Small laser systems for the electronics production:
Backing the right horse during the recession

The eurolaser GmbH – located in Lüneburg since this year´s October – has been developing and producing worldwide successful laser processing systems for more than 15 years now. The laser technology looks back on 10 years of successful application in the industry for cutting, engraving and marking of non-metallic materials. eurolaser has developed innovative solutions especially for the processing of membrane keyboards that are essential for today´s electronics production.

Well-known across the borders of the field of application and essential for the production is the direct laser cutting of operating panels, membrane keyboards, spacers or front membranes, even mounted for the sample production or for serial production. By replacing conventional methods as for example knife cutting or punching, the laser technology has now gained worldwide acceptance. Finest and precise contours with constant maximum quality without tool wear, lowest scrap quotes, easy operation or the gapless integration into the workflow management are only a few examples that have been confirmed in practical applications.

Today we seek for complete solutions for the producing industry, says the management of the company. The sustainability and the flexibility are two of the most important guarantors for survival in the competitive and globalised trade and economy regions. A balanced production equipment as well as the experience of many years in the business also class among them. eurolaser sees itself in a special position and faces the challenge to identify with the formerly mentioned positions. Our knowledge does not end at the hardware-software interface, so the general manager, H. Hasse (graduated engineer). We look for more in our perfectly equipped application department and in cooperation with associated institutes and universities. The results of our in-house R&D activities, together with our customer´s experiences – enable us today to offer success-oriented solutions to interested parties.

At the Productronica 2009 eurolaser presents itself as usual with continuity and reliability to the exhibition visitors. Innovations do not always have to shine brightly. We have further enlarged our incomparable modular and by this flexible product range. A new compact laser system unites all the benefits of the proved larger systems and offers a high productivity with fast amortisation at a very low investment volume. This is shown at the Booth 205 in Hall B3. The applier´s advantage is always in the focus of the very economic technology. We therefore invite you to talk shop and are looking forward to your visit.

There is something intensely irritating about watching a fly walking when completely ‘upside down’.  This ability, coupled with their ability to fly makes them so difficult to kill !

Thomas Shahan

However, they can walk upside down because they have six legs which are attached to the thorax or middle part of their bodies.  Each of these legs has a foot.  On the underside of each foot are two tiny claws (which totals twelve for each fly) and under each claw there is a pad, full of tiny hairs, which is called the pulvillus.

These twelve pads are covered in a sticky-glue like liquid.  When the fly walks on the ceiling, or any surface a wall etc, then the sticky stuff coming from the pads sticks to enable the fly to keep its balance (and it spreads this sticky stuff all over the surfaces on which it walks).  Consequently it can walk upside down… Making it even more difficult to swat!

Calculated Risk points to this excellent piece in the Journal on the resumption of November’s retail carnage.

The first week of December, typically a lackluster time in the wake of Black Friday, was particularly slow. Sales for the week ended Dec. 5 fell 18% from the prior-week period, which included Black Friday, according to market researcher ShopperTrak RCT Corp. Last year, when the recession was in full force, sales fell a lesser 14%, according to the firm, which compiles shopping traffic at malls and uses sales statistics, as well as Commerce Department figures, for its estimate.

“After solid traffic the first couple of days, it looks like the middle of August out there,” said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis for retail watcher NPD Group.

Sales this season got off to a slow start in November, inching up just 0.7% over the prior-year period, according to market researcher Retail Metrics Inc. November mall traffic fell 6.1% over the year-ago period, according to ShopperTrak. Experts report similar trends for December.

Read the whole thing >>

And don’t miss the full evidence that the October-November marked the end of the V-shaped recovery >>

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• November Video Game Sales Tank
• Deutsche Bank: Bad Weather Does Not Explain The November Retail Debacle
• Final November Retail Sales Are A Huge Disappointment

World Bank boosts C.S.P. in Middle East and North Africa through $5.5 billion funding

The World Bank said no other region in the world has such favorable combination of geographic and market advantages for C.S.P. as the Middle East and North Africa.

World Bank boosted concentrating solar power (C.S.P.) projects in the Middle East and North Africa through a massive $5.5 billion clean technology funding.

The clean technology fund is one of two multidonor trust funds under the bank’s climate investment funds for which the African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Development Bank and Inter-American Development Bank also act as implementing agencies.

The fund’s goal is to support the deployment of significant large scale low-carbon technologies that can cut greenhouse gas emissions in the long term.

