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Do you believe in yourself and that you can accomplish your goals?

Isn’t that a great question?

Well, do you?

Do you have faith in your self?

A stressful habit we may have, at times, is lack of faith in ourselves.  This is a stressful habit because we worry about if we will accomplish what we set out to achieve.  This worry causes stress.

Destress Yourself with faith in yourself!

Believe that you can obtain any goal that you set your heart and mind on.

I know the power within you.  You can achieve all that you want.  How do I know this?  I know this because you are successful. 

If you have made it this far in life, you are successful.

Look at all the things you have accomplished thus far.  Look at the relationships you have made, look at the jobs/careers you have or had, and look at all your success so far.

You are capable of doing anything you set your heart and mind to.

If you are having a hard time with faith in yourself, then do this exercise.

List all of your accomplishments and milestones in your life.  Include Elementary School, Jr. High School, High School, sports, arts, music, relationships, vacations, careers, and purchases.  I guarantee if you make this list it will remind you how great you are and how great you continue to be.

Sometimes, as we get older, we stop setting goals, and then we become stagnant.  This may be happening to you and that may increase your doubt in yourself.  In other words, that may be the cause of low self-confidence.

Remember all the goals you have set and accomplished so far in you life.  This will increase faith in yourself.

Destress Yourself by having faith in yourself and that you can accomplish your goals.  When you do this you will discover what you can create in your life.

When you Destress Yourself, you change your thoughts, feelings, and actions which changes your attitude about life for the better.  You gain a much more positive attitude about life.

You change your thoughts, feelings, actions, and attitude from stressful to successful.

IF YOU ARE UNHAPPY, SOMETHING MUST BE DONE!

If you are not living life with happiness, energy, joy, and vitality, something must be don.

You can learn to be happy by Destressing Yourself and I can show you how, for free!

First, subscribe to this blog via rss feed or via email, right there in the right side column.

Second, go to destressyourself.com, and sign up for our free weekly newsletter.  This newsletter will give you solutions to your stress.

Third, download all of our free audio mp3’s, in our store.

Do these things my friend and learn what permanent stress relief truly is.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

I hope that this is helpful.

Until next post…don’t forget to have fun and be playful.

Elizabeth

University of Arizona Science and Technology Park has chosen the UA Tech Park to introduce the “Solar Zone.” This $32 million project is planned in 45 acres of area. The entire area will be covered with parabolic solar mirrors to capture the solar energy. The plant is expected to generate enough electricity to power more than 1,500 average homes of Tucson and reducing up to 1600 tons of carbon emissions. Tucson Electric Power customers will begin to receive the supply by May 2011. This project is not all about producing electricity, but is also aimed to integrate research and industry to develop and promote renewable energy.

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Yesterday’s market action was a big fat nothing burger. There was at least one item of black humour. Today’s Age reports, that, “Debt recovery specialist Collection House was at its best share price levels since 2007 after managing director Tony Aveling produced unaudited profit guidance figures suggesting its after-tax performance will be about 55 per cent better.”

“Mr Aveling said Collection House, which sources most of its business by recovering customer debts for banks and service providers like phone and energy companies, opted to use its money to pay off debt, rather than borrow more to buy the debts of others and try to chase defaulters. He also said shareholders could expect an increase in interim dividend, contributing to Collection House shares rising beyond 90¢, before settling to a 12¢ gain at 84¢.”

How about that? A debt collection company growing earnings, paying off its debt, and paying a dividend? What does that tell you about the world when the debt collection business is booming?

To be fair, earnings were up at a few companies like Flight Centre and Computershare. But the banks sold off and the market closed down about 1%. So which is it? Are Australian earnings going to be stronger than expected? Or are stocks already priced for earnings perfection?

We’ll ponder that on the tram on the way into the CBD today. A group of investors touring Australia is in town and we’re on our way to speak to them about our forecasts and strategies for 2010. Mostly this involves more cash, fewer shares targeted to industries where there is scarcity, and a handful of energy, precious metals, and small cap shares.

That may seem like a bit of contradiction: bearish on the stock market but bullish on the riskiest sectors of it. But we’d make that case that it’s owning the banks and other so-called blue chips that’s the bigger risk – given the rewards on offer. It’s better to have at least some shares where when one good thing happens, the share can go up 3-1, 5-1, or 10-1.

But true to form, 2010 is going to be the year the solvency of the welfare state dominates the front pages. People are slowly beginning to understand that huge social welfare states have to be paid for by someone. And if your economy isn’t growing, it’s hard to “spread the wealth around.” You have to “borrow it around.” And that puts you in debt.

For example, Greece has a fiscal deficit that’s nearly 12%, or four times what the suits at the European Union in Brussels say you’re allowed to have and still be a member in good standing. What’s worse for Greece, its total debt-to-GDP ratio is working way to 120% – which is pretty bad, even by American and British standards (although modest by Japanese standards).

