Climate-Trade-Immigrant Justice NOW

Westlake Plaza, south end of park, 12 – 5

12noon-1245: Cimate! Justice! Assembly Street Theater
1245-1pm: Jack Chernos, Singer, Songwriter
115-130: WA Fair Trade Coalition
130-2pm: Climate Justice speaker
2-230: People’s Assembly
230-250: Jim Page, Folk Troubadour
250-320: Street Theater
4pm-5pm WA Immigrant Rights Action Coalition

Hear Eric Holt-Gimenez tonight at UW, 7pm!

Eric Holt Gimenez,  Director of Food First, ally in our AGRA Watch campaign, speaking about his new book, co-authored with Raj Patel & Annie Shattuck, “Food Rebellions: Crisis and the Hunger for Justice”.

Eric is an incredible speaker – don’t miss this chance to hear him in person!

Gould Hall at University of WA, Seattle
On the corner of NE 40th St and 15th Ave NE
Admission free of charge

Chicken feet – gnarly, repulsive and disturbing – make for the very best stock. Devoid of little else but tendons, bone and cartilage (sound appetizing yet?), chicken feet produce a fine golden broth that’s rich in all those obscure nutrients that make a good stock so nourishing: glucosamine chondroitin, collagen and trace minerals.  Moreover, a chicken stock is an excellent source of calcium without .  Understandably, a stock made from chicken feet gels beautifully just as a good stock should.

Saturday morning, I pulled out a bag of chicken feet and as I peeled the yellow membrane from the feet and hacked away the talons, I couldn’t help but reflect upon my relationship with food.  Dear God, I thought, I was a vegan once!  I used to gag at opening a package of lunch meat, and now I can peel and hack my way through a bag of chicken feet with nary an ill feeling  That is until my 4-year old tapped me on a shoulder with a disembodied claw.  Eeeew! Then there was that time when I accidentally left a bag full of chicken feet fresh from the farmers market in the fridge at the office.

Chicken feet can be difficult to find – that is, until you know where to look.  They don’t come packaged on little Styrofoam trays, wrapped in plastic. Ethnic markets – those last bastions of traditional foods – often carry chicken feet, heads and other miscellaneous parts that are forgotten in conventional cooking.  Farmers markets can be another source.  Most importantly, your local farm offering pastured poultry may also have a stash from the latest harvest.  If purchasing your chicken feet at a market, they will usually run you $1 – $2 per pound; however, if you purchase your whole chickens farmer-direct they will often throw the chicken feet in the bag at your request.  These chicken feet came from a local, family-run farm that also specializes in grass-fed lamb.

Preparing Chicken Feet for the Stock Pot

In many cases, the chicken feet will arrive already prepared, more or less; however, if you receive them directly from your local farm you may need to dress the chicken feet yourself.  This is easy.  First, you’ll rub them with salt and scald them briefly in boiling water followed by an icy bath.  This practice enables you to more easily peel the yellow membrane on the foot.  After peeling the yellow membrane from the feet, chop the talons off at the first knuckle.  Some cooks prefer to leave the talon on the foot. In the above picture, you’ll see chicken feet in the three stages of preparation: 1. fresh, 2. peeled and 3. declawed.When blanching the chicken feet, take great care not to blanch the feet too long or you will overcook the feet, fusing the yellow membrane to the foot and activating the gelling process. Moreover, overcooking will also cause the tendons in the feet to contract, making peeling virtually impossible. Be brief.

Once the feet are fully prepared by cleaning, blanching, peeling and talon removal, they’re ready for the stock pot.  A stock prepared from chicken feet, like any stock, is widely variable and can be seasoned based on your personal preference.  Preferring a mild-tasting broth in most recipes, I usually season my broth with vegetable scraps including celery leaves, onion and carrot peelings; however, from time to time, I like to change the flavor of the stock a touch and heat it up with chilies, ginger and other spices.  The stock recipe detailed below is very well-suited to Asian-inspired dishes and perfect for cold and flu season when a nourishing, mineral-rich broth infused with chilies and spice can help clear the sinuses.

