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'Shunga' Exhibit Explores Sex And Pleasure In Traditional Japanese Art (NSFW)

2013-10-01T18:13:00.000+03:00

One of the most unabashedly erotic images to ever grace the pages of an art history book came from the woodblock of iconic Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. Widely known for his G-rated, Edo-era prints like "The Great Wave at Kanagawa," the celebrated ukiyo-e painter and printmaker famously depicted a titillating love scene between a few octupi and a satisfied-looking human being. The masterpiece swiftly and simultaneously brought full frontal nudity, bestiality, and female orgasm to the forefront of fine art.

Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), Diving woman and octopi, page from Kinoe no komatsu (Pine Seedlings on the First Rat Day, or Old True Sophisticates of the Club of Delightful Skills) ,1814, illustrated book, colour woodblock © Michael Fornitz collection, Denmark.

The untitled illustration is but one of many sexualized paintings and tantalizing prints produced during the 17th century and beyond. Known as shunga, the genre was comprised of elaborate -- and highly erotic -- artworks that were banned from Japanese institutions for a significant portion of the 20th century.

Thankfully, an upcoming exhibit titled "Shunga: Sex and Pleasure in Japanese Art" is giving artists of the ukiyo-e genre their well-deserved spotlight. The collection of works by Japanese greats like Hokusai, Kitagawa Utamaro and Utagawa Kunisada is celebrating the taboo-breaking side of art history with a survey of over 300 years of traditional Japanese erotica.

Kitagawa Utamaro; Lovers in the upstairs room of a teahouse, from Utamakura (Poem of the Pillow); c. 1788. Sheet from a colour-woodblock printed album © The Trustees of the British Museum.

The allure of shunga, which translates to "spring pictures," rests in the images' ability to appeal to men and women of various sexual preferences. On the one hand, the expertly executed paintings and prints were liberating, featuring both genders freely and enthusiastically partaking in sexual acts. On the other hand, the artworks were light-hearted and comedic, focusing not only on romantic moments but also on the bizarre and awkward contortions that are more laughter-inducing than arousing. One piece shows a powerful women is seen experiencing a "happy ending" while another spotlights a duo of extravagantly clothed lovers attempting to feverishly circumnavigate their never-ending costumes.

Artworks by Hokusai and others weren't simply gazed upon during this time, either. The pictures acted like sexual talismans, passed from partner to partner, friend to friend, and parent to child to use as both an educational manual and a good luck charm. In this way, shunga acted as the traditional precedent to contemporary anime and manga.

Sugimura Jihei, Untitled erotic picture, mid-1680s, Private collection, USA

While the explicit fantasies of shunga were commonly circulated throughout the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s, the images were heavily censored by Japanese state officials well into the 20th century. After decades of hiding, the first exhibit to give the genre its due was a1973 show at Victoria & Albert in London. "Shunga: Sex and Pleasure in Japanese Art," on view at the British Museum from October 3, 2013 to January 5, 2014, endeavors to continue the survey of this unique moment in Japanese history, exploring how one country's sexual curiosity revealed itself through art.

Hosoda Eishi (1756–1829) Contest of Passion in the Four Seasons (Shiki kyo-en zu), late 1790s–early 1800s; one of a set of four hanging scrolls; ink, colour and gold on silk, Michael Fornitz collection.

Nishikawa Sukenobu (1671-1750), Sexual dalliance between man and geisha, c. 1711-16, hand-coloured woodblock print,. 1985,1022,0.1 © The Trustees of the British Museum.

Attributed to Sumiyoshi Gukei (artist, 1631–1705) and Takenouchi Koretsune (calligrapher, 1640–1704) Series title: Tale of the Brushwood Fence, 17th century; handscroll, ink, colours, gold on paper, Michael Fornitz collection.

Kitagawa Utamaro, ‘Fancy-free type’ (Uwaki no so), from the series Ten Types in the Physiognomic Study of Women (Fujin sogaku juttai), c. 1792-3, colour woodblock print with white mica ground © The Trustees of the British Museum.

Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III, 1786–1864); Genji goshu- yojo (Lasting Impressions of a Late Genji Collection), c.1857–61. From a series of seventy-seven large-size prints, colour woodblock with special printing effects, the series published jointly by Hayashiya Sho-goro-, Uoya Eikichi, Ebisuya Sho-shichi and Wakasaya Yoichi © The Trustees of the British Museum.

Torii Kiyonaga; Series title: Sode no maki (Handscroll for the Sleeve) Woodblock print; Lovers with roll of tissue; c. 1785 © The Trustees of the British Museum.

Kitagawa Utamaro; Mare ni au koi 稀ニ逢恋 (Love that Rarely Meets); Colour woodblock print; c. 1793-1794 © The Trustees of the British Museum.

Chobunsai Eishi (1756–1829); Young woman dreaming of Ise Monogatari; c. early nineteenth century. Hanging scroll; ink, colour and gold on silk © The Trustees of the British Museum.

Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831–1889), detail from Three comic shunga paintings. Japan, c. 1871–1889. Hanging scrolls, ink and colour on paper. Israel Goldman collection.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/01/shunga-exhibit_n_4018457.html

Scarlett Johansson's SAT Score Is Now Public Knowledge

2013-10-01T18:08:00.000+03:00

During a sit down with Darren Aronofsky for Interview magazine, Scarlett Johansson asked the director what his SAT score was, and ended up revealing her own:
I think the way it worked when I took them was that they were out of 1,600, so maybe you'd get a 1,240 if you were a smarty-pants. I got a 1,080, which was pretty low. But that was probably because I didn't answer half of the math questions.

The 29-year-old "Don Jon" actress would have taken the SATs around 2002, at which time the average score was 1020, making 1,080 slightly above average. "Brains and beauty," as they say.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/30/scarlett-johnsson-sat-score_n_4018744.html#slide=2278716

She is one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood.

And now it seems that Scarlett Johansson has even more than talent and beauty – she has revealed that her SAT grades at school weren’t bad either.

The star has opened up about her results, revealing that her marks were higher than average.

Scarlett Johansson by Darren Aronofsky! These stunning shots accompany Interview's stunning chat

Scarlett Johansson looks stunning in this shoot for Interview Magazine. In a mix of Dolce & Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, Bottega Veneta and Vivienne Westwood she's really showing us her screen goddess credentials. And not forgetting this Prada look straight from the AW/13 runway.

The leather midi skirt and cosy sweater were part of Miuccia Prada's romantic and womanly collection and is the perfect winter look. With the wide belt (also Prada) cinching in her already tiny waist the stylist has created an even more alluring hourglass shape and it's one we want to replicate.

Midi length skirts have been around for a couple of seasons and while they can be tricky to wear they've already become a staple look. Traditionally quite a sober style thanks to the lack of leg on display, it's important not to go into frumpy territory. To avoid this, always wear with some serious heels or ankle boots and make sure you keep your waist visible and nipped in - a belt like Scarlett's will help or tuck in a chic silk camisole to keep it feminine.

Whether you go for a pencil or fuller skirt there are some amazing high street looks available that will help you copy Scarlett's look. Topshop's neoprene skirt is our favourite or the pleated leather number at Asos is also a tempting option.

She said: I think the way it worked when I took them was that they were out of 1,600, so maybe you'd get a 1,240 if you were a smarty-pants.

Platform princess: Scarlett looks so elegant in the shoot, but she revealed her gruff voice once lost her work

'I got a 1,080, which was pretty low. But that was probably because I didn't answer half of the math questions.'

The Lost in Translation actress would have taken the SATs around 2002, at which time the average was 1020, making 1,080 an above-average score.

The actress also told the magazine about how she was initially rejected as a child star, and explains her voice was old beyond its years.

Baring all: Scarlett is stunning and pared down on the cover of the magazine

The Don Jon star, who wears Dolce & Gabbana in the gorgeous spread, told the magazine: 'I was always terrible at commercials because my voice was so deep. At the age of nine, I sounded like a whiskey-drinking, chain-smoking fool. Wasn’t going to sell Jell-O with that voice.'

She added: 'There was someone in my older brother’s class who was doing some commercials and theater, so my mom took me to that kids agent because I loved musicals.

'They didn’t want me though. I was devastated. I thought it was the end of my career… and that’s when I realised that by crying I could get whatever I wanted.'