It may be satisfying for the EU’s finance chiefs to scold Greece. But they all live in the same very large monetary glass house. This is the proverbial Achilles heel of Europe’s monetary union. Twelve economies, one interest rate, zero flexibility. It’s hard to imagine a better recipe for a fiscal crisis.

Our old friend Marc Faber says to beware the PIIGS – Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain. These are the Euro nations that borrowed up in the boom and now have to pay it back. If these nations ran their own monetary policy, they could set interest rates low or print money. That would inflate away some of the accumulated debts.

But Europe’s central bankers are not as willing as their Fed counterparts to throw their currency to the dogs. Thus the PIIGS don’t have the any monetary or fiscal stability left. They must live within their means, cut spending, or get some kind of bail out from their neighbours.

The whole situation makes you realise how much of modern “wealth” is just debt dressed up in fancy clothes with a flashy car. And that’s just at the household level. We think some European nation’s will realise this year that you can’t infinitely redistribute wealth to achieve the goals of social justice and equality…if the economy itself isn’t producing that wealth in the first place.

Faber reckons one of the PIIGs will default in the next few years. Whether this provokes a currency crisis in Europe is the open question. What the euro has going for it right now is that it is not the U.S. dollar nor is it the yen. That’s not saying much.

Australia doesn’t yet face the kind of fiscal reckoning that the PIIGs, the U.S., Britain, and Japan face. We meant to show today how that could change quickly in the future. It’s a new scheme to put ultimate responsibility for bank solvency on the Aussie tax payer. But we have a tram to catch, so the story will have to wait until tomorrow. Until then!

Dan Denning
for The Daily Reckoning Australia

Similar Posts:

• Central Bankers Encourage Debt Booms That Become Debt Bombs
• Commonwealth Bank (ASX: CBA) Nearly Doubles Bad Debts Over Last Year
• U.S. Government Must Roll Over $3.4 Trillion in Debt Over Next Four Years
• Note to Australia: Buy Resources, Not Banks
• Banks or BHP?

Well I’m certainly ready for spring, and so is Sony apparently since they have just announced their Signature Spring 2010 collection. For those not familiar with the Signature line of laptops from Sony, they are basically various different models of VAIO Notebooks that get a facelift and are then renamed as limited edition versions. We have mentioned them several times before but this latest collection really seems to be targeting the ladies. There is not one but TWO pink notebooks available. First is the Brilliant Pink CW and next is the Pink P Series Lifestyle PC. If pink isn’t your thing, the next best standout is the Crystal Rain White CW Notebook.  Keep in mind that every VAIO Signature Notebook is a limited edition, so they won’t be around forever. The VAIO Signature collection CW notebooks start at $839.99 and the Pink P Lifestyle PC starts at $999.99.  Although considerably pricey for what they are – each one exemplifies spring colors as well as design and are meant for those who are truly looking for something different when it comes to their notebooks.

With the popularity of the iPhone and other high-end smartphones, first-person shooters, and graphics-driven games are stealing the spotlight, but New York City-based Snackable Media quietly has created a million-dollar gaming business in 2009 using the most low-tech of technology—text messaging.

Snackable’s CEO Eyeal Yechezkell gave TechCrunch the complete rundown on the business: In 2009, it sold $170 million worth of text-based games, which has jumped from $90 million in 2008 and $30 million in 2007. Snackable dolls out half of the revenues to the carriers, but still has managed to build a profitable company without ever raising any venture capital. Snackable has 100 in New York and Florida.

The games are fairly simple. The most popular, called Predicto, sends players multiple-choice questions, like “Will gas prices rise above $3 this summer?” or Who will win American Idol this season?” Players respond by text for a chance to win $50,000 in prizes. It has more than a million monthly active users, who all pay $9.95 a month. It also has a game based on “Deal Or No Deal,” and “Celebrity Square.”

Some of the 10-year-old company’s success is based on its roots as ad network when it was called Next Web Media. From its beginnings, Snackable knows how to advertise online, and therefore uses the internet to get people to sign up for subscriptions via text message. The approach is much like early ringtone clubs, which got in trouble because consumers did not know they were signing up for subscriptions. At least Snackable requires a double-confirmation to start the subscription.

Will Snackable move into apps, like the millions of other companies? It’s unlikely. “Right now, these applications are just sitting in the App Store and not really advertised. When you start advertising applications, 99 cents might not be a profitable model.”

Apple (NSDQ: AAPL), Nokia and Research In Motion are all involved in lawsuits, so why not Motorola (NYSE: MOT), too?