The Washington-based multilateral bank approved financing of $750 million in early December which is expected to mobilize an additional $4.85 billion from other sources.

The fund will invest in commercial-scale C.S.P. power plants spread in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia following over a three- to five-year time frame. The 11 proposed projects are expected to avoid roughly 1.7 million tons of carbon dioxide every year. The investment is also expected to attract significant private sector interest that could help the region reach 900 megawatts of installed C.S.P. capacity by 2020.

Overall, the fund plans to triple worldwide C.S.P. capacity to1 gigawatt through global investments in the technology. It also supports transmission infrastructures in the Maghreb and Mashreq to enhance the Mediterranean power grid.

The World Bank said no other region in the world has such favorable combination of geographic and market advantages for C.S.P. as the Middle East and North Africa.

–    Oliver M. Bayani

There’s not a lot of actual meat on ham hocks, but boy oh boy, do they add flavor! Throw one of these strange knobby looking things in a pot of beans or some braising greens, and your whole dish will take on new savory dimensions!

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We have entered serious holiday baking mode, but we’re still on the lookout for new recipes to add to our repertoire. The Washington Post’s Holiday Guide has some intriguing options. Two-Bite Gingerbread Whoopie Pies? Yes and yes. There are also savory Blue Cheese Walnut Cookies and a vegan cookie made with tahini and coconut oil.

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Randall Radic–

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, 50 new right-wing militia groups have been formed in the U.S. in the last two years.  More than a few of them are located in Alaskan cities.  For example, the Second Amendment Task Force in Fairbanks boasts 7,000 members.  All of who carry guns and rifles on Saturdays and Sundays.

More often than not, the words “right-wing militia group” is code for white supremacist fanatics.  These groups post speeches and combat exercise videos on YouTube.  The speeches promote fear and spread extremist propaganda, while the combat exercise videos advance violence as an alternative.

Most of these groups claim to be Christians.  Translation:  they are rigid fundamentalists, who believe in separating themselves from “the world.”  And many of them subscribe to the beliefs of Christian Identity, which teaches that white people are the true Israel – God’s chosen people.  In other words, it’s a religion based on bigotry and fear.  Everyone unlike them is perceived as an enemy.

The Department of Homeland Security has identified these groups as “the most dangerous domestic terrorist threat.”  The April murder of three police officers in Pittsburgh was perpetrated by a white supremacist.  The cop-killer was afraid he was going to lose his right to “keep and bear arms.”  And Political Research Associates – a Massachusetts think tank – states that right-wing extremists are responsible for nine murders since the election of President Obama.

The real question is this:  who is the real enemy here?   

Randall Radic is a former Old Catholic priest. After a midlife crisis, he spent time behind bars. Today, he has emerged a changed man.  As the author of  Gone To Hell: True Crimes of America’s Clergy (ECW Press/ Oct 2009), Radic aims to warn the public of the sins committed behind the walls of churches every day.  Randall Radic is also author of A Priest in Hell: Gangs, Murderers and Snitching in a California Jail.

Rastafarianism: Attractive To Men, Boasts 600K To 1 Million Members

Book Review: Gone To Hell>>Crime Cost In Catholic Church To Reach $65 Billion By 2025

 Copyright © 2006-2010, Basil & Spice. All rights reserved.

Google may be getting bigger and bigger, but it looks like it’s losing friends on the way. Its relationship with Apple has become very tense these days after years of being very close. Now it looks like Mozilla, another traditional partner for Google may be moving away from the company as well, albeit not officially. Now Asa Dotzle, a Mozilla veteran and one of the people behind the original Firefox project, is lashing out at Google for some comments its CEO Eric Schmidt made and suggesting that maybe people should switch to Bing instead.

The comments were made by Schmidt in a CNBC interview and have gotten a lot of people riled up claiming that it shows Google’s lack of interest in the privacy of its users. “I think judgment matters,” Schmidt said. “If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place. If you really need that kind of privacy, the reality is that search engines–including Google–do retain this information for some time and it’s important, for example, that we are all subject in the United States to the Patriot Act and it is possible that all that information could be made available to the authorities.”

The first part is what stirred up the most controversy, perhaps rightly so, as it would suggest that those wh… (read more)

As the summer was turning into a fall, there was a really brief period when it was super-cool to believe in the V-shaped recovery.

There were all kinds of op-eds written about this bravely optimistic idea.

But something happened.

The data from October and November has not been particularly strong.