In the red: Scarlett has a flame-ing good look on the set of Captain America earlier this year

Happily, of course, Scarlett - who was born and raised in New York - found her niche in the performing arts.

She reminisced: 'I was a big song-and-dance type of kid - you know, one of those kids with jazz hands. I liked to improvise and do weird vocal exercises. I was a major ham - if you can believe!'

Scarlett, who is engaged to Romain Dauriac who she has been dating since last November, also explained she needs to have plenty of leisure time.

'Especially in theater, where you’re doing something like eight shows a week, giving three-hour performances each time, and the work is agonizing and there’s never a moment to rest.

'I would just perish if I wasn’t able to meet my boyfriend for dinner afterward, or meet a couple of friends for drinks, or get up the next day and go to the gym, or see my dad, or just do those everyday things.'

DSK: New York sex scandal orchestrated by political opponents

2012-04-27T20:58:00.002+03:00

Ed Pilkington in New York and Angelique Chrisafis in Paris guardian.co.uk, Friday 27 April 2012 18.15 BST Dominique Strauss-Kahn: 'Perhaps I was politically naive, but I simply did not believe that they would go that far.' Photograph: Sipa Press/Rex Features

The former head of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, has accused political enemies linked to Nicolas Sarkozy and his ruling UMP party of destroying his bid for the French presidency by choreographing the scandal that erupted last year when he was accused of assaulting a New York hotel maid.
In an exclusive interview, Strauss-Kahn has told the Guardian that he believes the highly public undoing that followed his encounter with the housekeeper at the Sofitel hotel's presidential suite, and his imprisonment on charges of attempted rape, were orchestrated by his political opponents.

While he does not believe the incident with Nafissatou Diallo was a setup, he said the subsequent escalation of the events on 14 May into a criminal investigation that destroyed his chances of winning the presidency had been "shaped by those with a political agenda" and that "more was involved here than mere coincidence".
Strauss-Kahn, 63, alleges that he was put under surveillance by French intelligence weeks before he was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting Diallo. He accuses operatives linked to Sarkozy of intercepting phone calls and making sure Diallo went to the New York police, thus sparking an international scandal.
"Perhaps I was politically naive, but I simply did not believe that they would go that far … I didn't think they could find anything that could stop me," Strauss-Kahn told investigative journalist Edward Jay Epstein.
Epstein's eBook on his investigation of the scandal, Three Days in May, is published by Melville House on Monday.
Strauss-Kahn's accusations come at a highly sensitive moment in French politics, days before the final round of the presidential election, which, until his downfall last year, he had been tipped to win.
The vote will be held on 6 May, with polls showing Socialist François Hollande beating the rightwing incumbent Sarkozy.
At the time of his arrest on 14 May last year, Strauss-Kahn was polling ahead of Hollande for the Socialist nomination, for which he planned to declare the following month, and was in the lead against Sarkozy for the presidency itself. He had no doubts, he told Epstein, that he would take occupancy of the Elysée Palace.
Strauss-Kahn's allegations are based on his own studies over the past 11 months – aided by a private detective service, Guidepost Solutions – of the Sofitel's CCTV footage, electronic key card and mobile phone records. The intensity of his research shows the extent of his belief that he was the victim of dirty tricks – though his critics would dismiss it as paranoia.
Strauss-Kahn remains in considerable difficulty over his sexual history. All charges against him were dropped by New York prosecutors in August 2011 after they found Diallo to be an unreliable witness, and he has consistently portrayed the encounter with her as consensual.
But Diallo continues to press her claim for damages in the civil courts, alleging that she was attacked by him as she went about her housekeeping duties. A judge in Manhattan is due to rule on Tuesday on whether or not Strauss-Kahn can claim diplomatic immunity in the case.
The scandal has also put the spotlight on Strauss-Kahn's lifestyle and attitude to women. In text messages sent to associates who participated in sex parties he attended – one of which was held in Washington just a day before he went to the Sofitel – he reportedly referred to women as "material".
The Sofitel incident has severely dented Strauss-Kahn's reputation in France, where he remains in total retreat from the political scene. When he returned to Paris after the charges were dropped, polls showed the majority of the country did not want him to return to politics.
Feminist groups led street protests about sexism in French society, furious at the language some French figures had used to describe the Strauss-Kahn case. His recent appearances at public events in Cambridge in the UK, and Brussels have been marked by protests from women's rights activists.
Sarkozy, who had been key in appointing Strauss-Kahn to the IMF, has repeatedly used his name to attack the Socialists. In a recent rally at Cyr-sur-Loire, he said: "I won't take lessons on morality, particularly not from a part of the left that wanted to put Mr Strauss-Kahn in the Elysée."
Last month, Strauss-Kahn's troubles deepened further when he was charged with "aggravated procurement in an organised gang" – the legal term for pimping – in relation to his alleged involvement in a prostitution ring. The case centres on allegations that his business associates organised prostitution at the Carlton hotel in Lille. He declined to talk to Epstein about the new allegations, saying he was under legal restrictions.
Strauss-Kahn's direct accusation that he was a victim of a trap are based on a complicated web of factors. He says that long before the Sofitel events, he became convinced that he was being tracked by French intelligence.
On the morning of the Sofitel incident, he told Epstein, he received a text message on the BlackBerry he used for IMF work and personal emails from a friend in Paris. She warned him that his communications were being intercepted and that an email he had sent to his wife, Anne Sinclair, had been discovered by a sympathiser inside the UMP party headquarters in Paris.
Such were his fears, he went to the length of encrypting all his seven phones to scramble his messages, though he removed the software shortly before the Sofitel events after he found that all the devices began to stop working. "I took the threat seriously," he said.
He also emphasised to Epstein a celebratory dance performed by a couple of Sofitel employees that was caught on the hotel's CCTV footage soon after Diallo made a 911 call to New York police leading to Strauss-Kahn's arrest. It is not known why the men were rejoicing, though Strauss-Kahn said he did not believe the "victory dance was a coincidence".
The Sofitel said: "We have co-operated fully with authorities and have no further comment at this time."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/27/dsk-sex-scandal-political-opponents?CMP=twt_fd

Tunisia supports Iran’s right to peaceful use of nuclear energy

2012-04-27T20:35:00.004+03:00

TEHRAN – Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki has said that his country supports Iran’s right to peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Marzouki made the remarks during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in Tunis on Tuesday.

He described Iran’s role in the region and the world as significant and called for the consolidation of bilateral ties.

Marzouki also thanked the Iranian nation and government for supporting the Tunisian revolution and emphasized the need to promote cooperation between the two countries in all spheres.

http://www.tehrantimes.com/politics/97270-tunisia-supports-irans-right-to-peaceful-use-of-nuclear-energy

In the meeting, Salehi spoke about various issues, including the latest developments in the region, particularly in Syria.

Commenting on Iran’s stance toward the most important issues concerning the region, Salehi stated that the Islamic republic of Iran’s policy is to help maintain regional peace and stability and to oppose foreign intervention in regional countries, including Syria.

He went on to say that the Syrian nation and government should resolve the crisis through national dialogue.

Salehi conveyed the greetings of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Marzouki and congratulated the Tunisian nation and government on the victory of their revolution.

Salehi said that Tehran and Tunis have many affinities and have great potential which should be utilized to increase cooperation in all spheres.

He also delivered Ahmadinejad’s official invitation to Marzouki to participate in the upcoming meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement, which is scheduled to be held in Tehran in late August.

Tunisians should preserve their revolution

In a separate meeting with foreign diplomats and local officials on the same day, Salehi advised Tunisians to safeguard their revolution and prevent foreign powers and extremists from hijacking it, Press TV reported.

“We are happy to be standing beside the Tunisian people at this critical time. On behalf of the Iranian government, I advise the Tunisians to be aware of the dangers faced by their popular 2010 revolution… enemies will make use of all their economic and political means to derail the justice-seeking movement of the Tunisian people. So it’s all up to you to determine (your) destiny and not let it get out of your hands,” he said.

Salehi added that Tunisians should rebuild their country by relying on their rich cultural and religious heritage.

He said Iran is ready to share its political, economic, and scientific experiences with the North African country, adding that the Iranian government is also prepared to welcome and pay for the treatment of injured Tunisian revolutionaries.