Motorola is asking for a temporary restraining order against David Hartsfield, who left the handset maker in December for Nokia (NYSE: NOK). The Chicago Tribune reports that Hartsfield left Motorola to become VP of Nokia’s global CDMA business. In a filing in Cook County Circuit Court, Motorola claims that the move violated “various agreements,” and that Motorola risked losing competitive information about CDMA strategy and marketing to Nokia. Hartsfield’s new job “inevitably will require him to use and/or disclose Motorola’s trade secret information.”

Sounds a lot like a similar case that was dismissed last year after Motorola filed a suit against Michael Fenger after he left for a position at Apple.

In a statement, Motorola said that it is suing Hartsfield for breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets and that it is “also seeking expedited discovery and preliminary injunction for further restrictions and damages.” In a filing, Hartsfield’s attorney called the accusations “grossly inadequate.” The attorney argued that there’s no threat to Hartsfield sharing sensitive information with Nokia because CDMA is an industry standard, not “secret proprietary information.” The response also said the alleged non-compete clauses referenced by the company were buried in documentation about Hartsfield’s stock options.

Republican Brown wins Mass. Senate seat in epic upset, endangering Obama’s health care plan

In an epic upset in liberal Massachusetts, Republican Scott Brown rode a wave of voter anger to win the U.S. Senate seat held by the late Edward M. Kennedy for nearly half a century, leaving President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul in doubt and marring the end of his first year in office.

Addressing an exuberant victory celebration Tuesday night, Brown declared he was “ready to go to Washington without delay” as the crowd chanted, “Seat him now.”

Democrats indicated they would, deflating a budding controversy over whether they would try to block Brown long enough to complete congressional passage of the health care plan he has promised to oppose.

“The people of Massachusetts have spoken. We welcome Scott Brown to the Senate and will move to seat him as soon as the proper paperwork has been received,” said Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin said he would notify the Senate on Wednesday that Brown had been elected.

The loss by the once-favored Democrat Martha Coakley in the Democratic stronghold was a stunning embarrassment for the White House after Obama rushed to Boston on Sunday to try to save the foundering candidate. Her defeat on Tuesday signaled big political problems for the president’s party this fall when House, Senate and gubernatorial candidates are on the ballot nationwide.

Brown’s victory was the third major loss for Democrats in statewide elections since Obama became president. Republicans won governors’ seats in Virginia and New Jersey in November.

“I have no interest in sugarcoating what happened in Massachusetts,” said Sen. Robert Menendez, the head of the Senate Democrats’ campaign committee. “There is a lot of anxiety in the country right now. Americans are understandably impatient.”

Brown will become the 41st Republican in the 100-member Senate, which could allow the GOP to block the president’s health care legislation. Democrats needed Coakley to win for a 60th vote to thwart Republican filibusters. The trouble may go deeper: Democratic lawmakers could read the results as a vote against Obama’s broader agenda, weakening their support for the president. And the results could scare some Democrats from seeking office this fall.

The Republican will finish Kennedy’s unexpired term, facing re-election in 2012.

Brown led by 52 per cent to 47 percent with all but 3 percent of precincts counted. Turnout was exceptional for a special election in January, with light snow reported in parts of the state. More voters showed up at the polls Tuesday than in any non-presidential general election in Massachusetts since 1990.

One day shy of the first anniversary of Obama’s swearing-in, the election played out amid a backdrop of animosity and resentment from voters over persistently high unemployment, Wall Street bailouts, exploding federal budget deficits and partisan wrangling over health care.

“I voted for Obama because I wanted change. … I thought he’d bring it to us, but I just don’t like the direction that he’s heading,” said John Triolo, 38, a registered independent who voted in Fitchburg.

He said his frustrations, including what he considered the too-quick pace of health care legislation, led him to vote for Brown.

For weeks considered a long shot, Brown seized on voter discontent to overtake Coakley in the campaign’s final stretch. His candidacy energized Republicans, including backers of the “tea party” protest movement, while attracting disappointed Democrats and independents uneasy with where they felt the nation was heading.

A cornerstone of Brown’s campaign was his promise to vote against the health care plan.

Though the president wasn’t on the ballot, he was on many voters’ minds.

Coakley called Brown conceding the race, and Obama talked to both Brown and Coakley, congratulating them on the race.

The Democrat said the president told her: “We can’t win them all.”

Brown will be the first Republican senator from Massachusetts in 30 years.

Even before the first results were announced, administration officials were privately accusing Coakley of a poorly run campaign and playing down the notion that Obama or a toxic political landscape had much to do with the outcome.

Coakley’s supporters, in turn, blamed that very environment, saying her lead dropped significantly after the Senate passed health care reform shortly before Christmas and after the Christmas Day attempted airliner bombing that Obama himself said showed a failure of his administration.

Days before the polls closed, Democrats were fingerpointing and laying blame.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, head of the House Democrats’ campaign effort, said Coakley’s loss won’t deter his colleagues from continuing to blame the previous administration.

