Author: Serkadis

A company called ACTA is acting out, but in a good way and will not be sent to its room for a timeout. What ACTA is doing is pulling out all stops in regard to bringing hydrogen power products to market.

In a recent announcement, ACTA said it will be using micro wind turbines and water to bring hydrogen generators inside one’s residence for home use, “The combined system is being developed for use in homes that are not connected to the electricity grid and for remote renewable energy storage applications. It will also act as a demonstrator for larger-scale peak energy shaving applications.

“Energy generated from a wind turbine will be used to produce hydrogen from water using Acta’s unique electrolysis technology. The pure, dry, compressed hydrogen can be stored and then used, on demand, to produce electricity through a mid-sized fuel cell. The Company believes that future applications will include distributed power microgeneration and storage, and ultimately that the system can be scaled up to utility-sized installations for use with commercial wind farms.” Also, these units could be used for home hydrogen fueling stations as well.”

But, putting a hydrogen generator the size of a refrigerator is not the only thing ACTA is acting upon. I’ve talked before about the ACTA hydrogen bike, the ACTA hydrogen fuel cell for outboard motorboats and ACTA hydrogen fuel injection systems for increasing gas mileage and reducing emissions.

The combined heat and power (CHP) system from ACTA is just their latest product offering in the field of hydrogen fuel and alternative energy. As ACTA brings more and diverse hydrogen energy products to market one will soon notice that they are becoming a major player within this market space. Unlike some emerging technology companies that start hot and fade away quickly, ACTA is beginning to see a profit from their line of hydrogen products.

ACTA is acting like a major player already, filling niches in the marketplace that other companies are failing to act upon. It is the pioneers of today who will be the mainstream businesses of the new energy tomorrow. And that day will come shortly.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation EFF has revealed the results of an interesting study regarding online privacy. While most people seem concerned with sites like Facebook or Google amassing too much private information or making it too public, it looks like a user’s browser can be as much of a risk to privacy as anythin… (read more)

Fans of the PixelJunk series have probably heard by now that there’s a PixelJunk Shooter sequel in the works. It may have been a bit unsurprising, but Q-Games today officially confirmed that production for the game is in full

John Travolta’s two dogs were struck and killed by a service truck at an airport in Maine last Thursday. City officials confirmed the story to the Bangor Daily News today.

Officials have released the following statement regarding the accident: “At approximately 1 a.m. on Thursday, May 13, 2010, an airplane carrying members of the John Travolta family landed at Bangor International Airport. While there, two small dogs were taken for a walk by someone who is not a family member.”

According to officials, an airport service pickup truck was approaching the airplane and did not seem to see the dogs. Unfortunately, the dogs were hit and killed. The airport is investigating the accident. The city will make no further comment to respect the family’s privacy.

“The airport takes safety very seriously,” airport director Rebecca Hupp told the BDN, “Many flights come and go without incidents. Clearly, this is an unfortunate accident. Our deepest sympathies are with the family.”

John Travolta and his family have not yet issued a statement regarding this.

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Nobuyuki Oneda (pictured far right) currently serves as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Sony Corporation and has been its Corporate Executive Officer since 2004. He is primarily responsible for Corporate Planning and Control, Accounting, Tax, Finance, Investor Relations, and Disclosure Controls. On June 18th, he will retire and current Deputy CFO, Masaru Kato, will assume Oneda’s place as Chief Financial Officer. Oneda joined Sony on April, 1969 (at the age of 24) and has served many positions in the company throughout his tenure, including Senior Vice President, Head of Transformation 60, Corporate Planning & Control, Accounting and Information Systems of Sony Corp.

Here is some of the other titles he’s held in Sony throughout the years:

• Jun 2004 – Oneda served as Sevenior Vice President, Corporate Executive Officer of Sony Corporation
• Feb 2004 – Oneda served as Officer in charge of Corporate Planning and Control, and Accounting of Sony Corporation
• 2003 – Oneda served as Senior Vice President, Executive Officer of Sony Corporation
• 2002 – Oneda served as Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Network Application & Content Service Sector of Sony Corporation and Corporate Senior Vice President of Sony Corporation
• 2000 – Oneda served as Deputy President and Chief Financial Officer of Sony Electronics Inc. and Group Executive Officer of Sony Corporation
• 1999 – Oneda served as an Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Sony Electronics Inc. (a U.S. subsidiary of Sony Corporation)
• 1996 – Oneda served as General Manager, Corporate Planning & Control Department of Sony Corp.