Asian-inspired Chicken Foot Stock

Prepared from chicken feet and no other bones or meat, this stock produces a solid gel.  One pound of feet will produce approximately ½ gallon of well-gelled stock.  Its aroma is faintly reminiscent of Top Ramen, no joke.  Even if you prefer to season your stock with a mild combination of onion, celery and carrot or herbs of your choice, follow the same method as outlined below.

More on Stock & Broth

• Beef Stock Recipe
• Benefits of Bone Broth
• Roast Chicken Stock

Ingredients

• 1 lb Chicken Feet, Peeled and Talons Removed
• 1 2-inch Knob of Ginger
• 1 Star Anise
• 3 – 4 Fresh Cayenne (or other) Chili Peppers
• 1 Bulb Garlic, Peeled
• 1 4-inch Stalk of Lemon Grass (optional)

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to your stock pot.
2. Add water to cover.
3. Simmer for a minimum of 4 hours and up to 12, adding more water as needed or desired.
4. Skim any scum that rises to the top.
5. Strain solids from the broth through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth.
6. Bottle and reserve the stock.
7. Serve in Asian-inspired soups and dishes.

The H25-IR is an industrial leak detector used for low-level detection and leak rate quantification of CFCs, HFCs, HCFCs and halogen gas compounds that are used in air conditioning and refrigeration equipment, fire suppression systems, and various other residential, commercial and industrial apparatus. The instrument can be used to locate and quantify leaks as well as log and totalize the entire group of leaks in a systems to ensure quality assurance compliance. The unit is capable of detecting 29 of the most commonly used refrigerants and halogen gas compounds.

Features & Benefits:
Utilizes Infrared Technology for Detection — ensures long sensor life and high accuracy
Fewer False Alarms — use of infrared technology enables response to refrigerants only
Fast Response Time — responds to leaks in less than 1 second
High Sensitivity — detects leaks as small as 0.01 oz/yr
Internal Leak Source — enables calibrations to be made quickly and easily
Logging — enables the total leak rate of a system to be quantified
8 Inch Flexible Probe — enables leak checking in hard-to-reach areas
Adjustable Sensitivity Ranges — enable “nuisance” leaks to be ignored
4 Relay Outputs — enables external alarm control
4–20 mA Output — provides remote monitoring
2 Year Warranty

The K111 is a dual output isolated trip amplifier/converter for on/off sensors, also featuring input repeater and frequency divider till 256. Maximum frequency is 20 kHz. The input stage is adjustable to almost every kind of sensor type, and it is provided with an isolated stabilized supply, that makes it suitable both for 2 and 3 wire devices. The module has to be PC programmed through S117P (RS232-TTL/USB converter) interface, both for output and led functions. Outputs are strong, internally protected PNP type. K111 offers built-in isolated, protected and stabilized power supply at sensor side and ensures pulse input for all the most common sensors: mechanical contact, Iec1131, Namur, 2 or 3 wire Npn/Pnp with 12 V or 22 V, reed, photo-transistor and Hall devices. The module has two free programmable 200 mA PNP outputs, internally protected and a 1500 V galvanic isolation between input and output side. Input type is settable by four dip-switches. It’s also available a programmable filter for false-frequency rejecting. Other programmable features are: threshold, hysteresis, window range, inverted output, indicator front leds. Interesting application are in refinery and agricultural company as oil measure conversion for abolition of tax and cost-saving rate. K111 can be applied also in transportation and industry automotive sector as pulse divider. For example to measure RPM using a proximity sensor near a toothed weel connected to a drive shaft.

To thank customers, if they place an order from 1st Dec till 31st Dec 2009, two attractive gifts will be offered by SteelTailor.