“President George W. Bush and House Republicans drove our economy into a ditch and tried to run away from the accident,” he said. “President Obama and congressional Democrats have been focused repairing the damage to our economy.”

At Boston’s Park Plaza Hotel, giddy Republicans cheered, chanted “USA” and waved the “tea party” version of the American flag.

Even before Brown won, the grass-roots network fueled by antiestablishment frustrations, sought credit for the victory, much like the liberal MoveOn.org did in the 2006 midterm elections when Democrats rose to power.

GOP chairman Michael Steele said Brown’s “message of lower taxes, smaller government and fiscal responsibility clearly resonated with independent-minded voters in Massachusetts who were looking for a solution to decades of failed Democrat leadership.”

Wall Street watched the election closely. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 116 points, and analysts attributed the increase to hopes the election would make it harder for Obama to make his changes to health care. That eased investor concerns that profits at companies such as insurers and drug makers would suffer.

Across Massachusetts, voters who had been bombarded with phone calls and dizzied with nonstop campaign commercials for Coakley and Brown gave a fitting turnout despite intermittent snow and rain statewide.

Galvin, who discounted sporadic reports of voter irregularities throughout the day, predicted turnout ranging from 1.6 million to 2.2 million, 40 percent to 55 percent of registered voters. The Dec. 8 primary had a scant turnout of about 20 percent.

Voters considered national issues including health care and the federal budget deficits.

Fears about spending drove Karla Bunch, 49, to vote for Brown. “It’s time for the country, for the taxpayers, to take back their money,” she said. And Elizabeth Reddin, 65, voted for Brown because she said she was turned off by the Democrat’s negative advertisements, saying: “The Coakley stuff was disgusting.”

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

By Charles Arthur: Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has postponed the launch in China of a new mobile phone incorporating its email and web services, following its row with the government there over censorship and hacking of its internal network.

“The launch we have been working on with [mobile carrier] China Unicom has been postponed,” said a Google spokesperson.

Informed observers said that Google had decided that it could not launch a handset which relies on Google’s services – particularly its web and email services, which would be “baked” into the handset’s operating system – at a time when it could not be sure whether those will continue to be available in China.

Google last week accused Chinese hackers of compromising its internal networks to try to access the Google-operated webmail accounts of human rights activists, who have been repeatedly targeted by the Chinese government. As a result, Google said it will seek to end its self-imposed censorship of its search results there.

Though Google has begun talks with the Chinese government to see whether it will be allowed to lift its censorship, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday that the search giant must obey China’s laws and traditions. That implies that Google will have to close its google.cn site, which would mean most of its 700 employees there would be out of work.

Although there are mobile phones sold in China which use Google’s free Android operating system, none so far has incorporated its Gmail and web search apps as the proposed one would. Sources familiar with Google’s thinking said that they decided that launching the phone and then withdrawing the email and search service would “seriously compromise the user experience”.

Google has not yet set a date when it will stop censoring its search results inside China. The Chinese government insists that internet searches are censored to remove material deemed “subversive or pornographic” – with human rights and dissidents’ work deemed to fall into the former category.

The Japanese have finally done it. They’ve created a real jetpack. Everyone’s futuristic fantasy, the gadget we’ve all been promised in countless sci-fi movies—it’s here. And it’s human powered.

Don’t act like you didn’t laugh. [Geekologie via Crunchgear]

(R&D, January 8, 2010) Nanoscience has the potential to play an enormous role in enhancing a range of products, including sensors, photovoltaics and consumer electronics.  Scientists in this field have created a multitude of nano scale materials, such as metal nanocrystals, carbon nanotubes and semiconducting nanowires. However, despite their appeal, it has remained an astounding challenge to engineer the orientation and placement of these materials into the desired device architectures that are reproducible in high yields and at low costs, until now. Jen Cha, a UC San Diego nanoengineering professor, and her team of researchers, have discovered that one way to bridge this gap is to use biomolecules, such as DNA and proteins. Details of this discovery were recently published in a paper titled “Large Area Spatially Ordered Arrays of Gold Nanoparticles Directed by Lithographically Confined DNA Origami,” in Nature Nanotechology.

“Self-assembled structures are often too small and affordable lithographic patterns are too large,” said Albert Hung, lead author of the Nature Nanotechnology paper and a post doc working in Cha’s lab. “But rationally designed synthetic DNA nanostructures allow us to access length scales between 5 and 100 nanometers and bridge the two systems.

“People have created a huge variety of unique and functional nanostructures, but for some intended applications they are worthless unless you can place individual structures, billions or trillions of them at the same time, at precise locations,” Hung added. “We hope that our research brings us a step closer to solving this very difficult problem.”

