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The production facilities at Cladtech in the Arab Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah are characterised by spacious premises and a quiet working environment. As in all Arab emirates, there is a lot of sunshine, sand and, above all, plenty of space. The company uses this space, amongst other things, for glass processing using machines from the Bystronic glass group.

On a tour of the company’s premises on the edge of the Arabian Desert, the modern buildings of Cladtech catch the visitor’s eye. On the right-hand side of the hall, they accommodate the glass processing plant, including numerous state-of-the-art machines and installations from the Bystronic glass group. The glass plates are transported directly from the lorry to the automatic glass storage area and loading unit then from there on to the SMFR cutting table, which facilitates both shape cutting and edge deletion. Residual glass plates that are not required are stored temporarily in the residual plate storage. Following the automatic X, Y and Z breaking process, the first’sort sorting system automatically places the cut glass in harp racks.

Individual planning perfectly coordinated
Cladtech International is part of a Saudi Arabian investment group consisting of more than 400 individual companies. “In order to independently supply the group with all the necessary material without any delays or planning risks, it was decided in 2006 to enter into the glass processing business, amongst others”, explains Henrik H. Christiansen, President of Cladtech. Arif Khan, Manager of the Glass Sales Division adds: “As we designed the construction of the new hall in conjunction with the Bystronic glass machine concept, the premises are perfectly tailored to our needs and also offer enough space for a projected second expansion.”

Quality and service are the key factors
Glass edge processing is performed in parallel to the cutting area. The first’arris from Bystronic glass arrises glass plates automatically. This is followed by a hardening furnace, which is indispensable in the Middle East as fitted glass must be hardened due to the heat. After being prepared in this way, the glass plates now are further processed into laminated safety glass on the adjacent compact lamiline or pressed in the integrated climate chamber to form insulating glass units. In the glass processing area with almost 12,000 square metres of floor space, 29 employees produce about … (read more at www.bystronic-glass.com)

The international spirit shown by SAI can be seen by its ever presence at leading power technology exhibitions around the world. The SAI group constantly reviews the changing needs of the hydraulics industry, by studying customer requirements in minute detail thus enabling SAI to provide the Advanced Hydraulic Power Technology that our Customers demand. SAI continues to achieve improving results worldwide, notwithstanding the current economic crisis, thanks to its continuous market dynamism. A prime example of this is demonstrated by the fact that, recently, SAI proudly attended 3 exhibitions concurrently each on different continents: Agritechnica in Hannover (Germany), Expo Pesca in Lima (Perù), and SMM in Mumbai (India). SAI’s approach to overcoming the current recession is to attack the market by constantly developing brand new products and introducing them to an international audience of specialized engineers. The very latest development of SAI hydraulic motors include variable-speed and dual displacement motors, integrated drive units, wheel drives and actuators. The exhibition season is going smoothly and positively, SAI also has great expectations for the next Excon, Eima India and Marintec, which are sure to be as successful as the 3 previously mentioned. All involved are already looking forward to meeting next spring during the Munich Bauma 2010, heralding in the new economic recovery!

The MGT has place of busisness in Milan Italy and his activity has begun in 1973. From 30 years we take care in professional and dynamic way of the problems concerning the air filtration.
The mature experience it allow us to be present on the italian and international market with innovative certificates products, destinated to user who always look for the most effective technical solution.
The demand to offer products with technical characteriristic always more advanced, took us to plan and develop air filters wich characterize for low ambient impact, long service life and high yield.
Innovation, competence and developement are reserved to the cogeneration’s field. The high performances of the MGT’s line barrier filters expects the demanding of the customers of power plants.

As we all get a bit older it becomes prudent and normal to start giving thought to our health and our diet. Heart issues, weight management, diabetes, and dementia risks begin escalating as we age and it’s no surprise that as these risks begin climbing most people try to address them by taking action and changing their diet, quitting bad habits, or even starting to exercise. Active dieting and exercise works both to drop pounds but also to improve the health and quality of the cardiovascular system. Arterial damage can even be reversed if significant changes are made.

If you are concerned about your heart health and have not had a cholesterol test done to determine what your cholesterol levels are you should do this first so that you have a baseline for comparison. No program of self-betterment is complete without a starting point. Without a baseline cholesterol reading how will you know if you lower LDL cholesterol levels or if they remain unchanged? Similarly HDL cholesterol levels work to decrease circulating LDL cholesterol and thus you want more of it. Your lipid profile will give you your needed baseline cholesterol levels to work from.