The V-shaped recovery is beginning to look more U-shaped or – gasp – W-shaped.

See the evidence for yourself >>

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Morgan Stanley: Here Comes A Brutal 2010

Bridget Newberry posted this eBay ad recently, hoping someone would help her buy Christmas gifts for her children. 

Not every eBay.com auction listing offers something concrete for sale.  A new kind of listing that's appeared on the Web site seems be selling only Christmas hope.

Nestled in among the Holiday-themed eBay listings for items like Razor Scooters, Transformers and Webkinz, you'll find listings that ask users to buy Christmas presents for a stranger's children.

Perhaps it's a sign of the times, the predictable consequence of a nasty recession and the proliferation of technology. But eBay.com is now teeming with such auctions.  

“Donate for holidays to family of 4 in need," said one listing viewed by msnbc.com on Wednesday, one of several dozen similar auctions easily found.

Parents who use eBay.com at Christmas are generally engaged in a frantic search for this year's Beanie Baby or Tickle Me Elmo doll, but these families say they are scrambling to give their kids anything at all this holiday season.

"Our family is in need of some help this holiday. With both parents out of work and back in school, our kids may not have a Christmas this year," writes Bridget Newberry, a 28-year-old mother of two from Lawrenceburg, Ky.  The photo on the listing shows Bridget and her husband, Alan Rice, with their two children. "I will send you a hand-written thank you note for any donation, as long as you include your address & name. Thank you and God bless you."

Another “item” for sale came from a poster who said she is a single mother of two.

"I am a single mom with a 9-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy. I work part time at a gas station and I don’t get much for help. I usually plan everything ahead but this year has not left me with many options. My car broke down 4 weeks ago and the repairs are quite high," she writes. The ad includes a picture of a humbly decorated Christmas tree."Please contact me if you are willing to donate a present for my kids. If you do not have time, I made a ‘buy it now’ in another auction for presents. I would love to see them have a nice Christmas."

And still another from a man who’s asking for help in Chico, Calif., under the listing: “Help make Christmas Possible for two Children.” 

“Single dad raising two children. Just spent all our money to get an apartment. We are asking for a little help to make Christmas possible this year for my two children. I don’t work right now. My son was born premature with chronic lung disease and requires 24/7 care. We are asking for donations. Anything is appreciated.  Thank you.”

Because eBay’s system requires that something is listed for sale on every auction, many listings offer worthless electronic books or other digital items for sale at 1 cent or 99 cents, but encourage higher bids.

Others include more obvious listings for items the children want as gifts.

The ads have spurred a debate among eBay users that echoes the discussions you'll hear about real-world panhandling.

"eBay is a marketplace … not a place for someone to put up pictures of their family … and BEG for money," said one experienced eBay power seller who thinks "eBay panhandling" is bad for the site.  She complained that eBay had not removed the auctions when she notified the firm about them.  "It just cheapens the marketplace when such things are allowed to occur and takes away from some really good charity auctions that are sanctioned and within eBay guidelines."

Most of the “Christmas donation" auctions contain a smattering of critical comments from other eBay users, telling posters that they should look to local charities for help. And there's no way to verify the authenticity of a person who lists such an auction — scammers could easily post fake pictures and manufactured tales of woe.

Terms of service violation
The ads, meanwhile, appear to run afoul of more mundane concerns: eBay's terms of service, according to the firm.

"EBay does not allow listings that have no item or service for sale," the company said in a statement to msnbc.com.  "Additionally, while we do allow listings that will benefit a charity, sellers must be soliciting on behalf of recognized, tax-deductible charitable organization."

The firm also recommends that eBay users donate to recognized charities rather than individual eBay listers.

The eBay phenomenon appears to parallel another more direct form of cyberbegging. Numerous sites like CyberBeg.com and DonateMoney2Me.com allow users to post their stories and ask for help via PayPal. But those sites don’t attract nearly the audience that eBay does.

Newberry, a long-time eBay user, said she got the idea for her ad when she sorted all eBay auctions by lowest price, looking for inexpensive holiday presents.  When she did, she found many other families listing items for $0.01 so they could be found easily by people looking for bargains.

"So I figured it was worth a try," she said.

Both Newberry and her husband are currently in school, she said — he's studying fire science to become a firefighter while she is studying clerical and computer skills so she can get an office job. Newberry said she had worked at a nearby factory, while her husband washed dishes in a restaurant, but both lost their jobs in the past 15 months.  They moved last year from their apartment into a relative's basement apartment, she said.