The gifts are to be selected from: Lenovo Mp4, Lenovo 2.5” Removable Hard Drive, Philips Razor, Victorinox Swiss Army Knife, Lenovo 2.5” Huston Rocket Removable Hard Drive, Tsinghua Tongfang Record Pen, Electric Tools Package, Bosch Drill.

Or three months extra guarantee on top of the one year guarantee already offered with all our machines ordered during this period

“This year is a really hard year. Anyway we kept trust from our customers and support from our distributors. Now it’s time for us to thanks them.” Said Philippe Glaude, president of SteelTailor. “With trust between customers and us, we will have a bright future next year.”

Trust is the spirit of business.

Through 2009, almost all companies have suffered from the global economic crisis.
So have SteelTailor.

At the beginning of the crisis, Philippe Glaude, the president of SteelTailor arranged an important meeting. He told the team:” We will do everything to go through this difficult time together. An enterprise is not made for only one or two years. SteelTailor has to go through all the up and downs to become an outstanding world brand. “

Several important decisions were taken.

Firstly, SteelTailor decided not to lay off staff. With this principle, employees were working harder. This mutual trust between company and the employee is the key to productivity and quality of SteelTailor.

Second, SteelTailor decided to increase investment in promotion and distributor support. During 2009, steelTailor has exhibited on 7 trade shows in different continents. This made SteelTailor gain much confidence and respects from both channel partners and end users.

By the end of November, SteelTailor‘s booking shows already promising figures against year 2008.

“Employee and partners are both our precious resources. It has been a hard year for everybody. But we work harder together to win!” said Philippe.

In a world context where the economic crisis is distorting the market and balances and is voiding certainties, everybody is trying by all means to find solutions that allow to absorb the negative effects.
The XVIII World Convention of Italian Chambers of Commerce Abroad, held in Salerno between October 24 to 28, tried to give some guidance to correct the problem.
In the convention, BONO ARTES has played a leading role as it has been rewarded for its vocation for internationalization with the prize “ImpreSAmondiale.”
This event saw the participation of many prominent personalities of the Italian economy, including the Vice-Minister for Foreign Trade Adolfo D’Urso, the new President Augusto Assocamerestero Strianese.
Carlo Lamura, delegate to represent the Ministry of Economic Development, explained the criteria for selection of companies and the reasons that determined to the award of this prestigious award. “A very careful selection appropriate and prudent, performed on over 80 companies, with the help of a technical committee of the Chamber of Commerce of Salerno, the Simest and representatives of institutions and universities specializing in Salerno,” said Lamura.
BONO ARTES has received this award thanks to the degree of innovation achieved in the design and construction of plants for water treatment and exported contribution that has been developed in recent years in the Asian market.
Mr. Pasquale Punzo, CEO of Artes Ingegneria SpA (BONO Artes), said at the delivery of the prize: “This event demonstrates the ability of BONO ARTES to excel in international contexts and to be constantly in search of possible market outlets where you can export the continuous technological improvements of its plants.”

Photon etc. will again participate to the Prism Awards for Photonics Innovation at Photonics West 2010 in San Francisco. Photon etc.’s Tunable Laser Source is subscribed under “Other Light Sources” category. A demonstration of this instrument will also be presented at Photon etc.’s booth at the Canadian Pavilion (#4407). Based on supercontinuum source coupled to a non-dispersive bandpass filter, the Tunable Laser Source transmits a narrow linewidth over a very broad spectral range, up to 1300 nm of tuning range. Last year, Photon etc.’s Tunable Top Notch Filter was finalist in Optics Category.

Oh, it’s Cyber Monday, the internet shopper’s version of Black Friday. If you spent your Black Friday buying nothing, as many celebrate Buy Nothing Day, it may be time to get your responsible holiday shopping done. Shopping early ensures you get what want to give without settling for what is left, and it saves you money by not needing to pay pricey overnight shipping costs. Cyber Monday is often celebrated by online outlets with not only great deals, but free shipping. Here are five ideas to get the most out of your Cyber Monday:

1. Shop the blogosphere: Bloggers are assembling gift guides and looking for the best deals on products they have reviewed and tested. Check out some of the holiday gift guides on Blogpire for great gift ideas, such as our very own Really Natural Green Holiday Gift Guide or Kitchen Contraptions Holiday Gift Guide.

