play,” he said. “The kids didn’t do what they were coached to do all week. Our whole game plan was predicated on pressuring Hale. We called blitz on just about every single play, and I don’t remember us getting to him once.

“That quarterback is too good to let him sit back there and throw it all over the place, not to mention take off and run with it.”

The only highlight for Mifflin (6-1, 3-1) was a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Kamaron Green that cut Beechcroft’s lead to 14-6. The Punchers, who managed only five first downs, never threatened to score again.

Cleric Underlines Iran's Full Support for Regional Uprisings

2011-10-08T00:32:00.001-07:00

"Our great nation cannot ignore oppressions against the Muslim nations of the region by their tyrannical rulers and with the US green light," Khatami said addressing a large and fervent congregation of worshippers on Tehran University Campus here on Friday.

"Saudi rulers are oppressing their own people and support dictators and have suppressed nations of the region. Hence, our religion and humanness requires us to adopt a stance and side with those who have a right.

"The nation of this country (Saudi Arabia) have a right to vote and they are asking for nothing but their rights."

"I tell these nations in a very clear and straightforward manner that although we, as required by the international rules, cannot come and be present in there, we extend our full spiritual support for you and we wish you victory," the Friday Prayers leader said.

His remarks came after the Saudi police cracked down on a Shiite popular uprising in an area around the city of al-Qatif earlier this week, injuring several people seriously.

Tension in the village boiled over Monday as Saudi police arrested two men, both in their 70s, in a bid to force their fugitive sons, accused of taking part in Shiite-led protests, to surrender, according to a Shiite activist.

Unrests escalated after the Kingdom's assistant minister of defense and aviation Prince Khalid bin Sultan told his troops located in the Qatif area they should be ready for all "possibilities".

Civilians who witnessed the clashes insist the Saudi state is brutally suppressing the protest.

"The situation is calm now in the village" of Al-Awamiya in Eastern Saudi Arabia, said Human Rights First Society head Ibrahim al-Mughaiteeb, after 14 people were injured in the police clampdown.

At a mosque in the village late on Tuesday, senior cleric Sheikh Nimr Nimr, said
Saudi "authorities depend on bullets ... and killing and imprisonment. We must depend on the roar of the word, on the words of justice," Nimr said following two days of Saudi clampdown on Shiite protesters.

A video posted on YouTube showed demonstrators chanting "Down with Mohammed bin Fahd," the governor of the Eastern Province and son of Saudi Arabia's former ruler, the late King Fahd.

Saudi Arabia first witnessed popular uprisings after it sent troops to the neighboring Bahrain to suppress the peaceful protestors in the country.

Lawrence Lessig Accuses U.S. Congress of Corruption

2011-09-30T01:25:00.001-07:00

American political activist and Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig stressed the need for a constitutional convention to address rampant congressional corruption during his speech at Kenyon on Tuesday, Sept. 27. Lessig focused his attention on the pervasive corruption plaguing the U.S. Congress. Lessig's most recent book, Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress – and a Plan to Stop It, is set for publication in early October. He shared his thoughts on the corruption of the American republic in his presentation sponsored by Kenyon's Center for the Study of American Democracy.

Lessig began by accusing the U.S. government of losing efficacy. Citizens are understandably frustrated with their representatives in light of this inaction, he said. The only federal government institution to enjoy the support of a majority of Americans is the Supreme Court, according to a recent poll. The Supreme Court, he pointed out, is also the only undemocratic organ of the federal government.

Lessig also spoke about the continual extension of certain provisional parts of the U.S. tax code that began under the Reagan administration.

Essentially, Lessig said, lawmakers raised funds for their reelection campaigns by projecting the illusion that tax provisions were in jeopardy of not being renewed.

Sugar tariffs, corn subsidies, shadow banking and government guarantees of financially troubled businesses were among the other issues that Lessig touched on during his overview of congressional corruption. Incidents like the ongoing recession and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill have caused 75 percent of Americans to believe that money produces results in Congress, according to Lessig. As he pointed out, more Americans trusted the British crown in 1776 than trust Congress in 2011.

Members of Congress, Lessig said, have developed a "sixth sense" about how their legislative decisions will affect their prospects for reelection. He considers this incessant focus on reelection a distraction from the purpose of Congress.