Hung said the recently discovered method may be useful for fabricating nanoscale electronic or optical circuits and multiplex sensors. “A number of groups have worked on parts of this research problem before, but to our knowledge, we’re the first to attempt to address so many parts together as a whole,” he said.

One of the main applications of this research that Cha and her group are interested in is for sensing. “There is no foreseeable route to be able to build a complex array of different nanoscale sensing elements currently,” said Cha, a former IBM research scientist who joined the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering faculty in 2008.  “Our work is one of the first clear examples of how you can merge top down lithography with bottom up self assembly to build such an array. That means that you have a substrate that is patterned by conventional lithography, and then you need to take that pattern and merge it with something that can direct the assembly of even smaller objects, such as those having dimensions between 2 and 20 nanometers. You need an intermediate template, which is the DNA origami, which has the ability to bind to something else much smaller and direct their assembly into the desired configuration. This means we can potentially build transistors from carbon nanotubes and also possibly use nanostructures to detect certain proteins in solutions.  Scientists have been talking about patterning different sets of proteins on a substrate and now we have the ability to do that.”

Cha said the next step would be to actually develop a device based on this research method. “I’m very interested in the applications of this research and we’re working our way to get there,” she said.  Click here to read more…

West Paw Design just released several fresh new colors of their Eco Nap Mat. This pet bed is not only stylish, but it’s very earth-friendly. 85% of the fabric is from recycled plastic water bottles, but you’d never know it because it is incredibly soft! Available in several sizes, machine washable and made in the USA.

Check out all the other eco-friendly cat products at West Paw Design.

Looking and acting nothing like the courthouse jester who cracked jokes at his arraignment eight months ago, a somber Drew Peterson listened Tuesday as prosecutors called witnesses intended to help his ex-wife testify from the grave.

The day’s most chilling testimony came from two former co-workers who recounted statements Kathleen Savio allegedly made about Peterson’s sadistic behavior months before her March 2004 death.

One colleague said Savio, with a bruised arm, detailed a home invasion in which Peterson held a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her right there, but it “would be too bloody.”

Another told the judge that Peterson stalked Savio at the office, sitting in the parking lot for hours and waiting for her to leave.

Neither called the police to share their concerns before — or immediately after — Savio’s death because they said she told them that the Bolingbrook Police Department protected Peterson, a decorated sergeant with three decades on the job.

“Kathleen said it wouldn’t help,” said Lisa Mordente, owner of the Romeoville sign company where Savio was a saleswoman.

Peterson, 56, gave no visible reaction to the testimony, though he often jotted notes on a yellow legal pad and conferred with attorneys.

Wearing an ill-fitting red polo shirt, khaki pants and glasses, he occasionally looked into the gallery and gave small smirks to reporters. He has gained about 20 pounds in segregation at the Will County Jail, his attorneys said.

Peterson has been in custody since he was charged in May with Savio’s murder. She had drowned and was found in an empty bathtub in her Bolingbrook home March 1, 2004.

Officials initially ruled her death an accident, but after Peterson’s fourth wife, Stacy, disappeared in October 2007, authorities reopened Savio’s case and determined she had been killed. He has not been charged in Stacy Peterson’s disappearance.

At his arraignment in May, Peterson joked and hammed it up for the news media. On Tuesday, a grayer and more subdued Peterson sat at the defense table with his back to his gallery for the majority of the proceeding.

He largely ignored the media and spectators, offering only a quick laugh to one reporter’s observation that his shirt barely covered his abdomen.

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

(NSF, January 15, 2010) The state of the science and engineering (S&E) enterprise in America is strong, yet its lead is slipping, according to data released at the White House today by the National Science Board (NSB). Prepared biennially and delivered to the President and Congress on even numbered years by Jan. 15 as statutorily mandated, Science and Engineering Indicators (SEI) provides information on the scope, quality and vitality of America’s science and engineering enterprise.  SEI 2010 sheds light on America’s position in the global economy.  “The data begin to tell a worrisome story,” said Kei Koizumi, assistant director for federal research and development (R&D) in the President’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Calling SEI 2010 a “State of the Union on science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” he noted, “U.S. dominance has eroded significantly.”

Koizumi and OSTP hosted the public rollout at which NSB Chairman Steven Beering, National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Arden L. Bement, Jr., and NSB members presented SEI 2010 data and described a mixed picture.  NSB’s SEI Committee Chairman Lou Lanzerotti noted the good news for those in the S&E community about public attitudes, “Scientists are about the same as firefighters in terms of prestige,” he said. His presentation focused attention on NSB’s Digest, also released today, highlighting important trends and data points from across SEI 2010.

Over the past decade, R&D intensity–how much of a country’s economic activity or gross domestic product is expended on R&D–has grown considerably in Asia, while remaining steady in the U.S. Annual growth of R&D expenditures in the U.S. averaged 5 to 6 percent while in Asia, it has skyrocketed. In some Asian countries, R&D growth rate is two, three, even four, times that of the U.S.