2. Shop locally online: Even though you are shopping online, check your local stores’ websites for great deals. You can still support local vendors and support your local economy on Cyber Monday. For example, the outdoor gear shops where I live have great online deals that allow me to shop from home but make returns in the store. Some local stores even sell via Amazon.

3. Shop with Social Responsibility: There are so many wonderful non-profit organizations you can support to give a gift to someone who has everything or is more concerned with the plight of humans around the world rather than getting a material possession. Heifer International allows you to purchase livestock to provide food sustainability to help end hunger and poverty around the world. Kiva allows you to make micro-loans to entrepreneurs around the world and actually becomes quite addicting as you are repaid and reloan money over and over again.

4. Give the gift of a CSA: This is always a great deal to invest in a local farm, and you can do it online via Local Harvest. Last year, I gave my father the gift of Community Supported Agriculture.

5. Don’t sacrifice green values for a deal: It is tempting to abandon your principles of sustainability and earth-friendliness when you see a really good deal, but it is not needed. There are a lot of wonderful gift ideas, like the Green Toys Dump Truck, that are made out of recycled plastic.

The long-awaited event (by some) … an updated script# build, along with next steps, new channels for Q&A and staying up-to-date via @scriptsharp on twitter…
[Full post continued here…]

Photon etc. (Canada) and Leukos (France) won a second award regarding their business collaboration for the development of the Tunable Laser Source: “Prix d’excellence en affaire Québec-France” given by the French Chamber of Commerce in Canada. Customers have now access to an integrated tunable laser source with an optimized efficiency coupling instead of integrating themselves two distinct products which introduces alignment or calibration problems. This great collaboration was also the first step of a long-term partnership including local distribution of the respective products of each partner. Both companies have gained expertise from each other and implemented a long-distance work platform. This remarkable collaboration had already obtain an award regarding the high potential of the innovative product. The broadband Tunable Laser Source of 0.3 – 2nm bandwidth won the best price “Photon d’Or” in the Innovation storefront of OPTO 2008 Exhibition in Paris.

The H6000, a new comer in the ATEQ range of leak detectors, is one of the finest gas tracer and hydrogen leak detectors on the
market today.
This gas is less expensive than Helium gas.
Furthermore, it’s a volatile, non-toxic and non-poisonous
gas with any environmental impact. The H6000 is equipped with all features for easy integration in industrial process and laboratory one.

Applications:
HVAC, Refrigeration and Automotive Leak Detection
Automotive: leak localization, cooling systems, alloy wheel, …
Domestic Appliances: compressor, …

The newest edition to Laser Photonics’ product line is the Titan Series. This machine is Laser Photonics’ first multipurpose fiber laser cutting machine with a single pallet shuttle table. It is equipped with a high-powered, energy efficient fiber laser and an advanced direct drive motion control platform. Comparable to other machines, the Titan has a lighter weight design and the fastest cutting speed on the market for comparable systems. This laser cutting system offers ultra low power consumption allowing for the lowest operating costs among all laser types. The Titan’s fully software-controlled geometry alignment eliminates the need for special installation requirements. The Titan requires no optical system alignment, laser service or laser replacement parts making this system virtually maintenance free.

Ceramic membrane ultrafi ltration is a time tested technology that is relatively new to the e-coating industry. It can be used to extend the life of the Alkaline cleaner bath.
Membrane fi lters are also suitable for E-coat paint UF systems.