All evidence so far points to Final Fantasy Versus XIII staying exclusive to the PS3, but it seems Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada isn’t quite ready to close the door in Microsoft’s face.

This can not be good news for Democrats and their hopes of retaining the Senate. New York Times, Raymond Hernandez reports this afternoon that Richard Blumenthal, the Connecticut AG and likely Democratic candidate to fill the seat of Dodd in the Senate, has lied about his service in Vietnam. Although in an earlier video he mentioned that he did not serve in Vietnam.

“We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam,” Blumenthal said to the group gathered in Norwalk in March 2008. ”And you exemplify it. Whatever we think about the war, whatever we call it — Afghanistan or Iraq — we owe our military men and women unconditional support.”

There was one problem, Mr. Blumenthal, a Democrat who is now running for U.S. Senate, never served in Vietnam. Won at least five military deferments from 1965 to 1970 and took several measures that allowed it to avoid going to war, according to records.

Blumenthal is presumed to be on the crest of an easy victory over either candidate of the Republican Party, but we’re guessing that is in doubt.

Blumenthal is part of the school activist AGS, having taken the popular struggle against big businesses, and more recently the rating agencies. In January, noted that “Wall Street’s worst nightmare” was now headed to the Senate.

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Via Prison Planet.com » World News

Eli Clifton
Inter Press Service
May 18, 2010

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate is moving forward with a 59-billion-dollar spending bill, of which 33.5 billion dollars would be allocated for the war in Afghanistan.

However, some experts here in Washington are raising concerns that the war may be unwinnable and that the money being spent on military operations in Afghanistan could be better spent.

“We’re making all of the same mistakes the Soviets made during their time in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989, and they left in defeat having accomplished none of their purposes,” Michael Intriligator, a senior fellow at the Milken Institute, said Monday at a half-day conference hosted by the New America Foundation and Economists for Peace and Security.

“I think we’re repeating that and it’s a history we’re condemned to repeat,” he said.

Intriligator also argued that the real, long-term cost of the war in Afghanistan may completely overshadow the current spending bill.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard professor Linda Bilmes estimated that the long-term costs – taking into account the costs of taking care of wounded soldiers and rebuilding the military – of the war in Iraq will ultimately cost three trillion dollars.

Intriligator suggested that a similar calculation for the costs of the war in Afghanistan would indicate a long-term cost of 1.5 to 2.0 trillion dollars.

“Why are we putting money into Afghanistan to fight a losing war and following the Soviet example rather than putting money into [our] local communities?” he asked.

The Senate has been under pressure to approve the spending bill before the Memorial Day recess at the end of the month.

On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the 59-billion-dollar bill drafted by the committee’s Chairman Daniel Inouye and Sen. Thad Cochran.

Gaining the approval of the Senate Appropriations committee may be the easy part in the push to get the bill to Obama’s desk by the end of the month.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has already indicated that the spending bill will face more intense opposition in the House as congressional Democrats are predicted to offer put up some resistance to the funding for Obama’s 30,000 troop surge in Afghanistan.

Experts at the event today expressed their concern with both the physical cost of the war as well as the tradeoffs in spending required by the ongoing costs of fighting the Taliban insurgency.

“The climate bill, for all its defects, if it has a prayer of passing, might provide some of the money we need to keep the momentum on building a green economy going. But so could the savings from an Afghan drawdown,” said Miriam Pemberton, a research fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies.

Intriligator emphasised the human cost of fighting a counterinsurgency campaign not just for U.S. soldiers but for Afghan civilians.

“We can’t distinguish the insurgents or Taliban from the rest of population so we kill a lot of innocent civilians,” he said.

A number of think tank events this week and the Obama administration’s push to gain support in Congress for the supplemental appropriations bill coincided with a high-profile visit last week by Afghan President Hamid Karzai who spent four days in meetings with Obama and members of his cabinet as well as with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Karzai’s trip to Washington and the warm reception afforded to him by the White House and lawmakers appeared to be part of a public relations offensive to build support in Washington for Karzai’s government and Obama’s troop surge.

Karzai’s visit came as polls have shown a major downturn in U.S. support for the war in Afghanistan and support amongst NATO allies has been dwindling.

In early April, news emerged that Karzai, in a closed door meeting, threatened to drop out of politics and join the Taliban.

A senior Obama administration official retorted that Karzai might be sampling “Afghanistan’s biggest export” – a reference to the widespread opium cultivation in Afghanistan.

The publicity campaign is facing an uphill battle this month but the administration has much to gain by putting a good face on the U.S. relationship with Karzai.