The effect financial contributions have on congressional decision-making also has undemocratic aspects, Lessig said. He noted that the preferences of America's most affluent citizens tend to become policy, which usually puts the course of American affairs at odds with the wants and needs of the bottom 90 percent of Americans. The country's founders, he said, wanted Congress to depend on the will of the American people, but this principle has been lost.

Tevatron Closing: Shutdown Casts Shadow Over Fermilab's Future

2011-09-29T01:20:00.001-07:00

In the coming months, the eyes of the physics world will be focused here to see if researchers can confirm the startling findings announced last week in Europe – that subatomic particles called neutrinos traveled faster than the speed of light.

But this is also a time of transition for Fermilab. On Friday, physicists will shut down the facility's accelerator called the Tevatron, a once-unrivaled atom smasher that has been eclipsed by the Large Hadron Collider buried beneath the border of France and Switzerland.

For some in Batavia, it will be a somber moment, akin to losing a family member. Others wonder whether it signals a lack of commitment to high-level particle science on U.S. soil.

Fermilab leaders say they hope that's not the case, because there's plenty of research to keep Batavia at the cutting edge.

That point was underscored after researchers using equipment at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, revealed their finding that cast doubt on Einstein's theory of relativity.

Fermilab – named after Enrico Fermi, who helped develop atomic energy at the University of Chicago – is one of only two other labs in the world that could try to replicate the work. The other, in Japan, has been slowed by the earthquake and tsunami.

Fermilab saw similar faster-than-light results in 2007 while shooting a beam of neutrinos to a lab in northern Minnesota. But the scientific significance of that observation was undercut by a large margin of error. Now the lab hopes to upgrade its own "clock" to see if it can confirm or debunk the European findings.

But long after the light-speed question has been answered, Fermilab hopes to make neutrino research one of the centerpieces of the post-Tevatron era – and retain its standing as one of the world's premier research labs.

That would involve building a new accelerator to study the universe in a new way – by producing the most collisions, rather than the most powerful. The accelerator also would be capable of producing neutrino beams more intense than anywhere else to help study the particles that scientists theorize helped tip the cosmic scales toward a universe made of matter.

"The idea is to look for things that happen very rarely, and the way to find them is to create lots of examples and see if you find something," said Steve Holmes, who's in charge of the new venture, called Project X.

Meet the Candidates: Donna Short Woodham

2011-09-28T01:49:00.001-07:00

ECONOMY - I will focus on bringing living wage blue-collar and white-collar jobs to Smyrna. As mayor I will become a member of the Green Chamber of the South, which was created by two Georgia Tech professors. Their intent for the Green Chamber of the South is to bring all green companies under one roof. Being a member of the Green Chamber of the South has its advantages. It will keep me updated to the ever-changing green technology. I will have first knowledge when green companies want to expand or start-up here in the south. Being mayor means you are the spokesperson for your city. When green companies are looking to expand to other cities, having a mayor who is updated and knowledgeable about green technology will be to Smyrna's advantage. Also, being a member means our city can be a host to future conferences.

EQUALITY - No matter where we live or the income we make or the different backgrounds we all have, we deserve respect.

ENERGY - We must reduce the cities consumption of water and electricity. Other cities are doing this in the simplest ways. One simple way is to change the street lights and the school flashing lights to LED lighting. Cities that have changed to LED lights have saved thousands of dollars; these dollars can be returned back into the general fund to keep the city strong financially.

ENVIRONMENT - A wise government should provide a balance between the built and the natural environment. We need stronger tree ordinances and compassionate development. The city could be a leader in becoming green; it also, could be a host for green education and seminars. It will only start now if I am elected mayor.

ENGAGEMENT - The first 100 days I will assess my surroundings. I will get to know my office staff, and all my city employees. I will have an open door policy. You my neighbors will always be able to reach me. I will go back to the neighborhoods, and have informal listening parties. I will continue to meet with the citizens until we get Smyrna right.

In addition to the five E's, I would focus on:

SPLOST PROJECTS - As mayor, I will have a sign at all SPLOST projects. The sign will state the following information: the start date, the finish date, the cost of the project, and a picture and or description of the project. Transparency and honesty should matter to all. With the right leadership this can happen.