Product features of the ceramic membrane fi lter include:
Excellent chemical resistance
Broad pH range of 2-13
Inert to solvents and common chemicals
Can be aggressively cleaned
Suitable for alkaline and acidic baths
Allows for higher fl ux recovery
High temperature operation – to 200° F
Low thermal coeffi cient of expansion– membrane pore size
stability
Backpulsing capable
Tolerance to pressure excursions
High concentrations possible
Favorable solids loading capability

– Base MA 175
– Co-ordinate table MA 145-15, range 150 x 70 mm with quick approach and fine adjustment
– 2 scales Heidenhain
– Counter Quadra-Chek 100 with digital display
– Projector MA 240EG, screen Ø 150 mm
– Detachable incident light illuminator MA 213-13V-100W

Marcel Aubert SA: Adapting the instrument for teh customer is the only way to supply a suitable solution. The recipe of an adapted optical measurement system is made of different parts:
a favourable combination of optics, mechanics and electronics as well.

Only a custom-made design, based on a large know-how, will guarantee the realisation of your requirements.

Air Liquide has announced that the second of two hydrogen fuelling station as part of the Canadian Hydrogen Energy Demonstration Project will be Vancouver International Airport, after Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport, announced previously. The project was leading by Air Liquide Canada in collaboration with Natural Resources Canada, the governments of British Columbia and Quebec, and 14 participating companies.

Vancouver International Airport will deploy several hydrogen transportation technologies in shuttle buses, as well as passenger and utility vehicles 20 hydrogen fuel cell electric buses expected to be provided by the Vancouver Airport Authority and Air Canada and completely commissioned in time for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

“We are extremely pleased to contribute to British Columbia’s Hydrogen Highway initiative by showcasing our hydrogen technologies at Vancouver International Airport”, said President and CEO of Air Liquide Canada, Luc Doyon. “As we near the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, this exciting demonstration program will be observed by millions of travellers coming to Vancouver for the Games and beyond. Air Liquide is privileged to have a front row seat with British Columbia to show the world how innovative fuel cell technologies and hydrogen energy can power important sectors of the Canadian economy while protecting our environment. ”

More information here

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Convertible, Coupe, Technology, Ford

It would be reasonable to expect that Ford might pass over the Mustang and instead devote more attention to its other models since it’s fresh off a comprehensive revamp for the 2010 model year. However, that’s not what is shaping up in the House That Henry Built.

For 2011, the Blue Oval is introducing a new 3.7-liter V6 Mustang that should give it the firepower and refinement needed to take on Chevrolet’s six-cylinder Camaro and Hyundai’s upstart Genesis Coupe. But it isn’t just the spanking all-aluminum powerplant and its 305 horsepower and 280 foot-pounds of torque that’s making the scene for the forthcoming model year. In addition to the Cleveland-sourced mill, there are a pair of fresh gearboxes, a new V6 performance package, and a host of nip/tucks to the interior and elsewhere.

Now, we could grouse on behalf of 2010 MY ‘Stang owners everywhere that these upgrades weren’t part of last year’s mid-life updo, but instead, we’ll just be happy that these advancements are arriving at all.

Despite being smaller than the outgoing 4.0-liter V6, the dual-overhead cam 3.7-liter’s horsepower and torque ratings represent massive improvements over the 2010 model (305 HP dismisses 210 HP and 280 lb-ft. plays 240 torques). In fact, that’s more horsepower than the 4.6-liter V8 Mustang made just a few years ago. While the 305-horse figure only allows the Mustang to pip the crosstown Camaro by a single all-important stallion in the pony car bragging wars, Ford says the powertrain will be good for 30 miles-per-gallon on the highway when paired with its new six-speed automatic, also one notch better than the Chevy.