In terms of R&D expenditures as a share of economic output, while Japan has surpassed the U.S. for quite some time, South Korea is now in the lead–ahead of the U.S. and Japan. And why does this matter? Investment in R&D is a major driver of innovation, which builds on new knowledge and technologies, contributes to national competitiveness and furthers social welfare. R&D expenditures indicate the priority given to advancing science and technology (S&T) relative to other national goals.

NSB SEI 2010 Committee Member Jose-Marie Griffiths discussed another key indicator: intellectual research outputs. ”While the U.S. continues to lead the world in research publications, China has become the second most prolific contributor.” China’s rapidly developing science base now produces 8 percent of the world’s research publications, up from its just 2 percent of the world’s share in 1995, when it ranked 14th.

Patents are another measure of valuable contributions to knowledge and inventions to societies. Inventors from around the globe seek patent protection in the U.S. U.S. patents awarded to foreign inventors offer a broad indication of the distribution of inventive activity around the world. While inventors in the U.S., the European Union (EU) and Japan produce almost all of these patents, and U.S. patenting by Chinese and Indian inventors remains modest, the number of patents earned by Asian inventors is on the rise, driven by activity in Taiwan and South Korea.

The Digest contains these and other key indicators, such as the globalization of capability; funding, performance and portfolio of U.S. R&D trends; and the composition of the U.S. S&E workforce. What’s more, the Digest is electronically linked with detailed data tables and discussions in the main volumes of SEI. It can also be downloaded to laptops, iPods or other devices. “This makes the data much more accessible and digestible to policymakers, as well as to members of the general public who may wish to read about and understand the data that describe the state of their economy,” said Lanzerotti.

Calling SEI a “biennial production and a daily source of pride for NSF,” Bement characterized it as a guide to the future. “It is not just where we stand; it’s about where we’re heading,” he said, quoting 19^th century British scientist Lord Kelvin, “‘If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it.’”

Representing OSTP Director John Holdren and his OSTP colleagues, in closing Koizumi said, “We promise to put your work to good use.”

SEI is prepared by NSF’s Division of Science Resources Statistics (SRS) on behalf of the National Science Board. The publication is subject to extensive review by outside experts, interested federal agencies, Board members and SRS internal reviewers for accuracy, coverage and balance.

In further carrying out its responsibility to advise the President and Congress on science and engineering issues, in February, the NSB will release a companion, policy piece, Globalization of Science and Engineering Research.

To review Science and Engineering Indicators 2010, and the Digest, visit http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/indicators.

Journalists may contact Lisa-Joy Zgorski to schedule interviews with presenters, Board members and other NSF officials.

The NSB is the 25-member policymaking body for the National Science Foundation and advisory body to the President and Congress on science and engineering issues. Drawn from universities and industry, and representing a variety of science and engineering disciplines and geographic areas, NSB members are selected for their eminence in research, education, or public service, and records of distinguished service. The NSB has 24 members that serve six-year terms. The 25^th member is the NSF Director, an ex officio member of the NSB. For more background on the NSB and its current composition, visit: http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/about/index.jsp.

View a Webcast with Rolf Lehming of the National Science Foundation.

By Grant Gross

(PCWorld.com, January 6, 2010) Hewlett-Packard, Yahoo and Alcatel-Lucent are among the recipients of grants from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for projects on improving energy efficiency in the IT and communication technology industries.  U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced US$47 million in grants for 14 energy-efficiency projects across the country Wednesday. The funds come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a huge economic stimulus package passed by the U.S. Congress early last year. “These Recovery Act projects will improve the efficiency of a strong and growing sector of the American economy,” Chu said during a press conference. “By reducing energy use and energy costs for the IT and telecommunications industries, this funding will help create jobs and ensure the sector remains competitive. The expected growth of these industries means that new technologies adopted today will yield benefits for many years to come.”

The projects focus on improving equipment and software; minimizing the power loss and heat generation in the power supply chain; and research on cooling equipment.

The federal funds for these projects will be matched by more than $70 million in private industry funding, the DOE said.

