2011年8月22日 星期一

Such steps are long overdue, environmentalists say

"The public setsuden sentiment is merely symbolic. Everybody is joining the bandwagon as an expression of solidarity at a time of distress. What is more important is to create a deeper front against dangerous nuclear power," she told IPS.

A massive earthquake and tsunami on Mar. 11 destroyed Japan's largest nuclear power plant at Fukushima, forcing the government to review the national policy on nuclear energy that currently meets 30 percent of the national demand.

Japan has 54 nuclear reactors of which only 15 are in operation currently, with some of them set to undergo stress tests as a precaution after the Fukushima disaster.

As a result, the total electricity supplied by the ten major utilities in July dropped by almost nine percent, or 83 billion kilowatt hours, in comparison to supply in 2010, according to the Federation of Electric Power Companies.

Well-known Japanese author Kazutoshi Hanto, in an interview on Japanese television, likened the current power-saving efforts to 1945 post-war Japan when people worked hard to rebuild their country.

"National unity in the form of setsuden mirrors the early post-war diligence of the Japanese who worked single-mindedly to rebuild the country.

"There are new ideas and efforts rising from the worst nuclear disaster in Japan," Hanto said.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan is pushing a national goal to generate 20 percent of electricity from alternative energy sources such as solar and wind. Japan will legislate to mandate utilities to buy electricity generated from these sources at prices set by the government.

Such steps are long overdue, environmentalists say. There is also increasing interest among equipment manufacturers to develop energy saving products.

2011年8月18日 星期四

So, that could make me the bad guy.

'You're the guy that doesn't live and breathe with his team. How could you say you're a fan if you don't even want to know what assets your team could have? How do find those diamonds in the rough if you won't even scour the rough?'

If that's the case, then sure, I'll be the villain. I'll take the hit and not follow every snap that those that I cheer will take until early September. I'm fine with that. It's not my way of punishing the owners for closing the gates on their employees. I'm not protesting the players for drawing a line in the sand that couldn't be crossed for four-plus months. It's just my normal state of mind.

Now, my apathy might have waned a bit if one thing occurred. It's the same phenomenon that happened in 1994, 1998, and 2004.

The MLB strike of 1994 was especially irksome for me. As a young teen in Kansas City, the Royals were my summertime fascination.

I wasn't a fixture at games, but I did head out to Royals Stadium (before it was renamed for late owner Ewing Kauffman) to see the likes of George Brett, Frank White, Bo Jackson, Danny Tartabull, Flash Gordon, Mark Gubicza, and Jeff Montgomery. That year, the unexpected Royals had actually fought their way into contention past the All-Star Break.

Nationwide, the Strike took the wind out of baseball's sails. Even though many were relieved to see the game's return in April of 1995, the sport didn't really get a boost for another three years.

2011年8月16日 星期二

Brain hemorrhage led to a new direction

George Arthur of Southport had been in the restaurant industry for over 30 years when he was told on Nov. 7, 2007 that he had had a massive brain hemorrhage. After nine days in the Intensive Care Unit, Arthur was on his way home and unbeknownst to him, on his way to a new life.

“I had a brain hemorrhage which put me out for about two years,” Arthur said. “I didn’t know if I would live or die. Luckily, I came out with only a few minor setbacks and in 2010 I wrote 30 songs.”

Music has always been a large part of Arthur’s life. He played drums, guitar, keyboard and sang in multiple choirs. His wife bought him a karaoke machine during his recovery and Arthur gained confidence through it.

“I’ve always had music in my life, but it was never my profession,” Arthur said. “I started trying to sing and that’s how I recuperated. I did a lot of singing and playing instruments. Emotionally it helped. It was the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Arthur could not read music nor did he have experience writing it, but he began writing songs in February 2010.

“I had never done anything like this in my life,” Arthur said. “ I never wrote any music and I can’t read it, but I wrote 30 songs in less than a year.”

He would have a tune come to him, he would go to his music room and begin recording. Arthur had to record everything that he played immediately.

“I do have a short term memory situation. I wrote my songs in my music room, I got the tunes first and I had to record it because I was afraid I wouldn’t know how to play it again,” Arthur said. “Then the lyrics, I did the same thing. There were more than a few times I had to pull over to the side of the road to write something down.”

2011年8月11日 星期四

Excerpt: This Beautiful Life

She leaned over, the fixed lens of the camera catching a tiny smattering of blemishes on her cheek, like a comet's spray. Her hair had been bleached white, with long blond roots, and most of it was pulled back and up into a chunky ponytail above the three plastic hoops climbing the rim of her ear.

The song began to play, Beyoncé. I love to love you, baby. She stepped aside, revealing her room in all its messy glory. Above the bed was a painting; the central image was a daisy. A large lava lamp bubbled and gooed on the nightstand.