Click through to the jump to read more details and check out Ford’s suite of press releases.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading LA Preview: 2011 Ford Mustang V6 makes 305 HP, gets 30 MPG

LA Preview: 2011 Ford Mustang V6 makes 305 HP, gets 30 MPG originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

One of the great ’70s arena anthem songs was the Outlaws’ Green Grass & High Tides, or as it was often misheard, “Green Grass & High Times Forever.” It seems that whichever health care reform bill staggers across the Congressional finish line will make it Green Grass & High Tides for grant writers, since all versions contain lots of hidden grant nuggets. I’m too busy writing proposals for such fun-filled RFPs as HRSA’s Nurse Education, Practice and Retention (NEPR) Program and SAMHSA’s Offender Reentry Program to flyspeck a couple of 2,000 page health care bills looking for prospective grant programs. Fortunately, I came across “Numerous Grant Programs Fatten Cost of Health Care Reform,” which does the heavy lifting for me. Here are some of the new grant programs that may burst forth in 2010:

• Demonstration Program to Promote Access for Medicare Beneficiaries With Limited English Proficiency (LEP): Section 1222 of the House bill would create three-year grants for nonprofits to offer interpreter services to help LEP residents communicate with medical providers. This is clearly aimed at Section 330 community and rural health centers that provide Medicaid services, often for LEP populations. We work for lots of Section 330 providers, so we love this program concept.
• Early Childhood Home Visitation Program: Section 2951 of the Senate bill would authorize grants to nonprofits for early childhood visitation programs. The programs would be aimed at improving maternal and newborn health, preventing child injuries and abuse,improving school performance, reducing domestic violence, and improving family economic self-sufficiency. There is $1.5 billion for this gem over five years. We’ve written tons of proposals over the years for similar programs, which are usually called “demonstration homemaker” services. I’ve never seen any data that suggests that such programs work, but they are great ways of employing lots of low-skill workers, usually low-income women, to go into the homes of other low-income women and tell them how to fold their laundry. This ever popular family support service already exists in most American communities. Since Senators must know this, I can only assume that the program will be “walkin’ around money” for the thousands of nonprofits that provide family supportive services through contracts with city, county and state agencies.
• Grants to Promote Positive Health Behaviors and Outcomes: Section 2530 in the House bill authorizes the award of grants to promote healthy behaviors in medically underserved areas, including education about the risks associated with poor nutrition, tobacco use, lack of exercise and other health problems. I could list about 25 existing federal program that already do this, but the nice part about the federal trough is that there is always room for one more program.
• Healthy Teen Initiative Program to Reduce Teen Pregnancy: Section 2526 of the House bill establishes a new program to provide $150 million in grants for schools, non-profits and other groups for educational programs to reduce teen pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The feds have been funding various teen pregnancy and STD prevention programs for the past 35 years, vacillating between sex education and abstinence approaches, depending on which party controls Congress. We write teen pregnancy prevention programs regularly, so I am very familiar with the data and have yet to see any evidence that such programs do anything except keep armies of earnest, newly minted college grads employed as health educators.

I could go on, but I think readers will get the idea that there are dozens of new grant horses being saddled up in the health reform effort, as well as other emerging federal legislation. I recently wrote about a huge new education program named i3, in Same As It Ever Was: Investing in Innovation Fund (i3), Student Support Services (SSS), TRIO, and More to Come and am tickled to learn that new health related programs are not far behind. If your organization does job training, not education or health services, and you’re feeling left out of the party, not to worry, Congress feels your pain. The LA Times reports that Democrats Work On Multibillion-dollar Jobs Package, so your time is nigh.

I’m hoping for a resurrection of the Nixon-era Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA), which was perhaps the all time best grant program for nonprofit and public agencies, since all it did was provide money to hire people. I wrote many funded CETA proposals in the ’70s and knew lots of unemployed liberal arts grads who entered the government/nonprofit world through CETA slots and clawed their way into permanent jobs, including the holy grail of civil service status. Unlike the Stimulus Bill, it was easy to count jobs created by CETA, as grantees just had to count new noses around the conference table.

For the past year or so, I’ve written many posts on how this is the best time ever to go after grants and the hits keep on coming. Seliger + Associates stands ready to shoulder the burden of writing proposals for the newest crop of federal grants, which indeed seem to be the same as they ever were.