Latest Trends in Hotel Refurbishment

2011-09-27T01:22:00.001-07:00

UK hoteliers are looking forward to 2012 with a "cautious optimism" – something that has been distinctly lacking in recent years. Some hotel owners can see the light at the end of the tunnel and many are considering expanding their businesses next year, according to the Frank Knight Hotel Operator Sentiment Survey 2011.

The findings showed that just over 50 per cent of the operators questioned said that they would be spending on refurbishing their existing stock.

Typically, guest room refurbishment can fall into two broad categories, refreshment and re-branding.

Refreshment is commonly required every five to seven years and involves adding new elements to the rooms to ensure that the hotel remains competitive in its target market. This will include redecorating, replacing furniture, fittings, equipment and minor works that improve the ease of operation.

Although Royal Garden Hotel has a rolling refurbishment programme of this kind, May saw the luxury hotel bring its 45 million refurbishment project to a close. The result is an excellent example of a well-executed refurbishment programme that responded to the needs of guests and sharpened the brand's competitive edge on London's luxury hotel scene.

"We implemented the refurbishment in stages," explained deputy general manager, Jonathan Lowrey in a recent interview with hotel-industry. "We have re-fitted guest rooms floor-by-floor and conference and events facilities were refurbished in stages as well. We carefully timed these stages to minimise disruption to our guests and customers."

A photo gallery of the Royal Garden Hotel's refurbishment is also available on hotel-industry.

While the Royal Garden Hotel favoured the partial-closure approach, the Savoy Hotel closed down completely between 2007 and 2010 to conduct one of the most talked about ambitious hotel refurbishment projects of recent times.

The 220 million restoration incorporated the entire building, including its iconic entrance and all 268 guestrooms and suites. Our photo gallery of refurbished Savoy Hotel will guide you around the newly designed property.

Re-branding or re-modelling aims to move the hotel into a different sector and increase room rates. This can involve creating new guest rooms using redundant space, replacing services and bathrooms, changing room and area layouts or introducing new guest facilities, such as IT and in-room entertainment.

When the Grosvenor Hotel, Victoria fell into the safe hands of the Guoman collection, the company set about bringing the property into line with its brand's standards, yet preserving the aesthetic essence of this famous railway hotel. No corner of the property has been left untouched, with all bedrooms, public areas, restaurants, meetings and event spaces refurbished.

Mild to wild: Customizing your bike can make it new again

2011-09-23T00:32:00.001-07:00

With the end of the riding season nearly here, many of you may be thinking about winter projects and some neat new things to add to your bikes.

The fact that most riders store their bikes for the winter anyway makes winter an ideal time to undertake big projects without cutting into prime riding time in the spring, summer and fall.

Many of these projects involve customizing bikes to make them your own. This is one of the key reasons people customize — to make what they already have, and love, new again.

"There are two (main) reasons you customize a bike — you have to because you smashed it up or you have a bike that you have paid for, and you can either buy another bike, or spend (some money) on yours and make it new again," Mike Geislinger of Slinger Cycles in Dartmouth tells me.

Mike is a custom bike builder and self-taught airbrushing artist who has been building bikes since 2005. He started in his mother's single-bay garage while off work with an injury from racing Superbikes, and opened up a full shop in 2007.

In the world of customizing, there really is something for everyone now. You can find a project to fit nearly any budget, and get a variety of effects, from mild to wild. Some of the key trends right now are 'fat' rear tires, air ride suspension, chrome, billet accessories, stereos, custom paint and lights.

"This winter will be a lot more electronics on bikes," Mike predicts. "Not just stereos — full audio, navigation, GPS and screens."

Since Slinger Cycles has been open, Mike has become a go-to guy for custom airbrushed paint, custom swing arms, custom moulding for electronics installations, and he has even cut apart a gas tank to put speakers in it. He also does one 'trike' a year, converting a motorcycle to a three-wheeled machine. This winter he's building an independent suspension Harley-Davidson based trike. He's also in the process of building the fastest street bike in Canada, based on a Suzuki GS1300R Hayabusa, for a shop bike with tons of modifications, including a turbo motor.