During his trip to Tunisia, Salehi also met with the Tunisian prime minister, Hamadi Jebali, the speaker of the Tunisian Constituent Assembly, Mustafa bin Jaafar, and the leader of Tunisia’s Islamic Ennahda Movement, Rashid al-Ghannushi.

Salehi and his delegation arrived in Tunisia on Monday at the invitation of his Tunisian counterpart Rafik Abdessalem.

This is the first visit by a high-ranking Iranian official to Tunisia since the fall of the country’s Western-backed dictator, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, in 2011.

Ethanol Climbs as Overseas Corn Demand Signals Higher Costs

2012-04-27T20:33:00.002+03:00

Ethanol futures climbed in Chicago as overseas demand for corn signaled higher production costs for the biofuel.

Prices rose along with corn after the Agriculture Department said sales of the grain for delivery before Aug. 31, 2013, were more than double the level a week earlier. In the first three days of this week, the department reported sales to China and unknown destinations totaling 1.28 million metric tons. Ethanol in the U.S. is derived from corn.

“It just followed the corn market,” said John Janney, a vice president at Citigroup Global Markets Inc. in Chicago.

Denatured ethanol for May delivery rose 0.1 cent to settle at $2.154 a gallon on the Chicago Board of Trade. Prices have dropped 2.2 percent this year.

In cash market trading, ethanol was unchanged in Chicago at $2.14 a gallon and in the U.S. Gulf at $2.20, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Ethanol on the West Coast fell 2 cents, or 0.9 percent, to $2.29 a gallon and in New York the biofuel sank 3.5 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $2.235.

Corn futures for July delivery advanced 6.5 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $6.075 a bushel in Chicago, the first increase in three days.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-26/ethanol-climbs-as-overseas-corn-demand-signals-higher-costs.html

New 'solar paint' could generate electricity from the roofs and walls of EVERY home without the need for bulky panels

2012-04-27T20:32:00.002+03:00

One day, a thin film of 'solar panel' could be painted over windows and walls to turn every home into a giant hi-tech 'sun trap'

One day, a thin film of 'solar panel' could be painted over windows and walls to turn every home into a giant hi-tech 'sun trap'.

The hi-tech solution could make solar energy a practical solution t the energy crisis.

The technology has long been championed as a solution to the growing energy crisis, but as it exists now, it is far too expensive.

A typical home needs around 285 square feet of solar panels to meet its electricity needs, costing around £10,000, although that does not include the expensive installation.

Scientists at USC have developed a potential pathway to cheap, stable solar cells made from nanocrystals so small they can exist as a liquid ink and be painted or printed onto clear surfaces.

The solar nanocrystals are about four nanometers in size — meaning you could fit more than 250,000,000,000 on the head of a pin — and float them in a liquid solution.

'Like you print a newspaper, you can print solar cells,’ said Richard L. Brutchey, assistant professor of chemistry at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

Liquid nanocrystal solar cells are cheaper to fabricate than available single-crystal silicon wafer solar cells but are not nearly as efficient at converting sunlight to electricity.

More...

Brutchey and Webber solved one of the key problems of liquid solar cells: how to create a stable liquid that also conducts electricity.
With a relatively low-temperature process, the researchers' method also allows for the possibility that solar cells can be printed onto plastic instead of glass without any issues with melting – resulting in a flexible solar panel that can be shaped to fit anywhere.

As they continue their research, Brutchey said he plans to work on nanocrystals built from materials other than cadmium, which is restricted in commercial applications due to toxicity.

‘While the commercialization of this technology is still years away, we see a clear path forward toward integrating this into the next generation of solar cell technologies,’ Brutchey said.

Other teams have already worked on similar technologies, using 'quantum dots' to create 'solar paints' that can absorb energy and conduct electricity.

Again, though, the research is some way from commercialisation.

Solar power could one day come from a single coat of paint filled with semi-conducting crystals - replacing bulky solar panels that take up around 300 square feet of roof and cost around £10,000

The paste created by University of Notre Dame researchers, which is made of hi-tech 'quantum dots', can be put onto any surface and produce electricity from the sun.

The dots are semiconducting crystals which are between two and 10 nanometres in diameter and are mixed into dye that looks like normal paint.

In tests they were just one per cent efficient, less than one 10th the efficiency of a standard solar cell, but the researchers are convinced that rate will improve in the future.

The paint has prompted speculation it could one day be applied to the side of homes to turn the entire property into a giant hi-tech 'sun trap'.

University of Notre Dame scientists used nano-sized particles of titanium oxide and covered them in either cadmium sulphide or cadmium selenide.

The paste was created by putting this into a mixture of water and alcohol.

When it was put onto a conducting material and light was shone onto it, the scientists noticed that electricity was generated.

The discovery has been praised because it is so simple to set up and required little more than a paint brush, office tape and a heat gun to make it work.

Lead researcher Prashant Kamat, a professor of Science in Chemistry and Biochemistry at Notre Dame's Center for Nano Science and Technology, said: ‘We want to do something transformative, to move beyond current silicon-based solar technology.

Power is generated by semiconducting crystals which are between two and 10 nanometres in diameter - and are mixed into dye that looks like normal paint

‘By incorporating power-producing nanoparticles, called quantum dots, into a spreadable compound, we've made a one-coat solar paint that can be applied to any conductive surface without special equipment.’

He added: ‘The goal is to prepare a solar paint that has long shelf life.‘In our laboratories we have tested the performance for a few days to a week, and we find it stable as long as it is stored in the dark.

Additional tests are underway to investigate long-term stability of paints with different compositions.’

Brussels unhappy with Europe nuclear stress tests

2012-04-27T20:30:00.005+03:00

BRUSSELS — The EU's energy chief Thursday deemed an almost year-long study on nuclear plant safety in Europe as short on detail and numbers and demanded further work before publication of the critical report.

"Going deep is more important than being fast," Commissioner Guenther Oettinger told journalists, saying that a final report would be available to the public in the autumn rather than in the summer, as scheduled.

Ordered in the aftermath of the Fukushima catastrophe, the European Commission and national atomic regulators launched stress tests in June on 147 nuclear plants in 15 EU countries -- including Lithuania which has closed down plants -- plus 15 reactors in Ukraine and five in Switzerland.

The reactors include those in Germany currently being decommissioned.

After tough talks, EU nuclear regulators agreed tests on the ability of reactors to survive earthquakes, floods or man-made events like plane crashes.

Oettinger said he had agreed with the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG) to have more plants visited and to add more concrete information on the potential impact of airplane crashes.

"We will do additional visits of power plants and analyse some safety aspects in more detail," Oettinger said.

"EU citizens have the right to know and understand how safe the nuclear power plants are they live close to."http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jol2rLXOwQ-7rqnPnOJ29q7nDZCQ?docId=CNG.5f4e1c774335c730ee31b56d4e3bfe91.161

India, Japan to talk on defence, investment and nuclear energy

2012-04-27T20:29:00.002+03:00

NEW DELHI: Defence, investment and nuclear energy will dominate the biggest exchange between Indian and Japanese leaders when Japanese foreign minister Koichiro Gemba arrives here on Sunday. Gemba is leading a high-profile delegation including several cabinet ministers and senior officials.

The union cabinet is expected to approve a proposal to give the Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC) 26 per cent equity stake in the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation ( DMICDC) which will be Japan's biggest investment in Indian infrastructure. This will be the added sweetener to the fact that India-Japan trade leapt by 30 per cent between August 2011 and March 2012.

The Japan relationship gets a huge boost from prime minister Manmohan Singh. Famously averse to travel, Singh has diligently travelled to Japan every year since he became prime minister, and never let the frequent changes of Japanese PM affect his travel plans. In almost all his speeches in Japan, Singh has described the Japan relationship as being "transformative", a term he reserves for very select relationships.

Japanese and Indian ships will hold their annual naval exercises in June-July this year. From 2013, Japanese forces will be part of the Malabar naval exercises along with US and Indian navies off Okinawa. Japan was a part of the Malabar exercises in 2007, when China objected to the five-nation exercise, spooked that it appeared to be a China containment exercise. Japan's re-entry into the exercises indicates its growing comfort with the Indian defence forces, as well as increased strategic convergence. Indian and Japanese navies are also looking at working together in the Indian Ocean, where both navies are engaged in "pass-ex" exercises. Japan has its first overseas base in Djibouti, where Indian ships have been invited to call, in return there is talk of Japanese vessels calling at the Indian base in Nicobar.