Indeed, the White House will need Karzai’s cooperation if it is to get Congressional support for passing the spending bill and will require Karzai’s assistance if Obama is to meet his goal of beginning U.S. troop withdrawals by mid-2011.

Karzai’s trip appears to have made some progress in showing off a “reset” relationship between the Obama White House and the Karzai government but a number of voices here in Washington are raising concerns over whether a U.S. victory in Afghanistan is possible by mid-2011 or at any time in the near future.

“The fear was that if we withdraw from Afghanistan there will be civil war and external great powers will take sides. Is that worse than losing American soldiers day after day? So there’s a civil war. So the regional great partners take sides. Why wouldn’t they? It’s their neighbours. It’s their borders.” said Michael Lind, policy director of the Economic Growth Programme at the New America Foundation, at Monday’s conference.

This article originally ran at Inter Press Service.

Via Prison Planet.com » Commentary

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
London Telegraph
May 18, 2010

Europe may have to clean up its own mess after all. The US Senate has voted 94:0 to block use of taxpayers’ money for IMF rescues that make no economic sense or bail-outs for countries like Greece that far are beyond the point of no return.

“This amendment will help prevent American taxpayer dollars from underwriting dysfunctional governments abroad,” said Texas Senator John Cornyn, the chief sponsor. “American taxpayers have seen more bailouts than they can stomach, and the last thing they should have to worry about are their hard-earned tax dollars being used to rescue a foreign government. Greece is not by any stretch of the imagination too big to fail.”

Co-sponsor David Vitter from Louisiana said America had run out of money. “Our country already owes trillions of dollars in debt. We simply can’t afford to take on other countries’ debt in addition to our own.”

It is unclear where this leaves the EU’s $1 trillion “shock and uh” package. Urlich Leuchtmann from Commerzbank said the IMF share of $320bn was the only genuine money on the table, the rest being largely euro smoke and mirrors, or plain bluff.

The measure is an amendment to the US financial overhaul law. Backed by both parties, it can hardly be ignored by the Obama administration whatever Tim Geithner may or may not want to do. The bill has to go to Conference for reconciliation with the House, but the point is made.

Full article here

Miss USA pole dancing has been the talk of the town. Who will not be interested to watch and know more about Miss America 2010 Rima Fakih pole dancing? This might sound awkward knowing that Rimah Fakih is an Arab-American. Miss USA pole dancing seems a big issue, other think of it as a scandal. Is it really a big deal? Rima Fakih pole dancing picture is spreading in the internet.

The picture is courtesy by Mojo in the morning. This is a morning radio show that posted images of Rima Fakih that was said to be competing from a contest entitled “Stripper 101″ way back 2007. The contest shows the best moves of pole dancers; some real strippers teach, and the chosen best student wins the price. All the contestants were said to have been fully clothed. The now “Miss America 2010”-Rima Fakih won the competition, as sources reveals.

Find out more of Miss USA pole dancing…

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Via Prison Planet.com » Prison Planet

Fox News
May 18, 2010

Woody Allen has a strange take on the democracy that allowed him to become rich and famous.

The “Scoop” director said it would be a cool idea for President Barack Obama to be dictator for for a few years.

Why?

So he could get things done without all the hassle of opposing views getting in the way.

In an interview published by Spanish language newspaper La Vanguardia (that we translated), Allen says “I am pleased with Obama. I think he’s brilliant. The Republican Party should get out of his way and stop trying to hurt him.”

But wait – there’s more!

The director said “it would be good…if he could be a dictator for a few years because he could do a lot of good things quickly.”

Of course, Allen has a famously strange relationship with reality. The director took nude photos of his lover Mia Farrow’s teen-age adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn, and then ended up marrying her after separating from Farrow.

Farrow also said he molested their seven-year-old adopted daugther, Dylan. A judge refused to act on the charges, but called his relationship with Soon-Yi “grossly inappropriate.”

Perhaps that judge has an opinion on Allen’s “dictator” comments?

Via Prison Planet.com » Prison Planet

David Filipov
Boston Globe
May 18, 2010

FRANKLIN, Vt. — The red brick house sits unassumingly on a sleepy back road where the lush farmlands of northern Vermont roll quietly into Canada. This is the Morses Line border crossing, a point of entry into the United States where more than three cars an hour constitute heavy traffic.

The bucolic setting of silos and sugar maples has become the focus of a bitter dispute that pits one of America’s most revered traditions — the family-owned farm — against the post-9/11 reality of terror attacks on US soil.