Mike also started a trend with 'theme' bikes. He's now done more superhero and movie bikes than he can name — including Batman, Joker, The Incredible Hulk, Wolverine, and one for the Saw movies. The bikes are a complete theme, including paint and accessories.

If you're looking for something a little more 'mild' ride, you can add some accessories like levers, 'slip-on' exhaust pipes, frame sliders, rear sets, and custom paint. There is a huge industry of third-party aftermarket parts for Japanese motorcycles, available through nearly any motorcycle retailer. For Harley-Davidsons, there is even extensive factory support, with Harley-Davidson branded products available for customizing and modifying your ride.

"Paint is always a good first step," Mike tells me. "If you have a $600 budget and you want to make your bike personalized, or you have a $10,000 budget, you can always fit paint into anyone's budget to make it their bike. Just to change the wheels on your bike is twice as much as painting your bike."

PI design for 15W downlight is flicker-free

2011-09-22T01:05:00.001-07:00

Power Integrations has a reference design for an 85%-efficient, 15W PAR38 downlight driver that it claims will deliver flicker-free dimming without the use of electrolytic bulk capacitors.

Based around the firm’s LNK405EG LED driver IC, it is designed to provide flicker-free performance across a broad range of triac dimmers.

Typical TRIAC dimmers were designed for incandescent lights that use an order of magnitude more power than LED lights of equivalent lumen output.

According to the supplier, the low current requirement of LED lights, especially when dimmed, can cause triacs to switch off unexpectedly or oscillate, creating an annoying flickering effect.

This can be addressed by storing energy in an electrolytic bulk capacitor, with bulb lifetime implications, or by allowing a continuous flow of current into the bulb, wasting energy and thereby defeating the main benefit of LED lighting.

The DER-281 reference design provides an alternative approach without the need for electrolytic bulk capacitors.

Referring to the first box installed in Moscow, he added: 'This Sleepbox has attracted such a great deal of interest from passengers and big companies that the chances are first commercially operated boxes will be installed at airports and in the city by the end of this year.'

Other possible locations would include railway stations, exhibition centres and shopping centres.

In countries with a warm climate, Sleepbox can be used outdoors.

The spokesman continued: 'It allows everybody in unforeseen circumstances to spend a night safely and inexpensively or simply to kill a few hours without leaving the luggage.

'Currently we offer one, two, or three-bed Sleepboxes, which can be made of MDF , metal, and glass-reinforced plastic.

'The price varies depending on the number of hours in use: the more the user pays for, the less it costs per hour.'

Cyclists need be cowboys no more

2011-09-21T01:38:00.000-07:00

I have commuted by bicycle to school and work in Montreal for at least 25 years. The last seven years have been specifically on bicycle paths, due to the proximity of my home to a bike path, and due to the fact that I have a new young cyclist in the family: my son. This ratio of years on and off bicycle paths is probably comparable to most in the city, as the path network has grown.

For those who hadn't biked in Montreal prior to its recent transformation into a bicycling city, I would like to explain how it was to be an urban cyclist. Cyclists had to take on a different mentality; some would say they had to act like cowboys. We became cowboys because there was no place for cyclists in the city. There were no apparent regulations for cyclists, so we had to make our own rules.

We'd go through intersections on walk signals; no one wanted us on the roads, so we'd follow the rules of the sidewalk.

We'd go on green Led light with a no-walk signal; no one wanted us on the sidewalk either, so we'd follow the rules of the road.

We had to jostle our way between parked cars and speeding traffic, keeping a careful eye out for parked cars opening doors.

We'd dread having to play tag with city buses, which ride at the same pace as a bicycle, weaving in and out of the path of bicycles to reach bus stops. The only way to get out of bus tag is to get ahead by running red lights.

Cycling through red lights was also a necessity in order to get ahead of the adjacent traffic that would tend to turn right as soon as the light would turn green without signalling or checking for bikes.

Thankfully, through the perseverance of the bicycling community in co-operation with the cities on the island of Montreal, an incredible network of appropriate bicycle paths has been built, giving access to a growing population of urban bicyclists.

With this transformation there is a slow but sure change in the mentality of cyclists.