Gemba will lead the Japanese delegation in the strategic dialogue with India, which will be held on Monday. Along with this, Japan and India will hold their fifth energy dialogue, where India is looking for clean coal technologies and other efficiency technologies. While Japan is willing to give India such technologies, over the years, sources said neither the government, nor private sector has been able to take adequate advantage of this. Indian officials rarely go beyond the talk, sources said, frustrated. In the ministerial economic dialogue, the two countries will be looking to deepen commercial ties in the wake of the CEPA agreement.

Gemba will be coming in from Kathmandu, where he will be the highest level Japanese visitor since former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori visited in 2000.

Nuclear is the future for Africa

2012-04-27T20:28:00.004+03:00

High-level nuclear waste is not dangerous if the material is handled professionally. Hand grenades and dynamite are not dangerous either if they are handled professionally. Thousands of sticks of dynamite are handled every day in South Africa.http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/nuclear-is-the-future-for-africa-2012-04-16

On an international scale, our mines use a record number of explosives every day. More people are killed every year by wild animals and sharks than by nuclear waste, hand grenades or dynamite. In fact, year-on-year, deaths from nuclear waste, hand grenades and dynamite are generally zero.
Every year, wild animals kill a few people, so you are much safer sitting on a box of dynamite than having a picnic in a game reserve. My point is: let us get our facts straight and stop believing fantasy images created by various groups with dubious agendas.
Nuclear waste is not a problem. People who, in panic-stricken voices, tell of the dangers of nuclear waste usually quote statistics that indicate that nuclear will be radioactive for hundreds of years or even thousands of years. Well, quite frankly, so what? Why does the length of time make a difference? The implication is that, over this period, some as-yet-unknown event will occur that will somehow release the waste into the environment.
That scenario is just not realistic. For starters, when the waste is laid down in the first place, a site is chosen that is particularly geographically stable. In the case of the nuclear waste repository in South Africa, it was found that the ground had been stable for at least 10 000 years, so why should it move in the next 10 000 years? As responsible people, we need to hand on our technological decisions to the next generation, who will hand on to the next, and so on. This is a relay of responsibility. Saying that we must be responsible for hundreds or thousands of years into the future is silly. The world will be so different then that we cannot even conceive it.
Nuclear power, in general, suffers from many public misperceptions, which is a great pity because this makes it particularly difficult to conduct a reasonable public discussion on nuclear power and its ramifications.
The South African government has stated clearly that the country will be building an additional 9 600 MW of nuclear power capacity in the immediate future. Immediately after the announcement, there was public comment that nuclear power construction is far too complex for South Africa to handle, and so we need to get foreigners to do this for us. Why? South Africa builds the largest coal-fired power stations in the world and we build all sorts of other technological gear. We build and export motor cars around the world. Why can’t we build nuclear power stations? Certainly, we would do so in conjunction with expertise from other countries, but a nuclear power station is not some insurmountable technological challenge.
A conference themed the Nuclear Power Future for Africa will be held at the Industrial Development Corporation offices, in Johannesburg, on May 29 and 30 to discuss nuclear power construction issues. South Africa plans to not only build nuclear power stations but also export components and subassemblies for nuclear power stations. To do this, a two-way trade in nuclear assemblies needs to be developed between South Africa and other countries. This will be discussed at the conference.
It is necessary for the conference to indi- cate to government what South African indus- try can actually achieve. The conference will be opened by Energy Minister Dipuo Peters. In addition, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe has indicated that he will be sending a message of encourage- ment to the delegates to forge ahead and show what South Africa can do.
Many companies from various sectors of the economy are potentially part of this nuclear game without even realising it. They should all attend. What companies am I talking about? Well, the greater part of a nuclear power station is not actually nuclear! Such a power station consists of valves and pumps, with pipework and electrical controls . . . and more. There are concrete walls and floors, there is ventilation, steam pipes and turbines – I could go on. All this is non-nuclear and can be supplied by any company that can work to the required specifications. There are many such companies. Government has budgeted R300-billion to get the nuclear roll-out going. It is time that local industry started developing the required technology, and the relationships that go with it. Starting tomorrow is not too soon.
The conference must find out what is possible, and then show the public and the authorities that it is pos- sible. In that way, we can get going. I will be chairing the conference and I hope to see a very varied crowd there, trading ideas with all and sundry. A nuclear power conference is not for nuclear-qualified people only. It is for anybody who wants to hear reality and who wants to dispel some of the strange public misperceptions that do the rounds. It is for anybody who wants to get into the nuclear supply chain.
When we talk nuclear, we are not only talking of large reactors but also of small ones which can be deployed all over Africa. Nuclear is the future for Africa, so, hopefully, people from other African countries will also attend.

Edited by: Martin Zhuwakinyu

Turkey drills for oil, gas in Northern Cyprus

2012-04-27T20:26:00.004+03:00

TPAO workers stand in front of a drill ahead of a ceremony to mark the start of exploratory drilling in Northern Cyprus.

ISKELE, Cyprus: Turkey began its first exploratory oil and gas drilling in the breakaway Northern sector of the divided island of Cyprus Thursday, amid a dispute over rights to the island’s minerals. The news brought a quick response from the government of Cyprus, which labeled the action as illegal.
Turkey’s state-run Turkish Petroleum Corp. bored the first onshore probe in the village of Sygkrasi (Sinirustu) at a ceremony attended by Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu.

“I am hopeful that the results will open up a new page for us in oil and gas production,” Yildiz told reporters at the inauguration of the first such drilling in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey.
Cypriot government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said “Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot leadership are violating the law by going ahead with drilling in the occupied area of Famagusta.”
“Such actions as the drilling being carried out by Turkey and the T/C leadership show a lack of willingness on their part to achieve a solution to the Cyprus problem.”
“The government is making the appropriate representations and demarche against this new illegal act.”
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops occupied the Northern third in response to a Greek-inspired coup in Nicosia aimed at union with Greece.
Although a reunification process is ongoing under U.N. mediation, progress has been slow, with both sides unwilling to make concessions.
The drilling came after an agreement struck between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Eroglu in September, when TPAO was granted a license to drill in line with a continental shelf delineation accord.
Turkey’s move comes in response to Cypriot drills for resources in the eastern Mediterranean launched last year, which Turkey says abuses Northern Cypriots’ rights to the same resources.
Turkish officials have fiercely opposed Cypriot drills, saying any such commercial activity should be put on hold until reunification efforts on the island reached a conclusion.
TPAO is expected to carry out the exploration drills from three to six months, at an approximately 3,000-meter depth.
U.S. Noble Energy, commissioned by Cyprus, announced last year the discovery of a giant deposit that could contain up to 224 billion cubic meters of gas in one of the blocks within Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/Middle-East/2012/Apr-27/171564-turkey-drills-for-oil-gas-in-northern-cyprus.ashx#ixzz1tGLcM4Ps
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

THE ECONOMICS OF ZERO INTEREST RATES by Bob Chapman

2012-04-27T19:26:00.002+03:00

Zero interest rates certainly limits what the elitists can do in that end of the market. It is becoming more and more evident that the Fed is not making the final decisions, they are being made by JPM and Goldman Sachs, as we touched on negative rates not all that long ago. The Fed was forced into the market. We fear that negative rates are on the way unless the Fed wants to buy all the Treasury issuance, not just 61%, which they admit too. This really would force all bonds higher and yields lower. Of course, there is always the possibility of the issue of floating rate bonds. Those bonds would tend to give higher yields overall.

Europe is reentering the spotlight and it is not an auspicious entry. The EU officials still believe Spain will not need financial support. This, the 5th largest economy in the euro zone and presently has public debt of GP OF 68%. Experts believe that that number will be 120% in 2013. Their property bubble ended in 2007 and since then prices have fallen 38%. Spain borrowed $225 billion about 50% what everyone else was borrowing. This past week it did 2 and 10-year paper for about $333 trillion. The bid to cover was 3.3% (2 to 1 is normal), so there was plenty of demand for the bonds. We might add a good part of the buying came from banks that borrowed LTRO funds to do so. Rumors of recapitalization are in the works, but we do not see that happening. It would force the opening of Spain’s domestic banking to industry and foreign ownership. The banks in turn lose the subsidies and we are sure the Rothschild’s and Europe’s royalty would not like it very much.