Once you know where you stand on your HDL-LDL cholesterol ratio you will need probably to start doing two things. You will have to start a LDL cholesterol diet aimed at decreasing the amount of LDL cholesterol in your blood stream. You will also want to compliment your LDL cholesterol diet with foods that support and raise HDL cholesterol levels and this will help in keeping you moving in the right direction. Read more…

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety

Naturally, safety is a top priority for both automakers and consumers alike. It’s also of paramount concern to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, which is the government body that sets standards for automobile safety here in the States. According to The Detroit News, NHTSA is currently drafting up new legislation that would make side curtain airbags more robust.

NHTSA projects that the modified airbags would save some 402 lives and prevent 302 serious injuries per year, with the bulk of those made up of motorists who are not properly wearing their seat belts. The new rules would mandate curtain airbags that cover up more of the window opening and stay inflated longer, helping to ensure that occupants are not ejected during a rollover accident.

What price safety? Current estimates peg the upgrade at about $54 per vehicle, which equals roughly $920 million annually. Under the proposal, 20 percent of every major manufacturer’s fleet would need to comply by 2014 and all vehicles would need to be so-equipped by 2017.

[Source: The Detroit News]

REPORT: NHTSA proposing new side airbag standards expected to cost $54 per car originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I never before realized how many cool things you can do with styrofoam. Styrofoam is easy to work with and it is fairly inexpensive. I have a project here that calls for an 8 inch cube, but you can use a smaller cube. I wouldn’t suggest using a cube smaller than 6 inches since you will need it to hold a couple of candles.

Here is what you will need to get started:

• 6 or 8 inch styrofoam cube
• Assorted scrapbook paper in black and white print (I used black, silver and white and it came out great)
• If you have wrapping paper around, you can use it instead of scrapbook paper
• A wide putt knife
• Circle punches ¼ inch; 5/8 inch; 1 inch (optional)
• Card stock in black and white (optional)
• A household sponge
• three glass votive holder with candles
• A pencil
• a ruler
• Scissors
• Paper paste (Elmer’s works well)

Cut six 8 inch paper squares from you scrapbook or wrapping paper. If you wish, you can create patterned paper on the solid cardstock by cutting or punching holes out of a contrasting cardstock.

Using the putty knife, spread a thin layer of past on one side of the foam cube and on the back of one of the paper squares. Make sure to spread the paste all the way to the edges. Adhere the paper to the foam smoothing with your fingers until the paper starts to stick.

Repeat this process on all six sides of the cube. You may need to let each side dry a little bit before working on the next side. If the paper is too wet, it may slide while you’re working on another side. After all of the sides dry, wipe the cube with a damp sponge to remove any excess paste.

When the cube is thoroughly dry, place the votive cups and candles on top. Remember, never leave candles burning unattended.  Enjoy!

Post from: Blisstree

Candle Cube

Award season is just around the corner, and after this week’s games, the WAC will be naming its players of the year and coach of the year. Does Boise State deserve to sweep the awards?

After the jump, take a look at how each award race is shaping up and share your comments on how likely a Bronco sweep would be.

Offensive Player of the Year

Candidates

• Kellen Moore
• QB Colin Kaepernick, Nevada
• RB Ryan Mathews, Fresno State

The race for this year’s WAC OPOY has been eerily reminiscent of those maddening JumboTron plane/waterboat/car races they have at sporting events. One minute the red one is the lead. The next minute, it’s the yellow one. Would someone please just end the thing so that we can all mentally prepare for the hidden-ball-in-helmet video?

Mathews was the overwhelming favorite for this award at the season’s halfway point, but as is Mathews M.O., he got injured and has fallen behind. Next in line was Kaepernick who spearheaded a revitalized Nevada team as it ran off eight straight wins. However, it appears that the player with the most momentum at the end of the season is Moore, who clearly outdueled Kaepernick in the de facto WAC championship.

The favorite? Moore. It would be an abomination if anyone other than Moore took home OPOY honors. In other words, it would be a lot like last year.

(Note: All three players should return next year, providing quite the hype-fest for Karl Benson and the WAC. Has he already printed the media guide cover?)