We now have a dedicated place on the roads. With this newly established sense of place comes pride for our space and a desire to hold onto it and ensure that these paths are not taken away from us.

We have a place to commute without jostling amongst opening doors and bus routes. We are seeing (in most places) that priority is given to cyclists at intersections and that traffic lights take into account the requirements of the cyclist. At first we had to yell at cars and pedestrians to remind them to heed the newly paced traffic lights, but now even the other cowboys on the road are starting to follow the rules set up around cyclists.

‘You Can Never Tell’: Cluttered stage robbed play of its magic

2011-09-19T01:48:00.001-07:00

If there is a chair on the stage and a person in a wig sits on it and reads out a sentence, you will believe that this person is a judge in his courtroom.

And if the person exits and two people in white coats walk in immediately discussing the health of a patient, you will not question how this very space has transformed itself from a courtroom into a hospital in a matter of seconds. This is because once you take your seat in a theatre auditorium, you consciously or unconsciously slip into what is known in theatre circles as suspension of disbelief.

I rather hoped that theatre directors in Nairobi would have more faith in the audience’s suspended disbelief, when I watched Strathmore University Drama Society’s production of You Can Never Tell (1897) by Nobel laureate George Bernard Shaw on Friday, September 9.

Though I am now well acquainted with Dramsoc’s use of stage space, this time, the play was staged in the Strathmore auditorium where the lighting is not suited to theatre productions but rather to lectures and other forms of public speaking.

Thus, it did not allow for Led light off on the sets that were not in use. Also, the arrangement resulted in too much clutter and the cast being limited to a very small part of the stage at any given time, which was a shame as the stage is very large. This led to awkward movement around furniture, which greatly compromised the actors’ performance.

This insistence on realism — that there must be a dentist’s surgery that looks as much like a dentist’s surgery as resources can allow, and a dining room and a hotel room suite and a window overlooking the seaside, all at the same time, robs the stage of its magic.

And after all that, the play lacked the attention to detail that realism demands, though it wasn’t clear if this was due to negligence on the part of the director, Nick Muthama or the stage manager, Paula Bosire. The dining table — in an upmarket hotel — was set with an uncharacteristic mix of goblets and wine glasses, Mrs Chande did not sit facing the table squarely and primly in a manner that reflects her social class, ginger beer came in a Smirnoff bottle, scotch was served in mugs, and the audience even succumbed to unsolicited mirth when water was poured out of a green plastic jug.

Mrs Chande and her children Gloria (Nicole Dusenge), Dolly and Philip have returned to Kenya, having lived in South Africa for 18 years. Dolly and Philip finally meet their estranged father Cosmas at the dentist’s surgery and invite him to lunch without knowing who he really is.

Boulia revives Min Min light festival

2011-09-15T01:28:00.005-07:00

This is to be the first time in 35 years the event will be held.

The festival kicks off tomorrow morning with a morning tea held at the Stonehouse Museum.

Later that night, tourists and residents will gather at the Boulia Rodeo Grounds to dine under the stars.

An expert guide will take them on a tour of the Outback night sky's constellations.

Friday morning's festivities will start with breakfast and target shooting at the gun club before competitors battle it out to be named Outback ironman and woman at the town's aquatic centre and sports centre.

Organiser Shelley Norton said the event would be a test of strength and bush skills.

"We don't want to give away too many details but all the events are to do with the Outback and will have a bush twist," she said.

A street party will cap off Friday's events with a talent show, thong throwing competition and more.

A camel tagging competition will be held Saturday morning as will a dirt bike display.

The event's highlight, the Min Min Gala Ball, will be held on Saturday night.

"We've got four girls doing their debut and we'll have music and entertainment through until late," Ms Norton said.

Ms Norton said it was the first time in recent memory the town had held a debutante ball.

Kalinda Cluff, whose daughter Kayla is one of the four young ladies to make her debut, said she was thrilled to witness her daughter dressed up for the occasion.

"They've all got their white dresses and will be wearing their white gloves," she said.

"It's a nice special occasion for them and it gives us all a chance to get dressed up and get our hair done."

The girls will dance four dances and be presented to several Boulia legends who have returned to the town for the occasion.