The IMF raised $420 billion in new capital to be thrown into the pot and is looking for an additional $262 billion. At the same time Spain for the 10th time says we do not need rescue funds for their banks – we will see. It could be a difficult affair inasmuch as Holland will have a new government in the fall. Lending free funds is one thing, but borrowing to lend and creating debt to lend is another. The Dutch are going to have to go into austerity just to financially help others and that be over. Worse yet, Fitch is now going to probably lower their debt rating.

Spain’s answer looks to be two sets of books which so many banks, sovereigns and corporations used in the US and UK. One for good assets, one for bad, the latter to be written off over 50 years. Even after $200 billion or so was borrowed to purchase it was not enough for Spanish banks, 10-year bonds to keep the yield from rising to almost record levels.

We do not think Spain will be rescued. $1.5 trillion is a lot of money and even if it is, how long will it last? The world has to recognize monetization problems but the major problem is a global system that is out of control. Global credit has been expanded, unchecked and each day it worsens, particularly among banks and sovereigns.

As we wrote in 1991, the euro was going to be a disaster and essentially it has been. As we wrote long ago one interest rate cannot fit all, because of different stages of development. This caused more then 10 years of prolonged mispricing of pricing in credit and bonds. What we have as a result is a dysfunctional global monetary apparatus. Leveraged speculation is what is going on and it hasn’t stopped. Use of derivatives has gone exponential, which makes it even worse.

This past week was not a good one for bonds, particularly that of Greece, Spain and Italy. The Europeans keep talking recovery and none has appeared as yet.

The ECB has to sort this mess out and it is impossible for them to do. There are not going to be any soft landings. Everyone is going to be touched by this disaster. China will be touched as well.

The Fed, and other central banks will continue to inject massive amounts of funds into their monetary systems. They have no choice.

We have a long way to go. These conditions could last for five years, who knows? What we do know is hyperinflation is on its way. Accumulate your gold and silver shares, coins and bullion while they are still inexpensive. You have no other choice. Go long and stay long.

THE GULF IS DYING: Two years After the BP Drilling Disaster, Gulf Residents Fear for the Future

2012-04-27T19:16:00.002+03:00

Now is not the time to let BP off the hook for the Gulf oil spill disaster. Environmentalists report “shrimp born without eyes, fish with lesions, and crabs with holes in their shells.” The Obama administration has not acted in the public’s interest. “The US government seemed to protect BP more than coastal communities or the environment.”

“The Gulf has been dying the death of a thousand cuts for a long time.”

On April 20, 2010, a reckless attitude towards the safety of the Gulf Coast by BP, as well as Transocean and Halliburton [5], caused a well to blow out 5,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. As the world watched in horror, underwater cameras showed a seemingly endless flow of oil – hundreds of millions of gallons – and a series of failed efforts to stop it, over a period of nearly three months. Two years later, that horror has not ended [6] for many on the Gulf.

“People should be aware that the oil is still there,” says Wilma Subra, a chemist who travels widely across the Gulf meeting with fishers and testing seafood and sediment samples for contamination.

Subra says that the reality she is seeing on the ground contrasts sharply with the image painted by BP. “I’m extremely concerned on the impact it’s having on all these sick individuals [7],” she says. Subra believes we may be just at the beginning of this disaster. In every community she visits, fishers show her shrimp born without eyes, fish with lesions, and crabs with holes in their shells. She says tarballs are still washing up on beaches across the region.

While it's too early to assess the long-term environmental impact, a host of recent studies published by the National Academy of Sciences and other respected institutions have shown troubling results. They describe mass deaths of deepwater coral [8], dolphins, and killifish [9], a small animal at the base of the Gulf food chain. "If you add them all up, it’s clear the oil is still in the ecosystem, it’s still having an effect,” says Aaron Viles, deputy director of Gulf Restoration Network [10], an environmental organization active in the region.

The major class action lawsuit on behalf of communities affected by the spill has reached a proposed $7.8 billion settlement, subject to approval by a judge. While this seems to have brought a certain amount of closure to the saga, environmentalists worry that any settlement is premature, saying they fear that the worst is yet to come. Pointing to the 1989 Exxon spill off the coast of Alaska, previously the largest oil spill in US waters, Viles said that it was several years before the full affect of that disaster was felt. “Four seasons after Exxon Valdez is when the herring fisheries collapsed,” says Viles. “The Gulf has been a neglected ecosystem for decades – we need to be monitoring it closely.”

“Environmentalists worry that any settlement is premature, saying they fear that the worst is yet to come.”

In the aftermath of the spill, BP flooded the Gulf with nearly 2 million gallons of chemical dispersants. While BP says these chemicals broke up the oil, some scientists have said this just made it less visible, and sent the poisons deeper into the food chain.

It is widely agreed that environmental problems on the coast [11] date back to long before the well blew open. The massive catastrophe brought into focus problems that have existed for a generation. Land loss caused by oil company drilling has already displaced many who lived by the coast, and the pollution from treatment plants has poisoned communities across the state - especially in "cancer alley," the corridor of industrial facilities along the Mississippi River south of Baton Rouge. “The Gulf is a robust ecosystem and it's been dying the death of a thousand cuts for a long time,” says Viles. “BP is legally obligated to fix what they screwed up. But if you’re only obligated to put the ecosystem back to where it was April 19, 2010, why would we?”

Fishing is a huge part of the economy for the Gulf Coast. Around 40% of the seafood caught in the continental US comes from here. Many area fishermen were still recovering from Hurricane Katrina when the spill closed a third of Gulf waters to fishing for months. George Barisich [12], president of the United Commercial Fisherman’s Association, a group that supports Gulf Coast fishers, says many fishers still had not recovered from Hurricane Katrina when the oil started flowing from the BP spill [13]. Now, he says, many are facing losing their homes. “Production is down at least 70 percent,” compared to the year before the spill, he says. “And prices are still depressed thirty, forty, sixty percent.”

“Many fishers still had not recovered from Hurricane Katrina when the oil started flowing from the BP spill.”

In a video statement on BP’s website, Geir Robinson, Vice President of Economic Restoration for BP’s Gulf Coast Restoration Organization, says that the company believes the legal settlement will resolve most legitimate economic claims. “We do have critics,” adds Robinson. “And we’re working hard every day to show them that we will meet our responsibilities.”

Environmentalists and scientists also complain that Obama administration has let down the Gulf Coast. Viles is critical of the role the US government has played, saying that by inaction they seemed to protect BP more than coastal communities or the environment. “The coast guard seems to empower the worst instincts of BP,” Viles says. “I don’t know if it’s Stockholm Syndrome or what.”

International environmental groups have also joined in the criticism. Oceana, a conservation group with offices in Europe and the Americas, released a report on Tuesday criticizing the US government’s reforms as being either ineffective or nonexistent, saying “offshore drilling remains as risky and dangerous as it was two years ago, and that the risk of a major spill has not been effectively reduced.”

Theresa Dardar lives in Bayou Pointe-au-Chien [14], a Native American [15] fishing community on Louisiana's Gulf Coast. Dardar and her neighbors have seen their land vanish from under their feet within their lifetimes due to canals built by the oil companies to access wells. The canals brought salt water into freshwater marshes, helping cause the coastal erosion that sees Louisiana lose a football field of land every 45 minutes. The main street that runs through the community now disappears into the swamps, with telephone poles sticking out of the water.

Now, in addition to worries about disappearing land and increasing risk of hurricanes, she fears that her family’s livelihood is gone for good. “It’s not going to be over for years,” she says, expressing a widely held concern among fishers here. “We’re just a small Native American fishing community. That’s all they’ve done their whole lives. Some of them are over 60. What are they going to do? If BP gives them money for the rest of their lives, that’s one thing. But if not, then what can they do?