Information technology and telecommunications facilities account for approximately 120 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually, or 3 percent of all U.S. electricity use, the DOE said. Rapid growth in the U.S. data center industry is projected to require two new large power plants per year just to keep pace with the expected demand growth, the agency said in a press release.  Click here to see some of the funded projects…

Protective Immunity in Special Populations–As part of its biodefense research program, NIAID is issuing a BAA to encourage research to understand the immune status of special populations. This research program seeks to identify the factors and mechanisms that contribute to susceptibility to infection from or limit vaccine efficacy against potential bioterrorism agents and emerging/re-emerging infectious diseases in immunocompromised populations, including neonates, children under 5 years of age, pregnant women, the elderly, and individuals receiving immunosuppressive drug therapies to treat a defective immune response or to suppress the rejection of transplanted organs. Research is needed to understand the mechanisms of immune compromise, and to provide the foundation for the development of novel interventions. This solicitation is a recompetition of the Immune Function and Biodefense in Children, Elderly and Immunocompromised Populations program, with a focus on the mechanisms of immunosuppression. The NIAID anticipates that one or more cost reimbursement completion-type awards will be made beginning on or about March 1, 2011 utilizing special contracting methods, FAR Subpart 17.1 – Multi-year Contracting. The NIAID estimates that the average annual total cost (direct and indirect costs combined) will be $1.5 million per contract. This BAA will be available electronically on/about January 29, 2010.

Posted Date: January 15, 2010

Solicitation Number: BAA-NIAID-DAIT-NIHAI2010085

OTTAWA, Canada–The Blackhawks had their three-game winning streak snapped as they fell to the Senators 4-1 on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Place.

The Hawks looked a little road weary as they dropped the third game of their season-long, eight-game road trip.

The only offense they could muster was a short-handed goal by Marian Hossa in the second period.

Hawks goaltender Cristobal Huet fell to 22-9-3 on the season as Ottawa won its fourth in a row.

Photo: The Senators’ Zack Smith celebrates his first-period goal. (Pawel Dwulit/AP)

By Chris Kuc

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

I will say this: it’s always going to be impressive to me when robots make my breakfast. But after seeing those ramen-bots doing it at high speed and fighting with knives, and after watching those robo-arms pitch fastballs to each other, I just feel like breakfast should be made a little more quickly than these ones manage to do it.

I suppose they’re for elderly persons who don’t want a speeding robot zipping about with with a butter knife in its clampers, and who probably aren’t in a hurry in the morning, and furthermore the robots could start before you got up — but still. At least do tricks with the toast or something.

Also: thanks to the helpful annotator who has helped us locate the aforementioned toast.

[via Robots.net]

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We keep you up to date on our Grants to Artists, Civic Arts and ScrapEden programs.

 

Did I hear you say you aren’t familiar with the Black Rock Arts Foundation? 

“The mission of the Black Rock Arts Foundation is to support and promote community-based interactive art and civic participation. For our purposes, interactive art means art that generates social participation. The process whereby this art is created, the means by which it is displayed and the character of the work itself should inspire immediate actions that connect people to one another in a larger communal context.”

So come on over and check us out!

 

(StamfordPlus.com, January 8, 2010) Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) announced today that several Connecticut-based technology companies will receive more than $120.9 million in Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits from the Recovery Act for clean energy projects. “The recent economic downturn has had a drastic impact on our state’s manufacturing industries,” said Dodd. “These tax credits will allow Connecticut companies to create new jobs while continuing to position our state as a national leader in clean energy use and technology.”  The tax credits will be used to create new manufacturing jobs in Connecticut as well as help increase the amount of American-made parts and equipment used in clean energy projects. For list of companies receiving tax credit, go to Dodd Announces More Than $120 Million in Recovery Act Tax Credits for Connecticut Technology Companies

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(The Denver Post, January 9, 2010) Six Colorado companies were among 183 nationwide tapped Friday to share in $2.3 billion in federal tax credits that will help create green jobs and boost manufacturing. The clean-tech companies – Vestas (with funding for two Colorado plants), Reflec Tech, Coolerado Corp., Advanced Energy Industries, Hexcel Corp. and Abound Solar — will share in $75.2 million in advanced energy manufacturing funds that come from the Recovery Act via the U.S. Department of Energy. To read further, please go to Colorado Companies Get Federal Green-Jobs Tax Credit

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(Benzinga, January 11, 2010) EI DuPont de Nemours & Company’s (DD) Circleville plant in Ohio received $50.73 million in tax credits for a new production line under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The $50.73 million in tax credits will be used to expand production of high-performance polyvinyl films, part of the critical back sheet component of solar panels. The credit makes up only a chunk of nearly $125 million awarded to Ohio from the Recovery Act’s Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit program. The government plans to distribute about $2.3 billion in tax credits to create energy-manufacturing jobs. To read further, please go to DuPont Receives Grant

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(Inside Indiana Business, January 10, 2010) Washington, D.C. — Senator Evan Bayh today announced that four Indiana businesses will receive more than $35 million in federal funding to help them establish and upgrade their manufacturing operations in Indiana. The funding was awarded through The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits program.  To read further, please go to Four Indiana Firms Receive Clean Energy Funding

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(Dallas Business Journal, January 11, 2010) Dallas-based Texas Instruments (NYSE: TI) confirmed Monday that the company has been selected to receive $51.4 million in tax credits from the U.S. government. The award was made to support work at TI’s Richardson fabrication plant, which will soon start producing chips for solar panels, energy-efficient appliances and power management products, the company said. To read further, please go to Texas Instruments Inc. Awarded $51 Million in Tax Credits