"Jim Grimshaw is the oldest one we've got coming back and he's 90," she said.

Power line expansion needs scrutiny now more than ever

2011-09-13T20:48:00.003-07:00

An Electric Reliability Project.” They claim the line is necessary for reliability of our grid, and that PJM Interconnection — the grid operator — deemed the expansion necessary.

PJM operates the grid in New Jersey and 14 other eastern states, and is supposed to be an independent company charged with maintaining the grid’s reliability. In reality, however, PJM is a conglomerate of transmission line owners and power companies — like PSE&G — that generate electricity, mostly from coal-fired power plants to the west of New Jersey. Naturally, PJM is going to try to promote projects and policies that will generate income for their member corporations.

Recent studies by independent research firms — including ERPI and Synapse — have determined that consumer energy demand is falling, and will likely continue to fall or remain flat over the next decade. This drop in demand is not simply due to the depressed state of our current economy, but is more attributable to the efficiency of newer appliances and gadgets being introduced. New refrigerators use only 25 percent of the energy that they did years ago. LCD flat-screen TVs — despite their larger size — use less energy than older TVs. And increasing numbers of people are switching over to compact fluorescent and LED light bulbs.

Perhaps the largest contribution to decreased energy demand — especially during peak use periods — comes from “Demand Response,” a procedure where large energy consumers are paid to curtail energy use during times of high demand, essentially selling the unused surplus energy at a profit and reducing overall peak demand. Since Demand Response is used when transmission lines have the greatest potential to be overloaded — on really hot days with high peak demand — it alleviates most if not all of the need to build costly new transmission lines to cover peak usage, as the proposed Susquehanna-Roseland project is intended to do.

Sam shines a light in New York

2011-09-13T02:03:00.001-07:00

Stosur's intoxicating mix of strength, spin, movement and court craft was the performance of a worthy US Open champion. She made the sport seem simple in New York, yet nothing about Stosur's story is that.

To reach this final, Stosur succeeded in the longest women's match ever played in New York and then prevailed in the lengthiest tiebreaker in women's tennis.

She was welcomed to New York by Hurricane Irene, shunted to an outside court for her semi-final victory, faced repeated rain interruptions and then showed up Serena with both her tennis and sportsmanship.

It is the obstacles that Stosur has overcome, including the debilitating Lyme disease just four years ago that could have killed her career, and the courage and humble manner in which she did so that makes this success the sweetest, that defines her as a worthy champion.

The victory was obviously well received at home given it ended a 31-year drought dating back to Evonne Goolagong Cawley's second Wimbledon title in 1980, with Margaret Court's title triumph in 1973 in New York an eternity ago. It resonated in the political halls of power, with Julia Gillard quick to congratulate the Queenslander.

But, in a testament to Stosur's popularity on tour, the success was most warmly welcomed by her peers and champions of both genders, among them former world No 1 Lindsay Davenport who said the Australian "played so well and handled it all with class".

The poise and grace she displayed against Williams (in stark contrast to another atrocious outburst from the American that may see her banned from next year's US Open) is a feature of her character far beyond the baseline.

As her former coach Craig Morris, who watched the match with dozens of Tennis Australia employees at Melbourne Park, says: "Sam is now a grand slam champion on court but has always been a grand slam person off it.

A little civic-minded flash in Tremont: editorial

2011-09-09T01:10:00.001-07:00

Around 8:30 Friday evening, during the Tremont neighborhood's monthly Art Walk, something very cool is going to happen. A switch will be thrown and 17 LED light fixtures attached to buildings along Professor Avenue will come to life.

That moment will mark the culmination of a 2-1/2-year grass-roots effort to make a neighborhood that includes some of Cleveland's hippest restaurants, galleries and boutiques feel even safer and more welcoming.

And the driving force has been a group of (mostly) young professionals who call themselves 10,000 Little (micro) Ideas to Keep You Believing in Cleveland.

The group's goal is pretty simple: Make this a better place to live.

When 10,000 Little (micro) Ideas held a civic brainstorming session in 2008, one idea that quickly gained traction involved better street lighting, for aesthetic and safety reasons. After some consideration, they picked Tremont.