Jordan Flaherty is a journalist based in New Orleans and author of the book Floodlines: Community and Resistance from Katrina to the Jena Six [16].[17]

NOTES:

[1] http://blackagendareport.com/category/department-war/war-against-environment
[2] http://blackagendareport.com/category/us-politics/bp-gulf-disaster
[3] http://blackagendareport.com/category/us-politics/bp-gulf-settlement
[4] http://blackagendareport.com/sites/www.blackagendareport.com/files/bayou_poison.jpg
[5] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/12/bp-2-other-companies-cite_n_1007949.html
[6] http://louisianajusticeinstitute.blogspot.com/2010/06/lji-injustice-index-bp-drilling.html
[7] http://louisianajusticeinstitute.blogspot.com/2011/07/devastating-report-exposes-feinbergs.html
[8] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/26/gulf-oil-spill-coral-death_n_1380712.html
[9] http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/26/oil-spill-affected-gulf-fishs-biology-study-finds/
[10] http://healthygulf.org/
[11] http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2011/05/2011519131959617935.html
[12] http://louisianajusticeinstitute.blogspot.com/2011/04/fishers-gather-to-commemorate.html
[13] http://louisianajusticeinstitute.blogspot.com/2010/08/colorlines-heres-where-bp-is-dumping.html
[14] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jordan-flaherty/fears-of-cultural-extinct_b_612626.html
[15] http://louisianajusticeinstitute.blogspot.com/2011/11/houma-nation-fight-for-recognition-by.html
[16] http://floodlines.org/
[17] http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fblackagendareport.com%2Fcontent%2Ftwo-years-after-bp-drilling-disaster-gulf-residents-fear-future&linkname=Two%20years%20After%20the%20BP%20Drilling% 0Disaster%2C%20Gulf%20Residents%20Fear%20for%20the%20Future

new Power LED High Bay Lights

2012-03-22T13:09:00.003+02:00

Based on the request from our customers, after 12 months’ R&D work and 6 months’ testing, Eneltec now start selling our new Power LED High Bay Lights. These new series are IP65, which could be used in warehouse, railway station and other application of high humidity. Also, we have more power choices, from 30W-120W.

Power Consumption: 30W-120W
Lamp Bases:N/A
Working Voltage: 100-240VAC
Luminous Flux: 2400lm-9600lm
Color:Cool White/Warm White
Certifiicates: CE, RoHS, (UL Pending)

http://www.eneltec-led.com/LED-High-Bay-Lights/Power-LED-High-Bay-Lights.html

The wind-ANEMOOS is a vertical axis wind turbine

2012-03-22T13:00:00.001+02:00

ANEMOOS ™ is proud to announce the inauguration of the ANEMOOS Turbine Range, taking place today at: Ecological Vehicles and Renewable Energies International Conference & Exhibition 22 to 25 March, Grimaldi Forum, MONACO. www.ever-monaco.com

AEROGENERATORS - THE VERTICAL AXIS
The wind-ANEMOOS is a vertical axis wind turbine, medium power, designed for all types of environment: urban, rural, remote and even water-based environments.

The ANEMOOS are made from composite materials of fiberglass and resin hydrophobic allowing a light structure, increasing the lifetime of the system (beyond 50 years) and increasing anti-corrosion resistance (particularly towards salt, air and sand)
http://www.anemoos.com/en/home.cfm
Accumulations of snow, ice or ice on such a surface is virtually zero and the extreme heat of a desert does not adversely affect its operation.

The simplicity of its design and the high quality of components used provides a highly durable, reliable, secure and easy maintained solution.

In urban areas, the ANEMOOS can be placed on rooftops or ground level and its ecological footprint is zero.

AFter detailed analysis and studies on current facilities, the impact on nature and in particular towards birds, is minimal to zero.

THE BENEFITS OF WIND-ANEMOOS
• No noise
• Vibration free
• Low visual impact
• Omnidirectional
• Easy integration to existing buildings
• Installation at consumption
• Ideal for use in turbulent
• Made with composite materials
• Increased durability

The Nation-State Reborn

2012-03-22T12:09:00.002+02:00

CAMBRIDGE – One of our era’s foundational myths is that globalization has condemned the nation-state to irrelevance. The revolution in transport and communications, we hear, has vaporized borders and shrunk the world. New modes of governance, ranging from transnational networks of regulators to international civil-society organizations to multilateral institutions, are transcending and supplanting national lawmakers. Domestic policymakers, it is said, are largely powerless in the face of global markets.

Illustration by Pedro Molinahttp://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-nation-state-reborn

The global financial crisis has shattered this myth. Who bailed out the banks, pumped in the liquidity, engaged in fiscal stimulus, and provided the safety nets for the unemployed to thwart an escalating catastrophe? Who is re-writing the rules on financial-market supervision and regulation to prevent another occurrence? Who gets the lion’s share of the blame for everything that goes wrong? The answer is always the same: national governments. The G-20, the International Monetary Fund, and the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision have been largely sideshows.

Even in Europe, where regional institutions are comparatively strong, it is national interest and national policymakers, largely in the person of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who have dominated policymaking. Had Merkel been less enamored of austerity for Europe’s debt-distressed countries, and had she managed to convince her domestic electorate of the need for a different approach, the eurozone crisis would have played out quite differently.

Yet even as the nation-state survives, its reputation lies in tatters. The intellectual assault on it takes two forms. First, there is the critique by economists who view governments as an impediment to the freer flow of goods, capital, and people around the world. Prevent domestic policymakers from intervening with their regulations and barriers, they say, and global markets will take care of themselves, in the process creating a more integrated and efficient world economy.

But who will provide the market’s rules and regulations, if not nation-states? Laissez-faire is a recipe for more financial crises and greater political backlash. Moreover, it would require entrusting economic policy to international technocrats, insulated as they are from the push and pull of politics – a stance that severely circumscribes democracy and political accountability.

In short, laissez-faire and international technocracy does not provide a plausible alternative to the nation-state. Indeed, the erosion of the nation-state ultimately does little good for global markets as long as we lack viable mechanisms of global governance.

CommentsSecond, there are cosmopolitan ethicists who decry the artificiality of national borders. As the philosopher Peter Singer has put it, the communications revolution has spawned a “global audience” that creates the basis for a “global ethics.” If we identify ourselves with the nation, our morality remains national. But, if we increasingly associate ourselves with the world at large, our loyalties will expand, too. Similarly, the Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen speaks of our “multiple identities” – ethnic, religious, national, local, professional, and political – many of which cross national boundaries.

It is unclear how much of this is wishful thinking and how much is based on real shifts in identities and attachments. Survey evidence shows that attachment to the nation-state remains quite strong.

A few years ago, the World Values Survey questioned respondents in scores of countries about their attachments to their local communities, their nations, and to the world at large. Not surprisingly, those who viewed themselves as national citizens greatly outnumbered those who regarded themselves as world citizens. But, strikingly, national identity overshadowed even local identity in the United States, Europe, India, China, and most other regions.

The same surveys indicate that younger people, the highly educated, and those who identify themselves as upper class, are more likely to associate themselves with the world. Nevertheless, it is difficult to identify any demographic segment in which attachment to the global community outweighs attachment to the country.

As large as the decline in transport and communications costs has been, it has not obliterated geography. Economic, social, and political activity remains clustered on the basis of preferences, needs, and historical trajectories that vary around the globe.

Geographical distance is as strong a determinant of economic exchange as it was a half-century ago. Even the Internet, it turns out, is not as borderless as it seems: one study found that Americans are much more likely to visit Web sites from countries that are physically close than from countries that are far away, even after controlling for language, income, and many other factors.

The trouble is that we are still in the grasp of the myth of the nation-state’s decline. Political leaders plead impotence, intellectuals dream up implausible global-governance schemes, and the losers increasingly blame immigrants or imports. Talk about re-empowering the nation-state and respectable people run for cover, as if one has proposed reviving the plague.

To be sure, the geography of attachments and identities is not fixed; indeed, it has changed over the course of history. That means that we should not entirely dismiss the likelihood that a true global consciousness will develop in the future, along with transnational political communities.

But today’s challenges cannot be met by institutions that do not (yet) exist. For now, people still must turn for solutions to their national governments, which remain the best hope for collective action. The nation-state may be a relic bequeathed to us by the French Revolution, but it is all that we have.