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(GetSolar.com, January 9, 2010) Hot on the heels of President Barack Obama’s $2.3 billion Recovery Act Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits for spurring renewable energy development and clean-energy jobs arrives news, courtesy of the Arizona Republic, detailing how Arizona will be among the many states to benefit from the initiative. Six solar power equipment companies in Arizona’s Phoenix metro area, for example, are earmarked to receive $30 million in federal tax credits should they be built. Not only more solar power resources, but also higher-paying manufacturing jobs would ensue. A further $45 million in tax breaks is on the table for five Arizona companies, should they expand solar equipment or wind turbine facilities in other states. Details are forthcoming, however, as locations for the projects—and even the projects themselves—have yet to be confirmed. Still, it’s a great jolt of energy (if you’ll excuse the pun) to the Arizona renewable energy sector, which is still in the aggressive stages of growth. To read further, please go to Solar, Wind Tax Breaks in Pipeline for Arizona, Rest of U.S.

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(Austin Business Journal, January 11, 2010) Georgetown-based Ringdale Inc. will lead one of 183 clean energy, job-creation projects announced by the president Friday, taking a piece of the $2.3 billion earmarked for the initiative. President Obama awarded businesses in 43 states the “Recovery Act Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits” that will recreate 58,000 lost manufacturing jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The projects focus on companies developing advanced clean energy technology including solar, wind and efficiency and energy management. Altogether the projects will mean a $7.7 billion investment in green energy when private investments are added, officials said. To read further, please go to Ringdale Takes Piece of $2.3B Green Grant

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(11Alive.com, January 11, 2010) Norcross, Ga. — President Barack Obama has announced $2.3 billion in new tax incentives for companies promoting clean energy technology.  Millions of dollars in tax incentives will be coming to the Atlanta area. Suniva, a Norcross company that makes solar cells, is one of the latest beneficiaries of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  They’ve been awarded $5.7 million dollars in tax incentives to help offset expenses to grow their company. To read further, please go to Norcross Company Awarded Recovery Act Incentives

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(Quad City Times, January 10, 2010) DeWitt, Iowa — Guardian Industries Corp. will receive a $900,000 energy tax credit to re-equip its manufacturing facility to make highly reflective solar mirrors. The Recovery Act Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit will allow the DeWitt facility to expand its production of bent solar mirrors. President Barack Obama announced the award of $2.3 billion in tax credits for clean energy manufacturing projects across the United States. To read further, please go to Guardian to Upgrade Plant to Make Solar Mirrors

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(St. Louis Post Dispatch, January 14, 2010) Washington — The Administration of President Barack Obama announced Wednesday that a consortium led by the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis is the winner of a $44 million Recovery Act award for research into converting algae into biofuels. The Energy Department grant to the Danforth Center-led effort is among the largest awards or tax credits to be received in the bi-state region under the $787 billion stimulus package approved by Congress last year.  To read further, please to to Danforth Plant Center Wins $44 Million Award for Algae-Biofuel Research

Do you want to know where your neighbors are spending their money? Or do you want to know if your spending pattern is in line with that of others in your age and income group in your neighborhood? Bundle, a new online service, can give you the answer to these questions. Thanks to a cooperation with Citi and other third-party data suppliers, Bundle is able to compile detailed statistics about how Americans are spending their money. While lots of banks also compile this data, Bundle is the first service to make this data easily accessible.

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Getting Started

To get started, you just enter your location, age, income and whether you are married, single or have kids. Bundle will then create an infographic that represents the spending habits of similar households in your neighborhood. From there, you can drill down deeper into the statistics. At its most granular level, Bundle displays where people are spending their money. My neighbors, for example, buy their electronics at Best Buy, Apple and Fry’s.

Compare and Contrast

In addition to looking at a single neighborhood, Bundle also allows you to compare different cities and neighborhoods. Thanks to this, you can see that the average New Yorker spends $677 on dining out, while people in Portland, OR only spend $271. Because Bundle’s data comes mostly from credit card purchases through Citi, the company doesn’t currently have enough data to compare rents or mortgage payments in different areas. For some areas, Bundle also currently reverts to looking at county-wide data.

Bundle plans to update its data on a quarterly basis and to bring in additional data as it grows.

Besides the raw data, Bundle also offers commentary about financial issues and analysis of Bundle’s data through blog posts that are featured on most parts of the site.

Looking Ahead

As Bundle’s CEO Jaidev Shergill told us last week, the team also plans to allow users to enter their exact spending habits by either entering the data by hand or by giving users the option to upload credit card statements directly. This will make it even easier for users to compare their spending habits to those of their neighbors.

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