Defensive Player of the Year

Candidates

• Ryan Winterswyk
• DT D’Anthony Smith, Louisiana Tech
• LB Ben Jacobs, Fresno State
• S Shiloh Keo, Idaho
• DE Dontay Moch, Nevada

Out of the three WAC awards, I think this one will be the closest one to call. Each of the above four players has had a special season. Idaho’s Keo is second in the WAC in tackles and has been the sole playmaker on a much-improved Vandal defense. Jacobs has been an animal, recording 82 tackles, 3 FFs, 3 FRs, and two blocked kicks; plus, the WAC loves choosing linebackers (see Solomon Elimimian last year). Smith is the most NFL-ready defensive player in the conference, and while his numbers aren’t outstanding, his impact certainly has been. Moch leads the conference in TFLs and is in the top three in sacks.

And then there’s Winterswyk. He currently leads the WAC in sacks (8.0) and sits second in TFLs (15). He has been a disruptive force all season long, hassling quarterbacks and stuffing the run. Has he been Boise State’s best defensive player this season? I would say yes. And in a year when there is no clear-cut player deserving of WAC DPOY, wouldn’t it make sense to choose the best player on the conference’s best defense?

The Statesman unveiled its choices for WAC awards this week, and they come to a different conclusion than I did.

Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson is the choice in a year without a dominant player. Wilson is an All-American whose production – three interceptions, two pass breakups, two touchdowns – doesn’t show his true value.

Do you think Wilson has played better than Winterswyk this season?

Personally, I think that Wilson had a better 2008. Anyone who says that teams do not throw Wilson’s way this season is absolutely wrong. Teams most certainly throw his way, and he has been surprisingly undisciplined with penalties and tackling at times this year. Don’t get me wrong. Wilson is still an all-time great Bronco. I just don’t see him deserving DPOY honors this season.

If we’re talking about who is more valuable to the Broncos’ defense, then I think Wilson might win. But as far as the player who has had the better season, I think that player is Winterswyk.

Is there another player on the Boise State defense you think has had a better year? Jeron Johnson? Billy Winn?

Coach of the Year

Candidates

• Coach Pete
• Robb Akey
• Chris Ault

The only reason I listed Ault above is that I can see some people giving him credit for bringing Nevada out of that 0-3 hole and running off eight straight wins. That said, I think the discussion is really between Robb Akey and Coach Pete.

But really, should it even be a discussion? No doubt Akey worked some miracles with the Vandals this year in bringing them to 7-5. However, he lost his team’s three biggest games and only won one out of five games after becoming bowl eligible against a weak schedule. The Vandals lost by double-digits to the conference’s three best teams, giving up 133 points combined to Nevada and Boise State. And to put the cherry on top, Idaho dropped its season finale at home against a three-win Utah State.

On the other hand, Coach Pete has gone undefeated with the youngest team in the country.

If the WAC is serious about awarding COY to the coach who had done the best job this season, the award will go to Coach Pete. Year in and year out, he pulls off an incredible job, and it would be a shame if he is punished for his consistency.

(Note: I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the turnaround that Hawaii’s Greg McMackin has done with the Warriors. The season could not have started worse for UH – McMackin’s homophobic/apologetic blunder at media days, the Warriors’ 2-6 start, the loss of their starting quarterback. But four straight wins, including a victory over Navy, has Hawaii on the cusp of a bowl. Who would have thought that was possible a month ago?)

Your turn

Who do you think will win this season’s WAC awards? Share your winners in the comments. Also, please weigh in on who you think has had the better season: Ryan Winterswyk or Kyle Wilson.

Yesterday, a caravan of hydrogen cars decided to take a little road trip from Sweden to Copenhagen, Denmark ahead of the start of the COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 that starts on December 7th. The 27-mile hydrogen car parade was intended to make an impact not only at the COP15 summit but also to highlight the Scandinavian Hydrogen Highway project.

The cars in the convoy included the Honda FCX Clarity, TH!NK Hydrogen Car, GM HydroGen4, the Fiat Panda Hydrogen, and the Mercedes B-class F-CELL. The hydrogen cars made the trip from Malmo, Sweden to Copenhagen where they refueled at the new H2 fueling station just opened this past November 12.

I’ve talked recently about the linking of Scandinavia to mainland Europe through Denmark and how Germany is at the forefront of building a hydrogen infrastructure inside of that country. This so-called “Bridge to Hydrogen” caravan was organized by the European Hydrogen Association.