Full article here

Speaking to shareholders and employees at the company’s 90th Annual General Meeting, BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer confirmed that the BMW Concept 5-Series ActiveHybrid will go into production in 2011 and that the automaker is also considering offering a hybrid version of the 3-Series sedan.

“As early as next year, the new BMW 5-Series will also be available as a full hybrid,” Reithofer said. “And we are anticipating the hybridization of further models series, such as the BMW 3-Series. We also work with modules in this field, choosing the most suitable hybrid solution for the respective model.”

Click here to get prices on the 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 6.

The Concept 5-Series ActiveHybrid is powered by a 300-hp straight-6 gasoline with TwinPower Turbo technology mated to a 40 kW electric-motor and an 8-speed automatic transmission. BMW says that when compared to the 5-Series with the “conventional” combustion engine, the Concept 5-Series ActiveHybrid reduces fuel-economy and emissions by more than 10 percent.

“We want to reduce our global fleet’s carbon emissions by at least another 25 percent between 2008 and 2020,” Reithofer said “Our new models and drive technologies will support these efforts.”

BMW Concept 5-Series ActiveHybrid:

– By: Omar Rana

Everyone’s trying to figure out how much oil is in the Gulf. Using the most conservative leak estimate of 5,000 barrels per day, the volume of petroleum in the area is an astronomical 125,000 barrels.

We’ve calculated some incredible things that could have been done with all that oil.

(Remember, the leak volume could be five times higher and may keep leaking for months.)

Bring the Great Lakes to a boil — eight thousand times

Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.

Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18; which yields 725 billion Btu or 765,000 billion joules. Bringing the Great Lakes volume (22,684 km3) to a boil (+95.6 C @ 4.8 specific heat) takes 10.4 billion joules.

Drive a Honda Civic to the Sun and back

Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.

Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18; which equals 5,250,000 gallons of crude. A new Honda Civic can get up to 34 mpg. The leaked oil (not counting crude-to-fuel conversions) would fuel nearly 180 million miles of driving.  At its nadir, the sun is around 90 million miles away.

Make four billion plastic bags

Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.

Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18. According to Reuters, China refines 37 million barrels of crude to make 1,095 billion plastic bags. Therefore it takes 101,370 bbl to make 3 billion bags; and 125,000 bbl to make 3.7 billion.

Supply North Korea with oil for 12 days

Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.

Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18. North Korea imports 10.5 barrels per day.

Fill 56,000,000 glass bottles of Coke with crude

Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.

Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18; which equals 5,250,000 gallons or 672 million fluid ounces.

Power a human to walk to the planet Uranus and back

Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.

Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18; which yields 765,000 million kilojoules. Walking for one mile takes 205 kilojoules (of food energy). If equivalent energy, the oil would power 3,732,000,000 miles of walking. Uranus is 1.78 billion miles away on average.

Leave an El Camino on idle until the Thirtieth Century

Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.

Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18; which equals 5,250,000 gallons of gas. An 8-cylinder engine idling 5-minutes-per-day burns 20 gallons in a year; which means one day of idling burns 15.789 gallons.

Feed 13,125 Americans for a year (and we consume much more than any other people)

Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.

Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18; which equals 5,250,000 gallons. 400 gallons of oil are used to feed one American for a year, based on estimates of agriculture, transportation, etc.

Make 11,415 tons of fertilizers

Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.

Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18; which — at 7.3 bbl per ton — equals 17,123 tons. 1.5 tons of oil makes 1 ton of fertilizer.

Pay for six hours of BP’s clean-up

Caveat: We used figures for day 25 using the conservative estimate of 5,000 bbl per day. Our calculations are non-scientific.

Math: 5,000 barrels per day equals 125,000 barrels by May 18. Current prices are $70 a barrel, which amounts to $8.75 million. BP is paying around $33 million a day in clean-up costs.

Now here’s a visual aid…

See How The Gulf Oil Slick Looks On Top Of Your City

Join the conversation about this story »

What happened to Robert Pattinson’s hair?!

Many of you might be shocked that Pattinson shaved his head. Yes, you read it right, He shaved his head! Hollywood life has spotted Pattinson in LA on May 16, in base ball cap. According to them, even though he was hiding his hair under a baseball cap, it really does look like he buzzed his whole head! What will Kristen Stewart run her fingers through now?! Robert Pattinson was known for having a “messy hair” but despite that he still looks hot.