"It's a really hard time, but that's life," she said.

Neither child "had much of a birthday," but Newberry is holding out hope for a better Christmas. Her daughter wants an iPod, but Newberry said she wouldn't oblige even if she had the money.  A giant stuffed horse they saw recently at a store is a more likely gift.

"But it's $50. Fifty dollars for a stuffed horse?  Incredible," she said.

Like many young boys, her son wants Bakugan Battle Brawlers accessories — so he can play the card/action figure game based on a Japanese cartoon show with friends.

But right now both gifts appear out of reach, she said. And her online pleas seem to be a dead end.  So far, she hasn’t gotten a penny from her eBay donation request.

"All that's happened is I'm out the 65 cent listing fee," she said.

	Greenlings: PHEV? DSG? VMT? A guide to common green vehicle acronyms A chance to sort it all out.		Spy Shots: Aptera prototype spotted wearing peculiar modifications What’s all this then?
	PREDICTION: Shift to electric vehicles could create 1 million jobs by 2020 Sounds good, but is it realistic?	Other news: Think restarts production in Finland, first deliveries scheduled before Christmas Lotus’ Omnivore engine is already 10% more efficient, with more to come REPORT: Details, images about production Tata Nano Europa revealed

AutoblogGreen for 12.11.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 05:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We have some house guests arriving next week who are big coffee drinkers and will surely want a cup in the morning. We usually just use a single-cup filter to make our daily cup, so we’ll have to switch gears to avoid brewing endless single cups while our guests are here! Here’s our favorite no-machine method – what’s yours?

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Skype is finally able to breath easily and focus on the service, now that all its legal troubles are behind it. The company is doing alright in terms of revenue and great in terms of users, at around half a billion there’s nothing to complain, but with increased competition, especially from Google, it’s time to step up its game. Skype has now released a new beta version of its PC client for Windows which comes with a couple of interesting new features and a very nice surprise, support for Google Chrome.

One of the biggest ‘new’ features is call transfers which allows users to, well, transfer calls to any Skype contact or to external connections. The feature isn’t exactly new as it has been previously available, though it was removed at some point. Now call transfers are free between Skype users and are taxed at the standard rates for calls to mobiles or landlines.

Another new feature, if you can call it that, is Skype Access which allows users to connect to paid WiFi connections using Skype Credit. Skype says the feature is available with 100,000 hotspots worldwide. The main advantage of using Skype to pay rather than the usual route, besides not having to fill out all sorts of credit card data, is that you’ll pay by the minute for the access. It’s not going to be huge deal for most Skype users, but if yo… (read more)

Eco Factor: Fuel cell-powered concept boat.

Designed by Simon Gorski of Entwurfreich, ZEMBO (Zero Emission Boat) is a 12m long, motorized boat concept, settled in the premium day-cruiser segment. The extreme lightweight construction of the recyclable aluminum-mono hull has excellent gliding properties and reduces the weight substantially.

(more…)

This chart shows nine-month returns for the S&P 500 from Bespoke Investment Group.  It makes it pretty clear that we've just experienced the most spectacular periods for stocks since... yes... 1933.

Whether an idiot-maker, or idiot-made, equity holders made a ton of money, proving that, once again, when everyone is ultra-bearish, it's time to buy. Even if the world is full of massive uncertainty.

Bespoke: Also, the 9-month 62% gain was preceded by a 9-month decline of 51%. The only time that the index fell more over a 9-month period was in 1931/32 when it dropped 68%. It's easy to forget how crazy things were over the last 18 months, but stats like these provide a staggering refresher.

Yet at the same time, it's highly improbable that the next nine-months will be able to beat what we just experienced. Thus this chart provides fuel for today's bears as well -- it's obvious that after any huge run, there comes an inevitable correction.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• CHART OF THE DAY: The Idiot-Maker Rally
• Dubai Sheikh Calls International Investors A Bunch Of Suckers
• John Carney's An Idiot: You Must Vote Today

In the IEA’s latest oil market report, which just came out this morning, they devote some time to one nagging mystery. Why is China’s car market booming, but not its thirst for oil? Unfortunately, they don’t say anything definitive or satisfactory.

—–

Who’s (Not) Driving?

Chinese apparent demand data feature some odd trends.  The  most  glaring is the seeming mismatch 
between subdued gasoline demand and surging car sales, which we have highlighted over the past few 
months.  We have argued that this inconsistency is probably largely related to incomplete data (notably the 
lack of inventory figures and possibly missing or understated estimates from independent retailers), but 
other observers have proposed alternative explanations. 