Another organization hoping to make a bridge to hydrogen is the PATH (Partnership for Advancing the Transition to Hydrogen) at hpath.org. According to a PATH press release, “…a coalition of 16 associations from around the world issued a joint statement to underscore how hydrogen technologies can help to curb global greenhouse gas emissions. The statement, addressed to the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change, Yvo de Boer, points out many significant benefits to the environment and other areas including the elimination of 80-percent of the emissions from light duty vehicles, according to studies by Japan, the European Union and United States.”

In future conferences, I would like to see not only caravans of hydrogen cars carrying participants, but those same participants boarding hydrogen buses and hydrail trains as well. But, as Bill Murray said in the movie “What About Bob?” it will take “baby steps” at this point in time and we’ll get there eventually.

Part of what will be my portfolio… in order to look for an intern position for the next summer

Google loves speed, it’s no mystery to anyone, and it also loves simplicity. With this in mind you’d think that its engineers can’t really do that much to get things significantly faster, certainly not for its main products. Yet, Google keeps on trying sometimes with surprising results. The Google homepage just got a significant update, technically it’s not faster, but it does take the company’s minimalistic approach to the extreme, but the YouTube team is also running an interesting test with a similar attitude, strip down everything to make the site faster and lighter.

As the Google Operating System blog noticed, YouTube is running an experimental opt-in program dubbed Feather designed to see just how much can the designers can take out without affecting the experience. A lot, as it turns out, enabling the feature will get rid of the comments, share links, playlists – virtually any non-essential feature – and also remove most of the scripts from the page. HQ videos will also load in SQ by default.

The result is a lightning-fast, “feather”-light page five times smaller than the original (about 65 KB versus around 300 KB) and loading three times as fast (from a little over 2 seconds to around 650 ms). The numbers were gathered Chrome’s recently updated dev tools and are just for one video, on one browser (the latest Chrome dev channe… (read more)

Sony Ericsson is not having much luck these days, and it has nothing to do with their choice of operating system.  In a week which saw their two flagship Symbian smartphones taken off the market due to bugs, it appears now that their Windows Mobile smartphone, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X2, has been delayed all the way to next year, missing any Christmas season boost they were expecting to receive.

The smartphone was originally expected in “early Q4 2009” but now seems, according to Vodafone at least, destined to arrive only in January 2010, and of course even this is provisional.

Due to repeated delays the smartphone continues to fall behind current technology, and is likely to look a poor second to HTC’s next generation of Windows Mobile business smartphones.

Via PDA.pl.

Last month’s slight down-tick in the Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) services index has turned into something more substantial — falling to 48.7. This is well below the expected value of 51.5 and means it has now dropped two months in a row.

Moreover it has broken the key 50-level, indicating a contraction in services during November.

Looking at the detail a bit further, particular weakness came from the Business Activity and Order Backlog components of the index:

Read more details via the full release here.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• The ISM Services Index Stops Rebounding, Missing Expectations
• ISM Better Than Expected, But Industry Commentary Was Worrisome
• ISM Services Index Back Above 50, But It’s Not Helping Jobs

Electronic Arts is reminding gamers that the Call of Duty franchise isn’t the only big soldier-based FPS on the block. They’re bringing back the Medal of Honor series next year with a reboot called.. Medal of Honor.
 

Filed under: Japan, Crossover, Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi is dusting off and old name for its new compact crossover. The new RVR that will be released in Japan next spring is nothing like past Mitsus wearing the moniker, a model we knew here as the Expo LRV. The RVR shares the Mitsu family’s nose and physique, though the compact body is being described by officials as lightweight.

When it launches in Japan, the RVR will carry a 1.8 liter four-cylinder, and the MIVEC engine figures to keep the appetite for fuel in check. Mitsubishi is staggering the RVR’s rollout, so its spring 2010 arrival in Japanese showrooms will be first, but North American sales are promised eventually. From where we sit, the RVR and Colt are two bits of triple-diamond excitement to look forward to in the coming year, especially if the company goes all Ralliart-crazy on both. Official press release posted after the jump.

[Source: Mitsubishi]

Continue reading Mitsubishi’s new sub-CUV will be called RVR in Japan… what will it be called when it hits the US?

Mitsubishi’s new sub-CUV will be called RVR in Japan… what will it be called when it hits the US? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Marcellus Shale is an untapped resource for natural gas sitting under New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

In Broome County, N.Y. alone, consultants say, shale gas development could create $15 billion in economic activity. Finally, energy companies are ready to drill baby, drill.

WashingtonPost.com: Just a few years ago, the industry didn’t have the technology to unlock these reserves. But thanks to advances in horizontal drilling and methods of fracturing rock with high-pressure blasts of water, sand and chemicals, vast gas reserves in the United States are suddenly within reach.