Massive EU Weapons Sales to Saudi Arabia Contribute to Fuelling International Aggression and Terrorism in the Middle East

2012-03-22T12:07:00.002+02:00

According to the German magazine Der Spiegel, the European Union is the most important weapons exporter to Saudi Arabia. Of all EU member states, France comes first with Euro2168.6 million of exports in 2010. Italy is in second place with Euro435.3 million, before Great Britain, with Euro328.8 million. Source: Der Spiegel By arming the Saudi kingdom, the member states of the European Union are breaking prevailing EU rules regulating the exports of weapons, notes Der Spiegel. The magazine quotes the relevant section of the legislation on Non-Proliferation and Disarmament titled Security-related export controls II - Military equipment, which states: [...] Member States have once again shown their determination to prevent the export of military technology and equipment which might be used for undesirable purposes such as internal repression or international aggression or contribute to regional instability. It is worth noting, in this regard, that a large quantity of the weapons sold to Saudi Arabia by EU member states has ended up in the hands of Libyan and Syrian “rebels" including terrorists, thus largely contributing to fuelling international aggression and regional instability. According to Finian Cunningham: "Saudi Arabia and Qatar in particular were also instrumental in driving events in Syria and Libya, providing financial support, weapons, covert fighters and strident diplomatic backing for the self-styled “transitional councils”. Der Spiegel confirms that Saudi Arabia participated in the violent repression of popular revolts in Bahrain, an issue which was largely ignored by the Western mainstream media. While the European Union member states, especially France, have expressed their "concern for human rights" in Syria and Libya, they have turned a blind eye to Saudi Arabia’s contempt for those same human rights. The EU member states are the main weapons providers of the Al Saud Monarchy, one of the World's most repressive regimes, serving the strategic interests of the US and NATO in the Middle East. Moreover, Saudi Arabia has also channeled weapons and financial support to Al Qaeda affiliated brigades in the Middle East, Asia and North Africa. The German magazine notes that the global weapons trade is booming, and “has increased by 24 percent over the last five years -- despite efforts to curb it.” (EU Nations Sell the Most Arms to Saudi Arabia, Der Spiegel, March 19, 2012.) In a bitter irony, the world’s top weapons traders (US, Russia, Britain, France, China) are the countries designated under the UN Charter to "preserve peace", namely as permanent members of the UN Security Council. (See Richard F. Grimmett, CRS Report for Congress; Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 2003-2010 , September 22, 2011.) In 2010, the “war business” reached 1.6 trillion dollars according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Global Research Articles by Julie Lévesque

Sound of blues: River powered artwork to take center stage at Cultural Olympiad

2012-03-22T12:04:00.004+02:00

Art Project Uses River Water To Create Music

How would you like to let the river play a few sounds for you? Dubbed as ‘Flow’ and about to steal the spotlight at the Cultural Olympiad in UK, this innovative work of art in Newcastle floats on river surface and doles out tunes depending on the mood of the water source beneath it. Powered by a 4.5-metre-tall water wheel that is instrumental in bringing out the melodies, flow uses the power of the river to produce unique sounds and music patterns from various electro-acoustic instruments that have been used in the project.
Consider this to be similar to wind chimes which give you tunes depending on the force and direction of the wind. But in the case of Flow, there are far wider factors that affect the musical output like salinity, tidal strength, wave direction, speed and even strong surface winds which might affect the river surface. Also while your chimes make for a single instrument, Flow powers a multitude of instruments using its water wheel. In essence you are letting the mood of the river play out tunes for you!
The main creators of the project include artists like Ed Carter, Simon Blackmore, Antony Hall and Steve Symons along with architect Nicky Kirk and David Willcox who designed the heart of the project- the water wheel. So, if you live anywhere near the Cultural Olympiad, be sure to catch the array of musical display powered by river water. Just goes to showcase the many ways in which we can tap into green energy if we just let our imaginations fly!
Via: PSFK

Indian firm wins contract to build 300MW thermal plant

2012-03-22T12:02:00.000+02:00

State-owned engineering firm Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has received a Rs6.3bn ($124.5m) contract from Abhijeet Projects, an independent power producer (IPP), to set up a 300MW thermal power plant in Visakhapatnam, India.

The scope of work includes design, engineering, manufacturing, supply, erection, testing and commissioning of boilers, steam turbines and turbo-generators and other associated auxiliaries.

BHEL is currently executing a seperate contract for Abhijeet Projects, for its proposed coal-based Matrishri Usha Jayaswal Mega Power Plant located at Latehar district of Jharkhand.

The company will supply and install the main plant package for Phase-I (2x270 MW) and Phase-II (2x270 MW) of the plant.

BHEL, an integrated power plant equipment manufacturer, has received 71% of its power plant equipment orders from IPPs.

The company received total orders of 31,560MW for power plant equipment during 2009-2011, out of which orders from IPPs stood at 22,369 MW.

http://www.power-technology.com/news/newsbhel-wins-contract-to-build-300mw-thermal-plant-in-india

Nigerian oil exports set to rise to 9-month high

2012-03-22T12:00:00.003+02:00

By Emma Farge

GENEVA (Reuters) - Nigerian oil exports are set to rise to around 2.1 million barrels per day (bpd) in May, trade sources said on Wednesday citing provisional loading programmes, a level that Reuters data showed to be a nine-month high.

Shipping lists showed the west African country will load around 65 million barrels of oil on 73 tankers.

http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE82L00W20120322

The May exports are set to be the highest since August 2011, according to Reuters data. Daily exports are up from a planned level of 1.96 million bpd in April.

Nigeria is Africa's top oil producer and exports have risen in the last two months due to rising production at Total's giant offshore field Usan.

Exports for the new grade are rising fast and it will load 5 cargoes or around 150,000 bpd in May compared with 3 cargoes in April, the shipping lists showed.

"It's over 2 million (bpd) thanks to Usan," said a west African crude trader.

Exports for the benchmark Nigerian export grade Qua Iboe are set to be steady in May at 12 cargoes. Bonny Light volumes are set to fall from eight tankers to five in May.

OPEC member Nigeria produces an average of around 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil and light gas liquids and has the world's seventh largest gas reserves.

Government feels heat over $211 bln coal furore

2012-03-22T11:58:00.001+02:00

(Reuters) - India lost up to $211 billion in revenue by selling

coal deposits too cheaply, the CAG's draft report says, renewing pressure on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is already reeling from a slew of policy missteps.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/03/22/india-coal-sales-scam-cag-idINDEE82L05220120322

Building the largest Concentrated Photovoltaic Solar Power plant in Latin America

2012-03-22T11:56:00.000+02:00

Hydro Aluminum Provides Support Structures for Largest Concentrated Photovoltaic Solar Energy Plant in Latin America.

A precision-extruded aluminum framing system manufactured by Hydro has been installed at a 500-kilowatt electric generation facility in Durango, Mexico, the largest concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) solar facility in Latin America. Located about 550 miles north of Mexico City, the Durango site is already designated to expand to 10 megawatts total capacity in the near future.

The solar plant comprises 184 Skyline Solar X14 arrays. It uses parabolic mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto crystalline silicon PV cells. These arrays are mounted on extruded aluminum space-frames that raise them off the ground and allow them to track the sun through its daily east-west arc. Extruded aluminum was chosen for the frame structures because it provides efficient material utilization, low capital costs and short development times. Aluminum is corrosion-resistant and provides high stiffness to resist wind, improving this system's accuracy and robustness.

"Our solar engineering specialists worked with Skyline's team to review their design and were able to help optimize the frame design and identify cost saving opportunities using Hydro's extensive library of alloys and extrusion expertise," said Allan Bennett, vice president of solar market development for Hydro‘s Extrusion North America unit. "Together, the engineering teams were able to remove 40 percent of the structural material used in early frame prototypes. That reduced Skyline's costs for raw materials, manufacturing and shipping."

In sunny climates, CPV is the lowest cost solar technology for medium (less than 20 MW) and large-scale electricity generating facilities. Today, these constitute the fastest growing portion of the solar market.

Skyline Solar manufactures integrated concentrated photovoltaic systems, incorporating industry-proven silicon cells, durable mirrors and single-axis tracking. The company was founded in 2007 and is funded by NEA and other investors. It has been awarded contracts by the U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Defense. Skyline Solar has 11 patents to date on its CPV architecture.

www.skyline-solar.com

World's most powerful wind turbine installed off Belgium

2012-03-22T11:55:00.001+02:00

The wind turbine with a rated power of 6.15 MW is the first of 48 REpower 6M to be constructed in the phases 2 and 3 of the Belgian offshore wind farm Thornton Bank.

World's first 6 MW wind turbine installed in Thornton Bank offshore wind farm. 30 wind turbines to be installed by September 2012. It marks another step along the road towards larger offshore wind power plants.