Some contend that the reason behind subdued gasoline demand is simply due to a dramatic efficiency 
improvement, as small cars have accounted for over two‐thirds of total sales given higher sales taxes on 
bigger engines and rising retail gasoline prices.  A variant of this argument is that, since tax incentives on 
small cars are due to expire by year‐end, consumers are rushing to buy new cars or replace existing, less 
efficient ones even if they do not really intend to use them for the time being.  Along the same lines, other 
analysts suggest that local governments and state‐owned companies have been ordered to purchase cars in 
order to support local manufacturers, but that these vehicles are sitting idle in car parks. 

Some  behavioural  explanations  have  also  been  advanced.    One  posits  that  Chinese  motorists  drive 
intrinsically less than elsewhere.  Cars would serve primarily to enhance the social status of their owners, 
who typically would use them only during the weekend, preferring public transportation during the working 
week, notably in large urban areas (in Beijing, for example, all private vehicles are not allowed to circulate 
one day per week based on their number plates’ last digit).  Another explanation is that some sales reflect 
second‐car purchases by wealthy households, and these vehicles would also tend to be driven only on an 
occasional basis. 

However, as compelling as these explanations may be, they remain largely anecdotal, while some appear to 
be contradictory.  As much as efficiency may have improved, the sheer volume of car sales should arguably 
point towards much higher gasoline demand than currently inferred from official statistics.  Moreover, sales 
of big, gas‐guzzling imported cars have also increased strongly (albeit at a slightly lower pace than domestic 
ones), thus somewhat downplaying the alleged price sensitivity of Chinese consumers.  In addition, the 
central government has frozen expenditures of new cars and has strongly encouraged local governments to 
follow suit, thus casting doubts on its supposed willingness to support the local industry at all costs.  Finally, 
the behavioural explanations are virtually impossible to assess, although they may become retrospectively 
clearer in a few years.  Yet the mystery remains unsolved:  are the Chinese highly circumspect about driving, 
has the vehicle fleet become extremely efficient or is gasoline demand under‐reported?

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Oil’s Going To $225 By 2012, Says Analyst
• IEA: Developed World Oil Consumption Has Peaked, And Is In Permanent Decline
• Chinese Industrial Production Tears Higher

Eco Factor: Technique to extract lithium from geothermal wastewater.

California-based Simbol Mining has developed a new technique that can allow geothermal power plants to produce more than just renewable electricity. The technique could be used to extract lithium from geothermal waste water, a process that until now was considered impractical.

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Wir warten alle schon wie gespannt auf die neuen Monatslinsen von Ciba Vision. Angekündigt waren die neuen Night & Day bereits im Juli 2009. Wegen Produktionsengpässen wurde die ganze Lancierung

Air Optix Night & Day Aqua

auf unbestimmte Zeit. In Deutschland wurde bereits angekündigt, dass die neue Air Optix Night & day per 1. Januar auf den Markt kommt. In der Schweiz rechne ich mit der Lancierung der neuen Monatslinsen im Mai 2010. Insgesamt 80 verschiedene Parameter wurden auf den 1. Mai angekündigt.

Diese neuartigen Kontaktlinsen lassen sich 30 Tage und 30 Nächte durchgehend tragen und das Auge atmet trotzdem weiter, alles ohne Nebenwirkungen. Lassen sie sich von Ihrem optiker oder Kontaktlinsen Spezialisten beraten.

Ukraine — one of the top 10 countries most likely to fault — will not be receiving a $3.5 billion, fourth-tranch of a loan it was slated to get from the IMF.

The issue, as the NYT reports, is the government’s inability to get spending under control.

In terms of the larger, global ramifications, Ukraine hasn’t been the concern of many folks — not like Greece, Dubai, Ireland, and Spain have, anyway. It won’t be ripping apart any currency unions if it defaults (thankfully).

But as we’ve recently noted, the world is divided right now between those countries whose government can spend and borrow (and where unemployment remains not that bad, for now) and governments without that luxury, where things have gone down the tubes (see: unemployment charts for Ireland and Spain).

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• The 10 Countries Most Likely To Default
• Ignore The Flu And The Russia Problem, And Keep Gambling On The Ukraine
• The Ongoing Carnage In Ireland And Spain Shows What Life Is Like For Countries That Can’t Print Like Crazy