She was giggling offstage. Suddenly, the screen was a swirl of green plaid. Filmstrips of color in knife pleats. Her short skirt swayed along with her round hips. A little roll of ivory fat nestled above the waistband. She wore a white tank top, which she took off, her hands quickly finding the cups of her black bra. The breasts inside were small, and at first she covered them with her palms, fingers splayed like scallop shells. Then she unhooked the bra in the front and they popped out as if on springs. Her hands did a little fan dance as they reached below her hemline and lifted up her skirt.

She'd done all of this for his benefit. To please him. To prove him wrong. She reached out for the little toy baseball bat and the next part was hard to watch, even if you knew what was coming.

Two parties. Both of Elizabeth Bergamot's children had parties to go to. Jake, the eldest—his longish brown hair suddenly grazing his collarbones, his eyes the color of muddled mint—was on his own that night, of course. His party was up in the Bronx, in Riverdale, somewhere near his school. He was fifteen and a half the previous Friday. It was pretty ridiculous that the Bergamots continued to celebrate this increasingly minor milestone—his half birthday—with half a cake and half a present. Richard, Liz's husband, had started the whole business ten years earlier, when he'd surprised them both by bringing home half a deck of cards that year, the other twenty-six miraculously appearing overnight under the boy's pillow.

"He's five and a half on Cinco de Mayo," Richard had said, by way of explanation. "Is there a better cause for celebration?"

Since the gesture was so touching, so sweet and fatherly, and Richard was a Californian by birth, Liz had trusted him on the import of such things, Mexican things. Plus, it seemed fun—a fun family tradition! It was what Liz had always hungered after despite generations of contrary evidence: relatives as respite, home as haven, a retreat from the rest of the dangerous, damaging world.

Last Friday, this Cinco de Mayo, Jake got half a set of car keys in the morning over his Lucky Charms. The true key to the kingdom was to be delivered, along with tuition for driver's ed, on his actual birthday, in November.

But for tonight's party, Jake would have to rely on some cocktail of public transportation—bus, subway, bus, subway, subway, cab—although there was always the possibility that some other love-addled mom like Liz would drive him home. Liz herself was otherwise occupied. It was his job to figure it out.

2011年8月4日 星期四

Light switch means big savings for Queensborough liquor store

Al Arburthnot did the math and made the decision to switch the halogen lights off inside his Queensborough Landing Liquor Store and turn LED ones on.

“It’s kind of a no-brainer,” said Arburthnot.

The 50- and 250-watt fixtures he was using were costing him $645 a month in his utility bill.

Along came Chris Jordon, the chief executive officer of 1-888-burnt-out?, a sign and lighting services company. Arburthnot has been dealing with Jordon for more than 30 years.

Jordon crunched the numbers for Arburthnot and figured out it would cost $7,700 to convert the store to LED (light emitting diode) lamps.

If he did so, Arburthnot would be eligible for a rebate of $4,200 from BC Hydro’s Power Smart program.
Jordon estimated the new lights would also reduce the store’s monthly bill to $38, and that instead of changing lights on a regular basis at a cost of $24 apiece the lamps would last two to three years.

That meant, according to his calculations, Arburthnot would recoup his investment in less than six months.
“LED has much higher cost up front, but the long-term energy saving and maintenance costs far outweigh [older types of lighting],” said Jordon.

Arburthnot said another factor in his decision was his costs were destined to go up dramatically.
Hydro’s plans to introduce smart meters to nail down precise usage would likely mean his store would be slotted into the more expensive “tier two” rate.

Arburthnot is also assuming electricity will only get more expensive in the future.
“We do have fairly inexpensive electricity. On a North American scale we are reasonably priced, but I see it is going to go nowhere but up.”

He also plans to install LED when his store at 57 Below, next to the New Westminster SkyTrain station, is integrated into the new mall being built there.

2011年7月27日 星期三

City of Boston Gets Brighter and Greener with New Philips LED Street Lights

City of Boston Gets Brighter and Greener with New Philips LED Street Lights

LEDs will help eliminate more than 5,000 tons of greenhouse gas annually
ROYAL PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NEW LED SOLUTION Philips Lighting New LED Solution on Centre Street in West Roxbury. (PRNewsFoto/Royal Philips Electronics, John Mottern) BURLINGTON, MA UNITED STATES
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ROYAL PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NEW LED SOLUTION Top- Philips Lighting New LED Solution; Bottom- Previous Lighting Solution. (PRNewsFoto/Royal Philips Electronics, John Mottern) BURLINGTON, MA UNITED STATES
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BURLINGTON, Mass., July 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Residents of Boston will be seeing the city in a whole new, brighter light thanks to new light-emitting diode (LED) street lighting from Philips. Improving the city's energy use and environmental footprint, more than 14,000 mercury-vapor street and roadway luminaires are being replaced in Boston neighborhoods by Philips Hadco's New RX1 and RX2. The LED's – which maximize energy savings and provide uniform, comfortable and aesthetically-pleasing white light – are expected to save the city approximately 8.9 million kilowatt hours of energy each year, yielding a savings of about $1.1 million annually in the cost of electricity.