As volunteers, they sought expertise from the corporate world, neighborhood groups and City Hall. They raised money with help from Tremont restaurateurs, and immersed themselves in the study of lighting systems. There were setbacks and disappointments, but tonight, in the city where Charles Brush introduced the electric arc streetlight in 1879, 10,000's tenacity is going to pay off.

The array of lights that will fire up may not be as extensive as originally hoped, but, as 10,000's co-President Erin Smith says, it's a start -- and if stakeholders in Tremont or other neighborhoods want to expand on it, she and her colleagues have shown them how.

It is easy to complain about what isn't being done or what someone else ought to do to make Cleveland better. But it's inspiring when passionate volunteers show that, through hard work and tenacity, this city can find ways to renew itself.

Countdown Begins for UT Team in Department of Energy Solar Decathlon

2011-09-08T01:01:00.000-07:00

In just three days, Team Living Led light begins transporting the stunning, state-of-the-art, zero-energy house to the Washington Mall to compete in the US Department of Energy’s 2011 Solar Decathlon.

epresenting more than 200 students and nine academic programs, UT’s team will face off against nineteen other teams in a series of ten events beginning September 23. Winners will be announced October 1.

More than two years of work have gone into qualifying, planning, designing, and building the 750-square-foot home, inspired by Appalachia’s cantilever barns.

Along with being on display, the house will be part of ten competitive events to judge design excellence, sustainability, energy production, solar energy efficiency, consumer appeal, and cost-effectiveness. The house’s energy source must power its appliances and heat water and one event involves cooking and hosting a dinner party.

Visitors to the Washington Mall will tour the houses and learn how energy-saving features can help them save money. UT students have been preparing to give tours and have been advised to plan for seeing an average of 400 people an hour through the home.

These final days have been spent testing all of the home’s systems, practicing for tours, and moving the structure to its specially designed trailer attachments. Alumnus Bill Powell, of Powell Companies in Johnson City, has provided his expertise and the resources of his company to help the team move its self-contained house to the nation’s capital.

UT students designed the structure to be transportable on its own and to avoid extensive construction and set-up that they’ve seen teams struggle through when visiting the past Solar Decathlon competitions.

Living Light began with students and faculty in the College of Architecture and Design and is led by faculty members James Rose, Edward Stach, Richard Kelso, and Barbara Klinkhammer in the college, along with Deb Shmerler in the School of Art, Leon Tolbert in electrical engineering, and Stan Johnson and Bill Miller in mechanical engineering.

Road rules apply to cyclists, too

2011-09-07T02:09:00.000-07:00

Durango resident Anne Carine pedaled her bike through a red light this spring at College Drive and Main Avenue.

"I thought I was going to get a warning," she said. "The price of the ticket was a little outrageous."

Police said bicyclists have to follow the same rules as motorists. If officers see an infraction, they'll stop the cyclist and decide whether to write a ticket or issue a warning – the same as with motorists, said Lt. Ray Shupe, with the Durango Police Department.

"(A bicyclist's) duty is the same as a driver," Shupe said. "So if they're coming up on a red light, they need to stop for it. The same with a stop sign."

The police department was unable to provide numbers of citations issued to cyclists, saying its records system does not separate bicyclists from motorists.

Durango Municipal Judge David Turner estimates he oversees six or seven traffic violations per month involving bicyclists. That number stays fairly steady throughout the year, he said.

"It's generally stop-light violations," Turner said. "It's generally downtown at night."

The Herald spent one hour Tuesday at Ninth Street and Main Avenue. Fifty-eight bicyclists passed through the intersection from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Of those, 15 stopped for red lights and three pedaled through Led light. Two turned right on red lights without coming to a complete stop. The others either hit green lights or walked their bikes across the intersection at the appropriate time.

Bicycle advocates agree cyclists should follow the rules of the road in every instance – no excuses. But some admit the rules are often broken, and some even admit to being the scofflaws.

Diane Shaline, who works at Mountain Bike Specialists on Main Avenue, said she always stops for red lights and typically slows down for stop signs.

Shaline said she has ridden with some people who brazenly violate stop signs and red lights.

"It's amazing how many people – they don't even think twice about it," she said. "But if they were in a car, they would stop."