…The country is carpeted with shale gas plays, including the Barnett in Texas, Fayetteville in Arkansas and Haynesville in Louisiana. Since 2000, gas from shale has grown from less than 1 percent of the nation’s production to about 10 percent, according to the consulting firm PFC Energy, and it’s picking up fast.

Continue reading here >

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Watch Liquid Natural Gas Arbitrage In Action (UNG)
• Shale Is A "Game Changer" For Natural Gas (UNG)

The rally in all kinds of bonds this year means that risk-taking investors are once again willing to accept far less additional yield over U.S. treasuries these days.

The option-adjusted spread shown below is essentially the additional basis points of yield that bonds must pay over government bonds. The chart shows that while investors required almost 10% (1,000 basis points) of additional yield from global emerging markets bonds back in December 2008, today all they require is about 4% (400 basis points) more than U.S. treasuries.

Don’t forget that U.S treasury yields, that these spreads are based off of, are extremely low now as well. Thus in the bond market today, investors willing to take on risk for a far lower price.

(Chart via Econompic)

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Citadel Finally Steals A Bond Deal From Wall Street (AMD, JPM)
• Bill Gross’s Government Bond Holdings Hit 5-Year High
• Morgan Stanley: Bond Investors Receiving Zero Compensation For All The Risks They’re Facing

I recently gave a speech at the George Washington University School of Law about the USPTO’s important role in facilitating the development of IP law.  In the wake of decisions such as KSR and Bose, and with the Bilski Supreme Court decision on the horizon, the IP community certainly could use more clarity in several areas of law. 

Here’s an example.  The KSR decision expanded the means by which examiners can reject on obviousness grounds.  At the same time, it did not provide clear guidance on what constitutes a person of ordinary skill in a particular art area.   

Moreover, obviousness inquiries are beginning to shift toward a weighing of the types of evidence applicants can rely on to establish non-obviousness such as unexpected results and secondary consideration evidence.  

The process has become more costly, time-consuming, and there is still plenty of room for increased clarity and greater predictability. 

The IP community needs guidance on obviousness.  But that’s not all. The applicant community and examiners also need clarification in areas of written description and enablement, means plus function claiming and late claiming — to name a few.  

The USPTO has the opportunity to help facilitate the development of the law through the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.  We intend to identify test cases and promptly decide those cases so that the community can get clarity earlier.  And of course our reviewing court, the Federal Circuit, plays a pivotal role in shaping the law by reviewing those Board decisions that applicants choose to appeal.

The USPTO is going to make sure the Board issues decisions that will set good precedent and that can, in conjunction with Federal Circuit decisions, set the proper balance and provide answers on the challenging legal questions that face the IP community. 

I hope to hear your thoughts and suggestions on this topic.

 

Ok, perhaps the title is a bit of an exaggeration, but it certainly appears to be what a Microsoft exec in the Philippines implied in a recent interview concerning Windows 7. Basically, he said that using unauthorized copies of the OS were really unsafe, so doing things like online banking or other sensitive stuff on such software could put users in serious danger. Of course, that makes you wonder what Microsoft has done to make unauthorized copies of the software so dangerous to use…

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Homemade cookies make a great holiday gift, whether you’re visiting friends or family, attending a big party or an intimate dinner. Pair the cookies with a nice holiday card and you have a very complete and thoughtful gift. When I noticed Williams-Sonoma’s Message-in-a-Cookie Holiday Cookie Cutters, I realized that these cutters will actually allow you to combine the holiday greeting that comes inside of a card with the cookie itself!

You can insert alphabet pieces and premade words into slots on these cookie cutters to have custom messages stamped directly into your cookie dough as you cut them out. The premade words include Happy, Holidays, Seasons, Greetings, Merry, Christmas, From – all very common holiday phrases – and there are three sets of alphabet letters included, as well as a few extra letters. The only thing you have to remember is to spell your words backwards when you place the letters in the cookie cutter so that they print out the correct way on the cookie dough. Three different holiday designs are included: a gingerbread man, an ornament and a snowflake.Most cut-out cookie doughs will work well with these cutters. You just don’t want to choose a dough with a huge amount of leavening (because it is likely to puff up and obscure the lettering during baking), so butter cookies and shortbread cookies tend to be some of the best choices. Feel free to play around with the cookies and add your personal touches with the icing after you add your personal message.