"With these new LED street lights, Boston continues to live up to its reputation as one of the greenest cities in the country," said Mayor Menino.  "Not only do these lights help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they also save the City money in tough economic times. We're excited to add these aesthetic and durable lighting fixtures to our streets!"

The RX1 is based on the Philips LEDGINE LED platform, which features industry-leading LUXEON LEDs and a modular approach which allows for future upgrades as the technology advances.  The new lighting will help eliminate more than 5,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually and enable Boston to further its billing as the "3rd Greenest City in North America" according to Popular Science magazine. The project also coincides with the release of the City's updated climate action plan, "A Climate of Progress," which calls for reducing citywide greenhouse gas emissions 25-percent by 2020.

"Boston is among a growing group of environmentally and fiscally responsible cities that understand the long-term benefits of adopting innovative lighting technologies such as LED," said Zia Eftekhar, chief executive officer of Philips Lighting North America. "Philips has a rich history in the Boston area and we are proud to share the city's commitment to sustainability by contributing to its green efforts with our RX1 LED street lighting system."

Designed to last for about 18 years, or four times longer than the lamps they are replacing, the Philips Hadco RX1 and RX2 LEDGINE luminaires are also expected to generate considerable savings in maintenance costs for the city. They are mercury-free and are available in multiple color temperatures.

"Philips Hadco delivered on everything we were looking for – from energy savings and outage reductions to enhanced visibility and improved light uniformity," said Glenn Cooper, associate electrical engineer, Street Lighting Division, city of Boston. "This investment in LED lighting is aesthetically, environmentally and economically beneficial, a combination that all taxpayers can appreciate."

Virmmac, LLC Eyes NexPhase Lighting, Inc. for Breakout Growth

Virmmac, LLC Eyes NexPhase Lighting, Inc. for Breakout Growth
Virmmac, LLC, a Virtual IR, Marketing & Media Company, targets NexPhase Lighting, Inc. (subsidiary of

Onteco Corp.) - (otcqb:ONTC) as a 'Top Company to Watch' in the next four quarters for breakout growth.

NexPhase Lighting, Inc., a designer and developer of proprietary high quality LED (light-emitting diode)

lighting fixtures and control systems for commercial applications, is making unprecedented progress the

LED lighting market.

Over the last few months, President Jon Cooper has been leading NexPhase in answering the demand for

the company's American made LED lighting solutions and is quickly emerging as a top tier company in the

LED Lighting marketplace.

According to a *recent intellectual property 'Appraisal Services Report' from Pellegrino & Associates LLC

("Pellegrino") commissioned by NexPhase, the valuation of multiple patent pending NexPhase intellectual

property is estimated at approximately $17,200,000.

The key points contained in the Appraisal Services Report are as follows: "The valuation model indicates

the fair market value of the intellectual property at a 90% confidence level is between $6,820,229 and

$41,109,593, with a mean value of $19,710,311 and a median value of $17,216,091. Pellegrino used the

statistical median as its expected value, as it removes the impact of improbable outliers. Therefore, it is

the opinion of Pellegrino, based upon a reasonable degree of probability within the valuation profession,

that the fair market value of the intellectual property is $17,216,091 using the income approach to value."

*Footnote to above is located at http://www.otcmarkets.com/edgar/GetFilingHtml?FilingID=7954352

March 31, 2011 10Q NexPhase recent success has prompted a search for a new facility to relocate the

corporate headquarters, main manufacturing and distribution facility to meet the demand of its future

business expansion plans.

NexPhase's most recent press release is the latest in a succession of exciting Company news that shows no

signs of slowing.

About NexPhase Lighting, Inc.

NexPhase Lighting, Inc. is a designer and developer of proprietary high quality LED (light-emitting diode)

lighting fixtures and control systems for commercial applications. It believes its products will be the lowest

cost, highest efficacy fixtures available in the LED Lighting Industry. All NexPhase lighting products

incorporate its proprietary "NexSense Technology(TM)", which provides benefits well beyond the generally

acknowledged advantages of all other LED lighting fixtures. NexSense control systems use a unique,

"patent pending" wireless protocol, which provides for an unsurpassed reduction in architecture and

infrastructure installation cost in commercial applications, as well as significantly reduced maintenance and

ongoing operation costs

About Onteco Corporation

Onteco Corporation was founded to develop innovative, practical and cost-effective solutions to some of

the most significant environmental challenges facing us today. Additionally, these solutions must show

promise of generating significant, ongoing profits for the company. The company determined that one

industry that meets these criteria is the Energy Saving Lighting Industry, and as a result acquired NexPhase

Lighting, Inc., in February 2011.