The world's most powerful offshore wind turbine has been installed in the Belgian offshore wind farm Thornton Bank. The system of the manufacturer REpower Systems has a rated capacity of 6.15 megawatts (MW) and is the first of altogether 48 wind turbines of this type to be installed in the second and third development stage of the Thornton Bank wind farm off the Belgian coast. The first development stage with a total capacity of 30 MW (six 5 MW turbines) has been in operation since 2009. Being the largest private investor, RWE Innogy owns 26.7 percent of the Thornton Bank wind farm.

"The installation of the first 6 MW wind turbine in a commercial offshore wind farm is an important milestone for the entire offshore wind industry. It marks another step along the road towards larger offshore wind power plants with ever more powerful machines. The experience we are gathering with the construction of these plants is of great value to us because we are also going to use this turbine in our German offshore wind farm Nordsee Ost," explained Prof. Martin Skiba, Head of Offshore Wind Power at RWE Innogy.

This type of offshore wind turbine is the most powerful of its kind at present with impressive dimensions: The nacelle alone has the size of a two-family house and the rotor with a radius of 126 metre sweeps the surface area of two football pitches. A single turbine can supply the equivalent of 6,000 residential households with electricity per year.

The first 18 rotor blades with a length of 63 metre each reached the base port at Ostend in mid-March. They were delivered from Denmark with heavy goods vehicles by road. The nacelles and tower segments are transported on pontoons by sea from Bremerhaven.

A total of 30 of these wind turbines are to be installed in the construction field of Thornton Bank wind power approx. 30 kilometres off the Belgian coast by September this year. In parallel, it is planned to install a second 40 kilometres long export cable to the onshore grid connection point at Sas Slijkens in the next weeks. During the last few days a substation with a weight of 2,000 tons has already been installed successfully offshore. In 2013 the installation of the remaining 18 wind turbines will follow.

Once complete, the Thornton Bank wind farm will have an installed capacity of some 325 MW and supply the equivalent of about 600,000 people with electricity per year. At present, the wind power plant is Europe's largest project-funded offshore wind farm. A total of eight European banks, including the European Investment Bank as well as the German and Danish Export Credit Agency, provide € 900 million worth of financing and risk sharing for the development of the wind farm. The total investment amounts to approx. 1.3 billion Euros.

By José Santamarta, www.repower.de

The Future of Urban Development: Tianjin Eco-City

2012-03-20T14:11:00.004+02:00

There's no question about it—China is aggressively making sure it dominates globally in renewable energy and sustainable development. Home to the world's largest solar panel plant, China now makes over half of the world's supply of solar panels and is the world's largest market for wind energy, surpassing the US. In the next five years, China will invest $250 billion in electric power infrastructure upgrades and expects to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 8 percent by 2015.

Although many of the country's ambitious plans and policies in clean energy have made it hard for many foreign manufacturers and investors to compete, Chinese President Hu Jinatao is bullish on bolstering sustainable economic growth as part of a plan to move the world's largest energy using and polluting country toward a more energy independent, cleaner state.

As we watch China make this massive transformation, expect to see more than just solar panels on houses and wind turbines in hillsides; expect to see entire cities built around energy-efficiency and resource-conservation like the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city. Expected to be up and running by 2020, the Tianjin Eco-City will span 30 square kilometers and showcase the hottest energy-efficiency technologies, including an advanced light rail transit system and a variety of eco-landscapes powered with renewable energy.

Home to 350,000 residents, this green metropolis will serve as a model for future Chinese developments and other “eco-cities” around the world. Designed to be practical, replicable and scalable, public housing will be offered to meet the needs of lower to middle income residents, while the number of jobs to be generated within the city are expected to provide for at least half of its locals. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will be met in 26 different areas, including air and water quality, preservation of the natural ecology and biodiversity, green building, transportation and renewable energy.

Though Tianjin will not be the first “eco-city” in the world, it seeks to differentiate itself in several ways. “Our key focus is to sustain a liveable city and find good urban solutions to deal with the challenges of high-density urban living,” according to the website. “We want to build a practical, scalable and replicable city that will meet the needs of other fast-growing cities in China and the world.”

The controversial question remaining is whether or not the KPIs of the project will be reached under the heavy and increasing pollution in the area, especially considering the majority of some of the most important factories in Beijing have been relocated to Tianjin since 2008. In addition to air quality, water supplies in the area could also be contaminated and the prevalence of certain cancers remain three times higher than in Australian cities and Singapore.

But like most of China and the industrialized world, sustainable development will not come without challenge and the need for innovation. From green spaces to an integrated waste management system and efficient transportation networks in place, the city will produce record low carbon emissions. By the end of the year, the start-up phase of the project (3 sq km) is expected to be completed. Over the next decade, expect to see China continue to completely restructure its image as the world's worst polluting nation to one of the greenest—a phrase many thought they would never hear.

http://www.energydigital.com/green_technology/the-future-of-urban-development-tianjin-eco-city

Saudi Arabia moves to calm oil market

2012-03-20T14:09:00.004+02:00

(Financial Times) -- Saudi Arabia is taking steps to cool the overheating global energy market, boosting its exports to the US and re-opening old oilfields to expand production, as the world's largest oil producer tries to prevent damage to the global economic recovery.

The Saudi cabinet on Monday said the kingdom would work "individually" and with others for the "return [of] oil prices to fair levels". Riyadh recently said it aimed to keep oil prices at $100.

"High oil prices . . . can lead to negative effects on the global economy," the cabinet agreed, according to a summary carried by the official Saudi news agency.

Oil prices were little changed on Monday at $125.65 a barrel, down 16 cents.

The moves by Riyadh come as rising energy prices have become a hot political issue in the US presidential race. Republican candidates have accused President Barack Obama of not doing enough to bring prices down.

'Oil is the new Greece'

The kingdom has not yet publicly disclosed its moves, but Gulf and western officials and traders said the kingdom was boosting its oil exports to the US, after hiring more super-tankers last week. They said it was also reviving production at oil fields mothballed decades ago.

"The Saudis are very concerned about the oil market and are trying to find strategies to bring prices down," said an European-based senior oil trader.

Oil prices have rallied this month to a post-2008 peak of $128 a barrel on the back of supply disruptions in countries ranging from Colombia to South Sudan and the impact of the forthcoming US and European sanctions on Iranian oil exports.

The efforts by Riyadh will become clearer on Tuesday during a meeting of oil ministers of the Gulf Co-operation Council in Doha, the capital of Qatar, where Ali Naimi, Saudi oil minister, plans to expand on the measures the kingdom is taking.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/19/business/saudi-oil-market/

Oil falls from close to 10-month high to near $107

2012-03-20T14:08:00.000+02:00

SINGAPORE (AP) — Oil prices fell to near $107 a barrel Tuesday in Asia, slipping from close to 10-month highs ahead of new data on the U.S. economy.

Benchmark oil for April delivery was down 80 cents to $107.29 a barrel at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.03 to settle at $108.09 in New York on Monday.

Brent crude for May delivery was down 70 cents at $125.01 a barrel in London.

Crude has jumped from $96 last month and $75 in October as signs of an improving U.S. economy boost investor confidence. Oil traders often look to stock markets as a gauge of overall investor sentiment, and the Standard & Poor's 500 rose 0.4 percent Monday to its highest close since May 20, 2008. Asian stocks were mostly lower Tuesday.

Data on U.S. housing and jobless claims later this week is likely to provide fresh cues for the oil market. A private survey of the U.S. homebuilding industry on Monday found that companies are increasingly hopeful that home sales will rise in coming months.

Tensions over Iran's nuclear program have helped to keep high prices at elevated levels. A military attack by Israel or the U.S. against Iran's nuclear facilities would likely trigger a crude price spike while renewed diplomatic negotiations would probably cause prices to drop.

"The market is anticipating additional favorable U.S. economic news," energy trader and consultant Ritterbusch and Associates said in a report. "And until concerns ease regarding Iranian risk, the market appears capable of maintaining price gains, especially if equities remain strong."

In other energy trading, heating oil was down 1.9 cents at $3.26 per gallon and gasoline futures slid 1.3 cents at $3.35 per gallon. Natural gas fell 0.3 cent at $2.35 per 1,000 cubic feet.