Also an information that can be found on Popsugar.com states that Robert Pattinson stepped out in LA yesterday with a brand-new haircut and his “Courier Scum” t-shirt. He also toted around a script as he gears up for production to start on Water for Elephants with Reese Witherspoon and a wise animal costar. Robert just rang in his 24th year last week. His prebirthday trip to Chicago for Oprah with his Eclipse costars Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner also included another revealing interview where the cast discussed their relationship, Rob’s love scenes in Bel Ami, and more.

Well, Robert might be hot with his messy hair, but he might be hotter with his new look! We all know that he is good looking and still he is, under that baseball cap. Let us just wait and see his upcoming movie with Kristen Stewart, Twilight: Eclipse.

However, it is not really known whether he really cut his hair or that the British actor has at least shaved the sides of his hair into a close crop. It’s a mysterious thing to know what lies beneath that baseball cap.

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O conglomerado indiano Tata está expandindo seus negócios em todo o mundo com o Nano, sua principal atração. Tal conquista está sendo comemorada por todos que estão lá, menos Rajiv Dube, o atual ex-presidente da companhia, que pediu demissão antenotem (16).

Não se sabe a razão da demissão de Dube, mas a companhia escolheu seu sucessor, que será S. Krishnam. Anteriormente, Krishnam foi vice presidente das vendas e atendimento ao cliente.

Dube já possuia um bom tempo de casa na Tata desde 1983, e foi um dos principais nomes responsáveis pelo sucesso da empresa com alguns carros como o Indica em 1998, um hatchback, e o mais recente Nano que ganhou a atenção do mundo em 2009.

Via | Left Lane

Google Calendar has been given a fresh coat of paint and the new look is being rolled out for users around the world, by the looks of it. The fresh new look follows Google’s current design aesthetics and principles from some of its other main web apps, like Gmail or Docs. Google hasn’t made the official announcement yet, but some users are greet… (read more)

Miss USA pole dancing has been the talk of the town. Who will not be interested to know more about Miss America 2010 Rima Fakih pole dancing? This might sound awkward knowing that Rimah Fakih is an Arab-American. Miss USA pole dancing seems a big issue, other think of it as a scandal. Is it really a big deal? Rima Fakih pole dancing picture is spreading in the internet.

The picture is courtesy by Mojo in the morning. This is a morning radio show that posted images of Miss America 2010-Rima Fakih that was said to be competing from a contest entitled “Stripper 101″ way back 2007. The contest shows the best moves of pole dancers; some real strippers teach, and the chosen best student wins the price. All the contestants were said to have been fully clothed. The now “Miss America 2010”-Rima Fakih won the competition, as sources reveals.

Find out more of Miss USA pole dancing….

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Its all over the internet, Miss USA 2010 winnner Miss Rima Fakih is hiding some impressive skills that she actually wanted to keep a secret. Holding the title of Miss USA 2010, definetely she can hardly hide any of her secrets.

Sources tell us that Rima Fakih was not competing for the first time, she has been joining a “Stripper 101” contest in the year 2007. It was the Detroit morning radio show that revealed some pretty interesting pictures of Rima Fakih Pole dancing. During this contest, contestants put their best perfomance on stage infront of female listeners. And the best perfomance won the contest. If you wanted to see Fakih in sexy clothes i have to disappoint you then, since the girls were carefully dressed according to the radio station.

According to the radio show, they have been contacted by the Miss USA officials “requesting more photos and information” about Rima Fakih’s involvement in this contest. After the producers of the show asked pageant officials if the images could affect Fakih’s title, they didn’t provide any answer.

Well, its very interesting how secrets come out after people become famous. Should Rima Fakih be proud of her past or not, what do you think?

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Adam Wheeler was admitted to Harvard University and became a student in 2007 after he falsely claimed he had earned a perfect academic record at Phillips Academy in Andover and had studied for a year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

23-year-old Adam Wheeler from Milton, Delaware also plagiarized his resume by saying he won the Winthrop Sargent Prize for English, and the Hoopes Prize for outstanding scholarly work.

He has been accused of snagging $45,000 in financial aid, grants and scholarships. Wheeler spent the night in a Massachusetts jail and is now charged with more than 20 counts, including identity fraud, larceny and forgery.

According to authorities, Harvard started to look into Wheeler’s background after he sought the school’s endorsement for Rhodes and Fulbright scholarships. Prosecutors said a professor reviewed his application and noticed similarities between Wheeler’s writing and that of a colleague.

Authorities also said that before attending Harvard University, Adam Wheeler was a student at Bowdoin College in Maine from 2005 to 2007, but was suspended for academic dishonesty.

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